Civil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreaus Letter From A...

Today I will be comparing Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau and The Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and taking a closer look at their rhetorical devices and strategy’s. In Civil disobedience by Henry David Thoreau shows us the need to prioritize some one’s wellbeing over what the law says. American laws are criticized mostly over slavery and the Mexican-American war. In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† was written in response to a letter written by clergymen criticizing the actions of Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during their protests in Birmingham, Alabama. The first article I will be analyzing is Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau.†¦show more content†¦For one he definitely felt the need that a government that is unjust cannot be a government. He goes on long-winded about how a person should not have to follow a â€Å"law† if it is unjust. He himself actually, explains to us in his writing that he was arrested for not paying his taxes. Why? Well because he stood up against a law he thought was unjust. He did this because slavery was not being abolished. This exemplifies his reasoning. It also shows why his argument is logical. He states in his opening paragraph â€Å"also I believe—‘That government is best which governs not at all’ he puts meaning to this saying. He is not saying that no government is needed, but better yet that if a government is not governing â€Å"just† laws, then it is not governing at all. My second article that I will be analyzing is the Letter from Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Although ethos is only once explicitly used in Dr. King’s letter, he successfully builds credibility through the teachings of other well-known historical figures and stakes claims on a moral truth being higher than any local laws and ordinances. In the beginning of his letter, King describes having â€Å"the honor of serving as president† of a Christian Leadership Conference that operates in â€Å"every southern state.† Aside from this claim, Dr. King does not address himself as being above any of the clergymen that had previously criticized him. Instead, he brings in the thoughts of other well-known figures,Show MoreRelated Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience and Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail820 Words   |  4 PagesHenry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience and Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, in â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† respectively, both conjure a definitive argument on the rights of insubordination during specified epochs of societal injustice. Thoreau, in his enduring contemplation of life and its purpose, insightfully analyzes the conflicting relationship between the government and the people it governs. He consideratelyRead More Henry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Essay898 Words   |  4 PagesHenry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Henry David Thoreau was a great American writer, philosopher, and naturalist of the 1800’s who’s writings have influenced many famous leaders in the 20th century, as well as in his own lifetime. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817, where he was later educated at Harvard University. Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer, which means that he believed that intuition and the individual conscience â€Å"transcend† experienceRead MoreCivil Disobedience and Birmingham Campaign993 Words   |  4 PagesCivil Disobedience and Birmingham Campaign Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther king Jr. fundamentally altered the American tradition of protest and reform. Both of them shared the same idea, but viewed them differently. Dr. King wanted to ultimately raise awareness and open doors for groups while Thoreau wanted more individual rights for people. The Birmingham campaign was a movement organized by King Martin Luther in the spring of 1963 to bring attention to the integration efforts of AfricanRead MoreCompare And Contrast Martin Luther King And Thoreau Civil Disobedience1497 Words   |  6 PagesWhen It’s OK to Disobey Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† and Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience† collectively persuade their audiences to disobey authority when it concerns social injustice. King takes a more assertive yet respectful approach, and makes it a point to explicate the intolerable treatment that the black community had to endure under the encroachment of segregation laws. In addition, Thoreau expounds why it is so important for citizens to object and takeRead MoreComparisons On The Advocacies Of Henry Thoreau vs Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.941 Words   |  4 PagesThere is a higher law than civil law- the law of conscience- and that when these laws are in conflict, it is a citizens duty to obey the voice of God within rather than that of the civil authority without, (Harding 207). As Harding described in his brief explanation of Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience, there are some instances in which it is necessary to disobey a social law. Martin Luther King, Jr., in addition to Thoreau, reasoned that should a civil law be judged unjust, one had a moralRead MoreCivil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau and Letter From Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King Jr.909 Words   |  4 Pages The essays, Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau, and Letter from a Birmingham Jail, by Martin Luther King, Jr., incorporate the authors’ opinions of justice. Each author efficiently shows their main point; Thoreau deals with justice as it relates to government, he asks for,†not at one no government, but at once a better government.†(Paragraph 3). King believed,† injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. (Paragraph 4). Each essay shows a valid argument for justice, but KingsRead MoreMartin Luther King And Gandhi910 Words   |  4 PagesLuther King Jr. had illustrated civil disobedient to the world during a challenging time, by quoting inspirational words from Gandhi and Thoreau. Gandhi had also quoted Thoreau throughout his stimulating time. Before Martin Luther King and Gandhi, Thoreau exemplified civil disobedience in the 1800’s. The purpose of Thoreau’s civil disobedience was to make a different world. King and Gandhi had t he same purpose. That is one of the main reasons why they connected to Thoreau’s essay. Born July 12th 1817Read MoreDevelopment of Transcendentalism901 Words   |  4 Pageswhile philosophies of civil dispute and nonviolence may seem like a well-accepted idea today, many who fought for this type of negotiation were often considered radical for their introduction of it to society. Among those transcendentalists was Henry David Thoreau, who wrote â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, Mohandas Gandhi, who wrote â€Å"Satyagraha†, and Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote â€Å"Letters from Birmingham Jail†. Henry David Thoreau used the theory of transcendentalism in â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† These three transcendentalistsRead MoreAnalysis Of Henry David Thoreau s Letter From Birmingham Jail951 Words   |  4 Pagesconfrontations and have practiced freedom of speech rights for justice. In the two articles, â€Å"Civil Disobedience† by Henry David Thoreau, and â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King, Jr.; both speakers focused on challenging social and political complications for the better of the future, country, and the government. â€Å"Civil Disobedience† by Thoreau, Henry David follows the author detaching himself from the government due to it favoring the majority based on the powers the certain group possessesRead MoreLetter From Birmingham Jail Rhetorical Analysis961 Words   |  4 Pages1. In his letter from Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King Jr., a civil right activist a Baptist Minister and the creator of â€Å"In Letter from Birmingham jail.† King uses concepts of logos, pathos, and ethos to convey his points. Racial tension was high during Martin Luther King’s time, and he was the voice of the black community. He articulated his words carefully and had use methods of civil disobedience to convey his point. One of the first appeals he makes in his letter is from a logos perspective

Is The Federal Reserve Accountable For Sub Prime Market...

Final Project Part Two Kevin Nozari Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University MBAA 523 October 1, 2015 Is the Federal Reserve Accountable for sub-prime market economic disaster and its sustainability in a post disaster U.S economy? The most commonly known sub-prime finance crisis came into illumination when a sudden rise in home foreclosures in 2006 twirled seemingly out of control in 2007, triggering a nationwide economic crisis that went worldwide within the year. The greatest responsibility is pointed at the lenders who created such problems. It was the lenders who, at the end of the day, lend finances to citizens with poor credit and a high risk of failure to pay. When the Feds inundated the markets with growing capital†¦show more content†¦The sub-prime crisis affected, not only to the US, but it’s footpath across the world. The economic financial system across the world experienced suffering very badly, thereby leading the deteriorating of the economy. According to numerous economists, the crisis of 2008 was the most severe economic contraction, despite the fact that it is less than the Great Depression. To preserve financial policy steadiness, Federal Reserve applied conservative financia l policy stimulus thereby decreasing the federal resources rate to almost zero and becoming the â€Å"lender of the last resort†. Fed created this new loan program to improve the deteriorating financial system. In this paper, we will be using the log-log model. The log-log model used for the demand for wealth (attuned for inflation). We will be using the M1, as a display, for demand on wealth and interest rate as the illuminating variable affecting the demand for wealth. Using the regression, we will study the hypothesis. For this paper, the hypothesis used will talk about the connection between money and the interest rate. The null hypothesis, in this case, will be the interest affecting the demand for money in the economy. The data that we will be reviewing is from October 2008 to October 2011, 3 years worth of data. This connection will give us the basic understanding of the performance of the monetary policy in US economy after the crisis. Research Review In response to the financial disaster that had occurred

Business Analysis of financial management - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Business Analysisof financial management. Answer: Introduction: Business analysis and valuation of an organization is a procedure which is basically used by the administration of business to calculate the economic value of an organization in context of the owner of the company. Business valuation and analysis is used by the financial markets to evaluate the price which is willing to pay by a business to affect the sales, market position and economic position of the company (Higgins, 2012). Various tools could be used by the businesses to analyze the main value of the business. The value of the business could be evaluated through analyzing and investigating over the competitors of the company, new entry into the market, suppliers power, buyers power, strength, opportunities, threat, weakness, financial performance etc of the company. For this report, Qantas limiteds case study has been evaluated. According to the given case, business valuation could be analyzed through calculating the performance of Qantas limited in the market place. For analyzing the valuation of Qantas limited in superior manner, 5 forced model of porter, SWOT analysis, accounting policies, corporate strategies, financial performance etc. of the comapny has been analyzed. Qantas limited: Qantas limited is flag Carrier Company of Australia. It is recognized as the largest airline in the Australia according to the fleet size, international destinations and the number of international flights. The company came into existence in 1920 and from that, various changes have occurred into the performance, profit and position etc of the company. In May, 1935, first international flight of the company has begun. The company has various subsidiary companies which are performing various operations related to airlines such as catering. Jetstar airways segment of the company has assisted the comapny to enhance the revenue level a lot (Qantas, 2018). Currently, 35000 people are working for this comapny in around 43 countries. All the airways of this comapny have a logo of red kangaroo. Porters five forces model: Five forces model has been presented by Porter. This model is a basic framework to evaluate the competition of the company in marketplace. This model expresses about the competition and the attractiveness of the company. Porters five forces model has been evaluated on Qantas limited. Following is the framework of Qantas Limited: Competition in industry: Industry rivalry is an important element for every company as it briefs the comapny about the companies which could affect their business. It is requisite for every organization to evaluate the industry position and firms in the market. According to evaluation on Qantas, it has been evaluated that various companies are there which could affect the business and the performance of the comapny (Madhura, 2011). In domestic market, two companies are the main rival of the comapny which are Tiger plc and Virgin Airways whereas in global market, British airways could be a big rival of the company. New entrants threat: Threat from new companies in the industry is an important element for every company as it briefs the management and the stakeholders about the companies which could affect their business. It is requisite for every organization to evaluate the impacts of the business due to a new company in the industry. According to evaluation on Qantas, it has been evaluated that Qantas limited is not required to have any threat from new entrants as enter into the airline industry requires huge investment and thus companies do not enter into the airline industry. Substitute products threat: The threat from substitute products is an important element for every company as it briefs the comapny about the products which could affect their business and the products of the company. It is requisite for every organization to evaluate the impacts of the business due to substitute products in the industry. According to evaluation on Qantas, it has been evaluated that the threat from substitute products is quite lower for the company. The main substitute products of the company is trains and the ships which is mostly used by the companies for a fewer distance (Gillen and Gados, 2008). Suppliers bargaining power: Bargaining power of suppliers is an important element for every company as it briefs the comapny about the supplier which supplies raw material to the company. It is requisite for every organization to evaluate the impacts of the supplier and their bargaining power on the cost of the company. According to evaluation on Qantas, it has been evaluated that the bargaining power of the suppliers is quite higher as few suppliers are available in the industry and the buyers are quite higher. Buyers bargaining power: Lastly, bargaining power of suppliers has been evaluated. It is an important element for every company as it briefs the comapny about the buyers which buys products and avail services of the company. It is requisite for every organization to evaluate the impacts of the buyers and their bargaining power on the selling price of the company (Kaplan and Atkinson, 2015). According to evaluation on Qantas, it has been evaluated that the bargaining power of the buyers are quite higher as various companies are offering the services and that is why buyers could manipulate the selling price of the comapny. Through the above analysis, it has been found that the porters 5 forces ode explains about the marketing factor of the comapny. SWOT analysis: Further, the internal performance of the company has been analyzed through calculating the internal changes of the company: Strength Weakness Qantas limited is enjoying the monopoly market in Australian marketplace. Qantas limiteds promotional policies are quite strong Australian government has a back of Qantas limited Qantas limited is the largest and oldest aviation comapny in Australian market. Largest international destinations have been covered by the company. Company has various string relationships in the market (Fu, Oum and Zhang, 2010). The main weakness of the comapny is high rate labours and weak relationship with the employees. The company mainly focuses over the business class people. . Opportunity Threat Technology could be used by the company to enhance the market This comapny is the main attractiveness of the investors Various strong relationships have been managed by the company with international companies. Huge market share is hold by the company. Main tourist destinations have been covered by the company. Fuel prices are quite higher. Labour cost of the Australian market and the industry is quite higher. Huge competition is there in the aviation market (Campbell, Goold and Alexander, 1995). Corporate strategy of the company: Further, the corporate strategy of the company has also been evaluated. Corporate strategy of an organization express about the scope and the direction of the company. It expresses that how an organization performs its operations to accomplish the mission. The Qantas case study explains that the numerous alterations have been occurred into the policies and the strategies of the comapny from 1992 to current year. The alterations have mainly occurred to accomplish the task and the mission of the business. Even the Australian flagship has changed its policies and due to which the strategies of the comapny has also been altered. The company have managed the new policies and the plans to enhance the performance in the market (Frazer, 2015). Qantas limited has adopted the innovations, technologies, operations, sources, functioning etc to manage the performance of the operations (Barney, 1992). Further, the changes into the main operations and the subsidiary companies have also been done to grab the market. More, the company has diversified its operations and the marketplace to recognize on international level. In 1992, the comapny was not recognized by the international market but now it has adopted the international expansion strategies and it is known by 45 countries for its longer route and the coverage of tourist destination (Hogarth, and Makridakis, 2011). This comapny has launched various new operations through establishing various subsidiary companies such as Qantas catering for catering operations, Jetstar airways for lower income people, Qantas holidays for tourist destinations etc. these changes have done by the administration to enhance the performance of the company. Accounting policies: Accounting policies are the set of regulations, policies, rules, process etc that assists the business and the auditors to record the financial data and analyze the financial data of the comapny. These policies are mainly set by the accounting institutions of the country and compulsorily used by the companies while recording the data into the financial reports. Auditors are learnt to look over these policies and evaluate the financial reports of a particular company. Mainly following policies should be analyzed by the auditors while evaluating the financial reports of airline firms: Asset and liability recording: Asset and liabilities should be recorded by an organization after evaluating the accounting standards, accounting rules and the GAAP principles. The valuation of the assets and liabilities of a business depends on the accounting policies. So, it is expected from an auditor to analyze the financial figures and asset and liabilities of the comapny according to accounting policies and the accounting standards (Dean and Yunus, 2001). Depreciation policies: Further, charge of depreciation is done by every company to analyze the exact worth of the assets of the company. Depreciation is charged by the companies to less the tax burden or sometimes for enhancing the worth of the comapny, mainly less depreciation are charged by the companies. Thus an auditor should analyze the depreciation amount of the comapny according to accounting policies and the accounting standards. Financial performance of Qantas in 2013: Further, for evaluating the total value of the Qantas limited, financial performance and the position of the business have been evaluated. Through the study over the financial performance of the company, financial reports of the comapny have been evaluated. Financial reports include income statement, cash flow statement and the balance sheet of an organization. Through conducting the study of ratio analysis, financial performance of the company has been calculated. Ratio analysis briefs about various position of the comapny. Firstly , liquidity ratios have been analyzed and it has been found that the current ratios and the quick ratio of the comapny is quite good (Datamonitor, 2009). More, the profitability position of the comapny express about a bad performance of the company. More, the capital structure ratio and the efficiency ratios have been calculated and it has been found that the comapny has maintained a good performance in the market to manage the performance of the company. Financial performance of Qantas in 2017: In addition, the business valuation of the comapny has been analyzed on the basis of financial figures of the company of 2017. For it, financial performance and the position of the business have been evaluated. Through the study over the financial performance of the company in 2017, financial reports of the comapny have been evaluated. Through conducting the study of ratio analysis, financial performance of the company has been calculated. Firstly, liquidity ratios have been analyzed and it has been found that the current ratio and the quick ratio of the company is quite lower and company should enhance the level of current asset to manage the performance of the company (Besley and Brigham, 2008). More, the profitability position of the comapny express about a good performance of the company. It explains that the profitability position of the comapny has been better. More, the capital structure ratio and the efficiency ratios have been calculated and through the capital structure of the company, it has been found that the comapny has maintained optimal capital structure in the market to manage the performance of the company as well the working capital is also managed by the company. Differences in financial performance: More, the differences of the comapny have also been evaluated and following differences have been found: Increment in the revenues Policies of FlagShip is same Performance has been increased (Craigie and Bekiaris, 2010). Similarities in financial performance: More, the similarities of the comapny have also been evaluated and following similarities have been found: Liabilities in both the years are quite similar Asset performance is same International polices have been changed. Conclusion: Thus, the above study briefs that position of the comapny has become competitive and the changes are quite optimistic. Through the study and the analysis on company, it is recommended to the investors of the comapny to invest into the comapny to enhance the investment amount of the company. References: Barney, J. 1992. Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management, vol. 17, no. 1, p. 99. Campbell, A, Goold, M and Alexander, M. 1995. Corporate Strategy: The Quest for Parenting Advantage. Harvard Business Review, viewed 9th Jan 2018, https://hbr.org/1995/03/corporate-strategy-the-quest-for-parenting-advantageandgt. Higgins, R. C., 2012.Analysis for financial management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Craigie, J. Bekiaris, M. 2010. Money. Qantas gets cosy with AirAsia, 2120, 16-16. Besley, S. and Brigham, E.F., 2008.Essentials of managerial finance. Thomson South-Western. Datamonitor. 2009. Airline Industry Profile: Asia-Pacific. Airline Industry Profile: Asia-Pacific, 1-32. Dean, E. and Yunus, K. 2001. An overview of strategic alliances. Management Decision, Vol. 39 Iss 3 pp. 205 218. Hogarth, R.M. and Makridakis, S., 2011. Forecasting and planning: An evaluation.Management science,27(2), pp.115-138. Frazer, S 2015. Jetstar expansion stalled by Hong Kong authorities, Text, ABC News, viewed 9 Jan 2018. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-26/jetstar-expansion-stalled-by-hong-kong-authorities/6576346andgt. Fu, X., Oum, T.H. and Zhang, A. 2010. Air Transport Liberalization and Its Impacts on Airline Competition and Air Passenger Traffic. Transportation Journal, vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 24-41. Kaplan, R.S. and Atkinson, A.A., 2015.Advanced management accounting. PHI Learning. Gillen, D and Gados, A 2008. Airlines within airlines: Assessing the vulnerabilities of mixing business models. Research in Transportation Economics, vol. 24, The Economics of Low Cost Airlines, no. 1, pp. 2535. Madura, J., 2011.International financial management. Cengage Learning. Qantas. 2018. Qantas Fact file. [Online] Viewed on 9th Jan 2018: https://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/FactFiles.pdf.

Data Collection Procedure

Question: Explain Data Collection Procedure. Answer: Data Collection Procedure In this particular task, the investigator has used two kinds of data gathering procedure (Ronfeldt, 2012). The two kind of data gathering process is primary data gathering procedure and secondary data gathering. Further the data collection procedure is divided into two parts the qualitative data collection procedure and quantitative data collection procedure. To complete, the entire research work on time the researcher used effective methods of data collection to support the entire research work on time (Atuahene, 2012). The researcher interrogated both the teachers of the institution as well as all the stuff of the management. After completing the entire interview process, the researcher got some mixed review of the entire research questionnaire. Autonomous Curriculum Questionnaire is prepared by the researcher to support the entire quantitative as well as qualitative method of data collection procedure (Giudicati, Riccaboni and Romiti, 2013). To complete, the entire data collection procedure the researcher interrogated thirty teachers of the institutions and three pieces of stuff of the management (Siu, Zhang and Yau, 2013). Quantitative method of data collection procedure In this particular data collection, a procedure the researcher has analyzed thirty teachers of the institutions in order to complete the entire quantitative method of data collection procedure (Murugan and Rajendran, 2013). The researcher discusses the research questions as follows. Q1) what is the current stage of the retention policy of the institution? Options Frequency Percentage Total Very good 2 10% 20 Good 3 15% 20 Fair 10 50% 20 Poor 3 15% 20 Very Poor 2 10% 20 Table 1: Retention Policy of the Institution From the above question, the researcher has a mixed review. The researcher accomplished about the retention policy of the institution. The majority of the teacher around 50% of the entire population suggested that the entire retention procedure of the institution is fair. 10 percent of the people suggested that the retention procedure of the institution is very good followed by 15 percentage of the population suggested the retention policy is good. On the other hand 15 percent of the population suggested the retention policy of the institution is poorly followed by ten percent of the people suggested poor. Figure 1: Retention Policy of the institution (Source: Developed by the Author) Q2) Do you think that individual tutorial system puts Options Frequency Percentage Total Yes 75% 15 20 No 25% 5 20 Table 2: Effect of Individual Tutorial System From the above research question, the researcher found that the majority of the teachers among the entire population suggested that individual tutorial system puts a huge effect on the retention policy of the institution. On the other hand, 25% of the entire population suggested that the individual tutorial system hardly put any effect in the entire retention policy of the institution. After going through different kinds of research methodologies, the researcher concluded that the individual tutorial system puts a positive effect on the entire institutions. The researcher also added that the entire educational system has changed in different ways. One of the major changes is the inclusion of the individual tutorial system from which the majority of the students gets personal attention. This particular procedure helps a lot to maintain a good level of a retention policy in the institution. Figure 1: Effect of Individual Tutorial System (Source: Created by the Author) The usual duration is 6 week but it can change depending on the students willingness. It is the first time they are implementing this system so 100% effort need to be put to ensure it stays inside. The new legislation made by the government which states that students have to go to school and get employment has a range of effects on the students as well as their parents. It has two aspects. Firstly, it helps provide the student the foundation of either staying in school or college or seek employment. Secondly, there is a record of a kid getting away from his school and the institution could not take proper action. There are good many methods and ways to encourage students to stay. The present retention policies and strategies that are documented by the government has rules where, if a student suffers from difficulties or faces troubles or any kind of problem, he or she is treated by counselors or is sent to special child care departments. The system is really beneficial for the studen ts as well as the institutions as it reduces the chances of student dropouts. Students find it interesting to stay and willing to try harder if the course study seems difficult. There are a number of strategies that can be implemented to keep the students on board. The approach should focus on one-to-one interactions. The course lectures and study materials should be of such a level so that it is comprehensible and easily understandable by the students. The academic coursework should be structured according to the students capabilities and ability to cope with it. Special commitments should be made for the struggling students. Whether the students struggle with child care or part time job or money, there are various options to resolve their problems. Students with part time jobs may find it difficult to take out time from their daily routine for doing course study to complete their syllabus. Students who are lagging behind for such reasons should be provided means to ensure they can still stay in and cope with the course work. Some methods can be implemented such as writing down the parts in which the students faced difficulties or uploading online study guides and materials. Moreover, students should be handled more closely to be able to build a more personal relationship with them. It can be useful to figure out their point of weakness and areas that need improvement. Also, if a student suffers difficulties in child care, he or she can be shown some empathy which will really help them be positive and stay motivated. The college premises generally provide internet access through LAN or Wi-Fi connections. It can be utilized to give tutorials. There are always options for providing additional tutorials, reference books in order to make students more familiar with the course syllabus. The time span and deadline of assignments should be adjusted in a manner that goes with the students comfort level and ease of understanding the task. Implementation of some of the se useful methods will help students to actually learn and improve their knowledge. Q3) what is the effect of Pastoral support? Options Frequency Percentage Total Very good 3 15% 20 Good 2 10% 20 Fair 10 50% 20 Poor 2 10% 20 Very Poor 3 15% 20 Table 3: Effect of Pastoral support From the above question, the researcher concluded about the pastoral support of the institution. The researcher added supported pastoral means the counseling procedure. Counseling procedure helps the majority of the students to diversify the entire studying options. If any particular institution provides a proper counseling procedure in order, it will surely make a positive impact on the entire retention policy of the students. The researcher has a mixed review on the counseling and the pastoral procedure of the institution. The majority of the teacher in the entire population thinks that if any particular institution provides a proper counseling system to the students, it will result in the positive side of the entire retention policy of the institution. The majority of the teachers in the entire population around 50 percent suggested that the counseling procedure of the intuition is fair enough to maintain the entire retention policy. On the other hand, 10 percent of the population suggested that counseling procedure very good followed by 15 percent of the people complete on the good side of the research questions. Figure 3: Effect of Pastoral support (Source: Developed by the Author) Qualitative data collection procedure In order to complete the entire research work, the researcher supported the entire data collection procedure with the help of the Qualitative data procedure (Nwankwo, 2013). Keeping in mind the data protection act of 1998 the researcher organized the entire data collection procedure in order to support the research work with effective information (Patro, 2014). The researcher communicated with three stuffs of the Institute in order to complete the qualitative data collection procedure Q) What is the future planning is of the institution? According to the first stuff of the institution the future planning of the institution is to develop a proper retention, polices keeping in mind the requirements of both this particular he institutions as well as the students. To maintain a proper retention procedure, this particular institution has developed some major formulation on the development of the retention procedure. According to the third manager, the future planning of the entire institution is to develop a strong tutorial system. With the help of this particular tutorial system, the students, as well as the institution, will be benefited both ways. The students will get personal attention and on the other hand, the institution will be able to conclude about the problems of the students and to suggest them the best solutions. According to the third manager, the intuition is focusing on the development of proper counseling and pastoral support. It will help the students to be benefited with this system and will help the institution to maintain a proper retention policy. Reference List Atuahene, F. (2012). The Impact of "Tuition-Paying" Policy on Retention and Graduation Rates at the University of Ghana.Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice, 14(1), pp.37-65. Giudicati, G., Riccaboni, M. and Romiti, A. (2013). Experience, socialization and customer retention: Lessons from the dance floor.Marketing Letters, 24(4), pp.409-422. Murugan, R. and Rajendran, G. (2013). A three-dimensional approach to customer retention in mobile phone services.IJPMB, 3(4), p.494. Nwankwo, S. (2013). Customer Relationship Management and Customer Retention: Empirical Assessment from Nigerias Insurance Industry.Business and Economics Journal, 04(02). Patro, C. (2014). A Study on the Impact of Employee Retention Policies on Organisation Productivity in Private Sector.International Journal of Asian Business and Information Management, 5(3), pp.48-63. Pearson, M. (2012). Building bridges: higher degree student retention and counselling support.Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 34(2), pp.187-199. Ronfeldt, M. (2012). Where Should Student Teachers Learn to Teach?: Effects of Field Placement School Characteristics on Teacher Retention and Effectiveness.Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 34(1), pp.3-26. Siu, N., Zhang, T. and Yau, C. (2013). The Roles of Justice and Customer Satisfaction in Customer Retention: A Lesson from Service Recovery.J Bus Ethics, 114(4), pp.675-686.

Effects Of Parent Smoking Habits On Thier Childs Smoking Habits Essays

Effects Of Parent Smoking Habits On Thier Childs Smoking Habits Effects of Parent Smoking Habits on their Child's smoking habits Abstract Parents have an influence on whether or not their children will develop smoking habits. The findings of this study show this to be true. Further research should be conducted to find out whether or not how many children the parents have also has an impact on smoking behaviors. The participants of this study were random individuals at a local convenience store ranging in age from 18 to 47. The total number of participants was 24. Of these twenty-four individuals thirteen were male and eleven were female. Only sixteen of the participants smoked, eight being male and eight being female. The eight non-smokers questioned all reported having parents who were non-smokers. In the start of this research survey, I wanted to question high-school students at a local area high school. When I went to conduct the research at the high school I was informed that there is red tape involved when dealing with minors. In order to question minors at this local high school the children would have had to have signed permission slips from there parents, after they had the chance to read over the survey that would have been filled out by their children. Having limited time to complete this research project I decided that it would be in my best interests if I conducted the research elsewhere. I also believe that having parents look at the survey might have compromised the answers that would have been given by the children. Suffice to say the convenience store was my second option in conducting this research. Although my second option did reveal relevant findings, I believe that better answers to the adolescent smoking phenomenon would have better been found in dealing directly with teenagers. Although more research is needed it seems as if the smoking behaviors of parents has a direct impact on the smoking behaviors of children. Introduction Smoking rates among youths in our country has steadily increased for years. The health consequences of smoking have been known for years, yet people still start the hard to break habit. My question is, Why? Previous studies have been conducted to answer this question. Variables in these studies have included peer pressure, advertising, and family smoking. It is the latter of the three that this research study plans to analyze. It is said that we are a product of our environment, so this study hopes to prove that when a parent or guardian smokes it increases the chances of their child or children of smoking. This question has been asked before, and it has been found by Karen H. Smith and Mary Ann Stutts that , at least for girls, having at least one parent who smokes is a good predictor of whether or not that child will end up smoking. (Smith,1999). Having a father who smokes increases boys chances of smoking by 1.5 times and for girls by 3.3 times. (Research Quarterly, 2000). Literature Review Many studies have been done on the habits of adolescent smoking. Previously examined in separate studies were peer pressure, family smoking, advertising and antismoking information. Bandura's smoking environment variables such as parental, sibling, and peer smoking habits were more important for predicting smoking behavior in adolescents. In prior research the number one predictor of smoking in adolescence is having at least one sibling who smokes. In college-aged students the number one predictors having at least one parent who smokes. These studies proved that the immediate family has a great influence on smoking habits. There are also other factors involved in the decision of an adolescent to begin smoking. Peer pressure is another concern. ?Teens who associated with friends who smoke and drink were more likely to do so.?(Parents and peers influence smoking, drinking, 2001) Two types of peer pressure occur in these studies: direct pressure and normative pressure. Direct pressure is when a friend or a peer asks or dares and adolescent to smoke. Normative pressure is indirect pressure such as socializing with peers who smoke. (Smith, 1999). This type of pressure causes the adolescent to lessen the negative aspects of smoking because they see someone they admire or look up to, smoking. College students are not as influenced by peer pressure as are junior high and high school aged students. These children are at an age where peer pressure is the greatest because it is truly when they begin to socialize without parental guardianship. (Smith,1999). One study that was

Free Essays on The First Crusade And The Idea Of Crusading

The First Crusade, a Holy Expedition Peace and tranquility in the eastern Mediterranean seemed secure for years to come in or around the eleventh century, but little did anyone know what loomed on the horizon. Jonathan Riley-Smith, a professor and specialist in ecclesiastical history at the University of Cambridge depicts in detail the holy war fought on Christ’s behalf in an attempt to liberate the people and the baptized members of the churches under Muslim rule, as well as the liberation of a place, that place being Jerusalem. The word crusade, which is derived from the Latin word crux, or cross, is in reference to the crusaders who were motivated by God, and in turn accepted the vow proposed by Urban II by bearing the cross on their skin or sewn onto their clothing in show of faith to the man they all believed in, Christ. At a gathering in Clermont, France in November of 1095, Pope Urban II preached the Crusade, known throughout France as the via Dei or way of God, to a mostly clerical assembly. It is made apparent to the reader that this concept of divine war for Christ introduced by Urban II, was not the first time a proposition like this had arisen. In fact, Pope Gregory VII sought to control this very same movement in 1074 by calling for the milities Christi, or knights of Christ to go to the aide of the Byzantine Empire. According to Riley-Smith, there was no apparent difference between the movement proposed by Pope Gregory VII and Urban II; accept the fact that it was now popular, twenty years later. The council in Clermont inspired the churchmen that were present, but in using a false sense of imagery, Pope Urban II essentially put these men in danger by presenting a very intricate set of ideas, in fundamentally simple terms. Nonetheless, it is said that the first bands of crusaders, mostly unskilled peasants and women left in the spring of 1096, before the order of Urban II, which was said to be on the Feast... Free Essays on The First Crusade And The Idea Of Crusading Free Essays on The First Crusade And The Idea Of Crusading The First Crusade, a Holy Expedition Peace and tranquility in the eastern Mediterranean seemed secure for years to come in or around the eleventh century, but little did anyone know what loomed on the horizon. Jonathan Riley-Smith, a professor and specialist in ecclesiastical history at the University of Cambridge depicts in detail the holy war fought on Christ’s behalf in an attempt to liberate the people and the baptized members of the churches under Muslim rule, as well as the liberation of a place, that place being Jerusalem. The word crusade, which is derived from the Latin word crux, or cross, is in reference to the crusaders who were motivated by God, and in turn accepted the vow proposed by Urban II by bearing the cross on their skin or sewn onto their clothing in show of faith to the man they all believed in, Christ. At a gathering in Clermont, France in November of 1095, Pope Urban II preached the Crusade, known throughout France as the via Dei or way of God, to a mostly clerical assembly. It is made apparent to the reader that this concept of divine war for Christ introduced by Urban II, was not the first time a proposition like this had arisen. In fact, Pope Gregory VII sought to control this very same movement in 1074 by calling for the milities Christi, or knights of Christ to go to the aide of the Byzantine Empire. According to Riley-Smith, there was no apparent difference between the movement proposed by Pope Gregory VII and Urban II; accept the fact that it was now popular, twenty years later. The council in Clermont inspired the churchmen that were present, but in using a false sense of imagery, Pope Urban II essentially put these men in danger by presenting a very intricate set of ideas, in fundamentally simple terms. Nonetheless, it is said that the first bands of crusaders, mostly unskilled peasants and women left in the spring of 1096, before the order of Urban II, which was said to be on the Feast...

The American writer Ursula LeGuin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas Essay

The American writer Ursula LeGuin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas - Essay Example In the text’s description of city Omela it’s clear that there is an almost satirically good description of the on-goings. For instance, Le Guin writes, â€Å"The horses wore no gear at all but a halter without bit. Their manes were braided with streamers of silver, gold and green† (Le Guin). Here one sees that even the animals residing in the city were of a glorious nature. In terms of the social order, it’s noted that in large part there is no overriding government structure in this society. Le Guin states, â€Å"I do not know the rules and laws of their society, but I suspect that they were singularly few. As they did without monarchy and slavery, so they also got on without the stock exchange†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Le Guin). It seems in advancing this notion of government Le Guin is indicating that the society is so well functioning and efficient that it does not need any government structure to regulate anti-social behavior. The story also greatly considers t he nature of the individual. In large regards it seems to flesh out the notions of the individual as a means of establishing their conscious awareness of the society, as well as their happiness. Consider Le Guin when she writes, â€Å"How can I tell you about the people of Omelas? They were not naive and happy children--though their children were, in fact, happy† (Le Guin). ... The child is described as either feeble minded, or made so through malnutrition and fear. The child is even horrifically described as screaming that it will be good if it is let out. The child is perhaps the most indicative element of the city of Omela as it indicates that even as the individuals in the society enjoy considerable happiness and social cohesion there is still an aspect of their existence that is sinister. The story also indicates that occasionally an individual will leave Omela after learning the reality of the child’s situation. While it seems in part that Le Guin is making a statement about the nature of scapegoats in society, what one makes of the child in the basement is more a reflection on the individual reader than the story itself. In conclusion, this essay has considered the nature of society and the individual in Ursula Le Guin’s ‘The One’s Who Walk Away From Omelas’. In terms of society it’s demonstrated that the text presents a utopian world that is loosely described, allowing the reader to implement their imagination. The individuals are presented as conscious and intelligent. Ultimately, at the center of the story is a moral choice that is meant to reveal aspects of human character and nature of

Business Communication and ICT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Communication and ICT - Essay Example More so, non-verbal communication enhances ideas and concepts of verbal communication through the application of gestures, body language, tone of voice, and facial expression among other aspects such as symbols, pictures, and icons. However, non-verbal communication relies on personal presentation, audience awareness, and body language. Types of Non-Verbal Communication Non-verbal communications include the haptics, artifacts, and kinesics, which have been used to enhance verbal communications from an individual level to business dealings (Wood, 2010). Haptics is the physical communication that is meant to communicate particular information at a personal level with specific aspects of the body. Physical communication includes the use of aspects such as facial expression, body movements, and gestures that often accompany verbal communication. Haptics is often evident in the social scene where more intimate and close relationships and communications are established. The distance betwee n individuals conversing determines the level of haptics communications alongside cultural aspects regarding interpersonal norms (Wood, 2010, p.131).   Body posture in this case is the speaker’s body position, which may correspond with communication expectations and intention in a particular context. Physical communication often conveys symbolic messages with regards to the orator’s intentions and attitude concerning the message being communicated (Wood, 2010). Facial expressions on the other hand are dynamic features and sources of emotional communication that often communicate the speaker’s intentions, attitudes, and emotions. In addition, facial expression includes eye movement as a key aspect of facial behavior and displays with regards to eye contact frequency, stare, and glances. Glance, eye contact frequency, and stare may convey a wide range of information, emotions, and intentions of the speaker himself. This is in consideration of the fact that facia l expressions vary continuously during oral communication, and they are therefore monitored and interpreted constantly by the message recipient (Wood, 2010). Artifacts are non-verbal forms of communication based on environmental, cultural, and social artifacts for message conveyance and understanding. The environment generally refers to the physical place where communication takes place while artifacts are environmental objects that provide some form of communication stimulus. The environment of communication and environmental stimulus are basically the concepts of nonverbal communication that affect the changes regarding how people communicate non-verbally. Appropriate non-verbal communication is dependent of the artifacts and the environment in which communication takes place, with regards to giving clues of non-verbal behavior. Environmental factors include aspects such as climate, which influences the non-verbal behavior of individuals and even native residents of a particular c limate (Wood, 2011) Kinesics non-verbal communication on the other hand is the general body language interpretation and message conveyance. Kinesics non-verbal communication relates to movements of particular parts of the body or the body as a whole with respect to the gestures that individuals choose to put in place when conveying particular information. The manner in which the body is held generally constitutes posture and body gestures,

Performance Measurement System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performance Measurement System - Assignment Example Based on these explanations, it would be appreciated that using relevant data instead of convenient data for any performance-measurement system ensures that the outcome of the system will be one that directly reflects exactly what needs to be measured. For example when measuring competence of employees, their graduate scores may be convenient as these may be readily available. However, given the time elapse from time of graduation to the current state however, it would be relevant to use newly collected data about employees that reflect their current state of competence and performance. One of the major reasons most HR managers have preferred the use of convenient data over relevant data is that they find it more costly in terms of resources and time used to gather relevant data. Few (2007) however warned that there are several negative impacts that come with the use of wrong data in any organizational set up. The first challenge is that it is not possible to get the right frame of employee performance based on their current state of work. Using the same example given earlier, it could be that someone who came to the organization with first class has now relented in productivity but another who came with third class has picked up a lot of experience and thus improved in work output. When such old data which are considered convenient but wrong are used, it will be very difficult to get the true present state of performance. What is worse, there are long term direct impact of using wrong data on the organization. For example such wrong data can lead to wrong placemen t of employees, which can also lead to poor delivery of work because employees may not be conversant with placements given to them (Becker, Huselid & Ulrich, 2001). This situation could also be the cause of lower productivity, which will affect profitability and growth negatively. For any typical

Tuckmans Stages Of Team Development Model Education Essay

Tuckmans Stages Of Team Development Model Education Essay Tuckmans Stages of Team Development model explains how a team develops over time. The five stages of development are: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. According to Tuckman he says that all of the phases are necessary and inevitable. In order for the team to grow they most face up to challenges, problems, find solutions to problems, planning as a team, and to deliver results. Forming In this first stage of team building, the forming of the team takes place. The individuals behaviour is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict. Serious issues and feelings are avoided, and people focus on being busy with routines, such as team organization, which does what, when to meet, etc. But individuals are also gathering information and impressions about each other, and about the scope of the task and how to approach it. This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means that not much actually gets done. Storming Every group will then enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for consideration. The team addresses issues such as what problems they are really supposed to solve, how they will function independently and together and what leadership model they will accept. Team members open up to each other and confront each others ideas and perspectives. Norming At the team enter into the Norming stage. Team members behaviour is adjuster to each other. Also the team develop work habits which make the work seem more natural and fluid the team members often work through this stage by agreeing on rules, professional behaviour, there shared methods and working tools. During this phase, team members start trust one other and motivation increases as the team gets more acquainted with their project and goals. Performing As for the teams who will reach the performing stage, the team members are now become interdependent, motivated and knowledgeable. The team members are now competent and able to handle and make decision without being supervision. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is channelled through means acceptable to the team. Adjourning was the later stage that Tuckman talk about and this stage is basically on involves dissolution that is terminating roles, completing each teams task and reducing dependency. TRAINING Training can be defined as an educational process. Where people can learn different new ideas and gain information. In most organisation go into training their works making them get and lean more thing. They are different type of training and it important. Why training is important in an organisation Most of the reasons why organisation goes into training are new employees have to learn and gain new skills, and also their motivation is likely to be high. On the other hand, training experienced employees can be problematic. The training needs of such employees are not always easy to determine, and when they can be, the individuals involved may resent being asked to change their established ways of doing their job. Organizations also use more ways to determine the training needs of employees. The performance appraisal: on this one each employees work are measured accorder to their performance standards and objectives established for his or her job. There are different types of training in which organization in training their employees. TYPES OF TRAINING METHOD LECTURE METHOD The lecture is best used for creating a general understanding of a topic. Several variations in the lecture format allow it to be more or less formal and/or interactive. In the pure lecture, communication is one way-from trainer to trainees. It is an extensive oral presentation of material. A good lecture begins with an introduction that lays out the purpose, the order in which topics will be covered, and ground rules about interruptions (e.g., questions and clarification). This is followed by the main body of the lecture in which information is given. The topic areas should be logically sequenced so that the content of preceding topics prepares trainees for the following topics. The lecture should conclude with a summary of the main learning points and/or conclusions. Advantages The lecture training is one of the most efficient teaching methods for presenting many facts or ideas in a relatively short time. Material that has been logically organized can be presented Concisely in rapid sequence. The lecture is particularly suitable for introducing a subject. To ensure that all Students have the necessary background to learn a subject; we can present basic information in a lecture. By using the lecture in this manner, we can offer students with varied backgrounds a common understand. A brief introductory lecture can give direction and purpose to a demonstration or prepare students for a discussion. The lecture is a convenient method for instructing large groups. If necessary, we can use a public address system to ensure that all students can hear us. The lecture is sometimes the only efficient method to use if student-to-faculty ratio is high. Disadvantages . The lecture does not lead to maximum achievement in certain types of learning. Speech skills, cooperative group thinking, and motor skills, for example, are difficult to teach with the lecture method. Students can develop such skills well only through practice. Moreover, the formal lecture alone is generally not appropriate for presenting material above the comprehension level of the cognitive domain. Because it allows for little or no student verbal participation, the formal lecture may also be inefficient for comprehension-level lessons in which concepts and principles are developed. The lecture does not provide teachers with an opportunity to estimate student progress before an examination. Within a single lecture period, we may unwittingly present more information than our students can absorb, and we have little accurate means during the lecture of determining what they have learned. Too often, the lecture makes no provision for participation by the students. As a result, many students willingly allow the instructor to do all the work. Learning is an active process, but the lecture method tends to foster passiveness and dependence on the instructor. APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING Apprenticeship training dates back to the Middle Ages, when skilled craftsmen passed on their knowledge to others as a way of preserving the guilds. Today, apprenticeship programs are partnerships between labour unions, employers, schools, and the government. They are most often found in the skilled trades and professional unions such as boiler engineers, electrical workers, pipe fitters, and carpenters. The typical apprenticeship program requires two years of on-the-job experience and about 180 hours of classroom instruction, though requirements vary. An apprentice must be able to demonstrate mastery of all required skills and knowledge before being allowed to graduate to journeyman status. This is documented through testing and certification processes. Journeymen provide the on-the-job training, while adult education centres and community colleges typically provide the classroom training. Formal apprenticeship programs are regulated by governmental agencies that also set standards and provide services. COACHING Coaching is a process of providing one-on-one guidance and instruction to improve the work performance of the person being coached in a specific area. It differs from other OJT methods in that the trainee already has been working at the job for some time. Usually, coaching is directed at employees with performance deficiencies, but it can also serve as a motivational tool for those performing adequately. Typically the supervisor acts as the coach. Like the OJT trainer, the coach must be skilled both in how to perform the task(s) and how to train others to do them. The amount of time supervisors devote to coaching activities steadily increased during the 1990s and will likely represent more than 50 percent of supervisors time by the new millennium. E-LEARNING Many companies have implemented e-learning, which encompasses several different types of technology assisted training, such as distance learning, computer-based training (CBT), or web-based training (WBT). Distance learning occurs when trainers and trainees are in remote locations; typically, technology is used to broadcast a trainers lecture to many trainees in many separate locations. Distance learning provides many of the same advantages and disadvantages as the lecture method. Distance learning can be much less expensive than paying for trainees in multiple locations to travel for a lecture, but it may reduce motivation to learn because of the remoteness of the trainer. Advantages Convenience is one of the major advantages of e-learning. It allows students to work and learn at their own pace without the unyielding time restrictions of traditional learning. Because e-learning provides access to learning materials at any time, students have the flexibility to schedule around families, jobs and other activities. Another major benefit of e-learning is the accessibility it provides. Students can learn from anywhere in the world. This is an especially important consideration for students who wish to study in a different country. In addition, because e-learning can be done from home, students have less clothing and driving expenses than with traditional learning. Disadvantages A major disadvantage to e-learning is the self-discipline it requires. While being able to work at your own pace can be an advantage, it can also be a disadvantage. This is especially true for students who have difficulty with time management and procrastination. These students tend to be more successful with the structure of traditional learning. Another disadvantage to e-learning is the technology involved. Some people do not have ready access to a computer and Internet connection. And some who do have the required equipment feel ill-equipped to use it. Lack of interaction between teacher and student is another drawback to e-learning. Some students need the immediate feedback that interaction provides. ON-THE-JOB TRAINING The most common method of training, on-the-job training (OJT) uses more experienced and skilled employees to train less skilled and experienced employees. OJT takes many forms and can be supplemented with classroom training. Included within OJT are the job-instruction technique, apprenticeships, coaching, and mentoring. Formal OJT programs are typically conducted by employees who can effectively use one-on-one instructional techniques and who have superior technical knowledge and skills. Since conducting one-on-one training is not a skill most people develop on their own, train-the-trainer training is required for OJT trainers. In addition to training the trainers, formal OJT programs should carefully develop a sequence of learning events for trainees. The formalized instructional process that is most commonly used is called the job-instruction technique . Advantages It is cost effective for the employer because the person continues to work whilst learning. Training time is reduced when compared to traditional off site learning. It has been tested for techniques ranging from milking cows by hand to brain surgery. Structured programs for training multiple trainers, and for in house training of new trainers exist and are available from numerous providers. These programs reduce the training times of unstructured OJT by more than 50% and reduce the perpetuation of less safe and more costly production techniques. Disadvantages Inconsistent Traditional OJT relies heavily on an experienced employee to provide the instructions based on what they feel are the most important topics. What is important to one employee may not be important to another. The result is what is learned may vary greatly, depending on who is assigned as the trainer. Lack of founding principles :While the hands-on aspect of OJT may appeal to the practical learner, often the underlying theories of operation are not covered in sufficient detail or accuracy. Without this foundation of knowledge, trainees often learn what to do, not why they are doing it, resulting in poor decision making when things dont go exactly right. Bad habits : The trainee observes and may adopt the trainers habits and attitudes about all aspects of the job including safety, quality, customer service, and relationship with management. Poorly selected trainers can have many unintended consequences.

The Ugliness of War in Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum est Essays

The Ugliness of War in Wilfred Owen's Dulce et Decorum est Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum est" is seen as a strong expression of the ugliness of war, and "an attack on the idea of war being glorious" (Kerr 48). It transmits an irritating clip, with full animation and in vivid colors, of embittered and battered soldiers marching to their death. It also, cogently presents a nightmarish vision of hell uploading all its demons into the root directory of an impoverished soldier who saw one of his comrades gassed to death. The images that Owen confected with the skill of a professional craftsman remain grafted in the reader's memory long after the poem is read, echoing its sober message times and times again. The soldier's voice bitterly imploring that patriarchy stop disseminating lies about the glory and sweetness of death in defense of ones country haunts the text. The poem presents this extremely tense experience articulately in 28 lines of well-confected verse. It is this confected eloquence and the well structured articulation of this highly disturbing experience that really betrays the poem's lack of immediacy and artificiality, and makes the poet an accomplice with those he attacks as disseminators of lies. Scrutinizing Owen's poem under the magnifying lens of Longinus' treatise On the Sublime, and Harold Pinter's view on discourse reveals that the poem perches on a detrimental fault line that destabilizes its mainstream readings. While Owen challenges patriarchy and insinuates at its responsibilities for the horror of the war, he himself maintains, to a great extent, a conventional approach to writing poetry that does not subvert the traditional patriarchal forms of versification. The diction of the poem is delibe... ...arizes them to him to the extent that they cease to become that terrible after several repeated readings. In fact, in Owen's poem the war is exhausted by its discourse the way, to borrow Jean Baudrillard's expression, "the eyes are exhausted in the gaze and the face is exhausted in the makeup." (76) Works Cited Baudrillard, Jean. Seduction. Trans. Brian Singer. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. Dorsch, T. S. Classical Literary Criticism. London: Penguin books, 1965. Kerr, Douglas. Wilfred Owen's Voices: Language and Community. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993. Owen, Wilfred. Wilfred Owen: Collected Letters. Ed. Harold Owen and John Bell. London: Oxford UP, 1967. -----. Wilfred Owen: The Complete Poems and Fragments. Ed. John Stallworthy. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 1984. Hollis, J. R. Harold Pinter: The Poetics of Silence. New York: Macmillan, 1970.

BMW

In the BMW's future strategy, it strongly focus on expand of the potential market. For example, China and Russia. In terms of brand promotion, BMW Group, will seize the opportunity, and vigorously advise and expand public awareness network. At the same time, BMW also advertise their ambitions and sense of responsibility to society. In the automotive manufacturing area, BMW Group proposed to advertise new product concepts and environmental protection. BMW believes that with further development of the industrial era, the traditional energy sources will become a bottleneck restricting the development of society, as with the development of traditional energy sources will gradually disappear. All of these above are only general publicity, from the details; BMW also has many methods of influence to advertise the brand promotion. In the past, BMW through the sponsorship of 007 series of films to lead more people know about BMW. Nowadays, Now, BMW further into the ranks of social charity and welfare to go. I believe that in the future, more new ways to promote the brand BMW will also be generated in the process. From BMW’s advertising trends, while BMW focus on its own personality and the brand image. BMW also changed their advertising strategies, slowly trying to go into the market culture. For example, in China, BMW will be promoting the brand through the action to protect the local cultural heritage. In short, any successful brand or product can not be divorced from the success of advertising and publicity. BMW case, other brands also do so.

Douglas prologue Essays

Douglas prologue Essays Douglas prologue Essay Douglas prologue Essay By contrast, the tension built up in the prologue to Turn of the Screw is in some ways very untypical of an opening to a ghost story because it also creates tension by using the delay technique. The main story is delayed many times; this builds up intrigue, suspense and adds to the tension. We would not expect to have tension created by the delay technique because we would expect to be dropped straight into the plot. The delay technique suggests that the story is too awful to tell instantly for example when Douglas is about to tell the story but then he says I cant begin. I shall have to send to town. This creates anticipation in the readers mind. The story is then delayed because Douglas says its in a locked drawer it has not been out for years. This intrigues the reader because you wonder why it is locked away. This also suggests that the story must be too dreadful to let out and so it must be kept hidden and locked away. Douglas then carries on to create more tension and raise more questions by saying I could write to my man and enclose the key; he could send down the packet as he finds it. This raises questions because the reader wonders what it is about this story which means Douglas servant must not opening the packet. The story is then delayed again because Douglas says it required for a proper intelligence a few word of prologue. This mirrors the story the reader is reading, which also needs a prologue. Henry James also uses a metaphor to describe the delay. He describes the telling of the story by Douglas as breaking a thickness of ice, the formation of many a winter; had had his reasons for a long silence. This makes the reader wonder what it is about the story that made Douglas keep it not only locked away inside a drawer but also locked away inside himself. The metaphor is also effective because it shows that the story will be in the same state as when it was first written because ice freezes the story in time. Not only is the story frozen but also his feelings. The prologue that Douglas gives us is also very untypical of a ghost story. We would expect to have the characters introduced and any other information that is needed to explain the story to come at the very beginning. Instead we dont hear about the characters that feature in the main story until the end of the prologue. Then at the end of the preface when Douglas is giving us his prologue the information pours out in a hurry. The Douglas prologue shows just why the governess falls in love with the uncle. It is because she is the youngest of several daughters and because she was an anxious girl out of a Hampshire vicarage. This explains why she is so nai ve and why she succumbed to the uncles charms. It is because she is not used to men like the uncle because she has been brought up in a village in Hampshire. The uncle is handsome and bold and pleasant, offhand and gay and kind and this makes the governess fall in love with the uncle. The prologue also tells us why the governess doesnt just leave Bly when she finds out about Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. It is because she doesnt want to let down the uncle because he put the whole thing to her as a kind of favour. This made the governess feel that if she did look after the children she would be doing a great favour for the uncle and then he would reward her. She also didnt leave the children because she is the daughter of a country parson. This means that she felt very strongly about good and evil and she wants to save the children. It also means that she doesnt like the idea of any innocent children in her care to be corrupted by evil. The information we are given in Douglas prologue also raises questions in the readers head. This is because at first the uncle gave the children the best people he could find to look after them and even went down to Bly whenever he might, to see how they were doing even though this was an inconvenience on his part. Then Douglas carries on to say that the uncles main condition to the governess was that she should never trouble him. This makes the reader wonder what it is that made the uncle change from wanting to do everything he could for the children to wanting nothing to do with them. The Turn of the Screw is also very untypical of an opening to a ghost story because it has three narrators: Douglas, I and the governess. One of the effects of the I narrator is to draw you into the story. For example it was to me in particular he appeared to propound this. This make you feel as though Douglas is aiming the story at you. This makes the reader feel privileged and special. We are also made to feel we are special because at first there are many old women but by the time Douglas actually comes to tell the story they have left. This makes his final auditory more compact and select, kept it, round the hearth subject to a common thrill. This makes the reader feel privileged because they are one of the few who get to hear the story. The group is also in keeping with the story because the story is not trivial or gossipy which is another reason why the old women did not hear the story. There are also reasons to suggest to us that Henry James is actually I. For example when Douglas says that he has not got a title for the story and I says, Oh, I have! . This makes us believe that I is Henry James because we know that Henry James does have a title for the story; Turn of the Screw. In this way a connection between the author and the reader is made because we are put in the position of I and Henry James could also be I. I think that overall Henry James preface is required. I think this because without no tension or atmosphere would have been created at the beginning. This is an important part of a ghost story and creates anticipation in the readers mind and it also creates a starting point for a ghost story. The delays in the preface and the delay of the prologue itself is needed because it makes the reader want to read on and gives the reader a sense of anticipation. This is necessary because the main story is very psychological and you need to be thinking about the story all the time when you are reading it. The prologue is also needed because of the use of narrators. The use of narrators draws you into the story. This makes you feel part of the story from the start. There is also a lot of useful information which comes out in the prologue which we need to understand the main story and the characters, their actions and their relationships.

girl friends and guy friends essays

girl friends and guy friends essays Its a Friday night and youve got nothing to do. Maybe you feel like relaxing on the couch at home. Maybe you want to watch a movie, or even get dinner with a friend. But which friend? A guy friend or a girl friend? This is where the decision becomes crucial. It all depends on what kind of mood youre in. You may be asking yourself, Why would my mood affect whether I call a girl friend or a guy friend? The answer to this is that girl friends and guy friends, while both obviously friends, are completely different beings, different species even. Both are friends, but could not be more opposite in conversations or actions. Because of the way they function in social situations, girl friends and guy friends are like polar opposites. Lets say a girl and a guy friend, well call them Jenna and Fred, go to the mall to look around, you know, for something to do. At the mall, Jenna sees a pair of pants she wants to try on. So she tries them on and walks out to ask Fred for his opinion. Well, theyre kind of tight on your legs. They make you look sorta thick, you know? Brutally honest. The first, and maybe most predominate, trait of the guy friend. Almost offensive, but in actuality its one of his strongest and most reliable characteristics. To be extremely forward, honest, and not take the energy to sugarcoat the truth. On the other end of the spectrum we have a girl friend, who when asked about how Jennas pants look, would say something like, Oh, those are really cute. They look good in the waist. What size are those? The girl friend dodges the trouble area. She avoids the truth, and changes the subject at all costs. She would rather lie than insult her friend. This is where the girl friend differs from the guy friend, because she would rather spare her friends feelings than have her be fully infor ...

Explain why contemporary cities are increasingly keen to develop their Essay

Explain why contemporary cities are increasingly keen to develop their roles as event hosts and evaluate the potential problems associated with this strategic objective - Essay Example For an event to be able to give a city the recognition it requires, it must be a big one that leaves a mark on the history of the world rather than just being a local event (Musgrave, 2009). As s result, many cities seek and strive to win the chance to host such big events. When a city wins the opportunity to host one of such big events, they stand a chance to benefit in the following ways; As Levy (1997) says, hosting a major event makes it possible for the city to increase its recognition in the global community of cities. Such events attract a lot of coverage by the international media not only during the time of the event but also during the preparation for the events. The preparation of the event can take years and during this time, the city gets coverage by international media such as CNN and this increases its visibility in the international arena. This visibility and recognition is important in many ways. For instance, it attracts a range of people from all over the world, both for short term stay and for long term stay. For short term visitors, this has short term economic benefits because these people have to bring in foreign exchange and also promote a number of businesses in the city. For long term visitors who end up going to stay in the city, the city will benefit from diversification of its population. In a global village, the need for a diversified comm unity in a city has advantages that go beyond economic measures and therefore cannot be measured. Sporting events, apart from increasing the profile of a city can also bring in long term economic benefits through increased foreign direct investments. Investors, if they think that the sporting event will be a good way to launch a business, may want to invest in the city (OECD, 2008). These investments may be such as hotels and other investments that the investors from outside the city may feel that the sporting event will crop up investments opportunities for. Apart from foreign

Alternative Fuel Company Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alternative Fuel Company Case - Research Paper Example This predictive model is deemed to encompass both the recent and the earlier demand for the goods. The moving average model is the most obvious model here since the data given is that which is deemed to produce units demanded for the previous years. Since the predictive model uses the historical data for its analysis, it forms the best model for this type of analysis (Sharma, 2009). The reasoning behind this calculation is that the company sales each year represent the amount of units that the consumer will need each year. this is accentuated by the fact that the demand for these goods are deemed to be having positive correlation with the company’s units that they are suppose to produce (Crum, & Palmatier, 2003). Given this sense of reasoning, it is evident that the previous trend in the sales could be used in making sure that the company predicts its demand in the most favorable way. The sales department expects the growth in Year four to more closely resemble the average growth experienced in the last two years. Predict the number of units expected in Year Four. Discuss whether you would recommend this quantity as the manufacturing plan or the quantity found using the simple three year moving average in step two and why. From the two predictions of the two prospects of sales in units, the second prediction looks more accurate than the first one. This is because the second method of calculation inculcates the inter year growth of these sales in units. It is also a fact that the company is deemed to produce more using the second prediction model since this require the availability of higher amount of units than the company that would cater for any shortages that might be brought in (Artis, 2012). In Year Three, one fourth of the production was sold in China. The marketing department has just learned of a new tax that will be imposed on all luxury imports into China beginning in Year Four. It is expected that this will

Biology lab report ( includes abstract, intro, results, dissections ) - 1

Biology ( includes abstract, intro, results, dissections ) - Lab Report Example It was found from the comparison that the on average the northern population of Crotalus atrox has much greater heterozygosity than the southern population. Thus it can be considered that the northern population has more genetic variation than the southern population. Various reasons can be accounted for this genetic variation such as mutation in migration because of changed habitat, inbreeding within the southern population, as well as the genetic mechanisms such as genetic drift and gene flow bringing in forces like founder effect and population bottleneck. Therefore it can be concluded that the highway construction has impacted the genetic variations of the populations of Crotalus atrox. Crotalus atrox is an eminent species in semiarid communities, deserts of North America and reside in various regions. Although this specific rattlesnake’s species are not regarded as endangered, however, investigating this species will aid in the development of better protection and conservation practices (Brennan, 2008). The heterozygosity of Crotalus atrox, the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake’s two populations has been explored in order to ascertain if any change has occurred within the microsatellite diversity amongst the chosen two populations of Crotalus atrox. Investigation of microsatellite diversity leads to better comprehension of genetic fitness and variation within the species. It also provides an opportunity to penetrate on ways of conservation to prevent endangerment caused by the human made (anthropogenic) barriers, which are introduced into the natural habitats. There have been various studies done to explore the influence of anthropogenic barriers on the lives of various organisms. Landscape genetics reveals the way landscape features may impact the population structure by associating genetic discontinuities with environmental or landscape features. These features include climatic, edaphic, biotic and other

The Only Imperial Power in Asia Essay Example for Free

The Only Imperial Power in Asia Essay In the nineteenth century, China, Korea, and Japan, as well as other Asian nations faced European imperialism. However, only Japan transformed its traditional society and became the only country in Asia that had colony outside. In my point of view, the Japanese success is depending on determination of the government and the strength of it reform. So what makes Japan have the determination to reform the whole traditional society entirely? Opium War: In 1840, Britain started the Opium War in China. Because of corruption of the Chinese government and Advanced British army, in the end of the war, China was defeated. Japan shocked. China, a wealth and strong empire, an advanced country Japan learned from for thousand years, failed in a war with a real empire. Japanese contemplated and hesitated. What they should do when they have to face those strong enemies. I think that one of the reason why the Black Ships arrived in Japan in 1853 and forced Japanese to accept them, and Japan did so, even with welcoming attitudes. Besides, at that time, Japan didn’t have ability to defeat those aggressors. More and more western countries came to Japan with new technologies, new products and new work system, etc. Japan is closed for too long time. After saw all those achievements from Industry Revolution by Japanese’s own eyes, they found the distance between themselves and advanced western countries. All those new things cause the fail of Tokugawa Bakufu. Meiji Restoration started. Government during Meiji Restoration: In April 6 1868, the Oath in Five Articles was published and became the basic guiding principle of the government. Meiji period began. The new government of Japan applied a lot of policy during that time. They changed the traditional society structure. Samurai was no more the lords. Businessman had more attention than before. Government also support a lot industry to get start, the earlier one is filature. In 1882, Japan Central Bank was set. Under the slogan of â€Å"Enrich the Country, strengthen the military†, in 1871, the new government set Iwakura Diplomatic Delegation to visit 12 countries in the Europe and America for almost 2 years. There were 49 government officials in the team, almost half number of the all officials in Japan government. To pay the expense of this trip, the new government used 2% of its GDP of that year. I think that this is part of the reason why Japan reformed its whole society system entirely and learned it from western countries. On the other side, 58 years after Opium War, China also had a restoration, called The Reform Movement. It was supported by the Emperor Kuang Hus, but it didn’t get support from the government officials, even not from his mother, Empress Tzu Hsi who had real power of China. Most changes and policy applied in China were surface work, didn’t change from the basic principle like what Japan did. The most obvious difference of it was that in 1890, The Constitution of the Empire of Japan was published. All those caused the failure of reformation in China. People in the Meiji Restoration: Shibusawa Eiichi, was a Japanese industrialist, founded more than 500 hundreds of modern corporations in Japan, He was a member of Tokugawa Akitake’s Delegation to the Paris World Exposition. In this trip, he observed modern European societies and culture for the first time. When he visited Belgium, the king told him the importance of steel industry and hoped Japan can buy from Belgium. Shibusawa Eiichi was so surprised; he said that a king is to sell his country’s product even when meeting guests from other place. He realized the importance of industrial of a country. Therefore, he decided to stay in European for studying. He came back to Japan in 1868 with his new thought, and got a job in economic department of Meiji government. He became a driving force in the building of a modern Japan as head of the Kaisei Kakari, or office of the Ministry of Finance in charge of reform. Okubo Toshimichi is regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan. During Meiji Restoration, he was a Finance Minister, enacted a Land Tax Reform, and prohibited samurai from wearing swords in public, even though he was one of them. We can see his determination of changing Japan from very basic. The greatest achievement of him was the establishment of modern governmental structures. For a time he was the most powerful man in Japan. On 14 May 1878, he was assassinated by samurai. Summary: In my opinion, Japan became the only imperial power in Asia during nineteenth century, because the way it reformed. Japan’s restoration was not only applied on industry like China, but also on government system and society structure. The development on its society structure and police system helped Japan have much faster progress in industry than any other countries at that time.

Effectiveness of Non-Executive Directors Essay -- Senior Management, N

The effectiveness of non-executive directors is becoming to be seen as critical for the contribution to the effectiveness of corporate governance in providing investor protection. Relevant situational and sectoral experience enhances the effectiveness of non-executive directors. Jebb (1998) cited in Ahwireng-Obeng, Mariano and Viedge (2005) suggests that it is a better strategy to hire non-executive directors who have experience in similar as well as other sectors and situations that the company is likely to face than search for a particular expertise in a director. According to Pincombe (2000), this enables the utilisation of specialist skills in different fields and the broadening of experience (Ahwireng-Obeng, Mariano and Viedge, 2005). To a certain extent, the tenure of service also has impact on the effectiveness of non-executive directors. Feldman (1992) is of the view that a board that services a business well today may not be qualified to lead it five years from now as markets and products evolve. Therefore, the appointments of non-executive directors should be for a specific term and new members should be appointed as and when needed. One suggestion is that by serving for more than ten years, the board member tends to become too close to senior management to provide objective oversight (Ahwireng-Obeng, Mariano and Viedge, 2005). However, this could provide the in-depth knowledge and institutional memory that a new board member has to work hard to acquire (Fleming, 1998 cited in Ahwireng-Obeng, Mariano and Viedge, 2005). As for the selection and appointment, â€Å"good boards do not just ‘happen’; they are carefully constructed working teams† (Vennat, 1995). In other words, it is by selecting and developing appropriate indiv... ...m their duties, particularly those sitting on the Nominations Committee, Remuneration Committee and Audit Committee on an irregular basis, meeting only a few times a year (Pass, 2008). Due to limited time of involvement, non-executive directors could be too "remote" from internal decision-making processes to make an effective contribution and lack of information. The effectiveness of non-executive directors would be undermining when they are uninformed about the challenges they face. Hurley (2000) cited in Ahwireng-Obeng, Mariano and Viedge (2005) suggests that making the following list of information available to non-executive directors can contribute to their focus and productivity: board policies, committee guidelines, board minutes, authority annotations, contract summaries, organisational charts, member surveys and analyses, and programme or project analyses.

Interpreting the Actions of Nicholas DeGenova: :: Essays Papers

Interpreting the Actions of Nicholas DeGenova: While speaking at an anti-war teach in, Columbia Professor, Nicholas DeGenova called for a â€Å"million Mogadishus† and an American loss in Iraq, which has led to a controversy over his future employment at the university. Although some may consider this hate speech, there is a thin line between that and infringing upon a professor’s freedom of speech. As students at Syracuse University, we realize that this could have potentially occurred at our school, but still do not advocate firing Nicholas DeGenova. According to the Faculty Handbook of Columbia University and the guidelines of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), DeGenova is protected by his rights as a citizen and as a professor to free speech even if it does go against popular opinion. However, the statements made were no doubt offensive especially in a time of war, which is why we feel that DeGenova should be reprimanded, but definitely not fired. First and foremost, as a citizen, Nicholas DeGenova, is protected under the First Amendment of U.S. Constitution. This provides that â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances†(â€Å"Amendment I†). Furthermore, DeGenova definitely had the right to assemble and speak out in the anti-war teach-in although it angered many. In addition, under the Columbia University Handbook and the guidelines of the AAUP, as a professor he â€Å"may not be penalized by the University for expressions of opinion or associations in their private or civic capacity; but they should bear in mind the special obligations arising from their position in the academic community†(â€Å"Academic Freedom†). The AAUP and Columbia University only outline punishment for when â€Å"immediate harm to the faculty member or others is threatened by the faculty member’s continuance†(â€Å"Procedural Recommendations†). Since none of these codes that DeGenova must follow call for firing in this type of situation, his employment at Columbia University cannot be terminated on these grounds. While DeGenova abided by the laws that govern him as a professor and as a citizen, we still feel that he should be reprimanded.

Dissertation on Career Planning

The study of career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction levels of R&D personnel: the case of Taiwan Tser-Yieth Chen, Pao-Long Chang and Ching-Wen Yeh Abstract This study sets out to explore the relative gap between career development programmes and career needs, and its subsequent causal effect on job satisfaction levels among research and development (R&D) personnel. The study reveals that R&D personnel have diverse career needs at various stages of their career, and that job satisfaction levels among this group are particularly affected by the gap between career needs and career development programmes depending upon which stage of their career they have reached. It is also clear, for R&D personnel in particular, that not only is the gap between career development programmes and career needs an important determinant of job satisfaction, but that there are considerably higher turnover levels among researchers in the high-tech industry in Taiwan than the average level for industry as a whole. Thus, from a pragmatic perspective, it is of particular importance to propose effective career development programmes aimed at satisfying the career needs of R&D personnel in order to improve the level of job satisfaction in this group. Keywords Career needs; career development programmes; job satisfaction. Introduction It was highlighted in the empirical study by Garden (1990) that research and development (R&D) personnel demonstrated significantly higher turnover levels than the general industry average; furthermore, one of the findings of the study was that career development opportunities were a key factor. Leavitt (1996) recognized that, even without offering high salaries, those companies which adopted suitable career development programmes were capable of enhancing internal job satisfaction levels. In Schein’s (1978) study, it was argued that career development programmes help to raise productivity, creativity and long-term organizational effectiveness. Indeed, a truly effective career development programme will allow staff to explore developmental opportunities according to their own abilities, leading to considerable personal satisfaction that their abilities are being fully utilized at a personal level. Tser-Yieth Chen, Professor, Institute of Management Science, Ming-chuan University, No. 250, Chung-shan North Road, Section 5, Taipei, 111, Taiwan, ROC (tel: ? 886 2 2882 4564 ext. 2401; fax: ? 886 2 2880 9764; e-mail: [email  protected] edu. tw). Pao-Long Chang, Professor, Department of Business Administration, Feng Chia University. Ching-Wen Yeh, Institute of Management Science, Ming-chuan University. The International Journal of Human Resource Management ISSN 0958-5192 print/ISSN 1466-4399 online q 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltd http://www. tandf. co. k/journals DOI: 10. 1080/0958519032000106182 1002 The International Journal of Human Resource Management From an alternative perspective, career development programmes can also help to reduce the very significant costs that are directly incurred through high turnover levels while helping to prevent the deterioration of staff capabilities as a whole. Throughout the process of an individual’s ongoing career development, personal de velopment influences the choice of profession, the acceptance of that choice and its subsequent implementation. Hence, personal needs will differ at different stages of a career and in response to changes in living circumstances, while the degree of importance and motivation assigned to such needs will also change according to the person, the circumstances and the time (Schein, 1980). It is clear, therefore, that individuals have unique needs at various stages of their career, and, as such, organizations have to begin to appreciate the needs of their staff at different career stages, providing them with opportunities to satisfy their expectations and creating the optimal symbiosis between personal needs and organizational goals. In this way, an organization can succeed in enhancing job satisfaction levels and raising organizational performance. According to research by the Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), Executive Yuan, ROC (2001), the administration in Taiwan has placed significant emphasis on the development of the island’s high-tech industries, leading to continual growth in exports of electronic and telecommunications products. Therefore, under the government’s official programme of cultivating high-tech industries, the effective recruitment and retention of experienced managers and R&D professionals has been recognized as a key issue. However, retention is a growing problem for human resources managers, certainly within the high-tech industry, and particularly at the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (HSIP) where the current high turnover of staff is a major concern (Ma, 1998). The lack of career development opportunities is one dominant factor in the high turnover of R&D personnel (Leavitt, 1996; Garden, 1990; Dalton et al. , 1986). Adequate career development programmes can help personnel to meet their career expectations, nurture their ideals and aspirations, and enhance independent R&D knowledge. Personnel are thereby motivated to prepare themselves for the next career development opportunity, enhancing their productivity and increasing job satisfaction. Hence, from a pragmatic perspective, it is of particular importance to propose effective career development programmes aimed at satisfying the career needs of R&D personnel in order to improve the level of job satisfaction among this particular group. Literature review and hypothesis development Career needs and career development programmes Research and development (R&D) activities are widely recognized as an important means of creating a sustainable competitive advantage in the global marketplace; indeed, expenditure on R&D activities is invariably used these days as a measure of an organization’s attempts to stay ahead of the competition. As organizations become more dependent on technology, the ability to attract and retain competent R&D professionals becomes increasingly important, as does the pursuit of the effective management of these highly valued employees (Aryee and Leong, 1991; Petroni, 2000). Arguably, therefore, greater effort should be placed into satisfying the needs of this particular group of professionals since they represent the organization’s future potential competitive advantage, and, if organizations are to gain an understanding of the factors influencing the performance and work attitudes of these employees, then the design of an effective career management system capable of satisfying their career values and aspirations is Chen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1003 clearly an important element of their management (Aryee and Leong, 1991; Greenhaus and Callanan, 1994). Within most organizations nowadays, but particularly those that are heavily involved in R&D activities, effective human resource management strategies are specifically targeted at fostering innovative and creative capabilities in four major directions: human resource planning, performance appraisal, reward systems and career management (Gupta and Singhal, 1993). Of these specific requirements, the need for appropriate career management systems for industrial researchers has been much debated in both industrial and academic circles (e. . Allen and Katz, 1986; Aryee and Leong, 1991; Bailyn, 1991; Tampoe, 1993). Discussion of the findings of these scholars provides the starting point for the research reported in this paper. This study sets out to examine the career needs and appropriate career development programmes for R&D professionals, since we recognize that there have been few studies which have focused specifically on identifying the career needs of this particular group of employ ees during the different stages of their careers. In an exploratory attempt to develop this area of research, this study examines empirically the career needs of R&D personnel in Taiwan, hypothesizing that a causal relationship exists between such career needs, at different career stages, and overall job satisfaction levels. Various needs of a personal nature will change with each developmental stage of a person’s career and, at given stages of their careers, in addition to distinctive psychological needs, individuals will have unique areer concerns, developmental tasks that need to be undertaken and personal challenges that will need to be overcome (Schein, 1980; Cron, 1984). At certain career stages, each individual will undoubtedly have diverse career developmental ‘duties’ and ‘goals’, depending upon the specific function that they perform (Schein, 1987), but we argue that, in Taiwan in particular, it is necessary to identify not only the career goals of R&D professionals, but also the inherent v alue systems and needs structures of these employees (Kim and Cha, 2000). We believe that this research is of particular importance to Taiwan because we recognize that organizational development here has yet to move to a stage where employees feel sufficiently confident to voice these needs directly to line managers, and as such, there is still a significant lack of understanding of what it is that ‘drives’ R&D professionals in Taiwan. Organizations everywhere have to be able to respond more effectively to the career development needs of all their employees because, through innovation, they are able to differentiate themselves from their competitors; however, the knowledge capital necessary for such innovation resides with their employees, not with the organization itself (Hoon, 2000; Petroni, 2000). Although individuals are initially engaged by a company ostensibly to enrich the potential of the company, they nevertheless enter with their own distinctive career plans in mind, and, as such, can be attracted to a company, and retained within it, on the basis of whether or not the company adopts specific practices capable of satisfying their individual career needs (Chang, 1999). This implies that personal career attitudes can affect the overall attitudes of individuals towards a company, and we can extrapolate from this that any company which places effort into satisfying the personal career needs of individuals will in turn reduce its staff turnover levels. We believe, therefore, that it is important, indeed crucial, for companies to address the issue of individual career needs. As a result of employees’ changing attitudes towards their own careers, there is a need to focus attention on their perceptions of the career management practices offered by their organizations, with such perceptions arguably being more relevant to individual career outcomes than the actual career management practices themselves (Crabtree, 1999). 1004 The International Journal of Human Resource Management Organizations will have to begin to realize that career development programmes that are eminently suited to one particular group of R&D professionals may be inappropriate, or even irrelevant, to another group. We argue, therefore, that human resource managers must recognize that there are a number of diverse groups within the R&D profession, and hence the career development programmes that are developed for these employees must be flexible enough to accommodate this diversity. Our proposed concept is based on the following setting: in line with the changes in roles and job content at different stages of their careers, the psychological needs of this particular group of employees will also change (Cron, 1984). What is regarded as an ‘appropriate’ adjustment will naturally vary according to the career development programmes adopted by different organizations, and they will therefore have varying levels of influence on the level of satisfaction that employees have with such programmes. Given the changes that will inevitably take place from a career ‘start point’ and through the various career stages, along with the personnel maturation of an individual, various career needs will subsequently begin to emerge and further evolve. We contend that R&D personnel will inevitably encounter career planning problems at various stages of their careers and argue that their respective career needs will come as a result of their own self-understanding, personal interests, values, professional roles and responsibilities and, moreover, the greater responsibilities that are a hallmark of the particular stage of their career that they have reached. If we fail to consider the specific needs of R&D personnel at various career stages, then there is an increasing likelihood that the design of career development programmes will be inappropriate, and hence unlikely to have the desired effect of attracting and retaining the most valuable R&D personnel. Thus, it would be clearly inappropriate for an organization to adopt the same programmes in the hope that they will effectively satisfy the needs of all R&D personnel at different stages of their careers, since it is also clear that different career development programmes will be necessary to meet these different career needs. Our study attempts to bridge the current gap by examining such career needs and the career development programmes currently being adopted to meet them. Based on the preceding discussion, we first of all examine the career needs of R&D personnel pursuing the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 1: R&D personnel have different perspectives on the nature of career needs, and of their significance, at different stages of their careers. Within this study, career needs are generally defined as the changing career goals, tasks and challenges that arise due to shifts in personal career stages. A career goal may be a particular landmark to be achieved during a career, which provides the necessary direction and motivation for advancement. The motivational goals involve the determination of the main career tasks to be completed and, during the implementation of these career tasks, opportunities are continually evaluated for future potential career development, bottlenecks or challenges. We propose that ‘career goals’ will generally focus on existing career needs and the determination of the direction of an individual’s current efforts, while ‘career tasks’ are more pertinent to those career needs that emerge in pursuit of the achievement of these overall career goals. We also contend that ‘career challenges’ relate to the future career needs that arise from subsequent opportunities for career development. We examine these three career needs dimensions at various stages of the careers of R&D personnel, and then consider suitable career development programmes capable of catering to such needs. Chen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1005 Career goal needs In the ‘exploration’ stage of a researcher’s career, the central focus is on establishing a suitable professional field and, through self-assessment, gaining an understanding of their own interests and ability in that field. Thus, they will evaluate their own level of interest, and then seek information on the working environment to determine the roles and responsibilities that an organization will want and allow them to take. Employees will generally wish to devote themselves to a particular field of interest, but will also wish to interact with their superiors and peers to satisfy their social support needs (Hall, 1976). If career development programmes are to be effective at meeting the career goal needs of R&D personnel, we propose that at the ‘exploration’ stage of their careers, these programmes should include helping employees to understand their professional interests, providing appropriate job descriptions for each position, adequate support from their more experienced colleagues and discussions between employees and superiors with regard to job content. During the ‘establishment’ stage, employees are keen to experience success and the respect of their co-workers; they are ambitious and industrious, eager to improve their knowledge and very open about their pursuit of professional goals. Since they will place significant value on their on-the-job performance and promotion, they will also be keen to keep track of their personal performance status, as well as external opportunities and threats, to determine their distinct competitive advantage. Self-directed learning and external learning are also essential elements of career development at this stage. At the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers, if such programmes are to continue to meet the career goal needs of R&D personnel, they should include the adoption of project assignments as a means of facilitating on-the-job training, encouraging personnel to participate in seminars where they can present their project findings and offering tuition fee assistance for continuing professional development. During the ‘maintenance’ stage of their careers, the career concerns of R&D personnel are retention of their earlier accomplishments and re-evaluation of their career direction. At this stage, they should already have achieved a certain level of on-the-job status and will be keen to retain this status while re-evaluating their future career prospects, building on their earlier achievements and seeking out motivators to encourage even greater efforts. They should also have gained a considerable level of knowledge, and have become rich in job experience, so they should be adequately qualified to direct others. Organizations should be looking to these R&D workers to take the less experienced ersonnel within their core team ‘under their wing’ and thus help to consolidate the organization. In order to meet the career goal needs of R&D personnel at the ‘maintenance’ stage, we suggest that appropriate career development programmes should include careful consideration of employees’ career paths within the organization, the possibility of offering dual-career programmes, which would enable personnel to select their own future career d irection without jeopardizing their promotion prospects, and cultivating personnel to become professional consultants or specialized lecturers. Employees at the ‘disengagement’ stage will be concerned only with successful completion of their career (Cron, 1984). We assert that, as R&D personnel come close to retirement, they place less emphasis on their current job and focus instead on other roles, in order to adapt to increasing age and waning vigour. They will be hoping to round off their professional life and arranging activities with greater relevance to retirement. At the same time, their roles will be changing, from accepting and training themselves, to handing over the job, providing direction and consultation and passing on their experience to less experienced personnel. Their major hope at this stage will be to have 1006 The International Journal of Human Resource Management gained a reputation within their field, and their only real desire will be that their loyalty will be compensated admirably by a good pension package. They will have accumulated extensive experience and research knowledge, with a wealth of experience in research direction and counselling. In order to meet the career goal needs of R&D personnel at the ‘disengagement’ stage, we suggest that appropriate career development programmes should include establishing succession planning, the training of replacements, providing retirement planning and counselling and consideration of establishing honorary consultancy positions for those who merit such positions. Career task needs During the ‘exploration’ stage, employees need continually to upgrade their skills and knowledge according to the requirements of the job and so gain a complete understanding of what is required of them; thus career tasks involve obtaining the necessary knowledge to enable successful job performance. Employees must know how to perform a specific job, and how to create a meaningful link between their own personal perspective and the overall output of the organization, ensuring that their personal job performance achieves the standards of excellence required to make an effective contribution to the company (Kerry, 1998). In order to meet the career task needs of R&D personnel at the ‘exploration’ stage of their careers, appropriate career development programmes should include the provision of on-the-job training and implementation of professional development training. During the ‘establishment’ stage, career development tasks will involve raising professional knowledge and the level of autonomy to boost job performance, creative development and innovative skills. R&D personnel can continue to develop their professional ability to innovate, to become more intellectually mature, gain wider job experience and become much more willing to take on additional responsibilities; one of their greatest desires will be that their superiors will fully empower them, thus allowing them greater levels of autonomy. At the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers, if such programmes are to continue to meet the career task needs of R&D personnel, they should include individual assignments involving periods of engagement in foreign training, the introduction of job rotation in order expand fields of expertise and the provision of opportunities for job enrichment. During the ‘maintenance’ stage, an important personal task is to ensure that the previously established ground is retained (Super, 1984). A personal development task will be to seek out wider job and organizational perspectives while maintaining current performance (Cron, 1984). Promotional opportunities will be limited, since a certain status will have already been achieved within the company and, thus, effort must be placed into their decision-planning and directive roles. During this phase, employees should be adopting parallel, cross-functional means to integrate their work and widening their professional horizons in order continually to make work more interesting. The more zealous R&D personnel within an organization, those not content with limited promotional prospects, ill attempt to extend their reach outside the company, extending their career channels and attempting to scale higher career peaks. In order to meet the career task needs of R&D personnel at the ‘maintenance’ stage of their careers, appropriate career development programmes should include setting up objective performance appraisals as a means of assessing overall management performance and future development, encouraging personnel to learn additional interpersonal skills, c ounselling skills and so on and assisting employees to jointly formulate a development plan that would involve more demanding roles. Chen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1007 During the ‘disengagement’ stage, as retirement age nears and responsibilities begin to decline, most employees will choose to maintain acceptable levels of performance while preparing for retirement (Cron, 1984). An important developmental task at this stage is to maintain an acceptable level of performance while building a stronger sense of self-identity outside work and attempting to adjust schedules in order to shift time and energy towards other pursuits (such as family life, friendships, religion and so on). In order to meet the career task needs of R&D personnel at the ‘disengagement’ stage, we suggest that appropriate career development programmes should include providing employees with the means of undertaking self-assessment in order both to maintain their current level of performance and to strive for continuous improvement, setting basic job standards and encouraging participation in professional associations. Career challenge needs At the ‘exploration’ stage, the major career challenge is continually to acquire professional knowledge and participate in self-improvement activities related to enhancing professional knowledge and skills. A more personal challenge is to establish a good initial professional self-concept (Cron, 1984) in order to strive to live up to recognized professional behavioural standards and criteria for professional elationships, which represent additional challenges to be met. Workers must also try continually to employ professional knowledge within an organization, to enjoy a measure of recognition and attention from superiors and co-workers regarding their professional calibre within a certain field and thereby secure more challenging work. In order to meet the career challenge needs of R&D personnel at the ‘exploration’ stage of their careers, appropriate career development programmes should include the provision of specifically targeted training to fully realize the potential of each employee, the provision of guidance aimed at helping employees to improve their job performance and clarification by superiors of the continuing requirements for the job in terms of characteristics, content and qualifications. At the ‘establishment’ stage, the major career challenges for R&D personnel are the desire to continue to perform well, to gain promotion and to balance the requirements of the job with family responsibilities. Hence, they will seek promotional opportunities by demonstrating superior performance in their role, leading to the receipt of various rewards (not limited solely to material enrichment), and secure a role with greater autonomy. Employees at this stage are keen to receive early promotion and will tend to place a great deal of effort into their work. They are likely to be spending more of their time at work in order to create an impact on their superiors; however this can be to the detriment of their family lives because of the imbalance created between their professional and private lives. At the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers, if such programmes are to continue to meet the career challenge needs of R&D personnel, they should include performance evaluation so as to help employees to adjust their efforts accordingly and to provide them with an understanding of promotional prospects and routes and assisting employees to find the appropriate balance between their jobs and their family life. At the ‘maintenance’ stage, R&D personnel need to retain their established organizational status, prioritize work functions and maintain motivation, professionalism and competitiveness, with career tasks involving broadening their job horizons and extending their professional reach. There may also be a growing threat of challenges from newcomers; thus, the need for continuous innovation is paramount. R&D personnel will have reached their professional peaks and will be seeking to retain their status, with 1008 The International Journal of Human Resource Management he hope of permanent job assurances and benefits being provided by their employers. When faced with potential threats, the reaction may be somewhat intense, leading to protective walls being built around their domain. Those already high up in the organizational hierarchy have fewer promotional opportunities; this can inevitably lead to a greater orientation towards the present, which will often manifest itself i n an increasing desire for immediate monetary rewards (Hall, 1986; Cron, 1984; Rabinowitz and Hall, 1981). In order to meet the career challenge needs of R&D personnel at the ‘exploration’ stage of their careers, appropriate career development programmes should include the design of appropriate (material) rewards and motivational systems; subsidizing external educational activities; and providing interpersonal relationship counselling and guidance, according to specific needs. During the ‘disengagement’ stage, retirement can be a problem in itself. Being accustomed to a business career, employees will have now reached a stage where they must give it up and adapt to a more non-productive lifestyle, staying at home to face the strange experience of being idle, with no specific duties. Some people can find self- affirmation and the maintenance of a belief in their own worth to be a formidable challenge (Dessler, 1996). Hence, R&D employees will be retrospectively examining their careers, and pondering how they intend to while away their future. In seeking out another crossroad in life, they will be adjusting their roles and lifestyles, and accepting and developing a new self-identity. These retirees also face the prospect of spending more time with their families, and of how they will handle it. Examining a passing career produces a need to accept achievements and to adjust one’s self-identity, leading to problems of psychological adaptation. Thus, businesses must offer career counselling at this stage in order to help their R&D staff to develop a positive attitude, and to avoid at all costs a pessimistic or negative outlook. Retiring employees should be counselled to encourage their participation in social and leisure activities, and family life, while roviding guidance to help these employees to plan their life as a retiree, and thereby maintain a positive and optimistic attitude. According to Hoon (2000), managers generally consider the provision of career planning, management and development for their employees as key human resource management functions that will increase employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment; indeed, the ongoing caree r development of employees is frequently cited as a positive investment by corporations, capable of creating a more positive job attitude (London, 1988). Nevertheless, the disappointment for many professional workers is that current management practices and policies fail to incorporate an adequate understanding of their needs and expectations as professionals (Petroni, 2000). Thus, irrespective of the amount of career development practices that an organization provides and actively pursues, the whole process will prove to be totally ineffective if employees perceive this developmental effort as unproductive, non-utilitarian or, indeed, non-existent (Crabtree, 1999). Organizations must therefore pay particular attention to the career aspirations of each individual and be aware of their attitudes towards the organization’s career management practices. Cordero et al. (1994a, 1994b) noted that development opportunities that were capable of satisfying the expectations of technological personnel would lead to enhancement of their overall job satisfaction levels, and, in a study of professional engineers, Petroni (2000) found a strong association between the inadequate understanding of their expectations and their general level of dissatisfaction with their overall career direction. This suggests that there may be a widespread need to develop career management systems, particularly among groups of professionals, which are congruent with the career aspirations of each individual. Such efforts at matching programmes with aspirations will Chen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1009 learly have an influence on overall satisfaction levels and on decisions about whether to remain within an organization or whether to seek alternative employment (Granrose and Portwood, 1987; Aryee and Leong, 1991). Based on our proposals for career development programmes, we further examine the career development status of individuals in order to determine whether any gaps exist between their career needs and the career development programmes provided. If such a gap does exist, it would be of interest to establish whether or not the gap differs noticeably at various career stages. If the gap between the career needs of R&D personnel and the available career development programmes becomes excessive, their inner needs will not be met and, in accordance with motivational process theory, these unsatisfied needs will subsequently produce nervousness and stress among workers, ultimately impacting on job satisfaction (Robbin, 1998). If this gap is controllable, we can further argue that job satisfaction levels can be reasonably predicted, since organizations have the ability to boost job satisfaction levels through the provision of appropriate career development programmes capable of satisfying unfulfilled career needs. Based upon this discussion, we can propose the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 2: The gap between career development programmes and career needs has a negative correlation with job satisfaction. We can also argue that this influence on job satisfaction from the gap between career needs and career development programmes will vary with different career stages because R&D workers at the ‘establishment’ stage are keen to forge ahead and focus on the level of compatibility between their career needs and career development programmes; this compatibility level therefore has a strong influence on their overall level of job satisfaction. In contrast, those at the ‘exploration’, ‘maintenance’ and ‘disengagement’ stages of their careers are either total newcomers, those maintaining their earlier achieved status or those preparing themselves for retirement, and therefore less likely to place so much emphasis on compatibility between their career needs and career development programmes (Super, 1957; Cron, 1984; Weeks et al. , 1999). The gap between career development programmes and career needs is therefore likely to have less impact on the job satisfaction of workers in all but the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers. Based on this well-founded supposition, we propose the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 3: Career stages may moderate the negative effect on job satisfaction from the gap between career development programmes and career needs. Method Data source The sample in this study was drawn from R&D personnel in the high-tech industry in the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (HSIP). A pre-tested questionnaire was used with proportionate stratified sampling being carried out according to both the year 2000 manpower monthly report issued by the HSIP management and the ratio of R&D personnel within certain sectors to the total R&D personnel within HSIP. The sample data were collected by mail. A total of 1,300 questionnaires were distributed, of which 385 were returned, giving a response rate of 29. 6 per cent; eighteen questionnaires were invalid, leaving a total of 367 valid questionnaires as the sample; thus, the overall return rate of valid questionnaires was 28. 2 per cent. Since a total of only eleven R&D workers were currently in a stage of ‘disengagement’, it was not possible to undertake any statistical analysis of this group that could claim to have any real validity. 010 The International Journal of Human Resource Management Measures Career stages There are a number of reasons for using age as a proxy for career stages, as follows: First of all, there is no consistent, widely accepted means of measuring employee career stages and, as demonstrated in a general review of the extant research, a wide variety of approaches has been adopted in an effort to carry out an appropriate and acceptable assessment (Mehta et al. , 2000). Second, alternative operational definitions of career stages have been used in multiple research investigations. These include Super’s (1957) adult form, which comprise four career stages; Gottfredson’s (1981) complex theory of occupational circumscription and compromise, within which there are several recursive career stages based on childhood and adolescent processes; tenure (Stumpf and Rabinowitz, 1981); Levinson’s (1986) career stage groupings based on four life eras; and indeed, age (e. . Cron, 1984; Hafer, 1986; Dalrymple and Strahle, 1990; Kao et al. , 1997; Weeks et al. , 1999). These studies also attracted a general recognition of the discordant way in which career stages have been operationalized across studies (Swanson, 1992). Third, our study uses age to represent career stages in similar fashion to the way in which many others have done when testing Super’s (1957) model (e. g. Gould, 1979; Slocum and Cron, 1985; Weeks and Kahle, 1990). Fourth, Weeks et al. 1999) also argued that ‘since age can be measured quite accurately, it can be argued that this measure has adequate reliability and objectivity when compared to the reliability and objectivity of other measures of career stages’. Finally, we must also concede that all research is confronted by the practical realities of costs and deadlines (Cooper and Schindler, 1998), and this was evident in our study in terms of the depth of our questionnaire, costs, time and the rate of response. Career stage categorization in this study is therefore similar to that used in many previous studies (Cron, 1984; Weeks et al. 1999), and we regard the age of R&D personnel as an indication of their professional ability and job experience, which usually increases with age, and which moves forward with the career stage of these employees. Thus, we adopt age to measure career stages, but we also concede that it represents one of the limitations of our study; that is to say, in or der to clarify different career needs at various stages, we do not consider that some of the R&D personnel included within the study may be in a period of transition from one career stage to another. In this study, therefore, career stage is also represented by age. The sample was broken down for analysis into four age groups corresponding to the Cron (1984) career stage categories, with respondents in the ‘exploration’ stage being equal to or less than 30 years of age, respondents in the ‘establishment’ stage being aged between 30 and 45 years, respondents in the ‘maintenance’ stage being aged between 46 and 65 years and respondents in the ‘disengagement’ stage, being those of 66 years of age or above. Career needs Career needs are defined as the personal needs of goals, tasks and challenges in a person’s career, and it is recognized that career needs change with the various career stages. This study proposes various primary career needs for the various career stages, constructing a thirty-two-item scale to measure these career needs. In order to indicate their needs, participants were provided with a 5-point Likert-type response scale, ranging from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’. The details of the career needs scale is attached as an appendix. The internal consistency reliability (alpha coefficient) of the measure of career needs was 0. 737. Career development programmes Based on the career needs of R&D personnel, this study proposes three general categories of response in the form of career development programmes: career goals-oriented development programmes, career tasks-oriented Chen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1011 development programmes and career challenges-oriented development programmes. This study refers to Ivancevich and Glueck (1989), adjusting and revising the itemized issues and some of the detailed assessment indices, with the aim of associating these with career needs while also taking into account the status of career development in Taiwan’s high-tech industry. Thereafter, a thirty-three-item scale was developed to measure the perceived career development programmes. Participants were provided with a 5-point Likert-type response scale ranging from ‘very dissatisfied’ to ‘very satisfied’. Details of the contents of the career development programmes are attached as an appendix. The internal consistency reliability (alpha coefficient) of the career development programme measures was 0. 856. The gap between career development programmes and career needs The gap between career development programmes and career needs is determined as ‘the discrepancy between the career needs of R&D personnel and their awareness level of the career development programmes currently in use by their companies’. We use such gaps to evaluate whether the career needs of this group are being satisfied by their companies’ career development programmes. Such gaps are measured by subtracting the average awareness values of career development programmes from average career needs values. Job satisfaction Job satisfaction was defined by Gregson (1987) as the positive emotional state resulting form the appraisal of one’s job or experience. The measurement of job satisfaction within this study was undertaken using a composite of five sub-scales (satisfaction with: pay, promotion, supervisors, co-workers and work). These five items are from the original thirty-item Job Descriptive Index scale of Smith et al. (1969) and we have chosen (and occasionally modified) these items to ensure the best fit with the situation in the firm being studied. This is an approach which has been used effectively in previous sales force studies (Teas, 1983; Johnston et al. , 1990). We include one additional item, which asks participants to indicate their overall level of satisfaction with the job. Participants were provided with a 5-point Likert-type response scale ranging from ‘very dissatisfied’ to ‘very satisfied’ to indicate their level of satisfaction with the following aspects of their present job: (1) job content; (2) supervision; (3) co-worker relations; (4) opportunities for promotion; (5) pay; and (6) their overall level of satisfaction with their organization. The sample items included: ‘The amount of challenge you have in your job’, ‘Your chances for promotion’ and ‘The recognition you get for good work (your job, overall)’. A summed averaged of the six items was produced to form the job satisfaction score (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient ? 0:920). In addition, MANOVA data analysis was carried out to test whether, at different stages of their careers, R&D personnel had differing viewpoints on their career needs. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the effects on job satisfaction from the gap between career development programmes and career needs, the moderating effects of career stages on the relationships between the gap and job satisfaction. Empirical results The empirical results of this study, providing the means of the three types of career needs – career goal needs, career task needs and career challenge needs – of R&D personnel at different stages of their careers, are presented in Table 1a. In addition, the results of the ANOVA analysis of the repeated measures are presented in Table 1b. The overall mean for career goal needs was 4. 31, of which the ‘establishment’ stage (4. 39) was larger than the ‘exploration’ stage (4. 32), ‘disengagement’ stage (4. 18) and ‘maintenance’ stage (3. 6). As Table 1b shows, there are statistically significant 1012 The International Journal of Human Resource Management Table 1a The means of career needs of R&D personnel at different career stages Career needsCareer stages | |Exploration |Establishment |Maintenance |Disengagement |Mean | |Goals |4. 32 |4. 39 |3. 96 |4. 18 |4. 31 | |Tasks |4. 57 |4. 49 |4. 15 |4. 36 |4. 8 | |Challenges |4 . 30 |4. 35 |3. 76 |4. 00 |4. 26 | Table 1b ANOVA of career needs of R&D personnel at different career stages |Source of variation |Sum of squares |Degrees of |Mean square |F-value |p-value | | | |freedom | | | | |(1) The repeated measures ANOVA | |Career stages |21. 1 |3 |7. 136 |14. 27*** |0. 001 | |Career needs |5. 22 |2 |2. 61 |19*** |0. 001 | |Interaction |1. 92 |6 |0. 32 |2. 33* |0. 031 | (2) The simple main effects on career stages |Career goal needs |6. 15 |3 |2. 05 |8. 2*** |0. 001 | |Career task needs |5. 36 |3 |1. 79 |7. 51*** |0. 01 | |Career challenge needs |11. 83 |3 |3. 94 |13. 74*** |0. 001 | (3) The simple main effects on career needs |Exploration |5. 69 |2 |2. 84 |30. 98*** |0. 001 | |Establishment |1. 92 |2 |0. 96 |6. 14** |0. 002 | |Maintenance |2. 83 |2 |1. 42 |7. 11** |0. 001 | |Disengagement |0. 73 |2 |0. 36 |2. 3 |0. 083 | Notes ***p , :001; **p , 01; *p , :05: differences between the various career stages (F ? 14:27; p ? 0:001) and also between various caree r needs (F ? 19; p ? 0:001). Moreover, the interaction between career needs and career stages also produces significant levels (F ? 2:33; p ? 0:031), that is to say, at different stages of their careers, R&D personnel do display different career needs. Since the interactions were significant, it was clear that a test of the simple main effects should be further conducted. First of all, from the test of the simple main effects on career stages, the results indicated that, at different stages of their careers, R&D personnel showed significantly different viewpoints on the significance of their career goal needs (F ? 8:2; p ? 0:001). Furthermore, the mean values showed that for those members of this group at the ‘establishment’ stage, career goal needs had reached a higher level of importance than they had for those at the ‘exploration’ and ‘maintenance’ stages of their careers ? 4:39 . :32 . 3:96? : Second, at different career stages, R&D personnel demonstrated significantly different viewpoints on the significance of their career task needs (F ? 7:51; p ? 0:001). In addition, the means also showed that, for those members of this group at the ‘exploration’ stage of their careers, career task needs had reached a higher level of importance than they had for those at the ‘establishment’ and C hen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1013 maintenance’ stages of their careers ? 4:57 . 4:49 . 4:15? : Third, at different career stages, R&D personnel demonstrated significantly different viewpoints on the significance of their career challenge needs (F ? 13:74; p ? 0:001). The means also showed that, for those members of this group at the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers, career challenge needs had reached a slightly higher level of importance than they had for those at the ‘exploration’ stage ? 4:35 . 4:30? but a much higher level than they had for those at the ‘maintenance’ stage ? 4:35 . 3:76? : Following the test for simple main effects on different career stages, a further test of the simple main effects was conducted on the three kinds of career needs. The respective F-values on the viewpoint of those R&D personnel in the ‘exploration’, ‘establishment’ and â €˜maintenance’ stages of their careers on the significance of the three kinds of career needs, were 30. 98, 6. 14 and 7. 11, all reaching the significance level ( p-value ? 0. 05). These values indicate that those members of this group at the ‘exploration’, ‘establishment’ and ‘maintenance’ stages of their careers have significantly different viewpoints on the significance of at least two kinds of career needs. The means revealed that, for those members of this group at the ‘exploration’ stage, career task needs reached a higher level of importance than career goal needs and career challenge needs ? 4:57 . 4:32 . 4:30? : Likewise, for those at the ‘establishment’ stage, career task needs again displayed a higher level of importance than career goal needs and career challenge needs ? :49 . 4:39 . 4:35? : Finally, for those at the ‘maintenance’ stage of their careers, career task needs also reached a higher level of importance than career goal needs and career challenge needs ? 4:15 . 3:96 . 3:76? : Thus, hypothesis 1 is supported. According to the figures provided in Table 1a, among th e three kinds of career needs, as far as R&D personnel are concerned, the significance of career task needs is highest, with career goal needs coming next and career challenge needs being the least significant. The reason behind this would seem to be that the needs of the career tasks are a principal demand in the process of R&D, within which these personnel must be experienced in order to achieve their targets. In their efforts during the present stage, to attain the situation of satisfying their career goal needs, R&D personnel would necessarily have stronger career task needs. Once they have achieved their career goals during the present stage, they would then be in a position to assess their chances of developing their future career, and thus achieving a breakthrough, namely, advancement to career challenge needs. For researchers in Taiwan, career challenge needs can often reach a much higher level of importance for their professional recognition, the capabilities required for completing actual research tasks and the performance level actually attained. This is because these factors are perhaps the most visible indicator, and a critical requirement for promotion to higher R&D positions, or for acceptance of a position of lesser importance. It should be noted, however, that, during our survey, Taiwan was unfortunately embroiled in the global economic recession that affected all economies, and which will clearly have led to these R&D personnel being somewhat shortsighted and practical, albeit temporarily, in their career task needs. In order to explore whether there is any significant relationship between the dependent variable (job satisfaction) and the independent variables set (the gap between career development programmes and career needs), a multiple regression analysis was conducted as part of this study. The ‘gap between career development programmes and career needs for goals’, the ‘gap between career development programmes and career needs for tasks’ and the ‘gap between career development programmes and career needs for challenges’ were each entered into the model, and, as Table 2 indicates, all three items had a statistically significant level, with the signs, as expected, being negative. 1014 The International Journal of Human Resource Management Table 2 Regression analysis results of the gap between career development programmes and career needs on job satisfaction Sourceb T-valueR2F-value DR2p-value The gap between career development programmes and career needs for challenges The gap between career development programmes and career needs for goals The gap between career development programmes and career needs for tasks 2 0. 36***2 7. 420. 44291. 090. 440. 001 2 0. 26***2 5. 860. 52196. 330. 080. 001 2 0. 25***2 5. 250. 55149. 620. 030. 001 Note **p , :001: This denotes that the larger the gap, the lower the job satisfaction of R&D personnel. The items predict that job satisfaction levels among R&D personnel will be in the order of ‘the gap between career development programmes and career needs for challenges’, ‘the gap between career development programmes and career needs for goals’ and ‘the gap between career development programmes and career needs for tasks’, which are able jointly to predict 55 per cent of the variance in job satisfaction. As to the level of each individual prediction, the gap between career development programmes and career needs for challenges was highest, explaining 44 per cent of the variance; the gap between career development programmes and career needs for goals was next, with an R2 increment of 8 per cent. Therefore, hypothesis 2 is also supported. This study divided the gap between career development programmes and career needs into three, ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’, sub-sections according to the mean (plus/minus one) standard deviation in order to explore whether there was any significant difference between these three sub-sections in terms of job satisfaction. Analysis of whether career stages can moderate the negative direct effect on job satisfaction stemming from the gap between career development programmes and career needs has also been undertaken within this study. The results are provided in Table 3a, which reveals that the interaction between career stages and ‘the gap between career development programmes and career needs’ was significant for job satisfaction (F ? 3:59; p ? 0:002). In order to determine the actual influence of the two independent variables on the dependent variables, tests of the simple and main effects were conducted. First of all, a test of the simple and main effects was conducted on the independent variable, i. . the ‘the gap between career development programmes and career needs’. As Table 3a shows, the F-value reached a level of significance ? a ? 0:05? ; indicating that a significant difference does exist between the four career stages of R&D personnel in terms of the influence on job satisfaction of the gap between career development programmes and career needs; the means are provided in Table 3b. Among all of the R&D personnel surveyed, the group with a ‘low’ gap between career development programmes and career needs demonstrated a significantly higher attitude towards job satisfaction than the groups with a ‘medium’ and ‘high’ gap between career development programmes and career needs, while the attitude towards job satisfaction of those in the group with a ‘medium’ gap between career development programmes and career needs was also significantly higher than the group with a ‘high’ gap between career Chen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1015 Table 3a MANOVA of the effects on job satisfaction from the gap between career development programmes and career needs at different career stages |Source of variation |Sum of squares |Degrees of |Mean square|F-value |p-value | | | |freedom | | | | |(1) MANOVA | | | | | | |Career stages |1. 63 |3 |0. 54 |1. 62 |0. 185 | The gap between career evelopment programmes and career needs 49. 26224. 6373. 44***0. 001 Interaction7. 2361. 213. 59**0. 002 (2) The simple main effects on the gap between career development |Exploration |39. 99 |2 |19. 99 |67. 58*** |0. 001 | |Establishment |95. 07 |2 |47. 53 |134. 31*** |0. 001 | |Maintenance |12. 24 |2 |6. 12 |14. 08*** |0. 001 | |Disengagement |4. 62 |2 |2. 31 |26. 26*** |0. 001 | 3) The simple main effects on career stages Low gaps between career development programmes and career needs Medium gaps between career development programmes and career needs High gaps between career development programmes and career needs 2. 3330. 782. 720. 052 0. 7330 . 240. 810. 489 5. 9931. 993. 96*0. 012 Notes ***p , :001; **p , :01; *p , :05: Table 3b Mean comparison of job satisfaction Career stages The gaps between career development programmes and career needs | |High (72) |Medium (230) |Low (65) |Mean | |Exploration (128) |2. 4 |3. 47 |4. 57 |3. 65 | |Establishment (190) |2. 24 |3. 44 |4. 33 |3. 34 | |Maintenance (38) |2. 71 |3. 62 |4. 85 |3. 73 | |Disengagement (11) |3. 33 |3. 67 |4. 89 |4. 30 | |Mean |2. 45 |3. 47 |4. 63 |3. 47 | Note Values represent cell means. Number of cases is given in parentheses. development programmes and career needs. This indicates that, along with the increase in the gap between career development programmes and career needs, there is an apparent decline in job satisfaction levels among R&D personnel. We may find that the attitude towards job satisfaction of those R&D personnel at the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers is lower as the gap increases. In addition, as the gap increases, compared to those 1016 The International Journal of Human Resource Management personnel at all other stages (with the exception of the ‘disengagement’ stage), the attitude towards job satisfaction of R&D personnel is highest at the ‘maintenance’ stage. We also find that those at the ‘establishment’ stage are most conscious of the gap between career development programmes and career needs, and that their consciousness of job satisfaction decreases gradually as the gap between career development programmes and career needs increases. Those R&D personnel at the ‘maintenance’ stage are less conscious of the gap between career development programmes and career needs because they have already reached the peak of their careers and often enjoy plentiful resources within their organizations. Therefore, the attitude towards job satisfaction in the group at the ‘maintenance’ stage of their careers, which also indicates a ‘high’ gap between career development programmes and career needs, is higher than at any of the other career stages. In addition, as Table 3a indicates, in the group indicating a ‘high’ gap between career development programmes and career needs, there are significant differences demonstrated between the different career stages. The means show that those R&D personnel at the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers, and also indicating a ‘high’ gap between career development programmmes and career needs, have the lowest level of job satisfaction (2. 24). In the group of R&D personnel indicating a ‘high’ gap between career development programmes and career needs, the respective attitudes towards job satisfaction of those at different stages are: the ‘exploration’ stage (2. 84) . the ‘maintenance’ stage (2. 1) . the ‘establishment’ stage (2. 24). Therefore, hypothesis 3 is also supported. Concluding remarks This study set out with the aim of examining the gap between career development programmes and career needs, and the relationships with job satisfaction. One of the features of this study has been the attempt to define the factors influencing R&D personnel’s job satisfaction levels from a perspective of the gap between career development programmes and career needs. With Taiwan eagerly working towards enhancing its high-tech competitiveness and becoming increasingly involved in high- tech R&D, an investigation into the existing gaps between perceived career development programmes and expected career needs of R&D personnel may improve the job satisfaction of R&D personnel. This study has attempted to provide an understanding of the career needs of R&D personnel, which, it is hoped, will lead to the development of appropriate career development programmes in response to these needs. It has further investigated the relationship between career needs and career development programmes and job satisfaction. The results reveal that, at different stages of their careers, R&D personnel do indeed have distinct career needs. For R&D personnel, of the three types of career needs referred to in this study, career task needs take priority, with career goal needs in second place and career challenge needs demonstrating the lowest priority. An explanation for this is that career task needs are part of the path that has to be travelled to achieve career goals. In order to achieve the current needs for career goals, R&D personnel demonstrate a stronger need for career tasks. Once they do achieve their career goals, they can then evaluate the developmental opportunities for their future career, hence producing the career need for challenges that have yet to be faced and overcome. Furthermore, R&D personnel generally display a high evaluation of the know-how necessary actually to perform their jobs and of their on-the-job performance levels, since these are the most obvious indices, and a key deciding factor in the promotion, or passing over, of R&D personnel. It was clear, when conducting this research – which took place Chen et al. : Career needs, career development programmes and job satisfaction1017 during a period of global recession – that R&D personnel were prone to the pursuit of short-term, pragmatic career task needs at that time. In addition, the results of the stepwise regression reveal that the three kinds of gaps between career development programmes and career needs are significant predictors of job satisfaction (R2 ? 55:3 per cent). Furthermore, this study has also revealed that the widening of the gap between career development programmes and career needs leads to a corresponding lowering of job satisfaction levels among R&D personnel. Finally, this study finds that the interaction between career stages and the ‘gap between career development programmes and career needs’ does in fact influence job satisfaction, that is to say, the influence upon job satisfaction, from the gap between career development programmes and career needs, varies with the different career stages of R&D personnel. As the gap widens (with the exception of those in the ‘disengagement’ stage), those in the ‘establishment’ stage of their careers demonstrate the lowest job satisfaction levels, while those in the ‘maintenance stage’ of their careers demonstrate higher levels of job satisfaction than those in all other career stages. During the ‘establishment’ stage, their awareness of the gaps between career development programmes and career needs is the highest, relative to awareness levels at other career stages, and it is also at this stage that the highest turnover intentions are demonstrated. Perhaps because of higher levels of ambition among R&D personnel in the ‘establishment’ stage, of desire to set up relationships between themselves and the organization, and to get ahead and become valuable professional members of the organization, this group is likely to work particularly hard in the pursuit of success and realization of personal needs. At this time, they will define, on the one hand, the relationship between themselves and the organization and, on the other, their personal needs, as against organizational goals. Personal ambitions are reflected in career needs, making for exaggerated career needs. If, during this time, organizational career development programmes do not satisfy such ambitions, then considerable gaps can develop between career development programmes and career needs. R&