Lead and manage a team within a health and social care Essay

1.1- Explain the features of effective team performance The features of effective team performance is set up through positive leadership; something which is developed and nurtured. An effective team will work together, be focused and supportive of each other to achieve and reach goals. For a team to be effective, each team member needs to be clear on their roles and responsibilities relating to their job. Team performance will be more effective if there is respect for the leader/manager and an understanding towards their job role and responsibility. The leader/manager should also be aware of the skills or weakness within the team and be able to provide support where necessary and also utilise their strengths. Training and support will enable staff to improve performance, develop confidence and lift spirits within the team. 1.2- Explain the challenges experienced by developing teams When you bring a group of diverse individuals together to form a team, challenges such as communication and relationship issues can result. If a team consists of members with similar skills and interests, the purpose of the team may not be achieved, therefore choosing team members who have a range of different skill sets and interests is essential. Teams need leaders to offer a sense of purpose and direction. Lack of effective leadership challenges effective team development. Without a strong leader to guide the team and hold members accountable, the team may lose morale and momentum. Conflict within a team is inevitable. How team members deal with conflict is critical to team development. Investing time in training for yourself and your employees in conflict resolution skills is beneficial, for example, studying a counselling course. With the skills to effectively resolve conflict, your team can work together to stay on track without your constant intervention. Even though a team works together to achieve a goal, each person needs to know his specific role within the team, otherwise, role  confusion results. When team members lack an understanding of their specific roles or choose not to follow through with their roles, the team cannot develop as a organised and well-functioning unit. Any workplace is made up of individuals who see the world differently. Conflict occurs when there is a lack of acceptance and understanding of these differences. 1.3- Identify the challenges experienced by established teams Interpersonal differences leading to misunderstandings Power struggles and competing agendas Members who appear to reject new ideas and bring a constant sense of negativity Team that agrees on everything too quickly just to avoid conflict Lack of adequate support and resources Ineffective leadership Members resistant to change or a new way of working- set in their ways and unable to see from an outside perspective. Not enough complimentary skills on the team 1.4 Explain how challenges to effective team performance can be overcome Challenges such as team consistency and lack of staff moral can be overcome through holding team meetings where staff are invited to express their opinions and ideas on ways to improve and move forwards as a team. We have a communications book for staff who may not be on shift together for a long period can express any ideas or note tasks that need to be carried out by others. This is a great way to keep the team up to date and consistent within their roles. It can feel very draining and repetitive if one is constantly repeating or reminding others to carry out certain tasks that are not being completed, therefore if this continues to happen, one to one supervision can be held to address these issues. Supervision can also help overcome staff conflict, i.e if two or more members of staff have a disagreement and are not willing to move on from this, one to one supervision will be held with the intent of group mediation with all staff involved. Supervision is also a chance to discuss with individuals any areas that need improving; professional progression; praise their practice; reflect on work practice and discuss any concerns of the individual.  Appraisals are a great way to empower staff and highlight their strengths and improvements, thus enabling individuals to feel proud of themselves and their role within the team. 1.5- Analyse how different management styles may influence outcomes of team performance. Managers perform many functions and play many roles. They are responsible for handling many situations and these situations are usually different from one another. When it comes to handling such situations, managers use their own management styles. Some management styles may be best for the situation and some may not be. Therefore, awareness on different types of management styles will help the managers to handle different situations the optimal way. Different management styles are capable of handling different situations and solving different problems. Therefore, a manager should be a dynamic person, who has insight into many types of management styles such as: Autocratic- In this management style, the manager becomes the sole decision maker. The manager does not care about the other staff and their involvement in decision making. Therefore, the decisions reflect the personality and the opinion of the manager. The decision does not reflect the team’s collective opinion. I don’t feel this type of manager would excel or achieve the best from a team in a social care setting as in many cases, staff work shifts and spend the most time with those who they are caring for. Therefore the opinions and views of the staff are imperative. However, I can see how in some cases an Autocratic style is necessary for making decisions on poor staffing and placement suitability etc. Democratic- In this style, the manager is open to other’s opinions and welcome their contribution into the decision making process. Therefore, every decision is made with the majority’s agreement. The decisions made reflect the team’s opinion. For this management style to work successfully, strong communication between the managers and the rest of the team is a must. This type of management is most successful when it comes to decision making on a complex matter where a range of expert advice and opinion is required. I feel this style of management empowers staff and makes them feel included in the decision making of the running of the home/unit, thus giving great consideration to their views and opinions. Paternalistic- This is one of the domineering types of management. The decisions made are usually for the best interest of the company as well as the employees. When the management makes a decision, it is explained to the employees and obtains their support as well. In this management style, work-life balance is emphasized and it eventually maintains a high morale within the organization. In the long run, this guarantees the loyalty of the employees. One disadvantage of this style is that the employees may become dependent on the managers. This will limit the creativity within the organization. However, I have been managed by a manager who adopted this style and I feel myself and the rest of the team were very loyal to him. He would always emphasise the importance of our health before work and it was evident that through this approach to managing, staff would feel at ease being absent due to sickness but this would not be a regular occurrence as loyalty towards the manager was strong. 1.6- Analyse methods of developing and maintaining trust and accountability. Trust- develops from consistent actions that show colleagues you are reliable, cooperative and committed to team success. A sense of confidence in the workplace better allows employees to work together for a common goal. Remaining honest with employees about both positive and negative aspects of the business builds trust. The Management team are also expected to maintain the same level of honesty with the employees. This sense of integrity makes employees and colleagues more trusting of your actions. Involve all staff in achieving company goals. Be transparent with your company’s mission and goals so all staff feel they are a valuable part of obtaining those objectives. Staff who feel management values them are more likely to instil trust in those leaders. Create a team environment through collaborative work.  Emphasize group achievements to show you are aware and proud of your employees and their s uccesses. Value all input from your employees. Encourage staff at all levels to share their ideas for improving the company and listen with an open mind even if you don’t ultimately choose to follow a suggestion made by an employee. Accountability- managers who involve employees in setting goals and expectations find that employees understand expectations better, are more confident that they can achieve those expectations, and perform at a higher level. Positive results also occur  when employees don’t associate accountability only with negative consequences. If employees do not fear failure, if managers recognize employees for their accomplishments, and if managers support their employees when goals become difficult, employees are more likely to be creative, innovative, and committed to their work. Managers can practice accountability for positive results by following good performance management principles such as: involving staff in setting clear, challenging yet attainable goals and objectives, and give them the authority to accomplish those goals; support staff in all aspects of the job; monitor progress towards goals, and provide feed-back that includes credible, useful performance measures; provid e the training and resources that staff need to do the work; and give praise to good performance, both formally and informally. 1.7 Compare methods of addressing conflict within a team. When conflict arises between staff members, it is important to address it as soon as possible should it not be already resolved between them. When speaking privately and separately with all individuals involved, it is important to summarise what is said so that the person feels listened to and to also slightly mirror their body language so that they feel you are relating to them. Do not interrupt as this will only cause the individual to feel that they are not being listened to completely and always show positive regard to that individual. Once all views are taken in to account, it should be suggested that all staff involved have a mediation meeting where the manager/team leader will listen to both sides of the conflict. Resolutions can be made effectively through mediation and suggestions to compromise on both parts may be effective. Advise those involved to take time out if necessary because during the resolution of a conflict, emotions may interfere with arriving at a productive r esolution. If this is the case, individuals should be encouraged to take a time-out and continue resolving the conflict at another arranged time.

Analysis of Jumanji

In the title sequence, the music forebodes something eerie is about to happen. The instruments create a sound similar to a wolf howling. The drum beats whenever the camera focuses on the game or when the game is near. The music imitates many animal sounds. French horns are like elephants. From 1:37:50-1:35:40 (digging out the past soundtrack) the drums beat, then stop, then beat again. Then the leitmotif of French horns to French horns. The drums beat faster as he gets closer.Ritualistic rum sounds from 1:19:35 (mention the meter of the drum beats – triple meter), when the drums suddenly stop when they find the game. The drum beats arouse our curiosity about what Is about to happen. It also makes us anxious, apprehensive because of the suspense that It creates. To young children, this may create fear In them, Flutes come In (leitmotif scalar to that of horns). Dissonance, Lots of It. The music gets very dissonant (tremolo? ) when he opens the game set. Drums pound. This drums pounding motif.It gets louder, crescendo, foreboding omitting ominous. Drums abruptly stop when the game Is found. Cymbals when mosquitoes come, and the French horn leitmotif keeps repeating. Violins violins and harp, consonant sounds, signifying a home feeling, feeling of comfort, The film was an adaptation of a â€Å"1981 children's book of the same name†. Thus, some of the music may have been used with kids in mind. Search analysis of James Hornier music http:†vindictiveness.

Blood Promise Chapter Two

Chapter Two Going for her instead of me was bad form on the Strigoi's part. I was the threat; he should have neutralized me first. Our positioning had put Sydney in his way, however, so he had to dispatch her before he could get to me. He grabbed her shoulder, jerking her to him. He was fast-they always were-but I was on my game tonight. A swift kick knocked him into a neighboring building's wall and freed Sydney from his grasp. He grunted on impact and slumped to the ground, stunned and surprised. It wasn't easy to get the drop on a Strigoi, not with their lightning-fast reflexes. Abandoning Sydney, he focused his attention on me, red eyes angry and lips curled back to show his fangs. He sprang up from his fall with that preternatural speed and lunged for me. I dodged him and attempted a punch that he dodged in return. His next blow caught me on the arm, and I stumbled, just barely keeping my balance. My stake was still clutched in my right hand, but I needed an opening to hit his chest. A smart Strigoi would have angled himself in a way that ruined the line of sight to his heart. This guy was only doing a so-so job, and if I could stay alive long enough, I'd likely get an opening. Just then, Sydney came up and hit him on the back. It wasn't a very strong blow, but it startled him. It was my opening. I sprinted as hard as I could, throwing my full weight at him. My stake pierced his heart as we slammed against the wall. It was as simple as that. The life-or undead life or whatever-faded away from him. He stopped moving. I jerked out my stake once I was certain he was dead and watched as his body crumpled to the ground. Just like with every Strigoi I'd killed lately, I had a momentary surreal feeling. What if this had been Dimitri? I tried to imagine Dimitri's face on this Strigoi, tried to imagine him lying before me. My heart twisted in my chest. For a split second, the image was there. Then-gone. This was just some random Strigoi. I promptly shook the disorientation off and reminded myself that I had important things to worry about here. I had to check on Sydney. Even with a human, my protective nature couldn't help but kick in. â€Å"Are you okay?† She nodded, looking shaken but otherwise unharmed. â€Å"Nice work,† she said. She sounded as though she were forcibly trying to sound confident. â€Å"I've never†¦ I've never actually seen one of them killed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't imagine how she would have, but then, I didn't get how she knew about any of this stuff in the first place. She looked like she was in shock, so I took her arm and started to lead her away. â€Å"Come on, let's get out to where there's more people.† Strigoi lurking near the Nightingale wasn't that crazy of an idea, the more I thought about it. What better place to stalk Moroi than at one of their hangouts? Though, hopefully, most guardians would have enough sense to keep their charges out of alleys like this. The suggestion of departure snapped Sydney out of her daze. â€Å"What?† she exclaimed. â€Å"You're just going to leave him too?† I threw up my hands. â€Å"What do you expect me to do? I guess I can move him behind those trash cans and then let the sun incinerate him. That's what I usually do.† â€Å"Right. And what if someone shows up to take out the trash? Or comes out of one of these back doors?† â€Å"Well, I can hardly drag him off. Or set him on fire. A vampire barbecue would kind of attract some attention, don't you think?† Sydney shook her head in exasperation and walked over to the body. She made a face as she looked down at the Strigoi and reached into her large leather purse. From it, she produced a small vial. With a deft motion, she sprinkled the vial's contents over the body and then quickly stepped back. Where the drops had hit his corpse, yellow smoke began to curl away. The smoke slowly moved outward, spreading horizontally rather than vertically until it cocooned the Strigoi entirely. Then it contracted and contracted until it was nothing but a fist-size ball. In a few seconds, the smoke drifted off entirely, leaving an innocuous pile of dust behind. â€Å"You're welcome,† said Sydney flatly, still giving me a disapproving look. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"My job. Can you please call me the next time this happens?† She started to turn away. â€Å"Wait! I can't call you-I have no idea who you are.† She glanced back at me and brushed blond hair out of her face. â€Å"Really? You're serious, aren't you? I thought you were all taught about us when you graduated.† â€Å"Oh, well. Funny thing†¦ I kind of, uh, didn't graduate.† Sydney's eyes widened. â€Å"You took down one of those†¦ things†¦ but never graduated?† I shrugged, and she remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she sighed again and said, â€Å"I guess we need to talk.† Did we ever. Meeting her had to be the strangest thing that had happened to me since coming to Russia. I wanted to know why she thought I should have been in contact with her and how she'd dissolved that Strigoi corpse. And, as we returned to the busy streets and walked toward a cafe she liked, it occurred to me that if she knew about the Moroi world, there might be a chance she also knew where Dimitri's village was. Dimitri. There he was again, popping back into my mind. I had no clue if he really would be lurking near his hometown, but I had nothing else to go on at this point. Again, that weird feeling came over me. My mind blurred Dimitri's face with that of the Strigoi I'd just killed: pale skin, red ringed eyes†¦ No, I sternly told myself. Don't focus on that yet. Don't panic. Until I faced Dimitri the Strigoi, I would gain the most strength from remembering the Dimitri I loved, with his deep brown eyes, warm hands, fierce embrace†¦ â€Å"Are you okay†¦ um, whatever your name is?† Sydney was staring at me strangely, and I realized we'd come to a halt in front of a restaurant. I didn't know what look I wore on my face, but it must have been enough to raise even her attention. Until now, my impression as we walked had been that she wanted to speak to me as little as possible. â€Å"Yeah, yeah, fine,† I said brusquely, putting on my guardian face. â€Å"And I'm Rose. Is this the place?† It was. The restaurant was bright and cheery, albeit a far cry from the Nightingale's opulence. We slid into a black leather-by which I mean fake plastic leather-booth, and I was delighted to see the menu had both American and Russian food. The listings were translated into English, and I nearly drooled when I saw fried chicken. I was starving after not eating at the club, and the thought of deep-fried meat was luxurious after weeks of cabbage dishes and so-called McDonald's. A waitress arrived, and Sydney ordered in fluent Russian, whereas I just pointed at the menu. Huh. Sydney was just full of surprises. Considering her harsh attitude, I expected her to interrogate me right away, but when the waitress left, Sydney remained quiet, simply playing with her napkin and avoiding eye contact. It was so strange. She was definitely uncomfortable around me. Even with the table between us, it was like she couldn't get far enough away. Yet her earlier outrage hadn't been faked, and she'd been adamant about me following whatever these rules of hers were. Well, she might have been playing coy, but I had no such hesitation about busting into uncomfortable topics. In fact, it was kind of my trademark. â€Å"So, are you ready to tell me who you are and what's going on?† Sydney looked up. Now that we were in brighter light, I could see that her eyes were brown. I also noticed that she had an interesting tattoo on her lower left cheek. The ink looked like gold, something I'd never seen before. It was an elaborate design of flowers and leaves and was only really visible when she tilted her head certain ways so that the gold caught the light. â€Å"I told you,† she said. â€Å"I'm an Alchemist.† â€Å"And I told you, I don't know what that is. Is it some Russian word?† It didn't sound like one. A half-smile played on her lips. â€Å"No. I take it you've never heard of alchemy either?† I shook my head, and she propped her chin up with her hand, eyes staring down at the table again. She swallowed, like she was bracing herself, and then a rush of words came out. â€Å"Back in the Middle Ages, there were these people who were convinced that if they found the right formula or magic, they could turn lead into gold. Unsurprisingly, they couldn't. This didn't stop them from pursuing all sorts of other mystical and supernatural stuff, and eventually they did find something magical.† She frowned. â€Å"Vampires.† I thought back to my Moroi history classes. The Middle Ages were when our kind really started pulling away from humans, hiding out and keeping to ourselves. That was the time when vampires truly became myth as far as the rest of the world was concerned, and even Moroi were regarded as monsters worth hunting. Sydney verified my thoughts. â€Å"And that was when the Moroi began to stay away. They had their magic, but humans were starting to outnumber them. We still do.† That almost brought a smile to her face. Moroi sometimes had trouble conceiving, whereas humans seemed to have too easy a time. â€Å"And the Moroi made a deal with the Alchemists. If the Alchemists would help Moroi and dhampirs and their societies stay secret from humans, the Moroi would give us these.† She touched the golden tattoo. â€Å"What is that?† I asked. â€Å"I mean, aside from the obvious.† She gently stroked it with her fingertips and didn't bother hiding the sarcasm when she spoke. â€Å"My guardian angel. It's actually gold and†-she grimaced and dropped her hand-â€Å"Moroi blood, charmed with water and earth.† â€Å"What?† My voice came out too loud, and some people in the restaurant turned to look at me. Sydney continued speaking, her tone much lower and very bitter. â€Å"I'm not thrilled about it, but it's our ? ®reward' for helping you guys. The water and earth bind it to our skin and give us the same traits Moroi have well, a couple of them. I almost never get sick. I'll live a long life.† â€Å"I guess that sounds good,† I said uncertainly. â€Å"Maybe for some. We don't have a choice. This ? ®career' is a family thing-it gets passed down. We all have to learn about Moroi and dhampirs. We work connections among humans that let us cover up for you since we can move around more freely. We've got tricks and techniques to get rid of Strigoi bodies-like that potion you saw. In return, though, we want to stay apart from you as much as we can-which is why most dhampirs aren't told about us until they graduate. And Moroi hardly ever.† She abruptly stopped. I guessed the lesson was over. My head was reeling. I had never, never considered anything like this-wait. Had I? Most of my education had emphasized the physical aspects of being a guardian: watchfulness, combat, etc. Yet every so often I'd heard vague references to those out in the human world who would help hide Moroi or get them out of weird and dangerous situations. I'd never thought much about it or heard the term Alchemist. If I had stayed in school, maybe I would have. This probably wasn't an idea I should have suggested, but my nature couldn't help it. â€Å"Why keep the charm to yourselves? Why not share it with the human world?† â€Å"Because there's an extra part to its power. It stops us from speaking about your kind in a way that would endanger or expose them.† A charm that bound them from speaking†¦ that sounded suspiciously like compulsion. All Moroi could use compulsion a little, and most could put some of their magic into objects to give them certain properties. Moroi magic had changed over the years, and compulsion was regarded as an immoral thing now. I was guessing this tattoo was an old, old spell that had come down through the centuries. I replayed the rest of what Sydney had said, more questions spinning in my head. â€Å"Why†¦ why do you want to stay away from us? I mean, not that I'm looking to become BFFs or anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Because it's our duty to God to protect the rest of humanity from evil creatures of the night.† Absentmindedly, her hand went to something at her neck. It was mostly covered by her jacket, but a parting of her collar briefly revealed a golden cross. My initial reaction to that was unease, seeing as I wasn't very religious. In fact, I was never entirely comfortable around those who were hard-core believers. Thirty seconds later, the full impact of the rest of her words sank in. â€Å"Wait a minute,† I exclaimed indignantly. â€Å"Are you talking about all of us-dhampirs and Moroi? We're all evil creatures of the night?† Her hands dropped from the cross, and she didn't respond. â€Å"We're not like Strigoi!† I snapped. Her face stayed bland. â€Å"Moroi drink blood. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of them and humans.† No one had ever called me unnatural before, except for the time I put ketchup on a taco. But seriously, we'd been out of salsa, so what else was I supposed to do? â€Å"Moroi and dhampirs are not evil,† I told Sydney. â€Å"Not like Strigoi.† â€Å"That's true,† she conceded. â€Å"Strigoi are more evil.† â€Å"Hey, that's not what I-â€Å" The food arrived just then, and the fried chicken was almost enough to distract me from the outrage of being compared to a Strigoi. Mostly all it did was delay me from responding immediately to her claims, and I bit into the golden crust and nearly melted then and there. Sydney had ordered a cheeseburger and fries and nibbled her food delicately. After taking down an entire chicken leg, I was finally able to resume the argument. â€Å"We're not like Strigoi at all. Moroi don't kill. You have no reason to be afraid of us.† Again, I wasn't keen on cozying up to humans. None of my kind were, not with the way humans tended to be trigger-happy and ready to experiment on anything they didn't understand. â€Å"Any human who learns about you will inevitably learn about Strigoi,† she said. She was playing with her fries but not actually eating them. â€Å"Knowing about Strigoi might enable humans to protect themselves, though.† Why the hell was I playing devil's advocate here? She finished toying with a fry and dropped it back on her plate. â€Å"Perhaps. But there are a lot of people who would be tempted by the thought of immortality-even at the cost of serving Strigoi in exchange for being turned into a creature from hell. You'd be surprised at how a lot of humans respond when they learn about vampires. Immortality's a big draw-despite the evil that goes with it. A lot of humans who learn about Strigoi will try to serve them, in the hopes of eventually being turned.† â€Å"That's insane-† I stopped. Last year, we'd discovered evidence of humans helping Strigoi. Strigoi couldn't touch silver stakes, but humans could, and some had used those stakes to shatter Moroi wards. Had those humans been promised immortality? â€Å"And so,† said Sydney, â€Å"that's why it's best if we just make sure no one knows about any of you. You're out there-all of you-and there's nothing to be done about it. You do your thing to get rid of Strigoi, and we'll do ours and save the rest of my kind.† I chewed on a chicken wing and restrained myself from the implied meaning that she was saving her kind from people like me, too. In some ways, what she was saying made sense. It wasn't possible that we could always move through the world invisibly, and yes, I could admit, it was necessary for someone to dispose of Strigoi bodies. Humans working with Moroi were an ideal choice. Such humans would be able to move around the world freely, particularly if they had the kinds of contacts and connections she kept implying. I froze mid-chew, remembering my earlier thoughts when I'd first come along with Sydney. I forced myself to swallow and then took a long drink of water. â€Å"Here's a question. Do you have contacts all over Russia?† â€Å"Unfortunately,† she said. â€Å"When Alchemists turn eighteen, we're sent on an internship to get firsthand experience in the trade and make all sorts of connections. I would have rather stayed in Utah.† That was almost crazier than everything else she'd told me, but I didn't push it. â€Å"What kind of connections exactly?† She shrugged. â€Å"We track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. We also know a lot of high-ranking government officials-among humans and Moroi. If there's been a vampire sighting among humans, we can usually find someone important who can pay someone off or whatever†¦ It all gets swept under the rug.† Track the movements of a lot of Moroi and dhampirs. Jackpot. I leaned in close and lowered my voice. Everything seemed to hinge on this moment. â€Å"I'm looking for a village†¦ a village of dhampirs out in Siberia. I don't know its name.† Dimitri had only ever mentioned its name once, and I'd forgotten. â€Å"It's kind of near†¦ Om?† â€Å"Omsk,† she corrected. I straightened up. â€Å"Do you know it?† She didn't answer right away, but her eyes betrayed her. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"You do!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You have to tell me where it is. I have to get there.† She made a face. â€Å"Are you going to be†¦ one of those?† So Alchemists knew about blood whores. No surprise. If Sydney and her associates knew everything else about the vampire world, they'd know this too. â€Å"No,† I said haughtily. â€Å"I just have to find someone.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Someone.† That almost made her smile. Her brown eyes were thoughtful as she munched on another fry. She'd only taken two bites out of her cheeseburger, and it was rapidly growing cold. I kind of wanted to eat it myself on principle. â€Å"I'll be right back,† she said abruptly. She stood up and strode across to a quiet corner of the cafe. Producing a cell phone from that magic purse of hers, she turned her back to the room and made a call. I'd polished off my chicken by then and helped myself to some of her fries since it was looking less and less like she was going to do anything with them. As I ate, I pondered the possibilities before me, wondering if finding Dimitri's town would really be this simple. And once I was there†¦ would it be simple then? Would he be there, living in the shadows and hunting prey? And when faced with him, could I really drive my stake into his heart? That unwanted image came to me again, Dimitri with red eyes and â€Å"Rose?† I blinked. I'd totally spaced out, and Sydney was back. She slid back into her spot across from me. â€Å"So, it looks like-† She paused and looked down. â€Å"Did you eat some of my fries?† I had no clue how she knew, seeing as it was such a huge stack. I'd barely made a dent. Figuring me stealing fries would count as further evidence of being an evil creature of the night, I said glibly, â€Å"No.† She frowned a moment, considering, and then said, â€Å"I do know where this town is. I've been there before.† I straightened up. Holy crap. This was actually going to happen, after all these weeks of searching. Sydney would tell me where this place was, and I could go and try to close this horrible chapter in my life. â€Å"Thank you, thank you so much-â€Å" She held up a hand to silence me, and I noticed then how miserable she looked. â€Å"But I'm not going to tell you where it is.† My mouth gaped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I'm going to take you there myself.†

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Two kinds by amy tan summary - Essay Example The underlying benefits of these efforts are unclear but the show still goes on. A piano teacher is hired to train the little girl. A whole new direction is taken as more time is wasted. The girl fakes almost everything to do with the training, probably taking advantage of the deaf piano teacher. She is therefore seen making a fortune out of her mother’s blunder. What she does not know is the extent to which her mother is interested in her piano skills. She is signed up for a talent show that brings together Chinese-American community. This is seen as an opportunity to showcase her developing talent in piano. She is faced by a significant audience, and all that can save her is a miracle since the talent show has trapped her. However, all she was set for is shame, to her and her family. A daughter-mother conflict arises and the mother’s concern for her daughter’s talent fades away. Towards the end of the story, the daughter returns with her piano. The piano is fully serviced. Jing-mei’s mother has passed away and her high hopes for the daughter can only be remembered by keeping the piano. She therefore lets the piano act as a representation of her mother’s hopes for

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New business plan - organic oil - Essay Example The implementation of this strategy will be a costly and demanding task as numerous procedures will be involved in transforming this vibrant business idea into a practical reality. The company has therefore developed a number of business processes that will be handy in the holistic endeavor of realizing this business plan. Advertisement and promotion will be performed extensively to publicize the company and establish a niche in the oil market. This will involve numerous media activities through which a business awareness of the prospect will be accomplished. A succinct SWOT analysis will be accomplished to guarantee the company’s success in the oil business. Organic Oil Company endeavors to collect the pure oil from Morocco and provide its clients with inherently pure organic oil. The company will as well sell to resellers, small businesses, traders along with wholesalers. Additionally, the oil company plans to sell the oil to individual customers particularly through electronic means like websites. The kind of oil to be produced will be unique as it will only be produced in morocco. Therefore, the oil is estimated to have great demand and a competitive edge in the international market. Owing to the fact that the company target America as its main market, the uniqueness of the oil will be an added advantage as most clients will be inclined to purchase it. The oil to be produced will be applied to a variety of uses and clients will demand the products for several applications. For instance, the oil will be used in the production for cosmetics along with culinary. Since these are daily uses in life, the oil will enjoy great demand among individual clients for personal and commercial uses. There is immense competition in the business of exporting oil from Morocco, this could be a great challenge and threat to the survival of Organic Oil since it is a new venture (Bush and Johnston 56-64). Most of the

Data Collection And Analysis For India Coursework

Data Collection And Analysis For India - Coursework Example Recently, this gap has been realized and the officials are taking actions to rectify the situation. 40% of the investments made for the development of the railway system is expected to come from the private sector. There are few Public-Private-Partnership programs that have initiated the developmental programs in this sector. New railway routes for cargo trains have been placed between Mumbai and Delhi; Delhi and Kolkata so as to bridge the distance in trade. The metro railways are also developed in order to increase satisfaction and convenience of passengers.Indian roads are congested, which is mainly due to increase in a number of vehicles over years. The annual growth is recorded to be 12% and 10%. The Indian government has estimated that $90 billion is required for improving roads and highways of the country. Several projects are planned via the National Highway Development Program (NHDP), which anticipates expanding roadway to around 13,000 km. The highways have helped to reduce traffic congestion (ProceWaterHouseCopopers, 2014; Equitymaster Agora Research Private Limited, 2014). Telecommunication sector in India is built around few segments such as USOF, licensing, FDI, spectrum, security and consumer affordability. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was the most renowned telecom provider in the Indian market. The company had obtained a large market share in the telecom industry, but the emergence of a number of private companies like, Airtel and Vodafone, had threatened the existence of BSNL.

Health care should be free Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health care should be free - Research Paper Example The government should provide a basic level of health care to all citizens and allow the affording to purchase quick, more efficient, or a higher quality service, though the quality of medical health services provided to the poor should be comparable to that available to the rich in any case. Countries in which the private health care has become the norm have a great number of citizens without insurance. Millions of people in the US either have no insurance or are underinsured because of a variety of reasons including lack of employment and poor economy. If the health care system is made free, people would not be denied the service just because they cannot pay for it. Everyone would have access to all kinds of medical services irrespective of the financial status. The government should establish a network of community health centers so that health care becomes accessible to all communities across the country (Zwegenthal et al, 2009, p. 4). Making the health care system free is a pote ntial way of bringing the overall costs of the health care down. Countries that have a public health care system instead of one that is sponsored by the state usually spend a much larger amount of their gross national profit over providing the health care. As a result of this, the free market system places the need for increased expenditure on the administrative costs. This increases the insurance premiums and raises the costs for the expenses paid out of pocket for the medication after meeting the insurance deductible. One way to resolve this issue is by using co-insurance and deductibles, but these mechanisms require the imposition of restrictions to ensure the provision of health care to the financial strained. â€Å"And since cost sharing can have an adverse effect on the health of the poor, these and certain other groups should be exempt from sharing the cost of care altogether† (Harris and Manning, 2007, p. 80). Making health care free is an important way of reducing th e cost of medical care since the competition would be eradicated under the single administration. Presently, because of the availability of a variety of health care plans, claims and procedures are often duplicated. Free health care system would save the time that is otherwise consumed in processing the claims, thus making the system more efficient. Free health care system can be administered more easily with lesser cost. The need for the employers to incur expenditures by providing their employees with insurance would be obviated. Placement of the health care system under the single administration would also obviate the need for contractual negotiations. It is noteworthy here that different free health care systems function differently. For example, the health care system in Canada is different from the health care system in the UK. Which out of a certain number of free health care systems are superior or inferior to the others is eventually determined by the consumers. The infant mortality rate of the US is high while the life span is shorter as compared to many countries around the world (Kongaika, 2013). This can partly be attributed to the fact that many Americans do not get the

Commodity Marketing and Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Commodity Marketing and Risk Management - Essay Example Market risk. Of all the risk that deserves regular tracking by management, the market risk may be one of the most important. The market can change and no organization is immune to the ebbs and flows the marketplace. Market risk includes the risk of not having a viable market for the product or commodity. For example, if a producer grows his crop without a contract, he faces the risk of not having a market for the crop. Contract. Contract risk is the risk of contact default by the producer or the contractor. Several component contract risks are contract default, contract termination, not understanding contract terms, product contract violators and payment risk. If the contractor is unable to pay, it may leave the producer in the position of an unsecured creditor. Terminator of a contract can also generate serious losses. This is especially true when the producer has incurred high production expenses. Where bailment contracts or personal service contracts are used, the conditions for terminating by the contractor can be viewed as a risk factor. Investment. Investment risk is the risk associated with returns on a long-term asset. There are two main components of investment risk: variability in returns and loss of the asset. Variability in returns is the result of an annual change in the costs of revenue associated with the asset. Loss of the asset may be a result of the fire, or other peril, and is often covered by property insurance. Yield risk is simply the risk of lower than expected production. ... If the contractor is unable to pay, it may leave the producer in the position of unsecured creditor. Terminator of a contract can also generate serious losses. This is especially true when the producer has incurred high production expenses. Where bailment contracts or personal service contracts are used, the conditions for terminating by the contractor can be viewed as a risk factor. Financial Risk Investment. Investment risk is the risk associated with returns on a long-term asset. There are two main components of investment risk : variability in returns and loss of the asset. Variability in returns is the result of annual change in the costs of revenue associated with the asset. Loss of the asset may be a result of fire, or other peril, and is often covered by property insurance. Production Risk Yield risk is simply the risk of lower than expected production. For example, a farmer's produce is affected by factors such as weather, variety risk, unknown yield crop and pest pressure. Relationship Risk Relationship risk is the risk of adversely affecting relationship with buyers, supplies or other resource providers that are critical to the success of the operation several sources of relationship risk are: Landlord - access to land Lender - access to capital Supplier - access to critical supplies including genetics, production technology and knowledge. Buyer processor - access to markets, revenue opportunities, and market knowledge. Marketing Strategies to Avoid the Risk The best way to manage risk is by developing a strategic plan using the full range of risk management tools available. Some of the known risk management strategies are: Product Diversification One of the most important tasks a marketer

Fire Prevention and Safety using modern technology Essay Example for Free

Fire Prevention and Safety using modern technology Essay Technology has helped us in preventing fire incidents. Fire prevention is a proactive way of minimizing the damages or harm caused by a fire incident. It is the responsibility of fire departments which mostly have a Fire Prevention Officer as their head. The function of fire prevention is to spread awareness on how to take precautions against fire. Fire fighters, on the other hand, are assigned the task of extinguishing fires. Fire fighters are also dependant on technology to extinguish fire. All the equipments they use are the consequence on technology. To sum it up, technology has helped us in preventing fire as well as extinguishing it when need be. Technology has helped us enhance our fire safety measures. Fire safety comprises of the precautions we take to decrease the probability of a fire that may be fatal, injurious to people and hazardous to the property. This research paper would analyze how technology helps us prevent and extinguish fire. Modern technology has given us many types of equipment that have helped us prevent fire incidents. In most of the buildings today a fire retardant material is used during construction. There are also some electronic devices such as the smoke detectors. The biggest sign of fire is the smoke. Wherever there is fire, there is smoke. So the fire detectors help identify this symptom. These devices are also very affordable. Many building have smoke detectors in all rooms. It has become a necessary home security appliance. Smoke detectors are perfect for slow kindling fires but for combustible gas explosions modern technology has come up with the gas detectors. Smoke detectors are one of the most important fire safety devices. Natural gas and petroleum gas are the two most widely used gases in daily lives. Due to their harmful nature and properties, any gas leaks could result in dangerous explosions. Gas detectors are continuously monitoring the air and they immediately identify the change in surroundings if there is a gas leakage. They come with audible and visual alarm systems to alert people of the gas leakage. Hence, appropriate action can be taken in time to minimize the consequences. Gas detectors are a useful invention and should be positioned where gas leaks are most expected. Another example of technology that helps us in preventing fire is the fire alarm system. The fire alarm systems come in various varieties. They range from the simple manual alarms to the ones that give verbal warnings of any fire detection. A control panel, notification device, building safety interface and power supply make up a typical fire alarm system. The above mentioned gas and smoke detectors are the initiation devices that inform the alarm that a fire has been detected. Manual alarm system depends on people to detect fire and pull the manual alarm. Some of the other detectors used are the flame detectors and the heat detectors. The notification devices help in informing the people to evacuate the building because of the fire. Many of these devices send a direct signal to the closest fire department. Some of these devices are built to give verbal announcements, and also a visual display for the hearing impaired. The most modern of these devices that are installed in large buildings also provide evacuation instructions so that people evacuate the area in which fire was detected. There are various types of smoke alarms. They mostly fall in the categories of ionization alarms and photoelectric alarms. The former is better for fast flaming fire and the latter is more appropriate for the smoke fire. The combination of both these is the dual sensor smoke alarms (US Fire Administration, 2010). Wireless smoke alarms are one of the latest technological advancement as far as fire alarm systems are concerned. The wireless smoke alarm come in two different categories: Battery powered and Alternate Current powered. The battery powered smoke alarm is just like a normal fire alarm with no wire which saves the families the hassle of wiring and rewiring. The AC powered alarm systems is much more modern and aid in increasing the coverage of the alarm system. So, many smoke alarms can be replace by just a single AC powered alarm system A fire extinguisher, like the fire sprinkler system, is an active fire protection device rather a preventive one. It can not help in cases where there is a large out of control fire. However, it is most appropriate for fires that are limited to the ceilings of the buildings. There are two types of extinguishers: stored pressure and cartridge-operated. In the stored pressure fire extinguisher, the fire fighting agent and the expellant are stored in one chamber. Propellants are chosen keeping in mind the nature of the fire fighting agent. The nitrogen gas is used when the agent is any dry chemical extinguisher. Air is used when there the watery or foamy chemical extinguishers are present. On the other hand, in the cartridge operated extinguishers, the expellant gas and the fire fighting agent are in different chambers. The cartridge containing the expellant is punctured before the propellant and extinguishing agents are exposed to each other. The cartridge operated extinguisher is mostly used in industries where extinguishers have to be used time and again. The benefit these extinguishers give is the prompt recharge. The cartridge operated extinguishers use compressed carbon dioxide whereas the stored pressure extinguishers use nitrogen. Fire extinguishers can be further categorized into handheld and cart-mounted extinguishers. Cart-mounted extinguishers are also known as wheeled extinguishers. Handheld extinguishers are mostly used in homes or small workplaces or schools. The wheeled extinguishers are used in industrial sites, marines, airports, docks and heliports. They are much larger in size and bulky in weight. A fire sprinkler system comprises of a water supply that helps in extinguishing the fire. It is not a preventive tool but rather a cure. It supplies water with sufficient pressure just as the fire is detected. Initially expensive, it has become more affordable with the passage of time. Only a very few people have a fire sprinkler system installed at their homes. However most of them have smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are very important for the building’s safety. However, the best possible safety comes with the installation of fire sprinklers. They do not just help you detect fire but unlike the smoke detectors they help extinguishing it and saving lives. It is very popular in industries but still is not very much utilized in residences. Smoke detectors and sprinklers work best together. Smoke detectors identify the fire and set off the sprinklers. Sprinklers supply water with pressure and extinguish the fire. The only disadvantage of installing a fire sprinkler is that ones the fire has been extinguished people realize that all their belongings have been soaked in water. However this is a little price to pay if the sprinklers help save us our life (Smith, 2008). Technology has been a vital source of fire safety. Technology has always been a source of argument: some favor it, other oppose it. Where some people say that technology itself is the source of most fire incidents, others argue that technology has come up with equipments and devices such as various fire detectors and extinguishers. The contribution of technology in fire safety can not be ignored. To prevent fire, technology has given us smoke detectors, heat detectors, gas detectors, flame detectors and a variety of fire alarm systems. To extinguish fire, technology has provided for us several kinds of fire extinguishers and fire sprinkler systems. We should all make use of such devices and minimize the damage that fire can cause us. Fire incidents are very common and it would be a mistake on our part if we ignore dangers it can cause. References Bellis. M, Fire Sprinkler Systems, Retrieved May 22, 2010 from: http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/blfiresprinkler. htmUK Fire Service Resources Edwards. T, (2009), Automatic Fire Sprinklers for Your Home, Retrieved May 22, 2010 from: http://ezinearticles. com/? Automatic-Fire-Sprinklers-For-Your-Homeid=321091Group, (2009), Smoke Alarms and Detectors, Retrieved May 22, 2010 from: http://www. fireservice. co. uk/safety/smokealarms. php Safety Products Unlimited, (2009), Kidde Wireless System Components, Retrieved May 22, 2010 from: http://safetyproductsunlimited. com/wireless_smoke_alarm. html Smith R J, (2008), Residential Fire Sprinkler System Advantages, Retrieved May 22, 2010 from: http://ezinearticles. com/? Residential-Fire-Sprinkler-System-Advantagesid=1388738 Santarpia. F, (2010), more security with a fire sprinkler in your house, Retrieved May 22, 2010 from: http://ezinearticles. com/? More-Security-With-a-Fire-Sprinkler-in-Your-Houseid=2229457 US Fire Administration, (December 17, 2010) Smoke Alarms, Retrieved May 22, 2010 from: http://www. usfa. dhs. gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/alarms/

Criticisms Or Limitations Of HRM Strategic Hrm Commerce Essay

Criticisms Or Limitations Of HRM Strategic Hrm Commerce Essay Over the past century, the concept of Human Resources Management (HRM) has been going through some significant changes. According to Nankervis, Compton and Baird, the main focus of human resources management is the overall management of an organizations workforce in the purpose of achieving the desired objectives of the organizations in the long run (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). From personnel administration management to human resources management, and then further developing to strategic human resources management, the HR functions of an organization has evolved into a more central strategic role. Nowadays, the change in IR landscape has led to a rise in the attention paid to HRM. With consumer focusing more on the service provided rather than the physical merchandised goods, the demand for a well-functioned HRM has largely increased. HRM is no longer a function performed by HR supervisors but is also seen as a competitive advantage of the organization to achieve its long-term objectives and goals. To a greater extent, this essay will define and compare HRM and SHRM, investigating the hard and soft approaches to HRM. The limitations and criticisms of various HRM models will also be covered in the later paragraph. Lastly, two external environment factors in which organizations are facing nowadays are identified with a research on how the strategic approach to HRM is contributing to their ability to respond to such changes. Human Resources Management (HRM) is defined as the policies, practices and systems established by an organization that shape employees behaviour, attitudes as well as performance towards their job (DeCieri Kramar, 2005). It focuses mainly on managing the productive use of people of the organization in order to achieve its strategic objectives and at the same time upholding a healthy employer-employee relationship to satisfy the individual employees needs (Stone, 2005:4). Before investigating the two models of Human Resources Management (HRM) and Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM), one should take into considerations that the assumptions underpinning the HRM: the unitarist approach assuming a partnership between the employers and employees on a set of common interest with a mutual commitment to achieve the proposed objectives; and the pluralist approach in which the relationship between the two parties is assumed to have to inevitably go through a conflict of interest and th at negotiations are crucial in resolving the problem (Kane, 1996). Ever since the early 20th century, HRM is seen as merely a personnel function carrying out the day-to-day administrative business of an organization, such as the promotion of employee welfare. While HRM further evolved in the later years, HRM started to turn into a professional approach where specialists are employed to conduct the HR-related task of the organization, including recruitment, training and welfare activities (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). Another perspective of HRM, the resource-based view started to gain popularity in the late 1990s, advocating HR as a valuable resource capable of contributing to the sustained competitive advantage of the organization. In other words, facilitating the development of a company-specific and unique competencies would help sustain the competitive advantage of an organization, and in this case it will be the people (Brewster, Carey, Grobler et. al., 2008). Around the sa me period of time, SHRM also came into being in which it is viewed as more of a macro perspective of the strategic approach in managing employees as a result of the integration of the early personnel management and industrial relations as well as HRM (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). While going into details the definitions and development of HRM, the Harvard model is also useful in showing that HRM theories are way broader than simply a personnel function. It consists of five main factors supporting the central principle of the utilization of employees to ensure the achievement of an organizations desired goals, namely the stakeholder interest, situational factors, HRM policy choice, HR outcome and long-term consequences (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). It is well accepted that dramatic changes that took place in the past decades have created new challenges for HR professionals, forcing them to evolve and enhance their role as a purpose to address these challenges (Brewster, Carey, Grobler et. al., 2008). Instead of limiting the HR department to certain administrative roles, organizations began to line them up with the business managers, in which both parties work together to create a strategic partnership. Such process is what we call the SHRM. According to DeCieri and Kramar, SHRM is known as a pattern of planned HR developments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals (DeCieri Kramar, 2005). One might find it difficult to distinguish between HRM and SHRM. Strategic Human Resources Management stresses the importance of the establishment of HR plan and strategies in order to fulfill an organizations long-term objectives. It is seen as more of a practical model that encourage organization to plain in t he long run, taking potential changes from all other aspects such as the society, economic condition, technology enhancement, industrial relations, etc. into account (Dessler, Griffiths Lloyd-Walker, 2007). Human resources is valued as a source of competitive advantage to certain organizations. Comparing to HRM, SHRM is claimed to be a model that requires more interpretations and well-rounded planning to ensure the most desirable outcomes to suit best with the organizations business plans (Dessler, Griffiths Lloyd-Walker, 2007). With the two theoretical concepts of HRM and SHRM defined and compared, we can now go into investigating another two important approaches to HRM: the hard HR and the soft HR approaches. With reference to Druker, White, Hegewisch and Mayne, the hard approach places the main focus on the strategic business objectives of an organization, treating HR as a resource in achieving its competitive advantage (Druker, White, Hegewisch Mayne, 1996). The soft approach, on the other hand, emphasizes more on the communication, consultation, counseling and support elements within the relationship between the employers and employees (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). While both approaches have validity to particular industries and organizations and is argues that a hard approach must be corresponded with a soft approached to achieve the most desirable outcome (Kaye, 1999), it is said that HRM is more likely to lie towards the hard approach and thus the SHRM better matching the key principle of the s oft approach. Nowadays, in the rapidly growing society where globalization has become the most common issue for most countries, organizations are no longer able to neglect the outside force. Changes have taken place within the organization and so as the role of the HR professionals. Taking various external factors into account, very few organizations can continue with their same old HR policies and practices and therefore, new strategies are to be re-designed. In other words, a lot of adjustments in regards to an organizations HRM plans will have to be made in order to respond to such changes (Brewster, Carey, Grobler et. al., 2008). External factors facilitate the values, attitudes and behaviour of an employee at work and it can be classified into three categories: global, national and industrial (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). Taking the Global Financial Crisis as an example, we will look into the impact it has on HR planning as well as how the HR professionals of an organization is evolving in for the respond to the change. The financial crisis was first triggered by the liquidity shortfall of the US banking system in 2007 and has resulted in the collapse of a number of large financial organizations (Holy See Review, 2010). It is well accepted that such huge issue is affecting almost every single organizations around the world, regardless of their size. It is obvious to organizations that increasing competitive advantages is the only choice for them to better equipped themselves so as to strength their market value and survive through the unstable fluctuating economy. Since it is mentioned in the previous p aragraphs that HR is seen as one of the competitive advantage of organizations, it is not playing a very crucial role under such circumstance. While a number of organizations might choose to be more preservative by cutting down on their staff members as a cost-reducing strategy, with the SHRM model, HR practitioners will instead be focusing more on modifying the HR strategies to address the situation. For instance, by re-designing the HR strategies as well as carrying out a work-life balance policy, the organization would be able to survive through the hard times of the crisis with its employees, eventually promoting employees productivity and loyalty to the organization and thus, reducing absenteeism and the staff turnover of the organization (Schmidt-Hebbel, 2008). Another relevant external environment factor faced by organizations recently is the demographic change of the workforce resulted from an ageing population. As a result of the declining fertility rate, a rising life expectancies as well as the increased migration level, the median age of the populations is proven to be going up very rapidly (Murray Syed, 2005). Though older employees are generally more experienced and therefore more productive than the younger ones, to a greater extent, they tend to suffer more from physical illness and disability, contributing to a higher level of absenteeism. Also, comparing to the younger employees off the organization, it is always harder for older employees to be innovative and adapt to the changing environment as soon as it takes place (Murray Syed, 2005). However, if one does accept that the older workforce are generally more loyal to the organization and that their views and experiences are valuable, diversity management is very much require d to be carried out by the HR professionals. Diversity management is defined as a process of managing peoples similarities and differences at work (DeCieri Kramar, 2005). A number of policies with respect to diversity management can be introduced in order to address the issue. For example, trainings such as computer course can be provided for older employees to help them in adapting to the new working environment. Welfare like long service leave can also be promoted to specially address the older employees of the organization. While HRM is seen as a valuable competitive advantage of organizations, some might argue that there is also a drawback associated with the concept. HRM is sometimes avoided because it is way too complex and time-consuming to organizations (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). For an effective HR plan to be carried out, a large sum of money and resources are to be contributed. A fully functioned data-base system is required to store the details with respect to the employment relationship such as their positions, trainings and developments and this can be rather complicated to set up without the adequate support from HR specialists (Kane, 1996). Various conflicts of interests are certain to come along when planning and conducting the HR strategies that even the top management of an organization might find it worthless to invest in (Nankervis, Compton Baird, 2008). In conclusion, the concepts of both HRM and SHRM have been discussed. While HRM is defined as policies and systems established by an organization in the focus of an effective utilization of its people to achieve to desired objectives, SHRM is known a pattern of HR developments enabling an organization to reach its goals overtime. A number of theoretical concepts including the unitarist and pluralist approaches, the resource based view of HRM as well as the hard and soft approaches are referenced in the purpose of further explaining the concepts and distinguishing between HRM and SHRM. Two external environmental circumstances, namely the global financial crisis and the ageing workforce are identified in which an organizations strategies in addressing such changes is explored. Last but not least, the criticisms and limitations associated with HRM, such as its complexity and the costly process of setting up the HR data-base system are also taken into account so as to give a thorough und erstanding of the entire concept.