Consumer eating and shopping behaviors in Japan

Harry Bingham A Man Who Said No To the Worlds Biggest Publisher

Harry Bingham A Man Who Said No To the Worlds Biggest Publisher Saying "no" to the world’s biggest publisher - An interview with Harry Bingham For many first-time authors, indie publishing is rapidly becoming a natural decision when it comes to publishing their first book. But what happens when an experienced author who has published thirteen books with four traditional publishing houses decides to go it alone? Harry Bingham is one such author. Harry was first published by HarperCollins back in 2000 and over the last fifteen years has witnessed the all the excitement of the publishing evolution. In 2015, he decided to self-publish the US release of his latest book The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths. Now, for the first time he has written about his experiences in Big Publishing and Me on his blog.Harry is also founder of The Writer’s Workshop - the world’s leading consultancy for first-time writers - and Agent Hunter - a comprehensive database of literary agents. He has also written books on Getting Published and How to Write among several others.With his unique experience, we had no choice: we simply had to talk to him. This morning Harry was kind enough to talk to him  about writing his latest book, his approach to marketing and the benefits of self-publishing. I’m very pleased to be interviewing Harry this morning and to ask him some questions about his latest book and his publishing process. So Harry, if you wouldn’t mind starting off by giving us a little teaser about your latest book.It’s called The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths and it’s the third in the series I’ve been writing for a while. She’s a young Welsh detective who works in Cardiff, but that’s not really the USP. The USP is that she’s a really unusual person: the whole thing is written first person in her voice. She had a breakdown when she was a teenager and suffered from a real-life condition called Cotard’s Syndrome. In Cotard’s Syndrome, the sufferer believes themselves to be dead. So she’s a detective who spent two years thinking she was a dead person. And she’s got an interesting relationship with corpses and an interesting outlook on life, let’s put it that way†¦Sounds ama zing, wow! Written in the first person, how did that work?Yea, well the question I’m asked most actually is â€Å"You’re writing in the first person as a woman, don’t you think that’s quite hard?† I’m thinking, actually you know, I’m married to a woman, I know quite a lot of women and there are quite a lot of women in the world. Surely the question is: â€Å"You’re writing in the voice of somebody who used to think they were dead!† Isn’t that the bigger trick?In the end, writing fiction is make-believe and if you’re good at it, you should be able to make-believe. Of course, you should be able to write as a woman, or a man, or as people with weird conditions. Although this woman is very different from me, and she has a strong, emphatic voice of her own, I’ve never felt more comfortable writing everything, so what that says about me I don’t know!The most immediately striking thing about the book is the cover - it’s absolutely stunning. Can you tell me a little more about how you went about that?It’s slightly more complicated because I’m published all over the world. It’s published in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, America and other places too. Every publisher in their own market chooses their own cover and Orion in the UK has got a very strong look for the book and you can definitely tell there’s a series of books going on. In US I was published with Random House and I had a terrific editor there - the same editor who publishes Lee Child. Their cover for the book was fine, but not really stand out. Then for various reasons we will probably get into later, I started self-publishing in US - whereas I’m conventionally published everywhere else - and I commissioned that cover myself.I went to an outfit called 99 Designs, where you can put the design out to a large number of designers and people compete for a prize that you off er. I looked at literally dozens of high-quality designs, any of which could have graced the cover of any one of my books. The one I ended up picking is very striking: it works really well in thumbnail and it’s different - it doesn’t look like everything else there. Given that readers are looking at pages of Amazon thumbnails when they’re figuring out what next to buy, it had to work particularly well in that smaller size.Your publishing story is really fascinating. You’re clearly published with many traditional houses around the world and now this one’s partly self-published. How is it going, how are you finding the process?It’s early days. The minimal threshold for me is that I wanted to be able to publish the book properly, commission a good cover design, do some copy editing work and get the book properly formatted. I used proper professionals, I wasn’t using a â€Å"friend of my brother’s who knows something about photosh op†. By making the book available for sale before launch, I built up hundreds of pre-orders and the result was that on the day of publication I had paid off all my costs. So what I’m looking at now is how much money I make. It’s selling 20-30 copies a day, I’d like it to be selling 2-3 times that in due course.Readers don’t care when a book was published, so whereas in the print market you’re only on the shelves of the retailer in a prominent position for maybe 3-4 weeks, so that early window is everything for a regular publisher. Outside that window, you effectively get very little support from your traditional publisher. If you’re self-publishing, there is no window. The book is eternal and if I completely neglected the book for a year and then put some marketing energy behind it, no-one would particularly care. So it is early days and I’m not attaching too much significance to that early window, and at the moment things are g oing fine.You’ve written in your blog posts recently about how some books are very successful and that some can be published well and be great books but don’t work at all. Your attitude seems to be that â€Å"you can only do so much† since there are so many complex forces at play.Yes, to give it some background, I’ve been more-or-less a full time writer for 15 years or so. Not to boast, but in that time I have had significant relationships with significant publishers - I’m probably now on my fifth six-figure book deal with a conventional publisher, so I’ve played the big game with some big boys. As you know from my blogs, some of those things have worked out well, and some have been absolute car crashes. There is no certainty in this game. If you have a conventional deal with a publisher, you will get your advance, so in that sense there is certainty to traditional publishing. But the sales outcome is really a total unknown. I’ve had some absolute car crashes in traditional publishing, including instances where I’m certain I could have sold more copies of the book myself than via a traditional publisher. So there’s a roulette-wheel quality to the game, no matter if you self-publish or conventionally publish.One of the beauties of self-publishing is a) you retain control and b) if the first thing doesn’t work and the second thing doesn’t work, you can go onto the third and fourth thing - it never runs out like that. So at this stage I’m relaxed.Do you mean that in terms of retaining financial control, or creative control - which one is more important?Just everything! Certainly the book cover. Supposing I were to get negative feedback from readers on the cover, heck I could just change it! I wouldn’t have to be lobbying my publisher to do it, and my publisher would be intensely resistant because of the costs involved. Or if I needed to rewrite the ending I could do that. O r if I decided I was going to slash the price and put it out for free, or for 99c on Bookbub, I can do that and I can go on tweaking things whenever I want.Again one of the big tools in online promotion of any sort is email lists. Conventional publishers - I’ve really no idea why - but they make very little use of those things. With every book I’m selling, I’m asking people â€Å"If you enjoyed this, add your name to my email list.† I’m not going to fill their inboxes with corporate nonsense, but a couple of times a year they’ll get an email that a new book is coming out and if you’d like to buy that book, terrific.It’s those sorts of things that I can do. I can adjust my strategy and I don’t have to go through some sort of complicated corporate process to make those things happen. And the truth is, the author is largely outside that corporate process so that an author’s ability to impact on those things with a co nventional publisher is pretty restricted.Yes, a lot of what we’ve been trying to do at Reedsy is to make that process easier and to provide tools that will make the process of creating the book so much easier, so that authors can edit and have that flexibility.Exactly. At the moment there are three types of authors: conventionally published authors who are happy with the way things are - absolutely fine. There are indie-types who relish the process of designing covers and editing manuscripts - they like the entrepreneurial quality of all that. Then there’s definitely a group in the middle who think, logic says self-publish, but they don’t know how to put the whole package together and there will be services like yours who offer to integrate those in a pretty simple way, so that that blockage that is stopping some people making the leap, will become smaller.What is it that really lies behind your excitement for what you call the current â€Å"era† of publ ishing? Is the flexibility and freedom the biggest part, or is there more?I think often-enough big publishers have taken their authors for granted. Sure, they compete for them at that really early stage when a literary agent takes a book out for auction. But once that deal has been done, it’s pretty rare for authors to jump publisher unless something has gone badly wrong, which means the publishers can take their authors a little bit for granted.Some of the treatment I’ve had has been very very good indeed. Some of the treatment I’ve had from publishers has been not so good. And there’s never been a meaningful alternative to those Big-5 type publishers for the certain sort of books that I write. Just the existence now of self-pub, which really is only going to work for genre-type authors at the moment - there aren’t many signs it’s going to work for literary fiction yet - but for genre-type authors, we now for the first time have a meaningfu l alternative to just going with a regular publisher. Now there is another negotiating presence in the room: I don’t have to take your offer, there is an alternative. That has really not been present before, and I think that’s a fabulous thing for all authors, whether they take the self-publishing route or whether they don’t.From your position it’s interesting, because you’ve already established yourself for many years as an author working with traditional houses, your route to self-publishing means that you already have a name behind you. I think it will be interesting to see how authors who go straight into self-publishing establish a name for themselves: that is really interesting to me.Yes, and I think the emerging model of successful self-publishing is first of all, you probably need to be a genre author, secondly you need to be quite prolific, and third you need to apply the â€Å"write, publish, repeat† model. It’s possible, bu t not likely that your first book becomes a big viral hit, but let’s face it, loads and loads of good books never become viral hits: even though in principle they could, it just doesn’t happen. No one will ever be able to trace the reason why it doesn’t happen - in fact, the rule is that it doesn’t happen, it’s just that occasionally it does!So the â€Å"write, publish, repeat† model is incremental. It means your readership grows. Jumping from traditional publishing to self-publishing, yes sure I’ve got more interest in my books and more book reviews and so on than I would have otherwise. But in many ways it’s the same: I’m creating my email list from scratch and those things will just take time to build.The presence of an author’s back-catalogue online, that doesn’t disappear, means it’s much easier to bring back an older one, and a book that has been published previously could find an author that t hey’d not previously had.My first book The Moneymakers was published in the UK in 2000; I never sold the US rights. And I never sold the ebook rights, because no-one sold ebook rights back then. So, I retained the rights to that book, and I no longer had a manuscript because I’ve been through multiple computers since then. I sent the hard copy of the book off to a place in London that scans there things for  £10. They send me back a word document - that has some typos, so needs some careful copyediting. But for  £10 and a day of my time, I had a typescript of my original manuscript, popped it up online on Amazon and I make a couple of hundred quid a month. That’s not astonishing money, but hey, it’s a couple of hundred quid that I wasn’t getting otherwise.Exactly, your content goes so much further. How are you engaging with other online communities - what’s your approach?There’s an infinite amount of stuff that one could do. I thi nk there is relatively little evidence to suggest that Facebook and Twitter and that kind of thing is really a strong way of promoting books. There will be exceptions to every rule, but most books I don’t think achieve many sales like that. I have a couple of books-related websites: The Writer’s Workshop, which helps first time writers with their skills and Agent Hunter, which helps writers find literary agents. Between those two platforms, I’ve got websites that have traffic of 70-80 thousand visitors a month. I’ve got mailing lists of probably 15-20 thousand names. All of these people are writers, but therefore also presumably interested in reading books.I’ve used those things a bit, but not much: I don’t expect to get significant sales from them. It’s partly because I don’t want to contaminate those brands, but it’s also that I think people don’t like being marketed at and the online platforms that work well, w ork when there’s a really natural synchronicity between people’s interests in coming to the site, and the product you’re developing.So that means, if you like being active on Goodreads for example, that seems to me a really natural way to spend time. I don’t particularly enjoy it: that means I’m never going to be that committed to it, that probably means that’s not the right marketing route for me. But there are no general rules here: it really depends on each author and their own individual preferences, their own particular book, and what kind of existing digital presence they already have.It’s about authors remaining true to themselves.Yes! You can’t fake it can you? There are people who enjoy engaging in Twitter: they’ll make friends, engage in conversations, and when they do have something to market, they have a community of people who don’t feel they are being exploited for their wallets. They are Twitter fri ends and have been over the months and years. I’m just not like that. I hate Twitter. I use it as little as I can. I do pump stuff out now-and-again because I kind of think I have to, but it’s never going to be a strong channel for me. But there are online communities of every sort.And new ones which will develop in the future. The beauty of publishing is that so many different types of authors will find so many different types of routes: not just through various distribution channels, but routes that can create a much closer fit with online communities.Yes, in the end it’s always going to be a word-of-mouth thing. There will come a point where you might be able to initiate a fire, but in the end it’s going to come from readers, talking to friends about books they’ve recently enjoyed.You might be able to take sales from 2-3 a day to 20-30 a day, by really pushing the marketing routes that you have, but to achieve sales beyond that point, youâ€℠¢ve actually got to get a community of people going â€Å"Hey this book is great!† and they are talking about it with their friends and book groups. That’s how any viral process - whether traditionally or self-published - is created.Thanks so much. I think this is going to be of great help to so many of our readers on Reedsy.Just to end on a note that would be positive to both you and your community, which is, there is still a perception of self-publishing as â€Å"I wasn’t good enough for traditional publishing, so I’m self-publishing† and that perception has certainly changed, but there’s no question it’s still there. I am a conventionally published author and I’ve had some terrific book reviews, and I’m self-publishing because I want to, and for me it really isn’t because â€Å"I couldn’t cut it with the big boys†, but actually that I wasn’t prepared to take what the big boys were offering me. I didn’t want it.I preferred the risks and the rewards and the opportunities of self-publishing to working with what is the world’s biggest publisher. I’ve definitely hedged my bets, because I’m still conventionally published here in the UK, but I love this model of being a hybrid author and I think people will go both ways: successful self-pub authors will become hybrids in the other direction. I do think it’s a new world we’re now living in.That’s a very inspiring message to pass on to our readers. Thank you very much and best of luck with it all!Follow Harry and Reedsy on TwitterDo you think it’s better to be self-published today, or to go with a traditional publisher?

Current International Debt Crisis (Greece Crisis) Essay

Current International Debt Crisis (Greece Crisis) - Essay Example The countries had fallen into a debt trap and there was problem of cash crunch and liquidity crisis in the banking sector. Thus the Euro zone faced both fiscal and monetary policy problems along with a slowdown of the economies. The main reason behind this is the common monetary policy that these countries have owning to the adoption of the Euro currency across the entire zone but different fiscal policies for each of the countries. The countries of this zone had decided to limit their borrowings to a certain designated level but they could not restrict the borrowings to that level (Feldstein, 1997, p.31). Thus there was a problem of convergence for all the countries that came under this zone. Spain Economy before and after the Crisis Since the year 2004, in the post election era, the economy of Spain has experienced a steady growth rate. This was followed with a boom in the housing market clubbed with a hike in the oil prices. However, the trade deficit of the country continued to i ncrease along with an increase in the rates of inflation. The housing bubble that took place in Spain faced a set back and the country fell into a complete debt trap which led to this financial crisis. This continued till 2011, with the trade deficit accounting for, as high as 8.5% of the GDP. The country faced a rating downgrade along with the crisis in the banking sector due to shortage of liquidity. The growth rate of Spain encountered a sharp decline from the year 2008, in the post financial crisis period of the US. From the above graph it is evident that the growth rate of the country started falling drastically after this period and hit the bottom in the year 2009. However, even after recovering from it in 2011 it again faced a jolt in the pre 2012 period owing to the euro zone crisis (Weisbrot and Montecino, 2010, p. 9). The reasons behind this fall in the growth rates was the over valuation of the exports of the country, the attempts of the government of Spain to cut the spe nding and the bursting of the housing market bubble. During the 2004, post election period, the country had faced a decrease in the unemployment rate which reflected the prosperity of the economy of Spain. However the rate of unemployed rose sharply and reached the peak in 27.2 % in March 2013 and it had mainly affected the youth of the country. The lack of flexibility in the labour market was the chief reason for such employment conditions. The above graph shows that the Spanish government has presented a deficit budget since the year 2009 and this budget deficit was 9.4% in 2012. This had happened mainly because of the huge debt burden that the country had entangled itself into. The country had to provide for the high percentage of unemployed people in the country (Tremlett, 2011, p.1). Along with this the tax revenue also decreased due to the presence of recession in the economy. The debt that the government of Spain owed also had a drastic increase which is shown in the graph be low. The condition of the monetary system of Spain was such that the rate of interest for long term bonds was at 7% which almost touched the critical level. The Spanish government did not have the capacity for Seigniorage. Hence the Spanish money markets faced with the problem of liquidity which in turn increased the rates of interests. The inflation rate also went below the critical level marked in

Sound levels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sound levels - Essay Example There is no doubt that the amount of noise generated in the NICU can be significant. A study at the University of Padova established noise levels within and outside the incubator. It divided those noises into significant ‘white’ noise, and specific noises, which can be used by voluntary and involuntary noises generated when workers touched the plexiglass surface of the incubator, or connected or disconnected to the incubator. It appears that the background noise was less harmful than the sudden and unexpected noises, which tended to generate levels above 80 dB (Benini, 1997). A literature review discovered a good deal of evidence of neonatal stress from noise, with the most common measures being cardiovascular and respiratory response. The authors list the key stimuli, including sound intensity, and the effect that they have on the infant’s behavioral state. Some articles have differentiated the neonates by gestational age and infant maturity. As one of the co-authors found, however, the sample sizes were small, and the variables were not well controlled in most studies (Morris, 2000) Noise has been measured and reported upon in the NICU since the 1970’s. At that time, noise levels were reported in the 70-117 dB range, which is clearly above currently-acceptable levels (Peltzman, 1970) (Long, 1980) (Satish M. a.-S., 1993) (Satish M. S., 1991) . These studies suggested that continuous and elevated noise levels resulted in significant deterioration in healing and levels of nervousness in neonates. Early work on the effects of noise in the NICU concentrated on noise within the incubator itself; these led to improvements in incubator noise reduction, and resulted in a general emphasis on NICU noise reduction (Bess, 1979). It is always difficult to find accurate, reproducible responses of newborns to stimuli. One effect which can be reproduced is that of reduced noise on sleeping times for infants. Strauch et al led a study which

Business Decision Making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Business Decision Making - Assignment Example alternative hypothesis and conclude that there is a significant difference between the sample mean (average time to departure station 16.68) and the population mean (20 minutes, survey already conducted). Based on the above table results, the probability of significance is 0.948 (>0.05), we accept our null hypothesis and conclude that the mean time to departure station between males and females is not significantly different. They are on par. Null Hypothesis H0: There is no significant difference between the sample mean (average number of times 12.06) and the population mean (14 times). The population SD is not known, so we can utilize sample SD (standard deviation). The sample size is 250. Alternative Hypothesis H1: There is a significant difference between the sample mean and the population mean. The population SD is not known, so we can utilize sample SD (standard deviation). The sample size is 250. =3.73 with probability 0.000096 Hence we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis and conclude that there is a significant difference between the sample mean (average no. of times a month travelled i.e.12.06) and the population mean (14 times). Based on the above table results, the probability of significance is 0.517 (>0.05), we accept our null hypothesis and conclude that the mean times journey made each month between males and females is not significantly different. They are on par. Question 7: Thinking about the station you travelled FROM, please rate how satisfied you are with the following aspects [facilities, rail services, accessibility, public transport information, personal safety] Interpretation: Since the chi square value of 0.93 with probability 0.92 (>0.05), is not significant, we accept our null hypothesis and conclude that there is no association between gender and ratings on personal safety. The proportion of males who are very dissatisfied are 22/142 and that of females is 17/108. So from proportions test between

Analysis of Human Resources (HR) Department

Analysis of Human Resources (HR) Department We have chosen Al Futtaim group as the subject of our research. The aim of our research is to review the HR department and point out the weaknesses. To achieve this goal we will review the background and history will give us an idea about the achievements and/or obstacles that faces the company. Also, we will look at the organizational structure of the group and the key people who are managing it. It is important for our research to have a complete idea about the managerial practices and the HRM role in accordance with the other departments. We will evaluate the strength and weaknesses of the HRM and we will end our research with recommendations with for possible improvements. HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Al Futtaim group is a family business which was established in the 1930s as a trading company. The owners of the group hold the upper management positions headed by Majid Al Futtaim as the chairman of the board of directors. The companies working within the group have developed quickly and became a regional integrated commercial, industrial and services business located in the Gulf Area. Currently, the group consists of more than 40 companies dominating many market segments in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Egypt and Pakistan. The group has four subsidiaries which are Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Trust, Retail, and Ventures. The group was created with a purpose of managing its subsidiaries and supervising the work in order to develop the business and achieve unified goals. The managements promise is to respond quickly to the customers need and satisfy the groups shareholders. Moreover the management gives its word to provide challenging opportunities for the employees in orde r to enhance their performance. Another promise is to serve the community, protect the environment and achieve a notable corporate social responsibility. (companys official website) MANAGEMENT PRACTICES The Group consists of several core businesses that complement each other, however they are separately managed. This strategy provides higher flexibility and better potentials because the separate operating divisions can grasp different opportunities. At the same time, different divisions work together on key projects and contribute, as a group, to the achievements and the profit. There are business agreements of cooperation and management within the group. The management relies on the differentiation of the retail brands in order to gain customer loyalty which in turn will enhance the sales growth and business development. (companys official website) To face the market challenges, and because the group has large companies and diverse employees which serves diverse customer segments, the management has continually brought innovations and change to a conventional industry. The group declares that they are both; socially and environmentally responsible which has positive consequences such as increasing employees loyalty, ensuring growth and increasing profit. Moreover, the groups strategy is built on creating a win-win situation for the organization, main stakeholders (such as employees and customers), and the communities where they are functioning. To achieve this strategy, the group has a well established HR department responsible for a large number of employees and workers. With its objectives and goals in mind, Majid Al Futtaim group cares about the human resources working for the group. As an example, we can look at one important division which is Al-Futtaim Electronics Sanyo. In this department, the management has laid down the ground for its human recourses to take ownership of the initiative called Customer 2000. This initiative calls for a change in the staff attitude and approach as well as a change in the working environment as a whole. In other words it is a call for a change in the way business is conducted. This initiative is a mean to enhance productivity and effectiveness of the employees. They are trained to become more alert and aware of the Internal Customers and at the same time they should have the ability to focus on the External Customers. By taking this step, and to be able to coordinate the efforts and expertise of their staff, the management formed a core committee whose role is to open the communication channels between the mana gement and the employees. The committee performs as a forum to convey and formalize the concepts and ideas that will eventually lead to the objective of total customer satisfaction. The committee organizes open sessions and ensures the participation of all the managers and department heads of profit-centers. These sessions provide a chance for healthy discussions and exchange of ideas and points of views. The group functions according to the philosophy of Prosperity through Customer Satisfaction. To face the new challenges and to maintain the growing thrust, the core committee holds its sessions on a weekly basis and ensures through one on one meeting that the information is absorbed by all the staff. (companys official website) THE ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Strategy and planning process need a powerful management to transfer the perspectives into reality. Al Futtaim is a diversified group and a large organization managed by the owner, Majid Al Futtaim, as the president and the head of the management hierarchy. The chairman is Sir Michael Rake, an international expert who is an asset for the group because of his long experience and professional background. The board consists of a group of members who have particular expertise in certain areas and who can contribute to the decisions and the prosperity of the group. The CEO is Mr. Iyad Malas a young Arab who earned his education in one of the American universities in the region. Mr. Iyad and his executive team are responsible for the strategy for the whole group which includes what the businesses are in addition to the whole financial performance of the group. At this level of the management planning includes anticipation of change in all the functions of the group. The CEO Deputy is Mr. Ahmad Bin Brek, who is also a competent manager who has the ability to lead the group to its goals. The next level is the business executive team which consists of several young and well educated employees who implement the plans and run the business according to the agreed upon and well thought out strategy. Based on the bottom-up input, the business executive managers report to Mr. Iyad and contribute to the business strategy process. The following level in the hierarchy consists of the department heads and their assistants. Their roles are to orient, empower and manage their staff in order to contribute to the general performance of the company. The line managers report to their managers and they in turn report to their presidents who are responsible for the specific business strategy. At the end of the management hierarchy come the line and office managers and their assistants who work in the field with the staff and monitor the implementation of the plans and report to their superiors in the same business unit. At this organizational level the unit executive managers are responsible for the strategy. Part of the groups business planning scenario is the industrial context; economy, government, territories, existing market cultures. The other part is of the planning is the goals and targets which are specified in the groups strategy and the strategic group model. In the second level come the department managers then the line managers then the supervisors who report to their direct managers. In each department there are the employees with different jobs and responsibilities. If the whole working team does not work together, no goals will be achieved. And if the human resources are not satisfied by the working environment in general they will not be able to perform well. (companys official website) At this point, HRM has a main role to play. Without the human resources, none of the aforementioned strategies would be achieved without having efficient employees. These employees must be managed effectively in order to gain their loyalty and ensure that they will perform t the best of their abilities and lead the company to meet the vision, mission, and goals of the company. HRM has several functions all of them are related to the human resources in the group. Some of the functions are the following: RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION One of the most important functions of HRM is the staffing process. This process is costly and time and effort consuming. The HR professionals know that this process should be well planned to save the group the continuous expenses of advertisements, legal procedures, and training the new employees. HRM is responsible for analyzing the jobs, generating job descriptions, advertising the openings, analyzing the applicants CVs, interviewing the candidates, selecting the best candidates and closing the deal by offering the new employees the contract. All these processes are completed in cooperation with the managers of the different departments After signing the contract, the HRM is always ready with an orientation program delivered by the direct managers. The orientation includes the policies and procedures, group culture, security and safety issues, work practices and other related issues to help the new employee to get acquainted with others, place and the new tasks he/she will perform. Later on, when the new employee starts the job, the HRM is responsible, in cooperation with the managers, for the appraisal process. The result of the appraisal helps the HR professionals to set the training plan in order to empower the employee with any required skills. Majid Al Futtaim group has a strategic vision concerning its employees. The strategy recommends that employees be chosen based on fixed criteria. The staffing process, to an extent, ensures recruiting the experienced and efficient employees. As a private LLC, the management worries about the shareholders value and prosperity and the strategies and plans revolve around increasing sales, profit and expansion of business. These reasons are behind hiring effective people who can contribute to the groups success. HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING Also, HRM controls the number of employees and keep it in the appropriate range; too much employees is costly and wasteful of resources. On the other hand, too little employees is a barrier to meet the goals and affects the overall performance of the group. Staffing in Al Futtaim group is affected by many factors such as the budget, the need of expertise and the turn over of employees. Also, the need to control the staffing process depends on the yearly appraisals, business outcomes, and the efficiency of current employees in relation to the change and development. Government regulations and changes in business trend are important factors in terms of increasing or decreasing the number of staff. The role of HRM goes beyond the planning role to implement the plans and take decisions about what is better for the organization. HRM in AL Futtaim Group are seen as reactive rather than being proactive because they are doing the minimum expected from a big and rich group. The reason is not the inefficiency of the HR professionals or in the plans and documentation. The issue is that the group is owned by a family and the last decision is for the owner. Usually in this type of company what really matter is decreasing the expenses and increasing the profit. In this case the HRM cannot implement the change nor can they function according to the international high standard and ideal practices. EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION Empowering and motivating employees to complete their tasks efficiently is an HRM responsibility. Employees must be rewarded for their efforts or else they will transfer to another company and the company will lose their experience and knowledge of the ideal work practices. As mentioned before, recruiting new staff member will cost the company money, effort and time. Moreover, a company with high retention is never the choice of professionals who look for job security. AL Futtaim group care about its human resources. The HRM has a training plan and it was implemented for many years in the past. Now things are changed. The world financial crisis affected the business in general and the extra benefits for the employees are reduced to the minimum and the new workers are getting lower salaries and zero benefits. According to one of the groups employees, the workers are complaining in regards to their salaries and the overall standard of living. As everyone knows, the rents have risen tremendously in the last year. This issue has put a burden on the foreign employees and some of them left the work to another job for less then AED 300 raise in their salaries. This would not happen if the HR management in accordance with the financial department adjusts the pay rate and implement a plan to offer financial reward to the good employees so that the group will gain their loyalty. The employees need to be motivated in order to increase their efforts and work to the best of their abilities. In AL Futtaim Group, Bonuses as incentives are offered to the managers and they are excluding the workers. The common way to encourage the workers is choosing one of the good workers as the employee of the month. This will influence the workers appraisal at the end of the year and the chance of getting a raise becomes higher. More incentives are required if the group wants to attain the loyalty of all the employees. EMPLOYEES APPRAISAL HRM has a main role in assessing the performance of the employees. It is a very important process because the decision makers will have a full picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the staff. Based on the appraisal decisions will be taken to improve the performance of individuals and to point out the potentials within the company. Al Futtaim group HRM pays a special attention to the assessment process. The employees are assessed formally and informally through the year. The main appraisal is conducted on yearly basis and based on the results, some changes are made. Based on the result of the appraisal HRM sets a training plan to enhance the performance of the staff members. Another importance of the yearly appraisals is to link the payments to the competency of the employee. What is happening now is that due to the recession, the group did not give a pay raise to the majority of the staff which has a negative impact on their performance of the individuals. Yet, the appraisal is used efficiently to make use of the talents which already exist in the group. When openings are posted internally, the chance is given to the employees to apply and they are chosen based on their performances, yet not for the upper management posts. The weakness in this process is the results of the appraisal are not used to give the employees the incentives they deserve. The raise in the salaries and wages, if decided, is based on the market situation not on the performance and achievement of the individual. EMPLOYEE RELATIONS Among the HRM roles is to manage the complex employee (industrial relations) between the following parties: Workers and their official and unofficial representatives. Workers and their managers Government, organizations and related agencies. The UAE is shifting to a service based industry. The business requires qualified and skillful people to do the jobs which make the influence of workers more influential. The wise management of the group is aware of this issue and has built, to an extent a relationship with the employees and to maintain the psychological contract with them. HRM in Al Futtaim Group have an industrial relations program. The employees do have a voice and it is reflected in the management actions. A good example is the (customer 2000) project where workers can express themselves while developing their skills. It gives them a chance to get involved in the planning for offering better services to the customers. There are several evidences demonstrating that HRM policies demonstrate groups concern of the individuals performance. As a result we expect to see these policies are well implemented for the benefit of these individuals. Cost based barriers could be responsible for not taking the right actions. Workers are still considered as machines and no margin for mistakes is allowed. The work time is calculated by minutes and the overtime payments are less than the working hours wage. In al Futtaim group there is no win-win situation because the main concern as we have mentioned before is the customer. Satisfying the customer means more profit tor the shareholders. The only benefit for the workers is that they keep their jobs. There are hard workers in the company who were never acknowledged or took any bonus as an appreciation for their achievements. It is true that HRM in A Futtaim Group is effective in terms of generating all the documents which govern the relationship with the employees. HR professionals prepared the job specification, job appraisal, induction programs, training courses, performance management and reward management, malpractice policy, etc. But in general all these documents are for the benefit of the business first and none of them demonstrates the importance of the employee as an individual. So we can say that the importance of the psychological contract is not fully considered. For example, competent employees in Al Futtaim group are offered opportunities to upgrade their positions and their income but these chances are never open to reach to the upper management positions. Such actions affect the relationship with the employees and reduce their loyalty and level of job satisfaction. Another issue is that the cost based management implemented in Al Futtaims private companies affects the psychological contracts with the staff members. Employees lose trust in their management and it would be impossible to retain them. The minute they find a new job they will leave taking with them their experience and their relationships with the customers. A part of the HRM is that the employee relations professionals prepare reports for the management to keep them updated about the current situation, changes or new trends. The mangers/ owners use this information in negotiations, conferences and press releases. The staff interprets and administers the contract in terms of problems, salaries, insurance, safety, management practices etc. in AL Futtaim Group as there are no labor unions or employee association representatives, and this is done with individuals who have no power over the management of the group. So, the real purpose of these negotiations is not achieved. PROVISION OF EMPLOYEE SERVICES Caring about the employees well-being functions is one of the HRM functions which aim to retain good staff and attracting others to work with the company. Services that can be offered to the employees are many. They vary between understanding the personal circumstances of the employee such as extended sick leaves, allowing emergency leaves, and offering loans to the employee in need. Another service is to help the employees to resolve personal issues, to move them to an easier work in case they have special medical needs, and assisting the sick people to benefit from better treatment in better hospitals. In Al Futtaim group HRM has a plan for the provision of employee services but it is not fully amended. The following points can be seen as weaknesses: Number of the disabled people working in the company. Lack of financial and other activities conditions such as sports and hobbies related to the work Offering financial aids to workers in need or maybe having a fund program to help workers in difficulty. On the other hand the group has good safety and security practices. They have a good safety manual with clear policies and procedure. The employees are trained on first aid and evacuation in case of fire. SO we can say that HRM in Al Futtaim group care about their employees in terms of maintaining safety by raising the workers awareness and training them on the policies and procedures. EMPLOYEES TRAINING AND EDUCATION Training the employees to develop their skills and to raise their awareness is one of the HRM functions. Also the training courses are necessary to prepare some of the employees to acquire higher positions. Training and empowering the employees in Al Futtaim is part of the groups promise. The aim behind focusing on training the employees is enhancing the performance of the staff members. As a result of monitoring and assessing the employees work a training plan is set. Lists are prepared and training agencies are approached but, not all the plan is usually implemented. Financial factors affect the process, so sometimes the training courses are cancelled or the number of participants is reduced. The other option is Another plan is usually set for the in house training courses which are better implemented because of the cost is less and the timing can be adjusted. Also from time to time the Group outsources some technical or information based training courses. These trainings are usually attended by the supervisors whom in turn give the information to the workers. This does not work well all the time because not all the supervisors have the ability to train and convey clear information to others. OUR COMMENTS In any organization the HRM is effective when the functions are related to the vision, mission and vision and values. The organizational structure influences the implementation of the plans. In Al Futtaim Group, the HR department is managed by professionals who are aware of and experienced in the best practices of HRM. There are some obstacles which derives from the type, culture, policies and procedures of the Group. As a family business, the main purpose is to satisfy the customers in order to increase the profit. In this case the employees are required to perform to the best of their abilities and no mistakes are allowed. Individuals who have any special circumstances and cannot do the job effectively will not be given the chance to go back to the track. The management will look for a substitute who will not cost the Group extra expenses. The recruitment process is done carefully because the management wants to decrease the expenses. They look for the good qualification in the applicant but the person who will cost them less will be employed. The relation between the management and the individuals is limited to how much this person will benefit the company rather than how can we make this person comfortable and satisfied. The global political and economical issues affects the plans as the group is managed based on cost. Any factor can affect the employees benefit and the company will not accept to pay any extra expenses or increase the HRM budget. In the contrary, if the market is down the budget is decreased. If we are going to compare HRM in Al Futtaim with other similar companies, we can say, as aforementioned, that it has some advantages. Yet, what we are looking for is an HRM who has the authority and the power to fulfill the functions as they should be done. HRM is about the human resources in the group. Their satisfaction influences the outcomes of the group positively. It is not enough to pay the minimum salary and follow the basic labor laws in the country to gain the loyalty of the workers. There are several functions for the HRM that should be decided and implemented internally to distinguish the employees and the business as a whole from others. Open channels with the employees, empowering them, building a relationship with them, offering them opportunities to meet their personal goals, helping them to solve their problems and supporting outside activities will enhance their belonging top the group and will reflect on the work environment and the business as a whole. APPENDIX MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The organizational of the group give an idea of the hierarchy of power in the group. We can see there is a diversity in the managers nationalities which adds to the experiences and the qualifications of the management team as a whole. Al Futtaim Group is managed by qualified people who have a long experience in management of similar industries and who are able to lead the company according to the international standards. .The local and foreign managers are working hand in hand for the benefit of the company and its stakeholders. The group includes several companies and a diverse work force which has to be managed effectively by managers who have cultural awareness and UAE work experience. In AL Futtaim group, the management has proved its efficiency in running the business. In the following page, we included the biography of the chairman and other managers to demonstrate their effectiveness and experience in managing the group and meeting the goals. President Majid Al Futtaim Chairman Sir  Michael Rake   Chief Executive Officer Mr. Iyad Malas Board Members Sir  Michael Rake   Mr. Waldemar Schmidt Mr. Tarek Ben Halim Mr. Richard North Dr. Fahad Almubarak Mr. Paul Manduca Mr. Trevor Coates Mr. Philip Yea Dr. Khalid Alkhazraji   Management Mr.  Iyad Malas   Chief  Executive Officer Mr. Ahmed Bin Brek Deputy Chief Executive Officer http://www.majidalfuttaim.com/images/maf_chart.jpg BIOGRAPHY Majid Al Futtaim Majid Al Futtaim, the Founder and President of the Majid Al Futtaim Group has successfully brought the concepts of regional shopping malls and hypermarkets to the region. His pioneering vision has changed the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Majid Al Futtaim opened his first shopping mall in 1995 and has since created a business of international significance. Over the past decade the Group has taken his groundbreaking concepts into other major cities in the United Arab Emirates and throughout the Middle East and North Africa including; Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and Lebanon. Sir  Michael Rake   Sir Michael Rake is Chairman of BT Group and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, as well as a director of Barclays PLC, McGraw-Hill Inc and the Financial Reporting Council. He is also chairman of the private equity oversight group the Guidelines Monitoring Committee. BT pays him an annual salary of  £600,000.[1] From May 2002 to September 2007 Rake was Chairman of KPMG International. Prior to his appointment as Chairman of KPMG International he was Chairman of KPMG in Europe and Senior Partner of KPMG in the United Kingdom. He joined KPMG in 1974, and worked in Continental Europe before transferring to the Middle East to run the practice for three years in 1986. He transferred to London in 1989, became a member of the UK Board in 1991, and had a number of leadership roles in the UK before being elected UK Senior Partner in 1998. Rake is also a Vice President of the RNIB, a member of the Board of the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue, a member of the CBI International Advisory Board, the Chartered Management Institute, the DTIs US/UK Regulatory Taskforce, the Advisory Council for Business for New Europe, the Ethnic Minority Employment Taskforce, an Association Member of BUPA, The School of Oriental and African Studies Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of the Judge Institute at the University of Cambridge, Senior Adviser for Chatham House and the Global Advisory Board of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation. He was Chairman of Business in the Community from 2004-2007 and a member of the board of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum from 1998 to 2007. Rake is also a Governor of Wellington College and a board member of Guards Polo Club. He is married with four children and five stepchildren, and was knighted in 2007. Mr. Iyad Malas Iyad Malas is the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Trust, the family office of the Majid Al Futtaim family in Dubai. Previously, Mr. Malas was the Regional Director for South Asia for International Finance Corporation, based in New Delhi. He had responsibility for all of IFCs investments in all sectors in the South Asian markets, including India. Mr. Malas worked with IFC beginning in 1987, investing in many regions of the emerging markets and was the Division Manager for Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa before working for four years in Egypt, first as CEO of Fleming CIIC and then as the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Asset Management for the preeminent Egyptian investment bank, EFG-Hermes from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Malas was educated at the American University in Beirut and earned an MBA from George Washington University. Mr. Malas is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

The Colonization of Modern Africa :: Colonialism Imperialism

The Colonization of Modern Africa Many of today's distant countries are underdeveloped or not developed at all. People are going through famine and even dieing of starvation. These countries have demanding governments, and not enough money. Many countries with in Africa are just like this. The colonization of modern Africa has had many life changing effects on the people of Africa. Some of the effects of colonization are on the governments, the farming system, and the educational value. Colonization has greatly effected the governments of Africa. Africa gained political independence in the 1950's. Even though political independence was gained there are still many problems with their governments. There is a lack of political experience. Political boundaries, set by the Europeans, have cut across ethnic lines putting diverse people under the same government. This has lead to civil wars. The military is also weak. Just like the government, the farming in Africa is affected by colonization. Africa has many different forms of farming, one of them is Subsistence farming. Subsistence farming is when one farms for just for his family or village. Another type of farming is Commercial farming, or organized farming as a business. There is also Shift farming, which is when a farmer moves every one to three years to find better soil. Only two-fifths of Africa has arable land. Many farmers go hungry or bankrupt because they become dependent on one cash crop. Unlike the government and the farming problem of modern Africa, there are many good effects of colonization. Education has had many good effects like the new schools built and universities. People are furthering their educations and getting better jobs. There are so many more opportunities for people with a higher educations. The Colonization of Modern Africa :: Colonialism Imperialism The Colonization of Modern Africa Many of today's distant countries are underdeveloped or not developed at all. People are going through famine and even dieing of starvation. These countries have demanding governments, and not enough money. Many countries with in Africa are just like this. The colonization of modern Africa has had many life changing effects on the people of Africa. Some of the effects of colonization are on the governments, the farming system, and the educational value. Colonization has greatly effected the governments of Africa. Africa gained political independence in the 1950's. Even though political independence was gained there are still many problems with their governments. There is a lack of political experience. Political boundaries, set by the Europeans, have cut across ethnic lines putting diverse people under the same government. This has lead to civil wars. The military is also weak. Just like the government, the farming in Africa is affected by colonization. Africa has many different forms of farming, one of them is Subsistence farming. Subsistence farming is when one farms for just for his family or village. Another type of farming is Commercial farming, or organized farming as a business. There is also Shift farming, which is when a farmer moves every one to three years to find better soil. Only two-fifths of Africa has arable land. Many farmers go hungry or bankrupt because they become dependent on one cash crop. Unlike the government and the farming problem of modern Africa, there are many good effects of colonization. Education has had many good effects like the new schools built and universities. People are furthering their educations and getting better jobs. There are so many more opportunities for people with a higher educations.

A passionate and powerful poet Essay

Sheenagh Pugh is for me, a passionate and powerful poet; the majority of her poetry has contained the themes of the earth and how it will be ruined if we are not careful. Even within her children’s poetry, these themes are prominent. The other major theme within the poetry of Sheenagh Pugh is ‘the bible’ this theme is quite often in association with divine love for earth. She deals with this in a startlingly refreshing and compassionate way, often with the sense of melancholy but never with depression. Sheenagh Pugh refers in the title of ‘The craft I left in was called Esau’  that the pilots name is Esau and she is suggesting that mankind has made a bad bargain like Esau did in the bible. The settings of the poems are different from each other; ‘The craft I left in was called Esau’ is set in an spacecraft while ‘Do you think We’ll ever get to see Earth again, Sir?’ is set in a classroom on a different planet evoking memories of home.  In ‘Do you think we’ll ever see earth again, sir?’ the setting is in a classroom and the teacher referring about earth. Sheenagh Pugh has set this poem in another world and in a class because she wants to show how it would make us think of home. She is uprooted from her culture or roots and she speaks ‘I can’t fancy a tour through the ruins of my home’ which suggests that she has no intentions of seeing her old traditions and earth. The theme of Sheenagh Pugh poems are to present us with a sad view of the future and a grim warning of what could be. In the craft I left in was called Esau Sheenagh Pugh mentions ‘People joked nervously; just like a plane flight’ this suggests that people are joking to make themselves feel better to forget the true purpose of this trip, to forget that they’ll never return.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœI would have you ten years before the flood:’ this image gives the picture of how extreme his eternal love is and to what extent it goes. This effect of this is dramatic to the reader and builds up tension. The language of the poem becomes more positive as it progresses. The first stanza up to line ten, with its image of a woman in a trip ready to leave and never to return. The questions in the second section of the poem suggest progress towards understanding and the exclamations in the final section give the impression of sadness and remorse. In the second part she mentions ‘No bother, no big deal. I can’t recall feeling sad, not then’ which suggests the mood that the person is in a sad mood. The poet says that she cannot remember being sad at that moment in time but in line 12 ‘not then’ she indicates she did feel sad at some point. We don’t exactly when, but at some stage, she felt remorse and sad. In do you think we’ll ever see earth again, sir? Sheenagh Pugh has been critical of Earth. The ‘but’ in line 11 signals a change in direction. The speaker changes his/her approach completely and becomes optimistic. Sheenagh Pugh uses alliteration ‘should see something’ to describe some ‘beautiful thing’ like a ‘leaf’. This type of language gives a dramatic effect as we start to feel as we are ruining the earth and how we will remember it in the grim future. Towards the end of the craft I left in was called Esau, the passengers ‘looked back’ in line 20 as they struggle to look ahead. They are still looking back to what they’re leaving behind. She mentions that earth is ‘quite small really’ compared to the rest of the universe. The poet compares Earth to a ‘guesthouse’ and we are just passing time on it but Earth is our permanent home. This gives us a grim warning of what could happen if we are not to careful. In do you think we’ll ever get to see earth, sir? The speaker says at the end ‘Look at it with the inside of your head, look at it for later, look at it for ever, and look at it once for me’ which suggests that the speaker wished that he/she looked at these simple things the last time they saw them? The speaker regrets not savoring the little moments and this is what Sheenagh Pugh is trying to get over the message to us to look after the earth as we’ll not see it again once it has gone.  The language and structure of Sheenagh Pughs poems are to convey that we have to look after earth. She gets this message thought by using language as alliteration like in do you think line 11 ‘should see some’ and similes in the craft I left line 7 ‘people joked neverously; like a plane flight’ to show us what can happen in the near future.

Function of Human Resource professional in Staffing Essays

Function of Human Resource professional in Staffing Essays Function of Human Resource professional in Staffing Essay Function of Human Resource professional in Staffing Essay Function of Human Resource professional in Staffing Name: Institution: Course: : Instructor Date: Functions of Human Resource Professional in Staffing Staffing entails vast processes such as selection, recruitment as well as training the workforce to achieve organizational goals. The human resource department has the duty conferred to ensure the organization is continually staffed with the right number of skilled employees to attain strategic goals. This responsibility is shared between the line professionals and the human resource professionals where the later design the programs required to recruit the workers while operating professionals make the final decision regarding viability for hire (Caruth et al. 2009). One of the foremost functions of the human resource professional in staffing is aligning the process with organizational goals as well as objectives. This involves the professional coalescing with operational professionals to determine the staffing needs, the various job descriptions and vacancies. This procedure is normally referred to as human resource planning where metrics such as number of posts to duties are determined. A subsequent of this function is the recruiting function where the human resource professional determines means and location of persons with required skills (DuBrin 2009). Given the types of skills required, demand for certain skills varies. Thus, the professional will come up with approaches for attracting such skill bearers besides locating them. Additionally, the human resource professional ensures there are adequate resources for the process. In regards to the available resources such as time and money, various methods exist for the professional to chose. Fo r instance, employee referral is suitable for situations where there are financial impediments. The HR professional defines the boundaries of the staffing procedure to ensure legal aspects are observed in light of increasing legislative controls in staffing. This avoids future costs in lawsuits and legal complications. This is especially applicable in the selection process where the HR professional has the task of determining the best selection tool. The most widely used selection tool is interviewing where the applicants appear before individual or a panel of interviewers. The HR professional designs the performance appraisal systems in staffing while integrating input from operational managers. This procedure ensures feedback information regarding the effectiveness of previous stages of the staffing processes is obtained (DuBrin 2009). References: Caruth, D. L., Caruth, G. D., Pane, S. S. (2009). Staffing the contemporary organization: A guide to planning, recruiting, and selecting for human resource professionals. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers. DuBrin, A. J. (2009). Essentials of management. Mason, OH: Thomson Business Economics.

Prepositions in English Grammar

Prepositions in English Grammar In English grammar, a preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. Prepositions are words like in and out, above and below, and to and from,  and theyre words we use all the time. How useful are prepositions? Just look at how many prepositions are italicized in this simple sentence from E.B. Whites Charlottes Web: For  the first few days  of  his life, Wilbur was allowed to live  in  a box  near  the stove  in  the kitchen. Prepositions in English Grammar Prepositions are one of the basic  parts of speech  and are among the words that we use most when composing sentences. They are also a member of a closed word class, meaning  that it is very rare for a new preposition to enter the language. There are only about 100 of them in English. Prepositions often refer to location  (under  the table), direction (to  the south), or time (past  midnight). They can also be used to convey other relationships: agency (by), comparison (like, as . . . as), possession (of), purpose (for), or source (from, out of). Simple Prepositions Many prepositions are made up of only one word and are called  simple prepositions. These include short and very common words like  as, at, by, for, and of.  You also use prepositions such as about, between, into, like, onto, since, than, through, with, within, and without to show a relationship between words. There are many occasions where you might confuse prepositions. For example, sometimes it is difficult to know when you should use  in, into, on, or at.  This is because their meanings are very similar, so you have to look at the context of the sentence. Many prepositions have an opposite as well. For instance, you can use  before or after, inside or outside, off or on, over or under, and  up or down.   Quite a few prepositions express the relationship of things in space. Examples of these include aboard, across, amid, among, around, atop, behind, beneath, beside, beyond, near, over, round,  and upon. Prepositions can also refer to time. Among the most common are  after, before,  during, till,  and  until. Other prepositions have unique uses or can be used in multiple ways. Some of these include  about, against, along, despite, regarding, throughout, toward,  and  unlike. Complex Prepositions In addition  to  the simple prepositions, several word groups can perform the same grammatical function. These are called  complex prepositions. They are two- or three-word units that combine one or two simple prepositions with another word. Within this category, you have phrases like  in addition to  and such as.  Whenever you say  thanks to or in between, you are also using a complex preposition. Identifying Prepositional Phrases Prepositions are not in the habit of standing alone. A word group with a preposition at the head followed by an  object  (or  complement) is called a  prepositional phrase. The object of a preposition is typically a  noun  or  pronoun:  Gus put the horse  before the cart. Prepositional phrases add meaning to the nouns and verbs in sentences. They usually tell us  where, when,  or  how and the words of a prepositional phrase can often be rearranged. A prepositional phrase may do the work of an  adjective  and modify a noun:  The student  in the back row  began to snore loudly. It may also function as an  adverb  and modify a verb:  Buster fell asleep  during class. Learning to identify prepositional phrases is often a matter of practice. After some time you will come to realize how frequently we rely on them. Ending a Sentence With a Preposition You may have a heard the rule that you should never  end a sentence with a preposition. This is one of those rules that you dont have to put up with. It is based on the etymology of preposition, from the Greek for put in front, as well as a false analogy to Latin. As long ago as 1926, Henry Fowler dismissed the rule about preposition  stranding as a cherished superstition ignored by major writers from Shakespeare to Thackeray. In fact, in A Dictionary of Modern English Usage he said, the remarkable freedom enjoyed by English in putting its  prepositions  late and omitting its relatives is an important element in the flexibility of the language. Essentially, you can ignore this rule, and you can cite Fowler to anyone who tells you otherwise. Go ahead and end your sentence with a preposition if you want to. Prepositions Functioning as Another Part of Speech Just because you see one of the prepositions weve mentioned used, does not mean that they are being used as a preposition. It depends on the circumstances, and this is one of those tricky parts of the English language, so dont let these fool you. Certain prepositions (after, as, before, since, until) serve as  subordinating conjunctions  when theyre followed by a  clause: You better get out of town  before  sundown. (Before  is used as a preposition.)Many people run out of ideas long  before  they run out of words. (Before  is used as a conjunction.) Some prepositions (including  about, across, around, before, down, in, on, out,  and  up) also moonlight as  adverbs. These are sometimes called  prepositional adverbs  or  adverbial  particles. Beth walked  up  the driveway. (The preposition up is followed by the object.)Beth looked  up. (The prepositional adverb up  is modifying the verb looked.) Deverbal Prepositions Transitive prepositions that take the same form as -ing participles or -ed participles are called deverbal prepositions. It is a rather short list, but it is important to understand that these are also prepositions. according (to)allowing (for)barringconcerningcountingexceptingexcludingfailingfollowinggivengonegrantedincludingowing (to)pertaining (to)regardingrespectingsavingtouchingwanting Source: Fowler H.  A Dictionary of Modern English Usage. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1965.

Hofstedes Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Hofstedes Theory - Essay Example A look into globalization and its effects on international businesses, and the pressure of achieving competitive advantage in the global economy is discussed. Special significance is given to studying the differences between UK and Japanese cultures and to see if any common grounds can be reached for effective management.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The world is full of confrontations between people, groups, and nations who think, feel and act differently, but, at the same time, they are exposed to common problems that demand cooperation for their solution.† (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2005, pg3) The above statement effectively summarises the content of the following essay. Since ‘culture’ forms the core topic of the essay, we shall start with defining culture. Culture has been defined time and again by numerous researchers in different ways, but it is important to understand this concept from both sociological and organizational perspectives. Studying culture at societal level will give us a better understanding of the organisational context. Culture is defined as a pattern of shared assumptions that a group learned in order to solve problems, and that the group decided is valid enough to be taught to future generations as the right way of perceiving and solving these problems (Schein, 2004, pg17). In other words, culture is something that is learned and passed on, and not inherited (Hofstede, 1997). It is a multi-faceted concept with many dimensions (Mullins, 1999). Having established ‘culture’ and its application in society, it is evident that individual societies behave according to their own cultural spectra of values and norms, which effectively form their own individual personalities.

A critical theoretical and visual analysis of my experience of work Essay - 1

A critical theoretical and visual analysis of my experience of work - Essay Example The following images represent my expreinces at work during an internship. With the help of these images and relevant theories, I will carry out an anlaysis into my experience at work to help explain how people and their behaviours have an effect on the workplace and the organization in general. Source: www.cel.sfsu.edu Conflict (Emotions at work) Any setup with more than one person, whether work or any other, is bound to see a difference of opinion that in the end results into conflict. Both Classical and non classical theorists looked at conflict as one aspect that must be totally avoided because it brings with it imbalance. Contingency theorists on the other hand look at it as inevitable but one that can be properly managed (Miner, 2001). While working as an intern at a research firm, I came face to face with conflict within an organization when there was lack of a clear chain of command in my department and had to take orders from two different people who were equals in the manag erial hierarchy. As an intern, I was charged with the task of data capture and preliminary analysis, a task that required guidance and proper directions from my seniors at the department. Often, I would receive conflicting instructions from the two seniors and this left me not only confused, but also demoralized as it became very difficult to know what the right thing was. As a remedy, I resorted to making references to the organization’s operations manual for guidance and making rational judgments in cases where proper procedures were not provided in the operations manual (Bernhard & Glantz, 1992). Contingency theory therefore came in handy in this situation and a reference to studies by Chandler that involved about four major American corporations made a lot of difference. According to Chandler, managers can only be effective if they have the ability to swiftly adapt to changes in their respective environments. He also explained that an organization must be rational, chrono logical and linear in its actions to be in sync with changes in the environment (Griffin & Moorehead, 2012). I therefore borrowed from this theory and looked as myself as a manager, analyzed my situation and made a decision to draw my references to the operations manual in situations where the instructions from my two managers were in conflict. This decision was informed by my desire to be efficient while keeping a good relationship with my seniors. I was certain that should any discrepancy appear in my line of responsibility, either of the two managers would most likely not take responsibility and would find it comfortable to leave the blame on me. In case such a situation arose, I would clearly find refuge in the operations manual and use that as my defense. An organization should work towards minimizing conflicts by having a clear organization structure that ensures every employee is accountable for both their time and decisions, the roles and responsibilities should not cross to avoid blames and lay emphasis in personal responsibility by managers (White & Bednar, 1991). As Chandler puts it, operations and decision processes should be linear, sequential and chronological to minimize the possibility of conflict. Receiving instructions from two mangers at the same managerial level, like was in my case during internship, was a definite recipe for conflict. Source: liferesolutionsaustralia.files.wordpress.com Groups and Teams The success of an organization is entirely