Unit 6 Business Decision Making - 6350 Words

DRAFT Name: Shanzaib K. Malik Address: 1 Whittinghame Gardens, 1089 Great Western Road, Glasgow, Post code / Zip: G12 0AA Telephone No: 07429532435 Email Address: Shanzaibmalik@hotmail.com Date: 11/6/2014 Course Name: HNC Business Tutor Name: Jeremy Oughton Assignment Name: Unit 6: Business Decision Making Unit 6: Business Decision Making Assist in the development of a Commercial Gas Safety Certificate Business Index Introduction Page No. 1.1 Create a plan for the collection of primary and secondary data for a given business†¦show more content†¦The Author can gather secondary data primarily posted online and to analyze the following criteria: the popularity and growth of the quick service restaurant industry, statistics relating to CO Poisoning and gas explosions, the number of service visits made for each appliance group and the average repair cost. The reason why we collected data online is because there are aren’t any physical copies of this data that I have access to for free. We can collect Primary data through the use of postal questionnaires, personal interviews and analyzing internal profit loss figures. The only accurate and up to date statistics relating to carbon monoxide poising and gas explosion incidents are available online through the official commercial gas safety website. Carbon monoxide and gas safety website. By exporting the data into graphical format and analyzing the trends relating to reported incidents and fatalities, we can get a clear picture of the effect raising awareness of gas safety has had on the number of incidents reported. It also gives us ground to justify our actions when immediate repairs are required in a commercial property. We can collect statistics on the number of callouts per appliance type by visiting the HSE.gov website and accessing a report made on measurements of absolute CO by Advantica Group. The report was carried out by analyzing 5000 service visits in 2001. TheShow MoreRelatedUnit 6 Business Decision Making Essay4217 Words   |  17 Pageseffectively for business purposes Representative values: mean, median, mode; calculation from raw data and frequency distributions using appropriate software; using the results to draw valid conclusions Measures of dispersion: standard deviation for small and large samples; typical uses (statistical process eg control, buffer stock levels) Calculation: use of quartiles, percentiles, correlation coefficient 3 Be able to produce information in appropriate formats for decision making in an organisationalRead MoreUnit 6 Business Decision Making Essay5294 Words   |  22 PagesPage 1 of 22 Centre Name/logo Programme Title Unit No Title QCF Level: Assignment No/Title Tutor/Assessor Written by Essex International College BTEC HND in Business Unit 6 Business Decision Making 5 Credit: 15 Y/601/0578 Acorn Research Consultants Please Provide Tutor Name Here /Assessor Panel Dr Keith Hoodless To meet LO 1 Assessment method To meet LO 2 To meet LO 3 Written Report not exceeding 4000 words covering all tasks To meet LO 4 Key dates: Assignment distribution date to learnersRead MoreAcademic Year2016 -2017Semester: Spring 2017 (Second Semester).1235 Words   |  5 PagesAcademic Year 2016 - 2017 Semester: SPRING 2017 (SECOND SEMESTER) Branch: Egypt Program: Business Studies Course Title: INTRODUCTION TO MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING Course Code: BE211/4 Student Name: Islam Magdi Fayek Student ID: 1551510034 Section Number: Tutor Name: Marks details Allocated Marks Questions PART A PART B Total Weight 20 9 16 15 12 8 10 10 100 Marks Marks deduction Criteria Presentation Referencing Word Count E-Library Total Up to (5) (5) Marks Read MoreFinancial Decision Making for Managers: Assignment Specifications1273 Words   |  6 PagesUnit 6.8 Financial Decision Making for Managers London Churchill College Programme: Unit Number and Title: Unit Level: Module Tutor: Email: Date Set: ATHE- Level 6- Diploma in Management 6.8 Financial Decision Making for Managers 6 Chisomje Ezeaku c.ezeaku@londonchurchillcollege.co.uk 23/09/2013 Learner’s name and statement of authenticity Learner’s Name: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Learner’s ID: Date handed-in: I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own. Where theRead MoreCost Volume Profit Analysis Based On The Real World Functioning Of Businesses1537 Words   |  7 Pagesevery organization that deals with the process of manufacturing of certain products operates in accordance with the main principle of maximizing its profits. During the performance of daily activities, many business managers face a series of questions related to planning, control and decision making. In order to give answers to all these questions, an additional analysis needs to be considered. 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Introduction Sesuki Mfg., Ltd. is a manufacturerRead MoreManaging Financial Resources and Decisions1091 Words   |  5 PagesUNIT 2: MANAGING FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND DECISIONS Unit 2: Unit code: QCF level: Credit value: Aim Managing Financial Resources and Decisions H/601/0548 4 15 credits The unit aim is to provide learners with an understanding of where and how to access sources of finance for a business, and the skills to use financial information for decision making. Unit abstract This unit is designed to give learners a broad understanding of the sources and availability of finance for a business organisationRead MoreAn Organization s Strategic Business Units1361 Words   |  6 PagesTo evaluate an organization s Strategic Business Units (SBU), the Boston Consulting Group developed a portfolio performance framework. 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Marketing Strategy Of Coca Cola - 1295 Words

company also partnered with a multitude of artists, celebrities, athletes, and organizations in various marketing campaigns to promote their products (â€Å"125 years,† 2011). Coca-Cola’s branding, marketing, and well-known products have propelled the company to over a century of success. Domestic and International Operations Today, The Coca-Cola Company is the largest soft drink maker in the world with ownership or licensing rights for over 500 non-alcoholic beverage brands (Bailey, 2014). Of the company’s many brands, twenty of them are worth over one billion dollars (â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company,† 2016). Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, over 130,000 employees located in more than 200 countries work for the organization. These employees†¦show more content†¦In addition to their beverage products, the company has the world’s largest distribution system for beverages. This network includes bottling operations that the company owns and independent bottling partners that it supports (â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company,† 2016). Coca-Cola has successfully COCA-COLA ECONOMIC ANALYSIS 4 combined their distinct and popular products with this unparalleled distribution network to earn their title as the largest soft drink manufacturer in the world. Revenues for 2015 were $43.65 billion, continuing a downward trend that began in 2012. While net income has also been trending down since 2012, in 2015 it rose slightly over the previous year’s figures, coming in at $7.35 billion for the year (â€Å"Coca-Cola Co.,† 2016). The negative movements in the firm’s financials indicate that it is facing challenges that need to be addressed. Economic Factors Changing economic factors can impact a company’s current operations and how it needs to plan for the future. Currently, reduced consumer demand is an economic factor affecting The Coca-Cola Company. Sales from sugary carbonated beverages account for the bulk of the company’s sales, but demand for these products has been steadily declining for over nine years. One reason for the reduced demand is a change in consumer tastes as people have become more concerned about their health and the negative impacts of

Impact of Collaborative Learning-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Influence of collaborative learning in terms of academic achievement for year 9 students at Willow Park Secondary. Answer: Introduction Education is considered as the passage of knowledge from the individuals with the knowhow to the individuals with an intention to be enlightened and this could be achieved through collaborative learning. Moreover, in collaborative learning, the students work together in small groups to perform a structured tasks and it remains as something more than just working in a group because group alone does not guarantee cooperative learning. However, there are many cases that only some members of the group perform all of the work and it cannot be ascertained that all members are actually learning. Likewise, there are several views and arguments put forward by the scholars in this particular context and hardly a research has found out the actual process of collaborative learning and its impact on 9-year students in terms of their academic achievement. The purpose of the research is to investigate the impact of collaborative learning on young students in terms of their academic achievement. In order to analyse the impact, the proposed study first includes a critical analysis including the ideas, opinions, findings provided in the existing research papers. Likewise, the study could find finds out the gaps in the previous studies. In order to gain desired outcome, the proposed study uses some particular research methods. The proposed study includes secondary analysis, as the research needs a broad analysis; thereby, with the help of a large set of journals and articles a thematic analysis has been conducted. Background Analysis According to Hallinger and Heck (2011) collaborative learning can be defined as the situation in which there is a positive freedom among students goal attainment; thereby, the students perceive that they could only reach their learning objectives if all members of the group accomplish the learning objectives also. In this context, collaborative learning remains as an instructional methodology, which could split the class members into small groups to learn the assigned materials and ensure all individuals of the team perform the task and gain knowledge. As put forward by Blasco-Arcas et al., (2013), collaborative learning activities could help the students to enhance problem solving and teamwork skills. Nonetheless, the teachers should be prepared to have some discussion and movement in the classroom for those activities. Research on collaborative learning remained scarce before 1990 but since this date, the amount as well as the quality of research on collaborative learning largely a ccelerated given its large appraisal as well as positive effect on education. Several studies have emphasized on the positive effects that collaborative learning does have no academic achievement. Certainly, collaborative learning has become a largely used instructional technique in educational contexts that it remains difficult to seek instructional materials that generally do not refer to this methodology. In addition, as of 2015, more than 1400 studies had been performed on collaborative learning and a significant amount of those studies stressed the impact of collaborative learning on the accomplishment in comparison to more conventional studies or competitive instructional techniques. Despite the fact that there have been vast amount of studies conducted on the positive impact of collaborative learning intervention, there have been researches conducted by Durlak et al., (2011), that have lessened the positive appraisal of collaborative intervention, providing argument that 9 years students often sit in small groups but they are already assigned to the real collaborative tasks. Furthermore, it has also been identified that individual studies on collaborative learning have delivered relevant and contradictory information to some extent regarding its effectiveness. Consequently, it is essential to understand an issue by investigating as well as comparing the data from different sources in the same domain. Statement of the problem The decision to reach on collaborative learning generally based on the reality that most of the school students until now embrace the conventional learning strategy. In this context, Capdeferro Romero (2012) commented that students performance improves when the collaborative learning strategies are implemented. It ensures that teacher-centred classroom does not appropriately equip the students with adequate amount of resource to widen their range of understanding. In addition to this, the collaborative learning has been there to enhance the students with the capability of gaining intensive understanding of the subjects. The benefits of collaborative learning also include an increased cooperation as well as more well-developed social skills, retention and motivational knowledge. The study on the influence of collaborative learning in terms of the academic achievement of the young students remains as the worthy topic to investigate. Background to the research indicates that a cooperat ive learning has started to demonstrate potential advantages in the education. The investigation on such learning practice could help to enhance learning as well as academic achievement of the pupils. In addition to this, the empirical evidences for support of collaborative learning strategy in the field of education at intermediate range are unknown. The proposed study could help to learn the impact of such learning practice even at the intermediate scale. Literature Review Introduction Literature review and meta-analysis conducted on the collaborative learning delivers relevant information regarding the effectiveness of several collaborative learning methods. A study conducted by Sung and Hwang (2013) the influence of collaborative learning on the academic achievement of the students with learning disabilities provided different outcome in terms of importance, while another study conducted by Stump et al., (2011), was on the influence of collaborative learning on the academic achievement compared to competitive as well as individualistic techniques. Likewise, there are other studies on the same contexts provided other opinions. In order to conduct a critical analysis, almost 15 journal articles have been selected and 5 journals have been rejected due to the lack of validity and reliability. Collaborative learning- As put forward by Zhu (2012), the collaborative learning is a method in which small groups, with each learners of diverse of capability, utilizes a range of educational activities to improve their comprehension of a particular topic. It has been identified that collaborative learning remains as one of the most remarkable as well as productive areas of thesis and practice in learning. It signifies students functioning together to achieve the objectives as well as instructional events that organize students collaborative effort. Kirschner, Paas and Kirschner (2011) mentioned that collaborative education remains as the learner-centred education as well as it has been executed broadly in English Teaching Language. In this context, Rocconi (2011) mentioned that collaborative learning in the recent time has been a common approach to the language teaching in the world. On the other side, Kaldi, Filippatou and Govaris (2011) mentioned that collaborative learning could be an action of more th an just asking students to sit and work together and this study identified some elements that mediate the effectiveness of collaborative learning. The elements are such as the positive interdependence that permits students to consider that they are related to each other in a such a manner that an individual could succeed until and unless every individual succeeds. Another significant element is individual accountability, which provides each individual of the team a sense of personal responsibility towards the achievement. Hence, Blatchford, Bassett and Brown (2011) insisted on the element primitive interaction which occurs when the pupils facilitate each others effort to learn through the exchanging resource. Traditional learning and collaborative learning The fundamental of collaborative learning is interdependence. Dudley (2013) performed a comparison on pupils academic performance in collaborative learning and conventional learning with the help of Taguchi Quality Indexes. The scholars divided the students into two classes and each class consists of 21 students. The study showed the results that the first group worked together on resolving the tasks allocated to them but the second group worked individually. Using a T-test, the author found that the young students who work collaborative learning group had observed higher marks in comparison with the students who worked alone. In this context, Strijbos (2011) mentioned that collaboration sustains communication and the individuals within the team support each other and praise one anothers effort to learn together and teach others who have difficulties in learning. Conversely, conventional centred learning supports the independent learning and both the systems carry negative and positi ve side. According to Topping et al., (2011), collaborative learning support teamwork, as it develops an environment in which the students do not wholly rely on the faculties to provide feedback and support and moreover, the learners gain the ability to address their own strength as well as weakness about their own learning practice. Zhu (2012) mentioned that the negative side of collaborative learning is that it needs more time as well as learners cooperation to succeed. This is because it is established on students involvement in material by their own. Impact of Collaborative learning on Students Positive Effect Durlak et al., (2011) mentioned that during a collaborative learning session, the young students have the platform to learn and work together. Hence, they not only work on academic but they also put effort in social skills. The students should adapt to the learning style, abilities and behaviours of others. These are the skills as well as the adjustment that could carry over throughout their life. Moreover, with the help of enhanced social skills, the students could enhance their relationship with others in the institution where they learn (Hallinger Heck, 2011). These teaching practices could influence students interest. With the ability to successfully implement, collaborative learning into the lesson programs could allow the child to be more engaged as well as involved in the learning process rather than being just passive learners. Here, the students cold learn about their strengths and weaknesses since they work through and complete a task in a small group. When such group insp ired the learning growth, the children could find or achieve more objectives related to their learning staying in the classroom only. In addition to this, as the children in class watch and learn from their peers, they could find new ways to deal with their problems. In this context, Sung, and Hwang (2013) commented that persistent growth in this practice could only improve the individual learning process. Negative Effect If institution wants to incorporate collaborative learning into the classroom, it could take some pre-made strategies and appropriate planning. It is not just possible to place the students into the group randomly. However, here the authorities need to allow their students to choose their own groups but the authorities need to make sure that students are not sitting on the sidelines and they are not chosen by their peers (Durlak et al., 2011). If the students are forced into a group where they are unwanted, they could lose interest in the lesson before the process starts. Zhu (2012) mentioned that if the groups are selected by the faculties, it is essential to monitor that groups are working effectively Research Questions Purpose Statement The major purpose of the study is to examine the influence of collaborative learning in terms of academic achievement of the young students. The proposed study on collaborative learning is the first kind of study will be performed on children of teaching institutes where conventional teaching is widely used. The previous studies have only been conducted on middle and high school and the adults studying in the university, but not children of 9 years studying in elementary or kindergarten and nursery schools. Only few studies have been conducted on pupils to learn the impact of collaborative learning in the academic achievement. Therefore, while focussing on this context, the proposed study also identifies the gap between the collaborative learning and traditional learning practice. Research Questions What is the impact of collaborative learning practice on pupils in terms of their academic achievement? What is the gap between the collaborative and traditional learning practice? How can collaborative learning be incorporated with the traditional learning practice? Methodology Introduction The research methods are broad term, while the techniques of data collection and data analysis present the base of research methods, it is essential to identify the series of additional aspects within the scope of the study. The proposed study will include a thematic analysis, which would be done by collecting data from a set of journals. In addition to this, the proposed study includes an interepretivism research philosophy, descriptive research design and secondary data collection methods. Each of these techniques has widely been discussed in the following with appropriate justification. Research Philosophy Research Philosophy is related to the clarification of assumption regarding the type and the source of knowledge. All studies are performed on the basis of the assumption regarding the world as well as the process of understanding the world. There are four different types of research philosophies such as positivism, interepretivism, realism and pragmatism (Miller et al., 2012). The positivism research philosophy relies on the quantifiable observation that eventually ends up involving the statistical analysis; it mainly considers the facts and the quantitative data, while intepretivism philosophy helps to form the judge the findings with the acquired knowledge and the external support. However, in the proposed study, an intepretivism research philosophy will be used. Justification of selecting interpretvism research philosophy The interepretivism research philosophy will be used in the proposed study because the data related to the collaborative learning, which will be collected from the secondary sources, can be interpreted with own knowledge and observation. The data findings can be analysed considering the biblical text as well as wisdom literature that have relevance to the research context. In addition to this, the interepretivism studies generally focus on meaning as well as could include several methods to reflect different elements of the issues. Research Design The research design is usually divided into two aspects such as exploratory and descriptive. According to Anderson and Shattuck (2012), exploratory design based on its name focuses on exploring some particular aspects of the research but usually, it does not deliver any conclusive response. The descriptive research designs are used to define different elements of the phenomenon and it mainly helps to describe the characteristics of sample population. However, in the proposed study, the descriptive research design will be selected. Justification f selecting the descriptive research design This research design helps to analyse the non-quantified issues such as in the proposed study, the impact of collaborative learning practice cannot be quantified with the existing theories and knowledge. In addition to this, this research method would help to identify the phenomenon related to collaborative learning practice in wholly natural surroundings. Data Collection methods There are two different types of data collection methods such as primary and secondary data collection methods. The primary data collection method is usually divided into two categories quantitative as well as qualitative and these methods are applied conducting survey and interview. However, in the proposed study, the secondary data collection method will be applied. As put forward by Maxwell (2012) the secondary data is a kind of data that has already been published in books, journals, magazines and other online portals. The secondary data will be collected from the reliable and validated source. Reliability and Validity The proposed study is associated with the high level of reliability and the other scholars in future will be able to generate the same outcome if they use same methods such as secondary data collection process under the condition of investigating the impact of collaborative learning on young students. The proposed study has the validity because proper time scale will be selected and appropriate research techniques will be applied to the research. Research Limitation The proposed study is limited to secondary analysis only, because the primary analysis will not be conducted in the research. Moreover, the study also lacks a comparative analysis in terms of the techniques of collaborative learning. Conclusion It can be mentioned that the proposed study would provide desired outcome because all relevant and appropriate methods will be applied to the study. The literature review indicates that differences in the collaborative learning process exists that those are only in terms of the techniques. The previous studies also imply that there are many institutions where collaborative learning methods remain as the secondary choice. However, actual scenario will be revealed once the data is gather and the findings are compared to the previous studies in the proposed study. References Anderson, T., Shattuck, J. (2012). Design-based research: A decade of progress in education research?.Educational researcher,41(1), 16-25. Blasco-Arcas, L., Buil, I., Hernndez-Ortega, B., Sese, F. J. (2013). Using clickers in class. The role of interactivity, active collaborative learning and engagement in learning performance.Computers Education,62, 102-110. Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P. (2011). Examining the effect of class size on classroom engagement and teacherpupil interaction: Differences in relation to pupil prior attainment and primary vs. secondary schools.Learning and Instruction,21(6), 715-730. Capdeferro, N., Romero, M. (2012). Are online learners frustrated with collaborative learning experiences?.The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning,13(2), 26-44. Dudley, P. (2013). Teacher learning in Lesson Study: What interaction-level discourse analysis revealed about how teachers utilised imagination, tacit knowledge of teaching and fresh evidence of pupils learning, to develop practice knowledge and so enhance their pupils' learning.Teaching and teacher education,34, 107-121. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students social and emotional learning: A meta?analysis of school?based universal interventions.Child development,82(1), 405-432. Glesne, C. (2015).Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction. Pearson. Hallinger, P., Heck, R. H. (2011). Collaborative leadership and school improvement: Understanding the impact on school capacity and student learning. InInternational handbook of leadership for learning(pp. 469-485). Springer Netherlands. Kaldi, S., Filippatou, D., Govaris, C. (2011). Project-based learning in primary schools: effects on pupils' learning and attitudes.Education 313,39(1), 35-47. Kirschner, F., Paas, F., Kirschner, P. A. (2011). Task complexity as a driver for collaborative learning efficiency: The collective working?memory effect.Applied Cognitive Psychology,25(4), 615-624. Maxwell, J. A. (2012).Qualitative research design: An interactive approach(Vol. 41). Sage publications. Miller, T., Birch, M., Mauthner, M., Jessop, J. (Eds.). (2012).Ethics in qualitative research. Sage. Rocconi, L. M. (2011). The impact of learning communities on first year students growth and development in college.Research in higher education,52(2), 178-193. Savin-Baden, M., Major, C. H. (2013).Qualitative research: The essential guide to theory and practice. Routledge. Snyder, C. (2012). A case study of a case study: Analysis of a robust qualitative research methodology.The Qualitative Report,17(13), 1. Strijbos, J. W. (2011). Assessment of (computer-supported) collaborative learning.IEEE transactions on learning technologies,4(1), 59-73. Stump, G. S., Hilpert, J. C., Husman, J., Chung, W. T., Kim, W. (2011). Collaborative learning in engineering students: Gender and achievement. Journal of Engineering Education, 100(3), 475-497. Sung, H. Y., Hwang, G. J. (2013). A collaborative game-based learning approach to improving students' learning performance in science courses.Computers Education,63, 43-51. Topping, K. J., Thurston, A., Tolmie, A., Christie, D., Murray, P., Karagiannidou, E. (2011). Cooperative learning in science: Intervention in the secondary school.Research in Science Technological Education,29(1), 91-106. Zhu, C. (2012). Student satisfaction, performance, and knowledge construction in online collaborative learning.Journal of Educational Technology Society,15(1), 127.

U.S Postal Service As a Monopoly Essay Example For Students

U.S Postal Service As a Monopoly Essay In the United States economy most markets can be classified into fourdifferent markets structures. But, each and every market in the United Statesis completely unique from the others. Generally the best type of marketstructure for the general public is per-fect competition because it creates thelowest possible price for the public. There are some exceptions were perfectcompetition isnt the best choice for the public on account of various reasons. The United States Postal Service is one of them and since the Postal Service isa monopoly, it is its own market. This paper will discuss the budget dilemmasthat the postal service has faced for the past twenty years and if it is in thebest interest of the economy for the United States Postal Service to continue asa monopoly. The first time there was talk of privatizing the Postal Service wasin1979 when the Postal Service was losing vast amounts of money in the long run. We will write a custom essay on U.S Postal Service As a Monopoly specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now But since the Postal Service is a necessity for America, the government had tosubsidize the service in order for it to continue in operation. In 1979 theUnited States Postal Service had a cash flow of $22.5 Billion and wasadditionally receiving $176 million from investing(#1, Intro). Even with thisadded revenue the Postal Service was still greatly under funded on its own (#1,Intro). During this time it was discussed to privatize the postal service andintroduce competition because of the extreme losses that the service wasexperiencing. A positive argument for privatizing the Postal Service was withnumerous competitors in the market there would be more efficiency and the publicwould receive lower prices. But this would also increase the usage of resources,for example airplanes and cars. One of the problems the Post Office had was itsreceipts from consumer purchases that were submitted the next day after thetransaction (#1, i). If the receipts were submitted earlier the postal servicewo uld receive more money because they could invest that money sooner (#1, i). Another way the Postal Service could increased profits was by competitivelyselecting banks that would give them higher interest rates and such (#1, ii). Probably the most relevant and final way to improve the budget of the PostalService is to improve the bookkeeping poli-cies and banking techniques (#1, ii). Not only did the Post Service propose to increase profits but they alsoproposed to cut costs in a number of ways. There were three methods that wereproposed in 1946 for the protection of salaries that no longer exists (#2,Intro). These have to do with the rural mail carriers. Under this antiquatedmethod of delivering mail the Postal Service was los-ing money to any mail thatwent to rural areas (#2, i) There are 48,000 mail carriers that deliver mailto millions of families that are considered to be living in rural settings; thiscosts the postal Service 858 million dollars a year (#2, i). This is a fairlyeasy problem to fix considering how much money is being lost. It was proposedthat money loss could be significantly cut down if the Postal Service correctedthe following problems. The rural mail carriers were assigned a certain amountof time to deliver to a specific rural area, this method was out of date andbecause of this the carriers have free time for which they got paid for (#2, i i). The next problem was that other mail routes based pay on how many miles theroute covered, so the carriers were getting paid by the mile (#2, iii). Withthis problem fixed the Postal Service could saved 26.8 million a year (#2, iii). .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 , .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .postImageUrl , .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 , .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0:hover , .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0:visited , .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0:active { border:0!important; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0:active , .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0 .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub5d1bab83affc8e092074715f5cba0b0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Confederate States Of America EssayThere was also an hourly rate that was in effect which indirectly promotedinefficient service (#2, iii). A stop to this could have saved the PostalService $255,000 a year (#2, iii). From the num-bers mentioned above, it can beseen why the United States Postal Service was losing so much money. These problems did indeed eventually did get solved over the pastfifteen years and now the Postal Service is making record breaking profits. Nowin the first quarter of the fiscal year 1996 the Postal Service already has anet income of $1.2 billion (#3, 1). Now not only is the Postal Service justbreaking even, but they are also making a profit. On top of that, the 1.2billion dollar figure is 115 billion dollars better then the quarterly forecastpredicted (#3,1). It is incredible that they are not only making a reasonableprofit but it is increasing over the years.The Postal Service is also nowreducing debts.An example of this is when the Postal Service redeemed a 1.5billion dollar loan two years in advance which will save them 22 million dollarsof interest in the next two years (#3,1). The Postal Service isnt stopping with the revenue that it is receivingnow. The Postal Service is planning to increase its international revenues of$1.2 billion by twice the amount in the next five years and ten-fold by the year2005 (#5, 1). The Postal Service is continually working to streamline theiroperations for the future that they are now run-ning. The Postal Service iscontinualy looking to cut back on borrowing money. All of the recent financialborrowing has been through the Federal Financing Bank, but the Postal Servicenow is looking into outside sources, such as bonds in the public markets (#5, 2). Business are starting to get jealous of the Postal Service because ofthe great prof-its it is experiencing. The Postal Service is now making a majorimpact on the United States Economy (#6, 1). Business are pointing out that in1995 the Postal Service had records of $1.8 billion in net income and a 1.7billion dollar debt reduction (#6, 1). The $54 billion revenue that the PostalService is bringing in would put them in 12th place on the Fortune 500 list and33rd on the Fortune Global 500, with the worlds largest corpora-tions (#6,1). Arecent study showed that domestic direct mail sales were at $333 billion in theyear 1994 (#6,1). This figure is expected to reach over $500 billion by theyear 2000 (#6,1)It can be seen throughout this paper how the United States PostalService in-creased profits and does not have to borrow as much money as before. It seems that the Postal Service is doing just fine while it is a monopoly. Butthere are still two arguments for and against the Postal Service continuing toremain a monopoly. On one side compe-tition is thought to make industries inthe market more efficient and practice more innova-tive (#4, 1). But on theother hand the competition is also thought to lead to a wide-spread creamskimming, with the postal service left only the high-cost, unprofitable mar-kets(#4, 1). So who is to know which market would be better for the American econ-omy as far as the Postal Service goes. But it is speculated if the UnitedStates Postal Service does keep increasing its profits over the years, maybe itwill be privatized. Bibliography1) United States. General Accounting Office, Changes in the U.S. PostalServices cash management practices could increase income and reduce cost:report / by the U.S. General Accounting Office, Washington: General AccountingOffice,,19792) United States. General Accounting Office, Changes needed in the UnitedStates Postal Services rural carrier pay systems: report / by the U.S. GeneralAccount-ing Office, Washington: General Accounting Office, 19783) http://www.usps.gov/news/press/96/96002new.htm4) http://nutcweb.tpc.nwu.edu/research/abstracts/i.2.html5) http://www.usps.gov/news/press/95/95090new.htm6) http://www.usps.gov/news/press/95/95095new.htmCategory: History

Life Is a Continuous Journey Essay Essays

Life Is a Continuous Journey Essay Essays Life Is a Continuous Journey Essay Paper Life Is a Continuous Journey Essay Paper Essay Topic: Our Countrys Good Life is a uninterrupted journey. Some journeys are short and some long. Some journeys are sweet and pleasant while some are rancid. Some journeys are excessively memorable to be erased by the littorals of clip. I had one such experience. The memory of this journey continues to waver. on and on. in my head even after several old ages. We reached on 9th Dec. . as our train reserve was for the undermentioned twenty-four hours by North- East Express. We reached the station early in the forenoon. the following twenty-four hours and boarded the train. The train started away at 6. 00 a. m. I sat by the window and enjoyed the passing scenery. The sights of legion rivers. Bridgess. countryside. evergreen paddy Fieldss. alcoholic green tea gardens. huge fields. etc. enchanted me a batch. In the late afternoon we reached Rajshahi station. which is the gateway to khulna. Some of us got out of the train to hold a expression at the station. The bunco and hustle of people tr aveling approximately. the coming and traveling of trains and the luring sights of the assorted stables of the station attracted our attending and we excessively moved about the platform basking these sights. We didn’t gain how rapidly the clip had passed. Suddenly we saw our train traveling. We were at the far terminal of the platform and ran with all velocity and might to catch the train. I was the last to detect the motion of the train and so the last to run. I excessively ran after my friends to catch the train. But the train was traveling fast. Within minutes my friends managed to acquire in. As I was approximately to make the train. I slipped and fell on the platform. I saw my train rushing off before my sight. I shivered with fright. My friends were shouting at the top of their voice inquiring me to run quicker. Just so a cooly lifted me and ran with me to the door. where my friends pulled me in. I merely looked back and waved my custodies at the good Samaritan. who had helped me-1 got merely a glance of his face. But that face continues to stay afresh in my head. The incident profoundly scared me and I dared non to travel an inch from my place thenceforth. It took some clip for me to retrieve from the daze. The fantastic sights of New Delhi and Agra failed to convey back my lost enthusiasm and involvement. I don’t even retrieve what I saw and how the remainder of the jaunt ended. The incident at the N. J. P Railway Station was excessively great to be forgotten by a few passing cloud nine. I can neer bury this memorable journey. The reminiscences of this journey frequently spark in my head every now and so. Whenever this happens. I say a short supplication for the sort and unknown Samaritan. who helped me on that fatal twenty-four hours to acquire into the train. It was. by far. the most unforgettable journey of my life- a journey that has left its deep cicatrixs on the canvas of my life.

Stag Beetles, Family Lucanidae

Stag Beetles, Family Lucanidae Stag beetles are some of the biggest, worst bugs on the planet (at least they look bad!). These beetles are so named for their antler-like mandibles. In Japan, enthusiasts collect and rear stag beetles, and even stage battles between the males. Description Stag beetles (family Lucanidae) do get quite large, which is why they are so popular with beetle collectors. In North America, the largest species measures just over 2 inches, but tropical stag beetles can easily top 3 inches. These sexually dimorphic beetles also go by the name pinch bugs. Male stag beetles sport impressive mandibles, sometimes as long as half their body, which they use to spar with competing males in battles over territory. Though they may look threatening, you dont need to fear these enormous beetles. Theyre generally harmless but may give you a good nip if you try to handle them carelessly. Stag beetles are typically reddish-brown to black in color. Beetles in the family Lucanidae possess antennae with 10 segments, with the end segments often enlarged and appearing clubbed. Many, but not all, have elbowed antennae as well.​ Classification Kingdom – Animalia Phylum – Arthropoda Class – Insecta Order – Coleoptera Family - Lucanidae Diet Stag beetle larvae are important decomposers of wood. They live in dead or decaying logs and stumps. Adult stag beetles may feed on leaves, sap, or even honeydew from aphids. Life Cycle Like all beetles, stag beetles undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Females usually lay their eggs under the bark on fallen, rotting logs. The white, c-shaped stag beetle larvae develop over one or more years. Adults emerge in late spring or early summer in most areas. Special Adaptations and Defenses Stag beetles will use their impressive size and massive mandibles to defend themselves if needed. When it feels threatened, a male stag beetle may lift its head and open its mandibles, as if to say, Go ahead, try me. In many parts of the world, stag beetle numbers have declined due to forest defragmentation and the removal of dead trees in populated areas. Your best chance of seeing one may be observing one near your porch light on a summer evening. Stag beetles do come to artificial light sources, including light traps. Range and Distribution: Worldwide, stag beetles number around 800 species. Just 24-30 species of stag beetles inhabit mostly forested areas of North America. The largest species live in tropical habitats. Sources Borror and Delongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th Edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. JohnsonInsects: Their Natural History and Diversity, by Stephen A. MarshallStag Beetles of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Entomology Department

Research critique Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critique - Research Paper Example Prior to its development, only partial checklists were available for qualitative researches. Other methods, which would have been used, for critiquing this research include Bray and Rees model of 1995 and Benton and Cormack model of 2000. These methods have been used prior to the COREQ method and can still be used for critiquing this research (Lee, 2006). The journal featured in the ERA ranking fro 2009. It can, therefore, be said to be highly regarded among numerous published journals. The authors of the report can be identified as professionals in the field. Kate and Jeannie are research fellows at the George Institute for International Health, Sydney, NSW. Cunningham works at Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, NT. Numerous related works of research can be associated with her. The other authors also work in related fields of medicine, and they can be termed as credible authors. The analysis of this research based on the credibility of the authors becomes immensely simplifie d. The title choice for the paper seems impressive. While catching the attention of the reader, it identifies a statement from a respondent (Kothari, 2006). It entices a reader to enquire what caused the statement highlighted to be made. Making this enquiry, the reader manages to review the research. The key point of the research sought to explain the understanding of different Australians concerning end-stage kidney disease. The research bases this on the need for effective communication between a patient and medical staff. The understanding of a patient about a disease can immensely help medical staff in offering the patient with desirable care (Devitt J, 2008). The research sought to establish perceptions of indigenous and non- indigenous Australians concerning the disease. The aim of the research can be identified as establishing the difference in understanding of the ESKD between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The review of this topic provides a solid base for the r esearch. Existing evidence shows that, Indigenous people face numerous barriers when seeking medical care for the disease (Lawton J, 2009). It, therefore, becomes essential to establish the perceptions of these patients to enable healthcare workers understand the patients. Research team and reflexivity Reflexivity can be defined as the ability for an action to affect the person performing. The authors of this report need not be reflexive in order to avoid bias in their reporting. This can be extremely difficult, considering their profession. They, therefore, should try to limit their reflexivity towards the research. The authors are members of the profession aiming to benefit from the research, therefore, reflexivity can be allowed minimally. None of the researchers worked in the hospitals where the interviews were conducted. The researchers worked for various institutions within the medical profession but not directly in hospitals. The participants did not have any knowledge of the interviewer. The interview sought to establish a life narrative about the existence of the disease and, therefore, the participant did not know the reasons for giving the interview. The interviews were conducted through peer-to-peer mode (Holliday, 2007). This ensured comfort of the participant as the interviewer was conversant with the livelihood of the participant. The interviewer had some knowledge of the participant. With interviews conducted in indigenous languages, it became essential to use interviewers who

Body Modification through Nutrition and Supplementation Essay

Body Modification through Nutrition and Supplementation - Essay Example However, these illegal supplements are associated with serious adverse effects to the human body with some being lifetime irreversible Clark, Lucett, and Kirkendall argues that Creatine as an ergogenic supplement remains efficient in escalating muscle power and strength in brief, high-intensity exercise sessions that lasts to a period of one minute (Clark, Lucett, and Kirkendall 416). Creatine acts as a nitrogenous organic acid and is imperative as a body energy source due to its ability to increase formation of adenosine triphosphate. Moreover, Creatine can buffer lactic acid build-up, thus possibly delaying fatigue associated with anaerobic activities. Furthermore, caffeine can increase muscle contractility, aerobic endurance and enhance fat metabolism (Plowman and Denise 60). Raven asserts that Beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl butyrate helps in preventing breakdown and enhancing synthesis of proteins this helps in improving body composition of the athletes (Raven 419). It also increases the strength of athletes making them more competitive and stronger. Based on American sports medicine advice, Ergogenic doses of caffeine may cause nervousness and restlessness as short-term adverse effects while insomnia, hyperesthesia and heart diseases act as the long-term effects (ACSM 606). Moreover, caffeine and Ephedrine combination effects include tachydia and hypertension, which are adverse to the body. In addition, uses of Creatine supplement increase muscle cramping, are associated with weight gain, and may adversely affect performance of the athlete .Gastrointestinal pain and diarrhea are associated with Creatine use. Protein supplements results in imbalance of amino acid in the body. According to Cobin et al, this imbalance is associated with gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting (Corbin et al., 262) (Clark et al., 365) Besides, the aforementioned effects, the potential health risk associated with supplements according to

Sex DIfferences Essay Example for Free

Sex DIfferences Essay This experiment performed by the males and females in the Tuesday 4pm psychology lab, was done as a replication of the Halari et al experiment in London in 2005. The hypothesis in the original experiment was that women will, on average, gain a higher verbal fluency score than men and men will, on average, perform more accurately than women on mental rotation. The results obtained from Halari et al’s (2005) clearly prove this hypothesis correct. The results also rejected the null hypothesis which says that men and women will not differ with respect to verbal and spatial performance. Our replication experiment also proved the hypothesis of Halari et al’s (2005) experiment correct and rejected the null experiment. Our experiment followed a certain methodology. In the mental rotation task, each participant was to answer 50 questions which contained the stimuli; each of which showed 2 shapes rotated and the participants were to judge whether they are identical or not. As expected males had a higher accuracy level in this this task compared to females. In the verbal fluency task, the participants were given 3 categories; fruits, vegetables and animals. They had the instruction to write down as many items from the relevant categories as possible. As expected females had a higher accuracy level than the males in this task. In the methodology used in our experiment did contain some weaknesses that may have influenced the results. Our experiment was as free from bias as possible in order to make the results accurate and reliable. For the mental rotation task, every participant received a different set of stimuli, so that the participants could not copy each other. This produced reliable results. However this methodlogy contains a debility. The stimuli ranged from sets of easily distinguishable shapes to much harder ones. Since the stimuli was randomly chosen for each participant it is possible that one participant may have received all the hard ones (females) and another may have received all the easily recognisable ones (males). Another debility in this methodology was that the set of stimuli varied in difficulty as discussed earlier. Also their rotation patterns varied. So some sets were just rotated once while other sets were rotated to an extent where some of  the faces were indistinguishable hence breaking the pattern we perceive causing our minds to get muddled in recognising the stimuli correctly. This is clear in the categories used in the verbal fluency task which have no form of gender bias whatsoever. The categories chosen are generic and known well to both males and females. An example of a gender bias category would be something like computers which is more biased towards males than females. While a catergory more bias towards females would be make up. However despite having no gender difference there was a weakness present in this method; english as a second language. Our group of participants contained people of different ethnicities and nationalities. Which meant that not all have english as their first language. This in turn proves to be a weakness to our expeirment as those people who possess english as a second language, wont be able to think of english words as fast as in their own language, (all words written had to be in english). This would have posed a problem for such participants as they would have had to think of a word in their own language and then translate it into english. This could have decreased some of the participants performance as time span was limited to one minute. Overall, the results obtained from this experiment clearly suggest that men and women specialise in different cognitive abilities in relation to spatial capacity and verbal competency. These results solidify that boys and girls-and men and women-are programmed by evolution to behave differently from one another is now widely accepted, (The Economist, 2006). These results indicate the theory posed by Harvard president, Larry Summers to be true. He pointed out the detail that the number of women in professions which require a spatial understanding such as mathematics, engineering are few, (The Economist, 2006). This however does not state that women have no spatial capability, it only suggests that in comparison to men women are weaker in spatial understanding. Nevertheless this does not say that these abilities are completely innate. These cognitive abilties can be trained, so a woman with a PHD in engineering will definietly have a higher spatial capability than a man working at Coun tddown. According to our results men and women vary in terms of cognitive abilities. Men appear to be better at spatial tasks while females at verbal fluency. This variation is deemed as occuring due to the common battle; nature vs nurture. It is said that the social upbringing plays a big part in understanding the reasons for this variation. When a child is born depending on the gender, parents tend to choose either blue or pink for that child. This stereotype created by society may unwillingly fit young boys and girls into their stereotypical roles. According to, The Economist (2006) it was believed that boys and girls prefer different toys. Where boys prefer cars, trucks and guns, girls prefer dolls and tea sets. However this was disapproved and it was found that girls and boys are already different when they are born due to the hormone, testosterone. When a child is born, it experiences two surges of testosterone- one during gestation and one shortly after birth, (The Economist, 2006). The production of testosterone is higher in males than in females hence creating the ‘boy-like’ behaviour we all talk about. This testosterone is said to be the reason for why boys tend to look at mobile phones longer than people’s faces, the way females do. But the basic theory is that the high levels of testosterone in males produces the rough play. While the low levels in females generate the nurturing tendency in them hence causing them to prefer dolls and tea sets, (The Economist, 2006). Unlike the Halari et al, (2005), the experiments conducted to prove this theory did not contain hormone tests. Hence we cannot conclude hormone levels being the main factor responsible for the variance in cognitive abilities. It is more commonly believed though that the interlacing of both social upbringing and hormone levels is what causes these differences. Although women have that low level of testosterone, by nature they are constructed to be the nurturers. Therefore females tend to prefer the dolls to play with as it is an indication towards their future role as a mother where it is needed that they speak and interact more often with their children. Women on average speak 20000 words a day, 13000 more than men, (Mail Online, 2013). This confirms the findings in our experiment where females were found to have a higher verbal competency. At the same time by nature males are constructed to be the strong protectors. Therefore males tend to prefer the cars or guns to play with indicating towards warrior-like behaviour. This point is also argued by The Economist, (2006). They believe these differences are genetically there via hormone levels and the social stereotyping solidifies the roles that they are genetically made for. This experiment was carried out to distinguish the differences between males and females on a cognitive level. The mental rotation task which tested for spatial ability exhibitied an inclination towards the males as their accuracy levels were higher than the females. However, the verbal fluency task exhibited an inclination towards the females as their accuracy levels were higher than the males. The results obatined from these two independent tests were straight forward, though both can be bettered. The spatial task deduced that males possessed a higher spatial ability than females however the task was not closely related to real life. A true test would have been one that would have provided us with examples of real life where these abilities would have needed to be used. For example, giving the participants a set location to reach and allowing them to guide themselves there. This task would have displayed spatial ability in real life conditions. The verbal fluency task concluded that females possessed a higher vocabulary level however this task lacks in fairness in terms of language. Not every participant had english as their first language causing them difficulty within the one minute time limit. To better this limitation, perhaps next time all participants could be of same background with english as their first language. Also since we replicated the Halari et al (2005) experiment perhaps a better imitation would have been to also carry out the hormone tests. With the tasks we performed the results suggested that men were better at spatial tasks and females at verbal fluency however we cannot generalise this statement. Thus the hormone tests may help us solidify this conclusion. This theory is proved by our experiment as well. Although our experiment did not contain hormone testing like the Halari et al, (2005) our results concluded that males have a higher spatial capacity. This ability is an indication at the warrior-like protector behaviour. Females were concluded to have a higher verbal competency. The results we obtained from our replication of the Halari et al, (2005) helped us conclude the difference between the cognitive abilities in males and females hence proving our hypothesis correct.

Language of Love in Shakespeares As You Like It Essay -- Shakespeare

As You Like It is love:   The Language of Love  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most obvious concern of As You Like It is love, and particularly the attitudes and the language appropriate to young romantic love. This is obvious from the relationships between Orlando and Rosalind, Silvius and Phoebe, Touchstone and Audrey, and Celia and Oliver. The action of the play moves back and forth among these couples, inviting us to compare the different styles and to recognize from those comparisons some important facts about young love. Here the role of Rosalind is decisive. Rosalind is Shakespeare's greatest and most vibrant comic female role. She is clearly the only character in the play who has throughout an intelligent, erotic, and fully anchored sense of love, and it becomes her task in the play to try to educate others out of their false notions of love, especially those notions which suggest that the real business of love is adopting an inflated Petrarchan language and the appropriate attitude that goes with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rosalind falls in love with Orlando at first sight (as is standard in Shakespeare), becomes erotically energized, and remains so throughout the play. She's delighted and excited by the experience and is determined to live it to the full moment by moment. One of the great pleasures of watching Rosalind is that she is always celebrating her passionate feelings for Orlando. She does not deny them or try to play games with her emotions. She's aware that falling in love has made her subject to Celia's gentle mockery, but she's not going to pretend that she isn't totally thrilled by the experience just to spare herself being laughed at (she even laughs at herself, while taking enormous delight in the behaviour which prompts... ...anet Lloyd. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1993. McFarland, Thomas. Shakespeare's Pastoral Comedy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1972. Marsden, Jean. I. The Re-Imagined Text: Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Eighteenth-Century Literary Theory. Lexington, Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press, 1995. Odell, George C. D. Shakespeare from Betterton to Irving. Vol. 2 New York: Dover Publications, 1966. Russell, Anne E. "History and Real Life: Anna Jameson, Shakespeare's Heroines and Victorian Women." Victorian Review: The Journal of the Victorian Studies Association of Western Canada. 17.2 (Winter 1991): 35-49. Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. in The Riverside Shakespeare. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin company, 1974. Terry, Ellen. Four Lectures on Shakespeare. New York: Benjamin Bloom, Inc., 1969.      

Coyote Blue Chapter 3~5

CHAPTER 3 The Machines of Irony Bring Memory Santa Barbara After Sam's secretary gave him the address of his appointment he hung up the cellular phone and punched the address into the navigation system he'd had installed in the Mercedes so he would always know where he was. Wherever Sam was, he was in touch. In addition to the cellular phone he wore a satellite beeper that could reach him anywhere in the world. He had fax machines and computers in his office and his home, as well as a notebook-sized computer with a modem that linked him with data bases that could provide him with everything from demographic studies to news clippings about his clients. Three televisions with cable kept his home alive with news, weather, and sports and provided insipid entertainments to fill his idle hours and keep him abreast of what was hot and what was not, as well as any information he might need to construct a face to meet a face: to change his personality to dovetail with that of any prospective client. The by-gone salesman out riding on a shoeshine and a smile had been replaced by a shape-shifting shark stalking the sale, and Sam, having buried long ago who he really was, was an excellent salesman. Even as some of Sam's devices connected him to the world, others protected him from its harshness. Alarm systems in his car and condo kept criminals at bay, while climate control kept the air comfortable and compact discs soothed away distracting noise. A monstrous multi-armed black machine he kept in his spare bedroom simulated the motions of running, cross-country skiing, stair climbing, and swimming, while monitoring his blood pressure and heart rate and making simulated ocean sounds that stimulated alpha waves in the brain. And all this without the risk of the shin splints, broken legs, drowning, or confusion that he might have experienced by actually going somewhere and doing something. Air bags and belts protected him when he was in the car and condoms when he was in women. (And there were women, for the same protean guile that served him as a salesman served him also as a seducer.) When the women left, protesting that he was charming but something was missing, there was a numb er that he could call where someone would be nice to him for $4.95 a minute. Sometimes, while he was getting his hair cut, sitting in the chair with his protections and personalities down, the hairdresser would run her hands down his neck, and that small human contact sent a lonesome shudder rumbling through him like a heartbreak. â€Å"I'm here to see Mr. Cable,† he said to the secretary, an attractive woman in her forties. â€Å"Sam Hunter, Aaron Assurance Associates. I have an appointment.† â€Å"Jim's expecting you,† she said. Sam liked that she used her boss's first name; it confirmed the personality profile he had projected. Sam's machines had told him that James Cable was one of the two main partners who owned Motion Marine, Inc., an enormously successful company that manufactured helmets and equipment for industrial deep-sea diving. Cable had been an underwater welder on the rigs off Santa Barbara before he and his partner, an engineer named Frank Cochran, had invented a new fiberglass scuba helmet that allowed divers to stay in radio contact while regulating the high-pressure miasma of gases that they breathed. The two became millionaires within a year and now, ten years later, they were thinking of taking the company public. Cochran wanted to be sure that at least one of the partners could retain controlling interest in the company in the event that the other died. Sam was trying to write a multi-million-dollar policy that would provide buy-out capital for the remaining partner. It was a simple partnership deal, the sort that Sam had done a hundred times, and Cochran, the engineer, with his mathematical way of thinking, his need for precision and order, his need to have all the loose ends tied up, had been an easy sale. With an engineer Sam simply presented facts, carefully laid out in an equationlike manner that led to the desired answer, which was: â€Å"Where do I sign?† Engineers were predictable, consistent, and easy. But Cable, the diver, was going to be a pain in the ass. Cable was a risk taker, a gambler. Any man who had spent ten years of his life working hundreds of feet underwater, breathing helium and working with explosive gas, had to have come to terms with fear, and fear was what Sam traded in. In most cases the fear was easy to identify. It was not the fear of death that motivated Sam's clients to buy; it was the fear of dying unprepared. If he did his job right, the clients would feel that by turning down a policy they were somehow tempting fate to cause them to die untimely. (Sam had yet to hear of a death considered â€Å"timely.†) In their minds they created a new superstition, and like all superstitions it was based on the fear of irony. So, the only lottery ticket you lose will be the winning one, the one time you leave your driver's license at home is the time you will be stopped for speeding, and when someone offers you an insurance policy that only pays you if you're dead, you better damn well buy it. Irony. It was a tacit message, but one that Sam delivered with every sales pitch. He walked into Jim Cable's office with the unusual feeling of being totally unprepared. Maybe it was just the girl who had thrown him, or the Indian. Cable was standing behind a long desk that had been fashioned from an old dinghy. He was tall, with the thin, athletic build of a runner, and completely bald. He extended his hand to Sam. â€Å"Jim Cable. Frank told me you'd be coming, but I'm not sure I like this whole thing.† â€Å"Sam Hunter.† Sam released his hand. â€Å"May I sit? This shouldn't take long.† This was not a good start. Cable gestured for Sam to sit across from him and sat down. Sam remained standing. He didn't want the desk to act as a barrier between them; it was too easy for Cable to defend. â€Å"Do you mind if I move this chair over to your side of the desk? I have some materials I'd like you to see and I need to be beside you.† â€Å"You can just leave the materials, I'll look them over.† Technology had helped Sam over this barrier. â€Å"Well, actually it's not printed matter. I have it in my computer and I have to be on the same side of the screen as you.† â€Å"Okay, I guess that's fine, then.† Cable rolled his chair to the side to allow Sam room on the same side of the desk. That's one, Sam thought. He moved his chair, sat down beside Cable, and opened the notebook computer. â€Å"Well, Mr. Cable, it looks like we can set this whole thing up without any more than a physical for you and Frank.† â€Å"Whoa!† Cable brought his hands up in protest. â€Å"We haven't agreed on this yet.† â€Å"Oh,† Sam said. â€Å"Frank gave me the impression that the decision had been made – that this was just a meeting to confirm the tax status and pension benefits of the policy.† â€Å"I didn't know there were pension benefits.† â€Å"That's why I'm here,† Sam said. It wasn't why he was there at all. â€Å"To explain them to you.† â€Å"Well, Frank and I haven't gotten down to any specifics on this. I'm not sure it's a good idea at all.† Sam needed misdirection. He launched into the presentation like a pit bull/Willy Loman crossbreed. As he spoke, the computer screen supported his statements with charts, graphs, and projections. Every five seconds a message flashed across the screen faster than the eye could see, but not so fast that it could not nibble on the lobes of the subconscious like a teasing lover. The message was: BE SMART, BUY THIS. Sam had designed the program himself. The BE SMART part of the message could be modified for each client. The options were: BE SEXY, BE YOUNG, BE BEAUTIFUL, BE THIN, BE TALL, and Sam's personal favorite, BE GOD. He'd come up with the idea one night while watching a commercial in which six heavily muscled guys got to run around on the beach impressing beautiful women presumably because they drank light beer. BE A STUD, DRINK LIGHT. Sam finished his presentation and stopped talking abruptly, feeling that he had somehow forgotten something. He waited, letting the silence become uncomfortable, letting the conversation lay on the desk before them like a dead cat, letting the diver come to the correct conclusion. The first one to speak loses. Sam knew it. He sensed that Cable knew it. Finally, Jim Cable said, â€Å"This is a great little computer you have. Would you consider selling it?† Sam was thrown. â€Å"But what about the policy?† â€Å"I don't think it's a good idea,† Cable said. â€Å"But I really like this computer. I think it would be smart to buy it.† â€Å"Smart?† Sam said. â€Å"Yeah, I just think it would be a smart thing to do.† So much for subliminal advertising. Sam made a mental note to change his message to: BE SMART, BUY THE POLICY. â€Å"Look, Jim, you can get a computer like this in a dozen stores in town, but this partnership policy is set up for right now. You are never going to be younger, you'll never be in better health, the premium will never be lower or the tax advantage better.† â€Å"But I don't need it. My family is taken care of and I don't care who takes control of the company after I'm dead. If Frank wants to take a policy out on me I'll take the physical, but I'm not betting against myself on this.† There it was. Cable was not afraid and Sam knew no way to instill the fear he needed. He had read that Cable had survived several diving accidents and even a helicopter crash while being shuttled to one of the offshore rigs. If he hadn't glimpsed his mortality before, then nothing Sam could say would put the Reaper in his shaving mirror. It was time to walk away and salvage half of the deal with Cable's partner. Sam stood and closed the screen on the computer. â€Å"Well, Jim, I'll talk to Frank about the specifics of the policy and set up the appointment for the physical.† They shook hands and Sam left the office trying to analyze what had gone wrong. Again and again the fear factor came up. Why couldn't he find and touch that place in Jim Cable? Granted, his concentration had been shot by the morning's events. Really, he'd done a canned presentation to cover himself. But to cover what? This was a clean deal, cut and dried. When he climbed back into the Mercedes there was a red feather lying on the seat. He brushed it out onto the street and slammed the door. He drove back to his office with the air conditioner on high. Still, when he arrived ten minutes later, his shirt was soaked with sweat. CHAPTER 4 Moments Are Our Mentors Santa Barbara There are those days, those moments in life, when for no particular reason the senses are heightened and the commonplace becomes sublime. It was one of those days for Samuel Hunter. The appearance of the girl, the wanting she had awakened in him, had started it. Then the Indian's presence had so confused him that he was fumbling through the day marveling at things that before had never merited a second look. Walking back into his outer office he spied his secretary, Gabriella Snow, and was awed for a moment by just how tremendously, how incredibly, how child-frighteningly ugly she was. There are those who, deprived of physical beauty, develop a sincerity and beauty of spirit that seems to eclipse their appearance. They marry for love, stay married, and raise happy children who are quick to laugh and slow to judge. Gabriella was not one of those people. In fact, if not for her gruesome appearance, an unpleasant personality would have been her dominant feature. She was good on the phone, however, and Sam's clients were sometimes so relieved to be out of her office and into his that they bought policies out of gratitude, so he kept her on. He'd hired her three years ago from the resume she had mailed in. She was wildly overqualified for the position and Sam remembered wondering why she was applying for it in the first place. For three years Sam had breezed by her desk without really looking at her, but today, in his unbalanced state, her homeliness inspired him to poetry. But what rhymed with Gabriella? She said, â€Å"Mr. Aaron is very anxious to talk to you, Mr. Hunter. He requested that you go right into his office as soon as you arrived.† â€Å"Gabriella, you've been here three years. You can call me Sam.† Sam was still thinking about poetry. Salmonella? â€Å"Thank you, Mr. Hunter, but I prefer to keep things businesslike. Mr. Aaron was quite adamant about seeing you immediately.† Gabriella paused and checked a notepad on her desk, then read, â€Å"‘Tell him to get his ass in my office as soon as he hits the door or I'll have him rat-fucked with a tire iron. â€Å" â€Å"What does that mean?† Sam asked. â€Å"I would assume that he would like to see you right away, sir.† â€Å"I guessed that.† Sam said. â€Å"I'm a little vague on the rat-fucked part. What do you think, Gabriella?† Gabriella, Gabriella, As fair as salmonella. â€Å"I'm sure I don't know. You might ask him.† â€Å"Right,† Sam said. He walked down the hall to Aaron Aaron's outer office, composing the next line of his poem along the way. It wouldn't surprise me in the least If you were mistaken for a beast. Aaron Aaron wasn't Aaron's real name: he had changed it so his insurance firm would be the first listed in the yellow pages. Sam didn't know Aaron's real name and he had never asked. Who was he to judge? Samuel Hunter wasn't his real name either, and it was certainly less desirable alphabetically. Aaron's secretary, Julia, a willowy actress/model/dancer who typed, answered phones, and referred to hairdressers as geniuses, greeted Sam with a smile that evinced thousands in orthodontia and bonding. â€Å"Hi, Sam, he's really pissed. What did you do?† â€Å"Do?† â€Å"Yeah, on that Motion Marine deal. They called a few minutes ago and Aaron went off.† â€Å"I didn't do anything,† Sam said. He started into Aaron's office, then turned to Julia. â€Å"Julia, do you know what rat-fuck means?† â€Å"No, Aaron just said that he was going to do it to you for sucking the joy out of his new head.† â€Å"He got a new head? What's this one?† â€Å"A wild boar he shot last year. The taxidermist delivered it this morning.† â€Å"Thanks Julia, I'll be sure to notice it.† â€Å"Good luck.† Julia smiled, then held the smile while she checked herself in the makeup mirror on her desk. Walking into Aaron's office was like stepping into a nineteenth-century British hunt club: walnut paneling adorned with the stuffed heads of a score of game animals, numbered prints of ducks on the wing, leather wing-back chairs, a cherry-wood desk clear of anything that might indicate that a business was being conducted. Sam immediately spotted the boar's head. â€Å"Aaron, it's beautiful.† Sam stood in front of the head with his arms outstretched. â€Å"It's a masterpiece.† He considered genuflecting to appeal to the latent Irish Catholic in Aaron, but decided that the insincerity would be spotted. Aaron, short, fifty, balding, face shot with veins from drink, swiveled in his high-backed leather chair and put down the Vogue magazine he had been leafing through. Aaron had no interest in fashion; it was the models that interested him. Sam had spent many an afternoon listening to Aaron's forlorn daydreams of having a showpiece wife. â€Å"How was I to know that Katie would get fat and I would get successful? I was only twenty when we got married. I thought the idea of getting laid steadily was worth it. I need a woman that goes with my Jag. Not Katie. She's pure Rambler.† Here he would point to an ad in Vogue. â€Å"Now, if I could only have a woman like that on my arm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"She'd have you surgically removed,† Sam would say. â€Å"Sure, be that way, Sam. You don't know what it's like to think that getting a little strange could cost you half of what you own. You single guys have it all.† â€Å"Stop romanticizing, Aaron. Haven't you heard? Sex kills.† â€Å"Sure, suck the joy out of my fantasies. You know, I used to look forward to sex because it was fifteen minutes when I didn't have to think about death and taxes.† â€Å"If you do think about death and taxes it lasts half an hour.† â€Å"That's what I mean, I can't even get distracted with Katie anymore. Do you know what someone with my income has to pay in taxes?† The question came up in every one of their conversations. They had worked together for almost twenty years and Aaron always treated Sam as if he were still fifteen years old. â€Å"I know exactly what someone with your income is supposed to pay in taxes, about ten times what you actually pay.† â€Å"And you don't think that that weighs on me? The IRS could take all this.† Sam rather liked the vision of a team of IRS agents loading large dead animal heads into Aaron's Jag and driving off with antlers out every window while Katie stood by shouting, â€Å"Hey, half of those are mine!† No matter how much Aaron attained, he would never let go of his fear of losing it long enough to enjoy it. In his mind's eye, Sam imagined Aaron mournfully watching as they carried the wild boar head out by the tusks. â€Å"This thing is gorgeous,† Sam said. â€Å"I think I'm getting a woody just looking at it.† â€Å"I named it Gabriella,† Aaron said proudly, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be angry. Then he remembered. â€Å"What the fuck did you just pull over at Motion Marine? Frank Cochran is talking lawsuit.† â€Å"Over a little subliminal advertising? I don't think so.† â€Å"Subliminal advertising! Jim Cable fainted after that stunt you pulled. They don't even know what happened yet. It could be a heart attack. Are you out of your fucking mind? I could lose the agency over this.† Sam could see Aaron's blood pressure rising red on his scalp. â€Å"You thought it was a great idea last week when I showed it to you.† â€Å"Don't drag me into this, Sam, you're on your own with this one. I've pulled some shit in my time to push the fear factor, but I never had a client attacked by an Indian, for Christ's sake.† â€Å"Indian?† Sam almost choked. He lowered himself very gently into one of the leather wing-backs. â€Å"What Indian?† â€Å"Don't bullshit me, Sam. I taught you everything you know about bullshitting. Right after you left his office Jim Cable walked out of the Motion Marine building and was attacked by a guy dressed up as an Indian. With a tomahawk. If they catch the guy and he tells that you hired him, it's over for both of us.† Sam tried to speak but could find no breath to drive his voice. Aaron had been his teacher, and in a twisted, competitive way, Aaron was his friend and confidant, but he had never trusted Aaron with his fears. He had two: Indians and cops. Indians because he was one, and if anyone found out it it would lead to policemen, one of whom he had killed. Here they were, after twenty years, paralyzing him. Aaron came around the desk and took Sam by the shoulders. â€Å"You're smarter than this, kid,† he said, softening at Sam's obvious confusion. â€Å"I know this was a big deal, but you know better than to do something desperate like that. You can't let them see that you're hungry. That's the first rule I taught you, isn't it?† Sam didn't answer. He was looking at the mule deer head mounted over Aaron's desk, but he was seeing the Indian sitting in the cafe grinning at him. Aaron shook him. â€Å"Look, we're not totally screwed here. We can draw up an agreement signing all your interest in the agency over to me and backdate it to last week. Then you would be working as an independent contractor like the other guys. I could give you, say, thirty cents on the dollar for your shares under the table. You'd have enough to fight the good fight in court, and if they let you keep your license you'll always have a job to come back to. What do you say?† Sam stared at the deer head, hearing Aaron's voice only as a distant murmur. Sam was twenty-six years and twelve hundred miles away on a hill outside of Crow Agency, Montana. The voice he was hearing was that of his first teacher, his mentor, his father's brother, his clan uncle: a single-toothed, self-proclaimed shaman named Pokey Medicine Wing. CHAPTER 5 The Gift of a Dream Crow Country – 1967 Sam, then called Samson Hunts Alone, stood over the carcass of the mule deer he had just shot, cradling the heavy Winchester.30?C30 in his arms. â€Å"Did you thank the deer for giving its life up for you?† Pokey asked. As Samson's clan uncle, it was Pokey's job to teach the boy the ways of the Crow. â€Å"I thanked him, Pokey.† â€Å"You know it is the Crow way to give your first deer away. Do you know who you will give it to?† Pokey grinned around the Salem he held between his lips. â€Å"No, I didn't know. Who should I give it to?† â€Å"It is a good gift for a clan uncle who has said many prayers for your success in finding a spirit helper on your vision quest.† â€Å"I should give it to you, then?† â€Å"It is up to you, but a carton of cigarettes is a good gift too, if you have the money.† â€Å"I don't have any money. I will give you the deer.† Samson Hunts Alone sat down on the ground by the deer carcass and hung his head. He sniffed to fight back tears. Pokey kneeled beside him. â€Å"Are you sad for killing the deer?† â€Å"No, I don't see why I have to give it away. Why can't I take it home and let Grandma cook it for all of us?† Pokey took the rifle from the boy, levered a cartridge into the chamber, then let out a war whoop and fired it into the air. Samson stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. â€Å"You are a hunter now!† Pokey cried. â€Å"Samson Hunts Alone has killed his first deer!† he shouted to the sky. â€Å"Soon he will be a man!† Pokey crouched down to the boy again. â€Å"You should be happy to give the deer away. You are Crow and it is the Crow way.† Sam looked up, his golden eyes shot with red and brimming with tears. â€Å"One of the boys at school says that the Crow are no more than thieves and scavengers. He said that the Crow are cowards because we never fought the white man.† â€Å"This boy is Cheyenne?† Pokey said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Then he is jealous because he is not Crow. The Crow gave the Cheyenne and the Lakota and the Blackfoot a reason to get up in the morning. They outnumbered us ten to one and we held our land against them for two hundred years before the white man came. Tell this boy that his people should thank the Crow for being such good enemies. Then kick his ass.† â€Å"But he is bigger than me.† â€Å"If your medicine is strong you will beat him. When you go on your fast next week, pray for warrior medicine.† Samson didn't know what to say. He would go to the Wolf Mountains next week for his first vision quest. He would fast and pray and hope to find a spirit helper to give him medicine, but he wasn't sure he believed, and he didn't know how to tell Pokey. â€Å"Pokey,† the boy said finally, very quietly, his voice barely audible over the hot breeze whistling through the prairie grass, â€Å"a lot of people say that you don't have no medicine at all, that you are just a crazy drunk.† Pokey put his face so close to Samson's that the boy could smell the cigarette-and-liquor smell coming off him. Then, softly, in a gentle, musical rasp he said, â€Å"They're right, I am a crazy drunk. The others are afraid of me 'cause I'm so crazy. You know why?† Sam sniffed, â€Å"Nope.† Pokey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small buckskin bundle tied with a thong. He untied the thong and unfolded the buckskin on the ground before the boy. In it lay an array of sharp teeth, claws, a tuft of tan fur, some loose tobacco, sweet grass, and sage. The largest object was a wooden carving of a coyote about two inches tall. â€Å"Do you know what this is, Samson?† Pokey asked. â€Å"Looks like a medicine bundle. Ain't you supposed to sing a song when you open it?† â€Å"Don't have to with this one. Nobody ever had medicine like this. I ain't never showed it to anyone before.† â€Å"What are those teeth?† â€Å"Coyote teeth. Coyote claws, coyote fur. I don't tell people about it anymore because they all say I'm crazy, but my spirit helper is Old Man Coyote.† â€Å"He's just in stories,† Sam said. â€Å"There isn't any Old Man Coyote.† â€Å"That's what you think,† Pokey said. â€Å"He came to me on my first fast, when I was about your age. I didn't know it was him. I thought it would be a bear, or an otter, because I was praying for war medicine. But on the fourth day of my fast I looked up and there was this young brave standing there dressed in black buckskins with red woodpecker feathers down his leggings and sleeves. He was wearing a coyote skin as a headdress.† â€Å"How did you know it wasn't just somebody from the res?† â€Å"I didn't. I told him to go away and he said that he had been away long enough. He said that when he gave the Crows so many enemies he promised that he would always be with them so they could steal many horses and be fierce warriors. He said it was almost time to come back.† â€Å"But where is he?† Samson asked. â€Å"That was a long time ago and no one has seen him. If he was here they wouldn't say you were crazy.† â€Å"Old Man Coyote is the trickster. I think he gave me this medicine to make me crazy and make me want to drink. Pretty Eagle, who was a powerful medicine man then, told me how to make this bundle and he told me that if I was smart I would give it to someone else or throw it in the river, but I didn't do it.† â€Å"But if it is bad medicine, if he is your spirit helper and doesn't help you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Does the sun rise just for you, Samson Hunts Alone?† â€Å"No, it rises all over the world.† â€Å"But it passes you and makes you part of its circle, doesn't it?† â€Å"Yeah, I guess so.† â€Å"Well maybe this medicine is bigger than me. Maybe I am just part of the circle. If it makes me unhappy then at least I know why I am unhappy. Do you know why you are unhappy?† â€Å"My deer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"There will be other deer. You have your family, you are good in school, you have food to eat, you have water to drink. You can even speak Crow. When I was a boy they sent me off to a BIA school where they beat us if we spoke Crow. Next week, if your heart is pure, you will get a spirit helper and have strong medicine. You can be a great warrior, a chief.† â€Å"There aren't any chiefs anymore.† â€Å"It will be a long time before you are old enough to be a chief. You are too little to be unhappy about the future.† â€Å"But I am. I don't want to be Crow. I don't want to be like you.† â€Å"Then be like you.† Pokey turned away from the boy and lit another cigarette. â€Å"You make me angry. Give me your knife and I will show you how to dress this deer. We will throw the entrails in the river as a gift to the Earth and the water monsters.† Pokey looked at Samson, as if waiting for the boy to doubt him. â€Å"I'm sorry, Pokey.† The boy unsnapped the sheath on his belt and drew a wickedly curved skinning knife. He held it out to the man, who took the knife and began to field-dress the deer. As he drew the blade down the deer's stomach he said, â€Å"I am going to give you a dream, Samson.† Samson looked away from the deer into Pokey's face. There were always gifts among the Crow – gifts for names, Sun Dance ceremony gifts, powwow gifts at Crow Fair, naming ceremony gifts, gifts for medicine, gifts to clan uncles and aunts, gifts for prayers: tobacco and sweet grass and shirts and blankets, horses and trucks – so many gifts that no one could ever really be poor and no one ever really got rich. But the gift of a dream was very pure, very special, and could never be repaid. Samson had never heard anyone give a dream before. â€Å"I dreamed that Old Man Coyote came to me and he said, ‘Pokey, when everything is right with you, but you are so afraid that something might go wrong that it ruins your balance, then you are Coyote Blue. At these times I will bring you back into balance. This dream that I dreamed I give to you, Samson.† â€Å"What does that mean, Uncle Pokey?† â€Å"I don't know, but it is a very important dream.† Pokey wiped the knife on his pants and handed it to Samson, then hoisted the deer up on his shoulders. â€Å"Now, who are you going to give this deer to?†

Employee Productivity Essay

Human resources are considered an entity’s most valuable assets and should be well appreciated for them to be extremely productive. Such appreciation increases employees’ productivity to ensure that a company remains a market leader in the industry that it operates in. High productivity also improves an organization’s market value. The use of incentives will be necessary to entice the workforce up to the point that they give their best to their employer. Increasing the workforce’s productivity is mainly centered in motivating them at the lowest production and operating cost possible. Piecework compensation programs are of encouragement to the employees. Employees will work hard having in mind that their pay is directly proportional to units of output and will produce more. Payments should be based on parts assembled, sales made or even hours billed. Most people are motivated by a high pay and piecework compensations tend to increase the overall workforces’ output. The human resources should therefore get a return that is directly proportional to their output. Promoting from within entice employees to be more productive because they are assured of moving up the career ladder. Those who tend to be more efficient and effective should be given a higher rank for them to perform even better. An example is the case where an Accountant may be promoted to be the chief Accountant for his quality work. The manager should also ensure adequate equipments for the workforce. Machines should be good and computers up to date if the employees are to deliver at their best. The manger should also provide a fair opportunity for the workforce to be productive enough. He should not be biased based on nepotism or racism for the workforce to feel appreciated. Office supplies should also be adequate so that the labor force does not fall short of materials. Profit sharing schemes makes the employees to be owners of the organization and will produce more for profitability to be at its best. Employees will be shareholders of the business entity and will produce more for dividends and earnings per share to be high. The manager should also offer achievement awards like plaques, special parking areas, employees should also be allowed to wear casually at least once a week and on certain days, lunch breaks should be long. The employees will therefore work at ease to the advantage of the employer. The manager should also provide adequate breaks during work to allow employees time to relax during their delivery to the employer. This refreshes the mind because they will have something to look forward to and recharge their batteries. By being shareholders, employees will participate in the company’s Annual General Meetings and will be in a position to vote in the entity’s directors. They end up considering themselves as part of entity’s owners and become more productive. Incentive programs should be adjusted frequently for the workforce to feel rejuvenated. Salary increments should be annual for the workforce to realize that they are being appreciated. Incentives should also depend on the value created after performance appraisals have been carried out. Non monetary rewards like gifts, acknowledgements and praises should be frequent for productivity to be at its best. Money motivates employees at initial stages but as time progresses it becomes less active as a motivator. Motivating employees psychologically may be more useful because it normally acts as some inner energy and they deliver more. Employee appraisals are aimed at examining employees’ performance during a certain time period. They help in determining whether employees are helping in realizing the entity’s short-term goals in line with the company’s mission statement and vision. Every responsible employee should target the company’s expectations in terms of sub optimization for the company to remain focused Employee appraisals also help to examine the variance between observed and expected performance. Corrections can therefore be made where necessary so that actual performance does not deviate much from the expected standards. Mentors will therefore be kept on toes for their juniors to understand why they should stick to the entity’s standards of operation and performance. Organizational controls can be exercised after the employees’ performance has been evaluated. They therefore assist the entity in achieving and maintaining its leadership position. Appraisals also help in determining the training development requirements for the future. Employees requiring special training needs will be identified and the management will focus on filling in the gap that may relate to knowledge or education. Employees may therefore consider paying for their employee’s school fees for their education to remain relevant. Information is provided on human resources in terms of promotions or transfers. Those who have been performing excellently will be appreciated through promotions or taken to other departments for them to maintain similar good performance. They also provide a clear picture in terms expectations or responsibilities of duties to be carried out by employees. Â  After the employees’ performance has been accessed, it will be possible to determine what the management can expect of their workforce given their knowledge, education, experience and expertise. Appraisals also help in judging the efficiency of various human resource duties like recruiting, selecting, developing and training. Employee grievances will also be reduced through appraisals. By evaluating someone’s performance, it will be possible to determine whether the recruiting was carried out fairly and the training needs required. Performance appraisals also help in strengthening the bond or communication between juniors-seniors and workforce to the management bond. Appraisals determine how well the subordinates are cooperating with their seniors for mutual success of their employer. Payroll and reimbursement decisions are made easy because employers base their remuneration packages on their employees’ contribution to the entity’s success. Decisions of future objectives and actions to be taken in relation to human resources management are made easy. Performance appraisals assist in job analysis or provision of supervisor support, guidance and counseling. Those who need direct supervision are identified and adequate support is offered for the workforce to be extremely productive. According to the Vroom’s Expectancy theory, effort is separated from performance or outcome. Efforts must be linked to performance and psyching for motivation to be realized. Three variables are proposed to cater for this relationship. The three variables are instrumentality, valence and expectancy. EXPECTANCY: this is the belief that more effort increases performance, therefore working hard makes things better. It is determined by the availability of the right resources, that is raw materials or time, right skills for doing the job, necessary support for getting work done like seniors’ support and the right job information. INSTRUMENTALITY: this relates to believing that performing well leads to a valuable output being received; therefore doing the job right yields something. An employee will therefore put more effort in his work because he expects to be remunerated at the end of the month. It is determined by a clean understanding of the link for performance with outcomes that is the reward game rules, trusting the persons making the decisions on how outcome is distributed and a transparent process of deciding how outcome is distributed. An organization is supposed to have well laid down standards of reimbursing employees so that bias is avoided. The employee should provide adequate rewards and incentives that match contribution by the workforce for them to keep on performing well. Rewards should however be well designed so that none of the entity’s groups of workforce is left out. VALENCE: this is the vitality that employees place on expected outcome. For instance a person who is mainly motivated by cash does not value additional time off offers. Persons change their effort level depending on the importance placed on outcomes they get from processes and on their idea of awareness of effort and outcome links. Hence perceiving that improved effort increases performance, increased performance improves rewards and one values rewards being offered , then Vroom’s Expectancy theorem indicates an individual will be motivated. Therefore efforts, performance and rewards are prerequisites for adequate and sufficient motivation. Employees will be well psyched up to perform if they are assured of a good return to match their continued effort. They should be made to feel as part of the entity for them to be efficient and effective enough. Rewards should however be designed in such a way that the entity maximizes its profits at the lowest cost possible. If a professional employee is currently being well rewarded, he will not see the point of looking for a greener pasture and he will remain a true human capital to the employer.