Analysis of Pericles Speeches

Although Thucydides provides a history of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides spends a lot of time emphasizing the government and the citizens of Athens. Thucydides also focuses on the greatness of Pericles and his honest and patriotic leadership. Does this concentration on a democracy and moderate leader reveal what Thucydides sees as a just government? Throughout the text, one can see clues that a democracy is the preferred government of Athens, and the focus on Athens as the greater, swifter and more innovative power; he contradicts them with the passive, slow and cautious Sparta.This text not only acts as a historical resource but also a source that provides an example for future governments on how to run a government successfully. By looking at the speeches of Pericles, the view of Thucydides comes through. It seems that Thucydides believes in a democracy and giving the common man a voice in what happens in the city. Pericles emphasizes the greatness of a democracy in his funeral oration. Through his speech Pericles emphasizes that equality to create a free and law-abiding society.I think Pericles speaks of how there is no class consideration when considering man to be able to serve the state because he wants to stress that the most honorable man is the one that serves the state, especially in a time of war. Citizens that do not participate in the duties of public matters are deemed ‘useless. ’ The funeral oration is not just an honoring of the patriotic men that died fighting for Athens but also a call to all the other sons, brothers and fellow citizens of the honorable fallen to live a life as honorable as them.A democracy is a form of government that gives all the ability to participate, and according to Pericles everyone has a responsibility to take part. Men must put aside their petty wants and look at what is best for the state as a whole. The state as a whole can bring a lot to the people but a single person acting on their own individual interests can do little for the state. Why are there so many of Pericles’ speeches in this text? Was Thucydides giving the prime example of what a leader should be?Was the emphasis on Pericles putting a characteristic of him above those of the other men and leaders throughout the war? It is clear that Thucydides found all leaders succeeding Pericles as poor leaders. In Book 2. 65, Thucydides talks of how the leaders following Pericles were striving for supremacy, and acting according to their own private ambitions and interests. By going contrary to the moderate policy Pericles emphasized, a plan including exposing themselves to no hazards and waiting quietly while keeping attentive to their marine, the war was ultimately lost by the Athenians.Were the speeches recorded to also show how powerful a leader can be? When Athens held an assembly to determine whether they would concede to the concessions of Sparta, it was the speech of Pericles that invigorated the Athenians with confidence to declare war against Sparta. When the plague hit the Athenians and they had lost momentum in the war effort and were considering sending peace envoys to Sparta, it was a speech by Pericles that was able to increase the Athenian energy to the war.A great leader has the ability to drive the weak masses to great heights when they know they are under a first-rate leader and is told of the superiority of their state; this is seen in the example of Pericles. As a reader, I feel that Athens can win the war with their advantageous sea power, lands across the sea that Sparta cannot harm. By including the speeches of Pericles in his text, Thucydides sets an example of what is a just form of government and what makes a good leader in a democracy.

Virtual teams

Any team whose members are not all physically under the same roof can be considered to be virtual, as long as the participants have complementary skills and knowledge that produce greater value when they work together than if they worked separately. A virtual team can be local, national, or global, with members from one firm or many. Teams can be made up of full-time, in-house practitioners or full- or part-time contractors.They are enabled by technology, which allows members to work from anywhere in the world with phone, Internet, and wireless access as long as hey produce work that meets the firm's and the client's standards of quality, and the client's deadlines. Social changes in the workforce are leading more and more employees to demand more and more control over how, when, and where they work. The result, which is gaining increasing traction, is a rise in lifestyle-driven virtual teams. 2417? Running to Gate 9? Who needs them.Especially when forward-looking employers can accom modate the needs and wants of talented, ambitious employees by creating lifestyle-driven virtual teams. This author describes how professional services firms hat can make this approach work will make them employers of choice. In recent years, professional services firms have watched as more and more senior talent, especially women with children, have left their employ. Many of these valued practitioners are not Jumping to other companies or starting up competing agencies.Rather, they are walking away from their careers (and in many cases high salaries) because their employers are unwilling or unable to provide them with the flexibility they need to balance their work and family lives. The decision is rarely an easy one, nd many women would have welcomed the opportunity to remain in the workforce if truly flexible options had been available. To stem the exodus, keep top talent, and remain competitive, professional services today must meet an imperative: They must create new arrangeme nts to accommodate talented practitioners who need more choice when it comes to how, when, and where they work.They must consider ways to ensure that working parents (especially women) do not have to work long hours or travel extensively, but instead have the flexibility they need to raise a family or care for aging parents. And with Canada expected to experience a labor shortage that could begin affecting employers as soon as 2020, having these new work arrangements in place will become increasingly essential to the delivery of high- quality professional services. This article will examine how adopting a virtual-team model can help organizations attract and retain that top talent.The article will first define virtual teams and explain why they are on the rise. It will then outline the various benefits of virtual teams (for both employers and employees) and look at some of their unique challenges. Finally, the article will outline best practices for esigning and implementing new wor k arrangements. VIRTUAL TEAMS DEFINED VIRTUAL TEAMS ARE ON THE RISE The popularity of virtual teams is being driven by social change. Women now constitute nearly one-half of the North American workforce, and in nearly one-half of households, all adults are working.As well, more working adults are pursuing educational opportunities to advance their careers; they therefore need the flexibility that a virtual arrangement provides. [l] When I was in the process of building my PR agency in 2008, I witnessed this social change first-hand and realized many senior omen were caught in an unnecessary and intractable dilemma: how to pursue a fulfilling and meaningful career while meeting the demands of their personal and family lives. I spoke with dozens of senior women in the industry who were torn between the need to put in long, billable hours at their offices and the need to tend to matters at home.Some told me that they sacrificed family time by hiring nannies and placing their children i n daycare. Others made career-limiting moves such as working four days a week or turning down promotions that would mean longer hours. And some of them left the workforce entirely or switched to less demanding careers because they were unable to balance their work and personal lives. Many women also told me they wanted to avoid lengthy, stressful commutes because of the time they took away from time spent their families.They talked about scrambling for childcare when a child was home sick from school or they had to work later than expected, and described missing important school functions and other milestones in their children's lives. Some also said they were frustrated by the traditional approach o â€Å"flex-time,† whereby practitioners work four out of five days, at a reduced annual salary. With this approach, five days' worth of work is often completed in four, which can actually add to workplace stress rather than reduce it.Talent is everything in professional services, and successful firms know that flexible work arrangements make them more attractive to a wider range of professionals. Recent studies have shown that flexibility is a growing trend. A 2011 U. S. study showed that the number of employees who principally work from home grew by 61 per cent between 2005 and 2009. 2] Two years earlier, Aon Consultings Benefits and Talent Survey reported that 97 per cent of organizations either planned to increase or maintain their use of virtual teams. 3] AN EMERGING APPROACH: LIFESTYLE-DRIVEN VIRTUAL TEAMS Once considered a way for companies to reduce overhead, the popularity of virtual teams is now being increasingly driven by employee demand. This is especially true in professional services firms, where both full-time practitioners and part-time associates or consultants are becoming more vocal about their desire to have approach to flexible workplace arrangements – a lifestyle-driven one that rewards esults over face time, so practitioners ca n maximize the time they devote to their personal lives.These lifestyle-driven virtual teams may not be a realistic option for all industries, or even all professional services firms, for example, those consulting firms that require staff to travel or be on site to meet with clients. However, the model can work for most professional services firms because much of their work is knowledge- based and often performed by individuals. As a result, it can easily be transferred to a home office with the right planning, processes and project management in place.When implementing this model, firms must also remove the focus on billable hours, and instead focus on the number of hours each associate wants to work – while planning project resources and compensation accordingly. This differs from the traditional model in which each practitioner must focus on billable-hour targets. For practitioners, there is some risk involved in using the virtual model, as they are not guaranteed a regula r pay cheque. Experience has shown, however, that some part- time practitioners who are compensated hourly actually earn more than they did as alaried employees, even while working significantly fewer hours.This is particularly true of practitioners whose quality work and outstanding client service make them an obvious choice for recurring account management roles and back-to-back projects. VIRTUAL TEAMS BENEFIT EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES EQUALLY In a 2010 study, 80 per cent of respondents said they were part of a team based in various locations, while 63 per cent indicated that nearly half their team members were located outside their home country. 4] Supported by technology, practitioners are able to be as efficient and engaged as they have ever been while keeping far reater control over their work schedules and environments. The traditional billable- hour-driven agency model often requires practitioners to work 60 or more hours a week. However, the lifestyle-driven virtual model per mits practitioners to be selective about their hours and often their projects, naturally making for a happier, more satisfied, and less-stressed practitioner.A company that can offer this kind of flexibility will find itself with better options when it comes to hiring and retaining talent, especially individuals with specialized knowledge and skills. This arrangement, hich encourages true balance, will also create more well-rounded employees who will bring their varied experience to projects and who will be motivated to remain in the workforce. Many practitioners will also find the benefits of this model Just as important as incentives such as paid vacation time, health benefits, and pension contributions.Indeed, it is hard to put a price on this type of flexibility. With the ability to bring on skilled team members when needed, professional services firms are better able to handle peak workloads, project work, and short-term assignments. For any particular project, they can hand-pi ck key team members from their roster of talent, regardless of where the individual is based. This means they can usually offer clients their â€Å"A team,† not whoever happens to be available.With infrastructure in place for teleconferences and other online collaboration, travel and other overhead expenses are reduced, if not eliminated. Margins improve accordingly and, most important, firms are able to offer a more family-friendly structure that attracts top talent who want to add balance to their working lives and still have a fulfilling and erformance is crucial to securing future projects. As a result, everyone is motivated to do their best and to collaborate effectively with other team members to produce quality work and results.ATTRACTING AND RETAINING A MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE For many practitioners, particularly those who embrace the philosophy that â€Å"work is something you do, not somewhere you go,† the increase in virtual teams is a welcome developmen t. This applies to the future workforce, too. A recent study by Dr. Alison Konrad[5] of the Richard Ivey School of Business found that undergraduate business tudents in her class (most of them women in their early 20s) yearn for a meaningful career that allows them to contribute to business and society while maintaining balance in their lives.In the study, students were asked what an employer could do to make their chosen career more attractive. The most frequent responses were flexible hours, the ability to work from home, no face time, and a family-friendly culture. Surprisingly, these are many of the same characteristics sought out not only by working parents but also by people nearing retirement and wanting to slow down heir schedules. Professor Konrad's study shows that employers who most closely meet the lifestyle demands of a multigenerational workforce are in the best position to attract and retain the most desirable talent.Executives must fully support the virtual structure and be aware of the potential challenges of managing a virtual team. They should consistently monitor the team's progress to ensure deadlines are being met and budgets are on track. 2. Choose the right team members. Individuals should be selected with a view to forming a successful team. Not all practitioners will thrive in a virtual environment. Those who are self-reliant and self-motivated will fare best. 3. Set expectations from the start. Articulate objectives and define team member roles up front to avoid the possibility f overlooking or duplicating aspects of the work.This is especially important given the geographical distance between members of a virtual team. 4. Implement strict protocols. Establishing protocols will ensure that each team member knows when and how quickly to respond to action items, and will determine the steps to take when a team member fails to do so. Team meetings should be run by a strong chair. People should be prompted to give their opinions as oppos ed to volunteering them. Digressions should be discouraged as they tend to disengage other team members. Multitasking during meetings should be prohibited. . Use proven processes.Teams need processes that govern the way they work and how the work will get done, from being aware of individual responsibilities and decision-making procedures to the consequences of poor work or missed deadlines. Virtual teams have little margin for error when it comes to project management, as problems can go unnoticed and grow into major issues. 6. Manage timelines and budgets carefully. Often a project budget will dictate the number of hours that can be charged to a client. Because freelance practitioners are paid according to the time they take, budgets can easily e exceeded if not properly monitored. . Establish meaningful project milestones. Milestones should be implemented to chart a project's progress and act as checkpoints for the timeliness and quality of virtual team work. 8. Encourage interac tion. Leadership must ensure that team members have some mechanism by which to develop strong working relationships. They should also bring team members together by organizing social functions every few months to help them build rapport. 9. Communicate more efficiently. Virtual teams can be connected by various technologies, including phone, email, instant messaging, as well as video and eb conferencing.Use more than one of these options so team members can choose the technology theyre most comfortable with. In addition, more communications do not necessarily mean better communication. Too many emails can lead to convey only relevant information, and to do so clearly and consistently. 10. Minimize team conflict. Although conflict can lead to better ideas and solutions, conflicts within a virtual team should be dealt with immediately, because they can escalate quickly. Virtual teams do not build rapport as easily as other teams, and managers may have to become more involved in confli ct resolution.

Character Analysis Lady Macbeth

Set in 1603, Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, follows the life of what started out to be a normal married couple. When the couple, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, discover from a prophecy that Macbeth would one day rule the land of Scotland, the two did everything in power to make sure this would come true. The couple devised a plan to murder Duncan, the current king of Scotland; Macbeth carried out this plan. With this newfound immense amount of royal power, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth go through several challenges in their relationship. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, there are significant changes in the way the audience perceives Lady Macbeth when considering her power, brutality, and physical characteristics. Comparing the beginning to the end of the play, it is apparent that Lady Macbeth is very different when considering her power. In the beginning, it appears as if Lady Macbeth was the superior in her relationship with Macbeth. At this period of time, man being inferior to woman was found to be very unusual. In a sense, Lady Macbeth was the â€Å"man† of the relationship. While debating whether or not Macbeth should kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth says, â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man† (Shakespeare 43). This line expresses Lady Macbeth’s opinion that Macbeth will only be a true man if he follows through with the murder; until then, Lady Macbeth would question his manhood. By using this line, Lady Macbeth has total control over her husband and can basically get him to do whatever she may ask. On the other hand, Macbeth seemed to turn around and take steps toward being the â€Å"bigger man† in their relationship as the play unfolded. With his immense amount of power, Lady Macbeth had no choice but to go with his superiority. An example of Lady Macbeth’s weakness was when she was conversing with the doctor and said, â€Å"Out, damned spot, out I say! One. Two† (Shakespeare 163). This quote explains how Lady Macbeth was obsessive over washing her hands, in other words, she was trying to get rid of the guilt of Duncan’s Murder. This section of the play shows Lady Macbeth’s significant change of weakness. As a weak woman, she succumbs herself to Macbeth’s power. In sum, Lady Macbeth went from being a powerful wife to a meaningless woman within the play. Another change the audience sees in the play is Lady Macbeth’s brutality. At the beginning of the play, she was the mastermind of Macbeth’s violent endeavors (Duncan’s Murder). When the two were plotting Duncan’s murder, it was Lady Macbeth who conveyed Macbeth to follow through; he was about to back out of the plan, as he did not want to commit such crime. When Macbeth was pondering the idea of failure, Lady Macbeth was quick to respond, â€Å"We fail? But screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail† (Shakespeare 43). This quote shows that Lady Macbeth was the one with confidence in their situation at hand. Towards the end of the play, it was Macbeth who was the mastermind behind his devious plans. Macbeth develops a sense of anxiety over Banquo, as he was the only one who suspected Macbeth had anything to do with Duncan’s Murder. Macbeth makes plans to kill Banquo, â€Å"Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared† (Shakespeare 85). Macbeth was making these plans with two murders that he hired; not lady Macbeth. With the guilt of Duncan’s murder, it is doubtful that Lady Macbeth would offer support to Macbeth’s plan, given the opportunity, but Macbeth had purposely left her out of his plans. Now that he was king, he no longer needed assistance from his â€Å"housewife†. This just goes to show that Lady Macbeth went from being a brutal organizer of murder to a wife that has no part of her Husband’s secret life. Throughout Macbeth there are several observable changes in the physical being of Lady Macbeth. Though she may appear the same when focusing on her physical appearance, there are several physical changes in her mental health. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth seemed to be a typical put together woman. At the end of the play, she virtually became a psychiatric patient who was in desperate need of mental healthcare. A doctor was consulted, but even the doctor knew there was nothing that could be done to save Lady Macbeth. While the doctor observed Lady Macbeth in her sleep, Lady Macbeth exclaimed â€Å"Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand†¦Wash your hands† (Shakespeare 163-5). The doctor responds to the gentlewoman, â€Å"This disease is beyond my practice†¦So, good night. My mind she has mated, and amazed my sight. I think but dare not speak† (Shakespeare 165). This line shows the astonishment the doctor faces while observing Lady Macbeth. Her illness had reached a level of severity that a doctor could not even fix. Therefore, Lady Macbeth experiences many changes in her physical health throughout Macbeth. Macbeth is a very dense read with a lot of information and different characters. However, the changes in Lady Macbeth were very significant. Though the story concluded with her tragic death, Macbeth put his wife through countless situations that no woman should have to live through. She went from being the brains behind a murder to observing her husband committing several ruthless crimes. She also went from being a strong healthy woman to a woman with severe mental health issues. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, there are significant changes in the way the audience perceives Lady Macbeth when considering her power, brutality, and physical characteristics. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. N. p. : Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992. Print.

The impact of Communicational climate on job satisfaction and job Literature review

The impact of Communicational climate on job satisfaction and job performance - Literature review Example Many organizations are run through managerial leadership or rather transactional leadership. Burns (1978) says that transactional leadership is based on the assumption that improving communication will increase morale and motivation, which in turn will increase individual and organizational performance (p. 55). It makes a lot of senses that satisfied workers will work harder and perform better than dissatisfied workers; if people are happy at work, they should work harder and perform better than dissatisfied workers; if people are happy at work, they should be more committed to their organization and thus should want to work harder to make sure their organization succeeds. Northhouse (2010) argues that relational strategies do have positive effects on performance in the production-oriented firms, but not for the reasons typically ascribed to it (p. 45). Rafaeli & Sudweeks (1994) says that 50 years of research on the bond between job satisfaction and performance have not found strong relationships between the two (p. 99). The average correlation is 0.14 which means that about 2 percent of differences in employee’s performance can be attributed to differences in their job satisfaction or that other factors simultaneously increase both satisfaction and performance. Organizational communication usually takes the form of top-bottom communication meaning that communication comes from top managers to lower rank employees. This is the most common although bottom-top communication also occurs at times. Pliskin & Romm (1990) says that a string of later studies exposed empirical evidence suggesting that employee’s perceptions of top management communication influence employee’s job satisfaction and performance (p. 56-60). Poole (1983) found in a study of hospital nurses, for example, that the factors most influencing nurses’ job satisfaction, and performance

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 19

Marketing - Essay Example A brand requires a unique name for its identification that is so very important to chalk out before it turns from a product (or service) into one of a brand. Thus this brand name need not only be unique, it also requires that the name is also what it must convey to the people in mind, how it is meeting their expectations and whether this name has a positive (aspirational) association with the product in the long run or one that takes the end customer away from it, one that can be remarked as being dissociative to say the least. Further, the message which should be used in advertising must be unique as well as fresh so that the consumers are made sure about the quality and the value for which a product is really a known name in the present times. There needs to be a clear and distinct brand positioning statement in order to meet the objectives that are desired by the company in the wake of its new marketing strategy. Strategic positioning research is conducted to determine who the cus tomers of your product/service are and what should be told about the product or service to get them to buy from you. Finding the right target and message to build your marketing plan can be crucial in the success of your product. Similarly, tactical positioning research looks at finding the short term measures which would be suited to the relevant target audiences. We can say that positioning concentrates on getting value to the buyers as concerns to the product. In recent times, positioning has fallen down as becoming a mere document that plays a game with the customers and asks them to fall into the trap of buying the product solely. It is said that the best positioning relies only on how the product will be able to solve the specialized customer queries, concerns and problems. Thus the end result of positioning is one which could be easily observed through a product being

Japanese Artists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Japanese Artists - Essay Example Japanese – American artists have created their distinct identity in this regard. In the present essay, we will focus on two such renowned Japanese – American artists: Sueo Serisawa and Chiura Obata. Sueo Serisawa Short biography: Born in Yokohama (Japan) in the year 1910, Serisawa’s father was an artist. The family migrated to USA and settled in Los Angeles during 1918. Serisawa was inspired by his father as an artist. As he grew up, he got involved in California Art and adopted American Impressionism as his working style. Serisawa excelled in creating portraits, still lifes, and landscape scenes. Unfortunately, the date of his first art exhibition coincided with the date of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After the incident of Pearl Harbor, Serisawa was fearful of forced internment by the US Government since he was a Japanese emigrant. From 1941 to 1947, his life was uncertain since he moved to New York to avoid internment while political tensions loomed all ar ound. However, after the War, Serisawa established himself as a painting instructor. He successfully worked at Laguna Beach School of Art, Scripps College, and Kahn Art Institute. He continued painting and teaching till his death in 2004. Critique and research: The art critics have highly appreciated Serisawa’s works and he has always been regarded as a talented artist in the sphere of impressionism and modernism. According to Susan Landauer, Donald D. Keyes, and Jean Stern, Serisawa was a significant figure among the California Impressionists and he considerably contributed in American arts along with other prominent artists like Mabel Alvarez, Boris Deutsch, etc. Serisawa’s modernist approach was well matured as early as the 1940s. However, both political and personal histories interfered with his artistic career and thought. In the later years of his life, according to Alissa J. Anderson, Serisawa’s works were deeply influenced by oriental culture, Zen philos ophy, and Japanese calligraphy. Moreover, considerable political influence too can be noted on some of his important works. For example, Serisawa’s Nine O’clock News is a masterpiece that shows a political statement about war using certain symbols and impressionist expressions (Landauer, Susan, William H. Gredts, and Patricia Trenton, 76). Serisawa and the California school influenced each other for a considerable period of time. Serisawa’s father himself was a Japanese artist, so he exhibited an oriental touch in his artworks. The difficult time of internment of the Japanese Americans by the US Government compelled Serisawa to leave Los Angeles, where he had grown up and learned the vital early lessons of art. However, later Serisawa admitted that those difficult days had rather helped him to mature as an artist. Analyzing Serisawa’s artworks, it ca be finally said that he has been a versatile artist, who excelled in making portraits, landscape scenes, a nd still lifes, along with complicated impressionist and modernist abstracts. Chiura Obata Short biography: Chiura Obata was born in 1885 in Japan. He migrated to USA in 1903. Initially, he worked as a commercial director and illustrator. He worked for the San Francisco based Japanese newspapers the Japanese American and The New World. He also worked as a commercial designer with Iwata Dry Goods Co. and Toyo Kisen Kaisha Steamship Co. In 1921, he became the

Prenatal Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prenatal Development - Essay Example The paramount relevance of prenatal care in reducing infant deaths has been over and over again reported in studies and the connection between Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and prenatal development corresponds, most obviously, to this factor. The impact of drug consumption during prenatal development is, therefore, highly perilous and the connection between prenatal development and FAS draws attention to the same danger. The relationship between prenatal development and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome offers one of the stimulating topics of profound analyses in the area and it is important in such analyses to determine when and how the fetus is affected. Therefore, this paper mulls over the various pertinent areas of the relationship between prenatal development and FAS in order to determine the proper utility of such analyses. In a reflective analysis of the broader picture of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the modern world, one becomes aware of the immensity of the issue and the prenatal exposure to alcohol is the single most cause mental retardation in the US today. Important studies on prenatal development prove that the use of alcohol during this period have a venomous impact on the growing facial features, the central nervous system of the fetus, the growth rate and birth weight. "Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in full-blown fetal alcohol syndrome or a host of fetal alcohol effects that include a wide range of mild to severe cognitive, behavioral, and growth delays. Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs in about 1 of 750 births in the United States. Many thousands more are born with fetal alcohol effects." (Sloboda and Bukoski, p 330). In fact, the widely recognized human teratogen called alcohol has been the prime producer of FAS and the other related effects in children. Alcohol, among all the substances of abuse, is the most dangerous and serious manufacturer of neurobehavioral effects in the fetus. While the nature of the substance used in the prenatal development period has a vital role in causing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, it is more imperative to analyze the timing of the exposure alcohol as it is a major variable influencing FAS. As mentioned before, one of the most vital variables predicting the effect of the consumption of alcohol during the prenatal development has been the timing of the exposure to the substance. Thus, the exposure of the fetus to a substance can have different types if impact when it either coincides with or misses a period of peak sensitivity to the substance. "For example, fetal exposure to alcohol, even at relatively low doses, has its greatest impact on development if it occurs early in the first trimester or at any time during the third trimester. This is because the developing fetus has different periods of peak sensitivity to alcohol." (Sloboda and Bukoski, p 330). Therefore, it is vital to relate to the timing of the exposure alcohol when the fetus is affected the most in prenatal development. The broad period of prenatal development is often divided into three periods for the sake of convenience, i.e. the pre-differentiation period, the period of the embryo, and the period of the fetus. In the total span of prenatal devel

Same sex schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Same sex schools - Essay Example Although same-sex schools have the advantage over co-ed schools in terms of academic excellence. Its disadvantages outweigh those advantages. For example in female same-sex schools, females don not have to struggle with their gender identities and thus can concentrate on their schooling. Girls no longer have to ask; "is my hair ok How does my makeup look Am I going to look like a geek if I answer another question Do I have to play sports to impress the girls" (Fidelman) In contrast, adolescents in co-ed schools are always flooded with these issues on their mind instead of concentrating on their academic lessons which should be the most essential task (Fidelman). However, the disadvantages of same-sex schools are far more plenty than its advantages. Schools should be a training ground to enable the students to be ready for the real world. In the real world, not only female dominate the world. In same-sex schools, emphasis is usually on female role model. The students' role models for best teachers are female, their role models for best athletes are female and the list goes on. Furthermore, single sex education is inconsistent with the goals of this nation's public school system to develop an educated population able to transcend barriers of race and gender in society" (Single sex education is an unwise policy).

Why does the United States have an inconsistent policy in the middle Essay - 2

Why does the United States have an inconsistent policy in the middle east - Essay Example It is argued that United States foreign policy should reflect the national values and the goals set up by the founding fathers of the U.S (Oren, pp.23).  The united states  have been on the receiving end towards its policies in the Middle East, a situation that has shifted from the last 200 years (Schuler, para.2). This paper  therefore  explores the reason for United States foreign policy inconsistency in the Middle East. Interest of United States in Middle East One of the reason the United States keep shifting goal post when it comes to foreign policy towards Middle East is that it has a legitimate interest in the region.  The presence of United States in Middle East commenced during the American civil war when the Ottoman Empire and the United States entered a treaty on trade and maritime law and this was merely to get oil from the region (Schuler, para.6).  The motive of foreign policy that was aimed at oil shipment and other trade suffered setbacks when there were ma jor shake ups in Saudi Arabia and Iran and this led to the shift of the policy to safeguard the interest of the United States.  The situation was further aggravated by the Iraq-Iran War which interfered with Gulf Shipment and this lead to changes in the foreign policy. The incoherent and inconsistent foreign policy towards Middle East is also a way of securing access to the region that has vital oil resources.  United States seeks to ensure a constant supply and open flow of oil and this has led formulation of foreign policy that supports corrupt and repressive royal family of Saudi Arabia who violate human rights in the country.  The need for open flow of oil also meant that United States up  to  1970s  supported  the corrupt and repressive shah of Iran (Kamrava, pp.198). This has led to the breeding of leaders that are not welcomed at home although United States strongly support them so as to accomplish its interest. The issue of balancing the national and domestic p olitical interest has also resulted in conflicting foreign policy in the Middle East. This has made it difficult for the United States government to formulate consistent policies towards the Middle East Region.  For example, due to the differences between the white house advisers and officials in the state department and pentagon led President Truman to formulate a reactive and inconsistent policy towards Palestine in 1947-1949 a situation that contributed to escalated tensions in United States relations with both Israel and the Arab Community (Hahn,pp.45).The level at which United States administrators have succeeded in safeguarding United States interest in the Middle East has  therefore  largely depended on the incumbent president. Securing Territorial Boundary in Middle East United States foreign policy has not been inconsistent in terms of maintaining the status quo of the Middle East territorial boundary (Oren, pp.35). This has led to support of other nations while sidel ining others.  For instance, there has  been  unqualified support for Israel with a view of maintaining the territorial boundary between Palestine and Israeli.  United States is offering economic and military assistance to Israeli and  these  incoherent policies  have created perceptions in the Middle East that is the main cause of injustices in the region.  Currently, majority of the Middle East countries view United States and Israel has  having  mutual interest or that Israel is a tool of United States foreign policy (Kamrava, pp.197). Global Superpower The position of United states globally especially after the Gulf war and the Cold war also led to the development of various foreign policies which were inconsistent and some of them generated anger and resentment in the Middle Ea

Strategic Audit of Mohawk Industries Assignment

Strategic Audit of Mohawk Industries - Assignment Example According to SEC Form 10-K of the company, the Mohawk segment or subsidiary â€Å"designs, manufactures, sources distributes, and markets its floor covering product lines, which include carpets, ceramic tile, laminate, rugs, carpet pad, hardwood and resilient.† Brands under the segment include Mohawk, Aladdin, MohawColorCenter, Floorscapes, Portico, Mohawk Home, Bigelow, Durkan, Horizon, Karastan, Lee and Merit. The Dal-Tile segment â€Å"designs, manufactures, sources, distributes and markets a broad line of ceramic tile, porcelain tile products.† Primary brands under the Dal-Tile segment include Dal-Tile and American Olean. According to the SEC Form 10-K, the Dal-Tile segment is vertically integrated from the production of raw materials for body and glaze preparation to the manufacturing and distribution of ceramic and porcelain tile.† Based on Form 10-K, the Unilin segment â€Å"designs, manufactures, sources, licenses and markets a broad line of ceramic tile, porcelain tile, natural stone and other products.† The Unilin segment is â€Å"one of the largest vertically-integrated laminate flooring manufacturing in the U.S. producing laminate flooring and related high-density fiberboard† and â€Å"also produces roofing systems, insulation panels and other wood products.† Thus, the Mohawk segment concentrates on carpets, rugs, and floor covers in general, the Dal-Tile segment focuses on the ceramic and porcelain floor covers and tiles business, and the Unilin segment focuses on laminate covering and expansion of the company to other types of house or building-related businesses but usually wood or wood-related or fiberboards. Mohawk Industries describes herself to be in the leading market positions in carpets, ceramic, laminate, rugs and mats, stone flooring and countertops, and wood products. Data available appear to support her claims. As the leading firm in the market, Mohawk’s financial data (shown in Annexes 1 to 9 of this work) is indicative of the industry’s long-term profitability.     

Gun Control Essay Example for Free

Gun Control Essay Argumentative Essay against Gun Control Since 1980, forty-four states have passed laws allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons outside their homes for personal protection. (Five additional states had these laws before 1980. Illinois is the sole holdout. ) A federal ban on the possession, tran Premium756 Words4 Pages Gun Control Essay Gun control is among the most hotly debated of topics today. With the federal government currently discussing whether to initiate stronger and more strict laws for owning guns, the number of gun control essays has risen, which makes perfect sense since the topic is fresh on people’s minds with rec Premium404 Words2 Pages Gun Control Dan Nenninger: Essay # 1 Gun Control According to the Coalition for Gun Control, last year a total of 291 people were killed by handguns in Australia, Sweden, Great Britain, Japan, and Switzerland. In the United States more than 24,000 people will be killed by the end of this year. So what is Premium795 Words4 Pages Gun Control Persuasive Essay on Gun Control What would be going through your mind if you were in a restaurant and a mad man came in and began slaughtering people right and left including you family (Swasey 174)? Would you be thinking if they would ban guns this would have never happened? Probably not! What you Premium354 Words2 Pages Gun Control and Gun Violence Among Children NAME: Clara Lawson COURSE:PHI 105 Critical Thinking Problem Solving DATE: January 12, 2012 INSTRUCTOR: DR. Scott Hovater GUN CONTROL GUN VIOLENCE in CHILDREN To start my essay off, I have an unusual story that is true. My mom knew a girl when she was lit Premium945 Words4 Pages Gun Control Working Outline for the Argumentative Paper Topic: Gun Control Topic Question: Does the U. S. need more gun control laws? Introductory Paragraph * What do I need to say to set up my thesis? (Do you need background information? Definitions? Explanations? ) * Thesis Statement: So many citi Premium483 Words2 Pages Gun Control Argumentative Essay (Against) Gun Control Argumentative Essay All guns have the potential to be dangerous and should be dealt with precaution. Guns have been a part of American history for as long as people can remember. For most individuals guns are supposed to be very dangerous and unsafe. Though, that is not true. Guns can b Premium284 Words2 Pages

Copper Ion Effects On Mung Beans Germination Environmental Sciences Essay

Copper Ion Effects On Mung Beans Germination Environmental Sciences Essay This experiment was planned to investigate the effect of different concentrations on copper ion on seed germination of mung beans. The experiment uses seed germination as a parameter in the presence of varying concentration of copper ion solution (Cu2+) in copper (ii) sulphate (CuSO4). Solutions used were 300 ppm, 200 ppm, 100 ppm, 75 ppm, 50 ppm, 25 ppm, and 0 ppm and the seeds were all soaked for 6 hours, and then sown on Petri dishes with a wetted cotton layer. The seeds were watered with the same volume of Cu2+ solution of respective concentrations. The numbers of seeds germinated were recorded after 20 hours, and the germination rate was calculated. Results showed that germination rate increases as concentration decreases. An analysis was done using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (PMCC), and it showed a statistically significant negative linear relationship between concentration of Cu and germination rate as the calculated r-value was greater than critical va lue (Cr) at 5% significant level. Research and Rationale Plants as micronutrients require a number of heavy metals, which are found naturally in soil.13 However, the global buildup of metals in the environment is increasingly becoming a problem.1 Toxic metals continue polluting the biosphere by volcanoes, natural weathering of rocks, and by industrial activities such as combustion of fossil fuels and mining.2 Heavy metal pollution has accelerated since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Copper (Cu) is one of the main metal pollutants, and usually results from human activities such as mining and the use of fertilizers.4 Cu is an essential element needed in trace amounts in plants, about 4-30 ppm of the approximate dry weight in plants (Raven and Johnson 1999), associated with enzyme activity which catalyses the oxidative reactions in various metabolic pathways.(4) An excess causes a reduce in germination, growth, respiration, photosynthesis and also causes severe membrane decomposition.4 It becomes toxic as it interferes with the enzyme activity, acting as a non-competitive inhibitor, destructing the tertiary bonds in some enzymes, thus altering and inhibiting enzyme activity.4 Human life becomes at risk once these plants develop tolerance mechanisms against Cu, and when these plants are incorporated into our food chain.(2) Mung bean is part of the human food chain as it is a favourite ingredient in Asian food.5 It is commercially grown in many regions of Asia. An ability of it to become Cu tolerant would pose a high risk on human health due to Cu accumulation in the body.2 This investigation also serves to show the type of soils suitable for mung bean growth in agriculture. Soils contaminated by copper or near industries are deemed unsuitable. The seed- Vigna radiata, commonly known as mung beans was chosen as it has a short life cycle and is small, thus large numbers of the seeds can be used as not much space is taken. (487 Words) Germination rate, which is usually expressed in percentage, shows the number of seeds that is likely to germinate; based on a particular plant species.6 Germination is one of the most critical stages of development in a plants life cycle. It is at this stage where the plants are more susceptible to injuries, water stress or diseases. 7 Experimental Hypothesis The lower the concentration of Cu2+ in the solution, the greater the germination rate of mung beans. Null Hypothesis There is no correlation between the different concentrations of Cu2+ in the solution and the germination rate of mung beans. Variables: Manipulated variable : Different concentrations of Cu2+ from Cuso4. (ppm) Responding variable : Germination rate of mung beans (%) Fixed variables : Mass of Cuso4 (g) Volume of solution used for soaking (30 ml/beaker) and for moistening the cotton (50 ml/petri dish) Temperature Light Intensity Humidity (632 Words) Apparatus: Petri dishes Label stickers Weighing balance Dropper Beakers (600 ml) Volumetric flask (1000 ml) Measuring cylinders (100 ml, and 500 ml) Pipette Schott bottles Materials: 3.937g of Cuso4 Distilled water Mung bean seeds (A) Cotton Planning Number of seeds used: 15 The first trial was to determine the condition needed for germination. Three different conditions were identified- in the dark (inside a cupboard), normal laboratory conditions, and outside the laboratory (under normal environment). The seeds were soaked for an hour in distilled water and then sown on wetted cotton. For each condition, three replicates were prepared. The results were observed after 20 hours. (736 Words) Conditions Number of seeds Germinated Mean Number of Seeds Germinated Replicate 1 Replicate 2 Replicate 3 Laboratory 6 9 8 8 In the Cupboard 8 14 11 11 Garden 6 9 5 7 Table 1: Germination rate of seeds in different conditions Germination rate= Number of seeds germinated/Total number of seeds 100 The results showed that the seeds grown in the dark had the highest germination rate. This is in line with what has been written about the germination of mung beans in websites stating that mung beans germinate in darkness.5 Therefore, it was decided that further germination of the seeds would be carried out in the dark under room temperature of 25Â °C in the mornings and 22Â °C during night. The second trial was a combination to find out the most suitable duration to soak the seeds and the best concentrations needed to carry out the experiment. For starters, the concentrations decided were a range from 1000 parts per million (ppm), 750 ppm, 50 ppm, 250 ppm, 100 ppm and 0 ppm (distilled water). The stock solution of 1000 ppm was prepared by the following method. (929 Words) To make 1000 ppm of Cu using CuSo4.5H2o Molar Mass of CuSo4.5H2o= 249.5g Atomic weight of Cu=63.5g 1g of Cu in relation to molar mass of salt= 249.5/63.5 = 3.931g Hence, 3.931g is weighed out from CuSo4.5H2o and dissolved in 1000ml of distilled water to make a standard solution of 1000ppm of Cu.8 From the stock solution, the serial dilution method was applied to make a concentration of 750 ppm. From 1000 ml of the stock solution, 750 ml of the solution was diluted in 250 ml of distilled water in a volumetric flask, to make up 1000 ml of 750 ppm solution of Cu. To make up 500 ppm solution, 500 ml of stock solution was diluted in 500 ml of distilled water and so on. The duration to soak was set to one hour, three hours, six hours and 12 hours. The seeds were soaked in 6 beakers containing the different concentrations, and sown to germinate on Petri dishes. Wetted cotton was used, and the respective concentration of the solution the seeds were soaked in was used to wet the cotton. 15 soaked seeds of similar size were chosen to germinate in two replicates. (1125 Words) Concentration (ppm) Duration of Soaking (Hours) 1 3 6 0 A 10 8 10 B 11 10 10 Mean 11 9 11 Germination Rate (%) 73.3 60.0 73.3 100 A 5 6 13 B 2 2 12 Mean 4 4 13 Germination Rate (%) 26.7 26.7 86.7 250 A 0 5 2 B 0 4 6 Mean 0 5 4 Germination Rate (%) 0 33.3 26.7 500 A 0 0 4 B 0 0 5 Mean 0 0 5 Germination Rate (%) 0 0 33.3 750 A 0 0 0 B 0 0 0 Mean 0 0 2 Germination Rate (%) 0.0 0.0 0.0 1000 A 0 0 0 B 0 0 0 Mean 0 0 0 Germination Rate (%) 0.0 0.0 0.0 Table 2: Germination rate of seeds in different conditions soaked for different durations (1286 Words) Observations were made 20 hours later, and in concentrations of 1000 ppm and 750 ppm, no seeds germinated. 500 ppm was the highest concentration whereby seeds germinated while for 0%, the germination rate was 80%. The seeds that was soaked for six hours showed the highest seed germination rate for the concentrations whereby seeds did germinate. Therefore, it was decided that the best range of concentrations to be used included 0 ppm, and also a value slightly lower than 500 ppm, and the duration of soaking was 6 hours. For seeds soaking in 500 ppm solutions ad above, the seeds appeared slightly purplish, and some even turned black. The seeds germinated at concentration of 500 ppm had its roots stunted with necrotic tips. To ensure the results were more reliable statistically, the number of seeds to be used in the actual experiment was increased to 50 seeds per concentration instead of 15. The actual experiment also included two replicates, using similar methods to obtain more reliable results. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (PMCC) was chosen to analyse the data obtained. Experimental Procedures A stock solution of 1000ppm of Cu2+ was prepared from 3.937g of Cuso4 (as indicated in the trial). The serial dilution method is used to prepare different concentrations of Cu2+ in Cuso4 solution. For example, 10 ml of 1000ppm solution was pipetted out and mixed with 990ml of distilled water in a 1000 ml volumetric flask to obtain a 10ppm solution, and so on. Besides 10 ppm, 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 75 ppm, 100 ppm, 200 ppm, and 300 ppm were prepared and stored in labeled Schott bottles. (1558 Words) At least a 150 seeds were chosen randomly and placed in a beaker to be soaked with a 300 ppm solution (50 ml) for six hours. Two Petri dishes were prepared and labeled A and B. Two layers of white cotton were placed in each Petri dish, spread evenly. The cottons were moistened with 300 ppm solution of the same volume (30 ml). 50 seeds of similar size were chosen and sown in each labeled Petri dish and placed inside the cupboard to germinate. Observation was made 20 hours after sowing. Germination was said to have occurred once the radicle was visibly extended from the surface of the seed for about a minimum of 5mm. The number of seeds germinated was determined, and the mean and the germination rate were calculated. Steps 2 to 8 were repeated for different concentrations- 200 ppm, 100 ppm, 75 ppm, 50 ppm, 25 ppm, and 0 ppm, and all results were recorded in Table 3, a graph was plotted and a PMCC test was used to analyse the data. Risk Assessment All glasswares, such as measuring cylinders and volumetric flask were handled with extra care as they can break easily and may then cause injuries. The soaked seeds were handled with gently as they are very fragile. While using the measuring cylinder, volumetric flask and pipette to measure the amount of solution needed, the eye-level was ensured to be perpendicular with the scale on those apparatus as to prevent parallax error. This was crucial while mixing the stock solution for a little difference may actually affect the percentages of all the other solutions. (1833 Words) Results Concentration (ppm) Number of Seeds Germinated Mean Number of Seeds Germinated Germination Rate (%) A B 0 49 50 50 100 25 46 48 47 94 50 44 45 45 90 75 40 38 39 78 100 15 13 14 28 200 7 10 9 18 300 7 9 8 16 Table 3: Germination of seeds in different concentrations Calculating germination rate: = = = 78% (1910 Words) Statistical Analysis (1932 Words) The PMCC test was chosen to measure the strength of linear dependence between two variables-concentrations and germination rate. The correlation coefficient, r ranges from +1 to -1. A value of zero indicates no linear correlation between the said variables, while +1 indicates a linear equation explains the relationship between concentration and germination rate perfectly, with all the points from the data lying on a line for which germination rate increases as concentration increases. A value of -1 indicates that all points from the data lie on a line whereby germination rate decreases as concentration increases.9 x 0 25 50 75 100 200 300 ∑X=750 y 100 94 90 78 28 18 16 ∑Y=424 x2 0 625 2500 5625 10000 40000 90000 ∑x2= 148750 y2 10000 8836 8100 6084 784 324 256 ∑y2=34384 yx 0 2350 4500 5850 2800 3600 4800 ∑xy= 23900 SS (x) = = =68392.857 SS (y) = = =8701.714 SS (xy) = = = -21528.571 ( Words) The correlation coefficient, r, is found using the formula: = -0.8825 (negative indicating a negative correlation between variables) r = 0.8825 > 0.754 Cr for 5% confidence level. The analysis using PMCC proved a statistically significant negative linear relationship between the concentrations of Cu2+ in CuSO4 and germination rate, as the calculated r value was larger than Cr at 5% confidence level. Hence, null hypothesis is rejected and experimental hypothesis is accepted. A higher concentration of Cu2+ leads to a lower germination rate of mung beans. Data Analysis The statistical analysis using PMCC proved that low concentration of Cu did result in a greater germination rate of mung beans, as shown in Table 3 too which shows the number of seeds germinated after treatment with respective concentrations of Cu2+ in CuSO4 solutions for 20 hours. The table shows that only a very low concentration of Cu allows germination. Graph 1 illustrates the trend and relationship between the variables. It can be seen clearly that as the concentration of Cu2+ in CuSO4 increases, the rate of germination decreases. Distilled water recorded the highest germination at 100%, while the lowest germination rate was noted when the concentration used was 300 ppm. There is a great difference in germination rate from 75 ppm to 100 ppm, about 50%. Increase the concentration from 25 ppm to 50 ppm and 200 ppm to 300 ppm only showed a decrease in 4% and 2% respectively. This may one of the inconsistencies of the experiment. Distilled water, or 0 ppm acted as a control in this experiment. From the results obtained, all the seeds germinated when soaked in distilled water. From the trials, seeds soaked in distilled water did not germinate more than 80%, however in the actual experiment it was 100%. After much research, I concluded that the results obtained from the actual experiment was valid as it supports the results obtained from various other research published.1, 10 The inconsistencies that occurred may have been due to: Some of the seeds may have been already damaged (trials) and so germination was impossible The cotton layers used in 0 ppm during trials were too thick, and became dry fast, thus made it impossible for the seeds to absorb the water and enable germination in 20 hours. Mixing errors could have occurred causing the drop between 75 ppm and 100 ppm, as the concentrations of the solutions could have been higher than it was suppose to be. ( Words) Evaluation The degree of seed germination in the presence of Cu2+ is to some extent a measure of resistance of mung beans to this toxic metal.11 Germination, is a process said to occur when a dormant seed begins sprouting into a seedling, under the right growing conditions.14 This process is highly dependent on external and internal conditions. Light or darkness, temperature, water and oxygen and considered to be the important external conditions that may affect germination. Imbibition, the process by which water is taken up by the seeds, causes the soaked mung bean seeds to swell and start softening, thus the breaking of the seed coat.11, 6 This makes germination easier. Hydrolytic enzymes are activated (due to water), and these enzymes digest the food source in the seeds into chemicals, that are useful metabolically. 6, 7 Excess Cu is detrimental as it becomes toxic. It interferes with the enzyme activity, acting as a non-competitive inhibitor, destructing the tertiary bonds in some enzymes, thus altering and inhibiting enzyme activity.4 It combines with the thiol groups, breaking the hydrogen bonds and disulphide bridges holding the 3-D shape together (of an enzyme). In order to germinate, amylose is needed, and is metabolized by amylase. The interference of toxic level of Cu causes the inhibition of amylases, thus preventing the food store in the cotyledon to be broken down, depriving the embryo from carbohydrate needed for respiration and production of energy for germination.4 ( Words) There were some limitations in this experiment. The temperature of the surroundings is one of it. It was assumed that the temperature in the cupboard was to be 22 and 25 at night and morning respectively. However, along the day, the temperature could have fluctuated. This could have affected the germination process, as the time taken for germination to occur could have been longer. Besides, the humidity of the surroundings was also not measured and thought to be constant all the time. However, due to changes in weather (rain at night, hot sun in the mornings) during the time of experiment, there could have been changes in relative humidity and temperature too. Some of the seeds may have already been damaged but appeared normal. These seeds could have been sown for germination, thus it can be certain that the seeds that did not germinate were purely due to high toxic Cu levels or not. The use of a large sample had given enough replicates to support the conclusion for this experiment. The results are reliable as the experiment can be controlled and also repeated. This investigation only stressed on the effects of Cu on the germination of mung beans, without subjecting the seeds to different abiotic or biotic pressures. Modification could be made by comparing the, effects of other heavy metals such as Nickel, Cadmium and Lead on the germination of mung beans. Besides investigating the rate of germination only, the length of the radicle can measured (plant growth) to see the effects on growth of mung beans. The growth of plants may show a more visible change due to the toxic metals. Plus, other varieties of seeds such as sunflower, orca or cabbage can be used to test the levels of metal toxicity tolerance on other plants species. ( Words) Conclusion With reference to the results obtained and statistical analysis made, it can be concluded that the lower the concentration of Cu in the solution, the greater the germination rate of mung beans, Vigna radiata. This is because Cu is an enzyme, non-competitive inhibitor which alters and inhibits enzyme activity. Thus experimental hypothesis is accepted, while null hypothesis is rejected. Evaluation of Sources Source 7 and 13 are published books written by well-known authors in the scientific community. The source is reliable as it has been revised, recognized and undergone a series of editing before being published. Sources 1,2,3, 10 and 11 are scientific journals. Scholars wrote it and the journals have been peer-reviewed, and have a high level of scientific creditability. Therefore, these sources should contain valid information. Sources 4,5,6,8,9,12 and 14 are websites. These are sites that have been referral site to by many people and the information in it are also cited, thus it is reliable. ( Words) Appendix Figure The apparatus used to make the stock solution-500ml Measuring Cylinder, 100ml Measuring cylinder, 1000ml volumetric flask ( Words)

Strategies for Job Satisfaction

Strategies for Job Satisfaction Introduction Job satisfaction is one of most important fields of study in the subject of human resource management. This important role of job satisfaction function leads the way in assuring high level of job satisfaction among the employees. Job satisfaction function of any HR vertical of an organization is primarily responsible for productivity of employees and the employee turnover. Since these two aspects can make or break the organizations performance in all areas, it requires attention from top management. (Lovelace Rosen, 2006) Job satisfaction function generally is part of the HR vertical with a clear mandate of motivating employee and continuously striving for higher employee job satisfaction through introduction of new policies and frameworks. The topic forms an integral part of organizational effectiveness and that has instigated me to choose this topic of job satisfaction. I shall try to study the existing literature on job satisfaction and will choose multinational companies to stud y their varied job satisfaction strategies and make analysis. (Parkes et al, 2001) Job satisfaction function is a vast topic and cannot be completely covered in this dissertation. Various researchers have already published their research articles on this subject. I shall be developing on it through understanding the different strategies used by MNCs in todays business environment for maintaining better levels of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction as stated earlier is a complex topic and hence I will try to break it down to simpler and more realistic frameworks to understand the thought process of an organization to ensuring better job satisfaction amongst its employees. (Gruneberg, 2009) According to Wood (2003), job satisfaction is the condition of contentment with ones work and its environment, denoting a positive attitude. Locke (2006) stated that, job satisfaction could be viewed as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences. In other words, it can also be stated that, job satisfaction was simply a function of the degree to which a job provided the worker with positively values outcomes. Wanous (2000) said that, job satisfaction was a match between a persons need and the reinforcement received from work performed in an organization. The HR vertical of any organization shall try to achieve higher levels of job satisfaction through various techniques like awards program, job rotation, internal promotion scheme, family tours and training processes. (Rounds et al, 2007) There is no destination to achieving job satisfaction but the journey is perpetual in nature. Continuous improvement is the name of the game in achieving relatively good job satisfaction amongst the employees. The measure of job satisfaction can only be achieved through comparison in similar industries and through the employee turnover and productivity data. (Jackson et al., 2001) Job satisfaction is one of the most widely discussed and enthusiastically studied constructs. However, job satisfaction is among the most difficult constructs to define. A review of literature shows that constituted definitions of the construct vary from one researcher to the next. Wood (2003) describes the job satisfaction as the condition of contentment with ones work and its in my mind, denoting a positive attitude (p.8.). Locke (2006) stated that job satisfaction could be viewed as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences. (p.1300) There are several reasons for studying job satisfaction. Organizations major job satisfaction primarily because of its presumed direct relationship to the short-term goals of cost reduction through increased individual productivity and reduced absences, errors, and turnover. (Cranny et al, 2002). Levels of job dissatisfaction have been found to be related to job turnover, absences, and tardiness. Turnover rates have been the most consistent major associated with job satisfaction. The potential negative consequences of employee turnover in terms of the impact of organizations. Negative effects of job turnover can include: increased costs to recruit, select and train new employer; demoralization of remaining employees; decreased social relationships among employees; negative public relations; disruption of a hi-fi and two-day activities; and decreased organizational possibilities to pursue growth strategies. In fact, several researchers reported a significant relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction. According to Lawler (2007), the research evidence clearly shows that employees decisions about whether they will go to work on any given day and whether they will quit as affected by their feelings of job satisfaction. All the literature reviews on the subject have reached the same conclusion. The fact that present satisfaction influences future absenteeism and turnover clearly indicates that the commercial direction is from satisfaction to behavior. The literature also reveals that there is a correlation between job satisfaction and variables such as achievement, recognition, the word itself, responsibility, advancement, policy and administration, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations, working conditions, age, Tenure, educational level, job activities, and gender. The Purpose of the Study The purpose to choose this topic is to analyze the importance of job satisfaction in Multi National Companies (MNCs). The reason to go for MNCs is the increase in the shift over of the employees for future growth. The shifting, thus, includes the satisfaction in the given job role. Through my research, I will try to analyze the causes and effect relationship between the employee and the factors behind job satisfaction in a given MNC. Aim of the Study The main aim of the study is to investigate the remains leading to negative and positive job satisfaction in a MNC. The Objectives of the Study The key objectives of the chosen topic are: Estimating the causes of employee attitudes. Adjudging the results of positive or negative job satisfaction Measuring the employee attitude To assess facet-specific levels of job satisfaction To measure general job satisfaction, Literature Review There are several reasons for studying job satisfaction. Organizations measure job satisfaction primarily because of its presumed direct relationship to the short-term goals of cost reduction through increased individual productivity and reduced absenteeism, errors, and dissatisfaction has been found to be related to job turnover, absenteeism and tardiness. (Glisson Durick, 2008) Turnover rates have been the most constraints measure associated with job satisfaction (Atchison Lofferts, 2002; Brayfield Crockett, 2005, Dawis Lofquist, 2001). Mowday (2004) recapitulate the probable pessimistic significance of employee turnover in terms of the impact on organizations. There are various impacts of pessimism in job satisfaction on the turnover of the company such as: Increase in the recruitment cost. Recruiting new employees and then training them as well. It can lead to reduced social relations ships among employees. No or only few public relations. Reduction in companys prospects which can hamper the growth. According to Lawler (2005), the research evidence clearly shows that employees decisions about whether they will get to work on any given day and whether they will quit are effected by their feelings of job satisfaction. The fact that present satisfaction influences future absenteeism and turnover clearly indicates the causal direction is from satisfaction to behavior. There is a correlation between job satisfaction and variables such as achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, policy and administration, working conditions, supervision, job activities and gender. Research Methodology Saunders et al (2005) Research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure. The research to be followed is a step-by-step process. This makes the entire research process systematic. Only primary research shall be used to draw inferences. (Ryan, 2009) The sources used shall be of international repute and will be trustworthy. The main source will be case study and also some books, journals, articles and publications including Internet sources. Chapter-2: Literature review An Overview Job satisfaction in considered to ones sensation or circumstances of intelligence regarding environment of their work. Job can be prejudiced by diversity of features like quality of ones relationship with their supervisor, quality of physical environment in which they work, degree of fulfillment in their work, etc. Positive attitude towards job are equivalent to job satisfaction where as negative attitude towards job has been defined variously from time to time. (Cherrington et al, 2009) In short job satisfaction is a persons attitude towards job. Job satisfaction is an attitude which results from balancing summation of many specific likes and dislikes experienced in connection with the job- their evaluation may rest largely upon ones success or failure in the achievement of personal objective and upon perceived combination of the job and combination towards these ends. According to pestonejee, Job satisfaction can be taken as a summation of employees feelings in four important areas. These are: Job-nature of work (dull, dangerous, interesting), hours of work, fellow workers, opportunities on the job for encouragement and progression (prospects), eventually system, attention in work, substantial background, and machines and apparatus. Management- managerial behavior, contribution, rewards and sentence, congratulate and responsibility, leaves strategy and preference. Social relations- associates and acquaintances, neighbors, approach towards populace in society, contribution in social activity scalability and background barricade. Personal adjustment-health and emotionality. Job satisfaction is an indicator of employee productivity and employee behavior at work. This may include inter employee relations, pro-activeness of employee, employee absenteeism no. of feedbacks from employees. These all factors are a direct measure of employee satisfaction of the job. The direct correlation has been established by earlier researchers and more so there is logical evidence to it in any business or industry. (Adams, 2003) The higher levels of job satisfaction is evident in an organization through lower absenteeism rates, low employee turnover, high employee productivity , proactively level of employees, labor unrest issues and participation in managerial decisions. (Saks Ashforth, 2007) Obviously, every organization desires for higher levels of employee job satisfaction; however it is a long drawn process with continuous improvement and direct focus from the senior leadership team of the organization. Job satisfaction cannot be used interchangeably with organizational morale; which the possessions of feeling have being accepted by and belonging to a group of employees through adherence to common goals and confidence in desirability of these goals. (Bedeian et al, 2002) Morale is the by-product of the group, while job satisfaction is more an individual state of mind. Definitions of job satisfaction Different authors give various definitions of job satisfaction. Some of them are taken from the book of D.M. Pestonjee Motivation and Job Satisfaction which are given below: As per Weiss, Job satisfaction is defined as a pleasurable, emotional, state resulting from appraisal of ones job. An effective reaction to ones job. For Blum and Naylor, Job satisfaction is general attitude, which is the result of many specific attitudes in three areas namely: Precise occupation features. Personal distinctiveness Group association exterior from the work According to Glimmer, Job satisfaction is defined, as it is result of various attitudes the person hold towards the job, towards the related factors and towards the life in general. Job satisfaction is defined as any contribution, psychological, physical, and environmental circumstances that cause a person truthfully say, I am satisfied with my job. Mr. Smith stated, Job satisfaction is defined, as employees judgment of how well his job on a whole is satisfying his various needs According to Locke, Job satisfaction is defined as a pleasurable or positive state of mind resulting from appraisal of ones job or job experiences. History of job satisfaction The term job satisfaction was brought to lime light by hoppock (2005). He revived 35 studies on job satisfaction conducted prior to 2003 and observes that Job satisfaction is combination of psychological, physiological and environmental circumstances. That causes a person to say. I m satisfied with my job. Such a description indicate the variety of variables that influence the satisfaction of the individual but tell us nothing about the nature of Job satisfaction. Job satisfaction has been most aptly defined by Pestonjee (2003) as a job, management, personal adjustment social requirement. Morse (2003) considers Job satisfaction as dependent upon job content, identification with the co., financial job status priding group cohesiveness. One of the biggest preludes to the study of job satisfaction was the Hawthorne study. These studies (2004-2003), primarily credited to Elton Mayo of the Harvard Business School, sought to find the effects of various conditions (most notably illumination) on workers productivity. Hawthorne Studies It is considered to be one of the best researches done on the job satisfaction. It was conducted by Mayo, Roethlisberger Dickson during the late 2000s and early 2000s at the Western Electric Company. Western Electric Management enlisted the help of Harvard business School professor is Elton Mayo, F.J Roethlisberger, and William Dickson, to help increase the output of workers assembling telephone release. The research started out as an investigation of the effects of physical working conditions on worker productivity, but ended up very differently. Mayo, Roethlisberger Dickson originally begin experimenting with the amount of lighting, expecting that productivity would rise as elimination increased to an optimum level. However, the hypothesis that productivity would write just as elimination increased to an optimum level was strongly disapproved why, after several experiments in large departments of the plant, it was discovered that changes in productivity occurred quite independently of B level of elimination. Mayo, Roethlisberger Dickson then started experimenting by introducing rest pauses of different lengths and different frequencies during the work day, supplying coffee breaks at various points in the day, and shortening the length of the world today at the work week. The results of the second part of the experiment were more amazing there was an upward trend in output, regardless of the introduction or withdrawal of rest periods, lunches, coffee breaks, shorter workdays, or shorten workweeks. Furthermore, avoid the experiment ended after a year, and the original conditions of work were restored in all previous privileges withdrawn, the daily and weekly output rose to our point higher than at any other time. (Mayo, 2003, pp.62-63) In addition, morale among the relay assembly room workers improved dramatically. There was a sharp increase in the amount of socializing among workers after ours. Moreover, absenteeism decreased 80% (Roethlisberger Dickson 2009). According to Dawis Lofquist (2001), the Hawthorne studies have been credited with limiting research into the causes of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. These researches eventually illustrated that original alterations in job situations provisionally enhanced efficiency (called the Hawthorne Effect). Maslows hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow, in a classic paper published in 2003, outlined the elements of an overall theory of human motivation. Maslow viewed human motivation in terms of a hierarchy of five needs: physiology needs; safety needs; belonging there is an alarm needs; S team needs; and, the need for self actualization (Maslow, 2000). According to Maslow, 2000, in the majors are motivated to fulfill whichever need was pre-potency, almost fourfold, for them at a given time. The pre-potency of the meat depended on the given current situation and recent experiences. Starting with physical needs, which were most basic, each member must be at least partially dissatisfied before the Indian visual experience to the desire to satisfy a need at the next higher level. Maslows need hierarchy is illustrated in figure 2.1. According to Sergiovanni (2004) and Davis and Newstrom (2009), physiological needs more likely to serve as motivators among workers in todays society, as most jobs issue or the fulfillment of physiological needs, such as food and shelter. However, higher level needs (belonging is and loved needs, S team needs, and the need for self actualization) may influence levels of employee motivation (Davis Newstrom, 2009). Figure 2.1: Maslows need hierarchy Levels of job satisfaction Level can be defined as an extent, major, or degree of achievement. Job satisfaction is a difficult construct a defined. Job satisfaction can be defined generally as the degree to which individuals feel positively or negatively about their jobs. Importance of job satisfaction Job satisfaction is an important indicator of how employees feel about their job and a predictor of work behavior such as organizational, citizenship, Absenteeism, Turnover. Job satisfaction can partially mediate the relationship of personality variables and deviant work behavior. Common research finding is that job satisfaction is correlated with life style. This correlation is reciprocal meaning the people who are satisfied with the life tends to be satisfied with their jobs and the people who are satisfied their jobs tends to satisfied with their life. This is vital piece of information that is job satisfaction and job performance is directly related to one another. Thus it can be said that, A happy worker is a productive worker. Job Satisfaction: Importance to worker organization Job contentment and work-related achievement are main factors in individual satisfaction, self-worth, sense of worth, and self-development. (Bruce Blackburn, 2002) To the employee, job satisfaction brings a pleasant expressive state that can often lead to an affirmative work attitude. (Schneider, 2001) A pleased worker is more likely to be imaginative, flexible, innovative, and dependable. For the organization, job satisfaction of its workers means a work force that is enthused and dedicated to high quality performance. (Carrell Elbert, 2004) Augmented output- the quantity and quality of output per hour worked seem to be a by creation of enhanced class of working life. It is vital to note that the literature on the association between job happiness and output is neither definite nor consistent. (Glisson Durick, 2008) On the other hand, research dating back to Herzbergs time (2007) has shown at least low association between high confidence and high efficiency and it does seem logical that more satisfied workers will be likely to add more worth to an organization. Discontented employees, who are stimulated by fear of loss of job, will not give 100 percent of their effort for a very long time. Although apprehension is a powerful motivator, it is also a brief one, and also as soon as the threat is lifted performance will decline. Employment satisfaction profits the organization and includes reduction in complaints and grievances, employee absenteeism, work force turnover, and termination; as well as improved regularity and worker morale. (Ryan, 2009) Job liking is also linked with an improved work force and has been found to be a good pointer of prolonged existence. Even though only slight connection has been found amongst job satisfaction and productivity, Brown (2006) writes that few employers have discovered that satisfying or delighting work force is one of the most important prerequisite to satisfying or delighting customers, thus ensuring the growth of bottom line of the organization. Job Satisfaction: Employees Responsibility If job contentment is a worker advantage, certainly the employee must be talented to add to his or her own contentment and comfort on the job. (Joplin et al, 2007) The following suggestions can assist an employee to find his or her own satisfaction at job: search for opportunities to display skills and aptitude. This repeatedly leads to even more demanding work and higher responsibilities, with assistant increases in salary and other recognition and rewards. Build up extraordinary communiquà © skills. Companys value and rewards excellent reading, listening, writing and speaking skills. Be acquainted with more. Obtain new work related information and skill that helps you to complete job more economically and effectively. This will take off monotony and often gets one noticed. Reveal creativity and initiative. Merits like these are respected by most companies and often come with in recognition as well as improved responsibilities and promotions. Initiate teamwork and man management skills. A big part of job related achievement is the aptitude to work well with others to get the job done. (Lyons et al,2003) Accept the diversity in people. Accept people with their differences and their imperfections and learn how to give and receive criticism constructively. (Peterson Gonzalez, 2009) See the value in your work. Appreciating the significance of what one does can lead to satisfaction with the work itself. This help to give meaning to ones existence, thus playing a vital role in job satisfaction. Learn to de-stress. Plan to avoid burn out by developing healthy stress management techniques. Factors of job satisfaction Hoppock, the earliest investigator in this field, in 2005 suggested that there are six major components of job satisfaction. These are as under: The way the individual reacts to unpleasant situations, The facility with which he adjusted himself with other person The relative status in the social and economic group with which he identifies himself The nature of work in relation to abilities, interest and preparation of worker Security Loyalty Herzberg, mausaer, Peterson and capwell in 2007 reviewed more than 150 studies and listed various job factors of job satisfaction. These are briefly defined one by one as follows: Intrinsic aspect of job It includes all of the many aspects of the work, which would tend to be constant for the work regardless of where the work was performed. Supervision This aspect of job satisfaction pertains to relationship of worker with his immediate superiors. Supervision, as a factor, generally influences job satisfaction. Working conditions This includes those physical aspects of environment which are not necessary a part of the work. Hours are included this factor because it is primarily a function of organization, affecting the individuals comfort and convenience in much the same way as other physical working conditions. Wage and salaries This factor includes all aspect of job involving present monitory remuneration for work done. Opportunities for advancement It includes all aspect of job which individual sees as potential sources of betterment of economic position, organizational status or professional experience. Security It is defined to include that feature of job situation, which leads to assurance for continued employment, either within the same company or within same type of work profession. Company management It includes the aspect of workers immediate situation, which is a function of organizational administration and policy. It also involves the relationship of employee with all company superiors above level of immediate supervision. Social aspect of job It includes relationship of worker with the employees specially those employees at same or nearly same level within the organization. Communication It includes job situation, which involves spreading the information in any direction within the organization. Terms such as information of employees status, information on new developments, information on company line of authority, suggestion system, etc, are used in literature to represent this factor. Benefits It includes those special phases of company policy, which attempts to prepare the worker for emergencies, illness, old age, also. Company allowances for holidays, leaves and vacations are included within this factor. Reasons of low job satisfaction Reasons why employees may not be completely satisfied with their jobs: Conflict between co-workers. Conflict between supervisors. Not being opportunity paid for what they do. Have little or no say in decision making that affect employees. Fear of losing their job. Effects of low job satisfaction High absenteeism Absenteeism means it is a habitual pattern of absence from duty or obligation. If there will be low job satisfaction among the employees the rate of absenteeism will definitely increase and it also affects on productivity of organization. In the above diagram line AB shows inverse relationship between job satisfaction and rate of turnover and rate of absenteeism. As the job satisfaction is high the rate of both turns over and absenteeism is low and vive a versa. High turnover In human resource refers to characteristics of a given company or industry relative to the rate at which an employer gains and losses the staff. If the employer is said to be have a high turnover of employees of that company have shorter tenure than those of other companies. Training cost increases As employees leaves organization due to lack of job satisfaction. Then Human resource manager has to recruit new employees. So that the training expenditure will increases. Key parameters for Job Satisfaction Training and Job Satisfaction- Most of the literature in this area has focused on the impact of education and skills on job satisfaction rather than the effect of training as such. The relationship between skill acquisition and job satisfaction is not straightforward. First, there is the distinction between general and specific skills. (Quinn Staines,2009) The portability of general skills may raise job satisfaction as it is easier to move to other jobs where satisfaction is higher. In contrast, specific skills bind the worker to the firm and may reduce satisfaction by creating a barrier to exit as workers will lose a portion of the return on such skills if they move. (Near et al, 2003) This leads on to the question of the matching of individual skills and levels of education with job requirements. If workers are mismatched in terms of skill and education requirements, this may lower job satisfaction, as evidenced in the earlier literature. In one of the few studies to focus on skilling, Allen and van der Velden (2001) differentiated between education and skill mismatches, finding only a weak relationship between the two. Importantly, they found a significant negative relationship between skill mismatch and job satisfaction, while the link between educations mismatches and job satisfaction was insignificant. Training may influence workplace performance directly by raising output per worker, or be measured indirectly through its impact on the wage on the assumption that this is equal to the marginal productivity of labor. (Peterson Gonzalez, 2009) However, this will not be the case if there are imperfections in the product or labor markets. The nature of training has been examined in a number of studies. Thus Barrett and OConnell (2008) found that specific training had a bigger impact on wages and productivity than general training. Mason et al. (2006) found that both value added and product quality was higher where workers were trained to take charge of several production lines at once. Cosh et al. in a series of papers (2008, 2000 and 2003) found that training had a strong and significant effect on employment growth in small firms when it was undertaken regularly rather than on an ad hoc basis. Especially for larger firms there was also an association between intensity of training and profitability. Training may also stimulate innovation in the workplace (Bartle and Lichtenberg, 2007). Therefore it is doubtful whether different types of training impact either equally or positively on performance. Finally, training can have an indirect effect on performance if it increases job satisfaction by, for example, making it easier for employees to perform the job or feel more valued (as in Akerlofs 2002 conceptualization of the labor contract as a gift-exchange). Petty et al.s 2004 meta-analysis confirms such outcomes. In contrast, if workers feel dissatisfied they may react in a number of ways (Farrell, 2003): through a sense of loyalty they may stick it out; use a voice mechanism (Freeman, 2008, Freeman and Medoff, 2004); neglect their responsibilities to the employer by absence, lateness, striking or reduced effort (Akerlof and Yellin, 2006); or exit (Jovanovic, 2009, Burdett and Mortenson, 2008). Quits and Job Satisfaction- Until recently there had been relatively few studies by economists examining the role played by job satisfaction in quitting decisions. The main reason for this was the lack of large sample longitudinal data which could be used to identify job satisfaction in one period and job turnover in subsequent periods. Locke (2006) provided an extensive review of the literature in the psychology field, concluding that a negative correlation coefficient between job satisfaction and employee turnover was almost always obtained. However, correlation does not always imply causation and most of the studies cited by Locke used simple univariate analysis. In one of the seminal papers on job satisfaction, Freeman (2008) was one of the first economists to analyze the connection between quits and job satisfaction. Based on panel data from two different US sources, the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS, 2006-2001) and the Michigan Panel Survey of Income Dynamics (PSID, 2002-73 ), Freeman showed that job satisfaction was positively and significantly related to the probability of quitting. Moreover, he found not only that job satisfaction was quantitatively more important than wages, but also that the causality ran from job satisfaction to future quitting behavior. This relationship was confirmed by Akerlof et al. (2008) using data from the NLS Older Men Survey. Job Satisfaction and Absenteeism-Absenteeism is the term generally used to refer to unscheduled Strategies for Job Satisfaction Strategies for Job Satisfaction Introduction Job satisfaction is one of most important fields of study in the subject of human resource management. This important role of job satisfaction function leads the way in assuring high level of job satisfaction among the employees. Job satisfaction function of any HR vertical of an organization is primarily responsible for productivity of employees and the employee turnover. Since these two aspects can make or break the organizations performance in all areas, it requires attention from top management. (Lovelace Rosen, 2006) Job satisfaction function generally is part of the HR vertical with a clear mandate of motivating employee and continuously striving for higher employee job satisfaction through introduction of new policies and frameworks. The topic forms an integral part of organizational effectiveness and that has instigated me to choose this topic of job satisfaction. I shall try to study the existing literature on job satisfaction and will choose multinational companies to stud y their varied job satisfaction strategies and make analysis. (Parkes et al, 2001) Job satisfaction function is a vast topic and cannot be completely covered in this dissertation. Various researchers have already published their research articles on this subject. I shall be developing on it through understanding the different strategies used by MNCs in todays business environment for maintaining better levels of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction as stated earlier is a complex topic and hence I will try to break it down to simpler and more realistic frameworks to understand the thought process of an organization to ensuring better job satisfaction amongst its employees. (Gruneberg, 2009) According to Wood (2003), job satisfaction is the condition of contentment with ones work and its environment, denoting a positive attitude. Locke (2006) stated that, job satisfaction could be viewed as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences. In other words, it can also be stated that, job satisfaction was simply a function of the degree to which a job provided the worker with positively values outcomes. Wanous (2000) said that, job satisfaction was a match between a persons need and the reinforcement received from work performed in an organization. The HR vertical of any organization shall try to achieve higher levels of job satisfaction through various techniques like awards program, job rotation, internal promotion scheme, family tours and training processes. (Rounds et al, 2007) There is no destination to achieving job satisfaction but the journey is perpetual in nature. Continuous improvement is the name of the game in achieving relatively good job satisfaction amongst the employees. The measure of job satisfaction can only be achieved through comparison in similar industries and through the employee turnover and productivity data. (Jackson et al., 2001) Job satisfaction is one of the most widely discussed and enthusiastically studied constructs. However, job satisfaction is among the most difficult constructs to define. A review of literature shows that constituted definitions of the construct vary from one researcher to the next. Wood (2003) describes the job satisfaction as the condition of contentment with ones work and its in my mind, denoting a positive attitude (p.8.). Locke (2006) stated that job satisfaction could be viewed as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences. (p.1300) There are several reasons for studying job satisfaction. Organizations major job satisfaction primarily because of its presumed direct relationship to the short-term goals of cost reduction through increased individual productivity and reduced absences, errors, and turnover. (Cranny et al, 2002). Levels of job dissatisfaction have been found to be related to job turnover, absences, and tardiness. Turnover rates have been the most consistent major associated with job satisfaction. The potential negative consequences of employee turnover in terms of the impact of organizations. Negative effects of job turnover can include: increased costs to recruit, select and train new employer; demoralization of remaining employees; decreased social relationships among employees; negative public relations; disruption of a hi-fi and two-day activities; and decreased organizational possibilities to pursue growth strategies. In fact, several researchers reported a significant relationship between absenteeism and job satisfaction. According to Lawler (2007), the research evidence clearly shows that employees decisions about whether they will go to work on any given day and whether they will quit as affected by their feelings of job satisfaction. All the literature reviews on the subject have reached the same conclusion. The fact that present satisfaction influences future absenteeism and turnover clearly indicates that the commercial direction is from satisfaction to behavior. The literature also reveals that there is a correlation between job satisfaction and variables such as achievement, recognition, the word itself, responsibility, advancement, policy and administration, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations, working conditions, age, Tenure, educational level, job activities, and gender. The Purpose of the Study The purpose to choose this topic is to analyze the importance of job satisfaction in Multi National Companies (MNCs). The reason to go for MNCs is the increase in the shift over of the employees for future growth. The shifting, thus, includes the satisfaction in the given job role. Through my research, I will try to analyze the causes and effect relationship between the employee and the factors behind job satisfaction in a given MNC. Aim of the Study The main aim of the study is to investigate the remains leading to negative and positive job satisfaction in a MNC. The Objectives of the Study The key objectives of the chosen topic are: Estimating the causes of employee attitudes. Adjudging the results of positive or negative job satisfaction Measuring the employee attitude To assess facet-specific levels of job satisfaction To measure general job satisfaction, Literature Review There are several reasons for studying job satisfaction. Organizations measure job satisfaction primarily because of its presumed direct relationship to the short-term goals of cost reduction through increased individual productivity and reduced absenteeism, errors, and dissatisfaction has been found to be related to job turnover, absenteeism and tardiness. (Glisson Durick, 2008) Turnover rates have been the most constraints measure associated with job satisfaction (Atchison Lofferts, 2002; Brayfield Crockett, 2005, Dawis Lofquist, 2001). Mowday (2004) recapitulate the probable pessimistic significance of employee turnover in terms of the impact on organizations. There are various impacts of pessimism in job satisfaction on the turnover of the company such as: Increase in the recruitment cost. Recruiting new employees and then training them as well. It can lead to reduced social relations ships among employees. No or only few public relations. Reduction in companys prospects which can hamper the growth. According to Lawler (2005), the research evidence clearly shows that employees decisions about whether they will get to work on any given day and whether they will quit are effected by their feelings of job satisfaction. The fact that present satisfaction influences future absenteeism and turnover clearly indicates the causal direction is from satisfaction to behavior. There is a correlation between job satisfaction and variables such as achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, policy and administration, working conditions, supervision, job activities and gender. Research Methodology Saunders et al (2005) Research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure. The research to be followed is a step-by-step process. This makes the entire research process systematic. Only primary research shall be used to draw inferences. (Ryan, 2009) The sources used shall be of international repute and will be trustworthy. The main source will be case study and also some books, journals, articles and publications including Internet sources. Chapter-2: Literature review An Overview Job satisfaction in considered to ones sensation or circumstances of intelligence regarding environment of their work. Job can be prejudiced by diversity of features like quality of ones relationship with their supervisor, quality of physical environment in which they work, degree of fulfillment in their work, etc. Positive attitude towards job are equivalent to job satisfaction where as negative attitude towards job has been defined variously from time to time. (Cherrington et al, 2009) In short job satisfaction is a persons attitude towards job. Job satisfaction is an attitude which results from balancing summation of many specific likes and dislikes experienced in connection with the job- their evaluation may rest largely upon ones success or failure in the achievement of personal objective and upon perceived combination of the job and combination towards these ends. According to pestonejee, Job satisfaction can be taken as a summation of employees feelings in four important areas. These are: Job-nature of work (dull, dangerous, interesting), hours of work, fellow workers, opportunities on the job for encouragement and progression (prospects), eventually system, attention in work, substantial background, and machines and apparatus. Management- managerial behavior, contribution, rewards and sentence, congratulate and responsibility, leaves strategy and preference. Social relations- associates and acquaintances, neighbors, approach towards populace in society, contribution in social activity scalability and background barricade. Personal adjustment-health and emotionality. Job satisfaction is an indicator of employee productivity and employee behavior at work. This may include inter employee relations, pro-activeness of employee, employee absenteeism no. of feedbacks from employees. These all factors are a direct measure of employee satisfaction of the job. The direct correlation has been established by earlier researchers and more so there is logical evidence to it in any business or industry. (Adams, 2003) The higher levels of job satisfaction is evident in an organization through lower absenteeism rates, low employee turnover, high employee productivity , proactively level of employees, labor unrest issues and participation in managerial decisions. (Saks Ashforth, 2007) Obviously, every organization desires for higher levels of employee job satisfaction; however it is a long drawn process with continuous improvement and direct focus from the senior leadership team of the organization. Job satisfaction cannot be used interchangeably with organizational morale; which the possessions of feeling have being accepted by and belonging to a group of employees through adherence to common goals and confidence in desirability of these goals. (Bedeian et al, 2002) Morale is the by-product of the group, while job satisfaction is more an individual state of mind. Definitions of job satisfaction Different authors give various definitions of job satisfaction. Some of them are taken from the book of D.M. Pestonjee Motivation and Job Satisfaction which are given below: As per Weiss, Job satisfaction is defined as a pleasurable, emotional, state resulting from appraisal of ones job. An effective reaction to ones job. For Blum and Naylor, Job satisfaction is general attitude, which is the result of many specific attitudes in three areas namely: Precise occupation features. Personal distinctiveness Group association exterior from the work According to Glimmer, Job satisfaction is defined, as it is result of various attitudes the person hold towards the job, towards the related factors and towards the life in general. Job satisfaction is defined as any contribution, psychological, physical, and environmental circumstances that cause a person truthfully say, I am satisfied with my job. Mr. Smith stated, Job satisfaction is defined, as employees judgment of how well his job on a whole is satisfying his various needs According to Locke, Job satisfaction is defined as a pleasurable or positive state of mind resulting from appraisal of ones job or job experiences. History of job satisfaction The term job satisfaction was brought to lime light by hoppock (2005). He revived 35 studies on job satisfaction conducted prior to 2003 and observes that Job satisfaction is combination of psychological, physiological and environmental circumstances. That causes a person to say. I m satisfied with my job. Such a description indicate the variety of variables that influence the satisfaction of the individual but tell us nothing about the nature of Job satisfaction. Job satisfaction has been most aptly defined by Pestonjee (2003) as a job, management, personal adjustment social requirement. Morse (2003) considers Job satisfaction as dependent upon job content, identification with the co., financial job status priding group cohesiveness. One of the biggest preludes to the study of job satisfaction was the Hawthorne study. These studies (2004-2003), primarily credited to Elton Mayo of the Harvard Business School, sought to find the effects of various conditions (most notably illumination) on workers productivity. Hawthorne Studies It is considered to be one of the best researches done on the job satisfaction. It was conducted by Mayo, Roethlisberger Dickson during the late 2000s and early 2000s at the Western Electric Company. Western Electric Management enlisted the help of Harvard business School professor is Elton Mayo, F.J Roethlisberger, and William Dickson, to help increase the output of workers assembling telephone release. The research started out as an investigation of the effects of physical working conditions on worker productivity, but ended up very differently. Mayo, Roethlisberger Dickson originally begin experimenting with the amount of lighting, expecting that productivity would rise as elimination increased to an optimum level. However, the hypothesis that productivity would write just as elimination increased to an optimum level was strongly disapproved why, after several experiments in large departments of the plant, it was discovered that changes in productivity occurred quite independently of B level of elimination. Mayo, Roethlisberger Dickson then started experimenting by introducing rest pauses of different lengths and different frequencies during the work day, supplying coffee breaks at various points in the day, and shortening the length of the world today at the work week. The results of the second part of the experiment were more amazing there was an upward trend in output, regardless of the introduction or withdrawal of rest periods, lunches, coffee breaks, shorter workdays, or shorten workweeks. Furthermore, avoid the experiment ended after a year, and the original conditions of work were restored in all previous privileges withdrawn, the daily and weekly output rose to our point higher than at any other time. (Mayo, 2003, pp.62-63) In addition, morale among the relay assembly room workers improved dramatically. There was a sharp increase in the amount of socializing among workers after ours. Moreover, absenteeism decreased 80% (Roethlisberger Dickson 2009). According to Dawis Lofquist (2001), the Hawthorne studies have been credited with limiting research into the causes of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. These researches eventually illustrated that original alterations in job situations provisionally enhanced efficiency (called the Hawthorne Effect). Maslows hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow, in a classic paper published in 2003, outlined the elements of an overall theory of human motivation. Maslow viewed human motivation in terms of a hierarchy of five needs: physiology needs; safety needs; belonging there is an alarm needs; S team needs; and, the need for self actualization (Maslow, 2000). According to Maslow, 2000, in the majors are motivated to fulfill whichever need was pre-potency, almost fourfold, for them at a given time. The pre-potency of the meat depended on the given current situation and recent experiences. Starting with physical needs, which were most basic, each member must be at least partially dissatisfied before the Indian visual experience to the desire to satisfy a need at the next higher level. Maslows need hierarchy is illustrated in figure 2.1. According to Sergiovanni (2004) and Davis and Newstrom (2009), physiological needs more likely to serve as motivators among workers in todays society, as most jobs issue or the fulfillment of physiological needs, such as food and shelter. However, higher level needs (belonging is and loved needs, S team needs, and the need for self actualization) may influence levels of employee motivation (Davis Newstrom, 2009). Figure 2.1: Maslows need hierarchy Levels of job satisfaction Level can be defined as an extent, major, or degree of achievement. Job satisfaction is a difficult construct a defined. Job satisfaction can be defined generally as the degree to which individuals feel positively or negatively about their jobs. Importance of job satisfaction Job satisfaction is an important indicator of how employees feel about their job and a predictor of work behavior such as organizational, citizenship, Absenteeism, Turnover. Job satisfaction can partially mediate the relationship of personality variables and deviant work behavior. Common research finding is that job satisfaction is correlated with life style. This correlation is reciprocal meaning the people who are satisfied with the life tends to be satisfied with their jobs and the people who are satisfied their jobs tends to satisfied with their life. This is vital piece of information that is job satisfaction and job performance is directly related to one another. Thus it can be said that, A happy worker is a productive worker. Job Satisfaction: Importance to worker organization Job contentment and work-related achievement are main factors in individual satisfaction, self-worth, sense of worth, and self-development. (Bruce Blackburn, 2002) To the employee, job satisfaction brings a pleasant expressive state that can often lead to an affirmative work attitude. (Schneider, 2001) A pleased worker is more likely to be imaginative, flexible, innovative, and dependable. For the organization, job satisfaction of its workers means a work force that is enthused and dedicated to high quality performance. (Carrell Elbert, 2004) Augmented output- the quantity and quality of output per hour worked seem to be a by creation of enhanced class of working life. It is vital to note that the literature on the association between job happiness and output is neither definite nor consistent. (Glisson Durick, 2008) On the other hand, research dating back to Herzbergs time (2007) has shown at least low association between high confidence and high efficiency and it does seem logical that more satisfied workers will be likely to add more worth to an organization. Discontented employees, who are stimulated by fear of loss of job, will not give 100 percent of their effort for a very long time. Although apprehension is a powerful motivator, it is also a brief one, and also as soon as the threat is lifted performance will decline. Employment satisfaction profits the organization and includes reduction in complaints and grievances, employee absenteeism, work force turnover, and termination; as well as improved regularity and worker morale. (Ryan, 2009) Job liking is also linked with an improved work force and has been found to be a good pointer of prolonged existence. Even though only slight connection has been found amongst job satisfaction and productivity, Brown (2006) writes that few employers have discovered that satisfying or delighting work force is one of the most important prerequisite to satisfying or delighting customers, thus ensuring the growth of bottom line of the organization. Job Satisfaction: Employees Responsibility If job contentment is a worker advantage, certainly the employee must be talented to add to his or her own contentment and comfort on the job. (Joplin et al, 2007) The following suggestions can assist an employee to find his or her own satisfaction at job: search for opportunities to display skills and aptitude. This repeatedly leads to even more demanding work and higher responsibilities, with assistant increases in salary and other recognition and rewards. Build up extraordinary communiquà © skills. Companys value and rewards excellent reading, listening, writing and speaking skills. Be acquainted with more. Obtain new work related information and skill that helps you to complete job more economically and effectively. This will take off monotony and often gets one noticed. Reveal creativity and initiative. Merits like these are respected by most companies and often come with in recognition as well as improved responsibilities and promotions. Initiate teamwork and man management skills. A big part of job related achievement is the aptitude to work well with others to get the job done. (Lyons et al,2003) Accept the diversity in people. Accept people with their differences and their imperfections and learn how to give and receive criticism constructively. (Peterson Gonzalez, 2009) See the value in your work. Appreciating the significance of what one does can lead to satisfaction with the work itself. This help to give meaning to ones existence, thus playing a vital role in job satisfaction. Learn to de-stress. Plan to avoid burn out by developing healthy stress management techniques. Factors of job satisfaction Hoppock, the earliest investigator in this field, in 2005 suggested that there are six major components of job satisfaction. These are as under: The way the individual reacts to unpleasant situations, The facility with which he adjusted himself with other person The relative status in the social and economic group with which he identifies himself The nature of work in relation to abilities, interest and preparation of worker Security Loyalty Herzberg, mausaer, Peterson and capwell in 2007 reviewed more than 150 studies and listed various job factors of job satisfaction. These are briefly defined one by one as follows: Intrinsic aspect of job It includes all of the many aspects of the work, which would tend to be constant for the work regardless of where the work was performed. Supervision This aspect of job satisfaction pertains to relationship of worker with his immediate superiors. Supervision, as a factor, generally influences job satisfaction. Working conditions This includes those physical aspects of environment which are not necessary a part of the work. Hours are included this factor because it is primarily a function of organization, affecting the individuals comfort and convenience in much the same way as other physical working conditions. Wage and salaries This factor includes all aspect of job involving present monitory remuneration for work done. Opportunities for advancement It includes all aspect of job which individual sees as potential sources of betterment of economic position, organizational status or professional experience. Security It is defined to include that feature of job situation, which leads to assurance for continued employment, either within the same company or within same type of work profession. Company management It includes the aspect of workers immediate situation, which is a function of organizational administration and policy. It also involves the relationship of employee with all company superiors above level of immediate supervision. Social aspect of job It includes relationship of worker with the employees specially those employees at same or nearly same level within the organization. Communication It includes job situation, which involves spreading the information in any direction within the organization. Terms such as information of employees status, information on new developments, information on company line of authority, suggestion system, etc, are used in literature to represent this factor. Benefits It includes those special phases of company policy, which attempts to prepare the worker for emergencies, illness, old age, also. Company allowances for holidays, leaves and vacations are included within this factor. Reasons of low job satisfaction Reasons why employees may not be completely satisfied with their jobs: Conflict between co-workers. Conflict between supervisors. Not being opportunity paid for what they do. Have little or no say in decision making that affect employees. Fear of losing their job. Effects of low job satisfaction High absenteeism Absenteeism means it is a habitual pattern of absence from duty or obligation. If there will be low job satisfaction among the employees the rate of absenteeism will definitely increase and it also affects on productivity of organization. In the above diagram line AB shows inverse relationship between job satisfaction and rate of turnover and rate of absenteeism. As the job satisfaction is high the rate of both turns over and absenteeism is low and vive a versa. High turnover In human resource refers to characteristics of a given company or industry relative to the rate at which an employer gains and losses the staff. If the employer is said to be have a high turnover of employees of that company have shorter tenure than those of other companies. Training cost increases As employees leaves organization due to lack of job satisfaction. Then Human resource manager has to recruit new employees. So that the training expenditure will increases. Key parameters for Job Satisfaction Training and Job Satisfaction- Most of the literature in this area has focused on the impact of education and skills on job satisfaction rather than the effect of training as such. The relationship between skill acquisition and job satisfaction is not straightforward. First, there is the distinction between general and specific skills. (Quinn Staines,2009) The portability of general skills may raise job satisfaction as it is easier to move to other jobs where satisfaction is higher. In contrast, specific skills bind the worker to the firm and may reduce satisfaction by creating a barrier to exit as workers will lose a portion of the return on such skills if they move. (Near et al, 2003) This leads on to the question of the matching of individual skills and levels of education with job requirements. If workers are mismatched in terms of skill and education requirements, this may lower job satisfaction, as evidenced in the earlier literature. In one of the few studies to focus on skilling, Allen and van der Velden (2001) differentiated between education and skill mismatches, finding only a weak relationship between the two. Importantly, they found a significant negative relationship between skill mismatch and job satisfaction, while the link between educations mismatches and job satisfaction was insignificant. Training may influence workplace performance directly by raising output per worker, or be measured indirectly through its impact on the wage on the assumption that this is equal to the marginal productivity of labor. (Peterson Gonzalez, 2009) However, this will not be the case if there are imperfections in the product or labor markets. The nature of training has been examined in a number of studies. Thus Barrett and OConnell (2008) found that specific training had a bigger impact on wages and productivity than general training. Mason et al. (2006) found that both value added and product quality was higher where workers were trained to take charge of several production lines at once. Cosh et al. in a series of papers (2008, 2000 and 2003) found that training had a strong and significant effect on employment growth in small firms when it was undertaken regularly rather than on an ad hoc basis. Especially for larger firms there was also an association between intensity of training and profitability. Training may also stimulate innovation in the workplace (Bartle and Lichtenberg, 2007). Therefore it is doubtful whether different types of training impact either equally or positively on performance. Finally, training can have an indirect effect on performance if it increases job satisfaction by, for example, making it easier for employees to perform the job or feel more valued (as in Akerlofs 2002 conceptualization of the labor contract as a gift-exchange). Petty et al.s 2004 meta-analysis confirms such outcomes. In contrast, if workers feel dissatisfied they may react in a number of ways (Farrell, 2003): through a sense of loyalty they may stick it out; use a voice mechanism (Freeman, 2008, Freeman and Medoff, 2004); neglect their responsibilities to the employer by absence, lateness, striking or reduced effort (Akerlof and Yellin, 2006); or exit (Jovanovic, 2009, Burdett and Mortenson, 2008). Quits and Job Satisfaction- Until recently there had been relatively few studies by economists examining the role played by job satisfaction in quitting decisions. The main reason for this was the lack of large sample longitudinal data which could be used to identify job satisfaction in one period and job turnover in subsequent periods. Locke (2006) provided an extensive review of the literature in the psychology field, concluding that a negative correlation coefficient between job satisfaction and employee turnover was almost always obtained. However, correlation does not always imply causation and most of the studies cited by Locke used simple univariate analysis. In one of the seminal papers on job satisfaction, Freeman (2008) was one of the first economists to analyze the connection between quits and job satisfaction. Based on panel data from two different US sources, the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS, 2006-2001) and the Michigan Panel Survey of Income Dynamics (PSID, 2002-73 ), Freeman showed that job satisfaction was positively and significantly related to the probability of quitting. Moreover, he found not only that job satisfaction was quantitatively more important than wages, but also that the causality ran from job satisfaction to future quitting behavior. This relationship was confirmed by Akerlof et al. (2008) using data from the NLS Older Men Survey. Job Satisfaction and Absenteeism-Absenteeism is the term generally used to refer to unscheduled