Human Resource Management and Organizational Culture

A human resources (HR) department plays a vital role in any large organization. The department is responsible for recruiting highly skilled individuals who carry out specific duties, and also has to develop loyalty and enhance the morale of employees in the company. The HR also deals with issues concerning performance evaluation, employee benefits and compensation, and adherence to company and personnel policies.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Human Resource Management and Organizational Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The department is therefore responsible for developing a favorable corporate culture that serves these purposes within an organization. Without a capable HR department to hire, culture, and inform employees, the company is destined to fail. Microsoft Corporation, a US-based multinational technology company, is one of the biggest and most successful firms in the world. For a com pany of such a high level to compete in the technology industry, investment in the brightest minds is vital for it to retain its market leadership status. Microsoft has always been regarded as a great employer because of its attractive remunerations, benefit programs and work culture. As the company grew rapidly in size in the 1990s, however, it lost most of the important aspects in its corporate culture that had made it the favorable destination for job-seekers. People began to feel that the company was too big, resulting into several disadvantages for the employees. People who left said that bureaucracy had increased and internal politics had started to dominate in regular proceedings in addition, key decisions were only approved by top management, hence discouraging the culture of risk taking and innovation. The number of middle managers had also increased as the company added more layers of management due to its enlarged workforce, thus slowing down the decision making process. Microsoft was trying to a great extent, to fit everybody in various roles and creating new job positions, but wasn’t paying attention to some of the underlying problems that come with a large workforce. By increasing the number of management levels, the organizational structure changed and became tall and rigid. A tall vertical structure resulted into lesser roles for the various management levels, which restricted employee freedom and responsibilities. The tall hierarchical structure made it difficult to communicate messages and ideas especially if they have to go through each layer of administration.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Morale among employees decreased since it became unclear how the promotion ladder looked like. Therefore, company policy, administration and working conditions may lead to job dissatisfaction if they are not favorable towards t he employees. In the late 1990s, the top management at Microsoft decided to take a comprehensive restructuring of the company. The main aim of the program was to change the company’s attention from being product oriented to customer oriented. The program was also intended to counter some of the drawbacks of its large size and form a new culture at Microsoft. Higher level managers were given more power so as to speed up the decision making process in order to encourage innovativeness. In the early 2000s, several of Microsoft’s former and current African-American and female employees filed discrimination charges against the company, resulting into a negative public image. The lawsuits accused the company of unfair promotion and performance evaluations methods, unequal pay packages and wrongful termination of employment. The lawsuits were subsequently converted into class action suits to cater for all former and current black and female employees respectively. The lawsuit s also specified that Microsoft managers were allowed to exercise discretion when making performance evaluation, which tended to reveal racial and gender biasness. Microsoft refuted all these claims by saying that it had always been committed to diversity. Microsoft started to take measures that would boost its public image, such as being more open and respectful towards others. It also committed itself towards enhancing communication to a form that would be acceptable by its employees. The bad publicity led to a sharp decline in stock prices in the period between late 1999 and mid-2000. Stock options were then perceived as the major contributor of employee benefits, and the low stock prices meant that they no longer served as the motivating factor. Steve Ballmer became the CEO in 2000, and faced an uphill task of motivating employees and lowering the high staff turnover. (Chakraborty, 2010 151)Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Human Resource Managem ent and Organizational Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Microsoft’s profits declined sharply in the following, from year 2000’s US$ 9 billion to 2002’s US$ 5 billion. In order to cut costs and improve on its bottom line, Microsoft decided to reduce some of its employees’ benefits in 2004. Some of the cut-backs included a reduction of the percentage discount on the stock options from the current 15 percent to 10 percent, a reduction in the vacation time for new employees from three weeks per year for two years to two weeks per year. Employees were directed to make a US$ 40 co-payment in case they chose to buy brand-name drugs instead of buying FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approved generic equivalents of the said drugs. Microsoft also instructed new parents to take 4 weeks of paid leave within the first 6 months of parenting, which came with an additional 8 weeks of unpaid leave. Although the se measures were meant to save the company an estimated US$ 1 billion per year, they were not received well by employees as the staff attrition rate increased from 6.7 percent to 9.4 percent between 2002 and 2004. Due to inflation, family requirements and other personal needs, benefits are an integral part of an employee’s job, which affects their level of satisfaction and commitment towards the company. Many companies today have to choose between profits and appealing benefit programs. If an organization opts for profits, it risks lowering employee motivation or even losing a few good employees to competitors. A company should therefore aim at maintaining its qualified employees by ensuring job satisfaction, since the cost of losing good employees is usually higher than the cost of retaining them. Employees are more powerful now than in later years due to increased job opportunities and growing economies. They expect an employer to offer reasonable pay, vacation time, pensio n plans as well as other benefits. Microsoft in this instance failed to consider what motivated the employees when it started to concentrate solely in its own needs. By cutting back on the benefit program, Microsoft was already taking steps that were sure to de-motivate the people.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus from the above, employees also don’t like a work environment characterized by too many rules since they always feel like they are the ones who are being targeted. Companies should therefore play a balancing act of meeting their goals while maintaining the needs of their staff. Targeting employees’ benefits in a cost restructuring program will cause employees to be disengaged at work, which leads to further costs for the company. Disengaged workers will also be less loyal to the company, thus causing a significantly high employee turnover rate. Companies ought to involve employees in the formulation of policies and ask for feedback before implementation of new policies, rather than announcing their date of effect, as was the case with Microsoft. Employees at Microsoft were beginning to get frustrated by the changes in the company to such an extent that began calling themselves ‘Microserfs’. The mood in the workplace was dampened by even the slightest o f changes, such as the removal of towels in the locker rooms. The HR department had not anticipated such an effect on the workers, claiming that the benefits in place were still far better than the industry’s standards. Microsoft’s delay in launching a key product, Windows Vista, also lowered the employee’s spirits and they began to wonder why all those decisions were being made. Ballmer decided to change the head of the HR department so as to counter personnel grievances. (Kanfer, 2008 45). Lisa Brummel was appointed as the head of the HR department in April 2005, and was given the task of motivating and retaining the employees. She first realized that the company had to change from its previous ‘one size fits all’ system to a diverse system that incorporated the needs of individual employees. The system that was in place applied to all workers without paying attention to their individual requirements. Clearly, Microsoft was not in touch with its e mployees’ needs. In this case, communication in such a system is ‘one way’, as the top management imposes its requirements on all employees without asking for feedback thus, employees will tend to believe that they are not valued by the company, which results in low motivation and instances where employees talk negatively about the company with their peers. A work environment that is perceived to be fair and consistent gives employees little to criticize about. A favorable work place enables employees to focus more on their work and contribution towards the company, rather than gossip and unrest. A new policy should therefore be explained to the staff beforehand, so that the employees understand its intention and whether it is necessary. If such a policy has never been implemented in the past, employees have a right to know why management has decided to enforce it. Employees also prefer an environment where expectations are clear, and where rules apply to everyon e in the organization. A key aspect to consider in creating job satisfaction is the capability of an employee to realize that there are potential opportunities for career growth and promotion. Employees who are given opportunities to better their careers at an organization will tend to be more productive, and will save the company the time and costs incurred in recruitment exercises. Training programs should aim in developing employees by first realizing individual interests. If well perfected, these programs will develop future company leaders who may lead to good results since they have grown with, and fully understand the company. Brummel made efforts to communicate with the employees so at to identify areas that led to work dissatisfaction. She realized that even though Microsoft offered satisfactory salaries, workers were not content on the current performance appraisal system. Employees also said that they did not fully understand the compensation and benefit programs. Microso ft therefore lacked clear criteria for providing recognition. Brummel responded by introducing the ‘myMicrosoft’ program which offered features such as career development, various discounts, management training as well as on-campus services, which caused mixed reactions. The ‘myMicrosoft’ plan involved a career development program, which enabled the company’s employees to plan their careers by elaborating on a promotion plan. Management training was meant to enhance accountability and roles among managers. Employees could also get discounts on various services such as vehicle repair and housekeeping. On-campus services such as food options and access to laundry and dry-cleaning were also meant to enhance employee welfare. She also started an internal blog and an intranet portal where employees could write their suggestions. The compensation and performance evaluation system that was previously in place was termed as the ‘forced curve systemâ₠¬â„¢. The system awarded ratings on a scale of one to five, and was used to measure annual performance and ‘long term potential’ of the employees. Employees were ranked and placed on a curve, whereby the highest rated employees made up the first 15 percent of the curve while 10 percent made up the bottom part. A-listed employees received raises, stock options and training while ‘B’ employees, the middle 70 percent of the curve, received lower raises. Employees who were in the bottom part of the curve received no raises or bonuses, and were either given advice on how to improve or relieved of their duties. Many employees disapproved this system since it only awarded the best ranking to a fixed number of people, even though more employees may have performed well enough to deserve the ranking. A forced distribution system is a just an example of a technique used in multiple person evaluation, others are ranking, paired comparison, group appraisal and human res ource accounting. A common feature of all these methods is that they evaluate an employee in comparison to another. Some of the limitations of the forced distribution system are; it’s quite difficult to evaluate people who possess different behavioral characteristics, the system only illustrates the position of an employee but it fails to portray how better or worse off an employee is when compared with a peer, its very tasking when a manger has to rank a large number of employees and furthermost, there is no clear guideline to follow when ranking employees, and this gives room for biasness. The ‘forced curve system’ only increased pressure among employees since the workers in the bottom half of the curve were not only struggling to get noticed; they were fighting to retain their jobs. Employees were therefore judged according to their position on the curve regardless of the fixed number of workers who could be in a given grade. Brummel modified the system, maint aining the grading system and bonuses but did away with appraisal based on an employee’s position on the curve. A favorable appraisal system needs to identify all employees who are performing according to or above their expectations, so as to award merit instead of seniority. Merit systems are always based on performance and can offer good grounds when making promotion decisions. Training and development programs should also be formulated, whereby employees are educated on the proficiency they should display if they want to receive better raises or promotions. Feedback helps to inform an employee about their current performance and what they can improve on so as to go up the corporate ladder. Feedback also reveals reasons as to why an employee performed satisfactorily or poorly. Such reasons will be useful for an employee’s personal development. Therefore, not all employee benefits should to be based on a monetary basis. The â€Å"Commitment Rating† system was s ubsequently introduced as the new basis for bonuses while a three-tiered ranking system was launched as the relevant factor for stock options and an employee’s long term potential. The new system still ranked employees in the three classes; â€Å"outstanding†, â€Å"strong† and â€Å"limited†, but ensured that the number of employees who could be in each group was not fixed. Microsoft also came up with several other perks in order to boost motivation, such as discounts on hybrid cars and a transport service that served several residential areas. A new workplace was set up that had open areas in which employees could interact. Office walls were glass white boards that could be used by employees to write anything, from art to new ideas, and the setting could be customized according to individual needs. The aim of the â€Å"Workplace Advantage Strategy† was to encourage team work. Workers could also choose from a range of available designs how they wa nted their offices to look like. This strategy was in contrast to the ‘one size fits all’ strategy that was previously in place. An internal survey was subsequently conducted to get reactions about the new workplace design. The survey showed that most of the team work, about 70 percent, done previously was through informal ways, although there was no specific informal meeting place for employees in the various groups. The new workplace design made it easier for employees to interact freely with each other, which fostered brainstorming sessions. All these changes were meant to boost employee morale. Teamwork, if correctly managed, can also lead to job satisfaction. Management should ensure that there are mechanisms put in place that handle disagreements, so as to make sure productivity is not impacted negatively. Managers who encourage teamwork and handle conflicts will realize increased productivity in work groups, and employee motivation. Employees are also more satisf ied when they get a chance to work in favorable team environments. Managers should encourage groups to arrive at their own conclusions, without necessarily specifying for a given result from the teamwork. Instead, employees should be trained on the importance and relevance of group work. (Mathis, 2007 48). The quality of the work environment is significant feature to consider since it contributes to job satisfaction. An internal work environment is composed of respect and the reception that employees receive from their peers and management. The physical work environment is made up surrounding features as well as the working conditions. A well designed workspace will have a positive impact on an employee’s conduct and performance. Physical elements will not lead to the desired results unless management focuses on the welfare of its staff. The first task of management is to realize that employees are influenced by everything around them, from lighting, ease of movement to order liness of the workplace. Therefore, procedures ought to be followed to ensure that only the favorable features of the environment are left behind. The physical environment should be fostered in a way that is appealing to employees, since they will be using it on a regular basis. A comfortable workspace has a significant effect on the satisfaction and productivity of employees. Employees who rely a lot on team work should have open areas that encourage interaction and collaboration. However, provisions should be made to allow for private workplaces, so as not to infringe on an employee’s privacy. An attractive workplace has a large impact on how other environmental factors affect an employee. An appealing work environment will be advantageous to both the company and its employees, since the staff will be satisfied and hence lead to improved attitudes. Satisfaction among employees increases their loyalty towards the company, and they will thus be more productive. Microsoft Corp oration soon experienced the benefits of improved employee motivation. The staff turnover rate decreased to 8.3 percent in 2007, from 10 percent just two years earlier. Employees could now feel that they were valuable, and this resulted into increased loyalty. The company’s revenues were also positively affected, jumping from US$ 39.788 billion in 2005 to US$ 51.122 billion in 2007. Microsoft enforced the improved performance appraisal system in 2007, whereby 37 percent of employees received a rating of â€Å"outstanding†, 58 percent got an â€Å"achieved† rating while only 5 percent had â€Å"underperformed†. Employees welcomed the new system since it was more transparent than the previous version. Employees also place more value on a proper feedback mechanism that links rewards to performance, which in turn causes more job satisfaction. (Vanita, 2003 45) Employee recognition plays a critical role in developing and maintaining employee satisfaction. Prog rams put in place should be fair, correct and should have appropriate timing. Awards should also be in the right amount, not too many and not too few. They should be few enough so as to increase their value but at the same time common enough so that all employees believe that the rewards are attainable. Positive feedback encourages an employee to perform better next time, as compared to a reprimand which warns an employee from repeating an undesired result again. A good recognition program will thus communicate vital values that employees should develop so as to reach their potential, and ultimately lead to the achievement of broader organizational goals. Increased motivation allows employees to exercise creativity and innovation in the workplace, which will in turn have a favorable impact on the company’s profitability and competitiveness. Management should therefore focus on employee motivation so as to encourage innovativeness, rather than basing all its efforts on perform ance evaluation. Companies that encourage their employees to think outside the box will find out how knowledgeable they are. Employees also offer a cheaper means of solving problems, as compared to hiring consultants. Brainstorming allows employees to come up with new ideas and challenge old ones, without fear of criticism. (Bratton, 2001 96). Empowered employees will be more resourceful and more innovative, and the company will be in a better position to compete in the industry. Management should realize that even though empowerment resides in an employee, the company is responsible for developing policies that bring about empowerment. Companies that continue to empower their employees encourage leadership and responsibility. Most companies don’t apply this concept because they are not willing to forfeit some control to their employees, or tend to apply it selectively to only a few members of staff. A culture that employs empowerment correctively will reap the benefits, due to better service delivery and a motivated workforce. (Torrington, 2008 152) In conclusion, organizational culture has a direct effect on employee job satisfaction and performance. A culture that allows for open communication, interaction and training will increases employee motivation, which has a major influence on the company’s profitability. Management should for this reason ensure that the right systems are in place to allow for a favorable work environment. Development of this culture is therefore a responsibility of senior management, if they are keen on lowering employee attrition rates. When a company lacks of clear management policies that aim on employee empowerment, then such a culture is virtually unachievable. Employees also have a significant role to play in the formulation and development of a favorable culture. Their duty is to disclose issues that they feel would affect their work environment, as well as coming up with suggestions on how they could improve o n their job performance. Management’s role is to assess the employees’ morale on a regular basis, and identify areas that result into low productivity, rather than hoping that employees will adapt to all new policies. A contented workforce is one that has favorable interactions between employees and the company, the end result of which is synergy and unity in the achievement of overall organizational objectives. References Bratton, J., 2001. Human resource management, Theory and practice. New York: Routledge. Chakraborty, B., 2010. Employee motivation and retention strategies at Microsoft. New York: Sage Kanfer, R., 2008. Work motivation past present and future. New York: Routledge. Mathis, R., 2007. Human Resource Management. New York: Cengage Learning. Torrington, D., 2008. Human Resource Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Vanita P., 2003. Effective communication in human resource development. New Jersey: Atlantic Publishers. This critical writing on Human Resource Management and Organizational Culture was written and submitted by user Vicente Mayo to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

British army in Afghanistan

British army in Afghanistan Introduction The war in Afghanistan that broke in2001 evoked the intervention of the United States and United Kingdom. The main aim of intervention was to topple the Taliban and ensure there is liberty in the capital invaded by the Taliban. Helmand province has been the center of concern of the British army.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on British army in Afghanistan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More British have the largest troop in Afghanistan followed by the United States. The number of British troops amounted to 9500 in 2009 and consisted of marine, sailors and even airmen. From 2001 to around March 2010, the British military forces have lost about 275 military personnel in this war and most of them died in Helmand. British have been applying conventional military forces in the conduct of counterinsurgency operations. The war in Afghanistan started with the conflicts between the British army and the Al-Qaeda and t he Taliban group as the supporters of Al-Qaeda squad. The struggle between these groups has turned out to be a complex counterinsurgency effort, which is an armed conflict carried out against an insurgency or a revolt. This is usually carried out by the armed forces allied with the government that is in power in the territory where the conflict is happening. The insurgency group aims at controlling the authorities in the territory they target like the case of Afghanistan. Counterinsurgency seeks to eliminate these insurgents as well as protecting the authority invaded by the insurgents. This has been the mission of British army in Afghanistan. British army has been using conventional military forces in their attempt to eliminate the insurgents in Afghanistan. This approach has been conflicting with the United States approach where they use unconventional military forces. The use of this approach by the British army has been criticized of being ineffective but British army still push for it. It could be argued that this is the only approach that the British army has and therefore they see every problem in Afghanistan as being solvable using the approach. This could be related to Abraham Maslow’s quote that â€Å"when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail† The objective of this essay is to discuss the extent to which the quote compliments the British use of conventional military forces in the conduct of counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan. The quote explanation applied For purposes of this essay, the quote â€Å"when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail† is taken to mean that when one has only one approach (hammer) to a problem, he sees all problems (nails) similar to the one solvable using the approach. In another case, if the approach has worked in the past for several diverse problems, it may be viewed as a universal approach.Advertising Looking for essay on internatio nal relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Also where all the other methods have failed, the remaining options becomes like the hammer and all the other problems becomes the nails. This may sound vague but the British army found their use of conventional military forces in their counterinsurgency operations the only hammer compatible for the nails related to the insurgents. According to Maslow, when an individual lacks enough knowledge or training for solving a certain problems, he proposes the same approach to all the problems2. For every problem encountered, the same solution is used or proposed. The idea in this case is that it is better to use the approach that is well known rather that the attempt to use another approach whose skills one does not have though may be more effective. The unfamiliar approach, however effective it is will not be proposed for solving a certain problem because it may prove ineffective if a pplied without the relevant skills. British army in Afghanistan The mission of British army in Afghanistan is to eliminate Taliban and Al- Qaeda groups in Afghanistan. The Taliban grouped is accused of helping the Al- Qaeda group in their terrorism acts. The experience that the British army has had in Afghanistan leaves them with the only option of using conventional military forces in their counterinsurgency operations in order to hush the insurgents. Despite the conflicting opinions of the American and the British armies, the approach seems the best for the British army. The American army opinion is to use unconventional military forces to eliminate insurgents in Afghanistan and protect the people and the territory central authority. The British army advocates the use of conventional armed forces where there is no use of weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons. This will eliminate the effects of nuclear weapons that may be suffered by non insurgents. The challenge posed t o the military forces involved in Afghanistan is distinguishing the non insurgents from the insurgents. The British army argues that the only way possible in eliminating the insurgents is to use conventional armed forces in order to protect the other people not involved. The conventional warfare involves direct confronting the opposing party using conventional weapons that are non chemicals. The weapons are aimed at hitting the opposing army and the fight b9is done in open ground. The general idea of conventional warfare was to destroy the military force of the other party and weaken them so that they do not get a chance to use conventional warfare.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on British army in Afghanistan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The British aim in Afghanistan is to weaken Taliban and the Al-Qaeda groups and make them to surrender. This tactics if successful may be helpful because it will completely elimi nate the opposing group. The approach will cause a lot of deaths because it involves direct confrontation. In forcing capitulation, every opposing force victimized and confronted and completely forced to surrender. The Taliban and the Al-Qaeda groups have been involved in a lot of world terrorism and the tactics to use unconventional method may seem to fail or have failed in some instances. The British army feels that the tactic of forcing the two groups to surrender will eliminate terrorism. Unconventional warfare is based on the ground that victory is not achievable without compromise. The tactic used is to win the support of one part of the opposing side and weaken the other thus eventually subdue the enemy. Non conventional warfare as opposed to conventional warfare involves the use of hidden tactics in fighting the enemy. These may be referred to as guerilla tactics where the two opposing forces are not aware of what the other group is planning. Conventional fare adopted by the British army believes in no compromise and aims at eliminating the opposing group or force them to completely surrender. The tactics and the outcomes of the conflicting groups are known and well defined. This approach is criticized of being non tactical and lack of fighting skills. It has resulted in many deaths and the Afghanistan government is calling for an alternative approach of fighting Taliban and the Al-Qaeda without causing loss of civilian lives. According to BBC News, in 2008, about 829 afghan civilians were killed in the attempt by NATO to fight Taliban insurgents1. The adoption of conventional warfare by the British army adoption of the conventional warfare in fighting insurgents in Afghanistan shows that the British army lacked fighting skills in fighting the Taliban and that is why they use the non-tactical method. The Quote In Relation To British Conventional Military Forces in Afghanistan The quotes is true in the context of British involvement in Afghanistan fight against the Taliban in that we will always experience problems that could be solvable by the tools that we have. The experience of British conventional military forces in conventional warfare is the only tool they had for countering the problem that they experience like the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda group. In a higher sense, the use of conventional military forces to confront the Taliban and the Al Qaeda group was an indication of lack of tactics. The conventional warfare is related to lack of fighting tactics and adopting direct confrontation that exposes your tactics to the enemy.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This shows that the British Army is applying one solution to every problem that is caused by the conflicting group. Taking in to consideration that the Taliban and the Al Qaeda groups cause many terrorism acts that may require different approaches to solve, it would indicate that British army proposes one solution to all the terrorism cases or other problems caused by these groups. That is conventional approach based on the notion that direct confrontation of the two groups will solve all the problems they cause. The conventional approach is the only tool (hammer) that the British army uses to solve the problems (nails) caused by the Taliban group. The approach is applied in solving all the problems caused by the Taliban but this may not be effective since different problems require different solutions. According to Maslow, the quote could mean lack of diverse skills or solution to a problem such that one applies the same solution to many problems2. Every problem caused by the Talib an in Afghanistan is taken as a nail solvable by the conventional approach, the hammer. The other explanation of the quote is that if all the other methods have failed, the only remaining solution will be attempted in all problems. The British army has been in Afghanistan for a long time and may be the only way out is conventional armed forces deployment. This will mean that the British army will take every problem as being solvable using the only available way out. The conventional warfare will be applied in all situations. The war in Afghanistan has been more intense until the British majority of the public thought that it was un-winnable3 Conclusion The quote â€Å"when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem becomes a nail† affords a clear description of the British conventional armed forces involvement in the counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan. They apply conventional warfare which may not suit the diverse tactics of the Taliban group. Conventional arm ed forces may not be effective inn Afghanistan and is facing much criticism. Footnotes 1BBC, Shift needed in Afghan combat. London: BBC News, 2009. Web. 2 A Maslow, Father of modern management: Maslows Maxim / Maslows  Hammer. California: abraham-maslow.com, 2009. Web. 3 P Tristan, About.com: NATO and US Troop Deployments Casualties  In Afghanistan. New York: The New York Times Company, 2009. Web. Reference List BBC, Shift needed in Afghan combat. London: BBC News, 2009. Web. Maslow, A, Father of modern management: Maslows Maxim / Maslows  Hammer. California: abraham-maslow.com, 2009. Web. Tristan, P, About.com: NATO and US Troop Deployments Casualties  In Afghanistan. New York: The New York Times Company, 2009. Web.

Equity of Opportunity, Class Cleavages, the Role of the State, and Research Paper

Equity of Opportunity, Class Cleavages, the Role of the State, and Globalization - Research Paper Example I will discuss evidence of social and political motivation to end child poverty in Canada and will raise social change scenarios to direct attention to positive outcomes of implementing a guaranteed annual income for all Canadians, alleviating child poverty in Canada. 2. Objective My objective, in this paper, is to outline the issue of Child Poverty in Canada and to argue for a key solution to it, a guaranteed annual income for all Canadians. I intend to build a logical, persuasive argument, well-documented by reputable sources, calling for ethical action for society’s benefit. 3. Thesis Statement The federal government should implement a guaranteed annual income for all Canadians to alleviate child poverty. 4. Outline I. Introduction A. Provide definitions and Canadian interpretations of child poverty. B. Child poverty is inversely correlated with income. C. The federal government should implement a guaranteed annual income for all Canadians to alleviate child poverty. II. Li terature Review and Discussion A. Discuss child poverty in Canada. i. In one of the richest countries, 1,400,000 children live in poverty. ii.

Scorpions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scorpions - Essay Example The main body is protected by body armor and bears four pairs of legs and pectines. Sensory organs at the end of their legs and the pectines are able to detect ground vibrations and chemical signals respectively. Their distinctive erectile and curved tail has a telson at the end which contains a sting. Scorpions also have a pair of pincers attached to the front of their heads, and their sting is venomous. Most scorpions grow to between 2 and 3 inches in length although some can be shorter at 0.5 inches and some can be longer such as the African emperor scorpion which can exceed 8 inches. Their color is typically either yellow, brown or black which helps them to camouflage and their bodies also contain fluorescent chemicals which makes them glow under ultraviolet light. Their body temperatures can also adjust quickly with their surroundings but they need to be warm to be active. Scorpions are usually found to exist in climates that are warm and dry such as in deserts although they hav e also been found to adapt to a wide variety of climates including savannahs, rain forests and snowy areas. They are able to survive droughts or the cold by hibernating in a dormant state. There are an estimated 1,500 different species of scorpions around the world. Scorpions are nocturnal creatures so they tend to hide during the day in places such as under rocks, in caves, inside cracks, in their own burrows, etc. and they hunt during the night. On the basis of their main dwelling, different types of scorpions can be identified as sand dwellers, rock dwellers, burrowing scorpions, cave dwellers, and there are also the arboreal scorpions that are agile and live in buildings and on trees. Among the most deadliest of scorpions is the Bark Scorpion that has a light brown color and is found in places such as Arizona, California and New Mexico where there is an abundance of scorpions, and the Deathstalker found in the Middle East and North Africa. In fact, scorpions are by nature predat ory creatures. They employ ambush tactics and can immobilize their prey using their pedipalps and if necessary their venom too so as to consume them. The scorpions are able to adjust the amount of venom according to the size of the prey. An acidic spray onto the prey then dissolves their tissues to make it easier to suck up their bodies. Their prey can include all other insects as well as other scorpions. Larger scorpions are even able to eat small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, snakes and mice once they subdue them. The social behavior of scorpions is characterized by their solitary nature but some enjoy living in familial groups and some of them engage in colonial burrowing. Courtship involves a mating ritual wherein the male dances with the female in a dance called the 'promenade a deux' prior to mating. The eggs develop inside the bodies of the females and nourishment is given to the young from the yolk or in some cases directly from the mother's body. Gestation periods var y between 3 and 18 months but each brood usually contains between 25 and 35 young scorpions which are in some cases born two at a time. When born, the young scorpions climb onto the back of their mothers and receive their energy from the fat stored inside them. The young become independent after about two weeks, and they shed their own skin at least 5 times to mature fully. Their lifespans range from between 3 and 5 years although some live longer up to 15

Business intelligence and health care Research Proposal

Business intelligence and health care - Research Proposal Example Application of business intelligence in healthcare facilitates in streamlining raw data into meaningful and useful information for fostering better decision-making (Hennen, 2009). Thus, paper would be studying hospitals to evaluate how business intelligence is applied to identify healthcare imperatives that impact healthcare delivery for patients and financial benefits for the healthcare organizations. The increasing cost of healthcare consumes nearly 18%of the current US GDP (Ramsey et al., 2013). The healthcare reforms have considerably expanded the umbrella for health insurance coverage of all Americans including those with pre-existing diseases. The increasing burden on the healthcare institutions for providing quality care at affordable cost has become a huge concern because the interests of the payers and providers get directly linked to the quality of treatment and health outcome. Mettler and Vimarlund (2009) insist that technology can significantly contribute to the delivery of quality healthcare with economic transparency and real-time availability of critical information. Thus, business intelligence becomes pertinent issue in healthcare for exploiting information to manage patient care, improve quality and control costs for defined population or individual. Business intelligence in healthcare can broadly be described as leveraging information about patients for optimizing health outcome (Ferranti et al., 2010). Creating database of pertinent information regarding various aspects of healthcare serves as important mechanism for making decisions for optimal patients’ outcome. The information can be used judiciously by the hospital to reduce cost in repeating tests, facilitate analysis of clinical data and proactively involving patients in managing self-care. Most importantly, BI promotes transparency on real-time basis and therefore considerably reduces fraudulent practices and sub-standard quality of healthcare

Leadership and Change Management in the Merger of Hewlett-Packard

Leadership and Change Management in the Merger of Hewlett-Packard William Hewlett and David Packard the two Stanford graduates started there business in garage at alto. After a year they did partnership called Hewlett-Packard by 1947 HP came into existence as worlds second largest computer supplier with net revenue of $42 billion. HP originally dealed with auio oscillators and then gradually entered personal computers field in 1980. Recent the company launched laserjet printer which is a greatest hit for the company. Compaq computer corporation formed by two senior managers at Texas entered personal computer field in 1982. Due to excellent quality service it was considered globally as worlds largest manufacturers of personal computers.the name of company itself is derived from Compatiblity and quality. The initial computers launched by Compaq were not handy there appearance was like a suitcase still a net revenue of 111 million dollars was generated. VALUES: THE HP WAY Bill Hewlett and dave Packard created a set of values to guide the company and change the company . these values became famous as the HP way which are as follows: the strength of corporate society is profit so identify profit in order to contribute to the society. There should be continous improvement in product and services of the company. Always look for new opportunities but stay focused on area where company is benefitted. Increase companys success by providing employment opportunities. Always give a work environment to encourage motivation and innovation Be a good citizen and be social Focus on basic exponential growth Leadership at HP Carleton S. (Carly) Fiorina Carly Fiorina was highly qualified peson who before coming to HP had 20 years experirnce of working at AT T as a senior leader. she became CEO of HP in1999 and was the first woman to be the leader so such a huge company and nations prominent female executive. She was very extravagant in managing work. She had strong capability to understand what should be done to achieve the set goals. She had a clear insight of the challenges that the company were facing. She was a powerful Charismatic leader who was able to do the cultural change change in the company with her assertive nature and honesty. She possessed transformational leadership quality that helped to make HP an effective leader in the competitive market. HP was now more flexible, innovative and possessed a effective internal environment whose primary focus was customer satisfaction. The most important reason for success of Fiorinas was the perfect balance between leadership qualities and management of the company resources with genuine concern for the employees and let them make feel as part and parcel of the company. As a good leader Fiorina started a stock option program for employees which created a enthusiastic work environment for the employees. Under this program employee will be profited if the company earns profit. Fiorina knows how to rise a company in the changing environment. Several steps were taken to reinvigorate HP they were as follows: Innovation was focused more. Structure was changed now front office and back office concept came into existence. R D department was re engineered. Clear mission and values of the company Reasons for the Merger HP was progressing at a great pace. The basic aim of fiorina was to modernize the culture of HP and to focus on profitable areas of business and HPs profit share increased from 54.43 to 74.48 dollars but still the company was not efficient as it could not met the set targets and due to this failure HP was supposed to cut down the jobs. Even fiorina had threat of losing her job. This was the indication that changing only internal strategies was not worth for the success of the company so a new plan came into existence which was to acquire Compaq worth of 25 billion dollars. Both companies believed that in order to do good in the recent competitive market and gain profit better way was to have a merger but the stakeholders considered it as differently according to them company wont be loyal to Compaq customers and the biggest problem was synchronization of members in the organization. As during merger the culture of organization will also change. Above all fiorina only considered the r emoval of one competitor in the PC market. According to her the market share will increase after merger and working unit will also increased. (Hoopes, 2001) HP experienced revenue growth but share prices constantly declined. Hp was badly affected by recession in 2001. Pay were cutted down and laid off. Jobs were cutted down. Stock price continued to decline at a great speed. Outsourcing was not proper. To improve economics and innovation. Strengthed business provides critical mass in key growth market. CHANGE MANAGEMENT Culture can be defined as the personality of a company. It encompasses the beliefs, values, leadership practices, governance structure, decision-making processes, and norms of a business. One of the primary reasons that culture is so important is because employee loyalty affects customer loyalty, thus directly affecting both the profitability of a company as well as stakeholder value.11 As John Kotter and James Heskett of Harvard explain in their book Corporate Culture and Performance, corporate culture is an important competitive asset. Kotter and Heskett believe that cultural strength among the employees of a company relates to performance in three key ways: first, it leads to goal alignment; second, it creates high levels of motivation; and third, it provides structure and controls without having to rely on formal bureaucracy, which often inhibits innovation and motivation.12 At HP, where culture (i.e., the HP Way) has always had a powerful influence on how the company functions, undertaking cultural integration poses an especially daunting task. At the same time that integration planners must adapt HPs existing culture to unify the two companies, planners must also ensure that HPs culture remains focused around the key elements of the HP Way: trust, respect, achievement, integrity, teamwork, innovation, and an interactive work environment. Among the first-and arguably one of the most important-steps in integrating cultures is to determine what constitutes a good culture and then to base changes on those elements. According to HPs integration planning team, a good culture must: be clearly defined and broadly understood; reflect the business strategy and brand; support best-in-class performance with customers, partners, stockholders, and employees; produce alignment, commitment and excitement; establish a competitive advantage; and be reflected in the communications and actions of core leaders. Change models 1.Unfreeze, Change, Freeze Kurt Lewin proposed a three stage theory of change commonly referred to as Unfreeze, Change, Freeze (or Refreeze). It is possible to take these stages to quite complicated levels. It is extremely relevant Stage 1: Unfreezing The Unfreezing stage is probably one of the more important stages to understand in the world of change we live in today. This stage is about getting ready to change. It involves getting to a point of understanding that change is necessary, and getting ready to move away from our current comfort zone. HP was in need to understand and prepare the company for the change as completion was relevantly increasing.fiorina was been motivated for change by lot of different characters and the chariasmatic leadership qualities that she possessed. Stage 2: Change or Transition Kurt Lewin was aware that change is not an event, but rather a process. He called that process a transition. Transition is the inner movement or journey we make in reaction to a change. This second stage occurs as we make the changes that are needed. HP used role models and allowed employees to develop new solutions and Fiorina also gave a clear picture of desired change and gave benefits to the employees. Stage 3: Freezing (or Refreezing) Kurt Lewin refers to this stage as freezing although a lot of people refer to it as refreezing. As the name suggests this stage is about establishing stability once the changes have been made. The changes are accepted and become the new norm. People form new relationships and become comfortable with their routines.Its often at this point that people laugh and tell me that practically there is never time for this freezing stage. And its just this thats drawn criticism to the Kurt Lewin model. 7S model 7S-McKinsey-model.jpg 7S model was created by McKinsey and company in 1980. Seven factors are included in this model. The 7S framework was dividing in thinking about organizational efficiency. In previous the manager focus was on organization because organization grew in size and complicated questions were also arised. Explanation of each element: Strategy: HP created a Strategy to maintain and make competitive benefit over the competition. Structure: Structure is the way the organization is constructed and who reports to whom. Systems: In systems the daily activities and events that staff members join in to get the job done. Shared values: Shared values are also called à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"super ordinate goalsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ . These values are the center values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work. Style: you have to adopt the style of leadership. Staff: In staff employees and their general capabilities are included. Skills: Skills are the actual skills of the employees who are working for the company. Post merger The proposed merger consolidated HP Compaqs product into four groups customer services, imaging and printing, access devices, and information technology infrastructure. Although the new company was very competitive in respective segments but the merger made the company more powerful and fully integrated providing full services integrating both hardware and software solutions. the merged company had 145,000 employees.the new company strategy was to look for acquisition in consulting in order to expand market growth. The new HP also had the same commitment of customer priority,best engineering design toease all problems, and acceptance to open system to able to face the sudden market shift. Copmaq will give great support in giving many solutions in: IT Infrastructure Compaq and HP combined the server , storage and software capabilities all the solutions were more compelling and fault tolerated. A new management software was introduced that was of great help to monitor,mange and optimize the whole network. New storage solutions that were more efficient than payroll and was able to store data 10 times more efficiently.the other former change was in service and support expertise that was helpful in building and designing new innovative solutions. Services New HP had now vast range of outsourcing, consulting and support that helps in formulating strategies and managing the infrastructure. It started to become partner for architecting various enterprises. Now because of combined forces of both the company new HP was aiming to be top-tier service provider that provided choices for implementation and making strategy for various IT projects. New HP had great value for partnership so to gain benefit of products PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, and KPMG company did partnership with them Access Devices As both the companies were strong in the market they offer a wide range of PCs, and many internet enabled devices. The new products simply work better and together. New devices were innovative and highly excellent technology. They work the way they want to work according to the office environment. After merger most of Compaq products were re branded with the HP nameplate Compaq brands were consumer oriented products. All Compaq computers were now shifted to HP . Compaq iPAQ were renamed to HP iPAQ. In 2007 HP released a new logo for their Compaq Division and in the next year all business line notebooks were renamed as HP Compaq series that was used for all HPs notebooks. The top business earning model was Hp Elite Book that was named as HP Compaq B series RESISTANCE TO CHANGE Resistance to change is one of the basic reasons for the failure of change process and its implementation. Resistance to change in general is ubiquitous by nature. It is defined as a natural response to any reaction or threat of change (Block, 1989). In HP resistance was visble among employees and shareholders. Resistance by employees there was Tension among the HP earlier before when the company decided to lay off thousands of employees because of the economic downturn. Before the cuts were made, however, employees were asked to assist in a cost-cutting campaign either take mandatory vacation or accept a pay cut, among other choices. True to the HP Way, yet surprising to many on Wall Street, many employees offered to have their salary cut. When the company later proceeded with layoffs, many felt betrayed. And thousands of more cuts are possible if the merger is approved. People fight against change because they:fear to lose something they value, ordont understand the change and its implications, or dont think that the change makes sense, or find it difficult to cope with either the level or pace of the change. Resistance by stock holder Walter Hewlett as a stock holder along with his sisters William and Flora Hewlett opposed the deal as stockholder rejection was one of the ways to terminate the deal.According to Walter Hewlett, Carly Fiorina had exaggerated the importance of scale in the computer business. Hewlett believed that rather than make the company more competitive, the merger would expose HP to the brutal, low-profit PC business. Finally Hewlett concluded that the merger would significantly dilute the value of the companys business. David Packard issued a statement siding with Hewlett in opposition to the deal. In his statement, Packard, chairman of the Packard Humanities Institute.Packard, the oldest son of the other late co-founder, claimed that Fiorinas highhanded management and efforts to reinvent the company ran counter to the core HP values established by the founders. Citing massive layoffs as an example of this departure from HPs core values.

Social Networking: Beneficial or Harmful? :: Social Networking Essays

With the advancement in technology in a short matter of time it has impacted the world in many ways such as how the world communicates and our life styles. One of the many revolutionary inventions or evolutions is called social networking sites (SNS). Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and many more, are where people gather in the internet, create a personalized profile about themselves, and interact with people around the world. With the lack of parental supervision between the ages of fourteen to seventeen, which makes one of largest demographics using social networking sites, these teens could be subjected to mature elements. Young teens between the ages of fourteen to seventeen should not be allowed to have a profile on social networking sites because they do not have the capability to make proper logical decisions. With the level of exposure that teens are facing today by joining the social networking trend, they often forget the dangers of social networking such as stalkers and pedophiles, who may use the sites as a major tool of the trade. Said dangers can befriend naà ¯ve teens and lure them into dangerous situations. For example, Raymond Wang had a friend being stalked by an unknown person through one of the social networking sites. This stalker acquired private information about her via Facebook, and it got to the point where the stalker was sending her threatening or perverted letters to her actual mailbox detailing what he would do to her. â€Å"This has really affected her a lot because now she’s scared other stalkers might do the same and she doesn't want that to happen or have anything happen to her.† (Wang 19) Even though users are given the option to make one’s profile private, there is still the looming threat that stalkers are able to gather enough informati on about the person’s whereabouts. Another similar incident happened to Regina Chau, a member of a social networking site catered to the raver lifestyle, Plurlife. When she first joined with her offline friends she liked everything about the SNS, but â€Å"[where] most of the people you accept to your friends list would probably be strangers.† (Chau 18) she had befriended a person she did not know offline and one these â€Å"friends† got a little too friendly with her; â€Å"he would keep asking over and over if I wanted to meet up with him at the next event. I found this a little creepy and did not message him back after that. Social Networking: Beneficial or Harmful? :: Social Networking Essays With the advancement in technology in a short matter of time it has impacted the world in many ways such as how the world communicates and our life styles. One of the many revolutionary inventions or evolutions is called social networking sites (SNS). Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and many more, are where people gather in the internet, create a personalized profile about themselves, and interact with people around the world. With the lack of parental supervision between the ages of fourteen to seventeen, which makes one of largest demographics using social networking sites, these teens could be subjected to mature elements. Young teens between the ages of fourteen to seventeen should not be allowed to have a profile on social networking sites because they do not have the capability to make proper logical decisions. With the level of exposure that teens are facing today by joining the social networking trend, they often forget the dangers of social networking such as stalkers and pedophiles, who may use the sites as a major tool of the trade. Said dangers can befriend naà ¯ve teens and lure them into dangerous situations. For example, Raymond Wang had a friend being stalked by an unknown person through one of the social networking sites. This stalker acquired private information about her via Facebook, and it got to the point where the stalker was sending her threatening or perverted letters to her actual mailbox detailing what he would do to her. â€Å"This has really affected her a lot because now she’s scared other stalkers might do the same and she doesn't want that to happen or have anything happen to her.† (Wang 19) Even though users are given the option to make one’s profile private, there is still the looming threat that stalkers are able to gather enough informati on about the person’s whereabouts. Another similar incident happened to Regina Chau, a member of a social networking site catered to the raver lifestyle, Plurlife. When she first joined with her offline friends she liked everything about the SNS, but â€Å"[where] most of the people you accept to your friends list would probably be strangers.† (Chau 18) she had befriended a person she did not know offline and one these â€Å"friends† got a little too friendly with her; â€Å"he would keep asking over and over if I wanted to meet up with him at the next event. I found this a little creepy and did not message him back after that.

A Gap of Sky

The short story written by Anna Hope is about a girl called Elli. Her life is a typical dystrophy student's chaos, dominated by drugs, anticipation parents and a distracting Identity crisis. There are several themes that concern the story, and I shall now review some of them. As my aforementioned statement points out, Identity crawls Is an essential Issue throughout the story. Her mind Lies In a dilemma between either to follow her desires, or the expectations which are upon her.She doesn't know whether o succumb to the temptation of the drugs and partying, or to complete her course and score high grades for the good of her mom and dad. Other themes which could cover a Gap of Sky would be issues like expectations, responsibility, drugs, youth and pressure. The narrator is using the stream of consciousness† technique throughout most of the story, which is very similar to similar to Virginia Woofs writing manner. It gives the reader a slightly confusing and unfocused interpretati on, though it also manages to pull the reader Into the main character's mind.In spite of the fact that you may easily feel; that the narrator Is Elli herself, It Is actually a third person omniscient narrator. The language of the text Is highly Influenced by slang, and has a typical youngster† stereotypical use. The story begins In an â€Å"In medias rest† and follows a linearly progression. It has its turning point when Elli begins her adventure of finding ink, by walking out of her door. There is also a use of similes, metaphors and symbols. Especially the similes are visible – for example in line 49 â€Å"(†¦ And it feels like ledge, like thick dark sludge†, and line 83 â€Å"(†¦ ) and her skull feels as though it might split open†. The metaphors aren't particularly prominent in the text, but these, plus the similes, make you get a more figurative interpretation, than if there weren't any. The last rhetorical device used in the text, th at I shall go into, is the personification which for example Is used In line 128 â€Å"(†¦ ) she wants to receive this night and Its great dark pulsing† Symbols are dominant In the text. Some very obviously, some less obvious.The love on line 61, which has its â€Å"buck finger†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ raised, makes Elli think â€Å"Buck it all†. It is therefore a symbol of Else's rebellious side and the way that Elli wishes to follow her dreams without any concerns for her surroundings. But this sensation vanishes when Elli sees the skull at the exhibition. Her state of mind suddenly orbits the thought of life and death. She feels that it isn't a coincidence that she's there. She thinks that the exhibition is made to tell her something, to wake her up. She becomes so afraid of facing death, that she has to run away from the museum.There is also the red Jasper to mention. Although the symbolism of this object is explained to some extent, it Is worth to mention how much the stone voices the regret Elli has over how much she has taken her mother's love for granted. Despite all the loving and caring Else's mother has yielded, Elli has been entirely ungrateful. Also the title of the story â€Å"A gap of sky plays an Important part In this analysis. Somewhere In the story Elli sees a gap of sky. This is partially a metaphor, which illustrates the gap in her state of broken, or a gap where something new can grow.Where something can change. There is a certain enumeration of nouns in the short story, which creates a dynamic understanding and concludes with a certain amount of short sentences. Especially in line 28-37. It takes place over a couple of hours, from afternoon to early evening in central London. It is also the city where Elli lives and studies. One might almost say that â€Å"A gap of sky' is a parallel history to Virginia Wolf's life. The fact that both of her parents killed themselves caused, that Virginia went through a long time clogged tit d epressions and nervous breakdowns.The outcome of it was that she, at the age of 59, threw herself in the river near her home and drowned. In the end of the story Elli comes to a river at the end of The Strand. This river is yet another dilemma. The aforementioned climax at the exhibition, makes her become afraid of death, thus afraid of drugs. The river could be the place where she would be able to wash herself clean. On the other hand the river could also be the place where she could end all these troubles and worries, like Virginia Wolf.The ending of the story makes it up to ourselves to figure out what will happen next. This whole scenario that we, as readers, are brought into, is not only a Journey through the streets of London, but also a Journey through Else's mind and thought. You have to notice that Elli is not only a simple human being. She is also representing the dilemmas and crises that teenagers have to go through nowadays. They have so many possibilities, and therefore also a lot of responsibility. That is the fundamental topic in A Gap of Sky.

Create, Parse and Manipulate XML Documents With Delphi

Create, Parse and Manipulate XML Documents With Delphi What is XML? Extensible Markup Language is a  universal language for data on the Web. XML gives developers the power to deliver structured data from a variety of applications to the desktop for local computation and presentation. XML is also an ideal format for server-to-server transfer of structured data. Using an XML parser, software evaluates the hierarchy of the document, extracting the structure of the document, its content, or both. XML is in no way limited to Internet use. In fact, XMLs main strength organizing information makes it perfect for exchanging data between different systems. XML looks much like HTML. However, whereas HTML describes the layout of content on a webpage, XML defines and communicates data, it describes the type of content. Hence, extensible, because it is not a fixed format like HTML. Think of each XML file as a self-contained database. Tags   the markup in an XML document, offset by angle brackets delineate the records and fields. The text between the tags is the data. Users  perform operations like retrieving, updating and inserting data with XML using a parser and a set of objects exposed by the parser. As a Delphi programmer, you should know how to work with XML documents. XML with Delphi For more information about pairing Delphi and XML, read: Learn how to store TTreeView component items to XML preserving the Text and other properties of a tree node and how to populate a TreeView from an XML file. Simple Reading and manipulating RSS feeds files with DelphiExplore how to read and manipulate XML documents with Delphi using the TXMLDocument component. See how to extract the most current In The Spotlight blog entries (RSS feed) from the About Delphi Programming  content environment, as an example. Create XML files from Paradox (or any DB) tables using Delphi. See how to export the data from a table to an XML file and how to import that data back to the table. If you need to work with dynamically created TXMLDocument component, you might get access violations after you try to free the object. This article offers a solution to this error message. Delphis implementation of the TXMLDocument component, which uses Microsoft XML parser by default, does not provide a way to add a node of the ntDocType (TNodeType type). This article provides a solution to this problem. XML in Detail XML W3CPeruse the full XML standard and syntax at the W3C site. XML.comA community website where XML developers share resources and solutions. The site includes timely news, opinions, features and tutorials.

Prometheus †The Fire-Bringer in Greek Mythology

Prometheus - The Fire-Bringer in Greek Mythology The term philanthropist is a perfect term for the great titan of Greek mythology, Prometheus. He loved us. He helped us. He defied the other gods and suffered for us. (No wonder he looks Christ-like in the painting.) Read what the stories from Greek mythology tell us about this benefactor of mankind. Prometheus is famous for a couple of seemingly unrelated stories: (1) the gift of fire to mankind and (2) being chained to a rock where every day an eagle came to eat his liver. There is a connection, however, and one that shows why Prometheus, the father of the Greek Noah, was called the benefactor of mankind. Gift of Fire to Mankind Zeus sent most of the Titans to Tartarus to punish them for fighting against him in the Titanomachy, but since second-generation Titan Prometheus had not sided with his aunts, uncles, and brother Atlas, Zeus spared him. Zeus then assigned Prometheus the task of forming man from water and earth, which Prometheus did, but in the process, became fonder of men than Zeus had anticipated. Zeus didnt share Prometheus feelings and wanted to prevent men from having power, especially over fire. Prometheus cared more for man than for the wrath of the increasingly powerful and autocratic king of the gods, so he stole fire from Zeus lightning, concealed it in a hollow stalk of fennel, and brought it to man. Prometheus also stole skills from Hephaestus and Athena to give to man. As an aside, Prometheus and Hermes, considered trickster gods, both have a claim to the gift of fire. Hermes is credited with discovering how to produce it. Prometheus and the Form of Ritual Sacrifice The next stage in Prometheus career as the benefactor of mankind came when Zeus and he were developing the ceremonial forms for animal sacrifice. The astute Prometheus devised a sure-fire way to help man. He divided the slaughtered animal parts into two packets. In one was the ox-meat and innards wrapped up in the stomach lining. In the other packet were the ox-bones wrapped up in its own rich fat. One would go to the gods and the other to the humans making the sacrifice. Prometheus presented Zeus with a choice between the two, and Zeus took the deceptively richer appearing: the fat-encased, but inedible bones. Next time someone says dont judge a book by its cover, you may find your mind wandering to this cautionary tale. As a result of Prometheus trick, forever after, whenever man sacrificed to the gods, he would be able to feast on the meat, so long as he burned the bones as an offering for the gods. Zeus Gets Back at Prometheus Zeus responded by hurting the ones Prometheus loved most, his brother and the humans. Prometheus Continues to Defy Zeus Prometheus was still not awed by the might of Zeus and continued to defy him, refusing to warn him of the dangers of the nymph Thetis (future mother of Achilles). Zeus had tried punishing Prometheus through his loved ones, but this time, he decided to punish him more directly. He bade Hephaestus (or Hermes) chain Prometheus to Mount Caucasus where an eagle/vulture ate his ever-regenerating liver each day. This is the topic of Aeschylus tragedy Prometheus Bound and many paintings. Eventually, Hercules rescued Prometheus, and Zeus and the Titan were reconciled. The Human Race and the Great Flood Meanwhile, Prometheus had sired the human man named Deucalion, one of the noble couple whom Zeus had spared when he caused the creatures of the earth to be destroyed by a flood. Deucalion was married to his cousin, the human woman Pyrrha, daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora. During the flood, Deucalion and Pyrrha stayed safely on a boat like Noahs ark. When all the other evil humans had been destroyed, Zeus caused the waters to recede so that Deucalion and Pyrrha could land on Mount Parnassus. While they had each other for company, and they could produce new children, they were lonely and sought help from the oracle of Themis. Following the oracles advice, they threw stones over their shoulders. From those thrown by Deucalion sprang men and from those thrown by Pyrrha came women. Then they had their own child, a boy whom they called Hellen and after whom the Greeks were named Hellenes.

Why study world religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why study world religions - Essay Example People throughout the world are loosing the fellow felling and togetherness which has been one of the main cornerstones of every religious saying. All the religions have been part of quite a few recent developments throughout the world. Also many are trying to use religion, for their vested interests, as it basically encapsulates a soft corner in every people’s life for meeting their own needs. Religious traditions are adaptable in nature. Religion is not only a process which encourages thinking about God but also to follow the religious maxim in every day’s life (American Academy of Religion, â€Å"Why Study Religion?†). World religion can be divided by different names such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam or Jainism among others. The names of the religion can be different but the message that every religion tries to provide to the people of the world are almost the same. Every religion tries to pass on the message of love, sacrifice, togetherness, and truthfulness. Religion has a major influence on the way a person approaches and also responds to any experience in life. Each and every religion of the world has different valuable aspects which can be used to benefit human life. World Religion can be varied in terms of their ideas and also the way a person has to follow those ideas, but there are certain aspects which are the same in all the religions like ‘high God concept’, traditional or primitive religious beliefs, religious expressions and experiences, rituals, the idea of divine beings, and sacred personages (Quartz Hill School of Theology, â€Å"An Overview of the World s Religions†). In the process of studying different forms of religious sensibilities, Hinduism, Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Judaism, Christianity and Islam can be looked at. Religion over the years has been one of the most significant influencing factors in the human life. People throughout the world face challenges every day in various aspects of life

Parable of the Sadhu, McKoy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Parable of the Sadhu, McKoy - Essay Example transmitter of river blindness, in the third world was a serious crisis that lacked the necessary interventions from the United States and other developed international countries. As a matter of fact, these countries consider the business viability of drug manufacturing, rather than the ethical service delivery and elimination of human diseases. The United States effected legislation, in 1978, to help the drug manufacturing industries develop and innovate drug formulations to counter many diseases affecting Americans. This included tax benefits and exclusive marketing rights for the American manufacturers, for the American people. Many people affected by the river blindness disease hailed from the third world countries, where most of the population could not afford low drug prices. The increment of attacks along the rivers caused migration from the fertile and wet lands, and hence created risks for food shortages and abject poverty. This is bound to have adverse effects on agricultural growth and food production, which are vital in economic development. The author implies that an intervention by the US government and other developed nations and organizations, such as the World Health Organization, could have achieved the development of a more effective drug formulation. This could have eased the economic and health burden o n the poor third world population, especially those affected by the river blindness. Merck organizational policies and business ethics are highly contradictory since at some point there was conflict of interest due to fear of failure. Merck could have invested in Dr. William Campbell’s research on the development of an effective drug formulation from the Sample No. 0S3153, which yielded the veterinary Ivomec drug. Failure inevitability in drug innovation and the tediousness, and cost, of the research led to the use of sophisticated research managers, such as Vagelos, and thereby hindered the critical innovation and approval of potential drug