Classic Literature Essay

Writers also use a foil character as well as irony of circumstances. A foil character is used to create suspense because the reader doesn’t know how the foil character will react in his situation, or how the other characters will react to him. Another element writers use is foreshadowing. Writers reveal some details in the story to lull the reader into thinking something is going to happen a certain way. However, when the writer uses irony of circumstances, the reader is caught off guard because the story didn’t end the way the expected it. rs use foreshadow and irony of circumstances to create suspense in their stories. Kate Chopin uses foreshadow in her story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby.† In â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† she uses irony of circumstances. Let’s first look at â€Å"Desiree’s Baby.† She uses foreshadowing to create suspense. Writers reveal certain things about characters to prepare the reader for the outcome. This creates suspense because the readers want to continue reading when they catch a glimpse of a character or the character’s actions. Through these revelations, readers anticipate how the story will end, so they continue reading to find out what does happen. Kate Chopin uses foreshadow in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby.† When Desiree notices something different about her baby, she talks to Armand. He tells her that the baby’s coloring indicates only one thing–he is part black. Armand accuses Desiree of deceiving him. Chopin uses a certain passage to foreshadow things about Desiree that may reveal what will happen to the characters in the end. Desiree told Armand, † ‘Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray. And my skin is fair, †¦ Look at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand.’ † These details show the reader that Desiree is lighter than Armand. The reader becomes confused and wonders what is happening. A writer uses foreshadowing to reveal certain details that lulls the reader into thinking a certain way. Then, through the use of another technique called irony of circumstances, a writer wants to surprise the reader at the end of the story by making an  unusual turn of events. At the end of the story, Chopin finally reveals that Armand is the one who is half white and half black and not Desiree. Just like â€Å"Desiree’s Baby,† Chopin uses irony of circumstances in â€Å"The Story of an Hour.† Mrs. Mallard is waiting of news about her husband, whom she thought might have died since he had been gone so long. When Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband’s name is on the list of those who were killed, Mrs. Mallard is devastated. However, her attitude changes quickly because she is free to do what she wants. The reader is still held in suspense because he or she doesn’t know what Mrs. Mallard is going to do until the end of the story. The reader is surprised when Mrs. Mallard’s husband shows up alive, and when Mrs. Mallard dies after seeing her husband. Even though Chopin uses foreshadowing, she still catches the reader off guard by using irony of circumstances.

My Favorite Dish Essay

My Favorite Dish Most of us have a certain type of favorite dish, but my favorite dish is seared steak with a garlic glaze. I love this dish because it reminds of that time my cousin told me about it and described it. Ever since he told me I always wanted it to try it. I couldn’t try the dish because he didn’t know the name of it and so I couldn’t try it out in some other restaurant or make it myself. The only way I had to try it was to go where he lives and he lives out of state, I had to wait a few months to taste it. That made me want to try it even more. 2 years ago my dad came home from work with very good news he told my family that we were going to spend Christmas with my family in Bellevue, Washington. When I heard the good news I was so happy I was going to try the dish my cousin was telling me about. I was just counting the days to go, I remember it was December 15 we packed out stuff and went to Washington. The first thing we did was go out to eat and it was in that Restaurant in Bellevue I don’t really remember the name of it I just wanted to try the dish. The restaurant was located between Bellevue and Seattle. In the restaurant we got the got the menu and my cousin pointed at the dish and it was called Seared steak with garlic glaze. I didn’t really want to try it because of the garlic but I waited so long for this dish I had to try it. I got my dish and it looked weird but smelled so good. The garlic along with the spices it had on the glaze smelled so good was making me want to jump for it right away. The steak was hot and cooked well done and was about  ½ inch thick had good color to it the glaze was brownish looking. The glaze was covered with garlic cloves I made a weird face when I saw it. I took my first bite and I am not a fan of garlic but I loved it was so good, I said to myself all this wait was worth it that garlic taste mixed with some spices they used made it taste so delicious never have I tasted something like it. After Christmas we came back to Los Angeles California I was just  remembering the taste of seared steak I wanted to try to and make my own. I searched online and found a recipe and it seemed pretty easy and didn’t use that many ingredients. I went to the local super market by my house and had most of the ingredients it required, the only thing I couldn’t find was rosemary I think they had it I just didn’t know where to find it. I went home and luckily there was rosemary in the house. I seared the steak so it can be really dry and I seasoned it with salt, pepper and steak seasoning so it can have a good crust and cooked it in a cast iron skillet. The steak smelled good already so was time to make the glaze the glaze was really simple just some garlic beef broth and rosemary. My dish was done it didn’t take a long time it took me about 25-30 minutes. My dish didn’t come out as it looked back in the restaurant I think because my stake was a little thin then  ½ inch. I tried it and it didn’t really taste the same like the one in the restaurant didn’t have that good garlic flavor maybe in the restaurant they added some extra spices or secret ingredient. I would make this dish again but this time I would like to experiment and add more spices to the glaze or maybe make it a little spicy probably next time when I go to Bellevue Washington I should ask the chef what are the ingredients in making this wonderful dish. Next time I am probably going to make it with pork chops I think it will be pretty good maybe even better. I like my visit to Washington and going to that restaurant next time I will remember the name of it. I had fun in making this dish and I will try to make it as good as the one in the restaurant or probably even better. I will never give up!

Competency-based job analysis and the advantages and disadvantages of Assignment

Competency-based job analysis and the advantages and disadvantages of its use in team-based jobs - Assignment Example This paper demonstrates a critical review of literatures on competency-based job analysis and on merits and demerits of its use in team-based jobs. In management perspective, human capital represents commercially valuable talents, knowledge, experience and skills (Marcus, Ippolito and Zhang, 1998, p. 490). In order to ensure constant improvement in performance, most companies facilitated some techniques such as team-work, organizational learning, knowledge-sharing, training and development programs etc that can foster employees’ skills and abilities to perform better. In recent years, many companies have arranged an integrated system in which there is best possible fit of human resources and technical system that together produce superior employee performance (Noe, Hollenbeck and Gerhert, 2003). Recent changes in HR strategies and management initiatives prove that assessing and improving employees’ performance has become at the very heart of human resource management. In management, competency is a trait or a characteristic that an employee requires to perform his task. Competency is defined as a demonstrable characteristic such as knowledge, skills, behaviours etc that enable a person perform well (Byars and Rue, 2008, p.267). A competent employee is very likely to exhibit certain basic characteristics that are related to criterion referenced as effective as well as superior in terms of performance in a given job (Priyadarshini and Dave, 2012, p. 196). Competency based performance management is a system to consider skills and behaviours of employees for successful performance in the present and future job roles. It not only helps employees to understand job expectations, but also the management to design a framework for aligning employees’ job performance with organizational goals (David et al, 2000, p. 6). Kandula (2013, p. 289) stressed that competency-based performance

A critical overview of the three interrelated disciplines of Essay

A critical overview of the three interrelated disciplines of Communication, Media and Culture, and the theoretical and real-world problems they address - Essay Example It strongly emphasizes: how objects contribute in social interaction and how objects can have agency.The way people acquire knowledge by involvement in events and the vital role of networks and sponsors. Literacy is an essential lens for examining changing social practices, such as the effects of new technologies, the phenomenon of the overwork culture,and the growing audit culture. Pursuing how people’s lives are structured by engagement with texts of various kinds’ gives analytic purchase on these and other concepts. In reference to globalization, the examination of literacy practices issues a way of interrogating the complex changes in specific sites. Also, tracing connections between global and local practices, unfolding the exercise of power and documenting local forms of appropriation and resistance. Culture, media, and communication depend on each other for their existence (Golding and Murdock 2000, 70-92.). Communication is the key to a persons’ success, in the workplace, relationships, as a citizen, and across their lifetime (Morreale and Pearson 2000, 1-25). The ability to communicate comes from experience. Effective communication happens when a wanted effect is the outcome of intentional or unintentional information sharing, which translates between multiple entities and acted on in a desired way (Tulsky 2005, 359-365.). This effect ensures that messages do not distort during the communication process. Effective communication should produce the desired effect and maintain the force, with the ability to increase the effect of the message. Thus, effective communication serves the purpose for which sdesigned or intended. Possible purposes might be to invoke change, cause action, create understanding, inform or communicate a particular idea or point of view. When the craved effect is not achieved, factors such as barriers to communicating are explored, with the intention of discovering how communication

World War 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

World War 2 - Essay Example The latter seriously wanted to put a full stop to their expansionism. Unfortunately, the growth of fascist attitudes in these nations had stemmed as a chain reaction from the wounded feelings and humiliation meted out to Germany by the US and its friendly nations at the end of the First World War. The First World War had resulted in wounded feelings among Germany and its friendly nations. The greatest combine of US, Britain and France had forced on Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria several peace treaties as soon as the first global war ended. At the height of anti-German hatred in 1919, the Big Three 1 had forced the wounded Germany to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Finding no alternative, Germany had obliged bowing to the dictates of the Big Three. Neither America nor its friendly countries had imagined that the Germany’s humiliation at their hands would arouse in course of time national feelings in that country leading to the emergence of dictatorial, highly powerful and ambitious leadership. As per the treaty, Germany had agreed to the principle of self-determination of different nationalities. Under the famous 14-point formula 2 proposed by Woodrow Wilson and ably supported by Clemenceau and George, old pre-war European empires were broken, and the map of Europe was redrawn to ensure that each nationality lived with in its own borders, independent of foreign powers. It had resulted in Germany losing 13.5% of its land and 12.5% of its population (1). This was the main reason for much of the heart- burn caused to the Germans. Obviously and ironically, US had never abided by the 14 p oints proposed by its President Woodrow Wilson. Later it became clear that the US proposed this formula with a view to cornering Germany only. As the years went by, Germany had come to know of the tricks of trade adopted by the US and thought that the latter proposed this 14-point formula to

Staff Training Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Staff Training Strategy - Essay Example The essay "Staff Training Strategy" talks about the problems of making the employees work as a team by analyzing the strategy of pairing young people with old employees in order to make sure that they learn from each other as Generation Gap plays an important role in determining the relationship of the teams. Gen Yers are found to be attention seeking and more technology-oriented people, whereas older people tend to be technology avert who try to do things manually. A disagreement was caused by an older employee’s reluctance to use the new payroll system. However, in the end, the dispute was resolved, but what we can learn from the situation is that by pairing up older and young people, there are chances of disputes which are more dangerous than the one which occurred over the new technology. Hence, the company should look into its policy of pairing the different employees. The strategy that the company can use to solve this problem is by conducting personality interview. They can assess the personality types and preferences of its different employees and then can make teams of people who seem similarly, All though there will still be some disputes and disagreements, they would not be as grave as the one in the case. The company can also take an initiative of the teaching of teaching new technology to the older staff. This would bridge the gap between the older and younger population in the organization. By becoming more technology aware, the older people in the organization would also be more productive.

Marketing and advertising essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing and advertising - Essay Example several options available to them – the internet, the newspaper, buzz marketing or viral marketing, events, public relations or even through direct mail. Today even the human body is used as a bill board (Newman, 2009). Media planning would again differ for established brands and for new product launches. The entire strategy can be different depending on that target market and the product positioning. Reliance on traditional media is decreasing because marketers want a direct relationship with the consumers. This is the reason that Proctor & Gamble (P&G) has been experimenting with viral marketing. P&G is an established brand and can afford to take such risks. When they found selling coffee to the youth was difficult through the traditional media, they place video clips on Web sites like adcritic.com, boardsmag.com, buzzpatrol.com, and YouTube.com (Vollmer and Precourt, 2008: 52). After the ads are placed agents are employed to spread the buzz about the product through their own social network (SD, 208). The process is not costly but requires creativity and innovation. While this media is very quick at spreading the good word, adverse publicity is spread equally fast. A new product would first try to penetrate the market but established brands like P&G seek long-term relationship with the customers. For a new product launch, if the negative publicity marks the beginning, they sta nd to lose the market share. An established product has mush less at risk in using this media. An established brand is as concerned about which media the competitors use as the new product launchers would be. For instance, Levi decides on its media and the budget with rival expenditure in mind. In advanced countries TV is the dominant advertising media and is heavily used by Lee Cooper and Wrangler and hence Levi’s too has to follow suit (Vrontis & Vronti, 2004). However, Zara, the Spanish clothing company, since inception, has not spent on advertising and the media. No billboards

Discovery English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Discovery English - Essay Example However, these journal previews had much of the information that I needed to analyze them. To analyze and evaluate a journal we need to consider its output, content, perception and usage, citation and management (Haustein v). The two journals I analyze in this Paper are the American Education History Journal, Volume 31, and the Journal of Research in Character Education, Volume 6. The American Education History Journal, volume 31, was first published in 2004. One of its outspoken positive qualities is that it has several topics which can be viewed in its preview at no cost through the internet. Another positive quality is that it covers a wide range of topic related to elementary education most of which contain comprehensive information about research undertaken in this field (Watras 1). Moreover, its research surveys are not biased to any country thus making it a worldwide journal. However, the journal also has some negative qualities. One of its negative qualities is the inaccessib ility of the full view of the journal only that makes the information available from this journal to be limited. Our other journal, the Journal of Research in Character Education, Volume 6, was published in 2008. It has several positive qualities, one of them being having the most recent information on current research on elementary education. ... However, it has a preview which can be viewed through the internet at no cost since it contain much of the information which an elementary profession can require. It was published for many years ago in 2004 and its information is as important as those in the latest journals are and hence it has a good durability. The journal had a lot of prestige in the field of elementary education when it was first published because of the quality of its content. However, it has lost some of its prestige due to the emergence of current journals in this field that relies mostly on current research. The institution of origin of this journal is the University of North Carolina. This is where the journal was first edited and published. University of North Carolina is the place where it is currently published although currently it can be purchased from several books distributers. Journal of Research in Character Education is costly to purchase since it is among the most current journals. Like our previo us journal, this one too has large longevity since it is currently as much useful as when it was published in 2008. It is also very much prestigious because it carries information from highly rated scholars and it contains information from most current research. One of such research is research on the effect of school-based program in enhancing pre-social development of Children (Milson and Berkowitz 1). The institution origin of this journal also is the University of North Carolina. This is where it was edited and published. From my interviews, I found out that many scholars in the current society are still using these two journals. Two people I interviewed told me that they have used either a

Demand and Supply Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Demand and Supply Analysis - Essay Example b) The relationship between the quantity demanded and the price is of negative relationship while that between quantity supplied and price shows a positive relationship. Quantity demanded of a commodity according to the theoretical information is the quantity of a commodity that a buyer is willing and able to purchase at the prevailing market prices (McEachern, 2011). When prices go up few buyers will be willing to buy depending on the nature of the good. This shown by the negative gradient depicted by the demand function of -2, it means that for every 1 unit increase in price quantity demanded reduces by 2 units. Quantity supplied on the other hand is with reference to suppliers and producers. It is defined as the quantity of goods and services that a provider is willing and able to produce and supply at the prevailing market prices (McEachern, 2011). Suppliers are always willing to supply more when prices are high as opposed to when they go down. This is depicted by the positive gr adient of the supply curve of +1. This means that if prices are increased by 1 unit, quantity supplied also increases by 1 unit. c) The slope of the demand function is -2; this means that an increase in price by 1 unit solicits a reduction in quantity demanded by 2 units. d) The slope of the supply function is of +1. This means that an increase in price by 1 unit solicits an increase in quantity supplied by the same unit. 12. ... 1. Among the ten countries, price elasticity of demand for food is high in Tanzania and it decreases sequentially with Tanzania having the highest price elasticity all the way to the US having the lowest elasticity. This is explained by the general principle that with general increase in income demand for food normally goes down while that of luxury and junky foods goes up (Tucker, 2008). Developing countries still have a population that is still of the need of basic needs like food, this explains the reason as to why developing countries like Tanzania have high price elasticity of demand. Both the quantity demanded and supplied of the commodities in Tanzania is composed of food and food products. The agricultural products also add to the supply of food into the economy (Tucker, 2008). Consumers in developing countries with relation to food are related to then food prices and their income. Rise in income in such countries leads to an increased consumption. Changes in prices also thre aten the food consumption patterns in such countries. The only food consumption that is not threatened is that of basic staple foods. This implies that there is high purchase of foods and foodstuffs in Tanzania than the same is for the US. High purchases are realized in staple foods. On the contrary, consumption of high value foods like meat experiences high purchases in the US (McEachern, 2011). 2. Fig. 2: Tax effect on demand and Supply 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Before taxation is imposed on the commodity, the equilibrium quantity is Qe while the equilibrium price is Pe. Tax has the tendency of normally increasing prices of commodities as well as

What Are Staff Perceptions Of Safeguarding Children And How The Essay

What Are Staff Perceptions Of Safeguarding Children And How The Implement Into Practise - Essay Example This essay stresses that the concerned staff members maintain their responsibility towards the children in effective manner. Additionally, analysis of the staff perception with respect to safeguarding of children signifies the fact that the practitioners are aware of their duties and responsibilities and practice. However, the presentation provided to the practitioners has proved to be more beneficial as it has further enhanced the quality of services provided to the concern child. The collected data also signifies that the children are most vulnerable to different situation of abuse in nursery setting. However, facilitating proper communication between staff, parents, teachers as well as children required to maintain proper environment of nursery and care. Moreover, the staff members interacts with the higher authorities in order to solve different issues with respect to child abuse is highly important. This paper makes a conclusion that the staff members are regarded to have provided with proper training with the aim of enhancing their ability and skills timely. Safeguarding of children not only requires development of proper environment, but also requires for proper identification of abuse faced by the children. In this regard, it can be recommend that providing facilities to develop competency skills can be beneficial for both the staff members as well as service providers to facilitate better care to children.

Discuss the nature and quality of make-belief play Essay Example for Free

Discuss the nature and quality of make-belief play Essay Discuss the nature and quality of make-belief play, and the particular ways in which it relates to drama.  Drama in education requires an atmosphere of playfulness. We must be prepared to play with ideas, our bodies, voice, self and others. Young children do this naturally, learning by thrilling experience of living. Children make their world in ways not dissimilar from theatrical form. Childrens play and theatre can be seen as constituting two ends of a continuum. These are theatre games and theatre. Drama in education inhabits the area in between. It can move towards the play end, where very young children are engaging in drama that is close to their own form of free play. The difference, however, is that it takes place as a result of teacher intervention, in that the teacher locates the drama activity in a particular aspect of living. Older students may work very close to the theatre end of the continuum, where performance skills and communicative intention are paramount. At any one time, the teacher of drama needs to know at what point on the continuum she/he is working. For young children, dramatic play provides a journey into the world of lets pretend, where they can readily transform themselves into the role of any character they choose. A story can be created as a script, often with a theme, where expressive actions convey a sequence of events that construct the plot. Whether the style of drama appears connected to occupations such as being a fire-fighter, a community happening such as a big snowstorm, or a fictional representation of The Three Bears, children are actors, producers, directors and set designers. By engaging in meaningful dialogue, their language and non-verbal gestures gradually reveal what they know and what they want to express. Dramatic play benefits children in all developmental areas. As children engage in fantasy play, they re-live experiences by symbolically imitating what they observe around them. Through childrens interpersonal relationships within socio-dramatic play, opportunities arise for in-depth thinking such as imagining, recalling, reasoning and negotiating (Vygotsky). By exploring lifes situations from the community and home, a child can re-create an identity that fulfils personal emotional needs and desires. The compelling urge to become physically powerful and socially dominant is fulfilled when a child adopts the role of a superheroine such as Princess Xena .While a traumatic family event can be played out as therapeutic drama when a child transfers inner feelings of rejection or hostility towards dolls or soft toys. The need for reassurance can be provided in dramatic play when a child knows it is acceptable to take on the role of being a baby, so that any sense of displacement, caused by the arrival of a new sibling within the family, is eased. Children have the freedom to be active and spontaneous in dramatic play, because, as Eden says, it can be undertaken without regard for external goals and sanctions.

Learning Organization Essay Example for Free

Learning Organization Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY are proliferating as corporations seek to better themselves and gain an edge. Unfortunately, however, failed programs far outnumber successes, and improvement rates remain low. Thats because most companies have failed to grasp a basic truth. Before people and companies can improve, they first must learn. And to do this, they need to look beyond rhetoric and high philosophy and focus on the fundamentals. Three critical issues must be addressed before a company can truly become a learning organization, writes Harvard Business School professor David Garvin. First is the question of meaning: a well-grounded, easy-to-apply definition of a learning organization. Second comes management: clearer operational guidelines for practice. Finally, better tools for measurement can assess an organizations rate and level of learning. Using these three Ms as a framework, Garvin defines learning organizations as skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from past experience, learning from the best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. And since you cant manage something if you cant measure it, a complete learning audit is a must. That includes measuring cognitive and behavioral changes as well as tangible improvements in results. No learning organization is built overnight. Success comes from carefully cultivated attitudes, commitments, and management processes that accrue slowly and steadily. The first step is to foster an environment conducive to learning. Analog Devices, Chaparral Steel, Xerox, GE, and other companies provide enlightened examples. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS  CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS are sprouting up all over as organizations strive to better themselves and gain an edge. The topic list is long and varied, and sometimes it seems as though a program a month is needed just to keep up. Unfortunately, failed programs far outnumber successes, and improvement rates remain distressingly low. Why? Because most companies have failed to grasp a basic truth. Continuous improvement requires a commitment to learning. How, after all, can an organization improve without first learning something new? Solving a problem, introducing a product, and reengineering a process all require seeing the world in a new light and acting accordingly. In the absence of learning, companies-and individuals -simply repeat old practices. Change remains cosmetic, and improvements are either fortuitous or short-lived. A few farsighted executives – Ray Stata of Analog Devices, Gordon Forward of Chaparral Steel, Paul Allaire of Xerox-have recognized the link between learning and continuous improvement and have begun to refocus their companies around it. Scholars too have jumped on the bandwagon, beating the drum for learning organizations and knowledge-creating companies. In rapidly changing businesses like semiconductors and consumer electronics, these ideas are fast taking hold. Yet despite the encouraging signs, the topic in large part remains murky, confused, and difficult to penetrate. Meaning, Management, and Measurement Scholars are partly to blame. Their discussions of learning organizations have often been reverential and utopian, filled with near mystical terminology. Paradise, they would have you believe, is just around the corner. Peter Senge, who popularized learning organizations in his book The Fifth Discipline, described them as places where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. To achieve these ends, Senge suggested the use of five component technologies: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. In a similar spirit, Ikujiro Nonaka characterized knowledge-creating companies as places where inventing new knowledge is not a specialized activity it is a way of behaving, indeed, a way of being, in which everyone is a knowledge worker. Nonaka suggested that companies use metaphors and organizational redundancy to focus thinking, encourage dialogue, and make tacit, instinctively understood ideas explicit. Sound idyllic? Absolutely. Desirable? Without question. But does it provide a framework for action? Hardly. The recommendations are far too abstract, and too many questions remain unanswered. How, for example, will managers know when their companies have become learning organizations? What concrete changes in behavior are required? What policies and programs must be in place? How do you get from here to there? Most discussions of learning organizations finesse these issues. Their focus is high philosophy and grand themes, sweeping metaphors rather than the gritty details of practice. Three critical issues are left unresolved; yet each is essential for effective implementation. First is the question of meaning. We need a plausible, well-grounded definition of learning organizations; it must be actionable and easy to apply. Second is the question of management. We need clearer guidelines for practice, filled with operational advice rather than high aspirations. And third is the question of measurement. We need better tools for assessing an organizations rate and level of learning to ensure that gains have in fact been made. Once these three Ms are addressed, managers will have a firmer foundation for launching learning organizations. Without this groundwork, progress is unlikely, and for the simplest of reasons. For learning to become a meaningful corporate goal, it must first be understood. What Is a Learning Organization? Surprisingly, a clear definition of learning has proved to be elusive over the years. Organizational theorists have studied learning for a long time; the accompanying quotations suggest that there is still considerable disagreement (see Definitions of Organizational Learning on page 77). Most scholars view organizational learning as a process that unfolds over time and link it with knowledge acquisition and improved performance. But they differ on other important matters. Some, for example, believe that behavioral change is required. for learning; others insist that new ways of thinking are enough. Some cite information processing as the mechanism through which learning takes place; others propose-shared insights, organizational routines, even memo. And some think that organizational learning is common, while others believe that flawed, self-serving interpretations are the norm. How can we discern among this cacophony of voices yet build on earlier insights? As a first step, consider the following definition: A learning organization is an organization skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. This definition begins with a simple truth: new ideas are essential if learning is to take place. Sometimes they are created de novo, through flashes of insight or creativity; at other times they arrive from outside the organization or are communicated by knowledgeable insiders. Whatever their source, these ideas are the trigger for organizational improvement. But they cannot by themselves create a learning organization. Without accompanying changes in the way that work gets done, only the potential for improvement exists. This is a surprisingly stringent test for it rules out a number of obvious candidates for learning organizations. Many universities fail to qualify, as do many consulting firms. Even General Motors, despite its recent efforts to improve performance, is found wanting. All of these organizations have been effective at creating or acquiring new knowledge but notably less successful in applying that knowledge to their own activities. Total quality management, for example, is now taught at many business schools, yet the number using it to guide their own decision making is very small. Organizational consultants advise clients on social dynamics and small-group behavior but are notorious for their own infighting and factionalism. And GM, with a few exceptions (like Saturn and NUMMI), has had little success in revamping its manufacturing practices, even though its managers are experts on lean manufacturing, JIT production, and the requirements for improved quality of work life. Organizations that do pass the definitional test – Honda, Corning, and General Electric come quickly to mind – have, by contrast, become adept at translating new knowledge into new ways of behaving. These companies actively manage the learning process to ensure that it occurs by design rather than by chance. Distinctive policies and practices are responsible for their success; they form the building blocks of learning organizations. Building Blocks Learning organizations are skilled at five main activities: systematic problem solving, experimentation with new approaches, learning from their own experience and past history, learning from the experiences and best practices of others, and transferring knowledge quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Each is accompanied by a distinctive mind-set, tool kit, and pattern of behavior. Many companies practice these activities to some degree. But few are consistently successful because they rely largely on happenstance and isolated examples. By creating systems and processes that support these activities and integrate them into the fabric of daily operations, companies can manage their learning more effectively. 1. Systematic problem solving. This first activity rests heavily on the philosophy and methods of the quality movement. Its underlying ideas, now widely accepted, include: †¢ Relying on the scientific method, rather than guesswork, for diagnosing problems (what Deming calls the â€Å"Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle, and others refer to as hypothesis-generating, hypothesistesting techniques). †¢ Insisting on data, rather than assumptions, as background for decision making (what quality practitioners call fact-based management). †¢ Using simple statistical tools (histograms, Pareto charts, correlations, cause-and-effect diagrams) to organize data and draw inferences. Most training programs focus primarily on problem solving techniques, using exercises and practical examples. These tools are relatively straightforward and easily communicated; the necessary mind-set, however, is more difficult to establish. Accuracy and precision are essential for learning. Employees must therefore become more disciplined in their thinking and more attentive to details. They must continually ask, How do we know thats true? , recognizing that close enough is not good enough if real learning is to take place. They must push beyond obvious symptoms to assess underlying causes, often collecting evidence when conventional wisdom says it is unnecessary. Otherwise, the organization will remain a prisoner of gut facts and sloppy reasoning, and learning will be stifled. Xerox has mastered this approach on a companywide scale. In 1983, senior managers launched the companys Leadership Through Quality initiative; since then, all employees have been trained in small-group activities and problem-solving techniques. Today a six-step process is used for virtually all decisions (see Xeroxs Problem-Solving Process). Employees are provided with tools in four areas: generating ideas and collecting information (brainstorming, interviewing, surveying); reaching consensus (list reduction, rating forms, weighted voting); analyzing and displaying data (cause-andeffect diagrams, force-field analysis); and planning actions (flow charts, Gantt charts). They then practice these-tools during training sessions that last several days. Training is presented in family groups, members of the same department or business-unit team, and the tools are applied to real problems facing the group. The result of this process has been a common vocabulary and a consistent, companywide approach to problem solving. Once employees have been trained, they are expected to use the techniques at all meetings, and no topic is off limits. When a high-level group was formed to review Xeroxs organizational structure and suggest alternatives, it employed the very same process and tools. 2. Experimentation. This activity involves the systematic searching for and testing of new knowledge. Using the scientific method is essential, and there are obvious parallels to systematic problem solving. But unlike problem solving, experimentation is usually motivated by opportunity and expanding horizons, not by current difficulties. It takes two main forms: ongoing programs and one-ofa-kind demonstration projects. Ongoing programs normally involve a continuing series of small experiments, designed to produce incremental gains in knowledge. They are the mainstay of most continuous improvement programs and are especially common on the shop floor. Corning, for example, experiments continually with diverse raw materials and new formulations to increase yields and provide better grades of glass. Allegheny Ludlum, a specialty steelmaker, regularly examines new rolling methods and improved technologies to raise productivity and reduce costs. Successful ongoing programs share several characteristics. First, they work hard to ensure a steady flow of new ideas, even if they must be imported from outside the organization. Chaparral Steel sends its first-line supervisors on sabbaticals around the globe, where they visit academic and industry leaders, develop an understanding of new Xerox’s Problem-Solving Process Step Questions to be Answered What do we want to change? Expansion/ Divergence Lots of problems for consideration Contraction/ Convergence One problem statement, one â€Å"desired state† agreed upon What’s Next to Go to the Next Step Identification of the gap â€Å"Desired state† described in observable terms Key causes documented and ranked 1. Identify and select problem 2. Analyse Problem What’s preventing us from reaching the â€Å"desired state†? How could we make the change? What’s the best way to do it? Lots of potential causes identified. Key causes identified and verified 3. Generate potential solutions 4. Select and plan the solution Lots of ideas on how to solve the problem Lots of criteria for evaluating potential solutions. Lots of ideas on how to implement and evaluate the selected solution Potential solutions clarified Criteria to use for evaluating solution agreed upon Implementation and evaluation plans agreed upon Implementation of agreed-on contingency plans (if necessary) Effectiveness of solution agreed upon Continuing problems (if any) identified Solution List. Plan for making and monitoring the change Measurement criteria to evaluate solution effectiveness 5. Implement the solution Are we following the plan? Solution in place 6. Evaluate the solution How well did it work? Verification that the problem is solved, or Agreement to address continuing problems work practices and technologies, then bring what theyve learned back to the company and apply it to daily operations. Inlarge part as a result of these initiatives, Chaparral is one of the five lowest cost steel plants in the world. GEs Impact Program originally sent manufacturing managers to Japan to study factory innovations, such as quality circles and kanban cards, and then apply them in their own organizations; today Europe is the destination, and productivity improvement practices the target. The program is one reason GE has recorded productivity gains averaging nearly 5% over the last four years. Successful ongoing programs also require an incentive system that favors risk taking. Employees must feel that the benefits of experimentation exceed the costs; otherwise, they will not participate. This creates a difficult challenge for managers, who are trapped between two perilous extremes. They must maintain accountability and control over experiments without stifling creativity by unduly penalizing employees for failures. Allegheny Ludlum has perfected this juggling act: it keeps expensive, high-impact experiments off the scorecard used to evaluate managers but requires prior approvals from four senior vice presidents. The result has been=a history of productivity improvements annually avenging 7% to 8%. Finally, ongoing programs need managers and employees who are trained in the skills required to perform and evaluate experiments. These skills are seldom intuitive and must usually be learned. They cover a broad sweep: statistical methods, like design of experiments, that efficiently compare a large number of alternatives; graphical techniques, like process analysis, that are essential for redesigning work flows; and creativity techniques, like storyboarding and role playing, that keep novel ideas flowing. The most effective training programs are tightly focused and feature a small set of techniques tailored to employees needs. Training in design of experiments, for example, is useful for manufacturing engineers, while creativity techniques are well suited to development groups. Demonstration projects are usually larger and more complex than ongoing experiments. They involve holistic, system wide changes, introduced at a single site, and are often undertaken with the goal of developing new organizational capabilities. Because these projects represent a sharp break from the past, they are usually designed from scratch, using a clean slate approach. General Foodss Topeka plant, one of the first high commitment work systems in this country, was a pioneering demonstration project initiated to introduce the idea of self-managing teams and high levels of worker autonomy; a more recent example, designed to rethink small-car development, manufacturing, and sales, is GMs Saturn Division. Demonstration projects share a number of distinctive characteristics: †¢ They are usually the first projects to embody principles and approaches that the organization hopes to adopt later on a larger scale. For this reason, they are more transitional efforts than endpoints and involve considerable learning by doing. Mid-course corrections are common. †¢ They implicitly establish policy guidelines and decision rules for later projects. Managers must therefore be sensitive to the precedents they are setting and must send strong signals if they expect to establish new norms. †¢ They often encounter severe tests of commitment from employees who wish to see whether the rules have, in fact, changed. †¢ They are normally developed by strong multifunctional teams reporting directly to senior management. (For projects targeting employee involvement or quality of work life, teams should be multilevel as well. ) †¢ They tend to have only limited impact on the rest of the organization if they are not accompanied by explicit strategies for transferring learning. All of these characteristics appeared in a demonstration project launched by Copeland Corporation, a highly successful compressor manufacturer, in the mid-1970s. Matt Diggs, then the new CEO, wanted to transform the companys approach to manufacturing. Previously, Copeland had machined and assembled all products in a single facility: Costs were high, and quality was marginal. The problem, Diggs felt, was too much complexity. At the outset, Diggs assigned a small, multifunctional team the task of designing a focused factory dedicated to a narrow, newly developed product line. The team reported directly to Diggs and took three years to complete its work. Initially, the project budget was $10 million to $12 million; that figure was repeatedly revised as the team found, through experience and with Diggss prodding, that it could achieve dramatic improvements. The final investment, a total of $30 million, yielded unanticipated breakthroughs in reliability testing, automatic tool adjustment, and programmable control. All were achieved through learning by doing. The team set additional precedents during the plants start-up and early operations. To dramatize the importance of quality, for example, the quality manager was appointed second-in-command, a significant move upward. The same reporting relationship was used at all subsequent plants. In addition, Diggs urged the plant manager to ramp up slowly to full production and resist all efforts to proliferate products. These instructions were unusual at Copeland, where the marketing department normally ruled. Both directives were quickly tested; management held firm, and the implications were felt throughout the organization. Manufacturings stature improved, and the company as a whole recognized its competitive contribution. One observer commented, Marketing had always run the company, so they couldnt believe it. The change was visible at the highest levels, and it went down hard. Once the first focused factory was running smoothly -it seized 25% of the market in two years and held its edge in reliability for over a decade-Copeland built four more factories in quick succession. Diggs assigned members of the initial project to each factorys design team to ensure that early learnings were not lost; these people later rotated into operating assignments. Today focused factories remain the cornerstone of Copelands manufacturing strategy and a continuing source of its cost and quality advantages. Whether they are demonstration projects like Copelands or ongoing programs like Allegheny Ludlums, all forms of experimentation seek the same end: moving from superficial knowledge to deep understanding. At its simplest, the distinction is between knowing how things are done and knowing why they occur. Knowing how is partial knowledge; it is rooted in norms of behavior, standards of practice, and settings of equipment. Knowing why is more fundamental: it captures underlying causeand-effect relationships and accommodates exceptions, adaptations, and unforeseen events. The ability to control temperatures and pressures to align grains of silicon and form silicon steel is an example of knowing how; understanding the chemical and physical process that produces the alignment is knowing why. Further distinctions are possible, as the insert Stages of Knowledge suggests. Operating knowledge can be arrayed in a hierarchy, moving from limited understanding and the ability to make few distinctions to more complete understanding in which all contingencies are anticipated and controlled. In this context, experimentation and problem solving foster learning by pushing organizations up the hierarchy, from lower to higher stages of knowledge. 3. Learning from past experience. Companies must review their successes and failures, assess them systematically, and record the lessons in a form that employers find open and accessible. One expert has called t9is process the Santayana Review, citing the famous philosopher George Santayana, who coined the phrase Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Unfortunately, too many managers today are indifferent, even hostile, to the past, and by failing to reflect on it, they let valuable knowledge escape. A study of more than 150 new products concluded that the knowledge gained from failures [is] often instrumental in achieving subsequent successes. In the simplest terms, failure is the ultimate teacher. IBMs 360 computer series, for example, one of the most popular and profitable ever built, was based on the technology of the failed Stretch computer that preceded it. In this case, as in many others, learning occurred by chance rather than by careful planning. A few companies, however, have established processes that require their managers to periodically think about the past and learn from their mistakes. Boeing did so immediately after its difficulties with the 737 and 747 plane programs. Both planes were introduced with much fanfare and also with serious problems. To ensure that the problems were not repeated, senior managers commissioned a high-level employee group, called Project Homework, to compare the development processes of the 737 and 747 with those of the 707 and 727, two of the companys most profitable planes. The group was asked to develop a set of lessons learned that could be used on future projects. After working for three years, they produced hundreds of recommendations and an inch-thick booklet. Several members of the team were then transferred to the 757 and 767 start-ups, and guided by experience, they produced the most successful, error-free launches in Boeings history. Other companies have used a similar retrospective approach. Like Boeing, Xerox studied its product development process, examining three troubled products in an effort to understand why the companys new business initiatives failed so often. Arthur D. Little, the consulting company, focused on its past successes. Senior management invited ADL consultants from around the world to a two-day jamboree, featuring booths and presentations documenting a wide range of the companys most successful practices, publications, and techniques. British Petroleum went even further and established the post-project appraisal unit to review major investment projects, write up case studies, and derive lessons for planners that were then incorporated into revisions of the companys planning guidelines. A five-person unit reported to the board of directors and reviewed six projects annually. The bulk of the time was spent in the field interviewing managers. This type of review is now conducted regularly at the project level. At the heart of this approach, one expert has observed, is a mind-set that enables companies to recognize the value of productive failure as contrasted with unproductive success. A productive failure is one that leads to insight, understanding, and thus an addition to the commonly held wisdom of the organization. An unproductive success occurs when something goes well, but nobody knows how or why. IBMs legendary founder, Thomas Watson, Sr. , apparently understood the distinction well. Company lore has it that a young manager; after losing $10 million in a risky venture was called into Watsons office. The young man, thoroughly intimidated, began by saying, I guess you want my resignation. Watson replied, You cant be serious. We just spent $10 million educating you. Fortunately, the learning process need not be so expensive. Case studies and post-project reviews like those of Xerox and British Petroleum can be performed with little cost other than managers time. Companies can also enlist the help of faculty and students at local colleges or universities; they bring fresh perspectives and view internships and case studies as opportunities to gain experience and increase their own learning. A few companies have established computerized data banks to speed up the learning process. At Paul Revere Life Insurance, management requires all problem-solving teams to complete short registration forms describing their proposed projects if they hope to qualify for the companys award program. The company then enters the forms into its computer system and can immediately retrieve a listing of other groups of people who have worked or are working on the topic, along with a contact person. Relevant experience is then just a telephone call away. 4. Learning from others. Of course, not all learning comes from reflection and self-analysis. Sometimes the most powerful insights come from looking outside ones immediate environment to gain a new perspective. Enlightened managers know that even companies in completely different businesses can be fertile sources of ideas and catalysts for creative thinking. At these organizations, enthusiastic borrowing is replacing the not invented here syndrome. Milliken calls the process SIS, for Steal Ideas Shamelessly; the broader term for it is benchmarking. According to one expert, benchmarking is an ongoing investigation and learning experience that ensures that best industry practices are uncovered, analyzed, adopted, and implemented. The greatest benefits come from studying practices, the way that work gets done, rather than results, and from involving line managers in the process. Almost anything can be benchmarked. Xerox, the concepts creator, has applied it to billing, warehousing, and automated manufacturing. Milliken has been even more creative: in an inspired moment, it benchmarked Xeroxs approach to benchmarking. Unfortunately, there is still considerable confusion about the requirements for successful benchmarking. Benchmarking is not industrial tourism, a series of ad hoc visits to companies that have received favorable publicity or won quality awards. Rather, it is a disciplined process that begins with a thorough search to identify best-practice organizations, continues with careful study of ones own practices and performance, progresses through systematic site visits and interview and concludes with an analysis of results, development of recommendations, and implementation. While timeconsuming, the process need not be terribly expensive ATTs Benchmarking Group estimates that a moderate-sized project takes four to six months and incurs out-of-pocket costs of $20,000 (when personnel costs ax included, the figure is three to four times higher). Bench marking is one way of gaining an outside perspective; another, equally fertile source of ideas is customers. Conversations with customers invariably stimulate learning; they are, after all, experts in what they do. Customers can provide up-to-date product information, competitive comparisons, insights into changing preferences, and immediate feedback about service and patt ern of use. And companies need these insights at all levels, from the executive suite to the shop floor. At Motorola, members of the Operating and Policy Committee, including the CEO, meet personally and on a regular basis with customers. At Worthington Steel, all machine operators make periodic, unescorted trips to customers factories to discuss their needs. Sometimes customers cant articulate their needs or remember even the most recent problems they have had with a product or service. If thats the case, managers must observe them in action. Xerox employs a number of anthropologists at its Palo Alto Research Center to observe users of new document products in their offices. Digital Equipment has developed an interactive process called contextual inquiry that is used by software engineers to observe users of new technologies as they go about their work. Milliken has created first-delivery teams that accompany the first shipment of all products; team members follow the product through the customers production process to see how it is used and then develop ideas for further improvement. Whatever the source of outside ideas, learning will only occur in a receptive environment. Managers cant be defensive and must be open to criticism or bad news. This is a difficult challenge, but it is essential for success. Companies that approach customers assuming that we must be right, they have to be wrong or visit other organizations certain that they cant  teach us anything seldom learn very much. Learning organizations, by contrast, cultivate the art of open, attentive listening. 5. Transferring knowledge. For learning to be more than a local affair, knowledge must spread quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. Ideas carry maximum impact when they are shared broadly rather than held in a few hands. A variety of mechanisms spur this process, including written, oral, and visual reports, site visits and tours, personnel rotation programs, education and training programs, and standardization programs. Each has distinctive strengths and weaknesses. Reports and tours are by far the most popular mediums. Reports serve many purposes: they summarize findings, provide checklists of dos and donts, and describe important processes and events. They cover a multitude of topics, from benchmarking studies to accounting conventions to newly discovered marketing techniques. Today written reports are often supplemented by videotapes, which offer greater immediacy and fidelity. Tours are an equally popular means of transferring knowledge, especially for large, multidivisional organizations with multiple sites.

Experiences in real working environment

Experiences in real working environment Introduction One of the requirement parts of the course WORK-N352 at Sharjah Womens College, of work experience subject, which is under the supervision of Mr. Abbot Jason Haroon. This course provide us to experience work in real working environment which will give students the opportunity to develop good working experience, habits and practices that has been observed in real working environment which will enable students to transfer vocational skills that learnt at the college to the work placement. The report features altogether are in five major sections. Section one is about information about the Sharjah Economic Development Department. Section two is about work details. Section three is about success of the work experience. Section four is about areas for improvement and section five which is the conclusion. Finally, Most of the information in the report was from my own experience at Sharjah Economic Development Department and some particulars from SEDD website and interviewing employees as well. The course provides work experience in a real working environment. It will provide the student the opportunity to develop good work ethics, habits and practices observed in real work situations and will enable the student to transfer vocational skills learned at the college to the workplace. Information about the company Sharjah Economic Development Department is located in Sharjah in Al-Layya Area this is the head office and also it has four other branches in Al-Dhaid, Kalba, Khorfakkan and Dibba Al-Hisn. And all of them are located in Sharjah, but these branches have only one department which is registration and license department. Sharjah Economic Development Department is under Sharjah Government which means it is a public sector. The Department has about 600 employees and this number is increasing almost every day because new employees are being hired in the department. The department has twelve Directors and deputy directors, Ali Bin Salem Almahmoud is the General Director, Khaliid Saif Ibraheem is the Director of Registration and licensing Department also Fahad Ahmad Alkhhamiri is the sub-director for this department, Nawal Askar is Director of Economic and Public Relations Department and there is a Deputy Director as well. Amna Alhamady is the Deputy Director of Finance and Administration Department. Also, there is a Managing Director, Commercial Control and Protection Director, Legal Affairs Director, Information Technology Director, Client Service Director and Deputy Quality Control Director. (See Appendix 1) There are thirteen departments in SEDD, There are four main departments in SEDD which are License and Registration Department, Commercial Control and Protection Department, Economic Relation and Public Relations Department and Finance and Administrative Affairs Department. And the other nine departments are chairman office, consultants, internal censorship section, legal affairs section, quality and control section, committees specialists, executive secretarial, IT section and planning and statistics section. (See Appendix 1) The Department provides three major services which are Licensing Services which is for renewing and issuing license, Commercial Permits which is for sales and clearance, promotional campaigns, and advertising signs and Inspection Services and Business Control which is for irregularities inquiry, fee payment for irregularities and Scheduling appointments for Technical evaluation and Business Control which is for Irregularities Inquiryand Scheduling appointments for Technical evaluation Work details Sales and Promotion Section I spent my whole work placement period at sales and promotion section. This section gives sales permits for shops who want to make sales in a specific period, clearance permits, Promotional Campaign Permits which is granted in such cases such as special offers, testing campaigns, free disrupting and product promotion, Promotional Advertising Permits like flyers, brochures, cloth signs and multimedia CDs and Exhibition Permit for commercial purposes. My daily work was to check the newspapers for shops and companies that have published advertisement in daily newspapers so that we can check if they have already taken permission for publishing this advertising and if they have permission for making sales or offers if the advertisement was including them. Also, I contacted many shops and companies if they have not come and collect the spring festival posters or if they have raffles and chose the winner, they have to bring the original coupons and the winners ID or to pay out the amount of the prizes that the winners didnt collect them within 60 days period to the sales and promotion section. I used the system which records all information about all the shops that are in Sharjah and it shows each shop sales dates, clearance dates and Irregularities dates to record any new sale, clearance and Irregularities. During my work placement I used many skills for my job, I even used some skills that I never thought I will use them. I used some basic skills such as learning, listening, reading, speaking and writing skills almost every day. Beside of that I used monitoring skills to assess my performance to make any improvements in myself and take the correct action. I used social skills such as instructing to help the new customers to bring the right documents and why they are needed and I used negotiation and persuasion skills to make some customers change their minds that if they made sales during Sharjah spring festival it will be cheaper for them if they made it after the festival. I used to report to Miss Mona Qambar and Mrs. Mariam Saif, both them are service coordinators at Sales and Promotion section. But unfortunately Miss Mona has been shifted to another department by week 5. I didnt get any on-the-job training because im only a temporary trainee in SEDD so they just showed me how the daily and the monthly reports are done and what they do everyday. Arabic was the main language but English was used too but not as much as Arabic. English was used only with foreign customers while Arabic was used also between customers and between employees. In addition, all the reports and letters were written in Arabic I used many types of equipment at my work such as the telephone to communicate with the shops that didnt bring the original coupons for checking or to pay money for the prizes that has not been received by the winners. The printer was used to print reports and letters and fax as well. Also I used the computer to record information about shops. Beside of using the computer I used Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Outlook. The word was used to write the monthly report. Whereas the excel was used to write the daily report and to calculate the amount collected for the day and PowerPoint to record the companies names, location and offers for the Sharjah Spring Festival and used to create the organizational chart for the Economic Relation and Public Relations Department and Microsoft Outlook was used to send and receive emails among employees. I have faced some problems in my work experience. One of the problems I had, when Mrs. Mariam was absent I was in here place and an angry customer came in because she gave him a notice because they published sales advertisement in the newspaper without getting a permit for that. I looked back in the files of shops that have been given notes and took out the one for his shop. When I looked back on the reason of the note that his shop was given, it appeared that they are making sales all around Emirates but the sales was only in Dubai, so he was supposed to write down in the advertisement that the sales are only in Dubai. He still was angry and he didnt believe. I went back to the brochure of Sales and Promotion section and showed him the conditions of making sales which says that he must specify where the sales is happening and in which branches and Emirates. He just turned red and apologized. As I am a fan of shopping, it is important for me to know when the sales days for my favourite shops are going to start. Besides I liked my colleagues and it was nice to work with them because they are always there to help each other if any of them is in a problem, I really felt that they were my family. Also, the daily work wasnt so hard and it was easy to understand. But there are things I hated in my work that sometimes I spent days without doing anything at all which was extremely boring and the employees also dont have any work at all that they get so bored. I asked them many times to transfer me to any section that might needs extra help but unfortunately no one want any help because they have enough trainees. successes of the work experience My manager and the other employees that I worked with treated me as I am one of them. They showed me how the work is done and watches me while im doing it until they make sure I can do it by my own. Briefly, they were so helpful and love to make others learn. the manager or whoever showed u how the work is done,, they treat me like am one of the real emplyees not a trainer I believe I was good and did well at calculations and report typing and being accurate in recording information in the system because my supervisor said to me usually we dont allow any trainees to use our system in recording any information because everything inside the system should be accurate and without any mistakes. There are some skills I gained from the college. One of these skills is taking the initiative. For example, when I completed my third week, I knew my daily job very well without going to the supervisor to tell me what im supposed to do and after I finish she give extra work if there is some work or she give me a one hour break to rest. Briefly, I was Self-starting rather than passively accepting the work. Taking the Initiative- I remember doing only what I needed to do to get by when I was in college. It was easy doing only what my professors required of me, and often, most students never learned to think for themselves. My boss now expects me to come up with ideas and unique solutions to problems, not just meeting the minimum standard. Strategic Planning- Though I learned study skills in college, I never had a clear plan or strategy for what I was doing or where I was going, other than completing my courses. In the business world, every outcome is measured, every result analyzed. I have learned to formulate strategic plans to accomplish my objectives so that I am more focused and productive. I have learnt a lot from the work experience I have attended over the last 8 weeks. I learnt the speed of the procedure while maintaining the accuracy, Building a database of personal customers especially next to the public database and Completion of a days work at the same time and not to give an opportunity for the accumulation of deferred work. Beside of the previous skills I gained new skills. Sometimes angry customers with no knowledge of Arabic or English come to me to finish their work but some time misunderstanding happens so what I learnt is to maintain calm to deal with others. areas for improvment Almost every two weeks, the Head Sales and Promotion Mr. Mohammed Bin Fares sets a meeting around 1:00 pm to discuss with the staff any problem that they have faced during these two weeks and they have to add recommendations at the end of the meeting. What the manager did that he announced about the meeting without telling me to join them, I was really sad because I really wanted to give them some ideas that might be useful for them. While I am there, I saw Miss Mona and Mr. Abdul-Aziz register the shops when they come to make sales or want to advertise. I told Miss Mona to let me do it for one day and it was difficult. For example, if any shop wanted to hang pictures on their windows as advertisement, I have to know how many windows and doors in this shop by meters and according that I have to calculate how much they have to pay for this advertisement which is I didnt get it until now. In my college Ive learnt how to be responsible and how to be in charge of many tasks. Also, Ive learnt how to manage my time between my personal time and my working time and do all what my the tasks that are given to me on me and submit them neatly. Ive learned in the university the responsibility and how to be in charge of many tasks. also ive learned how to manage my time and do all what given to me on time neatly I believe that the college didnt prepare us well for this work experience, well it might be but I think for the private sector not the public sector, because at the work experience I faced some difficulty at the beginning in writing Arabic reports and letters which I believe is extremely different than writing them in English and much harder. Now I know how to write Arabic reports and letters but I dont think as professional and neatly as the English. If I was an employee in Sharjah Economic Development I would participate more in sessions that are held by the department itself to improve myself. For example, there are sessions for communications, how to deal with customers and sessions of how to answer the phone. I believe these sessions are made for the fresh graduates and for new employees with no degree so they can learn what they might not learnt before. conclusion I would recommend this work experience for students and at the same time I wouldnt recommend it. I recommend it for students who would like to work in public sector, where they can see how the working environment there and prefer less working hours. While I dont recommend it for students who would like to work for public sector, because in public sector Arabic is wildly used which I think it would affect what they have studied at college and it will be difficult for them at the beginning. Another thing which I think it is most important, in public sector, employees dont ever work regarding their degree which I think it is a waste for all the years that they have studied. For example, in my working experience I wanted some accounting work and they said that the section is full, and then the lady there told me do you think tomorrow if you applied here you will work as an accountant? She said in our department most of the employees here got high degrees but they are working in different jobs than what they have studied. In the future I would like to work in this department or a similar department because im welling to work in any public sector as it has many advantages such as accommodating high market fluctuations and favourable work environment. In addition, the working hours in public sectors are very flexible which is very important to me as Im a mother, besides of that most of the public departments are near to my home so Im taking advantage of that. The work placement gave me a chance to apply some of my studies in the field. In addition, I experienced the real deal in applying my knowledge in work placement and how the real job is done also use my knowledge in solving some workplace problems using team techniques I studied. I strongly want to work in public sector and Im planning to work in any public sector. Briefly, in the future I want to be in a position where I can use my skills I have learnt and challenge my colleagues. I strongly want to work in public sector and im planning to work in any public sector. Briefly. in the future i want to be in a position were i can use my skills i learned and challange my colleges i;ve learned alot in this experince placement and ive experinced how the real job is don, and in the future i want to be in a position were i can use my skills i learned and challange my colleges It may mark a turning point or change to your way of thinking or acting in a particular way. http://images.google.ae/imgres?imgurl=http://www.iktissad.com/files/media/parties/sedd-logo.jpgimgrefurl=http://www.iktissad.com/events/AIEZC/1usg=__hTcBQPUcOE_U1hvq9PUOnugZHoE=h=100w=119sz=5hl=arstart=9um=1itbs=1tbnid=GUKlK2v4gXVX5M:tbnh=74tbnw=88prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsharjah%2Beconomic%2Bdevelopment%2Blogo%26hl%3Dar%26rlz%3D1C1DVCA_enAE325AE336%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 http://www.bized.co.uk/compfact/domino/dom7.htm http://www.bized.co.uk/compfact/kettleby/ket7.htm

Essay --

Another major principle of Islamic is fairness. In Islamic banking, fairness is highlighted through its operations which the dubious terms and condition transactions are not engaged with Islamic banks. Terms and conditions needed in a transaction are disclosed in the agreement. In addition, everyone in the transaction can make informed decision which are not misled or cheated. Besides, according to article for WIBC on Islamic Banking and Finance, there is a clear division between the allowed and forbidden of the activities. For example, transactions involving alcohol, gambling, armaments, pork related products, and other socially detrimental activities should be avoided in Islamic Finance. In Islamic banking, there are still five main concepts which are profit and sharing, Wadiah, Musharakah, Murabaha and Ijarah. Profit and loss principle is actually based on mudarabah principle. Under this principle, profits will be shared between owner of capital (financier) and the entrepreneur on the basis of contractual agreement. However, financier will lost it money invest if the business fail. This means that, income from the money invest by financier is not guarantee. For wadiah, refund of the principal is guarantee by the bank. Depositor under this principle might receive a share on profit of the bank’s business. Wadiah is safekeeping as their principal is guarantee in full of demand although the profit of investment by bank is not guarantee. Musharakah is a joint enterprise or partnership business which both parties will manage the business together. Under this principle, ratio of profit or loss pre-determined basic. After a certain periods, a party can terminate the joint venture gradually. Murabaha is another principle of Islamic ban... ...e in financial resources. The principle of Islamic is Syariah, it is developed through four main Islamic juristic schools which is Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali. However, Quran and Sunna is the two main sources which the Shariah derived from. In Islamic finance, there are three major principles. Firstly, the prohibition of usury or interest (riba). In the words of Maulana Maudoodi, page 139, Riba can be defined as the stationary increase on the capital which collected against a fixed period. This means that interest is consider as riba if the amount loaned is going doubled and re-doubled and it is given as consumption needs instead of productive needs. One of the examples of riba is rental income. According to Chapter 2, Verse 275 of the Qu’ran, involve in trade activities although is sound like soft of riba but actually is encouraged by Islam but not for riba.

Fission Or Fusion :: essays research papers

Fission or Fusion I think that right now, fission is the only way that we can get more energy out of a nuclear reaction than we put in. First, the energy per fission is very large. In practical units, the fission of 1 kg (2.2 lb) of uranium-235 releases 18.7 million kilowatt-hours as heat. Second, the fission process initiated by the absorption of one neutron in uranium-235 releases about 2.5 neutrons, on the average, from the split nuclei. The neutrons released in this manner quickly cause the fission of two more atoms, thereby releasing four or more additional neutrons and initiating a self-sustaining series of nuclear fissions, or a chain reaction, which results in continuous release of nuclear energy. Naturally occurring uranium contains only 0.71 percent uranium-235; the remainder is the non-fissile isotope uranium-238. A mass of natural uranium by itself, no matter how large, cannot sustain a chain reaction because only the uranium-235 is easily fissionable. The probability that a fission neutron with an initial energy of about 1 MeV will induce fission is rather low, but can be increased by a factor of hundreds when the neutron is slowed down through a series of elastic collisions with light nuclei such as hydrogen, deuterium, or carbon. This fact is the basis for the design of practical energy-producing fission reactors. In December 1942 at the University of Chicago, the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi succeeded in producing the first nuclear chain reaction. This was done with an arrangement of natural uranium lumps distributed within a large stack of pure graphite, a form of carbon. In Fermi's "pile," or nuclear reactor, the graphite moderator served to slow the neutrons. Nuclear fusion was first achieved on earth in the early 1930s by bombarding a target containing deuterium, the mass-2 isotope of hydrogen, with high-energy deuterons in a cyclotron. To accelerate the deuteron beam a great deal of energy is required, most of which appeared as heat in the target. As a result, no net useful energy was produced. In the 1950s the first large-scale but uncontrolled release of fusion energy was demonstrated in the tests of thermonuclear weapons by the United States, the USSR, Great Britain, and France. This was such a brief and uncontrolled release that it could not be used for the production of electric power. In the fission reactions I discussed earlier, the neutron, which has no electric charge, can easily approach and react with a fissionable nucleus ,for example, uranium-235. In the typical fusion reaction, however, the reacting nuclei both have a positive electric charge, and the natural repulsion between them, called Coulomb repulsion, must be overcome before they can join.

Essay --

Some agile teams hold a retrospective meeting once a week along with their daily project stand-up meetings. It is called â€Å"stand-up† because the meeting is essentially conducted with all the team members standing. The basic idea behind this is to keep the meeting as short as possible typically 15 minutes or lesser. During this meeting the team members discuss about the status of the project and the issues that they are facing. The weekly retrospective would help in identifying any process changes that are required immediately. As the completion time for the sprint nears, the time taken to discuss about process improvement for the current sprint decreases as improvements for the ongoing sprint has been discussed in the everyday stand-up meeting. This results in a better software product as the team is continuously working on improving its knowledge management process. Each retrospective has both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The qualitative part discusses the various team practices and the success of each. It also comprises the specific challenges that presented themselves during the iteration. Upon identification of the issues, root cause analysis is performed and potential corrective actions are discussed and recorded. The quantitative review gathers and reviews any metrics the team is using to measure its performance. Purpose An iteration retrospective is a reflective process. The iteration retrospective enables the team to reflect on the iteration just completed and derive new ideas for process improvement. This helps instill the spirit of continuous improvement or kaizen mind in the individuals and the team, and helps assure every iteration makes some small improvements in the processes. The Scrum Master plays an import... ...s an insight into the project from the perspective of each team member and make them realize that it’s the team that can make the change. A qualitative study can be done among companies employing the agile methodology about the effectiveness of the retrospective process. Interviews can be conducted with the scrum masters and certain important people within the team to elicit what kind of improvements they have seen in their projects due to the action items suggested in retrospective meetings. A major challenge facing most agile teams is how to keep the retrospective meetings fresh. A comparative study can be done among agile teams about the various retrospective techniques that they employ and how effective and interesting these techniques. This would give an insight into a plethora of ideas on conducting a retrospective that will never become boring and redundant.

One Direction boy-band Essay

One Direction is a boy-band formed by Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Niall Horan, the band was formed in a contest called The X Factor. Body: The X Factor UK is a British competition in which several people in order to fulfill his dream of being a singer going to participate. So as determined to win Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik entered the contest individually, then his mentor Simon Cowell saw something special in the boys and decided to join them and he was not wrong. Although they were in 3rd place, today is the most famous! boy-band in the world After they finish the contest they decided to record their first album and with the help of the money he won in the contest and with his mentor Simon’s discography called Sony and Syco could finish their first album called â€Å"Up All Night† which was released on November 18, 2011 in Ireland and in the UK on 21 November with a beautiful content of 13 songs and disc Special Edition has 3 more songs. Up All Night won the first place in sales in United Kingdom, in EUA the 1st place on the Billboard, which is a form of measuring success, and was the third album most sold in 2011. That same year they released a song that comes on the album, called † â€Å"What Makes You Beautiful†currently the most famous song, which was in 4th place from Billboard. † Last year they released their second album called â€Å"Take Me Home† 9 and 13 November depending on the country, the disc includes 13 songs, the disc Special Edition 4 more songs and the Deluxe 13 songs more Special Edition 4 more other 3 songs. In Mexico reached first place in sales in one week. The Take Me Home tour began on February 23 in London, and continues around the world, reached Mexico on 8 and 9 June, until complete. Conclusion: To Me One Direction is the boy-band more talented and fun that exists, since boys are normal people and make mistakes like us, have fun like us, have flaws like us and make all the same to us (they are human but believe it or not). And although not like many to me if I like, because as says Cher Loyd (singer) â€Å"guys hate to One Direction because sing what a girl wants to hear  and what a boy fears say†.

Operational Plan

Operational excogitatening What is it? The makeup has an us sufficient architectural aim that clearly states the actions to go across goals and strategies identified in the strategical plan. Your plaque has ideal the strategic readiness process. An operational plan details the actions indispensable to go across each strategy, assigning responsibilities, setting timeframes, describeing resources essential and indicating what difference the specific actions provide make.When ontogeny your operational plan, get wind it is clear and able to be understood by in all divisions of your organisationDeveloping the Operational PlanYou will ingest to have at least cardinal workshop to develop your operational plan with someone who will drive the process. This soulfulness is called a facilitator. A facilitator is a soul who has experience or training in running work groups. He or she occurs the operational homework process, ensuring the actions and timeframes are sky at the appropriate level. Your facilitator could be (1) an foreign specialist facilitator (2) a prominent member from your community who has experience facilitating developing plans in the past, or (3) a member of the worry committal or staff member to facilitate the process. It is very important the facilitator is rely by the group. Each participant moldiness see comfortable to express their opinions. The virtually successful plans are those where all participants feel they have fully participated in the planning sessions and own the actions.Picking a good facilitator is the showtime step in successful planning. The organisational plan is primarily the responsibility of staff, representatives from the Management Committee and community will help ensure it reflects the intent of the Strategic Plan. Goals and strategies from Strategic Plan to action Goals and strategies that were identified in the strategic planning process will now be utilize for the operational or action pl anning process. Who is going to do what? When will they do it?What resources will they take and how will you know when the action has been completed successfully? The strategic plan provides a framework for the operational planning process, just now how do you turn your goals and strategies into actions and then into results to grasp these goals? Make sure the actions are realistic. Does the organisation have the resources (personnel, physical facilities, training, equipment, funding, etc. ) required to do this activity? If not, how will we invite them and if additional resources potbellyt be obtained, how o we adjust the activity in line with the resources available. For each of the actions you contain to identify the management to measure its success or otherwise. What differences will you see as a result of these activities? These are sometimes called outcomes or performance measures. These outcomes need to be measurable, kind of by numbers or timelines. Finally, you need to have someone to be responsible for(p) to ensure the activity occurs and the outcome is achieved. Who will do it? A table washbasin be one good way of recording this process.An example followsGoal healthy people in our communityStrategyAction/ natural actionWhoWhenResources Community awareness activities relating to health promotionOpen Day held on a quarterly basis to promote health issuesIndigenous health Project military officerJune 2007$ advertisingPromotional materials Children are informed of health issues randomness sessions on health promotion at the local school on a monthly basisIndigenous Health WorkerJuly 2007Resources What has been described is the operational planning process.The results are made into either a booklet or a placard which is called the operational or action plan. This can then be used by the members of the organisation to follow the goals, strategies and proposed actions outlined in the operational plan. It provides the organisation with a gu ide that can be monitored, reviewed and evaluated at unfluctuating intervals to ensure the organisation is implementing its strategic plan. associate Documents Strategic Planning Topic lead -0Strategic Plan template -1Operational Plan Template -2 References Business Plans for Dummies Paul Tiffany & Steven Peterson IDG Books World large Inc 1997 Developing Your Organisation For Queensland Incorporated Associations Queensland University of Technology, 2005 monitor Performance Improvement M Tovey scholar Hall 2001 Strategic Planning the Murri dash Kit HACC Resource Unit 1997 Websites used for examples of Mission Statements and Goals Ernabella Arts from Powerhouse Museum mesh site http//www. phm. gov. au/hsc/paperbark/contemporary. htmWal-Meta The Aboriginal and Torres auditory sensation Islander Public Sector drill Development Unit http//www. wal-meta. qld. gov. au/aboutus/mission_statement. htm Batchelor give for Indigenous Tertiary Education http//www. batchelor. edu. au /public/documents. html -0 http//www. qld. gov. au/nongovernmental organization/documents/ office/gov_accountability/topicguide/StrategicPlanning. rtf -1 http//www. qld. gov. au/ngo/documents/VOICE/gov_accountability/templates_samples/StrategicPlan. rtf -2 http//www. qld. gov. au/ngo/documents/VOICE/gov_accountability/templates_samples/OperationalPlan. rtf