Free Essays on Dangerous Behavior And Narrow-Mindedness

such as faded and dusty give the reader a plain, dull feeling. The continuing reference to stones also indicates dullness, since stones are normally a blend of black, gray, and white. The old shabby black box is referred to as â€Å"faded and stained† (Jackson 269), and there does not seem to be anything glorious about it. At this point, the reader may wonder why is everything so dull if there is a large amount of money to be won? This dreary setting continues until the arrival of Mrs. Hutchinson, and at that point some smiles and laughter ring throughout t... Free Essays on Dangerous Behavior And Narrow-Mindedness Free Essays on Dangerous Behavior And Narrow-Mindedness Dangerous Behavior & Narrow-mindedness: Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† Are people from past and present generations living a life of superstition? Some learn that going along with superstitions can cause you hardship in the long run. In Shirley Jackson’s 1948 short story, "The Lottery", the text shows that superstition and narrow-mindedness can lead to dangerous behavior of those who aren’t superstitious. In the story a dreadful ritual where the stoning death of a random citizen is a sacrifice for a fruitful harvest. Irony and foreshadowing litter this short story with signs of how the ending will eventually unfold. It seems the people in the small town consider that a large sum of money is won through sheer luck. Small signs that point toward the somber ending may not be clear to even the sharpest reader until the ending is actually read. Literary devices are strongly used to show evidence of manipulation through the setting and clever signs of foreshadowing, which are based upon supporting superstitious acts and the set up of the m ain character Mrs. Hutchinson with series of dramatically ironic events. The setting of this story seems very plain, dull, and somber. As you read the story, it seems as if everything is in black and white. Aside from the first sentence of the story, which indicates a bright setting, everything else is dark and dreary. Words such as faded and dusty give the reader a plain, dull feeling. The continuing reference to stones also indicates dullness, since stones are normally a blend of black, gray, and white. The old shabby black box is referred to as â€Å"faded and stained† (Jackson 269), and there does not seem to be anything glorious about it. At this point, the reader may wonder why is everything so dull if there is a large amount of money to be won? This dreary setting continues until the arrival of Mrs. Hutchinson, and at that point some smiles and laughter ring throughout t...

Major Innovators of Early Motion Pictures

Major Innovators of Early Motion Pictures The first machine patented in the United States that showed animated pictures or movies was a device called the wheel of life or zoopraxiscope. Patented in 1867 by William Lincoln, it allowed moving drawings or photographs to be viewed through a slit in the zoopraxiscope. However, this was a far cry from motion pictures as we know them today. The Lumià ¨re Brothers and the Birth of Motion Pictures Modern motion picture making began with the invention of the motion picture camera.  French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumià ¨re are often credited with inventing the first motion picture camera, although others had developed similar inventions at around the same time. What the Lumià ¨res invented was special, however. It combined a portable motion-picture camera, film processing unit, and a projector called the Cinematographe. It was  basically a device with three functions in one. The Cinematographe made motion pictures very popular. It can even be said that Lumieres invention gave birth to  the motion picture era.  In 1895, Lumiere and his brother became the first to demonstrate photographic moving pictures projected onto a screen for a paying audience of more than one person. The audience saw ten 50-second films, including the Lumià ¨re brother’s first, Sortie des Usines Lumià ¨re Lyon (Workers Leaving the Lumià ¨re Factory in Lyon). However, the Lumiere brothers were not the first to project film. In 1891, the Edison company successfully demonstrated the Kinetoscope, which enabled one person at a time to view moving pictures. Later in 1896, Edison showed his improved  Vitascope  projector, the first commercially successful projector in the U.S. Here are some of the other key players  and milestones  in the history of motion pictures: Eadweard Muybridge San Francisco photographer Eadweard Muybridge conducted motion-sequence still photographic experiments and is referred to  as the  Father of the Motion Picture, even though he did not make films in the manner in which we know them  today. Thomas Edisons Contributions Thomas Edisons interest in motion pictures began prior to 1888.  However, the visit of Eadweard Muybridge to the inventors laboratory in West Orange in February of that year certainly stimulated Edisons resolve to invent a motion picture camera. Whereas film equipment has undergone drastic changes throughout the course of history, 35mm film has remained the universally accepted film size. We owe the format to a great extent to Edison. In fact, 35mm film was once called the Edison size. George Eastman In 1889, the first commercial transparent roll film, perfected by Eastman and his research chemist, was put on the market. The availability of this flexible film made possible the development of Thomas Edisons motion picture camera in 1891. Colorization Film Colorization was invented by Canadians Wilson Markle and Brian Hunt in 1983.   Walt Disney Mickey Mouses official birthday is November 18, 1928. Thats when he made his first film debut in  Steamboat Willie. While this was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, the first Mickey Mouse Cartoon ever made was  Plane Crazy  in 1928 and became the third cartoon released.  Walt Disney  invented Mickey Mouse and the multi-plane camera. Richard M. Hollingshead Richard M. Hollingshead patented and opened the first drive-in theater. Park-In Theaters  opened on June 6, 1933, in Camden, New Jersey. While drive-in showings of movies took place years earlier, Hollingshead was the first to patent the concept.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The IMAX Movie System The IMAX system has its roots in EXPO 67 in Montreal, Canada, where multi-screen films were the hit of the fair. A small group of Canadian filmmakers and entrepreneurs (Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, and Robert Kerr) who had made some of those popular films decided to design a new system using a single, powerful projector rather than the cumbersome multiple projectors used at that time. To project images of far greater size and with better resolution, the  film is run horizontally so that the image width is greater than the width of the film.

Macro11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macro11 - Essay Example It is the ratio that banks keep with themselves against the deposits they receive; the bank cannot just lend out all the money it receives. A lesser reserve ratio by the government would mean that the commercial banks have to keep lesser sums of money with themselves and are free to lend out more money into the economy which becomes extended through the effect of â€Å"money multiplier†. If the government’s aim is to reduce inflation it can pump less money into the economy by increasing reserve ratio for which the banks would have to abide by and keep more money with themselves. All the commercial banks lend money from the Central bank (controlled by the government or the government’s bank – at times also referred as the bank’s bank). They have to pay money for this lend money to the central bank, in what our terms we call interest, the banks when borrow from the central bank is called the discount rate. A higher discount rate would lead the banks t o borrow less from the central bank and thereby lending less to the public, which would in turn reduce the money supply in the economy. Conversely, if the federal government decides to increase the money supply, a decreased discount rate would be the option. ... The commercial banks are under the control of the central bank thereby they have to abide by the rules and regulations set by the Central bank. In this tool, there is a market of â€Å"bonds† and â€Å"money† whereby if the central bank wishes to contract the money supply, all it has to do is to print a fancy looking bond and write off an amount in it. Then it sells this bond on the written value to the commercial banks who have to buy the bonds; this reduces their money supply, in making up for their reserve ratio they have to make sure they lend out less as money has flown out of the commercial banking system onto to central bank; this has decreased the money supply in the economy. In contrast, if the federal government wishes to expand the money supply, it would purchase securities (bonds) from the central bank; the buyer gets the money and seller gets a piece of paper (Bond). In this market operation, the commercial bank has excess money to lend out because it has s old a bond, therefore after lending, through a multiplier effect the economy would enhance. This is one of the most commonplace tools used by the governments as it gives an efficient way of allocating money and it convenient without as such delays. The effect can also be forecasted depending on the values of the multiplier. It’s all a study about the state of the economy that will determine the success of any of these tools, but as statistics tell us, this has so far been the most effective tool used by governments today. Answer 2: In case of an easy money policy, the government simply decides to reduce the interest rates: As the interest rate falls from 10% to 8%, there becomes an excess demand for money as we move down the same supply â€Å"S1† curve for money. This excess

Management Tasks and Computer Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Tasks and Computer Technology - Essay Example In this scenario, much of the data and information comes openly from the vision and mission statement for the organization. In addition, establishing objectives for the business goal and following up on the implementation of the plan are two significant elements of the planning function. For instance, if an organization wants to open a new local restaurant, the manager will need to develop a marketing plan, a hiring plan and a sales plan. Additionally, the formulation of these plans can involve extensive searches of data and information as well as creation of a technically feasible proposal. In this scenario, computers present an excellent support for carrying out the task of information search through information retrieval systems on the Internet (Rothbauer-Wanish; FAO). Moreover, a good information recovery system which can help in collection and retrieval of related data and information on the subject of concern can significantly improve the quality of data and information collect ion. With the exception of this, there are a wide variety of other packages for this service. For instance, activities such as working out project budgets, time frames and generation of proposal reports can be aided with the help of data management systems, electronic spreadsheets and word processing, which smooth the progress of development and management of various alternatives with relative simplicity. At the present, the majority of business organizations make use of the Internet for planning of their tasks. For instance, if an organization wants to launch a new product or a service, it can use internet based surveys to collect the response of people. In light of their response, an organization can better decide whether it should launch a particular product or not. So, the use of information technology can save a lot of precious time and effort of an organization (Rothbauer-Wanish; FAO). Organizing Another significant job of managers is organization of the business and this cons ists of various important tasks such as organizing people and resources. In fact, determining how many people would be required for specific shifts can be vital to the success of an organization. On the other hand, if those workers do not have the essential resources to carry out their activities, organization cannot occur. In addition, without an organized place of work, workers will perceive a manager as unqualified and may lose respect for that specific manager’s managerial techniques. In this scenario, computer supported tools and applications can play a significant role. At the present, there are a wide variety of tools and applications which can perform these jobs on behalf of managers. For instance, MS Project can be used to organize tasks. A Gantt chart can provide the necessary information such as when a particular activity will be completed and how much resources will be required to perform a specific task. In this way, computer technology has made this function of management relatively easier (Rothbauer-Wanish; FAO). Leading The management and leadership are not the same activity. Basically, a manager is responsible for managing the workers and their tasks. In other words, this person ensures that all the activities are carried out on time and specific rules and standards are followed. In this scenario,

Human Resources as an important asset for companies

Human Resources as an important asset for companies The human resources are the most important assets of an organization. The success or failure of an organization is largely dependent on the caliber of the people working therein. Without positive and creative contributions from people, organizations cannot progress and prosper. In order to achieve the goals or the activities of an organization, therefore, they need to recruit people with requisite skills, qualifications and experience. While doing so, they have to keep the present as well as the future requirements of the organization in mind. Recruitment and selection, as a part of effective Human Resource Management is the key to achieving a competitive advantage for an organization. Nowadays, one of the most important concerns for all the business is that of people. The emphasis is on having the right people in the right place at the right time (Lanz, 1988). Seeking new employees is an essential element for each employer, not only in organisations where particular emphasis is placed on the companys human resources policy. Each employer wants to hire the most appropriate candidate for the job who not only has the right qualifications but whose personality will blend in well with the companys structure. The choice of the right people to form a team in organization is one of the most important factors leading to its success. Hence, to achieve this, a company has to pay a huge attention on the recruitment and selection process. Effective recruitment and selection procedures are vital in attracting and retaining high quality staff so every company should take them deeply into consideration. Moreover, human errors are much more expensive in comparison to such assets as land and capital, and often result in serious irreversible consequences. Here I need to add what are the goals of this dissertation I thinkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.and what Ive included in a first chapter, secondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Definitions of recruitment and selection Conducting business activities and competition between companies in developing international markets show, that Human Resource Management is the source of permanent competitiveness in contemporary business. This domain is not a single, simplified function, but a group of plans, systems, tools, processes and services. Each of these elements provides huge possibilities for profit, provided that one can use effective solutions in exploiting them. As the field of Human Resource Management has strongly changed in recent years, organizations were obligated to become more dynamics and complex. John Storey (2001, p.6) says that It is human capability and commitment, which in the find analysis distinguish successful organization from the rest. This sentence is essential to understand the fundamental tensions and ambiguities associated with Human Resource Management. People are non-material assets of a company and due to their importance have a strategic function. For that reason, recruitment and selection process should be permanent implicated and developed in company structures. According to Pilbeam Corbridge (2006) recruitment and selection process is based on action between applicant and job, which is dependent on stating a need by an organization, using the most appropriate recruitment and selection techniques and on reviewing, evaluating and modifying the recruitment and selection system in the light of experience. Bratton Gold (2003) defined recruitment like a process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organization. Furthermore recruitment is a process of attracting individuals on a timely basis, in sufficient numbers and with appropriate qualifications, developing their interest in an organization and encouraging them to apply for jobs within it (Mondy Noe, 1993; Crawford, 2004). During this process, efforts are made to inform the applicants fully about the selection criteria of the required competencies that will lead to effective performance, as well as career opportunities the organization can provide the employee. Whether or not a particular job vacancy will be filled by someone from within, or outside, the organization depends on the organizations human resource policies, the requirements of the job to be filled, the talent to be found and, often, the organizational politics surrounding the decision (Nankervis et al., 2002). Beardwell (1994, p.192) als o indicates that the process of recruitment has two important purposes. Firstly, recruitment should focus on both attraction and retention of the interest of applicants suitable for a given job. Secondly, it should create a positive image of the organization in the eyes of people who come in contact with it. Newell and Shackleton (2000, p.113) define recruitment as the process of attracting people who might make a contribution to the particular organization. The importance of the recruitment function is clear when one realizes that by hiring the most competent applicants the firms performance can be significantly enhanced. In the course of this stage, it is the employer who must encourage the best candidates to apply for a position in the company. Selection is the process of selecting candidates who have relevant qualifications to fill jobs in a company (Mathis, R., 1991, p. 209). For the employer it is a stage during which decisions are made on who is the most appropriate of all the job applicants. The key point of selection is how to make fair and relevant assessment, which indicates strengths and weaknesses of applicant (Boxall P., Purcell J., 2003, p.141). Conversely, the quotation by Townley (1999, p.97) defines the notion of selection in that (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) by definition, it involves a process of discrimination, and the opportunity for managers to emphasize employee acceptability or the good bloke syndrome, rather than suitability residing in task-based criteria. It is a much diversified process: it may be short and simply boil down to reviewing and closely reading job application documents, and hiring a person. Or it may be a longer process also including a job interview and other techniques aimed at finding the best people. Pilbeam Cordbridge (2006) assert that good recruitment and selection is important element of the HR strategy, its forecasting requirements and a key to getting the appropriate people to attain a business goals. Moreover, recruitment and selection is a necessary element of people resourcing strategy, due to communicated policies, procedures and practices can considerably play a part in effective organizational performance, (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) to good employee relations and to a positive public image (Pilbeam Corbridge, 2002). Both the activities are directed towards obtaining suitably qualified employees. Recruitment activities lay the groundwork for the selection process by providing the pool of applicants from whom the selectors may choose. Although, the two activities are closely connected, each requires a separate range of skills and expertise, and may in practice be fulfilled by different staff members. Recruitment and selection are the most important activities in an ongoing cir cle (shown in Fig.1.1) of an organisation as a whole. Figure 1. Recruitment and selection in an organization (Pilbeam Corbridge 2006, p.143) Inappropriate selection and recruitment decisions can have a range of undesirable consequences for the organization and the recruit, including: reduced organizational effectiveness, invalidate reward and development strategies, unfair for the person applying for job and higher rates of turnover. Recruitment and selection are one of the most fundamental elements of the strategy of human resources managing. A wise choice of employees plays a key role in the functioning of an organization. Framework: Recruitment Selection Recruitment and selection are works of the same system and they are so closely connected, although as Foot Hook (cited in Rayner Smith, 2005 p.121) suggest that each requires a separate range of skills and expertise, and each function may in practice be fulfilled by different staff members, or indeed the recruitment function, but not normally the selection decision, may be outsourced to an agency, so it makes sense to treat each function separately, but Pilbeam Corbridge (2006) note that they are not mutually exclusive functions. Hence is many approaches to recruitment and selection tend, however they distinguish that a system has inputs, which are the candidates, a processing unit, which consists of various methods and techniques and outputs, which are also effective employees or candidates, who go back to the labour market and are or eliminate by the recruiters or choose to exit from the process. As Figure 1.2 shows, the recruitment and selection process and techniques are influ enced by the external factors like legal framework, economic situation, social and demographic changes, competitor activity, labour market characteristics and has some sub-systems to it which are interdependent to each other, changes in one will effects the others and also the quality of output. According to Pilbeam Corbridge (2006) theory the systems approach gives an analytical skeleton and allow diffusion through the selection and recruitment sub systems, which are: attraction, reduction, selection and transition. Whereas Kochan Barocci model (cited in Beardwell, Holden Claydon, 2004) point out that organizations have life cycles, and that recruitment, selection and staffing policies vary according to an organizations perceived stage in the cycle. While Goold and Campbell conclude that human resource strategies depend on management profile, whether is it strategic planning, financial control or strategic control (ibid.). Furthermore Anderson and Shackleton (1998, p.15) notice that recruitment and selection as a system is (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) comprised of a series of inter-related components. Important observation about the maxim of chronological dependency, says that it can only be as accurate as decision made in early stage to pre-screen down number of applicants. They emphasize that assessment techniques should predict and also affect on the future performance of employee. It is important here, to say that Human Resource Planning (HRP) is connection between strategic business planning and strategic Human Resource Management. This connection is the most visible in the recruitment and selection of specific numbers of employees with particular abilities, which match to companys requirements. This view made by Paul Iles (2001, p.139) shows why employees, as the most valuable assets in company, should be align to strategic business plan. Nowadays is a lot of variations in recruitment and selection practices, reflecting an organizations strategy and philosophy towards the management of people. That is why many organizations developed frameworks, which allowed them approve a variety of selection and recruitment techniques in order to identify and confess the right people (Bratton, J. Gold, J., 2003, p. 223). Figure 2. The System Approach to recruitment and selection (Pilbeam Corbridge, 2002), p. 115. Process of recruitment and selection Recruiting is an extremely complicated process consisting of many phases. Before recruiting, the company needs to proceed with planning phase. Each organization thus must consider a number of important steps in the planning phase. Firstly it should forecast human resource needs, than specifies job requirements as well as identifies and uses appropriate recruitment channels (Beaumont, P., 1994, p. 57). When planning to recruit one should also include: discussions with clients to predict future hiring needs; maintenance of a contacts network (candidates, employees, competitors); development and maintenance of a strong employee referral program; investment in recruiter training and development; cooperation with management to ensure adequate budget (American Management Association International, Aug 2006, p.10). The command to start the recruitment process comes from senior managers and should be based on a review of the situation to determine that recruitment actually exists. It means, that it should be made recognition of the needs for new human resource. To minimize the risk of wasted money, job analysis should be well done. For the first, job description should be written very carefully. A job description makes it possible for the recruiter to outline what duties, responsibilities and the reason behind the vacancy i.e. expansion, member of staff retires, and the position within th e structure of the organization (Beardwell, I., 1994, p. 195). The first step in the development of a job description is to establish the purpose and general objectives of the post, and then to analyse the requirements of the job. This process is called job analysis, and is particularly important in circumstances where you are preparing a job description for a new or significantly changed post. Job analysis helps to clarify the duties, responsibilities and other job demands. It also helps to identify the skills, abilities and experiences that someone would need to possess to be able to perform satisfactorily in the role (UCD Staff Manual, August 2005, p. II). The process of writing a job description can be very time consuming, especially if company dont provide any system for job analysis. This involves other co-worker from department in context to collect essential information about business nature and actual duties. To accurately recruit candidates, the second part of job analysis personnel specification is required (Beardwell J., 1994, p.195). Person specification is amongst one of the important factor of recruitment and selection that comes after the job analysis and job description as it relates to the person doing the job. Job analysis is the first stage of the whole recruitment and selection process and everything else is built upon it. It aims at finding out what is involved in the job that is now vacant. The effects of a mistake at this point are likely ricochet throughout all subsequent stages whereas job description involves the task and the scope of the job. The person specification profile is the people characteristics required to do the job effectively. The fact that an employer draws up a person specification demonstrates an attempt to introduce some objectivity into what can otherwise be very subjective process. Rather than relying on personal judgements about the knowledge, skills and qualities the successful candidate should possess, the emp loyer with a person specification is following much more methodical and reasoned process. The person specification can be included with the information sent to the candidates to give them more detail about the requirements. It is a good practice to design and send to candidates a form showing each requirement and how it will get assessed (Foot Hook, 2005). Two well-established systems of person specification frameworks discussed by Beardwell and Claydon (2004, p. 205) are (Roger, 1952) seven-point plan and (Munro Fraser, 1954) similar five point plan, illustrated in Table.1.1 and 1.2. It is important to be as precise as possible about the skills, knowledge, qualifications and attributes that are required for the job and about the experience and personal characteristics that are needed. It is good practice to specify what is essential or the minimum required to perform the job, as well as what is desirable. It is also necessary to think about the context of the job and the wider org anisational requirements to specify any elements of person-organisation fit that are important. Munro Fraser (1954) Impact on others: physical make up, appearance, speech, and manner Acquired qualifications: education, vocational training, work experience Innate abilities: quickness of comprehension and aptitude for learning Motivation: individual goals, consistency and determination in following them up, success rate Adjustment: emotional stability, ability to stand up to stress and ability to get on with people Table 1. Person specification framework (ACAS cited in Beardwell Claydon, 2004). Rodger (1952) Physical make-up: health, appearance, bearing and speech Attainments: education, qualification, experience General Intelligence: Intellectual capacity Special Aptitudes mechanical, manual dexterity, facility in use of words and figures Disposition: acceptability, influence over others, steadiness, dependability, self-reliance Circumstances: any special demand of the job, such as ability to work unsocial hours, travel abroad Table 2. Person specification framework (ACAS cited in Beardwell Claydon, 2004). When the process of job analysis has been completed and clearly identified, the next step in recruitment process is to attract quantity of suitable applicants with desired features. Company should consider some factors, like companys budget, level of vacancy, time and selection technique in order to choose the right way in recruitment process. Larger companies generally have a larger budget and are more able to find the best candidates for the job. Effective use of recruitment tools depends on the available budget. This due to the fact that recruiting is expensive and the more selection techniques used the higher the cost to the company, but in doing this the company has a better chance of finding the best candidate. The cost of recruitment and selection is not the only cost the company has to include in its calculation searching new candidates. The other costs the organization should take into consideration are costs of training selected candidates to undertake contributing role to the organization as well as the costs of recruiting and selecting the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾wrong person (Cornelius, N., 1999, p. 29). Every company should adapt recruitment and selection costs to its policy, capabilities and vacancy and on this basis consider if to recruit internally or externally. Furthermore the level of vacancy is another one of the factors a company should consider before choosing a specific method of recruitment and selection. The decision making process is stipulated by individual needs of a company. In order to start the process of recruitment a company should have free vacancies. In fact, managers should decide if a free capacity either proves to be a job opportunity for a potential employee or whether there is an alternative option to resolve the situation. Hence, recruitment and selection processes should not be taken, when there is another opportunity, like reassigning the task to other employees or automated task, so than human resource are no longer required. We need to notice, that the higher level of vacancy provides more sophisticated methods of recruitment (Newell, S., Shackleton V. 2001, p. 25). Another concerning question a company should frankly answer is what kind of selection technique they need to apply, i.e. the one which may facilitate effective employment. A company should frankly answer the question concerning the kind of selection technique they may need to apply, i.e. the one which may facilitate effective employment. Bratton (2003, p.227) notes that appropriate selection technique should recognize the way in which people differ and must be extended to a prediction of performance in the workplace. The twenty-first century organization of work has lost a variety of available methods which give credibility to techniques that attempt to measure peoples attitudes and overall personality. The literature on the subject of organization differentiates between many selection techniques. The basic methods like application form or curriculum vitae are rudimentary to employment interviews. This phase of recruitment process is called pre-screening candidates, which will help t o reduce the numbers of unsuitable candidates and to apply more detailed methods of assessment. After pre-screening is time for candidate assessment. An extensive range of assessment methods is currently available to the recruiter like : biodata, assessment centre, work sample, references are very useful and reliable. Nevertheless the use of interviews is still the most popular selection method in the world. Branine (2008) founds interviews to be the main part of the selection process and that there had been awareness of the danger of subjectivity in the conduct of interviews. To avoid such danger, Gabb (1997, p. 64) argued that companies often prefer an interview panel of two or sequential interviews with different people. A recent comparative study of six countries found that the interview was one of the most popular selection methods. Despite, interviews being reported very often to be subjective and unreliable. It seems that the face-to-face contact with the applicant and the po ssibility of assessing the candidates social and communication skills are the main advantages of the interview, and hence the main reason for using it. While the trio of application form, interview and references is still popular, there have been further developments in incorporating those with the use of assessment centers which has been reported to be in the increase (Branine, M., 2008). Assessment centers are described by Pilbeam Corbridge (2006, p. 157) as useful in penetrating behaviors relating to interpersonal relationships, leadership, influencing ability, sociability, competitiveness, self-motivation, tolerance, persuasiveness, and decisiveness. Assessment centers have become popular venues for the selection of candidates, the identification of their potentials and the assessment of their training and development needs. The number of multinational companies from the USA has increased, more and more large companies are using a variety of tests ranging from ability to aptitude, personality and intelligence, especially those companies who receive a large number of applications and those needing more skilled employees. But as Marchington Wilkinson (cited in Beardwell, I., Holden, L. Claydon, T., 2004) quote none of the techniques, irrespective of how well they are designed and administered, is capable of producing perfect selection decisions that predict with c ertainty who is or who is not bound to be a good performer in a particular role. Figure 1.3 shows the accuracy of selection methods. According to Beardwell et al. (2004) the enlargement in using assessment centers and selection testing like a more accurate methods, can help to improve the effectiveness of the selection process. Though, assessment centers are believed to be the most influential selection method in organizations, but still the higher percentage of the firms considering interviews to be the most important selection method. However, doubts about accuracy push employers to approve the interview formats or supplement the interview with the other selection methods such as tests or work simulation (Beardwell et al., 2004). Data about accuracy of various types of selection techniques covers large differences within each technique. It needs to be considered in that point reliability and validity, but the detailed aspects of these two key criteria, which are already mentioned, are going to be explained in the following part of this dissertation. Table1.3 The predictive accuracy of selection methods Source: Anderson and Shackleton cited in Beardwell et al. (2004, p. 216)) Selection methods concept of validity reliability Reliability and validity, as statistical concepts, are very important for selection methods. Reliability is a link to the extent to which a selection technique achieves consistency in measuring. The statistical analysis normally provides a coefficient reliability. In summary of results, the higher will be coefficient (that is, the closer it is to 1.0) the more dependable the technique (Bratton J., 2003, p.235). Figure 3 shows the validity, estimated by meta analyses, of many selection methods. Good selection methods must meet four basic requirements: practicality, sensitivity, reliability and validity (Price, A., 2000, pp. 148-149). Practicality of the selection method means that it should meet the constraints of cost and time, whereas sensitivity focuses on distinguishing one candidate from another. Reliability of the method can be considered in three aspects: test-retest reliability the duration should not have an impact on the score when doing the same tests; inter-rater reliability the same scores should be given by different interviewers; internal consistency different questions measuring the same competence should give comparable results. Equally, validity has also three aspects: face validity tests are more acceptable when candidates find relevant questions; construct validity and predictive validity how well the suitability of candidates for the position is predicted (Price A., 2000, p. 149). It is possible to make a credible selection decision when the requir ed criteria are clearly marked out. If the criteria are not made clear it will be difficult to make an appropriate decision and will also be difficult to validate the selection process (Torrington, D., 2005, p.142). According to the study of Levy-Leboyer mentioned in the Cornelius book (1999, p. 39), the validity of many selection methods is debatable and that is why they should be used with care. As the high validity the following selection methods are thought: work sample, aptitude test, assessment centre and cognitive test. Medium validity has bio data, and the low validity: references, interviews, personality tests, whereas graphology and astrology do not have any validity (Cornelius N., 1999, pp. 39-40). Moreover validity studies carried out by Taylor (1998) and referred to by Armstrong (2006) found conventional interview methods to be questionable and suggested that alternative selection methods such as biographical data, assessment centres and work tests are more accurate methods of selection. While many studies in recent years have raised concern about selection and validity, the most widely used methods remain the classic trio application form, interview, and references (Taylor 2001). Early research showed that unstructured interview did not have high validity, so as to improve its validity interview should be more structured. It means that all applicants are asked the same questions and the same dimensions are used to assess applicants. Structured interviews should potentially increase the quality of decisions made (Newell, S., 2001, p. 33). However, according to Heffcutt Arthur (1994, pp. 184-190) improving the structure of interview does not increase validity. The question remains therefore, that if these methods are among the least valid, why are they still so popular? Armstrong (2006) suggests it is the comfort factor and that recognition needs to be given to the fact that both interviewers and interviewees like them and have grown to expect them. This is also known as mentioned before face validity. He also suggests that most interviewers / organisations may not be aware of what the research suggests. When compared with other selection methods, the classic trio is relatively low-cost and provides the opportunity to have a face to face meeting. In examining selection methods, Armstrong (2006) further suggests that too much innovation in selection methods may turn prospective candidates off. While some organisations may see this as a form of de-selection, the danger is that potentially high calibre and not just the less suitable candidates may be turned off by lengthier and more drawn out selection processes; even if they are more valid. However, Cornelius argues that using different methods of selection can increase the certainty of selecting the right applicant in a fair way (1999, p. 40) Figure 3 is based on Schmidt and Hunters (1998) review and shows the validity, estimated by meta analyses, of many selection methods. Source: Schmidt, F. L., Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research .Findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 262-274.

Four Seasons Goes to Paris

Four Seasons Goes to Paris: 53 Properties, 24 Countries, 1 Philosophy Four Seasons is the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels and resorts. They are well known not only in the U. S. but they are a huge international hit. They have been successful over the last thirty years because of their strengths of diversity and originality. Four Seasons does not want to be a globalization of markets like McDonald’s, where everyone is the same. They are not a â€Å"cookie-cutter company. This is a great tactic to have because then you would not be such a high class hotel and resort. Also, when you go international you have to be in touch with all of the cultural changes which can make or break your business. They have done an exceptional job of adapting to the different cultures. When you walk into a four seasons hotel â€Å"it does not scream four seasons at you. † Another reason why they are so successful is because the top management have been around for over 25 year s. This means that they are extremely familiar with to the company and how everything works and they can easily train the new employees. Once trained then they become part of the family. â€Å"Both corporate and field managers often referred to the firm as a family, complete with rules, traditions, and tough love. † I believe this is a one of the main reasons why they are so successful. If your employees are happy to wake up and come to work in the morning knowing everyone is basically a family member makes them work a lot harder because you do not want to let down a family member. The workers made the guest feel so comfortable and at home that the guest wanted to buy the linens to remind them of the stay. The seven four seasons â€Å"service culture standards† rules make the guest always feel welcome in the hotel and make them always want to come back and tell people how well of a stay they had. The last and I think the most important reason why the four season have been successful for the past four years is because the emphasis on the golden rule. â€Å"one should treath others as one would wish to be treated. If you work in a people oriented business where you need to please your guests, this is the mindset you should be in for a successful business. â€Å"Despite the success of four seasons, approach and philosophy, management knew that entering France would be a challenge. † I feel that how they entered was perfect. They entered in a very powerful manner by deciding to manage the George V which is right in the middle of the French capital an d is the â€Å"highest possible quality asset in the best location. They basically came in and took over and told everyone how it is going to be run. They did respect a lot of the working hour rules, and the hours by a window rules and stuff like. I really liked the aspect that they kept the hotel running like it always has been even though in France they do things a lot differently with customer service. It was good that they hired depending on the attitude. â€Å"What we need is people who can adapt, either to guests from all over the world or to operating a variety of countries. I like this because it says that the workers need to adapt to the guests no matter where they are from because that is how the four seasons does it. If they would of came into this situation any different, I feel that they would have been pushed out and the hotel would of turned bad. They only bad thing I can come up with is that they did change a lot of the culture around because the French are differe nt on their customer service than Americans. They are polychromic people compared to how we operate as a monochromic people. If you are a firm entering a market you have to be very familiar with what the culture is your are dealing with. Some cultures are very religious and if you try to change their ways then it could be going against their religion. But in the lessons from this case I believe you can enter a market like they did but you have to be cautious of what you change because if it goes bad then your reputation could go under and then you are bankrupt in that market.

Essay on The Trials of Othello - 934 Words

The Trials of Othello nbsp; nbsp; In Shakespeares Othello there are three main trials that build the plot of the play. In each of these trials, Iago though not always the judge tries to be the puppet master. He does this by focusing on each characters fatal flaw. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In the play the three main trails go as follows. First there is Othellos trial were he is being judged by the Duke and Brabantio regarding what happened with himself and Desdemona. The second and main trial is that of Othello judging Cassio, though it is not much of a trial per say because Othello is merely listening to what Iago has to say and does not even confront Cassio. The third and most dramatic trial is when at the†¦show more content†¦It is thing like this that throughout the play make Iago more and more believable to the characters around him. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The next trial gets a little bit more complicated. It starts off with a long dialogue between Iago and Othello, which begins after they see Casio briskly leaving Desdemonas side as they enter into view.nbsp; At first Othello thinks nothing of this, but this is when Iagos master plan begins. First Iago realizes that Othello will always act on impulse with whatever information he has.nbsp; This is one reason why Iago stretches out his opinion of whats going on over an entire conversation. Had he just come out and say it Othello probably would not have believed him. Even if he did this would most likely end up in Othello rushing to confront either Desdemona or Casio thus killing Iagos opportunity to elaborate on the subject in a way that Othello would have to believe him. In this scene Iago repeats a lot of words that Othello says in regard to Casio that alone would be meaning less but he says them in a very suggestive tone implying that there was something m ore to everything he said about Casio. At the time this is very effective and Iago does make Othello a little more than just suspicious. Though as time passes Iago can find no evidence to back up his case and Othello begins to stop believingShow MoreRelatedDifferences Between Film And Othello1503 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the years the play Othello by William Shakespeare has been adapted both on the screen and on stage many times. The questions or race and racism that have quite often been a point of discussion with William Shakespeare’s play Othello can be seen through the bard, however some may argue that Othello’s skin colour was purely a plot device. 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