Battle of Raichur

Battle of Raichur :fought by Sri Krishnadevaraya, King of Vijayanagar empire and Ahmed Shah, the king of Bijapur-Was a turning point in the history of south India. Raichur-Indian state of Karnataka. Many battles between the kings of Vijayanagar empire and the muslim kings ruling from Bijapur and Gulbarga. City is located besite the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, which provides fertile soil, and water First recorded use of canon, the fort, and matchlock firearms in India-Canons were mounted on ramparts of Raichur, but had not replaced stone throwing catapults. The fort was captured by Bahmanis in 1323Isma‘il ‘Adil Khanhad retreated- his army was forced to abandon 400 heavy cannon and 900 gun carriages. Krishnadevaraya concentrated his attack on the Eastern walls. Governor was killed- shot by a Portugese sniper with a matchbox rifle. – This surpressed the morale or the troops, and they abandoned the wall. When Raichur surrendered, Krishnadevaraya treated the garriso n with kindness and consideration. Krishnadevaraya then returned to Vijayanagar and held a great celebration. The Firishta account is less trustworthy- he wrote about it 90 years after the battle had occurred. ——————————————————————————————————————— The textile industry has always been present in India but with the arrival of the Dutch and English, this part time indistry became a full time industry, with full time textile workers. The Dutch and the English were great trade rivals. The Dutch East India company hold many extensive records regating to textile production, and shipping- as well as commercial agriculture records. The textile industry was present in medieval times, and it's trade, and importance have alw ays been underestimated by historians.Rice quickly became the most commercially traded crop. It was necessary in the feeind of Indias urban population- which was growing. In the early 1600s, cotton began to gain importance. With the importance of cotton, came the importance of indigo- a plant used as a dye. In the 1630's, bad weather, and years with bad storms severely depleted indigo crops. The prices sky-rocketed. These goods, and their trade created extensive trade markets. In 1802, the Dutch created a weaver village. In some cases, parts of India had more that 2 looms per house. Demographic downturns may have led to shift from textiles to commercial agriculture. ur

Introduction Of The Exam Timetabling System Education Essay

The literature reappraisal will concentrate on the debut of the test timetabling system that has been used in universities and timetabling that usage in other field and their job. Educational timetabling optimisation is a major administrative activity for a broad assortment of establishments. A timetabling optimisation job can be defined as delegating a figure of events into a limited figure of clip periods to optimise the consequence in the timetable to salvage cost, clip, infinite or other thing that can be save. This study besides reviews the technique that can be used in optimising the fresh category in exam timetabling.2.1 PROBLEM DOMAINâ€Å" A.Wren ( 1996 ) defines timetabling is the allotment, capable to restraints, of given resources to objects being placed in infinite clip, in such a manner as to fulfill every bit about as possible a set of desirable aims ( Burke & A ; Petrovic,2002 ) . Many research workers has part in timetabling jobs in several old ages subsequently due to the fact that timetabling jobs are frequently over-constrained, dynamic, and optimisation standards are difficult to specify. Some of the parts from those research workers are including graph colouring, whole number scheduling from Operations Research, simulated tempering, taboo hunt, familial algorithms, and restraint logic programming from Artificial Intelligence ( Alashwal & A ; Deris, 2007 ) . Timetabling is produced by the programming job and it can be shown in many different signifiers. Timetabling is really of import to Business Company, organisation, or even to single. With timetable the work will go more systematic and efficient. Timetabling is ongoing and uninterrupted procedure. A procedure of updating timetables is needed consideration of a important figure of objects and restraints. As increasing a figure of pupils, an updated to the current traditional timetabling system should be done from clip to clip to do the executable programming to pupils. Therefore, it takes a batch of clip such as several yearss or even hebdomads to finish scheduling timetables manually by homo. A timetabling job is about an assignment of a set of activities, actions or events at specific clip slot for illustration: work displacements, responsibilities, categories to a set of resources. Timetabling jobs is related to jobs on allotment resources to specific seasonableness which there are specific restraints must be considered. The resources such as groups and topics are allocated to a clip slot of schoolrooms every bit long as it was fulfilling their restraints ( Norberciak, 2006 ) . This undertaking chief end is to bring forth a best consequence of delegating pupil to a category that will optimise the used categories. The trouble is due to the great complexness of the building of timetables for test, due the scheduling size of the scrutinies and the high figure of restraints and standards of allotment, normally circumvented with the usage of small rigorous heuristics, based on solutions from old old ages. The aim of this work is the scrutiny agendas. The chief intent is to apportion each concluding test paper to the best category based on the figure of pupil taking the paper, automatically by utilizing computing machines. The people confronting these troubles is the people who in charge of delegating these exam manually. The variable is the day of the month of the test, clip of the test, topics, test documents, figure of pupil taking the exam paper and the available category. They need to group this test in test day of the month and clip of the test which is in forenoon or eventide. After that they will delegate each exam paper to an available category that fitted to the figure of pupil taking the test. These stairss will go on until all the test documents have their categories.2.2 Technique THAT CAN BE USED IN THE PROJECTThere are many intelligent techniques or method of optimisation that has been tried throughout the decennaries since the first efforts of automatizing the scrutiny timetabling procedure such as Particle Swarm Optimization ( PSO ) , Artificial Immune Algorithm, Graph Coloring Method and Genetic Algorithm.2.2.1 PARTICLE SWARM OPTIMIZATION ( PSO )Goldberg, Davis and Cheng says that PSO is different from other methodological analysiss that use natural development as the architecture while PSO is based on societal behaviour of development ( S.C.Chu, Y.T.Chen & A ; J.H.Ho, 2006 ) . PSO use self-organisation and division of labour for distributed job work outing similar to the corporate behaviour of insect settlements, bird flocks and other carnal societies ( D.R.Fealco, 2005 ) . Harmonizing to Kennedy and Eberhart ( 2001 ) , PSO comparatively new stochastic GO which is known as Global Optimization member if the Broader Swarm intelligence field for work outing optimisation job ( D.R.Fealco, 2005 ) . PSO utilizing population of atom procedure to seek the system so each atom is updated by following two best values in every loop ( S.C.Chu, Y.T.Chen & A ; J.H.Ho, 2006 ) . Optimization job in PSO is done by delegating way vectors and speeds to each point in a multi-dimensional hunt infinite and Each point so ‘moves ‘ or ‘flies ‘ through the hunt infinite following its speed vector, which is influenced by the waies and speeds of other points in its vicinity to localised loops of possible solution ( C.Jacob & A ; N.Khemka,2004 ) . Algorithm The PSO algorithm works at the same time keeping several candidate solution in the hunt infinite. PSO algorithm consist of seven measure ( C.Jacob & A ; N.Khemka,2004 ) . Which is Initialize the population – locations and speeds. Measure the fittingness of the single atom ( pBest ) . Keep path of the persons highest fittingness ( gBest ) . Modify speeds based on pBest and gBest place. Update the atoms place. Terminate if the status is meet. Travel to Step 2. The item of the PSO algorithm is shown in Figure 2.1. Figure 2.1: The procedure of PSO2.2.2 ARTIFICIAL IMMUNE ALGORITHMArtificial Immune Algorithm besides known as AIS are stimulated from nature of human immune system. Dasgupta, Ji and Gonzalez reference that characteristic extraction, pattern acknowledgment, memory and its distributive nature provide rich metaphor for its unreal opposite number are the powerful capablenesss of the immune system ( H.Yulan, C.H Siu & A ; M.K Lai ) . Timmis & A ; Jonathan ( 2000 ) depict the AIS used natural immune system as the metaphor as the attack for work outing computational job ( M.R.Malim, A.T.Khadir & A ; A.Mustafa ) . Anomaly sensing, pattern acknowledgment, computing machine security, mistake tolerance, dynamic environments, robotic, informations excavation optimisation and programming are the chief sphere application of AIS ( M.R.Malim, A.T.Khadir & A ; A.Mustafa ) . Some preliminary biological footings in order to understand the AIS are immune cells B-cells and T-cells are two major group of immune cell and it help in acknowledging an about illimitable scope of anti cistrons form and antigens ( AG ) is the disease-causing component, it has two type s of antigens which is self and non-self where non-self antigens are disease-causing elements and self anti-genes are harmless to the organic structure ( R.Agarwal, M.K.Tiwari, S.K.Mukherjee, 2006 ) . There are two chief application sphere in AIS which is antigen and antibody. Antigen is the mark or the solution for the job, while the antibody is the reminder of the informations. Occasionally, there are more than one antigen at a certain clip and there are often big figure of antibodies present at one time. Generic stairss of unreal immune system ( AIS ) : Measure 1: Define job specific nonsubjective map and set the algorithm parametric quantity. Set iter=0 ; counter for figure of loops. Generate initial executable random solutions. ( Here solution represents operation precedence figure matching to each activity ) . Measure 2: Randomly choose an antigen and expose to all antibodies. Calculate the affinity of all antigens and make affinity vector Af. ( In our instance to calculate affinity, first optimal/near optimum agendas of activities are determined with the aid of precedence figure as give in Section 3.3 thenceforth ; its make span value is calculated ) . Measure 3: Choice Pc highest affinity antibodies. Generate the set of ringers for the selected antibodies. Measure 4: For each generated ringer do inverse mutant ( choose a part of ringer twine and invert ) with a chance and cipher the affinity of the new solution formed. If affinity ( new solution ) & gt ; affinity ( ringer ) so clone=new solution ; else do partner off wise interchange mutant ( choice any two location and inter- alteration elements ) . Calculate the affinity of the new solution formed if affinity ( new solution ) & gt ; affinity ( ringer ) so clone=new solution ; else, clone=clone. Measure 5: Expose the new inhabitants of the society ( i.e. , ringers ) to the antigens. Check for feasibleness and calculate affinity. Measure 6: Replace the Ps lowest affinity antibodies with the Ps best ringers generated. Iter=iter+1 ; if ( iter & lt ; iter_max ) goto measure 2 else Give the best antibody as the end product. The AIS flow chart is shown in Figure 2.2. Figure 2.2: AIS flow chart2.2.3 GRAPH COLORING METHODIt is good known that the scrutiny timetabling job, when sing merely the scrutiny conflicts restraint, maps into an tantamount graph colourising job ( Kiaer & A ; Yellen, 1992 ) , which is NP-complete ( Burke, Elliman, & A ; Weare, 1993 ; Willemen, 2002 ) . The graph colouring job is an assignment of colourss to vertices in such a mode that no two next vertices have the same colour. Therefore, a solution to the graph colourising job represents a solution to the nucleus scrutiny timetabling job, where graph vertices correspond to exams, graph borders indicate that the affiliated vertices have an scrutiny struggle, and colourss represent alone clip slots ( Welsh & A ; Powell, 1967 ) . The graph colourising job in bend is solved utilizing one of the graph colourising heuristics ( e.g. , Largest Degree ) , normally with backtracking ( Burke, Newall, & A ; Weare, 1998 ; Carter, Laporte, & A ; Chinneck, 1994 ) . Graph colouring is a particular instance of graph labeling. It is an assignment of labels traditionally called â€Å" colourss † to elements of a graph topic to certain restraints. In its simplest signifier, it is a manner of colourising the vertices of a graph such that no two next vertices portion the same colour ; this is called a vertex colouring. Similarly, an border colourising assigns a colour to each border so that no two adjacent borders portion the same colour, and a face colouring of a planar graph assigns a colour to each face or part so that no two faces that portion a boundary have the same colour ( DR Hussein & A ; K.E.Sabri, 2006 ) . Graph colouring is one of the most functional theoretical accounts in graph theory. It has been used to work out many jobs such as in school timetabling, computing machine registry allotment, electronic bandwidth allotment, and many other applications ( Dr Hussein & A ; K.E.Sabri, 2006 ) . Dr Hussein and K.E.Sabri besides mention that Greedy Graph Coloring is one of the consecutive techniques for colourising a graph. They stated that the technique focuses on carefully select the following vertex to be colored. In their study they explain two common algorithm which is first tantrum and grade based telling techniques. First tantrum: First Fit algorithm is the easiest and fastest technique of all greedy colourising heuristics. The algorithm consecutive assigns each vertex the lowest legal colour. This algorithm has the advantage of being really simple and fast and can be implemented to run in O ( N ) . Degree based ordination: It provides a better scheme for colourising a graph. It uses a certain choice standard for taking the vertex to be colored. This scheme is better than the First Fit which merely picks a vertex from an arbitrary order. Some schemes for choosing the following vertex to be colored have been proposed such as: Largest grade telling ( LDO ) : It chooses a vertex with the highest figure of neighbours. Intuitively, LDO provides a better colouring than the First Fit. This heuristic can be implemented to run in O ( n2 ) . Saturation grade telling ( SDO ) : The impregnation grade of a vertex is defined as the figure of its next otherwise colored vertices. Intuitively, this heuristic provides a better colouring than LDO as it can be implemented to run in O ( n3 ) . Incidence grade telling ( IDO ) : A alteration of the SDO heuristic is the incidence grade telling. The incidence grade of a vertex is defined as the figure of its next coloured vertices. This heuristic can be implemented to run in O ( n2 ) .2.2.4 GENETIC ALGORITHMThe familial algorithms distinguish themselves in the field of methods of optimisation and hunt for the assimilation of the Darwinian paradigm of the development of species. The familial algorithms are procedures of convergence ( Queiros, 1995 ) . Its construction is governed by import Torahs of the theory of development of species and concreteness in two cardinal constructs: choice and reproduction. The confrontation between familial algorithms and the existent jobs is promoted by the demand for optimisation. It follows a infinite of tremendous dimensions, in which each point represents a possible solution to the job. In this labyrinth of solutions, merely a few, if non merely one, to the full satisfy the list of restraints that give form to the job. The jobs of optimisation, normally associated with the satisfaction of restraints, specify a existence of solutions, go forthing the familial algorithm to find the overall solution, or a solution acceptable as a restriction on the clip of action of the algorithm. The familial algorithms are search algorithms based on mechanisms of natural choice and genetic sciences. Normally used to work out optimisation jobs, where the infinite of hunt is great and conventional methods is inefficient ( R. Lewis and B. Paechter,2005 ) . Characteristic The nomenclature they are associated to interpret the import of indispensable constructs of genetic sciences and guesses the importance attributed to the interaction of these constructs. The construct of population, like figure of persons of the same species, is extended to unreal species. Persons are usually represented by sequences of Numberss: the genotype. The Numberss, or instead, a aggregation of Numberss, is the familial heritage of the person, finding their features, that is, its phenotype. The familial algorithms differ from traditional methods of research and optimisation, chiefly in four facets: Work with a codification of the set of parametric quantities and non with their ain parametric quantities. Work with a population and non with a individual point. Uses information from or derive cost and non derived or other subsidiary cognition. Uses regulations of passage chance and non deterministic. The solutions interact, mix up and bring forth progeny ( kids ) trusting that retaining the features â€Å" good † of their rise ( parents ) , which may be seen as a local hunt, but widespread. Not merely is the vicinity of a simple solution exploited, but besides the vicinity of a whole population. The members of the population are called persons or chromosomes. As in natural development, the chromosomes are the basal stuff ( practical, in this instance ) of heredity. It presently uses a map of rating that associates each person, a existent figure that translates to version. Then, in a mode straight relative to the value of their version, are selected braces of chromosomes that will traverse themselves. Here, can be considered the choice with elitism, or guarantee that the best solution is portion of the new coevals. His crossing is the consequence of unreal choice, sing more altered those that best run into the specific conditions of the job. The crossing of the numerical sequences promotes the outgrowth of new sequences, formed from the first. With a chance established, after traversing, a mutant can go on, where a cistron of chromosome alterations. These new persons are the 2nd coevals of persons and grade the terminal of rhythm of the familial algorithm. The figure of rhythms to execute depends on the context of the job and the degree of quality ( partial or full satisfaction of the limitations ) , which is intended for the solution.2.2.4.1 A SIMPLE GENETIC ALGORITHM DESCRIBES THE FOLLOWING CYCLEThere are eight measure in familial algorithm rhythm which is: Coevals of random n chromosomes that form the initial population. Appraisal of each person of the population. Confirmation of the expiration standards. If verify expiration standard – rhythm stoping. Choice of n/2 braces of chromosomes for crossing over. Reproduction of chromosomes with recombination and mutant. New population of chromosomes called new coevals. Travel back to step 2. The rhythm described above is illustrated in Figure 2.1. Fig. 2.1. Basic construction of the familial algorithmLow-level formattingInitially many single solutions are indiscriminately generated to organize an initial population. The population size depends on the nature of the job, but typically contains several 100s or 1000s of possible solutions. Traditionally, the population is generated indiscriminately, covering the full scope of possible solutions ( the hunt infinite ) . Occasionally, the solutions may be seeded in countries where optimum solutions are likely to be found ( R. Lewis and B. Paechter,2005 ) .ChoiceDuring each consecutive coevals, a proportion of the bing population is selected to engender a new coevals. Individual solutions are selected through a fitness-based procedure, where fitter solutions ( as measured by a fittingness map ) are typically more likely to be selected. Certain selection methods rate the fittingness of each solution and preferentially choose the best solutions. Other methods rate merely a random sample of the population, as this procedure may be really time-consuming ( R. Lewis and B. Paechter,2005 ) . Most maps are stochastic and designed so that a little proportion of less fit solutions are selected. This helps maintain the diverseness of the population big, preventing premature convergence on hapless solutions. Popular and well-studied choice methods include roulette wheel choice and tournament choice ( R. Lewis and B. Paechter,2005 ) .ReproductionThe following measure is to bring forth a 2nd coevals population of solutions from those selected through familial operators: crossing over ( besides called recombination ) , and/or mutant. For each new solution to be produced, a brace of â€Å" parent † solutions is selected for engendering from the pool selected antecedently. By bring forthing a â€Å" kid † solution utilizing the above methods of crossing over and mutant, a new solution is created which typically portions many of the features of its â€Å" parents † . New parents are selected for each new kid, and the procedure continues until a new population of solutions of appropriate size is generated. Although reproduction methods that are based on the usage of two parents are more â€Å" biological science divine † , some research suggests more than two â€Å" parents † are better to be used to reproduce a good quality chromosome ( R. Lewis and B. Paechter,2005 ) . These processes finally consequence in the following coevals population of chromosomes that is different from the initial coevals. By and large the mean fittingness will hold increased by this process for the population, since merely the best being from the first coevals are selected for genteelness, along with a little proportion of less fit solutions, for grounds already mentioned above.TerminationThis generational procedure is repeated until a expiration status has been reached ( R. Lewis and B. Paechter,2005 ) . Common terminating conditions are: A solution is found that satisfies minimal standards. Fixed figure of coevalss reached. Allocated budget ( calculation time/money ) reached. The highest superior solution ‘s fittingness is making or has reached a tableland such that consecutive loops no longer bring forth better consequences. Manual review. Combinations of the above.2.3 Related Work2.4 SummaryFamilial Algorithm is the best algorithm in timetabling job. The consequences in GAs are better optimized than the traditional method based on try-check rules on scheduling system. Some research worker had different sentiment on the advantages and disadvantages of these algorithms. Although there are new method on optimising consequence, GAs is still the chosen method in timetabling job.

MotEffects of Employees’ Motivation on Organizational Performance Essay

Abstract Many theories came along to show the importance of motivation. Motivators are the things that drive the employees to achieve; de-motivators are the opposite and would lead to deterioration on the job-level. Performance is directly affected by motivation, thus, a performance appraisal should be done where the manager measures the performance of an employee and acts accordingly. Motivation is the key to success in any given task or job. If not met, failure will most probably be the result. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the demotivators, the motivators of employees at work and the effect of these factors on employees’ performance thus organizational performance and the positive correlation between both latter concepts. Introduction Abraham Maslow once said, â€Å"If I were dropped out of a plane into the ocean and told the nearest land was a thousand miles away, I’d still swim. And I’d despise the one who gave up.† The drive for him to reach the land is a combination of ability, willingness, and motivation. Likewise in any organization, there is always a drive for employees to achieve. The heart of this drive that leads to positive organizational performance and thus success is motivation; it is this desire to achieve. Motivating employees is when the employer gets them to â€Å"want† to do what he/she knows should be done. It is also the third key performance indicator of Human Resources. The main assets of an organization are the employees; if not satisfied and motivated then progress and success are close to impossible. Thus, it is a conductive synergy; if dissatisfaction occurs employees would dock, procrastinate, sabotage the company, increase absenteeism, or even petition. Motivation could be of two kinds: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is based on the desire for external rewards, such as gaining approval of others, earning money, winning prizes†¦ etc. Usually extrinsic motivation tends to be more commonly needed among people who have low or poor self-confidence or those who lack internal goals. The internal  goals or the inner desire to do something or gain knowledge in something is what intrinsic motivation is based on. People who are led by intrinsic motivation are those who know what their goals are and are aligned with what they value most. Read more:  Which Factors Affect the Motivation of Employees Working Due to the highly competitive era that we live in, managers need to consider behavioral management theories to increase employees’ retention and increase organizational effectiveness. After the classical school of management came the behavioral school to speak out on the name of employees’ satisfaction and stated that they are driven by motivation and one could not possibly give them the job and ask them to yield good performance. According to Hawthorne’s theory, a study was conducted on employees’ performance in dim and bright light. Results were the same because in both cases they were given recognition and attention. According to McGregor, a manager should follow his â€Å"Theory Y† which states that people are good by nature and that they are ambitious and self-motivated. A theory Y manager believes that people will do well at work if they were given the right conditions. They are the managers that usually create the climate of trust that will l ead to the development of the human resource aspect in an organization. Following that came Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that divided the human needs into five categories: physiological, safety, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization. The first three are the lower level needs and the latter two are the higher level needs. Physiological needs are first and the most important; they are the basic requirements for the survival and function of humans and are met by having a hygienic environment at work. Safety needs are those concerning the security of the employment, resources, body, family†¦ etc. These needs are satisfied by having a sealed contract at work. Humans constantly need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups. Thus Maslow proposed the third level of needs: the social needs. The self-esteem needs as the name suggests, it is the need for confidence, achievement, and respect by and to others. Self-actualization which is the utmost level is met after mastering all prior needs one after another. It is portrayed as Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, to become the most that one can be. Another theory is the expectancy theory which st ates  that motivation is a function of expectancy, instrumentality, and value. The employee should know that the job or the task is not a â€Å"mission impossible†; moreover, he/she should also know that there is a means to achieving it and if so will be awarded in a valuable way. After the managers apply those behavioral theories into the workplace, the organization tends to become more productive. Performance therefore needs to be measured in a process called performance appraisal. It is one of the periodic HR’s duties in which the employee is examined and evaluated, objectively and constructively. Based on the results, which the employee should know by giving him/her feedback, key areas of improvement or praise are shed light on. Therefore, the manager will know who to promote, demote, train or even fire. There are three major steps in the performance appraisal process: identification, measurement, and management. With identification, the behaviors necessary for successful performance are determined. Measurement involves choosing the appropriate instrument for appraisal and assessing performance. Management, which is the ultimate goal, is the reinforcing of good performance and the correction of poor performance. What are the motivators and de-motivators? How do they affect performance and how they are measured? The answers will be further discussed in the literature review. Demotivators at Work What does really motivate employees? How can we boost employee’s morale? What can we do to increase the performance and the productivity of our employees? How can we know if the way our employees are doing things is right and doing the right things? †¦..  And the list continues.  We could really spend a day just talking about the concerns of organizations when it comes to securing its continuity in this ever-growing competitive environment. The key to success is definitely in the way we run our employees in such a manner to boost their morale and keep them motivated to excel in their jobs for it has as major positive impact on increasing productivity. When we talk motivation, we need first to align what  demotivates the employees. Demotivators are those nagging, daily occurrences that frustrate employees and cause them to reduce, either consciously or unconsciously, the amount of productive energy they use in their jobs. Demotivators are draining the life out of employees everywhere, undermining morale and wasting the most valuable resource we have – human talent and creativity. Demotivators can be a single factor or a group of factors that affect that employee’s morale and cause him to underperform. Not only do demotivators trigger negative emotions, but they also elicit negative behaviors – such as withholding effort, absenteeism, tardiness, extended breaks, criticizing management, theft, conflict, and even violence, vandalism and sabotage. First, we are going to consider â€Å"Micromanagement† as a demotivator: Employees have different needs, different expectations, and different ambitions. Following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the physiological, safety and belongingness are the most important needs that must be secured first to any employee. Only after his basic needs are met, will he focus on realizing his self esteem and his self actualization, thus he will go the extra mile to perform effectively in order to achieve now his growing needs for achievement and for power. Micromanagement limits the employee’s motivation and his potential growth, and also affects his morale eventually. He will feel that he‘s not getting recognition and room to grow professionally. Some managers apply the theory X type of management, being autocratic, never trusting their employees, nor delegating them: hands on, central and formal management are some examples. Any employee under these conditions will not sense a feeling of belonging to the organization, nor will he feel responsible to work effectively or to improve his performance. At the end of the day, he doesn’t see any potential to grow out of his current position, or that his efforts will be appreciated as the credit would go to his managers. â€Å"Hazy Job Profiles† is another demotivator that is very frequent in many organizations: Absence of a clear job description, absence of a realistic reachable goal, absence of a clear target, absence of performance appraisal and a regular evaluation telling an employee where he stands and what areas he needs to improve, are all classic reasons that define the hazy a nd unclear job profile that negatively affects the employee’s behavior. An employee needs to know what is expected from him, what his responsibilities are, what areas he is accountable for, his  reporting authority and who reports to him. All these are important for him to know how he will be judged and on what basis he will be evaluated and assessed. Even though some organizations do not spend enough time on setting the job profile, it is an essential part to be well prepared by the HRM to give the employee the kick he needs to evaluate and advance in his career. â€Å"Unclear expectations† represent another demotivator that must be taken into consideration. In fact, without realizing it, management often communicates wrong messages, or fails to communicate clearly what’s required of the employees. They ask them to maximize production, emphasize on quality, customer satisfaction, limit the interaction time with customers, work faster, then work safer, etc†¦ All these messages can be misleading to employees and they fail to target what is really important or to prioritize their tasks. Thus, communication is the game in everything. The result is that they lose time and energy on wrong or unneeded tasks, and they accomplish wrong results that would lead them consequently to frustration, demotivation and disinterest in the job. Let’s consider now the â€Å"Work Environment† as a demotivator: In any organization, it is highly important to check the internal environment, the external environment and the global environment. If the subject company has a poor working conditions and a not so pleasant environment, this wou ld kill the natural abilities of people to perform. Will they feel relaxed to perform? The answer is no because they will be too busy securing basic needs, again physiological and safety needs. The absence of team work means that employees will be looking to establish their own interests over those of the company. It is important to generate a healthy environment, and a positive competition among employees, the sort that would push for team work, creativity and new ideas, not job docking or demotivation. Politics causes a suffocating environment that kills the natural abilities of the people to perform. It is difficult to fight at every step and do things which you know is must for the growth of the company. A company will cease to exist when its employees favor their own interests to those of the company. Managers here are bound to integrate the employees in the discussions, and involve them to a certain extent in the decision making. Moving to the â€Å"Absence of Recognition†, we all look to achieve, we all look for power and we all want to fit in and belong whether socially or professionally. We do it in order to feel secured, satisfied  and self content. We also do it because we look forward to enhance our self-esteem and realize our self-actualization. We also do it because we expect to be rewarded for our efforts afterwards. Every employee expects something in return when he achieves outstanding results. The reward can either be monetary, a reward system, or anything positive. Not receiving any recognition for something that we really worked hard on can be, and will be frustrating. Sometimes, an employee would appreciate a â€Å"thank you† or â€Å"well done† or â€Å"good job† from his superiors in front of a group of a few people. This will mean a lot to him and will boost his morale and entice him to maintain his performance or push it a little further. Some companies just fail to realize that this is cheapest and most efficient form to keep the employees happy and motivated. â€Å"Workload† can also be considered to be a demotivator: Most companies are nowadays applying the downsizing policies to be able to reduce their costs and maintain their position in the market. It is off course a hard decision on any organization to decide to lay off some of its employees. Such a decision will not only have its toll on the employee himself, but it will also affect his health, his family, his colleagues and the company itself. As a matter of fact, the company will then have to redistribute the work on one or two other employees who will handle the relative tasks in addition to their current tasks. The result is too much work to complete with so little time, which leaves no possibility for the employee to explore his natural abilities, or to learn new skills. He will no longer be motivated to work, nor will he focus on achieving high results or performing effectively, as all he will care about now is how to finish the workload on time, and how he will cope with the extra work. Now, how can the â€Å"Salary† be a demotivator? A job should provide the minimum expected income to lead a normal life and be able to answer the important needs of a human being to live in dignity and live decently. This is the most prevalent reason but sometimes it seems that no one is happy with what they get. If the employee’s salary levels within and outside the company is not at par and good performance is not adequately compensated, the employee will first not be motivated to work, no more then he will be motivated to perform his tasks correctly and effectively. Thus, overall performa nce is affected. â€Å"Organizational Culture† may also demotivate employees. Employees look to fit the organizational culture and to be in harmony with their  supervisors. Being friendly with workers, offering assistance and help, how managers treat their teams, existence of healthy competition, type of language people use, the way of doing things, etc†¦ These are some of many factors that can reflect the company’s culture and environment. If the environment is not pleasant, the employee will be demotivated. He will not be in the mood to work, nor will he communicate with his colleagues to get the job done if it requires assistance. He will not look to achieve if his relation with his supervisors is not so great, for he thinks they will get the credit, whereas he will not advance in his career. If an employee is not happy he cannot work hard, and if he dreads to go to work every day, his productivity will soon or later on drop dramatically. â€Å"Organizational Policies† represent a major issue when talking about demotivators. Each company has its own policies but sometimes they are too many for the employee to grasp. The company also has to abide by the local environment policies that include those enforced by the government. Example of policies may include but they are not restricted by: Policies for women, Special si tuations, Conduct, Etc†¦ These policies impact the life of employees and their working atmosphere, and can prove to be demotivating once they don’t take into consideration the humanitarian view. You may not weigh it much, but people who have to travel a lot or cover a big of distance to their office know the importance of this factor in their lives. Therefore, â€Å"Distance† is another demotivator. The balance of life between home and office seem to evaporate in thin air. All travel and no time for themselves demotivates them to the core. Some â€Å"Meetings† can be unproductive and can be time consuming and exhausting for employees, with no results to be seen. They see it as a waste of time and energy, and it leaves them demotivated. Moreover, â€Å"Hypocrisy† usually involves superior comments or promises, followed by contradictory behavior. Many organizations say one thing and do another – leaving employees feeling angry, frustrated and betrayed. â€Å"Change† may also pose a challenge and is an important factor to maintain as well as to achieve organizational success. Companies need to unfreeze the status quo, run changes then refreeze the situation again, and that’s a very important cycle to be respected because constant change is extremely disruptive. Sometimes it can unplanned, b adly communicated and poorly envisioned. Employees have already a lot on their back to worry still about  unnecessary and unproductive changes. Many changes leave the employees feeling down, as they have to abide by what the management decides is right for now. â€Å"Hiding Information† from employees is demotivating. It can be interpreted as mistrust or a threat when the data is not communicated, leading sometimes to incoherent and incompatible efforts that are not aligned with the management vision and plan. When we don’t involve employees in what’s happening or why a certain decision has been taken, they will not be motivated to work nor will they feel responsible or accountable for achieving the required tasks. Let’s treat the issue from the â€Å"Low Quality Standards† perspective: Poor-quality work does not only include the cost of replacement, scrap and dissatisfied customers. It also includes the terribly demotivating impact on employees. Most employees look forward to achieve a work of high quality. It makes them feel good and satisfied on a personal level. However, due to growing competition and time and costs constraints some companies are prioritizing short production goals, thus lowering the quality standards. The result is that either the customers are left dissatisfied or the employees are left demotivated because they are involved in goal setting and process improvement. Both have devastating repercussions on the company. Why not to speak a little bit about â€Å"Favoritism†? Actually, Favoring one employee over another is very common in organizations due to stereotyping or the look like me effect when managers and supervisors usually falls in. When the least favored employee gets good results, the recognition is almost absent, but if he makes the smallest mistake the punishment is tough. The opposite happens with the favored employee, and his mistakes go sometimes unnoticed and unpunished. The rest of the employees will notice and feel discrepancies, which will lead them to demotivation. slide 5 of 13 From another point of view, â€Å"The Absence of a Benefit Package† or the existence of a weak one can be demotivating for employees when they compare themselves to what other employees are being offered in different companies.slide 6 of 13 1111111slide 8 of 13 Finally, â€Å"Violence and Harassment† can demotivate employees at work. There are different types of harassments at the workplace: sexual, racial,  personal, bullying, age harassment and disabled harassment. Issues like these can threaten the safe working environment that companies strive to insure. When employees don’t feel safe, they will not perform and they will start absenting, docking the job, etc†¦ which will affect the overall organizational performance. Adding to that the fact that such issues can lead the organization to court shall any of the employees decide to file a lawsuit case? What a bad toll that would have on the organization’s reputation and rank in the society and marketplace? Motivators at Work Employee motivation is a continuing challenge at work. It doesn’t only guarantee that work is done in time but it also ensures that quality of work is not compromised. Employees want to earn reasonable salary to support themselves and their families. Money is the only inducement as for nobody works for free; no other incentive or motivational technique comes even close to it with respect to its influential value (Sara et al, 2004). It has been known as a chief source of satisfying people’s needs. It has the power to attract and retain individuals. However, it doesn’t motivate; it only activates employees to do the minimum that is required in their job descriptions. Frederick Herzberg, the Behavioral theorist who conducted studies on worker motivation in the 1950’s and developed the Motivation-Hygiene theory of worker satisfaction and dissatisfaction, concluded that hygiene factors such as salary or pay can prevent dissatisfaction, but they do not motivate employees. According to Herzberg, hygiene factors work primarily as demotivators if they are not sufficient. As for the motivators, he believed that responsibility, recognition, achievement and advancement increase satisfaction and motivate people towards a greater effort and performance. Herzberg like many other behavioral theorists was influenced by the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs concept. The theory of Herzberg has shed the light on the importance of the intrinsic aspects of a job and their ability to motivate employees. It also generated the concept of job enrichment. He believed that removing some of the control over employees, giving them additional authority, increasing their personal responsibility and freedom in their own work and encouraging  them to take on new and more difficult tasks would enrich their job and positively motivate them. In addition, studies have shown that giving employees more responsibility and letting them feel a greater ownership in the business make th em more motivated to work harder and make the business succeed. Non-monetary incentives such as recognition can be as successful, and sometimes more successful, than monetary based plans. According to Maurer (2001) recognition is an essential factor in enhancing employee job satisfaction and work motivation which is directly associated to organizational achievement (Jun et al., 2006). This type of incentive works well with people who are intrinsically motivated. It can be achieved by simply asking employees for their opinions on specific issues or ideas. Such a criterion makes them feel that their opinion matters and is valued thus giving them an important role within the company. Recognition also includes acknowledging employees performance which in fact is really high on the list of employee needs for motivation. Managers should associate recognition in return with monetary gifts. Although employees would prefer money, but sometimes they might also appreciate praise, a verbal or a written â€Å"Thank you†. Appreciation is another form of non-monetary incentive. Even though its effectiveness isn’t stressed enough however it has a significant impact on e mployees. Employees would appreciate being involved directly with their immediate supervisors. The daily interaction builds good relationships. Discussing and sharing different points of view and ideas assist employees in getting involved thus motivated. And in return involved employees will start working beyond what is required from them in their job description and go the extra mile for the business. Furthermore the quality time spent with employees can be a huge enabler for understanding their current motivators. This relationship is the only and the most important factor in employees’ retention. Recent surveys have also found that flexible work arrangements improve employees’ motivation and retain them. In addition, having a clear staffing structure in the business with a scope for career development can expand both engagement and motivation. Likewise having a bonus or commission structure and creating a â€Å"Familial† atmosphere, in which everybody is treated fairly, can also maximize employees’ motivation and productivity. Similarly, as the p roverb says â€Å"With great power comes more responsibility†, empowering employees to take responsibility for their own  job and distributing leadership across all the levels in an organization can encourage, motivate and engage them with their tasks, especially if they can be left to work autonomously. David McClelland, like Maslow, also believed that people develop various needs throughout their life experiences. However, the only difference between McClelland’s theory and Maslow’s is that it assumed that different people have different patterns of needs. McClelland’s theory focused on the need for achievement which is the desire to do something better than it has been done before, the need for power which is the desire to control, influence, or be responsible for other people and the need for affiliation, which is the desire to maintain close and friendly personal relationships. According to McClelland, employees have all these needs to some extent but with different intensities. The relative strength of each need affects what will motivate each person. Managers through their daily interaction with employees can understand their behavior and the kind of motivation that best works. For example, employees with a strong need for achievement are more motivated by success than by money while employees with a strong need for power seek out advancement and responsibility whereas employees with a strong need for affiliation give ambition a back seat in exchange for approval and acceptance. Similarly, Vroom’s â€Å"Expectancyâ €“Valence† theory suggested that people are most motivated to seek achievable and worthy results. Meaning that, the strength of motivation is a function of the perceived value of the outcome and the perceived probability that the behavior will result in the outcome. Moreover studies have shown that making work more interesting to employees will make them give it their full attention and enthusiasm. This can be achieved by job rotation, enlargement, and enrichment. Job rotation gives employees more variety by moving from job to job and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills through cross-training. Job enlargement also assumes job variety by adding more duties to the job which in return makes it more satisfying and motivating. Job enrichment as explained by Herzberg gives employees more responsibility to make decisions and more recognition for good performance. Most of these motivation theories have one thing in common: Managers must consider individual differences while designing rewards. They should always keep in mind that what motivates one person may not motivate anot her. So they need to offer a variety of rewards and fairly distribute them to avoid  discrimination. Linking Motivation to Performance In order for us to study the implications of employees’ motivation on the organizational performance, it would be essential for us to start by defining the organizational performance and effectiveness terminology. Researchers do not agree on a specific definition for organizational performance. In fact, they look to it from different perspectives and they might adopt divergent views in defining it. Moreover, some of them have already created business models in an effort from them to explain and highlight this broad pillar concept in today’s business World. However, the grounds for defining the organizational performance and effectiveness are common among the majority of researchers. According to Mary et al, (1996), organizational performance is the ability of a company to attain its goals and objectives by the use of its resources. It is the maximum utility and efforts of the essential constituents of an organization in achieving the organizational goals and it reflects these constituents’ satisfaction in the input-output transformation process, as seen by Matthew et al, (2005). Finally, organizational performance is deemed to be â€Å"the process of locating targets and attaining them proficiently in spirited and energetic surroundings† (Constant.D, 2001). But, the breakneck challenge remains in creating such â€Å"energetic† surroundings in nowadays business environment in an attempt to reach the highest levels of motivation. Several studies conducted around the World and in different organizations assert that a positive relationship exists between the organizational performance and employees’ motivation. Thus, it becomes incontestable that when an organization tries to increase its employees’ satisfaction by motivating them, it will be increasing their performance and their effectiveness in achieving the organizational objectives set by the corporate level of management. And this is again verified by Matthew.J. et al, (2009), who consider the maximization of profits to be the fruit of a higher level of effectiveness and efficie ncy among workers in the business set, generated by satisfaction, delight and internal motivation. Many organizations, even unintentionally, found themselves enjoying a higher performance and effectiveness by increasing their employees’ degree of motivation. Many  researches were conducted in an attempt to explain the nature of the relationship between the Human Resources Management (HRM) practices and the organizational performance. In a study realized by Paul, A.K., & Anantharaman, R.N. (2003) and titled â€Å"Impact of people management practices on organizational performance†, the authors see that it is crucial for employees to be motivated, satisfied and committed in order for them to bring value and significantly contribute in the success of their organizations. Therefore, this reflects the indirect link between HRM policies and organizational performance through HRM output. On the other hand, controls (size, capital intensity, union intensity) which are all subtitles under the HRM policies section, may influence directly the organizational performance according to another study conducted by Huselid (1995). Thus, taking into consideration these studies, it is now clear that the HRM policies enjoy a duplicate relationship w ith the organizational performance (direct and indirect relationship), as they include motivation. And here, we should not forget to underline the importance of employees’ retention, one of the major Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the HR of every organization, in establishing the coherence of this relationship. If a company is unable to retain its internal customers (employees), then it will encounter difficulties in capitalizing on its human asset. Thus, it is important to set employees’ retention as an indispensable condition to be satisfied before discussing the implications of motivation on performance. In addition to that, it is important to shed light on the fact that organizational performance is a function of a multitude of variables that must be taken into consideration when measuring overall performance. A. Katou (2008) suggests that the performance is the big framework under which concepts such as effectiveness, efficiency, development, satisfaction, innovation and quality fall. And since these concepts are the basic components of organizational performance, thus it becomes steady that each one of them is directly related to performance. Therefore, anything that might positively affect any of these concepts might also be positively reflected on performance itself. Thus, when measuring the increase in organizational performance due to motivation, it becomes vital to take in consideration positive implication of motivation on each of these concepts. A high organizational performance might result due to a higher level of  effectiveness achieved in top management positions when setting the appropriate goals and objectives and communicating these objectives to all levels and departments within the organization. And motivation, once found among top managers, it will play a major role in increasing the effectiveness of these managers in setting the appropriate goals to reach. A motivated manager will put the interest of the whole organization as a priority and will work hard with his subordinates to achieve them. In a similar context, the Behavioral School of Management suggests that employees are more likely to express a high sense of motivation when they work with a motivated manager (Hawthorne studies). Staying within Katou’s study (2008) frame, motivation is directly related to efficiency, which constitutes the ability of firm to meet its objectives using the least amount of resources. Motivated employees are more likely to consider the costs that their organization incurs to achieve the expected goals and objectives. So, they think about squeezing the costs as a way to increase their revenues and profits, leading to a maximum efficiency and performance. Moving to the development, it is essential to say that an organization must always conduct a SWOT analysis, watching both its internal and external environment. Consequently, it must analyze any opportunity looming and try its best to make out of it the most profit it could. Thus, motivation here is essential key to performance since it leads to a proactive workforce that constantly analyzes the external environment for any opportunity, and that permanently trying to predict the future. Hence, motivation turned out to be res ponsible of the subsequent future of an organization in addition to its ulterior prosperity. Finally, adhering to Katou’s research (2008), motivation is at the root of every step forward in the innovation concept. Definitely, a demotivated workforce will soon suffer from the routine of the daily work and will never think of finding new ways in achieving the organizational objectives or manufacturing a product and so on and so forth. Thus, a huge role is attributed to motivation in this direction. And once motivation and innovation meet, a positive synergy is created among workers at all levels of management, driving the whole organization to realize and achieve high quality and standards in serving its customers, either by providing high quality products or offering high quality services in the business environment. This would definitely drive us to talk about the competitive  advantage that high quality and innovation would both create within the organization itself, leading to outperforming competitors and to the generation of core competencies that provide the organization with the power to overcome any threat imposed by the presence of any competitor. Thus, the outcome is a higher performance due essentially to motivation. In a recent study by Nicu Ioana Elena (2011), a motivated workforce will also ensure, in addition to all of the previous consequences discussed above, a better assumption of responsibilities in the organization leading to higher levels of performance. She also affirms in her study that organizations in which employees are motivated are more likely to witness small absenteeism rates, very low personnel fluctuations, a negligible Procrastination rate (Fatigue, Stress), and frivolous percentages of Sabotage and Docking among its employees, all of them associated with burnout that leads to modest levels of organizational performance. Finally, motivating employees might show to be of a certain intrinsic value to the organization itself. In fact, when an organization takes care of its employees, constantly trains and develops them and motivates them to work harder and achieve organizational goals in the most effective and efficient way, they would feel that they are treated as valuable assets in the company and they would feel the importance accorded to them by their supervisors. Thus, they will adopt a positive attitude towards the organization they work at, and this will be reflected by a better organizational reputation which may in a way or another have its own indirect implications on the organizational performance and on the way the organization is seen by competitors or other factors or players in the business environment. This point should be definitely treated in the light of the close working relationships that might unite employees from different organizations. A final point we would like to consider is the equity v/s inequity perception among employees. Usually, in the business framework, employees tend permanently to compare themselves to other employees in the same organization (Internal Equity), or in other organizations (External Equity). An employee who intuits a perception of inequity compared to one of his colleagues might face the situation with a fight, fright or flight reaction. And these reactions may increase the employees’ turn over rate, hence reducing the organizational performance. However, motivation is the only remedy in this case, reducing inequity perceptions (Internal &  External) among employees, contributing in employees’ retention and therefore increasing the overall organizational performance. Conclusion and Recommendations After we have discussed all of the factors affecting the employees’ performance in the work environment, either positively or negatively, and after having already examined the positive correlation between employees’ motivation and employee’s performance at work by showing the positive results and outcomes that may procure a motivated workforce to the organization, it becomes inarguable that focusing on employees’ motivation as a way to increase organizational behavior is vital in insuring the organization success and continuity. In fact, a lot of organizations nowadays consider enhancing the HR practices and orienting all of their HR efforts towards achieving a higher level of motivation among employees as important as any other financial or strategic business planning. Actually, employees represent the internal customers of the organizations and their importance to the organization is as equal as the importance of normal customers. Thus, they should be ta ken care of and they should be treated the same way an organization treats its customers. This issue has become a very hot topic in recent business and research studies as a considerable number of companies went out of business because of lack of motivation among employees in certain industries where motivation does really count. In addition to that, business planning has noticed a new trend, including a major consideration of employees’ motivation as a key factor leading to success. For instance, entrepreneurs are becoming more and more aware of employees’ motivation and they are including in their plans effective steps to implement in order to increase the level of motivation, even before starting the business. And this shows the relevance of such an issue in nowadays business world. Moreover, since reaching a high level of  performance in the organization is the common primary goal of the different functional departments, starting with the finance department and not ending with the marketing and sales departments, it becomes wiser to think of centering all the efforts towards increasing motivation as a way to achieve a higher level of performance, or even making it the common primary goal to reach among all of these functional departments. However, many questions can be addressed in this regard as motivation is relative to each employee and is a function of a multitude of cultural and societal variables. Therefore, it is not easy to achieve motivation among every individual element of the workforce and it is also not easy to reach perfection in realizing that task. Eventhough high motivational levels among employees might be reachable, it is almost impossible for executives in an organization to reach a level at which they can say: â€Å"Thank God our organization is blessed with a perfectly motivated workforce†. This may be witnessed due to the different human, psychological, social and cultural backgrounds of employees. Finally, another factor that may pose a challenge is the ability of the HR personnel to manage the issue between theoretical and practical discrepancies regarding motivation as nothing can be perfectly applied, and everything is subject to change due to an infinite number of reasons that deserv e further research and study. References Ali, R., & Ahmad, M. S., (2009). The Impact of Reward and Recognition Programs on Employee’s Motivation and Satisfaction: An Empirical Study. Baldoni, J., (2005). Motivation Secrets. Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders. http://govleaders.org/motivation_secrets.htm Beugrà ©, Constant, D., & Offodile, O. F., (2001). Managing for organizational effectiveness in sub-Saharan Africa: a culture-fit model. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12 (4), 535-550. Danish, R. Q., & Usman, A., (2010). Impact of Reward and Recognition on job Satisfaction and Motivation. Honold, L., (1997). A Review of the Literature on Employee Empowerment. Huselid, M.A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 635-670. Katou, A.A., & Budhwar, P.S. (2008). Human resource management systems and organisational performance: A test of a mediating model in the Greek manufacturing context. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17, 1223-1253. Mary James, University of Cambridge. Dr Gordon Stobart †¦ 1.5 Relationship between assessment and aspects of motivation†¦ 14. 1.6 Differential †¦.. review findings and reference to current practice in the UK at the consultation †¦.. et al. ( 1996) Maslow, A. (1954) Impact of Motivation on Leadership Personality, a Journal of Socia Sciences, vol 9, pg 23-43, New York Publication Limited. Matthew, J., Grawhich, & Barber, L. K., (2009). Are you Focusing both Employees and Organizational Outcomes. Organizational Health Initiative at Saint Louis University (ohi.slu@edu), 1-5. Paul, A.K., & Anantharaman, R.N. (2003). Impact of people management practices on organisational performance. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14, 1246-1266 Rynes, S. L., Gerhart, B., & Minette, K. A., (2004). The Importance of Pay in employee Motivation: Discrepancies between What People say and what they do.

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The Death Sentence and Texas - Essay Example The application of the death penalty in Texas makes several poignant statements: first, violent crimes in Texas will bring about violence in the application of the death penalty; second, it is a loud statement of lack of confidence in an individual’s ability to be rehabilitated after having committed a violent crime, regardless of the circumstances; and, third, demonstrates a confidence in the modern technologies, such as DNA testing, that have recently been proven to have been the basis for wrong convictions because DNA testing and maintenance of DNA samples were compromised. This raises the question of whether or not the continued application in Texas and elsewhere in the United States is in fact justice served. Or would justice be better served by holding off on the use of the death penalty, until the justice system can be certain, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the evidence it presents is irrefutable with respect to each life being put at risk? Also, can a system responsi ble for rehabilitating offenders really succeed in that goal, and can a criminal with a violent past be rehabilitated in a way where justice would be better served by life imprisonment as opposed to death? The justices decided on a 6-3 vote that the Texas jury that resentenced rapist-murderer Johnny Paul Penry after his 1989 appeal was given instructions that did not meet criteria the high court had earlier set, and they overturned his death sentence a second time (Murray 2001).† These are questions and situations that this essay will examine with respect to the application of the death penalty in the state of Texas. Individual cases where prisoners have been executed will be examined, as will some pending cases. The state of Texas is big, the history of Texas looms large in the overall history of the United States, and people from the state like to perceive themselves as

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Financial Performance of Retail Banking in India - Literature review Example Amidst all unfavourable global financial climates, India’s Banking Industry, especially the retail banking industry was able to maintain steady growth. â€Å"Retail Banking is a banking service that is geared primarily towards individual consumers. Retail banking is usually made available by commercial banks, as well as smaller community banks. Unlike wholesale banking, retail banking focuses strictly on consumer markets†(Dr. Revathy, 2012, p.132). In fact the pace at which the Indian banking industry has grown in recent times has surprised many economists and neutral observers. The growth in Indian banking industry â€Å"is evident from the higher pace of credit expansion, expanding profitability and productivity similar to banks in developed markets, lower incidence of non- performing assets and focus on financial inclusion†(Dr. Goyal & Joshi, 2012, p.18). It should be noted that majority of the banking institutions including commercial banks and co-operative b anks in India are functioning under the strong control of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). However, a small number of unscheduled cooperative banks are present in India which is functioning almost independently though RBI has some control on such banks. Even strong control of RBI is there, Indian retail banking industry is developing rapidly. ... e sector significantly outperformed their public sector counterparts (28.38 percent v/s 9.85 percent), the interest income for the banks under study increased by 33.85 percent in FY12(Indian banks: Performance benchmarking report, 2012, p.3). Banking interest rate in India is fixed by RBI. RBI increases or decreases Ripo, reverses ripo and CRR. Repo is the short form of repurchase agreement. â€Å"Repo rate or repurchase rate is the rate at which banks borrow money from the central bank (read RBI for India) for short period by selling their securities (financial assets) to the central bank with an agreement to repurchase it at a future date at predetermined price† (Ansul, 2010). It is just like borrowing money from a lender by selling him something. Reverse ripo is the opposite of repo. In the case of reverse ripo, a dealer buys government securities from an investor and then sells them back at a later date for a higher price (Investopedia, 2013). In short, ripo is the rate at which RBI sell its funds to other financial institutions whereas reverse ripo represents the interest at which RBI borrows funds from other banks. Banking interest rates depends on the ripo and reverse ripo rates. In other words, banks will be forced to increase the interest rates or money lending and borrowing when the ripo and reverse ripo rates increases and vice versa. In short, banking interest rates are directly proportional to the ripo and reverse ripo rates. Cash reserve Ratio (CRR)  is the amount of funds that the banks have to keep with the RBI (What is CRR, repo and reverse repo rate?, 2012) RBI cuts Repo Rate from 7.50% to 7.25%;  Reverse Repo Rate, Bank Rate and MSF Rates too adjusted to 6.25%, 8.25% and 8.25% respectively in this month (Goyal, 2013). CRR, Ripo and reverse ripo rates

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APPLIED MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS Questions - Research Paper Example c) Mathematical formulae for production system of The Village Inn Y1 a11 a12 a13 a14 X1 Y2 = a21 a22 a23 a24 x X2 Y3 a31 a32 a33 a34 X3 X4 It could be assumed that, Y1 = buttermilk pancakes Y2 = Skillets Y3 = Crepes Thus, X1 = Milk, X2 = Butter, X3 = Wheat and X4 = Eggs Lastly, aij are the weights that are associated with each input for the production of each item and, their values range between 0 and 1; i, j = 1 ... 4 d) According to the Law of Diminishing Returns, the productivity of a factor with other factors remaining unchanged tends to diminish over time. In the above example, if any of the components are added in excess of the rest, they cannot help in producing an extra unit of output, so that increase in quantity only diminishes its productivity. Answer to Question 2 a) A department store generally deals with a large number of items under a single roof and simultaneously has to employ a large number of salespersons. In this case, productivity of each employee implies the add itional number of commodities that the person is able to sale over time. In order to calculate the average productivity per employee thus, it is necessary to calculate the gross sales that the company made and divide it with the total number of transactions. b) Technical efficiency implies the efficiency with which inputs could be converted into output. Normally, the greater the volume of output that could be created with a given volume of input, higher is the efficiency of the concerned firm. In retail stores, this could be implies by the speed with which the sales are taking place. An ideal method to measure the same could be through estimating the number of days that a commodity stays in the inventory shelf. If the number of days is found to be higher than the average, technical efficiency of the company might be regarded as falling and vice-versa. Moreover, greater the technical efficiency is, lower is the per unit production cost incurred and greater is the profit generated. c) Economic efficiency is the extent to which the retail store can compromise their shelf space occupied by one commodity with that of another. In order to optimise the same, it is very important for them to be informed about the commodities which are highly demanded compared to those which are not. In case that they are able to make the substitution successfully, i.e., there is Pareto Optimality, the average cost of the company falls and its profit rises. Answer to Question 3 In the present case, the retired couple have to capture a part of the market that is largely served by the nearby chain restaurant. However, the difference between the two is that while the couple plans to establish a lunch-only restaurant, the nearby chain is a full-fledged one. Thus, the strategy that they must be adopting should be that like an oligopolistic market, where their strategies should be highly dependent upon the ones being adopted by the existing players of the industry. Four economic factors that they need to consider while determining their pricing strategy are – Firstly, the market is characterised by another major player who is already experiencing the advantage of being a first mover. Generally, in an oligopolistic

The Problems North Korea Poses For Contemporary East Asia Research Paper

The Problems North Korea Poses For Contemporary East Asia - Research Paper Example Justifiably, the country has been dealing with severe political problems that are affecting other nations of the Asian continent (Mervio 19-30). There are various issues that North Korea is facing in the present day scenario which is affecting the entire nation along with the countries of the East Asian region in a comprehensive manner. In this regard, a few of the basic and the most crucial significant issues poses by North Korea for contemporary East Asia are the inability to suffice the daily requirements of the people, inhumane treatment and imbalance in the context of criminal justice system among others. It is worth mentioning in this similar context that the unstable political and social economic conditions of North Korea have certainly posed severe threats for the nations of East Asia by a certain extent. More importantly, it is the problem of the challenge of security tensions, which North Korea is dealing with (Borthwick 15-20). The country i.e. North Korea has initiated two of the most drastic nuclear programs in terms of magnitude. Likewise, it is ranked as the third largest in terms of its chemical weapon arsenal. Notably, the country has fired missiles such as Nodong and Taepodong to Asian countries like Japan and South Korea that certainly resulted in mass destruction. This can be duly considered as one of the negative impacts of the country imposed on the nations of East Asia. Lack of proper leadership in the country has also resulted in erupting major issues that affected the rapid pace of development of the East Asian nations and the global countries altogether. It will be vital to mention that the aspects including poverty, unstable economy and prevalence of improper legislative structures are deemed to be certain crucial issues that North Korea is dealing in this contemporary scenario. The problems of security in North Korea have been widely regarded as a threat to the  countries of the East Asia n regions along with the other international nations in the global paradigm.

Analysis from walden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis from walden - Essay Example The moment we try to intrude our being’s reality and disrupt the ways of nature is the time when we fail ourselves and become unhappy. The chosen text â€Å"From Walden† by Henry David Thoreau has indeed brought up many interesting insights about life and nature and how both can perfectly co-exist to benefit each other. One of Thoreau’s ideas that totally capture a genius thought we could all make use of today would be how doctors would usually recommend the sick whose situation seems to not get better to change his or her surroundings. Though a happier and a more positive environment can uplift us, more importantly, it is better that we learn how to change our mindset and attitude towards something rather than to change the landscape we are in. As he says, â€Å"the universe is wider than our views of it† (Thoreau's Walden, Chapter 2. n,d.). It is us who needs to change ourselves as it is the only thing we can transform and not nature or destiny. Here, he directly states his point by highlighting a common reaction of human beings to problems which is a very effective tool for him to bend the knee-jerk thinking of people that the key to happiness is when situations we deem unnecessary or troublesome is not a part of life’s equation. â€Å"It is not worth the while to go round the world to count the cats in Zanzibar† is another strong line he used to back this up (Thoreau's Walden, Chapter 2. n,d.). ... Indeed, media has its way of making travel and tours play a big part in one’s life especially with the complexity of the real world everyone wants to get away from. However, it is wise to know that even after you have travelled to the most beautiful place in the world, you will still go back to the same problems you had. Indeed, a life-transforming travel does not have to involve one leaving home, instead is a constancy of being at peace with one’s soul. Another strong quote I came across the text would be â€Å"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived† (Thoreau's Walden, Chapter 2. n,d.). Here, he is trying to convey the significance of each person being able to find his or her own meaning of life. Thoreau teaches us that aside from focusing on being able to provide for our daily needs such as food, shelter, and clothing, which a lot of people today has been blinded of, focusing too much on work and succeeding to gain more, it is wise that we also take time to evaluate the quality of life that we now have. However, he emphasizes that inner fulfillment which should be the main goal for everyone can only be judged by each person to himself and no one else. â€Å"From Walden† by Henry David Thoreau is indeed a literary piece that talks about the realities of life and how to soar high while you’re at it instead of falling rock hard down. He used nature literally to explain how the world and humans are made by God and how we cannot do anything to change the fact that none of both are perfect. No matter what background or era one is born in, we all are going to go through troubles in one

Environmental Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Environmental Science - Essay Example And even the general perception about them is that ‘they are less destructive than other storms’. For this very reason so little is known about nor’easters. Nor’easters are said to have caused heavy snow falls in New England and the Middle Atlantic states. In recent years, the US coastal areas have also been hit by a series of nor’easters. All this has led to more attention towards these storms. Researchers have found that apart from their origins in atmospheric disturbances and their cyclonic winds, hurricanes and nor’easters bear little resemblance to each other. Hurricanes are warm-core systems and thus limited in height by the colder upper air, while nor’easters are cold-core systems that do not lose intensity with height. Unlike hurricanes, nor’easters do not necessarily form over the open ocean. Nor’easters are supposed to require the support of the jet stream to form, so their prevalence is closely related to season al changes in the position and the strength of the jet. Correlation of data for the past 50 yrs suggest that the annual frequency of the strongest nor’easter is positively correlated with southerly jet-stream position over the eastern US. Wind’s speed, its duration and the distance are the three factors affecting the growth of waves. With an increase in any of these factors, the height of the storm surge increases. October to April is the primary nor’easter season with February being the most active month. Some of the features of nor’easters which can be summarized based on recent studies are; Because of their diffuse structure, they are difficult to characterize, categorize and predict. Having not able to establish a direct relationship between a nor’easter’s wind speed and its destructive power has made the task of classification and comparison of these storms more difficult. Researchers assert that one possible cause for the

The Kennedy Space Center Essay Example for Free

The Kennedy Space Center Essay I am the most typical American man who is born in Pensacola Florida. Most people dream of visiting Florida, but I get to live there. What I find interesting about Florida is that it was part of Spain until 1845, when it became a State of the United States; making it the twenty seventh State to join the Union. Most of the population in other states has to shop at a grocery store for oranges or orange juice, but for myself, orange groves are nearby and I can smell the fresh ripe oranges that ripened on the trees and are available for my breakfasts for when ever I chose. What I find humorous at times when I hear other people speak of Florida is our Alligators and that we should be fearful of them. But we are not, they are just part of our life style and they are much protected from the government. Even if the Alligator is walking on a sidewalk, it is illegal to remove them, the ideal of the situation is to give them total respect and stay out of their way. With the ocean nearby, I get to fish when ever I can. Living with my grandparents, my grandpa always went with me. After casting out our lines, I always surrendered to one of his famous stories about the fish the got away. I chuckle to myself just remembering those stories, but one thing for sure; it was a time when my grandpa Willy and I would bond the most. At the end of the day, I would stand side by side with Grandpa Willy and clean our daily catch, often having races to see who could beat who. Sometimes the scales would fly! When it would be done and over, the smell of fresh fish would fill our senses, making all that work worth while. In my spare time, I sit in front of my television playing video games. Halo is my favorite! I like it because it is a combat game with lots of action. I get to be the Master Chief who fights to protect my planet. There are aliens who come from far away to fight to take over my planet and I have to fight them and kill them to protect the planet. I utilize all my army gear to fight these distorted aliens. I even go to their planets with my Banche which is a flying aircraft and is loaded with necessary weapons to succeed my strengths mission. The object is to take over their planet as well. If I use the Blanche, or the Warthog or I may chose to move in the tank, what ever the case may be, I am assured to have the necessary weapons to be successful. When I am not playing the video games, I am a typical male who checks out the â€Å"hotties† at the mall. My buds and I just hang around, trying to look not interested but we don’t miss a thing. But the ways I have some down time is to put on my headphones and jam to the â€Å"Beastie Boy’s†, and look through some car magazines. I like to get my hands dirty and love hearing my engine of my 1969 engine purr. I spent many pain staking hours working on that machine, but I successfully was able to soup up my car and am the envious of many of my peers as I drive it to my school. Finally, when I am done with school, I am going to concentrate on becoming a lawyer. Thinking of our Sunshine State and all of our sixty seven counties I feel there is room for someone like me who will work hard to help out with some areas like International Trade; Tourism, which Florida has seventy six point eight million visitors alone in 2004 and is the top traveled state; Space Industry, which employs something like fifteen thousand employees at the Kennedy Space Center; Agriculture, Florida leads with farming income from orange groves and orange juice and the University Research, five million dollars are being sponsored for research at the Florida University. I feel no matter what area of law I would go into, I would be protecting companies or people. No matter if I would be working in Space or working for the common farmer; what ever the case may be I feel it could be very challenging and interesting at the same time. Another area of my interest is in Math. Math comes easier for me and I feel no matter what area of any professions I may go into, Math will be really important to know. Whatever the case, I love working with people in general and math is definitely one of my and I think it could be fun teaching it to students. I can envision myself in front of a class with eager eyes looking up to me to learn a new gained knowledge of how math can be applied to our daily lives. Most people feel that how is Algebra, Core Math, Calculus, Trigiometry, we never really use in our daily lives; but in reality we use them daily without knowing that we do. People who work not only in teaching, but in some fields like Chemist, Farming, Architecture, Wood workers (cabinet makers), and in any field that constitutes measuring of some sort. Teaching it would be a challenge of its own. That would mean I would have to be more organized than what I am. I am still leaving my clothes on the floor, and I may even have separate piles of clothing if I get rushed like; a pile of clean clothes, pile of only worn once clothing and can be worn again if sprayed, and then there is the must be washed, we all know those ones when the jeans stand on their own legs without help and the shirts smell strongly of the partying of the night before. But still even if organization could be the worst challenge, I know that all of my commitment and hard work would pay off with my student’s achievements. Knowing a head of time that Math is one of the harder subjects to teach because it is the least interesting and sometimes really hard for some people, I know I would have to be sensitive to the children who do not have the same appreciation of Math as I do and make it as interesting as possible. How I would do that I am not sure as of yet, but I know I could achieve that goal. Knowing that math is all around us in our daily lives I will have to just grasp some of the ways they use it and incorporate it in the teaching for starters. What ever the case may be if I go into being a lawyer or teacher, I know that it will present its own challenges and with hard work and dedication I can achieve anything that I set my mind to. I love working with people, though I am a little shy at times, I know I can be a true asset to any field I venture into.

Organizational Development Essay Example for Free

Organizational Development Essay John F. Kennedy was quoted as saying â€Å"Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.† The world is in a constant state of motion. No one should expect things to always stay the same. Organizations require technologies and human resources in order to operate. A business needs to operate by learning from the past and planning for the future. Since, the economic collapse of 2008, the idea that any company is ‘too big to fail’ has been thrown out the proverbial ‘business window’. Business is now practiced in a global market and technologies have made the world a smaller place. â€Å"Managers and their organizations must anticipate the future and become proactive players.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, part 1.) Consider companies like Blockbuster Video. The demise of Blockbuster proves that leadership did not look to the future. This company considered itself to be the standard. Where is Blockbuster now? Instead of being an industry leader, it is trying to regain its footing in a marketplace it once dominated. Why? Blockbuster failed to take its competitors seriously. It did not consider technology surpassing the company’s own perception of practicing business. â€Å"In 2002 (Blockbuster) had 8,000 stores and a market value of $3 billion. Today, movie-by-mail Netflix is worth nearly three times that much. And Blockbuster is broke.† (Gandell, S., 2010, paragraph 19.) Successful companies are looking to the future as they learn from the past and present. Organizations that are successful will operate without ego, effectively communicate throughout the organization, and constantly reinvent themselves. Organizations need to be in constant development in order to move forward with any success. In this paper, I intend to define the importance of organizational development as it relates to my own company’s recent sale to a new group of owners. I intend to define organizational development as it relates to organizational trust, a strong practitioner-client relationship, the imperative nature of the diagnostic phase, effective communication between ownership and employees, and the importance of strategy as it relates to a successful transfer of ownership and culture to an organization. Organizations need to know when organizational development is necessary. I am a Managing Partner in the restaurant business. I currently have about 50 employees that I am responsible for. Recently, the restaurant I am running was sold to a South African group of owners. The owners actually bought two restaurants from the local restaurant group I was working for. After studying the Charlotte market and other markets throughout this great country of ours, the South African owners decided that Charlotte, NC would give them the best opportunity to grow a restaurant chain. The owners currently have over 150 restaurants in South Africa and this is their first venture into the United States. Once the sale became final, the owners began to evaluate all the current systems and business practices of the restaurants. The new owners began to re-develop the organization by defining its existing and future organizational identity. The owners sat down with staff and management to get an understanding of what the restaurants meant to each staff member. â€Å"The identity will provide an advantage if it is well aligned with the organizational strategy and well suited to the market niche, because identities tend to be socially complex and path dependent, and therefore difficult to imitate.† (Salgado, S.R., 2003, page 65.) The owners became the practitioners of change by purchasing the restaurants. After the sale became final, it was time to develop a sense of trust from the existing staff and management. One way of gaining that trust is to value the opinions of the current members of the organization. The new owners showed that they valued staff opinion of organizational identity. This process helped to develop the fundamental need to build a positive practitioner-client relationship. The new owners need an employee landscape that is friendly, not hostile. There is no way the new organization can move forward with a negative culture. Once trust was established, the new owners were able to begin to identify issues, problems, and opportunities each restaurant was having. The five fundamental stages of organizational development are: â€Å"anticipate the need for change, develop the practitioner-client relationship, the diagnostic phase, action plans, strategies, and techniques, and self-renewal, monitor, and stabilize.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 18). Ownership has followed the principles of organizational change and development in a very smart way. The new owners worked on building a strong practitioner-client relationship while gathering information about the businesses. They remained very approachable and worked hard to assist with the agreed upon change lists. Ownership made everyone feel as though they were not there to change what was not broken. Employees were made to feel proud about the restaurants they worked in. By developing such a good and trusting relationship, change has come easier. Once trust was established, new ownership quickly moved to the third fundamental of organizational development, the diagnostic phase. â€Å"Organizational diagnostic models and surveys have often been demonstrated by practitioners to be very effective in supporting organizational development   programs.† (Goldstein, L. and Burke, W. (1991), Vol. 19, page 5.) Diagnostic models are designed to help organizational development practitioners to â€Å"categorize data about the organization, enhance understanding about organizational problems, interpret data systematically, (and) provide appropriate change strategies.† (Lok, P., Crawford, J., 2000, page 108.) The practitioners have been reviewing every facet of the restaurant’s business practices. Ownership is constantly evaluating the effectiveness of each system. Technologies, equipment, and managerial functions are all reviewed and measured to the new standards and goals set forth by the owners. The ownership designed a â€Å"team approach to setting and reviewing targets, real participation by subordinates in setting goals, with an emphasis on mutually agreed upon goals, mutual trust between subordinate and manager, and a real concern for personal career goals as well as for organizational goals.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 327.) Ownership felt that the technologies were not tied in together very well. Ownership felt that the current gathering of data was cumbersome and inaccurate. The practitioners felt that the clients needed to stream-line the ways in which data was collected. By reviewing every program and system of accounting, the new owners were able to determine that updating would be necessary in order to move the two concepts forward. Looking to future growth was not going to happen for the organization until both concepts were able to produce accurate information about the actual business. Ownership also determined that it wanted its managers out in the restaurant more. There was simply too much to do in the office while running the restaurants. The practitioners asked current upper management to clearly define the responsibilities of each manager and chef position. At this point, the culture of the new organization had begun to take shape. Clearly defined roles and a change in managerial philosophies have started to grow. I have witnessed what I believe is a very successful transformation of culture. Responsibilities are clearly communicated. Accountability has improved. By creating clearly defined roles, the effectiveness of each manager is much easier to measure. At times, however, communication has been inconsistent. The massive restructuring of all current systems has taken a toll on some people in the organization. Missed deadlines and unforeseen problems have occurred. The way in which the new ownership has responded to the unforeseen issues has been impressive. I feel that new ownership has shown an unwavering amount of dedication to the new organizational vision it has set in place. Considering the amount of change, the owners have been very clear and approachable throughout the transformation. I respect and support their efforts in remaining approachable and supportive. They exude an understanding of what each existing member or employee is going through.   Ownership has been very aware of the ego state of the organization. â€Å"Every interaction between people involves a transaction between their ego states. When one person converses with a second person, the first person is in a distinct ego state and can direct the message to an y of the three ego states in the second individual.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 230.) Ownership has made every effort to have open and complementary transactions with groups and individuals throughout the organization. At the same time, they have also shown that the organization will move forward with or without its current members. Holding people accountable has been extremely important. â€Å"In todays changing environment, organizations that encourage individual ability and hold employees accountable for achieving goals are more likely to succeed.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 381.) The practitioners have been able to accentuate individual strengths and weaknesses within its existing employee body. This approach has brought on a spirit of contribution to the cause of the new vision presented to the ‘old guards’ of the organization. This is a very clever approach to affecting change. Also, the new leaders of the organization have discovered some hidden talents within its current team-members. Finding an existing and in-place pool of needed skills has helped the new leaders keep an aggressive time-line for the development of change. New owners did not have to look completely outside the organization for skills that will enable change. Instead, new owners were able to motivate change by looking for solutions internally. Looking for hidden talents helped to reaffirm the positive culture of opportunity and renewed perceptions of the employee skillset. An internal approach to solving or rectifying identified issues has also kept the cost of change down. Existing members already have a sense of where the shared vision of the company is going. Existing staff has a greater stake in the organization’s success. Because of shareholder accountability, ownership is smart to look internally for as many talents as possible. Ownership believed by stream-lining technologies and accounting systems, it could improve the quality of the guest experience and profitability of its organization. Ownership started this process by surveying all existing management to try and determine what each manager actually knew about the existing programs and technologies. A methodical and measured approach to re-designing office systems will enable the organization to become more consistent in gathering data and measuring the performance of both restaurants. Their  vision of the future of the organization has been effectively shared with everyone involved . The deadlines for improvements have been followed-up effectively. A weekly meeting between ownership and upper management takes place. In these meetings, organizational effectiveness is measured by how well goals and objectives are accomplished. At first, goals were very broad and basic. Managers were asked to evaluate their knowledge of existing point of sale programs, invoicing programs, and budgetary knowledge. Once ownership felt it had acquired enough knowledge about existing systems, the project or ‘goal’ chart was updated and tasks became more narrow and specialized in focus. Managers were held accountable to their goals based on their strengths or expertise. For example, one manager is very adept with computers. This has become his area of focus for the remainder of the re-development of the organization. â€Å"The collection of data is an important activity providing the organization and the practitioner with a better understanding of client system problems: the diagnosis.† (Brown, D.R., 2011, page 19.) Ownership has been very diligent about data accuracy. Every number and system has been reviewed for accuracy and consistency. In order for the company to move forward, ownership has to determine what is and what is not vital to the new organizational vision. Ownership has already picked two new sites for additional restaurants. It is important that both restaurants operate in the same way as the business grows. This is why organizational effectiveness has to be optimized and not hap-hazard. â€Å"Organizational practitioners need to assess the influence of variables in diagnostic models on organizational outcomes, and effectiveness has often been used as the primary outcome measurement. (Handy, 1985, p. 85; Burke and Litwin, 1992). The new owners have done an excellent job moving the new organization through a surprising change of ownership. I have enjoyed watching how these new owners have handled the organizational development of the restaurant. Organizational change and development is certainly not easy. Leadership from the owners to the managers has to stay on course with the changes. Total commitment and a positive attitude are necessary. Negativity spreads like wildfire when redeveloping an organization. The owners have worked hard to cope and shape their environments, through the way they organize and operate their organization. The history of organizational development has to be an interesting one. As I watch these new owners re-tool both establishments, I wonder if they are taking the same course in organizational development that I am. The owners have to pass forward their beliefs or values as to what the restaurants should be. Things that worked before might be tossed. New things are   introduced. The style of service and the menu, the technology, are all things the owners have to push forward to current and new employees. All the while, business is ongoing. The doors are open. Customers are hearing of the sale and are passionate about the changes. Some changes are subtle. Some changes are extreme. How does the ownership remain familiar to what the concept once was? The entire process is exhausting. The public’s resistance to change is fierce at times. One very popular item on the menu was discontinued when the new menu was rolled out. Granted, the menu had not changed in four years. Servers and cooks were tired of doing the same thing every day. The item that was discontinued was actually a very bland and tasteless item. Servers and cooks hated selling it. There was excitement and concern when the new ownership wanted to get rid of it. We all knew we were in for it when the new menu came out. Sure enough, customers have missed not having this item on the menu. Customers have been very vocal about this one item. Ownership feels that quality ingredients, perfect preparation, and impeccable service will build sales. There is a determination that the new regime can move past this one dish and convince the fickle public that there are a lot of other good reasons to dine at our restaurants. We are doing more than trying to keep our existing clientele. We are building a new clientele. Whatever perceptions the public had of us before does not matter. It is interesting to hear the complaints about some of our changes. All the while, most of the same staff works at the restaurant. The only real changes the public see are dress codes and menu changes. Otherwise, most change is behind the scenes. Because of the intense scrutiny mistakes in service or execution of the shift has to be perfect. We cannot afford to be less than perfect right now. Complacency has no place in the restaurant business. To be successful, we should always be looking ahead and learning from our past mistakes. We should always challenge ourselves to be better than we were yesterday. We are always training and learning. Managers should be acting as coaches and mentors to the staff. Management at all levels should not only ‘talk the talk’, they should ‘walk the walk’. However, the complaints are not always fair. The new menu is terrific. Quality and service are actually better than ever. The new owners spent a lot of money to help update and fix equipment that was vital to running the restaurant. Ownership has brought in more management and has improved the morale of the restaurant, not to mention the quality of life for all salaried people like myself. There has been a certain camaraderie resulting from moving toward common goals with other people. There is now a belief that we are a better place today because of our efforts. The best interventions from a   values point of view are those that help clients prepare their place in the future, whether its creation or adaptation. I am sure as we move forward that we will come in to our own again. The once faithful group of regulars will either go their own way or forgive us. Organizational development is a change strategy. â€Å"OD principles and techniques are experiencing a renaissance, thanks to the growth of the field of change management.† (Worren, N.A.M., Ruddle, K., Moore, K.,1999, paragraph 3.) Organizational development requires a change in behaviors. These behaviors, good or bad, become the organizational culture. The organizational beliefs and values start at the top of the food chain, the owners. What is important to the owner should be important to the worker in that organization. It is imperative that the owner or any organization find a way to keep his people motivated and passionate about his organization’s products. Therefore, the leadership of any organization has to ‘connect’ to develop change and organizational success. Leadership has to be viewed as the change master. An organization that wants to remain vital, must be able to deal with change. A restaurant is an excellent example of a business in a constant state of change. For some restaurants the menu can stay the same. Maybe that is what people like about the place. However, what goes on outside the restaurant can cause a need for change inside the restaurant. Roads are closed, the economy is shrinking, parking is now too difficult to bother, these are all worrisome real-life issues that any organization or restaurant might have to deal with. The restaurant cannot afford to maintain the status quo, change is simply that critical. Kurt Lewin developed the concept of force-field analysis. This philosophy is â€Å"deceptively simple and can be used to help plan and manage organizational change.† (Cumming, T.G., Huse, E.R. 1989, page 3.) Lewin believed that an organizational behavior was affected by the balance of two opposing forces. When these opposing forces are at odds, change happens. According to Lewin, there are driving forces and restraining forces. Driving forces affect and assist in the desired change. Restraining forces do quite the opposite. Restraining forces represent obstacles to the change. â€Å"If the weights of the driving and restraining forces are relatively equal, then the organization will remain static.†(Cumming, T.G., Huse, E.R. 1989, page 3.) Ownership has to remain aware of the balance of power these two forces represent for the organization. Change has to appear to always be for the good of the whole organization. People are wary of change and must be made to feel a part of its success in order to help embrace the new mindset. Lewin’s force-field analysis works as a method of environmental scanning and as a way for creating an empowering environment to the culture of the organization. The new owners have done an excellent job moving the organization forward. The efforts made to gather data and technical knowledge have been diligent. The new owners have moved forward by doing their homework. After reviewing all the necessary information, ownership has been able to assimilate all the necessary funds, materials, staff and time. As the organizational development process has moved forward, it has become obvious that the owners plan on giving their newly acquired business the tools it needs to accomplish the shared vision. This, of course, has led to the owners’ final phase of organizational development, the support of their people. At first, ownership had to tread lightly. In the beginning, it was as if the new owners wrapped their arms around us all and said â€Å"everything will be alright, just stick with us.† As the new team moved forward, some upper management was asked to leave. Time has been a good indicator of the ownerships’ dedication to the new vision and culture of the organization. Their efforts have been unwavering and very consistent. In this paper, I have detailed the importance of organizational development as it relates to my own company’s recent sale to a new group of owners. The process of organizational development has been fascinating to watch. Although the constant evaluation of all systems and actions throughout the organization has been exhausting, I believe ownership has succeeded in redeveloping a once tired and inefficient culture. Employees and managers have felt a greater sense of purpose towards the new organization. New ownership has successfully relayed a positive sense of urgency and purpose towards its existing staff and team members. The revamping of the organizational culture has brought forth a better quality employee and better quality experience for the organization’s customers. The organizational development techniques applied by the new ownership has helped to improve the profitability of both restaurants. New ownership had once touted that two additional restaurants would be opening within twelve months. Because of the success in developing organizational change, new ownership has now determined a new restaurant can be opened in only six months instead of twelve. This fast organizational growth is to be celebrated because it is a direct result of the diligent efforts of ownership and all staff involved after the transfer of ownership became official. Trust, a positive practitioner-client relationship, a successful diagnostic evaluation and change, effective communication between ownership and employees, and the importance of strategy has allowed this organization to become stronger and advance its number of concepts. In short, growth happens if organizational development is applied effectively. References: Brown, D.R., (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organizational Development (8th ed). Upper Saddle River Pearson Prentice Hall. 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