Managment of business system Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managment of business system - Assignment Example Hence, it is no point in keeping such an extensive product line when most of our revenues are from a short number of products only Process Types: With the large number of product variety, the process takes the form of batch process. Such a process type requires quite a narrow but specialized skills. Getting skilled manpower from is the highest factor resulting in high costs. Moreover such a process type requires changeovers at each stage of production thereby increasing the complexity and the costs of the production process. Process Layout: With a reasonably large variety and volume, the appropriate process layout is a combination of functional layout with elements of cellular layout. Such a combination is difficult to manage as the manager has to keep track of a large number of processes going on simultaneously. This type of layout requires free flow of product pieces and resources in the organization. The most important characteristic of such a layout is the flexibility of path, product design and lot size (Shim and Siegel, 1999). Hence, it calls for an extensive coordination amongst the workers. Since more than one item might be vying for a same resource, the time in production of the item increases, some of the products might have to wait to get the appropriate resource. This results in a decrease in productivity. Skills required: With the large number of product types, it becomes necessary to have a wide range of skills that are differentiated. These specialized skills increase the overall cost of the products. Managing different skills becomes another challenge as the manager has to keep track of the various resources that will be required for various products. Design issues: With the large types of products being produced in the organization, the employees are not in better position to contribute towards the betterment of product design. As a result, the organization fails in launching new design products that enhance the customer

Veneration Without Understanding Essay Example for Free

Veneration Without Understanding Essay Siargao Island About 800 kilometers southeast of Manila is a surfing haven called Siargao Island, a 400-square kilometer island with white-sand beaches, reefs, and rough winds from the Pacific Ocean that whips up waves ideal for international surfing competitions. Siargao Island is where local and foreign surfers meet, daring each other to take on the next huge wave. It, however, has more to offer beyond surfing. Siargao Island has large mangrove forests and stretches of wetlands. The place also has well-preserved coral reefs. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park Palawan with its capital Puerto Prinsesa City is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. You’ll find the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park which is recently recognized as one of the â€Å"New 7 Wonders of Nature†. This park features a large limestone karst landscape with an underground river. The sire contains a full mountain-to-sea ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia. Banawe Rice Terraces The Banawe Rice Terracesrecognized as one of the â€Å"Eight Wonders of the World† can be found in mountains of Ifugao Province in Luzon. These farmlands created in the mountains are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rain-forest above the terraces. The Tourism industry has developed a number of activities for visitors which may include a sightseeing of the terraces and visits at the foot of the terraces. Manila Cathedral, Intramuros Manila Philippines Historical Manila! Manila is the capital of the Philippines, and is a beloved Philippine tourist spot due to its rich history. Some of the must see places in Manila include Rizal Park, where the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal was martyred. Rizal Park includes the Manila Planetarium, part of Manila Bay, Quirino Grandstand, and Ocean Adventure. Fort Santiago is also a historical place to visit, featuring dungeons and cells and a museum dedicated for Rizal. Intramuros, also known as the Walled City, is sometimes called as the Philippines’ little Spain. The Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards for 300 years, and Intramuros still retains this part of history, showcasing beautiful Spanish houses, streets, and churches, minimally touched by modernization. Enjoy a calesa (horse driven carriage) ride, and transport yourself back in time. Cebu City Sinulog Festival Cebu City Philippines Cebu City, also known as the Queen City of the South is growing to be a popular destination for Philippines travel. This is because Cebu is a mixture of technology and natural resources. Cebu is beginning to follow the footsteps of Makati, with its high-rise buildings, huge shopping malls, and superior hotels. But despite this technological boom, Cebu has something else to offer.Surrounding the main island of Cebu, are little islands with beaches that can match the beauty of Boracay. Islands that are beginning to become tourist attractions are Malapascua Island, Bantayan Island, and the little yet known, but breath taking Camotes Island.January would be the best time to go to Cebu, as this is when the Sinulog Festival is held. This is Cebu City’s Fiesta, and at this time the streets become filled with performers in elaborate costumes and extravagant floats. Feast your eyes to the amazing colors and performances held at the streets of Cebu. You will surely be caught up in all t he festivity! Mount Apo, Davao Davao Philippines In Davao lies the highest peak of the Philippines, Mount Apo. This mountain towers over Davao at a majestic 10,311 feet above sea level. For mountaineering enthusiasts, Mount Apo is one to conquer. Along its trail lies an exotic display of nature, with a steaming blue lake, geysers and suplhur pillars, rainwater lakes and cascading waterfalls. Mount Apo is a definite sight to see. Davao also boasts its Samal Island as again one of the best beaches of the country. Samal island holds the luxurious Pearl Farm Resort, where guests can relax at a private retreat. The resort is named as such as the place was once an 11 hectare pearl farm, harvesting pink, white, and gold pearls from Sulu Sea. Davao is also famous for being the natural habitat of the Philippine’s National Bird, the Philippine Eagle. It is also the place where the king of all fruits, called the durian, flourishes. Truly, Davao is a place of majestic beauty. Silliman Hall Dumaguete Dumaguete City Dumaguete City, located at Negros Oriental, is a peaceful and provincial place, also known as the University Town. This is called as such because of the many universities that are located in the heart of this small city. Dumaguete is best known for Silliman University, one of the oldest and most beautiful universities in the whole country. This University is the home of 302 acacia trees, which contributes to the beauty and tranquility of the place. Also, in Silliman lies the oldest American structure left standing in the Philippines. This is the beautiful Silliman Hall which greets everyone who comes to Dumaguete, as it is located right in front of the sea. Dumaguete is also best known for Rizal Boulevard, which is a long boulevard beside the sea, with many restaurants and establishments across the street. There certainly is something to this little town, as people are known to come back time and time again to visit good old Dumaguete. Calle Crisologo at night Glimpse of the Past As I have said earlier, the Philippines was occupied by the forces of Spain for more than three centuries. This is the reason why the Spanish traditions have contributed a lot to the birth of Filipino culture, beliefs, and traditions. It is a living museum. There are a lot of ancestral houses in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. They house the pastthe marvelous and rich past. They were built from indigo dye, abel fabrics,and even gold. Youll be in awestruck if you see the grand staircases, broad floorboards, shiny capiz windows and ventanillas, and the cool azotea that can be found in the houses of the elite. The Calle Crisologo also offers the long lane of ancestral houses that once housed the Chinese businessmen. It is popularly known as the Kasanglayan. Visit Vigan, the only surviving colonial city in the country, and get immersed in the beauty of history. Sight-seeing at The Sleeping Dinosaur Upon passing by Mati Road, you can ask your driver for a quick stop to watch over the islands fantastic and delightful form. The island itself resembles more likely to a dinosaur fell in a deep slumber Mount Hamiguitan It is home to the worlds largest pygmy forest with impressive flora that counts of a total of 878 species. Its 600-hectare bonsai field is enchanting. Another attraction in this mountain can also be found known as the Tinagong Dagat or hidden sea. This mysterious lake is said to have high tide and low tide schedules, a phenomenon which remains unexplained up until now. Tibanban Island Wanna go trekking? Tibanban island is the ideal venue for that! A lighthouse was built on the top of the island for the purpose of warning for ships during at night. Aside from trekking, you can also dip through its white sand beach. Waniban Island Pristine and crystal clear water, powder-like white sand beach, sturdy mangroves and cavorting dolphins are the major fascination and attraction of the island. You can walk around the whole island in less than an hour. Go snorkeling, diving and sun bathing! San Victor Island This 3 hectares island is located at Baganga, Davao Oriental with powder-like white sand beach and lofty coconut grove. A perfect place for summer outings and getaways! Kawa-Kawa Falls Is the most bragged about waterfall which is located at San Isidro, Davao Oriental. Enjoy its 15 feet deep clear waters. The falls is surrounded by thick forest of century-old trees and rare wild orchids. You can have a picnic here or simply swim and relax yourself by the tranquility it brings. Aliwagwag Falls Considered as the longest cascading waterfalls in the Philippines located in the middle of the forest of Cateel, Davao Oriental. It is also one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country. The falls seemed like a stairway to heaven with its 84 steps which measure from 6 100ft each steps. Balite Hot Spring Located at Baganga, Davao Oriental. Hot springs are known to cure illnesses such as rheumatism, dermatitis, itchiness, skin disease, etc. Its healing power somehow attracts tourist aside from the comfort and warmth it gives. Ave Maria is the best way to snorkel here, as you get astonished with the wide array of different and rich marine life that abounds here, that beams and dazzles in various colors, hues, sizes and shapes. Your date with nature here will not be complete without seeing the endangered turtles that inhabits the Turtle Island. For the record the Philippines has four of the six species of sea turtles in the world. Gumasa Beach Saranggani Gumasa Beach in Gian, Saranggani offers a powdery white sand that is just one hour away from General Santos City, the hometown of Filipino ring hero Manny Pacquiao, a seven-time world champion in seven weight categories. Unspoiled and pristine, this beach is a paradise at its best. Sandugan Beach, Siquijor Located at the northern island of Siquijor in the municipality of Larena, this low profile beach has one of the best scenery and breathtaking beaches in the Philippines. Siquijor is a sleepy Visayan province in the southern part of the country. Amanpulo Pamalican Island, Palawan Feel like you are a celebrity and would want to go to a beach where noted personalities like Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, David Benoit and the late US President John F. Kennedy Jr. have visited. But hold your horses for a while though, for this is an exclusive resort, in plain words you need to shell out nice sum of money to get into this exclusive resort. An exclusive getaway for the rich and famous, the place is the haven for prominent stars, super models, business scions and royalties. Moalboal, Panagsama Beach Cebu as a province boasts of Churches of antiquities that were built many many moons ago and offers finest diving spots. Moalboal that lies on the Cebu’s western coat is considered to be one of the best diving site in Asia and even in the world. Panagsama Beach, is home to some splendid marine life, like colorful corals, anemone, sponges and dazing reef fishes. Caliraya Lake, Caliraya, Laguna A place with gentle breeze emanating from the Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges and the mysterious Mount Banahaw, the place offers water sports such as fishing, jet skiing, boardsailing, windsurfing, and canoeing. You can stay at the leisure resorts surrounding the lake at an excellent accommodation without spending much. You may opt to have horseback riding, playing sports or just have picnic. The place also is just a one ride away from Pagsanjan Falls, a place where the final scence of Apocalypse Now was taken. You may visit Lucban too, the place where the famous Pahiyas Festival is being held, to see and buy for yourself the finest Barong Tagalog in the country as a souvenir Barong Tagalog is the national dress of Filipino men. Puerto Galera, Mindoro One of the most visited tourist destinations in the Philippines, is the Puerto Galera in Mindoro. With its coves sandwiched by the gentle swaying palm trees and crystal-clear turquoise water, a visit to Puerto Galera is a sort of a dream vacation or trip come true. Once a very rustic and dull rural town, its discovery by the late 1970’s paved the way for many tourists, domestic and foreigners to visit the place and get mesmerized with its natural charm and beauty. Diving and snorkeling enthusiasts will indeed enjoy discovering the colorful and very diverse marine life that abounds in the La Laguna Beach. Nightlife is very active here too, and can compete with that of Boracays and promises to be enjoying. You may also try kayaking, canoeing or banana boating to take full pleasure of having a wonderful sight seeing while you patrol the area. You may also want to give it a try having an unforgettable trek to the lush vegetation of the coves and see some lovely, and colorful birds around. Keep in mind that, fun never stops here in Puerto Galera and you are warmly invited here to quench your thirst of having a wholesome and awesome summer escapade.

Subjective well-being at the workplace and organizations

Subjective well-being at the workplace and organizations Even though the psychologists explored the human behavior especially unhappiness in detail but the positivity was ignored in the past. Until 1974, the Journal Social Indications research founded and dedicated large number of articles to Subjective well-being. The literature of SWB shows or focuses on why and how people experience positive way of life including cognitive judgments and affective reactions. By cognitive judgment it means life satisfaction and by affective reaction it means positive and negative affect. In past many researches used the affective dimension to measure well-being. For instance, using the traits of negative affectivity and positive affectivity to explain the well-being of employees but the measurements of the cognitive dimensions were uncommon. So, Because of this Diener developed the measurement of Satisfaction with Life scale (SWLS) 1985. It assess person on their own rather on the researchers judgments. One of the definitions for happiness according to Di ener (1984) is satisfaction of life (Diener, 2000). Despite lots of researches exploring the individuals happiness sources, no one of the theories of subjective well-being has risen to dominate this area of study as the main reason for this is incomplete existing SWB theories. Psychological theories of SWB are divided in to two main categories, top-down approach suggesting individuals that are happy as they are inclined to react to the circumstances in a positive way while the bottom up approach uphold that individuals are happier because of numerous happy moments in their lives. There are three characteristics of subjective well-being first is development of SWLS. Secondly it includes not only positive but also negative measures and finally SWB measures global assessment of all peoples life aspects (Diener, 1984). Donaldson (2009) defined positive psychology as a term that focus on excellence, happiness, gratitude, flourishing, subjective well-being, strengths, flow, resilience and positive organizational scholarship. This section focuses on positive as well as negative Subjective well-being in the organizations but more importance is given to positive aspect. Circumplex model (Russell, 1980, 2003) as a broad theoretical frame work to distinguish between positive and negative work related subjective well being. Positive subjective well-being includes work happiness, job satisfaction and work engagement where as negative SWB includes burnout and workaholism. Psychologists and sociologists are focusing in happiness and subjective well being from many years (Veenhoven, 1991). Recently happiness also gain importance in the field of economics (Layard, 2006) and is the central focus in the positive psychology movement (Sleigman Csikszentmijhalyi, 2000). This field of psychology has focused on the positive aspects of the individuals to help them flourish. Psychology, sociology and economy all of these fields in together can contribute in better understanding of the employee happiness in the organization (Bakker and Schaufeli, 2008). Definition of Subjective Well-Being (SWB): Subjective well-being means that how people assess their lives. Its a normal positive state that involves the whole life experience. This assessment may take the form of cognitions when person makes conscious evaluative judgment about their satisfaction with life as whole. A person is having high subjective well-being if he is satisfied with his life and having frequent positive experiences or emotions such as joy and happiness and in frequent negative feeling such as sadness and anger (Diener, Sandvik Pavot, 1991). Subjective well-being is a trait not a state. Many researchers argue that individual have a set-point for happiness level and this is fixed and crucial part of our performance. So, SWB is very important as without it human beings shrink their skill to gather desired assets and weaken their ability to handle and remain flexible in the face of challenges (International Well being Group, 2006). According to Windle and Treuer (2008) subjective well-being is vital because positive feelings and experiences build a range of personal resources i.e. physical, social, intellectual and psychological and they defined SWB as a normal positive state of mind that includes the whole life experience and stable happiness. According to Diener (2009), subjective wellbeing indicates satisfaction of life; high positive emotions like passion, joy and love; reduced negative emotions like anger, depression and also satisfaction with various other aspects of life like work, marriage, health. Diener (1984) said that subjective well-being is an umbrella term that evaluates ones lives including life satisfaction, pleasant emotions, feeling of fulfillment, work and marriage satisfaction and lowest level of satisfactions. Researchers used the term subjective well-being rather than happiness as it has varied meaning depending on the life event. Although life satisfaction is is an important aspect of life but not for all people as people want to be happy for good reasons and presence of vital things although they are not happy with it. So, it can be argued that subjective well-being is just an important component of good life. Diener also stated that demographic factors like age sex, income, ethnicity and education has 20% variance in subjective well-being. It is also stated that married people are happier than unmarried people over that women are happier than men. Diener (2000) studied the relation between the resources and subjective well-being and they predicted that internal resources like self confidence were best predictorsof subjective well-being in college students rather than external resources like money due to that with the help of internal resources external resources can be obtained too. Culture does have influence on the subjective well-being of the individuals. Diener and Biswas-Diener (2002) and Diener and Oishi (2000) have worked a lot on relationship between money and happiness. Their studies showed findings that positive correlations exist between income and subjective well-being of wealthy nations. Wealthy nations have high subjective well-being than the poor nations. But always its not the same in case when the employees pay is increased he is still unhappy as its stressors are more like high expectations in return. It was also found that materialistic people have low subjective well-being because people who have high desire for money dont care about the social relationships and are insecure. People with high subjective well-being have the following characteristics that is they have more friends, more likely to get married nad stay happily, have good services are more involved in leadership roles and live longer. 2.3 Subjective well-being at Work According to Dieners (2006) definition of SWB, an employee has elevated work related SWB if he is satisfied with his job and have frequent positive experiences and infrequent negative emotions. Positive emotions are employees experiences at work investigative of engagement, happiness or satisfaction. Diener (1994) also stated that when SWB, term is read it must be immediately noted that its not the same as happiness but synonymous to it. It can be defined as broad category that includes peoples emotional response, domain satisfactions and global judgments of life satisfaction. Sleigman (2002) also said that positive psychology is the scientific study of how humans achieve happiness and mental satisfaction, in order to discover how people can lead the most productive lives possible. It is about positive subjective experience i.e. well being ad satisfaction. In short, positive psychology is a science of subjective well-being. Diener sees life satisfaction as a factor of SWB and subsidiary to it (Camfield and Skevington 2008). International experts defined subjective well-being as an umbrella term for different valuations that person make related to their lives, the actions experienced by them and the situations in which they survive. Happiness is referred many times as positive affect but it can also be related to positive mood generally, a global evaluation of Life satisfaction, living a good life and the causes or reason of happiness (Diener, 2006). Now, we will discuss positive and negative emotions of work related SWB by placing them in the circumplex model. Russells (1980, 2003) circumplex model put forwards that affective states occur from two basic neurophysiological systems, one linked with pleasure-displeasure continuum and the other with arousal and activation. Each experience of emotions can be linear combinations of theses two proportions as varying degrees of both pleasure and activation. Figure 2. A two-dimensional view of work-related SWB (adapted from Russell, 1980, 2003). 2.4 Positive forms of Work related SWB: 2.4.1 Work engagement: it is defined as an optimistic, gratifying, work related state of mind that is portrayed by vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeil and Bakker, 2010). Its position in circumplex model is at upper right quadrant resembling high levels of pleasure and activation. Vigor means high level of energy while working and persistence even in the face of difficulties, dedication means being strongly in ones on work and experience a sense of enthusiasm and lastly absorption mean being fully concentrated in ones own work . Because of engaged employees positive attitude towards them selves, employees buildup their own positive feed back in terms of appreciation, recognition and success (Bakker, 2009). 2.4.2 Happiness at work: numerous researchers have connected subjective well-being with the term happiness (Cropanzano and Wright, 1999; Easterlin, 2001; Sleigman, 2002; Lyubomirski, 2001). It refers to high level of activation as being satisfied and some hat lower as being excited. According to Fisher, (2003) more than 90% of workers agree that happy workers are productive workers as they are more active, energetic and interested in work and persistent to face difficulties as compared to unhappy employees. It is important to distinguish happiness as a specific emotion from other measures that cover a range of positive and negative emotions (Veenhoven, 1984). 2.4.3 Job satisfaction: it is most studied form of work related SWB and it can be placed in the right lower quadrant of the model, as it reflects a high level of pleasure and a lo level of activation. According to Grebner, Semmer and Elfering (2005), employees having satisfaction with their jobs experience high pleasure, but may have limited energy and aspirations. Similarly, Bussing, Bissels, Fuchs and Perrar (1999) said that decrease in aspiration level can result in a positive state of satisfaction and over all job satisfaction is closely related to the experience of satisfaction as positive emotion in the work place. 2.5 Negative Forms of Work-related SWB 2.5.1 Workaholism: it is placed in the upper left of the quadrant reflecting lower levels of pleasure and high levels of work activation workholism is an inner drive to struggle and work hard (Oates1971). According to Tris, Schaufeil and Shimzau (2010), workholism is an employee has compulsion to work incessantly and give exceptional time to work and to meet expected organizational requirements. 2.5.2 Burnout: its placed in the lower left of the circumplex model reflecting low levels of pleasure and activation. According to Masiach and Jackson (1986) it was originally conceived as work related syndrome that most often occurs among individuals who work with other people. Consistent with our categorization of SWB according to circumplex model and some researches have suggested that burnout is the opposite of work engagement (Gonalez-Roma-Schaufeil, Bakker and Lloret, 2006). According to Noll (2002) the individual is himself or herself responsible to evaluate their quality of life in terms of subjective well-being. The subjective well-being construct is comprised of four different components: Life satisfaction (universal judgment of ones own life). Satisfaction with necessary life domains ( family, health work) Positive affect ( many positive emotion and moods experienced) Low negative affects ( familiar with few unpleasant emotions and moods) Dolan and White (2006), regard as these mechanisms of SWB as divisible elements. a person for example who have high level of positive affect for a particular event will be dissatisfied because he has failed to achieve personal aim. Alternatively, an individual experiencing negative affect may be satisfied by comparing himself to an individual in less favorable situation. There are cross cultural differences in happiness and life satisfaction that are not completely explained by income differences. Bradburn (1969) study showed that Subjective well-being was moderately associated with adjustment, neuroticism, work satisfaction and family situation, but were considerably associated to each other. Concluding, the psychological contract following are its key features: Psychological contract is based on beliefs and perceptions and is different for each individual although in the same organization. They are implicit and are thought to be inferred from obligations made by the organizations or employees and conclusions are drawn by one party by observing the behavior with the other party. There is an exchange relationship in it so its founded on the principle of reciprocity: the implied promises to behave in certain way to work, psychological contract is also based on perceived or observed agreement rather than actual or written agreement, in which the terms are continuously re-written as the parties interact and mutual expectations, obligations and promises are generated and implied. The employees have a heart as well other than a hand and a head which is mostly over looked by the organizations that have focused just on hiring the hands and head ignoring the heart. Subjective well being is satisfaction with life and positive emotions and moods having low level of unpleasant emotions. Studies have revelaed that the income, religion, education , intelligene have only 15% of effect on th subjective well-being. The focus of happiness that who is happy has been shiftd from when and why people are happy (Diener, 2000). Chapter 2: Literature Review. The growing body of literature on the psychological contract reflects collecting confirmation or verification for its great impact on assorted work-related outcomes. The literature review estimate that employees evaluate their incentives received from their organization by comparing it with the promises made and this estimation leads to psychological contract fulfillment or breach impression (Turnley Feldman, 1998). The over view of PC research shows that there are about 100 or more empirical studies on Psychological Contract out of which 60% were on the breach and 30% on content of psychological contract. Psychological contract breach or violation has been correlated with mistrust, job satisfaction, intention to quit, actual turn over, actual performance, organizational commitment and absence .Based upon research by Guest Conway (2001) 84% of managers had heard of psychological contract, 36% of managers apply it to deal with the employment relationship. Similarly, Guests (1998) ex plain why the Psychological contract is important and should be taken seriously. First reason was that from the last few years the focus is being shifted from industrial relations to employee relations and this can be explored through the construct of Psychological contract. Second reason is it focuses on distribution of power and finally it has ability to incorporate large number of organizational concepts. In 1998, Turnley and Feldman study found that twenty five percent of their employees sample felt that they received less than they had been promised like health care benefits, job related security, power to make vital decisions, career development and responsibilities. Similarly, Robison, Kraatz and Rousseau (1994) study found that fifty five percent of the sample reported contract violations by their employers after spending two years at the organization and these violations were related to training and development, promotion, compensation etc. These studies indicate that workers or employees are quite cynical about the organization that whether they accomplish their pledges. In the past organizations focused on employees loyalty and honesty to the organization but currently they need flexible employees who learn more skills and abilities, to work under pressures and are more marketable for the organization (Herriot and Pemberto, 1995, Sparrow and Marchington, 1998). The current sta te of psychological contract is much similar to the past as four out of five employees are satisfied with their job, there commitment ha not declined but there trust has declined over the years according to the CIPD surveys (CIPD, 2005). According to Guest and Conway (2002), 1,306 senior HR showed that Psychological Contract offers employers a framework within which they study how to administer the employment relationship. So, the main role of the Psychological Contract in an organization is to make most out of their human capital which means what employee expect from their employers (Guest and Conway 2002, CIPD 2005). CIPD concluded that employees today seek one of the three types of psychological contract with their employee: Traditional: those who seek long term tenure and work long hours. Disengaged: for those whom work is not a central life interest and seek no emotions to their employers and Independent: those who are well qualified and seek short tenure and high rewards. In a qualitative study by Herriot, Manning, and Kidd (1997) it was found that the relational component of psychological contract was more frequently mentioned than was the transactional component and therefore seemed more important. Similarly, Zhao, Wayne, Glibkowski and Bravo (2007) also found in a study that the association between relational breach and job satisfaction, turnover intentions and organizational citizenship behaviors as much stronger than association between transactional breach and job satisfaction, and the above variables. According to suggestion of Berman, E.M. and West, J.P. (2003), psychological contract involves work load, work schedules, authority, work quality, responsibility, interpersonal relations, job security, rewards, promotion, career development, loyalty, working relation with immediate supervisors, specific behaviors of employees and managers and individually preferred working styles other than employees and employers. While Devidson (2001) recommended that employee hopes involve benefits and rewards, job security, safe and comfortable working conditions, personal development opportunities and career progression, fair treatment, work life balance, working hours, job challenges on the other hand employers expectations involve high productivity for reward, working under organizational objectives. According to Collin (2010) psychological contract fulfillment is found to be significant predictor of turn over intention and finding suggest that turnover can be moderated if leaders of organizat ion have strong relation based on respect, trust and mutual obligations and uses them to fulfill the unwritten contract between firm and the employees. Rousseau (1995) investigated that the psychological contract in business relationship is a key ingredient between employees and employers and at work place it could be influential determinant of behaviors and attitudes. Researchers like Coyle-Shapiro and Kessler (2000), Tekleab and Taylor (2003), Turnley and Feldman (1999), Robinson and Rousseau (1994), findings showed that fulfilled contracts are positively related to organizational commitment and the effective functioning of the organization. The fulfilled psychological contracts have positive association with employees and organizational outcomes. A foremost research was conducted by Psycones (2006) in six European countries and Israel. The sample size was 5288 employees (1981 were temporary employees and 3307 were permanent employees) working in 202 companies of education an industries and retail sectors. The results of this study were violation of promises made by the employer reduced the job satisfaction. Workers receiving power at work, fulfilling promises from their supervisors show higher satisfaction the more the promise fulfilled by the organizations the more the employees are committed to the organization and the violation of employer or employee obligations lead to quitting the job. Suazo, MarK, Turnley, William H., Mai-Dalton, Renate R (2008) conducted a study on characteristics of supervisor subordinate relationship as predictors of psychological contract. The sample size was 234 full time employees out of which 41% were males and 59% were females and the mean age of the participants was 37years. The data was collected through emails. The aim of this study was to know the factors like gender, cognitive style and race present between employees and employers predicting psychological contract breach. The hypotheses were that greater similarity between the cognitive styles of supervisor and subordinate will reduce the likelihood of psychological contract breach, the gender will be a specific factor in predicting psychological contract breach and subordinates with mix races will perceive more psychological contract breach than subordinates in same race supervisor subordinate dyads. The results proved that the cognitive style was negatively related to perceived Psyc hological contract breach and where as gender and race were not significant predictors of psychological contract breach. The cognitive approach of the supervisors and subordinates towards a problem, matters more than gender and race in predicting psychological contract breach. Lester, Claire, Kickul (2001) paper studied the status of psychological contract in 21st century. Employees recognized the importance of various aspects of psychological contract and the degree to which their organization had fulfilled theses obligations. The purpose of this study was to examine the employer inducements which are considered more important by the employees, to find how well the companies are fulfilling their obligations and also to know the discrepancies between the perceived importance and fulfillment of psychological contracts obligation affecting employees behavior at work. The numbers of participants were 268 fulltime employees out of which 51.7% were males and 48.3% were females and the average age was 27.6 years old. The respondents belonged to different occupational fields like finance and banking, sales and marketing, computer science, accounting, human resource and staffing, engineering and organizational consulting. The findings showed that the organizations also struggle to fulfill components of psychological contract mostly accepted by the employees. The discrepancies between the perceived importance and fulfillment have significant effect on satisfaction and turnover of employees. Employees performance was also effected but to less extent. Similarly, Bergmann (2001) investigated relational component of the psychological contract across time, generation and employment status. His study focused on just one type of psychological contract and went to its details. The sample size was 204 individuals of three different generations 68 were college students, one of each of their parents and grandparents were also included in the survey. From 204 participants 56% were females and 75%of students and their parents were employed where as grandparents retired and 44% of students were full time employees. The respondents were also asked for their perception regarding psychological contract on four different time periods 1900s, 1950s, 1960s and 19 70s. There was significant difference between psychological contract scores for 1950s and 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The interaction effect of time and generation on assessment of the relational component of psychological contract was not significant i.e. the subjects viewed psychological contract same across time regardless of changes in generation. So it was stressed that the relational components of the psychological contract have decreased during the five decades. It is also possible that factors other than time, generation, workplace may also have contributed to the shift in the psychological contract. Michael (2001), perceived the obligations of future forest industry employees and their first employers after graduation. New employees have reciprocal obligations between them and their employers and these beliefs can be called as psychological contract between them when the employee observes that he owe the employer certain incentives in return to the contribution given by him. Fulfillments of psychological contract have a direct impact on employees productivity and satisfaction. The sample size of his study was 300 graduated students from 34 different universities at United States of America. The results showed that the first obligation of the employee to their future employer is hard work and have distinct type of relationship with future employers. From the middle of 1970s the well-being has not increased in Britain and United states. White individuals are happier than black and non-white individuals in the United States but in the last 30 years the results are changing the blacks are also much happier and satisfied, so this study by Blanch Flower and Oswald (2004) has focused on races not immigrants. The peer reviewed literature on the influence of positive psychology in organizational sector focusing on organizational behavior and scholarship is in the year 2001 there were to researches done in organizational sector, in 2002 in total 6 researches were conducted 2 empirical and 4 non-empirical, in 2003 3 empirical and 6 non-empirical researches were conducted , 3 empirical and 24 non-empirical in 2004, 5 empirical and 17 non-empirical in 2005, 6 empirical and 18 non-empirical in 2006, in 2007 7 empirical and 16 non-empirical, and finally 19 empirical and 18 non-empirical in 2008. So in total 46 empirical studies and 104 on empirical studies were conducted and combining both 150 studies having being conducted in positive psychology organizational sector (Donaldson, 2009). Danna and Griffin (1999) investigated that work settings and occupational stress would be the forerunner factors of well-being. This view was supported by Cropanzano, James and Konovsky (1993) and Wright and Hobfoll (2004). Workers or employees when experience poor health and well-being at the work site are less productive, make lower quality decisions, and absenteeism (Boyd, 1997). Similarly, Price and Hooijberg (1992) the low subjective well-being would diminish the contributions to the organizations. In a cross national study, Diener and Oishi (2000) established that for majority of the students in 42 countries happiness and life satisfaction was more important than income. Over the past five decades the number of longitudinal studies on income and subjective well-being exposed that although income level has been increased dramatically in United State of America and other developed countries but the levels of subjective well-being have been rather stable (Myres, 2000). According to Diener (2000), as employees rise in their accomplishments and possessions their expectations also raise. They adapt themselves to the ne level very fast and then the current level is no longer source of happiness for them but this happens with some employees depending on the situation. The factors that have import effect on the subjective well-being of the individual are personality, personal goals, comparison with other people, past, needs, goals and the last factor is culture. In the recent years, the emergent number of researchers focused on positive indicators of subjective well-being (SWB), including job satisfaction (Judge, Thorenson, Bono and Patton, 2001), work engagement (Bakker, Schaufeil., Leiter and Taris, 2008), and happiness at work (Diener and Biswas- Diener 2002). Parent-Thirion, Fernandez-Macias, Hurley and Vermeylen (2007) study shows that 85% of all employees in the European Union and a study by Handel (2005) found that 86% of all the employees in the United States of America are very satisfied with their jobs. A research on subjective well being of managers of private enterprises was conducted by Bo Lui, bus, Hohai, Nanjing (2010) in China. This study include factors that affect subjective well being, subjective well being of different masses, cultural differences. Different managers of private enterprises were considered as participants and the data was analyzed on SPSS15.0. The overall subjective well being of the managers of private enterprises was low. The factors like status of marriage had significant impact on the subjective well being of the managers but gender and education didnt play vital role. Correspondingly, a study Job Insecurity and Wellbeing: Moderation by Employability by Inmaculada, Nele, Francisco, Jose and Hans (2010) investigated the association between job insecurity and wellbeing and the role of employability in this association. The researcher hypotheses were that job insecurity may be related to poor well-being, employability might moderate the unfavorable results of job security for employees well-being and employability is beneficial in the same manner as the job security is. These hypotheses were tested on the sample size of 639 Belgian employees from six organizations. The findings showed that the job insecurity is related to poor well-being, employability as expected moderates the relation between job insecurity and life satisfaction. There was no association found between employability and job security. The model accounted for 8% of explained variance. The first research that studied the relationship between psychological contract and subjective well being of employees was conducted by Windle and Treuer (2008). In this longitudinal study psychological contract was dependent variable and subjective well being was independent variable. The sample size was 187 new recruits in Australia wide organizations and data was collected through online survey 58% males and 42% females. The results indicate that SWB informs development of a Balanced Psychological contract and SWB significantly correlated with employer fulfillment, employee fulfillment, social knowledge and interpersonal resources. Balanced dynamic performance of Psychological contract was predicted by subjective well-being at 9% variance explained while in dynamic performance 10% of variance was explained. A lot of researches have focused on happiness of individuals and employees living within their own country. This study is different in terms that its focusing on employees who have migrated from their home country to the host country and to investigate the relationship of psychological contract and the physical and mental health i.e. subjective well-being of Pakistani immigrants working abroad (Middle East). It would be expected that the fulfillment of psychological contract would have positive relation with subjective well-being of the employees. The role of gender within psychological contract has received little attention, so this study would also examine whether there are any gender differences in the type of psychological contract of Pakistani immigrants and among them which type of psychological contract is more common. Rationale Keeping in view the literature review on the psychological contract and subjective well-being and also the statistical figure of Pakistani immigrants working abroad especially at U.A.E, not much work has been done regarding the problems and difficulties they face, and no work

Candide- A Contrast To Optimism :: essays research papers

Candide- A Contrast to Optimism Francis Marie Arouet de Voltaire was the French author of the novella Candide, also known as â€Å"Optimism†(Durant and Durant 724). Many of Voltaire’s works were popular in Europe during his time, yet it is his satire, Candide, which is still studied today. In Candide, Voltaire sought to point out the fallacy of Gottfried William von Leibniz’s philosophy by criticizing worldly superiority, the theory of optimism, and the brutality of war. Leibniz theorized that God, having the ability to pick from an infinite number of worlds, chose this world, â€Å"the best of all possible worlds†(18). To dispute that contention, Voltaire created Martin. Martin was the quintessential pessimist, and Candide’s trusted friend and advisor. Martin continuously tried to prove to Candide that there is little virtue, morality and happiness in the world. When a cheerful couple was seen walking and singing, Candide told Martin, â€Å"At least you must admit that these people are happy†(94). Martin quickly replied, â€Å"I wager they are not†(94). The only basis Martin had for his judgment was the sight of two outwardly content people, yet somehow he was compelled to characterize them as unhappy. Martin’s pessimistic outlook on life is the antithesis of Leibniz’s theory that this world is the best. The evil that Martin perceived blinded him from the good that existed in the world. The land of Eldorado was the realization of Leibniz’s theory that this world is the best. In reference to Eldorado, Candide stated that â€Å"there’s no comparison between this country and the castle where I was born†(70). The fact that Eldorado was the perfect city revealed the flawed world in which Candide lived. Martin’s ability to focus on the evils in the world and the contrast between reality and Eldorado reflect Voltaire’s criticism of Leibniz’s belief that this world is the best possible. To emphasize his criticism of optimism in the novel, Voltaire created Dr. Pangloss, an unconditional follower of Leibniz’s philosophy. Pangloss believed that everything had its purpose and things happened for the best. Even the horrendous Lisbon earthquake and fire were for the best according to Pangloss. He stated that although the disastrous earthquake took over 30,000 lives, â€Å"all this is for the very best. . . For it is impossible that things should not be where they are†(30). According to Pangloss’ philosophy, there was a purpose behind the earthquake. He believed that there was a rational explanation for the earthquake, even though he was unable to provide substantial evidence to support his claim.

Lanzones Festival

Lanzones Festival is held every third week of October and it is a four day grand celebration of the lanzones fruit. The mostimportant livelihood in Camiguin is lanzones. It is when a lot of tourists come to witness the joyous Lanzones festival. Lanzones is one of the major fruit producers in the Philippines. Lanzones is a tropical fruit that grows extravagantly on the north-central coast of Mindanao. Lanzones has a pale brown skin and sweet translucent flesh. It is said that the sweetestlanzones in the Philippines comes from Camiguin. The town of Mambajao in Camiguin celebrated its annual festival calledLanzones Festival together with its harvest in the month of October. Lanzones Festival in MambadjaoCamiguin is celebrated with a weekend street dancing competition and parties, cultural shows, parade and beauty pageant (coronation of MutyasaBuahanan) and trade fair that features local handicraft and products. Houses, street poles and even people are ornamented with lanzones during the lanzones festival. According to the legend of an unknown beautiful maiden took the fruit’s past bitter flavor to replace it to delicious and sweet taste of thelanzones, thus townsfolk dance in the streets in order to honor and celebrate. It also celebrated by the people in Camiguin as a contribution in making Mindanao as a cultural tourism destination and give thanks for a bountiful harvest for all the agricultural products. The Lanzones fruit is a major source of the Camiguin Islands' livelihood and it is for the annual harvest that they celebrate this thanksgiving day. Houses, carriages, street poles and even people are decorated with lanzones and lanzones leaves. townsfolk dance in joy abandon in commemoration of the legend that a beautiful, unknown maiden took from the its former bitter flavor to leave only its luscious, sweet taste.

PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton

PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton Introduction This essay shall analyse the failure of project Ballycotton using the PESTLE analysis. PESTLE analysis involves looking at political, economic, sociological, technical, legal and environmental factors affecting the outcome of a project. Changes in these factors may or may not favour a project outcome.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Political There are internal politics in every organisation. We can note the presence of organisational politics in opinions and attitudes of different stakeholders in the organisation. However, this depends on where the power of influence is. What is necessary in a situation of organisational politics is to identify and manage them. Internal politics of organisations also exist at personal levels and in team jealousies. These factors pose severe consequences to a project. Therefore, the project mana ger must identify and diffuse them. Project outcomes also depend on some other factors like clients, contractors, consultants, state authorities, material and service providers, among others. These bodies may also have their private agendas that eventually affect the outcome of a project (Lester, 2006). The project Ballycotton exhibits political differences between Michael Higgins and the Irish treasury civil servants over tax cut the film should have. The government’s decision to give a tax relief to the film project is a favourable political condition for the project. However, the political fights between Michael Higgins are factors that if not managed may derail the project. There are also political factors that the project’s sponsor and manager have no control over. Projects with international influences are likely to suffer disruptions due national or international political complications. Government actions such as changing taxation systems, exchange restrictions , penal working conditions, or even cancellation of the contract in totality affects the project’s outcome. Countries with unstable economies, government or prone to coups may make the project come to a halt. Project technical team should envisage, evaluate, and plan for such eventualities. At national level, there are also political actions and reactions that may affect the project completion. Economic Internal economic factors relate to the project viability and soundness. These are factors that are within the project team control. Project team must evaluate both the financial and non-financial gains before embarking on it. Project teams use financial models and proven accountancy techniques to evaluate the project viability (Lester, 2006). Evaluation should be an ongoing process till the end of the project.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, in the case of Ballycotton project, the team did not use any proven financial models or accountancy techniques to envisage lack of funds before the beginning of the project. In fact, lack of money was the main cause of failure of this project. The project team could have managed the situation of financial crisis before the actual screening process. They could have considered the decision to abort the project before accruing so much debt (Lock, 2007). External factors that influence the outcome of a project relate to political situations. Government may decide to increase or reduce its taxation systems, exchange rate, labour laws, among others. These factors affect the viability of a project. The Irish government lures moviemakers with attractive tax write-off schemes. The case study shows that Irish government can write-off up to 60 percent of the total cost of project production within its tax system. They use this system to attract moviemakers. Social Most projects have impacts on t he community where the team decides to implement them. Depending on the nature of the project and its consequences, it is necessary for the project manager to inform the community about the project purpose, intent, benefits and any side effects. Therefore, there must be a formal meeting between members of the public and the project representatives. The project representatives must also take care of pressure groups in society. They must know of the unwanted effects and positive side of the project. However, the project team must also recognise the fact that it cannot satisfy all the demands of these groups, and comprises are necessary from both sides. The project manager must do this to avoid constant disruptions and demonstration from the community. The Ballycotton project suffers from social issues. The church Bishop refuses to grant permission for the team to use his churches. This is because he did not like some of the script contents where the female character dies under her cop ulating husband. In addition, the film represents Irish as cheesy with a character called Swill McCool. The verdict of the Bishop threatened the entire process.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on PESTLE Analysis of Project Ballycotton specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The British tabloid paparazzi take advantage of exposing the naked Marlon Brando. This affected his social image as a public figure. Though this is too personal, its impact can bring the entire project to a halt. Most projects have positive effects on lives of the community they touch. However, the financial constraints of Ballycotton project could not allow the community to see any benefits. In fact, every person and business entity that interacted with the project team suffered setbacks, particularly in financial terms. Technical Protect must be technically sound to avoid failure. Technology must be in place for the project to start and succeed. Tec hnical aspects of a project require early preparation including risk assessment in order to establish realistically available options (Williams, 2008). The Ballycotton project hired several options that they never settled their bills. The project team ought to have considered the installations, physical locations, existing facilities, and management team. The project lacked technical planning, the participants, and business contacts felt that the entire process would eventually fail. The planners did not consider the financial implications of the entire process. This resulted into massive debts and loss of trusts. Legal Every project must incorporate some legal aspects. The relationships between the parties should be legally binding contracts, which must also comply with the laws. The contracts must be fair to both parties, and any unreasonable terms must be eliminated. All parties must comply with the laws of different countries in cases of international projects. Project managers must seek legal advice from specialists before undertaking any project. The legal document must focus on established conditions of contract and other standard industry requirements. In addition, it may also address political, legal, and commercial requirements (Baguley, 2000).Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ballycotton project has a weak legal foundation and no money to support it. David Lowe could not raise money for the completion bond. However, the project went on without the bond to the surprise of the lawyers. There are also legal concerns rising due to non-payment of bills and bouncing cheques. Environmental The location of a project influences its costs and time of completion. Projects must take into account the weather patterns of a project location. In the case study, the choice of Ballycotton had cost implication for the project sponsor. In addition to the project team, there was also a crew of 125 people. The weather patterns were unfavourable for the production processes. The report indicates that the project started badly. The rains followed a summer of blistering sun during the production of the movie. Reference List Baguley, P., 2000. Project Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Lester, A., 2006. Project Management, Planning and Control. 5th ed. Loughborough: Elsevier Scie nce Technology Books. Lock, D., 2007. Project Management. Hampshire: Gower Publishing Limited. Williams, M., 2008. The Principles of Project Management. Collingwood, Australia: SitePoint Pty Ltd.