BR Richardson Timber Corporation

People want different things from work, usually when we get what we want we are motivated and our morale helps us to improve the quality of our work and lives. For most people money is the motivation but often it is necessary to tie in monetary rewards with non-monetary rewards so that employees remain motivated. A combination of these will almost always lead to commitment to an organization, innovative ideas and generally high quality of work. Human resource policies should be such that they empower the most important of all the resources that a company has which is its people.This will translate to large profits for the company and great satisfaction among the employees. Safety and health issues are a major issue in the BR Timber Company. Most employees in the company are dissatisfied with their jobs, working hours and working conditions. Morale is down and as a result productivity is decreased with increased job turnover as high as 70 percent in some departments of the company. Ro n, the team leader in gluing reports that new members rarely last a year at the gluing department. This is due to the work they are introduced to upon starting work.The grueling tasks involved usually result in back injuries. Often there is no orientation to the job and the new workers learn on the job about the rights technique of hanging beams. Ron reports that most men have bad backs, broken fingers and toes, and hernias. An interview with Marty reveals that a death had occurred at the gluing department. Even with this the death the men were expected to act as if nothing had happened and continue working. The mean also showed great concern for a man who had sustained a concussion after hitting a center nail in the overcrowded gluing area.During a tour of the plant it was noted that safety was very much compromised placing the worker’s health at risk. For instance, some workers did not have helmets, others did not have safety glasses, and band-saw safety devices were absent . Dirk a scheduler with a masters in forestry also reported that the employees did not under go any physicals. Though the men had medical insurance this was not enough to pick up their morale in relation to the safety of their working conditions. The stacks of beams are stacked too high such that they fall frequently.This in fact is how a death occurred at the plant. Some of the machines given to the workers are also not in good working order for example Rolf cited a machine that has four wheels and five feet of clearance. The machine has neither brakes nor shut-off making it inefficient and ineffective to work with. The building and ventilation standards of the plant as reported by Ro are below average leading to serious weight loss among the men during the summer. Physical well being and a healthy mind are necessary if a workforce is to be healthy.A healthy workforce is a motivated one and usually when one is in good physical health the mind is at ease and the worker can concentra te on his work. This is only possible if the worker knows that his working environment is safe and poses no danger to his health. This is absent at BR Timber Company. To begin with, BR Timber Company needs to set up an employee service that ensures that the employees undergo a physical and that they are up to the hard work expected of them. This will help in identification of any employees who may be risking their health by doing the grueling tasks at the plant.It is necessary to work with the quality control manager to develop guidelines that are task-specific for the different jobs and working environments in the place. Most men get accidents because they do not get the concept of a task clearly. The frequent movement of men from one job to another makes it difficult for them to be trained. To deal with the mistakes made the men need to be at one work station long enough to learn what exactly is needed in the beams and thus increase safety with less mistakes being made.OSHA (Occup ational Safety and Health Administration) recommended that ergonomic policies be made voluntary rather than mandatory. This aims at reducing work-related injuries and is better when it is voluntary rather than mandatory because then the company is free to follow these guidelines without feeling coerced. The benefits especially for BR Timber Company ion having employees’ health maintained is that employees will need less time off because injuries (Ju, 2007). For BR Timber a safe environment would be provided by first ensuring that employees have the necessary safety gear.This includes ensuring that helmets and safety glasses are available to all employees in all shifts. In addition the company should improve the condition in its glue area which has many damps causing the place to be crowded and creating difficulty in walking around. The absence of safety devices for band saws should also be looked into so that the band saws are fitted with guarding. Ensuring that warning signs are placed at strategic points in the plant to improve safety by providing employees and visitors of potential danger should also be done.The storage area for the beams is a dangerous area with one death already having occurred due to the stacks of beams being too high and thus falling. A solution to this problem would be to make the stacks lower and look for adequate space like suggested by Dirk that a bigger yard could be created by knocking out the field and organizing the stacks so that their disarray could cease posing a danger to the employees. Maintenance of equipment and machines is also another issue that contributes to poor working and safety conditions.By regularly repairing the work-out machines or repairing them altogether the company stands to gain more in the long run since efficiency will be increased and productivity together with safety will also be enhanced. No employee is comfortable using a machine that has no brakes, so a simple intervention like ensuring all the machines have breaks would make the employees feel safer. The job of ensuring safety does not only lie with management but also with the employees. If and when quality safety gear is provided the management should make sure that the employees use them appropriately.By allowing ongoing inspection teams to ensure that the company and its employees are taking the necessary safety precautions a higher level of accountability is encouraged and the company is more likely to adhere to a safe workplace and with the employees adhering to the safety guidelines. The solutions to the safety problems at BR Timber Company would best be addressed by incorporating the assistance of a safety consultancy agency. OSHA has many resources that would be useful for the company.In addition they offer computer software and technical information assistance that is easy to follow and that has specifications of OSHA standards meaning that the company cannot go wrong on safety if they seek services of such an agency. Another strategy that BR Timber Company needs to employ for the sake of the health of its workers is to put up a counseling unit for the workers. Many of the employees seem to be very concerned and disturbed about injuries sustained by a worker (Bob) who was hit by a centre rail and also by the death of a colleague at the beam stacking area.Though most of the men wanted to go home that day, they were not allowed showing some degree of insensitivity to the men’s state of mind following the loss of a colleague. The employees would have benefited a lot from having supportive services then. Education concerning injury prevention should be regularly provided for the employees. These would be especially helpful in preventing back injuries and knowing how to manage hernias which are both common problems in the BR Timber Company. Compensation and benefits is another pressing issue in the company.It is mainly related to overtime. The amount of work the employees put in is s ignificantly disproportionate to their pay. The workers felt that they were paid 60 cents per hour lower than the union and added that when the union got a 65 cents-per-hour raise, the employees at BR Timber Company got a 45 cent-per-hour raise. This being among the lowest paid employees in the timber business means that they are not motivated much. The only other benefit that seems available to these employees is the medical insurance cover.Most of the employees seem unhappy with their salaries even with overtime included. When a softball team was setup by one of the employees financing for it was inadequate since it required about $700 and the staff were only given $250. Due to the compulsory nature of overtime most employees do not even have the time to play the game. For most, they go home eat sleep and wake up again to go to work with very little time spent with their families. One of the things the company is doing right is providing medical cover for the employees.Other solut ions to poor motivation due to poor salaries in benefits include pay increments. This would be better handled by a compensation analyst to ensure that the employees’ salaries are matched with those of other union employees. This does not have to happen to immediately it could be a plan over time in which the employees get gradual increases in payment following a survey of their salary scales. (Mathis and Jackson, 2006) An employee benefits manager may be necessary to provide better management of the employees benefits especially the health insurance and pension plans.In the case of the BR Timber Company the nature of the industry the company is in calls for the company to have an accident and dismemberment insurance plan. The manager when appointed will be able to keep abreast of all legal issues affecting the employee benefits. This will streamline the process of claiming benefits and increase the trust the employees have in the company leading to greater motivation (Mathis and Jackson, 2006) In assessing how much it needs to pay the employees to keep them motivated and still earn a profit the company ought to go through a budge process.This will provide a means for determining how much has been spent on the payroll. The positions of various employees ought to be such that their positions fit into the overall percentage of the payroll. When jobs are clearly defined determining their going rate becomes easier. Using job descriptions for entry other job will provide a means of comparison with the market place. The jobs can also be marched to others by comparison of the core functions (Krotz, 2007). To ensure that the turnover rate for employees is not high due to employee dissatisfaction with the pay it is necessary to track the competition.BR Timber pays lower than other union companies making those companies a viable alternative for the employees. Supervisors and others with positions of authority need to have a salary range especially for those whom i t will be employing new. Other perks of the job can also be considered benefits and are important because work is not only about money. Overtime being such demoralizing aspect of work at BR Timber Company, the management ought to consider flextime. Most of the employees complain that they do not have enough time to spend with their families.

Midterm report ISTD Essay

This project is designed to make an in-depth study and critical analysis of HR aspects in MedTek.Net India Pvt Ltd. At this point in the project, it reports about the progress we made in analyzing theR training aspects and the progress it made towards its goals; describe obstacles (both internal& external) faced; detail work accomplished and actions to be taken in the future. During the process of project, we got to know and notice lot many interesting facts and points which are really important for the growth and success of the organization. It gave an opportunity for the HR department to  audit the entire HRD aspects of the organization there by adding more value to way we operate. At the end of this project, all parties of the organization; Management, employees, HR department are eager to know more about the findings and improvements that we can make to the organization from the HRD prospect which can bring an edge to the company when compared to our competitors in the market. Below pages of this report offers a brief description about the analysis and work we have done so far in this project. Introduction: Within every organization, there is a need to manage learning in accordance with business requirements. A systematic approach in training and development always adds an edge to the performance of the organization in all means. Objective: Objective of this project is to do complete analysis on the below training aspects, their performance impact and recommendations for betterment of the organization. a) Human Resource Planning, Training Policy, Training Budget. b) Training Needs Assessment System. c) Training & other Development Programmes and their evaluation. d) Strategies for improving HRD activities in the Organization. With our analysis, findings & recommendations, our attempt is to provide viable propositions for betterment in the applicable areas of organization. In this process, we have collected all recorded data like policies, questionnaires, processes followed etc and live data like interviews and one on one discussion with various employees of different departments and external data like market scenario, industry analysis etc. Project Design: We have designed the project in to four phases. 1. Collecting basic data and information related to all training aspects. 2.  Analyzing data, processes and drawing findings for their evaluation procedure. 3. Evaluating the information and processes of various data analyzed. 4. Recommending strategies for the improvement of HRD activities with the help of above in the organization. For any company, training and development is an important aspect which boosts continuous growth and success to the business. We have considered all external and internal components of the existing performance of the organization with respect to the targeted objectives set. Some of the components include absenteeism, work hours of the employee’s w.r.t their performance, performance of the software (IPAS – Integrated Performance Appraisal System) which was initiated recently, employee hiring and job enrichment strategies used for retaining the existing employees, HRD activities practiced for long term growth of the organization etc. Project Implementation We started implementing the project by collating data available from all sources. Simultaneously we started working with people as well by circulating questionnaires and by conducting one on one discussion. Below explanation will give us a brief of what we have studied and analyzed in this process with the help of both data and people. HRD System: Human Resource Planning, Training Policy, Training Budget. Human Resource Planning At MedTek.Net we measure the growth of business by the no of minutes and reports we process per year. Therefore our target of business growth lies in the same and accordingly we plan for resources to recruit per year, it includes both fresher’s and experienced resources. MedTek HR planning for the period of 2012-2013 is focused on the below points to achieve during this time. Below points are analyzed after a detailed discussion with people in the company and after going through the information/data which is all available. 1. Work closely with management to reinforce the need for competitive compensation for individuals MedTek wishes to attract and retain. 2. Invest  in professional development programs to improve leadership capabilities, job skills, and employee productivity. 3. Identifying and attracting right talent at campus level thereby training and employing them in the organization accordingly. 4. Develop comprehensive career management tools, job enrichment strategies, and mentoring programs to help employees prepare for new opportunities. 5. Leverage technology to streamline HR service processes and improve access to employee information. 6. Conduct regular organizational climate assessments and collaborate with senior managers to improve the campus work climate. Review of training policy & budget: As MedTek.Net is a mid sized company they do not really have a fixed annual budget for training. The budget varies as per the requirement and situation of the company although getting approved prior by management. But, with in the limitation HR department tried to encompass the training programs which align the company’s goals and objectives of employee development. Some of the cost effective measures which got imparted in the training budget are: 1. Finding trainers with in the organization wherever it is necessary and possible. 2. Imparting self learning techniques for the employees which not only reduces costs but also helps employees to work on their skills by focusing on their weaknesses and strengths. 3. Encouraging the technique of cross-train employees at work place. This technique really worked at MedTek as employees showed great interest to share their knowledge. It is happening in this way; 2nd level employees train 1st level employees and 2nd level employees will g et trained by their above level i.e. 3rd level employees and vice-versa. Keeping in view of budget constraints and business requirements training policy of Medtek for the year 2012-13 aims to ensure that 1. All new members of staff receive an induction training programme that achieves the common company induction standards. 2. Company invests in training that helps to meet its goals of providing a quality service, which are achieved by increasing the knowledge and skills and competencies of its staff to meet the needs of quality service standards set. 3. All staff has  an annual appraisal which, amongst other matters, reviews all training undertaken and sets goals for the coming year based on the individual training needs assessment. 4. All staff are provided with an annual personal training file, which they will keep. In the file they include details of all training sessions that they attend. The file should also contain a personal development plan filled in at the same time as the appraisal. The personal development plan contains details of any training opportunities that the member of staff seeks to pursue during the year. At MedTek, Training policy and Training budget got framed by keeping in view of companies annual HR planning and business growth. Keeping in view of companies strengths and weaknesses these three components got designed and in the continuous process slight deviation(more or less) is always there to align with industry and market changes and requirements. Analysis on Training needs Identification and Assessment process: Up on detailed analysis and review Training Identification & Assessment process at MedTek usually happens by following the below steps: 1. Data Gathering: One on One discussion with Managers/ Supervisors/ employees, performance Mgmt software, knowledge/ skill test to the employees, questionnaires etc. 2. Post assessing the need, HR department designs a module defining the purpose of the need, target group, resource person and the deliverables. 3. Defining the deliverables and methodology to measure the deliverables are very critical while identifying the need. 4. Training Need Validation: After identifying the list of training needs, the same will be listed and discussed with functional heads of all departments. During this exercise, the relevance of each training need with the forthcoming financial year and the business requirement to be validated. 5. Training Need Prioritization: The training needs identified will be then categorized as high impact and low impact / high cost and low cost. 6. The deliverables of the training needs which may likely to create High Impact on the business with Low Cost will be given fir st priority. The training needs with High Impact and High Cost will be given 2nd Priority and the training needs with Low Impact and Low Cost will be given 3rd Priority. Review and analysis of 2012-2013 annual Training programs planned & conducted: The training programs conducted on continuous basis for the year 2012-2013 at MedTek.Net are mentioned as below: 1. Induction for new joinees- Technical Training, Behavioral Training, HR induction. 2. Technical Training – To all employees designation wise for knowledge and skill improvement. 3. Management Development Sessions – Workshops for the existing managers and potential employees who are identified for promotions. 4. Soft skills and Personality Development Training programs – For the identified team members of different departments. 5. Sponsoring some training workshops for the identified team members which were conducted outside the company premises. T&D activities which left impact towards improvement & development of both the parties i.e. employees & the organization. Employees: Entry Level: Employees at entry level got highly benefited with induction training program as it includes both soft skills, technical and company policies related training. The best part of this training is each employee after training session will be associated with one senior employee as their mentor for 1 month and on-the job assistance/training will be given to them till they get accommodated with the work life at MedTek. It is the responsibility of the mentor to make the new employee comfortable and feedback from the new employee at the end of the mentorship will be taken and will be added to the performance points of the senior employee. This process got succeeded and is yielding some great results so far. Mid Level: Technical Training and personality development programs are popular in this segment of employees at MedTek. Providing mentorship to new employees is also popular as it inculcates self learning process and adds performance points. Proof Readers and Quality Controllers generally comes in to the segment of mid level employees at MedTek. They need high technical knowledge  and skill as they are responsible for the final delivery of report to the clients. Therefore self learning technique and technical training plays a great role for their knowledge and skill improvement. Supervisors and Managers: Management Development sessions which got conducted at both indoor and outdoor left a visible impact in their skill development. In the company where stress and pressure rules, these sessions helped a lot for the managers and supervisors to handle the team members and stress. Organization: As an organization MedTek is able to see advantages in various ways as below: Performance of new recruits got improved and are delivering their full capacity of performance. Quality standard got improved and are getting some good satisfaction mails from the clients about the quality and TAT (Turn Around Time). Management sessions helped the organization to polish and train the employees who are identified to elevate for the next level mgmt positions at different levels. Overall on a note of conclusion, training programs which got implemented are able to deliver clear return on investment for both employees and organization. The success rate is clearly visible and is encouraging for both HR department and management to continue the training programs in a more effective manner for the growth of organization Analysis of T&D evaluation techniques up on which the organization is relying in terms of measuring the outcomes of the T & D programs implemented & planned. At MedTek, training evaluation is done keeping in view of five main elements as mentioned below: Satisfaction and participant reaction, with the help of questionnaires and random one on one discussion. MedTek, also has internal portal where the participants can post their feedback wrt training sessions attended. Knowledge acquisition- This can be evaluated by the scores they get in the technical tests which are conducted very often in the office premises.  Behavioral application – This can be observed eventually and often immediate supervisors or mentors are responsible for recording any change in their behavioral aspects during the course of time. Return on investment (ROI) – Each individual performance in terms of increase in number of minutes they process can be considered to evaluate ROI. Measurable business improvement – Improvement in all four parameters collectively contribute towards business improvement. Keeping in view of the above five elements, below mentioned evaluation techniques are often used at MedTek. 1. Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model. 2. Robert O Brinkerhoff- The Success Case method 3. The IPO model (Input, Process, Output) 4. Jack Philips Return On Investment HR department pick a combination of one or two from the above models for evaluation process and the evaluation process happen in 3 phases; Pre Training, During the training and Post Training. Results of training evaluation are submitted to senior management and some points of evaluation are accessible to employees as well through portal. Project outputs Management of MedTek.Net is very keen about this project as it gives an opportunity to analyze the entire process of T & D processes we have been conducting every year. It gave an opportunity to observe, compare and study T&D processes and systems other competitors are practicing in the industry. Below are few outputs so far turned up in the project. 1. Because of budget constraints they have challenges in hiring the no’s they require and this could effect the effective HR planning. HR department need to come up with some new strategies to fulfill the requirement of manpower with in the budget. MedTeK HR department was able to succeed so far but, in order to survive for long term they have to plan some strong strategies which can help them for some good no of years. 2. Employees at MedTek are happy with the training programs going on in the company when compared to some of the fellow companies from the same industry. 3. The challenge for both  employees and HR dept is volume fluctuation. The amount of work that they get on any day is often fluctuating and this could really affect the training schedules planned. For HR dept it is a challenging task, as they need to make the employees still connect with the training programs and need to constantly motivate them on this regard. 4. Management wants cost effective hiring or less hiring with out increasing operational costs but operations team demands more head count. 5. So far during the project, we have observed that support departments of the organization like Finance & Accounts, Admin, IT help desk are not getting their fair share of training as the always got mobbed up with work and they are the most stressed out team members in the organization. 6. Post evaluation after evaluating employees performance periodically it is really becoming tough for the HR department to plan for successive training programs for the employees those who are in need of because of the tight work schedules. 7. Time and money are the game pla yers at MedTek when it comes to T&D activities. Both management and employees see the value addition of T&D activities but they want it to be done with in the time frame and budget so that these activities would not affect work and budget stretch. Key Issues addressed 1. As we have observed above both management and employees shows interest towards T&D activities but with in the time frame and budget. On this regard, HR department had a discussion with Management about the long term benefits of T&D activities and tried to enlighten them how and what kind of remarkable changes it can bring to the improvement of business in a more effective manner. 2. HR department also highlighted the importance of hiring few more team members for support teams like Accounts & Finance, admin, IT helpdesk etc and advantages of training them in them which can bring a spearhead change in the way they are operating so far. 3. As it is emergency the temporary or time being strategy for hiring after discussing with managers and senior level mgmt, HR dept gave the options as below. a. Providing more work from home options there by reducing operational costs and paying salary as per the performance i.e. no of minutes processed per month by a resource. b. Recruiting and training fresher’s and making them  ready by the time projects comes in as per the business forecast (In health care industry fresher’s usually get paid only after completing the training). c. Encouraging and motivating existing employees for processing more no of minutes and paying incentives for the extra minutes they process. 4. But, for many concerns at MedTek, hiring more team members is the single answer. But considering the concerns of budget, market conditions and business growth plans, MedTek has to consider the plan of hiring in slow pace (for experienced) and hiring fresher’s at good number and making them job ready with in the short period which really cuts the budget to a greater extent. Impact of the Project 1. The project did really give us enough reason to actually audit entire HRD aspects of the organization which we delayed because of some noted business reasons. 2. It throws light on many aspects which we need to work on for the betterment of both organization and employees success. 3. We are able to clearly figure out the strengths and weaknesses from HR point of view and started working on them in no time. Future Direction of the project We are in the final & crucial phase of completing this project. It will take couple of weeks to draw the final and more detailed analysis of the entire work we have done so far during this project tenure. We are left with Section D analysis which has been carrying out simultaneously and will be finished at the earliest. With the support of my guide we can submit the final version by the 3rd week of October.

The Truth Without All The Facts

The main problem with A Doomsday Reader: Prophets, Predictors, and Hucksters of Salvation, edited by Ted Daniels, is that this work is intended as a guidebook or compendium of sorts for a reader concerned with prophecy and Christian salvation. However, Daniels consigns his work to the inferior status of the lofty dissertation, or more accurately, an extensive annotated bibliography for a term paper, of this contentious subject by his choice of style and configuration.This main hindrance, which appears to actually have been purposeful, comes from the format for which Daniels chooses to present information to his reader and openly excludes any contradictory statements to further support or refute his assembled facts.To begin with, Daniels constructs Doomsday as a three-parter, with Part One highlighting the religious and political philosophies behind secular enlightenment, Part Two illustrating the evil lurking within those political and religious realms, and Part Three relating the tr agic results, all well-known and controversial events, and how chaos originated by the all-consuming, apocalyptic movement known as the Revelation.In the Introduction, Daniels spends a few discerning pages explaining his definition, literally and figuratively, for the critical terms a reader might come across when researching Christian prophecy and Revelation. Then, after a short explanation of his theory â€Å"that apocalypticism†¦is inherently political and that [a reader] might come to understand it better by taking that aspect of it fully into account† (Daniels 15), the book begins with his collection of essays and carefully constructed footnotes on his topics.However, Daniels’ theory is more or less left behind as the reader becomes disoriented by the essays and assembled information. His thesis, which he shrewdly never states in its entirety has a fundamental problem that he attempts to ignore by presenting his information as pure fact, with nothing to dispu te, deny, or, for that matter, confirm. And, because he offers no further insight into his claim, it can only be accepted as is, as fact, and while his chapters do provide a focus on his theory, they do nothing to prove anything other than to illustrate that he is more than adept in compiling facts to suit his purpose.For example, in Part One, Daniels highlights two main examples of leaders, Karl Marx and Adolf Hitler, who politically enforced their ideals for secular millenarianism, or, as Daniels has chosen to refer to it, the apocalyptic movement. Daniels uses Marxism to show how â€Å"like earlier apocalyptic ideologies†¦the interaction of opposing forces—in this case, labor and capital—drives events in the world† (56).It is a deceitful method of relating the truth, because apocalyptic ideologies, which he defines in his Introduction as â€Å"a struggle between the forces of good and evil† (4) focus on spirituality and redemption, not jobs and mo ney, but he is clever not to mention this again because Marxism would then have nothing to do with his point at this moment. Now, the facts cannot be denied that Hitler was indeed a bad man, but in truth, his position was one of purification, of ridding the world of the tainted race, the â€Å"ape-men† (65) and was not about religious enlightenment.Daniels gets around this fact by offering that â€Å"Hitler’s program combined two related elements common to many apocalyptic movements: revenge and purity† (70). With that said, a reader can be led to believe, because of Daniels’ previous definition for apocalypse as basically anything or any movement that has the potential to destroy the world, that Hitler could be very much an averted anti-Christ. With no other testimony or evidence contrary to this, a reader is forced to accept Daniels’ claim as fact.Now, the biggest problem with his thesis comes from his claim that the apocalyptic nature inherent i n all people is caused or, more succinctly, manufactured, by politics. By saying this, Daniels is expunging the reality and responsibility from people who knowingly commit suicide thinking that their salvation is at hand if they choose to follow the best salesman. To follow, dumbly and blindly without question because someone believes glory comes with a sacrifice like suicide (which is ironically the greatest of all sins, according to Christian religion) is not something that can be placed in the broad category of political maneuvering.It can be orchestrated by a political mastermind, yes; but that political mastermind is also very nearly as blind and dumb as the herd of sheep they lead to slaughter because they too believe, without question, that their own redemption or whatever freedom they are seeking comes from controlling the lives of others, and how well they manage at the task. While this can be defined as apocalyptic nature, because it is utterly destructive, it is not inher ently political—it is inherently human.But to say that the apocalypse and the movement that will one day revolutionize the world is inherently human is perhaps too extreme for a book of this sort to delve into. Daniels is most certainly aware of the controversial nature of his subject and understands, too, how people read and react to this subject when taken as a whole. If he focused on the problem and the ultimate destruction of the world as originating from being human, a large segment of his audience would close the book in disgust because they are, instinctively, because of the nature of the topic, seeking answers.And, with an efficiency to be admired, Daniels is cleverly able to grant those answers—even if it means skipping a measure of the truth. But, with any decent argument or frankly, any decent production of information, the fact and the fiction of the accumulated information need to be presented side by side so that the fact, if it truly is fact, will stand on its own because, by its nature, fact has more power and authority than any fabrication ever will. With this method, information can be highlighted and validated at the same time.While this may work in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Daniels, is not an authorized authority on the subject and therefore requires room in his work, or at the very least, acknowledgement, for such interpretation. Otherwise, the reader is being led into the exact trap that Daniels expresses is responsible for sending cults off to commit suicide for a holy comet in Part Three. In this way, Daniels actually forbids a reader to consider their options, and instead, ironically commits the very same sin that he compiled Doomsday Reader to argue about: herding the people with cunningly used portions of fact.And, with his choice of format, Daniels also neatly removes himself from any sort of literary or spiritual criticism because he assigns himself as the editor of this work, and does not hold the mantle of the au thor. Moreover, as is his way, every chapter ends with a â€Å"Notes† section in which all sources and facts gleaned from weblogs, news, and the Bible are posted in the standard APA citation style. While this is not unusual in a reference book of this sort, it becomes a bit disconcerting when every chapter ends with two pages of sources to review.At that point, a reader is left to wonder how much, if any, of the information came from Daniels. Or, more importantly, why he chose the facts he did to illustrate whatever version of the truth he hopes to prove. But with a topic this controversial and completely emotional and sacred for a great deal of the religious community, fact needs to be presented with disconcerting arguments as well, or at least offer in his extensive Works Cited, since he took the time to make it happen, authors or websites that offer some form of skepticism.In this manner, Daniels is able to present all of the related information on this subject without eve r being forced to declare his position or specify an exact opinion. But, more importantly, Daniels never offers any information to refute his truths either, so for that reason alone, Daniels is removing himself and his information from interpretation because the method he uses presents everything as fact. His sources, as they are quoted, are to be accepted and believed as fact, no questions asked, no tokens granted.Overall, while Daniels attempted to compile a compendium of information for the reader interested in prophecy or the Revelation, his theories and ideas are hardly presented at all, unless a reader gives the same weight to the slightly audacious Introduction, which offers his brief, indeterminate premise for creating and organizing his work. And, by choosing so specific a format for assembling his work, his information can be taken no other way, especially because every chapter, and very nearly every paragraph, ends with a footnote, and not an opinion.It is his chosen form at that lends to an attitude of distrust from a reader because Daniels cannot be taken fully and with complete authority on such a controversial theme. If anything, Doomsday Reader serves more as a tidy and eloquent annotated bibliography for a term paper than as the foremost guidebook for understanding prophecy and the terms required by the Bible for Christian salvation. Works Cited. Daniels, Ted, Ed. A Doomsday Reader: Prophets, Predictors, and Hucksters of Salvation. New York: New York UP, 1999.

SUMMARY In naming female CEO, IBM passes gender milestone Essay

SUMMARY In naming female CEO, IBM passes gender milestone - Essay Example Rometty has been with IBM since 1981, and has swiftly moved up the ladder to occupy the role as chief of sales and marketing after serving in a variety of other roles and responsibilities within IBM. Rometty is compared with other women CEOs like Meg Whitman of HP and Ursula Burns of Xerox who have been instrumental in taking their respective organizations to the positions that they currently hold in the market. About Rometty, she is described as a transformational leader that proved her mettle and capabilities through critical decisions in terms of business sustenance, growth and expansion, which helped taking IBM to stronger competitive positions in the market. However, perceptions about women heading businesses and their capabilities still seem to linger in people’s mind. Robertson gives many examplesin this article to prove this point. For instance, Palmisano’s decision to stay back as the chairperson somewhat shows a picture about his total confidence in Rometty’s capabilities to take over as CEO; secondly, the sudden decline in IBM’s shares following announcement of Rometty as the CEO is indicative of stakeholders’ perception of women leaders. Both these lead to the paradoxical state attached to women leaders in contemporary

APPLYING ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES TO EDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

APPLYING ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES TO EDUCATION - Essay Example This principle amounts to greater competition in the market place. To effectively compete with each other, organizations will be forced to improve the quality of the products or services that they offer in order to give better value to their customers. This will also be advantageous to the consumers because some companies tend to lower their prices to increase their market share. In a free market economy, people â€Å"vote† through their purchases of goods and services. Those getting the most â€Å"votes† are the ones that offer the best value for the people’s money. With support coming from the consumers, these firms have the dollar power to further improve on the quality of their products and services. Those firms who fail to attract enough customers/buyers are those who do not provide a good value. If they do not shape up, these organizations will eventually go by the wayside. 2. Are there other public functions that might benefit from more competition, includ ing competition from private firms? Yes, there are other public functions that might benefit from more competition, including competition from private firms. These organizations would include those in the area of health care (hospitals, day-care facilities & retirement homes), low-cost housing, transportation, telecommunications, and infrastructure.

Information system project management Lab Report

Information system project management - Lab Report Example After a long time of learning and implementing various project management methodologies, controls together with measurements, the success level of IT projects has been deemed not to be any better than the old moments when one computer could take up a whole room. In order for IT to contribute to the bottom line of every company, the executive teams have to make sure that the project remains aligned to business strategy. In case of multiple projects constituting large scale programs, there would be need to embrace flexibility with greater focus on the larger business picture. In software projects, it is possible to witness scenes such as members failing to complete whatever is expected of them and other members failing to be flexible. This has the potential of making things to fall out of hand. Another scene would be a person valued for his or her expert input failing to see the wider perspective, thereby missing out steps and tasks that other people would expect or a team member becoming frustrated because he disagrees with the approach that another team member uses. Dr Meredith Belbin studied team-work for several years and he made the observation that individuals inside teams have the tendency to assume varied roles. His definition of team roles is "He defined a team role as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way" and named nine of such team roles that determine the success level of a team. Teams risk becoming unbalanced in the event that all team members bear a lot of similarity in behavior. In case the team members have same weaknesses, the entire team might end up being weak. Supposing the team members have a similar level of strength, the spirit of competition is likely to arise and this will suppress cooperation in execution of the team-assigned tasks and responsibilities. Bearing this in mind, you could use the model with your team so as to help in making sure that the important team

A summary about a primary source about american history before 1865 Essay

A summary about a primary source about american history before 1865 - Essay Example Such was a significant stand that had earned him hatred among the white farmers who relied on slave labor. Furthermore, slave trade was a large industry that contributed to the economy of the country at the time. The president restates his desire to end slavery owing to the inhumane aspects it exhibited. He explains that he seeks to end slavery by influencing a change in the country’s constitution. This way, he shows that he respects the constitution. He would only introduce a change in the constitution by influencing the mindset of other elected representatives. In the letter, he expresses his desire in saving the union. The civil war threatened to destabilize the United States. He therefore explains his desire and efforts aimed at ending the civil war thus saving the union. In doing this, he explains will comply with the letters of the constitution and ending slavery thus creating a cohesive state that upholds the values of