Productivity within Allstate Insurance Corp Research Proposal

Productivity within Allstate Insurance Corp - Research Proposal Example That was one conclusion drawn from a study carried out recently by Benjamin Waber and Sandy Pentland of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.† (2) Although the methods for achieving the same or better outcomes with fewer resources may vary, improved productivity will not occur unless it is pursued actively. Ineffective searches and wasting time looking for information is a cost of a company. Many service economy jobs could enjoy substantial productivity growth through better application of information technology. For example, every time you check in at the airport, you wait several minutes as the agent frantically taps away at a hidden computer. Most of this time is wasted due to airline softwares horrendous usability. With a better user interface, agents could process passengers much faster, which would immediately increase their productivity and save time for customers. The answer, according to Nick Bloom, Raffaella Sadun and John Van Reenen, researchers at the Center for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, is that American companies make much more effective use of information technology than European companies.† (4) The importance of incentives to employees on the productivity is well known fact. Even socialism has admitted it. As Gerard Roland says â€Å"Prior to the privatization, It was China that went the farthest in trying to give managers better profit incentives. Data on 769 Chinese enterprises between 1980 and 1989 in four provinces (Sichuan, Jiangsu, Jilin, and Shanxi) analyzed by Groves and colleagues (1994) showed that increased autonomy to managers led them to give more incentives to workers by increasing the shares of bonuses in total wages payments and the share of contract workers relative to permanent workers. Increased incentives also had a positive effect on productivity.† (5) Companies can increase productivity in a variety of ways. The most obvious methods involve automation and

The Spiritual Autobiography Essay Example for Free

The Spiritual Autobiography Essay One of the fascinating characteristics of Japanese religion is the syncretism of its traditional religions, foremost of which are Zen Buddhism and Shinto. In Journey In Search of the Way: The Spiritual Autobiography of Satomi Myodo, Satomi gives a mesmerizing look into the spirituality of Japan, through the eyes of what seems at first an unlikely witness. Satomi’s experiences are untypical for a Japanese woman in the Meiji era, considering that she was the only daughter of her parents. Petty (2004) argues that by being an only child, Satomi received her parents’ whole investment of expectations and dreams, a burden of responsibility in any society. Thus she was subjected to experiences that a village girl at that time would normally not have, such as her education in Tokyo, her subsequent unwed pregnancy or her arrangement as a Kageki actress. Her unique encounters as both a Shinto miko and a Zen nun are an insight to the mixture of the two religions in modern Japan. When Satomi first engaged in ascetic practices, she was doing it to prepare herself to become a miko. Initially, she was not satisfied with her experience, rather describing herself afterwards as no better off than she was before. This purification process is not unique to the Shinto religion, but her struggles can be classified as more of a shamanistic nature reflecting her encounters with the kami. Satomi continued to engage in an ascetic lifestyle afterwards, in her discovery of Zen. According to Nixon (2000) â€Å"At this point Satomi’s asceticism is less severe, and she consciously relates it to her practice of meditation, but it serves a similar function – i. e. , one of deliberately frustrating a lower level structure of dependency, in order that the dynamisms of a higher level of personality might emerge, as indeed they do with her first kensho experience. † (par. 14). Although she found true enlightenment and spiritual invigoration in the practice of Zen, her initial experience in purifying the spirit with Shinto has given her prior introduction to the life she will lead as a Zen nun. Additionally, Satomi’s failures and accomplishments in her role as a woman in the Meiji-era society gave her the character and persistence needed in her pursuit of satori. By practicing zazen, Satomi found great peace and joy, something she was searching for since the very beginning. It can be argued, however, that her Shinto preparation was a stepping stone towards finding enlightenment. Her first kensho experience, at fifty-nine years old came late in life, and her dedication towards this experience made her a model of achievement in any religious path. Zen and Shinto were at the time of Satomi separated, with Shinto following the Kannagara no michi tradition that was used in pre-war Japan to instill a nationalistic spirit on the Japanese. From the start however, the influence of Buddhism on Shinto is apparent and the best example would be the description of Kannagara no michi as teaching a primal state of natural and spontaneous harmony with the kami, to which one might return by abandoning human desire and artificiality. This incorporation of beliefs is characteristic of the faith of modern Japanese people today, which take Shinto and Buddhist teachings as part of the culture and spirituality of Japan. Satomi’s account is clear and vivid, giving justice to the setting and context of her life’s story. The Journey In Search of the Way: The Spiritual Autobiography of Satomi Myodo is a very good reading on the religions of Japan, and especially in relation to the role given to women. R E F E R E N C E Nixon, Laurence. (2000). A Dabrowskian Analysis of a Japanese Buddhist Nun [Electronic Version]. The Dabrowski Newsletter, 6(2). Petty, Genevieve. (2004). A Wild Woman in Buddhism: A Critique of the Life of Satomi Myodo. Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://poeme. memory-motel. net/academic/satomi. pdf

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner Essay -- Slavery The Sound

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner One of the main realities of human existence is the constant, unceasing passage of time. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner explores this reality of time in many new and unexpected ways as he tells the tragic tail of the Compson family. The Compsons are an old Southern aristocratic family to whom time has not been kind. Years of degeneration mainly stemming from slavery have brought them to the brink of destruction. Most of the story focuses on the Compson children who are undergoing the worst of the social and moral decay. Each of the four children perceives time in a much different way but by far the strangest and most bizarre attitude toward time that is given in the text is held by one of the three male children, Quentin. He is totally consumed with his past and at times can think of nothing else. He also becomes determined to stop time itself—a futile effort that will eventually force him to take his own life. Quentin’s obsession with the past and with the passage of time is a central theme of not only the Quentin section but of the entire book, and it is the key to understanding what Faulkner is trying to say about the decay of Southern culture and traditions. To fully understand the motif of time in the Quentin section it is first necessary to compare it with the different ways in which Faulkner uses time in the other three sections. The first section is narrated by the mentally retarded brother, Benjy, who has abs...

Personal Brand Plan Paper Essay

There are three companies I would like to begin my career in Human Resources department in. Those three companies are Exxon Mobile Corporation, Apple Incorporated, and Wal-Mart. Exxon Mobile Corporation the third largest oil and gas refinery in the world in revenue. With over 80,000 employees globally Exxon Mobile Human Resource Department is functions are full of challenges. I view those challenges as being exciting, and rewarding. I would like to be employed as an Employment, Recruitment or Placement Manager. Through research I found Exxon Mobile has a variety of different employment, recruitment, and placement manager positions to help me gain a broad functional and developmental expertise in the human resource field. This experience will also give me a better understanding of how important Human Resource is integrated in various organizations and companies around the world. Working for Exxon will give me the opportunity to achieve my professional goals in managerial and technical areas through a multitude of assignments, mentorship’s, and training over my career. I would like to be employed with Exxon Mobile Corporation it is ranked number 2 in 2014 fortune 500, and because this company has been around for over 125 years. This company has built a strong foundation over the years, and also invests in its employees. I would like to obtain as much knowledge here to use in the rest of my career. The second company I chose was Apple Incorporated. Apple, Inc. is a multinational corporation creating numerous consumer electronics such as computer software, digital distributors, personal computers, commercial servers, iPhone smart phone, iPod portable media devices, and iPad tablet computers. Over the last two decades Apple Computer was predominantly and manufacturer of personal computers. I would like to be employed as an International Human Resource Associate for Apple, Inc. Working as Apple’s International Human Resource Associate I will play the role of a human resource generalist inside the company but will also have global responsibilities. Some of my task will be job postings, recruiting and screening candidates, and explaining benefits and compensations packages. To be successful in this position I would have to obtain a solid grasp of the employment markets around the world including understanding others culture aspects, compensation, benefits and screening. I would like to work  for Apple, Inc. because it is a fairly new fortune 500 incorporation leading in the world of technology. Apple consistent innovation continues to lead in sales over all of their competitors. With the experience and training obtained from Exxon Mobile will assist me in being a successful international human resource associate. The final company I would like to work for is Wal-Mart. Since 1962, Wal-Mart has been dedicated in making a difference in the lives of their customers by helping customers and communities save money and live better. Wal-Mart is ranked number one in Forbes as 2014 company who generated the most revenue. I would like to be employed as a Human Resource Consultant for Wal-Mart. As a Human Resource Consultant I will work as a contractor in helping corporate with things such as employment structure, manager policies, benefit issues, and performance incentives. I will help analyze employment success systems, evaluate how the benefits plans are panning out, and recommend productive changes to the system. I will use my the training and work experience accumulated over the years obtained from Exxon Mobile and Apple Inc.

Text Linguistics

TEXT LINGUISTICS Structure As a science of text, text linguistics describes or explains among different types of text the: * Shared features * Distinct features Text linguistics is the study of how texts function in human interaction. Beaugrande and Dressler define a text as a â€Å"communicative occurrence which meets seven standards of textuality† – Cohesion, Coherence, Intentionality, Acceptability, Informativity, Situationality and Intertextuality, without any of which the text will not be communicative.Non-communicative texts are treated as non-texts. [4] [edit] Cohesion Surface texts are the exact words that people see or hear. Cohesion concerns the ways in which the components of the surface text are connected within a sequence. Grammatical forms and conventions are adhered to by surface components and therefore cohesion rests upon grammatical dependencies. The grammatical dependencies in surface texts are major signals for sorting out meanings and uses.Cohesion encompasses all of the functions that can be used to signal relations among surface elements. â€Å"| SLOWCARS HELD UP| †| Such a text can be divided up into various dependencies. Someone might construe it as a notice about ‘slow cars’ that are ‘held up’, so that conclusions could be drawn about the need to drive fast to avoid being held up. However, it is more likely for one to divide the text into ‘slow’ and ‘cars held up’, so that drivers will drive slowly to avoid accidents or take alternative routes to avoid being caught in the slow traffic.A science of text should explain how ambiguities such as this are possible, as well as how they are precluded or resolved without much difficulty. For efficient communication to take place there must be interaction between cohesion and other standards of textuality because the surface alone is not decisive. [edit] Coherence Coherence concerns the ways in which concepts and relations, which underlie the surface text, are linked, relevant and used, to achieve efficient communication. A concept is a cognitive content which can be retrieved or triggered with a high degree of consistency in the mind * Relations are the links between concepts within a text, with each link identified with the concept that it connects to Surface texts may not always express relations explicitly therefore people supply as many relations as are needed to make sense out of any particular text. In the example of the road sign ‘SLOW CARS HELD UP’, ‘cars’ is an object concept and ‘held up’ an action concept, and the ‘cars’ are the link to ‘held up’.Therefore, ‘slow’ is more likely to be interpreted as a motion than as the speed at which cars are travelling. Types of relations include: I. Causality â€Å"| Itsy Bitsy spider climbing up the spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out| †| The event of à ¢â‚¬Ëœraining’ causes the event of ‘washing the spider out’ because it creates the necessary conditions for the latter; without the rain, the spider will not be washed out. II. Enablement â€Å"| Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall| †| The action of sitting on the wall created the sufficient but not necessary conditions for the action of falling down.Sitting on a wall makes it possible but not obligatory for falling down to occur. III. Reason â€Å"| Jack shall have but a penny a day because he can’t work any faster| †| In contrast to the rain which causes Itsy Bitsy spider to be washed out, the slow working does not actually cause or enable the low wage. Instead, the low wage is a reasonable outcome; ‘reason’ is used to term actions that occur as a rational response to a previous event. IV.Purpose â€Å"| Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get her poor dog a bone| †| In contrast to Humpty Dumpty’s action of sitting on the wall which enables the action of falling down, there is a plan involved here; Humpty Dumpty did not sit on the wall so that it could fall down but Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard so that she could get a bone. ‘Purpose’ is used to term events that are planned to be made possible via a previous event. V. Time ‘Cause’, ‘Enablement’ and ‘Reason’ have forward directionality with the earlier event causing, enabling or providing reason for the later event. Purpose’, however, has a backward directionality as the later event provides the purpose for the earlier event. More than just a feature of texts, coherence is also the outcome of cognitive processes among text users. The nearness and proximity of events in a text will trigger operations which recover or create coherence relations. â€Å"| The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts;The Knave of Hearts, he stole the tarts; The King of Hearts, called for the tarts| †| In the explicit text, there is a set of actions (making, stealing and calling); the only relations presented are the agent and the affected entity of each action.However, a text receiver is likely to assume that the locations of all three events are close to one another as well as occur in a continuous and relatively short time frame. One might also assume that the actions are meant to signal the attributes of the agents; the Queen is skilled in cooking, the Knave is dishonest and the King is authoritative. As such, coherence encompasses inferencing based on one’s knowledge. For a text to make sense, there has to be interaction between one’s accumulated knowledge and the text-presented knowledge.Therefore, a science of texts is probabilistic instead of deterministic, that is, inferences by users of any particular text will be similar most of the time instead of all of the time. Most text users have a common core of cognitive co mposition, engagement and process such that their interpretations of texts through ‘sensing’ are similar to what text senders intend them to be. Without cohesion and coherence, communication would be slowed down and could break down altogether. Cohesion and coherence are text-centred notions, designating operations directed at the text materials. [edit] IntentionalityIntentionality concerns the text producer’s attitude and intentions as the text producer uses cohesion and coherence to attain a goal specified in a plan. Without cohesion and coherence, intended goals may not be achieved due to a breakdown of communication. However, depending on the conditions and situations in which the text is used, the goal may still be attained even when cohesion and coherence are not upheld. â€Å"| Want I carry you on my back? | †| Even though cohesion is not maintained in this example, the text producer still succeeds in achieving the goal of finding out if the text re ceiver wanted a piggyback. edit] Acceptability Acceptability concerns the text receiver’s attitude that the text should constitute useful or relevant details or information such that it is worth accepting. Text type, the desirability of goals and the political and sociocultural setting, as well as cohesion and coherence are important in influencing the acceptability of a text. Text producers often speculate on the receiver’s attitude of acceptability and present texts that maximizes the probability that the receivers will respond as desired by the producers.For example, texts that are open to a wide range of interpretations, such as ‘Call us before you dig. You may not be able to afterwards’, require more inferences about the related consequences. This is more effective than an explicit version of the message that informs receivers the full consequences of digging without calling because receivers are left with a large amount of uncertainty as to the conse quences that could result; this plays to the risk averseness of people. [edit] Informativity Informativity concerns the extent to which the contents of a text are already known or expected as compared to unknown or unexpected.No matter how expected or predictable content may be, a text will always be informative at least to a certain degree due to unforeseen variability. The processing of highly informative text demands greater cognitive ability but at the same time is more interesting. The level of informativity should not exceed a point such that the text becomes too complicated and communication is endangered. Conversely, the level of informativity should also not be so low that it results in boredom and the rejection of the text. [edit] Situationality Situationality concerns the factors which make a text relevant to a situation of occurrence.The situation in which a text is exchanged influences the comprehension of the text. There may be different interpretations with the road s ign â€Å"| SLOWCARS HELD UP| †| However, the most likely interpretation of the text is obvious because the situation in which the text is presented provides the context which influences how text receivers interpret the text. The group of receivers (motorists) who are required to provide a particular action will find it more reasonable to assume that ‘slow’ requires them to slow down rather than referring to the speed of the cars that are ahead.Pedestrians can tell easily that the text is not directed towards them because varying their speeds is inconsequential and irrelevant to the situation. In this way, the situation decides the sense and use of the text. Situationality can affect the means of cohesion; less cohesive text may be more appropriate than more cohesive text depending on the situation. If the road sign was ‘Motorists should reduce their speed and proceed slowly because the vehicles ahead are held up by road works, therefore proceeding at too h igh a speed may result in an accident’, every possible doubt of intended receivers and intention would be removed.However, motorists only have a very short amount of time and attention to focus on and react to road signs. Therefore, in such a case, economical use of text is much more effective and appropriate than a fully cohesive text. [edit] Intertextuality Intertextuality concerns the factors which make the utilization of one text dependent upon knowledge of one or more previously encountered text.If a text receiver does not have prior knowledge of a relevant text, communication may break down because the understanding of the current text is obscured. Texts such as parodies, rebuttals, forums and classes in school, the text producer has to refer to prior texts while the text receivers have to have knowledge of the prior texts for communication to be efficient or even occur. In other text types such as puns, for example ‘Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a ba nana’, there is no need to refer to any other text.

Harriet Ann Jacobs Narrative

Harriet Ann Jacobs Narrative Jacobs, Harriet Ann Harriet Ann Jacobs is one of the most prominent female abolitionists of the nineteenth century. Her personal experience enabled people to give a clear insight into the whole scope of issues concerning slavery. Thus, whereas many former slaves wrote about the dangers slaved had to endure, their struggle for freedom and, finally, their escape and building a new life, Jacobs revealed the issue which were not explicitly articulated before from motives of delicacy (qtd. in Washington 57).Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Harriet Ann Jacobs’ Narrative specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Admittedly, in her Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Jacobs tackles many such â€Å"indelicate† issues which make the reader consider slavery from different social and psychological perspectives. Many scholars analyzed Jacobs’ narrative and biography, and each of this works depicts n ew facet of one of the most obscure pages of American History. Ferguson, Moira Thus, Ferguson reveals landmarks of Jacob’s biography and at the same time briefly depicts the epoch. Ferguson does not only provide some dates and events, but makes a deeper insight into the inner world of the remarkable woman. For instance, the reader gets to know that Jacobs was disappointed with ignorance of her masters and understood that she could rely â€Å"for emotional support primarily on† her grandmother and her brother (Ferguson 98). The present research is a valuable source for the further analysis of Jacobs’ narrative and life since it is based not only on the Jacob’s writing but uses many other reliable sources. The article provides the researcher with information about most important events in Jacob’s life and helps to understand the peculiarities of that period highlighting the process which were taking place in the contemporary society. Yellin, Jean Fag an Another valuable source is more concerned with the narrative of Jacobs (Yellin 137-146). Yellin provides a brief depiction of some important biographical data and passes on to the narrative. Yellin tries to understand the reasons which made Jacobs write such a truthful story denoting that Jacobs was ashamed of that part of her life (Yellin 141). This source deals with two very important issues: Jacobs’ inner world and her peculiar literary style which made her narrative so emotional and sincere. It is necessary to add that apart from Jacobs’ book Yellin uses her letters and other writings, and this makes the present source very valuable since it reveals to great extent Jacobs’ inner world. The source is very useful for the further research since it analyses and evaluates those factors which influenced the creation of the book. Titus, Mary Titus makes even deeper insight into the psychological and social factors which became a basis for Jacobs’ book (19 9-216). Thus, Titus claims that Jacobs does not only depict the story of her life but reveals the essence of â€Å"poisonous system† dealing with â€Å"social ills† and â€Å"bodily ills† (199). Titus considers the peculiarities of Jacobs style stating that she uses â€Å"the language of disease and contamination† to reveal the cruelty and viciousness of the society based on slavery (202).Advertising Looking for annotated bibliography on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Titus provides a deep analysis exploiting various sources on the topic referring to other scholars who considered slavery in the United States and American literature on the slavery. Of course, such unbiased source is indispensible for the survey concerning Jacobs’ narrative and personal experience since it provides useful ideas about the message of the book and its role or its place in the litera ture which was a very potent weapon in the struggle for slavery abolishing. Yarbrough, Fay A. Of course, one of the important sources for the research can be an article by Yarbrough which deals with the sexuality revealed in Jacob’s book. Yarbrough claims that Jacobs was one of the pioneers to reveal the â€Å"constrained position of slave women† (567). Reportedly, the sexual component of females slave life was particularly important since it touched many psychological issues where affection and disgust, love and suffering were intermingled. The source is really important since Yarbrough considers Jacobs’ experience in the historical and social discourse comparing and contrasting her case with many other slave females. This broad approach (considering Jacobs’ narrative from historical perspective) helps to understand the role of the book in American literature. Washington, Margaret Another valuable source for the analysis of Jacobs’ narrative is th e article by Washington where she deal with the sexual issues raised in the slave female experience. She compares two brave women, Harriet Jacobs and Sojourner Truth, who were not afraid of â€Å"openly admitting† their â€Å"sorrow and shame claiming that â€Å"their sagas contained the pulse of the people† (Washington 71). The article is mainly concerned with the personal experience and feelings of slave women. Besides, Washington denotes the exclusive importance of such sincerity which contributed to the process of slavery abolishing. The source is based on numerous reliable sources including Jacobs’ and Truth’s narrative and scholarly writings which makes it unbiased and very precise. This article enables to see the importance of the sexual component of the narrative which was implicit and underestimated for a long time. Ferguson, Moira. Nine Black Women: An Anthology of Nineteenth-Century Writers from the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and the Car ibbean. New York, NY: Routledge, 1998. Titus, Mary. â€Å"This Poisonous System†: Social Ills, Bodily Ills, and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl†. Harriet Jacobs and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: New Critical Essays. Ed. Garfield, Deborah M. and Rafia Zafar. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 199-216.Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Harriet Ann Jacobs’ Narrative specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Washington, Margaret. From Motives of Delicacy: Sexuality and Morality in the Narratives of Sojourner Truth and Harriet Jacobs.  The Journal of African American History  92.1 (2007): 57-73. Yarbrough, Fay A. Power, Perception, and Interracial Sex: Former Slaves Recall a Multiracial South.  Journal of Southern History  71.3 (2005): 559-588. Yellin, Jean Fagan. Incidents in the Life of Harriet Jacobs.  The Seductions of Biography. Ed. Rhiel, Mary  and D avid Bruce Suchoff. New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. 137-146.

MYP summer assignment Essay Example

MYP summer assignment Essay Example MYP summer assignment Essay MYP summer assignment Essay MAP Summer Assignment When Bases spots pale stranger coming towards their village, the entire tribe welcomes them because visitors are always a cause for celebration. Little did they know the strangers werent there to celebrate. They came to capture the strongest, and the healthiest, villagers and kill the rest. Mari whose fifteen-years old are one of those villagers. The pale strangers shackled all the villagers they wanted and took them on a 3 day walk, nonstop walking. Some were beaten, dragged, branded, and even killed. When they reached their destination they a boarded onto a ship, a slave ship. There Mari met a red haired guy who taught her English. Soon after Mari met Fall who gives her hope and strength. The III that I thought was most prevalent throughout this story is Health and social education which is basically human issues that exist in human societies. I chose this III because this novel expresses unimaginable hardship, starvation and disease, pain, hope, determination, and human exploitation and suffering. To begin with, this novel is mostly about leaver which has been a major issue for decades and maybe still is today. A little after the ship ride, Mari was sold to Mr.. Derby and then given as a birthday present to clay, his sixteen-year old son. Mari then meets Poly an indentured white girl. Who has the same dreams as her, to get freedom. I can tie this to Health and social education because as a teenage girl when you see your family get killed then youre captured and soul many tend to lose hope and think there the blame so they will beat themselves up for it. Many people today still trade people or do human raffling which is illegal. Another thing from the story is when Mr.. Derby beat Mari on conscious, which is a form of abuse and maybe attempted murder. All because of a little spill. Many people today still face many types of abuse and some keep quiet about it because its their own flesh and blood. But thats still no way to treat a human being, while your beating them youre taking away their dignity and self- respect. During that time you know there werent any type of medication or machines to help the sick so people would get sick or catch stuff and passed it on to others which cause a wide spread of disease thats how most of the mens died and that another way Health and social education is connected. The slave owners didnt give the slaves the treatment and sanitary things they needed to live the way they were supposed to. This caused many to die. Soon after Clay rapes Mari which gets her pregnant. I believe that rape is Just a disgusting shameful act thats unnecessary and it could really damage a person. Teens now really face a big problem with rape and not only tens adult also. People are Just going out raping others without hinging anything of it but if it were them who were getting raped then maybe they whole point of view on the thing would change. When you rape someone you basically killed them. You have token away everything from them without even knowing it, you destroyed their life with one little act. Victims of rape tend to drop out of school or even commit suicide. When you drop out of school at a young age your whole life is messed up from there, its going to be hard to get a Job let alone find a good paying one. Health and social education is connected because without MAP summer assignment By bunnies

Harry Pace and Black Swan Records

Harry Pace and Black Swan Records Overview In 1921, entrepreneur Harry Herbert Pace established Pace Phonograph Corporation and the record label, Black Swan Records. As the first African-American owned record company, Black Swan was known for its ability to produce â€Å"race records.† And the company proudly stamped its slogan on every album cover â€Å"The Only Genuine Colored RecordsOthers are Only Passing for Colored.† Recording the likes of Ethel Waters, James P. Johnson, as well as Gus and Bud Aikens.   Achievements Published the first African-American illustrated journal, The Moon Illustrated Weekly. Established the first African-American owned record company, Pace Phonograph Corporation and sold recordings as Black Swan Records. Fast Facts Born: January 6, 1884 in Covington, Ga. Parents: Charles and Nancy Francis Pace Spouse: Ethelyne Bibb Death: July 19, 1943 in Chicago Harry Pace and the Birth of Black Swan Records   After graduating from Atlanta University, Pace moved to Memphis where he worked a variety of jobs in banking and insurance. By 1903, Pace   launched a printing business with his mentor, W.E.B. Du Bois. Within two years, the duo collaborated to publish the magazine The Moon Illustrated Weekly. Although the publication was short-lived, it allowed Pace a taste of entrepreneurship.   In 1912, Pace met musician W.C. Handy. The pair began writing songs together, relocated to New York City, and established the Pace and Handy Music Company. Pace and Handy published sheet music that was sold to white-owned record companies. Yet as the Harlem Renaissance picked up steam, Pace was inspired to expand his business. After ending his partnership with Handy, Pace establish the Pace Phonograph Corporation and the Black Swan Record Label in 1921. The company was named for performer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield who was called â€Å"The Black Swan.† Famed composer William Grant Still was hired as the company’s musical director. Fletcher Henderson became Pace Phonograph’s bandleader and recording manager. Working out of the basement of Pace’s home, Black Swan Records played an important role making jazz and blues mainstream musical genres. Recording and marketing music specifically to African-American consumers, Black Swan recorded the likes of Mamie Smith, Ethel Waters and many others. In its first year of business, the company made an estimated $100,000. The following year, Pace purchased a building to house the business, hired regional district managers in cities throughout the United States and an estimated 1,000 salespeople. Soon after, Pace joined forces with white business owner John Fletcher to buy a pressing plant and recording studio. Yet Pace’s expansion was also the beginning of his downfall. As other record companies realized that African-American consumerism was powerful, they also began hiring African-American musicians.   By 1923, Pace had to close the doors of Black Swan. After losing to major recording companies that could record for lower prices and the arrival of radio broadcasting, Black Swan went from selling 7000 records to 3000 daily. Pace filed for bankruptcy, sold his pressing plant in Chicago and finally, he sold Black Swan   to Paramount Records.   Life After Black Swan Records   Although Pace was disappointed by the quick rise and fall of Black Swan Records, he was not deterred from being a businessman. Pace opened the Northeastern Life Insurance Company. Pace’s company went on to become one of the most prominent African-American owned businesses in the northern United States. Before his death in 1943, Pace graduated from law school and practiced as an attorney for several years.

What are the key influences that have shaped the development of Human Essay

What are the key influences that have shaped the development of Human resources Management in South Korea over the last thirty years - Essay Example The success of industrial organizations in this country is extensively attributed to both management styles and work attitudes. The extraordinary growth of the Korean economy for the last 30 years has got the attraction of academics and business people from around the world. The country got a real annual growth rate of about 8 per cent in gross national product during this time. Growth in the corporate sector was prominent and in fact shaped the basis of the economic growth. However, it had many problems despite its quantitative growth (Park 2001). Bearing in mind that the success of HRM development in the South Korea was remarkably high, the only growth factor cannot give explanation all of performance of this country in human resource development. Therefore, it is not just growth but special characteristics of Korean growth that have in fact contributed to the growth of education. (Mabey 1998) The current economic recession has affected every country of the world. Over the last two years, businesses around the world have been hit by regional economic crisis. In Asian countries, currency crisis and the attendant business slump led to different approaches within the businessmen and financial experts for reducing waste and creating greater efficiencies. The South Korean economy which dodged the recession with a narrow margin has little impact on its business structure. The tight money policies enacted by the government forced Korean firms to reform in order to alter organizational competence and profits. Although there are several historical factors which boosted South Korean economy after 1950, the period of 1945-1961 has roots of HRM development and economic boom in the country. During this period people of this country took great interest in gaining education which was the result of strong social indicators and economic motivations. During the period of 1945-1961, education played a great role in changing the lives of Koreans. The

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

Strategic Marketing - Essay Example ters five forces is that it puts pressure on businesses to improve products, services and the organization itself by implementing new â€Å"methods, technologies, and techniques† to improve quality and to cut costs (Miller 2000, p. 101). In practice we have seen these five forces in action. For example, Japanese automakers have taken the lead from Toyota and entered the Western markets. Likewise, European suppliers like Bosch and Valeo have entered the market in Asia. In another example, shortages in steel and aluminum together with higher prices have put increasing pressure on suppliers with the result that they have decidedly settled for decreased profits (Simon 2009, p. 195). Founder of Boston Consulting Group, Bruce Henderson theorized that competition is natural and in its natural form, competitors must refrain from competing in exactly the same way and the same place and the same time. The fact is, it is the differences between competitors that that give one competitor an advantage over the other or others (Stern and Deimler 2006, p. 4). There is a large variety of competitive elements with an equally large number of variables. These variables include, size, conduct and traits that are not coincidental but entirely â€Å"inevitable† (Stern and Deimler 2006, p. 4). This is natural competitor which exhibits a number of observable patterns including the fact that some competitors will constrain the natural factors of competition and therefore alter it. As a result, the â€Å"frontiers or boundaries of competition parity† will be in a constant state of change (Stern and Deimler 2006, p. 5). As a result of these changes, there will be persistent tensions when competition is equal and little if any tension where there is superior competition. An uneven military conflict serves as an appropriate example. In the application of Stern’s theory, competition drives firms to watch their respective industries and to make changes necessary for creating

Kant's Theory of Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Kant's Theory of Religion - Essay Example The researcher states that in what has been grouped as his philosophy of religion, Kant gives an extensive discussion on the immortality of the soul, arguments for the existence of God and his attributes, the ‘moral argument’ for God, moral principles’ relationship to religious practice and belief as well as the problem of evil. He also gives criticisms of organized religion, among others. Before the 1781publication of the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant’s major interest lay in the theoretical standing and function of the concept of God. Therefore, he sought to locate this concept within a methodically ordered set of basic philosophical principles, which give an account of the world’s structure and order. As he developed his critical philosophy, Kant proposed a new philosophical principles’ role in understanding the world’s structure and order. Consequently, the critical project had an important effect upon the way he treated the role as well as the status of the concept of God within the hypothetical enterprise of metaphysics. Furthermore, Kant uses the critical philosophy as a locus for addressing more explicitly other key aspects of the concepts of God and religion than he had done in his former writings. Chief among these are the moral and the religious importance that humans ascribe to the concept of God. Important to note is the fact that throughout his entire career, Kant's interest in the theoretical function and status of the concept of God persists.

Journal 14 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal 14 - Assignment Example At the beginning of the story, Dunbar describes Mr. Leckler as a ‘large-souled creature with hunger for unlimited counsel.’ This is a figurative language which creates an image in the mind of the readers and appeals to the senses of sight and sound. A part from being so sweet-sounding, the imagery can be used to mean that this character is so determined and is always ready to seek for and acquire advice from others. He is a principled man who is ready to listen to the opinions of others who surround him. The author also uses imagery when he mentions the terms surcharged clouds, flash of lightening and thunder. By saying, ‘†¦from the surcharged clouds a flash of lightning broke; and there was the thunder of cannon and the rain of lead over the land,’ Dunbar was trying to create an image of a rainfall. Indeed, this imagery appeals to the sense of sight. Even if this is what it meant in that context, it can be interpreted in different ways by different cultures. According to my own culture, rainy day characterized by harsh thunder and lightning. Rainfall is a sign of satisfaction to may people since they rely on it as a chief source of water which people heavily rely on for agriculture and domestic use. Moreover, the author uses the image of trouble when Mrs. Leckler says that her husband ‘was troubled in the mind.’ This is an imagery which can be universally interpreted to mean that Mr. Leckler was worried. As a slave, he was not contented with the kind of working conditions to which he was subjected. His mind was not at peace regardless of his principled position. Lastly, Dunbar used imagery when he uses the word Yankee and says that Mr. Lecler was a calculating and scheming Yankee who could ‘let principle stand between him and his interests.’ Literally, Yankee was an inhabitant of the Northern states of USA in which slavery had been outlawed. Therefore, he could not allow himself to be enslaved

Marketing and consultancy for food trucks Lab Report

Marketing and consultancy for food trucks - Lab Report Example The consulting services for concepts, menu, and the graphics are availed (Festa, 2012). There are five key stages of the management consultancy process that are quite essential for a food truck industry. Once apparently followed the chances of the project failing are minimal. This stage is a major determinant of the food truck consultants, which provides they provide value that relies on the people that are served. The expectation from the team is frequently set at this point. When the roles are set, the parties involved are aware of what they are supposed to do to attain the goal of the business (Food company consultancy, 2009). The staffs are very flexible, and the choice of who to head the business is never a big deal. The flexibility offers a chance to select the most competent and the profitable personnel from the crew. The food truck consultants echo the cry of the crucial steps while signing the clients should be the establishment of the well-defined expectations to have defined roles. Once that is done, there is no likelihood of the friction while on the road since everyone knows his or her roles. This step is quite imperative in the food truck industry. The overall expectations on the touch points and the derivable set the project and let the clients know what their expectations and what they cannot expect. It is always important to take care not to be too ambitious at this stage. The next step to undertake while after this is to make sure that all that is set can be attained or if possible exceed the objective. At this point, it is imperative to get the team and gear to the customers to survey the field and have a clear expertise of the ground (Magazine, 2012). After getting the food truck industry, the consultants will spend their precious time with the customers in this phase. At this stage, problems may occur, so it is always the high time to figure out the probable source and act appropriately (Magazine, 2012).

Current International Human Rights Law issues in the Middle east Essay - 1

Current International Human Rights Law issues in the Middle east - Essay Example 1). However, despite the influence of modernisation, Islam remained powerful. International human rights, one of the components of modernity, have penetrated the Middle East at a period when established Islam is being disputed by new ideas of Islamic principles. These new ideas hold the changing hopes and outlooks of Islam’s devotees, which involves desires for higher freedom. The progress of modernisation has intensified Muslim’s hatred of tyrannical, oppressive, and capricious regimes of their nations and has promoted the emergence of movements campaigning for greater freedom and human rights (Mayer, 1991, pp. 1-2). This essay discusses the conflict between Sharia (Islamic) law and international human rights law in the Middle East, with references to current cases of human rights issues in Middle Eastern countries. There is a sharp disagreement between the judgments of Islamic human rights scholars and Islamic governments. Islamic scholars could be generally classified into two groups, namely, liberal and conservative. The liberals accept the conflict between human rights ideals and Islamic doctrine and pursuit of reconciliation. In contrast, the conservatives believe that Islam has an independent and unique set of obligations, rights, and practices, and thus, they oppose intrusion of external human rights law processes (Shah, 2006, p. 3). Generally, Islamic societies conform to the conservative view of Islamic doctrine and this is the reason most Islamic societies have resisted the imposition of international human rights law in their local administrations. Saudi Arabia and Iran are excellent examples (Baderin, 2008). There are Islamic countries which have approved international human rights principles but with major restrictions, declaring that international human rights law would be applied locally provided that it does not run counter to the Sharia law.

Marketing and consultancy for food trucks Lab Report

Marketing and consultancy for food trucks - Lab Report Example The consulting services for concepts, menu, and the graphics are availed (Festa, 2012). There are five key stages of the management consultancy process that are quite essential for a food truck industry. Once apparently followed the chances of the project failing are minimal. This stage is a major determinant of the food truck consultants, which provides they provide value that relies on the people that are served. The expectation from the team is frequently set at this point. When the roles are set, the parties involved are aware of what they are supposed to do to attain the goal of the business (Food company consultancy, 2009). The staffs are very flexible, and the choice of who to head the business is never a big deal. The flexibility offers a chance to select the most competent and the profitable personnel from the crew. The food truck consultants echo the cry of the crucial steps while signing the clients should be the establishment of the well-defined expectations to have defined roles. Once that is done, there is no likelihood of the friction while on the road since everyone knows his or her roles. This step is quite imperative in the food truck industry. The overall expectations on the touch points and the derivable set the project and let the clients know what their expectations and what they cannot expect. It is always important to take care not to be too ambitious at this stage. The next step to undertake while after this is to make sure that all that is set can be attained or if possible exceed the objective. At this point, it is imperative to get the team and gear to the customers to survey the field and have a clear expertise of the ground (Magazine, 2012). After getting the food truck industry, the consultants will spend their precious time with the customers in this phase. At this stage, problems may occur, so it is always the high time to figure out the probable source and act appropriately (Magazine, 2012).

Tuvan Throat Singing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tuvan Throat Singing - Essay Example Tuvan throat singing is done by individuals to mimic the sounds of nature, rivers and animals. One of the most important ways Tuvans could connect with nature was through music. Traditionally Tuvan music leaves open spaces in which nature can come in and add itself to the conversations. Shamans traditionally used music to call upon spirits, ancestors and connect with natural surrounds. Shepherds used music to call their herds and imitate galloping horses. Certain songs were performed for enjoyment and other music created while working. Tuvan singing, also known as Overtone or "throat" singing is unique to this region of Tuva and Mongolia. Simply put it is the harmonized sounds that they are able to produce from deep within their throats. Tuvan singers simultaneously use two or even three voices extracted from one singer. Overtone singing uses low, suspended grumbles with guttural timbre colouring coupled with its upper overtones that sound like high-pitched whistles. These overtones are caught and amplified by the head resonator. In some cases a special additional sub sound joins the lower sound producing the effect of solo three-voice singing. These diaphonics, emitting two or more overtones together, are used to evoke spirits or imitate sounds found in nature. There exist a number of Tuvan overtone-singing styles. ... The styles differ by pitch and timbre. Each style has its own distinctive expressive properties. Khoomei means all throat-singing and encompasses all styles. It can refer to the pressure one feels when throat-singing and also to chest resonance. This is not apparent when listening to recordings but only obvious when listening in person. Not only is khoomei a generic name but it is also a particular style. It is a soft-sounding style, with clear and diffused-sounding harmonics. The timbres are slightly muffled and there are two or more notes clearly audible. Kargyraa is a style the features intense croaking tones, very rich in harmonics. They are usually performed low in the singer's range. There are two major styles of Kargyraa, mountain (dag) and Steppe (xovu). Kargyraa is unique in that nothing feels like singing it. The description used is "a mouthful of sound". This style uses dual sound sources, using both the vocal and ventricular folds in the larynx. This style is the one Tuvan style that is most closely linked to vowel sounds. The mouth varies from a nearly closed "O" to an open one. However unlike most other singing there is no correlation between the vowel and the pitch. Mountain kargyraa is usually lower in pitch than Steppe. It can often include nasal effects. It features a strong low-chest resonance and not a lot of throat tension. Steppe Kangyraa is the opposite and features more throat tension and less chest resonance. It is usually sung at higher pitches and has a raspier sound. Sygyt is the highest and brightest style which uses the highest register of the voice. This can be used to perform complex and distinct melodies, with a tone similar to a flute. The flute or shoor was originally played by the shaman to attract spirits for

Abortion Essay Example for Free

Abortion Essay Lucinda Seongbae Eng : Persuasive essay on abortion Prof. Fitzgerald A Positive View on Pro Abortion Abortion has been a controversy for many years and viewed in many different perspectives. Some individuals see it from a very positive point when this is being caused by the nature of the womans health, the age and others. It may also be seen as a way of getting rid of an unwanted or accidental pregnancy for reasons that are positive and beneficial for most women. According to feminist perspectives on reproduction and the family, in some cases abortion can be a positive act depending on the cause. For instance, in the case of a rape, health reasons or in the case of having an unwanted child for reasons of age, marital status, and economical reasons abortion is a potent tool to undo some mistakes. However, whichever ways it is perceived abortion gives a woman the right to choose and should not be viewed as a negative act but instead can be seen as a positive act in most circumstances. Based on the many positive reasons for abortion, abortion should be supported. Concerning the womans health an abortion can be performed when the woman cannot hold the fetus for health reasons. For example a woman who has AIDs and the fetus infected already can obtain an abortion because there is no life for the baby. Also a woman who has cancer at an advanced stage cannot keep a child in her womb or she will risk dying at birth. In the case of some diseases, kidney disease, severe hypertension, sickle-cell anemia, severe diabetes, etc that can be life threatening, an abortion often helps to avoid serious medical complications from childbirth. This also brings emphasis to Roe V. Wade (1973), which granted women the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, based on an implicit fundamental right to privacy and argued that it must be weighed against competing state interests in maternal safety and the protection of prenatal life; it protected this right during the first trimester of pregnancy (Thompson, 50). At this juncture the person has very good justifications of her action and is considered a positive act on her part. Another positive issue concerning abortion is a situation where girls below fifteen years are pregnant. In such situation abortion is possible because the girls are too young for child bearing. Also in situations where very young girls have little or no health facilities to ensure safe delivery, such as in developing countries, abortion is the only possible answer in order to avoid some major complication. According to researcher Mayor, complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death in young women aged fifteen to nineteen in developing countries. An estimated 70,000 adolescent mothers die each year because they have children before they are physically ready for parenthood, and more than 90% of these births are in developing countries the report says (www. bmjjournals. com). In this case, if a girl of these ages chooses to get an abortion to avoid complications of childbirth and/or death she is only making a positive decision for her life. According to those against abortion or those who perceive abortion as a negative act, one would argue that since life begins at conception, abortion is akin to murder as it is the act of taking human life. Abortion is in direct defiance of the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life. In contrary, most abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother. As it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot be regarded as a separate entity as it cannot exist outside her womb. Therefore, in this case abortion cannot be considered murder. According to Thomson (1971), â€Å"if women have rights over their own bodies, then they have rights not to have their bodies used by others against their will† (Thompson, 35-65). Therefore, even if it is argued that the fetus is a human life, the state has no right to force someone to donate use of their body to another person, even if that person is in extreme need. Another may argue that those who choose abortions are often minors or young women with insufficient life experience to understand fully what they are doing. Many have lifelong regrets afterwards. In defense to that, teenagers who become mothers have grim prospects for the future. They are much more likely to leave school; receive inadequate prenatal care; rely on public ssistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or end up divorced. Teenage births are associated with lower annual income for the mother. According to researcher Stanley, eighty percent of teen mothers must rely on welfare at some point. Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of school. Only about one-third of teen mothers obtain a high school diploma. Teenage pregnancies are associated with increased rates of alcohol a nd substance abuse, and lower educational level (www. womenshealthchannel. com/teenpregnacy. index). In the modern world, abortions have become a norm of life and should not be looked upon as a negative act but an act of making a positive decision to undo some mistakes in life. Though women have been endowed with the gift of bearing a life form, an abortion gives them the option of whether they want to keep the present or not. However, an abortion should not be misunderstood for a convenience, as it does have its own advantages and disadvantages. The bigger picture that is being stressed is bodily integrity and self-ownership.

An Overview Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Nursing Essay

An Overview Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Nursing Essay An ambulatory surgery center is indication to the surgery that conducted without the need for overnight hospital stay. This term also recognized as outpatient surgery or same day surgery. This surgery in general not type of complicated surgery, it is simpler than the one which requiring hospitalization. This kind of ambulatory surgery is widely used in present time, where the cost of such surgery is low, simple and required less resources where for the inpatient it is essential to keep the patient in the hospital; that mean reserve bed for that patient in the hospital [1]. Another definition can be used here, that ambulatory surgery is the performance of planned surgical procedure with the patient being discharged on the same day [2]. The ambulatory surgery first found in 1909 by James Nicoll, a scottish surgeon, it was called by day case surgery. In 1912 Ralph Walter in the USA adopted this surgery type in the USA. It was unpopular until the 1960s and 1970s when the traditional surgeries became a bottleneck for most of the USAs Hospitals, where keeping the patient on holding list and admitted them in the hospital became more expensive, in addition the availability of beds decreased. Walter Reed introduced the ambulatory surgery to USAs hospital, since then patient manages improved significantly and rapidly with ensuring the patients fitness after discharge [2]. Ambulatory surgery form about 90% of all surgery performed nowadays in Canada and USA [6]. The day surgery can achieve high level of quality, cost effective and safe which lead to high level of patient satisfaction [6]. University of California at Los Angeles developed a hospital based on ambulatory surgery unit in 1962, then other units in the USA were op ened in 1966 At Gorge Washington university, until big number of ambulatory surgery is opened now in the USA and Canada [7]. Several associations created to developed a strategies and plans to adopt and improve the ambulatory surgery, one of these association is the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA), this association founded in the USA since 1974, another 12 national association formed and become member of the International Association for Ambulatory Surgery (IAAS) [8] The advantages from ambulatory surgery system are varied in type, some of these advantages related to patient and their family and some related to the hospitals and the healthcare system as whole. Those advantages for the patient that they will receive more attention from the healthcare team, because the ambulatory surgery designed to serve that patient [9]. The ambulatory patient will return home after receiving the treatment, so it is better to well manage the day surgery units and provide the patient with treatment which allowed them to continue recovering at their family home environment. Small mistakes that could happen for inpatient will not occur to the ambulatory surgery patient, like missing drug or shot or give different medicine for patient, because in the ambulatory surgery patient is always having everything in plan and no mistakes there [10]. Day surgery is better for children than inpatient surgery where the children will not be separated from their family for long time. The children will be less stressful and feel more comfortable because they can join back their family after that surgery finish [11]. In the European Charter of Childrens Rights states that children should be admitted to hospital only if the care they require cannot be equally well provided at home or on a day basis [12]. Other main important advantage is that scheduling for ambulatory surgery is much easier and less complicated for registration. Furthermore the day surgery will not be cancelled because an emergency admission likes what happen to inpatient surgery. The recovery period for ambulatory surgery patient is faster than inpatient, this allowing to patient to return to the normal life sooner [13]. For the hospital the benefit is more in way of management way where the efficient for providing surgery and the flow is less risky where everything is scheduled and prepared without facing cancelation, this offer more utilization for the facility and resources and give the patient more booking choice [14]. All healthcare organizations are having problem with budgets and limit funds and the patient demand also increased at the same time, the new treatment way for making same day surgery operation is cutting down the cost and reduce the demand for saving beds and resources for inpatient who waiting their surgery to place; while the ambulatory surgery patient receiving high quality and effective treatment those inpatient having shortage sometimes because limitation and long scheduling [8]. (b) Discuss their evolution in the United State. The first found of ambulatory surgery was between 1864 and 1921 by James Nicoll while his working in Sick Childrens Hospital and Dispensary in Glasgow, Scotland. Most of his operation was on special condition like phimosis, mastoid disease, cleft palate and spina bifida that all were done in daily basis, where the children received treatment within the same day. James Nicoll reported that 8988 paediatric cases were success in 1909 [2]. Since that time to 1948 nothing changed and the ambulatory surgery did not change in the way to adopting it, in 1984 British Medical Journal reported that surgeon allows a patient to leave hospital within 14 days of an intestinal operation [15]. The idea was adopt by different surgery around the world but none designed a unit for ambulatory surgery, until 1962 when a hospital build a unit at the University of California at Los Angeles, USA based on Nicolls concept [16]. Another unit opened within USA at George Washington University in 1966, after that in 1968 another unit designed in Providence, Rhode Island [17]. Reed and Ford both opened their Surgicenter in Phoenix, Arizona in 1969; it was the first similar idea to what Nicolls units was [7]. In period between 1970s and 1980s a large number of day units opened in Canada, the USA, the UK and Australia and started reporting in medical journals the benefits of having day surgery and the procedures and the way of adopting them. The key elements of those publications were the quality, cost effectiveness and safety of these ambulatory surgeries, and they published in different places like Orkand Corporation in the USA, the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Audit Commission in the UK and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons of Australia [18-22]. Different association started to form in order to organize the work of ambulatory surgery units and deliver the new technique and methods to other units and maximize the benefit of having ambulatory unit attached to the hospital and separate surgery unit. Their Main goal is to promote quality standard expansion, education and research in the field of ambulatory surgery centers. The first foundation was the Society for the Advancement of Freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Centers (FASC) which now known as Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA), that association founded in the USA in 1974. Another 12 American association decided to form in 1995, and all become members of the International Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (IAAS) [8]. (c). How do ambulatory surgery centers influence healthcare delivery? In healthcare delivery system it is important to provide the patient with the appropriate treatment according to his/her case with high quality and effectively. The inpatient facing some difficulties in booking a date and time for his/her surgery and sometime they need to stay in the hospital for recovery, this amount of load on the hospital may lead to some mistake in healthcare delivery process where mostly happened in medication is. This scenario cost the hospital a lot of resources and dollars in order to fixing them, this misleading in manage the inpatient, most likely, not found in ambulatory surgery patient. The amount of accuracy the treatment deliver is high, moreover the quality and efficiency also acceptable. According to the nurse who their ages averages between 41 year in the UK and 45 in the USA, the ambulatory surgery unit is more attractive to them, where they need more time to spent with their family and the needs for weekend and overnight will decreasing. With fixed schedules for surgery in ambulatory surgery unit it gives the opportunity for nursing to work overtime with more efficiency and effectiveness. The efficiency of nurses in surgery is important where it cannot reach the highest value in the normal inpatient surgery which may be taken over night or weekend. [8]. According to the cost of inpatient surgery compared to the ambulatory surgery it can be significantly different, usually for inpatient surgery reserving bed for patient is important without knowing the period of time that patient need for recovery and weekend and night staff is necessary, these two facts added cost to the hospital where if it is ambulatory surgery the need for hospitalization time will be reduced and night/weekend staff is not required. In the ambulatory surgery units the time and staff are used more intensively and effectively. The average unit cost savings of between 10% and 70% is documented in case of having ambulatory surgery rather than inpatient surgery [8, 18]. The improvement of patient throughput is one of the advantages of having day surgery unit [14], another benefit is to provide an enhanced patient service in a cost effective manner [8]. For Children most cases are performed in ambulatory surgery unit, it is rule, unless it is necessary to consider them as inpatient. This will reduce the stress on the patient and their parents also elder people will recover fast in their home after having one day treatment in the hospital. The way of deliver the treatment in that way will improve the patient satisfaction and improve the efficiency of the healthcare [12]. If we consider the study of patient turnaround time and length of stay, these two measurements are good indicator of how effective is the healthcare treatment was, less length of stay is the case where we have ambulatory surgery unit working and the aim is to reduce the time that spend between starting the triage until the patient discharge. The quality of treatment is also a case where we need to consider less variability of process and high patient satisfaction, less autonomy is the key point in the ambulatory surgery units where everything is schedule and designed in way to have best treatment without mistakes. The load inside the hospital to reserve beds and prepare the beds, is major problem in present time where the demand is increased, the ambulatory surgery unit has fixed amount of resources and can server special cases (minor surgery) more efficient and effective. Inpatient surgery may facing a case where their scheduled surgery may canceled because emergency case come, the other cases can also be seen where the operation is canceled because lack of resources. Either case cannot be found in the ambulatory surgery units. All these leads to better quality, resources effective, cost effective, more satisfaction, time utilization and decrease the demands. (d). Describe the factors that impact the establishment of an ambulatory surgery center. Two main factors should be considered in order to establish a successful ambulatory surgery unit: It must provide operative service of high standards of quality and safety at least equal to those of inpatient care. It must be both patient and cost efficient such that it provide high levels of patient satisfaction and is financially sustainable. [8] The ambulatory surgery centers usually formed from different facilities in the hospital, each facility has it unique characteristic and because of this uniqueness the ambulatory surgery units has to fulfilled these need. In general there are four categories of facility: Hospital integrated facility: in this type of facility the patients of ambulatory surgery are treated in partial or total through the inpatient units. Self-contained unit on hospital site: in such units the ambulatory surgery is performed in separate units, units build only for one day surgery and they are total separate from inpatient units. Freestanding self-contained units: those units look like the units which existed in the hospital. Physicians office-based unit: this is a limited resource units it can operate small surgery. Several criterions can be used in designing the ambulatory surgery centers; one of these criterions is the surgical, there is wide range of procedures followed the surgery and attached to the operation. The resources needed and space for this kind of surgery is important factor effect establishing ambulatory surgery centers [8]. Other criterion is social, it is important criteria because the patient discharge to the environment, the social should be prepared for receiving patient and provides him/her with the suitable resources for recovering, and most of the cases the nurses asked the ambulatory surgery patient to keep the center updated to his/her status [8]. The patient age is another criterion affected the establishment of ambulatory surgery center, two ages range can benefits from ambulatory surgery centers the children and extreme ages [23]. Type of patient is also another factor, which patient is appropriate to considered as ambulatory surgery patient, if the patients need more attention they should be admitted as inpatient. (e). What are the challenges that hospitals face while implementing an ambulatory surgery center? Please (very briefly) describe them. As the demand on the ambulatory surgery increasing it is become necessary to discuss the challenges that facing the hospitals while implementing an ambulatory surgery center. It is important to identify these challenges and trying to control them to keep the quality and performance level high in the ambulatory surgery centers. Patient satisfaction is one of these difficulties that challenging the hospital to implementing the ambulatory surgery, it is hard to measure this amount of satisfaction and there is no certain baseline for this measure, but in general the patient is satisfied as long as that process goes as his/her expectation, which vary from patient to another according to their background and educations [24]. The productivity in the ambulatory surgery units can be measured using five types indicators [26]: Labor: because the nature of work in health care is based on labor, then the outcomes commonly represent service, with labor as input to the system the outcome could be clinic visits. Supplies: the output from this could be ambulatory surgery procedures. Equipment: Diagnostic tests are one of the possible outcomes. Facilities: that leads to home health and visits. Capital: Physical therapy treatments. One of the challenging is the ensuring employee motivation, with the amount of work they have in ambulatory surgery units the employee performance can be reduced by time, then the quality will be reduced because the employee is the key element here. In order to keep the employee as good as they could be, then one suggestion can be applying a Japanese management techniques happy employee is a productive employee. This idea has been discussed by Tabatabai in 1983 [27]. Another important terms is the motivation, the managers should provide the ambulatory surgery centers with a staff which motivate the employee during their works in that health care centers [26]. Improving the productivity of employee will not be separate from keeping the same level of quality or improving it, that is one of the challenges that facing the ambulatory surgery centers now days. The quality in the ambulatory surgery units should be taken from customers perspective, here the customers are both patient and physician; for example the waiting time from customers point of view is important and that duration should be very low. Scheduling is one of the problems in ambulatory surgery centers. All of the participants in health care (Patient, physician, and employee) should be prepared at the same time and processing the health care for same period of time, that is hard part to ensure the that load is distributed along the day, for some cases the maximum load at the morning and noon, but at midnight the load is less. Some engineering and system engineering tools and techniques are useful to solve this problem [26]. The number of outpatient and the patient in ambulatory is growing rapidly; the managers should manage the growing without direct them to another hospital or clinic is important strategy need very good management skills. That is one of difficulties that facing the ambulatory surgery centers. The challenging can be summarized as follow: Scheduling which can be happened because the numbers of patient is growing so fast and the need for good scheduling. Motivation: the employee performance is reducing while the number of patient is increasing and in the nearly future the needs for new strategy to motivate the employee. Patient satisfaction: with the number of patient increasing the number of different type of surgery in ambulatory surgery will increase. The need to standardized the procedure is growing. (f).Briefly illustrate the role of Industrial and Systems Engineering or Operations Management tools such as total quality management, process mapping, scheduling, etc., in establishing an effective and efficient ambulatory surgery center using at least two case studies or applications based on the literature. In the ambulatory surgery center the quality is essential rule to keep the performance and outcomes at acceptable level, also customer satisfaction is important in way to provide him/her with the wide range of treatment they required. At this step a continuous improvement and evaluation tools are the key element for ambulatory surgery centers to survive. A study suggested having a clinical indicators and acceptable thresholds that are relevant to daily practice, that will lead to easy measured and analyze the process parameters [25]. Modeling and simulation tool is good in way to provide the managers and the leader of ambulatory surgery units with virtual units where they can check the effect of increasing the demand on this type of surgery, where the most of hospital are looking to move their minors surgery to be done in separate units and leave the operation theater for the cases which need high attention and care. Enterprise-management tools, other useful tools to manage the ambulatory surgery units the idea is that units need to be managed as subsystem of the biggest system (Hospital). The interaction between hospital and ambulatory surgery units can provide these units and hospital with large amount of information of different cases and symptom that comes daily to the ambulatory surgery units and emergency department. In general industrial and system engineering tools can help the ambulatory surgery centers in different way, decrease the cost by decreasing the length of stay for patient: because most of the cases in the day surgery unit is normal and repeatable surgery (most of them are easy not complicated surgery) then the procedure can be standardized, this standardization will reduce the cost by removing the unnecessary process from the units. It is know that the nature of hospital is not same and there is high level of variation between different cases, this problem can be reduced in th e ambulatory surgery centers. Any engineering and system tools or techniques can be very useful in ambulatory surgery centers, in mean of the capabilities of providing the patient with excellent treatment within short period of time, both will result to patient satisfaction and improving the patient recovery time after leaving the ambulatory surgery centers, and also reduce the cost on ambulatory surgery center by reducing the number of employee and resources needed, because the good engineering tools mean less waste and more efficiently for both employee and resources. It can be summarized into following points: Decreased salaries expense by reducing the staffing requirements. Greater patient satisfaction through reduced waiting times. Increases employee satisfaction because workload is evenly distributed and activity levels do not create a hurry up and wait environment. Increases physician satisfaction because operations are more efficient and patients are more satisfied.

Modernism and New Criticism Essay -- Modernism New Criticism Literatur

Modernism and New Criticism The ways in which we define the importance of texts is constantly changing. We can look back and see critical theories used, such as Historical Criticism, Reader-Response Criticism and Psychoanalytic Criticism. Each of these theories offers a different way to interpret a text. However, when looking back over the texts of a specific era, shouldn’t the type of criticism we used for a book be based on that time period? Defining the Modernist Era of literature seems almost impossible, since the definition of modernism often seems to constitute anything from being â€Å"new and common† to â€Å"new and uncommon† (Barzun). This term seems to be able to stretch from the 1500’s to present; but for the sake of this essay the Modernist Era in question is that from the early twentieth century (circa 1910-1940’s). Out of, and during, this era the critical theory named New Criticism came into play. Although, nowadays, the use of New Criticism is unpopular, it is essential to use when defining the Modernist Era. Even though New Criticism isn’t used anymore, many of its basic constructs are. For example, the idea of close reading and using textual evidence (as will be done in this essay) are characteristics that were important to New Criticism. Now it is practically impossible to be in an English class, be it high school or college, and not have to use these skills when talking about a text. New Criticism basically theorized that the text itself was the most important aspect of writing; therefore, to understand the meaning of a piece of literature one must look to, and in, the text, rather than trying to define it by outside components, such as those used in Historical and Biographical Criti... ...120). The text itself is one we can always count on and find meaning in, since it always there, unchanging. Work Cited Barzun, Jacques. â€Å"The Artist as Prophet and Jester†. The American Scholar. 69.1 (Winter 2000): 15-33. Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2003. Eliot, TS. â€Å"The Waste Land†. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. Ed. Jahan Ramazani. New York: Norton, 2003. 472-487. Eliot, TS. â€Å"Tradition and the Individual Talent†. The Sacred Wood. London: Methune, 1920. http://www.bartleby.com/200/sw4.html Faulkner, William. Light in August. New York: Vintage Books, 1932. Thody, Philip. Twentieth-Century Literature: Critical Issues and Themes. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996. Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1999. 117-152.

Human Capital Management Essay

â€Å"It is important for HR Management in managing the knowledge capital of an organization and aligning it with organization’s strategic plan†. Critically assess the strategic role of HCM and challenges of managing the knowledge capital in an organization that you are familiar. The organization that I would like to choose is Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Terengganu (JPNT). JPNT consists of more than 400 workforce and this agency is responsible for administrative and policy executioner of Ministry of Education in the whole Terengganu. In JPNT, there is a small unit of Human Resource Department and this department has 20 staffs. However, until the last day of my service there, the HR department did not establish any single policy about human capital management. Therefore I will attempt to answer this question while recommending what should be done by JPNT to succeed in maximizing their human capital. Before we discuss further the strategic role of HCM and challenges that had to be overcome by HCM specialist, let us look at the technical definition of this question. Knowledge capital is defined by Business Dictionary as the â€Å"know how† that results from the experience, information, knowledge, learning, and skills of the employees of an organization. Of all the factors of production, knowledge capital creates the longest lasting competitive advantage. It may consist entirely of technical information or may reside in the actual experience or skills acquired by the individuals (BusinessDictionary. com 2012) . Knowledge capital is an essential component of human capital. Human Capital is defined by (Baron and Armstrong 2007) as the knowledge, skills, abilities and capacity to develop and innovate possessed by people in the organization. This is one of the attributes of the intellectual capital. Intellectual capital is defined by the same author as the stocks and flows of knowledge available to an organization. It is categorized into three categories namely human capital, social capital and organizational capital. These capitals are usually combined with the physical resources which are the financial and physical assets for the purpose of value creation to the firm. As cited by (Sveiby 1998)Tom Stewart who in his June 1991 article Brain Power – How Intellectual Capital Is Becoming America’s Most Valuable Asset, proposed the importance of intellectual capital to the management agenda. He defined intellectual capital in his article as: the sum of everything everybody in your company knows that gives you a competitive edge in the market place. Knowledge Management consists of managerial activities that focus on the development and control of knowledge in an organization to fulfill organizational objectives. (Sveiby 1998) Therefore it means that the integration of all management activities that focus on development and control of knowledge is what we call as knowledge management. Challenges of managing knowledge capital in JPNT will be diffused together as I explained about the role of HCM in the organization. Knowledge management is defined as the process of storing and sharing the wisdom, understanding and expertise accumulated in an organization about its processes, techniques and operations (Baron and Armstrong 2007). Therefore, the data that should be synthesized and acquired should explain the organization’s activity for instance the achievement of the employees in knowledge sharing among them and ensure that the knowledge is maximized in terms of its usage. Everybody must share their skill, knowledge and experience without any malicious intentions for the purpose of maximizing the performance of JPNT. However, it brings challenges to HR specialist in JPNT as it is not a culture of sharing. Some of the staffs afraid to share their know how because they thought that by doing so, it might jeopardized their career envelopment in the future. HR specialist overcomes this by implementing a fair assessment indicator to measure their performance without favoritism, nepotism and biasness. In my opinion, the most important attributes that distinguish Human Resource (HR) with Human Capital Management is the element of the workers as assets. As discussed by (Baron and Armstrong 2007) human capital theory emphasized on regarding people as assets of the organization, and investment in people will generate long run return. Scarborough and Elias noted that human capital theory is similar to physical capital theory but they differ in terms of the reference for human capital theory is made to people and skills while in physical capital theory reference is made to plant and equipments. Both emphasized on value creations to firm. Thus by applying this theory, JPNT needs to redefine the cost associated with training and development and career progression as the investment that will create value for the agency. Staff that undergoes training must be ensured that the new skills matched with their job description and the staff is using that new knowledge in order to effectively execute their job. For instance, the weekly training is not supposed to be done by the JPNT if on the purpose of fulfilling the quotas of training hours. Remuneration is not under JPNT’s jurisdictions however JPNT can recommend the salary of their staff to PSD (Public Service Department). Accepting staff as the asset of the organization will be mutually benefit to both parties involved. On the employee’s part, they will be feeling more motivated, appreciated thus will contribute better in their performances. As for the organization, it will boost the overall organization’s performance, decrease turnover rate, absenteeism and other negative behavior of the staffs. However this theory is not agreed by some scholar for instance Davenport(1999). Davenport argued that worker must not be treated as assets because of three main reasons. The first reason is workers cannot be brought, sold and replaced by their owner. Secondly, the principle of this theory is unacceptable and inappropriate in practice is because workers cannot be owned by the firm as the firm owned plants and machines. Lastly, there is not absolute way of calculating human value-no convincing method of attaching financial value to human resources. Therefore, treating workers sorely based on assets can create drawback to the organization. The interpretation of this concept should be made carefully and it should match with the objective of the organization. It is also not an easy task to convince the top management since the culture of bureaucracy is very strong in JPNT. The next part, I will discuss about the strategic role of HCM. HCM’s role as stated in the book Human Capital Management by Baron and Armstrong, HCM acts as business partner of the firm. Secondly, they are also responsible in developing, analyzing and using business data. Thirdly, they are also responsible for enhancing job engagement and commitment, fourthly, they are responsible to build ‘Business Case’ and lastly, they are also responsible for engaging with the other function of the organization. (Baron and Armstrong 2007)These points will be elaborated one by one in below. For the first one HCM acts as the business partner with the top management of the organization. This concept was introduced by Ulrich in 1998 where the author proposed that HR specialist should be share responsibility with management people to run the business. They must have the ability to understand and exploit opportunities and HR specialist themselves must understand how their role could help in achieving the objective of the organizations. Ulrich suggested that in order for the organization to create value, HR professionals must carry out their responsibility as strategic partners, administrative experts, employees’ advocates and as driver of changes. This can be done through strategy execution, improved planning by thorough discussion on how the firm should be organized to carry out the strategies. HR engagement with operating and marketing function is essentials in ensuring that all of their initiatives will become successful by answering the following issues- whether the initiatives is best aligned with strategy implementations, they make selection based on priority, and lastly the evaluations of the initiatives should be indicate positive linkage to business result. HR specialist must act as employee advocate, human capital developer, functional expert, strategic partner and lastly as leader in terms of HR function. However, the premise â€Å"HCM act as business partner† did not agreed by all practitioners. Tim Miller and Alex Wilson reported by Smethurst(2005) and Pickard(2005) are the examples of the top management who disagree with this premise. Convincing the top management will not going to be easy. Still HCM emphasized on the importance of evaluation of what had been happen within the organization and it also provides basis for value adding strategist. Therefore, according to this theory, HCM in this case the HR specialist in the human resource department should work together with the top management of JPNT in ensuring the creation of value to the firm. The value that we meant here is creating competitive human capital that at the end of the day this human capital will be able to serve successfully to their customers thus deliver excellence business service for the organizations. Secondly, HR is responsible to develop, analyze and use human capital data. The measurements that must be developed by HR should be able to measure issues relating to workforce, capable of measuring the levels and trends in performance achieved by both individual and business, can measure the impact of HR policies and practices on business performance or what Mercer HR Consulting called as â€Å"Business Impact Modeling†. It is also expected that HR should be able in building an effective measurement to measure the effectiveness of line manager in applying HR policies and the measurement tools should be able to measure the effectiveness of HR function (Baron and Armstrong 2007). The workforce matrix should provide data which allows the business to measure the key characteristics of the people it employs. Understanding the relationship between workforce matrix and people management is very important because the workforce matrix focus on the influences business performance and show the business of what need to be done to improved the added value from human capital resources. Therefore, HR cannot simply gain data without proper implementations of specific procedures and standards because gaining accurate data will never be easy. The data accuracy will show the current situation and trends of human capital within the organizations. In JPNT, the typical tool to measure the human capital is Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in human resource department reflect the organizational goal. They matched the number of training and types of training according to the need of the staff. Therefore KPI’s adopt by Human Resource department is quantifiable; they are defined in terms of the feedback that they gain through exit training survey. This KPI however is not emphasized on skills retention that the staff gained on the training. They are not focus workers as the assets of an organization; therefore, I think there are a lot of improvement needs to be carried out to improve this measurement method. Next, is on the aspect of measuring the overall performance. Human Resource department use Balance Score Card that is developed by Beatty et. Al (2005) to measure them. Balance Score Card highlighted four important aspects which are customer perspectives, internal perspectives, innovations and learning perspectives and lastly the financial perspectives. This scorecard focuses on balanced representation and analysis of data. In HR, four dimensions are being highlighted which are HR competencies, its practices, systems and deliverables. On the aspect of financial performance, the HR department always runs cost benefit analysis to choose the best trainer to train their staff or just simply using the internal sources that they have. Productivity is measure when the training course that undergo by the staff is beneficial and the new knowledge are continuously used by the staff. The operational impact or effectiveness is measure for instance creation of successful training course to the staff and when the staff perceived such programs contribute to their career developments. Lastly, is in terms of customer service. Through continuous training programs, the staffs become more skillful in treating the customers thus more of them will be delighted. Measuring the impact of HR policies and practices are one of the toughest roles of HR specialist. This is because it is hard to determine â€Å"causation†-what actions or factors that are specially cause the performance (Baron and Armstrong 2007). Genome II is a model that was developed by National Building Society proved statistically that the more committed the employee, the happier the customer will. Genome project had focus on recruitment and retention, deeper understanding of the commitment of the employees, reward system that is more transparent and flexible, increase the effectiveness of the execution on the first line management, promotes recognitions, and develop a culture where both managers and their subordinates demonstrate right behaviors. Focus area of GenomeII could act as a benchmark to be applied in JPNT. Effectiveness of the line manager could be improved with the intervention HCM (Bohlander and Snell 2010). Guidance, help and further training is available in case where they need them. With this, it was hoped that line managers can carry out their people management responsibilities effectively. For instance if the line manager of JPNT encounter any unsolved problem or the problem is not routine, they can always refers to HCM specialist to guide them. Human resource should be measure to indicate whether they are executing their role and meet the target of their department. Tsui and Gomez-Mejia (1998) cited in (Baron and Armstrong 2007) had clarified the distinction between process criteria- how well things are done and output criteria- the effectiveness of the end result. To distinguish them, ‘utility approach’ by Boudreau(1998) can be applied. Beside this approach, HR performances can also be measured using points suggested by Likierman (2005) that the budget allocation is in line with HR objectives- means HR has a say in changes in implementing the strategy, analyze and interpret the reason behind it, comparing internal and external benchmarking, enhance the usage face to face discussion to gain the feedback, and lastly the measurement should not expect to measure something that is impossible, and they should be noted that many problems just being mitigated, instead of being solved, and this is harmful to the JPNT. Another important role of HCM is in the terms of promoting job engagement and commitment. Job engagement happens when people are willing to commit to their work and willing to perform excellently in their job. Hay Group defined engage performance as a result that is stimulated by employee’s enthusiasm for their work and direct it to the success of the organizations. On the other hand, organizational commitment is defined as the recognition of goals and values of the organization, a sense of belonging to the organization and willingness to contribute effort for the organization (Baron and Armstrong 2007). Organization commitment and job engagement can be created by JPNT if JPNT set a great place to work, HR people promotes positive discretionary behavior, create excellence total reward policy and constantly measure job engagement and commitments. JPNT should provide conductive working environment- comfortable in nature, ergonomics, make sure that the job prospect is parallel with training, appraisal, and the superior staff should take care of the welfare of their subordinates. JPNT can adopt the criteria suggested by The Sunday Times in identifying the best 100 companies which are leadership of senior management level, good relation with their superiors, have the opportunities of personal growth and developments, balanced work-life issues, cooperativeness between colleagues, my company- the way JPNT treats its staff and lastly the fair deal- pay and benefits are provided to all, without nepotism and biasness. The superior should also act in discretion manner; it means that not everything must be solved black and white. For instance, if one of the subordinates absent for their work with a concrete reason, the superior should not punish he or her. Reward is categorized into two which are transactional reward (tangible reward-the pay and benefits) and relational reward (intangible reward-learning and development and work environment). That is the responsibility of HR to create the best reward model that can motivate their employees in the future. The tangible reward is easily to be copied by the competitors as everyone have the capability to pay and gives benefit for instance dental plan, but the intangible reward it harder to be imitated thus increase the chances of sustaining the firm’s competitive advantages. Next, another role for HR professionals is as strategist. Strategist here means HR professional should be able to address long term issues related to management and development of people and the employment relationships. This role is clearly demonstrated when HR professional are being regarded as business partner- they have the persuasion power to influence the top managers to develop business strategies that are maximizing the potential of human capital. (Baron and Armstrong 2007) As we discussed earlier, people are the assets of the organizations, thus they are one of the resource to achieve and sustain competitive advantage of JPNT HCM is also responsible to develop a good business case. Baron and Armstrong 2007) As I discussed previously, HR specialist should be able to persuade top management, a good business case can act as one of the convincing evidences on why the top management should agree to HR specialist’s proposals. The case should show how the purposed course will add value in terms of income will exceed the cost or by executing the proposal, it will yield positive return on investments (Bohlander and Snell 2010). The business case should present on how the available human capital data will impact on key areas of organization’s operation, show how it will the proposal will increase the business competitive edge, or presenting a successful pilot projects to be implemented to the entire organization, the proposal can be implemented without much hassles, it will also able to enhance the employer’s brand by promoting JPNT as the best place to work and lastly the points, data are presented in neat manner, simple and easy to understand. Challenges for managing knowledge are knowledge acquisition, knowledge modeling, knowledge retrieval, knowledge reuse and knowledge maintenance. In JPNT it is hard to get the information needed and turn the information to become useable. For instance, it is hard to transform the tacit knowledge to become explicit knowledge, to identify the gaps in knowledge, and difficult to acquire and integrate the knowledge that is cross departmental and different expertise. Therefore, it is important for the HR specialist in JPNT to be able to create an approach that is able to integrate all knowledge in the organization so that it can be benefited to all. On the top of that, knowledge modeling is also can be another obstacle for HR specialist in managing knowledge capital in the organization. The challenge that is faced by JPNT HR specialist is how to use the knowledge available in solving problems because knowledge possessed by staffs are varies from one another (Bhojaraju 2005). To overcome this, HR departments had introduce mentor and protege program. As a conclusion, the roles that are played by HCM are indeed complex and requires HR specialists to be able to multitasking, possessed multidisciplinary of knowledge and wide range of skills to execute their roles perfectly thus enable them to overcome the challenges of managing knowledge capital in JPNT. Top managements should also give full cooperation in favor of HCM so that the utilization of knowledge capital in JPNT could be maximized.