Australian Aboriginal Art Essay

The aboriginal people mainly used ochre for artworks, such as on rock, wood, bark and the human body.Ochre is mined from particular sites. It is a special type of rock that’s heavily coloured because of the iron oxide contained inside, and comes in a variety of colours: yellow, white, red, purple (it is identical to red ochre chemically but of a different hue) and brown. It could be used on rock (cave walls, or just big rocks), wood (shields, log coffins, etc.), bark and skin, and artifacts. To get the paint from ochre rocks, one simply needs to find a rich coloured rock, ground it up, and add oil.Other materials such as charcoal and plant colourings were used to make black and dark green. Twigs, fibres and fingers were also used to get different strokes of paint, similar to the use of paintbrushes. Art is central to the Aboriginal life. It can be made for political, social, utilitarian and didactive purposes, and is inherently connected to the religious domain. Art is also a means by which the present is connected with the past and the humans with the supernatural. Art also activates the powers of the ancestral beings, expresses individual and group identity and the relationships between the land and the people. It was not until the eighteenth century, when the Europeans came to Australia, that Aboriginal art stopped being made only to fulfill traditional cultural needs, and this has only remained the in the case in varying degrees since. Contemporary Aboriginal Painting Methods In the 1930s, artists Rex Battarbee and John Gardner first introduced watercolour painting to an Indigenous man, who later used to create landscape paintings and were immediately successful and became the first indigenous Australian watercolourist. The word â€Å"contemporary† means modern or of the present time. Contemporary aboriginal paintings have adapted the usage of canvas and acrylic paints. Even though these arts still uses the traditional styles and symbols, the methods are a bit different. It is a mixture of the traditional and the modern culture. The main reasons that the European painting materials began to be popular so quickly is because using acrylic colours and canvas saves a lot of time for them and at easy to sell. You can’t really be expected to bring a big boulder to sell! Of course, even so, some artists still paint using the traditional methods. Different artists from different regions create different artworks because of their different surroundings and understandings. But even though their artworks are different, their subjects are all the same: Dream time. Aboriginal paintings and drawings are created to show how they live and how they think the world is made. Even though the materials changed, it doesn’t change the subject. Some paintings also show the aboriginals’ beliefs, but they are sacred to the tribe. These sacred paintings and drawings are only allowed to be viewed by the tribe and nobody else. 2 Contemporary aboriginal artists: Albert Namatjira was an Australian artist. He was an Indigenous Australian of the Western MacDonnell Ranges area. He is perhaps one of Australia’s best known Aboriginal painter. He was famous for his watercolour Australian outback desert landscapes, which were not in the symbolic style of the traditional paintings, but very detailed and colourful. Another is Barbara Weir. She is an Australian Aboriginal artist and politician. Her paintings include representations of particular plants and dreamings, inspired by deep Aboriginal traditions. She uses two distinctive stylistic conventions, which are linear and dot painting. Bibliography * http://www.mineralszone.com/minerals/ochre.html * http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/methods/methods.php * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKqA3RteH1A * Aboriginal art by Caruana, Wally * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Namatjira

Life Cycle of Stars

Stars are just as mortal as us, they also born and they die too, after weaving a long span of electromagnetic spectrum with waves like radio waves, microwaves, or ultraviolet waves, besides emitting light. The humans witness this fascinating life of stars from a safe distance and even enjoy a frugal part of it by watching VIBGYOR here and there! Hues as Clues Each group of waves has its own wavelength, and thus different amount of energy, though all of them travel at the speed of light. It is this uniqueness of the each group of waves provide the clue regarding the present state of a star, from which the astronomers work out its past and future alongside its possible impact on the universe. A Comic Breather While astronomy remains a serious and ever challenging subject, the scientists don't miss the scope to entertain them by churning amusing titles for serious jobs. As for example, if someone hears an astronomer saying, â€Å"Oh be a fine girl! Kiss me!†, one should not be perturbed with any misconception about the nature of that astronomer. Because, â€Å"Oh be a fine girl, kiss me† is just a mnemonic created by the letters denoting the classification of the stars (O, B, A, F, G, K, M). These seven letters distinguish the stars into seven major categories by evaluating their spectra (ordered array of the waves) and temperature. However, the Hertzsprung -Russell (H-R) Diagram, essentially a graph, divides the stars into three very different types after considering the color of a star (spectral type or its surface temperature) against its luminosity (its natural brightness, or absolute magnitude). These three groups are known as ‘Main Sequence Stars', ‘Supergiants' and ‘White Dwarf' (Neutron stars, or Black Holes). The Journey Scientists estimate that the Universe was born 15000 million years ago, by virtue of a colossal explosion, which has been named as ‘Big Bang'. It was that explosion which had created energy, space, time and matter. It was very shortly after the explosion, atomic particles got together to form the gases like helium and hydrogen, which then went on to create the galaxies, stars and the Universe over millions of years and still they are at it. Thus the process that was started with expansion and change is still goes on. The astronomers have estimated the estimated timeline of the events till now and it goes like below: 1000 million years after the Big Bang : The matters started coming together. 3000 million years after the above: Galaxies began to form, the quasars came into being a little later, which are the forerunner of galaxies, evolves further through another 5000 million years, before our galaxy, the Milky way formed into a shape of disc! Our galaxy is a member of a community of 100,000 million galaxies. Thus the celestial hierarchy looks like below: Big Bang to Nebula; Nebula to Protostar; Protostar to Tauri type star Further consolidation of T.Tauri star leads to the Main Sequence star, which after the increase in its luminosity turns as Red Giant star. Red Giant star turns Cepheid star, which gradually turns White/Black Dwarf, before becoming a Black Hole. This estimation through Big Bang theory is still accepted in the astronomy world. However, it is still difficult to ascertain the exact nature of the events or to specifically deny any missing event that might have taken place somewhere in the middle. Characteristics Giant Nuclear Reactors A tremendous atomic collision takes place in the center of the stars, which rip apart the atoms and alter their structure, in the process of which, they release an enormous amount of energy. This makes them hot and bright. Nuclear fusion at their core generates the power in them, mostly by converting hydrogen into helium. In spite of this constant process, stars have a steady period during their life span, when they transform hydrogen into helium. When they run out of hydrogen, they enter their last phase of life. Then the formed helium in them transforms into larger elements like carbon, oxygen or neon. After the formation of the nebula, known as the ‘cosmic placenta', stars are born in groups within a galaxy, which is then called ‘stellar nursery'. Most of them break up, while the rest are kept together by gravity. The rest of a star's life depends on how big it is, but in opposite way – the bigger it is in size, the quicker it spends its stock of hydrogen fuel and thus dies earlier after a stormy life. Some even explode due to its massive size. However, most of the stars, like our own Sun, manage to maintain a stable life when they shine steadily. Luminosity The luminosity of a star helps to estimate the amount of energy it radiates. It varies with its surface temperature and with its radius, where the stars with higher surface temperature, like the ‘Blue Giants', generates higher luminosity than the ‘Red Giants', which are relatively colder. The observed brightness of a star is dependent on the factors like emission, intensity and distance. Long life span Most stars spend their life by fusing hydrogen into helium, so is the case of our sun, which has been doing it for some five billion years, and is expected to continue doing it for another five billion or so years. This hydrogen burning starts from the very center of the star, and moves its way out, leaving a core of helium behind. The Last Days With age, the stars expand. Their cores gradually run out of hydrogen and then helium, expanding the core contacts and the outer layers, which become cool and loose its brightness. This is the last stage of the stars, before meeting the death according to their size: Sun-like Stars (under 1.5 times the mass of Sun) –> Red Giant –> Planetary Nebula –>White Dwarf –> Black Dwarf ; Huge Stars (between 1.5 to 3 times the mass of Sun) –> Red SuperGiant –> Supernova –> Neutron Star; Giant Stars (over 3 times the mass of Sun) –> Red SuperGiant –> Supernova –> Black Hole. Conclusion The life cycle of stars resembles everyday recycling process in our lives: certain components (gases) are gathered and then, with the help of a catalyst (gravitational force), those components become bound into cohesion   to give birth to a new material (star), all to worn out, before regrouping again under the same influences. Ends REFERENCES Stars (2003). 3 Nov, 2007. http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/stars.php Space (1993).   Universe (pp. 273-284). London, Great Britain: Dorling Kindersley.      

Why Fear National ID Cards?

Featured in 2001 in the New York Times Alan Dershowitz’s article â€Å"Why Fear National ID Cards? † presents the idea of a National ID Card system being put to use in the United States. The reasoning behind such an idea is this, with the sacrifice of some of the individual’s privacy a greater level of security, equality, and productivity can be achieved while discarding some of the insensitive and inefficient methods of identification we use today.A National ID Card consisting of a name, address, photo and fingerprint print would be the first national uniform ID that would replace the high number variations of identification that are issued state by state. This would drastically decrease the chances of forgery by the use of a unified system and strict means of distribution. A more comprehensive ID will allow for accelerated wait times at high security locations such as airports, and for those who decline to show such an ID would be subjected to further security measures.The criteria in which people are required obtain or present identification would remain the same this allows for remnants of the old policy to remain in effect and further safe guards the citizens from a potential over stepping government. A more radical policy or criteria change could lead to an abuse of power or jumpstart similar non-popular policies to be acted on. It would also enable the rate of deportation of illegal immigrants to increase along with providing a better means to legal immigrants to display their status to authorities.â€Å"Rights are a function of experience, and our recent experiences teach that it is far too easy to be anonymous — even to create a false identity — in this large and decentralized country† (Barnet and Bedau). This point taken directly from the article puts into perspective the very real threat of the terrorism. Terrorist hide amidst the general public, this is a concerning reality. No system can prevent all acts of terror but a National ID card with an embedded corresponding fingerprint can reduce the likely hood of the creation of false identities and catch those who are using the weaknesses of the current system to slip by unnoticed.Alan Dershowitz’s stresses the importance of the elimination of the current trend of racial and ethnic stereotyping that acts as a countermeasure for possible threats to security. Improving civil liberties for these targeted groups is achieved by eliminating the need to target these groups in general. By utilizing security measures such as criminal-history retrieval systems and a corresponding fingerprint on the card itself we can remove the reason for profiling individuals due to their appearance alone.

Does War Advance Civilization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Does War Advance Civilization - Research Paper Example Civilization is any multifarious society characterized by urban expansion, social stratification, emblematic communication forms and a perceived natural environment by culture, civilization is referred to as advancement. Civilization is intimately associated with social, political and economic characteristics including centralization, specialization of labour, monumental architecture, taxation, and social dependence. War has a profound impact on technology, the World War II being an example of a global war led to technology advancements that were and are still of great benefits, for instance, the development of air travel technology that was brought about by the end of the World War II. Through this, there was the promotion of transport that made it possible and easy to travel across the world. This advancement has made the world a global village whereby someone can quickly travel across the world with a span of a moment. The advancement has aided in advancing civilization and thus p roving that war can influence civilization.Second, war has an impact on technological progress in the medical science arena. AFR contributed to the need to preserve more lives in case of war and to invent better ways of killing enemies using science technology. The use of scientific methods to fight was evident during the world war I and II, where scientific and medical inventions were advanced, for instance after the world war I, countries like Russia were on the front line to invent better methods of fighting after they had been defeated.

Convicted felons in the workforce vs human resource management Research Paper

Convicted felons in the workforce vs human resource management - Research Paper Example This paper is about individuals who possess criminal records, and how their chance to work in the workforce is a notch more difficult than their other peers who have a clean record. In this paper, the researcher would like to focus on a certain type of individual who has been excluded from the rest of society because of their misbehaviour. In legal systems, a felon is someone who has been accused of performing a serious crime and has been legally condemned of doing so. There exist a long list of crimes that can brand a person a criminal, and the ones that are considered to be felonies are not restricted to the following- grand theft, tax evasion, robbery, rape, murder, fraud, kidnapping, violent assaults, treason, arson, illegal drug abuse and drug trafficking, and espionage. Felonies can be considered as a felony under various circumstances, and a convicted felon can only be convicted by a person of legal authority such as a judge (Eisenstein and Jacob, 1991). In this paper, the researcher would like to discuss the reasons regarding preferred characteristics of a potential employee. In the case of felons who decide to join the workforce after serving their time in prison, the researcher would like to investigate how the human resource department in organizations deal with such cases, should they decide to hire a felon. Naturally, hiring a previously convicted criminal can affect an organization’s operations, so companies must be extremely cautious in such cases. For instance, planning employee activities might have to be planned in a different way, or controlling such employees might have to be done in a different manner. The researcher would like to investigate social views on such a controversial topic, and also what can be done to help these felons find their own niche in the workforce. In 2007, reports were made that there are en estimate of 2 million convicted persons in prison serving their time.

How stuff work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How stuff work - Research Paper Example This invention came into the limelight immediately because it was the key in solving one of the biggest environmental challenges-Oil spills and was concept of bioremediation since no harmful chemicals or other products were employed. Oil spills always have a catastrophic effect on the marine ecosystem as well as those who depend on the marine ecosystem .such as birds, fishing industry and tourism industry. The toxic oil stuck to the bird’s feathers prohibiting them from flying and has serious effects on the marine life as well. Until the invention of these microbes the cost of cleaning up the oil was extremely high. Using techniques such as dispersants or mechanical skimming cost almost $7,350 per metric ton of oil. Often oil was spilled in the middle of the ocean where logistics posed a great problem and in most cases only a mere 20% of the oil spilled could be cleaned up. However the invention of these oil-eating microbes have been a boon to mankind since these microbes make the cleaning up process practical, rapid and environment friendly. Production of Oil eating Bacteria Oil especially crude oil is composed of hydrocarbons. Many bacteria and fungi have the natural capability of breaking down oil into carbon dioxide and water however none of the naturally occurring bacteria could degrade all the components. While working with microbes he recognized the fact that microbial metabolism could be used for the process of bioremediation. Recombinant DNA technology also known as RDT is the technology used by biotechnologists and genetic engineers to transfer DNA or genetic material from one cell to another with the help of vectors or carrying bodies such as plasmids. Certain bacterial strains already bore the gene which encodes for specialized enzymes. These specialized enzymes have the capability of degrading oil, nullifying their toxicity and turning them into harmless products. Using recombinant DNA technology, Professor isolated the genes from these micr obes and integrated them into the vector plasmid DNA machinery. These plasmids were then integrated into strains of Pseudomonas bacteria. These genetically engineered bacteria were now made capable of producing enzymes on their own which could degrade oil and render them harmless. Working principle The entire working principle of the oil degrading microbes is based on the study of enzymes. The enzymes help the bacteria in obtaining their carbon from the oils. Once these microbes are put into the water containing oil, their only source of carbon is the oil on the water surface. The bacteria which can produce oil-degrading enzymes start production and utilizes the degraded oil as its energy resource. Hydrocarbon degrading enzymes such as alkane hydroxylase, catechol dioxygense are some of the enzymes that are encoded by the genes of some naturally occurring oil0degrading bacteria and which have been genetically transferred into Pseudomonas strain enabling the latter to break down a wi de variety of oil components (Peixoto et al,2011, p.2). The bacteria proliferates at the site of oil spill since large quantities of carbon resource is available. Problems

Commnication and Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Commnication and Decision Making - Essay Example The reason why we have to lay off some of our employees is because the company has been experiencing some slow times over the last three months. This has been caused by the high prices of raw materials as well as high salaries. As a result, there is a need to cut costs since the company is not generating enough revenue as well as cash flow. The affected departments will be in a position to create sharp cost cutbacks for a brief episode of time. It is expected that the affected departments will be faced with more workload and the inventory turnover may be slow for a while. However, the company will suffer a one-time cost to gain subsequent annual recurring savings. Additionally, the affected areas overall output will less than the usual or poor productivity and the departments will need to readjust their work schedules and routines (Gandolf, 2008). The remaining employees are expected to display symptoms anxiety, inadequate commitment to the work, as well as lack of creativity. Staffs in the three departments namely; order processing department, the human resources department and the production department will be expected to be apprehensive of their jobs. It is also expected that people will start to view their colleagues as rivals. This will mostly likely affect the output. To ensure that there is no break of confidentiality, the departments’ managers will need to pay equivalentdevotion to the personnel who will be losing their jobs as well as those who will be remaining. For the employees who are being laid off, the departments’ managers will be required to afford fair severance, providechances for re?training, as well as outplacement resources. Again, for the employees who will be remaining, the departments’ managers will provide numerous two?way communication networks (particularly face?to?face) among leadership and personnel to provide them numerous chances to communicate their worries, ask queriesas well as deepen their comprehension o f the realities of business. The departments’ managers will need to makesure that those employees who will be remaining are conscious of the resources and support afforded by the firm to employees who will be out of work. This willmake a noteworthy difference to upcoming workforce productivity and mitigate the upsurge in the voluntary turnover, which follows each forced lay off (Gandolf, 2008). To aid in the ‘moving of forward’ as well as transition after the layoffs, the managers from theinvolved departments will be required to communicate efficaciously and often with the staff. It is expected that people will begin to reveal signs of fretfulness, lack of dedication, as well as a reduction in creativity and productivity. In the days and weeks to follow the layoff, the departments’ managers will need to come up with strong leadership stratagems to aid employees focus upon the primacies at hand as well as to re-devote themselves to the company. The managers will be required to hold frequent meetings with employees plus generate an agenda;enquire on how individuals are holding up, listen as well as respond empathetically; ask about the ‘rumors’ and either dispel or validate them; set well-defined, realistic, achievable short-term goals. The managers will need to be focused upon the department’s work; institute an open-door policy; as well as let staff be aware that they approach the manager with concern, information and questions. All these stratagems will aid the

The Role of Women in Science Fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Role of Women in Science Fiction - Essay Example Even in television, science fiction programs such as Star Trek Voyager have been shown with a female captain of the ship and strong female characters such as Seven of Nine and Lieutenant Torres. In fact, the show itself can be seen as a feminist interpretation of the Star Trek universe which was dominated in the 60s by swaggering captains such as James T. Kirk who thought it was their duty to kiss every alien female they could find. Undoubtedly, the times have changed and with them, the notion of science fiction has also developed. In this regard, two novels stand out in terms of how they treat femininity, masculinity and the relationship between the male and the female. These are The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin and He, She and It by Marge Piercy. A deeper examination of these novels and their treatment of gender is necessary to gain a better understanding of gender and the role of women in modern science fiction. The first novel which raises some interesting questions about gender and the idea of masculinity is also the novel which deals directly with the idea of androgyny. While we know that stories about titans, giants, and dragons can easily be considered as fiction, we also know that legends are often based on facts. The legend of King Arthur and his knights of the round table is one such instance where the historical fact was distorted to an extent that the fiction became more popular than the facts of history. Nevertheless, the basis of the story was a historical character. In a similar manner, the stories about the future may also be based on developments that are taking place here and now.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

International Business - Essay Example International Business As organisations begin to operate in foreign markets structural and environmental complexity and uncertainty increases. "If the domestic environment can be labelled uncertain, the international business environment is doubly so." (Mascarenhas 1982) International managers must know that international business environment is multidimensional that includes cultural differences, political risks, exchange risks, legal and taxation regulations. According to Mascarenhas the multiple factors a multinational faces due to environmental uncertainty are foreign exchange uncertainty, political uncertainty, and employment problems. However most experts of international business environment believe that it can be classified into four categories: administrative, engineering, entrepreneurial, and regulatory. More recently, Guisinger (2001) has put forward some of the main features of international business environment. They are: culture, legal system, political risk, income profile, tax regimes, exch ange rate, and restrictions. Culture may be described as the values, beliefs and attitudes of a country. These tell apart one country from another. International managers need to be aware of this while they travel, communicate or negotiates with people of other countries. Cultural differences are extremely important. An organization must give top priority to learning the foreign countrys proper cultural practices as well as cultural taboo.

MIH 521 Health Program Evaluation (Mod 2 SLP) Essay

MIH 521 Health Program Evaluation (Mod 2 SLP) - Essay Example In this case the evaluation would be done of FitKids which is a program to keep kids healthier through activity. If we do not evaluate the programs we set up, we do not know how well they are doing and what their results are (attc-ne.org). The plan to evaluate according to Harvard Medical School plans(2009) includes the following things. Identify with precision what it is that the specific program has as a purpose and in the case of FitKids, the reason is to have healthier more active kids which prevents chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and orthopedic diseases. It is important to know whether the program has the potential to meet its goals and the terminology that is used in the evaluation study must be explained up front to assure a thorough understanding of the results. Threats to validity are always a problem in any kind of research but it is particularly so in an evaluation study. There are according to the Harvard School plan (2009) seven threats that must be watched for. Those are a history of events happening during the study that were not planned to occur. There is a maturation problem that can occur when the passage of time changes the study and one does not realize or plan for that as well as the fact that a testing issue could happen. Testing issues usually happen when there is bias in the choice of controls though, which is not likely to happen in this particular evaluation.

Assignment 11 (775) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 11 (775) - Essay Example The pilot project took the setting of art, physics and geometry classes where most of the teachers and students always ignore the connection between such subjects. A new detailed integrated unit of instructions was designed in order to enhance effective collaboration among the teachers. Workshops, meetings and research were used by the teachers to broaden their knowledge of curricular articulation and integrated instructions. Assessment and evaluation were conducted at the end of the learning in order to identify encountered challenged with a view to coming up with viable solutions. The project was deemed successful as it allowed both the teachers and students to enjoy learning as well as improving the intellectual and emotional development of the students. Today, many authors are fascinated by action research as illustrated in their articles and projects. There are several methods proposed by different authors on how action research should be defined, understood and implemented and the important factors to consider from the power of student’s reflection, challenges during the implementation process, the method of assessment, resource and time investment to creation of a portrait of its ideal attributes. As prescribed in this article, integration of instruction requires the collaboration of all aspects of learning such as organization and management, instructions, curriculum, assessment and the culture of the school in order to improve the teaching and learning experience. The application of hands-on activities to link and relate different subject areas such as art, geometry and physics is emphasized in order to increase student comprehension. In action research, the success of education is based on the effectiveness of its curriculum. Changing the curriculum is an advancement of educational progress by modifying the methodology that allows student to interrelate the different disciples they are taught in

Teams in Organizations.Group dynamics for teams Essay Example for Free

Teams in Organizations.Group dynamics for teams Essay Teams in Organizations Introduction            Teams are important part of any given organization or company. There are a lot of benefits which companies can realize from their teams which include sharing of work load as well as sharing of ideas in the company leading to increased innovation within an organization. In every organization, there are various departments depending on the type of operations which are carried out within the organization (Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). The number of departments will influence the type of teams and the number of teams that an organization will have. Furthermore, the composition of the teams will depend on the number of people within the departments. It is important to have teams within organizations since there is a lot of benefit which can be generated from having teams as part of operations in the company, hence the view presented by Tom Peters is agreeable. Impacts of Teams in Companies/Organizations            It has been noted that there are various benefits which can be realized as a result of having teams within companies and organizations. As Tom Peters, (1987, p296) insisted, there is need to organize and have teams that are focused in achieving specified objectives and goals within organizations. The benefits or impacts of teams in organizations and companies include: Increased Productivity            Productivity is an important part that companies strive to achieve. Every company often strives to attain high productivity and hence increase its sales in the long run and therefore more profits. When an organization is organized in form of teams that work together in collaboration, it becomes easy for the company to attin high productivity since the teams are able to share the workload and therefore produce more(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When there is increased productivity as a result of teamwork, it means that there are increased chances of making more profits and meeting the objectives and goals of the company. Therefore, it is important that organizations should be organized in teams Maximization of resources            The other benefit which has been noted through research is that of increased maximization of the resource which are available within the company. When the company is organized in to teams, it is easy to manage how the resources of the organization are being used hence ensure that there is maximum use of the resources for the greater benefit of the company. Furthermore, it has been noted that when an organization is organized in to teams, there is ease in the allocation of the resources of the company (Levi, 2011). It is easy to formulate budgets which can be sued by each teams hence the resource of the company are allocated according to the budgets that he team provides. This ensures that there is proper control on the resources of the company. What this means is that there is no wastage of the resources within the company. Therefore, it is important to have teams within an organization or company. Accountability            Accountability is an important aspect within organizations and companies. Majority of companies look for accountability through various strategies and hence teams forms one of the strategies which the companies and organizations have been able to use(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When employees are divided in to teams, it becomes easy for the management to make follow up and hold employees accountable for their duties and actions in the operations which they carry out. It is easy to identify where there are mistakes when employees are divided in to teams and hence reduces the amount of time that is used in identifying faults in people.            Teams help in enhancing accountability within organizations and this means that there are reduced cases of defaults within the company as well as improved performance(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When employees know that their team will be held accountable for their part that they undertake in the operations of the company, they will strive to ensure that they succeed in the tasks which they have been assigned. Therefore, the view presented by Tom Peters is agreeable and teams should be promoted within companies. Time Management            Formation of teams within organizations helps in the management of time within organizations and companies. Teams are given specific duties and tasks to carry out of which they are needed to accomplish within specified time. Therefore, when the teams work together, it becomes easy for them to complete the task within the time frame provided hence ensuring that there is no wastage of time(Levi, 2011). The teams make use of time in an effective way hence improving the efficiency within the company since the teams are able to share the work load hence it is easy for the employees to carry out the assigned tasks. This shows that the suitable and best way that an organization can operate is through teams which can help save a lot of time within the company as well as motivate the employees to work hard and improve on their efficiency. Innovation and creativity            Organizations such as Google Inchave developed and continued to provide the best products in the market as a result of innovativeness within the company. This has been contributed to by the aspect of teamwork within the company. Another organization which has continued to benefit from team work is Apple Inc. This company has been able to produce quality products as a result of innovativeness of its teams. Therefore, when an organization or company puts its employees in teams, it provides them with the opportunity to work together and share ideas which lead to innovation(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011).            There is constant sharing of ideas among the employees which helps to enhance their ability to solve problems and come up with solutions as well as new ideas that will benefit the company. Innovativeness and creativity is important within organizations because it helps in the production of high quality products and services which meet the needs of the customers(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). When the customers are provided with high quality products or service through innovation, it means that an organization or a company will be able to increase its customer base as well as its revenue hence its profitability. Therefore, the view that has been presented by Tom Peters that organizations should be put in form of teams is agreeable based on the positive impact that it has on innovation and creativity within companies.            However, there are issues that affect the effectiveness of teams within organizations or companies. The difference that exists between employees, such as cultural diversity, often affects how teams function. It is quite a challenge to have a team that will put aside their cultural differences and work for the benefit of the company. There are employees that work well when assigned duties alone without having to work as a team(Levi, 2011). Therefore, it calls for the management of the company to realize that teams do not function all the time under every situation. There is need for proper analysis of the employees to find out if the idea of teams will work pout and generate the required and maximum results in the short and long run. Furthermore, it is to be noted that different organizations have different composition in terms of departments. Some of the departments cannot be organized in to teams due to the reason that they perform similar duties hence organizing them in to team will not change anything in their operations(Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2011). The differences in the employees create a challenge for the management within organizations when there is need to formulate teams for the purpose of sharing the workload that is available. Therefore, this could mean that teams may not seem as the suitable way to go in ensuring success within an organization or company. Conclusion            It is important to have teams within organizations since there is a lot of benefit which can be generated from having teams as part of operations in the company, hence the view presented by Tom Peters is agreeable. Organizations that have teams have greater benefits as compared to organizations or companies which have not organized their personnel in to teams that can collaborate for the benefit of all. Teams are important in enhancing accountability, time management, maximization of resources and minimization. Furthermore, it has been noted that teams helps in enhancing innovation and creativity within companies hence organizations are encouraged to organize their employees in to teams that are manageable. References Clegg, S. R., Kornberger, M., Pitsis, T. (2011).Managing and organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. Sage. Levi, D. (2011). Group dynamics for teams. Los Angeles: SAGE. Source document

Trait Theory of Leadership Essay

Trait Theory of Leadership Essay Leadership can be defined as a process by which one individual influences others toward the attainment of group or organizational goals. Three points about the definition of leadership should be emphasized. First, leadership is a social influence process. Leadership cannot exist without a leader and one or more followers. Second, leadership elicits voluntary action on the part of followers. The voluntary nature of compliance separates leadership from other types of influence based on formal authority Studies of leadership styles are diverse in nature and multiple definitions have been offered. However, leadership style can be defined broadly as the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. Leadership should be distinguished from management. Management involves planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, and a manager is someone who performs these functions. A manager has formal authority by virtue of his or her position or office. Leadership, by contrast, primarily deals with influence. A manager may or may not be an effective leader. A leaders ability to influence others may be based on a variety of factors other than his or her formal authority or position. Following is study of the development of leadership studies and theories over time is briefly traced. TASK 1 (a) LEADERSHIP THEORIES Three main theoretical frameworks have dominated leadership research at different points in time. These included the trait approach (1930s and 1940s), the behavioral approach (1940s and 1950s), and the contingency or situational approach (1960s and 1970s). TRAIT THEORIES The scientific study of leadership began with a focus on the traits of effective leaders. The basic premise behind trait theory was that effective leaders are born, not made, thus the name sometimes applied to early versions of this idea, the great man theory. Many leadership studies based on this theoretical framework were conducted in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Leader trait research examined the physical, mental, and social characteristics of individuals. In general, these studies simply looked for significant associations between individual traits and measures of leadership effectiveness. Physical traits such as height, mental traits such as intelligence, and social traits such as personality attributes were all subjects of empirical research In an important review of the leadership literature published in 1948, Ralph Stogdill concluded that the existing research had not demonstrated the utility of the trait approach. Finally, early trait research did not consider the impact of situational variables that might moderate the relationship between leader traits and measures of leader effectiveness. As a result of the lack of consistent findings linking individual traits to leadership effectiveness, empirical studies of leader traits were largely abandoned in the 1950s. Douglas McGregors x and y theory: His Theory X and Theory Y was detailed in The Human Side of Enterprise, published in 1960. What is it? Essentially Theory X and Theory Y describe two opposing views of people at work that will influence management style. Managers can be said to follow either view of their workforce. Theory X is often said to describe a traditional view of direction and control. Theory Y implies a more self directed workforce that takes an interest in the goals of their organisation and integrates some of their own goals into these. Theory X Theory X assumes that: The average person dislikes work and will avoid it unless directly supervised. Employees must be coerced, controlled and directed to ensure that organisational objectives are met. The threat of punishment must exist within an organisation. In fact people prefer to be managed in this way so that they avoid responsibility. Theory X assumes that people are relatively unambitious and their prime driving force is the desire for security. Theory Y Theory Y effectively takes the opposite view. It assumes that: Employees are ambitious, keen to accept greater responsibility and exercise both self-control and direction. Employees will, in the right conditions, work toward organisational objectives and that commitment will in itself be a reward for so doing. Employees will exercise their imagination and creativity in their jobs if given the chance and this will give an opportunity for greater productivity. Theory Y assumes that the average human being will, under the right conditions, not only accept responsibility but also seek more. Lack of ambition and the qualities of Theory X are not inherent human characteristics but learned in working environments that suffocate or do not promote Theory Y behaviours. BEHAVIOR THEORIES Partially as a result of the disenchantment with the trait approach to leadership that occurred by the beginning of the 1950s, the focus of leadership research shifted away from leader traits to leader behaviors. The premise of this stream of research was that the behaviors exhibited by leadersare more important than their physical, mental, or emotional traits. The two most famous behavioural leadership studies took place at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan in the late 1940s and 1950s. These studies sparked hundreds of other leadership studies and are still widely cited. The Ohio State studies utilized the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ), administering it to samples of individuals in the military, manufacturing companies, college administrators, and student leaders. The conclusion of the Michigan studies was that an employee orientation and general instead of close supervision yielded better results. Likert eventually developed four systems of man agement based on these studies; he advocated System 4 (the participative- group system, which was the most participatory set of leader behaviors) as resulting in the most positive outcomes. LEADERSHIP GRID BY ROBERT BLAKE AND JANE MOUTON One concept based largely on the behavioural approach to leadership effectiveness was the Managerial (or Leadership) Grid, developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton. The grid combines concern for production with concern for people and presents five alternative behavioural styles of leadership. An individual who emphasized neither production was practicing impoverished management according to the grid. If a person emphasized concern for people and placed little emphasis on production, he was terms a country-club manager. Conversely, a person who emphasized a concern for production but paid little attention to the concerns of subordinates was a task manager. A person whotried to balance concern for production and concern for people was termed a middle-of-the-road manager. Finally, an individual who was able to simultaneously exhibit a high concern for production and a high concern for people was practicing team management. According to the prescriptions of the grid, team management was the best leadership approach. The Managerial Grid became a major consulting tool and was the basis for a considerable amount of leadership training in the corporate world. CONTINGENCY (SITUATIONAL) THEORIES Contingency or situational theories of leadership propose that the organizational or work group context affects the extent to which given leader traits and behaviors will be effective. Contingency theories gained prominence in the late 1960s and 1970s. Four of the more well-known contingency theories are Fiedlers contingency theory, path-goal theory, the Vroom-Yetton-Jago decision- making model of leadership, and the situational leadership theory. Each of these approaches to leadership is briefly described in the paragraphs that follow. Introduced in 1967, Fiedlers contingency theory was the first to specify how situational factors interact with leader traits and behavior to influence leadership effectiveness. The theory suggests that the favorability of the situation determines the effectiveness of taskand person-oriented leader behavior. Favorability is determined by (1) the respect and trust that followers have for the leader; (2) the extent to which subordinates responsibilities can be structured and performance measured; and (3) the control the leader has over subordinates rewards. Fiedlers contingency theory has been criticized on both conceptual and methodological grounds There are five types of leader decision-making styles, which are labeled AI, AII, CI, CII, and G. These styles range from strongly autocratic (AI), to strongly democratic (G). According to the theory, the appropriate style is determined by answers to up to eight diagnostic questions, which relate to such contingency factors as the importance of decision quality, the structure of the problem, whether subordinates have enough information to make a quality decision, and the importance of subordinate commitment to the decision. TRANSFORMATIONAL THEORIES and CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP Beginning in the 1970s, a number of leadership theories emerged that focused on the importance of a leaders charisma to leadership effectiveness. Included within this class of theories are Houses theory of charismatic leadership, Basss transformational leadership theory, and Conger and Kanungos charismatic leadership theory. These theories have much in common. They all focus on attempting to explain how leaders can accomplish extraordinary things against the odds, such as turning around a failing company, founding a successful company, or achieving great military success against incredible odds. By contrast, transformational leadership focuses on developing mutual trust, fostering the leadership abilities of others, and setting goals that go beyond the short-term needs of the work group. Basss transformational leadership theory identifies four aspects of effective leadership, which include charisma, inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and consideration. Tannenbaum and Schmidts leadership continuum: Leadership occurs when a person tries to influence another persons or groups way of behaving regardless of the cause. Every time a person tries to influence another persons behaviour, this person becomes a potential leader, but the person whose behaviour is attempted changed becomes a potential recipient (irrespective of whether this person is the chief, a colleague, a friend, a group orà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦).Leadership style is not about how leaders think they behave but about how their recipients perceive the leaders behaviour. Robert Tannenbaum and Warren H. Schmidt were some of the first to make use of the situational approach to leadership. In their proposal, the leader chooses from seven possible continuums of leadership behaviour, depending on the situation and the relations between the leader and the employees, is as follows: 1. Leader allows followers to function within the limits defined by a superior. 2. Leader defines limits; the group is encouraged to make decisions. 3. Leader presents problem. Receives suggestions and makes decision. 4. Leader presents preliminary decisions, which may be changed. 5. Leader presents ideas and encourages questions. 6. Leader sells decisions. 7. Leader makes a decision and announces it. The above points the dimensions in the continuums of leadership behaviour constitute: Democratic or relation-based behaviour Authoritarian or task-related behaviour Task-oriented behaviour is often perceived as authoritarian leadership behaviour from the viewpoint that the leader tells the employee what needs to be done and how to do it. This leadership behaviour is based on the view of humanity called Theory X in which the leader perceives the employees as independent and lazy. Relation-based leadership behaviour is often perceived as democratic leadership behaviour from a view of humanity called theory Y where employees contribute independently and creatively to task performance. Tannenbaum-Schmidt model has excluded the Laissez-faire leadership continuum where employees are free to do whatever they want. According to Tannenbaum-Schmidt, it is not a leadership continuum when each employee is free to do what he pleases without the influence of the leadership or other employees. TASK 1: (b) Trait Theory Assumptions: People are born with inherited traits. Some traits are particularly suited to leadership. People who make good leaders have the right (or sufficient) combination of traits. Contingency theory Contingency theory is a class of behavioral theory that claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or to make decisions. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent (dependent) upon the internal and external situation. Several contingency approaches were developed concurrently in the late 1960s. They suggested that previous theories such as Webers bureaucracy and Taylors scientific management had failed because they neglected that management style and organizational structure were influenced by various aspects of the environment: the contingency factors. There could not be one best way for leadership or organization. TASK 2: (a) STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPURTUNITIES, TREATS OF MANCHESTER FOOTBALL CLUB Analysis of the Company The SWOT Analysis is possibly the most popular instrument utilized in strategic planning and organizational problem solving. SWOT indicates the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of a firm. The derivation of the SWOT contraction, nonetheless, is difficult to understand. Coyles and Gokey (2002) affirmed that the Harvard Business School scholars were utilizing the notion in the 1960s. On the contrary, Turner (2002) presents the growth of the SWOT Analysis perception. (S)trengths The major strength of Manchester United is their brand consciousness, Manchester United is exceptionally recognized globally, and if advertised as the national team with international sponsors. This consequently implies that any merchandise that they put in the market, with the team name and emblem will be immediately identified by their fans which could arrive to a million. Nevertheless, the team requires guaranteeing that they are still focused on what there fans and the consumers wish for. By reason of having the great fan base, ticket sales is also considered as strength for Manchester United, as there is a big waiting list for passes for every match, and with the new expanded arena, the income of ticket sales is bound to increase over the coming years. (W)eaknesses The major weakness that has been identified based on their website is their products and product variety. It is obvious that they have introduced a lot of diverse products at numerous different occasions. There is an issue though whether the fans were consulted in this context. It seems that MU has introduced a broad variety of products from jerseys to Credit Cards Another weakness for Manchester United is that currently, the club has been so flourishing, and it is now working on such a huge level, there is a distressing estimation that the club has now lost its origins, and it is no longer concerned with the game of football, but all about proceeds. Unconstructive outlooks such as this can have a harmful effect on the fans. (O)pportunities The key opportunity for Manchester United at the moment is the penetration to the American market. There is an opportunity in the proximate future to structure the coalition with one of the worlds most well-off team in sports, the New York Yankees. This will signal enormous merchandise channels in America, and provide Manchester United the lead over all other Football teams in the American context, presenting their product to a new market. (T)hreats Manchester United is in a very firm site, as they have no direct dangers from any players in the industry. There is a huge breach connecting Manchester United and the subsequent strongest competitor. Nonetheless, there are a number of dangers to Manchester United that has to be taken into account. A threat to Manchester United at present is the Change of leadership in the teamThe club slid from a position as one of the top clubs in the UK in 1970 to a status of mediocrity in 1996.In 1996, Francis Lee, a former player of the club, took over as chairman. He recognised the need for stability and structure. TASK 2: (b) SOCIAL SKILLS Here are a few basic attributes of a socially successful person that are worth discussing: Confidence They display confidence in themselves and successfully execute the projects they lead. Friendliness They are friendly to everyone, not to just a select few, displaying a genuine sense of care and concern for others. Appearance They make sure their hygiene, apparel, and proper body movement is always acceptable. Trustworthy They can be depended upon both with personal exchanges and with projects. Organized Their organizational skills are second nature and displayed in all activities. Self-control They handle themselves well when emotional issues arise. Acceptance They extend love and forgiveness to everyone, even difficult people and those that differ from them. Fun They make life fun. Space They respect others privacy and choices. Its never too late to improve your social skills. The first step is to honestly examine yourself and admit you need to improve yourself in deficient areas. Like anything else in this world, there have been many books written on the subject. I highly recommend John C. Maxwells book entitled Be a People Person. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS This area has to do with interaction with others. In theory, people who have a high interpersonal intelligence tend to be extroverts, characterized by their sensitivity to others moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations, and their ability to cooperate in order to work as part of a group. They communicate effectively and empathize easily with others, and may be either leaders or followers. They typically learn best by working with others and often enjoy discussion and debate. Careers that suit those with this intelligence include sales, politicians, managers, teachers and social workers. LINGUISTIC SKILLS This area has to do with words, spoken or written. People with high verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words along with dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and by discussing and debating about what they have learned. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure. Careers that suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, policemen, philosophers, journalists, politicians, poets and teachers. COMMUNICATION SKILLS I would like to suggest nine key skills and principles that, if adopted, would improve your communication skills immediately. They are: Ask more questions, make fewer statements Be specific, not vague Use the affirmative, not negated language Objective thinking Focus on the future not the past Use pleasure/ pain consequences Distinguish between long term v short term consequence Map out their ideas on paper Protect the self image TASK 2: (c) DEVOLOPING LEADERSHIP AND MANAGERIAL SKILLS To a large extent the survival and continued success of any business depends upon owners and managers having a combination of leadership savvy, good judgement based on knowledge and information and a reasonable ability to steer a business in the right direction. This need becomes considerably more important when a company is on the verge of expanding. Therefore, before you commit yourself to starting or expanding a business, first commit yourself to learning and in the very least recognizing the personal leadership and management skills needed to initiate and sustain profitable company growth. BECOMING A MORE EFFECTIVE LEADER Choose competent subordinates Demonstrate high moral standards Exude Charisma Inspire others Take action: When faced with a crisis, effective leaders dont just sit around and twiddle their thumbs. They solve the problem themselves or get someone who can. Understand the penalty of leadership Use your imagination to solve problems Wander around frequently Work hard BECOMING A MORE EFFECTIVE MANAGER Actively listen to customers and workers Attend parties Clarify employee responsibilities Deal with unexcused absences immeadiatly Demand accountability Criticize positively Know how to delegate responsibilities to trained and qualified people Know how to handle stress Know how to fire employees Make sure each employee has only one supervisor Reward appropriate behaviours and results Conclusion Manchester is in a very competitive spot at present, nonetheless they require to be cautious that they are not getting self-satisfied and that they are focusing on the market, and the requirements of their clients and followers. By implementing the research into their markets, it will allow them to build up products for the clients, which will bring about sustained support from the fans and success.

Factors that Affect Enzyme Activity

Factors that Affect Enzyme Activity Venessa Daly Objectives: To determine the effect enzyme concentration has on catalase activity To study the effect substrate concentration has on the rate of catalase activity To establish the effect temperature has on the activity of catalase Introduction: Enzymes control almost all cellular reactions. Enzymes are large globular proteins that act as catalysts in biochemical reactions. A catalyst reduces the activation energy needed for a reaction to occur, thus affects the reaction rate. Enzymes are very sensitive, they are affected by temperature and pH. Enzymes work as catalysts by combining with a substrate at the active site to form the enzyme-substrate complex, this then breaks down to release the enzyme and the product. Enzymes are shape specific, which means only substrate molecules with the corresponding shape will combine with the enzyme. This is known as the Lock and Key theory. So, because of this many different enzymes can be present in a cell, acting at the same time but not affecting each other. Enzymes are recovered unchanged from reactions so they can be reused again and again. Eventually, the effectiveness of the enzyme decreases over time and must be replaced.   Enzyme activity can be measured by: measuring the rate of formation of a product and measuring the rate of disappearance of a substance. Catalase is an enzyme found in almost all living organisms. It is a very important enzyme as it prevents the build-up of toxic hydrogen peroxide in cells. It catalyses the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. 2H2O2 2H2O + O2 Enzymes are affected by enzyme concentration, substrate concentration and temperature. As enzyme concentration increases the rate of reaction also increases linearly. However, once it reaches a very high enzyme concentration, the substrate concentration reaches a rate-limiting and the rate stops increasing. As the substrate concentration increases, the rate also increases. At higher concentrations, the enzymes become saturated with substrate so there a very few free enzyme molecules. So, adding more substrate would make no difference. The enzyme activity increases as temperature increases until an optimum temperature is reached. Once the optimum temperature is reached, if the temperature is increased any more then there is a decline in enzyme activity. Enzymes become denatured at a high temperature, the enzyme can then no longer carry out its function correctly. Method: A fresh potato was peeled and cut into small cubes. 100g of the tissue was weighed out. The potato, 100ml of cold distilled water and a small amount of crushed ice was placed into a pre-chilled blender. This was then homogenised for 30 seconds at high speed. The potato mixture was filtered. The filtrate was poured into a 100ml graduated cylinder. Cold distilled water was added to bring the volume to 100ml. 100, 75, 50, 25, and 0 units/ml of enzyme concentrations were made up, (the total volume in each should be 40mls). 40ml of 1% H2O2 solution was placed into five different beakers. Forceps were used to fully immerse a glass fibre disc into the first of the catalase solutions (100 units/ml). The disc absorbed the enzyme solution for 5 seconds, it was removed and allowed to drain for 10 seconds. The disc was then dropped into the first beaker of H2O2. The time was then recorded from the moment the disc touched the surface to the moment it reached the surface again. This was done with two separate discs and the average time was got. This was then repeated for each of the enzyme solutions. The rate of reaction versus enzyme concentration was then plotted. 40mls of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 0.8%, 1%, 5% and 10% hydrogen peroxide solutions we added to seven separate beakers. Forceps were used to fully immerse a glass fibre disc into 100 units/ml of the catalase solution. It was removed from the catalase after 5 seconds and allowed to drain for 10 seconds. The disc was then dropped into the 0.1% hydrogen peroxide solution. The time was recorded from the moment it touched the surface to the minute it reached the surface again. This was done twice with two separate discs and the average time was got. This was done using all the substrate solutions. The rate of reaction versus substrate concentrations were plotted. Water baths were set up at the temperatures: 0oC, 150C, 250C, 300C, 370C, 450C and 600C. 40mls of 1% hydrogen peroxide and 40mls of enzyme solution were incubated separately at each of the temperatures for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, a glass fibre disc was fully immersed into the enzyme solution for 5 seconds at 00C, using forceps. It was then removed and allowed to drain for 10 seconds before the disc was dropped into the beaker of the hydrogen peroxide. The time was recorded from the moment it touched the surface to the moment it reached the surface again. This was done twice using two separate discs each time at each temperature. The rate of reaction versus temperature was then plotted. Results: Concentration Time Average Time 1/Time 25% 22 22 22 0.045455 50% 15 14 14.5 0.068966 75% 14 12 12.5 0.08 100% 10 8 9 0.1111111 Concentration Time Average Time 1/Time 0.1% 46 42 44 0.022727 0.2% 32 29 30.5 0.032787 0.5% 18 16 17 0.058824 0.8% 14 12 13 0.076923 1% 8 10 9 0.11111 5% 5 3 4 0.25 10% 2 1 1.5 0.666667 Temperature (0C) Time Average Time 1/Time 0 16 15 15.5 0.064516 15 13 11 12 0.08 25 10 11 10.5 0.095238 30 10 9 9.5 0.105263 37 5 8 6.5 0.153846 45 9 15 11.5 0.08 60 149 157 153 0.006536 Discussion:       The effect the change of enzyme concentration had on the reaction time of catalase activity can be observed from the graph and table (a). When the enzyme concentration was 25%, the rate of reaction was 22 seconds. However, when the enzyme was at 100% the reaction occurred within 9 seconds. This was a difference of 13 seconds and a concentration change of 75%. The reason there was such a difference in the rate of reaction was because there was more enzyme concentration than substrate so the enzymes could easily react. The change of concentration in the substrate had a huge effect on the rate of reaction of catalase, this can be observed from table and graph (b). The reaction time was 44 seconds when the substrate concentration was 0.1%. When that concentration was 10% the reaction time was a quick 1.5 seconds. This proves that as the concentration of substrate increase so does the rate of reaction. However, if the concentration was continued to be increased eventually there would be very little free enzymes left so the rate of reaction slows down. It is clear from the table and graph (c) that enzymes optimum temperature is 37oC. The rate of reaction increases as the temperature increases up to 37oC, any temperature increase after that causes the rate of reaction to decrease. The enzymes begin to denature in any temperature higher than their optimum temperature. Conclusions: It is very important to understand what affects the rate of reaction in relation to enzymes in catalase activity. Enzymes control nearly all biological reactions, so this means it controls anything from digestion to tissue repair in the body. Enzymes are commonly prescribed to animals when a body process isnt functioning properly. So, it is essential to know what factors affect the productivity of enzymes to enable the correct treatment is given to the animal. Reference: S. Marsden (2008) Enzymes. [Online]. Available at: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/enzymes [Accessed 18 February 2017].

Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground - Exposing the Unseen Depths

Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground - Exposing the Unseen Depths of the Human Mind The lights are on but nobody’s home. My elevator doesn’t go to the top. I’m not playing with a full deck. I’ve lost my marbles. †¦.cause I am cra-a-zy! Just like yooou! -Barenaked Ladies Crazy. That is how Dostoevsky’s man from the underground is referred to as he writes his notes-- his paradox on life. Is he crazy? Are his ramblings only the cries of a madman? Many would like to think so and our narrator would probably agree that they are only normal in thinking that. They are "decent" people. And yet, maybe there is a bit of truth in these notes. Perhaps we are all crazy. No? Ok, we are all decent people who function effectively in society. But what if there were hidden secrets behind the surface of this decency? â€Å"Dostoevsky uses his narrator to reveal those unseen depths of the human mind. His "craziness" is merely an amplification of what all people have inside of them. This man from the underground attempts to break these chains, but he too is human, and can never completely escape. He tries to uncover our eyes to a cycle to which humans are forever subject†( Morson 482 ). Knowing of their contempt for him, our narrator follows his old schoolmates to a brothel wanting to prove that he is unconquerable. He follows to undermine the superiority that he knows they feel over him. It is from this spiteful drive that the man from the underground finds his way to Liza, his closest experience to genuine happiness. Instead of being faced with another round of proving himself, he finds that they had all "gone their separate ways". It is her face that catches his attention when she comes in the room: "There was something simple and kind in... ... This deceptiveness festers until one can no longer be distinguished from any other. He conforms to the "generalhumanness." He becomes a slave to society and loses the courage to break the chains that keep him from being vulnerable. This cycle makes him normal. He is what is expected. Works Cited Coetzee, J. M. â€Å"Confession and Double Thoughts: Tolstoy, Rousseau, Dostoevsky.† Comparative Literature, Vol. 37, No. 3. (Summer, 1985):193-232. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Three Short Novels: Notes from the Underground. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1960. Matlaw, Ralph. â€Å"Structure and Integration in Notes from the Underground.† PMLA 73.1 (March 1958): 101-109. Morson, Gary Saul. â€Å"Paradoxical Dostoevsky.† The Slavic and East European Journal 43.3 (Autumn 1999): 471-494. Paris, Bernard. â€Å"Notes from Underground: A Horneyan Analysis.† PMLA 88.3 (May 1973): 511-522.

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye :: essays research papers

Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I was younger, I loved to watch cartoons. Although I watched many cartoons, there was one cartoon in particular that caught my attention the most. This cartoon was a science fiction story about robotic lifeforms called The Transformers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At that time, The Transformers was the most exciting and important thing in my life. It came on everyday, and I tried not to ever miss an episode. If I knew I would miss an episode, I made sure I had someone record it for me so I could watch it later. I even recorded many shows just to be able to watch them over and over again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day when I was away somewhere, I had my mother record it for me. After returning home, I immediately began to view the tape only to find out that the tape ran out about half way though the show. I remember I was so incredibly angry over not being able to completely watch the episode, that I threw a childish tantrum by crying and yelling at my poor mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I later began buying The Transformers action figures; which were developed by Hasbro from the television series. Over the years, I accumulated a collection of about thirty different characters; which I still have stored in my room. I don't think I could ever get rid of them. Also, each Transformer came with a stat card on the back of the box he was sold in that described his various skills and attributes. I used to always cut these stat cards from the back of the boxes, and tape them onto large sheets; which I hung on my bedroom wall. Along with the action figures, I also had Transformer books and Transformer bedsheets. I couldn't get enough of the Transformers. I saw about every episode, and I knew about everything there was to know about them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Transformers were intelligent robots with the ability to transform from a robot shape to some other shape. The very first Transformers were the Autobots and the Decepticons. The Autobots, who transformed into cars, were the heroes, while the Decepticons, who transformed into jets, were the villains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two groups originated over a millennia ago. A race called the Quintessons were the heads of a huge galactic corporation. They built the planet of Cybertron into a huge factory in which to build robotic slaves. They created two basic models: household and entertainment robots, and warrior robots. Whenever one to the slaves began to show signs of intelligence, the Quintessons destroyed them to be used as materials for new robots being created.

Markov Analysis

1. Describe the internal labor market of the company in terms of job stability (staying in same job), promotion paths and rates, transfer paths and rates, demotion paths and rates, and turnover (exit) rates. Transition Probabilities for 2010-2011 Sales, Full-time 1. 50% stayed the same 2. 10% transferred to part-time status 3. 5% were promoted to Asst. Sales Mgr. 4. 0% were promoted to Regional Sales Mgr. 5. 35% left the organization Sales, Part-time 1. 5% transferred to full-time status . 60% stayed the same 3. 10% were promoted to Asst. Sales Mgr. 4. 0% were promoted to Regional Sales Mgr. 5. 25% left the organization Asst. Sales Mgr. 1. 5% were demoted to full-time sales 2. 0% were demoted to part-time sales 3. 80% stayed the same 4. 10% were promoted to Regional Sales Mgr. 5. 5% left the organization Region Sales Mgr. 1. 0% transferred to another job 2. 70% Stayed the same 3. 30% left the organization 2. Forecast the numbers available in each job category in 2013.Job 2012 Categor y Employees SF SP ASM RSM TOTAL EXIT Sales Full-time (SF) 500 250 50 25 0 325 175 Sales Part-time (SP) 150 7. 5 90 15 0 112. 5 37. 5 Asst. Sales Mgr. (ASM) 50 2. 5 0 40 0 47. 2. 5 Region Sales Mgr. (RSM) 30 0 0 0 21 21 9 Work Sales Full-Time (SFT) Sales Part-Time(SPT) Asst. Sales Mgr(ASM) Reg Sales Mgr a. ) . 50 x 500 = 250 b. ) . 05 x 150 = 7. 5 c. ) . 05 x 50 = 2. 5 d. ) . 70 x 30 = 21 . 10 x 500 = 50 . 60 x 150 = 90 . 80 x 50 = 40 . 30 x 30 = 9 . 05 x 500 = 25 . 0 x 150 = 15 . 10 x 50 = 5 . 35 x 500 = 175 . 25 x 150 = 37. 5 . 05 x 50 = 2. 5 3. Indicate potential limitations to your forecasts. A. ) As a rule, it is desirable to have 20 or more employees in each job category/level. Some of the cells contain less than 20 cases. So the estimates based on these figure can yield unstable estimates of future availabilities. B. ) There is a possibility of results not being accurate due to multiple moves by employees.The analysis cannot detect multiple moves by employees between T and T+1 ; it only classifies employees and counts their movement according to their beginning (T) and ending (T+1) job category/level, ignoring any intermittent moves. C. ) The forecast assumes that all employees in a job category/level have an equal probability of movement. This is unrealistic because organizations take many factors into account. Because of these factors, the probabilities of movement may vary among specific employees.

Benefits and Features of Excel

Excel is a spreadsheet program. Microsoft Excel is written and distributed by Microsoft. It is used mainly in computers that uses Microsoft Windows operating system or Apple Macintosh computers. It features an intuitive interface and capable calculation and graphing tools. Because of aggressive marketing, Microsoft has made Excel one of the most popular spreadsheet applications that are used these days. It is the dominant spreadsheet application available for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms. The latest releaseof Excel is Microsoft Office 2007 Excel (beta version).Benefits and Features of Excel In Excel user can run queries to sort and filter data, as well as user can run complicated calculations to derive the information they want. One important feature that Excel contains is use of Microsoft PivotTable and Microsoft PivotChart views to work with data interactively. Both uses forms to add, update, delete and navigate user data. Excel is capable of report generations o n data and view in multiple formats. One of the important features Excel contains is to connect to external data and view, query, and edit it without having to import.Excel can imports data form external databases and also capable of export of data too. Excel can create web pages to display data as read-only or to access it in an updatable format and can create a Microsoft Word mail merge (Nelson 2006). Microsoft Excel organizes data in columns. Columns are also called as fields and store a particular kind of information, or data type. At the top of each column, the first cell is used to label the column. Excel is used in the cases when the data is flat. Suppose user has to create a report only once from a set of data, then in this case Excel will be preferred.Second case is when the relationships is not going to change, this means that the structure of the data will remains same so Excel can be used in this case. Another case when Excel can be used is when the report format of the data is not going to change (Kevin 2006). Below is the summary of the cases when the data should be stored in Excel: †¢ If there is a requirement of a flat or non-relational view of data †¢ If the data is mostly numeric. †¢ If user want to run primarily calculations and statistical comparisons on data.†¢ If the dataset is manageable in size (not more than 15,000 rows). (Nelson 2006) References: Nelson, E. 2006. ‘Using Access or Excel to manage your data'. Retrieved on 29 November 2006 from http://office. microsoft. com/en-us/help/HA010429181033. aspx Microsoft Excel. Retrieved on 29 November 2006 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel Kevin 2006. ‘Access Vs. Excel: When to Use Excel'. Retrieved on 29 November 2006 from http://www. workplacelife. com/2006/05/09/access-vs-excel-when-to-use-excel/

Adidas Promotional Campaign

The purpose of this case assignment is to evaluate Adidas’ new promotional campaign and identify the key factors affecting its success. Promotion serves as one of the fundamental tenets in marketing mix. Promotion is the communication of information by a seller to influence the attitudes and behaviors of potential buyers. 1 (Christ). Advertising, sales promotion, and public relations comprises promotion which are used to target specific buyers. These three aspects of promotion work together to attract and retain potential and existing buyers and also highlights the foundation of Adidas’ promotional campaign for the Beijing Olympics. Sportswear manufacturer Adidas’ recent merger with Reebok represents increased clout the firm can use exert on Nike in upcoming promotions for the Olympics. Nike which currently holds the majority of athletic footwear market has done an excellent job promoting its products to focus on target markets. Both manufacturers target the same markets which include the Basketball, Soccer, and Football athletes, as well as, Hip Hop culture. 4 Promoting sales of sportswear through the use of professional athletes has been a venture both Adidas and Nike have done very well. However, Adidas took a big hit when Nike was capable of capitalizing on the â€Å"Hip Hop Nation†, or subculture closely intertwined with performance sportswear. Rapper artist, Nelly, wrote a song about Nike shoes in 2005, underscoring Nike’s image change from solely performance sportswear to including fashionable and â€Å"cool†. Adidas returned with signing performing artists Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and 50-Cent to their sportswear lines. Promotional campaigns by both Adidas and Nike reflect consumer focus when purchasing athletic apparel is not solely tied to performance, and suggests that some consumers view athletic apparel as a reflection of personality and a fashion statement. A perspective from Gonzalo Basilico, a 12 yr old student, supports this notion, â€Å"I like Adidas, but I still prefer Nike for the fashion, colours, combinations [. . ] It's all Nike at school. Everyone talks about Nike, no one talks about the others. † 5 Adidas’ merger will allow them to compete on multiple fronts, and also eliminates the no. 3 contender, Reebok, from the competition. The combination of the two will allow Adidas to focus on both performance and fashion sportswear. Adidas styled high heel shoes pictured on their website, indicate a shift Adidas’ intention of attempting to claim both the perform ance and fashion athletic apparel markets. Moreover, Adidas will be able to promote their brands â€Å"Adidas† and â€Å"Reebok† by targeting specific athletic groups like Soccer and Football; respectively, that hold one or the other in high regards. 7 Both Adidas and Nike have robust advertising campaigns. Webpage, television, and magazine advertisements all suggest that the products are not merely performance sportswear, they’re fashion statements. Adidas’ iconic â€Å"3 stripes† and Nike’s â€Å"swoosh† are plastered all of over their advertisements and products. The icons which at first were a company logo, represent a designer label that consumers want. Adidas’ division of efforts between the Adidas and Reebok lines will serve them well in the future. Reebok will be focused on middle priced shoes, while Adidas will focus on high end sport performance and fashion. Division of efforts between the two will pose a formidable advantage against, Nike, the current no. 1 contender in the sport performance apparel market. References 1. Christ, P. (2008). Principles of Marketing. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http://www. knowthis. om/tutorials/principles-of-marketing/promotion-decisions/1. htm 2. Unknown (2008). The Promotional Mix. Retreived 20 JUL 08 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Promotional_mix#cite_note-0 3. Kiley, D. (2005). Reebok and Adidas. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http://www. businessweek. com/bwdaily/dnflash/aug2005/nf2005084_8340. htm 4. Ibid. 5. Richardson, B. (2005). Adidas Bid Raises Image Concerns. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http ://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/4741343. stm 6. Adidas (2008). Adidas Homepage. Retrieved 20 JUL 08 from http://www. adidas. com 7. Kiley, D. (2005).

Financial Markets Study Questions Essay

14.1 What are financial markets? What function do they perform? How would an economy be worse off without them? Financial markets are institutions and procedures that facilitate transactions in all types of financial claims. Financial markets perform the function of allocating savings in the economy to the ultimate demander(s) of the savings. Without these financial markets, the total wealth of the economy would be lessened. Financial markets aid the rate of capital formation in the economy. The economy would be worse of without financial markets for several reasons. Savers would not be able to earn a return on their savings. People who need capital wouldn’t be able to get the funds from other people and so would have to rely only on their own money. The inability to get capital from others would slow the growth of businesses and reduce the purchases of consumers because they can no longer get loans. These would lead to decreased demand for products and services as well as a decrease in available jobs both of which would harm the economy. 14.3 Distinguish between the money and capital markets Money Markets facilitates transactions using short-term financial instruments; whereas, Capital Markets facilitates transactions using long-term financial instruments. A money market is a market for short term debt securities such as banker’s acceptances, commercial paper, repos, negotiable certificates of deposit, and Treasury Bills with a maturity of one year or less and often 30 days or less. Money market securities are generally very safe investment which returns a relatively low interest rate that is most appropriate for temporary cash storage or short-term time horizons. A capital market is where debt or equity securities are traded. 14.4 What major benefits do corporations and investors enjoy because of the existence of organized security exchanges? Organized stock exchanges provide for: †¢ A continuous market. This means a series of continuous security prices is generated. Price changes between trades are dampened, reducing price volatility, and enhancing the liquidity of securities. †¢ Establishing and publicizing fair security prices. Prices on an organized exchange are determined in the manner of an auction. Moreover, the prices are published in widely available media like newspapers. †¢ An aftermarket to aid businesses in the flotation of new security issues. The continuous pricing mechanism provided by the exchanges facilitates the determination of offering prices in new flotation’s. The initial buyer of the new issue has a ready market in which he can sell the security should he need liquidity rather than a financial asset.

Guyana-Land of Many Waters Essay

Guyana (guy-anna),[6] officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,[1] is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America. Culturally Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Guyana is a member, has its secretariat’s headquarters in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown. Guyana was originally colonized by the Netherlands. Later, it became a British colony and remained so for over 200 years until it achieved independence on 26 May 1966 from the United Kingdom. On 23 February 1970, Guyana officially became a republic. In 2008, the country joined the Union of South American Nations as a founding member. Guyana, a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations, is the only South American nation whose official language is English. Historically, the region known as â€Å"Guiana† or â€Å"Guyana† comprised the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east of the Orinoco River known as the â€Å"Land of many waters†. Historical Guyana consists of three Dutch colonies: Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice. Modern Guyana is bordered by Suriname to the east; by Brazil to the south and southwest; by Venezuela to the west; and by the Atlantic Ocean to the north. At 215,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest independent state on the mainland of South America after Uruguay and Suriname. Its population is approximately 770,000. The name â€Å"Guyana† is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that now includes Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and parts of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name comes from an Amerindian word meaning â€Å"land of many waters†. here are nine Native American tribes residing in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Machushi, Patamona, Arawak, Carib, Wapishana, Arecuna, Akawaio, and Warrau. Historically the Arawak and Carib tribes dominated Guyana. Although Christopher Columbus sighted Guyana during his third voyage (in 1498), the Dutch were the first to establish colonies: Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). After the British assumed control in the late 18th century, the Dutch formally ceded the area in 1814. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana. A map of Dutch Guiana 1667–1814. Since Independence in 1824, Venezuela has claimed the area of land to the west of the Essequibo River. Simon Bolivar wrote to the British government warning against the Berbice and Demerara settlers settling on land which the Venezuelans claimed was theirs. In 1899 an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to Great Britain. Map of British Guiana. Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The US State Department and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), along with the British government, played a strong role in influencing political control in Guyana during this time. The American government supported Forbes Burnham during the early years of independence because Cheddi Jagan was identified as a Marxist. They provided secret financial support and political campaign advice to Burnham’s People’s National Congress, to the detriment of the Jagan-led People’s Progressive Party, which was mostly supported by Native American Guyanese. In 1978, Guyana received international notice when 918 members of the American cult, Peoples Temple, died in a mass murder/suicide. Most of the suicides were American and more than 300 children were killed; the people were members of a group led by Jim Jones in Jonestown, the settlement which they had created. Jim Jones’ bodyguards had earlier attacked people landing at a small remote airstrip close to Jonestown, killing five people, including Leo Ryan, the only congressman ever murdered in the line of duty in US history. In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo was a signatory to the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations. Guyana has ratified the treaty.

How the Internet has aided criminal activity Essay

How the Internet has aided criminal activity - Essay Example codes; the creation of false bank accounts; theft of personal information and misuse of the stolen information; the virus infection created on computers that can hamper the proper software operations and damage records (Computer-Based Crime, 2011). This paper will give specific examples of criminal activities through the use of computers and the internet; will cite how yesterday’s non-digital crime, as in the case of pornography, has become today’s menacing digital crime; and will discuss some types of computer crimes, such as identity theft, phishing scam, virus and malicious software. September 11 Attack. The execution of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, which claimed an estimated 3, 120 lives from over 90 countries around the world, (US Department of State, 2002), is a form of cyberterrorism. Cyberterrorism is the unauthorized attack and risk against computers, networks, and the stored information purposely executed to threaten or force a government, a nation or its people to advance one’s political or social intentions. Cyberterrorist attacks demonstrate power and aggressively threaten or harm persons or property (Denning, 2000). Juvenile Computer Hacker Disabled FAA Tower at Regional Airport. In Boston, Massachusetts, a juvenile hacked the computer system of a telephone company servicing the Worcester Airport. A series of commands sent from the hacker’s computer immobilized the FAA control tower for six hours in March 1997 (US Department of Justice, 1998). Release of Computer Worm Attacked Microsoft Corporation. In September 2003, a juvenile was arrested for releasing a variant of the Blaster computer worm that directly infected computers worldwide to commence a distributed denial of service attack against the Microsoft Corporation (US Department of Justice, 2003). More than four decades ago, open, unusual or violent pornography was restricted to adult bookstores and movie houses. It could be only be viewed and circulated in

Article Reviews for Theory and Practice of Mediation

Reviews for Theory and Practice of Mediation - Article Example They also gave their insights on its effectiveness & their views on the future of the Cape Cod National Seashore. The strength of this article is how organized it is. The paper has headings and subheadings for each aspect they talked about. Even a person new to the process of mediation will be able to understand this article. The simplicity of the vocabularies used also helped in this regard. The only problem I see in the article is how lengthy it is. Certainly, the descriptions and organization in the writing helped in understanding it. However, because the whole article, excluding the annexes & bibliography, is 15 pages long, a reader may lose interest in the middle of, maybe, A Historical Perspective. Personally, I don’t think this part is even helpful in explaining the value of conflict assessment to stakeholders. This article also presents the results of a research. However, unlike the first one which centered on the process of negotiation, this paper focuses on the parties involved in the conflict. Attention is focused on how the level of information mediator’s have on the issue affects the disputants’ perceptions & behaviors. Instead of an actual situation, this research is based on experiments with variations on the mediator’s recommendations and the information given to disputants representing how much mediators knew about the disputants’ needs and interests. The introduction explains: a) the mediation process, b) the relation between the mediator’s credibility & their level of insight on the dispute, and c) the hypotheses to be tested. It goes on to describe the different elements of the experiment & the results. The paper also gives the writer’s recommendations on similar future researches. For the discussion and concluding part, the article ex plains why peer mediation, such as someone in the company

Letter to the dean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter to the dean - Essay Example The class as illustrated above has had the problem of non-participatory tendencies for quite some time now and it is good that the issue has been highlighted by Ms. Karan. To this extent the students have showed no positive change of this behavior and with this we have seen as teachers that appropriate measures need to be taken to avert this sooner rather than later. These situations of having a lazy class usually results in the teachers too to have low morale in teaching the respective students. This goes a long way in dictating their performance and competence in the areas taught. It is a common scenario to have this but when it persists then the issue needs to be forwarded to the relevant authorities for appropriate corrective measures to be taken. I hereby write this confirmation letter to assert that what Ms. Karan has said about the class is the sheer truth and it is a mutually shared sentiment by all the teachers teaching these students. The laziness has in many ways affected the mode of teaching and learning in that class. As is usually the case with the profession, a teacher is supposed to seek audience from the students and that the same students need to reciprocate by participating in the class activities like asking and answering questions, developing ideas stated by others and the teacher, bringing in new ideas and the general attention required. This I am afraid is lacking quite a great deal in this particular class and teaching has therefore been made rather difficult by this situation. After meeting these students with Mr. Kamal we have come to a conclusion that there needs to be a solution to this problem within the shortest time possible. These students should first say what their issues are with the learning system and thereafter necessary measures taken. This not withstanding, it is important for us, the teachers, to sit down and think of what the root cause of this is

Team Performance report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Team Performance report - Essay Example There are different root causes that have led to this poor performance in the team. First and foremost, it can be seen that the team members lack knowledge to undertake the new performance tasks set as a result of the changes implemented by the top management to alter the design of widgets in order to cut operational costs. Knowledge is essential among the team members so that they can meaningfully contribute to the overall performance of the organization as a whole. If the team members lack knowledge about their work, this is likely to result in poor performance. Secondly, it can be seen that the other root cause of this poor performance is that the team members lack mutual understanding among themselves. This means that there is a conflict of interests where the team members are comfortable with the traditional way of doing things in the organization while the management is anticipating something different. This causes misunderstanding among them and this can contribute to poor per formance. When there is lack of understanding among the team members, they are likely to be distracted from their work and this is counterproductive. The other root cause of poor performance in the case of ABC is that the team members lack motivation. ... They do not see any reason for putting more effort in their work since they are just treated as ordinary workers. In order to solve the problems identified above, it is imperative for the organization to promote learning among the team members so that they can exchange ideas which lead to knowledge creation. Learning is a change of relatively permanent kind which may result in new behaviours and actions or new understanding and knowledge gained from a formal or incidental life experiences (Mullins, 2010). The other strategy that can be taken into account by the management of ABC is related to human resources development. This is concerned with developing the team members so that they can keep pace with the changes that can take place in the organization. In terms of lack of understanding among the team members, the management of the ABC group ought to put measures in place that will improve communication among them. Poor communication in the organization is detrimental to its perform ance since the members will not understand each other. Open channels of communication should be put in place so that team members can exchange information when they want. It is also important for the management to put measures in place that are meant to provide feedback to team members so that they know if they are doing the correct thing in their operations. This will also help them to gain knowledge about their work and mutual understanding is likely to be promoted in the organization. In order to solve the problem of lack of motivation, the management at ABC should treat the employees as valuable assets to the organization. This can be done through involving them in the decision making process in the organization. This will help them to develop a sense of belonging to the company. If