Critical thinking Essay

1. What is the purpose of education? To transmit culture? To provide social and economic skills? To develop critical thinking skills? To reform society? I think that the purpose of education is to get the children ready for real life, and provide them the learning skills, and abilities that they will need. 2. What are schools for? To teach skills and subjects? To encourage personal self-definition? To develop human intelligence? To create patriotic, economically productive citizens? Schools’ purposes are major in every culture all around the world. In my eyes, schools are to educate the general public, young or old for survival in the next chapter in their life, a degree. They are taught the basic skills and subjects to maneuver on to college, or to start life. After the basics, they are taught more in depth skills and subjects. Schools aren’t good just for that. In schools children also gain life long friends, experiences and learn the social skills they need in life. 3. What should the curriculum contain? Basic skills and subjects? Experiences and projects? Inquiry processes? Critical dialogues? The curriculum should contain all basic skills and subjects, math, reading, language, writing, science, and geography. Then on a second level, to test the knowledge, and for student’s to learn from other students, projects should come in. As for experiences, I think that students that can relate, should share their experiences. It helps other students gain incite on another way something can happen; also it helps them understand more. 4. What should the relationship be between teachers and students? Transmitting heritage? Teaching learning skills and subjects? Examining great ideas? Encouraging self-expression? Constructing knowledge? Solving problems? The relationship between teachers and students should be more then just an authority figure. It should be on a friend level. But not too much. Just enough for comfort. I think teaching learning skills and subjects are priorities, as well as examining ideas. Self-expression should be encouraged. 5. When you have completed the above questions, review Chapter 4 and determine the type(s) of philosophy that your personal statements reflect. Include why you chose each philosophy. Dewey’s pioneer- Schooling that emphasizes problem solving and activities in a context of community. Making an doing ;history and geography; science ;problems. Montessori’s pioneer – Wide range of practical skills for life in urban centers, along with arts and sciences, and problem solving. Spontaneous learning; activities; practical, sensory, and formal skills; exercises for practical life.

Arthur Conan Doyle reveals Holmes Essay

Examine how Arthur Conan Doyle reveals Holmes character and his relationship with the police. Sherlock Holmes was created by Conan-Doyle in 1887. When Arthur Conan-Doyle’s character, Sherlock Holmes surfaced, London in the era of Queen Victoria was an intriguing place to live. At this time, Victorian people feared crime greatly due to the prostitution, drug abuse but mainly an infamous murderer, Jack the ripper. This brutal murderer was loose on the streets of London attacking vulnerable women savagely with a sharp, long-bladed weapon, this panicked many women due to the fact that the police’s methods were seen as inefficient; therefore would rarely solve the cases by catching the ruthless villains. Many Victorians had little if no faith for the police in London, as they did not appear to be protecting the public. On the other hand, Holmes, who is an excellent detective, is well known for his use of logic and observational understanding to unravel complicated cases. He described himself as a ‘consulting detective’ an expert who is brought in to cases that have proven too difficult for other investigators; we are told that he is often able to solve a problem without leaving his home. This is prodigious as Holmes was actually an amateur detective, not a member of the London police force. The purpose of this essay is therefore to show Holmes character and his relationship with the police. In some cases Holmes breaks the law, in others he does not. One example of when he doesn’t is in Silver Blaze; Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson pay a visit to their old friends the Baskervilles and find themselves in the middle of a mystery involving a missing horse and its dead trainer. Doyle reveals through his writing that Holmes’s character is very egotistical. This is shown many times throughout the story:† I follow my own methods and tell as much or as little as I choose. † Here, Holmes is being very demanding showing that he does not have much respect for other people; this is very shocking as Watson is not only a companion but most importantly a friend too. I think Doyle does this to ensure Holmes is referred to as a very dominant character in addition to being arrogant and making people feel small and unimportant. Doyle through his use of language creates Holmes’s character to have a greater intelligence over the police. Doyle uses sarcasm to show this: â€Å"Inspector Gregory, to whom the case has been committed, is a very competent officer, were he but gifted with the imagination he might rise to great heights during his profession. † This also shows that Holmes has no faith in the inspector in solving the case as Doyle uses the word ‘might’ to show the sarcasm therefore implying that he has no hope for the police in cracking the mystery. This same egotistical behavior towards the police is also repeated later on when Holme’s says â€Å"See the value of imagination; it is the one quality which Gregory lacks. † As this is repeated in his writing it reveals that Doyle is trying to emphasize Holmes’s views of the police as being incompetent. Furthermore, Holmes relationship with the police is very argumentative. Holmes is always mocking the police by acting witty. This is shown when Holmes says† The inspector here has done all that he could possibly be suggested; but I wish to leave no stone unturned in trying to avenge poor Straker, and in recovering my horse. † Doyle uses this sarcastic language to reveal Holmes true disrespectful manner and arrogance towards the police. In addition to that Holmes finds great pleasure in finding the clues way before the police are anywhere near. When the inspector says â€Å"I cannot think how I came to overlook it,† Holmes replies â€Å"I only saw it because I was looking for it! † Doyle, with the use of that language implies that Holmes was actually observing the murder scene, whereas the inspector did not think to do that. To Holmes, using his logic and observational understanding is general common sense, this is one of the reasons how Holmes makes the detectives feel incapable of their job in which they specialize in.

Deconstructing Harry: Harry Truman and the Cold War Essay

Exploring the Impact of Cold War Politics on Executive Order 9981 When President Truman and his adminstartion desegregated the military by Executive Order 9981 in 1948, he was seizing the unique opportunity presented by the changing nature of race and its influence on politics at the close of WWII to elevate the nation above the crippling racism that had permeated its history since Liconln’s failed reconstruction. The authors of Foxholes and Color Lines: also noted that â€Å"a new, more liberal perspective on racial issues gained enough strength within the white general public to become an important element in national culture and political debate during the war years.† The changing attitudes about race in Armed Services after their exposure to European culture after WWII, the changing role of race in foreign policy and the increasingly powerful influence of race on international affairs during the Truman Adminstation compelled Truman to follow the advice of his The re port entitled, â€Å"To Secure These Rights† was issued on 29 October 1947 and detailed the deplorable status of race relations in America at the time. It admitted the failure of ‘separate but equal† tolerated Northern states stood out in prominence and federal intervention was judged the only solution. They recommended federal measures to protect the civil rights of African-Americans in the Post WWII society. Federal intervention in the form of would protect African-Americans from continued disenfranchisement in the Jim Crow south and curtail the renewed lynching activities of the KKK. Truman is also credited with also credited with in iating the legacy of Plessy V Fergusson in public education and federal employment. President Truman’s legislative actions in desegregating the military and federal service set the precedent of active federal protection of civil rights and replacing the memory of the failed Reconstruction Era and is credited with intervention action on the reports legislation n active and mandatory federal When President Truman federally mandated the integration of the Armed Services in 1948 he man y characterized it as the ‘Second Reconstruction’ for this country, but with a reluctant Congress and his blunt, Midwestern persona, the ‘Accidental President’ merely delayed the inevitable zenith of racial tension that erupted in the 1960s. This paper will explore the origins of President Truman’s strong policies on civil rights from the initial report of the Gillem Board in 1945, to his revulsion of the racial violence aimed at returning WWII African-American Service members and the eventual decision to desegregate the Armed Services in 1948. President Truman’s legislative actions ignited a firestorm of social and political backlash led by Southern Democrats. And although he did win his reelection, the stagnate nature of civil rights legislation after Truman left office attests to the fact the he had set a benchmark of laissez-faire commitment concerning civil rights that gave his predecessors political motivation to continue the legacy of Plessy v Ferguson ruling; a ruling in which Congress had made state sponsored racism the law de jour of the land. The moral roots of the man who would come to represent the quintessential ‘Midwestern Democrat’ were planted in Jackson County Missouri. Born o n May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri, he enjoyed the ‘happiest childhood imaginable’ with brother, John Vivian, simply called Vivian, and sister, Mary Jane. The first of three children resulting from the union of John and Martha Ellen Truman, the President was quoted as saying about his father, â€Å"†¦his code was honesty and integrity. His word was good†¦he raised me and my brother to put honor above profit.† And of his mother he says, she â€Å"taught us the moral code†, a lesson that the bespectacled, serious student took to heart. Truman was often â€Å"praised for his ‘excellent character’ during his early school life. In 1917, at the age of thirty-three, Truman was commissioned into the Missouri National Guard’s 129th Field Artillery Regiment, Battery D. There he established a reputation as an exemplary leader with integrity and strong moral character. These traits established the basis of his political and personal supporters throughout his lifetime. President Truman’s liberal views on labor relations in Missouri led to him being ticketed as the ‘Tom and Joe endorsed candi date’ in 1922 Jackson County Court elections. This blatant message, a sign from the KKK, was an attempt to brand the candidate and warn off potential voters. Michael Gardener made especial mention of Truman’s political tussle with the KKK in his book, Harry S. Truman and Civil Rights: Moral Courage and Political Risks, â€Å"The Klan’s opposition to Truman’s candidacy for the county judgeship was later confirmed by the Independence Examiner of November 6, 1922, which reported that ‘men stood Sunday morning at the doors of several protestant Churches in Independence as the people were leaving after the service and passed out pink â€Å"Sample Ballots.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ It was the Ku Klux Klan ballot.† Klansmen from as far away as Kansas City used scare tactics and violence to intimidate black voters; and although Truman narrowly defeated his opponent against horrible opposition and violent Klan activity, these acts forever soured Truman’s appetite for organized racism in the political process and the violence that hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan represented. Leaving Independence in 1934 as a candidate for the Senate, Truman announced, â€Å"If the Almighty God decides that I go there I am going to pray as King Solomon did, for wisdom to do the job.† The country was already wedged tight between the rock of the Depression and the looming hard place of War World II, when Senator Truman arrived in Washington, but things were starting to look up for civil rights legislation. President Roosevelt had issued The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, a major new development in race relations in regards to military service for African-Americans. This new act specifically banned â€Å"discrimination against any person on account of race or color.† Truman also witnessed Executive Order 8802, The Fair Employment Act, legislative action aimed at obtaining civil rights for minorities and women in a federal workplace. The Fair Employment Act banned racial discrimination in hiring for any industry that received a government contract r elated to defense. This allowed African-Americans and women were hired at the start of the war as the result. But while all these acts called for legislative nulling of Plessy V Ferguson, the consensus of white America was still firmly attached to the idea of ‘separate but equal’. In 1944 Truman was ‘flabbergasted’ at the idea of being nominated for Vice-President and initially denied the nomination, preferring to stay in the Senate. In Truman’s words, obtained from an oral history recorded by Hillman, Roosevelt’s response was, â€Å"Well if he wants to let the Democratic Party and the country down in the midst of a war that is his responsibility.† Unbeknownst to anyone, Truman would be in the unhappy position of Vice-President for less than 90 days with the sudden death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt from a stroke on April 12, 1946. The ‘accidental’ President Truman told reporters, â€Å"I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the p lanets had fallen on me.† As President Truman abruptly ended the war, America was enjoying the ‘boom’ portion of the boom-bust cycle of the American economy. But wartime gains lead to peacetime reversals of fortunes and the threat of rising inflation, labor shortages, and an Anti-New Deal Congress made President Truman’s job of balancing the economic concerns of rural America and industrial America extremely difficult. The War Mobilization and Reconversion Act of 1944 was passed with provisions for keeping the country on stable economic footing, but Truman was not satisfied, â€Å"I feel it my duty to draw attention to the fact that the bill does not adequately deal with the human side of reconversion.† And it hadn’t, as many returning African-American soldiers that had joined through the Selective Service where now considered obsolete in their military service. The Ku Klux Klan also experienced a revival of support in Jim Crow South as enlightened Black soldiers returned from life in Europe unencumbered by the crippling racism of the United States. In faraway places like Germany and France, they were considered equals fighting for the cause of right and they were unwilling to give those liberties back after their service was finished. But the Klan would have none of that and racial violence increased in an effort to terrorize Southern blacks back into pre-War submission. The slayings of US soldiers on the heels of the allied victory over communism disturbed Truman greatly and despite his personal feelings toward race, he would always favor equality for all men. It must be made clear that although Truman wanted, â€Å"fairness, equality before the law† for all citizens, social equality for African-Americans was not addressed at this time. He viewed the victory in WWII as a victory of freedom over oppression yet we still had oppressed people in our own backyard. The hypocrisy wasn’t missed by Truman, his administration or the American public. But even with that said, without the support of Congress he had no choice but to force sensitive legislation on a war weary nation. Truman first tried to address civil rights by balancing the needs of the military with the rights of African American soldiers. His strategy was to use a series of committees convened to specifically locate problems of racial inequality within the military itself. Truman’s goal was to initiate positive steps toward equality within the captive audience of a significant portion of the population i.e. the Armed Services. The Gillem Board, created in 1946 and headed by then Secretary of War, Robert P. Patterson was charged with finding’ â€Å"a definite and workable policy for the utilization of Negro troops in the postwar military e stablishment.† The Armed Services had been woefully unprepared for the sheer volume of black soldiers that enlisted in WWII and keeping units racially segregated during peacetime was an inefficient undertaking. The recommendations from the Gillem Board were delivered on 16 Jan 1946, with the â€Å"†¦ultimate objective the effective use of all manpower made available to the military establishment†¦without regard to antecedent or race.† With the executive order and the establishing of the Fahy Committee, which had oversight of military desegregation, the process of integration began and then all hell broke loose. In February of the same year, Isaac Woodard had his sight taken by a South Carolina Sherriff in one of the most unspeakable acts of racial violence ever witnessed. Isaac Woodard was traveling home after his discharge from the Army on 12 February 1946 when he was taken off a Greyhound bus in Batesburg South Carolina and beaten by police after being accused of talking back to the bus driver. Woodard was told, â€Å"Boy, go on back and sit down and keep quiet and don’t be talking out so loud.† His reply â€Å"God damn it, talk to me like I’m talking to you. I’m a man just like you,† The sheriff charged with the crime was eventually acquitted by an all-white jury but President Truman and African-American soldiers had enough. Michael Gardner notes that, â€Å"Polls indicated that 85 percent of Americans saw need for Federal action†¦Congressional approval for new laws was impossible because of Southern Congressional influence. President Truman was given no choice but to act by executive order if he had any hopes of reversing this trend to toward apathetic acceptance of racial violence in the Deep South. On July 30, 1946, the Justice Department was instructed to â€Å"proceed with all its resources to investigate crimes of oppression so as to ascertain if any Federal statute can be applied.† And President Truman preceded full bore to desegregate the military by forming President’s Committee on Civil Rights. â€Å"The legislative job of the President is especially important to the people who have no special representatives to plead their cause before Congress and that includes the great majority†¦The other twenty million are able to employ people to represent them and that’s all right, its the exercise of the right of petition but someone has to look after the interests of the one hundred and fifty million that are left.† The report ultimately decides â€Å"to end immediately all discrimination and segregation based on race, color, creed or national origin in†¦all branches of the Armed Services.† And by 1948 President Truman ordered the immediate desegregation of the armed Service. The political backlash was immediate and harsh. The Army would ultimately try and circumvent the ruling Secretary of the Army Kenneth Royall is noted as sa ying â€Å"segregation in the Army must go,† but not immediately. Southern Democrats or Dixiecrats, at the National convention were so offended by the idea that many walked out of the convention in support of Strom Thurmond. President Truman’s decision to integrate the services was not fully realized until well after his executive order. In fact two years after his decision, the Fahy committee was still arguing the merits of an integrated service and America’s political leaders were taking carful note of voters and polls in the wake of Executive Order 9981. Despite the political suicide these orders represented President Truman proceeded with his cause of equality. His legacy in the civil rights movement gave the NAACP and others the legal foothold o challenge the powers that be in the 1960s and he has subsequently been heralded as on the greatest Presidents in American history. Praise for his courage and tenacity in pursuit of equal rights has been a longtime coming. Truman could never have imagined he would lead the nation out of WWII with the bombing of Hiroshima and into a new day of civil rights activism with the desegregation of the Armed Services before leaving office in 1952. President Truman had faced the centrifugal and centripetal forces surrounding his introduction of Civil Rights legislation with steely-eyed determination and caustic wit. His trademarked, â€Å"If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.† sums up his attitude toward dissenters quite nicely. And although he did achieve the goal many African-Americans wanted at the end of WWII, much of Truman’s legislation is responsible for delaying the violence that he surely anticipated to erupt in the US. In of civil rights offences that culmination violence until the Freedom Summer of 1964 may have been able to stave of the later race riots of the 1960s d he stands as a model for a true man of the people president. But when it comes to changing a nation’s heart and consciences it is sometimes more than a mere mortal can do, even if he is the President, Hillman says, â€Å"He had achieved less in civil rights than he had hoped, but he had created the epoch-making Commission on Civil Rights, ordered the desegregation of the armed services and federal Civil Service, and done more than any President since Lincoln to awaken American conscience to the issues of Civil Rights. Bibliography Belknap, Michal R., ed. Civil Rights, the White House, and the Justice Department, 1945 – 1968. Vol. 3, Integration of the Armed Forces. New York: Garland Publishing, 1991. Berman, William C. The Politics of Civil Rights in the Truman Administration. N.p.: Ohio State University Press, 1970. Bernstein, Barton J., ed. Politics and Policies of the Truman Administration. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1970. Bernstein, Barton J., and Allen J. Matusow, Eds. The Truman Administration: A Documentary History. New York: Harper & Row, 1966. Cochran, Bert. Harry S Truman and the Crisis Presidency. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1973. Dalfiume, Richard M. Desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces: Fighting on Two Fronts, 1939- 1953. Columbia, University of Missouri Press, 1969. Donovan, Robert J. Conflict and Crisis: The Presidency of Harry S Truman, 1945 – 1948. New York: W. W. Norton, 1977. ———.Tumultuous Years: The Presidency of Harry S Truman, 1949 – 1953. New York: W. W. Norton, 1982. Ferrell, Robert H. Truman: A Centenary Remembrance. London: Thames and Hudson, 1984. ———., ed. Dear Bess: The Letters from Harry to Bess Truman, 1910 – 1959. New York: W. W. Norton, 1983. ———., ed. Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1997. Frederickson, Kari. The Dixiecrat Revolt and the End of the Solid South, 1932 – 1968. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001. Gardner, Michael R. Harry Truman and Civil Rights: Moral Courage and Political Risks. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 2002. Gerhardt, James M. The Draft and Public Policy: Issues in Military Manpower Procurement, 1945 – 1970. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1971. Giangreco, D. M., and Kathryn Moore, Eds. Dear Harry: The Truman Administration Through Correspondence with â€Å"Everyday Americans.† Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 1991 Gullan, Harold I. The Upset That Wasn’t: Harry S Truman and the Crucial Election of 1948. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1998. Hamby, Alonzo L.ed. Harry S Truman and the Fair Deal. Lexington, Mass.: D. C. Heath and Co., 1974. Hechler, Ken. Working with Truman: A Personal Memoir of the White House Years. New York: P. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1982. Horton, David, ed. Freedom and Equality: Addresses by Harry Truman. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1960. Lacey, Michael J., Ed. The Truman Presidency. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989. Lawson, Steven F. Running for Freedom: Civil Rights and Black Politics in America Since 1941. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991. ———., ed. To Secure These Rights: The Report of President Harry S. Truman’s Committee on Civil Rights. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. MacGregor, Morris J., Jr. Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940 – 1965. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History, 1981. McCullough, David. Truman. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. Mershon, Sherie, and Steven Schlossman. Foxholes & Color Lines: Desegregating the U.S. Armed Forces. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Miller, Earle. Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman. New York: Berkley Publishing, 1973. Mitchell, Franklin D. Harry S. Truman and the News Media: Contentious Relations, Belated Respect. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1998. National Archives and Records Service, ed. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Harry S. Truman. 8 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1961-68. Phillips, Cabell. The Truman Presidency: The History of a Triumphant Succession. New York: Macmillan Co., 1966.

Idependent research Study (Proposal) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Idependent research Study (Proposal) - Essay Example However, there is increasing evidence that consumers are affected more strongly by their interaction with staff members within the hotel industry than through their exposure to promotional marketing and make future purchasing decisions based on this previous experience within the hotel brand. Why is this of interest to today’s marketers? Employees are only going to provide superior service when they are content with their environment. If the hotel is structured improperly or does not improve the morale of workers, they are likely not going to be as devoted to their job role tasks in the degree expected by corporate policy. Employee satisfaction would seem to be of high concern to the hotel industry due to the fact that consumers often come face-to-face with employees during a periodic or long-term stay in the hotel brand. When customers reflect on their visit, they conduct what is referred to in marketing as a post-purchase evaluation. In this evaluation, they are likely to assess not only the tangible factors such as aesthetic appeal or the comfort of the mattress, they are going to consider how they interacted and were treated by the service staff. Specific individuals will likely be remembered over others based on the level of quality of this interaction. Post- purchase evaluation is part of the general consumer profile after making a purchase, therefore making a good impression the first time is a key business success strategy for positive service delivery. This independent research project explores the relation of employee satisfaction on overall service delivery, specifically attempting to discover how reduced satisfaction can adversely impact the consumers’ perception of quality and value. In what ways does reduced employee satisfaction cause future sales problems with hotel brands in achieving success in positive service delivery. To discover: In what ways does reduced employee satisfaction impact service delivery in the

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 39

Reflection paper - Essay Example It is advisable to peruse through the assignment severally capturing words key like; evaluate, discuss, and classify. Being able to keep such words in mind while doing the assignment ensures that the student is aware of the task at hand (Head Web). It is worthy to note, in the absence of these keywords, and rather the instructions are to write a research paper. Then the course professor wants the student to give an argument and try to back it up. Secondly, it is advisable for the student to note down whatever they know about the research topic. It will enable them identify gaps in their knowledge that can in turn assist in establishing reliable sources (Head Web). Students face challenge when looking for sources and understanding it. They may misunderstand a source and fail while evaluating it in relation to the study topic. Moreover, students should be able to identify authors bias in source materials clearly. Third, researching should begin early, and students should never delay writing. Student could be taking several courses, and they might find it appropriate to delay long project and concentrate on more immediate ones. The student should strive to manage time effectively at this stage. After compiling all the research material there, is the temptation to postpone the actual writing and some weeks before the assignment is due. It would be wise to start writing an essay as the research process goes on. Fourth, students have to ensure that all the material compiled from other writers work need proper paraphrasing in students word. In some cases, students might misrepresent an idea sourced from another writer and find it difficult expressing the authors original ideas. There is the challenge of plagiarism while trying to integrate cited material into the paper. Fifth, it is recommended to take a break from working on the paper after writing the first draft. Going back to the draft, student should ensure; that the main points

Microtubules Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Microtubules - Essay Example aments, which demonstrate diverse turnover rates, are closely associated with actin binding proteins which differ, and it has been postulated that they determine the differences in turnover rates. This plasticity of the internal structure of the actins is responsible for the difference in filament turnover rates in different cellular locations. This is accomplished through direct control of the filament stability and through modulation of protein binding affecting the stability of the filaments (Kueha et al., 2008). These, therefore, are mechanoskelatal proteins which convert energy released by hydrolysis of ATP or from ion gradients and generate mechanical forces. The most important feature of these proteins that while they bind, they carry their own cargo, and hence movement at a specific direction of this protein as a result of microtubular shortening would result in movement of the cargo from one location to the other within the cell. This allows an avenue of movement of the cellular proteins to the target area where further chemical reaction may take place. Thus, this is an example of accessory protein which in association with the cellular microtubules can cause sliding movement between the microtubules that are adjacent and at the same time causes movement of the cytoplasmic particles along a single microtubule to its target (Gibbon, 1988). Recent studies on accessory proteins associated with microtubules demonstrate that cytosolic dyneins are associated with retrograde transmission of intraxonal vesicles within neural tissues, and the forward motion of such vesicles is effected by another accessory protein, namely, kinesins. At the same time, within the brain neural tissues accessory proteins have been located which vary in molecular weights and binding... This essay focuses on the discussion of the microtubules, that on the molecular level comprise of tubulin molecules, which in turn are a heterodimer comprising of globular polypeptides, alpha and beta tubulin which are closely related and tightly linked. Many cellular functions are controlled by these microtubules which essentially are mediated through polymerisation and depolymerisation, which are controlled by nucleotide GTP. Following synthesis, there are molecular rearrangements within these microtubules are stabilized with accessory proteins, which are specific for particular tubulin. In this assignment from different cellular examples, these interactions between the specific accessory proteins and the microtubule molecular structure will be examined in order to describe the structures and functions of these specific accessory proteins. It has been demonstrated in the essay, that within the cell, there is continuous modification of microtubules which is conferred through a proce ss of binding to other proteins. These are known as microtubule associated proteins or accessory proteins. The two main roles that these microtubule-accessory protein complexes perform are stabilization of the microtubular molecular structure against disassembly and more importantly mediation of their interactions with other components of the cell. The most significant and ubiquitous protein associated are ATPases which transduce energy also known as microtubule motor proteins which induce a sliding between adjacent microtubules.

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Strategic Management - Essay Example Primark has been a retailing giant in the fashion industry that has over a few years been successful. Some of its strategies have over the years included effective marketing to specific targets across Europe. Primark’s target market is mostly the fashion sensitive age group which is basically people with the age below thirty five years of age. They also deal mostly with brand names that are minor, which translates to cheap quality fashionable trends. They have maintained their market by providing the same product of the same quality at a lower price than their competitor provide. This accompanied with the effective management of response and delivery mechanisms has ensured that Primark has maintained its competitive and reliability position in the European market. Their computerised warehouse controls and an effective efficient distribution networks has made sure that Primark stays top notch in customer satisfaction. With the current technological capability, social life has b een incorporated with the business aspect of running things. Companies have been compelled to adapt social media and the use of the internet to provide their services. Marketing and advertising have been forced to tap into the high usage of internet to make a large profit. With just under three billion people using the internet and over two billion people using smart phones, companies have resolved to a paradigm shifts. Some retail and distributing stores have moved from slightly depending on the internet to full dependence of the internet for all their services. Companies like Amazon and eBay who are also giant retailers have completely depended on online shoppers successfully for their sales. Primark has been reluctant to adapt to this marketing and sales strategies but has just kept the traditional walk in stores. This habit is however facing a challenge as more people change their shopping habit coupled with the various technological products that arise in the market. With Prima rk’s main target being people who are below thirty-five years of age, they are bound to adjust and shift into providing online shopping solutions for their clients. This is because it is estimated that the highest number of internet users are people who are below the age of thirty five years. This brings Primark head to head in confrontation and demand from its customers. With the global penetration of internet use, coupled with the increase in the use of mobile devices especially smart phones also creates the necessity to Primark of adoption an online shop. The demand in the usage of these solutions provides a huge market in the retail sector. Another factor that might make it inevitable for Primark to adopt the online retail shop is the use of social media marketing and internet marketing. Over one, half of Europe’s population has one or two active social media accounts. The usage of mobile phones and tablets has been very addictive and convenient at the same time. A large number of people rarely get the time to walk around, let alone spend time with their families. Online jobs and jobs that demand regular travelling or jobs which have squeezed time schedules create least chances for shopping to the affected people. This drives away all the interested clients that might have purchased the said products. Providing such clients with an alternative shopping model enables them to purchase the products online at any time. This not only stops the retailer from losing

Clinical uses Ganoderma Lucidum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clinical uses Ganoderma Lucidum - Research Paper Example Ganoderma lucidum is of clinical benefit in cancer and its studies in animals have shown that it prevents the spread of the carcinoma to sites other than its site of origin as well as it leads to a reduction in the size of the tumor. Furthermore, its additional role in the prevention of angiogenesis has also been noted in the clinical studies. Trials in human beings suffering from cancers have revealed that it enhances the quality of living by improving the immune status of these individuals. Trials of derivatives of Ganoderma lucidum for infections caused by bacteria and viruses have also proven to show the benefits in relieving diseases caused by these pathogens. An example is the relief achieved by patients suffering from post-herpetic pain which is relieved after the intake of an extract of Ganoderma lucidum. It is also known to have an effect in lowering the blood glucose levels and hence it is effective for patients suffering from diabetes mellitus. Ulcers of the stomach as wel l as injurious effects of chemicals to the liver are known to heal following the usage of Ganoderma lucidum (Benzie & Wachtel-Galor 2011). Ganoderma lucidum is an effective therapeutic agent that is being used since many years. It has been proven to be of advantage in diseases ranging from cancers in the human body and diabetes mellitus to bacterial and viral

Diamond's Argument that Agriculture Is Connected to Government Essay

Diamond's Argument that Agriculture Is Connected to Government - Essay Example As there is not a historically accurate record of regions such as Africa, the insinuation of beliefs upon those societies that are known to have existed can put into question the assumptions that have been made by modern archeological conclusions. It is likely; however, that as human history has shown a certain consistency that the emergence and existence of agriculture has been associated with the development of government. The argument that Diamond puts forth about the relationship of government to agriculture is more than likely an accurate assessment of the development of the agricultural sciences in prehistoric city-states. The growth of agriculture in areas that were highly populated can be described through a series of common sense assumptions. The first assumption that one might make is that because there were a larger than common gathering of people, the need for food production was such that larger forms were needed to accommodate all of the population. Therefore, small exa mples of growing food or creating a harvest of some sort were expanded to create a larger form of food production. Need drove the development of the production of food. ... lowed for more interactive innovations for tools and agricultural knowledge, the inhabitants of larger cities would have a greater capacity for developing more technologically advanced agricultural practices than less populated regions of the world. Mesopotamia experienced the first rise of a city in Uruk where intellectual development advanced the knowledge that existed through innovation and thought with evidence of writing and art lends credence to the development of sophistication in the region. Agriculture benefited from controlled methods of sowing and the development of the plow which was pulled by oxen. The description of Mesopotamian agriculture is not that different from that of North America in the 17th century as the emergence of a new population was provided for through historic knowledge of growing methods. The development of irrigation methods supported the needs of the plants to grow, the control over the environment supporting the needed application of nature to inte ntion so that crops were controlled and the desired amount of food could be relatively depended upon.1 When comparing the Mesopotamian emergence of agricultural control to that of the Mesoamerican emergence of crops, one can see that the development of technology was a made a distinct difference. The institution of trade and the need for civilizations to develop a way in which to distribute resources to minimize the impact of the unpredictability of local resources provided stimulation for the development of higher levels of technology to facilitate that need.2 In creating an economy in which distribution is at the core, there is a need to create a unique enough resource with which to create a trade. It may be that agriculture was developed in Mesoamerica created advancements in their

Reality TV (Black Musical Artist) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reality TV (Black Musical Artist) - Essay Example The reality television genre has really exploded since the original writers’ strike caused FOX to start airing episodes of â€Å"COPS,† and earlier, when PBS made its inquiries into the American family dynamic. In any case, it seems safe to say that reality TV is here to stay a genre, and is currently often being combined with the music industry, exemplified by the abovementioned African-American pop divas (and occasionally their siblings). Monica, perhaps most famous musically for her breakthrough single â€Å"Just 1 of Those Things,† can be found on reality TV on the BET network, in â€Å"Monica: Still Standing.† This is a show about female empowerment, struggle, and the ins and outs of the music industry. In the show, Monica struggles mainly with fame and the increasing expectations of her fans, although she also has to balance, as a modern woman, her career and her family. The show is very realistic about the drama Monica undergoes when she has to bala nce her personal life, her past run-ins with the law and dangerous people, and the present stresses of her fame. The show provides an empowering role model for African-American women, rather than focusing on a sexualized or objectified image of femininity. Also on BET, â€Å"Tiny and Toya† is another reality series focusing on a famous African-American female musician, Tiny, and Toya, who is the ex-wife of famous and currently-jailed rapper Lil Wayne.

Overview of the UK Sugar Market From the Case Study Assignment

Overview of the UK Sugar Market From the Case Study - Assignment Example The main source of revenue for UK confectionery market is jellies and gum sector, which accounted for over 28% of the market values. In terms of value, this sector amounted to $ 633 millions worthiness in the year 2003. Despite being a leading position, both gum and jellies segments outperformed by medicated sector. On the other hand, hard-boiled sweets segment generated the second largest revenue reaching $528 billions, which was equivalent to 23% of the overall market value. In the UK, sugar confectionary sector is fragmented, with two companies winning a market share in double figure. Nestle UK and Cadbury Trebor Bassett which are the market leaders, where as Master-foods, Adams, Dunhill’s, Haribo confectionery and Bendicks, all are in stronger positions. John Foster Ltd manufactures a range of products ranging from the basic ingredients to complete meals, which are savory, dietetic, sweet and infant foods. The company also has growing interest in pet care, pharmaceuticals and beverages. In addition, John Foster Ltd other brands in the market include, Fruit gums, Jelly-tots, Raw-trees, and polo as well as fruit pastilles. Even with the emergence of sweeteners in the entire market, sugar has remained to be the most widely consumed caloric food in this country. Its exceptional value for improving health becomes so evident everyday, especially when it is being used in the refined form. The economies of scale which is afforded by international resources of this leading sugar industry makes it increasingly hard for smaller national players to compete effectively in terms of distribution, price marketing spend and range of product. According to Euromonitor (2003) he attributes this increase to leading... This paper stresses that the art of forecasting for the future has always been a human attribute as human beings are thinking individually. In essence, a project can easily be captured on the paper with a few elements i.e. the commencement date, termination date, the tasks that must be undertaken and when should they be finished bas well as some ideas of resources which will be required during the course of the project. This essay makes a conclusion that control is therefore, referred to a device mechanism that is used to guide or regulate the operation of the system. All organizations including sugar firms use controls to regulate their individual business processes which include finance, production and distribution. This control helps the organization to correct and restrain a typical behavior, reduce and prevent the spread of errors. Control is described as solitary of the four fundamental functions of the management that includes planning, organizing and coordinating Merchant and Kenneth (2011). It is used to evaluate performance and monitor progress of the entire business. Controls are implemented through technology, internal controls, culture and social structure. It is the corporate structure that establishes appropriate internal process management and financial control. In addition, board of directors of the company has to set out corporate governance guidelines so as provide framework in or der for management as well as the board to operate efficiently and effective together to achieve the stated company objective.

Historically Australian Indigenous Art Is Often Politically or Spiritually Motivated Essay Example for Free

Historically Australian Indigenous Art Is Often Politically or Spiritually Motivated Essay Historically Australian art is often politically or spiritually motivated. This statement is proved by a number of indigenous Australian artists including, Nellie Nakamarra Marks, who uses traditional techniques and motives to relay her spirituality, and Tony Albert, who recontextualises mainstream items, to create a postmodern collection, challenging the idea of stereotypical representations in mainstream culture. All spiritual beliefs in Aboriginal culture relate back to the idea of creation and dreaming. The dreaming is the ongoing cultural and spiritual progression that informs identity and knowledge, which is expressed through traditional indigenous art. This reflects a spiritual connection to the land, which is represented by signs and symbols as well as other various techniques, which are unique to traditional indigenous art. Signs and symbols can represent a particular location, object or landmark, or a particular story or totem that would be specific to a particular tribe, corroboree or dreamtime story. In traditional indigenous artworks, there is no perspective or fixed vanishing points for landscape artworks because indigenous Australians do not see their environment as a landscape, but their particular world and universe. They create a concept of place by using signs and symbols to create a map-like artwork, which represents their particular ‘world’ and universe. Essentially, traditional indigenous Australian artists are painting their spirituality, by expressing their connection to the land through signs, symbols and their world. Nellie Nakamarra Marks is a traditional indigenous artist, from the east of Kintore in the Northern Territory. In her work Kalipinypa, there is no set pattern and everything is connected which suggests her spiritualty and connection with the land. Her use of the traditional form of dot painting for her particular area of the Central Desert Region symbolises her world as she sees it, and how she heard about it through stories. In the middle of the right hand side there is lack of colour, which could symbolise a particular place that has particular spiritual significance. The dark shapes also look like leaves, which could represent the end of season and the coming of autumn, which is supported by the deep, vibrant colours in the painting. The colours also represent her region and place in Australia. The many different varieties of the same shapes could symbolise diversity within their own tribe, as well as the different shapes and movements of the land. The purpose of this artwork is to educate and pass on a particular story to younger generations. Postmodern art challenges mainstream ideas, which usually creates a political or social statement about modern society. Contemporary indigenous art in particular would be classified as postmodern because the artists are communicating their feelings and thoughts about certain aspects of society in modern Australia, which in turn, challenges some pre conceived notions about indigenous Australians in today’s society. These particular works by Tony Albert are postmodern, because he recontextualises items from recent history, that were used to create an unrealistic connection between White Australia and indigenous Australia in the 50’s and 60’s, to challenge history, both politically and socially. Tony Albert’s collection recycles kitsch black velvet paintings produced in Australia in the 1950’s and 1960’s. These velvet paintings were very popular in the last fifty years as home decorations, and like many objects from this period, they were characterized by their depictions of Aboriginal people as simple folk. These ornaments enabled white Australians of the time to have a distant and unrealistic connection to indigenous people. Albert recontextualises these paintings by introducing stenciled slogans to the paintings to create a complex and identifiable character. He uses the languages of politics and pop culture to reconnect the artworks with modern Australia and therefore reality. These slogans reclaim the faces of the aboriginals, transferring them from helpless and cute, to bold and complex, which asserts a modern identity and sense of self. This makes the characters more personal, which then creates a connection between the viewer and the subject that is mimicked throughout the collection. The slogans are derived from pop songs, nursery rhymes, advertising, political speeches and life stories, which has launched these velvet paintings into a new identity, which enables the viewer to connect with the characters beyond a stereotyped context. The generic and common velvet paintings have become empowered and personalized, asserting a new sense of self, which makes this collection truly compelling. This collection by Tony Albert, addresses the issue of stereotypical representations of indigenous Australians in mainstream culture. He challenges this present and historic issue of cultural alienation and displacement experienced by Indigenous Australians by appropriating slogans and recontextualising them to create a sense of lost identity and estrangement. Through the use of many different mediums, Aboriginal artists are motivated by their spirituality or political standpoint to produce art. This is shown by Nellie Nakamarra Marks, who is motivated by her connection to the land and her spirituality, and Tony Albert, who was trying to communicate the stereotypical views of indigenous Australians in mainstream culture. Kalipinypa – NELLIE NAKAMARRA MARKS Acrylic on linen, 90? 90cm Kalipinypa – NELLIE NAKAMARRA MARKS Acrylic on linen, 90? 90cm.

Developing a Learning Organizational Culture

Developing a Learning Organizational Culture ABSTRACT Employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits their work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and Development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective there is need for flexibility which is required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles while enhancing a good organizational learning culture. This paper therefore contributes to the debate by analyzing in detail the creation of a learning organizational culture We also examine the methodologies that enable us to show that even successful organizations do not always implement best practice Human Resource Management, and that there is frequently a discrepancy between intention and practice. conclusion at the individual and directorial levels are intricate and often contradictory; we question the extent to which it is possible or meaningful to attempt to measure the interrelationship between Human resources management, at the level of the formal system, and organizational performance, without taking into consideration the role played by the informal organization in the process and implementation of Human resources training. Introduction The human resource field takes a clear view of workers, supercilious that almost all wish to contribute to the enterprise productively, and that the main hindrance to their actions are lack of knowledge, insufficient training, and failures of process. Human resource management is seen as a more inventive aspect of workplace management other than the traditional approach. It results to the managers of an enterprise expressing their goals with specificity in order to be understood and undertaken by the workforce, providing the resources needed for them to successfully accomplish their assignments. As such, Human Resource management techniques, when properly practiced, are expressive of the goals and operating practices of the enterprise overall. Human Resource management is also seen by many to have a key role in continuous trainings of employees. The employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits there work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective the flexibility required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles (Adler 1997, p.13) Development and training The aim of the development function of human resources maintenance is to ensure that personnel are adequately trained to enable them to be capable to fulfil their goals, as well as to contribute to enhabnced performance and growth with their work . The development of employees can be regarded as a special field of human resource management that includes planned individual learning, education, organization development, career development and training. Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Preparation and growth can fluctuate from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization (Armstrong 1996, pp. 220 -221). To maximize training effectiveness, it is important to consider how employees learn most effectively. Culture as a factor has a strong impact on training practices in different parts of the world. For example, in the USA, where power distance is small, the interaction between the trainer and employees appears to be equal. The trainer and employees use first names, and the employees therefore feel free to challenge what the trainer says. In another country outside the USA like Malaysia, power distance is large, a trainer receives greater respect from the employee. The trained employees use his/ her surname and title, and he/ she is an expert that students rarely challenge. Defining a Learning Culture A learning tradition can be defined as an organization that knows how to learn, with people who freely share what they know and are willing to change based on the acquisition of new knowledge. Undoubtedly, one of the most significant rudiments of a learning culture are high quality, sound learning programs that are evaluated not only for their effectiveness but also for their potential for really making a difference. That kind of communal appraisal is a self-check on the worth of the program and whether its being endorsed and supported. Organizations that simply make public large catalogs of training courses without consulting their clients or assessing their unique needs exhibit more of a course culture — the more courses, the better — than a learning culture. Instructors that are content only to make public a large e-learning course catalog, and not much more, will be less likely too be seen as business problem-solvers (Galaghan, 1991, p. 43). An extra suggestion of a high-quality education society is higher-ranking management support — and Im not just talking about words, but long-term funding. For learning to hold base, senior executives must do extra than just endorse learning; they must embrace it and become users themselves. This will make them good role representation for the rest of the institute. Good learning traditions involve an savings in good learning depth and evaluation. Its serious to demonstrate that learning makes a variation and that its benefits are not simply conjecture. Some organizations that are just paying attention on plan and liberation tend to miss out on the front end (needs assessment) and the back end (evaluation), which are very culturally specific. Good learning traditions go out of classroom and out of the instructional mode to become involved in the workplace. If the staff gets two or three weeks of instruction a year, thats pretty good. But what is their responsibility for the remaining parts of the weeks? They didnt stop learning; theyre learning on the job. So the ease by which the workforce contacts information, form communities of performance, and use performance support to learn and improve their performance in the workplace is a sign of a good learning culture. An additional attribute of an education tradition is how well and how thoroughly we integrate front-line supervisors into our learning strategy. Do they commend whatsoever training the workers call for but not pay any attention to outcomes, or are they integrally involved in developing their people? Then theres the whole performance assessment and performance analysis scheme. To what degree is learning truly included and embroidered, and to what extent are employees encouraged in the review process to teach one another and share their knowledge? This is where it becomes very important to review not just whether the employee took the requisite number of hours or the requisite number of courses. That becomes very mechanical. Workers — above all managers — have to be weighed up on their coaching and support for learning. Executives must assume that liveliness comes in large part from learning and growing. They must actually consider about their own â€Å"knowledge measure† (their curiosity in, and capacity for, learning new things) and the learning quotient of their employees. Also, a learning society cannot give confidence to knowledge hoarding, but slightly knowledge sharing. If I know that Im going to be rated on the known, why would I share information with someone else — which would give them an advantage in the appraisal system, especially with companies that rate on a curve? If I come up with a brilliant idea and share it with everybody, I should get credit for sharing it, even though the idea then would not be to my exclusive benefit. The blueprint of a outcome evaluation scheme has to equal any kind of required rating and ranking with criteria that focuses on knowledge-sharing, learning and teamwork (Arthur 1994, p. 298). Creating a Learning Organization A learning organization can be described as one that is able to inspire commitment, and cultivate a culture of discovering and acquiring knowledge and experience for continued growth, development and success. The organizational learning process requires some relatively permanent change in behavior of its workers that results in continuous capability to adapt and change as the market, clients or environmental demands. To tackle these changes requires a strong commitment from management and often a significant shift in organization culture. One of the biggest challenges in moving toward the learning model is convincing and enabling employees to develop new ways of thinking about how things are smartly done. To be a learning organization also demands an open culture where information is shared, interdependence is high, collaboration is the norm, and achievement of the organization mission or vision is pursued with cooperation and open-mindedness ( Hofstede 1991, p. 304). A commitment to such a challenging level must offer tangible outcomes. The learning organization can also on the other hand have some distinct advantages, the most significant being the ability to respond to major change much more quickly than a more traditional organization. As well, learning organizations are more likely to embrace processes of systematic problem solving, and to focus on creating new ideas and solutions to optimize outcomes, versus the more traditional approach of trial and error or committing to approaches that have worked in the past. A typical learning organization will learn from past experiences and history, but utilize that experience to pursue more enlightened and future-directed outcomes. The plasticity and compliance intrinsic to a learning institution is determined by the rapid and efficient internal transfer of knowledge. The open culture and communication processes that are indicative of a learning organization are the enablers in this internal knowledg e transfer. Knowledge sharing encourages motivation and commitment from employees, by encouraging employee involvement in the process of creating and developing a learning culture, and by providing continuous constructive feedback ( Huselid 1995). The test for most associations is the shift from a long-established to a learning organization. How does one begin the practice of changing organization ethics, comprising organization acquaintances â€Å"unlearn† the old ways of doing things, and convincing them to embrace a culture that is committed to change, innovation and continuous improvement? The key is a well thought out strategy that is based on an in-depth understanding of the culture, values, market position, and knowledge base across the organization. For advanced organizations to successfully develop continuous learning, they should regard the Initial consultation within the senior leadership team to gain an accurate and detailed view of how the organization functions overall; structure, knowledge base, mission, goals, vision, culture and values, and; the rationale for becoming a learning organization. This information is necessary and invaluable when determining the requirement for and viability of a more detailed needs analysis (Stacey 1996, p. 64). The institutions should also take on a thoroughly need investigation through surveys, focus groups and key stakeholder interviews. It should also undertake a strategic planning and action by senior leaders based upon the in-depth needs analysis. Because contact is serious in organization expansion progression, it is therefore important to ensure all employees are aware of the process, and the targeted outcomes. It is essential to ensure that all employees understand the â€Å"learning organization† concept, the rationale and value, implications for employees, implementation process, and targeted outcomes. Through senior leaders, planning, organization and delivery of information workshops would facilitate provision of survey feedback, â€Å"educate† employees on the â€Å"learning organization† concept, solicit their ideas and concerns and achieve buy-in. An organization should establish a multi-dimensional management development program, which is essential for the successful implementation of a learning organization culture. The two major dimensions of the program would be: a formal management development process with a consulting focus, to prepare managers for their next promotion level, while strengthening performance in their current position and; a dynamic and substantive coaching program developed for each level of management. Both dimensions of the management development program would be aligned with organization mission, vision and goals, and would include a concerted focus on interpersonal skills development, in the learning organization milieu. An evaluation of developmental initiatives, and particularly the management development/coaching process, is necessary, to ensure that the â€Å"learning organization concept† is well entrenched within the organization (Triandis 1995, p. 39). Becoming a Learning Company The aptitude of a corporation to learn, not to be rigid, bright and responsive to sustain itself in the given environment is in the modern world being seen as the only way to manage a competitive advantage. Speculative images of the learning company thrive but there is little research focusing on companies who have actually applied the concepts and made them work. The following case study is concerned with describing a company which has attempted to become a learning organization. Prudential UK The Organization The Company started by giving loans and life insurance to people since 1848. Since then it has become a leading company, as measured by annual premium equivalent sales. Their service has also increased to include annuities, pensions, savings and investments. The company has offered financial services to many enterprises such as Jackson National Life, Prudential Corporation Asia and Egg. Prudential company is found in the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia and has employed over 20,000 people, 7,200 of whom are based in the UK and Mumbai. Globally Prudential Company has assets of 234 billion pounds on behalf of 19 million customers, to whom it promises, â€Å"In an uncertain world, we make it possible for everyone to enjoy a secure future†. The Challenge At the start of the decade the company had to accept a period of profound change to cater for the increasing demands of its highly-competitive and tightly-regulated market. In 2002 the companys leadership team learnt the way it would achieve this in a strategy called the ‘1,000 day plan, the cornerstone of which was best practice in all people policy and procedures. â€Å"We wanted to make sure that we involved our people to transform our business. To do this we harmonised our practices using the People Standard as our benchmark,† says Liane Collins, Human Resources and Learning and Development Operations Consultant. The plan was to provide success and the Standard helped the company to engage its people to succeed. By adopting Andra King from Capital Quality Limited as their external Adviser, the Prudentials aim was to maximise the potential of its people using a number of different tools such as continuous assessment and recognition. Using these tools the y wanted to continue to ensure that their people were at the heart of their business. A further difficulty was to ensure that its workers grasped and applied the brand values to everything they did. â€Å"We are focused to delivering the right services,† explains Liane. â€Å"We want our clients to know that we can be trusted, helpful and easy to deal with. Thats the experience we want them to have. Honest dialogue is the essence of what we believe in.† The Solution Among the first things to be done back at the outset of the 1,000 day plan in 2002 was to align learning materials with a Capability Framework, in which the company outlined the skills it needs to thrive. Since then understanding of the framework has leapt from under 40 per cent to over 90 per cent and there is noticeably more connectivity between company strategy and its people. Having established physical Learning Zones across its head offices in the first year of the plan, the second year saw the company bring learning to each desktop through an online learning management system called Learning Space. As well as providing a way to track learning achievements, it gives access to over 4,000 items of learning material. Nearly every employee has now actively used it, and so has helped put them in control of their own learning and development. At the same time highest achievers were offered access to the Pru University programme, an internal institution designed to develop a group of key managers and specialists committed to achieving our business goals. This concept was extended the following year to an Alumni scheme, allowing those who studied together to work and develop together. A talent management process was also introduced to ensure leaders are properly assessed. â€Å"The Pru University is aimed at influential people, ambassadors and drivers of change, irrespective of grade, who can contribute to the development of the organisation and make a real difference to the business,† says Head of Learning and Development Matthew Starks. More recently the company has started to implement best practice in encouraging healthy lifestyles, which research suggests will reduce the burden of self-reported sickness absence. Although it is too early to say what the results have been, the company estimates that it will lead to a five per cent reduction in absence and a ten per cent reduction in cases of stress reported to Occupational Health. It estimat es that the return will be  £2 for every  £1 spent on the project. The Results Business outcome is usually quantified using performance Indicators (KPIs), an array of measures which come under the headings of cashflow, customer, people, risk and compliance, profit, and shareholder. Absence, employee turnover, and performance remain key human resource measurements that are closely linked to the people indicator. But other variables that are factored include elements drawn from an employee survey and from the Organisation Cultural Index (OCI), a characterisation of a companys culture. Honest dialogue, simplicity and people all close to the companys desired brand values are consistently the highest scoring values, suggesting the aim of developing understanding of these among employees has been successful. Success s due to developments in its Learning, three-quarters of the people now understand how they can access learning and development opportunities and 88 per cent feel personably accountable for their own development. The vast majority of people 98 per cent have also used Learning Space the online learning management system. A group of initiatives has also delivered benefits. Self assessment by managers revealed that the number now rating their knowledge as ‘good has increased from 48 per cent to 92 per cent. Meanwhile an internal audit gave a positive evaluation of the performance review process with 88 per cent of people believing their review meetings to be open, honest and frank. Integrating communications with the strategy has proved an effective approach for Prudential. â€Å"There is now a greater connectivity with the strategy from the top and understanding of why things happen and the connections being made,† says Matthew. As a result one of the primary objectives which include, ensuring understanding of the 1,000 day plan among employees has been achieved. The ‘Living PRU survey found that the percentage of people who said they understood their role within the plan increased from 71 per cent in 2004 to 94 per cent the following year. External recognition has come on a number of levels for the company. Among a survey of 7,500 customers, 90 per cent of them said they were satisfied with the service provided. And on a business level, Prudential is also performing extremely well, posting a 33 per cent rise in pre-tax profits in 2005, well above market expectations. The one thousands day reform process come to an end in October 2005 having inspired a period of profound organisational change and improvement in business performance. One of the most dramatic changes came in June 2003, still the first year of the three year programme, when Prudential opened a $10 million customer service centre in Mumbai, Indias commercial capital. Champion Status To get success is a major endorsement of everything that the company tried to put in place. As Champions, Prudential intended to continue to build on its philosophy of sharing best practice. As well as being involved in forums, the company has worked alongside other organizations, including the Inland Revenue and the Department for Work and Pensions. It shares many of its activities through awards, articles, case studies and benchmarking forums. But, as a Champion the company looks forward to sharing its experience with other employers and showing how involving people in the business is the key to any organizations success. A human resource manager is involved in performance of the following tasks Planning He or she ensures that a firm has the right number and mix of people at the right times and places varying from long-range planning for large, stable companies to short-range crisis planning for thousands of small companies employing low-skilled and low-paid workers. (Haksever p217). In this case human resource, managers have to consider all of the laws that protect against discrimination and all of the requirements that employees must meet for the company. Effective planning by a human resource manager clearly brings accurate results that a company wants .in a case of staffing, understaffing result to result to the drop of the industries economies of scale and field of specialization, information, customers and the attained profits, while Overstaffing is extravagant and expensive, if continual, and it is costly to get rid of because of contemporary legislation in respect of joblessness payments, cons ultation and minimum periods of notice. Significantly, overstaffing reduces the competitive effectiveness of the business. An assessment of current and future needs of the organization has to be evaluated with present and future predicted resources when considering staffing. When proper steps are used in planning, it brings demand and supply into balance. The future demands of a company are influenced by the predictions of the personnel manager, who examine and adjust the simple delivery of the other managerial staff and also recruitments which depends on the following aspects The predictions of Sales and productivity Impact of technological change on job needs Difference in the competence, output, and suppleness of labor as a training result, job study, organizational alteration and new motivations. Renovation in employment performances by the involvement of subcontractors or organization staffs, hiving off tasks, buying in and substitution. Deviation, countering fresh legislation, for example payroll taxes, new health and safety requirements Adjustment in Government policies Logical staffing demands a plan for varying dates in the future which can then be compared with the crude supply schedules. The associations will then show what ladder must be taken to achieve a balance which involves the further preparation of such enrollment, training, or alteration in labor force operation as this will result to a balance in demand and supply (Claude Johannes 1999, p.115). Recruiting A human resource manager is involved in identifying people who could fill positions within the firm and then securing them as applicants. He has to plan a good job picture for the position and a specification of skills and abilities the candidate should have. A potential applicants list is developed from various sources, depending how the human resource manager decides to advertise the job opening. Managers obtain their recruits sources from internal and external sources. Advantages of internal recruiting The members of staff will not have to undergo basic teaching or learning all of the policies of the company. Disadvantages Inbreeding Results to seldom new ideas brought into the company. Jacuis (1975).An external source for recruiting brings into account the opposite of internal recruiting from outside the company. There are many forms of external recruiting. Some include employment agencies, advertising, Internet recruiting, and word of mouth. He is also involved in the recruitment of employees depending on: An examination of the work to be performed through carefully consideration of the errands to be carried out to establish their essentialities written into a career description so that the applicants know what physical and mental distinctiveness applicants must acquire, what traits and attitudes are attractive and what uniqueness are a certain disadvantage. Where substitution is to take effect, imperative questioning of the need to employ at all should be taken into consideration. Human resource managers have to search for recruitments in the following areas: 1.Domestic promotion 2.Careers advisors 3.Boards of university appointment 4.Unemployed agencies 5.Advertising Selecting Of Employees After applications have been confirmed, the human resource manager then begins the selection process basing on undoubtedly established criterion for performance of the job. The request form ought to be intended to discover the applicants skills and abilities for the job performance. The human resource managers choice reason could also be based on testing, interviews, references, and probationary periods of employment. (Simnett 1995, p.56). An effective selection is considered as buying an employee (the price being the wage or salary multiplied by probable years of service) hence the human resource manager has to carefully select to minimize and avoid in competencies in the company firms may involve external specialist consultants for selection of their employees Some small organizations exist to catch the attention of staff with high status from existing employers to the recruiting employer. Training and Development Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Instruction and progress can differ from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization. (Chaffee 1995, p. 46). Preparation in interviewing and in evaluating candidates is clearly crucial to good recruitment. For the most part the former consists of training interviewers how to draw out the interviewee and the latter how to rate the candidates. For consistency (and as a help to checking that) rating often consists of scoring candidates for experience, knowledge, physical/mental capabilities, intellectual levels, motivation, prospective potential, leadership abilities etc. (according to the needs of the post). Relevance of the normal curve of allocation to scoring g ets rid of freak judgments. Aims of Organization for Setting Reward System In Human Resource Management, the employee reward policy is intended to align employees with organizational strategy by providing incentives for employees to act in the firms interest and perform well over time. Anticipation theory carries a clear significance that workers must sense confident that their effort will affect the rewards they receive. Awareness of equity is therefore crucial in an employees judgment to remain and produce valuable work. Equity is a multidimensional construct, embracing external equity (the degree to which a firm pays employees the rate they would find in the external labor market), internal equity (the degree to which a firm differentiates pay between employees on the basis of performance in similar jobs), and individual equity (the degree to which employees are rewarded proportionately to their individual performance). For the reason that the varying strains of performance on human resources in high- velocity companies, perceptions of equity in its three forms may become confused, as job roles and job interdependence become more varied and flexible. Since employees would expect that as their job changes, so will their rewards, designing reward systems in high-velocity environments presents a major challenge to organizations. In high-velocity environments, a premium is placed on individuals who are able to operate in ambiguous circumstances and who are able to take advantage of loose job descriptions provided by their employers. Organizations in faster-moving surroundings are prepared to pay proportionally higher salaries to individuals who have such skills. We would expect, therefore, that emphasis on individually equitable rewards as a means of recruiting and retaining highly capable employees would be required (Farah 1991, p. 340). Employee Rewards Policy amended by the Human Resource Management can be classified under three broad headings: performance-contingent rewards, which explicitly reward through performance outputs; job-contingent rewards, where pay is contingent on job classification; and person-contingent rewards, in which pay is dependent on the competencies a person has (Dean Snell, 1993). Because both output orientation and job categorization may be complex to determine truthfully in high-velocity circumstances, the prospect of person-contingent rewards, which may encourage the values of learning, flexibility, and creativity, would seem to be best suited to fast-changing conditions. In addition, member of staff Reward Policy can be one of the best foundations of control available to a company in its quest to increase organizational performance and effectiveness, yet remain one of the most underutilized and potentially complex tools for driving organizational performance. The significance and diffi culty of connecting reward strategies to industrial goals in a systematic manner has been a recurrent argument in the study in this field, as has the importance and difficulty of linking rewards to the longer-term view (Hambrick Snow, 1989). In recounting the strongest stage of connection the stress has been placed on Lawlers (1990) description of reward processes which are capable of reinforcing the behaviors crucial to business strategy like long-term versus short-term, customer focus versus financial results. Utilizing This involves arranging the employees work to make them both productive and motivated. The factors that determine the effectiveness of human resource utilization include: 1.The structure of the work that provide an opportunity for â€Å"stretch† performance 2.Contribution in verdicts that have a straight forward effect on the persons job 3.Open interactions and fair setting up of assignments 4.Competent supervision and organizational flexibility 5.Economic and non-economic rewards that recognize achievement and equity 6.Opportunity for growth Role of Human Resource Management in Implementing a Learning Organization culture Human resource management has a strong impact on the organizational culture, it contributes a lot in implementing a learning organization because according to Senge, â€Å"the essence of a learning organization is that people are changing, people are developing w Developing a Learning Organizational Culture Developing a Learning Organizational Culture ABSTRACT Employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits their work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and Development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective there is need for flexibility which is required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles while enhancing a good organizational learning culture. This paper therefore contributes to the debate by analyzing in detail the creation of a learning organizational culture We also examine the methodologies that enable us to show that even successful organizations do not always implement best practice Human Resource Management, and that there is frequently a discrepancy between intention and practice. conclusion at the individual and directorial levels are intricate and often contradictory; we question the extent to which it is possible or meaningful to attempt to measure the interrelationship between Human resources management, at the level of the formal system, and organizational performance, without taking into consideration the role played by the informal organization in the process and implementation of Human resources training. Introduction The human resource field takes a clear view of workers, supercilious that almost all wish to contribute to the enterprise productively, and that the main hindrance to their actions are lack of knowledge, insufficient training, and failures of process. Human resource management is seen as a more inventive aspect of workplace management other than the traditional approach. It results to the managers of an enterprise expressing their goals with specificity in order to be understood and undertaken by the workforce, providing the resources needed for them to successfully accomplish their assignments. As such, Human Resource management techniques, when properly practiced, are expressive of the goals and operating practices of the enterprise overall. Human Resource management is also seen by many to have a key role in continuous trainings of employees. The employees of an organization that has a mission of enhancing standards of excellence must have knowledge and skills that best suits there work. This then calls for continuous trainings of employees for an organization to better utilize the existing human resources. Training and development is a major strategy to accomplish this objective. In this perspective the flexibility required to respond effectively to the rapidly changing environment, Human Resource training efforts must enable the employees to perform multiple tasks in multiple roles (Adler 1997, p.13) Development and training The aim of the development function of human resources maintenance is to ensure that personnel are adequately trained to enable them to be capable to fulfil their goals, as well as to contribute to enhabnced performance and growth with their work . The development of employees can be regarded as a special field of human resource management that includes planned individual learning, education, organization development, career development and training. Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Preparation and growth can fluctuate from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization (Armstrong 1996, pp. 220 -221). To maximize training effectiveness, it is important to consider how employees learn most effectively. Culture as a factor has a strong impact on training practices in different parts of the world. For example, in the USA, where power distance is small, the interaction between the trainer and employees appears to be equal. The trainer and employees use first names, and the employees therefore feel free to challenge what the trainer says. In another country outside the USA like Malaysia, power distance is large, a trainer receives greater respect from the employee. The trained employees use his/ her surname and title, and he/ she is an expert that students rarely challenge. Defining a Learning Culture A learning tradition can be defined as an organization that knows how to learn, with people who freely share what they know and are willing to change based on the acquisition of new knowledge. Undoubtedly, one of the most significant rudiments of a learning culture are high quality, sound learning programs that are evaluated not only for their effectiveness but also for their potential for really making a difference. That kind of communal appraisal is a self-check on the worth of the program and whether its being endorsed and supported. Organizations that simply make public large catalogs of training courses without consulting their clients or assessing their unique needs exhibit more of a course culture — the more courses, the better — than a learning culture. Instructors that are content only to make public a large e-learning course catalog, and not much more, will be less likely too be seen as business problem-solvers (Galaghan, 1991, p. 43). An extra suggestion of a high-quality education society is higher-ranking management support — and Im not just talking about words, but long-term funding. For learning to hold base, senior executives must do extra than just endorse learning; they must embrace it and become users themselves. This will make them good role representation for the rest of the institute. Good learning traditions involve an savings in good learning depth and evaluation. Its serious to demonstrate that learning makes a variation and that its benefits are not simply conjecture. Some organizations that are just paying attention on plan and liberation tend to miss out on the front end (needs assessment) and the back end (evaluation), which are very culturally specific. Good learning traditions go out of classroom and out of the instructional mode to become involved in the workplace. If the staff gets two or three weeks of instruction a year, thats pretty good. But what is their responsibility for the remaining parts of the weeks? They didnt stop learning; theyre learning on the job. So the ease by which the workforce contacts information, form communities of performance, and use performance support to learn and improve their performance in the workplace is a sign of a good learning culture. An additional attribute of an education tradition is how well and how thoroughly we integrate front-line supervisors into our learning strategy. Do they commend whatsoever training the workers call for but not pay any attention to outcomes, or are they integrally involved in developing their people? Then theres the whole performance assessment and performance analysis scheme. To what degree is learning truly included and embroidered, and to what extent are employees encouraged in the review process to teach one another and share their knowledge? This is where it becomes very important to review not just whether the employee took the requisite number of hours or the requisite number of courses. That becomes very mechanical. Workers — above all managers — have to be weighed up on their coaching and support for learning. Executives must assume that liveliness comes in large part from learning and growing. They must actually consider about their own â€Å"knowledge measure† (their curiosity in, and capacity for, learning new things) and the learning quotient of their employees. Also, a learning society cannot give confidence to knowledge hoarding, but slightly knowledge sharing. If I know that Im going to be rated on the known, why would I share information with someone else — which would give them an advantage in the appraisal system, especially with companies that rate on a curve? If I come up with a brilliant idea and share it with everybody, I should get credit for sharing it, even though the idea then would not be to my exclusive benefit. The blueprint of a outcome evaluation scheme has to equal any kind of required rating and ranking with criteria that focuses on knowledge-sharing, learning and teamwork (Arthur 1994, p. 298). Creating a Learning Organization A learning organization can be described as one that is able to inspire commitment, and cultivate a culture of discovering and acquiring knowledge and experience for continued growth, development and success. The organizational learning process requires some relatively permanent change in behavior of its workers that results in continuous capability to adapt and change as the market, clients or environmental demands. To tackle these changes requires a strong commitment from management and often a significant shift in organization culture. One of the biggest challenges in moving toward the learning model is convincing and enabling employees to develop new ways of thinking about how things are smartly done. To be a learning organization also demands an open culture where information is shared, interdependence is high, collaboration is the norm, and achievement of the organization mission or vision is pursued with cooperation and open-mindedness ( Hofstede 1991, p. 304). A commitment to such a challenging level must offer tangible outcomes. The learning organization can also on the other hand have some distinct advantages, the most significant being the ability to respond to major change much more quickly than a more traditional organization. As well, learning organizations are more likely to embrace processes of systematic problem solving, and to focus on creating new ideas and solutions to optimize outcomes, versus the more traditional approach of trial and error or committing to approaches that have worked in the past. A typical learning organization will learn from past experiences and history, but utilize that experience to pursue more enlightened and future-directed outcomes. The plasticity and compliance intrinsic to a learning institution is determined by the rapid and efficient internal transfer of knowledge. The open culture and communication processes that are indicative of a learning organization are the enablers in this internal knowledg e transfer. Knowledge sharing encourages motivation and commitment from employees, by encouraging employee involvement in the process of creating and developing a learning culture, and by providing continuous constructive feedback ( Huselid 1995). The test for most associations is the shift from a long-established to a learning organization. How does one begin the practice of changing organization ethics, comprising organization acquaintances â€Å"unlearn† the old ways of doing things, and convincing them to embrace a culture that is committed to change, innovation and continuous improvement? The key is a well thought out strategy that is based on an in-depth understanding of the culture, values, market position, and knowledge base across the organization. For advanced organizations to successfully develop continuous learning, they should regard the Initial consultation within the senior leadership team to gain an accurate and detailed view of how the organization functions overall; structure, knowledge base, mission, goals, vision, culture and values, and; the rationale for becoming a learning organization. This information is necessary and invaluable when determining the requirement for and viability of a more detailed needs analysis (Stacey 1996, p. 64). The institutions should also take on a thoroughly need investigation through surveys, focus groups and key stakeholder interviews. It should also undertake a strategic planning and action by senior leaders based upon the in-depth needs analysis. Because contact is serious in organization expansion progression, it is therefore important to ensure all employees are aware of the process, and the targeted outcomes. It is essential to ensure that all employees understand the â€Å"learning organization† concept, the rationale and value, implications for employees, implementation process, and targeted outcomes. Through senior leaders, planning, organization and delivery of information workshops would facilitate provision of survey feedback, â€Å"educate† employees on the â€Å"learning organization† concept, solicit their ideas and concerns and achieve buy-in. An organization should establish a multi-dimensional management development program, which is essential for the successful implementation of a learning organization culture. The two major dimensions of the program would be: a formal management development process with a consulting focus, to prepare managers for their next promotion level, while strengthening performance in their current position and; a dynamic and substantive coaching program developed for each level of management. Both dimensions of the management development program would be aligned with organization mission, vision and goals, and would include a concerted focus on interpersonal skills development, in the learning organization milieu. An evaluation of developmental initiatives, and particularly the management development/coaching process, is necessary, to ensure that the â€Å"learning organization concept† is well entrenched within the organization (Triandis 1995, p. 39). Becoming a Learning Company The aptitude of a corporation to learn, not to be rigid, bright and responsive to sustain itself in the given environment is in the modern world being seen as the only way to manage a competitive advantage. Speculative images of the learning company thrive but there is little research focusing on companies who have actually applied the concepts and made them work. The following case study is concerned with describing a company which has attempted to become a learning organization. Prudential UK The Organization The Company started by giving loans and life insurance to people since 1848. Since then it has become a leading company, as measured by annual premium equivalent sales. Their service has also increased to include annuities, pensions, savings and investments. The company has offered financial services to many enterprises such as Jackson National Life, Prudential Corporation Asia and Egg. Prudential company is found in the United Kingdom, the United States and Asia and has employed over 20,000 people, 7,200 of whom are based in the UK and Mumbai. Globally Prudential Company has assets of 234 billion pounds on behalf of 19 million customers, to whom it promises, â€Å"In an uncertain world, we make it possible for everyone to enjoy a secure future†. The Challenge At the start of the decade the company had to accept a period of profound change to cater for the increasing demands of its highly-competitive and tightly-regulated market. In 2002 the companys leadership team learnt the way it would achieve this in a strategy called the ‘1,000 day plan, the cornerstone of which was best practice in all people policy and procedures. â€Å"We wanted to make sure that we involved our people to transform our business. To do this we harmonised our practices using the People Standard as our benchmark,† says Liane Collins, Human Resources and Learning and Development Operations Consultant. The plan was to provide success and the Standard helped the company to engage its people to succeed. By adopting Andra King from Capital Quality Limited as their external Adviser, the Prudentials aim was to maximise the potential of its people using a number of different tools such as continuous assessment and recognition. Using these tools the y wanted to continue to ensure that their people were at the heart of their business. A further difficulty was to ensure that its workers grasped and applied the brand values to everything they did. â€Å"We are focused to delivering the right services,† explains Liane. â€Å"We want our clients to know that we can be trusted, helpful and easy to deal with. Thats the experience we want them to have. Honest dialogue is the essence of what we believe in.† The Solution Among the first things to be done back at the outset of the 1,000 day plan in 2002 was to align learning materials with a Capability Framework, in which the company outlined the skills it needs to thrive. Since then understanding of the framework has leapt from under 40 per cent to over 90 per cent and there is noticeably more connectivity between company strategy and its people. Having established physical Learning Zones across its head offices in the first year of the plan, the second year saw the company bring learning to each desktop through an online learning management system called Learning Space. As well as providing a way to track learning achievements, it gives access to over 4,000 items of learning material. Nearly every employee has now actively used it, and so has helped put them in control of their own learning and development. At the same time highest achievers were offered access to the Pru University programme, an internal institution designed to develop a group of key managers and specialists committed to achieving our business goals. This concept was extended the following year to an Alumni scheme, allowing those who studied together to work and develop together. A talent management process was also introduced to ensure leaders are properly assessed. â€Å"The Pru University is aimed at influential people, ambassadors and drivers of change, irrespective of grade, who can contribute to the development of the organisation and make a real difference to the business,† says Head of Learning and Development Matthew Starks. More recently the company has started to implement best practice in encouraging healthy lifestyles, which research suggests will reduce the burden of self-reported sickness absence. Although it is too early to say what the results have been, the company estimates that it will lead to a five per cent reduction in absence and a ten per cent reduction in cases of stress reported to Occupational Health. It estimat es that the return will be  £2 for every  £1 spent on the project. The Results Business outcome is usually quantified using performance Indicators (KPIs), an array of measures which come under the headings of cashflow, customer, people, risk and compliance, profit, and shareholder. Absence, employee turnover, and performance remain key human resource measurements that are closely linked to the people indicator. But other variables that are factored include elements drawn from an employee survey and from the Organisation Cultural Index (OCI), a characterisation of a companys culture. Honest dialogue, simplicity and people all close to the companys desired brand values are consistently the highest scoring values, suggesting the aim of developing understanding of these among employees has been successful. Success s due to developments in its Learning, three-quarters of the people now understand how they can access learning and development opportunities and 88 per cent feel personably accountable for their own development. The vast majority of people 98 per cent have also used Learning Space the online learning management system. A group of initiatives has also delivered benefits. Self assessment by managers revealed that the number now rating their knowledge as ‘good has increased from 48 per cent to 92 per cent. Meanwhile an internal audit gave a positive evaluation of the performance review process with 88 per cent of people believing their review meetings to be open, honest and frank. Integrating communications with the strategy has proved an effective approach for Prudential. â€Å"There is now a greater connectivity with the strategy from the top and understanding of why things happen and the connections being made,† says Matthew. As a result one of the primary objectives which include, ensuring understanding of the 1,000 day plan among employees has been achieved. The ‘Living PRU survey found that the percentage of people who said they understood their role within the plan increased from 71 per cent in 2004 to 94 per cent the following year. External recognition has come on a number of levels for the company. Among a survey of 7,500 customers, 90 per cent of them said they were satisfied with the service provided. And on a business level, Prudential is also performing extremely well, posting a 33 per cent rise in pre-tax profits in 2005, well above market expectations. The one thousands day reform process come to an end in October 2005 having inspired a period of profound organisational change and improvement in business performance. One of the most dramatic changes came in June 2003, still the first year of the three year programme, when Prudential opened a $10 million customer service centre in Mumbai, Indias commercial capital. Champion Status To get success is a major endorsement of everything that the company tried to put in place. As Champions, Prudential intended to continue to build on its philosophy of sharing best practice. As well as being involved in forums, the company has worked alongside other organizations, including the Inland Revenue and the Department for Work and Pensions. It shares many of its activities through awards, articles, case studies and benchmarking forums. But, as a Champion the company looks forward to sharing its experience with other employers and showing how involving people in the business is the key to any organizations success. A human resource manager is involved in performance of the following tasks Planning He or she ensures that a firm has the right number and mix of people at the right times and places varying from long-range planning for large, stable companies to short-range crisis planning for thousands of small companies employing low-skilled and low-paid workers. (Haksever p217). In this case human resource, managers have to consider all of the laws that protect against discrimination and all of the requirements that employees must meet for the company. Effective planning by a human resource manager clearly brings accurate results that a company wants .in a case of staffing, understaffing result to result to the drop of the industries economies of scale and field of specialization, information, customers and the attained profits, while Overstaffing is extravagant and expensive, if continual, and it is costly to get rid of because of contemporary legislation in respect of joblessness payments, cons ultation and minimum periods of notice. Significantly, overstaffing reduces the competitive effectiveness of the business. An assessment of current and future needs of the organization has to be evaluated with present and future predicted resources when considering staffing. When proper steps are used in planning, it brings demand and supply into balance. The future demands of a company are influenced by the predictions of the personnel manager, who examine and adjust the simple delivery of the other managerial staff and also recruitments which depends on the following aspects The predictions of Sales and productivity Impact of technological change on job needs Difference in the competence, output, and suppleness of labor as a training result, job study, organizational alteration and new motivations. Renovation in employment performances by the involvement of subcontractors or organization staffs, hiving off tasks, buying in and substitution. Deviation, countering fresh legislation, for example payroll taxes, new health and safety requirements Adjustment in Government policies Logical staffing demands a plan for varying dates in the future which can then be compared with the crude supply schedules. The associations will then show what ladder must be taken to achieve a balance which involves the further preparation of such enrollment, training, or alteration in labor force operation as this will result to a balance in demand and supply (Claude Johannes 1999, p.115). Recruiting A human resource manager is involved in identifying people who could fill positions within the firm and then securing them as applicants. He has to plan a good job picture for the position and a specification of skills and abilities the candidate should have. A potential applicants list is developed from various sources, depending how the human resource manager decides to advertise the job opening. Managers obtain their recruits sources from internal and external sources. Advantages of internal recruiting The members of staff will not have to undergo basic teaching or learning all of the policies of the company. Disadvantages Inbreeding Results to seldom new ideas brought into the company. Jacuis (1975).An external source for recruiting brings into account the opposite of internal recruiting from outside the company. There are many forms of external recruiting. Some include employment agencies, advertising, Internet recruiting, and word of mouth. He is also involved in the recruitment of employees depending on: An examination of the work to be performed through carefully consideration of the errands to be carried out to establish their essentialities written into a career description so that the applicants know what physical and mental distinctiveness applicants must acquire, what traits and attitudes are attractive and what uniqueness are a certain disadvantage. Where substitution is to take effect, imperative questioning of the need to employ at all should be taken into consideration. Human resource managers have to search for recruitments in the following areas: 1.Domestic promotion 2.Careers advisors 3.Boards of university appointment 4.Unemployed agencies 5.Advertising Selecting Of Employees After applications have been confirmed, the human resource manager then begins the selection process basing on undoubtedly established criterion for performance of the job. The request form ought to be intended to discover the applicants skills and abilities for the job performance. The human resource managers choice reason could also be based on testing, interviews, references, and probationary periods of employment. (Simnett 1995, p.56). An effective selection is considered as buying an employee (the price being the wage or salary multiplied by probable years of service) hence the human resource manager has to carefully select to minimize and avoid in competencies in the company firms may involve external specialist consultants for selection of their employees Some small organizations exist to catch the attention of staff with high status from existing employers to the recruiting employer. Training and Development Training is an efficient method for altering an employees behavior to prepare the employee for a job or upgrade the employees performance on the job. Development involves the preparation of a person for broader responsibilities and higher-level positions within the company. Instruction and progress can differ from one firm to another, as well as by type or size of service organization. (Chaffee 1995, p. 46). Preparation in interviewing and in evaluating candidates is clearly crucial to good recruitment. For the most part the former consists of training interviewers how to draw out the interviewee and the latter how to rate the candidates. For consistency (and as a help to checking that) rating often consists of scoring candidates for experience, knowledge, physical/mental capabilities, intellectual levels, motivation, prospective potential, leadership abilities etc. (according to the needs of the post). Relevance of the normal curve of allocation to scoring g ets rid of freak judgments. Aims of Organization for Setting Reward System In Human Resource Management, the employee reward policy is intended to align employees with organizational strategy by providing incentives for employees to act in the firms interest and perform well over time. Anticipation theory carries a clear significance that workers must sense confident that their effort will affect the rewards they receive. Awareness of equity is therefore crucial in an employees judgment to remain and produce valuable work. Equity is a multidimensional construct, embracing external equity (the degree to which a firm pays employees the rate they would find in the external labor market), internal equity (the degree to which a firm differentiates pay between employees on the basis of performance in similar jobs), and individual equity (the degree to which employees are rewarded proportionately to their individual performance). For the reason that the varying strains of performance on human resources in high- velocity companies, perceptions of equity in its three forms may become confused, as job roles and job interdependence become more varied and flexible. Since employees would expect that as their job changes, so will their rewards, designing reward systems in high-velocity environments presents a major challenge to organizations. In high-velocity environments, a premium is placed on individuals who are able to operate in ambiguous circumstances and who are able to take advantage of loose job descriptions provided by their employers. Organizations in faster-moving surroundings are prepared to pay proportionally higher salaries to individuals who have such skills. We would expect, therefore, that emphasis on individually equitable rewards as a means of recruiting and retaining highly capable employees would be required (Farah 1991, p. 340). Employee Rewards Policy amended by the Human Resource Management can be classified under three broad headings: performance-contingent rewards, which explicitly reward through performance outputs; job-contingent rewards, where pay is contingent on job classification; and person-contingent rewards, in which pay is dependent on the competencies a person has (Dean Snell, 1993). Because both output orientation and job categorization may be complex to determine truthfully in high-velocity circumstances, the prospect of person-contingent rewards, which may encourage the values of learning, flexibility, and creativity, would seem to be best suited to fast-changing conditions. In addition, member of staff Reward Policy can be one of the best foundations of control available to a company in its quest to increase organizational performance and effectiveness, yet remain one of the most underutilized and potentially complex tools for driving organizational performance. The significance and diffi culty of connecting reward strategies to industrial goals in a systematic manner has been a recurrent argument in the study in this field, as has the importance and difficulty of linking rewards to the longer-term view (Hambrick Snow, 1989). In recounting the strongest stage of connection the stress has been placed on Lawlers (1990) description of reward processes which are capable of reinforcing the behaviors crucial to business strategy like long-term versus short-term, customer focus versus financial results. Utilizing This involves arranging the employees work to make them both productive and motivated. The factors that determine the effectiveness of human resource utilization include: 1.The structure of the work that provide an opportunity for â€Å"stretch† performance 2.Contribution in verdicts that have a straight forward effect on the persons job 3.Open interactions and fair setting up of assignments 4.Competent supervision and organizational flexibility 5.Economic and non-economic rewards that recognize achievement and equity 6.Opportunity for growth Role of Human Resource Management in Implementing a Learning Organization culture Human resource management has a strong impact on the organizational culture, it contributes a lot in implementing a learning organization because according to Senge, â€Å"the essence of a learning organization is that people are changing, people are developing w