Archetype and Nationalism in Tolkien’s Silmarillion

ABSTRACT This thesis demonstrates the relationship of fantasy fiction, archetypes, and nationalism in one of fantasy fiction, namely Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. Fantasy fiction, with the stereotype of escapism, is less appreciated. This thesis is written in attempt to give more appreciation to fantasy fiction. Analysis to show the relationship of fantasy fiction, archetype, and nationalism is carried out by applying archetypal approach and Frye’s concept of mythos. This analysis is aimed at determining the position of the story in Frye’s mythos taxonomy and its values.The values, then, are compared with values found in English nationalistic discourse. The result of this analysis indicates that the story of The Silmarillion can be classified as tragic mythos. However, tragedy in the Silmarillion is elaborated differently from the characteristics of the mythos suggested by Frye. Tragedy of The Silmarillion is collective in its nature. The uniqueness of tragedy in T he Silmarillion is read as representation of fellowship spirit value in English nationalistic discourse.The Silmarillion also shows wisdom and historical continuity values parallel with values found English nationalistic discourse. From these values The Silmarillion shows that pastoral life with its collectivity, wisdom and tranquility as an ideal life for English people. Keywords: fantasy, archetypes, nationalism, Tolkien v ABSTRAK Tesis ini menunjukkan keterkaitan fiksi fantasi, arketipe, dan nasionalisme yang muncul di dalam salah satu karya sastra fantasi, yaitu The Silmarillion karya J. R. R . Tolkien.Fiksi fantasi, dengan stereotip sebagai fiksi yang dianggap hanya memberikan tempat untuk melarikan diri dari kenyataan dan fiksi yang lepas dari nilai-nilai realitas, kurang mendapat apresiasi yang cukup. Untuk memberikan apresiasi terhadap fiksi fantasilah tesis ini ditulis. Analisis untuk menunjukkan keterkaitan fiksi fantasi, arketipe dan nilainilai nasionalisme pertama-tama d ilakukan dengan melakukan analisis plot cerita dengan menggunakan pendekatan arketipe dan teori mythos Northrop Frye. Analisis plot ini dilakukan untuk menentukan posisi cerita di dalam taksonomi mythos Frye dan nilai-nilai yang dikandungnya.Nilai-nilai ini kemudian akan dibandingkan dengan nilai-nilai yang ada dalam wacana nasionalisme Inggris (England). Dari analisis yang dilakukan terlihat bahwa cerita The Silmarillion tergolong dalam mythos tragedi. Namun, sifat tragedi dalam The Silmarillion berbeda dari ciri mythos tragedi Frye yang terkonsentrasi pada satu individu. Tragedi dalam The Silmarillion bersifat kolektif. Keunikan tragedi di dalam The Silmarillion ini dianggap mewakili nilai kebersamaan yang juga merupakan salah satu nilai keinggrisan dalam wacana nasionalisme Inggris.The Silmarillion juga menunjukkan nilai-nilai kebijaksanaan dan keberlanjutan sejarah yang di dalam wacana nasionalisme Inggris dianggap merupakan nilai-nilai yang khas Inggris. Dari nilai-nilai dalam The Silmarillion yang paralel dengan nilai-nilai dalam wacana nasionalisme Inggris tergambar bahwa kehidupan ideal Inggris adalah kehidupan pedesaan yang penuh kebersamaan, kebijaksanaan, ketenangan dan memiliki keberlanjutan sejarah. Kata kunci: fantasi, arketipe, nasionalisme, Tolkien vi

Economics Unit Portfolio Essay

1) In 1861 Abraham Lincoln introduced income tax during the Civil War when he needed money to pay his army. 2) That every consumer paid the same tax for the product no matter what their income is. 3) I would agree with Benton McMillin. Education is one considered a free institution. Using the education system helps someone become smarter and that helps accumulate wealth. Part 2 – Internet Taxation 1) Because not collecting tax means the internet retailer can offer lower prices than other stores. It can kill their business with lower profit margins. 2) Taxing internet retailers would discourage investment employment growth. The shipping costs for online transactions can cancel out any price advantage. 3) I disagree that taxing the internet would discourage new technology investment and employment growth. 4) Computer hardware is more expensive than books or clothing. Part 3 – Economic Detective activity 1) With the decline in business in Centreville the tax base will drop. There will be smaller amount of businesses and people paying taxes. 2) The operating budget would decrease because of the decline in businesses. 1) Increase fines for texting while driving, drunk driving, tailgating,  aggressive driving, public intoxication, toll violations and other crimes. Increase fines for all violators of health and safety regulations in business, especially the food service industry. Lower the taxes can increase economic activity and provides incentives for taking risks in investments. 2) Increasing fines for individuals or businesses. 1) A. By using the capital funds from the other project to buy the warehouse. B. The indoor mall would attract businesses to lease from the city in the mall. 2) There will be more revenue from the sales and more jobs for people of the city. 3) Tax deductions for energy savings. Corporate income tax credit. Sales tax exemption. Payroll tax deductions. Part 4 – Summary questions 1) Challenges to implement a fair tax system: a. People agreeing on a fair tax system. It seems that most will not agree on every aspect of creating a fair tax system. b. Implementing a fair tax system would take power out of the hands of politicians. c. The poor would suffer more than the wealthy with a fair tax system. 2) Sales tax. Each person is charged at the same rate on their purchases. The wealthy will pay more sales tax because they have more disposable income.

A summary on the Article Bare, Bones and a Few Stones Essay

A summary on the Article Bare, Bones and a Few Stones - Essay Example Their minds and brains were not developed as Ehrlich describes, ‘they grabbed for roots, grabbed for an occasional mouthful’. What the author wants to discuss here is how our ancestors used the bigger brains to evolve the general kinds of nature that we have today and how they spread from Africa to all over the planet. He also points out that bones, skeletons and the stones brought about certain but not conclusive evidence of the evolution process. Ehrlich describes the genus, Homo used the forelimbs to carry and use tools and weapons. The early human beings were the original makers of the stone tools. The author expresses doubt if this is correct. Uncertainties remain with the human fossil record. From the samples it is not possible to draw conclusions about how many species of homos were there long ago. The evolutionary process, the physical appearance, the shape and size of the teeth, the jaws, all had a definite function and changed as human beings evolved from one stage to another. The teeth was used as a tool while the hair provided protection against insects. Our ancestors had the manual dexterity to produce tools and the foresight that these would be needed. Research suggests that technology differed from place to place, which depended on the environment as well as the skills of the homos making the tools. Human nature too differed geographically. Ehrlich suggests that although people share a common genetic code, the human nature is not a result of genetic coding. Cultural conditioning and environmental factors influence it. The molecular biologists are able to determine the sequence of molecular building blocks in Mitochondial DNA. MtDNA is passed from the mother to the child. These energy producing organs are present in the eggs and not in the sperm that penetrates the eggs. Analysis of mtDNA helps determine when two different populations of people last had a common ancestor. It is difficult to imagine how genes

British Prime Ministers Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Prime Ministers - Coursework Example This essay discusses how the British Prime Ministers in recent reign used different styles of leadership in strengthening their position, as well as their weaknesses. Each Prime Minister used different leadership style, each of which greatly impacted the decision making process to the main issues and policies (Heffernan 2005, p. 605). Fundamentally, the Prime Minister may be considered free of political influences, hence, influence by the common majority. The five prime Ministers considered here are Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and David Cameron. Margaret Thatcher Margaret Thatcher won three victories in the general election between 1983 and 1987, where she enjoyed the majority of the large commons. She was referred as a mobilizer and innovator. Thatcherism is a term coined from the neo-liberal economic mission and policies that she used in restoring Britain. This extends to include the aggressiveness and militant bearing of the prime minister. The leadership style was personal in nature where the prime minister dominated the cabinet. The aggressive leadership style enabled her to be vigorous and thorough, and not an authoritarian. Despite the endless accusations of Margaret Thatcher leadership, her leadership was the most dominant. Some critics argue that she was dictatorial, and this is considered unfair. Her perfectionism drive instilled the desire control in her. This style of leadership coupled with challenges in delegation is related to issues of gender. The vulnerability as the first female prime minister in UK sharpened her urge to control. Thatcher alleged the masculine leadership style never deterred her from exploitation of her status as a female. The cabinets consisted of exclusively male ministers, and this further emphasizes on the exemplary position held by the Prime Minister. The leadership style by Thatcher was characterized by a high degree of skills in switching between the genders roles, and hence considered an expert gender-bender. Her toughness enabled her confound her male colleagues. When n ecessary, Thatcher used her feminine charms to enable her get away with the political stratagems and ploys (Nunn 2002, p. 56). She was most concerned with her appearance especially her clothes and hair. She relished and loved her leadership as the British prime minister. John Major John Major was a British conservative and a politician. He served as the British Prime Minister from 1990 t0 1997. Though Major was a more disappointment when compared to Thatcher, he was the most preferred as the successor of Margaret Thatcher. His leadership style stark-contrasted to that of his predecessor, Margaret Thatcher and had a more inclusive cabinet. Some of his successes include signing of agreements with European Unions and bring IRA ceasefire that established the Good Friday Agreement. The accusations on government sleaze and the party divisions dogged his premiership. The 1995 criticisms of his leadership compelled him take the unprecedented step of resigning as the leader of his party. Des pite his victory, he remained unpopular where the party failed in uniting behind him (Heppell 2007, p. 471). His moderate political stance and mild-mannered style enhanced his theoretical placement as conciliatory party leader. He did not succeed in uniting the Euro-rebels. It was during his premiership that the economy in Britain recovered from 1990-1992 recessions. The prime Minister maintained low profile after leaving the office (Heppell 2007, p. 473). Tony Blair Tony Blair served as British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007. He is among the highly respected leaders worldwide. Sources indicate that Blair was self-centered and

Mental processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mental processes - Essay Example t of questions asked about how the mental processes are relevant to our everyday activities and whether it is possible to study the mind when we cannot see the mind. The mind-brain identity theory holds that the mind is the brain and that mental states are the brains. It identifies sensations and other mental phenomena with the physical processes of the brain (Brook & Roberts, 178). This theory views the mind and brain as being identical. Unlike other philosophers, who argue that, experiences are brain processes, but are non-physical properties. The brain-mind theory affirms that mind is a physical thing, which is the brain. This theory disagrees with both substance dualism and property dualism theories (Mandik, 263). The theory maintains that mind is the brain just like water is H2O or lighting is electricity (Brook & Robert, 178). It dismisses the substance dualism on the ground that the mind is non-physical by affirming the mind as being a thing, which is the brain. The theory also disagrees with the property dualism on the basis of brain properties such as qualia are non-physical properties (Mandik, 264). According to the theory, qualia indeed are properties, but they are one and similar to the brain properties. This theory refers to the mental state as something literally, inner, since a person’s brain is literally inside the body (Mandik, 265). The mind-brain theory gives an explanation of the correlation of mental states with brain states, as it highlights the role of empirical investigation about mind and bra in. It also solves the mind causation problems as it reduces mental realm to physical (Mandik, 265). This theory plays a role as it investigates the process of the mental state from the physical perspective. However, the mind theory faces the challenge of multiple realizability in which it states, for every mental state there is a unique physical-chemical state of the brain in the sense that a life form can be in the mental state on condition that it

Relationship Marketing, Electronic Marketing and Integrated Marketing Assignment - 1

Relationship Marketing, Electronic Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications - Assignment Example This essay stresses that electronic marketing comprises of all those realms where product promotion and customer relations come in direct contact with the various electronic media forms. These can entail the television, the radio, the Internet and other related disciplines. Since the electronic marketing discussion is centered on a wider spectrum than relationship marketing, its positives as well as negatives are immensely drawn so as to gain a fair enough understanding. The relational sentiment is thus made apparent through the efforts of the people who bring forward the relationship marketing, electronic marketing and the integrated marketing communications domains to the fore. This paper makes a conclusion that the marketing discipline is indeed comprised of a number of entities, all of which play one role or the other. These dictate the essential basis of understanding where the problems lie and how these can be done away with as and when required. Also a proactive measure sets the basis of undertaking quite a few steps which are geared to achieve results for the betterment of both the business and the end consumers. All said and done, the overlapping of the three forms of marketing is always a good omen for the marketers, the end consumers and the marketing process. It is because of these measures that the brands and campaigns are able to reach out to newer markets, reclaim the old ones and thus reinforce sales whilst building a positive word of mouth all along.

The pearls illusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The pearls illusion - Essay Example The author dexterously manoeuvres the plot of the book so that the readers can identify with the more selfish nature of the man who relish the failures of the downtrodden and even make efforts to subdue and overpower the dreams of the poor so that the rich can become richer and continue to maintain that status. The book portrays the ‘ambitions’ of protagonist ‘Kino’ which are intrinsically linked with providing his son with education and a better life. The book shows how the simple wishes of the man, especially the ones who are poor, turn into ambitious ventures when confronted with the surreal realities of the time. The author has used the story telling mode to convey the changing moods of the protagonist and has profusely used the surreal elements to weave the magic in the ordinary life of the hero. Steinbeck, in this powerful book, has shown the irony of the pursuit of superficial material gains that blinds the man to the most important objective of life, of being happy. Through the character of Kino, author skilfully takes the readers through the experiences of day to day struggle of a poor man and shows how he develops the illusionary desires and ambitions to overcome his poverty so that he can provide a more comfortable life for his son and family. ‘Bu t the pearls were accidents, and the finding of one was luck’ becomes the powerful motive of the protagonist to dream. The book is a story of Kino and his wife Juana who go to the sea in search of ‘pearl of the world’ so that they can provide proper treatment for their son, who is bitten by the poisonous scorpion. They find the most coveted pearl and thereon begins the saga of the dramatic events that turn their lives upside down. Everybody in the small village is attracted to the pearl and wants a share of the riches that it represents. The people like the doctor, who had earlier refused to treat Coyito, Kino’s son and the

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an Essay

In what Ways Can Political Risk Impact on the Operations of an International Company - Essay Example As in its context, political risk is described as ‘the risk of loss of assets, earning power or managerial control due to politically based events or actions by host governments’ (Daft 116). From a similar view, Sharan (2011) notes that political risk is a term used in order to show the response of international companies to ‘political scenarios developed in host countries’ (Sharan 229). The aspects of political risk that international companies are likely to face are presented and analyzed in this paper. Reference is made to a specific company, Shell, which is well established in the global market. The political risk that Shell faces in Nigeria is used as an example in order to show that the specific type of risk is inevitable for firms operating around the world. Moreover, under certain terms this risk can severely threaten organizational activities in the host country, unless appropriate measures are developed in advance. 2. Political risk as a factor inf luencing the operations of international companies The political environment of a particular country can highly affect business operations in all its industries. Foreign firms operating in this country are also likely to be influenced by changes or turbulences in the local political environment. ... Moreover, there are countries, which are most likely to face such problems, compared to others where political instability is rather low. For example, in ‘Indonesia and Sri Lanka’ (Daft and Marcic 88) social conflicts are quite common, increasing the political risk for foreign firms operating in these countries. Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes that political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). Moreover, Aswathappa (2010) notes th at political risk can affect business activities ‘in different ways’ (Aswathappa 131). For example, in the context of political risk, an international firm may have to face the following problems: ‘a) expropriation of its assets, b) barriers to repatriation of profits, c) loss of technology, d) campaigns against foreign goods’ (Aswathappa 131). The above risks are described as macro – risks, being differentiated from micro – political risks, such as: a) ‘the kidnappings of employees, the increase of taxation or terrorism’ (Aswathappa 131). On the other hand, Mckellar (2010) notes that important information on the political environment of a particular country can be retrieved through the international organizations, usually non-for-profit organizations, operating within this country. In any case, political risk

Respond Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Respond - Movie Review Example After a long duration of attempting to provide answers to his questions, Tim formulated a thesis and his work brought to a halt the raising of more question and judgments. He concluded his research process convinced that Vermeer used optical devices to undertake his work in painting. Tim ultimately answered the numerous questions that he posed and that his critics could have raised. Through setting on a course to establish the techniques that a predecessor artist used in his work, one can say that Tim engages in a process of critical inquiry. To guide the endeavor, he had to pose critical questions that he was to provide their answers based on his research. However, Tim was successful in narrowing down the differences that existed in his initial views and Vermeer’s perception and techniques or tools of art. Through successfully answering his critical questions, he minimizes the broader discourse that would have existed between his perception and Vermeer’s views on the techniques and tools of art. Therefore, Tim harmonizes his views with his predecessor through confirming the validity of his thesis. Tim’s rhetorical situation is that he seems to become obsessed with work that was originally done by another artist. His situation leaves one wondering whether he lacks originality or whether he just needs to prove a point. The fact that he confi rms the techniques used in Vermeer’s work was not any different from what he thought is a sign that there is no discovery that he

Investigative Report on Interviewee Essay Example for Free

Investigative Report on Interviewee Essay The interview is of a former police officer who is now undergoing a course in criminal justice psychology. The interviewee is a 57 year old separated man who has been a professional policeman with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and has also had a second career as a laser technician. The interviewee has a strong experiential exposure to criminals during his career in the CHP. He is a multi dimensional personality pursuing art as well as computer 3D art and painting. Presently he is looking forward for a graduate degree in criminal justice psychology followed possibly by a doctoral degree in psychology. He thus has innate interest in human psychology and is willing to learn. The individual is concerned about the suicide rate for CHP officers and feels that by combining knowledge of psychology with practical experience in policing he would be able to contribute to improvement of quality of life and thus possibly bring down the suicide rate. The interviewee has a strong feminine bondage in the family being a father of four daughters aged 17 to 35 years and is also a grandfather of 5. Thus while he has been separated there is possibility of adequate empathy for women borne out of this innate connectivity. 2. Describe the elements the interviewee possessed. The individual has good knowledge of policing and is interested in psychology. Despite his relatively short tenure in the police due to medical reasons, he is committed to policing and criminology. The biggest asset of the person is his willingness to learn and experiment. Thus after his policing career he has been in a most unusual job as a laser technician and now is pursuing a career in criminal justice psychology. His interests in inter related fields of crime and psychology make him an ideal combination for mentoring and providing psychological assistance to police officers. While he has had a good exposure to policing, he has not had any experience with women officers as during his period of service, women police officers had not been inducted in the force. His knowledge of women police officers is thus limited to anecdotal inputs provided by his colleagues and short social exposure to daughters of police presently working in the force. There is thus a strong element of doubt of capability of women officers in the harsh environment of beat policing in the individual. He has on the other hand a strong sense of values and character, based on his experience in policing and he sees these as prime assets in a police personnel. He also tends to rely on experience and personal knowledge in making judgments. 3. Describe the elements that might lead to advantages or disadvantages for women officers. The interviewee has a strong female empathy factor in the family, being the father of four daughters and one who is open to the girl child take up a policing job; which will certainly work to his advantage. Another issue is his understanding of the criminal policing system and interest in psychology which will provide a strong backdrop to all aspects related to mentoring of police officers. He is willing to learn and is a multi skilled person interested in arts. These elements provide him the motivation as well as the ability to learn new skills and adapt to varied surroundings. The strong sense of values and character that he possesses will surely be an advantage. The interviewee has had no experience of working with women officers earlier which could be a serious disadvantage as he would not be able to correlate to problems, pressures and the difference in environment in which male and female officers in the force have to work. Being a separated person there could be a disadvantage of greater mistrust, though this will depend on intrinsic reasons for separation which are not known at present. The interviewee’s opinions of the competence of female officers is based on dated information when there were limited numbers and their role was also restricted, this may necessitate a longer learning period for him to adjust to an environment required to support women. The interviewee also is not confident of the role that women officers can play in the police force and honestly doubts their capabilities. However this may be due to lack of exposure to women officers during his career. He may be willing to change his opinion once he is exposed, given his family background and learning motivation. 4. Explain why these elements might prove beneficial or problematic when working with women officers. A general empathy for women in general which the individual possesses will prove beneficial along with basic grounding in psychology as well as criminal justice system. Adaptability and willingness to learn may also prove beneficial when working with women officers. His emphasis on values, character and respect will also be useful to motivate women officers as they are more idealistic and moved by demonstrated ethical characteristics. In working with women police officers, it would be essential to understand their special needs and differentiate the manner of their working with that of male officers. The interviewee lacks exposure and appears to be opinionated in this regard which would be problematic. The interviewee is also not very comfortable with the idea of women in policing which may again be due to his lack of experience in this regard and this would be problematic at least in the initial stages. Reference 1. Interview Record. (No Date). Copy of proceedings attached in original.

Analysis of Personnel Management and HRM Perspectives

Analysis of Personnel Management and HRM Perspectives INTRODUCTION The report has two sections; the first will focus on critically analysing the principals of Personnel Management (PM) and Human Resource Management (HRM) and the similarities and differences between them. Furthermore, John Storeys (1992), Guests (1987), Beer and Spectors (1985) points of difference will be provided and adapted to a Subway franchise. Finally, the appropriate recommendations on how the company could improve its HR procedures. The second will focus on context of Subway Franchisor Corporation which is currently the leading fast food company in the US, winning numerous awards since it was founded in 1965 by a 17 year old Fred DeLuca. It provides nutritious menu choices, flexible food options on its gourmet breads, sauces and toppings. The company also specialises in wraps, tortillas and salads as well as a variety of drinks. According to Subways official website (subway.co.uk), their mission is to supply good quality food and service, and also provide the tools and knowledge to entrepreneurs to gain competitive advantage over other fast food companies. It is important to understand Subways role as a franchisor. This report is not based on an analysis of the Subway Corporation, the franchisor, but rather on an individual Subway franchisee. 1 Personnel Management The history of PM began around the end of the 19th Century; a concept closely connected to the contradiction in relations between companies and their employees. It is believed that PM evolved through phases: Welfarist (until 1920s) Characterised by an emphasis on the provision of welfare facilities and efforts made to create the ideal factory (Cumming, 1993, pp.4-5). Personnel Administration (1930s) In the form of recruitment, basic training and record keeping (Armstrong, 1996, p.32). Development (1950s) Management of employee relations becomes the critical contingency factor of PM due to the rise in TU membership and collective bargaining. A wider range of personnel services were provided (Armstrong, 1996). A broad definition of PM is a function concerned with putting in place, the processes and procedures to make sure the organisation has the right staff at the right time so it can operate at a very basic level. Similarly, Cole (2002) describes PM as the function of management that has to deal with the recruitment, employment, training, redeployment, safety and departure of employees. 1.1 Functions of Personnel Management PM tries to maintain fair terms and conditions of employment, whilst efficiently managing day-to-day, personnel activities at the operational level. Heavily based on administrative tasks; It involves hiring and developing employees so that they become more valuable to the organisation. More specifically, the functions of PM are identified by Armstrong (1996) in Appendix 1. In broader terms, the functions include:- Conducting job analysis, recruiting and selecting and handling promotion internally. Training based on legal requirements of Health and Safety procedures, risk assessment. Remuneration: making sure the correct wage/salary is paid at the right time (Cole, 2002). Providing benefits and incentives. Appraising performance, resolving disputes in the form of grievance and discipline. Monitoring absences and sickness using techniques such as the Bradford Factor (identifies the number and patterns of absences). Redundancy: administration of and dismissal procedures (Cole, 2002, p.26) 1.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Personnel Management Identifying people as the central function of an organisation which need controlling and allocated effectively (Bach, 2005), is the key advantage of PM as it is essential to the survival of the organisation. As previously mentioned, personnel managers can identify staffing gaps and assign the right number and type of people the organisation needs, (Armstrong, 1996, p.28). Furthermore, it is a very methodical. There are clear ideas of what has to be done in certain situations implying that there is transparency and consistency in the way individuals are treated. The advantages of PM may however also have negative implications. For example, Maslow (cited in Strage, 1992) identifies that individuals are different with different needs. The model is inflexible and standardised, dealing with each employee and every organisation in a certain way. This may not be appropriate for all employees or organisations. PM has often been described as routine and very process driven. This may be ideal for large organisations however not for smaller firms. The process is costly and time consuming to manage effectively. Finally, the culture and individual values of the workers are not considered, along with the adversarial relationship (the wanting of different things) between workers and management. 2 Shift from Personnel to HRM In the 20th Century there was a broad discussion whether or not HRM represents a fundamental change in people management or it just a phase of PM (Beardwell and Claydon, 2004). Some theorists emphasised a transformational shift from PM to HRM (Spector, 1985). Tyson and York (1993) believed that people are a businesss most important resource and that the achievement of organisational goals depends mostly on this. At the same time others believed that HRM was just a next step in PM development caused by historical and environmental factors (Bach and Sisson, 2000). It was stated that in PM, employees are seen as a variable cost, while HRM shows that they are a variable asset to the organisation. However, some theorists argued that change in name didnt bring a change in reality, therefore HRM was described as an old wine in new bottles (Armstrong, 1987) and as a wolf in sheeps clothing (Keenoy, 1990). Theorists tried to answer these questions by identifying similarities and differences between two approaches of people management. Legge (1995) identifies following similarities:- Both emphasise the importance of integration. Both linked employee development with the achievement of organisational goals. Both sought to ensure that the right people were in the right job. Both gave the responsibility of people management to line managers. 2.1 Beardwell and Claydon Model (2007) In contrast, Beer and Spector (1985), Guest (1987) and Storey (1992) compared the models and identified several points of difference which are summarised in a single model developed by Beardwell and Claydon, (2007, p.13). It examines differences between them in 5 perspectives seen in Appendix 2. 2.2 John Storeys Model (1992) Another model, underlying the previous one was made by John Storey, who identified 27 differences between PM and HRM. These points are grouped into four categories: beliefs and assumptions, strategic aspects, line management and key levers (Appendix 3). 2.2.1 Advantages Clearly identifies the differences between the two. Shows consideration to organisational culture, strategies, leadership. Identifies a two dimensional map: interventionary/non-interventionary and strategic/tactical (Armstrong, 1996, p.62) 2.2.2 Limitations Companies often combine both approaches and therefore cannot be characterised under just one. Organisations beliefs and assumptions as these are often invisible and non-tangible (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007). 3 Human Resource Management HRM presents a variety of different styles and models. Storey (1989) identifies its two types: hard and soft. Later, Michigan Business School (MBS) and Harvard University developed two different basic models, which have been very influential in the interpretation of HRM (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007): Matching model associated with a hard approach and Harvard model, in connection with soft. These two particular models underline the two main concepts: Matching model became a basis of best-fit school of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM), whilst Harvard models ideas contributed to best-practice approach. These will be discussed further. 3.1 Soft/Hard approach to HRM The hard approach stresses the importance of close integration of HR policies, and activities and systems of business strategy. Also, the emphasis is placed on cost-reduction strategies (Schuler and Jackson, 1987). Furthermore, it detects the strong from the weak i.e. those whose attributes and skills help the company to achieve strong strategic positioning and competitive advantage. The soft approach recognises employees as valued assets to attain competitive advantage through their commitment, high quality, adaptability, performance and their skill set. Employees are proactive through collaborations and participation. Soft and hard approaches are very contrasting especially when implementing a single approach. Soft and hard approaches show an obvious gap between what would be characterised as rhetoric and reality. 3.2 Matching Model The model is developed by MBS (Fombrun et al.,1984). It shows an interconnection between different environmental forces (political, economical, cultural), business structure and strategy and HR policies and practices. It emphasise a close relationship between the last two (Appendix 4). The model is associated with a hard version of HRM that is characterised by using HR in order to meet business objectives. Two basic assumptions form a model (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007): Effective way of people management is not universal: it depends on the particular organisation. Employees should follow the same business views as managers and the owners in order to maximise organisational performance. 3.2.1 Advantages Takes into account the influence of external factors on an organisation and its HR polices. Emphasises tight fit between HR and business strategy that leads to competitive advantage (Beardwell and Claydon, 2007, p.7). 3.2.2 Disadvantages Business level strategy and HR strategy could not be linear (Bratton and Gold, 2001). Fails to generate employee commitment (Purcell, 1995, cited in Storey). Excessive fit could be a disadvantageous to achieving goals (Boxall, 1996). 3.3 The Best-Fit Model Best-fit model belongs to contingency school of SHRM that explores the link between stages of organisational development, strategy, HRM policies and practices (Boxall and Purcell, 2000). There are several best-fit models: life-cycle model (Kochan and Barocci, 1985), competitive advantage models (Schuler and Jackson, 1987 and Miles and Snow, 1984) and configurational perspective (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002; Delery and Doty, 1996). 3.3.1 Life-Cycle Model The model matches HR policies and practises with the stage of organisational life-cycle (Appendix 5). In the start-up phase, HR polices should be flexible and attract talented and skilled employees. The growth stage should have more formal HR procedures, efficient management and organisational development. The maturity stage is characterised by cost control, HR strategy and, finally, in the decline stage, the company shifts to rationalisation with a reduction of workforce and redundancy implications (Kochan and Barocci, 1985). 3.3.2 Competitive Advantage Model The model links HR systems and organisational strategy. Porter (1980) argued that firms could follow only three generic strategies: cost leadership, differentiation or focus strategy. Schuler and Jackson (1987) matches these with a firms HRM polices (Appendix 6). The emphasis shifts from long-term focus, coordination and broad career path under the innovation strategy to fixed job descriptions, immediate focus and continuous training under quality enhancement and to short-term focus and minimal level of training under the cost reduction strategy (Schuler and Jackson, 1987). Miles and Snow (1978) classify companies into four distinct strategic groups (defenders, prospectors, analyzers and reactors) and base their response to three major problems: entrepreneurial, engineering, and administrative. Their competitive advantage framework (Miles and Snow, 1984) links three of these strategies with firms HR practices (Appendix 7). Application of their model to the organisation increases busi ness performance. 3.3.3 Configurational Model Contingency school was criticised for its lack of sophistication, because of its attempt to relate only to one variable. Configurational model is a more complicated approach that focuses on multiple independent variables that effect HRM strategy. This approach represents non-linear synergistic effects and higher order interaction to maximise performance of the company (Delery and Doty, 1996, p.808). The model emphasises internal congruence with organisational systems such as management style, finance and culture (Paauwe, 2004) as well as their vertical integration with strategic configuration (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2002). 3.3.4 Advantages of Best-fit model Analyses the influence of external environmental factors on organisation and its HR practises. Emphasises congruence and coordination between internal HR practises (Delery and Doty, 1996). Matches HR system with strategic management processes (Schuler and Jackson, 1999). 3.3.5 Disadvantages of the Best-fit model Ignores unique characteristics of individual businesses that could be the main source of competitive advantage (Beardwell and Claydon, 2004, pp.48-49). Ignores employee interests. Simplicity of classical approach in describing competitive strategies. Lacks sufficient attention to dynamics (Boxall, Purcell, 2000, p.187). 3.4 Harvard Model The soft approach Harvard model described by Beer et al. (1984) provides one of the first major statements on how managers should practise SHRM (Appendix 8). The analytical framework consists of six basic components: situational factors, stakeholders interest, HRM policy choices, HR outcomes, long term consequences and a feedback loop through which outputs flow directly into the organisation and to the stakeholders. It is associated with the goals of flexibility and adaptability and implies that communication plays a central role in management (Storey and Sisson, 1993). 3.4.1 Advantages Recognises and incorporates a range of stakeholder interests (Armstrong, 2003) Recognises the importance of trade-offs. Widens the context of HRM to include employee influence, the organisation of work and the associated questions of supervisory style (Armstrong, 2003). 3.4.2 Disadvantages Fails to show corporate or business strategy as key determinant of HRM strategies and polices (Tyson, 2006). This model does not explain SHRM functions in a detailed way (Loosemore, Dainty and Lingard, 2003). 3.5 Best Practice: High Commitment Models These models are tools which are used to enhance companys overall performance in improving employee spirits, behaviours, lowering labour turnover and absenteeism. The aim is to improve productivity, encourage high levels of expertise, and enhance quality and efficiency (Claydon et al. 2004). There are two approaches: the best practice SHRM and universalism. The best practice according to Guest (1989) has four objectives: strategic integration, commitment, flexibility, and quality. These objectives mentioned are required to achieve:- High job performance, Good problem solving among employees, Flexibility Lower employee turnover Another model is Pfeffers (1994): 16 HR practices for competitive advantage through people, later changed to seven practices for building income by putting people first (Appendix 9). This type of model signifies that HR enables organisations to adapt and innovate to gain a competitive advantage. With the universal approach, the concern is with how close organisations can get to the ideal of practices, (Claydon et al. 2004) the assumption being that the closer a company gets, the better the company performs. Other best practice models vary depending on the relationship of organisational performance. This can be seen in Appendix 10. Limitations of best practice models are: difficulty in determining whether or not the HRM practices lead to enhanced organisational performance or whether it is the current financial position which leads to increases in performance. It is also very difficult to determine how organisations with tight financial control operate within highly competitive markets and how they can invest in some of the HR practices advocated in the best practice models (Storey, 1995). Other limitations include: improved performance through efficiency and its tight financial control could be associated with the hard HR policies as mentioned in Storeys 27 points of differences. According to Boxall and Purcell (2003) high commitment models tend to fudge the question of pluralists goals and interests (Boxall et al, 2003) which has also led to negative comments of how best practice models assist with the organisations overall performance. 4 Subways Approach to Human Resource Management/Personnel Management In this part we explore and critically evaluate Subways Leicester based franchisees HR practises and procedures and assess their PM and HRM characteristics. Mannys Classic Subs Limited is a typical example of Subway UK based franchisee. HR practises in this company are conducted by the HR manager and Managing Director (MD), which include planning, advertising, interviewing, recruitment and selection, disciplinary procedures, training, payment and wages review, rewards system and retention. Some fundamental HR procedures are communicated from the head office; however, the way in which they are implemented depends on the management of individual franchisees. In this particular firm HR procedures are still being developed. 4.1 Role perspective There are several top management roles such as the MD, Restaurant Managers, and Company Secretary. These are however, not clearly defined. When looking at lower roles: within the stores themselves, there is a high level of specialisation. The specific roles include: Sandwich Artist involves customer service, paperwork accuracy, cash register, equipment usage, product preparation and taking phone orders. Shift Leader involves supervision of sandwich artist, deals with customer complaints, delegating work, enforcing policies and dealing with staffing issues. Assistant manager involves hiring, training and supervising procedures, weekly inventory and paperwork, food service certification, service counter marketing (Subway Operations Manual, 2009) According to Storey (1992) and Guest (1987), characteristics of PM can be seen at the lower levels and HRM at the top levels. It can however be said that the level of standardisation is high in general. This is because strict guidelines are passed down from the corporate Franchisor to each Franchisee in relation to its operations. In addition to this, communication throughout the company is direct in reference to HR approaches. This could be associated with the size of the company and with the stage within its life cycle. This company has 46 employees and therefore classified as a small firm. In addition, Subway is in the growth stage because it was established two years ago and its market share is still growing. 4.2 Training and Development A two week training program, in the corporate headquarters, in management, book-keeping and personnel procedures, is offered to new franchisees. Plus an additional 34 hours of job training at a nearest subway (Subway Staff Handbook, 2009). In contrast, staff training is provided by the local managers or supervisors however, when training employees in first aid, they are sent in groups to St Johns Ambulance to attend a four day training course in advance first aid. Preliminary courses are also organised before sales training. This way of controlling access to courses when training staff relates directly to PM. Furthermore, the Subway Staff Handout (2009) states that employees could be sponsored to obtain relevant qualifications that may be beneficial to their development within the company. 4.3 Recruitment and Selection The recruitment processes within Subway include e-recruitment (company website), job fairs and word-of-mouth from current employees. They clearly identify what they want from candidates especially in relation to punctuality, accuracy, communication, ability to take direction and follow rules and most importantly, customer friendliness. The selection process begins once the company has received candidates applications. The HR manager identifies the key characteristics of a candidate for example, age, availability and previous work experience. On the second stage of selection, the HR manager selects appropriate candidates for a telephone interview to discuss in detail the requirements of the role. The candidates that match the companys criteria are then invited to a face-to-face interview; ultimately leading to the selection of one candidate and the signing of the contract. The company contract is simple and generic as it applies to most employees. All requirements included within this contract are clearly stated implying a personnel approach. 4.4 Employment relations Managers treat employees according to the business needs. The main focus is on company stakeholders especially customers, who they believe is the heart of their business (Kang, 2009). Internal relationships between staff are fundamental to the company. If conflicts occur, they are de-emphasised and the main role for management is to manage climate and culture. This is a reflection of the HR approach. 4.5 Monitoring and Control Subway adopts a personnel approach to monitoring its employees so that all procedures and regulations set by senior management are followed. The monitoring system used is called KADCAM which ensures every transaction is processed accordingly and any errors within the process line inform the manager that employees are not following the rules. 4.6 Pay and Rewards Wage starts at  £7 per hour for all staff apart from store managers, after a trial period. These are then reviewed annually and depend upon company results and in accordance with the HR approach; pay is also based on individual performance. Company policy also includes promotion for suitable candidates with an appropriate level of experience and essential competencies (Subway Staff Handbook, 2009). CONCLUSION The first section of the report critically analysed PM and HRM and evaluated the similarities and differences between the two approaches. It was identified that PM sees employees as a cost and the objective is to minimise this. In contrast, HRM approach argues that people are a valuable asset and its practices are aimed to increase the employees commitment. They allow for HR policies to fit company strategy and ensure the company maximises business performance. In the second part of the report Subways approach to people management is analysed using comparative frameworks by Beer and Spector (1985), Guest (1987) and Storey (1992) and identified features of both personnel and HRM approaches in Subway. RECOMMENDATIONS According to the companys life cycle which is at the growth stage, and strategy involving maximising return on investment and providing excellent customer service (Subway Staff Handbook, 2009); they have relatively appropriate HR strategies in place. However, in order for them to adapt to the changing dynamic environment, they could improve and develop some of their procedures. From speaking directly with staff at the franchise, it was identified that the employees are given a high level of empowerment. When management first implemented this, staff members were allowed to give out free upgrades but werent given appropriate instructions on procedures. It is recommended that management provides training and supervision (in the form of instruction booklets) before employees are empowered. Subway currently closely controls its staff, but it could shift from PM, monitoring approach to nurturing in order to build trust between the company and its employees. As this franchise in particular is in the development stage, some HR procedures such as rewards and promotions are not clearly identified yet. The company could improve this in order to increase enthusiasm within employees, thus leads to achievement of organisational goals. Subway already emphasises the importance of teamwork however this can always be improved and develop for example by the use of team building workshops. They could also have an additional rewards set for teamwork as opposed to just individual rewards. Finally, rate of pay is fixed as there is no difference between weekend and week pay. Separate teams are allocated to work weekends and mid-week. With a separate team just working on the busier weekends, dissatisfaction may occur. In compliance with other fast food companies within the UK, a recommendation would be to increase the hourly pay rate for the members that work on the weekends. REFERENCE LIST Armstrong, M. (1987) Human resource management: a case of the emperors new clothes?, Personnel Management, 19(8), pp.30-35 Armstrong, M. (1996) A handbook of Personnel Management Practise 6th Edition, Kogan Page Ltd, pp.27-63 Armstrong, M. (2003) Human Resource Management Practice 9th ed. Cambrian Printers Ltd, pp.397-496 Azashemi, M., (2008) Operational context: Human resource management, Prentice Hall Bach, S. and Sisson, K. (2000) Personnel management: a comprehensive guide to theory and practice, 3rd ed, Oxford: Blackwell Bach. S, Sisson. K (2002), Personnel Management (3rd Ed). Blackwell Publishing. Oxford (UK), p.323 Bach. S. (2005), Personnel Management (4th Ed). Blackwell Publishing. Oxford (UK). Beardwell, J and Claydon, T. (2007), Human Resource Management: A Contemporary. Approach, 5th ed., London: FT Prentice Hall Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach, 4th ed., Harlow, Financial Times Prentice Hall Beer and Spector (1985) Corporate wide transformations in human resource management In Walton R. E. and Lawrence P. R. (eds) HRM: Trends and Challenges. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press. Beer et al. (1984) Managing Human Assets. New York: Free Press Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2000) Strategic Human Resource Management: Where Have We Come From and Where Should We Be Going, International Journal of Management Reviews, 2 (2), pp. 183-203 Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2003) Strategy and human resource management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Boxall, P. (1996), The strategic HRM debate and the resource based view of the firm, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol.6, Issue 3, pp.59-75 Boxall, P., (2003) Strategy and Human Resource Management (SHRM), Prentice hall publication pp.59-62 Brandler, S, and Roman, C (1999) GROUP WORK: Skills and Strategies for Effective Interventions, New York ; London : Haworth Press Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2000) Human Resource Management Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. McMillan. Bratton, J, Gold, J. (2001) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice, 2nd Ed., New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Capon, C. (2003) Understanding Organisational Context: Inside and Outside Organisations, 2nd ed., Harlow: FT Prentice Hall Cole, G. (2002) Personnel and Human Resource Management, 5th Ed. Thomson Learning Cully, M et al (1998), The 1998 Workplace Employees Survey. First findings. London: DTI Cumming, M. (1993) The Theory and Practice of Personnel Management, 7th Ed.Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd, pp.4-5 Delery J. and Doty D. (1996) Models of theorizing in strategic human resource management: test of universalistic, contingency and configurational performance predictions, Academy of Management Journal, Volume 39, Issue 4, pp. 802-835 Fombrun et al. (1984) Strategic Human Resource Management. New York: John Wiley Gerhart, B. et al (1996) Academy Of Management Journal, volume 39 issue 4, pp. 779-801 Gill, C. (1999). Use of Hard and Soft Models of HRM to Illustrate the Gap Between Rhetoric And Reality in Workforce Management. School of Management, Rmit University. Australia. Gold, J. et al. (2003) Human Resource Management: Theory and practice 3rd edition, Palgrave Macmillan publication Gratton, L. (2003) Strategic Human Resource Management: Corporate Rhetoric and Human Reality. Oxford University Press Guest, D. (1987), Human resource management and industrial relations, Journal of Management Studies, 24(5), pp.503-521 Guest, D. (1989) Personnel and HRM: can you tell the difference? Personnel management journal, volume 21 pp. 48 Halawi L, Aronson J and McCarthy R (2005) Resource-Based View of Knowledge Management for Competitive Advantage The Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 3(2), pp. 75-86 Kang, M. (2009) Mannys Classic Subs Ltd Keenoy, T. (1990) HRM: A Case of the Wolf in Sheeps Clothing? Personnel Review, 19(2) Kochan, T. and Barocci, T. (1985) Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations, Boston, MA: Little Brown Legge, K. (1995). Human resource management: Rhetorics and realities. London: Macmillan Business Loosemore, M., Dainty, A.R.J., Lingard, H. (2003), Managing People in Construction Projects: Strategic and Operational Approaches, London : Taylor Francis Mabey, C., Salaman, G., Storey, J (1998) Human Resource Management: A Strategic Introduction, 2nd Edition, Malden: Blackwell Publishers, p. 65 Mabey,C, Salaman, G., Storey, J. (1999) Human Resource Management: A Strategic Introduction. 2nd ed. Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2002) People, Management and Development, 2nd ed., London: CIPD Maslow, A. cited in Strage, H. (1992) A Theory of Human Motivation: Milestones in Management, Blackwells, pp.187-284 Miles, R. and Snow, C (1978) Organisational Strategy, Structure and Process, New York: McGrow-Hill Miles, R. and Snow, C. (1984) Designing Strategic Human Resource Systems, Organisational Dynamics, 13 (1), 36-52 Paauwe, J. (2004) HRM and performance: unique approaches for achieving long term viability, Oxford: Oxford University Press Pfeffer, J. (1994) Competitive Advantage through people, Harvard business school pp. 14-52 Porter, M. 1980. Competitive Strategy, New York: Free Press Purcell, J. (1995). cited In Storey, J. Human Resource Management: A Critical Text. London: Routledge Schuler, R. and Jackson, S. (1987) Linking competitive strategy with human resource management practices, Academy of Management Executive, 1 (3), pp. 207-219. Schuler, R. and Jackson, S. (1999) Strategic Human Resource Management, Holbeche: Blackwell Publishing Storey, J. (1989) New Perspectives on Human Resource Management, London: Routledge Storey, J. (1992) Developments in the Management of Human Resources, Blackwell publishers Storey, J. (1994) Human

Julius Caesar Essay -- Roman History

Ever wondered what it takes to be a good king or ruler? Julius Caesar is one of the most famous rulers of all time. He was one of Rome’s greatest and most powerful leaders. His changes to the empire helped take Rome to new levels of success. The life of Caesar was short, yet great. It is important to learn about this great man and his many accomplishments. Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13th, 100 B.C. to a poor, Patrician family in Rome (â€Å"Julius Caesar†; Gruen 12). For most of his young life, Caesar lived in an apartment type house in one of the poorest districts in Rome. He was a strong student and studied such subjects as oratory, philosophy, and even martial arts. Coming from a family that is believed to have a long ancestry of Roman royalty, Caesar quickly found success in Rome at a young age. Caesar married Cornelia, his first wife, at age 17 (â€Å"Julius Caesar†; Gruen 12). The first of many political offices that Caesar would hold in Rome was the office or praetor. Elected in his first time to run, Caesar was elected to this position in 62 B.C. He also was elected this way when elected consul in 59 B.C. Even with other Roman senators trying to keep him out of office, Caesar continued to hold power and make alliances with other political leaders such as Pompey and Crassus (â€Å"Julius Caesar;† Gruen 13). Pompey himself helped Caesar in becoming consul because Caesar gave land for the poor and Pompey’s troops (Combee 95). After success and alliances with other countries’ leaders, Caesar went to Gaul in an attempt to conquer more land and further stretch his power. Conquering many lands in Gaul, Caesar took nine years to finish his campaigns. By treating the Gauls fairly, Caesar became very well-li... ...ese are just a few accomplishments made by such a successful man. In conclusion, Julius Caesar lived a very successful life. Many years after his death, Caesar’s accomplishments are still credited even today. While many people consider Caesar to be a poor leader, we can still learn from his many successes and use them to better our lives today. In his years of ruling Rome, Caesar made many changes to the empire that led it to even more success. When will the next leader with power such as Caesar’s emerge? The world can only wait and see. Works Cited Combe, Jerry H. History of the World in Christian Perspective. Pensacola, FL: A Beka Book, 1995. Print. Gruen, Erich S. â€Å"Caesar, Julius.† World Book Encyclopedia. 2009 ed. Print. â€Å"Julius Caesar: First Man of Rome.† 4 Jan. 2010. Web. March 2010 .

How I Spent My Summer Vacation :: Summer Vacation Essays

How I Spent My Summer Vacation My boyfriend, Greg and I felt it would be a great opportunity to spend some quality time with our friends. We were going on a three day camping trip with long time friends, another couple, Chris and Heather. Chris is the go-with-the-flow type of guy but only if Heather allows him to do so. Heather is a very kind person who looks out for others. She just crosses that line of being concerned to being motherlike. See we spend a lot of time with them, but it's like other people's children, you can go home and leave them, this time we couldn't. You maybe asking yourself why would we decide to go camping with such people . . . I just don't know. This question would overwhelm Greg and me for the next two weeks while planning this getaway. Greg looked more pessimistically at the trip then I did. I thought if you go looking for a bad time, the only outcome will be a bad time. Realizing that we could be each other's only sanity from Heather's overpowering behavior and Chris's childlike mind, we made up little cues to give each other if we needed to getaway. We stocked up on interesting reading material to get lost in and relaxing alcoholic beverages to take off the edge. We packed up the trucks and we were off. Chris's friend from work recommended the campsite so we decided to follow him since he had the directions. We traveled up interstate 84 east bound over the Newburgh Beacon Bridge and made our way to the State Taconic Parkway. Now, this is where Greg and I looked at each other in agreement that the trip was going to go only down hill from there, the parkway that we had gotten ourselves onto by following Chris was for passenger cars only. We both had commercial trucks. About fifteen minutes on the highway we passed a State Trooper, thank God he didn't budge from where he was sitting. Through that hour on the parkway we must have passed four Troopers, none of whom pulled us over. Finally, and I mean finally, we arrived two and a half hours later at our campsite. All four of us got out of the trucks to observe where we were going to spend the next three days with each other, Greg and I actually found some humor with our surroundings.

Essay --

Child beauty pageants have changed so much since the 1960’s. Children beauty pageants used to be about the children and having fun. Now, it seems like most children are being forced in these pageants by their parents, looking unnoticeable from all the heavy makeup they wear, fake hair, teeth and nails they use. Children being abuse, sexualize, having self-esteem problems etc in these pageants. Many people have questioned this sport and wonder if it should be ban? In this paper, I have augured and provided facts and information on why children beauty pageants should be ban.  Children Beauty Pageants Should Be Ban Seeing children as small as 0-month old to 12 years old in beautiful dresses, showing off their talents and competing to win cash and tiaras may seem cute. Today many mothers are taking the pageants to a completely different level. Do you think dressing a three year old as a prostitute for a movie theme pageant is appropriate? No, it is completely inappropriate and that is exactly what Wendy Dickey did to her three-year-old daughter Paisley Dickey in a film theme beauty pageant on TLC’s â€Å"Toddlers and Tiaras†. Wendy thought by dressing her daughter as a prostitute like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman was going to â€Å"wow† the judges but just created controversy all over. Children beauty pageants may seem to be cute, but today it is a concern among many people on whether children beauty pageants should be ban because of what goes on in the pageant world that we do not see and the outcome and future of these children. When beauty pageants became a part of the American society in 1920, it also became a marketing tool. In 1921, in the state of New Jersey, in Atlantic City beauty pageants were used to make tourist stay... ...beauty pageants is that their parents wants fame. On one of TLC’s hit show â€Å"Toddlers and Tiaras†, there was an episode about a girl name Alan Thompson. Alan was new to the beauty pageant world, from being on that show and competed in a beauty pageant on the show the network gave Alan and her family a spin-off show which we all know â€Å"Here Comes Honey Boo Boo†. Here comes Honey Boo Boo is the top rated show on TLC as of right now. Alan and her family is famous now and since getting her own reality show and recognition she have not compete in any more beauty pageants. When you think about it if she really loved doing beauty pageants and was passionate about it she would still be doing it. I think her mother exploited her daughter in the beauty pageant world so she can get fame and money. I personally find that disgusting because I see it as selling your child for money.

Powermat, Inc. Cases (Recruitment) Essay

Powermat, Inc. has encountered difficulty over the last few years in filling its middle-management positions. The company, which manufactures and sells complex machinery, is organised into six semi-autonomous manufacturing departments. Top management believes that it is necessary for these departmental managers to know the product lines and the manufacturing process, because many managerial decisions must be made at that level. Therefore, the company originally recruited employees from within. However, they soon found that employees elevated to the middle-management level often lack the skills necessary to discharge their new duties. A decision then was made to recruit from outside, particularly from educational institutes with good industrial management programmes. Through the services of a professional recruiter, the company was provided with a pool of well qualified management graduates. Some of them were hired and placed in lower management positions as preparation for advancemen t to the middle-management jobs. They all left the company, however, within two years of their recruitment. Management reverted to its former policy of promoting employees from within and experienced basically the same results as before. Faced with the imminent retirement of employees in several key middle management positions, the company decided d to call in a consultant who could suggest solutions. Discussion Questions 1. What is the problem of recruiting in this company? 2. If you were the consultant, what would you recommend? HRM Planning and Staffing 2.1 Introduction Human resource planning and staffing is one of the toughest task, an organization has before it. Selecting the right man for the right job at the right time is main task of the HR department. The main task is to ensure that the staff of the organization does not leave the organization and  ensure that they are satisfied and that the work of the organization is not affected by the absence of the employee and so on. 2.2 Objectives After reading this chapter, the student will understand the process and problems of HR Planning, job analysis, its process, job description, etc. 2.2 Process and Problems of Human Resource Planning. HRP Process Company Objectives & Strategic Plans P Market Forecast Production Objectives/Process Capital/Financial Plans Plans H A S E Time Horizon (Short/Long Term) 1 Human Resources Demand Forecast N Number O R Category M S Skills Action Plans Recruitment Retraining Redundancy Productivity Retention Monitoring and Control Factors affecting HRP Type and strategy of organization Organizational growth cycles and planning Environmental uncertainties Time horizons Type and quality of forecasting information Nature of jobs being filled and Off-loading the work Type and strategy of organization The type of organization is an important consideration because it determines the production processes involved, number and type of staff needed, and the supervisory and managerial personnel required. Manufacturing organizations are more complex in this respect than those that render services. The strategic plan of the organization defines the organization’s HR needs. E.g. A Strategy of internal growth means that additional employees must be hired. Acquisitions or mergers, on the other hand, probably mean that the organization will need to plan for layoffs, since mergers tend to create, duplicate or overlapping positions that can be handled more efficiently with fewer employees. Primarily, the organization decides either to be proactive or reactive in HRP. It can either decide to carefully anticipate the needs and systematically plan them to fill them in advance, or it can simply react to needs as they arise. The above diagram summaries the 5 choices faced by the organizations in strategic HRP. An organization will often tend to be to the left or right on some and to the right on the other, although there could be exceptions. A company could be at one end of the extreme on some plan characteristics and at the other end on other. B. Organization Growth Cycle and Planning The stage of an organization’s growth can have considerable influence on HRP. Small organizations in the embryonic stage may not have personnel planning. Need for planning is felt when the organization enters the growth stage. HR forecasting becomes essential. Internal development of people also begins to receive attention in order to keep up with the growth. A mature organization experiences less flexibility and variability. Growth slows down. The workforce becomes old as few younger people are hired. Planning becomes more formalized and less flexible and innovative. Issues like retirement and possible retrenchment dominate planning. Finally, in the declining stage, HRP takes a different focus. Planning is done for layoff, retrenchment and retirement. Since decisions are often made after serious financial and sales shocks are experienced by the organization, planning is often reactive in nature. C. Environmental Uncertainties HR managers rarely have the privilege of operating in a stable and predictable environment. Political, social and economic changes affect all organizations. Personnel planners deal with environmental uncertainties by carefully formulating recruitment, selection and training and development policies and programmes. Balancing mechanisms are built into the HRM programme through succession planning, promotion channels, layoffs, flexitime, job sharing, retirement, VRS and other personnel related arrangements. D. Time Horizons Since there are long and short term plans spanning from six months to twenty years, the exact time span depends on the degree of uncertainty prevailing in an organization’s environment. Plans for companies operating in an unstable environment, computers for example, must be for a short period. Plans for others where environment is fairly stable, for example a university plan, maybe long-term. In general, the greater the uncertainty, the shorter the plan’s time horizon and vice-versa. E. Type and Quality of Information The information used to forecast personnel needs originates form a multitude of sources. A major issue in personnel planning is the type of information which should be used in making forecasts. Closely related to the type of information is the quality of data used. The quality and accuracy of information depend upon the clarity with which the organizational decision makers have defined their strategy, organizational structure, budgets, production schedules and so on. In addition, the HR department must maintain well-developed job-analysis information and HR information systems that provide accurate and timely data. Generally speaking, organizations operating in stable environments are in a better position to obtain comprehensive, timely and accurate information because of longer planning horizons, clearer definitions of strategy and objectives, and fewer disruptions. F. Nature of Jobs being filled Personnel planners must consider the nature of jobs being filled in the organization. Job vacancies arise because of separations, promotions and expansion strategies. It is easy to employ shop-floor workers, but a lot of sourcing is necessary for hiring managerial personnel. It is, therefore, necessary for the personnel department to anticipate vacancies, as far in advance as possible, to provide sufficient lead time to ensure that suitable candidates are recruited. G. Outsourcing Several organizations outsource part of their work to outside parties either in the form of sub-contracting or ancillarisation. Outsourcing is a regular feature both in private and public sectors. Most organizations have surplus labour and they do not want to worsen the problem by hiring more people. Hence, the need for off-loading. Competence Analysis. Every person in the organization need not have all the competence to do the desired work. The HR department identifies the competence of the individual employee and maps the same with the jobs in the organization. If an employee is capable of doing a particular job, to increase his efficiency, the HR department gives training to improve his competence in doing that job more skillfully and even more effectively and efficiently. Job Analysis and Design Job Analysis is the process by which data, with regard to each job, is systematically observed and noted. It provides information about the nature of the job and the characteristics or qualifications that are desirable in the job holder. Job analysis provides precisely what the duties, responsibilities, working environment and other requirements of a job are and to present these in a clear, concise and systematic way Job Analysis study attempts to provide information in seven basic areas: Job Identification or its title, including the code number, if any. Distinctive or significant characteristics of the job, its location setting, supervision, union jurisdiction and hazards and discomforts, if any. What the typical worker does: specific operations and tasks that make up the assignment and their relative timing and importance; the simplicity, the routine or complexity of tasks, responsibility for others, for property, or for funds. What materials and equipment the worker uses: Metals, plastics, grain, yarns; and lathes, milling machines, electronic ignition testers, corn huskers, punch presses and micrometers are illustrative. How the job is performed: the emphasis here is on the nature of operations and may specify such operations as handling, feeding, removing, drilling, driving, setting up and many others. Required personnel attributes: Experience, training apprenticeship, physical strength, coordination or dexterity, physical demands, mental capabilities, aptitudes , and social skills are some attributes. The conditions under which the work is performed: Working conditions and work environments is a major contributing factor in the  performance of the job, and the satisfaction of the employee. Job Analysis: Process To be meaningful and useful for personnel related decision-making, job analysis must be carried more at frequent intervals. Jobs in the past were considered to be static and were designed on the basis that they would not change. People working on these jobs were different, the jobs remained unchanged. For higher efficiency and productivity, jobs must change according to the employees who carry them out. Some of the major reasons leading such changes are: Technological Change: The pace of change in technology necessitates changes in the nature of job as well as the skills required. E.g. Word processing has drastically changed the nature of secretarial jobs. Union-Management Agreements: The agreements entered between management and the union can bring about change in the nature of job, duties and responsibilities. For example, under employees participation scheme, the workers are encouraged to accept wider responsibilities. People: Each employee brings with him his own strengths and we aknesses, his own style of handling a job and his own aptitude. Steps in Job Analysis Process Organization Analysis: The first step is to get an overall view of various jobs in the organization with a view to examine the linkages between jobs and the organizational objectives, interrelationships among the jobs and the contribution of various jobs towards achieving organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The organization chart and the work flow or process charts constitute an important source of information for the purpose. Use of Job Analysis Information: Depending on organizational priorities and constraints, it is desirable to develop clarity regarding the possible uses of the information pertaining to job analysis. It is important to focus on a few priority activities in which the job analysis information could be used. Selection of Jobs for Analysis: Carrying out job analysis is a time-consuming and costly process. It is therefore, desirable to select a representative sample of jobs for purposes of analysis Collection of Data: Data will be collected on the characteristics of the job, the required behaviour and personal attributes needed to do the job effectively. Several techniques for job analysis are available. Care needs to be taken to use only such techniques, which are acceptable and reliable in the existing situation within the organization. Preparation of Job Description: The information collected in the previous step is used in preparing the job description for the job highlighting major tasks, duties and responsibilities for effective job performance Preparation of Job Specification: Likewise, the information gathered in the â€Å"Collection of Data† is also used to prepare the job specification for a job highlighting the personal attributes in terms of education, training, aptitude and experience to fulfill the job description. Job Analysis thus carried out provides basic inputs to the design of jobs so that it is able to meet the requirements of both the organization (in terms of efficien cy and productivity) as well as the employees (in terms of job satisfaction and fulfillment). Developing appropriate job design is then the outcome of the job analysis process. JOB DESCRIPTION Data collected for job analysis provides the basis for preparing job description. It refers to the job contents and the expectations that an organization has from its employees. Job descriptions usually outline the minimum requirements of jobs for many reasons: First, despite all the attempts, a perfect and fully inclusive job description is not possible. In fact, as one moves up in the hierarchy of an organization, a detailed job description becomes very difficult. Secondly, most organizations would prefer not to describe the job fully, if it is possible, because employees would then stick to what has been described and would not do anything beyond it. Thirdly, if a job were fully described, supervision would automatically be taken care of by the duties performed, making some of the duties of the supervisory staff redundant. Fourthly, technology is ~hanging fast and hence the nature of job is also chang ¬ing. Unless an organization continuously updates the job description, it woul d be difficult to monitor the performance of the employees. DESIGN OF JOB DESCRIPTION A primary output or result of job analysis is job description. Information obtained by job analysis is shifted and recorded concisely, clearly and fully in the job description. The job description must assemble all the important elements of a job, such as essential tasks, responsibilities, qualifications required and the functional relation of the job to other jobs. There is no universally accepted standard format for job descriptions for the reason that the form and structure of the job descriptions must depend on the kind of work being analyzed and the job evaluation plan being used. For example, if the job evaluation form comprises factors such as physical and intellectual effort, knowledge, skills, and responsibilities and working conditions, it follows that job description should be structured to reflect these factors so as to facilitate factor by factor comparison and evaluation of the jobs. With non- analytical methods, job description may be more flexible and simpler but most specify the title of the job and its position in the organization, summarizes the tasks performed and list the skills and abilities required. It is helpful to follow the following guidelines when writing a job description: I. Always be accurate about what is expressed. Omit expressions which are attributes- such as uninteresting, distasteful, etc. Personal pronouns should be avoided- if it is necessary to refer to the worker, the word† operator† may be used. Do not describe only one phase of the job and give the impression that all phases are covered. Generalized or ambiguous expressions, such as ‘prepare’, ‘assist’, ‘handle’ etc. should be omitted unless supported by data that will clarify them. All statements should be clearly defined and simply set down- promiscuous use of adjectives only reflects one’s own opinion. Describe the job as is being done, by the majority of workers holding the designation. Write in simple language– explain unusual technical terms. Description of a job, which is part of teamwork, should establish the team relationship. The length of description is immaterial; it is not expected even with printed form!: that all job descriptions should be of equal length but write concisely. When the job analyst finds that the data he has to work with is insufficient, s/he should  stop until sufficient data is available. Put the date of completion of each description and revise it as often as changes in jobs and occupation require. Job description should have the concurrence of the concerned supervisor. Description should contain the initials of the persons who compile them. USES OF JOB DESCRIPTION Apart from being a basis for job evaluation, the job descriptions can be put to many uses. They are as under: Supervisor- Employee Communication: The information contained in the job description outlines the work, which the incumbent is expected to perform. Hence, it is an extremely useful document for both the supervisor and the subordinate for purposes of communication. Furthermore, it helps employees to understand just what work their associates are expected to perform, thus, facilitating integration of efforts at the work site by the employees themselves. Recruitment, Selection, Promotion, Transfer: Information pertaining to the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the work to an acceptable standard, can be used as a sound basis on which to base standards are procedures for recruitment, selection, promotion and transfer. Work Performance Appraisal: To be sound and objective, a performance appraisal system must be rooted in the work performed by the employee; such . work is indicated by the duties in the job description. In such an approach, using each duty as the basis for discussion, the employee and the su pervisor agree on work performance goals for the period to be covered by the subsequent evaluation report; they also agree on the criteria to be used to determine the extent to which the goals have been attained. The reports resulting from this methodology minimize subjectivity by focusing attention on the job, as distinct from the personality traits, habits or practices of the employee. As a conse ¬quence, the results are more factual; valid and defensible than is the case in other types of systems. Manpower Planning, Training and Development: These three processes are closely interrelated. The job description showing, in specific terms, the knowledge, skill and ability requirements for effective performance of the duties, is a sound and rational basis for each of these processes. Analysis  of various types of jobs at progressively more senior levels will indicate logical sources of supply for more senior posts, as part of manpower planning. It will also indicate the gap to be bridged in terms of knowledge, skill and ability, thus providing a sound basis for preparingj0b- related training and development programmes. Industrial Relations: Frequently, issues arise in the industrial relatio ns field, which have their origin in the work to be undertaken. In these instances the job description may be used to form a factual basis for discussion and problem resolution. Organization and Procedure Analysis- The duties and responsibilities outlined in the job description may be used to a great advantage by management in analyzing organisation and procedures, because they reveal how the work is organized, how the procedure operate and how authority and responsibility are appointed. A Job Description should include a: I. Job Title: It represents a summary statement of what the job entails. Job Objective or Overall Purpose Statement: This statement is generally a summary designed to orient the reader to the general nature, level, purpose and objective of the job. The summary should describe the broad function and scope of the position and be no longer than three to four sentences. List of Duties or Tasks Performed: The list contains an item-by-item list of principal duties, continuing responsibilities and accountability of the occupant of the position. The list should contain each and every essential job duty or respon ¬sibility that is critical to the successful performance of the job. The list should begin with the most important functional and relational responsibilities and continue down in order of significance. Each duty or responsibility that comprises at least five percent of the incumbent’s time should be included in the list. Description of the Relationships and Roles: the occupa nt of the position holds’ within the company, including any supervisory positions, subordinating roles and/or other working relationships. JOB SPECIFICATION Workload analysis helps in identifying the minimum qualification needed to perform a particular job. These may include academic qualifications, professional qualifications, age, years of experience, relevance and nature of previous experience, and other skills and attitudes. They form the  minimum eligibility requirements, which the candidate must have, for the appointment to a job. A clear indication of specifications helps in generating eligible applications, because of self-selection. The candidates who do not possess those qualifications do not apply. On the other hand, lack of clear- cut specifications may generate a large number of applications, leading to high costs, in terms of man-hours, in processing them. There is a great deal of disagreement with regard to developing complete and correct job specification unlike the job description, which provides more objective assessment of job requirements. The decision to specify minimum human requirements for ajob is a difficult one as it involves considerable degree of subjectivity. There is a general feeling that organisations generally tend to establish relatively high requirements for formal education and training, resulting in a situation where highly qualified people end up doing jobs of routine nature. Particularly, in India, highly qualified personnel are recruited for jobs where their abilities, skills and knowledge are under- utilized. Despite these problems, however, minimally acceptable human requirements need to be specified for various jobs and category of jobs. The format for job specification should include the following items: †¢ Position Title †¢ Education/ Training †¢ Experience †¢ Knowledge †¢ Abilities †¢ Skills †¢ Aptitude †¢ Desirable Attributes †¢ Contra-indicators, if any any. From job analysis to jobless world Job enrichment means redefining in a way that increases the opportunities for workers to experience building of responsibility, achievement, growth and recognition by doing job well. Analysing together the job Establishing client recognition Vertical loading Job-Sharing Flexible job doing pattern etc. Open feedback channels. Whether specialised, enlarged or enriched, workers skill generally likes to have specific job to do and the job require job descriptions. But in the emerging organisation today jobs are becoming more amorphous and more difficult to define. In other â€Å"words’ the trend is towards â€Å"do-jobbing in many modern organisation. Given this general description of organisation, roles that are clearly defined play a significant part in accomplishing the goals of the organisation. Roles can be seen in a variety of ways. Role and Role Dynamics A role is a set of expectations associated with a job or a position. When roles are unclear or complicated performance problem can occur. Role ambiguity occurs when someone is uncertain about what is expected of him or her. To do any job; the people need know what is expected of them. Role clarity is important for every member of the group, but that is more important for new members. Role ambiguity creates problems and the whole efforts is either wasted or of appreciated. Expecting too much or too little may create problem. Role overload occurs when too much is expected and individual feels overloaded with work/responsibility. Role underload occurs when too little is expected and the individual feels underutilized therefore, a balanced and realistic role load is expected. Role conflict occurs when a person is unable to meet the expectations of others. The individual understands what needs to be done but for some reasons can not comply. The resulting tension can reduce job satisfaction, affects both work performance and the relationship with other groups members. The Common forms of role conflict are: intra sender role-conflicting which occurs when the same person sends conflicting expectations. inter sender role-conflict occurs when different people send conflicting expecta ¬tions. Person-Job-conflict-occurs when one’s personal values & needs come into conflict with role expectations. inter role conflict occurs when the expectations of two or more roles held by the same individual becomes incompatible-such as conflict between work & family demands. One way of  managing role-dynamics in any group or work setting is the role ¬negotiation. This is the process through which individual negotiate to clarify the role expectation each holds for the other. 7.2 ROLE DESCRIPTION Well-written role descriptions define the work of the organisation and its reasons for existence as an employer of human resources. Moreover, they define and help quantify the relative importance of work, what each position contributes to a process and the organisation as a whole. This definition illustrates an important point regarding role descriptions. Used in today’s work environment, they describe not only what the role is all about but also how it contributes to the work of the organisation. They describe the nature of the work to be done by stating the purpose and main responsibilities. They may also include information on the type of person who is best suited to perform the job. Role descriptions are a valuable resource. They have the potential to be useful organisational tools; however, to realize their potential they must be properly monitored. There are two main types of role descriptions, the generic or general and the specific or individual. RECRUITMENT Recruitment is the development and maintenance of adequate manpower sources. It involves the creation of a pool of available human resources from-which the organisation can draw when it needs additional employees. Recruiting is the process of attracting applicants with certain skills, abilities; and other personal characteristics to job vacancies in an organisation. According to Denerley and Plumblay (1969), recruitment is concerned with both engaging the required number of people, and measuring their quality. It is not only a matter of satisfying a company’s needs, it†¢is also an activity which influences the shape of the company’s future. The need for recruitment may arise out of: (i) vacancies due to promotion, transfer, termination, retirement, permanent disability, or death; (ii) creation. of vacancies due to business expansion, diversification, growth, and soon. Recruitment has been regarded as the most important function of personnel administration. Unless t he right types of people are hired, even the best plans, organisation charts and control systems will be of no avail. A company cannot prosper; grow, or even survive without adequate human resources. Need  for trained manpower in recent years has created a pressure on some organisations to establish an efficient recruitment function. RECRUITMENT PURPOSE The general purpose of recruitment is to provide a pool of potentially qualified candidates to meet organizational need. Its specific purposes are to: Determine the present and future requirements of the organisation in conjunction with the personnel planning and job analysis activities. Increase the pool of job candidates with minimum cost. Help increase the success rate of the selection process by reducing the number of under qualified or overqualified job applicants. Help reduce the probability that job applicants, once recruited and selected, will leave the organisation only after a short period of time. Meet the organisation’s legal and social obligations regarding the composition of’ its workforce.? Start identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate candidates.? Increase organisational and individual effectiveness in the short and long term.? Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting. techniques and sources for all types of job applicants.? RECRUITMENT POLICY Recruitment policy may involve a commitment to broad principles such as filling vacancies with the best qualified individuals. It may embrace several issues such as extent of promotion from within, attitudes of enterprise in recruiting its old employees, handicaps, minority groups, women employees, part-time employees, friends and relatives of present employees. It may also involve the organisation system to be developed for implementing recruitment programme and procedures. A well considered and pre-planned recruitment policy, based on corporate goals, study of environment and the corporate needs, may avoid hasty or ill-considered decisions and may go a â€Å"long way to man the organisation with the right type of personnel. A good recruitment policy must contain the following elements: Organisation’s objectives – both short term and long term.? Identification of the recruitment needs.? Preferred sources of recruitment.? Criteria of selection and preferences.? The cost of recruitment and financial implications of the same.? A recruitment policy in its broadest sense involves a commitment by the employer to (i) find the best qualified persons for each job; (ii) retain the best and most promising of those hired; (iii) offer promising opportunities for life-time working careers; and (iv) provide programmes and facilities for personal growth on the job. RECRUITMENT PROCESS To be successful, the recruitment process must follow a number of steps. These are: Defining the job? Establishing the person profile? Making the vacancy known? Receiving and documenting applications? Designing and using the application form? Selecting? Notification and final checks? Induction.? SOURCES OF MANPOWER SUPPLY Once the job analysis is completed and the job specification or behavioural competencies are identified, the next stage is to consider how to attract people who meet the requirements. A key decision is about whether to recruit internally or externally. Before an organisation actively begins recruiting applicants, it should have a knowledge of the sources of supply and methods of tapping them. The sources of supply do not remain constant but vary from time to time. The sources of supply of manpower can be divided into two groups – internal and external sources. Internal sources relate to the existing working force of an enterprise while external sources relate to the employment exchanges, colleges, institutes, and universities. The particular sources and means by which workers are recruited vary greatly. It depends upon management policy, the types of jobs involved, the supply of labour relative to demand, and labour market. In deciding which recruitment source to use, consider (a) the nature and size of the company; (b) the level of  vacancies to be filled up; (c) the number of vacancies to be filled up; (d) budget allocation; and (e) the time period to fill the vacancy. Internal Sources: Internal sources are the most obvious sources. These include personnel already on the pay-roll of an organisation, i.e., its present working force.

Formation Of Nanocomposite For Ceramic Film Process Engineering Essay

IntroductionWe are Super Solar Sdn Bhd which is a ceramic based company that produces window solar movies. In respond to your petition to integrate the elements of green technology into the day-to-day procedures in the mill, we are subjecting this proposal to upgrade our industry by implementing the construct of green technology into the industry. Before we start let us to give a brief account on nano ceramic movies. Nano ceramic movies are particular movie bed used on difficult stuffs to protect them from wear and tear. They play a large function in maintaining the strength and quality of stuffs such as metals, plastic and many other merchandises used in industrial and consumer applications. Ceramic coatings are typically made up of particular compounds that possess stronger belongingss than regular coating. Compounds in ceramic coatings include carbides, borides, nitrides, and silicides that are difficult plenty to maintain the stuff from roll uping residue and going prone to breakage while in usage. There are two types of ceramic coatings, single-layer and multi-layer. Single-layer coatings are normally applied on already strong stuffs that are non ever exposed to damage, such as PVC plastic and non-metallic merchandises. Multi-layer coatings are used on more delicate merchandises such as fibreglass, metals and other points used for particular research lab or industrial intents. The nano ceramic movie that we produce in our mill is specifically tailored to function as shade or coat for edifice Windowss and vehicles. Our movie ( Solar Tint ) applied straight to the inside of Windowss in a place or commercial concern to organize a protective barrier against the Sun ‘s harmful infrared and ultraviolet radiation. As for automotive movies, the coatings allow a certain sum of Visible Light Transmission, while barricading out of the Sun ‘s infrared heat. The technique we are using to bring forth our nano ceramic atoms is known as Thermal Plasma where the ceramic atoms are heated to high temperature that causes vaporization of the little micron size atoms. Then, to surface the nano ceramic atoms onto Polyethylene Terephthalate or PET movies, the thermic crop-dusting method is used whereby the beginning of heat and energy is a high-temperature plasma. The nano ceramic movies are now formed. Presently there are many issues on natural resources depletion due to industrial procedures. One of the methods to get the better of this job is by implementing the rules of green technology in our industrial procedure. Green technology is the procedure and design of merchandises that conserve natural resources, and impact the natural environment every bit small as possible. The usage of green engineering besides referred as clean engineering is supposed to cut down the sum of waste and pollution that is created during production and ingestion. There are many types of green engineering such as energy, edifice, preferable buying, chemical science and besides nanotechnology. Our focal point is traveling to be chiefly on nanotechnology, efficiency maximization, energy preservation and lastingness. Nanotechnology involves pull stringsing stuffs to the smallest nanometre therefore it can be best to implement green nanotechnology is the usage of green rules in the field. Nanotechnology involves the use of stuffs at the graduated table of the nanometer, one billionth of a metre. Based on this green technology rule, we would wish to present the nano ceramic coating. Nano ceramic coatings provide non merely the usual protection of single-layer and multi-layer coatings, but besides feature thermodynamic belongingss. Nano ceramic window movies are fade and corrosion free, outliving other conventional stuff ( bleached and metals ) based movies by more than 50 % . They are known with the term spectrally selective because they reject blaze and block heat while supplying seeable light and optimal lucidity. Their alone heat control belongingss can merely be exhibited at nano graduated table and the preciseness of the fabrication procedure consequences in a thin bed with even thickness to a ccomplish a uniform, impersonal coloring material tone and public presentation.PROBLEM STATEMENT:Presently, we have been bring forthing nano ceramic movies ( Solar Shade ) used as shade and coat for Windowss in edifices and automotives with the intent of cut downing heat and seeable beam. We have been utilizing the Thermal Plasma procedure to organize nano ceramic atoms of Sn oxide from the majority Sn oxide atoms. These atoms are so used to surface the Polyethylene Terephthalate or PET movies to organize nano ceramic movies. These procedures use up enormous sum of thermic energy and are really dearly-won. There have been programs to cut down the energy ingestion and cost without compromising the quality of the merchandise. Apart from that, the competition in the ceramic movie devising industry is really high and we need to bring forth high quality nano ceramic movies that can run into the demands and demands of our clients. With the on-going argument on the benefits of implementing green engineering in our industrial procedures and programs to better our merchandise quality every bit good as cost decrease, we are doing a proposal to incorporate green engineering in the processing and production of our nano ceramic movies and take necessary steps to do more efficient nano ceramic movies.MethodologyBriefly, being a ceramic based company, we are bring forthing nanoceramic atoms, SnO2 from bulk ceramic atoms utilizing the thermic plasma method and use them to surface Polyethylene Terephthalate, PET movies that we are purchasing from a PET maker. The surfacing stuff that we are utilizing is SnO2 utilizing a thermic crop-dusting method known as Vacuum Plasma Spraying ( VPS ) . And the nano ceramic movies are formed. This films maps as solar heat control window movies for residentials and automotive. In item, the procedures involved are as follows: In nanotechnology, a atom is defined as a little object that behaves as a whole unit in footings of its conveyance and belongingss. Atoms are farther classified harmonizing to size: in footings of diameter, all right atoms cover a scope between 100 and 2500 nanometers.On the other manus, ultrafine atoms are sized between 1 and 100 nanometres. Similar to ultrafine atoms, nanoparticles are sized between 1 and 100 nanometres. Nanoparticles may or may non exhibit size-related belongingss that differ significantly from those observed in all right atoms or majority materials.There are several methods for making nanoparticles, and the method we are utilizing presently is known as thermal plasma which deliver the energy necessary to do vaporization of little micron size atoms. The thermic plasma temperatures are in the order of 10,000 K, so that solid pulverization easy evaporates. Nanoparticles are formed upon chilling while go outing the plasma part. The types of the thermic plasma torch u sed to bring forth nanoparticles are ( RF ) initiation plasmas. In RF initiation plasma torches, energy matching to the plasma is accomplished through the electromagnetic field generated by the initiation spiral. The plasma gas does non come in contact with electrodes, therefore extinguishing possible beginnings of taint and leting the operation of such plasma torches with a broad scope of gases including inert, cut downing, oxidising and other caustic ambiances. The nano atoms that are formed in the earlier measure will now be used as surfacing stuff.There are assorted thermic spraying methods for coating of nano ceramic atoms on the PET movie. One method is vacuum plasma crop-dusting ( VPS ) . As with all plasma spraying methods, the beginning of heat and energy in VPS is a high-temperature plasma. In plasma burner an discharge is produced which heats an inert gas watercourse by ionisation and recombination reactions to temperatures of up to 20,000 K. The stuff to be deposited, in this instance SnO2 is fed in pulverization signifier into this high-energy plasma watercourse with the assistance of a bearer gas. The pulverization atoms are accelerated, heated to a liquefied province and projected at high velocity onto the substrate, which causes them to flatten and organize a lamellar coating. Depending on the continuance of the crop-dusting operation surfacing thicknesses from several ?m to a few centimeter can be produced. Bulk ceramic atoms Nano ceramic atoms Thermal Plasma Vaccum Plasma Spraying PET Films Nano Ceramic FilmFigure 1: Diagram of processing of nano ceramic moviesDiscussionDesign ProcedureBelow is the suggested alteration to the current processing of movie that complies with the rules of Green Technology. The execution of green technology in the procedure and production of nano ceramic movies will give us a positive impact in the hereafter, where we will name the undermentioned impacts at the following pages. The modified nano ceramic movie is named as Green Solar Tint. The modified procedure methodological analysis: Nano ceramic atoms of Tin Oxide formed from the thermic plasma procedure ab initio is replaced by Wet Chemical Process. The PET movies are ab initio coated with nano Tin oxide atoms utilizing the Vacuum Plasma Spraying are now replaced by surfacing bed of TiN ( Ti nitride ) followed by a bed of Tin oxide utilizing the PVD ( Physical Vapor Deposition ) Method.Formation OF NANOCOMPOSITE FOR CERAMIC FILM PROCESSInitially our company used thermic plasma as our procedure to bring forth nano atoms. As our concern about green engineering, we suggested to utilize Wet Chemical Process to bring forth nano atoms. Wet chemical methods enable inexpensive, low-temperature, mass-scale fabrication paths. They produce powdered porous and heavy micro-structures that can non be realized otherwise. In wet-chemical processing, clean nano atom scatterings are deposited on the substrate at, chiefly, ambient conditions. The deposition is followed by a rapid thermic processing intervention to take liquids and organic additives, to change over precursors to the mark composing, and to set up the concluding porous and heavy micr o-structure. In the synthesis of precursor scatterings it is really of import to obtain nano atoms with a near-isometric form and a reasonably narrow atom size distribution, without the formation of secondary agglomerate constructions. In peculiar the latter requires careful control of solution and interfacial chemical science to accomplish proper colloidal stableness, during and after the synthesis procedure.Procedure OF FILM COATING USING TITANIUM NITRIDEPreviously in our ceramics movie procedure, we applied thermic crop-dusting for movie coating. Our old surfacing stuff was Tin oxide entirely. Now as we are suggesting our ceramic movie industry based on green technology, we suggest titanium nitride to be used as our surfacing stuff with a protective bed of Sn oxide. There are few procedures that can be carried out for movie coating. Those are nitriding, thin coat engineerings, thermic crop-dusting and optical maser engineering. Based on our findings sing these procedures, thin co at engineerings is sensible and more convenient to be applied for our ceramics movie industry. Nitriding and thermic spraying need a really high force per unit area and temperature to execute the procedure, where the temperature is capable of transcending boulder clay 20 000 K. Then for optical maser engineering, it requires high tech equipment for surfacing which can be really dearly-won. Hence, we are suggesting the Thin Coat Technology or specifically Physical Vapor Deposition for surfacing procedure.Thin coat engineerings1. The thin coating engineerings used with Ti are PVD ( Physical Vapor Deposition ) these are chemical/physical vapor deposition methods used to fabricate protective coatings. 2. PVD procedures are carried out under vacuity conditions. The procedure involved four stairss: vaporization, transit, reaction and deposition. Evaporation-During this phase, a mark, dwelling of the stuff to be deposited is bombarded by a high energy beginning such as a beam of negatrons or ions. This dislodges atoms from the surface of the mark, ‘vaporizing ‘ them. Transport-This procedure merely consists of the motion of ‘vaporized ‘ atoms from the mark to the substrate to be coated and will by and large be a consecutive line matter. Reaction-In some instances coatings will dwell of metal oxides, nitrides, carbides and other such stuffs. The atoms of metal will so respond with the appropriate gas during the conveyance phase. For the above measure, the reactive gases that can be used is nitrogen which is more abundant compared to methane and O. Deposition-This is the procedure of surfacing construct up on the substrate surface. In our instance, we are surfacing TiN onto the surface of PET movies.Why is our modified procedure better than the initial procedure?Thermal plasma – initial procedure used to bring forth nano atomsThermal plasmas have high temperatures up to15, 000 K because the plasmas are generated at comparatively high force per unit areas where near to atmospheric force per unit area ; they have high densenesss and are considered to be at equilibrium. Since we need a high temperature, we need a higher heat content to bring forth the temperature. In this production method, jobs arise from the residuary coarse atoms. When precursor pulverizations are injected into thermic plasma in which temperature and flow distributions exist both radially and axially, some of the precursor atoms are non evaporated wholly. The non evaporated portion, although little, necessitates an extra station separation procedureWet C hemical Process- modified procedure to bring forth nano atomsThis is the scope of techniques that are most applicable for word picture by light dispersing techniques. These are basically ‘bottom-up ‘ techniques, where they start with ions or molecules and construct these up into larger constructions. These wet chemical science techniques presently offer the best quality nano atoms from a figure of points of position. They produce nano atoms that are already in the signifier of scattering, therefore high inter-particle forces can be designed in to forestall agglomeration. The formation of sums can be reduced or eliminated. The nano atoms can be made to be really same size to within little tolerances. The chemical composing and morphology can be closely controlled.Vacuum Plasma Spraying- initial procedure used to bring forth surfacingThis system, as the name implies, uses an electric discharge as the heat beginning which is much hotter than the temperature produced by an o xy-acetylene fire. This means that higher thaw point stuffs can be deposited at higher speeds ( 200-400 m/s ) taking to high bonded strength in vacuity plasma praying. Hence higher energy ingestion is needed for surfacing procedure. Other disadvantages are that the procedure requires more expensive equipment and that it is non suited for manual operation in instance of power break.Physical Vapor Deposition. – modified procedure to bring forth surfacingPVD coatings are deposited for legion grounds. Some of the chief 1s are improved hardness and wear opposition, reduced clash and improved oxidization opposition. The usage of such coatings is aimed at bettering efficiency through improved public presentation and longer component life. They may besides let coated constituents to run in environments that the uncoated constituent would non otherwise have been able to execute. Materials can be deposited with improved belongingss compared to the substrate stuff. Almost any type of in organic stuff can be used every bit good as some sorts of organic stuffs. The procedure is more environmentally friendly than procedures such as electroplating.TinAs mentioned above, the PET movies are ab initio coated with nano Tin oxide atoms entirely are now replaced by surfacing bed of TiN ( Ti nitride ) followed by a bed of Tin oxide. Why TiN? TiN bearing movie is oxidation-resistant and has first-class scratch opposition. It besides has superior light rarefying features, peculiarly reduced seeable coefficient of reflection and decreased colour. Using TiN as a solar shield on architectural Windowss can cut down the solar heat addition during hot conditions, Ti nitride coating is the most advantageous pick for most applications because of the comparative easiness with which gaseous precursors to the coating can be formed and handled on processing equipment. A solar shade bearing Ti nitride ( TiN ) as the chief barrier is coated with a thin bed of protective transparent movie of Sn oxide. Tin oxide is believed to hold the most favourable combination of mechanical, optical and infra ruddy emmisivity belongingss to complement solar shield applications.Design OF PRODUCT ( Green Solar Tint )AutomotiveBy and large, our improved nano ceramic movies ( Green Solar Shade ) offer better heat rejection, low coefficient of reflection an d better lastingness as compared to the old ceramic movies ( Solar Shade ) that offer limited heat rejection:By cutting down intolerable heat, our nano ceramic movies cool the vehicle more expeditiously and cut down fuel ingestion. Residents are besides protected from the harmful Ultra Violet rays that are damaging to the eyes and tegument through the high Ultra Violet rejection transcending 90 % . Improves the overall comfort of drive, offers fade control and protects the vehicle by widening the life of the vehicle ‘s inside every bit good. High Infra Red heat rejection up to 96 % and auto interior temperature reduced. Reduces blaze and driving weariness therefore heightening driving comfort. Protects drivers/passengers from the Sun ‘s harmful radiation. 100 % dye-free and no stain and estimated to hold longer life rhythm than the conventional dyed and metallic movies. Extends lifetime of vehicle inside with fade protection. Improves shatter-resistance of windshields. Significant heat decrease lowers chilling burden of air-conditioning and fuel ingestion Prolongs lifetime of air-conditioning compressor and reduces replacing costs. Generally helps salvage energy and indirectly saves environment because decrease of fuel ingestion means lesser harmful gases released into the air.BuildingsConventional ceramic movies seem to filtrate out excessively much of the natural visible radiation go forthing their places excessively dark or they let in excessively much visible radiation and capable their trappingss and loved 1s to the detrimental effects of Ultra Violet beams. Whereas, our improved nano ceramic movies ( Green Solar Shade ) :Reduce the Infra-Red heat build-up in the house and besides cut off more than 90 % of the Ultraviolet rays that cause tegument jobs and attenuation of insides. While protecting valuable place trappingss and widening their lifetime, nano-ceramic movies have the added characteristic of low contemplation at dark and the position is hence non obscured. The bed of movie besides provides an added degree of safety by maintaining glass fragments together in the event of inadvertent breakage. Significant Infra-Red Heat rejection lowers chilling burden of air-conditioning ingestion Enhances interior comfort and life environment with reduced blazeCost Analysis for Nano Ceramic Films ( Solar Tint V Green Solar Tint ) .Presently our company bring forthing nano ceramic atoms from bulk ceramic atoms utilizing the thermic plasma method and use them to surface Polyethylene Terephthalate, PET movies by utilizing thermic spray techniques. We are bring forthing 150000 ft2 of nano ceramic movie per batch. The continuance which we took to finish 1 batch is 10 working yearss ( 2 hebdomads ) . The followers is the cost analysis for one batch which affecting production of nano ceramic atoms and besides surfacing procedure. Solar Shade Materials ( RM/KG ) ( Tin oxide + PET movies ) 54,400 Water/Electricity ( RM ) 572,000 Labor ( RM ) 100,000 Maintenance ( RM ) 40,000 Rent ( RM ) 50,000 Entire Cost ( RM ) 816400 The natural stuff which is used to bring forth nano ceramic atoms is tin oxide and about 45000 kilograms of Sn oxide is being used for a batch ( market monetary value 0.68 cents per Kg ) . 20000 KW/h are being used for a batch for making nano atoms and undergo coating procedure. Entire Cost of the production are RM 816400 and our merchandising monetary value is RM 8.50 ( 1 ft2 ) . The overall net incomes from the production per batch are RM 458600 which is about 36 % from the overall gross. Estimated Cost Analysis for ( Green Solar Tint ) The estimated continuance to bring forth 150000 ft2 of Green Solar Tint is 10 working yearss ( 2 hebdomads ) . The followers is the cost analysis for one batch. Cost Analysis NANO CERAMIC FILM Materials ( RM/KG ) ( Tin oxide+ TiN+ PET movies ) 107,000 Water/Electricity ( RM ) 410,000 Labor ( RM ) 100,000 Maintenance ( RM ) 40,000 Rent ( RM ) 50,000 Entire Cost ( RM ) 707,000 The natural stuff which is used to bring forth ceramic movies is tin oxide and about 45000 kilograms of Sn oxide is estimated to be used for a batch ( market monetary value 0.68 cents per Kg ) .The estimated energy ingestion will be 14600 KW/h. Estimated energy ingestion will be lower for Green Solar Tint production compared to Solar Tint because it does n't affect thermic procedures which consume high energy. The estimated energy decrease will be 27 % ( 5400KW/h ) . Entire Estimated Cost of the production are RM 707,000 and our merchandising monetary value is RM 9.00 ( 1 ft2 ) .The overall net incomes from the production per batch are RM 643000 which is about 47.63 % from overall gross.Social and Environmental ImpactsBulidings and placesSocial Impact:The Green Solar Tint removes up to 90 % of the Sun ‘s damaging UV beams, which cause fast attenuation of trappingss, carpets, images and other belongingss and sun harm. So this lengthens the life rhythm of stuff and furniture at p lace. Besides that, Green Solar Tint offers window movies that block basically all harmful UV beams, the taking cause of skin malignant neoplastic disease and other unsafe conditions that impact all ages. With this, we can protect our loved 1s from hamful UV rays.Solar shade besides offers added safety for everyone and anything in the house. In instances of larceny or natural catastrophes like temblors and twister, the solar shade movie is competent at maintaining the broken pieces of glass together. This can avoid or at the really least lessen physical injury to your pets and relations and extra harm to your belongings. Extra benefits include an elegant visual aspect, reduced blaze and improved comfort and the Sun ‘s heat that comes through the window being reflected off.Environmental Impact:Green Solar Tint ‘s capableness to reject important sum of Infra Red heat lowers chilling burden of air conditioning ingestion. This means energy can be saved at place by utilizing lesser air conditioning. And indirectly, we can assist cut down the emision of harmful CFC to the environment.AutomotiveSocial ImpactGreen solar shade is besides efficient in cut downing Sun blaze which is really utile most particularly to the driver ( automotive application ) , since it is really helpful in forestalling oculus strain and weariness. Aside from that, riders will besides detect the auto seats get hot easy doing uncomfortableness to sit on. Through Green Solar Tint, non merely is the upholstery of the auto protected, but the riders are protected as good. Green Solar shade is capable of barricading up to 90 % of UV beams so one time installed on every auto window you can be assured that you and your household are protected from its detrimental effects. Aside from these grounds that are already given, solar shade besides serves as an added shield that facilitates to your safety and security. The movies will forestall broken pieces of glass from shattering in instance of an accident. This will so minimise possible physical injury both from exterior and inside the auto.Environmental ImpactGreen solar shade is besides really efficient in barricading heat from the Sun. This is a really economical manner of salvaging fuel because of decreased use of air con. And less use of air con means less fuel ingestion. This manner we get to salvage our natural resources ( fuel ) every bit good as cut down pollutant emitted by vehicles.DecisionAs a decision, the modified Green solar shade will supply good solar rejection and it is cheaper than Solar shade ( initial merchandise ) .Recommendation1. The natural stuffs that we traveling to utilize for ceramic procedure, should be maximized, so that the merchandises besides will be maximized. Hence, the dimension of the reactors should be design harmonizing to our company penchant. Overall, we can cut down the use of energy by non reiterating the procedure once more. 2. First, the mixture of our natural stuffs in an organic dissolver should be every bit pure as possible. This can be done, by holding an extra procedure of separation and purification of our natural stuffs. As a consequence, we can forestall the wastage. The drosss from the separation, we can re-use it back as our side merchandises. 3. Normally, it is impossible to derive 100 % pureness in our merchandises. There should be some by- merchandises produce. The byproducts can be re-usable or can be re-cycling back to our provender. It is a good investing for our company.Waste PRODUCTSZinc oxide is one of the drosss from our natural stuffs. So, it is non necessary for us to divide the drosss as Zn oxide have a superior UV barricading belongingss compared to its majority replacement. Actually, this dross is frequently used in ties readying of sunscreen lotions and it is wholly photo stable. Impurities or waste merchandises like nanoscale atoms that being produced in our industry can be used for biomedical application as drug bearers or imaging agents. We can do it as our side investings.