Argument for and Against Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Argument for and Against Education - Essay Example Such oppositions of education are because of the numerous ineffective educational institutions existing today. These educational institutions have compromised the quality of education and have only opened people’s eyes, but completely closed their minds. This is a worrying situation, as today’s education systems have not achieved their full potential of empowering people’s mind and soul. Our education systems therefore play an important role in hindering the purpose of education today. Nonetheless, education is the main factor that encompassing our lives today. It is instrumental in the stimulation of the human mind, as well as turning inquisitive minds into intellectuals. Institutions of higher learning advance the intellect to a higher level, providing them a deeper understanding of the world around us. The benefits of education are all encompassing, including intellectual, social, and emotional benefits. However, Veblen (1957, p.139) argues that in the busines s world, there is no need for education, basing on confessions of prominent business people, who regarded higher learning as a hindrance, which does not help anyone with successful business aspirations. To him, the money culture, and customer-oriented pervasions of education values have commodified education, measuring its worth by monetary units. This reduces education to nothing, and prevents students and teachers from pursuing knowledge freely, as they only pursue academic credits. Commodification of education in the institutions of higher learning today is an issue that has portrayed education in a negative life. This is what makes most people argue against education today. In today’s age of financial greed, many institutions of higher learning... This essay stresses that our present society has evolved into the culture of materialism and the love for money. This culture has found its way into the learning institutions, thereby causing the commodification of education and the commercialization of researches, thus compromising the quality of education in these institutions. This unfortunate situation in our higher learning institutions is not reason enough to disregard education. This paper makes a conclusion that the role of education and its numerous social and economic benefits in society cannot be denied. Education is a known means to poverty eradication and development. Today’s technological advances and economic development are a result of education. Education remains the only basis for future development. Education programs therefore need to be fully funded, as this is a worthy investment for any country. Redefinition of education to capture its original purpose is necessary today. Governments should be devoted to providing support systems for revamping of their education systems. We need to take our educational systems to their old days, when they upheld values and served their function. This way, the function and quality of education today will be enhanced. However, this should be a collective role for both government and the public. The public should know the requirements of education, and not allow these to be violated by politicians or the media.

A policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get Annotated Bibliography

A policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get married should be introduced - Annotated Bibliography Example It underscores the fact that divorce is on the rise due to unpreparedness. This source is useful to the research topic because it shows that marriage may not work well without the necessary lessons on this institution. It also helps to show the challenges in life that make people opt for divorce. It is argued that people change every ten years in several aspects and this poses a challenge to their partners. This article therefore adds a lot significance to the research topic as it shows that indeed it important for people to be taken through marriage classes before getting married. This source reviews what it means to get into marriage. It outlines the challenges that marriage presents and what it means financially if a couple goes for a divorce. It also outlines the legal repercussions of perpetrators of domestic violence. It helps a reader to have a preview of what marriage is. Getting to know some of these facts may lead to a change in decision on who to marry or getting married to. It also adds much significance to the research topic because it exactly supports the topic. It advocates for marriage class sessions before getting married and attaches a financial incentive to those who attend these classes. The fact that this article gives the views of the Florida Supreme Court on the significance of marriage classes before marriage shows how important this topic is. This article contains details and a procedure to be following for those wishing to get married in the state of Florida. Among the requirements at the state of Florida before one gets married is that he or she has to read the Family Law Handbook. Applicants are also required to attend marriage classes and are given financial incentives for that. This article shows the significance with which marriage counseling is viewed in the state of Florida. In my paper, I

Analysis of the Use of Clinical Audits in Healthcare

Analysis of the Use of Clinical Audits in Healthcare Introduction The quality of health care system is important to patients and the Government. High level of quality patient care is the ultimate aim in current health care practices. Service providers wish to deliver quality health care. Patients are the appropriate authority to determine whether the experience of health care is good. Effectiveness of care pertains to treatment and support and helps us to judge whether staffs are, doing the right thing in a right way to achieve best clinical outcomes (Patel, 2010).Audit of services is therefore very important to ensure that the clinical practices are adhered to set professional standards and criteria. On the other hand health services are focusing on new information and knowledge for advanced clinical practice. Research is focused on this area in order to develop new practices and standards in health care system. Researches make changes to health care system by advancement of knowledge and practice. The aim of this paper is to identify the difference between audit and research and analyzing the benefits and limitations of audit. An overview of clinical audit. Audit derived from a Latin word, which means an official inspection of an organizations official accounts, by an independent body (Esposito Canton, 2014). Clinical audit is measuring the quality of patient care provided against a set well defines standards (Yorston Wormald, 2010). It gives staff a systemic way of looking into their practice and making improvements (Bennadi et al, 2014). Pioneer of clinical audit is Florence Nightingale whose work was searching reasons for high mortality in hospitals in 1850s. As per her assessment she reinforced cleanliness resulted in a drastic reduction in mortality rate. (Bennadi et al, 2010). Clinical audit Vs research Clinical audit and clinical research are entirely two different domains (Yorston Wormald, 2010). Clinical audit and research involves some common components. Hence, there is a great deal of controversy (Bennadi et al, 2014) in both terms. Audit compares the current clinical practice against well-defined standard/criteria, while research aims to define the characteristics of good practice on an unknown land (Esposito Canton, 2014). Audit focused on evaluating the existing practice; rather than discovering new information. Research is proven to be a larger scale study that aims at establishing new practices or procedures to carry out a particular task in a different method. The focus of research is further development of existing practice. However, audit is monitoring a task to determine whether a particular task has undertaken as per set standards or criteria. Audits check the quality of the task or procedure (Bennadi et al, 2014). Audit is generally undertaken on a local basis; how ever it is not limited to. (Hughes, 2005). Research aims to obtain new knowledge and to fill in any knowledge gaps. Research focuses on defining questions, making inclusion and exclusion criterias for people or problems to address and any developing clinical interventions or outcomes. Research methods for data collection and analysis that is applied are suitable to the topics for research (Strauss and Sackett, 1998, Hughes, 2005). Audit focuses on evaluating and analyzing the existing ones, not developing new practices (Difference between audit and research, 2014). But, research is aimed at developing new procedures to carry out in a more effective ways of carrying out. The focus on research is invention of new and further development of the old. The aim of an audit is to determine whether the standards and procedures are being followed and whether a task is completed properly. The aim of research is to add onto a body of research and to increase the amount of knowledge and learning available on a specific subject matter (Difference between audit and research, 2014). Also, unlike audits that measure tasks and procedures against a set out standard, research aims to test the hypothesis that is established by the researcher when beginning their experiments (Twycross Shorten 2014). Research considered as a broader field in the field of health. Research requires lot of education and training. Researchers undergo research education and training as a part of their university programme of study to gain the foundation to conduct a research (Hughes, 2005). In contrast, audit emphasized on areas, which needs improvement. Audit can undertake by anyone who is interested in a particular field and few receive education and training (Nettleton and Ireland, 2000). As per Hughess review, researchers involved in audit may benefit from approaches and techniques used to implement findings that could potentially serve to fill the research-practice gap. Equally, those involved in audit will benefit from sampling techniques in research that can help to improve generalisability. Some similarities are identified between audit and research despite their differences. Audit and research starts with a question, require data to answer questions, and systematic approach (Twycross Shorten 2014), also both needs an investigator (Abbasi Heath, 2005). Difference between clinical audit and research is showed in the below table, which was adapted from Bennadi et al, 2014 and Twycross Shorten 2014. Clinical audit Research 1 Audit uses comparison of current clinical practice Research uses experimental methods such as randomised control trials. 2 Uses simple descriptive statistics to describe current practice standards. Uses a range of statistics to make inferences. 3 Audit relates to a particular area of attention. Research can be generalized to other populations. 4 Audit measures how well current practices are carried out against clinical policies and procedures. Research provided evidences for clinical policies and procedures. 5 It is practice based. Research is theory based practice. 6 Ongoing process of quality assurance. One- off study. 7 No involvement of placebo treatment. May involve placebo treatment. 8 No changes involved in treatments of patients. Changes in treatment process. 9 Ethical approval is not required. Requires ethical approval. Benefits of clinical audit Audit conducted against set standards (Patel, 2010, Hughes, 2005) in a cyclic (Tsaloglidou, 2009, Hughes, 2005) process to ensure tasks carried out correctly. At the end of audit cycle auditors are able to address the areas of improvement and give feedback to the personnel who are involved in that particular task. Reaudit should carry out after an agreed period of implementing changes (Bennadi et al, 2014). Regular auditing alerts the health care professional the shortfall (Patel, 2010) in health care delivery system. Also helps us to find out whether staffs are practicing as per standards set by the organization to achieve therapeutic (Patel, 2010) patient care, identifies the factors causing failure to make improvements (Yorston Wormald, 2010). Therefore, organization can take actions to improve the area. Every time an audit cycle is completed there should be further improvement in patient care (Yorston and Wormald, 2010). Audit and feedback often used in health care setting to improve health care professional performance. Discrepancies in health care practices against set standards are highlighted in clinical audit that helps to identify the practices needed to improve for quality care (Esposito Canton, 2014). Tsaloglidou explains that the key for quality assurance and consistent delivery of high quality health services is the appropriate organization of the health center environment. The benefits of audit are apparent for health care professionals as it reduces frustration, reduces organizational and clinical error, improves communications between professionals and secures effective medical defense through risk avoidance (Tsaloglidou, 2009). An audit is not only a tool for monitoring change in clinical practice, but also an educational tool (Tsaloglidou, 2009). As the improvement of health care is a cost-effective procedure, audit is revealed to be a very useful tool in management Limitations of clinical audit Educational and training issue has a huge impact on carrying out an effective audit. Audit should not consider as a light work. It does require knowledge, experience and skills to perform effectively because auditing required to choose appropriate question, analytical method and to be undertaken in a sensitive (Hughes, 2010) way. In general, audit tends to be an activity that be undertaken by anyone without proper training and analytical skills with an aim to improve clinical practice. Nevertheless, it is very important for the staff member who will take on to implement the audit cycle to have proper training, supervision and protected time (Mercel et al, 2006). Bowie et al identified that lack of protected time to conduct a clinical audit is a major disadvantage for health care professional. They have to do it within their own allocated clinical time. Therefore, it can potentially affect direct patient care when allocating clinical time for auditing. It is not possible to justify leaving wards understaffed and underfunded to undertake audit unless instant results are attained (Esposito Canton, 2014, Ellis et al, 2000, Hughes 2005). Subsequently it causes additional workload on key staff members when undertaking an audit (Collis, 2006, Johnston et al, 2000). Lack of support from management to make audit related improvements and changes with the view of providing quality patient care. Inadequate organizational monitoring of auditing activities and progress is a barrier to make changes in patient care. It can lead to frustration and distress on auditors (Bowie et al, 2012, Hughes, 2005). Indirect situational factors influence the success of auditing such as lack of time and resources, lack of supervision, lack of support from management, conflict within multidisciplinary team, negative attitudes associated with audit process ((Travaglia Debono, 2009, Hughes, 2005). A systematic review of Cochrane study of 140 studies tested the effectiveness of clinical audit outcome against other methods of study such as meetings and distribution of printed materials. Results were variable. Audit outcome ranges from negative outcome to very positive effect. When the audit was effective, results range from small to moderate. Moreover, the study concluded that effectiveness of audit is likely greater, when baseline adherence to recommended practice is low. Therefore, there is no clear scientific evidence to support the real effectiveness of clinical audit (Esposito Canton, 2014, Ivers et al, 2014). Conclusion In general, clinical audit considered as an effective and cost effective method for continuous quality improvement even though there are numerous limitations. Therefore, it is important to pay more attention to clinicians having trouble in auditing and to determine what recommendations are made to make the audit more effective. In order to overcome the difficulties of audit, auditors need to be clear about the areas of clinical practice audited. In addition, it is very important to know the difference between audit and research to avoid inappropriate data collection while conducting an audit. Clearly, audit and research serve two distinctive purposes. References Abbasi, K., Heath, A. (2005). Ethics review of research and audit, BMJ, 330(7489), 431-432. doi: 10.1136/bmj.330.7489.431 Bennadi, D., Konekeri, V., Kshetrimayum, N., Sibyl, S., Reddy, V. (2014). Clinical audit a literature review, Journal of international dental and medical research, 7 (2), 49-55.Retrieved from http://www.ektodermaldisplazi.com/journal.htm. Difference between audit and research (2014), Audit vs research, retrieved from http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-audit-and-vs-research/ Esposito, P., Canton, A.D. (2014). Clinical audit, a valuable tool to improve quality of care: General methodology and applications in nephrology, World journal of nephrology, 3(4), 249-255. doi: 10.5527/wjn.v3.i4.249. Hughes, R. (2005). Is audit research? The relationships between clinical audit and social research, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 18(4), 289-299. doi: 10.1108/09526860510602550. Mercel, S.W., Sevar, K., Sadutshan, T.D. (2006). Using clinical audit to improve the quality of obstetric care at the Tibetan Delek Hospital in North India: a logitudinal study. Quality health care, 3(4), 1-4. doi:: 10.1186/1742-4755-3-4 Nettleton, J. Ireland, A. (2000). Junior doctors views on clinical audit. Has anything changed?, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance,13(6), 245-53. Retrieved from careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/Quality improvement. Patel, S. ( 2010).Iidentifying best practice principles of audit in health care, Nursing standard, 24 (32), 40-48. Retrieved from journals.rcni.com/doi/pdfplus/10.7748/ns2011.01.25.19.51.c8271. Travaglia, J., Debono,D. ( 2009) Clinical audit: a comprehensive review of the literature, Centre for Clinical Governance Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia . Retrieved from http://health.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/literature_review_clinical_audit.pdf Tsaloglidou, A. (2009). Does audit improve the quality of care, International journal of caring sciences, 2(2), 65- 72. Retrieved from http://www.internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org Twycross, A., Shorten, A. (2014). Service evaluation, audit and research: what is the difference?, Evid Based Nursing , 17(3), 65-67. doi:10.1136/eb-2014-101871 Yorston, D., Wormald, R. (2010). Clinical auditing to improve patient outcomes, Community eye health journal, 23(74), 48-49. Retrieved from www.cehjournal.org/article/clinical-auditing-to-improve-patient-outcomes.

Minimum of Two and Human Relationships :: English Literature

Don’t be a twit Clive. Minimum of Two presents a bleak view of human relationships. Discuss in relation to three stories. â€Å"Minimum of Two† demonstrates a bleak view of human relationships, however there are a few hopeful ones. The boy and the boy’s friend show negative and pessimistic relationships. Jerra and Rachel show a plain relationship at first, however it turns more optimistic during the end. The girl and the mother have a negative damaging relationship, which does not change. All these characters demonstrate a desolate view of relationships at some stage in the novel. The boy and the boy’s friend show a plain, windswept relationship. The boy’s friend and his girlfriend travel up the coast together to his mother’s holiday house. The boy is quiet and doesn’t want to lose his friend. He follows them wherever they go and doesn’t want to accept that things are different, â€Å"he swears things are the same†, No Memory Comes†. The boy has been friends with him nearly his whole life, and doesn’t realise that his friend his moving on. The boy knows that his relationship with his friend is becoming distant. The boy is trapped in the past and terrified that things are changing. He is going to have to let go of the past, but he does not want to be separated from it. The boy and the boy’s friend showed a very ordinary relationship, that was not going to last. In the start of the novel Jerra and Rachel do not show a very optimistic relationship, however it turns out hopeful during the end. They argue a great deal and are quite distant. Jerra has a difficult lack of family support, yet he tries to keep everything together, â€Å"too many things had gone against them†, â€Å"Forest Winter†. Their relationship was very quiet and there was not a lot of communication, so Jerra decided to have a baby in order to bring them closer together. After the baby Rachel became silent, â€Å"having the baby had muted her†, ‘Forest Winter’. Rachel also felt sad and pessimistic after she had been raped, however she finds the courage to overcome this in â€Å"The strong one†. At the end of the novel when Rachel has the baby, they become very close and Jerra does not want to lose Rachel or Sam. At this point it is shown that Jerra cares and has feelings for Rachel, â€Å"I love you†, ‘Blood and Water’. Rachel and Jerra have their ups and downs, however in the end they look forward with desire and more confidence. The mother and the daughter show a very sad and unhopeful

What Are the Effects of Poor Communication in a Project

Faculty of Business Department of Management and Project Management Baccalaureus Technologiae Project Management Project Research IV Lecturer: L. Jowah RESEARCH METHODOLOGY PROPOSAL TABLE OF CONTENTS Hypothesis – The matrix management structure hinders the project manager when executing a project. 1 Research Question 1 Topic 1 KEY WORDS 1 CONCEPT DEFINITIONS 1 2 CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM ORIENTATION 2 1. 1 INTRODUCTION 2 1. 2 BACKGROUND TO STUDY 3 1. 3 PROBLEM FORMULATION 4 1. 4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 5 1. 4. 1 Primary objective 5 1. 4. 2 Theoretical objectives of the study 5 1. 4. Empirical objectives 5 1. 5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 6 1. 5. 1 Literature review 6 1. 5. 2 Target population 6 1. 5. 3 Sample selection and method of sampling 6 1. 5. 4 The method of data collection 7 1. 5. 5 Statistical Analysis 7 1. 6 CHAPTER CLASSIFICATION 7 1. 6. 1 Chapter two: Literature review 7 1. 6. 2 Chapter three: Research Design and Methodology 7 1. 6. 3 Chapter four: Res ults and Findings 7 1. 6. 4 Chapter five: Conclusions and Recommendations 8 1. 7 SYNOPSIS 8 REFERENCES 9 Questionnaire 11 Part A – Project Planning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 Part B – Organisational Support†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12 Part C – Organisational Characteristics †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 Hypothesis – The matrix management structure hinders the project manager when executing a project. Research Question – How does the matrix structure affect the project manager's effectiveness? Topic – Organisational structures influence the effectiveness of a projec t manager. KEY WORDS organisational structures management project management CONCEPT DEFINITIONS Project: According to the PMBOK – A temporary endeavor ndertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products or services A project management guide, and an internationally recognized standard, that provides the fundamentals of project management as they apply to a wide range of projects. PMBOK – Project Management Body of Knowledge: Management Organisational structures: 1. Effective use and coordination of resources such as capital, plant materials and labour to achieve defined objectives with maximum efficiency. . People responsible for directing and running and organisation. 1. Arrangement of the work of the organisation into units and management positions between which there are defined relat ionships involving the exercise of authority and the communication of instructions and information. 2. Determination and specification of appropriate operational and functional roles and the resulting relationships. The aim of organisational structuring is to provide for an effective organisation structure which enables the best use to be made of the minds, judgements and energies of the members of the organisation. CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM ORIENTATION 1. 1 INTRODUCTION Project management is the discipline of planning, organising, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives (Cleland & Gareis, 2006:1-4). According to Burke (2007:28-30), modern day project management started in the early 1900’s with Henry Gantt’s development of the barchart, and project management techniques which were specifically developed for the military and aerospace projects of the 1950’s and 1960’s in America and Britain. Today, companies are encouraged to change their management systems to adapt to the project management environment. A project is defined as a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or service (PMBOK, 2004:4). According to Sandhu & Gunasekaran (2004:673-690), a project is a set of inter-related tasks that are undertaken by an organisation to meet defined objectives, that has an agreed start and finish time, is constrained by cost, and that has specified performance requirements and resources. Projects are usually led by a project manager who is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any project. However the project manager has to interface with the line management, according to Kerzner (2006:7). Projects are performed by people and managed through people, so it is essential to develop an organisation structure which reflects the needs of the project (Burke, 2007:304). Organisations use project management to bring key people together to achieve specific goals (Palmer, 2002:101-105). According to Gido & Clements (2003:336-339), Conflict can arise from poor or organisational issues can cause conflict in a project. mbiguous project communication, lack of information sharing, or failure to make timely decisions. Problems caused by conflict include: confusion; waste of time, money and opportunity; diminished productivity; de-motivation of individuals and teams; internal conflicts and power struggles and ultimately project failure (Box & Platts, 2005:370-387). 2 Due to the numerous working interfaces, complicated networks, and diversified team members of a large project, coordination efficiency among members of the team is vital to the project’s success (Cheng, Su & You, 2003:70-79). One of the simplest, yet most effective things upper management can do is to set out the company’s policy for project management; thus establishing the vision for how the company wants to best utilise project management concepts and gives a clear downwards communication (Eve, 2007:85-90). Successful executives and managers must maintain an appropriate balance between strategic and operational concerns, as they conduct the affairs of their organisation in a project management environment (Czuchry & Yasin, 2003:39-46). The first and most basic lesson learnt regarding project management implementation, is that top management must demonstrate its unequivocal and visible support for a transition to the project management way of goal achievement (Brown & Botha, 2005:1-7). When senior management place the responsibility for project success with the project manager, without providing adequate authority and at times, implemented changes that further undermine the project manager’s authority; it leads to project failure (Kennedy & Marx, 2009:368-373). The starting point for ensuring that matrix structures work effectively is to ensure that there is a genuine need for them (Rees & Porter, 2004:189-193). Matrix structures should not be introduced simply on the basis that they are fashionable. It is also important to note that work teams do not exist in a vacuum, but are part of a larger organisational system with distinct cultural and structural characteristics (Tata, 2000:187-193). 1. 2 BACKGROUND TO STUDY An organisational structure is a mainly hierarchical concept of subordination of entities that collaborate and contribute to serve one common aim. Organisational structure allows the expressed allocation of responsibilities for different functions and processes to different entities such as the branch, department, workgroup and individual. 3 A hierarchical organisation is an organisational structure where every entity in the organisation, except one, is sub-ordinate to a single other entity. This arrangement is a form of a hierarchy. In an organisation, the hierarchy usually consists of a singular/group of power at the top with subsequent levels of power beneath them. This is the dominant mode of organisation among large organisations; most corporations, governments, and organized religions are hierarchical organisations with different levels of management, power or authority. Organisations have recognised that performing organisational projects has increased both organisational efficiency and effectiveness, thus organisational projects are becoming more of a norm than an exception these days. Each type of organisation has advantages and disadvantages pertaining to project implementation. The organisation should establish firm, standardized project management systems. The matrix structure leads to institutionalised conflict which, if properly channelled, should lead to a number of advantages, such as efficiency and flexibility in used of resources, technical excellence of solutions, motivation and development of employees and the freeing of top management from routine decision making (Rowlinson, 2001:669-673). According to Brown (2008:1-9), a seven step organisational process needs to be formally instituted in an organisation through a thoroughly planned strategy to ensure that appropriate project management processes and tools. . 3 PROBLEM FORMULATION In recent years, managers of for-profit private organisations have been under considerable market pressures to re-orient the strategies, operations and business models of their organisations. In a response to these pressures, the organisational structures of these organisations have been steadily re-engineered from mechanistic, rigid and closed system-oriented to a more organic, flexible and open sy stem-oriented (Gomes, Yasin & Lisboa, 2008: 573-585). 4 Most managers focus on how the project methodology can adapt to it’s organisational context, however, in doing so, they sacrifice the flexibility and dynamism of the project approach for the bureaucratic, control-based view of functional organisations (Thiry, 2006:22) The questions to be addressed in this study are as follows: †¢ How does the organisational structure affect the project manager's effectiveness? †¢ To what degree is the effectiveness of the organisational structure sabotaged by the human factor? †¢ Which organisational structures are best suited for project management? 1. 4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY . 4. 1 Primary objective The purpose of this study is to verify whether organisational structures influence the effectiveness of a project manager. 1. 4. 2 Theoretical objectives of the study The following theoretical objectives were established in order to support the primary objective. †¢ Conducting management. †¢ Conducting a literature stud y on factors of influence in project management. †¢ Reviewing organisational structure models commonly employed by companies in the project management environment. †¢ Contrasting the literature studied with observations in the industry in practice. 1. 4. Empirical objectives The following empirical objectives were formulated in support of the primary and theoretical objectives. †¢ Identifying key elements of influence on project management success. a literature study on organisational structures in project 5 †¢ Identifying organisational structures employed by companies to ensure support project management. 1. 5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 1. 5. 1 Literature review Published material in the form of books, journals, magazines, newspaper articles, government publications and the Internet formed part of establishing a well-informed theoretical background. . 5. 2 Target population The population was restricted to companies in the Western Cape Province, for econom ic reasons; as most companies are within easy reach. The population comprised project management practitioners. For the purpose of this study, project management practitioners are persons practising project management, who are given the responsibility and accountability for implementing projects in an organisation. In industry, the title varies from company to company. The commonly used titles are Project Supervisor and Project Manager. The companies to be included in the study must be practising project The companies must have a formal project management for more than five years. management structure in place. It is anticipated that many companies may not be keen to share information on this subject. Therefore, to increase the probability of reaching the required sample size, organisations in the entire province were chosen. 1. 5. 3 Sample selection and method of sampling A combination of convenience and judgement sampling was used, in light of the geographical dispersion of the organisations. Care was taken to include a broad variety of project management practitioners. The organisations were grouped according to industries. In the absence of previous research, a minimum sample size of one hundred project management practitioners will be chosen for the study. The sample size has been determined on the basis of the cost of the exercise and accessibility to the various companies. 6 1. 5. 4 The method of data collection The survey method will be used. A personal interview using a structured questionnaire will be used to obtain the required information. This method was chosen as it is simple and allows for clarity of questions. 1. 5. 5 Statistical Analysis Descriptive statistics will be used for the initial analysis. The MoonStats package will be used for data analysis. Cross-tabulation and correlation will be used to establish simple relationships between the organisational structure and it’s effects on project management in the business. 1. 6 CHAPTER CLASSIFICATION 1. 6. 1 Chapter two: Literature review An overview is provided of strategies, strategic business levels ad their relationship to each other. This chapter concentrates on organisational structures, competencies and the dynamics of project management. It also explores the need for strategic organisational decisions to further support project management objectives. structures are also highlighted. Different organisational 1. 6. 2 Chapter three: Research Design and Methodology The emphasis of this chapter is on the design of the research, the measuring instruments and population target. employed are outlined. The data analysis procedure and the statistical techniques 1. 6. 3 Chapter four: Results and Findings In this chapter data is analysed, interpreted and evaluated. 1. 6. 4 Chapter five: Conclusions and Recommendations The recommendations emanating from the study are suggested. limitations of the research are highlighted. The benefits and 1. 7 SYNOPSIS This paper is primarily addressed at the decision makers about project management in an organisation. In the arenas of business and management, the principles of project man agement are relatively simple and much of it actually common sense. However, this paper aims to confirm that the implementation and acceptance thereof, in a functionallyonly structured organisation, is quite a complex process. The paper’s prime purpose is herefore to highlight, that after the decision to implement project management is made, a number of not so obvious implications for the organisation, as well as structural, organisational culture and systems changes, have to be thoroughly managed to ensure success. In this chapter the background and scope of research are described. The Research objectives are utilized in an effort to address the research problem. In the next chapter the literature used as background for this study, will be discussed, while the different levels of project management organisational structures and how they are interrelated will be outlined. REFERENCES Cleland, D. , Gareis, R. 2006. Global project management handbook: Planning, McGraw-Hill Organ izing and Controlling International Projects, Second Edition. Professional. Project Management Institute. 2004. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge – 3rd edition. Pennsylvania: PMI Publications. Burke, R. 2007. Project management Techniques college edition. South Africa; Burke Publishing. Gido, J. and Clements, J. P. 2003. Successful Project Management – Second Edition. USA. South-Western. Kerzner, H. 2006. Project Management – Ninth Edition, A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling. Hoboken, New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons. Sandhu, M. A. and Gunasekaran, A. 2004. Business process development in projectbased industry. Business Process Management Journal. Vol. 10 No. 6:673-690. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Box, S. and Platts, K. 2005. Business process management: establishing and maintaining project alignment. Business Process Management Journal. Vol. 11 No. 4:370-387. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Palmer, M. 2002. How an effective project culture can help to achieve business success: establishing a project culture in Kimberley-Clark Europe. Industrial and Commercial Training. Volume 34. Number 3:101-105. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Czuchry, A. J. and Yasin, M. M. 2003. Managing the project management process. Industrial Management and Data Systems. 103/1 :39-46. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 9 Rees, W. D. and Porter, C. 2004. Matrix structures and the training implications. Industrial and Commercial Training. Volume 36. Number 5:189–193. Emerald Group Publishing Limited  · ISSN 0019-:189-193 Gomes, C. F. , Yasin, M. M. and Lisboa, J. V. 2008. Project management in the context of organizational change. International Journal of Public Sector Management. Vol. 21 No. 6:573-585. Tata, J. 2000. Autonomous work teams: an examination of cultural and structural constraints. Work Study. Volume 49. Number 5:187-193. MCB University Press. Rowlinson, S. 2001. Matrix organizational structure, culture and commitment: a Hong Kong public sector case study of change. Construction Management and Economics. 19, 669-673. Spon Press. Brown, C. J. and Botha, M. C. 2005. Lessons learnt on implementing project management in a functionally-only structured South African municipality. South African Journal of Business Management. 36(4):1-7 Cheng, M. Su, C. and You, H. 2003. Optimal Project Organizational Structure for Construction Management. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. January/February:70-79. Brown, C. J. 2008. A comprehensive organisational model for the effective management of project management. South African Journal of Business Management. 39(3):1-8. Kennedy, D. A. and Marx, T. 2009. Going Against Traditional Wisdom: Running Proj ects in a Functional Structure. Proceedings of the 2009 Industrial Engineering Research Conference. 368-373. Thiry, M. 2006. The Matrix Evolves. PM Network. Apr. 20,4:22. Eve, A. 2007. Development of project management systems. Industrial and Commercial Training. Vol. 39. No. 2:85-90. 10 Questionnaire For each planning product written, please mark the most suitable answer referring to the projects you were recently involved in, according to the following scale: 54321ABThe product is always obtained The product is quite frequently obtained The product is frequently obtained The product is seldom obtained The product is hardly ever obtained The product is irrelevant to the projects I am involved in I do not know whether the product is obtained Please choose between 1-5 and A or B. Part A – Project Planning Planning Product Never Always Do not know Irrelevant 1. Project Plan 2. Project Deliverables 3. WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) Chart 4. Project Activities 5. PERT or Gantt Chart 6. Activity Duration Estimate 7. Activity Start and End Dates 8. Activity Required Resources 9. Resource Cost 10. Time-phased Budget 11. Quality Management Plan 12. Role and Responsibility Assignments 13. Project Staff Assignments 14. Communications Management Plan 15. Risk Management Plan 16. Procurement Management Plan 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B 11 Part B – Organisational Support Planning Product Never Always Do not know Irrelevant 17. Project-Based Organisation 18. Extent of Existence of Projects’ Procedures 19. Appropriate Project Manager Assignment 20. Extent of Refreshing Project Procedures 21. Extent of Involvement of the Project Manager during Initiation Stage 22. Extent of Communication between the Project Manager and the Organisation during the Planning Phase 23. Extent of Existence of Project Success Measurement 24. Extent of Supportive Project Organisational Structure 25. Extent of Existence of Interactive InterDepartmental Project Planning Groups 26. Extent of Organisational Projects Resource Planning 27. Extent of Organisational Projects Risk Management 28. Extent of Organisational Projects Quality Management 29. Extent of On Going Project Management Training Programs 30. Extent of Use of Standard Project Management Software (e. . Ms-Project) 31. Extent of Use of New Project Tools and Techniques 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 A A A A A A B B B B B B 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 A A A A A A A A A B B B B B B B B B 12 Part C – Organisational Characteristics a. Organisation type: ? (1) Engineering ? (4) Construction ? (7) Services ? (2) Software ? (5) Communications ? (8) Government ? (3) Production ? (6) Maintenance ? (9) Other: ______ b. Project type: ? (1) Engineering ? (4) Construction ? (7) Services ? 2) Software ? (5) Communications ? (8) Aeronautics ? (3) Electronics ? (6) Mechanics ? (9) Other: _____ c. Evaluate the following indexes in the scale of 1 to 10 (1-low, 10-high): Index Low High Quality of planning of project you are involved in Project performance at the end of the projects Customer satisfaction at the end of the projects Risk level at the beginning of the project 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 d. Your personal involvement in projects: ? Project Manager ? Project Team Member ? Other: _______ 13

Critically evaluate the impact behaviourism has had on psychology Essay

Critically evaluate the impact behaviourism has had on psychology  For hundreds of years philosophers speculated about â€Å"the mind† and in around the 1880’s the popular method of psychology dealt only with the conscious mind. The experiments carried out at this time were criticised for their lack of objectivity and by the 1920’s a new brand of psychology emerged in the form of behaviourism. Psychology became a recognised discipline in around 1897 when Wilhelm Wundt started the first psychology lab in Germany. Wundt, along with others, attempted to investigate the mind through introspection, and observed their own conscious mental processes. While analysing their thoughts, images and feelings, they recorded and measured their results under controlled conditions and aimed to sort conscious thought into its basic elements as a chemist would with a chemical compound. This theory was known as structuralism. A particular critic of this method, in the early 1920’s was John Broadus Watson (1878-1958), who felt that introspection was subjective and therefore erroneous. He also felt the only way forward was by using methods that could be observed by more that just one person and this could be achieved by studying behaviour. He wrote that â€Å"Behaviourism claims that ‘consciousness’ is neither a definable nor a usable concept; that it is merely another word for the ‘soul’ of more ancient times.† (Watson 1924) Behaviourist theories of learning are often called â€Å"stimulus-response† (S-R), and though only classical conditioning fits the S-R model, the other major form, operant conditioning, is often included under the same heading, though it is significantly different. Classical conditioning is triggered involuntarily by a particular environmental stimulus. This means that a stimulus that does not normally produce a particular response can be paired with another stimulus that does, eventually resulting in both stimuli inducing the same effect, even when used separately. A good example of this was shown in the first experiments by Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) in the early 20th Century. During other research work he noticed that dogs often salivated before they were given any food, and even when they looked at food. This sometimes went as far as the dog salivating when he heard the approaching footsteps of the laboratory assistant bringing the food. Pavlovs observations used food as an unconditional stimulus and the salivating was an unconditioned response, an automatic reflex response. During the experiment a bell was paired with the food and referred to as a conditioned stimulus. It was neutral to begin with and got no response from the dog except for a passing interest. After the bell and food had been paired for some time the dog began to salivate at the sound of the bell and before the food was shown. The salivation was then a conditioned response as it was produced by the bell (conditioned stimulus). In 1920 Watson took this work further when he attempted a similar study on an 11month old boy called Albert. He used a rat as the original stimulus, and Albert showed no fear of it. He paired the rat with an unconditioned stimulus, which in this case was a hammer hitting a four foot steel bar close to Alberts head, which frightened the child and made him cry. After about 50 pairings Albert was afraid of the rat which had by this time become the conditioned stimulus. The conditioned response (fear) spontaneously transferred to other items which included a white rabbit, a sealskin coat, cotton wool, Watsons hair and a Santa mask. Though it was less severe, the conditioning persisted even after a month and Albert’s mother removed him from the hospital.

Krishna essays

Krishna essays Krishna a very wicked god but has a good side to him. When Krishna was a small boy he would steal food and upset the balance, and his mother would have to separate him from foods and other foods meaning that different categories like dairy and sweets. Krishna was famous for stealing from the lader. All over Krishna body is blue, he often holds his flute in his hand. When Lord Krishna was born it was when I quote Mother Earth, at that time, was suffering from the tortures of demoniac powers Krishna was bourn Five thousand years ago on July 19/20 year 3228 B.C. He killed demons at ages 3 through 28 and killed different people and things. He also establishes kingdom in Dvaraka Marriage to Rukmini and 7 principal queens Marriage to 16,100 princesses 161,080 sons born to Krishna Speaks Bhagavad-Gita at Kuruksetra Battle (~90)(3138 BC) Saves King Pariksit in the womb Instructs Uddhava Thought ages 29-125. Krishna Disappearance happened on February 18th 3102 BC at age 128. When Krishna had 16,100 wives he had to annihilate his family for weighing down the earth. Krishna friend Narada told him a lie that all of his wives had fallen in love with his brother Samba. Krishna got mad and cursed his wives that barbarians carry them all away when he is dead and they all and Samba to cursed be afflicted by leprosy. Different types of mythology is Jewish, Greek, native, America, Islamic and more. In most mythology there is birds gods or any kinds or animals. Krishna was mostly called a coward because when he was smaller he would be scared of certain things and the people would called him a coward but he didnt mind he was a joyful child and grown up to be a god. Many Hindus all around the world today are praying to Krishna and on August 30 is his own holiday when he was born to when he died. And this is my report on Hindu Mythology Krishna. ...

Academic integrity Essay Example

Academic integrity Essay Example Academic integrity Essay Academic integrity Essay Academic Integrity What is the importance of writing, both academically and professionally? The importance of writing, both academically and professionally is to be able to communicate your thoughts properly to everyone whom you communicate with. I believe being able to write academically give you the foundation in which you are going to use when you write professionally. When you write professionally its important to be able to communicate to co-workers as well as potential clients. I feel hey are both important in the sense they help you communicate to your peers, colleagues and everyone else in an effective manner through email, letters and corporate memos. Why is integrity important in writing? I think integrity is important for writing in academics. Being able to submit a paper or essay with the confidence your work is completely honest is a great feeling. I feel being honest in your writing gives others a reason to trust you and inform others you are responsible. I feel if these characteristics are shown in your writing they also show the kind of character you have as a person. These traits can prove toa teacher, administration, school and employer you are worthy of being a part of their organization. The value of having integrity is something you will carry with you not only in school, but also in other phases of your life. How can you avoid plagiarism? There are few ways you can avoid plagiarism. One way is to be honest to submit your wn work and not someone elses. Another way is to ensure you are giving credit to the resources you have used to gather and state your facts. If you properly post your citations, references and paraphrases this will help you in a huge way. Another way is to ensure the information you are using for your facts are also accurate and provide by a reliable sources. Ensure the information you are basing your paper is an accredited institution. Academic integrity By brianayala

Top 10 Highest Paying Nursing Jobs

Top 10 Highest Paying Nursing Jobs if you’re going into nursing for the money, you are probably not choosing a career for the right reasons. still,  knowing what salary to expect can definitely help you plan your career. across the field of medicine and across the country, salaries can vary based on location and experience factors, but scrubsmag has rounded up the available data for you to consider. according to the u.s. bureau of labor statistics, the top pay group for nurses includes nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (median salary $96,460, and the top 10% of earners can receive as much as $161,030). payscale.com reports the following stats and averages:  1. nurse anesthetistmedian  total annual salary*: $133,115 total salary annual range*: $83,449–$185,065 median hourly rate: $69 hourly range: $30.09–$95.05  2. psychiatric nurse practitionermedian total annual salary: $90,376 total salary annual range: $71,109–$127,386 median hourly rate: $50 hourly rang e: $35.66–$80.21  3. adult nurse practitionermedian total annual salary: $88,199 total annual salary range: $75,016–$114,185 median hourly rate: $46 hourly range: $35.86–$60.23  4. certified nurse midwifemedian total annual salary: $86,013 total annual salary range: $69,564–$109,650 median hourly rate: $45 hourly range: $36.21–$54.63  5. family nurse practitionermedian total annual salary: $84,239 total annual salary range: $69,705–$110,359 median hourly rate: $44 hourly range: $34.86–$58.26  6. nursing directormedian total annual salary: $83,029 total annual salary range: $56,340–$122,462 median hourly rate: $37 hourly range: $24–$55.30  7. clinical nurse specialistmedian total annual salary: $81,305 total annual salary range: $61,674–$117,969 median hourly rate: $40 hourly range: $29.94–$63.96  8. clinical nurse managermedian total annual salary: $75,965 total annual salary range: $53,845†“$100,567 median hourly rate: $33 hourly range: $22.88–$45.26  9. registered nurse supervisormedian total annual salary: $65,854 total annual salary range: $48,761–$89,544 median hourly rate: $29.87 hourly range: $22.94–$40.66  10. charge nursemedian total annual salary: $65,265 total annual salary range: $47,670–$85,918 median hourly rate: $29.04 hourly range: $22.40–$39.06

Entertainment in Antarctica Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entertainment in Antarctica - Essay Example This detail ensures that scientists and workers actually look forward to their leisure time after completing a hard day’s work. The general public is not aware of what goes on day to day at the Antarctic and how important entertainment is to these workers state of mind. Since it is such a barren continent there is not much interest to know about life on Antarctica from the general public. Scientifically Antarctica is very popular. Entertainment on Antarctica and its importance to the workers is a very interesting and illuminating topic. Throughout my discussion I will discuss and breakdown the foundation for entertainment amongst the inhabitants in Antarctica. This will be divided into four section; basics of time, seasons and weather, scientific study and job performance, psychology of inhabitants and importance of entertainment, and the available activities. An individual living in Antarctica can describe the season as follows, cold and colder. Seasons do not progress like the rest of the world due to the extreme weather conditions. Winter runs from April to October and summer April to August (this is an overlapping time frame, you need to fix this, summer cannot be in the middle of winter!). Temperatures vary depending on wind chill factor. Summer temperatures ranges from 40 degrees below zero to 36 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures vary from 150 degrees below zero to 40 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. Four months out of the year consist of 24 hours of darkness. Another four months have 24 hours of daylight and the remaining months have a mixture of day and night. (Antarctica Online, 2006). Antarctica has been occupied since 1951, housing scientists in various fields. They study the wonders and mysteries of the extreme climate (List a couple of the current research fields) (Antarctica Online, 2006). Besides scientist there are many other occupations needed to make the station function on a day to day basis. The life on the

Principles and Practices of Leadership and Management Essay - 1

Principles and Practices of Leadership and Management - Essay Example In this paper, there are several contingency models which have been discussed to outline the theories of leadership in the society. Contingency Theory of Decision Making As per this model, the success of a decision procedure is contingent upon a number of instances of the situation. This involves the significance of the decision attributes and acceptance, the extent of relevant information owned by the leader and subordinates. Also, there is the possibility that subordinates will admit an autocratic verdict or cooperate in attempting to make a good decision when allowed to participate. In addition, there is the degree of disagreement among workers with regard to their favored alternatives. Path–Goal Theory The theory suggests that the leader should assist explicate the path for workers to achieve the group goals. This is where the leader employs particular behaviors in particular situations to intensify follower satisfaction as well as motivate efforts in the direction of task accomplishment. The theory recognizes four kinds of leader behavior which includes supportive, directive, achievement oriented and participative leader behavior. In instances where the task is taxed, the theory forecast that supportive behaviors of leadership may increase the workers' interest in task completion and encourage workers' expectations for an effective outcome. On the other hand, in instances where the task is complicated, then the directive behaviors such as explaining the task and emphasizing on rewards on good performance may increase the workers positive expectation (House, 1996). Normative Decision Model This theory exclusively focuses on providing prescriptions to enhance the decision-making process of the leader. It gives out a set of 5 different strategies of decision-making that range from directive decision making to a participative one. The finest strategy for making decision situations may be arrived at by answering â€Å"yes/no† to 7 questions based on a decision tree which may characterize the situation for decision-making. The significance of decision quality, the probability that workers would accept to execute the decision as well as the quantity of available information required for the decision amounts to some of the examples of situational considerations (Smith, 1984). Situational Leadership Theory The theory proposes that the effectiveness of leadership depends purely on the ability of the leader to customize his/her behavior to the necessity of the situation. For instance, the workers’ level of maturity. The function of the leader is to constantly evaluate and modifies his/her behavior to each workers’ task and psychological maturity to accomplish the task in sight. For example, when a worker happens to have lower maturity, then the leader should assist the employee on how to carry out the job. However, when a worker is more mature, then probably he/she does not require much assistance to have the work do ne. In this situation, it would be proper to delegate the task to the employee. Studies back the theory's hypothesis that low maturity workers mostly take advantage of the directive behavior. The theory has however been disapproved for its limited focus on only a single situational element, but it has played a part in the understanding of the effectiveness

Role of financial analysts in banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Role of financial analysts in banking - Essay Example Many recent financial reporting scandals (e.g. the Enron Scandal) have been attributed to poor corporate governance oversight, understatement of the role of financial analyst and poor financial reporting process (Weintrop, Li & Byard 2006). As a response to these financial reporting scandals, regulators and major stock exchanges have implemented new rules designed to improve the quality of corporate governance, strengthen the role of financial analyst (e.g., by requiring audit committees to be fully independent, role of financial analyst to include both financial and non financial information). Implicit in these regulatory changes is a belief that such measures will eventually improve the quality of information available to the users of financial reports (e.g., financial analysts) (Baker 1988, Covrig & Low 2005, Weintrop, Li & Byard). Baker (1988) studies the important role of sell-side financial analysts on capital markets and by means of his analysis earnings forecasts and recommendations, financial analysts have a significant influence on the investment community (Lybaert & ORens 2007). Lybaert & ORens (2007) study how the use of non-financial information influences financial analyst forecast. ... such measures will eventually improve the quality of information available to the users of financial reports (e.g., financial analysts) (Baker 1988, Covrig & Low 2005, Weintrop, Li & Byard). These researchers however, have focused their studies on the importance of financial analyst to the economy. Baker (1988) studies the important role of sell-side financial analysts on capital markets and by means of his analysis earnings forecasts and recommendations, financial analysts have a significant influence on the investment community (Lybaert & ORens 2007). Lybaert & ORens (2007) study how the use of non-financial information influences financial analyst forecast. The researchers came to the conclusion that financial analyst who use more forward-looking information and more internal-structure information offer more accurate forecasts for investors and the organisation in which they work for. The same idea was supported by Vanstraelen, Zarzeski, and Robb (2003) when they find out that disclosure of non-financial forward-looking information was directly related to the accuracy of the analysts' earnings forecasts. Weintrop, Li & Byard (2006) examine the association between corporate governance and the quality of information available to financial analyst. They test this assertion by studying the association between corporate governance and the quality of financial analysts' information 1.2Problem Statement and Research questions Much prior research on financial analyst has tended to describe and focus on how investors react to financial analyst information in general (e.g. Baker 1988, Paperman, and O'Hara & Easley 1998). Today, attention is gradually being shifted to the importance of their role in the economy, their use of financial and non-financial measures

Highway engineering 1 (civil) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Human Resource Management Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Human Resource Management Strategy - Essay Example man Capital is perhaps the most powerful and high-valued asset of an organization since people within an organization not only depend on their own productivity and performance but also of all other resources like technology, materials, process etc. No process, system or organizational activity can work well unless there are right people for that and they are managed for the same. If people perform well, all other resources in the organization can be utilized up to a maximum extent. Therefore, managing the human resources effectively and with a view to make them high performers is extremely critical to the organizational success. In order to achieve sustainable competitive advantages, human resources management have recently designed, developed and concentrated on various managerial strategies. High Performance Working is one of such strategies. ... Industry analysis with help of Porter’s five forces analysis will be given to help understand the business environment and competitive rivalry of the business. Based on literature review on high performance working and HR strategies that lead the organization to high performing, this paper illustrates the importance, relevance and overall benefits of implementing the high performance strategy. British Airways: Company Profile and Industry Analysis British Airways Plc is UK’s largest international airline. As a member of the royal family of European Airlines, British Airways carries passengers and cargoes to a large numbers of airports in more than 150 countries. The company provides airline services through around 240 aircraft (Hoovers, 2011). British Airways has emerged to be a highly successful competitor in the market and thus has been labeled the world’s first airline that took part in a scheme to reduce green house gas emission (Strategic Report, 2009). With customer focus and some other useful business strategies, the company has been able to achieve company’s specific goals. Out of its strategic perspectives, the company has perceived long haul premium customers as the key to profitability, delivered outstanding quality service for customers, grew its presence in most global cities, built a leading position in London and met customers needs (British Airways, 2009). Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Michael Porter’s Five Force analysis is a tool that can be used for comparing and contrasting the competitive environment and analyze the operational efficiencies. The five force analysis can also be used as a tool to evaluate how effective were the business strategies and how far these

Following the Steps of Narrative Structure Essay

Following the Steps of Narrative Structure - Essay Example Weak and simple story lines do not need a complex structure as they ruin the effectiveness of the content. Complex story lines need a well structured format of narration. This makes it simple and effective to bring out the intended topic of narration. Generally, there are structures that exist when writing narratives without the consideration of influencing factors. According to Hemmingway writing a narrative should clearly based on the right structure and format regardless the audience and the content in the narrative (85). This paper will focus on the writing structure of narratives. Additionally, it will clearly show the steps involved when coming up with a narrative structure. It will greatly borrow from the Freytag’s Pyramid. Thursby says that in introducing a narrative the exposition should be the first structure step (97). The exposition should be well and easily understood. It should also be very effective in terms of content and structure. In many occasions the exposition creates the intended picture to the audience. It provides the audience with what to expect from the narrative in terms of content. The exposition should be an analysis of characters involved, the relationship between the characters and the drama or story connecting the characters to the narrative. It also meant to create an attentive mood from the audience or the intended reader. The exposition also provides a depth analysis of the topic and the setting of the narrative. According to Hemmingway the exposition or introduction of a narrative should provide the audience or intended person with all the information they need to understand the story (126). In words by Thursby then there is rising action which provides a greater picture on the characters in the narrative (157). The rising action segment gives an introduction to the main conflict in the narrative. The conflict should be designed in way that both the negative and positive influences are

Human Resource Management Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Human Resource Management Strategy - Essay Example man Capital is perhaps the most powerful and high-valued asset of an organization since people within an organization not only depend on their own productivity and performance but also of all other resources like technology, materials, process etc. No process, system or organizational activity can work well unless there are right people for that and they are managed for the same. If people perform well, all other resources in the organization can be utilized up to a maximum extent. Therefore, managing the human resources effectively and with a view to make them high performers is extremely critical to the organizational success. In order to achieve sustainable competitive advantages, human resources management have recently designed, developed and concentrated on various managerial strategies. High Performance Working is one of such strategies. ... Industry analysis with help of Porter’s five forces analysis will be given to help understand the business environment and competitive rivalry of the business. Based on literature review on high performance working and HR strategies that lead the organization to high performing, this paper illustrates the importance, relevance and overall benefits of implementing the high performance strategy. British Airways: Company Profile and Industry Analysis British Airways Plc is UK’s largest international airline. As a member of the royal family of European Airlines, British Airways carries passengers and cargoes to a large numbers of airports in more than 150 countries. The company provides airline services through around 240 aircraft (Hoovers, 2011). British Airways has emerged to be a highly successful competitor in the market and thus has been labeled the world’s first airline that took part in a scheme to reduce green house gas emission (Strategic Report, 2009). With customer focus and some other useful business strategies, the company has been able to achieve company’s specific goals. Out of its strategic perspectives, the company has perceived long haul premium customers as the key to profitability, delivered outstanding quality service for customers, grew its presence in most global cities, built a leading position in London and met customers needs (British Airways, 2009). Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Michael Porter’s Five Force analysis is a tool that can be used for comparing and contrasting the competitive environment and analyze the operational efficiencies. The five force analysis can also be used as a tool to evaluate how effective were the business strategies and how far these

Falcon-Star Software Essay Example for Free

Falcon-Star Software Essay Falcon-Star Software is newly established Software Company which came into existence in 1994. It has offices in both Washington and Canada. The company is based on providing web based solutions to its customers worldwide. It aims to fulfill all our customers’ software based and customized application based needs. Our mission is to provide quality service to our customers who need our help for their businesses at reasonable rates and provide them the best solutions that will solve their problems for a extensive period of time. At the moment we have two offices to develop our software, our main competitors are also situated close to us and also across the globe, therefore we have to be much focused and plan our strategies accordingly else we can run out of business. Our company is divided into three main departments of information systems group, provisioning services Group, and manager of customer Service. Each department has its own set of directors under whom each of the heads of the departments and managers will be functioning. Since our organization is new we don’t have too many departments that is why each person will be doing multiple roles at the same time. You will be answerable to the CEO who will be there to over look your work and help you with your decisions. (Robbins Judge, 2005) Since we are in the initial stages of our business therefore we all need to work as one team and plan things ahead so that we can reduce the mishaps that can occur in future. As the manger of our departments I expect you all to be very clear of the mission of this company and based on that you define and identify your goals. This would include strategic planning and staff planning. Your senior managers are going to establish the over all objectives for the company and its your job to turn them into tactical objectives and make your less seniors workers understand them. (Fleming, 2005) Leadership is an important part of becoming a successful manager. It is your ability to lead other people so that they look up to you, trust you and therefore give in their best. It is your responsibility to take care of your sub ordinates who will be helping you with your work. Motivation is an important part of leadership. You need to keep your employees intact with the goal of the company. Make them understand their importance to this company. Employees are one of the greatest assets of a company and we don’t want to lose this asset. (Employee Engagement – A Concept Clean Up) As a manager you are responsible to look into all the matters that are under your control. In order to make things works in a systematic way you will have do organize your team of workers, time and resources in the most efficient manner. It is not about giving instructions only. You need the right kind of people to work under you and delegate responsibility to them . There should be clear division of work. And each department is accountable for its outcome but they all should work for one common vision. Well planned and organized work is a sign of good management and that is what we want our managers to be like at Falcon-Star Software. It is your duty to measure the performance of your department and your employees by comparing it against the targets that you had set for your self and if there are any shortcoming you need to over come that by taking appropriate corrective actions. This will help you in not repeating the same mistake again and learn more from the past experience. As it is said by Hertzberg that giving feed back is very important if things are going the way you wanted them to be. (Echols, 2005) Apart from them you are responsible for coordination between your different activities. The goals of each department should be the same. Try to avoid situations which would end up wasting resources, money and effort. Our aim is to give our customers the best developed software to fulfill their requirement. Communicate with your staff and encourage them. Failure to keep satisfied employees can adversely affect the business. Different managers have different ways of approaching problems. You can choose your own ways of doing work as long as it’s giving us result. You should understand your role and what we want from you at work. You have to plan, organize, control, communicate, and lead the organization and its employees. Our focus is our customers. We together have to work as a team so that our goal is met and we are able to compete with our competitors successfully. For that we require efforts from every individual however, the role of a manager in a company is versatile. They give fuel to the organization. Its now on your ability and work and commitment and how you undertake pressure. (Echols, 2005) Works Cited †¢ Fleming, John H. (November 2005). Where Employee Engagement Happens. Harvard Business Review †¢ Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge (2005). Organizational Behavior, Twelfth edition: Pearsons Publishers †¢ Employee Engagement – A Concept Clean Up. bsiconsulting, Retrieved June 26, 2008, from http://bsiconsulting. com. au/pdfs/Engagement%20Clean%20Up%2003. pdf

The Field Of Decision Making Effectuation Business Essay

The Field Of Decision Making Effectuation Business Essay The creation of new businesses has a significant impact on creating more jobs and economic growth. Entrepreneurial studies have significant results. Personal characteristics of entrepreneurs, market forces and conditions, Industry trends and dynamics can have an important influence on the success of the entrepreneur but also the social skills that helps them to interact successful with others. Entrepreneurs are linked to perform financial activities of new ventures, after other studies proved high social skills is good for almost all individuals. In recent years causation versus effectuation has become an essential subject in Entrepreneurial science. Ten years ago, two terms of different styles of entrepreneurship were introduced called Causation and Effectuation. In the field of decision-making Effectuation is a relatively new theory of entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurial process is an inverse of the classical causational process. Many scholars have written different books on this concept but in my assignment I will use ideas and concept of one particular person her name is Sarasvathy. She explained these two terms causation and effectuation in a very nice way. Sarasvathy (2001a) defines that causational process take a particular effect as given and focus on selecting between means to create that effect, while defining that effectuation process take a set of means as given and focus on selecting between possible effects that can be created with that set of means (p.245). She has also given different examples to explain this concept in good way and clarify her statement and difference between causation and effectuation. Using her example which she established in her dissertation (p.245): a chef that is asked to cook dinner for a host. The causation process would mean the host chooses a menu, upon which the chef shops for the necessary ingredients and cooks the meal. Hence, the end is given and predictable, and the focus is on acquiring, and selecting between, the means to achieve the end. The effectuation process mean would that the host asks the chef to imagine possible menus based on the available means in the kitchen: available ingredients and utensils. Hence, the mean are given and focus is on what can be achieved with them. Nowadays mostly entrepreneurs use effectuation model rather than causational model thats why effectuation model continuously gaining foothold in the field of entrepreneurship research. In this assignment, I will address a piece of that gap. If we go back to the Sarasvathy theories about entrepreneurship, Sarasvathy (2001a) indicates that the theory of effectuation is influenced by a large list of scholars for example Knight, Weick, March, Buchanan, Vanberg. According to Sarasvathy theoretical framework. Effectuation inverts the fundamental principles, solution process and overall logic of predictive rationality Sarasvathy (2001a p.2) It is argued that effective mechanisms associated with the discovery and exploitation of opportunities in new markets with high levels of uncertainty (Sarasvathy, 2001). For this reason, Sarasvathy suggests that the success of the first participants in a new industry is more likely to use the process of achieving causal processes. Because the effectuation and has a sophisticated design and prediction, the costs associated with these activities are reduced (Bhide, 2000; Mintzberg, 1994). Sarasvathy (2001) argues that while new businesses fail created by effectuation model, they will fail in initial levels and / or lower investments than those businesses which created through the causal model. Implementing the theory based on the decision of the literature suggests that if decision makers believe that it is a relatively unpredictable, they will try to gather information about the future trends of experimental, iterative learning (for example, Ries, 2011).The elements of effectuation help us to reconstruction experimental and iterative learning techniques that allow entrepreneurs to discover information about the future as time passes. (Sarasvathy, 2001). Sarasvathy describes succinctly the difference in the two logical modes: Causal problems are problems of decision; effectual problems are problems of design. Causal logics help us choose; effectual logics help us construct. Causal strategies are useful when the future is predictable, goals are clear and the environment is independent of our actions; effectual strategies are useful when the future is unpredictable, goals are unclear and the environment is driven by human action. The causal actor begins with an effect he wants to create and asks, What should I do to achieve this particular effect? The effecutator begins with her means and asks, What can I do with these means? And then again, What else can I do with them? (Sarasvathy 2008). The study showed that the two methods differed by five factors Resource driven objectives The first and most definitive part which separated experts from novices was how they began the process of making decisions to create a business. (Sarasvathy,2008). The beginner started with a business plan (with corresponding targets) and market research. Business experts entrepreneurs, meanwhile, made three key issues: 1) Who am I? 2) What do I know? 3) Who do I know? To do this, the employer is strictly inventory of resources. What services or goods, the employer already know how to deliver? When asked who the employer has identified these things were more passionate. Finally, the most extreme effectuators always started with what he knew well, could begin to build partnerships. For example, one participant said: The traditional market research, he says, based on a broad collection of information, perhaps via e-mail. I would not do that. I literally would seek, as I said at the beginning, company key star call; do a frontal lobotomy on them. . . The challenge is to actually choose your partners and yourself early package before you have to put a lot of capital. (Sarasvathy, 2008). This line of thinking is very similar look with Napoleon. As in the Battle of Toulon (Note 4) Napoleon had decided to conquer these strategic resources to rigorously examined and their position. (Duggan, 2009). Similarly, entrepreneurs resources expert study before making a decision. Minimizing losses rather than focusing on returns The second element is that entrepreneurs like to spend only what they could afford to lose. (Sarasvathy, 2008). In contrast, novices focused on the amount that can be expected in return. Ends effectuators not want to spend money. He was careful in spending money on marketing. An entrepreneur may even sell a product that was not available to the client. He built only after the customer wanted to buy. (Sarasvathy, 2008). Forming partnerships The third element is that the business experts differ from novices focusing on partner search. First, he tried to quickly turn customers into partners which come in their new business. Second, unlike novices who focus on competition, experts are diligent in building associations. Refining the service or product based on customer feedback The fourth element is that entrepreneurs specialists recognize that the initial product is not where it should be. (Sarasvathy 2008). When applying iterative information for customers about your product or service, the entrepreneur has the ability to transform. Thus, the contractor is not an expert to say a fixed idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹what the market needs. Instead, the entrepreneur and the dialogue with the market to determine what the market wants. (Sarasvathy 2008). Arriving at a different destination The fifth and final point is that entrepreneur experts do not have a fixed goal or destination. For example, unlike the classic strategic model, the journey from A to B is often converted into a journey from A to C, where C is unthinkable death or diversion. Two thirds of the study participants, eventually selling products or services that is different from their origin. (Sarasvathy 2008). This is another look resonate with Napoleon. Map of Napoleons final battle and the strategic points have changed their plans before the battle. Similarly, when employers use guidance based media must change their original plans of the dynamics of resources, knowledge, alliances, customers and environmental changes. (Sarasvathy 2008). EXAMPLES Following are the examples of effectuation model businesses. Ebay.co.uk Kelkoo.co.uk Gocompare.com Facebook.com Zara Gap Auto trader Ali baba Conclusion Effectuation has big hold on the imagination of researchers because it identi ¬Ã‚ es and questions basic consideration of how individuals think and behave when starting businesses, and it offers on other hand explanation to causation that many believe has face validity. An effectuation model company seems particularly appropriate as it can best be explained how, in the absence of current markets for future goods and services, these goods and services manage to come into existence (Venkataraman, 1997, p. 120). In other words, it seems preferable to describe the actual thoughts and behaviours that some experienced entrepreneurs to start a new business. Therefore, we believe that the application of entrepreneurship and effectuation model is a theoretical model to be tested by the researchers. In this assignment, I aimed to answer the question, what is currently known, in terms of literature, about the relationship between causation and effectuation? This was done through a comprehensive literature review, first realise that effectuation is relatively new but already well established in entrepreneurial decision making, enjoying a large number of species theories and empirical evidence proving its existence. Secondly, it was found that there was only one role associated with the effectuation and start-up performance. Thirdly, I studied the relationship between causation and effectuation although there is a big contradiction as relationship between the two is obvious. The last part of the literature review focuses on other influences on performance that could be distilled from a business plan to control their growth and motivation / intention was the result.

The Dynamics of Marxism Essay -- essays research papers

The Dynamics of Marxism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Human relationships have always been dynamic. Change and adaptability have gone hand in hand with the passing of time for human society. Karl Marx’s views on Industrialization and the bourgeoisie had a major impact on how we view our industrial alignment today. Marx and Engel’s The Communist Manifesto gives broad views on the subject of the middle class and how they fit into a society that was ruled by feudalism and aristocracy. Capitalism becomes a major topic in a socialist-based society that underwent many changes as industrialization progressed. A government must be dynamic in its nature reflecting the change in society. At times aristocracy has refused to allow society to adapt to the changes that the bourgeoisie have gone through. Charles Dickens’ â€Å"Hard Times† offers a distinct view of the conditions of middle-class worker during this period of change. Revolution of the working man is discussed and many principles are brought out to dictate the way that many of these workers were treated during this time. Karl Marx’s theory of economic evolution addresses some of these points that are brought out in â€Å"Hard Times.† Marxism and economic theory of Marxism was formulated in the 19th century. Karl Marx is said to be the greatest thinker and philosopher of his time. His views on life and the social structure of his time revolutionized the way in that people think of socialism. He created an opportunity for the lower class to rise above the aristocrats, but failed due to the creation of the middle class. Despite this failure, he was still a great political leader and set the basis of Communism in Russia. His life contributed to the way people think today, and because of him people are more open to suggestion and are quicker to create ideas on political issues. Marx is unique from other philosophers in that he chooses to regard man as a human being, not a piece of meat. He believed that a man’s struggle comes from man’s awareness of himself as an individual and as something separate from nature. He sees that history is just the story of man creating and re-creating himself, and that a â€Å"god† has no part in it. This is a major reason why he left his C hristian background behind and converted to Communism. Marx also says that the more a man works, the less he has for himself. These views support his arguments... ...lutionized a nation with his in-depth analysis of a society that was having industrial success, but being torn apart socially at the same time. He did not want industrialization to go he wanted the socialist to wise up with their thinking. His impact on England shows, but he also had impact on other countries. His views carried over into other powerful countries such as the Soviet Union and China. If it were not for Marx, the then Soviet Union and China would not be the same as they are today. They would positively be operating through a different government today. Karl Marx is considered to be a revolutionist of England and the father of Communism. Some may question his views and possibly his religious beliefs, but he can still be labeled a revolutionist. â€Å"In these troubled times, to believe in the possibility of helping to make the world a better place, and to commit ones life to that, makes one a revolutionary (Le Blanc 44).† Karl Marx exemplifies many of the quali ties that we have found in many revolutionists that have changed the world that we live in today. His views are still cherished by many European minds and taken heed when creating structure in society.

Reasons to End Social Poisoning on the Internet Essay -- Censorship Cy

Reasons to End Social Poisoning on the Internet [NOTE: Many of the links the student refers to are no longer active.] While spreading the word of knowledge to the masses, the internet simultaneously dispenses social poisons. Many of the recipients are, unfortunately, children, and despite the American policy of free-speech, this kind of unintentional inculcation must stop. One of the problems lies in the fact that the right to criticize and the right to display "poisonous" material are one in the same: The Right of Freedom of Speech. But should a clear and present danger to social health take priority over the rights of an individual? Does the individual even have power? In Digital Literacy, Paul Gilster observes that "A global web of communications... points to a viruslike spread of ideas" (Gilster 27). Should society protect its youth from this "viruslike spread" by regulating content on the internet? These questions are tough to answer, but this paper will address them, introduce a socially harmful hate site, and reveal why society needs to be rid of the poison on the internet. One of the problems with social contemplation on this subject, though, is that this situation is relatively unknown to history. Though the power structure of the internet has been compared to centralized government, decentralized government and social anarchy, Jess Holbrook, in a discussion on November 24, accurately cited the internet as being "unlike anything else we’ve ever seen." So perhaps time should be taken to evaluate the effects of the internet on not just the nation’s youth, but the nation in general. While the evaluation is taking place, the presence of these social poisons on the internet must be recognized. The American Nazi ... ... real life himself, only the former is readily available to children. There needs to be a body which regulates the poison on the internet and makes it safe for the child to "surf the net." Not all sites on the internet are terrifying and problematic. But imagine a black child, whose ancestors survived the slave trade, coming across the American Nazi Party site, and "learning" that they are evil because of their skin color. No child should be exposed to this. Works Cited - Bolter, David Jay. Writing Space; The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, New Jersey; 1991. - Gilster, Paul. Digital Literacy. Wiley Computer Publishing. New York. - Hall III, William B. "American Nazi Party." 28 November 1998. 5 December 1998 <http://home.earthlink.net/~wbhall/>. - Landow, George P. Hypertext 2.0. Johns Hopkins.

Archaisms and historisms Essay

Introduction We often hear about words being added to dictionaries as they become part of everyday vernacular, but have you ever heard about any words that get removed? Some people argue that if a word has existed at some point in time then it merits a place in the dictionary. After all, who knows when someone may come across it in an old text and need to look up the definition? Others say that dictionaries should reflect the language that we use here and now, and so those words which have become obsolete in everyday language should no longer have a place in the dictionary. Language and culture are constantly changing, so how do we keep up with these changes without losing our past? The article is intended to go back in time and to disclose archaisms in the English language. Different groups of archaisms, the difference between archaisms and historisms, periods of their development, stylistic features, semantic groups and other problems got their reflection in the article. Different viewpoints of scientists, the aim of using archaisms in belles-lettres and their classification are presented and illustrated by the examples in Russian and English. 1. How do words in everyday language become obsolete? The vocabulary of a language never remains stable. There are constant changes in the semantic structure of any language. Words appear, undergo a number of phonetic and semantic changes and finally pass completely out of use. The disappearance of various things, phenomena, etc. causes either com ­plete disappearance of their names or turns them into  «representatives » of a previous epoch. Many words become obsolete in ordinary language, but remain in poetry, in books conforming to a definite style, in oratory, etc. A great many archa ­isms survive in English dialects. Thus the fate of obsolete words may be different. We distinguish two groups of obsolete words: archaisms proper and historical terms (historisms). Before turning to them it is of primary importance to distinguish the terms †archaic† and †obsolete†. The terms â€Å"archaic† and â€Å"obsolete† are used more or less indiscriminately by some authors. The meaning of these temporal labels, however, can be somewhat different among dictionaries. The label archaic is  used for words that were once common but are now rare. Archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time. Obsolete indicates that a term is no longer in active use, except, for example, in literary quotation. Obsolete may apply to a word regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence. In the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin [4th ed.], 2004) the archaic label is described this way: â€Å"This label is applied to words and senses that were once common but are now rare, though they may be familiar because of their occurrence in certain contexts, such as the literature of an earlier time. Specifically, this label is attached to entry words and senses for which there is only sporadic evidence in print after 1755.† The AHD describes the obsolete label thus: â€Å"The label obsolete is used with entry words and senses no longer in active use, except, for example, in literary quotations. Specifically, this label is attached to entry words and senses for which there is little or no printed evidence since 1755.† In Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2003), the Explanatory Notes say, â€Å"The temporal label obs for obsolete means that there is no evidence of use since 1755. The label obs is a comment on the word being defined. When a thing, as distinguished from the word used to designate it, is obsolete, appropriate orientation is usually given in the definition. The temporal label archaic means that a word or sense once in common use is found today only sporadically or in special contexts.† Random House Dictionary defines an obsolete word as one â€Å"no longer in use, esp. out of use for at least a century†, whereas an archaism is referred to as â€Å"current in an earlier time but rare in present usage†. However, it should be pointed out that the borderline between â€Å"obsolete† and â€Å"archaic† is vague and uncertain, and in many cases it is difficult to decide to which of the groups this or that word belongs. 2. Archaisms proper: etymology, main features and usage. In language, an archaism (from the Ancient Greek: á ¼â‚¬Ã Ãâ€¡ÃŽ ±ÃÅ ÃŽ ºÃÅ'Ï‚, archaà ¯kà ³s, ‘old-fashioned, antiquated’, ultimately á ¼â‚¬Ã Ãâ€¡ÃŽ ±Ã¡ ¿â€"ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š, archaà ®os, ‘from the beginning, ancient’) is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no  longer current. This can either be done deliberately (to achieve a specific effect) or as part of a specific jargon (for example in law) or formula (for example in religious contexts). Many nursery rhymes contain archaisms. Archaic elements that occur only in certain fixed expressions (for example ‘be that as it may’) are not considered to be archaisms. Archaisms proper are obsolete words denoting real things and phenom ­ena, but the words themselves are no longer found in ordinary English: they were substituted by others, obsolete words becoming their stylistic synonyms. These words are moribund, already partly or fully out of circulation, rejected by the living l anguage. There are three stages in the aging processes of words: they become rarely used; they are in the stage of gradually passing out from use; these are the morphological forms belonging to the earlier stage of the development of the language [thee, thou], corresponding verbal endings [thou makest], many French borrowings [palfreu] they have already gone completely out of use and are still recognized by the English-speaking people. [me thinks = it seems to me, nay = no]. archaic words proper is no longer recognizable in modern English; such words were in use during the Old English period, are earlier dropped out of the language or have changed in the appearance so much that they have become unrecognizable [losso =lazy fellow]. While some words become obsolete from everyday language, others still exist but their meaning has changed over time. Words like fun fur have remained in use as their meanings have been adapted to current circumstances. Fun fur used to refer to cheap animal fur that had been dyed in several colors until the 1960s. Today it refers to synthetic fur. 3. Types of archaisms: lexical and grammatical archaisms and their peculiarities Generally we distinguish lexical and grammatical archaisms.  Grammatical archa ­isms are forms of words which went out of use with the development of the grammar system of the English language: -th – suffix of the 3rd person sing., Present Indef. Tense, e.g. hath, doth, speaketh; -st – 2nd person – dost, hast, speakest; art – 2nd person of the verb  «to be » pl.; thou, thee, thy, thine – pronouns; ye – plural, 2nd person. Lexical archaisms. Poetry is especially rich in archaisms. Words that are too well known and too often used do not call up such vivid images as words less familiar. This is one of the reasons which impel poets to use archaic words. They are  «new » just on account of their being old, and yet they are not utterly unknown to be unintelligible. The following are some of the most common lexical archaisms used in poetry: billow – Ð ²Ã ¾Ã ¹Ã ½Ã °; save – Ð ºÃ'€Ð ¾Ã ¼Ã µ; plain – Ð ¶Ã °Ã »Ã ¾Ã ²Ã °Ã'‚Ã'Å'Ã' Ã' ; behold – Ð ²Ã ¸Ã ´Ã µÃ'‚Ã'Å'; yon (yonder) – Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã'‚; eke – Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã ¶Ã µ; brow – Ã'‡Ð µÃ »Ã ¾; foe – Ð ²Ã'€Ð °Ã ³; ere – Ð ´Ã ¾; steed – Ð ºÃ ¾Ã ½Ã'Å'; morn – Ã'Æ'Ã'‚Ã'€Ð ¾; belike – Ð ²Ã µÃ'€Ð ¾Ã' Ã'‚Ð ½Ã ¾; damsel – Ð ´Ã µÃ ²Ã'Æ'Ã'ˆÐ ºÃ °; woe – rope; oft, oft-times – Ã'‡Ð °Ã' Ã'‚Ð ¾; mere â⠂¬â€œ Ð ¾Ã ·Ã µÃ'€Ð ¾, Ð ¿Ã'€Ã'Æ'Ð ´; hearken – Ã' Ã »Ã'Æ'Ã'ˆÐ °Ã'‚Ã'Å'; albeit – Ã'…Ð ¾Ã'‚Ã' , etc. Their last refuge is in historical novels (whose authors used them to create a particular period atmosphere) and, of course, in poetry which is rather conservative in its choice of words. So their main function is to sustain a special evaluated atmosphere of poetry. They form an insignificant layer of special literary vocabulary. On the whole they are detached from the common literary vocabulary. Thus, the use of archaic words is a stylistic device. In historical novels they create an atmosphere of the past. In the depiction of events of the present they assume the function of a stylistic device proper. The stylistic functions of the archaic words are based on the temporary perception of the event. Even when used in a terminological aspect they create a special atmosphere in the utterance. They form a rather insignificant layer of the special literary vocabulary. 1. They are used by authors to produce an elevated (Ð ²Ã ¾Ã ·Ã ²Ã'‹Ã'ˆ) effect. 2. They have a tendency to detach themselves from the common literary word-stock and assume the quality of terms denoting certain notions and calling forth poetic diction. Closely associated with archaisms are poetical words. The use of poetic words doesn’t as a rule create the atmosphere of poetry, but it substitutes its expressiveness. The common way of creating such words is compounding  [young-eyed, rosy-fingered]. Poetic words and expressions are understandable to a limited number of readers. In modern poetry words are often used in strange combinations [the sound of shame]. Poetic words in an ordinary environment may also have a satirical function. They can also be found in other styles, e.g. in journalistic style: proceed (go), the welkin (the sky), the vale (the valley), the devouring element (the fire). Archaic words – yclept (to call, name), quoth (to speak), eftsoons (again soon after) are good examples. They evoke emotive meaning. They color the utterance with the certain air of loftiness (elevation). But generally fail to produce a general feeling of delight. They are taken hacked, too outdate. These words are often used by modern ballet mangers (Ã' Ã ¾Ã'‡Ð ¸Ã ½Ã ¸Ã'‚Ð µÃ »Ã ¸ Ð ±Ã °Ã »Ã »Ã °Ã ´). Some poetical words and set expressions make the utterance understandable only to a limited number of readers. This poetical language is often called poetical jargon. â€Å"Alas! They had been friends in youth; But whispering tongues can poison truth And constancy lives in realms above; And life is thorny; and youth is vain; And to be wroth with one we love, Doth work like madness in the brain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Coleridge) Thou and thy, aye (â€Å"yes†) and nay (â€Å"no†) are certainly archaic and long since rejected by common usage, yet poets use them even today. (We also find the same four words and many other archaisms among dialectisms, which is quite natural, as dialects are also conservative and retain archaic words and structures). Numerous archaisms can be found in Shakespeare, but it should be taken into consideration that what appear to us today as archaisms in the works of Shakespeare, are in fact examples of everyday language of Shakespeare’s time. There are several such archaisms in Viola’s speech from Twelfth Night: â€Å"There is a fair behavior in thee, Captain, And though that nature with a beauteous wall Doth oft close in pollution, yet of thee I will believe thou hast a mind that suits With this thy fair and outward character. I prithee — and I’ll pay thee bounteously — Conceal me what I am, and be my aid For such disguise as haply shall become The form of my intent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Act 1, Sc. 2) 32 Further examples of archaisms are: morn (for morning), eve (for evening), moon (for month), damsel (for girl), errant (for wandering, e.g. errant knights), etc. Sometimes, an archaic word may undergo a sudden revival. So, the formerly archaic kin (for relatives; one’s family) is now current in American usage. Archaisms are also most frequently encountered in poetry, law, science, technology, geography and ritual writing and speech. Their deliberate use can be subdivided into literary archaisms, which seeks to evoke the style of older speech and writing; and lexical archaisms, the use of words no longer in common use. Archaisms are kept alive by these ritual and literary uses and by the study of older literature. Should they remain recognized, they can be revived, as the word anent was in this past century. Because they are things of continual discovery and re-invention, scie nce and technology have historically generated forms of speech and writing which have dated and fallen into disuse relatively quickly. However the emotional associations of certain words (for example: ‘Wireless’ rather than ‘Radio’ for a generation of British citizens who lived through the second world war) have kept them alive even though the older word is clearly an archaism. A similar desire to evoke a former age means that archaic place names are frequently used in circumstances where doing so conveys a political or emotional subtext, or when the official new name is not recognized by all (for example: ‘Persia’ rather than ‘Iran’, ‘Bombay’ rather than ‘Mumbai’, ‘Madras’ rather than ‘Chennai’). So, a restaurant seeking to conjure up historic associations might prefer to call itself Old Bombay or refer to Persian cuisine in preference to using the newer place name. A notable contemporary example is the name of the airline Cathay Pacific, which uses the archaic Cathay (â€Å"China†). Archaisms are frequently misunderstood, leading to changes in usage. One example is found in the phrase â€Å"the odd man out†, which originally came from the phrase â€Å"to find the odd man out†, where the verb â€Å"to find out† has been split by its object â€Å"the odd man†, meaning the item which does not fit. The compound adverbs and prepositions found in the writing of lawyers (e.g. heretofore, hereunto, thereof) are examples of archaisms as a form of jargon. Some phraseologies, especially in religious contexts, retain archaic elements that are not used in ordinary speech in any other context: â€Å"With this ring I thee wed.† Archaisms are also used in the dialogue of historical novels in order to evoke the flavour of the period. Some may count as inherently funny words and are used for humorous effect. 4. Historims: main features and classification Historisms are names of things and phenomena which passed out of use with the development of social, economical, cultural life of society but which retain historical importance. Unlike archaisms, historical terms have no syno ­nyms in Modern English: they are only names of things and notions which refer to the past of the English people. The sphere of these words is restricted with scientific literature or with books and novels dealing with certain historical periods. There are lots of his ­torisms in the historical novels of W.Scott and other English authors, e.g.: Historisms are very numerous as names for social relations, institutions and objects of material culture of the past. The names of ancient transport means, ancient clothes, weapons, musical instruments can offer many examples. Before the appearance of motor-cars many different types of horse-drawn carriages were in use. The names of some of them are: brougham, berlin, calash, diligence, fly, gig, hansom, landeau, phae ton, etc. It is interesting to mention specially the romantically metaphoric prairie schooner ‘a canvas-covered wagon used by pioneers crossing the North American prairies’. There are still many sailing ships in use, and schooner in the meaning of ‘a sea-going vessel’ is not an historism, but a prairie schooner is. Many types of sailing craft belong to the past as caravels or galleons, so their names are historisms too. The history of costume forms an interesting topic by itself. It is reflected in the history of corresponding terms. The corresponding glossaries may be very  long. Only very few examples can be mentioned here. In W. Shakespeare’s plays, for instance, doublets are often mentioned. A doublet is a close-fitting jacket with or without sleeves worn by men in the 15th-17th centuries. It is interesting to note that descriptions of ancient garments given in dictionaries often include their social functions in this or that period. Thus, a tabard of the 15th century was a short surcoat open at the sides and with short sleeves, worn by a knight over his armour and emblazoned on the front, back and sides with his armorial bearin gs. Not all historisms refer to such distant periods. Thus, bloomers — an outfit designed for women in mid-nineteenth century. It consisted of Turkish-style trousers gathered at the ankles and worn by women as â€Å"a rational dress†. It was introduced by Mrs Bloomer, editor and social reformer, as a contribution to woman rights movement. Somewhat later bloomers were worn by girls and women for games and cycling, but then they became shorter and reached only to the knee. A great many historisms denoting various types of weapons occur in historical novels, e. g. a battering ram ‘an ancient machine for breaking walls’; a blunderbuss ‘an old type of gun with a wide muzzle’; breastplate ‘a piece of metal armour worn by knights over the chest to protect it in battle’; a crossbow ‘a medieval weapon consisting of a bow fixed across a wooden stock’. Many words belonging to this semantic field remain in the vocabulary in some figurative meaning, e. g. arrow, shield, sword, vizor, etc. Thus we can distinguish the following types of historisms: 1. words of social position: yeomen – Ð ¹Ã ¾Ã ¼Ã µÃ ½, knight – Ã'€Ã'‹Ã'†Ð °Ã'€Ã'Å', scribe – Ð ¿Ã ¸Ã' Ã µÃ'†; 2. names of arms and words connected with war: battle ax – Ð ±Ã ¾Ã µÃ ²Ã ¾Ã ¹ Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã‚ ­ Ð ¿Ã ¾Ã'€Ð ¸Ã º, musket – Ð ¼Ã'Æ'Ã'ˆÐ ºÃ µÃ'‚, visor – Ð ·Ã °Ã ±Ã'€Ð °Ã »Ã ¾, warrior – Ð ²Ã ¾Ã ¸Ã ½, sword – Ð ¼Ã µÃ'‡, gauntlet – Ã'€Ã'‹Ã'†Ð °Ã'€Ã' Ã ºÃ °Ã'  Ð ¿Ã µÃ'€Ã'‡Ð °Ã'‚Ð ºÃ ° = Ð »Ã °Ã'‚Ð ½Ã °Ã'  Ã'€Ã'Æ'Ð ºÃ °Ã ²Ã ¸Ã'†Ð °, archer – Ã' Ã'‚Ã'€Ð µÃ »Ã ¾Ã º Ð ¸Ã · Ð »Ã'Æ'Ð ºÃ °, spear – Ð ºÃ ¾Ã ¿Ã'Å'Ð µ; 3. types of vessels: galley – Ð ³Ã °Ã »Ã µÃ'€Ð °, frigate – Ã'„Ã'€Ð µÃ ³Ã °Ã'‚, caravel – Ð ºÃ °Ã'€Ð °Ã ²Ã µÃ »Ã »Ã °; 4. types of carts which went out of use: brougham – Ð ¾Ã ´Ã ½Ã ¾Ã ¼Ã µÃ' Ã'‚Ð ½Ã °Ã'  Ð ºÃ °Ã'€Ð µÃ'‚Ð °, chaise – Ã'„Ð °Ã' Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã ½, Ð »Ã µÃ ³Ã ºÃ °Ã'  Ð ¿Ã ¾Ã ²Ã ¾Ã ·Ã ºÃ ° Ã'  Ð ¾Ã'‚Ð ºÃ'€Ã'‹Ã'‚Ã'‹Ð ¼ Ð ²Ã µÃ'€Ã'…Ð ¾Ã ¼, hansom – Ð ´Ã ²Ã'Æ'Ã'…Ð ¼Ã µÃ' Ã'‚Ð ½Ã'‹Ð ¹ Ã' Ã ºÃ ¸Ã ¿Ã °Ã ¶, Ð ³Ã ´Ã µ Ã' Ã ¸Ã ´Ã µÃ ½Ã ¸Ã µ Ð ºÃ'Æ'Ã'‡Ð µÃ'€Ð ° Ã'€Ð °Ã' Ã ¿Ã ¾Ã »Ã ¾Ã ¶Ã µÃ ½Ã ¾ Ð ¿Ã ¾Ã ·Ã °Ã ´Ã ¸ Ð ¸ Ð ½Ã µÃ' Ã ºÃ ¾Ã »Ã'Å' ­ Ð ºÃ ¾ Ð ²Ã'‹Ã'ˆÐ µ Ð ¼Ã µÃ' Ã'‚ Ð ´Ã »Ã'  Ã' Ã µÃ ´Ã ¾Ã ºÃ ¾Ã ², coach – Ð ºÃ °Ã'€Ð µÃ'‚Ð ° (Ð ¿Ã ¾Ã'‡Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã ²Ã °Ã' ); 5. names of old musical instruments: lute – Ð »Ã'ŽÃ'‚Ð ½Ã' , lyre – Ð »Ã ¸Ã'€Ð °. So the number of  historisms which reflect the social life and culture of the past is very great. Conclusion Though many of the words discussed above are rather old-fashioned, outdate and are rarely used in modern society, they still have a unique place in the depositary of English word-stock. Thus they can be found in bigger dictionaries as they might be relevant to specific fields. Words and their meanings are always bound to specific contexts and times in which their meaning makes sense. Anyone learning a language needs to be aware of how words are used today and historically in order to correctly interpret and understand their meaning. So one should always keep up with the constant changes in language to make sure that their skills are the most appropriate for today’s modern world. Methodical literature 1. Ð Ã'‚Ã'€Ã'Æ'Ã'ˆÐ ¸Ã ½Ã ° Г. Б., Ð Ã'„Ð °Ã ½Ã °Ã' Ã'Å'Ð µÃ ²Ã ° О. Ð’., ÐÅ"Ð ¾Ã'€Ð ¾Ã ·Ã ¾Ã ²Ã ° Ð . Ð . ЛÐ µÃ ºÃ' Ã ¸Ã ºÃ ¾Ã »Ã ¾Ã ³Ã ¸Ã'  Ð °Ã ½Ã ³Ã »Ã ¸Ã ¹Ã' Ã ºÃ ¾Ã ³Ã ¾ Ã' Ã ·Ã'‹Ð ºÃ °: Ð £Ã'‡Ð µÃ ±. Ð ¿Ã ¾Ã' Ã ¾Ã ±Ã ¸Ã µ Ð ´Ã »Ã'  Ã' Ã'‚Ã'Æ'Ð ´Ã µÃ ½Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã ². ДÃ'€Ð ¾Ã'„Ð °, 1999 2. ГÐ ¸Ã ½Ã ·Ã ±Ã'Æ'Ã'€Ð ³, Ð ¡. Ð ¡. Ð ¥Ã ¸Ã ´Ã µÃ ºÃ µÃ »Ã'Å', Г. Ð ®. КÐ ½Ã' Ã ·Ã µÃ ²Ã ° Ð ¸ Ð . Ð . Ð ¡Ã °Ã ½Ã ºÃ ¸Ã ½. ЛÐ µÃ ºÃ' Ã ¸Ã ºÃ ¾Ã »Ã ¾Ã ³Ã ¸Ã'  Ð °Ã ½Ã ³Ã »Ã ¸Ã ¹Ã' Ã ºÃ ¾Ã ³Ã ¾ Ã' Ã ·Ã'‹Ð ºÃ °: Ð £Ã'‡Ð µÃ ±Ã ½Ã ¸Ã º Ð ´Ã »Ã'  Ð ¸Ã ½-Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã ² Ð ¸ Ã'„Ð °Ã º. Ð ¸Ã ½Ã ¾Ã' Ã'‚Ã'€. Ã' Ã ·. Ð’Ã'‹Ã' Ã'ˆ. Ã'ˆÐ ºÃ ¾Ã »Ã °, 1979. 3. Ð Ã'€Ð ½Ã ¾Ã »Ã'Å'Ð ´ И. Ð’. ЛÐ µÃ ºÃ' Ã ¸Ã ºÃ ¾Ã »Ã ¾Ã ³Ã ¸Ã'  Ã' Ã ¾Ã ²Ã'€Ð µÃ ¼Ã µÃ ½Ã ½Ã ¾Ã ³Ã ¾ Ð °Ã ½Ã ³Ã »Ã ¸Ã ¹Ã' Ã ºÃ ¾Ã ³Ã ¾ Ã' Ã ·Ã'‹Ð ºÃ °: Ð £Ã'‡Ð µÃ ±. Ð ´Ã »Ã'  Ð ¸Ã ½-Ã'‚Ð ¾Ã ² Ð ¸ Ã'„Ð °Ã º. Ð ¸Ã ½Ã ¾Ã' Ã'‚Ã'€. Ã' Ã ·. ÐÅ".: Ð’Ã'‹Ã' Ã'ˆ. Ã'ˆÐ º., 1986. — 295 Ã' ., Ð ¸Ã ». — Ð Ã ° Ð °Ã ½Ã ³Ã ». Ã' Ã ·. 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