Saturday, August 31, 2019

Principles and practces of management Essay

Q1)What are the fundamentals of staffing and manpower? Explain the different methods of selection recruitment, training and development. FUNDAMENTALS OF STAFFING Any organisational fabrication requires a variety of people, and the supply of people consists of differing types. The staffing function includes the process by which the right person is placed in the right organizational position. Human resource administration involves matching the jobs and people through preparation of specifications necessary for positions, appraising the performance of personnel, training and retraining of people to fit the needs of the organisational positions, and developing methods by which people will respond with maximum effort and increased satisfaction. Often the organisation structure includes a special functional department to administer the program. This often is called the personnel department. Thus, personnel management is very broad in its scope and covers variety of functions. Staffing is one among the various groups of functions. It is called 124 here as employment functions and includes various sub-functions. These functions are also called operative functions of the personnel department. Staffing is that part of the process of management, which is concerned with obtaining, utilizing and maintaining a satisfactory and satisfied work force. Its purpose is to establish and maintain sound personnel relations at all levels in the organisation so as to make effective use of personnel to attain the objectives of the organisation and to provide personal and social  satisfaction which the employees require. Staffing consists of a wide range of inter-related activities. In the words of Haimann â€Å"staffing function pertains to the recruitment, selection, development and compensation of subordinate managers. Staffing like all other managerial functions is a duty which the manager performs at all times In a book edited by R. D. Agarwal scope of staffing has been widened to include every possible activity relating to human beings in an organisation. â€Å"Staffing is a multi-step process. It consists of determination of manpower, transfer, demotion and termination.† In the words of Koontz and O’ Donnell staffing can be defined as â€Å"filling positions in the organisational structure through identifying work force requirements, inventorying the work force, recruitment, selection, placement, promotion, appraisal, compensation and training of people.† Staffing, like all other managerial functions, is the duty, which a manager performs at all times. Although this function is stated after planning and organizing, this should not be interpreted to mean that the manager should perform these two functions before staffing. It is a continuous process and every manager from top to bottom is continuously engaged in performing this function. Elements of Staffing Staffing or human resource process consists of a series of steps, which are given below: 1.Procurement- Employment of proper number and kind of personnel is the first function of staffing. This involves (a) Manpower planning, (b) Recruitment, (c) Selection, and (d) Placement. 2. Development- After placing the individuals on various jobs, it is necessary to train them so that they can perform their jobs efficiently. 3. Compensation- Compensating personnel mean determining adequate and equitable remuneration of personnel for their contributions to the  organisational goals. 4. Integration- It involves developing a sense of belonging to the enterprise. Sound communication system is required to develop harmony and team spirit among employees. 5. Maintenance- Maintenance involves provision of such facilities and services that are required to maintain the physical and mental health of employees. Recruitment Attracting the right candidates to apply for a job can be an expensive process. It is even more expensive when done badly because when unsuitable candidates apply for a job, then the post may need to be re-advertised – so it is best to get it right first time. The starting point is to carry out job analysis to identify the sorts of skills, knowledge and essential requirements that someone needs to have to carry out a job. These details can be set out in a job specification, which is passed on to recruiters – it gives them a picture of the ideal candidate. A job description is also helpful because it sets out: the title of a post when and where it will be carried out principal and ancillary duties of the post holder other details. The job description can be sent out to potential candidates along with a person specification, which sets out the desirable and essential characteristics that someone will need to have to be appointed to the post. A variety of media will be used to attract applications e.g. national newspapers for national jobs, and local papers and media for local posts. Job advertisements set out such details as: location of work salary closing date of application how to apply experience required qualifications expected Duties and responsibilities. Selection Selection simply involves choosing the right person for the job. Effective selection requires that the organisation makes the right prediction from data available about the various candidates for a post. Research indicates that the most valid form of selection method is the use of an assessment centre where candidates are subjected to a variety of test including interviews, group exercises, and presentations, ‘in-tray’ exercises, and so on. Psychometric (personality) tests have become increasingly popular in the UK in recent years and are often used alongside other tests. I Interviews will be most successful when they are tightly related to job analysis, job description and the person specification. In-tray exercises can be used for candidates to respond to work-related and other problems, which are presented to them in an in-tray to be processed. Training Training for employment is very important. In a modern economy like our own the nature of work is constantly changing. New technologies mean that new work skills are constantly required. To succeed in business or in a career, people will need to be very flexible about where they work and how they work, and to constantly change the range of skills they use at work. There are basically two types of training: On-the-job training Employees develop and improve their work skills whilst actually doing the job in question. For example, word processor operators rapidly improve their skills by constant practice. Supermarkets till operator quickly learn effective practice by working alongside a more skilled mentor. Off-the-job training Employers will often encourage their employees to develop their skills through off-the-job training courses. For example, a trainee may be allowed to attend a day-release course at the local college. This might apply to a wide range of different skills including hairdressing, banking, insurance,  electrical work and plumbing. Q2)Explain the nature and functions of Directing. NATURE OF DIRECTION-FUNCTIONS OFMANAGEMENT Direction is one of the most important functions of management. A good plan may have been checked out, sound organisation may have been evolved and a sound team of workers may be employed, but all these will not produce any result until there is proper direction of the people in the use of various resources. Direction helps in achieving coordination among various operations of the enterprise. It is only after the performance of direction function that the purpose of planning, organising and staffing is achieved. Directing is the process around which all performance revolves. It is the essence of operation and co-ordination is a necessary by-product of good managerial directing. Pervasiveness of Direction Direction is a pervasive function of management. It exists at every level, location and operation throughout an enterprise. Some people think that only the managers at the lower level who deal directly with the workers, perform the direction function. This point of view is not correct. Direction function must be performed by every manager at different levels of the enterprise. For instance, chief executive of a company interprets the objectives and policies of the company and delegates’ authority to the departmental managers, the direction function is part and parcel of these activities. Every manager, regardless of the number of subordinates, performs this function because he is busy in giving instructions to the subordinates, guiding them, and motivating them for the achievement of certain goals. Continuing Function Like any other function of management, directing is a continuing activity. A  manager never ceases to direct, guide and supervises his subordinates. A manager who issues orders and instructions and thinks his job is complete is committing a very serious error. He must continuously supervise the execution of his orders or instructions by the subordinates. He should also provide them effective leadership and motivation. Thus, he will have to continue to devote considerable time on the direction function. Direction has got following characteristics: 1. Pervasive Function – Directing is required at all levels of organization. Every manager provides guidance and inspiration to his subordinates. 2. Continuous Activity – Direction is a continuous activity as it continuous throughout the life of organization. 3. Human Factor – Directing function is related to subordinates and therefore it is related to human factor. Since human factor is complex and behaviour is unpredictable, direction function becomes important. 4. Creative Activity – Direction function helps in converting plans into performance. Without this function, people become inactive and physical resources are meaningless. 5. Executive Function – Direction function is carried out by all managers and executives at all levels throughout the working of an enterprise, a subordinate receives instructions from his superior only. 6. Delegate Function – Direction is supposed to be a function dealing with human beings. Human behaviour is unpredictable by nature and conditioning the people’s behaviour towards the goals of the enterprise is what the executive does in this function. Therefore, it is termed as having delicacy in it to tackle human behaviour. The director must try to harmonize individual objectives of the workers to the group objective and also personal objectives with organization’s objectives for the work to be carried out harmoniously. The worker should receive orders from only one supervisor. The supervisor as much as possible should give personal supervision to the workers so as to motivate and raise their morale. The supervisor should enhance the communication between the workers so as to give them opportunity to express their feelings. In such ways the worker understands whatever is being communicated more easily. After giving the orders and instructions the supervisor must follow through  to ensure that this is done. It is essential for the supervisor to exercise dynamic leadership so as to win the trust and confidence of the subordinates. Subordinates are given orders and instructions by managers so that they are able to work efficiently and effectively. Therefore instructions must emanate from the superior person to the subordinates. A good order must be unambiguous to be understood by the recipients. It must also be in line with the objectives of the organization and should be reasonable and within the authority of the subordinate. The order must specify the time duration of carrying it out and preferably it should be written for greater clarity. The manager cannot be able to do all the directing functions required in an organization. He therefore delegates some authority and responsibilities to his subordinates so that the goals and objectives of the organization can be understood by the lowest of the worker. Delegation has some challenges one of them being that it is difficult to fully spell out the tasks and duties of all subordinates which lead to overlapping of duties. The extent of delegated authority and responsibility might not be clear and at times might even differ with the nature of work assigned to a subordinate. Too rigid delegation of authority discourages creativity of the subordinates. Directing involves guiding, inspiring and leading people so that they accomplish predetermined objectives. If the directing function is done well, work in an organization is efficiently and effectively done. The function of directing influences the subordinates and motivates them into meeting the organization’s goals. Directing function deals with human factor which is complex and therefore presents challenges to directors. After giving people orders on how things are supposed to be done it is essential that it is ensured that the orders are carried out. Managers by the function of directing are able to control and influence the actions of the subordinates. After assembling the factors of production and formulating the rules and procedures by the directors, the subordinates are directed into finalizing the process of production. After all the necessary planning, organizing and staffing the organization is in place, management now gets things done by way of directing the subordinates. Directing ensures that subordinates carry  out duties as required. Poor directing function can lead to spoiling an otherwise good planning, organizing and staffing process which would make the meeting of goals and objectives of the organization difficult. This is because nothing really can happen until there is the function of directing. The importance of direction in an organisation can be viewed by the fact that every action is initiated through direction. It is the human element which handles the other resources of the organisation. Each individual in the organisation is related with others and his functioning affects others and, in turn, is affected by others. This makes the functioning of direction all the more important Directing has the following characteristics features: 1 It is the function of the superior manager and runs from top to down in the organisation structure. A subordinate has to receive instructions for doing his job from his superior 2 Direction implies issuing orders and instruction. Besides issuing orders and instruction a superior also guides and counsels his subordinates to do his job properly. 3 The top management gives broad direction to the middle level managers who in turn give specific direction to the lower level management. 4 The four important aspects of directing are supervision, motivation, leadership and communication. All these functions are interconnected and mutually dependent. Direction is one of the most important functions of management. A good plan may have been checked out, sound organisation may have been evolved and a sound team of workers may be employed, but all these will not produce any result until there is proper direction of the people in the use of various resources. Direction helps in achieving coordination among various operations of the enterprise. It is only after the performance of direction function that the purpose of planning, organizing and staffing is achieved. Directing is the process around which all performance revolves. It is the essence of operation and co-ordination is a necessary by-product of good managerial  directing. Q3) What is the importance of planning in an organization? Describe the different plans with their objectives. Planning means looking ahead. It is deciding in advance what is to be done. Planning includes forecasting. According to Henry Fayol – â€Å"purveyance, which is an essential element of planning, covers not merely looking into the future but making provisions for it. A plan is then a projected course of action†. All planning involves anticipation of the future course of events and therefore bears an element of uncertainty in respect of its success. Planning is concerned with the determination of the objectives to be achieved and course of action to be followed to achieve them. Before any operative action takes place it is necessary to decide what, where, when and who shall do the things. Decision making is also an important element of planning. Planning determines both long-term and short-term objectives and also of the individual departments as well as the entire organisation. According to Fayol – â€Å"The plan of action is, at one and the same time, the result envisaged, the line of action to be followed, the stages to go through, and the methods to use. It is a kind of future picture wherein proximate events are outlined with some distinctness†¦.† Planning is a mental process requiring the use of intellectual faculties’ imagination, foresight, sound judgment etc. Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done. It involves the selection of objectives, Functions of Management policies, procedures and Programmes from among alternatives. A plan is a predetermined course of action to achieve a specified goal. It is a statement of objectives to be achieved by certain means in the future. In short, it is a blueprint for action. According to Louis A Allen – â€Å"Management planning involves the development of forecasts, objectives, policies, programmes, procedures, schedules and budgets†. According to Theo Haimann – â€Å"Planning is deciding in advance what is to be done. When a manager plans, he projects a course of action, for the future, attempting to achieve a consistent, coordinated structure of operations aimed at the desired results†. According to Koontz O’Donnel –  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Planning is an intellectual process, the conscious determination of courses of action, the basing of decisions on purpose, acts and considered estimates†. 1 Planning is goal-oriented: Every plan must contribute in some positive way towards the accomplishment of group objectives. Planning has no meaning without being related to goals. 2. Primacy of Planning: Planning is the first of the managerial functions. It precedes all other management functions. 3. Pervasiveness of Planning: Planning is found at all levels of management. Top management looks after strategic planning. Middle management is in charge of administrative planning. Lower management has to concentrate on operational planning. 4. Efficiency, Economy and Accuracy: Efficiency of plan is measured by its contribution to the objectives as economically as possible. Planning also focuses on accurate forecasts. 5. Co-ordination: Planning co-ordinates the what, who, how, where and why of planning. Without co-ordination of all activities, we cannot have united efforts. 6. Limiting Factors: A planner must recognise the limiting factors (money, manpower etc) and formulate plans in the light of these critical factors. 7. Flexibility: The process of planning should be adaptable to changing environmental conditions. 8. Planning is an intellectual process: The quality of planning will vary according to the quality of the mind of the manager Advantages of Planning All efforts are directed towards desired objectives or results. Unproductive work and waste of resources can be minimized. Planning enables a company to remain competitive with other rivals in the industry. Through careful planning, crisis can be anticipated and mistakes or delays avoided. Planning can point out the need for future change and the enterprise can manage the change effectively. Planning enables the systematic and thorough investigation of alternative methods or alternative solutions to a problem. Thus we can select the best alternative to solve any business problem. Planning maximizes the utilization of available resources and ensures optimum productivity and profits. Planning provides the ground work for laying down control standards. Planning enables management to relate the  whole enterprise to its complex environment profitably The planning process involves the following steps: 1. Analysis of External Environment: The external environment covers uncontrollable and unpredictable factors such as technology, market, socio-economic climate, political conditions etc., within which our plans will have to operate. 2. Analysis of Internal Environment: The internal environment covers relatively controllable factors such as personnel resources, finance, facilities etc., at the disposal of the firm. Such an analysis will give an exact idea about the strengths and weakness of the enterprise. 3. Determination of Mission: The â€Å"mission† should describe the fundamental reason for the existence of an organization. It will give firm direction and make out activities meaningful and interesting. 4. Determination of Objectives: The organizational objectives must be spelled out in key areas of operations and should be divided according to various departments and sections. The objectives must be clearly specified and measurable as far as possible. Every member of the organisation should be familiar with its objectives. 5. Forecasting: Forecasting is a systematic attempt to probe into the future by inference from known facts relating to the past and the present. Intelligent forecasting is essential for planning. The management should have no stone unturned in reducing the element of guesswork in preparing forecasts by collecting relevant data using the scientific techniques of analysis and inference. 6. Determining Alternative course of Action: It is a common experience of all thinkers that an action can be performed in several ways, but there is a particular way which is the most suitable for the organisation. The management should try to find out these alternatives and examine them carefully in the light of planning premises. 7. Evaluating Alternative Courses: Having sought out alternative courses and examined their strong and weak points, the next step is to evaluate them by weighing the various factors. 8. Selecting the Best: The next step – selecting the course of action is the point at which the plan is adopted. It is the real point of decision-making. 9. Establishing the sequence of activities: After the best programme is decided upon, the next task is to work out its details and formulate the steps in full sequences. 10. Formulation of Action Programmes: There are three important constituents  of an action plan: l The time-limit of performance. l The allocation of tasks to individual employees. l The time-table or schedule of work so that the functional objectives are achieved within the predetermined period. 11. Reviewing the planning process: Through feedback mechanism, an attempt is made to secure that which was originally planned. To do this we have to compare the actual performance with the plan and then we have to take necessary corrective action to ensure that actual performance is as per the plan.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Psychology Essay

Operant conditioning is a form of learning that is environmentally gathered. Learn the skill, practice the skill, then step back and examine the results. Observational learning also called social learning. A person behavior is influenced by what happens to other people when ten bases they behave certain ways. The person who is learning does so by seeing responses are elicited by other behaviors. The person then bases their behavior on the lessons learned by watching what happens to the other people. Social learning is in social context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction. The different kinds of learning can be utilized in the workplace: Operant conditioning: One of my coworkers is having trouble with understanding the job. So I voluntarily helped them out. That increases my reputation at work. After that I will get positive feedback from coworkers. Observational learning: At the workplace, it is forbidden to do something which you’ve never done before. That’s why, before you start working on something new; ask someone about that job to show you how to do it. So you can learn and be able to do it. Social learning: Advertisements, TV, internet shows because we observe them, then copy them. How is prejudice developed and nurtured through classical and operant conditioning? Give specific examples that demonstrate each kind of learning. Prejudice is a learned, generally negative attitude directed toward specific people solely because of their membership in an identified group. Prejudice is developed and nurtured through classical and operant conditioning from three elements. Affective (emotions about the group), behavioral (negative action toward members of the group) and cognitive (stereotypical beliefs about team members). People learn prejudice the same way they learn all attitudes through classical and operant conditioning. For example, repeated exposure to stereotypical portrayals of minorities and women on TV, in movies and in magazines teach children that such images are correct. Similarly hearing parents, friends and teachers express their prejudices also reinforce prejudice. 3. ) You are scheduled to present the result of your work on creating a new software program for your company. What memory techniques will you use in order to be free of too much dependence on notes and power point slides? Be specific as to how you will relate the technique to the content of the presentation Long –term memory: Encoding because it is elaborative rehearsal, the processing is more than visual. The three R’s registration, retention and retrieval. 4. ) Name and describe the three qualities of emotional intelligence according to Goleman. If you were interviewing applicants for a position in your company and wanted to know whether they had emotional intelligence, how would you go about discovering that? Would you do that in an interview or some other means? Posses self control of emotions such as anger, impulsiveness and anxiety. The ability to understand what others feel such as empathy. The ability to motivate oneself. I feel you can find a person emotional intelligence in an interview because a person can manage their emotions. They don’t get angry in stressful situations. They have the ability to look at a problem calmly and find a solution. I would go about discovering by asking questions or just observing how the questions are answered and giving different scenarios of a situations and pay attention to responses.

“Breathless” by Wilfred Noyce Florence Wong Essay

â€Å"Breathless†, which was written by Wilfred Noyce at 21,200 feet, describes the emotional struggles and physical challenges the speaker experienced and overcame while climbing a mountain. And through it, Wilfred Noyce illustrates the theme of man versus nature as well as the correct attitude in achieving goals by emphasising the ambivalence of the speaker toward finishing the climb. This is demonstrated through the poem’s tone, form and structure and the use of imagery respectively. To begin with, the tone throughout the poem is discouraged and almost desperate, yet conflicted with determination. In line 5-6, â€Å"Legs lift-why at all?† suggests that the speaker is feeling hopeless at that moment since he is having a hard time climbing up the mountain as described in line 1-2, â€Å"Heart aches, lungs pant†. However, in line 19-20, â€Å"don’t look up, till journey’s done† and in line 29-31 â€Å"Go on† and â€Å"don’t look up† indicate the strong determination in the speaker to finish his journey on the mountain. The speaker is commanding himself to carry on, even though he would love to take flat steps instead as showed in line 11-12, â€Å"a flat step is holiday†. The determination to â€Å"conquer† nature is expressed here. On top of that, the poet is trying to relate this to people’s daily lives: just like how the speaker struggled with finishing his climb, people experience hards hips and temptations throughout life, and it is perseverance and self-discipline that lead them to reaching their goals. Secondly, the structure and form of the poem portrayed the level of difficulty of the climb to the speaker. The outline of the poem is not regular or smooth, depicting the rugged and twisty road the speaker is climbing on, and furthermore all the different problems people face in their lives. There is also no stanza, which means the lines are all alined, without any gaps in between, just like the continuous climb the speaker is doing, and the unceasing challenges in people’s lives. Moreover, the lines are short, some chopped off in the middle (caesura), and the words are short with little syllables. This imitates the ragged breath,  steady, fast heartbeat and small footsteps of the speaker while climbing up the mountain, and also the intense atmosphere while doing it (since he is confronting with the edge every moment). And more importantly, it is written in such way so when readers read the poem out quickly, they will feel breathless as well, just like the speaker does in the poem. In addition, for most of the lines in the poem, the rhyme scheme of ABCB is adopted, like how line 2, â€Å"pant† rhymes with line 4, â€Å"scant†, but line 1 and line 2 don’t. This is to imitate the repeating process of the speaker putting his feet forward one by one, as well as his pounding heart and panting lungs. Besides, this poem is written in free verse, which means it does not have a fixed pattern of meter or rhyme. During the middle of the poem-â€Å"Grind breath/ once more then on; don’t look up till journey’s done†, it is where the ABCB rhyme scheme adopted so far breaks down. This indicates that the speaker is really breaking down at that point, losing hope, but also finding the flicker of determination (since he said â€Å"don’t look up till journey’s done†), contrastingly. The idea of free verse is to provide a sense of roughness of the climb and losing breath during the climb in the poem. Finally, a circular structure is used in this poem as well. â€Å"Heart aches, lungs pant/ dry air/ sorry,scant.† appeared at the beginning of the poem, and so in the end of it. This is to emphasise the physical pain the speaker is going through climbing the mountain, also the greatness of the mountain, since it is able to â€Å"oppress† the speaker. In overall, the structure and form of the poem helped intensify the feeling of exhausted and despair, and mostly, breathless, showing how weak and vulnerable human being is to nature. In the meantime, this parallels to the fact that the journeys that people choose to embark on is often hard and full of challenges. Thirdly, the imagery created by Wilfred Noyce in the poem, again, pictures how challenging the speaker’s climb is. The senses auditory, taste and smell do not apply since the speaker is climbing a mountain. The imagery of a long, difficult and vague journey ahead is depicted by the things the speaker sees: â€Å"loose drift, heavy fall†, â€Å"the journey ahead† and â€Å"glasses dim†. The imagery of close to falling/fainting is created by what the speaker feels: heart aching, lungs panting, dry air, prodding the snow, grinding breath, hand wrenching, limb faltering, a slack throat and heart  beating. Then, the imagery of depression and wanting to give up is created by harsh, dynamic or monosyllabic words like â€Å"grind†, â€Å"wrench†. It also creates the sound effectApart from that, the speaker describes the feelings of his different body parts separately, one by one, as if they were separate, or falling apart. These imagery emphasise how desperate the speaker is while climbing the mountain, the same thing a lot of people feel while confronting challenges in their lives. In conclusion, Wilfred Noyce wrote this poem to contrast the greatness of the nature and the weakness of human, as well as how people should be persistent and persevering when facing depressing challenges in life. He conveyed his message by using mainly the tone, form and structure and use of imagery in the poem. Ultimately this is all intended to create the effect of breathlessness to the reader, and it is very effective.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Constitutional reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Constitutional reform - Essay Example The rules that are provided in the constitution include the territories of the country, the language of the country and also the country’s religion (Turpin et al., 2007:41). With this in mind, there are various types of constitution varying from codified constitution to uncodified constitution, unitary to the federal constitution and also they are seen as either rigid or flexible. However, there is a common way of classifying the various types of constitutions in that the constitution is either codified or uncodified. A good example of an uncodified constitution is the British constitution while another example of a codified constitution is the constitution of U.S.A (Beatson, 1998:45). A codified constitution is one type of constitution where the important constitutional provisions are kept in a single document; thus, it is normally referred to as a written constitution. In a codified constitution, there are three main characteristics; the document placed in the constitution h as an authoritative power that it may constitute higher law, also it creates a binding effect between all political institution including those who make the ordinary law and finally the feature provided by the codified constitution are said to be entrenched. An uncodified constitution occurs on opposite sides with the codified constitution. The uncodified constitution is a type of constitution that has no legal document or well known as a written document. It consists of several rules that are provided by various types of sources in the absence of a written document. One of the characteristics of an uncodified constitution is that it has no authoritative power in that the government can amend and change the laws any time. Back to the main objective of giving an argument between codifying or uncodifying a constitution, there are several facts supporting the idea of codifying the constitution in the country. Yes, a codified constitution is needed though it is not flexible, and it is r igid. Referring to the discussions above which state the main purposes of the constitution of governing and regulating the government, it clears show that a codified constitution is needed. If a legal document lacks in the country, then how will the power of the government be determined? This means that without a codified constitution then the government of the country will have superior powers hence it will manipulate most of the issues in the country. This fact gives a clear understanding that a codified constitution so that clear and defined rules are set to prevent power abuse and overexploitation of the powers provided to the government (Heywood, 2011:10). When such act is implemented that is if a codified constitution is implemented then the citizens of the country will benefit a lot since their rights will be protected and clearly projected thus giving them the needed protection against the state. This will reduce certain case like that of Burmah Oil v Lord Advocate in case t he codified constitution is implemented due to the reasons of similarity in government’s legislative power (Chrimes 1967:42). When a referral is done to the problems seen in regard to the implementation of the codified constitution then there are suggested solutions to such problems. It seems to be a nightmare if one implemented a

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Problems faced by mortgagors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problems faced by mortgagors - Essay Example It is because of this reason that mortgage products have become very popular across the world and they have enabled many people become homeowners. However, mortgage facilities present certain problems to the borrowers, which will be discussed in this present essay and even how they affect the economy of the United States. Secondly, the essay will discuss recent act of legislations or proposal by the United States’ federal government that pertains to the problems that would be highlighted. The nature of mortgage facility is that the borrower pays a monthly premium plus interest which is flexible meaning that the rate of the interest may increase or decrease depending on the market condition. Baily stated that borrowers’ problems usually arise when the rate of interest in the mortgage market increases while their income, which they use to repay the mortgage, remains steady (68-71). This therefore, creates a scenario whereby the borrower is unable to satisfactory pay the m onthly premiums and interest, which then forces the bank to enact the foreclosure agreement that would leave the borrower homeless. Such a problem derails the entire economic growth of the United States, which is still on a recovery phase, and unemployment is still an issue since according to Baily lower purchasing power by the consumers who are servicing high interest rate means low demand for goods and products (33-35). Bolà ©at and Coles also lamented that presently borrowers have been locked with high interest rates despite the fact.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Gold Rush - Different Racial Groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gold Rush - Different Racial Groups - Essay Example by white, non-English-speaking Europeans, and then, in a descending order, men and women whose skin became progressively darker and habits progressively different from the white man’s: the Mexicans, the Indians, the Chinese. Without much thought or effort on their part, Anglo men established their dominance over California by systematically asserting themselves over others. Of course, the major motivation of those in California at this time was the desire to strike it rich. Although some people did just this, there was only a finite amount of wealth to be uncovered, leaving most men few options for increasing their status. Racism, codifying the differences between themselves and others, was one way to raise perceived power in a landscape where men were often at odds with, and at the mercy of, an environment over which they had very little control. Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush by Susan Lee Johnson, demonstrates how life was different for white men, and how they acted to maintain their superiority in California. Theirs was a world where status had already been shaken up. Due to the scarcity of white women and the need for some means of support, many men found themselves employed in positions that back east would only have gone to girls. They eased the stigma of such labor by assuring themselves that such work was still manly, and by setting themselves above those of other races and cultures. They categorized the French as â€Å"dainty (small, little, diminutive)† (Johnson 118). Mexican men were seen as â€Å"‘lazy Greasers’ in ‘dirty Zerapes’† (Johnson 123) while Mexican women existed solely for the purpose of cooking and being ogled. Native Americans were afforded even less respect, and white men could murder them with impunity, with their killers â€Å"posing as heroes† (Bibby 54). â€Å"Systematic harassment† (Johnson 125) of the Chinese forced some men out of the mines, where white men wanted to work. Language was an

Monday, August 26, 2019

Research proposal Masters in Education Dissertation

Research proposal Masters in Education - Dissertation Example However in the same study, 82.4% students indicate that knowledge of subject is extremely important in classroom learning (Kavas & Kavas, 2008). Of course the means and techniques of instruction are important. Studies show that experimental techniques of instruction increase the overall student learning. Research reveals that when multiple experimental techniques are used, they improve the student learning even more (Lawrence O. Hamer, 2000). Now the question arouses that what other factors influence the classroom learning other then these conventional factors? A research conducted at a large public university in U.S reveals that non-native Teacher Assistants have a negative effect on the academic achievements of native students (Borjas, 2000). Marvasiti (2001) also conformed this hypothesis but Marvasiti indicates that this adverse effect is not due to lack of language proficiency. All of the above indicate that there are factors involved in classroom learning other than the academi c only. What I hypothesize from these findings is that there is a relationship between native perception of foreigners, in some cases â€Å"Racisms†, and the classroom learning regarding foreigners as instructors. ... uropean countries, where people from under developed countries are not perceived as above average, in some cases they are even considered to be equivalent to the labor class. In those countries, an instructor from an under developed country might have a negative effect on the classroom learning. Probably this is due to the resistance they have to bear at the start of making their career. What I propose in this study is to experiment with two different instructors, instructing same subject at two different places, one in home country and other in foreign country, and study the level of classroom learning affected by the origin of the instructor. For example, instructors form U.S instructing the same subject at U.S and Sri-Lanka, on the other hand an instructor from India instructing the same subject at India and United Kingdome. It would be ideal if we found the level of students same in both situations and where language of instruction makes no significant difference. In a nutshell w e will be investigating the relationship between instructor’s origin and the level of learning, keeping all other variables constant. If this hypothesis will proven to be correct, majority of people might get offended because the study indirectly highlights the racism present in different situations. It is rather important to state that there are some ethical consideration for this study. To achieve the objective of the study, data will be collected through observations, not all the data, but a major amount of data will have to be based on observations. It might be considered unethical to investigate such an issue without letting the subjects know. However the fact is that otherwise the objective of the study cannot be achieved. References Kavas, Aysel & Kavas, Alican (2008). An

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Reading Journal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading Journal - Coursework Example the chapters (Chapter 13) in the book it has been told that the early 17th and mid 20th centuries have been very favorable for Europe as it has dominated majority of the world (Kagan, Ozment and Turner 322). The entire European rule has been discussed in a detailed and effective manner through which I have been able to learn a lot about what exactly happened during these centuries and how United Kingdom, France, Austria, United Provinces of Netherlands etc. used to rule other parts of Europe. It has been possible through the readings that I learnt about the condition of France after Louis XIV (Kagan, Ozment and Turner 334). Previously, I was not very well aware of the Ptolemaic System and the Cultures during the 16th and 17th Century, however, after reading chapter 14 I was quite informed about the system, norms and cultures (Kagan, Ozment and Turner 349). Although I do not know anything about the system and the culture as I have not lived in it but it was due to the excess of information and the detailed sub-parts that I am able to understand scientific societies and how their systems actually worked (Kagan, Ozment and Turner 355). Economy is also an important aspect of any society or country. Since, Europe has a dominating role during the 18th century therefore its economy must have been strong and stable. From the Varieties of Aristocratic Privileges to French Nobility and Family structures and Family economy, all have been discussed in this chapter and has helped me in improving my knowledge regarding the subject (Kagan, Ozment and Turner 373). Similarly, the second chapter â€Å"‘I am the State’: The Development of Absolutism in England and France† has equally helped me expanding my knowledge regarding the development of Absolutism in the two countries (Rogers 25). Furthermore, subjects like Scientific Revolution have never been of such interest. This is due to the fact that author has successfully elaborated each and every detail in the book along

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Social Psy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Psy - Essay Example The author will discuss a personal experience, the use by peers of alcohol and later drugs, that resulted in the author breaking free of conformist pressures and emerging stronger and more independent in the author’s social world. Too often, it would seem, individuals progress through life without careful reflection. People would appear to take individual changes for granted while simultaneously remaining oblivious to the events that contribute to or otherwise cause those changes. People sometimes claim feelings of powerlessness and impotence when living their lives, they feel unable to truly control their destiny, and life in many ways begins to feel somewhat random and meaningless. This personal position paper will argue, however, that life is not so random or unpredictable. More specifically, this paper will suggest that individual self-reflection, as it pertains to an individual’s interaction with different groups in the social world, can not only explain to some extant how different behaviors and performances become manifest but also how individuals may begin to control their behavior and destiny to a greater degree. As an initial matter, it is important to note that social psychology is concerned with how individuals fit into or otherwise interact with a social world. The social world concept, however is not monolithic; quite the contrary there are several social spheres, of different social worlds in which an individual does and may interact. The questions posed often relate to how an individual engages in self-perception, how individuals are influenced, as an individual relates and interacts with others in different social circumstances and settings. Generally speaking, therefore, a particular social world may be considered conceptually as the relationship and interaction of individual minds, particular

Friday, August 23, 2019

How does Baz Luhrmann interpret Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Essay

How does Baz Luhrmann interpret Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Baz Luhrmann’s reinvention of Shakespeare’s classic Rome and Juliet depicts the classic tragedy through a visual kaleidoscope of Hong Kong action picture paradigms of chaos and color. The Luhrmann production is unconventional, moving the location to Verona Los Angeles.   The trademark use of color is juxtaposed against the bleak backdrop of gang warfare, which permeates throughout the film.   At the beginning of the film, Luhrmann opens with the prologue. In stark contrast to the well known Zeferelli version of the tragedy, Luhrmann’s conveys the prologue as a newsreel on the television as a news report. The opening sequences and title scenes of the film plays a vital role in engaging the audience and preparing the audience as to what to expect from the movie with great effect.   This places the audience at ease. The opening sequences and title scenes of both films play a vital role in engaging the audience a nd preparing the audience as to what to expect from the movie with great effect.   Moreover, Luhrmann uses quick flashes of the prologue at the beginning of the film either as newspaper headlines or in bold writing. Lurhmann’s visual narrative mirrors Shakespeare’s use of symbolism in the opening scene as there appears a broken ring on the screen. This symbolizes the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’s love story and further mirrors Shakespeare’s lexical technique of dramatic irony in his prose.  

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Do we overplay the influence - especially the harmful influence - of Essay

Do we overplay the influence - especially the harmful influence - of the media on British politics - Essay Example Hodgson (2007) claimed that since ‘World War II’ British media has played an influential role in the country in terms of political participation, elections and political process among others. Considering this fact, media and newspaper has undermined several aspects of the country in terms of voting, elections, political equality and accountability. As a consequence, the impact of the political activities in case of business sectors, has diversely affected the performance of the country. Moreover, it has also affected the financial stability of the country in context of political background. Additionally, during the early 21st century the traditional trend of media changed to a considerable extent and the presence of social media highly influenced the political performance in Britain (Hodgson, 2007). In this assignment, the objective is to identify that whether we overplay the influences of media on the British politics. At the same time, the study has also emphasised to identify the harmful influences of media and newspaper of the British political system. During the contemporary era, the role of mass media has changed, which has influenced potential problems on the democratic environment of the British government. More precisely, media and newspaper has identified all the agenda from the domestic environment of the British and framed the same in front of Britain citizens. In this regard, mass media have a high influence on the macro political agenda, which has initiated difficulties for the political parties in Britain. According to the viewpoint of Tulloch (2007) British political system is usually established on the basis of democratic governance. In this context, it is evident that constitutional issues and governmental elections are usually the core agenda’s of the British political system. On the other hand, a large number of the

Hunger Games essay Essay Example for Free

Hunger Games essay Essay The Hunger Games is a fictional book, which establishes the relationship between the protagonist Katniss, and the protagonist Peeta. Katniss is a 16 year old girl who lives in District twelve, Panem. She is the sole provider for her family and competes in the Hunger Games, a game where two people from each of the twelve districts are chosen to fight to the death. Peeta is a 16 year old boy who is also from District Twelve who competes in the Hunger Games with Katniss. Throughout the book there is great debate on whether Katniss and Peeta are in love, or not in love. Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta because it helps her in the Games, and it is an act of survival. Peeta on the other hand is deeply in love with Katniss. Throughout the book Katniss often finds herself making multiple references back to her friend, Gale, who has been her best friend for years. She wonders what life would be like with Gale. Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta. She sees it as her only way of survival in the Games. When she and Peeta are in an affectionate state, the Capitol audience is entertained. This results in her and Peeta getting both food and messages from their mentor Haymitch and their sponsors. Luckily, they entertain the audience enough to survive the games but towards the end of the book Peeta says to Katniss, â€Å"It was all for the games, how you acted. † (Pg. 372) This is legitimate proof that Katniss only pretended to be in love with Peeta. Based on much evidence from the book, it is revealed that Peeta is deeply in love with Katniss. Prior to the beginning of the Games, both Katniss and Peeta had to take part in a pre-game interview. In Peeta’s interview, he tells the audience how winning the games would not help his situation because he is deeply in love with Katniss. Katniss was not happy with Peeta’s statement, but later in the book calmly asks him, â€Å"Peeta, you said at the interview you’d had a crush on me forever. When did forever start? † (Pg. 300) Peeta responded, â€Å"Oh let’s see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair†¦ it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed your out. † (Pg. 300) This is the most heart-felt moment between the two; however Katniss only asked Peeta the question because she knew she had to keep entertaining the audience. Her strategy to manipulate Peeta’s emotions was a great advantage to her game. Katniss often makes references back to her friend Gale, her long time best friend that is back home in District Twelve. She has mixed feelings about him because when Katniss was about to leave for the games, Gale was saying good bye to Katniss and was cut short with the slamming of a door. There are many misinterpretations about what Gale was trying to say to Katniss. Most people, including Katniss, think that he was about to say â€Å"I love you. † This unfinished sentence disturbs Katniss during the games when she has mixed feelings about Peeta. Katniss thinks to herself, â€Å"Gale’s not my boyfriend, but would he be, if I opened that door? † (Pg. 280) Any person who is truly in love would not be thinking about other men in this way. Throughout the Hunger Games there is great talk on whether Katniss and Peeta are in love, or not. Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta because it helps her in the Games, and she uses it as an act of survival. Peeta on the other hand, is deeply in love with Katniss. During the book Katniss often finds herself making multiple mentions back to her friend, Gale, who has been her best friend and hunting buddy for years. She wonders what life would be like if she was with him. Too conclude, Katniss and Peeta are not meant to be. They have completely different individualities and although it may seem that their pretend love is mutual, it is not.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

KBR Leadership Essay

KBR Leadership Essay Leadership and the leadership style used by the company and its relationship with the leadership theories: Leadership style in given organization is quite simple, open and goal focusing. Targets are given to functional and cross functional teams managed by team leaders, in team works every one has right to participate in decision making process, every team member can explain his opinion openly. Leader of the teams are expertise of their fields they better know how to overcome different problems. Leaders in this organization are responsible to maintain discipline, ethic and integrity in team and team work. Most of responsibilities are on the shoulders of leaders. Power distance is quite low in this organization as every one works for common goal, it is not difficult to communicate to leaders or seniors of the teams as vertical communication is open and honest, team members have good level of contact with their leaders and leaders are easily approachable. Leaders in this organization are used to of motivating their team members by trusting in them and expecting right job from them. Most of things are clear to team members as leaders dont hide things from them and try t o keep transparency in operations. Leaders expand the description of jobs by giving team members a variety in tasks and usually jobs are open ended. This style of leadership let the personnel progress and gives freedom for decisions making. Relationship with leader ship theories: Leadership in this organization includes a part of Fiedlerss leadership contingency theory (1960s) least preferred co-worker scale and situational control, in which leadership style is measured between task motivated leadership and relationship motivated leadership, leadership style of given organization is in between as it is target oriented and relationship motivating as well. In relation to situational control leaders in this organization are well aware of outcomes of their team members actions and decisions. Leadership in KBR is also near to Houses path-goal leadership theory which focuses on four leadership behaviours directive leadership, achievement -oriented leadership, supportive leadership and participative leadership. as path-goal theory says that key function in leadership is to adjust yourself according to situation in KBR leadership is more flexible, have a lot of experience and are more responsible so KBR is quite near to this theory and supportive leadership that focuses on developing good relations with subordinates and friendly work climate, in KBR leaders motivate the team members and seniors are approachable and other things discussed above made leadership in KBR quite supportive. KBRs leadership also follows the achievement -oriented leadership which emphasize on setting targets for subordinates and showing confidence in personnels abilities. In KBR leaders after assigning tasks to their team members expect right job from them it makes KBRs leadership achievement oriented. In participative leadership behaviour of leader is to involve subordinates in decision making and in KBR it provides bases to leadership. Transformational approach of leadership is also quite near to KBRs leadership as followers in KBR are motivated to go beyond job description and work for common good. Source of organizations culture and its implication on the workforce and organization performances: Morris W Kellogg is the saga of the company, means that he started the story of KBR and his story provides a lesson to whole organization members and gives foundations to culture of organization. Management philosophy of organization is based on commitment to health and safety and discipline. Individuals in organization have open and honest relationships there is good communication between all levels of management, in relationships mutual respect is always there. Most of things are transparent before everyone in organization, at all levels individuals are responsible but top management has more responsibilities Organization struggling to sustain integrity and specialization. work is divided among different specialized teams individuals at all levels have freedom of decision making and providing opportunities to grow to staff are is part of organizations culture. Organization always attracts talented graduates and specialized people as specialization is a part of organization culture. Organizations culture emphasis on going beyond customer‘s expectations. Organization delivers quality services to its customers. Organizations staff lives near the project location to better understand the situation. Organization works to innovate new things to expand its divisions and operations. Organizations culture causes a good relationship among whole work force. It makes the workforce to struggle for specialization and integrity. It causes exploring new things. whole work force has to obey the discipline and ethics. Communication among force needs to retain the mutual respect factor. Organizations culture is best fit for its operations, it helps to give maximum performance and achieve organizational goals. Culture of organization helps in continuous improvement, integrity and specialization. It provides motivation to individuals. Organizations culture moves the organization towards functional structure to get maximum integrity. Explore how the culture of the organization has impact on both the leadership and the organization structure of organization? Organizations culture plays an important role in providing bases to leadership. The leaders in organization takes the culture along and transfer it to subordinates major things in leadership which are from culture are integrity ,specialization, development of good relationship, work for crossing the customers expectations. Given above characteristics impact leadership style it makes leadership more cooperative. Leadership in KBR also opens door for innovation which is one of basics of firms culture. Transparency factor of culture makes the leaders to discuss things with subordinates openly, innovation factor of culture makes the leaders to let the subordinates go beyond their job description. For specialization leaders must be expertise of their fields. Element of honesty prevent leaders form politics. Element of the relationship building makes the leaders work with teams. Many things of culture also have affect on structure of company as honest relation and mutual respect and communication all these things give dimensions of low power difference, small hierarchy and flat structure to organization. Factor of specialization has divided the firm in many business units to bring maximum quality and specialization Need of specialization causes the organization to develop a set up to attract talented graduates, expertise towards the company. To create this attraction organization gives opportunities to personal progress and freedom of decision making and goo reward system specialization also divides the organization further business units. Due to specialization organization is gradually moving towards matrix structure which is more expensive and complicated but is necessary to meet the organizational and cultural needs Shareholder and employee benefits make the organization to give employees opportunities to grow and make profits for share holders. Relationship element of organization divides the management in few layers to built strong relationships The issue of motivation theories the motivational policies used in the case and its impact on individual and organization performances: KBR has developed a motivating culture for its personnel, there is a small distance between the upper management and the lower management, vertical and horizontal communication is not complicated ideas can be shared, team leaders always there to motivate and help their team members, most of things are transparent before employees as they are trusted by their seniors all these things motivate them and make them feel that they are part of organization besides this jobs has been designed to motivate the personnel, they have freedom to make decision and they can identify and solve the problems by their own judgment, challenging goals are give to staff member according to their specialization which motivate them to make difference there is a strong relationship between senior management and the subordinates, all above elements motivate the staff and make them feel that they are like a family and have power and freedom to some extend they know that their actions can influence the organizat ion, in future they have many opportunities to prosper on the bases of their work and there is no typical strict boss on them. Motivated staff ultimately leads the organization towards efficiency and success. As jobs do not have strict boundaries so there are more chances of exploring new things that enables the firm to have new ideas. Organizations motivating strategy develop loyalty in employees and it also attract talented graduates towards the organization as they see opportunity to grow and talented staff plays an important role in organizations achievements. Motivation strategy of this company follows rules described in Alderfers ERG theory which focuses on existence needs, relatedness needs and growth needs and it also follows the acquired needs theory which emphasize on achievement , affiliation and power needs. And KBR has opportunities to grow, strong relationship with employees and challenging jobs to make achievements all these things bring firm near to these theories. KBRs strategy is also near to two-factor theory of Fredrick Herzberg. this theory shows certain factors which play an important part in motivating and providing job satisfaction to employees these factors are given below in diagram, according to this diagram KBR has most of job satisfying factors in its strategy. (Organizational behaviour Schermerhhorn, Hunt, Osborn, seventh edition, 2000, page: 114) The nature of team, its structure and how it has impact on organization performances: KBRS management structure is flat and has few layers of management organization has adapted functional structure for its project in which teams work under specialists leadership and all members struggle for common goal as all are accountable for it. In teams all members have good relationship with each other mutual respect is always there every team member has god level of contact with seniors all members have efficient communication skills role of every team member is clearly described and he also has a freedom to some extent. All key tasks are given description team members need to be flexible teams are ready to accept any challenging task all teams working for same project have interaction with each other and work together to satisfy customer by delivering services beyond expectation. this structure of is according to day- to -day business needs of organization. Now company is gradually moving towards matrix structure in which cross functional teams consist on expertise from different functional departments utilize maximum of their skills to achieve organizational goals. KBRs structure helps it to achieve perfection in services as specialists teams work on projects assure quality and helps to sustain quality this functional structure also help the organization to meet its day to day requirements. Team work gives guarantees clear performance objective and enhances creativity in organization that plays an important role in going beyond expectations Cross functional teams bring an increase in work speed, provide broader information and struggle to sustain integration. All these things cause a perfection in lesser time that take the firm towards customer satisfaction. How effective do you think company approach to people management will be in ensuring improved results and enhancing the change management process? KBR has developed its structure to deliver services efficiently to its customers in all conditions, this structure also enables to work for the benefit of its shareholder, employees and communities the organization serve. In KBR the chain of command is small there are not many layers in hierarchy of management span of control is larger in this organization. A few layers cause a decrease in distance between upper management and lower management, individuals are not answerable to many bosses. Staff at upper management level has more responsibilities individual at upper level are expertise of their fields company also hire fresh graduates in its lower management and training is given to them so a new person can be a part if this organization at any level but new staff member has to show performance in 12 months probationary period .All individuals in KBR are given a degree of freedom to make decision. Every single post has an opportunity to progress and prosper personally. Jobs are desi gned to continue the learning process and exploring new things. Because of few management layers it is easy for upper management to control the subordinates as they can directly contact them and they can be informed with the staff problems and it also cause a motivation in staff as they can easily approach their seniors. This structure also help in unity of command besides this a few layers of management cause a decrease in cost and time. In horizontal structure organization is a functional and matrix organization and this structure leads towards clear targets and specialization. All individual selected for the organization have quality of adaptability so any change can be easily adapted. Because of few layers in management it is easy to bring a change. As company is changing towards matrix structure which is quite near to functional structure so it is easily acceptable. Problems caused by change can easily be known to upper management and can be solved and all conflicts can be removed. Explore the way individual and organization behaves liking this with relevant theory that you are familiar with how would this impact on any the organizations change process: Individuals in KBR are flexible, technically competent they use their own judgment in understanding the things and the have good interpersonal skills. Employees in KBR expect growth and reward for their work. All these traits bring KBR,s staff near to following theories. Self monitoring: According that individuals have ability to adjust their behaviour according to situation. Maglino and associates: this theory focuses on four points. Achievement, helping and concern for others, honesty and fairness (Schermerhhorn, Hunt, Osborn, seventh edition, page: 72) Varooms expectancy theory: According to this theory motivated staff believes that effort will yield acceptable performance performance will be rewarded the value of reward is highly positive Companys first priority is to satisfy the customer and after for that company focuses on financial responsibility, accountability and discipline there is no compromise on health and safety. Organization also focuses on ethics and integrity. Company struggles for continuous improvement and grow globally company has been opening new business units and innovating new things. Organization trust in its staff and right job is expected from them. Companys behaviour has relevance with following theories. High performance management theory covers all characteristics of KBR. Core points are given below Total quality management: total commitment to high quality results continuous improvement and meeting customer needs. Empowerment: allow individuals to make decisions that affect them or their work. Intellectual capital: total knowledge, expertise and energy available from organization members. Employee involvement Integration Organizations and individuals behaviour has a positive impact on the change process as the given above characteristics shows that individuals and organization is ready to accept change and this change is also a part of continuous improvement so flexibility adaptability continuous improvement struggle for high quality integrity all these things enables organization and individuals to accept and implement the change. Explain how the company has managed it change process and how it has benefited from this management process: Company implemented planed change strategy, in planed change organization followed the rational persuasion process in company used facts, special knowledge and rational arrangement to create change. Companys management system helped the company to implement the change as companys management ensures flexibility adaptability and because the management process is simple that is why it is easy to implement a change, few layers of management help to minimize the change cost and time it also decrease the probability of resistance to change. Firm is already working for specialization and integration and change will assist the firm in it. As management system gives reasons to change, the quality information, security, retention of power, good resources and good timing all these things makes the organization to accept the change Recommendations for future improvement: Let individuals clearer what exactly need to do to get desired reward Shift few more responsibilities on the shoulders of subordinates and more specify their jobs. Create a sense of urgency For teams facts and information should be given on regular bases Discuss companys high performance standards with staff Provide a variety in rewarding Let the individuals know how well they are working Make a real understanding of what firm stands for Make a good understand sense of informal rules and expectations so individual understand what is exactly expected of them Create a warmer interpersonal environment between upper management and lower management Staff at lower level must given performance feed back on regular bases Involve more subordinates in managerial decision making Link the team results to organizational outcomes Evaluate team and each individual members performance Make the culture more strong with rites, symbols and rituals Let the staff develop their own view how to develop tow ards organizational goals Increase decentralization, participation and create more decrease in rigidity Subordinates should be informed about the coming fears Conclusion: KBR is a big company rapidly growing globally. The company is enhancing its operations efficiently and quickly, business is divided in sub business units company is continually increasing its business units, company is conducting business by keeping its culture along. Structure of the organization is flat there are quite few layers in management which make management process easier, horizontal structure of organization is functional now firm is moving toward matrix structure. leadership of organization is motivating and communication between all levels of organization is quit easy. Most of responsibilities are on the shoulders of senior management .Senior management must has an understanding with the following areas of responsibility Provide strategic and operational leadership Develop and motivate others Be approachable and open to ideas Display honesty and integrity Individuals at all levels have freedom to make decisions and at all levels opportunities to grow are given, a new mem ber can enter in firm at any level. Every new person must have following traits Technical competence Strong oral and written communication Relationship building and team work Planning and organizational skills Adaptability Policies of organization attract talented graduates and specialists

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Export Potential of Halal Food Industries

Export Potential of Halal Food Industries 3.1  Total Exports and Share of Halal Food As per authentic statistics of Economic-Survey of Pakistan 2013-14, total exports of the country during July 2013-Apr 2014 were USD 20.997 billion[1] whereas total imports were USD 37.105 billion[2]. There is no separate data available on Halal food exported during last few years. However, as per SBP report, food group exports of last two years are tabulated below: Table-B: EXPORT RECEIPTS BY COMMODITY (Thousand US Dollar) (Thousand US Dollar) Commodity Jul-Jun Aug Jul ( R) Aug (P) Jul-Aug FY12 FY13 FY14 (P) FY14 FY15 FY15 FY14 P FY15 P A. Food Group 3,789,373 4,142,290 4,233,395 278,676 293,128 301,541 609,560 594,669 01. Rice 2,075,415 1,876,229 2,099,719 133,431 135,732 134,068 287,340 269,799 A) Basmati 1,064,366 822,420 993,794 70,169 80,177 73,809 148,448 153,986 B) Others 1,011,049 1,053,809 1,105,925 63,262 55,555 60,258 138,892 115,813 02 Fish Fish Preparations 338,959 336,151 366,403 21,523 26,389 22,298 45,780 48,687 03 Fruits 243,107 283,758 310,131 21,059 22,484 24,788 47,553 47,271 04 Vegetables/Leguminous Vegetabl 118,904 139,980 145,909 10,989 8,589 11,287 22,927 19,876 05 Tobacco 23,170 27,842 26,077 3,886 1,015 2,265 8,485 3,279 06 Wheat Unmilled 62,344 29,702 3,197 361 0 0 1,592 0 07 Spices 37,664 41,071 56,697 2,806 2,644 5,816 6,592 8,460 08 Oil Seeds, Nuts and Kernals 27,291 49,759 69,478 2,083 1,273 1,533 3,870 2,806 09 Sugar 20,659 431,161 304,816 8,914 11,982 22,427 37,298 34,409 10 Meat and Meat Preparations 212,106 224,432 237,120 18,200 23,653 22,206 40,952 45,859 11 All Other Food Items 629,753 702,204 613,849 55,424 59,369 54,854 107,171 114,223 Legend:P: Provisional, R: Revised,Source: http://www.sbp.org.pk/ecodata/index2.asp There are approximately 50 Halal certified companies operating in Pakistan[3]. The Al-Shaheer Corporation, PK Livestock and Zenith Associates are prominent meat exporters of the country. Meat-one, the subsidiary organization of Al-Shaheer has significantly enhanced the exports of halal food i.e. beef and mutton, particularly to Gulf countries. On the poultry side, KN’s is a big name. It is exporting chicken to the West and also opened branch in the USA. As per full year statistics of 2013-14, exports of more than 74,000 tonnes of meat and its products grabbed about $230m, up from about 63,000 tonnes worth $211m in 2012-13[4]. Meat is mainly exported to Saudi Arabia followed by Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, China and Afghanistan. Similarly, exports of milk and cream (not concentrated/sweetened) also witnessed significant growth during 2013-14 by fetching $50m in comparison with previous year figure of $20m[5]. While, the exports of concentrated or sweetened milk and cream, during 2013-14, stood at same level of $9m[6] as in 2012-13. Increasing exports and parallel rise in demand of processed milk and meat, are suggestive of sharp potential growth of both the sectors, in near future and calls for investments in dairy and meat industry. 3.2  Govt. policies for promotion of Halal products Government of Pakistan is striving to promote Halal food industry. The government has announced that 50 percent subsidy[7] shall be provided in order to enable businessmen and producers to explore the Halal market for Pakistani products. Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) is facilitating Halal Accreditation Scheme on the pattern on OIC Halal Guidelines developed by the SMIIC for promotion of Halal products in the international market. Similarly, PSQCA has also introduced Halal Standards i.e. PS-3733: 2010 for the companies in Halal food sector and PS-4992: 2010 regarding the authorized organizations dealing with certification of Halal[8] products. In May 2014, the Science and Technology Ministry GoP finalized the draft Bill to establish Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA) at the federal level to guide and facilitate the business of Halal products and processes. Moreover, PCSIR has recently established a state-of-the-art halal authentication laboratory at Lahore[9]. Despite passing of sufficient time, PHA Bill 2014 is still in pipeline and not approved, so far. 3.3  World Halal Assembly On 3-4 June, 2014, first World Halal Assembly with event them â€Å"Asia-Future of World Halal Trade† organized in Islamabad. The event was hosted by PSQCA and Halal Products Services Association of Pakistan (HAP). Over 250 scholars and expertise hailing from 40 different states attended the event[10]. At the occasion, Mr. Zahid Hamid, Federal Minister for Science Technology, vowed to provide complete support to private sector in Pakistan to boost Halal products. Participating scholars and dignitaries including Mr. Haluk Dag, Secretary General-SMIIC in his address underscored the importance of cooperation and coordination to accomplish the objective of ‘One Halal’ logo and ‘One Halal’ standard[11]. Global experts also shared their valuable information/ideas and discussed issues/challenges concerning with the Halal trade, certification, accreditation and marketing. Number of cooperation agreements were also signed in the gathering, which is likely to help local companies to enhance their exports of halal food items. Section-IV: International Market of Halal Food 4.1  Size of Global Halal Food Market The global Muslim population estimates stand at 1.8 billion[12], this represents 26 % of the total global population (6.8 billion), whereas share of worldwide halal food market is about 16 % of the aggregate food market, which means that a minimum space of at least 10 % is available to be filled by halal food companies. News story published in renowned TIME Magazine (May 2009 issue) suggests that total volume of global Halal food market[13] is worth about US$ 632. Market size of Halal food in Europe is about $66 billion[14], with France havingthe largest share of approx.$17 billion. InUnited Kingdom, only the Halalmeat sale is worthover $600 million annually.Muslims residing in the USA spend about $13 billion on Halal food products every year. It is worth mentioning that GCC countries’ aggregate exports of Halal food is approx. $44 billion. Similarly, in the neighboring India, worth of Halal food business is about $ 21 billion, per annum[15]. Worldwide halal food market is depicted in following global map with the help of circles[16]. 4.2  Stakes of Pakistan in the Global Halal Food Market Presently, Pakistan is the second largest Muslim country in the world with population of over 180 million, while Indonesia stood at first place. But according to a news story on website of TIME magazine[17], Pakistan is likely to overtake Indonesia and become the largest Muslim nation by 2030 with expected population over of 256 million. Thus, Pakistan has to aim for leading global Halal food market in the future. Unfortunately, the current share of the country in international halal food market is mere 0.5 %[18]. Pakistan has direct access to the markets of Central Asia, Middle East. On the other hand, Pakistan is not only the 6th largest cattle breeder but also world’s leading poultry breeder. Following table depicts the unprecedented vertical growth of poultry sector in Pakistan which has outpaced other sectors of livestock. Table C: Livestock Population in Pakistan Growth Livestock Population (In million) Year Buffaloes Cattle Goats Sheep Poultry 1990-91 17.8 17.7 37.0 26.3 146.9 1991-92 18.3 17.7 38.7 27.4 156.2 1992-93 18.7 17.8 40.2 27.7 182.6 1993-94 19.2 17.8 42.0 28.3 250.0 1994-95 19.7 17.8 43.8 29.1 318.8 1995-96 20.3 20.4 41.2 23.5 350.0 1996-97 20.8 20.8 42.6 23.7 382.0 1997-98 21.4 21.2 44.2 23.8 276.0 1998-99 22.0 21.6 45.8 23.9 278.0 1999-00 22.7 22.0 47.4 24.1 282.0 2000-01 23.3 22.4 49.1 24.2 292.4 2001-02 240 22.8 50.9 24.4 330.0 2002-03 24.8 23.3 52.8 24.6 346.1 2003-04 25.5 23.8 54.7 24.7 352.6 2004-05 26.3 24.2 56.7 24.9 372.0 2005-06 27.3 29.6 53.8 26.5 433.8 2006-07 28.2 30.7 55.2 26.8 477.0 2007-08 29.0 31.8 56.7 27.1 518.0 2008-09 29.9 33.0 58.3 27.4 562.0 2009-10 30.8 34.3 59.9 27.8 610.0 2010-11 31.7 35.6 61.55 28.1 663.0 2011-12 32.7 36.9 63.1 28.4 721.0 2012-13 33.7 38.3 64.9 28.8 785.0 Source: Pakistan Food Journal, Nov-Dec 2013 issue. 4.3  Leading Countries of Halal Food trade It is strange that non-Muslim nations like Brazil, France, the USA, New Zealand, Thailand, Philippines, etc. are leading the international Halal food market, whereas, Muslim countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. come later in the list. Australia, Canada, Singapore, India are also known as major exporters of Halal food. With 01 million MT export of frozen Halal chicken, and 300,000 MT of Halal beef products, Brazil is the leading the Halal food market[19]. France is second major player. It exports 750,000 MT Halal frozen chickens annually to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, etc. United States is the third largest beef exporter in the world and more than 80 percent of its frozen beef is Halal. Fourth largest beef exporter is New Zealand and 40 percent of its beef products exports are Halal[20]. 4.4  Windows of Opportunities for Pakistan. There are number of opportunities for Pakistan to grab its share in global halal market. Owing to its geo-strategic location Pakistan can easily become leader of Halal food market in the South Asia, later on, it can lead the global markets of halal food commodities. Population wise different global markets are mentioned: Asia[21]: Number of Muslim countries are situated in Asia. In Middle-East and western parts of Asia, aggregate population of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, UAE, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Jordon, Azerbaijan, etc. is more than 190 million. They constitute highly fertile Halal food market. In East Asia and ASEAN Market,Muslim population is more than 360 million including Indonesia (195million), China, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, etc. ASEAN countries are unique in the sense that they not only supply halal food products but import as well. For instance, Malaysia exports Halal food items to Indonesia. China possesses immense potential as a market of Halal food and local companies can focus on this untapped market, besides covering nearby countries of Indonesia and Malaysia. Importantly, our own region i.e. South and Central Asia is thickly populated with more than 600 million Muslims (including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc. It is a massive market for Halal products as food items are available in Muslim countries but without any HALAL certification. Africa[22]: North African countries like Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Libya share population of more than 181 million Muslims. In West African nations i.e. including Nigeria,Niger, Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Guinea, Ghana, etc. more than 150 million Muslims are residing. Whereas, East African countries including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, and other countries have population of more than 92 million Muslims. Similarly, Central African countries including Congo, Chad, Cameroon has Muslim demography of about 17 million. In South Africa, though Muslim population is about 1.2 million but Muslims consumers are very particular on HALAL products which creates an opening for Pakistan to harness the potential for Halal products. Europe[23]:  More than 50 million Muslims are residing in different European countries like UK, France, Russia, Germany, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Russia, etc. It is an important market for Halal food as consumers have high purchasing power and possess strong eager to buy those food brands which contain â€Å"Halal† logo. North South America[24]: Total population of Muslim residents in both Americas is about 10 million (USA 6.4m, Brazil 1m, Canada 0.8m and other countries). Muslims dwelling in the USA also possess high purchasing power and always prefer HALAL products. Conclusion Despite a predominant Muslim country, share of Pakistan in global Halal food market is very insignificant. Sindh province has considerable industrial base and some of the local companies are major players of Halal food market within country and export their products as well. However, a lot of potential in international Halal food trade is yet to be harnessed by local business organizations. Absence of central Halal food authority to guide and channelize the Halal food business is primary hurdle in promotion of Halal food exports throughout the world. It is strange that non-Muslim nations like Brazil, France, USA, New Zealand, etc. are currently leading the market of Halal products. There are number of potential markets which can be focused by local businessmen for exporting Halal food items. Pakistan falls at 6th rank in the growth of livestock, however, lack of necessary infrastructure and seriousness of investors has resulted into very low exports. The existing problem of negative trade balance of Pakistan can easily be addressed by focusing on Halal food markets and making local products equally compatible in the international market. There is need of structured approach of the rulers to carryout detailed study in global Halal industry and promote it, which would result into not only boosting of exports but also allied benefits like provision of employment opportunities. Recommendations The pending bill of Pakistan Halal Authority has to be converted into implementable legislation, at the earliest. Government of Pakistan has to devise short term and long vision plans for converting the country into hub of global Halal food market. In this regard, Vision-Halal 2020, as well as Vision-Hub of Halal-2030 as short and long term plans to achieve the goals like attaining significant space in international market by 2020 and then journey to become global leader of Halal food by 2030. Halal Certification bodies are to be established in line with international standards of Halal food and to meet the standard of hygiene food for western world. The Government has to extend financial and technical help to producers and encourage the local businessmen to participate in international exhibitions where they not only find buyers for their Halal products but also learn from the experience of established producers and suppliers of Halal products. Establishment of Halal food export zones in Sindh province, with tax rebates is need of the hour. In order to boost Halal food exports, the government will have to make investment in dairy farming infrastructure, cold chain and veterinary services and farm management systems. Private Banks can also introduce new financing schemes to encourage the Halal food industry throughout the country. Public-Private Partnership schemes in Halal food sector aiming at export of the value added products would also provide an impetus to the food industry. [1] Economic Survey of Pakistan 2013-14, Page 117 [2] Economic Survey of Pakistan 2013-14, Page 119 [3] Interview with Mr. Akram Khan, of HIRCP, dated 12.09.2014 [4] http://www.dawn.com/news/1130468 (accessed on 15.09.2014) [5] ibid [6] ibid [7] http://www.pnac.org.pk/index.php?PageId=110 (accessed on 01.10.2014) [8] http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/05/08/business/bill-drafted-to-establish-pakistan-halal-authority/ (accessed on 01.10.2014) [9] Ibid. [10] http://halalfocus.net/pakistan-oic-smiic-world-halal-assembly/ (accessed on 01.10.2014) [11] Ibid. [12] http://www.pnac.org.pk/index.php?PageId=110 (accessed on 07.10.2014) [13] http://www.halalpakistan.com/html/halal_market.htm (accessed on 07.10.2014) [14] Ibid. [15] Ibid. [16] Global Halal Food Industry Guide to tapping the fast growing Halal Food Market, Singapore (SPRING 2011), 06. [17] http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/27/2-2-billion-worlds-muslim-population-doubles/ (accessed on 25.10.2014) [18] http://nation.com.pk/business/24-Mar-2014/pakistan-shares-0-5pc-only-in-halal-food-market-zahid (accessed on 07.10.2014) [19] Ibid. [20] Ibid. [21] http://www.halalpakistan.com/html/halal_market.htm (accessed on 08.10.2014) [22] Ibid. [23] Ibid. [24] Ibid.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Buddhism, Jainism and Hinudism Essay -- world religions, comparative re

Jainism, in many respect, is the most prominent religion in India, it is also associated with other major religions e.g. Hinduism and Buddhism. In the past, it was considered that Jainism was a stem either of Buddhism or of Hinduism. However, nowadays it is a well-known reality that Jainism is a separate religion of India but not a branch of either Buddhism or Hinduism. It is accepted that Jainism is the primordial religion of India. As Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism, are the most prominent religions of India, and have existed side by side for many centuries, it is accepted that they have impacted one another in several ways. Similarities are evident in images of paradise, earth and hell, and faith in the verity of the teachers of religion. Various issues like clothing and curios, occupations and professions, sports and amusements, sacraments and rituals, speech and journalism, stance on life and character, religious festivals and fasts, are a range of common practices among Jainas a nd Hindus. Certain castes have their members in the Hindus and the Jainas as well as marital relations to a certain extent (McKay, Hill, Buckler,Ebrey,Beck, Crowsto and Wiesner-Hanks, 2009, p.0). Buddha viewed as very progressive was an all the rage of Mahavira and came from the same social class. Just like Mahavira he was born to a leader of one of the communities in the Himalayan slopes in what is now Nepal. Discontented with his days of placate at age 29, and concerned by the anguish he saw around him, like mahavira he left his residence to become a peripatetic ascetic. While he was meditating under a Bo tree, he became enlightened and gained an ideal insight into the systems of the universe. He emphasized a middle-way amid asceticism and worldly l... ... view of the fact that people knew their positions in society (McKay et al. , 2009). Both Jainism and Buddhism are religions of India, and disregard the Vedas of the Hindus as powerful binding. Both religions also attach importance to the ascetic way of life. For the bulk of Indians, religion inculcates into every facet of life, from every day chores to culture and politics. Works Cited Dowling, E. M., & Scarlett, W. G. (2006). Encyclopedia of religious and spiritual development. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications. Ibbetson, D., Maclagan, E., & Rose, H. A. (1991). Religious life of Indian people: (Bonn in Tibet, Budhism, Jainism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc.). Delhi: Amar Prakashan. McKay, J. P., Hill, B. D., Buckler, J., Ebrey, P. B., Beck, R. B., Crowston, C. H., & Wiesner-Hanks, M. E. (2009). A history of world societies. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Colonial Canadian Shakespeare Essay examples -- William Shakespeare

1 Colonial Canadian Shakespeare: West Meets East at Stratford In his essay â€Å"The Regional Theatre System†, Czarnecki picks up on the challenge of creating a national theatre in Canada, but also articulates the central and defining challenge in developing a unified sense of Canadian identity; Canada, because of its immense span from ocean to ocean, is inevitably divided into regions distinct from their provincial boundaries. The regional boundaries which identify the Maritimes as distinct from French Canada and the Prairies as distinct from the West Coast, for example, imply not only geographical, but also social, cultural and political differences between these regions. Because Canada is a nation born from British imperialism, the colonial relationship that exists even today between Canada and Britain is undeniable, though this colonial relationship is by no means uniform across Canada. The different regional attitudes towards Britain and Canada’s colonial history became evident to me when, as a Western Canadian, I saw a production of Hamlet in Central Canada: at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario. This production served to illustrate that Shakespeare serves as a standard by which to measure the colonial relationships between a given Canadian region and the British Crown; therefore Shakespeare also helps to illuminate the discrepancies between these different regions in relation to Canada’s colonial history. The Stratford Festival, whose mandate is to â€Å"produce, to the highest standards possible, the best works of theatre in the classical and contemporary repertoire, with 2 special emphasis on the works of William Shakespeare†, has become the place in Canada to see productions of Shakespeare. As Cza... ...ion to the production of Hamlet was only further proof, however, that Shakespeare’s iconic position in Canadian culture originates in our shared colonial history. Adaptations of Shakespeare are telling of regional differences, which is only the case because Canada too is rooted in Shakespeare’s home country. 6 Works Cited: Czarnecki, Mark. â€Å"The Regional Theatre System.† Contemporary Canadian Theatre: New World Visions. Ed. Anton Wagner. Toronto: Simon and Pierre, 1985. 35- 48. Fischlin, Daniel and mark Fortier. â€Å"General Introduction.† Adaptations of Shakespeare. Eds. Daniel Fischlin and Mark Fortier. London: Routledge, 2000. 1-22. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Susanne Wofford. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994. Full production details of the Stratford Festival’s 2000 production of Hamlet available at http://www.paulgross.org/theatreindex.html#hamlet

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Informative Speech – best learns information

Title: Determining how each individual best learns informationSpecific Purpose: To get my audience excited about learning new information by engaging them in specific techniques based on their individual learning styles. Thesis Statement: I am going to inform my audience about the four types of learning styles there are and provide them with different techniques that may be applied to each.I. Introduction:How important is learning to each of you? I am going to assume learning is important because we all are in school for that exact purpose right!? We want to better ourselves.Well, I used to have such a hard time in school, especially when it came time for exams. It wasn’t until I understood my own personal style of learning and what this specific style actually meant that I realized I was approaching my studies all wrong. Eventually I started making better grades. Now, It could definitely be only a coincidence, that I am feeling a lot less stress in school, less anxiety, and a m feeling more confident, but I would assume that applying specific methods to study sessions that suit me as an individual, seems a bit more logical.What do you think? Anyhow, I thought it would be a neat idea to help each of you understand the types of learning styles that are out there, and to enlighten you about different techniques that can be applied to your own studies.II. BodyA. There are four different types of learning styles1. One type of learner is an active and or reflective learner.2. Another style is the sensing and intuitive learners.3. There are visual and verbal learners.4. Lastly, there are those who prefer the sequential and global style of learning.Transition: Now that we understand the four types of learners there are, I would like to enlighten you on just a few ways to access each style.B. There are many ways to maximize your academic success. I would like to share a few I’ve found helpful myself.1. I. L. S provides an indication of an individuals learn ing preference. (An online assessment)a. We can be categorized into at least one of the four typesb. Your scores reflect; where you are balanced, your moderate preference, and strong preference for learning.2. Applying pecific techniques to each type of learner may benefit in terms of retaining information.a. Audio and visual stimulants play a key role for each specific learner.3. Understand what doesn’t work for you and apply different methods.a. Examples may include, drawing diagrams, recording a lecture and playing it back, interact with others.Transition: Now that we have investigated each learning style, this should give each of you a better understanding of how you may choose to go about forming study habits that best suit your own individual needs.III. Conclusion:It is proven that all of us learn a little differently. Recognizing our strengths when it comes to retaining information should be important if we want to excel in our studies. Applying necessary habits is one way I am confident that makes retaining information possible. I encourage each of you to try to better understand your individual learning styles, and to take what you’ve heard today and apply it to your studies. You won't regret it! Work Cited Page Duman, Bilal, EducationalSciences: Theory ; Practice.The effects of brain based learning and the academic achievement of students with different learning styles† September 1, 2010. Vol. 10 Issue 4, p2077-2103, 27p R. M. Felder and J. E. Spurlin, â€Å"Applications, Reliability, and Validity of the Index of Learning Styles. † Intl. Journal of Engineering Education, 21(1), 103-112 (2005). A validation study of the Index of Learning Styles. T. A. Litzinger, S. H. Lee, J. C. Wise, and R. M. Felder, â€Å"A Psychometric Study of the Index of Learning Styles. † J. Engr. Education, 96(4), 309-319 (2007). Reliability, factor structure, and construct validity of the Index of Learning Styles.