Discovering Your Authentic Leadership Essay

The article discussed authentic, original, leadership. It explained the importance of discovering one’s own leadership. To do that, the article points that you should be yourself! Do not impersonate another leader. By doing so, people around you will know that you are trying to behave like someone else, which may lead to mistrust. Authentic leaders are usually passionate about their goals. They make sure to always practice their values, lead with both their emotions and their minds and they aim for long and meaningful relationships. Original leaders give meaning to their lives by overcoming difficult experiences. By giving meaning to their lives, leaders become more effective. Authentic leaders make it a point to develop themselves on their own. They dislike having a plan handed to them that limits them and forces them to follow a certain pattern or procedure set by someone else. They see that as a kind of copying someone else’s style. When making their own plan for development, they install their own values and morals into it. Thus making it easier for them to practice those values and developing them further. It is also essential for authentic leaders to balance their motivation sources. They should balance judgment, criticism and reprisal. Original leaders see their organization as a very important aspect of their lives. This enables them to clarify their beliefs, values and their understanding of important issues. They also give honest feedback to people around them when it is needed. The practical steps of being an authentic leader are to stay grounded , Empower people around to lead, learn from their life, knowing themselves, practicing their values, balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and finally build a support team.

Lucent Technology Case

Lucent Technologies Case Yulissa T. Ortiz Salgado March 30, 2013 Financial Reporting: Peeking Under the Financial Hood Mrs. Darcie Sargent The Lucent Technologies is a company that helps creating new revenue generating opportunities for customers through the communication service. We all know how useful and important communication services have become throughout the years. Lucent Technologies is compounded of three organizations around the products and they are: Integrated Network Solutions, Mobility Solutions and Lucent Worldwide Services.Integrated Network Solutions also known as â€Å"INS† provides a service related to voice networking like voice messages, data and network management. Mobility offers software and wireless equipment to support radio like we do it on a car, and other electronic devices; however, all these equipment requires money to keep it running and to maintain it, so economy plays a very important place on this company like in every other. It is mentioned in the reading that throughout the years the economy was affected and the revenues or earnings as well.In 2003, the balance sheet shows a balance of total assets of 15,911. Also, it shows a debt of 19,282. We see that there is no earning but a loss in the balance sheet. On 2003 the loss shown is 4,239. Besides the economy downs and cons we can see that one year after, on 2004 things started to get better financially talking. It is not a big difference, but we can see it is helping the company to hang in there. The asset’s balance shows a 16,963, 1,052 more than the year before. The liabilities went down from 19,282 to 18,342.Also, the loss has decrease, by going up from (4,239) to (1,379). For this company would be hard to find investors because of the financial deficit they are confronting. The liabilities are way bigger than the earnings, because there are no earnings at all. If I were an investor, I would not put my money on a company that I see it’s not generating any money. It is true that the liabilities are decreasing, but in a real slowly way. Possibly if the liability was the same, but the earnings were about the same amount would be different.If I were an investor, I would also like to look at the Statement of Cash flows of the company to see where the money is exactly being spent on and were the money is also coming from. When a company is showing this kind of deficit it is very important as an investor to be able to determine why this is happening. The financial statements definitely provide the complete information needed to find out that information. Going deeper into the loans and the liabilities information would also help to determine how we could lower the debt to help the company run in a better way.Finally, I think I would just like to see all financial statements to determine how could my investment help in a positive way the company and also the company help me financially with the time. Usually we do not expect a company t o generate lots of money right away, but we do expect to live from it after a while. Therefore, it is needed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the company and financial statements are the perfect tools to find all that information. Reference: Understanding Financial Statements, Eight Edition, by Lyn M. Fraser and Aileen Omiston. Published by Prentice Hall, 2007.

The Peon Perspective

Holly S. Organizational Communication Dr. S. June 26, 2012 The Peon Perspective â€Å"A â€Å"peon† is a worker at or near the bottom of the organizational ladder who does work that requires minimal skills. Everyone starts at the bottom, even those with college degrees. All of us, have been, or will be peons at one time or another. †(Richmond and McCroskey). The preliminary principles for peons are people who are at or near the bottom of the hierarchy that require minimum skills who need to demonstrate their value. The only way to no longer be in the â€Å"peon status† is to learn organization to find success.The one question to ask is, is the peon perspective biblical or unbiblical? I believe that the peon perspective is biblical. In 1 Corinthians 14:40 it says, â€Å"But all things should be done decently and in order. † Respecting the power placed over you defines the principle of power. To be considered a valuable employee you must learn formal and inf ormal norms. Norms such as, obeying the rules and doing your job as well as your superior would do it. Everyone is hired on a trial basis in any organization and it is the individual’s job to respect the power placed above him or her in order to succeed.Daniel 2:21 says, â€Å"He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding†. God clearly tells us to understand the knowledge of our authority and to submit to those above us. Never make a decision today that can be postponed until tomorrow defines the principle of decision-making. Although some decisions should be made immediately, the issue is not that you need to wait to make a decision but rather to make an informed decision.Those who make hasty decisions get into trouble. Taking the time to slow down and think about the decision could potentially keep your job. Proverbs 29:20 says, â€Å"Do you see a man hasty in his words? Th ere is more hope for a fool than for him†. Scripture clearly states that we must always think before we speak. The organization getting along without you defines the principle of self-importance. No matter how skilled or motivated you are, the organization can always move along without you. The organization does not have to have you in it to keep it going.The organization got along quite well before you were hired; it can get along quite well if you are fired. Proverbs 16:18 says, â€Å"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall†. Also, James 4:10 says, â€Å"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you†. The Bible proves the action of humility and the outcomes of being humble. The peon principles are no guarantee and their effect is not usually enough to achieve individual success. But because these principles are backed up with God spoken scripture, success is possible.In Philippians 4:8, it says â€Å"Finally, brothers, what ever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things†. Although these principles are true, God will grant you success if you simply listen to Him. â€Å"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand† (John 10:27-28).

Alternative Energy Sources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alternative Energy Sources - Research Paper Example Arguments in Favour of Alternative Energy Resources for a Sustainable Environment The arguments typically made in favour of the use of alternative energy resources as opposed to fossil fuel resources tends to emphasize the ubiquity and clean effects of these resources (Nelson, 2011, p. 4). Alternative Energy Resources are Renewable The argument made in favour of replacing fossil fuels with alternative energy resources states that alternative energy resources such as solar power, wind and ocean tides are renewable (Miller and Spoolman, 2007, p. 304). In other words, they cannot be depleted so we do not have to worry about increasing costs as a result of declining supply. On the other hand fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas are non-renewable. Or at least, the formation process can take millions of years. This creates a gap between the rate of production and the rate of consumption of these fuels, which is not conducive to a sustainable environment. For example, it is expect ed that the oil resources of the United Arab Emirates will be depleted in the next 90 or so years (Gulf News, 2008). Similarly, Pakistan has been experiencing an energy crisis because of declining natural gas production. When the supply of these fuels is reduced, the price increases as a result of market forces, which creates economic problems of its own. Alternative Energy Resources are Ubiquitous A second argument made in defense of alternative energy resources is that compared to fossil fuels, they are more widely available. For example, oil is concentrated in certain regions of the world such as the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico. On the other hand, alternative energy resources such as wind and water are available in several parts of the world in forms that are conducive to power generation. The fact that alternative energy resources come in various forms increases the likelihood of some type of alternative energy resource to be present in a particular part of the world. For instance, the countries along the equator are blessed with longer hours of daylight and sunshine compared with countries further away from the equator. At the same time, certain regions of the world have access to coasts and rivers that can be harnessed to deliver energy. The use of alternative energy resources will reduce the transport of fossil fuels through tankers and pipelines to far-off places. This will reduce the energy costs significantly. As a consequence, the cost of goods and services that are directly influenced by the rising energy costs, such as agricultural produce, will not be affected adversely. Alternative Energy Resources are Non-Polluting The strongest argument made in favour of alternative energy resources by the environmentalists is that such resources are non-polluting. It has become a much discussed fact the persistent discharge of carbon emissions into the atmosphere is related to the environmental disasters that threaten the sustainability of the ecologic al system. The depletion of the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, global warming and climatic changes have all been attributed to the use of fossil fuels. The greenhouse effect, for instance, is caused by the increase of fossil fuel based emissions in the atmosphere. These emissions form a blanket that prevents solar heat from escaping the atmosphere thus increasing the temperature of the Earth. This

Analysis the tables of the SPSS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analysis the tables of the SPSS - Essay Example This indeed was the case since only 202 of the returned questionnaires were found eligible for analysis. The standard questionnaires dispatched contained three sets of questions. Five broad features of service quality were recorded using the first 21 questions posed. These were tangible elements of service, reliability of service providers, responsiveness of the staff and management of the facility, assurance and action to ensure fulfilment of the same, and empathy towards the clients. The second set of questions was concerned with the importance with which the clients weighed each of the five features recorded in the preceding set of questions. The third set of questions was a measure of key characteristics of the respondents. The first set of data was recorded on a 5-point linker scale, which allowed the respondents to choose from extremely dissatisfied, dissatisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, satisfied to extremely satisfy. In addition, the second set comprised a choice for the respondents to choose the respective scores to accord each of the five broad features of the first set of questions. ... Main Element Q I. Using frequencies and descriptive statistics, comment on sample composition. Frequencies Statistics are you male or female how often do you use the centre What year at university are you currently in? 1st /2nd/ 3rd/ 4th/ masters/ other are you a member or do you pay each time subject area N Valid 201 202 202 190 202 Missing 1 0 0 12 0 The study comprised of 202 participants. 201 participants responded to the gender question while all the 202 participants responded to the question on their current year of study. The questions on the use of the Sports Centre and the subject area were answered by all the 202 participants while only 190 participants responded to the question on membership. Frequency Table Are you male or female Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid male 126 62.4 62.7 62.7 female 75 37.1 37.3 100.0 Total 201 99.5 100.0 Missing 9 1 .5 Total 202 100.0 The gender question was responded to by 126 male participants and 75 female participant s. 46 participants never used the centre, 39 participants used it once a week or less, and 47 participants used the centre twice a week. 34 and 25 participants used the centre 3 times a week and 4 times a week respectively. Out of those interviewed, only 11 participants used the centre 5 or more times a week. How often do you use the centre Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid never 46 22.8 22.8 22.8 once a week or less 39 19.3 19.3 42.1 twice a week 47 23.3 23.3 65.3 3 times a week 34 16.8 16.8 82.2 4 times a week or more 25 12.4 12.4 94.6 5 11 5.4 5.4 100.0 Total 202 100.0 100.0 Among the 202 participants who responded to the question on their current year of study, 68 were in first year, 84

The Meaning of Manifest Destiny Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Meaning of Manifest Destiny - Coursework Example Polk occupied the controversial Texas land that was under dispute. Polk was not right in his actions in the sense that it meant the annexation of the Texas region would mean imposition of the American law to other territories. Polks actions brought about the famous American-Mexican civil war. The Mexican government responded to the annexation of Texas by confronting America through diplomatic means to the extent that it led to a civil war. Abraham Lincoln disagreed with the Polks position that Texas was to be annexed and put under the United States (Tindall and David 214). Abraham Lincoln, in his opposition to the annexation of Texas, introduced the spot resolution. In the resolution, Licoln demanded that president Polk indicate how the Americans had been affected to warrant annexation. The Manifest destiny had both positive and negative consequences. The positive issue is that the US won in its expansion process, however, it brought unprecedented bad blood between Mexico and America. The Aftermath of the civil war raised immense suspicion between the two

Toyota Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Toyota - Research Paper Example Toyota also has to adhere to the regulations set up by the respective government rates concerning its fuel policy. The oil industry is an obvious major stakeholder in the company and it has to liaise with it for successful business. The company strives to ensure delivery to consumers as soon as possible. It uses the Just-In-Time system of vehicle production whose aim is to manufacture the vehicles ordered by customers as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Only what has been ordered is manufactured to avoid backlogs and maintain continuity of production. The company makes sure that the spare parts necessary for assembly are already in stock so that when an order is placed, work begins immediately without further delays. The parts used are then ordered and replaced in successive production; stock out are not allowed. Toyota provides excellent after-sales services and has been ranked highest on the basis of dealership service performance assessment. Customers are in a position to gain from an array of services including service initiation, vehicle pick-up, service advisers, quality assurance and facilities. Focusing on customers and interacting personally with them enhances overall customer delights and promotes brand loyalty. As far as quality is concerned, Toyota has put emphasis on quality assurance systems with Total Quality Control activities implemented to ensure quality issues arising are solved as soon as possible and recurrences avoided in advance. During production, defects are checked during each process and strict inspection procedures are carried out to maintain quality end products. There has been a significant increase in demand for vehicles around the world as people become more financially empowered. In an effort to have a market share of this growth Toyota has increased its employees and suppliers. Unfortunately, it seems that it’s

Reasons why a Large Company in One Country Might Wish to 'Go Global' Essay

Reasons why a Large Company in One Country Might Wish to 'Go Global' and the Various Ways it Could Expand its Operations Oversea - Essay Example Going global has become the norm because it offers the companies a range of opportunities to move ahead further and increase their profits in the long run (Orr & Sohal). It makes them realize their due potential and the risks that they could take to achieve supremacy within their line of business. Nearly all companies wants that it expands its operations within the far flung areas of the world in order to increase its sales and bring new customers into the equation. The large companies are no exception to this rule as they look to exploit the weaknesses of their competitors and build upon the strength that possesses within their folds. What is even more significant is the fact that these companies have started to understand the nuances related with growing far and wide which essentially allows them to develop in an out and out manner. The senior management domains within these companies are looking at exploring newer markets because they believe that the unique customers provide a go lden opportunity for the company under consideration and the outsourcing debates are also settled in an amicable way (Townsend, Cavusgil & Yeniyurt, 2004). This is indicative of the numerous discussions that are being done within the going global perspectives and which have more or less touched upon the new understandings of growth and development for the sake of the companies in the modern times. These companies are doing their best to find out where the opportunities lie and what is it like to tap them before their competitors are able to do just the same. Hence the intention is to bring along all the necessary resources and find new avenues and routes which will eventually build upon the profits and expand left, right and center around the world. The companies are therefore looking at areas from where they can cut down on costs and bring in more profits. This debate comes directly under the realms of the outsourcing ones because third world countries are seen as the most helpful ones, where they bring cheap labor with them yet look at establishing offices which cut down on costs immensely. In essence, the entire world has come out as a whole new ball game for the companies which earlier used to believe in a single local marketplace. Now the times have changed and that too for all the right reasons as has been evidenced by recent examples of some companies which have made it big around the world by exploring newer markets (Gregory & Shi, 1998). One of the other reasons behind companies going the global way is because they have started to realize that just being limited to a single place would not allow them to grow beyond a certain measures. Thus they need to enact strategies and find pathways which will double or tripe their expected sums in the coming times. This is the reason why these companies are always on the look out for newer markets, diversified product forms tailored for new and potential customers, and local market suited products and services. I n essence, the role of the companies within such a fray is a precisely sensitive one since they have to decide who to hire, where to purchase all the resources and how to go about doing operations within a new country which effectively is quite a risky process. The companies have also realized the fact that the local laws and regulations are also something which must be

Operations Management Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations Management Principles - Essay Example This essay explores the old Economic Order Quantities. I think it is an issue because old data about EOQs do not reflect the current state of affairs. The Economic Order Quantity model (EOQ) is a mathematical model for deriving the optimal purchase quantity. The EOQ model seeks to minimize total carrying and ordering costs by balancing purchase costs, ordering costs, carrying costs and stockout costs. In order to compute the economic order quantity, the supervisor needs the following information: forecasted demand during a period, cost of placing the order, that value of the purchase price, and the carrying cost for maintaining the total inventory. The fourth problem is the impossibility to engage trained or trainable temporary workers. I think it is associated with a lack of process planning and therefore should be solved in connection with it. I think that the plan must consist of strategic decisions that are made typically over a longer time horizon. These are closely linked to th e corporate strategy and guide supply chain policies from a design perspective. (Ganeshan & Harrison, 1995) The strategy includes the development of a management information system that will store the data about the company’s activity and help to make operational decisions. Management information systems (MIS) are information systems, typically computer-based, that are used within an organization. A management information system may be defined as "a system that collects and processes data (information) and provides it to managers at all levels that use it for decision making, planning, program implementation, and control." An information system is comprised of all the components that collect, manipulate, and disseminate data or information. It usually includes hardware, software, people, communications systems such as telephone lines, and the data itself. The activities involved include inputting data, processing of data into information, storage of data and information, and the production of outputs such as management reports. (Management information system from Wikipedia, 2006) A standard is any guideline established as the basis for measurement. It is a precise, explicit statement of expected results from a product, service, machine, individual, or organizational unit. It is usually expressed numerically and is set for quality, quantity, and time. Tolerance is a permissible deviation from the standard. (Allen, 1998) A set of controls should be developed. Time controls relate to deadlines and time constraints. Material controls relate to inventory and material-yield controls. Equipment controls are built into the machinery, imposed on the operator to protect the equipment or the process. Cost controls help ensure cost standards are met. Employee performance controls focus on the actions and behaviors of individuals and groups of employees. Examples include absences, tardiness, accidents, quality, and quantity of work. Budgets control cost or expense r elated standards. Financial controls facilitate achieving the organization's profit motive. One method of financial controls budgets.

MySelf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MySelf - Essay Example Possessing such positive moral values would help to mold an individual into a true human being. These values have taught me to be more responsible both in my personal and professional life and to the society at large. And it is with the help of these qualities that I hope to achieve my career goals in the near future. Right from the start of my educational journey, I have always believed that the purpose of education should not be merely attributed to gaining degrees and work; rather it should contribute to the overall development of the individual. It should enable the individual to distinguish between right and wrong and also stick to what they believe. While some of these skills and capabilities can be gained from an institution, an individual can also derive such learning and thinking experiences during his contact with his family or the outside world either in his work or other related activities. The manner in which an individual presents himself to the world with or without the qualities and attributes presented above will help to determine the true nature of his education. Both my educational and work experiences have been vital learning and enriching experiences in my life. The experience gained from the summer jobs that I undertook following completion of high school have made me become more efficient and resourceful. They have also helped me learn the importance of team work and the need to build strong interpersonal relationships with working partners both in the internal and external work environments. It is my long-cherished dream to pursue my education and excel in the chosen field. Both me and my family have faced several setbacks in life but the moral values and principles that we have believed in have us the strength and courage to face them with a positive spirit and overcome them with right reasoning and tact. Despite the various challenges that I have encountered in life, I have always been keen on having a career and

Discussion of Sections 338 and 338 Election of the Internal Revenue Research Proposal

Discussion of Sections 338 and 338 Election of the Internal Revenue Code - Research Proposal Example Under Section 338, if a purchasing corporation acquires 80 percent or more of the stock of the target corporation in a qualified stock purchase then the election in Section 338 may be done to treat the stock purchase as an asset purchase. This election must be not later than the fifteenth day of the ninth month, after the month in which the acquisition date occurs. If however the purchasing corporation decides not to or fails to make such an election, then it will be a carryover basis in the target’s assets. Such an election in Section 338 will benefit or have an economic value to the purchasing corporation only â€Å"if the present value of future tax savings resulting from the ‘step-up’ in basis of the target's assets exceeds the current tax cost of such a step-up†. As explained by Silverman, in order to achieve this basis step-up, the target corporation must recognize the full gain or loss inherent in its assets.

Islam Essay Example for Free

Islam Essay 1. The word â€Å"Islam† is derived form the Arabic root â€Å"asalama† which literally means peace, purity and submission. Thus Islam means â€Å"surrender to the Almighty† and Muslim means â€Å"one who is in a state of submission†. It is understood that this submission is to the Will of God, as is laid down in the Quran. This tenet is unequivocally accepted by all sects of Islam be they Shia, Sunni or Sufis. 2. Islam is an unerringly monotheistic religion. It enjoins the existence of one God, his prophet Muhammad who is the Last Prophet (khatam-in-nabiyin) in a long line of prophets sent throughout time and to every civilization, and the Quran as the Word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibrael. Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of life is to worship him and to adhere to his word, as laid down in the Quran, and in Sunnah (the normative practices of the Prophet), as closely as possible. They believe that Islam is the final, completed and universal version of a faith (Deen-e-Ibrahimi) revealed too many prophets before; most notably Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but whose message has now been distorted. 3. The practices of Islam are based on the ubiquitous â€Å"Five Pillars†. These are, in order of importance, Shahadah or acceptance of One-ness (Taw hid) of God, Salat or five daily Prayers, Saum or Fasting in the month of Ramadan, Zakat or obligatory Alms-giving, Hajj or Pilgrimage to the Kaabah (House of God) at least once in a lifetime, for those able to afford it. These five â€Å"Pillars of Faith† are incumbent upon every Muslim and form the basis for his belief. Some scholars say that the pillars in Shia Islam involve an additional four points in addition to the principal ones. Namely, Nabuwah or Prophet Hood of Muhammad, Jesus, Moses etc., Imamah or Leadership of the Tweleve Imams, Qiyamah or Day of Judgment and Adel or Justice. 4. The fundamental goals of Islam are a complete submission to God and adherence to the teachings of the Quran and the example of Sunnah. When a child is born he is â€Å"ordained† into Islam by reciting the Kalima (the verses outlining Tawhid) into his ear, and thereby giving Shahadah i.e. acknowledgement of the One-ness of God. Muslims must perform the ritual of prayer five times a day, fast and give alms in the month of Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the Kaabah if he is of sound mind and body and is able to afford it. The principles of the Promotion of Virtue (amr bil-maaroof) and Prevention of Vice (nahi an-al-munkar) are long-standing and Muslims are expected to inculcate them in their dealings with others. As Islam enjoins peace and harmony with mankind and with nature there is a great emphasis placed on community. Indeed, the Muslim brethren at large are considered one community (Ummah), irrespective of political, cultural or physical barriers. A Muslim is encouraged to perform good deeds for the community (masawaat) and to call people to worship the One God (Dawah). 5. Authority in Islam remains with God. His injunctions, as laid down in the Quran, and the practices and teachings of the Prophet, Sunnah are to be followed in establishing a political structure. Traditionally the concept of political leadership was embodied by the â€Å"Great Caliphs† (Khulfa-e-Rashiduun), who succeeded Muhammad in leadership of the nascent Islamic Empire. This political set-up personified adherence to the Shariah, duty of the rulers to seek consultation or Shura and of censuring unjust rulers. It is widely believed that the â€Å"Great Four†, the four to succeed Muhammad in succession, were the only ones in practice true to the cause of Islam and subsequent rulers fell victim to dynastic politics and greed. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire there was an abolition of the Caliphate, no matter how symbolic, and closure of the traditional Islamic political setup. Shia Islam has a theological concept of the Imamate. This term is often used interchangeably with the Caliphate but has very different connotations. The Shia believes that it is a divine institution succeeding the Last prophet and the Imams divinely chosen. The chosen Imams take up the mantle of religious, political, social etc. leader of all the Ummah. Traditionally Shia followers and scholars have shown political aloofness or activism against what was viewed as an increasingly corrupt caliphate. 6. The legal ideal in Islam resides with God. His injunctions form the basis for Islamic Law or Shariah. Shariah derives from two sources: divine revelations set forth in the Quran, and the normative practices of the Holy Prophet, Sunnah, as pertained to everyday matters. Fiqh or Jurisprudence extends on matters not directly touched upon in these primary sources. The foundations for Fiqh come from Ijma or consensus of learned scholars and qiyas, analogy from quran and Sunnah. Shia jurisprudence replaces this with aql or â€Å"reason†. Shariah law is not widespread, and even in Muslim countries there are often parallel justice systems. In countries where it enjoys official status Shariah is upheld by the qadis. Shariah has widespread implications; from matters of politics and economics to diet and personal hygiene. Shia scholars employ a different tack. According to them sources of law (usul-e-fiqh) are: Quran, Sunnah, the practices of the Twelve Imams and aql (reason). 7. Islamic philosophy and theology have more or less a harmonious perspective. Theology in Islam centers on six main articles of belief; Belief in One God (Tawhid), Belief in the Last Prophet (Nabi) and all the Messengers of God (Rasul), belief in Angels (Malaika), books sent by god (kutub), judgment (qiyamah) and predestination (qadar). Islamic philosophy as produced in an Islamic society is not exclusively concerned with religious matters nor is it wholly Islamic in origin; rather it has grounds in Hellenistic and Pre-Islamic Indian traditions. The golden age of Islamic philosophy is centered on the 8th to 12th centuries and exemplified Averroes and Avicenna. The first aspect of theology is Kalam which deals with theological questions and the other is Falsafa based on Aristotelianism. Kalam centers on ijtihad or using thought to investigate the doctrines of the Quran, while Falsafa was mainly concerned with the translation of Greek and Hindu texts and expounding them to the community at large. It is quite possible for a Muslim to hold separate philosophical and theological beliefs; believing on the one hand in the Aristotelian principle that the existence of the world is not only a possibility but also a necessity, and also valuing the fact that existence of the world in due only to God. The Shia school of thought differs only in what it considers purely theological matters i.e. Roots of religion (Usul e-Din) and Branches of Faith (Furu-e-Din) 8. By the end of the 12th century, the Islamic Empire was a vast entity. Stretching from beyond the shores of the Mediterranean to much of India. Thus Islamic art and architecture shows wide and varied themes, each influenced by the culture and climate of the particular land. The principal Islamic architectural styles are the mosque, tomb, fort and palace and from these an idea of the recurring themes may be gleaned. Soon after Muhammad, a recognizable style of architecture emerged comprising interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome and decorative arabesques. The great mosque of Samarrah in Iraq, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Hagia Sofia in Turkey are prime examples. The conquest of the Persian Empire in the 7th century introduced large arcades and arches. Moorish architecture is perhaps the most familiar example in the western world. The Great Mosque (Mezquita) in Cordova, the Alhambra and the fort of Granada introduced wide breezy interiors and decorative foliage and Arabic inscription motifs. Mughal architecture has built a class of its own. Perhaps the most famous is the Taj Mahal, built in white marble entirely in symmetry with large minarets and cupola domes. The Mughals also introduced gardens as a relevant theme in their architecture, most famously the Shalimar Gardens. While theology does not have a very significant impact on Islamic architecture a recurring theme is the absence of human or animal imagery, widely considered to be forbidden by the Prophet. Instead calligraphic inscriptions of the Quran and geometric patterns replace as decorative influences.

Context Of Business Strategy

Context Of Business Strategy Business strategy is defined as a long term approach of implementing a firms business plans to achieve its business objectives. Above all business strategy provides core competencies, differentiation and superior values for an organization. Context of business strategy: Objectives: Are the specific outcomes which an organization wishes to achieve by carrying out several activities. Objectives should always be stated precisely so it can easily be measured whether the objectives are been achieved or not. For example, there should be step by step ways so it than becomes easy to judge to how much is done and how much remains and whether the work is in time and good or not. Mission: It describes an organizations basic function in a society. It is done specifically to spread the knowledge and belief among the people. For example, it to become a top cellular brand, so society would know its reason for existence. Vision: The vision statement is concerned with how the future will look like if the mission is achieved. Some often say a vision statement imagines what success would look like. For example, as I mentioned above to become a top cellular brand globally, this is a vision. Goals: In every organization goals differ, but generally your goals can be regarding improvement in technology, or improving market share, or to improve the quality of the product or the expansion of the business or it can be these all at once. For example, to set an amount of market share in an particular time period can be regarded as a goal. Core competencies: A core competency is a specific factor that a business sees as being central to the way it or its employees works. For example, they can see their technological factor as their core competency. Strategic control: The practice of assessing the direction of the organization as evidenced by its implicit or explicit goals, objectives, strategies, and capacity to perform in the context of changing environmental and competitive actions. For example, to be able to have a strategy in place so that every department or different work runs smoothly all together. P2: The students will be expected to discuss the concept of stakeholders and their types. Stakeholder analysis is an approach that is frequently used to identify and investigate the force field formed by any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the objectives of an organization. Different types of stakeholder: Owners, investors, directors. Shareholders. Banks and creditors. Suppliers. Customers and buyers. Management. Employees. Competitors. Government. Interest groups and companies. Stakeholder Map: P3: The student should conduct the PESTEL and SWOT analysis of the organization/business. PESTEL analysis of Ericsson: Political: Political entities played a vital role in the success of Ericsson switches business, Once a relation was built with a PPT in a country, it lead to follow-up contracts again. The U.S market for switches business was closed while the British PPT only used to buy switches from European companies. On the other hand there were no barriers to entry for the mobile telephony business since the product was new and unique. Economical : In order to start the mobile telephony business Ericsson needed a high market share, which they achieved by selling switches and other radio equipments in U.S.A and various European countries including Netherland .This increased the number of customers, thus increasing market share. After the company got substantially popular, major businesses started to co-ordinate with Ericsson, these included major rivals namely Magnetic, GSM and Radio system .By the end of century the market share for Ericsson mobiles and Radio equipments reached 70 percent. Socio-cultural: Consumer demanded for new functions and designs while Ericsson was not successful in providing that, a banker expressed they are just a bunch of engineers who couldnt care less what the phone looks like. Also on the other hand consumer complained about the low battery life. Technological: The Company had inferior technology in start due to financial problems, the SRA was only engaged in selling radio equipments to the military, these included radiators, gramophones and radars. AXE was their main technology; AXE chips were powerful but big in size, while on the other hand competitors were making smaller switches. Environmental/ecological: Legal: INTERNAL Strengths First company to provide mobile phone technology. High capacity switches (AXE) Ericsson Information (EIS) Strong management policies Providing a wide range of products around the globe .i.e. radio equipments, mobile and telephone business. New product and technology Weaknesses Lack of Unity between various departments. They consider each other as lacking from knowledge, stupid and inexperienced. Poor quality equipments causing dis-interest of customers Installation in armored cars was a problem. Low finance Switches were Large and expensive EXTERNAL Opportunities High competitive environment, this leads to more customers Mass market High Sales since the product is new and unique Expand business Threats Major competitors, namely NEC, Motorola, Fijitsu, Northern Telecom, EF Johnson. Competitors offering financing solutions Small switches of competitors and cheap in price Intense competitionSWOT analysis of Ericsson: (Figure 2: SWOT analysis) P4: Students should apply Ansoff Matrix on the studied business. STRETEGIC POSITIONING TECHNIQUES Ansoff matrix: The Ansoff Growth matrix is a tool that helps businesses decide their product and market growth strategy. Figure 3: Ansoff Matrix (source: tutors.com, data accessed July 2009) Ansoff Matrix of Ericsson: Ansoff matrix can help Ericsson identify their future direction and strategic development. It may help Ericsson find out the choices available in the market in order to use their strategic capabilities. Currently in terms of the case, Ericsson is engaged in production of many existing products and one new product which is mobile telephone. This may sort out Ericsson into three sections of an Ansoff Matrix. These are explained as follows: Existing product and existing market; Market penetration: For the current production of various radio and telephone equipments, including AXE chip. Existing product and new market; Market development: For entering new markets including USA, Netherland and Middle East. Existing market and New Market; Product development: By launching Mobile telephone system in their existing market . Ansoff Matrix: This is a useful strategic positioning technique advised to Ericsson due to the fact that it helps in suggesting the business attempts to expand on a new or existing market or whether on the markets new and existing products. For the market development Ansoff can help Ericsson identify new geographical areas, for example where to sell the existing switches and radio equipments. They can seek out different pricing policies to attract customers. Similarly in the product development stage they can develop new competencies and modify their products on the basis of consumer appeal. On the basis of these qualities it was advised to use Ansoff matrix as a strategic positioning technique to identify their future direction. M1: Here the students will be expected to identify at least three of the concepts (discussed in P1) in the organization/business selected. The students should give a brief analysis of how the concepts have been applied in the organization. Here are the brief analysis of the three concepts that take place in the organization Ericsson. Objectives: You always start with small objectives and move onto the larger ones once the initial ones have been taken care off. It is the same with the organization that I am representing. Their prime objective at the start was that they wanted to become one of the leading mobile brand sellers in the world. Not many would argue that they hadnt reached their goal. To make this objective succeed they started off by having small steps of objectives which are key. They wanted to bring something new (they brought Walkman phones), they wanted to increase their market share and increase their profits. Recent performances show a decline in profits and market share and now they are looking forward to go one better than the last time and then to be able to maintain their market position. Vision: When you start an organization you always have a vision for it, as where you want it to be in the future, as in for example 15 years later. Do you want it to be self-sustaining and be somewhere in the middle rather than the top or do you want it to have profits and want it to be at the utmost top. Sony Ericsson vision was one for the future. It wanted to be profit motive as any other organization would want to be, however they wanted to be a leading global mobile seller, to be on the utmost top. And from the time of initial start till now they are heading towards the right direction. Core Competencies: Ericsson wants to be technologically advanced and give its handsets something new which its competitors lack or do not come up with. It spends heavily on its research and development as its motive is to be the best globally. After merging with Sony, Sony Ericssons Walkman phones are an example of its technological advancement over its competitors and its willingness to bring something new. Mission: Many people often mistake vision for mission or mission for vision. However, both these things differ as vision is how the future would look like and mission is the way of getting there. Ericsson, after merging with Sony, one of its priorities is that it specifically targets the younger generations, as they are mostly mobile fanatics and love entertainment. It wants to be known for specifically entertainment phones providing the best of sounds the technologically up to date cell phones. M2: The students should identify the stakeholders of the organization under consideration and develop the stakeholder map for the organization. Students are expected to give their rationale for placing the stakeholders in the map. List of stakeholders associated with Ericsson: Not all of the stakeholders are mentioned in the current case but their key stakeholder groups include: Board of directors: Board of directors includes all the major owners of the business who changed with the passage of time. These personal included GE-Marconi, Ake Lundqvist and Lars Magnus Ericsson. The key focus of all the directors was to direct the strategy and major decision making of the business. They wanted an increase in their power and status and wanted to retain control. Managers : Managers engaged with Ericsson particularly included the sales manager, marketing manager and the production manager, among these included John Meurling and Lars Ramqvist. Competitors: Throughout time Ericsson expanded their business globally increasing their number of competitors in each of their business sector. Their main competitors included Nokia, Mitsubishi, NEC, Fijitsu, Siemens, Hitachi, CIT Alcatel, EF Johnson, Motorola, Northern telecom. Customers: The customers of Ericsson want good and valuable products for the money they pay, since they have a buying objective and if Ericsson fails to satisfy their customers then they will go elsewhere. Shareholders: The shareholders are the main investors in Ericsson, they are not as such mentioned in the given case but mentioning them is important as without their support the company wont have any suitable finance. Investors in Ericsson clearly want to be rewarded for their stake in the business. Their profit depends on the size of after tax profit and plans of director to invest for business expansion and the economy causing fluctuation in share price. Community: The role of community is also not mentioned in the case but it was certainly necessary to mention their role. Community wants to benefit from the employment which Ericsson creates and indeed Ericsson was successful in doing that by making Stockholm worlds most dense telephone city. Stakeholder Map of Ericsson: Small Shareholders Customers Competitors Low Employees Power Managers Board of Director High Main Shareholders Low Interest High (Fig 1: Stakeholder Map) As the map suggests and shows itself, that the powerful ones come first. As the main shareholders are the one with the most power. Then come the board of directors, as they have power and are as well very interested in their work. They are followed by managers, employees and competitors with their power and interest accordingly. Last are the small shareholders and the customers with the least power but some interest. D1: The students should continue their discussion about the application of strategic concepts in the organization, and recommend improvements possible in the application of these concepts. Following are the strategic concepts and the recommendations for improvements: Objectives: Ericsson before and after merging with Sony, was and is one of the leading global brands in the present world. It can be said that mostly the objectives they set for themselves are taken care of appropriately taken care of with time. They set smaller objectives and then the larger ones and they attend to them in order, which is the right way. Being one of the leading brands in the world there is very less room for error, so the way they are presently handling their objectives they should continue handling them in this appropriate order. Vision: As you may already know the meaning of vision and have an understanding of it, it is something you think of your organization being when on a later date when you start. One should not have so many big goals as when it is not taken care of the owner would feel disappoint. So here, their vision (goal) should be their but not a very big one instead something that is realistic and while you are trying to achieve it you can try to overcome it and do better by performing as good as you can in the time period allotted. Core Competencies: Here is something that plays a pivotal role in enhancing the image and use of your product, as being technologically up to date or even advance when compared with you competitors gives you a push ahead of the rest of the pack. The company should invest big in research and development from time to time and should try coming up with new ideas rather than bringing something old back in some new shape, trying something different always pays of in the end. Mission: I would surely suggest a few of my ideas which I think may or can help improve their sales and image in some way. Firstly, they mostly target todays generation which is a hit but now that they have mostly captured them they should try to bring in something simple but luxurious as to try to capture the market of elderly people. Secondly, they should try to give themselves on overall image, as to have a variety rather than just be known for their explosive but sounds.

Results Chapter on CMV Infection Research

Results Chapter on CMV Infection Research Results This study has been conducted on 366 patients with suspected CMV infection attending pediatric department at Zagazig University Hospital. Table (1): Age distribution of the studied patients (except for neonates with congenital anomalies) (N=344)       Studied patients (N=344) No. % Age (years) Mean  ± SD 9.9  ± 3.4 Median (Range) 10.0 (3.5 18.0) The mean age and standard deviation (SD) of ages of the studied patients (except for neonates with congenital anomalies) in years as shown in table (1) was 9.9  ± 3.4. Table (2): Age distribution of neonates with congenital anomalies (N=22) Studied patients (N=22) No. % Age of neonates with congenital anomalies group (days) Mean  ± SD Median (Range) 4.1  ± 1.6 4.0 (2.0 7.0) Table (2) shows that The mean age and standard deviation (SD) of ages ofneonates with congenital anomalies were 4.1  ± 1.6 days Table (3): Sex distribution of the studied patients (N=366) Studied patients (N=366) No. % Sex Male 202 55.2% Female 164 44.8% Table(3) shows that 55.2% (202 out of 366) of the studied patients were males, while 44.8% were females. Figure (1): Pie diagram showing sex distribution of the studied patients (N=366) Table (4): Distribution of the risk factors among the studied patients (N=366) Risk factors Studied patients (N=366) No. % Malignant hematological disease with chemotherapy 43 11.7 % Receiving repeated blood transfusion 164 44.8 % Fever of unknown origin 16 4.4 % Critically ill patients lying in the ICUs with prolonged hospitalization 28 7.7 % Receiving corticosteroids or other immunosuppressives for long period 22 6 % Chronic renal failure with haemodialysis 64 17.5 % Fever with pancytopenia 7 1.9 % Neonates with congenital anomalies 22 6 % As shown in table (4) and figure (2),44.8% of the studied patients were receiving repeated blood transfusion, 17.5% were suffering from chronic renal failure and receiving haemodialysis, 11.7% were suffering from Malignant hematological disease and receiving chemotherapy, 7.7% were critically ill patients lying in the ICUs with prolonged hospitalization, 6% were receiving immunosuppressive agents for long period, 6% were   neonates with congenital anomalies, 4.4% had fever of unknown origin, and 1.9% suffered from fever with pancytopenia. Figure (2): Pie diagram showing Distribution of the risk factors in the studied patients (N=366). Table (5): Results of ELISA IgM and IgG for CMV in the enrolled patients (N=366) ELISA results Studied patients (N=366) IgM Positive 60 16.4 % Negative 306 83.6 % IgG Positive 93 25.4 % Negative 273 74.6 % Over all seropositivity Positive both IgM and IgG 109 29.8 % As shown in table (5), out of the 366 studied patients, 60 (16.4%) and 93 (25.4%) were positive for CMV IgM and IgG in an ELISA test respectively. Table (6): Agreement between ELISA IgM and IgG in the studied patients (N=366) ELISA IgM ELISA IgG Total #Test P-value Negative Positive Negative No. 257 49 306 0.469 0.000* (HS) % 94.1 % 52.7 % 83.6 % Positive No. 16 44 60 % 5.9 % 47.3 % 16.4 % Total No. 273 93 366 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % #  Ã‚   Kappa measure of agreement P< 0.05 is significant. Statistical Significance Standards for strength of agreement for the kappa coefficient: ≠¤0=poor, .01-.20=slight, .21-.40=fair, .41-.60=moderate, .61-.80=substantial, and .81-1=almost perfect. Table 6 shows that there is a moderate agreement between ELISA IgM and IgG in the detection of CMV in children with high statistical significance. Table (7): Prevalence of CMV IgM seropositivity among different risk groups Risk Factors No. Studied patients (N=366) Positive IgM No. % Malignant hematological disease with chemotherapy (43) 8 18.6 % Receiving repeated blood transfusion (164) 36 21.9 % Fever of unknown origin (16) 8 50 % Critically ill patients lying in the ICUs with prolonged hospitalization (28) 0 0 % Receiving corticosteroids or other immunosuppressives for long period (22) 0 0 % Chronic renal failure with haemodialysis (64) 8 12.5 % Fever with pancytopenia (7) 0 0 % Neonates with congenital anomalies (22) 0 0 % Table (7) and figure (3) show that the highest prevalence (50%) of CMV IgM seropositivity was reported from patients suffering from fever of unknown origin. Figure (3): Bar chart showing prevalence of CMV IgM seropositivity among different risk groups Table (8): Association between CMV IgM seropositivity and different risk factors Risk factors No. Studied patients (N=366) Test p-value ELISA IgM Positive (N=60) Negative (N=306) No. % No. % Malignant hematological disease with chemotherapy (43) 8 18.6 % 35 81.4% #11.17 0.010 (S) Receiving repeated blood transfusion (164) 36 21.9 % 128 78% Fever of unknown origin (16) 8 50 % 8 50% Chronic renal failure with haemodialysis (64) 8 12.5 % 56 87.5% #  Ã‚   chi square test P< 0.05 is significant. *statistical Significance Table (9): Prevalence of CMV IgG seropositivity among different risk groups Risk factors No. Studied patients (N=366) Positive IgG No. % Malignant hematological disease with chemotherapy (43) 0 0 % Receiving repeated blood transfusion (164) 63 38.4 % Fever of unknown origin (16) 0 0 % Critically ill patients lying in the ICUs with prolonged hospitalization (28) 0 0 % Receiving corticosteroids or other immunosuppressives for long period (22) 0 0 % Chronic renal failure with haemodialysis (64) 8 12.5 % Fever with pancytopenia (7) 0 0 % Neonates with congenital anomalies (22) 22 100 % Table (9) and figure (4) show that the highest prevalence (100%) of CMV IgG seropositivity was reported from neonates with congenital anomalies. Figure (4): Bar chart showing prevalence of CMV IgG seropositivity among different risk groups. Table (10): Association between CMV IgG seropositivity and different risk factors Risk factors No. Studied patients (N=366) Test p-value ELISA IgG Positive (N=93) Negative (N=273) No. % No. % Receiving repeated blood transfusion (164) 63 38.4% 101 61.6% 53.96 0.000* (HS) Chronic renal failure with haemodialysis (64) 8 12.5% 56 87.5% Neonates with congenital anomalies (22) 22 100% 0 0% #  Ã‚   chi square test P< 0.05 is significant. *highly statistical Significance Table (11): Results of real time PCR for CMV in the enrolled patients (N=366) Real time PCR Studied patients (N=366) Positive 36 9.8% Negative 330 90.2% Table (11) shows that 9.8% (36 out of 366) of the studied patients were positive for CMV in real time PCR test. Table (12): Results of nested PCR for CMV in the enrolled patients (N=366) Nested PCR Studied patients (N=366) Positive 29 7.9% Negative 337 92.1% Table (12) shows that 7.9% (29 out of 366) of the studied patients were positive for CMV in nested PCR test. Figure (4): Results of real time PCR and nested PCR for CMV in the enrolled patients. Figure (5): 1st run nested PCR showing band at 435 bp. Figure (6): 2ndrun nested PCR showing band at 159 bp. Table (13): Prevalence of CMV infection in the studied patients (using real time PCR as a gold standard test) Risk factors No. Studied patients (N=366) Positive No. % Malignant hematological disease with chemotherapy (43) 36 83.7% Receiving repeated blood transfusion (164) 0 0% Fever of unknown origin (16) 0 0% Critically ill patients lying in the ICUs with prolonged hospitalization (28) 0 0% Receiving corticosteroids or other immunosuppressives for long period (22) 0 0% Chronic renal failure with haemodialysis (64) 0 0% Fever with pancytopenia (7) 0 0% Neonates with congenital anomalies (22) 0 0% As shown in table (13), CMV infection (using real time PCR as a gold standard test) was only reported from patients suffering from malignant hematological disease and receiving chemotherapy, where   83.7% of these patients were positive for CMV. Figure (7): Figure (8): Table (14): Titer of CMV viremia in patients with malignant hematological disease receiving chemotherapy Quantitative PCR Studied patients (N=366) Mean  ± SD 6907.30  ± 15846.04 Median (Range) 623.50 (3.70 57500) The mean titer and SD of titers of CMV viremia in patients with malignant hematological disease receiving chemotherapy as shown in table (14) was 6907.30  ± 15846.04. Table (15): Results of Nested PCR for CMV among different risk groups Risk factors No. Studied patients (N=366) Positive No. % Malignant hematological disease with chemotherapy (43) 29 67.4% Receiving repeated blood transfusion (164) 0 0% Fever of unknown origin (16) 0 0% Critically ill patients lying in the ICUs with prolonged hospitalization (28) 0 0% Receiving corticosteroids or other immunosuppressives for long period (22) 0 0% Chronic renal failure with haemodialysis (64) 0 0% Fever with pancytopenia (7) 0 0% Neonates with congenital anomalies (22) 0 0% Twenty nine out of 43 patients suffering from malignant hematological disease with chemotherapy with a percentage of 67.4 were positive for CMV in a nested PCR test as shown in table (15). Table (16): Relation between ELISA IgM and real time PCR and nested PCR in the studied patients (N=366) Agreement between ELISA IgM and real time PCR and nested PCR in the studied patients (N=366) Laboratory findings ELISA Test P-value Positive IgM (N=60) Negative IgM (N=306) No. % No. % Real time PCR Positive (n=36) 8 22.2 % 28 77.8 % # 0.05 0. 320 (NS) Negative (n=330) 52 15.8 % 278 84.2 % Nested PCR Positive 8 27.6 % 21 72.4 % #0.082 0.090 (NS) Negative 52 15.4 % 285 84.6 % #  Ã‚   Kappa measure of agreement P< 0.05 is significant. Statistical Significance Standards for strength of agreement for the kappa coefficient: ≠¤0=poor, .01-.20=slight, .21-.40=fair, .41-.60=moderate, .61-.80=substantial, and .81-1=almost perfect. As shown in table 16, there is poor statistical agreement between ELISA IgM and PCR reactions in the detection of CMV in children with no significance. Table (17): Relation between ELISA IgG and real time PCR and nested PCR in the studied patients (N=366) Agreement between ELISA IgG and real time PCR and nested PCR in the studied patients (N=366) Laboratory findings ELISA Test P-value Positive IgG (N=93) Negative IgG (N=273) No. % No. % Real time PCR Positive (n=36) 0 0 % 36 100 % # -0.137 0.001* (HS) Negative (n=330) 93 28.2 % 237 71.8 % Nested PCR Positive 0 0 % 29 100 % #-0.165 0.000* (HS) Negative 93 27.6 % 244 72.4 % #  Ã‚   Kappa measure of agreement P< 0.05 is significant. *highly statistical Significance Standards for strength of agreement for the kappa coefficient: ≠¤0=poor, .01-.20=slight, .21-.40=fair, .41-.60=moderate, .61-.80=substantial, and .81-1=almost perfect. A high statistically significant non-agreement is present between ELISA IgG and PCR reactions in the detection of CMV in childrenas shown in table 17. Table (18): Relation between real time PCR and nested PCR in the studied patients (N=366) Agreement between real time PCR and nested PCR in the studied patients (N=366) Laboratory findings Nested PCR Test P-value Positive (N=29) Negative (N=337) No. % No. % Real time PCR Positive (n=36) 29 100 % 7 2.1 % # 0.882 0.000* (HS) Negative (n=330) 0 0 % 330 97.9 % #  Ã‚   Kappa measure of agreement P< 0.05 is significant. *highly statistical Significance Standards for strength of agreement for the kappa coefficient: ≠¤0=poor, .01-.20=slight, .21-.40=fair, .41-.60=moderate, .61-.80=substantial, and .81-1=almost perfect. Table 18 shows that there is an almost perfect statistical agreement between real time PCR and nested PCR in the detection of CMV in children with high significance. Table (19): Relation between real time PCR and nested

During the past few decades we have seen a shift from Industrial work :: Business and Management Studies

During the past few decades we have seen a shift from Industrial work to Information technology work Industrial Work To Information Technology Work During the past few decades we have seen a shift from industrial work to information technology work. Why are educated professionals losing their jobs? Why is this happening? According to Rifkin, he believes the end of work is near. The three points of interest our massive unemployment, automation in factories and the dissolving of the middle class. In my opinion, the workers of today need to be flexible, versatile, and have cooperative skills in a changing economy. The employers are not only looking for highly skilled workers, but for people who are flexible, work well with others and have good problem solving skills. A worker must be flexible to be able to change and grow with the economy. The needs of employers are important in today’s job market. Flexibility goes hand in hand; with working with other people. Interaction with others and being a people -person builds stronger cooperative skills. Problem solving skills are a necessity for even the simplest of jobs. Having the ability to work through problems, to come up with a positive end result can be a long process. Cheaper labor can be found in other countries, which results in the closing of American factories or a cut in pay. Those still holding on to a job are being forced to work longer hours to make ends meet. I have personally seen my family and friends face this situation, growing up in the auto and steel environment as a child. As stated by Rifkin, â€Å"With each new indignity their confidence and self esteem suffers another blow.† (Rifkin 197) The most dramatic affect, according to Rifkin, is the â€Å"psychological death† experienced by the hard-core unemployed. As Rifkin puts it, after psychological death sometimes comes physical death. This clearly shows how changing one thing dramatically affects many things down the road. If we are aware and prepare for this situation we can make a difference. Rifkin’s claim that we are heading towards massive technological unemployment, this can be disputed by the unemployment figures for the last several years. My experience in the workplace, computer has created new positions. Even though, Rifkin believes it are not enough jobs. In my opinion, education is the answer to help and create workers in the information-technology field. Next, Rifkin claims our middle class is dissolving. According to the Department of Labor, for the past 3 decades, the classes have basically remained the same. In reality, most American wants to be successful either as blue-collar or white collar in society.

Essay --

Phoenix Jackson’s Journey The character of Phoenix is the protagonist in the â€Å"A Worn Path,† written by Eudora Welty. She is proud, loving, and determined. You see Phoenix Jackson on her long and difficult journey to get medicine for her sick grandson. The story is told from the third-person point of view. Though she was faced with many obstacles on her journey to the city, through the devotion and love she had for her grandson we see what type of person she really is. Phoenix Jackson survives the great depression, which tells us that she is an older woman who is very wise, and maybe a little scattered. In the beginning of the story, Phoenix is on a journey, she walks slowly in the dark pine shadows through the pinewoods. The author introduces Phoenix, as an old black woman and the author writes, â€Å"Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along the path through the pinewoods† (183). The reason why she is taking such a long trip into town is because her grandson is very sick, and she needs to get medication for his throat. Despite P... Essay -- Phoenix Jackson’s Journey The character of Phoenix is the protagonist in the â€Å"A Worn Path,† written by Eudora Welty. She is proud, loving, and determined. You see Phoenix Jackson on her long and difficult journey to get medicine for her sick grandson. The story is told from the third-person point of view. Though she was faced with many obstacles on her journey to the city, through the devotion and love she had for her grandson we see what type of person she really is. Phoenix Jackson survives the great depression, which tells us that she is an older woman who is very wise, and maybe a little scattered. In the beginning of the story, Phoenix is on a journey, she walks slowly in the dark pine shadows through the pinewoods. The author introduces Phoenix, as an old black woman and the author writes, â€Å"Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along the path through the pinewoods† (183). The reason why she is taking such a long trip into town is because her grandson is very sick, and she needs to get medication for his throat. Despite P...

Related literature on food carts Essay

Getting a food cart franchise package: what are the advantages? Why food cart Franchise? Potential franchisees sometimes wonder if franchising is a necessary process, and may ask why they couldn’t simply start a business on their own. The findings of the government suggest that franchisees enjoy a significant competitive advantage over the stand-alone or single business operators. They showed a study that 88% of franchise companies which opened in the previous five years were still in business under the same owner and only 4% of these businesses failed. Also, a survey in that same article showed 60% percent of all new businesses that started over a 10 year period dissolved within their first six years. The percentages of success may vary with the study and that there maybe other studies out there but still reach same conclusion most suggest that a franchised business have a higher chance of success than independent, start-alone businesses. Here are some of the advantages of having a Food cart franchise: Food cart franchise are cheaper and have less lease or rent cost. Food cart franchise are transferable, since they can be moved easily or if the location is not profitable. Food cart franchise are easy to operate and manage. Food cart franchise requires one to two personnel only. Food cart franchise needs a small space/location so it is easier to find one. Food cart franchise are easy to maintain, lowering overhead costs. Food cart franchise are ideal for businesses offering limited products or services. Food cart franchise can capture a wider market because location is along the walkways of malls and commercial centers. Expansion is easy since it needs less capital. Reasons contributing to this include: A food cart franchise is a â€Å"copy† or â€Å"duplicate†, if you may, of an already successful business. The true value of a food cart franchise is the experience, know-how, and the operation procedures that comes with it. In franchising, there is the value added advantage of brand name recognition. There are also support structure from the franchise company that the franchisee can take advantage of. A franchise avoids the costly trial-and-error periods that causes so many start-up businesses to fail and close up. http://franchisebusinessphilippines.com/why-food-cart-franchise-business/ The Effect of the Marketing Practices on small shops in South African townships i.) A complete â€Å"paradigm shift† in managerial thinking, in terms of service quality deliverance through the continual education and training of staff in fields such as customer care, customer satisfaction and customer service. ii.) The product offering needs to be more consistent and reliable, ensuring that an overall perception is created within the minds of consumers. Attention needs to be given to details (such as checking expiry dates) in delivering services and products. iii.) owners/managers need to spend more time building â€Å"relationships† with their customers. This will assist in receiving regular feedback from customers in terms of customer satisfaction. It helps to develop customer loyalty as customers enjoy personalized attention. Shops in Mdantsane should, therefore, be more sensitive to the unique needs of their customers. iv.) The pricing policy of the shops in Mdantsane should also be based on accepted accounting procedures and not only on intuition. Owners/managers of shops in Mdantsane indicated low levels of adoption of the marketing strategy concept. This suggests that an opportunity exists for these owners or managers to be educated on how to adopt marketing strategies that enhance profitability. Furthermore, grocery shop owners/managers also regarded price as the most important aspect when applying the marketing strategy mix. This implies that grocery shops in Mdantsane compete primarily based on price. According to the study findings, these grocery shops also need to adopt the other 3 Ps of the marketing strategy, namely product, place and packaging in order to be more profitable. The owners/managers of grocery shops did, however, indicate that they lack the necessary funds to embark on extensive marketing practices.

Sports-Cultural Comparison

| | |Sports | |Cultural Comparison | | | |Lisa Bowling Today, as Americans, we are surrounded by an increasing number of very different cultures, and along with that we are surrounded by numerous cultural differences. These differences between our culture and the cultures surrounding us deal with every aspect of life, from clothing to food to music, even our recreational activities, like sports. In our American culture we are flooded by mainstream sports such as basketball, football, and of course baseball, our â€Å"national pastime†. With the huge amount of coverage those main sports receive, Americans are sometimes unaware of what other cultures have to offer. Whether they are being played, watched, read about, or dreamed about, sports are everywhere, as are the cultural differences within them. A brief look at five different sports will reveal just a few of these differences, ranging from variations in rules to sports that are beginning to gain popularity to sports that are almost completely unknown in the United States, as well as show the effects that differences have on our own culture. Korfball First we will introduce you to the sport of Korfball, which was founded in Holland by an Amsterdam teacher, Nico Broekhuijsen in 1903. Nico once attended a physical education workshop in Sweden. He observed a game called ringball with men and women playing together. He liked the coeducational part of the game, so he rewrote the game, refined the rules and changed the ring goal to a basket. This basket is called de korf, which is Dutch, thus the name of the game. He wanted to have all his students be involved in a game, regardless of their gender. It is one of the few sports that involve men and women on the team. As a demonstration sport, it was introduced to the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, and then again in 1928 in Amsterdam. In 1933, the International Korfball Federation was founded in Belgium, but it asn’t until 1985 that the sport was recognized by the International Olympic Committee and also the World Games. Every four years the International Korfball Federation now holds the Korfball World Championships. Out of all the teams competing for the chance to have the championship, only two teams get to compete. Korfball is gaining popularity by many countries like Canada, Australia, England, Germany, Belgium, and South Africa. The object of the game is to shoot the ball with two hands through a cylindrical shaped basket. It is similar to basketball, yet a little harder considering the basket is twelve feet high, attached to a single wooden post, and located in the middle of the attack zone. This differs from basketball, where the baskets are only ten feet high and are located on each end of the court. The court is about 44 yards by 99 yards that is marked by white tape. As stated before the baskets are approximately twelve feet high and are placed eleven yards from the end line. The ball itself resembles a soccer ball and is a tad bit smaller than a basketball (whether it is for men or women). Its circumference is 27 inches, unlike the basketball that is 30 inches for men and 29 inches for women. Since Korfball is a team sport, individual excellence is critical importance, but is only when it is passed through team work. The team consists of four men and four women. Typically the women would defend the women and the men would defend the men. Korfball players catch, throw and run with the ball. It is considered a non-contact, non-collision sport. Each player has their own zone to cover and may not move from it. Each team has four players in each of the three zones. The ball in play is moved only by hand movements. Unlike basketball, there is no dribbling, no backboards, physical contact is not allowed, slam dunks are prohibited (unlikely though since the basket is much higher), and it is a violation of rules to shoot the ball if you are guarded. Height and size of the player is not important since scoring is when the players are constantly moving, running, and perfectly passing the ball to each other. A game lasts about 90 minutes with the object of scoring de korf. Curling Next we will take a look at the up and coming sport of curling. You may have never heard of curling until its recent emergence in the last two Winter Olympics. It is not one of the most traditional sports and there are no monstrosities of men and women participating. It is a sport known more for its grace, skill, and the ability to think through any situation that may be thrown your way. Curling has just begun to gain popularity here in the States, however it originated long ago in Scotland. The first documented games of curling were in Scotland and Holland. The Scots develop the game and formalized rules by 1807. Scottish emigres eventually brought curling to Canada, New Zealand and the United States later in the 1800s (USA Curling), and along with that came many different variations of the game. Canada and Scotland quickly became the two powerhouses of the sport, with Canada revolutionizing the way the game was played, leaving Scotland stuck in the past. Popularity of the sport rose around the world, as the newcomers from Canada took on Scotland in the Scotch Cup matches in 1959. Controversy quickly arose from the â€Å"new style† of curling Canada was playing, as the vanquished the best Scotland had to offer. The old met the new in the first Scotch Cup series of matches in 1959. Controversy there was aplenty in Scotland, as the Canadians of the new game vanquished the best Scotland had to offer. The International Curling Federation is now in place to provide the sport with firm guidelines and internationally accepted rules of play. The federation does leave room for change and improvement, however, as change is sure to arise from technological advances, introduction of new techniques, strategies, rules, and from the improvement of shot-making ability of individual players who strive for perfection in their chosen game (Cowan). Now that you have a slight background on the sport of Curling, we will take a look at curling in the United States. The United States Men’s Curling Association was founded in 1958 and later renamed in United States Curling Association due to gender equality, USCA for short. The sport saw its largest growth in 1998, when curling made its full medal debut at the Nagano Olympics (Karuizawa venue). In the 2002 Olympics held in Salt Lake City, (Ogden venue) curling emerged as a surprise television hit. Later, in 2006 in Torino, U. S. curlers won their first-ever Olympic medal (USA Curling). This sport is obviously on the rise in the American culture and maybe one day will be more widespread in the States. It will probably never be on the same level as basketball, football or baseball. But every sport has to start somewhere. Hockey When it comes to hockey, in order to discuss the cultural differences between the US and other countries, you need not look any further than to our friends up north in Canada. While we as Americans probably view our hockey league as the fourth most important sports league behind baseball, football, and basketball (those being in no particular order), Canadians cherish the sport. It is actually the country’s official winter sport. There is no doubt that hockey has been played in Canada for centuries, still there is no definitive origin of when it was officially established. (Hockey Canada) We do know, however, that â€Å"the first organization actually dealing with the administration and development of the sport was the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC), which was organized on the 8th of December, 1886. † (Hockey Canada) In comparison, the National Hockey League (NHL), which is the American hockey league in existence today, did not form until 1917. Even then, the league struggled to field more than a few teams its first couple of decades. In America over the past couple weeks, hockey has been gaining more coverage because of the Olympics, and the United States’ team’s success. The gold medal game against Canada was the most watched hockey game in history in our country, beating out our own league’s championship series. This statistic still pales in comparison to the fact that the preliminary round game against the US was one of the most viewed sporting events on in Canada’s history. Even better, the gold medal game drew an even bigger audience and, in fact, became the most watched sporting event ever in the country. â€Å"Nearly half the Canadian population watched the entire game on average, while 80 percent of Canadians watched some part of the game (26. 5 million). † (Vancouver Sun) As you can see, there is a huge difference in the way the sport is viewed in our two cultures. Lacrosse Another sport that is just beginning to gain more popularity in our country, and culture, is the sport of lacrosse. Again, we don’t have to look far to find where this sport is a large part of a culture. While hockey is Canada’s official winter sport, lacrosse is the country’s official summer sport. Much like the history of hockey, the date in which the sport was invented is not certain, but it is thought to date back to the 12th century. Lacrosse, which was originally played between Native Americans in the US and Canada, flourished in the 19th century in Canada as, â€Å"the National Lacrosse Association became the first national sport governing body in North America. † (Canadian Lacrosse Association) The sport is played both indoors and out, with leagues consisting of both types existing in Canada as well as the US. The National Lacrosse League (NLL) was started in 1987 and is played indoors, while Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was founded in 1999 and is the outdoor version. Although these leagues have both been in existence for at least a decade, the NLL consists of only 11 teams, while MLL is made up of a meager six teams. While the number of teams in the professional ranks, and the leagues in general, are often overshadowed by the major sports in our country, the sport is the fastest growing sport in our country. â€Å"National lacrosse participation increased 8. percent in 2009, according to research by US Lacrosse for its annual participation report. There were 568,021 lacrosse players that were members of organized teams across the country in 2009, from the youth level all the way on up through the professional ranks. † (US Lacrosse) It is estimated that participation in lacrosse in the US will double in the next ten years, and as it continues to grow in will continue to become a grea ter part of our culture. Football Somewhere in America a man, who is referred to as the quarterback, is standing on a field of fake grass made of astro-turf. He is covered almost head-to-toe in enough protective padding that could possibly protect him from a car running into him. He is hurling a cow hide covered prolate spheroid through the air. He is hoping that his teammate will catch this ball without being tackled by someone from the opposing team. His goal is to run with this ball to the opposite end of the field into the opposing team’s end zone to score points. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. This sport is known as football. The history of American football goes back to the first half of the 19th century and its origins can be traced back to the game of rugby, which is primarily played in the UK. Walter Camp took the game of rugby and converted many of its rules into the American football we know today. Walter Camp is hailed as the â€Å"Father of American Football†. Football can be played at the high school, college, and professional level, and all levels are governed by nationally accredited associations. The Ohio League was the first professional league formed in 1903, and then in 1920 the American Professional Football Association was formed. The first game was played in Dayton, Ohio. Many places around the world also share in playing the sport of football. They include, but are not limited to; Japan, the UK, Germany, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico. While these countries participate in playing the game, there are many variations in how they play the game. Australia, England, and New Zealand for example play the game of rugby. The ball is slightly larger and heavier than its American counterpart, and requires virtually no physical protective equipment. Consequently, Rugby has been called the toughest and most demanding sport in the world. Canada, the UK, Germany and Japan have very similar football leagues compared to the US, with their rules only varying slightly. Football is one of America’s most played sports and greatest pastimes. It is as much a part of our culture as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. College football in the state of Ohio however has its own culture, and it is huge! ESPN recently ranked Ohio State football #3 in all of the college football programs dating back to 1936. You can walk in almost any grocery store or department store and find Ohio State football accessories. Buckeye necklaces, jerseys, hats and coats are just some of the long list of items you can purchase and wear to support your team. If its game weekend, most work places not only allow but encourage you to wear something to support the team. There is even enough stuff out there to decorate the inside of your entire house. We even have our own candy! The delicious Buckeyes are the official sweet treat at any football party. Every weekend of the football playing season you can find men, women and children of all ages dressed up in their scarlet and grey huddled in front of their televisions cheering for their team. There is nothing that can bring together or separate the tightest of friends and family than an Ohio State game. The line of loyalty to their favorite team runs deep, especially when it comes to the all-so-famous Ohio State-Michigan game. If you are brave enough to declare your loyalty to Michigan, you better get ready for some opposition from someone with scarlet and grey. Ohio State also has the best damn band in the land and Brutus the mascot to add to its long list of signature cultural items. The pay scale for football players even surpasses the salary of the President of the United States. Sources â€Å"2009 Participation Survey. † US Lacrosse. 01 Jan 2010. US Lacrosse, Web. 4 Mar 2010. . A Short History of Lacrosse in Canada. Canadian Lacrosse Association, 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. . Canada-U. S. Olympic Hockey Final Gold for TV Ratings. Vancouver Sun, 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 4 Mar. 2010. . History of Hockey Canada. Hockey Canada, 2010. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. . International Korfball Federation. International Korfball Federation, 1 Jan. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. . Korfball. Wikipedia, 26 Feb. 2010. Web. 2 Mar. 2010. .

Principles and practice of Human Resource Management Essay

In 21st century, the organization which considers its employees as an asset rather than cost has competitive advantage. The term suggested for employees is human capital. It refers to productive potential of one’s knowledge and actions. In today’s knowledge economy, efficient management of human capital ensures success for the organization. This tells the importance of human resource management. It is about managing human capital in the same way as asset management or financial management. Actually human resource management acts as a medium of exchange between employees and organization. Employees offer knowledge, abilities, skills, efforts, time, motivation, commitment and performance to the organization in return for job security, empowerment, generous pay for performance, training, promotion and trustful relationship. Thus human resource management is considered as a matching process that is matching organizational goals with employees’ needs in order to satisfy both optimally. The more formal definition of human resource management is the activities undertaken by the organization to attract, develop and maintain an effective workforce within an organization. (Daft, 1982) Thus attracting an effective workforce for an organization, developing it to its potential and finally maintaining it are the three main goals of the human resource management. And all the strategies are developed by the human resource department for attaining these three goals and these strategies tend to be organizational wide in order to support the overall corporate strategy. The skills required for attracting the workforce includes human resource planning, job analysis, forecasting, recruiting and selecting; skills for developing the workforce includes training and performance appraisal; and skills for maintaining the workforce includes wages, salaries, benefits and termination. Organizations especially perform human resource management in order to tackle the issues related to human resource proactively rather than reactively. ( Price , 2007). Having developed the concept of human resource management, we will now talk about the different approaches taken by the organization for pursing HRM. Read more:Â  Managing The Human Resources The first approach is hard HRM developed by Michigan business school and the second one is soft HRM developed by Harvard business school. (Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna, 1984) Both approaches are opposite as they are based on different sets of assumptions. (Storey 1992) Soft HRM has humanistic edge in managing employees while hard HRM considers employees as resources which have to be managed in the same way as capital equipments and raw materials. That is hard HRM is bit more technical and mechanical in its approach which involves in obtaining as cheap labor as possible that should be fully exploited. Soft HRM advocates unitary perspective which means employees and organization needs and interest are coherent which leads to mutual goals, influence, respect, rewards and responsibility. The outcome is therefore employee commitment and organizational success (Walton 1985). On contrary, pluralist perspective sees differences in employee and organization goals as a cause for conflicts and problems. Management’s task is to induce the appropriate behavior in workers so that their actions accomplish the company’s goals, not their own. This paves the way for showing direction and coercion by management. This perspective underlies hard HRM. .( Price , 2007) Mc Gregor in 1960 gave Theory X and Theory Y about the nature of employees. Theory X depicted employees who dislike work and try to avoid it when they can. People have to be coerced to work and have to be closely directed and regulated thus leading to tight managerial control. On the other hand theory Y depicted employees who like to work and exercise self direction and self control if they are committed to the goals and objectives. In this case there is loose managerial control and management’s function is to foster individual growth and development. Apparently soft HRM is associated with theory Y which emphasizes employees’ commitment through trust, open communication, training and development and autonomous work environment. This will produce employee behavior which is self directed and this is the main reason for organization’s competitive advantage. Whereas hard HRM contingent to theory X, focuses on quantitative, calculative and strategic aspects of managing HR as for any other factor of production. The practices of hard HRM consist of strict performance appraisal, supervision and external control over individual’s activities. Now we will examine how soft and hard HRM approaches lead to different kinds of activities and outcomes at different stages of human resource lifecycle. The first stage is of attracting the potential employees. This requires human resource planning by forecasting HR needs and matching the individuals with expected job vacancies. The soft HRM will seek to forecast needed employees in order to complete a work unit or finding the best mix of employees for the team in order to elicit commitment from team members by setting of good team norms and strong cohesiveness. Whereas hard HRM will look to minimize the need for additional employees and will try to reduce the head count. This will lead to incomplete work unit. The job vacancies will not be fully matched with potential employees, which will lead to incomplete work outcomes or delays in achieving goals deadlines. However hard HRM is best suited in condition of financial crisis and economic recession. In these conditions companies are incurring losses and they cannot afford hiring of new employees. Hard HRM is helpful in minimizing external hiring and shifting and relocating existing employees within organization. This will make existing employees loyal because they were not laid off by the organization when downsizing is the only option that remains during financial crisis. (Fombrun, 1984). The recruitment and selection is the most important process in hiring of employees. It requires analysis of both job applicants and job itself. We have to look for desired characteristics in applicants so that he must make a good match with particular job requirements. If his skills, education and experience are not adequate for the specific job then it will lead to frustration and confusion. The result will be poor performance, job dissatisfaction and high turnover. Both soft and hard HRM approach will provide realistic job preview and job description so that employees can judge their potential for a specific job. However soft HRM approach will be more insightful as it will look into the hidden personality traits, attitudes and beliefs of the applicants so that they can be better integrated into overall corporate culture, norms and values. Whereas hard HRM will only look to match the applicant’s skills with the technical specification of the job. Soft HRM give more attention to the human processes such as communication, sharing of knowledge, cohesiveness and trust among employees. Interviews, paper pencil test etc are the most common selection devices and are used by both approaches. However soft HRM approach has additional selection devices such as personality test, psychological test, case studies and different types of surveys. The second stage in HR lifecycle is development of effective workforce which includes training and performance appraisal as the two most important activities. Soft HRM approach will be more inclined towards training for individual advancement and career development. Soft HRM will go for various types of training techniques such as on the job training, class room training, computer assisted instructions, conferences and case discussion groups. Employees will be made to learn multiple skills so that they can be rotated among various jobs in order to reduce monotony and introduce variety. Hard HRM will see training as an expense. It will usually design job which leaves little room for showing discretion and creativity. The job is monotonous and set rules and procedures are there to perform the job. So training is limited to learning those specific job procedures which limits career advancement. This reduces employee motivation and cause job dissatisfaction and high turnover rate because of increase in monotony. The practice of hard HRM is most suitable in assembly line work. However it will fail in work demanding creativity and originality and whose environment is more unstable and uncertain, for example, film industry. While considering the activity of performance appraisal, hard HRM is more stringent in its appraisal process. The poor performance is mostly attributed to individual’s lack of ability and no consideration is given to various external factors influencing the individual’s performance. External factors are outside individual control and includes pathetic work environment, work place conflicts, distrust, no sharing of information and resources, bad relations and poor communication with top management. (Drucker , 1954 ) On the other hand soft HRM gives objective feedback on employees’ performance. It also uses the technique of 360 degree feedback that uses multiple raters and self rating to enhance the reliability and credibility of feedback in the eyes of employees. Multiple raters can include customers, co workers, supervisors and subordinates. Employee is also given a chance to explain his point of view and give explanation if his performance is not up to the standard. At the end of the appraisal top performances are also rewarded with bonuses, recognition and promotion. The feedback style of soft HRM is such that employees are motivated to improve their performance further. It enhances employees’ self efficacy by making clear role expectations and removing role conflicts and role ambiguity. This approach is therefore best suited for organizations whose culture encompasses total quality management. TQM stresses for customer satisfaction by providing better quality product or services through dedication to training, continuous improvement and teamwork. The third and last stage in HR life cycle is maintaining of workforce so that they continue to work for the organization over the long run. This stage consists of four activities such as rewards management, industrial relation, occupational health and safety and termination. In soft HRM approach rewards are such that it recognizes individual’s accomplishment as well as teamwork. Rewards are administered in such a way that it promotes collaboration and cooperation among employees so that they work as a unit for the overall goals of the organization. The focus is on creating the synergy so that different department of organization works coherently and in alignment of corporate strategy. Ivancevich, 2003). Soft HRM approach also gives rewards which increases intrinsic motivation of employees. Intrinsic motivation to work comes from the internal satisfaction and honor one feels when he completes some meaningful work which makes the difference for the organization. These types of rewards increase employees’ sense of meaningfulness, competence, progress and choice. Intrinsic rewards which increase intrinsic motivation are important for increasing employees’ commitment to organization’s goals and mission. The hard HRM has tight control over rewards. Apart from basic salary, less effort is made to recognize individual performance. However calculated yearly bonuses are given when year end profit target is achieved. In other words no effort is made in hard HRM’s reward system to increase employees’ commitment to work. The main problem is that hard HRM follows corporate strategy in rewarding employees and no analysis is done about employee’s needs and desires. Soft HRM is good enough as its rewards system makes a best fit between employees’ needs and rewards. Moreover the other organization dynamics which affects rewards system is employees’ perceived equity of rewards. If the distribution of rewards is not considered equitable by employees then motivating effects of rewards will vanish. There will be feeling of cognitive dissonance in employees and to remove this feeling, he will either alter his inputs to the work or will demand changes in rewards. The soft HRM approach dealing with human processes designs reward system to improve employees’ perceived equity while hard HRM fails to do so. According to Herzberg, working conditions, pay, good company policy and interpersonal relationships are called hygiene factors and their presence removes job dissatisfaction. The hygiene factors are well cared by soft HRM approach. The hard one fails to provide hygiene factors because its main objective is to accomplish a task in most economical terms as possible. It is only the soft HRM approach that has clear and functional policies and procedures about occupational health and safety. (Noe, 2003). Soft HRM approach looks to build long term relationship with employees. It opens all channels of communication such as upward, downward and lateral. Moreover grapevine and management by objective techniques are also used by managers to delve deeper into employees’ problems and requirements. Hard HRM only uses formal and hierarchical communication channel. This is also the cause for many communication breakdown and distortion. The most important feature of soft HRM is of mentoring and socialization which greatly helps in building cooperative and trustful corporate culture and environment.