College is worthy or not Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

College is worthy or not - Essay Example Education is costly and the cost of education has been rising against an almost constant after college salary. Rationally, evading unnecessary education should reduce cost and hence increase social wellbeing of citizens and it’s on these basis that critics of college education base their argument. The increasing demand for education is responsible for the increase in cost and it’s expected that wages reduce as more people enter the job market. Factually, increase in population is responsible for influx in demand for college education and hence so long as population rises, rising college fees is inevitable and reduced wages due out excess labor output could also pop up. However, as pay offs to college graduates stagnate, rewards to high school diploma holders reduce hence widening the gap between the two (TIME). The implication is that, employers still attach more value to college education regardless of the degree taken. Research shows that college graduates earn more t han their counterparts (Economist), moreover, those who do not have a college degree believe that they have less (Piew). Therefore, the only constraint to college education is the ever rising cost. Not going to college does not solve the problem as it reduces productivity and hence reducing the expected returns to capital, making all investments not viable. Mr. Thiel creates a controversy in the importance of education by offering an alternative to college education and then again criticizing the viability of the alternative (Piew). Thiel himself, developed his business idea while still in college, a proof that attending college does not restrain the individual to job market and hence lead only to the middle class as most people think. Under capitalism, the rich are few, but among the rich college graduates are richer than their high school counterparts. Thiel produces capital

Civil Engineering Essay Example for Free

Civil Engineering Essay The material used for construction or the materials used to produce other materials which may be used in construction is called construction material. construction material are: Cement,sand ,water. Concrete, Lime, Stones, Paints and Varnishes, Wood and Timber, Engineering Metals, Bituminous materials and Plastics, Rubber and Glass, Miscelleneous materials, http://www.aboutcivil.org/engineering-materials.html Cement Bricklayer Joseph Asp din of Leeds, England first made portland cement early in the 19th century by burning powdered limestone and clay in his kitchen stove. Portland cement, the basic ingredient of concrete, is a closely controlled chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron and small amounts of other ingredients sand to which gypsum is added in the final grinding process to regulate the setting time of the concrete. Lime and silica make up about 85% of the mass. Common among the materials used in its manufacture are limestone, shells, and chalk or marl combined with shale, clay, slate or blast furnace slag, silica sand, and iron ore. Strength of cement Also known as the mother of all engineering, it is the oldest, most simple and useful of all engineering sciences. Civil engineering is field of engineering sciences, related to construction, design and maintenance of buildings, dams, bridges, tunnels, highways etc. sand Sand is an extremely needful material for the construction but this important material must be purchased with all care and vigilance. Sand which is used in the construction purpose must be clean, free from waste stones and impurities. It is important to know what type of sand is beneficial for construction purpose as sand is also classified into three different forms that make it suitable for specific type of construction. Sand is classified as: Fine Sand (0.075 to 0.425 mm), Medium Sand (0.425 to 2 mm) and Coarse Sand (2.0 to4.75 mm). However this classification of sand is further has types of sand in particular and on that basis only they are being incorporated in the construction. Read out the detailing of the types of sand: Pit Sand (Coarse sand) Pit sand is classified under coarse sand which is also called badarpur in common language. This type of coarse sand is procured from deep pits of abundant supply and it is generally in red-orange colour. The coarse grain is sharp, angular and certainly free from salts etc which is mostly employed in concreting. River Sand River sand is procured from river streams and banks and is fine in quality unlike pit sand. This type of sand has rounded grains generally in white-grey colour. River sand has many uses in the construction purpose such as plastering. Sea Sand As the name suggest, sea sand is taken from seas shores and it is generally in distinct brown colour with fine circular grains. Sea sand is avoided for the purpose construction of concrete structure and in engineering techniques because it contains salt which tends to absorb moisture from atmosphere and brings dampness. Eventually cement also loses its action when mixed with sea sand that is why it is only used for the local purpose instead of structural construction. There are different standards for the construction purpose which must be checked and considered for the better construction. The requirement according to which sand is chosen should be like: * For plastering purpose the overall fine sand used must not be less than 1.5 while silt is preferred to not less than 4 percent. * For brick work fine sand used must not be less than 1.2 to 1.5 and silt is preferred is 4 percent generally. * Concreting work require coarse sand in modulus of 2.5 to 3.5 with not less than 4 percent silt content. * http://www.sereneinteriors.com/building-construction/types-of-sand-construction.html water Pure and hygienic water is not only important for our life but also needed for quality construction. From the foundation till the completion of construction we must ensure the quality of water used. Here are few tips to know about water. Water is one of the most important elements in construction but people still ignore quality aspect of this element. The water is required for preparation of mortar, mixing of cement concrete and for curing work etc during construction work. The quality and quantity of water has much effect on the strength of mortar and cement concrete in construction work. Quality of Water The water used for mixing and curing should be clean and free from injurious quantities of alkalis, acid, oils, salt, sugar, organic materials, vegetable growth and other substances that may be deleterious to bricks, stone, concrete or steel. Potable water is generally considered satisfactory for mixing. The pH value of water should be not less than 6. Effects of Bad Quality Water on Cement Concrete It has been observed that certain common impurities in water affect the quality of mortar or concrete. Many times in spite of using best material i.e. cement, coarse sand, coarse aggregate etc. in cement concrete, required results are not achieved. Most of Engineers/Contractors think that there is something wrong in cement, but they do not consider quality of water being used. Some bad effects of water containing impurities are following. * Presence of salt in water such as Calcium Chloride, Iron Salts, inorganic salts and sodium etc. are so dangerous that they reduce initial strength of concrete and in some cases no strength can be achieved. There is rusting problem in steel provided in RCC. Â  Presence of acid, alkali, industrial waste, sanitary sewage and water with sugar also reduce the strength of concrete. ï‚ · Presence of silt or suspended particle in water has adverse effect on strength of concrete. Presence of oil such as linseed oil, vegetable oil or mineral oil in water above 2 % reduces the strength of concrete up to 25 %. 5. Presence of algae/vegetable growth in water used for mixing in cement concrete reduce of the strength of concrete considerably and also reduce the bond between cement paste and aggregate. Concrete. Concrete is a composite construction material composed primarily of aggregate, cement, and water. There are many formulations, which provide varied properties. The aggregate is generally a coarse gravel or crushed rocks such as limestone, or granite, along with a fine aggregate such as sand. The cement, commonly Portland cement, and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, serve as a binder for the aggregate. Various chemical admixtures are also added to achieve varied properties. Water is then mixed with this dry composite, which enables it to be shaped (typically poured) and then solidified and hardened into rock-hard strength through a chemical process called hydration. The water reacts with the cement, which bonds the other components together, eventually creating a robust stone-like material. Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but much lower tensile strength. For this reason it is usually reinforced with materials that are strong in tension ( often steel). Concrete can be damaged by many processes, such as the freezing of trapped water. Types of Concrete. Mix design Modern concrete mix designs can be complex. The choice of a concrete mix depends on the need of the project both in terms of strength and appearance and in relation to local legislation and building codes. The design begins by determining the requirements of the concrete. These requirements take into consideration the weather conditions that the concrete will be exposed to in service, and the required design strength. The compressive strength of a concrete is determined by taking standard molded, standard-cured cylinder samples. Many factors need to be taken into account, from the cost of the various additives and aggregates, to the trade offs between, the slump for easy mixing and placement and ultimate performance. A mix is then designed using cement (Portland or other cementitious material), coarse and fine aggregates, water and chemical admixtures. The method of mixing will also be specified, as well as conditions that it may be used in. This allows a user of the concrete to be confident that the structure will perform properly. Various types of concrete have been developed for specialist application and have become known by these names.. Concrete mixes can also be designed using software programs. Such software provide the user an opportunity to select their preferred method of mix design and enter the material data to arrive at proper mix designs. Old concrete recipes Concrete has been used since ancient times. Regular Roman concrete for example was made from volcanic ash (pozzolana), and hydrated lime. Roman concrete was superior from other concrete recipes (for example, those consisting of only sand and lime)[1] used by other nations. Besides volcanic ash for making regular Roman concrete, brick dust can also be utilized. Besides regular Roman concrete, the Romans also invented hydraulic concrete, which they made from volcanic ash and clay. Modern concrete Regular concrete is the lay term describing concrete that is produced by following the mixing instructions that are commonly published on packets of cement, typically using sand or other common material as the aggregate, and often mixed in improvised containers. The ingredients in any particular mix depends on the nature of the application. Regular concrete can typically withstand a pressure from about 10 MPa (1450 psi) to 40 MPa (5800 psi), with lighter duty uses such as blinding concrete having a much lower MPa rating than structural concrete. Many types of pre-mixed concrete are available which include powdered cement mixed with an aggregate, needing only water. Typically, a batch of concrete can be made by using 1 part Portland cement, 2 parts dry sand, 3 parts dry stone, 1/2 part water. The parts are in terms of weight – not volume. For example, 1-cubic-foot (0.028 m3) of concrete would be made using 22 lb (10.0 kg) cement, 10 lb (4.5 kg) water, 41 lb (19 kg) dry sand, 70 lb (32 kg) dry stone (1/2 to 3/4 stone). This would make 1-cubic-foot (0.028 m3) of concrete and would weigh about 143 lb (65 kg). The sand should be mortar or brick sand (washed and filtered if possible) and the stone should be washed if possible. Organic materials (leaves, twigs, etc.) should be removed from the sand and stone to ensure the highest strength. High-strength concrete High-strength concrete has a compressive strength greater than 40 MPa (5800 psi). High-strength concrete is made by lowering the water-cement (W/C) ratio to 0.35 or lower. Often silica fume is added to prevent the formation of free calcium hydroxide crystals in the cement matrix, which might reduce the strength at the cement-aggregate bond. Low W/C ratios and the use of silica fume make concrete mixes significantly less workable, which is particularly likely to be a problem in high-strength concrete applications where dense rebar cages are likely to be used. To compensate for the reduced workability, superplasticizers are commonly added to high-strength mixtures. Aggregate must be selected carefully for high-strength mixes, as weaker aggregates may not be strong enough to resist the loads imposed on the concrete and cause failure to start in the aggregate rather than in the matrix or at a void, as normally occurs in regular concrete. In some applications of high-strength concrete the design criterion is the elastic modulus rather than the ultimate compressive strength. Stamped concrete Stamped concrete is an architectural concrete which has a superior surface finish. After a concrete floor has been laid, floor hardeners (can be pigmented) are impregnated on the surface and a mold which may be textured to replicate a stone / brick or even wood is stamped on to give an attractive textured surface finish. After sufficient hardening the surface is cleaned and generally sealed to give a protection. The wear resistance of stamped concrete is generally excellent and hence found in applications like parking lots, pavements, walkways etc. High-performance concrete High-performance concrete (HPC) is a relatively new term used to describe concrete that conforms to a set of standards above those of the most common applications, but not limited to strength. While all high-strength concrete is also high-performance, not all high-performance concrete is high-strength. Some examples of such standards currently used in relation to HPC are: Properties of concrete. Uses of concrete. Concrete is widely used for making architectural structures, foundations, brick/block walls, pavements, bridges/overpasses, motorways/roads, runways, parking structures, dams, pools/reservoirs, pipes, footings for gates, fences and poles and even boats. Famous concrete structures include the Burj Khalifa (worlds tallest building), the Hoover Dam, the Panama Canaland the Roman Pantheon. Lime. Manufacture of lime Lime stones are burnt in either clamps or kilns.1. Clamps:For small quantity of limestone, burning is done in a clamp. On a clear surface about 5 meters in diameter, layers of broken limestones and fuel are laid to form a heap about 4 meters high.First and the last layers should be of the fuel. In case coal is used as fuel, it could be well mixed up with limestones and lay in a heap. Sides of the heap, which incline slightly inwards, are plastered over with mud to stop loss of heat. A little opening at the top is provided for draught. The clamp is then fired at the bottom.Disappearance of blue flame at the top is an indication of the burning of lime having completed. The clamp is then allowed to cool down and pieces of quick lime are then handpicked.Clamp burning of lime is uneconomical as the fuel consumption is more due to loss of heat and as some lime powder is lost in fuel ash. Also the quick lime carries any admixture of ash.| 2. Kiln for large quantity of lime, permanent structures of kilns are constructed.A. Intermittent kiln:Whenever the lime is desired intermittently or the supply of stones or fuel is not regular then the intermittent kiln is used. An intermittent kiln in which the fuel is not in contact with the lime is shown in the figure.Big pieces of limestones are used to make a sort of archon with which smaller pieces of limestone are loaded. Fire is lighted below the arch formed with big pieces of limestone. It is only the flame not the fuel that comes in contact with the stones. Burning should be gradual so that the stones forming the arch do not get split. It normally takes two days to burn and one day to cool the charge. B. Continuous kiln:Wood or charcoal could be used as a fuel. Limestones or kankars free from earth or impurities are broken into small pieces to about 5cm gauge. Alternate layers of 75 mm stone and 6mm coal dust are fed into the kiln. Top should be covered with mud, leaving a hole of 0.5 meter diameter in the center. Burning proceeds continuously and the kiln is not allowed to cool down. Burnt material is drawn out daily and fresh charge of stone and fuel is added from top. Over burnt pieces are discarded whereas the under burnt ones are reloaded into the kiln. Remaining material is slaked or ground in grinding mill for use. | a. Eminently rich lime: It slakes rapidly. It consists of less than 5% of impurities such as silica and alumina (in clay form) and high %age of CaO. It is slow in setting and hardening and setting depends on CO2 from atmosphere, therefore rich lime is used for plastering but not mortar making. It may be used for inferior and temporary structures. B. Lean and poor lime: It contains more than 5% clayey impurities and other impurities like silica, alumina, iron and magnesium oxides, exceeds 11%. Due to large amount of impurities it slakes slowly. It also sets and hardens very slowly. It is used both for plastering and mortar making for inferior class of work. Advertisements| 1. Composition:Fat lime is produced from sea shell, coral deposits etc or from lime stone containing impurities like free sand and soluble silica combined with alumina, magnesium, carbonate etc. If the proportion of free sand is large, the resulting lime becomes progressively poor and is called poor or lean lime.2. Behavior in slaking:Fat lime slakes rapidly when water is added giving out considerable heat and making hissing and cracking noise and increases 2 to 3 times its original volume. Fat lime if exposed to air, it absorbs moisture and CO2 from the atmosphere and becomes inert CaCO3 or chalk again and loses its cementing power. For developing the cementing power, quick lime must be slaked with water as early as possible, after it is obtained from the kiln.| 3. Shrinking:Fat lime has a greater tendency to shrink and crack as it dries. To prevent this, a large quantity of sand (2 to 3 times) must be mixed with it to prepare mortar.4. Hardening or setting:Fat lime is hydrated calcium oxide and sets by the absorption of CO2 from the air.Ca (OH) 2 + CO2 == CaCO3 + H2OCrystals of CaCO3 are formed and the water goes by evaporation. Thus fat lime hardens only where it comes in contact with air, as in plaster work.In the interior of thick walls, it does not acquire strength as CO2 i.e. air cannot reach there. Mixing of sand (2 to 3 times) forms pores for access of CO2 and helps hardening.5. Strength:Crystals of CaCO3 formed by fat lime are not very strong. Fat lime, therefore, does not possess much strength and is used for plastering walls, while washing etc in exposed positions.

Modern Communication Technology And Acculturation Of Children Education Essay

Modern Communication Technology And Acculturation Of Children Education Essay Over the last several years, as new waves of African immigrants and their children have continued to enter the United States, researchers have considered the impact of semiotics of modern communication networks and technologies on acculturation and cultural identity, as well as the effects of immigration on the nations economy and society. However, the way immigrant children adapt to American values by using social networks and technologies has been mostly ignored. McDonnell Hill (2008) explained that children entering the United States today represent a particularly diverse range of cultures, and most importantly, some have had little or no formal education in their native countries. Little is known about how cultural conflicts evolved from the use of these technologies and became integrated into core American values in communications, behavioral skills, attitudes and finally understand the norms of American society and the cultural semiotics that are prevalent. Another overlooked factor is generally the impact the act of using modern communication technology has on the adaptation process and the psychological consequences that emerge as these new young African immigrants learn a new culture, new social norms and values, and most importantly, a new cultural language. Relevance of this research Kristin McCarthy (2010) confirms that immigration and the subsequent acculturation process results in enormous stress for children. McCarthy (2010) clarified how experts agree that being connected and accepted is an important component of adolescent development, and the inability to have this connection and behave as Americans could result in an increased risk of depression, suicide, bullying, alienation, school failures and drop-outs. Failure to connect could also lead to misinterpretation of societal values leading to criminal activities. Most importantly, the language barrier may bring about rejection from the society. Redfield, Linton Herskovits (1936) showed that there is growing attention on the role of acculturation, the complex process of change that individuals experience as a result of continuous contact with another culture in behaviors of immigrants residing in the United States. Evidence is mixed as to whether acculturation using Social networks and modern communication technology helps or harms African immigrants who make America their new home. This study will be the first to evaluate the relationship between acculturation and modern communication technologies amongst African immigrants. This study should provide a foundation for further cross-cultural research on social communication networks, acculturation and the physical and psychological functioning of African American children Significance of the Problem The influx of African immigrants and their children to the United States in the last two decades has been phenomenal. The number of African immigrants to the United States more than quadrupled in the last two decades (Immigration and Naturalization Services, 2009;, Jo, 1999). We are aware of the correlates of social activity behavior of African American children (Chandler et al, 2002), However, little is known about the social activity behaviors and unique personal, social and environmental correlates of social activity in African immigrant children use of social networks and communication technologies in their adjustment to a new society. Thus, it is important to identify the influence of acculturation process using social networks and modern communication technologies, in addition to commonly examined correlates of social activity on African American childrens social activity behavior. Objective of this study The purpose of this study is to examine how the use of Internet social communication networks like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and modern communication technologies like smart-phones instant messages, multimedia (online gaming), blogging and discussion forums called Social Activity, have impacted the acculturation process of young African immigrants(18-25 years) to the nation. The larger goal is to increase understanding of cultural conflicts, semiotics of language differences, and adaptation process in order to promote diversity and enrichment in American society. Research questions The proposed research will answer the following questions What are the social activity behaviors of young African immigrants using social networks or modern communication technologies? What are the metrics of young African immigrants potential strategies to be pursued within their adaptation process correlated with their use of social networks and modern communication technology? Is there a direct effect and/or indirect effect of acculturation on social activity behavior through intrapersonal correlates of social activity using social networks and modern communication technology? What are the relationships between acculturation (multidimensional [young African immigrant and American acculturation] and proxy [language, length of stay in the US, age at immigration]) and other background correlates of social activity (use of social network sites, communication with peers on Internet and communication technologies serving as status symbol), interpersonal correlates of social activity and social activity behaviors of young African immigrants. Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework used to guide this study will be adapted from Anthony Giddens structuration theory of interaction of groups and organizations with information technology called Adaptive Structuration Theory (DeSanctis, G., Poole (1994) modified this model and used it successfully and criticized the technocentric view of technology use and emphasized social aspects. DeSanctis, G., Poole, M. S. (1994) emphasized that groups and organizations using information technology for their work dynamically create perceptions about the role and utility of the technology, and how it can be applied to their activities. These perceptions can vary widely across groups. One major assumption of this model is that the role and utility of technology and how it can be applied influence the way and how technology is used and hence mediate its impact on group outcomes. To understand and give validity to these perceptions by DeSanctis Pooles theory (1994), Gordon (1964) concept of Assimilation in American life will be evaluated to determine changes in behaviors pattern of immigrants based on use of technology. Literature reviews This research will present a comprehensive literature review on acculturation of young African immigrant into americans social-cultural pattern in their use of social technologies. An in-depth look will be provided into the aspects of web-based social technology associated phenomena including languages, interactions, cultural influences and status quo of these technologies as modern wave of new generation acceptance. Amongst specific literatures to be reviewed will be based on the following model lists. Social change and Acculturation Social activity enables psychology of social change and acculturation, which showed that many psychological characterizes become altered as individuals experience changes in their socio-cultural milieus (Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Segall Dasen, 2002). These changes can be as a result of social changes that are taking place from within a society (Georgas, 1993), or may result from contact with other cultures (Feldman et al, 2002). Berry et al (2002) also concluded that these changes have been identified as economic changes that move people away from traditional pursuits and norms towards new forms of employment and empowerment, alteration in social relationships including intergroup and interpersonal relations, and cultural changes that involve the alteration of traditional institutions and the replacement of these with imported ones. Socio-cultural values of technology assimilation by young West African immigrants Information technologies are both a by-product of the socio-cultural environment within which they evolve as well as a substantive and strategic sub-system of that environment (Elmandjra, 2001). McGinn (2006) explained that the significance of understanding a new cultural environment is to accept the invasion of technologies and their products or to opt for an active stand and for the elaboration of strategies and policies to ensure social relevance as well as cultural coherence. Steward (2009) believed that cultures do not change according to some inner logic, but rather in terms of a changing relationship with a changing environment even with technology. Americanism and Social Networks The Internet has fundamentally changed our communication patterns in which peoples interactions are increasingly dependent on electronic communication channels and less confined by territorial gaps. Such change has shrunk the distances between physical location significantly and thus brought about a brand new view of space and time (Miller, 2002; Watson et al., 2002). As the need for adaptation of African immigrant children into American way of life continues, the need for study of the cross-cultural adoption and use of IT has been souring which is evidenced by the surging number of pertinent research papers published and presented. Computer networks have been used to support information and knowledge exchange among geographically dispersed users and distributed social interactions (Ahuja et al., 2003). Social-cultural adaptation of modern communication tools Blau (1964) showed that social exchange theory positing that individuals engage in social interaction because they expect to receive some type of reward whose form does not necessarily confine to monetary value but also emotional values including approval status and respect. Wasko et al. (2005) clarified further that one potential way an individual can benefit from active participation is the perception that participation enhances his or her personal reputation in the society. Therefore, reputation, acceptance and status symbols are assets that young West African immigrant can leverage to achieve and maintain assimilation within a collective environment (Jones et al., 1997). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology consists of three phases to leverage the strengths of qualitative and quantitative methods. The first phase will review extant research literature related to the influential factor of web-based social networks as a form of communication technology participation. The picture of the semiotics of cultural interaction will be evaluated as an adaptation process of young West African immigrants. The objective of this exercise will be to identify explanatory constructs from academic works across disciplines including social network theory, cultural dimensions, and individual level technology acceptance as evidence amongst selected young West African immigrants to the United States. The second phase will allow researcher to conduct in-depth interviews of young West African immigrants that meet the minimal requirements for web-based social network usage on one hand and other physical communication tools such as cell phones, blogging and multimedia. These interviews will be guided by a qualitative interview instrument, which contains a series of open-ended questions for the interview process. By engaging in the interview will allow the researcher to further elicit driving factors of user adoption of both social networks and the social activity involved in the use of the physical communication tools. The final phase, along with indicators generated in phase one and two will allow researcher to gather data from these interviews to create a 100-page quantitative survey that will be distributed to a random population of young West African immigrant in 25 states in the United States of users of both social networks and communication tools. In this way, empirical evidence can be obtained through analyzing users ratings of indicators that pinpoint the significance of social communication technology to acculturation of young West African American immigrants. The instrument will be subjected to content validity analysis, the sampling frame will be identified to enable the broadest generalization, and the instrument items will be assessed for discriminated validity. Work plan for data collection In order to maintain both social and material properties, it is important to adopt a triangulation concept which could establish legitimate ground to reduce the methodological conflict between qualitative and quantitative research approaches (Orlikowski and Robey 1991; Yin, 1994). McGrath (1982) justified the use of both qualitative and quantitative method in three methodological dimensions namely generalizability, precision and realism. Researcher intends to incorporate the three dimensions in his research work plan for data collection. Sample Frame Researcher intends to select research subjects before the research design can be carried out for data collection. The sample frame for pre-test and large scale survey will be drawn from two distinct areas. The first will be from college students whose ages range between 17 to 24 in United States and new West African immigrants who recently won the DV Visa lottery. In order to justify using this frame, the researcher will revisit the focal issue of this research and explain how it would be difficult to conduct meaningful research without studying young west African immigrants who are both new and young web-based social communication tool users or adopters. Data Collection Since this research will include technology study, survey and controlled experiment are considered widely adopted to establish causal relationships between observed variables. Each of them bears advantages and disadvantages and it is contingent upon various factors to decide which one has better fit with the research context. Lyberg and Kasprizyk (1991) explained that expected quality of collected data, estimated costs, expected level of errors and length of the data collection period are major reasons for controlled experiment. Bailey (2002) agrees that this will explain why lab experiment are not as popularly used in social science as in other disciplines such as natural science. In addition to survey, other content analysis techniques including secondary data sources, archive data exploration, objective measures or tests, and semi-structured interviews are used to compensate for some limitations of quantitative data analysis. Qualitative Data Collection The qualitative data collection to be used will range from interviews, observational techniques such as participant observation and fieldwork, through to archival research. Both primary and secondary sources of data will be used exclusively in this research. Insights into social networks and web-based communication tools will be generated based on a wide range of discovery of industrial reports, newspaper stories, national statistics and descriptive research. The primary sources of data will refer to those data which are unpublished and which the researcher has gathered from the subjects or organization directly. The interview process will involve interviewees from US and from 25 states primarily at selected colleges. Written permission will be obtained with the application for IRB approval from each college. The screening process will consider subjects commonalities and cohesion of traits including culture, education and social communication tool activity in a web-based environment. Guidelines will also be incorporated into the interview design to elicit the subjective, contextual, and spontaneous information concerning web-based socializing activities and consistent use of modern communication tools. Quantitative Data Collection Selltiz et al., (1976) explained that when using the explanatory survey approach that makes logical inferences from non-experimental data, the researcher does not need to manipulate predicting variables or make assignment of groups because the variables are observed in their natural settings. Newsted et al., (1996) further clarified that epistemologically, surveys provide one way of obtaining and validating knowledge and raised the question whether surveys had outlived their usefulness and concluded that surveys are appropriate in certain conditions and less useful in others. Selltiz et al. (1976) argued that an explanatory survey is applicable when studying complicated social phenomena in which causal patterns contain multiple factors and more than one predicting variable is found. Cronbach (1971) explained that the main purpose of conducting the survey is to move from observations to theory validation by using an instrument that captures necessary data in an unbiased manner. It is suggested that by doing this will require a clear understanding of the concepts of constructs and their relationships which are important to make sense of human behavior involving information systems use. Scales Development The researcher will use psychometric response scales, a five point Likert scale will be selected: Strong Disagree/Disagree/Neutral/Agree/Strongly Agree. Researcher chose this type of response scale because of its good balance between parsimonious design and room of response. Researcher did not use the most popular wider range of scale such 7 or 10 because of its ambiguity in transformation data. Dawes (2008) found that data from 5-level, 7-level and 10-level items showed very similar characteristics in terms of mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis after a simple transformation was applied. He further explained the lack of precision regarding the differences between somewhat disagree and somewhat agree. Dawes (2008) further clarified that in order to avoid response bias which poses challenges in collecting effective data that accurately reflect the social facts, it is important to use a scale with balanced keying, such as a five point scale that has an equal number of positive and ne gative statements which can mitigate the problem of acquiescence bias because acquiescence on positively keyed items will balance acquiescence on negatively keyed items (pg. 79). Proposed Instrument Researcher will cover three general areas of structuration theory of interaction of groups and organizations with information technology called Adaptive Structuration Theory and pertinent hypothesis are rooted in research literature of IS and socio-cultural theories that would help to answer the research questions suggested in this research. The areas to be covered will include the use of technology and social communication tools, social behavior motivation to acculturation and cultural conflict influence of the immigrants Pretest Researcher will engage in pretest which refers to a research process/experiment that precedes a full scale study to examine whether operational constructs or variables are appropriate for further analysis. Researcher will use various forms of experiments and aims to replicate the formal experiment but on a smaller scale. Hunt et al., (1982) An important rule of thumb in conducting pretest is to use sampling subjects who have the closest characteristics with those of full scale data collection. For this research, both groups of college students and DV lottery winners in the U.S. will be selected to complete the questionnaire to provide further feedbacks in terms of appropriateness of items, length of time required to finish, and overlooked dimensions. This feedback will be considered in the process of finalizing the instrument that will be distributed to a large scale sample target. The research methodology will also include content validity, measurement equivalence, common methods bias, and non-response bias. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS Researcher will describe data collection procedures and also present data analysis results using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Researcher also plans to use supportive empirical finding which will be explained along with how statistical assumptions are satisfied. These statistical evidences will be used to examine any hypotheses generated from literature study and inferences. Researcher will also provide both descriptive and interpretive data analysis using the structural equation modeling techniques. Researcher will also answer most research questions from a confirmatory perspective, links theoretical assumptions and conclusions and completes the research methodology Qualitative Data Analysis Researcher will use narrative style and open ended interview questions rather than retrieving answers based on fixed options multiple choices. Shim et al., (2002) explained that qualitative data can reveal the realism aspect of investigated subjects. So this section will be used to interpret perceived data obtained from interviewees in a focus group environment Method Description Focus Group Researcher believed that it is important to understand what motivates subjects of this research and the understanding of user behavior in the use of social communication network and tool when they find themselves in a different cultural environment. Researcher will use focus group method by selecting a group of interviewees (in this case, less than 30), which consist of individuals that meet the pre-screening requirements (Morgan 1998). The group will participate in the discussion whose topic is designated by the researcher. As a validated approach in behavioral sciences, focus groups are administered in US. All participants are selected social network and communication tools users including rejecters (used Social network and communication tools and decided to discontinue usage). Researcher intends to have a table list of profile of interviewees in the United States. Quantitative Data Analysis Researcher will analyze perceptional data statistically to discover interesting patterns hidden behind human behaviors. Respondents will be asked to report their true opinions according to a structured survey that contains items generated in literature review and qualitative data analysis. Method Description Large Scale Survey Lee (1999) argued that surveys are particularly useful in determining the actual values and interactions of variables. Researcher will use an approach which would be seen to have the following strengths: compared to interpretive methods, it will be easy to administer; it will determine the values and relations of variables and constructs; generalizability and replicability will also be tested; it will be capable of testing theoretical propositions in an objective fashion. Selltiz et al. (1976) argued that an explanatory survey should be adopted when studying complicated social phenomena in which causal patterns contain multiple factors and more than one predicting variable is found. Cronbach (1971) emphasized that the main purpose of conducting the surveys is to move from observations to theory validation by using an instrument that captures necessary data in an unbiased manner. Researcher will use both paper based and web based survey instrument. The selection of sample subjects will be strictly based on how well the characteristics of the target population can be represented. Data Collection Analysis Researcher will use analysis that would demonstrate respondents social background that is consistent with the research design, namely, young African immigrants with appropriate social network and communication tool use experience. Researcher will also use a pilot study that will examine initial content validity of the collected data. Straub (1989) explained that non-response bias is a major threat to the validity of the survey method. Demographic Statistics Researcher will use a demographic statistics of respondents that are categorized in four dimensions: age, gender, web or Internet experience and modern communication tools. Researcher will use high level of homogeneity of domestic nature within one group young west African immigrants and a high level of heterogeneity across groups Structural Equation Modeling Researcher will use the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) which is a statistical technique widely used in social science research. Byrne (2006) indicated that this consists of two major parts: a measurement model and a structural model. This technique is similar to multiple regressions; however, SEM is a powerful technique in constructing and examining causal relationships using measurement error and model fitness. The justification for using SEM is that it employs a confirmatory rather than exploratory approach to test models. Therefore, it is an ideal selection for theory verification instead of development, even though in reality SEM does carry some exploratory nature. Chin (2008) suggested that SEM enables IT researchers to achieve the goals including: evaluate and control measurement model errors of latent variables, simultaneous analysis of multiple paths relationships, and flexibility of testing theoretical assumptions. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS The core issue of research is to examine how the use of Internet social communication networks like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and modern communication technologies like smart-phones instant messages, multimedia (online gaming), blogging and discussion forums called Social Activity, have impacted the acculturation process of young African immigrants(18-25 years) to the nation. Most of the research questions are expected to be answered in this research and findings discussed to explain different related behaviors in acculturation of young west African immigrants. Using mixed methods of both qualitative and quantitative, the researcher will be able to reveal context-oriented insights that are complement empirical findings which are statistically inferred to large population of samples. With this in mind, researcher will divide the discussion of findings into two aspects of quantitative and qualitative including further justifications of research methodology, the implications of these findings, future research directions and conclusions.

The Images of Full Fathom Five :: Full Fathom Five Essays

The Images of Full Fathom Five In the world of seafaring men, William Shakespeare may not be particularly celebrated. It can't, however, be said that he didn't try his hand at a dirge for such sailors in his poem, "Full Fathom Five." In this poem, the use of concrete images and onomatopoeia brings to life the poem, bringing the reader closer to the bottom of the sea where the poem is set. On the seafloor, we are told, a corpse of "thy father" (Imogen) lies (l. 1). The poem instantly then begins to paint the setting of his watery grave with images that the reader is then almost able to see. "Of his bones are corals made;/Those are pearls that were his eyes" (ll. 2-3) presents two images in quick succession, as our minds latch on to the idea of vibrantly colored coral and milky pearl. We begin, through these carefully selected images, to see the situation the corpse rests in. "...doth suffer a sea change/Into something rich and strange." (ll. 5-6) is a more subtle image, calling on the associations that the reader holds in his or her mind. The word "sea" brings to mind varied input from impressions of the sea- usually above it. This makes the reader think of the tossing waves and changes of the sea, which are then reinforced (in the context below the waves) by the combination with the word "change" directly afterwards, and the explanation that the changes are "rich and strange." This makes us think of almost supernaturally strange changes, but in a warmer context because of their "rich"ness. Once we have these images in mind, we are presented with the concept of the sea nymphs ringing bells for the deceased- "hourly ring his knell:/Ding-dong." (ll. 7-8) How do they ring the bells? With the sound "ding-dong," the onomatopoeic qualities of which help bring the reader over the shifting waves to the sound of the bell. "Hark! now I hear them-Ding-dong, bell." Because the poet states that he can "hear them," he brings us to that other sense beyond images- a world of auditory perception.

Impact of drugs on the social view of health

Stress Is a major Issue amongst teenagers and this can be caused by a variety of Issues but today, I will be talking about drug abuse amongst teenagers. Firstly, stress Is the body's reaction to any sort of pressure. Chemicals are released into the blood and these chemicals give the body more energy and strength (Helped. Org (2014)). Drug abuse is the dependence by teens to illegal substances which can lead to stress and can affect many different aspects of a teenager's life such as physical, emotional and social health aspects.This usually happens at the time of when teenagers are shifting from dependence to independence. However, in building a supportive environment with friends, family and outside organizations will aid in the development of knowledge and personal skills that will increase people's abilities to deal with and overcome stress related to substance abuse. Drug abuse is a stress related Issue which can have an impact on any environment; on peers In school as well as th e environment In a teenager's house. They have an Impact not only on the user but on their surroundings.Firstly, taking drugs can have many stressful side effects as It may damage relationships at home and with friends, leisure as well as the performance in school. In families, the parents may be very attentive with the child which is involved with drugs, forgetting their other siblings and putting stress on them. But drugs do not only affect social health as well as physical health; Heavy use of some drugs can damage organs and lead to illness and sharing needles to inject drugs can transfer serious diseases.Physical damage can also lead to further stress being implemented on the person taking drugs, as well as those who are willing to help or provide support (National Drugs Campaign, (2014)). Over the last 30 years there have been various fluctuations In data relating to drug usage. Drug abuse amongst teens had Its major start earlier In the ass's, where 42% of teens were Involved with drugs; this declined In the ass's, as 34% of Australians had admitted to smoking marijuana.The percentage of teens Involved with drugs has gone from 38% to 20% and the percentage of other drugs such as inhalants, LSI and for the first time cocaine, had declined in 1999. (Gallup, l. (2002)). To obtain recent data, a survey has been conducted amongst several teenagers in Helplessness High to determine the extent of drug usage. It has been demonstrated that half of the students either have experienced drugs or know someone who has, and 80% of the eons that were surveyed find that drugs are a cause of medium or very high stress.Some evidence that supports the data collected amongst the Helplessness students is a study reported August 4, 2008, which reveals that stress and drug abuse of any sort are highly linked. The stress goes both ways as one can lead to the other, setting up a vicious circle; 73% of teens have admitted that school stress Is a primary reason for drug abuse ( Mi randa, L. (2008)). In order to reduce stress related to drug abuse amongst teens, changes are necessary In order to successfully provide social Justice ND improve policies that are currently being advocated.Strategies such as looking even rehab have been suggested by Helplessness High students for those who suffer from the stress linked to drug abuse. Seeking help from an organization has been the most popular option amongst the teens surveyed in Helplessness High as 82% of the students have suggested this approach. This is due to the fact that in organizations, teens are often able to seek advice from a third party. This will increase the supportive environment for teens as they can access more information in order to help them deal with their own issues.Organizations such as the Queensland Injectors Health Network, the Mental Health and Wellbeing that can be found in the Queensland government website, as well as the Australian Drug Foundation have been suggested as good options (S LD. Gob. AU, (2014)). The UDF is a well-known organization which deals specifically with drug and alcohol addiction and seems to have been successful as many suggested this option. Talking to a family member was the second best chosen option with 78% of the students' votes followed by talking to friends with 66%.These two options may help those who are in the early stages of their drug addiction and can yet be talked out of it. The support provided by either one can help the teen to find a healthy way to relieve stress or also, having someone to talk to can further help the teen. Although there are many services available and offering to help those in need, there are also many barriers which can interfere on the success of these initiatives. Barriers such as the denial of help as well as the inaccessibility can deprive many teens from overcoming their addiction.This is why organizations should be positioned in spread out areas. An idea of a strategy could be a school based support g roup for those who are in need of help in Helplessness State High and this group would be funded by the government. Overall, we can see how stress and drug abuse are two major issues which are highly linked and one aspect can lead to the other. However, anyone who suffers from drug addiction is not trapped to the issue as there are many strategies which can offer the help needed and support the teen to going back to living a normal life.The UDF organization is, once again an option that teens can turn to. We can see that these strategies have been successful throughout the past years as the percentage of teens addicted to drugs has decreased. In conclusion, anyone can overcome a drug addiction due to the supportive environment provided by our school and pears, and social Justice that can be created for them if enough effort is displayed on their behalf and also on the government's behalf to continue in providing support and information.

Criminal Behavior and Genetics essays

Criminal Behavior and Genetics essays Can criminal behavior be blamed on certain genes or genetic make-up? Well some scientists believe so. Up until just recently, no one has had any way or incentive to explore the genetic side of criminal behavior. Now that scientists have the tools and curiosity to conduct experiments and do research on this topic, they found some interesting facts. In the 1960s scientists thought that almost all men with the XYY chromosome pattern were destined to be criminals. That hypothesis is partially true, but now scientists believe that a low level of serotonin, a by-product of the enzyme monoamine oxidase triggers violence and hostility. Serotonin acts as a controller for hostility and violence. Research shows that most people who commit a crime are very unlikely to commit another. However, habitual criminals are the ones who might possibly have criminal tendencies due to a possible mutation of the A-gene on the X chromosome for the enzyme monoamine oxidase A. The more severe or violent the crime a person commits, usually means they have a lower serotonin level than someone that commits a less severe or violent crime. Scientists have observed monkeys that have normal or lower levels of serotonin. The monkeys with the lower level of serotonin were either more violent or antisocial toward the other monkeys. Therefore, the theory that a low level of serotonin causes criminal behavior is the cause for a lot of the more violent acts of crime in our society today. Elmer-DeWitt, Philip. Solving the Mysteries of Heredity. Time. Mar. 20, 1989. ...

British Airways And Virgin Atlantic Case Study Example

British Airways And Virgin Atlantic Case Study Example British Airways And Virgin Atlantic Case Study – Case Study Example BRITISH AIRWAYS AND VIRGIN ATLANTIC CASE STUDY al Affiliation) Key words: Bullying, globalization Corporate Bullying: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Case StudyCorporate bullying has increasingly become an issue of great importance in the current market environment. Globalization has led to an increase in struggle between both large and small organizations with the view of gaining competitive advantage. However, the prevalence of corporate bullying cannot be compared to personal bullying in terms of prevalence. Bullying within organizations is heightened by competition among the employees and lack of stringent organizational policies and reporting procedures to handle cases of bullying. Corporate bullying is majorly practiced by dominant organizations in a given industry, with the view of establishing a stance that would make it difficult for their competitors to surpass them in the market. For instance, in the case involving British Airlines (BA) and Virgin, BA has pushed its co mpetitors into a fray with its low-cost strategy, offering incentives to its customers to gain market share and consumer loyalty (Fisher and Lovell, 2009). Corporate bullying is equally unethical as compared to personal bullying. Like in the case of the latter, corporate bullying implies that a single party develops rules, regardless of the market policies or regulations, which manipulate the efforts of other competitors in the market, creating an unfair competition ground that offers the bullies an advantage over their competitors. For instance, BA’s strategy involving offering of incentives to consumers in order to ensure their loyalty undermines other marketing efforts that are put in place by virgin aimed at increasing the company’s profits (Fisher and Lovell, 2009). The company is using its dominance in the market and financial power to adopt a method that would ensure that they maintain their market share. Therefore, corporate bullying is emphasized by the fact t hat various policies have been established to ensure a level ground for competition for each of the industry members without paralyzing the efforts of each other. ReferencesFisher, C. & Lovell, A., 2009. Business Ethics and Values: Individual, Corporate and International Perspectives. 3rd ed. Essex, CM: Pearson Education Limited.

Strategic Managment Assignment Essays

Strategic Managment Assignment Essays Strategic Managment Assignment Essay Strategic Managment Assignment Essay IS AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM APPROPRIATE? EXPLAIN YOUR POSITION? Answer: looking at the current scenario, incentive program is very appropriate. This is because, it help the employer to identify the various factors like motivation, skills, recognition, etc. for an employee. Incentive program can also be used to counter failure in the organizations i. e. failure in meeting targets, poor behavior, or performance 2) IF SO, SHOULD THERE BE ONE, TWO OR SEVERAL PLANS? Answer: There should be several incentives programs like point program, employee incentives (which can be used to increase employee moral), sales incentives (which can be used to drive sales and reduce costs and increase profits). The other kinds of incentives can be group incentives. This is because here, they have to work in groups. 3) WHO SHOULD BE INCLUDED? Answer: For the incentive program, all the groups and individuals (employees, line managers and low line workers) should be included. 4) WHAT SHOULD BE THE BASIS FOR INCENTIVE PAYMENT? Answer:   performance  appraisal, managers judgment, etc. ) WHAT KIND OF INCENTIVES SHOULD BE INCLUDED? Answer: The various incentives that should be included here are gain sharing and profit sharing incentives. The other incentives can be like cash rewards, percentage increase in base pay, and other non-cash prizes. EXERCISE 11. 1 1) WHAT WERE THE KEY VARIABLES YOU CONSIDER IN YOUR SELECTION OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP BASED PFP SYSTEM? Answer: The various variables that should be considered are as follows: a)workers values outcomes(money, prizes) b) Outcome is valued relative to other rewards. c) Desired performance must be measurable. d) Workers must be able to control rate of output or quality. ) Workers must be capable of increasing output or quality. f) Workers must believe that capability to increase exists. g) Workers must believe that increased output will result in receiving a reward. h) Size of reward must be sufficient to stimulate increased effort. i) Performance measures must be compatible with strategic goals for short and long term. 3) WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD LEAD YOU TO CONCLUDE THAT A PFP SYSTEM WOULD NOT BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE ORGANIZATION? Answer: The various circumstances that would lead to failure of a PFP system would be as follows: a) Poor perceived connection between performance and pay ) The level of performance-based pay is too low relative to base pay. The cost of more highly moti vating programs may be prohibitive. c) Lack of objective, countable results for most jobs, requiring the use of performance ratings. d) Faulty performance appraisal system, with poor cooperation for managers, leniency bias in the appraisal, and resistance to change. e) Union resistance to such system and to change in general. f) Poor connection between PFP outcomes and corporate performance measures.

Is it accurate to describe the Global Justice Movement as a 'global Essay

Is it accurate to describe the Global Justice Movement as a 'global movement' - Essay Example For instance, the global character of these emergent social movements reflects the contemporary movement of ideas, information, products, and people. The movement of people outside national borders are viewed as outbursts of aspirations, and by itself, they are considered integral to sociological analysis (Goodwin & Jasper 2009). The French sociologist Bourdieu (2001 cited in Ruggiero 2002) asserts that governments should meddle with the rules running the economy. At the same time, he emphasises the appearance of new kinds of political movement, and new forms of organisations driven by self-supervision, and â€Å"characterised by a structural lightness allowing agents to reappropriate their role as active subjects† (Ruggiero 2002: p. 48). These present-day social movements are described to develop precise goals, to take on kinds of activity of high representative character, to be global, and to demand highly dedicated personal involvement from members, and to form themselves a s freely organised systems (Della Porta & Diani 2006). The Global Justice Movement exhibits almost all of these features. This paper tries to determine whether it is accurate to describe the Global Justice Movement as a ‘global movement’. The Contemporary Global Movement The initial years of the 21st century were a period of hope and enthusiasm for many people across the globe. A new form of social movement was developing. Driven by the dialogical and varied networks of protest envisioned by the Zapatistas, an array of popular movements and militant-directed non-governmental groups, maybe mostly but absolutely not totally from the global North, were banding together to form a mobilization of movements opposed to neoliberal globalisation (Eschle & Maiguashca 2005). Some of them are enemies of the World Trade Organisation, World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund; supporters of global finance capital taxation; critics of the strengthened control of multinational en tities; proponents of debt assistance for Third World countries; and detractors of capitalism motivated by different expressions of socialist and revolutionary principles. Nevertheless, the 9/11 attack and their consequences have raised difficult challenges to the GJM. The social significances connected to the terrorist attack in the U.S., the legitimisation of militaristic nationalism forces and the accompanied transformations in the political arena of global governance have merged to change the political setting where in the movement works (Amoore 2005). In this environment of terror and nearly unanimously exercises of U.S. power, mechanisms of political, social, and economic de-territorialisation which had reinforced the development of global movements may be more and more re-expressed in nationalistic ways (Mayo 2005). Whether the Global Justice Movement is capable of calming the neo-imperial rage, holding back the powerful drag of nationalisms, and thus preserving its thrust to wards a more unified, peaceful, and just global order remains unresolved. There are major similarities between the current global anti-war movement and GJM. These similarities attest to the fact the GJM is indeed a ‘global movement’. Primarily, a great deal of the anti-war movement has taken on GJM’s very effective network framework of global grassroots political movement feature. Second, organisations and leaders integral to the GJM have turned out to be strongly involved in the anti-war move

Criminal Justice Career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Justice Career - Essay Example Ensuring that I attain high marks in my final year at UCF remains one of the most important things to me to achieve my objective of becoming a Special Agent in future. The courses I pursue at UCF will leverage my selection as an FBI Special Agent because FBI recruits on the grounds of certain critical skills, which I have so far covered in my university coursework. FBI requires all Special Agent position applicants to first qualify for one of their entry program, which include accounting, language, law, diversified and computer science or information technology. A Special Agent, often referred to as a criminal investigator or detective, gathers facts and assemble evidence pertaining to the intent of ascertaining whether violations of local, or federal laws has occurred in connection to a case in question. No archetypal day exists for an FBI Special Agent because each day has its unique course. Today, an Agent may be testifying against a criminal in a federal court and the following m orning he may be engaged in collecting evidence from the field, making arrests, contacting an informant or doing some paperwork among other activities. There are numerous types of crimes such as Intelligence, Criminal, Counterintelligence, and Counterterrorism among others. As such, an individual aspiring to be an FBI Special Agent may choose which one to specialize in. Special Agents are usually employed full-time and it is very rare to find part-time employment opportunities in this field. Those who have been in the field with vast experience usually get favorable working hours than new recruits who are usually assigned night duties and even weekends as well as holidays. The profession is highly risky, especially because Special Agents deal with criminals who may attack them in one way or another causing bodily harm and even death in extreme cases. Therefore, it is usually imperative to follow recommended procedures when working in order to reduce risk exposure. Special Agent job is a physical and stressful. You are always oblivious of what dangers you might encounter in the line of duty. Nevertheless, Special Agents are trained on how to handle such occurrences, which makes them fit to creatively deal with any situation. In order to become a Special Agent, many people usually serve as police officers before joining the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) as Special Agents. The minimum education requirement for the job is a high school diploma with some law enforcement agencies requiring college or degree certificates, for example, an FBI Special Agent must possess a degree coupled with at least three years work experience. An applicant for the position of a Special Agent must be 23 years old, but less than 37 years. Passing physical test as well as background assessment, including polygraph, is mandatory for one to qualify for the job of a Special Agent. After recruitment process, the selected individuals are taken to a training academy, which could be re gional or agency-owned. One then commences his or her on-the-job training after graduation from the academy. Besides educational requirements, one must have good problem-solving skills, good judgment as well as excellent communication skills. Good communication skill is essential in interacting with peers as well as suspects (U.S. Department of Justice, n.d). One

Benjamin Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example Benjamin Franklin reflected that culture through his life and this reflection of cultural and national pride of the Americans is evident in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. It is clear that the cultural pride of the nation and its citizens has been so natural in the system that it is found the hardest element in life to live away from. Franklin explains this notion in the work when at the end of discussion on a long list of the desirable qualities of life that can be achieved through practice. Thus, when the Americans are hurt on their cultural pride, the natural outcome of every such attempt has been revolt which has been expressed through the historical events such as those touching the national consciousness and provincial thinking. â€Å"In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out a nd show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.† (Franklin). This has been the rule of life and that of culture that the integrity of every person, nation and culture is respected or the result will, naturally, be revolt. To find the origin of American provincialism, one may reach up to the days when the American people lived isolated from the disturbances of European life and this has been the center of their cultural pride and heritage. â€Å"Americans have long been proud of their pioneer roots, and have celebrated common sense over the pomp of aristocracy. This is just one of the more visible results of our founding provincialism. In fact, from the beginning, observers noted the salubrious consequences of Americas distance from Europe†¦ The ethic of rugged individualism is not

Thai Tao Restaurant Opening Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thai Tao Restaurant Opening Speech - Essay Example The researcher would like to give a special mention to the Thai Consulate General for Guangzhou for the continued support and valuable advice he has given them throughout the process of opening this restaurant. Someone else that the researcher would like to thank is his special friend for his generous support in the opening of Thai Tao restaurant. Could you imagine life without great food? The researcher has never personally experienced life like this, but he knows that at Thai Tao restaurant, great food is their specialty. They prefer quality food rather than quantity. The researcher states that their customers are of great value to them and they will treat them as if they are royalty. Their restaurant will be famous for only serving the very best of food to the right people. Dave Thomas, a great American businessman, once said, â€Å"It all comes back to the basics. Serve customers the best-tasting food at a good value in a clean, comfortable restaurant, and they’ll keep co ming back.† This sums up the type of restaurant that the author really want to become. He wants their customers to enjoy their experience so much that they never want to go to any other restaurant again. It is important to keep their customers coming back to the author can retain a good customer-business relationship. Thailand and China have had a long history of great friendship. The author appreciates this alliance and wants to bring out the very best in Thai and Chinese culture. he believes that these two cultures can be mixed to provide their customers with a nice casual dining experience at Thai Tao restaurant. Their restaurant will provide Southeast Asian cuisine, and they want to bring their Chinese customers the very best that Southeast Asian food has to offer. The author also desires to provide a happy atmosphere in which their customers can enjoy their meal. He believes that there is potential growth for Southeast Asian cuisine in the Chinese market. Their goal is to develop a great bond with their Chinese friends to make them even stronger. The thing that will make them stronger is their unique service and authentic food that will be unmatched by their competitors. The researcher wants to present honesty to their customers, and as such, he will offer distinctive food that will set Thai Tao restaurant apart from the rest. Next, he would like to applaud all of his staff for their efforts to put this all together over the last couple of months. Together, they are a team. Together, they are one family. Together, they can be united and strong. Everyone one of them at Thai Tao has one thing that they strive for: they will serve their customers food of the highest quality and give them a food experience to savor. Finally, the author would like to say that for them, this is just the beginning. This is the first step of their greater plan, which is to expand even further into the Chinese market. In the next two months, they will open another branch in China. But they will not simply stop there; they will establish Thai Tao restaurants all over China. they are prepared to accept that they will make mistakes along the way; however, they are committed to having the best well-known Southeast Asian restaurant in Guangzhou. This might seem like a lofty goal, but it is not.  

What was the most valuable thing that you learned in BUS656 this term Essay

What was the most valuable thing that you learned in BUS656 this term - Essay Example This concept provides numerous ways to create market segments that can be used to leverage business potential. The highlighted point is that of defensible market segments, which would actually help in capturing market share for a large as well as small business. The defensible market segments not only create business but also sideline competition from others in the industry. Creation of defensible market segments allows a particular business to stay on the top until competitors surpass the defensible segments with better products and/or customers’ needs change. Defensible segments can be of value with the positioning strategy of the business, especially in weak market segments. Understanding customers’ buying behavior and needs help in creating defensible segments. In addition, customer behavior in terms of frequency of purchase, attitude towards a particular product and a new product of the same brand can be advantageous to creation of defensible market strategy. Positioning strategy of products aimed at defensible segments provides opportunity to increase market share of new products. Greater product differentiation and an established brand automatically increase purchase size of customers, but cannot create defensible segments. This module highlighted the significance of defensible segments and acquiring market share as well as identifying market segments that can be used to find a slot for a particular product. Understanding markets will also help in designing products to meet the market/customer demands, which may be used for positioning the products. Once the market and customer needs are identified, it becomes simpler to find positioning strategies accordingly. It is difficult to capture greater market share of products that create defensible segments. Here, a strong positioning strategy would be of great value for the business. Positioning strategy helps in putting

Garmin's Vivo Activity Tracker Line Term Paper

Garmin's Vivo Activity Tracker Line - Term Paper Example Developing high-quality data in the devices with measurements can give the company an improved accuracy, intelligence and position as a leading expert in terms of fitness and health. The data should comprise both burn and intake to give the ability to track maximizing accurate quality assessment. Thirdly, there is also the aim to appeal and identify unique user segments. As the firm’s market matures, it needs to have value propositions and focused customer agents. The credibility of being a trusted advisor can get achieved by rich connection and understanding with the company’s user base (Kotler & Kevin 54). Fourthly, Garmin will aim at building loyal customers. Creating a great users base community will be the major metric for the company in globalization space. The user base scale will develop more significant data and give great customer sharing that may only expand bolster user trust and loyalty. Fifthly, the company will use a platform technique. To develop a loyal user base and a lasting experience, Garmin will have to create a full end-to-end system that is functionally integrated. It should base on a uniting platform of the customers community and easily allow digital services, apps, accessories, and devices series are working together. Thus, this path can get achieved through organically developing full ecosystem part or rich partnerships. Lastly, following the above objective, Garmin will aim at building strategic partnerships. Being more intimate with customers’ needs meeting them and understanding where they are in fitness and health life. It means developing partnerships and affiliations with trainers, fitness programs, gyms, professional athletes, diet programs, corporate wellness programs, and insurance providers. It will provide an opportunity to broaden and scale user base at a low-cost marketing/sales model (Kotler & Kevin 36). Garmin’s primary target market will

Thai Tao Restaurant Opening Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thai Tao Restaurant Opening Speech - Essay Example The researcher would like to give a special mention to the Thai Consulate General for Guangzhou for the continued support and valuable advice he has given them throughout the process of opening this restaurant. Someone else that the researcher would like to thank is his special friend for his generous support in the opening of Thai Tao restaurant. Could you imagine life without great food? The researcher has never personally experienced life like this, but he knows that at Thai Tao restaurant, great food is their specialty. They prefer quality food rather than quantity. The researcher states that their customers are of great value to them and they will treat them as if they are royalty. Their restaurant will be famous for only serving the very best of food to the right people. Dave Thomas, a great American businessman, once said, â€Å"It all comes back to the basics. Serve customers the best-tasting food at a good value in a clean, comfortable restaurant, and they’ll keep co ming back.† This sums up the type of restaurant that the author really want to become. He wants their customers to enjoy their experience so much that they never want to go to any other restaurant again. It is important to keep their customers coming back to the author can retain a good customer-business relationship. Thailand and China have had a long history of great friendship. The author appreciates this alliance and wants to bring out the very best in Thai and Chinese culture. he believes that these two cultures can be mixed to provide their customers with a nice casual dining experience at Thai Tao restaurant. Their restaurant will provide Southeast Asian cuisine, and they want to bring their Chinese customers the very best that Southeast Asian food has to offer. The author also desires to provide a happy atmosphere in which their customers can enjoy their meal. He believes that there is potential growth for Southeast Asian cuisine in the Chinese market. Their goal is to develop a great bond with their Chinese friends to make them even stronger. The thing that will make them stronger is their unique service and authentic food that will be unmatched by their competitors. The researcher wants to present honesty to their customers, and as such, he will offer distinctive food that will set Thai Tao restaurant apart from the rest. Next, he would like to applaud all of his staff for their efforts to put this all together over the last couple of months. Together, they are a team. Together, they are one family. Together, they can be united and strong. Everyone one of them at Thai Tao has one thing that they strive for: they will serve their customers food of the highest quality and give them a food experience to savor. Finally, the author would like to say that for them, this is just the beginning. This is the first step of their greater plan, which is to expand even further into the Chinese market. In the next two months, they will open another branch in China. But they will not simply stop there; they will establish Thai Tao restaurants all over China. they are prepared to accept that they will make mistakes along the way; however, they are committed to having the best well-known Southeast Asian restaurant in Guangzhou. This might seem like a lofty goal, but it is not.  

Garmin's Vivo Activity Tracker Line Term Paper

Garmin's Vivo Activity Tracker Line - Term Paper Example Developing high-quality data in the devices with measurements can give the company an improved accuracy, intelligence and position as a leading expert in terms of fitness and health. The data should comprise both burn and intake to give the ability to track maximizing accurate quality assessment. Thirdly, there is also the aim to appeal and identify unique user segments. As the firm’s market matures, it needs to have value propositions and focused customer agents. The credibility of being a trusted advisor can get achieved by rich connection and understanding with the company’s user base (Kotler & Kevin 54). Fourthly, Garmin will aim at building loyal customers. Creating a great users base community will be the major metric for the company in globalization space. The user base scale will develop more significant data and give great customer sharing that may only expand bolster user trust and loyalty. Fifthly, the company will use a platform technique. To develop a loyal user base and a lasting experience, Garmin will have to create a full end-to-end system that is functionally integrated. It should base on a uniting platform of the customers community and easily allow digital services, apps, accessories, and devices series are working together. Thus, this path can get achieved through organically developing full ecosystem part or rich partnerships. Lastly, following the above objective, Garmin will aim at building strategic partnerships. Being more intimate with customers’ needs meeting them and understanding where they are in fitness and health life. It means developing partnerships and affiliations with trainers, fitness programs, gyms, professional athletes, diet programs, corporate wellness programs, and insurance providers. It will provide an opportunity to broaden and scale user base at a low-cost marketing/sales model (Kotler & Kevin 36). Garmin’s primary target market will

Time until the cubes go clear Essay Example for Free

Time until the cubes go clear Essay An investigation into the effect of diffusion on the size of a cell Introduction What I am going to do is place some agar phenolphthalein in a HCl solution and time until the cubes go clear. Theory Diffusion is the passive transport of how substances cross membranes. It is the movement of particles from of particles of a higher chemical potential to a lower one. In all diffusion the net flux of the particles transported is equal to physical property multiplied by the gradient. Diffusion happens because of the second law of thermodynamics; the entropy of closed system will always increase in time. Also substances being diffused go from a state of higher order to a state of lower order, so diffusion is a completely natural process for it requires no energy to happen. The rate of diffusion is dependant on a number of factors-   Particles will diffuse quicker when there is a high concentration gradient.   A short distance fro particles to diffuse across.   If the substance is small molecules they will diffuse quicker. Larger surface area increases rate of diffusion. For if there is larger surface area then it allows particles to diffuse faster as there is less resistance. The last one is the key one, as this one plus knowing the concentrations of the solutions allows you to work out the rate of diffusion by Ficks law. Surface area   difference in concentrations is proportional to rate of diffusion Thickness in membrane Hypothesis My hypothesis is that as you increase the surface area of the cells the rate of diffusion will increase. Preliminary Work. For my preliminary I gathered these results, I used 30ml of HCl for each cube, the results show that as you increase the surface area that the rate of diffusion deceases, this will be down to the fact that there is more indicator in the larger cubes. It also shows that my hypothesis is wrong, but I have already explained why. Surface area time to go clear (secs) rate of diffusion Apparatus 5 cubes of agar-phenolphthalein; 0. 5cm^3, 1cm^3, 2cm^3, 4cm^3, 6cm^3 250ml beaker 10cm^3 measuring cylinder mm rule. Scalpel 100 ml of 2M HCl Distilled water It is necessary to have a rule that measures in mm to ensure the cubes are measured accurately, it is the same for using the measuring cylinder as this is needed for the precision it posses in making the solution of acid. Distilled water is needed to ensure the results are reliable as tap water contains number of things that will offer resistance to diffusion. Variables The independent variable is the size of the agar cells, these will be made by cutting them up with a scalpel and measuring them to confirm, and I will have five different sizes and repeat the tests three times. The dependant variable is the time that it takes for the acid to make the phenolphthalein in the agar go clear, I will hold a piece of white paper behind the cube to ensure I am clear whether the test is over.   Control variables are the time which will be ten minutes, this will be time on a stopwatch, temperature will be kept at room temperature, the concentration of the acid will be kept the same, and it will be all made up at the same time this will ensure precision. The amount of phenolphthalein in the agar cells should be in equal proportion in all the cells as the agar jelly will come as one block. Safety This experiment is particularly dangerous but a number of precautions should be taken, goggles and gloves should be worn when handling acid as it comes at quite a high molarity. A cutting plate should also be used when cutting up the agar cubes. Disposal of the agar should be in the bin. Method Prepare agar cells using cutting plate and scalpel. Measure cubes using mm rule and trim if essential.   Measure out 30ml into a test tube   Place the cubes in the beaker and then fully submerge them in the HCl solution. Start stopwatch.   Turn the blocks frequently over the time. 2

Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) Advantages and Disadvantages

Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) Advantages and Disadvantages A Briefing on Self Directed Work Team (SDWT) by Group 5 Self Directed Work Team is a powerful concept since the ancient Roman legion and today approximately 68% of fortune 1000 companies implement SDWT concept including Ford, GM, PG, FedEx, etc. (Lawler, Mohrman, Ledford ,1995). Definition Vecchio (2003, p.107) defined Self Directed Work Teams (SDWT) as â€Å"a highly trained group of six to eighteen employees that is fully responsible for creating a specific product†. And according to an article in Entrepreneur Connect   (Anon, 1995) â€Å"self -directed teams are small groups of employees who have responsibility for managing themselves and their work†. Success in todays challenging competitive environment is based on employee empowerment and team work (Boyett Boyett, 1998). This could be closely related to Herzbergs motivating factor which was later simply defined by Barbara (n.d.) as â€Å"what makes you work well†. Many companies are attracted to this innovation because of the prospect of flattening the organizational structure in these times when downsizing, flattening and work process reengineering are so crucial (Coates and Miller, 1995). SDWT leads to increased organizational effectiveness and employee satisfaction (Forsyth, 1999) which in todays business is being the competitive advantage (Ron Williams, n.d). Advantages of SDWT General Motors, Proctor Gamble Xerox by implementing SDWT resulted in approximately 30-40% improvement in productivity (Bruce,n.d.). In Kodak customer assistance centre SDWT resulted in 100% increase in profits (Anon, n.d.).FedEx improved their service by reducing the loss of packages and incorrect billing by 13%. Rubbermaid increased sales by 50% above projections Quality improvement. Increased productivity and reduced cost. Highly flexible. Simpler job classification and each member know every process through job rotation which will reduce dependency one person. Better innovation and creativity. Team members are motivated by job satisfaction, empowerment, trust, feel of ownership personal growth which in turn benefit the company as a whole. SDWT is being a vehicle for bringing in the Total Quality Management concept in an organization (Vecchio,2006,p.112) Following statistics based on a review of organization that transferred to SDWT (John Cotter, n.d.) well prove the positive impact. 93% reported improve productivity 86% reported decreased operating cost 86% reported improved quality 70% reported better employee attitudes Given the above advantages and success stories there are consequences and problems in challenging the success of SDWT and even driving to the opposite direction to failure. Consequences of SDWT Elimination of supervisory position. The need for shift from holding the decision making power to delegation and allowing autonomy. In other words supervisor should act as a facilitator and provide guidance to teams especially outside the teams areas of expertise. Supervisors should manage communication and monitor the effectiveness. Leaders promote team work and corporation (Brillhart, 1983). The key in supervisory role is to motivate â€Å"Self-Direction†. In an interview with Sterling Health USA, employees often quoted that â€Å"Before, the group leader made all the decisions. You didnt know why the decisions were madenow we do† (Peter, 1999). But is the team leader ready to accept the transition from holding the power to delegation? Is S/He ready to improve the skills to qualify as a facilitator? Requirement for heavy investment in training. Training needed for both supervisors and team members in building various skills. Cloke and Goldsmith ( 2002, pp 205-214 ) identified ten skills those are essential for members of the work teams to develop self management, communication, leadership, responsibility, supporting diversity, feedback and evaluation, strategic planning, shaping successful meeting, resolving conflicts and enjoyment. Williams (n.d.) mentioned â€Å"It is not uncommon for self-directed work teams to spend 20% of their time in ongoing training†. Organization willing to implement SDWT should have a clear training strategy including cross training opportunity and resources. Top management should design the training policy and budget for it. Need for more flatter and flexible organizational structure. The decision making authority is transformed to the team members to eliminate waste of time relying on approvals from managers. Self-direction, autonomy, empowerment are the key players in success of SDWT which is facilitated only on flat structures. Responsibilities assigned to workers in GM clearly indicate the need for flat structure.(William,1999,p.11) Responsibility for quality control. Responsibility for maintenance and small repairs. Responsibility for safety. Responsibility for capital budgeting and operational budgeting. Responsibility for staffing. SDWT to begin performing takes long period. As per William (1999) SDWTs cannot be created instantly; it can take 2 to 5 years to fully implement. Some companies might not have the time or resources to go through this process Stages of forming SDWT: Stage one: (Start-Up) Goal preparation, explanation of purpose, member selection and building trust (6-9months). Stage two: (State of confusion) Technical assistance, feedback, implementing procedures to support self direction, and training. (6-9months). Stage three: (Leader centered team) Encouraging leadership activity among team members. (6-12months). Stage four: (Tightly formed teams) Resolving conflicts, start managing on own, communicating resource requirement and goals.(6-12months). Stage five: (Self direction) Maintain self confidence and self esteem of others. Strong partnership with internal and external customers. Consequently, if you look at the time and training involved in SDWTs it might not be suitable for an environment with a high employee turnover. Need for greater leadership development. As the organization would no longer function in a traditional manner the leaders or managers need to build their ability to allow and encourage such a high level of empowerment, which can be tackled with specially created programs (Coates and Miller, 1995). Problems of SDWT Team members approached the saturation point of learning through job rotation and would have achieved the maximum level of earning i.e. plant rate where no more room for psychological or financial boosts (Vecchio, 2006, p.113). Again while talking about pay as a motivator does it really matter? Can rewarding and recognition be the motivator to ensure continuing performance of the employees (Vecchio, 2006, p.84).   Also the performance measurement system should not create any competition within team members which will reduce co-operation and affect the success of SDWT. Another major challenge is getting people to remain committed to the improvement of the processes when they realize that they may be working themselves out of a job. The employees involved in self-directed work teams must have a great deal of trust so that employees are not concerned about their job security (Anon, 1995). Conflict management would be another critical and sensitive issue. Again each team member has different personalities and perceptions. Here comes the importance of required skills from facilitator. A culture of knowledge sharing has to be built in. Another question is that, are employees ready to be self directed? Whether they have capacity and skills? Of course proper training would be in place but still some employees prefer managers direction on what to do rather than deciding on their own. Here comes the need for selecting appropriate team members which is again depending on the talent of facilitator. Is the organization policies and culture is supportive in transferring power and authority to team members? Other problems would be signs of overconfidence which lead to members willing to take extra ordinary risk, members ignoring the ethical consequences, collective rationalization and underestimating capabilities of other groups which may lead to failure and financial losses.(Craig, 2005, p.219) Given the fact empowerment is a key to succeed in SDWT; will all the managers support this? Foegen (1999) stated on the loss of control: If one individual makes all the decisions in a given department, for example, his or her control is all-encompassing. Focus is obvious and unequivocal. But when authority is delegated, that focus becomes blurred, decision making is diffused, and responsibilitys locus is often less certain. He also stated delegation and empowerment can decrease the self image of the managers. The other pitfalls of empowerment would be lack of clarity, managements view as shared control / loss of control etc. Finally it would require numerous changes in processes and procedures and require a lot more time to make SDWTs successful in a unionized department. Conclusion Before a company can decide to implement self directed work teams, Coates and Miller (1995) point out certain situations or job fields in which this method may not work. These include: When there is a requirement for direction or supervision. This is often needed for jobs which may be unpleasant, arduous, fast paced or risky. When minimal team interaction is required. In jobs such as these employees may find it difficult to lead each other. When a lack of professional maturity exists among team members. An unwillingness to make the effort exists. The inability to meet regularly as a team. Work groups with any of these five characteristics would find it difficult to function effectively and may have to resort to the traditional method of management. Statistics shows that empowerment has about a 50% success rate and it is found that major reason for this is lack of management commitment to the change process. One of the companies failed by using SDWT is The Airline peoples Express. (Fisher, 2000, p.26). References: Anon. (1995) Taking the Mystery Out of Self -Directed Work Teams, Entrepreneur Connect [Online]. Available from:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/17227174.html   (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Anon (n.d.) Teams, the good, the bad and the ugly [Online] Available from: http://faculty.css.edu/dswenson/web/TDlearnCo/gains-lossesofteams.html (Accessed: 22 August 2009) Boyett, J. Boyett, J. (1998) The guru guide: The best of the top management thinkers. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Brillhart, J.(1983) Effective group discussion. 5th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: William Brown Co. Bruce K.Bernard (n.d) Preparing for Self-Directed Work Teams [Online] Available from: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:rEhTVduzfRMJ:www.ux1.eiu.edu/~bkbarnard/preparing2.ppt+self+directed+work+teams+pptcd=7hl=enct=clnkgl=ae (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Cloke, K and Goldsmith, J (2002) The End of Management and the Rise of Organizational Democracy. Questia Online Library [Online] Available from: http://www.questia.com/read/111621737?title=The%20End%20of%20Management%20and%20the%20Rise%20of%20Organizational%20Democracy (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Coates, D. Miller, M. (1995) ‘Self Directed Teams: Lessons Learned for Local Government, Public Management, 77 (12), p. 16, Questia Online Library [Online]. Available from: http://www.questia.com/read/5001654373?title=Self-Directed%20Teams%3a%20Lessons%20Learned%20for%20Local%20Government (Accessed: 21August 2009). Craig E. Johnson. (2005) Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership. 2nd ed. USA: Sage Publications Inc. Ed Rose Steve Buckley. (1999) Self Directed work Teams, A Trainers Role in the Transition. USA: Intersil Coporation. Foegen, J.H. (1999) Why not empowerment, Business and Economic Review, Apr-Jun 1999  Ã‚  [Online]. Available from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5313/is_199904/ai_n21437565/  (Accessed: 22 August 2009) Forsyth, D. (1999) Group dynamics. 3rd ed. New York: Brooks/Cole-Wadsworth. Jeffrey Christopher Bauer (2002) A Longitudinal Evaluation of The Impact of Organizational Structure on Role Ambiguity and Work Group Performance [Online] Available from: http://www.ucclermont.edu/~BAUERJ/JCBauerDissertationFinal.htm (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Kimball Fisher. (2000). Leading Self Directed Work Teams, A Guide to Developing New Team Leadership Skils. USA: McGraw-Hill. Peter B.Grazier (1999) Living with a self directed work team why self-direction works: A review of Herzbergs Concepts [Online] Available from: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_selfdirected.htm (Accessed: 21 August 2009). Robert P. Vecchio (2006) Organizational Behavior, 6th ed. Mason, OH, USA: Thomson Corporation South-Western. Robert T.Howell (2001) Fostering Self-Directed Team Members [Online] Available from: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_selfdirected.htm (Accessed: 21August 2009). Williams, R. (n.d.) Self-Directed Work Teams: A Competitive Advantage [online] Available from: http://www.qualitydigest.com/nov95/html/self-dir.html (Accessed: 20 August 2009).