Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Princess Diana essays
Princess Diana essays In a changing world like ours today there is many uncertainties. There is one thing we are sure about, that's our own pass. When you look back at your life are you gonna see yourself as a leader or a follower? There is one woman from the last century, one that sticks out, to have been a leader for us. With the dawn of a new millenium upon us we need more women like Princess Diana to step up and become leaders in this changing world. Born July 1, 1961 near Sandringham, Norfolk. She was not born into poverty or had a rough life growing up. Her case was far from rags to riches story, like many want to believe. She was raised to be a good person, not having to rise above adversity. As a young girl she received her studies while she attended preparatory school in Riddlesworth Hall, in Diss, Norfolk. This is where she got basically what we get at our elementary schools. Around the age 13 in 1974 she went as a boarder to West Heath, in Sevenoaks, Kent. While studying there she showed talent as a musician, for playing the piano, dancing and domestic science. She was also once awarded for the girl giving maximum help to the school and her school fellows. In 1977 she left West Heath and went to finishing school at the Institute Alpin Videmanette in Rougemont, Switzerland. After the Easter term in 1978 she left the school when she moved to Coleherne. There she watched after a child for an American couple, while she began her job as a kindergarten teacher at the Young England school in Pimlice, London. Like most teachers she didn't have a lot of spare time on her hands, but when she got the chance for a break her and her three roommates would go skiing. A sport Diana loved very much and tried to enjoy as often as possible. In a changing world like ours today there is many uncertainties. There is one thing we are sure about, that's our own pass. When you look back at y ...
Saturday, November 23, 2019
The Extended Use of the Verb Suru
The Extended Use of the Verb Suru The verb suru (to do) has many extended uses, which occur quite often. (1) To Make (a) Adverb form of I-adjective suruTo change the I-adjective to the adverb form, replace the final ~i with ~ku. (e.g. ookii - ookiku) Terebi no oto o ookiku shita. ãÆ'†ãÆ' ¬Ã£Æ'“㠮éŸ ³Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¥ ¤ §Ã£ ã ã â€"ã Ÿ- I turned up the volume of the TV.Tsugi no tesuto wa mou sukoshi muzukashiku suru tsumori da. æ ¬ ¡Ã£ ®Ã£Æ'†ã‚ ¹Ã£Æ'ˆã ¯Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£ †å °â€˜Ã£ â€"é› £Ã£ â€"ã 㠙る㠤ã‚‚ã‚Šã 。- I am going to make the next exam a little more difficult. (b) Adverb form of Na-adjective suruTo change the Na-adjective to the adverb form, replace the final ~na with ~ni. (e.g. kireina - kireini) Heya o kireini suru. éÆ' ¨Ã¥ ±â€¹Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ ã‚Å'㠄㠫㠙る- Im cleaning the room.Kana wa darenidemo shinsetsu ni suru. é ¦â„¢Ã¥ ¥Ë†Ã£ ¯Ã¨ ª °Ã£ «Ã£ §Ã£â€šâ€šÃ¨ ¦ ªÃ¥Ë†â€¡Ã£ «Ã£ ™ã‚‹ã€‚ - Kana is kind to everybody. (2) ToDecide Suru should be used when you are choosing from several available alternatives: Koohii ni shimasu. ã‚ ³Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ'’ãÆ' ¼Ã£ «Ã£ â€"㠾ã â„¢- Ill have coffee.Kono tokei ni shimasu. 㠓㠮時è ¨Ë†Ã£ «Ã£ â€"㠾ã â„¢- Ill take this watch.Pikunikku wa raishuu ni shimashou. ãÆ'â€Ã£â€š ¯Ã£Æ'‹ãÆ'Æ'ã‚ ¯Ã£ ¯Ã¦ ¥Ã©â‚¬ ±Ã£ «Ã£ â€"㠾ã â€"ょ㠆。- Let’s agree that the picnic will be next week. (3) The Cost, Duration of Time When accompanied by phrases indicating price, it means cost. When used with a verb that indicates duration of time, it means, lapse. Kono kaban wa gosen en shimashita. 㠓㠮㠋㠰ん㠯ä ºâ€Ã¥ Æ'円ã â€"㠾ã â€"ã Ÿ- This bag cost 5,000 yen.Sono tokei wa dono gurai shimashita ka. ã 㠮時è ¨Ë†Ã£ ¯Ã£ ©Ã£ ®Ã£ らã „ã â€"㠾ã â€"ã Ÿã ‹- About how much did that watch cost?Ato ichinen shitara Nihon ni ikimasu. Ã¥ ¾Å'ä ¸â‚¬Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£ â€"㠟らæâ€" ¥Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£ «Ã¨ ¡Å'ã 㠾㠙。 - I am going to Japan in another year. When suru is used to mean duration of time, it is only be used in a subordinate clause. In a main clause, the verb tatsu is used instead. Gonen tachimashita. ä ºâ€Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£ Ÿã ¡Ã£ ¾Ã£ â€"㠟。- Five years passed. (4) To Feel, to Smell, or to Hear When suru is combined with phrases associated with appearance, it means, to appear. Kono hana wa ii nioi ga suru. 㠓㠮花㠯ã „ã „åÅ'‚ã „ã Å'㠙る- This flower smells good.Nami no oto ga suru. æ ³ ¢Ã£ ®Ã©Å¸ ³Ã£ Å'㠙る- I hear the sound of the waves.Kore wa henna aji ga shimasu. ã “ã‚Å'㠯å ¤â€°Ã£ ªÃ¥â€˜ ³Ã£ Å'ã â€"㠾㠙。- This tastes funny.Samuke ga shimasu. Ã¥ ¯â€™Ã¦ °â€"ã Å'ã â€"㠾㠙。- I feel a chill. (5) To Appear When suru is combined with phrases associated with appearance, it means, to appear. Kanojo wa samishisouna me o shite ita. Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã¥ ¥ ³Ã£ ¯Ã£ •ã ¿Ã£ â€"ã 㠆㠪ç› ®Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€"㠦ã „㠟。- She had sad eyes. (Her eyes looked sad.)Kare wa aoi kao o shite iru. Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã£ ¯Ã© ’ã „é ¡â€Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€"㠦ã „る。- His face looks pale. (6) Loan Word + Suru Loan words are often combined with suru to change the word into a verb. Most loan words are taken from English verbs. Here are some examples: doraibu suru ãÆ'‰ãÆ' ©Ã£â€š ¤Ã£Æ'â€"㠙る - to drivetaipu suru ã‚ ¿Ã£â€š ¤Ã£Æ'â€"㠙る - to typekisu suru ã‚ ã‚ ¹Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to kissnokku suru ãÆ'ŽãÆ'Æ'ã‚ ¯Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to knockpasu suru ãÆ'‘ã‚ ¹Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to passhitto suru ãÆ'’ãÆ'Æ'ãÆ'ˆã ™ã‚‹ - to hit (7) Noun (of Chinese Origin) + Suru Suru is combined with nouns of Chinese origin to change them into a verb. benkyou suru 勉å ¼ ·Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to studysentaku suru æ ´â€"æ ¿ ¯Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to do the washingryokou suru æâ€"…è ¡Å'㠙る - to travelshitsumon suru è ³ ªÃ¥â€¢ 㠙る - to ask questionsdenwa suru é› »Ã¨ © ±Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to telephoneyakusoku suru ç ´â€žÃ¦ Ÿã ™ã‚‹ - to promisesanpo suru æ• £Ã¦ ©Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to take a walkyoyaku suru ä ºË†Ã§ ´â€žÃ£ ™ã‚‹ - to reserveshokuji suru é £Å¸Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to have a mealsouji suru æŽÆ'é™ ¤Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to cleankekkon suru ç µ Ã¥ ©Å¡Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to get marriedkaimono suru è ² ·Ã£ „ç‰ ©Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to shopsetsumei suru è ª ¬Ã¦ËœÅ½Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to explainjunbi suru æ ºâ€"備㠙る - to prepare The particle o can be used as an object particle after a noun. (e.g. benkyou o suru, denwa o suru) There is no difference in meaning with or without o. (8) Adverb or Onomatopoetic Expressions + Suru Adverbs or onomatopoeic expressions can be combined with suru to change them into verbs. yukkuri suru ゆ㠣ã り㠙る - to stay longkatto suru 㠋㠣㠨㠙る - to flare upzotto suru 㠞㠣㠨㠙る - to shiverbonyari suru 㠼ã‚“ã‚„ã‚Š㠙る - to be absent mindedniko niko suru ãÆ'‹ã‚ ³Ã£Æ'‹ã‚ ³Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to smilewaku waku suru ãÆ' ¯Ã£â€š ¯Ã£Æ' ¯Ã£â€š ¯Ã£ ™ã‚‹ - to be excited
Thursday, November 21, 2019
A critical assessment of the implementation issues surrounding the Essay
A critical assessment of the implementation issues surrounding the introduction of H20 as a potential energy source within the hospitality sector - Essay Example Recognizing this, the government of the United Kingdom has a basic policy aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions [Ren21 2008: 30]. Carbon emissions from vehicles and fossil energy are believed to be the primary cause of anthropogenic global warming. "Renewable energy offers our planet a chance to reduce carbon emission, clean the air, and put our civilization on a more sustainable footing. It also offers countries around the world the chance to improve their energy security and spur economic development." Mikhani [2008] has shown that we do not need nuclear nor fossil energy to sustain the worlds economies. According to Mikhani [2008: 133], an electricity grid can derive power from solar photovoltaics (as much as 35%), biomass (as much as 25%), wind energy (as much as 15%), and the rest from hydropower and related energy sources. Mikhani [2008] pointed out that renewable sources are cheaper (p. 133). Hotels and motels spend about $2,196 per room on energy that represents 6% of their operating costs [EPA 2007: 2]. Hotels and motels mainly use energy from electricity and natural gas [EPA 2007: 2]. Utilization of two sources of energy is as follow [EPA 2007: 2]: Citing the experience of European hotels and motels, Hendrikx [2008: 5] reported that 40% of the energy used by hotels is obtained from electricity. Hendrikx also reported that 31% of hotel/motel energy requirements are used for space heating, 17% for heating tap water, 15% for cooling, 12% for lighting, 5% for cooking, and the rest for miscellaneous use (p. 6). In contrast, however, 45% of electricity is used for lighting alone (p. 6). Thus, the hotel/motel industry is a potential large-scale user of energy from water. At the same time, the industry can be a beneficiary in the shift to renewable energy so long as renewable energy is cheap as per the claim of Mikhani [2008]. In its latest report available, Ren21 [2008: 6] revealed that, worldwide, electricity
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Genre Is Important for Defining Works of Fiction Essay
Genre Is Important for Defining Works of Fiction - Essay Example The film, Hanna, clearly depicts characteristics of three genres: myth, superhero tales and fairy tales. According to a review of the movie by Bradshow, a Myth remains as a fictitious person, story or thing. In accordance to Jennifer, the genre of fairy tales often deals with stories that got folkloric fantasy possessing characters like fairies, elves, goblins, dwarves, plus some elements of magic or enchantment. The genres of superhero tales often contain a major character that stands out to be indestructible despite evil always trying to destroy the character. In the essay below, one will try to establish if the genre of myth exhibited in the movie Hanna more accurately reflects the truth in the film than do superhero tales and fairytales. In the movie, Hanna, the truth in the film could be extrapolated from the events related to the genre of myth. It the movie, an ex-Criminal Investigation Agent, Erik, trains her daughter in the wilds of Finland to become a ruthless assassin desti ned to fulfill on goal. The ideal setting of isolation totally contributed to the truth in the story since the father dedicated the entire girl’s life in learning to become an assassin. Furthermore, isolation from the real world provided an excellent environment for the girl to become ruthless. In having no upbringing like a normal child, the girl knew of one thing in life, to kill. By being two of them in the wild, they both learned survival tactics as they hunted for their meals. In relation to review by Rapold, the story remains more fictitious since the whereabouts of the Erik and Hanna remained unknown, even the Criminal Intelligence Agency, contributing to the truth of the story. From a critical perspective, any person that wishes to kill his or her enemy always needs to be prepared and be ready to surprise the enemy when the right time comes. Erik prepared Hanna for a single mission, to kill a Criminal Investigation Agent, Marissa. It is the above events related to the genre of myth that do bring the element of truth in the movie rather than the genres of fairytales and superhero tales. In the story, Hanna usually read Grimms fairy tales. The Grimms fairy tales often becomes associated with violent and horrific tales that became not consistent with fairy tales contributing to the truth of the story. Hanna, being a trained adolescent girl, becomes depicted in the story as a smart soldier, with stamina and strength like a well trained adult soldier. Her training remains quit fictitious to the reading since it is impossible for a girl that age to become a top notch assassin. Furthermore, Hanna had never interacted with the real world and met people apart from her father ever since she was born. In relation to a review by Rapold, it also becomes fictitious when a girl that has never killed any person in the wild turns to become a ruthless assassin in the real world. In trying to give the movie some truth in regard to the mission Hanna had been assign ed, the directors had to include some mythical elements. The director generally tries to link the character to and tries to fit it in the general society. Hanna runs away once she activates the signal to show their whereabouts to the Criminal Investigation Agency. It remains also mythical when Hanna adapts and camouflages in the society. In accordance to Bredshaw review, after Hanna becomes captured by the Criminal
Sunday, November 17, 2019
The Importance of Sport Essay Example for Free
The Importance of Sport Essay On many levels is sport very important to each and every one of us for a various number of reasons. First of all sport and fitness is what helps us keep in shape and stay healthy which is key to living a long and happy life. There are many benefits to being fit; first of all you will have much better health, and a better body image which in turn may help your self-esteem. Another major importance to sport is that there are so many career opportunities in the athletic field such as: gym teacher, pro athlete, sports analysts, physiotherapist, personal trainer, and many more. Also sports can be used as a stress relief to just get away from it all and shoot some hoops or play pond hockey. From a personal level I have made many friends from playing rep hockey 4 times a week to pick up football on the weekends and many if not all of my friends I’ve met playing sports both Rep and High school. On that note there are both positive and negative attributes of playing for your school or rep team. For school you get to play with you group of friends and represent your school, although it may not be the highest level of competition it’s great fun and a lot better than doing nothing. With playing rep you get to diversify your friend group, hopefully play at a high level but it does consume your life with your sport not leaving much room for a job or school work. Whichever one you choose it doesn’t matter you’re getting out there and doing something your love to do. To finish up I hope to be involved in sports as long as I possibly can even though I am not competing at a high level right now I hope still be playing hockey with my friends in college and after that still playing with them in a beer league somewhere, and after that possibly coach my kids sports teams as much as I can and showing them the â€Å"tricks of the trade†and isn’t that what it’s all about?
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Babe Ruth :: essays research papers
Babe Ruth Date Born: February 6, 1895          Place: Baltimore, Maryland Date Died: August 16, 1948          Place: New York, New York Early Family Background:      George Herman Ruth Jr., aka Babe Ruth had eight other brothers and sisters, but only him and his sister Mamie survived. His parents names were Kate and George Herman Ruth. Ruth’s father was a bartender and his mother helped at their tavern. Ruth’s parents made no time for him so they sent him to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. Adult Life:      Helen Woodford: married on October 17, 1914 in Ellicott City, Maryland. In 1921, they adopted a little girl named Dorothy. Jan 11, 1929, Helen died in a fire of suffocation. About 3 months later, on April 17, 1929, Babe married Claire Hodgson in New York. In 1930, Babe adopted Claire’s daughter Julia & Claire adopted Babe’s daughter Dorothy. Significant Accomplishments:      Babe’s record of 714 homers was only beaten by Hank Aaron in 1974. In 1932, Ruth did his famous â€Å"called shot,†where he pointed to the centerfield bleachers and hit his homerun in that same direction. When the Babe was with the Yankees they won a total of 7 pennants and 4 world championships from 1920 – 1933. Feb 2, 1936 Babe became Charter member of Baseball Hall of Fame. Other Points of Interest:      *Babe Ruth got his name from when his new legal guardian Jack Dunn brought him to see the players, they said â€Å"Here’s Jack’s newest Babe!†The name stuck so throughout his life he was called Babe Ruth.      *Babe retired from baseball on June 2, 1935 from the Boston Braves *In 1946, Babe was diagnosed with throat cancer and he died on August 16, 1948.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Histogram
Aim: To study histogram, its processing and thresholding using histogram Theory: The histogram of an image with intensity levels in the range O to L-1, where L-1 is the last intensity value in an image(e. g. 255 in gray scale image) is a discrete function h(rk)=nk where rk is the kth intensity value and nk is the number of pixels in the image with intensity rk. It is common practice to normalize a histogram by dividing each of its components by the total number of pixels in the image, denoted by the product MN, where M and N are the row and column dimensions of the image. Thus normalized histogram is given by p(rk)=nk/M*N, for .P(rk) is nothing but probability of occurrence of intensity level rk in the image. The sum of all components of a normalized histogram is equal to 1 . Histogram processing: Global Processing: Histogram Equalization: Image enhancement techniques are used to improve an image, where â€Å"improve†is sometimes defined objectively (e. g. , increase the sign al-to-noise ratio), and sometimes subjectively (e. g. , make certain features easier to see by modifying the colors or intensities). Intensity adjustment is an image enhancement technique hat maps an image's intensity values to a new range.You can adjust the intensity values in an image using the imadJust function, where you specify the range of intensity values in the output image. this code increases the contrast in a low- contrast grayscale image by remapping the data values to fill the entire intensity range [0255 in case of grayscale image]. The process of adjusting intensity values can be done automatically by the histeq function. histeq performs histogram equalization, which involves transforming the intensity values so that the histogram of the output image approximately matches a specified histogram.By default, histeq tries to match a flat histogram with 64 bins, but you can specify a different histogram instead. In, general if r is original variable and s is transformed va riable, Let pr(r) and PS(s) denote PDFS of r and s and subscripts on p indictes that pr and ps are different functions in general. A fundamental result from basic probability theory is that if pr(r) and T(r) is known and T(r) is continuous and differential over the range of values of interest, then the PDF of the transformed variable s can be obtained using the simple formula Ps(s)=pr(r)mod(dr/ds).Local Processing: There are cases in which it is necessary to enhance details over small areas in an image. The solution is to devise transformation functions based on the intensity distributions in a neighborhood of every pixel in the image. The procedure is to define a neighborhood and move its center from pixel to pixel. At each location, the histogram of the points in the neighborhood is computed and either a histogram equalization or histogram specification transformation is obtained. This function is then used to map the intensity of the pixel centered in the neighborhood.The center ot the neighborh egion is procedure is repeated. Histogram Thresholding: then m to an ad Jacent pixel location and t Image segmentation can be done using histogram thresholding. It involves partitioning an image into regions that are similar according to a predefined criterion. Suppose that the gray-level histogram corresponds to an image, f(x,y), composed of dark objects in a light background, in such a way that object and background pixels have gray levels grouped into two dominant modes. One obvious way to extract the objects from the background is to select a threshold T that separates these modes.Then any point (x,y) for which ; T is called an object point, otherwise, the point is called a background point. If two dominant modes characterize the image histogram, it is called a bimodal histogram. Only one threshold is enough for partitioning the image. If an image is composed of two types of light objects on a dark background, three or more dominant modes characterize the image histogram. In such a case the histogram has to be partitioned by multiple thresholds. Multilevel thresholding classifies a point (x,y) as belonging to one object class and to the background if T and G2 consisting of pixels with values
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Job Analysis Paper Essay
Job analyses are a way to create detailed job descriptions used by businesses to promote efficiency and best match potential between the employer and employee; but there are many other reasons to complete a job analysis. According to Ash and Levine (1980) there are 11 common uses for job analysis: career development; performance appraisal; legal issues; recruitment and selection of employees; training; setting salaries; efficiency/safety; job classification; job description; job design; and planning (Spector, 2008) There are many ways to complete a job analysis and the method used usually depends on the type of job or business. The four most common job analysis types are the; job component inventory; functional job analysis; position analysis questionnaire; and task inventory (Spector, 2008). For this paper this writer has chosen to use the functional job analysis method, utilizing the O*NET electronic database which was previously found in the Dictionary or Occupational Titles (DOT) and is produced by the United States Department of Labor (Spector, 2008). The occupation chosen is Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor. This paper will also look at the reliability and validity of the Functional Job Analysis as well as some of the pros and cons surrounding the four common methods mentioned above. See more: how to write an analysis paper on an article examples Functional Job Analysis-Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor The functional job analysis is a comprehensive method that makes use of observation, interviews, and scores on several dimensions; these dimensions are relevant to all jobs making this a uniform method to obtain information no matter what the job may be (Spector, 2008). The functional job analysis of a substance abuse specialist is as follows. (Note: due to the extensive amount of information provided much information will be paraphrased and writer will not include 100% of the data provided by O*NET.gov. – Also, the information provided is to show an understanding of the Functional Job Analysis along with the six domains utilized by the O*NET website.) Job Description The analysis begins with a job description as well as some of the titles associated with this vocation. In this case the job is to provide counseling to those struggling with addictions that include substances but also addictions to gambling, or other process addictions (Onetonline.gov, 2012). Job titles include: Counselor; Substance Abuse Counselor; Chemical Dependency Professional (Onetoneline, 2012). Tools & Technology The next section discusses the tools & technology generally used for this occupation. They include: Alcohol Breathalyzers; Personal Computers; and Spreadsheet Software. While this is an extremely comprehensive source there are items that are missing this writer noted the absence of Urine analysis kits used often in the field. Tasks Tasks according to the O*net website include but are not limited to: Completion and Maintenance of Records and Reports; Conduct Chemical Dependency programs; and Coordination with other Mental Health Professionals or Health Professionals as Needed (Onetonline, 2012). Knowledge Knowledge is next and the competencies include: Therapy and Counseling; Psychology; Customer Service; and Law and Government (Onetonline, 2012). Skills Skills include but are not limited to: Active Listening; Social Perceptiveness; Critical Thinking; and Speaking (Onetonline, 2012). Abilities Some of the abilities are: Oral Comprehension; Oral Expression; Problem Sensitivity; and Speech Clarity (Onetonline, 2012). Work Activities The work activities include: Assisting and Caring for others; Communicating with Peers, subordinates, and others; Documenting/Recording Informations; and Getting Information (Onetonline, 2012). Work Context The work context appears to be questions one would ask a prospective employer about the nature of any particular position. Questions center on particular job duties such as the length of time spent on the telephone, or how often one would be called upon to work with external customers and even if there would be time constraints or deadlines (Onetonline, 2012). Job Zone The job zone is devoted to the educational requirements, related experience, and a general look at the type of job it is. In this category some of the examples include: accountants; sales managers; and chemists (Onetonline, 2012). Education Looks at the levels of education required in the field (Onetonline, 2012) Interests This job is categorized as SAI: Social; Artistic; and Investigative (Onetonline, 2012). Work Styles Work styles are mainly characteristics held by people within the field. Self Control, Stress Tolerance, Concern for Others, and Dependability are just some of them (Onetonline, 2012). Work Values People that work in the field are said to value relationships, achievement, and independence (Onetonline, 2012). Wages & Employment Trends Lastly this job analysis discusses wages and employment trends on a national and local level (Onetonline, 2012). Reliability and Validity In order to understand the reliability and validity of job analyses one must have an understanding of who provides the information and who is responsible for gathering and making sense of the data. According to Spector (2008) Job analysis information is collected in several ways by people trained â€Å"in quantifying job characteristics and the KSAOs necessary to accomplish the different aspects of jobs†. These people either survey the employees who do the jobs in question or experience the job firsthand by doing it themselves or observing it being done†. The information is provided by job analysts, supervisors, job incumbents, and/or trained observers. Because supervisors and job incumbents have experience in the field they can be known as subject matter experts or SMEs (Spector, 2008). According to the research Dierdoff and Wilson (2003) found that when creating job analysis there is a reliability factor of .83 showing consistency. Depending on the type of rater inter-rater reliability was lower. Task inventory ratings varied depending on the scale given, or importance of a task and inter-rater reliabilities also varied quite a bit (Spector, 2008). So it seems that if a task inventory rating is used it should be done with great care. Validity is fairly high but comes with a caution. Once again the issue of people’s judgments and bias comes up (Spector, 2008). Job analysis is useful to I/O’s but must be carefully considered to assess validity (Spector, 2008). The job analysis provided by O*NET.gov was accurate and comprehensive but one could see that it is not possible to pinpoint every aspect of the job. Some parts may not apply or may apply to one place of employment and not another. Of course there are also the possible omissions such as the Urine Analysis under tools and equipment. This writer does feel that this particular analysis was reliable and valid based on first-hand knowledge of the field. Performance Appraisal Methods There are two types of appraisals; one is objective and the other subjective. Objective appraisals are a way to measure things like absences, or productivity. This would be a simple way of rating people in certain vocations where showing up and meeting a quota is important. Take people that work in a factory and need to produce high volume; this is one example of where this type of appraisal method would be beneficial. Certain aspects of performance can be measured very well using an objective approach but several weaknesses stand out. One is that the object being measured is not always clear; the other is that it is prone to human error (Spector, 2008) There are several subjective appraisal methods: the graphic-rating form; and many behavior-focused rating forms. These are more likely to be used and measure both trait performance and general aspects of performance (Spector, 2008). Graphic-Rating Form A graphic rating form is a chart with several areas that can be rated with choices either numbered or with other terms such as frequently to never at all (Spector, 2008). It is a way to make an evaluation on many dimensions relating to a particular job. This is an efficient way to get an overall picture. Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) The BARS is a way of evaluating performance on a behavioral level. Relevant job expectations or behaviors are listed and the evaluator will find the choice that best describes an employee’s level of performance along a continuum (Spector, 2008). Mixed Standard Scale (MSS) A MSS has several statements that describe performance or behaviors with three choices that describe a particular level of performance (Spector, 2008). The three choices are randomly placed but they represent good performance, satisfactory performance and poor performance (Spector, 2008). This method like others gives a good overall picture but lacks the details that may surround poor performance. Behavior-Observation-Scale (BOS) The BOS is a way to measure behaviors using a percentage. Instead of describing how well a person responds it describes how often the behavior is seen. One rating could be â€Å"Stays on Task†and the evaluator or observer is to estimate using percentages how well the employee stays on task (Spector, 2008). The BOS is also similar to a mixed-standard scale because it uses critical incidence and either a poor or efficient behavior but; instead of rating behaviors the BOS rates frequency (Spector, 2008). One of the criticisms of the BOS is that to an outsider it may be hard to interpret (Spector, 2008) Conclusion This has been an overview of job analysis, perforamance appraisal, and the concepts of reliability and validity. We have seen that job analysis can be a great source of information. Not only does it provide details pertaining to a particular job but the job analysis can also help in the business world by providing possible legal and ethical issues, training program development and to help establish salaries just to name a few. We also know that there are several methods used to rate an employee’s performance which one is utilized depends on how detailed and what type of information needs to be measured. Lastly as with most other assessments, ratings, and measurements the reliability and validity of any job analysis is open to bias, and other human factors. All of these things must be taken into consideration and critical thinking generally applies.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions
Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions Introduction â€Å"The customer is always right†is a slogan popularized by the management to encourage their staff to take customer complaints seriously (Zikmund Babin, 2006). The underlying assumption is that customers are always â€Å"rational and functional†in their encounters with employees (Harris Reynolds, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While honest customer feedback is vital in improving business services or products and growth, addressing unrealistic expectations and requests can affect employees’ morale, leading to high turnover rates (Ben-Zur Yagil, 2005). Therefore, business owners should protect staff from deviant customers to improve employees’ satisfaction, increase confidence in their work and reduce turnover intention. Research shows that there are a variety of fact ors which affect employees’ turnover intentions. According to Harris and Reynolds (2003), such factors may include consumer aggression, job satisfaction, workload, distributive justice and management style. In-depth research reveals that some of the aforementioned factors have positive influence whereas others have negative impact on employees’ turnover intentions (Harris Reynolds, 2003). Research Question The research question for this study is as follows: does customer deviance influence turnover intentions in the service industry? Research Objective The objective of the study is to identify the effect of customer deviance on turnover intentions in the service industry. Background Research Research shows that unruly customers cause psychological and emotional stress to staff through verbal abuse, unreasonable requests, and disrespect for company’s policies (Harry Reynolds, 2003). According to a study conducted by Zikmund and Babin (2006), some customers disp lay verbal aggression that affects employees’ turnover intention. As employees play a mediating role between employers and customers, they may suffer from emotional exhaustion (Harris Reynolds, 2003). When employees face aggression and pressure from their employers, they are likely to develop psychological stress. Harris and Reynolds (2003) point out that psychological stress in the workplace undermines staff morale and job satisfaction, which increases turnover.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this view, Zikmund and Babin (2006) emphasize that support from the management can help staff to deal with hostile clients. Ben-Zur and Yagil (2005) highlight that lack of organizational support and customers’ deviance can cause â€Å"burnout, emotional exhaustion, and low self-esteem†among the personnel. This eventually affects employeesâ €™ productivity and retention. Thus, customer deviance coupled with a lack of organizational support can increase turnover. Research conducted by Zikmund and Babin (2006) also confirms that burnout among employees often occurs due to consumers’ deviance, which leads to undesirable outcomes such as diminished performance, customer dissatisfaction, low commitment to organizational goals and absenteeism. It is therefore beyond reasonable doubt that burnout directly affects employees’ turnover intentions. It is shown that there are personality resources such as optimism and hardiness that keep employees from burning out due to customer aggression (Zikmund Babin, 2006). Numerous studies compare the difference in turnover among employees in different employment sectors. Previous research demonstrates that professionals such as doctors rarely encounter customer aggression, hence they have more job satisfaction than e.g. bank workers and other employees (Harris Reynolds, 2003). Consequently, doctors are less likely to leave their job or absent themselves from it. The research conducted by Harris and Reynolds (2003) also shows that the majority of employees in different sectors get little pay and experience pressure from their bosses, yet they are less likely to leave their jobs, in contrast to those who have to cope with customer aggression. Zikmund and Babin (2006) reiterate that independence in one’s job helps to overcome customer aggression. For instance, while the customer is always right, the doctors can rarely be questioned for their actions, unlike banks and factories employees (Ben-Zur Yagil, 2005). In other words, professions where workers are protected from customer aggression record low turnover intentions. Hypothesis The study will test the null hypothesis that there is no difference in turnover intentions between bank employees (front-desk staff) and factory workers.Advertising We will write a custom research paper samp le on Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research Design Previous researchers have relied on survey methodology in order to obtain anecdotal observations on customer aggression and employees’ turnover intentions (Harris Reynolds, 2003). Numerous theories presented in the past have been empirically tested through use of multiple methodologies. However, research-based studies have been proved to be more reliable. Therefore, the study design will involve a descriptive research design. In this case, the research will be qualitative in nature. The study will have dependent and independent variables. Customer deviance will be used as an independent variable. On the other hand, there will be key dependent variables in the study. These will include turnover intention, job satisfaction, customer incivility, and organizational/management support. The study will draw its participants from the front-desk and management staff that spend most of their working hours interacting with customers responding to their problems, queries and complaints. Interview method will be used to collect data from the participants. Each respondent will be interviewed in a 15-minute session using semi-structured questions. The key focus will be on customer incivility, management support, and turnover intentions. It is important to highlight that information provided by participants will be treated as confidential. Data analysis will involve thematic analysis method. Sampling Approach The study focuses on employees’ response to customer aggression. Therefore, the sampled participants will strictly include people who are in banking industry and factory jobs. Moreover, the participants must have ample and direct contact with customers. A convenient sample of 25 participants will be picked from the staff of a bank and a factory. It will consist of 10 front-desk staff (bank), 10 factory work ers, and 5 managers/supervisors. The participants will be selected through random sampling. Moreover, the researcher may use simple but stratified method to sample out participants depending on the nature of employment, age, sex and employment duration. In order to facilitate this procedure, a preliminary request for participation will be sent to the institutions to obtain approval and informed consent. Upon approval, the researcher will schedule the interview dates to collect the data.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Possible Types of Secondary Data Secondary data for hypothesis testing will be obtained from existing sources when primary data is unavailable. Zikmund and Babin (2006) outline four different forms of secondary data, namely, published data, which include personnel records, government reports, public sector reports, and electronic records. Journals, books, and periodicals archived in libraries are the major sources of published data (Zikmund Babin, 2006). These sources will be used to obtain and compare data acquired by different researchers in their study. Data published in periodicals and journals will be preferred since they are often reliable and present-day. Personnel records will encompass personal communications that can be used as sources of secondary data (Landrum, 2014). Personal letters and diaries can provide information, but efforts must be taken to eliminate any bias they may contain. According to Zikmund and Babin (2006), government reports, particularly â€Å"sur veys, tax records, and census data†, can also provide secondary data for hypothesis testing (p. 37). They are widely available on official government websites and databases. In addition, public/private sector reports published by various institutions contain information that can be useful in the research (Landrum, 2014). Documentaries and films provide electronic data that can also be helpful in the study. To test the study’s hypothesis, the researcher will use more than one type of secondary data (Landrum, 2014). Government reports, newspaper/magazine articles, and private sector reports will be useful sources of secondary data. These sources will provide useful statistics on turnover rates in the banking and manufacturing industries. This will allow the researcher to compare turnover rates between factory and banking staff. Possible Measurement Benchmarks and Scales A benchmark indicates the critical point at which the difference between the sample mean and the expect ed value becomes significant, that is, it supports the null hypothesis (Landrum, 2014). A p-value indicates the acceptable level of significance of a test (Zikmund Babin, 2006). In most studies, the p-values of 0.1, 0.05, and 0.01 are used as benchmarks for acceptable levels of type I error. When the value obtained from statistical tests, such as t-test or Z-test, is lower than the benchmark value, it indicates that the difference is significant or the null hypothesis is not supported. According to Zikmund and Babin (2006, p. 155), the main scales used to measure variables include â€Å"nominal, ordinal, ratio, and interval†scales. The nominal scale classifies variables into mutually exclusive groups while the ordinal scale organizes data in a ranking order or hierarchy. In an interval scale, the difference between any two values is fixed. On the other hand, a ratio scale is similar to an interval one, but contains â€Å"a true zero point†(Zikmund Babin, 2006, p . 157). The type of measurement scale to be used in research depends on the nature of the study variables. The proposed research will use a single measurement benchmark, namely, p = 0.05. Higher values than 0.05 will indicate an acceptable level of significance, i.e., the null hypothesis will be accepted. To measure turnover intentions, job satisfaction, customer incivility perceptions, and organizational support, the study will use the Likert (interval) scale. This scale will provide quantitative differences between the participants’ responses with respect to the four study variables. Data Collection As mentioned earlier, data will be obtained from secondary sources such as books, journals, periodicals, government reports amongst other published materials. Primary data will be obtained from structured interviews. The researcher will email all the participants in advance in order to explain to them the intent of the study and to assure them about the confidentiality of the information that they are to provide during interviews. Responses given by participants will be entered into the MS-Access database for easier analysis. Data Analysis A statistical package may be used to analyze data in order to determine the validity of scales used. SPSS and Microsoft Excel will assist in calculating statistical frequencies (Landrum, 2014). Use of hierarchal regression will aid in comparing the effect of independent variable on the dependent variable such as turnover intensions and level of satisfaction. A co-relational analysis will help to establish the relationship between customer’s deviance and employees’ turnover intentions. Results Upon examining the behavior of employees in various work environments, the researcher will be able to establish the relationship between customer deviance and employees’ turnover intentions. The researcher will consider all demographic factors such as age, sex, job characteristics and hours of interaction with customers. Discussion and implications Depending on the results obtained in the study and the laid objectives, the researcher will be able to make conclusions. Therefore, discussion will be conclusive by approving or disapproving the research hypothesis (Landrum, 2014). The conclusion will determine the implications of the research. Hence, the researcher will make recommendations based on the research implications. It is worth pointing out that major findings will help to formulate managerial implications such as reinforcement of customer orientation and distributive justice. Plans for analyzing the obtained data Upon conducting the interviews with the sampled set of employees, the collected materials will be organized and subjected to thematic analysis in order to find out types of data that occur with certain frequency, which will allow for initial qualitative evaluation of influence of the independent variable (customer deviation) on the dependent variables (turnover intenti on, job satisfaction, customer incivility, and management support). The standard data analysis scheme of editing, coding, and filing the information will be used (Zikmund Babin, 2006, p. 479). After that, the filed information will be evaluated in accordance with Likert scale, and a hierarchical regression will be employed in order to capture the qualitative differences between the responses of the interviewees. Statistical software can be used to determine the qualitative differences and allow for easier co-relational analysis of the obtained data. The null hypothesis can then be tested using the p-value method. Plans for analyzing the achieved results The results will be presented by describing the sampled set of workers, explaining the methodology used in the study, and displaying the results obtained in each of the steps of analyzing the data. The null hypothesis will then be accepted or rejected (depending on the result of the p-value test), and, in case of the positive outcom e, the research question (â€Å"Does customer deviance influence turnover intentions in the service industry?†) will be answered along with presenting the quantitative results obtained. Perceived lacunae of the results will be subjected to discussion. The discussion will also include a comparison between the outcome of the research and the data that is present in secondary sources (reports, journal articles, books etc.) related to the topic, as well as possible explanations for the achieved results. The implications of the study will also be considered, and recommendations based on them will be made. References Ben-Zur, H., Yagil, D. (2005). The Relationship between Empowerment, Aggressive Behaviours of Customers, Coping, and Burnout. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 14, 81-99. Harris, L. C., Reynolds, K. L. (2003). The Consequences of Dysfunctional Customer Behaviour. Journal of Service Research, 6, 144-161. Landrum, E. (2014). Research Methods for B usiness: Tools and Applications. New York, NY: Sage Publishers Inc. Zikmund, W., Babin, B. (2006). Essentials of Marketing Research. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Basic English Curriculum for Teaching ESL
Basic English Curriculum for Teaching ESL The following grammar points will provide students with a solid base to build their English speaking and comprehension skills. Specific points are included in notes for the various grammar points. Grammar These are important grammar objectives for basic English courses. Present simple/present continuous (present progressive): Contrast between habits and temporary actions.Past simplePast continuous: Focus on use with the past simple to describe interrupted actions in the past.Present perfect: Focus on the use of present perfect for unfinished time- i.e. the duration form. Focus should also include adverbs commonly used with the present perfect, such as since, for, just, already, and yet.Future with will: Contrast this form with future intentions form- i.e. future with going to.Future with going to: Contrast this form with future predictions form- i.e. future with will.Present continuous (present progressive): Use for future intentions and plans, discuss similarities to future with going to.First conditional (real conditional): Used for probable or realistic situations.Modal verbs of deduction: Use of must be, might be, and cant be in the present.Some or any: Call to attention the irregular use of some in requests and offers.Quantifiers: too, enough, a lot of, a few, much, many (in question and negative forms), and others. Prepositions of place: in front of, opposite, behind, between, across, and other terms.Prepositions of movement: straight on, on your right, past the house, into, out of, and other prepositionsCommon phrasal verbs: get on with, look after, fed up with, put off, make up, and other verbs.Verb and gerund: like doing, enjoy doing, go swimming, etc.Verb and infinitive: hope to do, want to do, manage to do, and other examples.Basic verb and preposition combinations: listen to, arrive at, go through, and other combinations.Comparatives and superlatives: taller than, more beautiful than, as tall as, happier than, the tallest, the most difficult, etc. Listening Skills Listening skills should include the ability to understand and act on basic information in the following situations: Personal information: name, address, telephone number, nationality, etc.Telling timeNumbers: cardinal and ordinalSimple directions and prepositions of placeSpellingSimple descriptions of people and places Vocabulary These are some topics and categories of vocabulary that are important to learn at the beginner stages: Descriptions of people, such as looks, character, and familyFood, drink, and restaurantsLikes and dislikesHome, rooms, furnitureTown and countryShops and shoppingWeatherTime, the seasons, months, weeks, days, and related termsFilms and televisionLeisure and interestsHolidays, travel, and hotels Language Functions Language functions concern chunks of language which provide essential phrases for everyday use. Introductions and Greetings: How do you do? Pleased to meet you. How are you? Asking for Information: How do you spell ____? How do you pronounce? Where is the nearest bank? What does X mean? Offering: Can I help you? Would you like some ____? Requesting: May I have a coffee? Could you help me? Inviting: Would you like to come with me? Suggesting: Shall we go out this evening?Lets have some lunch.Why dont we play some tennis? Asking for Descriptions: What is he like?What does it look like? Buying and Selling: Which size are you?How much does it cost? Asking for Directions: Excuse me, where is the train station?Where is the nearest bank? Giving Advice: You should see a doctor.I think he should work harder.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Hayek's Economic Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Hayek's Economic Theory - Essay Example history. The Hayekian business-cycle theory is a fusion of the Austrian theories regarding money, capital as well as prices, generally conceptualized as the Austrian theory of business cycles, which itself was based on Mises’ theory of money and credit (Boeettke, 1992). The Austrian theory of trade cycles was inspired by Knut Wicksell’s contributions on the relationship between money and interest while Ludwig von Mises became the first economist to bring together Wicksell’s monetary dynamics with Bohm-Bawerk’s capital theory, which led to the first Australian trade-cycle theory. Hayek developed and made the theory official while reinforcing it with insights from David Ricardo and John Stuart Mill in 1967. Generally, Hayek argues that any monetary disturbance such as an increase in the stock of money reduces the interest rates to levels below the equilibrium thereby stimulating an increase in capital and reallocation of resources in the manufacture of intermediate (capital) goods rather than consumption goods (White, 1999). Consequently, this triggers a rise in the cost of capital goods and a subsequent drop in the price of capital goods, and later the entire structure of the production system, which entails the conversion of raw products into finished products for utilization by consumers, is completely shifted (Zera, 2013). In that respect, the Hayekian Economy theory demonstrates how a monetary disruption can prompt an inter-temporal disco-ordination in economic activities, the manner in which the disco-ordination eventually becomes recognized and addressed through money-induced disco-ordination. Hayek conceptualizes that the injection of new money through credit markets inhibits the level of interest thereby inducing an inter-temporal misallocation of resources, thus, leading to the production of capital goods that are
Friday, November 1, 2019
Strategic Corporate Finance( case study) Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Strategic Corporate Finance( ) - Case Study Example The company prices have experienced a steep fall in prices. The assets might be highly overvalued in the markets. However, to give some relief, the shareholders equity is twice that of the number of shares that have been floated in the market. The fall in profits has also contributed to a fall in the NAV per share figures. The WACC is a reflection of company’s cost of taking funds from equity and debt sources. Each source of finance has been provided with the respective weights and in the present situation; the equity weighs more than the debts in the WACC formula. This means that the company is operating with high levels of equity finance and can undertake expansionary opportunities based on the scope for developing debt finance. The WACC represents the investor’s risk of taking in the particular investment. The company’s WACC is 3.63% and it very low representing opportunities for investors to invest into the company. The average price earnings ratio of the retail industry is prevailing at 15 while for Morrison’s, the P/E ratios remains around 2. This implies that the company is operating at very low profit scales. The industry is performing greater and Morrison’s profits earnings are far below industry average. However, this is relative to the number of shares floated by the company. In relation to the equity base, the company is operating with very low profit margins and needs to scale up its revenues in order to remain competitive within the industry. The value of Morrison’s share derived by way of the dividend growth model can be estimated by dividing the dividend declared for next year by the cost of equity. In this case, the share price stands at This price is much lower than the prevailing market price of Morrison’s share in the markets. The present market price for company’s share is operating at GBP 196 per stock. The company has seen a huge fall in share prices from GBP 357 to GBP 196 in the 52 week scenario. The
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