Tuesday, August 6, 2019

History of Bacteria, Penicillin and Germ Theories

History of Bacteria, Penicillin and Germ Theories Mursal Malekzadeh THE GERM THEORY How this all began was before the germ theory was developed. Edward Jenner who was a doctor came up with vaccination. Smallpox was popular in the 18th century and so many people died due to the smallpox. Girls who would milk cows didn’t catch smallpox but instead caught cowpox. There was no research into disease and infections in the 18th century. Edward Jenner thought of an idea. He thought that people could be protected from smallpox if he would inject them with cowpox so therefore in 1794 he tried this idea which proved his prediction right. Also to provide clear evidence he injected a smallpox victim into the same person he injected cowpox with 2 months after. This caused the person to show no signs of smallpox because he had been injected with cowpox previously. Jenner’s idea became widely accepted as it cured a lot of smallpox victims. Jenner’s technique of injected cowpox into smallpox victims is now called vaccination. In the 1980s the world health organi sation suggested that the disease didn’t exist anymore due to an international vaccination programme. This got rid of smallpox. Although Edward Jenner’s theory was correct and there’s evidence to prove it but his technique would not be permitted today because its considered unethical to use healthy participants and inject them. In the 18th and 19th century many women who just gave birth were dying within 5 days of their delivery. There were clear symptoms such as vomiting and inflammation of the womb however no one knew why this was happening. Ignaz Semmelweiss was a doctor who worked in the maternity wards. Semmelweiss found out that his medical students would straight away dissect a dead body to delivering a baby without washing their hands. This made him think if they had the cause of the disease on their hands from the dead patients previously to their pregnant patients. Semmelweiss knew that the deaths were caused by an infectious agent so therefore he told all his medical students to wash their hands in soap before they went to the maternity ward. This was effect because the death rates dropped to 1% after 2 years. On the other hand other doctors wouldn’t agree with Semmelweiss idea because they thought the pain women received after childbirth was due to god punishing them. Washing hands in the 19th century was hard because there wasn’t always running warm water and the soap made of chlorinated lime would damage the hands but today everyone washes before and after they do anything. Later in the 1920s Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin. He noticed a lot of mould on his plates after he came back from holiday. One day he used mould juice which he called penicillin but the problem was that he couldn’t get a lot of mould juice because it would go bad so this made him stop doing experiments to prove if penicillin would kill bacteria. In 1938 Howard Florey and Ernst Chain did further research into penicillin. One of their experiments were based on 8 mice which they injected 4 of them with bacteria that would kill them and 4 with penicillin. The results showed that the 4 injected with penicillin survived whereas the other remaining 4 died. They could prove that penicillin destroyed bacteria. The next problem was making enough of it for everyone so they went to USA with their mould and the big chemical companies helped them make penicillin. Penicillin is very popular today as it has been used by many to destroy bacterial infections. All these past events influenced Pasteur to come up with the germ theory. The germ theory of disease is thought that infectious diseases are caused by a germ. Louis Pasteur who was a chemist and biologist did a lot of research into the germ theory. In order to help him with his experiments people such as Robert Koch developed the microscope so that microorganisms were visible. Pasteur had an idea that growths that developed like mould on food, were from microscopic organisms which were in the air. Pasteur did some experiments to see if his prediction was correct so he boiled broth and closed the container and it would be clear however when he added other things that were exposed to the air, he saw that microorganisms developed in the broth which caused it to be cloudy. He repeated many more experiments until he came up with a series of experiments which used swan necked flasks because this proved that microorganisms that appear in boiled broth come from the air. In 1845 a disease destroyed silkworms. Pasteur again knew this was due to microorganisms because it was found in the tissues of diseased silkworms, moths and eggs which were possible to see by using a microscope. Pasteur tried to get rid of the disease by identifying the eggs which were infected. This helped to save the silk industry and there was clear evidence of microorganisms causing disease. Many people died of infectious diseases but Pasteur did a lot of investigation on these diseases so therefore he developed vaccines against these diseases. Many of Pasteur’s investigations and experiments influenced Joseph Lister who was a scientist. Pasteur came up with the idea of pasteurisation which is that boiling liquid can effectively remove bacteria or germs. People thought that small organisms as germs couldn’t destroy larger ones such as humans. Pasteur did further investigation in order to explain the causes of many diseases such as smallpox, anthrax, TB and cholera. He found out that these diseases could be eliminated by vaccination and eventually will leave the body. Pasteur became very successful when he developed vaccinations for Rabies. Joseph Lister was influenced by Pasteur’s work. He was a surgeon and used Pasteur’s ideology’s to make the process of surgery more hygienic which eventually prevented many people from dying When Lister found out about Pasteurs experiments on wine going bad due to microorganisms in the air, he knew that microorganisms present in the air were causing his patients to die after they had survived surgery. This was due to the infection as the open wounds made it easier for the germs to transfer into the body. People would use carbolic acid to get rid of cattle parasite in fields so Lister thought it could stop wounds from getting infected by cleaning the patients wounds with carbolic acid as well as soaking the dressings in antiseptic liquid. Listers antiseptic surgery caused the death rate to fall to 15% but before Lister came up with his antiseptic surgery the death rate was high due to the bacteria in the air and the lack of using any antiseptic when doing surgery. Recent events that happened include the discovery of Methiciliin in 1960 in order to treat infections caused by bacteria resistant to penicillin. In 2008 the cervical cancer vaccination programme was developed and introduced in UK. It was suggested to vaccinate girls aged 12 against HPV. 3 vaccinations are given every six months. This vaccination helps to protect against types of HPV. In conclusion all these events tell us that vaccination is very effective so therefore ever since vaccination was first discovered it has been successful. References http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/infectiousdiseases_timeline/index.cfm?coSiteNavigation_allTopic=1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/pasteur_louis.shtml

Monday, August 5, 2019

A marketing analysis of a company

A marketing analysis of a company INTRODUCTION As a business consultant to Bob and Lloyd, it is required to devise a marketing plan for their fast food business, Delicious Goodness. Before getting into the depts of marketing concepts and principles, it is important to inform Bob and Lloyd as to what marketing is. According to Phillip Kotler, marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. It is the manner in which management of a business goes about satisfying the needs and wants of consumers as a primary function of the business. MARKETING ANALYSIS A marketing analysis of a company is a valuation into the type of market for the businesss products that are available to consume. This investigation is done through a thorough research using marketing tools such as PEST analysis, SPICC analysis and SWOT analysis which would ultimately allow Bob and Lloyd to grasp an understanding into the type of market they wish to enter, making them aware of the possibilities of market growth or failure of the business and further implications on the potential of and the direction in which the business may be headed through identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the business. The marketing model of Wright, 1999 is shown in appendix 2 highlighting these analyses. PEST A PEST analysis was firstly conducted, as a measure of the macro environment of the business through the political, economic, social and technological aspects in which Bob and Lloyd may encounter. Although a recent change in government, the government still encourages the role of small businesses in the economy. Bob and Lloyds business complies with the laws and can therefore be easily approved as small company status. These laws are put in place to ensure that citizens are consequently benefited, for example; it is required that the business make use of locally produced raw materials, creating jobs for nationals and that the business must be locally owned and controlled. Bob and Lloyd can also benefit of being privileged to assistance from the Business Development Company. The BDCs objectives are based on providing technical and financial support to small and medium businesses to empower growth and development whilst creating them to also be internationally competitive. Additionally, government has reduced corporate taxes to 25% of the net earnings of small businesses, and has initiated entrepreneur of the year awards to encourage small business. The economics aspects such as exchange rates and inflation rates must be considered in light of purchasing supplies that are not locally grown and in creating selling prices. Also, matters of diversity of income levels and wage rates, variances of ages and the patterns of consumption within chosen geographic area to conduct business must be initially reviewed. Furthermore, the social features of the area must be studied, that is, the various types of races and religions practiced within area which would affect sales during certain periods of the year, such as Divali and Eid. The percentage of the grey market in area is also a concern, since the older folks would be more health conscious, however, Bob and Lloyd would be catering for those through providing grill foods. Technological factors are a necessity in business, Bob and Lloyd would have to accommodate for the rate in which technological advancements is occurring. Thus, constant improvement and updates would be required as of ne w processes. SPICC Suppliers of raw materials within area would not be an issue, since there are various wholesalers and farmers within district. The only main concern here would be to develop and maintain moral relationships with suppliers to ensure efficiency within the supply chain. The business must also incorporate social responsibility within its local community which would ensure sustainability and good reputation. There are no intermediaries involved in this firm; customers can go directly into business and purchase. Customers satisfaction is most vital in marketing since they are the ones who have the power to make or break the business. Thus, customers satisfaction and behaviours must be closely studied when determining the type of fast food outlet. Competitors also play a major part in this market, there are many fast food outlets within decided area, therefore Bob and Lloyd would have to come up with concepts of distinctiveness (highlighted in appendix 3 via McKinseys 7Ss framework) that wo uld make customers want to purchase from them. SWOT ANALYSIS MARKETING SEGMENT Of the approximated 157,295 population of the San Juan area, about 60% is of the working population. Due to globalization and the fast paced lives of persons, it is estimated that about 80% of the working population would eat out and about 8% of that 80%, at an average of 5033 persons per month would indulge themselves at Delicious Goodness in its first year. Since Bob and Lloyd provide food for the health conscious and vegetarians, the targeted market is at ages 12-55. Bob and Lloyd would have a few local competitors since they specialize in a variety of foods. MARKETING OBJECTIVE Bob and Lloyds objectives are focused on customer satisfaction, by ensuring customers get good values for their monies spent on products and, through the high levels of customer service and provision of after sales service capture a larger portion of market share in the short run. In the long run though, they wish to mature, innovate and multiply the business and compete at an international level. MARKETING MIX This tool is used as a major concept in modern marketing; it consists of Product, Place, Price, Promotion, People, Process and Physical evidence. Bob and Lloyd would provide a variety of high quality, mouthwatering dishes made by the finest chefs in the region, targeting customers needs and wants. Place of the business is usually intended as a location of convenience to both Bob and Lloyd and to consumers. The San Juan area is a very developed and fast growing region in all aspects. There are no major channels of distribution existing here but one, the customer directly goes into restaurant and purchase. Pricing of products is as per going rate of price as a result of the type of market, a market for fast food products. Though prices are set at this rate, Bob and Lloyd are still making profits on each unit to cover other costs; it is the only marketing tool which produces revenues. Promotion of products is major role in marketing, because it allows communication of and educating the public of the products provided. Bob and Lloyds means of doing so was through direct marketing of handing out flyers, the traditional mic-man passing around the area, internet advertising through the Express Newspaper classified as well as social networking through Facebook and twitter. In this case social networking is most effective as feedback is readily available, which is an important tool in building the business, and it is free. Delicious Goodness is set to be launched on 31st March, 2011 at the restaurants compound; a short, formal opening ceremony is planned with expected featured guest, MP for the area, Dr. Fuad Khan, and an appearance by home-grown superstars H2O phlo to aid in gaining initial social status. Dr. Khan and the guys of H2O are good friends of Bob and Lloyd. People are the backbone of a company. With integrated networking practiced at Delicious Goodness, it allows participation in decision making, assistance in solving issues and overall building good team working. Thus, Bob and Lloyd would benefit in having motivated and reliable employees resulting in satisfied customers through high standards of services provided and great tasting food. Additionally, the processes in which customers are serviced would be competent and professional, yet customer friendly oriented. The physical evidence would be the employees and the efforts put in place of creating a soothing, welcoming and blissful ambience of the restaurant. BRANDING This is very important in this type of market since it distinguishes the qualities, appearances and tastes of the same products provided, by different suppliers, hence allowing consumers to easily identify their choice of product. A suggested brand logo for Bob and Lloyds product is available in appendix 4. As an upcoming business in a market with many competitors; it is recommended that Bob and Lloyd brand their products, especially since consumers would want to remember the brand as of first time tasting. It would also make the process of word-of-mouth of the product simpler, hence easily gaining greater market share and good reputation. CONCLUSION In conclusion, it is recommended that Bob and Lloyd analyze the market from time to time with regards to the constant changes taking place in the economy. This would allow the business to flourish in the possible innovation and creations of food products, due to first-hand knowledge of the various changes occurring; or it can also allow the company to brace itself if there should be a setback in economy. Word Count: 1482 words

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Honda, The Car Everyone Needs :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Honda, The Car Everyone Needs      Ã‚  Ã‚   Beep! Beep! Beep! Goes the alarm clock in the other room.   Oh man, surely it can't be time to get up yet, you think to yourself. As you scramble out of the bed and into the shower, the thought crosses your mind, I hope my car starts. You take the quickest shower possible and eat breakfast so fast you almost choke and then realize, I'm still going to be late for my 8 o'clock class. You race out of the house with your keys in your hand, jump into the car, and damn it won't start. Then, you think to yourself, could this day get any worse? If this sounds like your typical morning, then I have the car for you.      Ã‚  Ã‚   What kind of car do you drive? Is it a piece of junk that is falling apart? Are you looking to buy a new car? Are you attending college presently? If you answered yes to the majority of these questions then you could be in the market to buy a Honda Civic.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Every college student should own a Honda Civic. After all the Honda Civic ranks as   the best selling compact car in America. Why wouldn't it be? Being affordable, reliable, durable, safe, economical, compact and sporty, with low insurance rates, and not to mention achieving great gas mileage makes this car the best. This car has everything I look for when buying a new car and more.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Price affordability is definitely the first thing I notice when looking at this car. When going to college most students don't have thousands of extra dollars lying around, so price is one of our main concerns. Price is an extremely attractive factor when looking at a Honda Civic because they are highly affordable starting around the low price of $14,000. If your one of those people that must have all the accessories and options, then you can buy a Honda Civic nicely equipped for around $16,000, which as you can see is very affordable when compared to others in its class.      Ã‚  Ã‚   This very affordable car also has a reputation for reliability. A reliable car is beyond doubt what a stressed out college student needs.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

FRANKENSTEIN :: essays research papers fc

The origin of Frankenstein is almost as mysterious and exciting as the novel itself. It all began back in the summer of 1816 at the Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Mary Shelley seems not to condemn the act of creation but rather Frankenstein’s lack of willingness to accept the responsibility for his deeds. His creation only becomes a monster at the moment his creator deserts it. Essentially, Frankenstein warns of the careless use of science which is still an important issue. In feminist literary theory, it claims that Frankenstein’s act of creation is not only a sin against God and nature. It is also an act against the â€Å"female principle† which includes natural procreation as one of its central aspects. The monster, the result of male arrogance, is the enemy and destroyer of the eternal female principle. The classification of Frankenstein as a ghost story, Gothic novel or horror novel is not completely accurate. It contains no supernatural apparitions such as ghosts, witches, devils, demons or sorcerers. And other typical gothic elements such as ruined castles, graveyards and charnel houses appear only briefly or in the distance. In the novel, Mary Shelley is silent on how Victor Frankenstein breathes life into his creation. But her story did not just come from her imagination alone. Scientists and physicians of her time were tempted by the boundaries between life and death, constantly experimenting with lower organisms, human anatomical studies, attempting to resuscitate drowning victims, and experiments using electricity to restore life to the recently dead. Another origin of this monster has to do with people’s fascinations with â€Å"nature’s monsters,† the sharp deviations from normal human development. The monster â€Å"Frankenstein† is thought of as a horrible, evil creation. One informant thought of him as frustrated, loud, and uncommunicative. Some others remember aspects from the many different movies such as the monster having â€Å"the mind of a killer and the heart of a kind man.† One informant recalled the monster having a â€Å"soft spot for children† when he helped a little girl kill all the evil monsters in one of the movies. Abandoned by his creator, the monster takes revenge on Victor Frankenstein by killing his younger brother, William. Frankenstein’s silence, in the face of the monster’s murderous actions, exacts a terrible price. His self-imposed isolation from society mirrors the social isolation the monster experiences from all who see him.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Genocide in Sudan Essay -- Africa Political History

Since gaining its independence in 1956 from the United Kingdom and Egypt, Sudan has been a country stricken with violence. This violence continues on even today in the form of genocide. The genocide committed in this country has horrified the international community for the last 15 years. According to the Washington Post, over 450,000 Sudanese have died as a result of fighting, famine, or disease since 2003 alone. There are several factors that contribute to the all out violence between the Sudanese people. The first factor is the multicultural make up of the Sudan. Sudan is a country with hundreds of tribes that do not see themselves in a nationalistic light. This is a major cause of the internal fight of Sudan. The second is China’s influence over Sudan. China is currently the largest importer of Sudan’s natural resources, and has supplied North Sudan with arms and finances. China has also ignored most of the UN sanctions placed against Sudan. The third is Sudan’s neighboring countries. Most of these countries have experienced some sort of turmoil themselves over the last 20 years, and contribute to a good portion of displaced persons found in Sudan. Unless the Sudanese can address these factors, violence will continue in the Sudan. Firstly, one must consider the multicultural composition of Sudan. Being the largest country in Africa, Sedan has approximately 600 tribes within their borders. Tribes in the North are considered Arab tribes, and tribes in the South are considered African or non-Arab. Many of these tribes have unique cultures of their own. Take South Sudan for example, according to Peter Gatluak of the Sudan Vision Daily, â€Å"They do not see themselves as South Sudanese... ...nter for Transitional Justice , 1. Deeb, S. E. (2011). North Sudan faces its likely truncated future. Associate Press , 1. Gatluak, P. C. (2011). Focus on the South. Sudan Vision Daily , 1. noted, N. a. (2008, Feb 22). China defends arms sales to Sudan. BBC News , p. 1. Noted, N. A. (2007, May 9). Darfour watch: China, Russia still supplying weapons used in attacks. The World Tribune , p. 1. Noted, N. A. (2011, Jan 15). South Sudan referendum wraps up. Bloomberg News , p. 1. Noted, N. (2010, Decmber 1). South Sudan’s secession will rid the country from 3 "lousy neighbors": official. Sudan Tribune , p. 1. Solomon, L. (2010, Dec 09). Lawrence Solomon: To Islam’s dismay, a new oil nation is born. Financial Post , p. 1. State, U. D. (2010). Travel Warning, Chad. US Department of State. Walker, R. (2010, Nov 20). Hello country number 193. The Economist , p. 1.

Nordstrom Case Analysis Essay

Former Nordstrom employees accuse them of using unfair labor and discriminatory practices to intimidate employees and force them to perform tasks like stocking and picking up merchandise during non-working hours . Nordstrom employees receive little formal training when hired or promoted to new positions, but they are expected to perform their duties consistent with the â€Å"Nordstrom Way† which is customer service above and beyond the call of duty. Training is informally provided through on-the-job communication, which increases the opportunity for miscommunication. This communication can be deliberate due to peer competition and pressures to succeed from managers, or lack of knowledge by co-workers and managers from whom they are encouraged to seek training. Management skills are not required to manage employees, nor is training provided to employees who achieve management positions. There is no real evaluation system in place to measure employee performance. There is no goal setting process that requires â€Å"manager – employee pair sets benchmarks for measuring progress, particularly when the employee is new in the role† (Harvard Business School Press, 2007). Goals help to define what managers expect from their employees. The only employee metric used that is measurable is Sales per Hours (SPH) even-though there are other performance criteria such as customer service and teamwork which are part of the employee evaluation process. Employees who do not achieve the minimum required SPH are categorized as under-performers. If SPH is consistently below the minimum standard set by the department manager, this can lead to termination or isolation as employees feel uncomfortable and inadequate. Upon being hired by Nordstrom employees are told that â€Å"the three Nordstrom performance criteria: customer service, productivity and teamwork† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003) are needed to be promoted. However employees are not advised as to how the criteria will be evaluated. The only evaluation employees receive is from their manager, there is no secondary layer of management to review the employee performance evaluation to ensure fairness. Nordstrom does not have a formal company-wide evaluation form, therefore there is no consistency in the evaluation process. The evaluation technique is different for each manager, making it difficult to compare employee performance across the different functional areas in the company. Employees performing tasks not directly related to merchandise sale, are not compensated for hours worked. Observational learning was used to encourage employees to work non-selling hours off the clock â€Å"If one employee is donating a lot of time it forces others to do the same† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). Employees are forced to adhere to the informal organizational culture or they are not considered team players. Nordstrom should establish formal and consistent Standard Operating Procedures, to which their employees can resort to for guidance. Managers should be required to attend training programs. This would enable managers to provide their employees with formal training base on the company’s policies and procedures. Formal training along with on-the-job training would help to alleviate some of the obstacles faced by current or new employees who are promoted to new positions within the organization. Employees should be provided with handbooks and/or training materials that specifically outlines how performance criteria will be measured and evaluated. Managers and employees need to establish goals and ways to achieving them. They should meet on an on-going basis to discuss employee progress for each performance criteria. Nordstrom has used their decentralized management approach to build a very successful and profitable retail empire. They encourage entrepreneurial opportunities among their employees. New employees are given business cards and encouraged to build relationships with their customers, by creating personal â€Å"thank you† letters, and keeping records of merchandise they sell. They are also encouraged to develop a solid customer base. Nordstrom allow employees to be involved in the decision making process, by not restricting them with lots of rules, for instance â€Å"Nordstrom replaced its 20-page rule book with a one-page sheet and few words of wisdom: â€Å"Use your best judgment in all situations† (Buller, Paul F. nd Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). This allows employees to do whatever it takes to ensure their customers are satisfied. Self-motivation courses are offered to both employees and managers with emphasis on setting daily accomplishments. Employees are allowed to set their own personal goals and the pace at which they achieve those goals. For example one employee stated â€Å"the first year I consciously set quarterly goals to achieve the Pacesetter requirement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and closely monitored my progress† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. 2003). Employees are given the flexibility to essentially manage themselves and track their own progress with one objective: keep sales per hour high relative to hours worked. Employees are duly compensated for their hard work and dedication â€Å"Nordstrom employees earn some of the highest salaries in the retail business† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). They also encourage hard work by promoting from within which motivates employees to work hard as a promotion could lead to a higher salary and other incentives. Nordstrom uses positive reinforcements by providing various incentives to employees to encourage them to achieve high SPH, for example free dinners, cash rewards and store discounts. Employees who achieve the highest sales are recognized by having their picture displayed in the store and also having their names broadcast over the store’s loudspeaker system. Employees can track how they are performing in relation to their peers on a regular basis, as SPH figures are displayed for all to see via charts and electronic printouts. The problem arose because Nordstrom did not have any formal company policies which are necessary in order to establish required behavior from individual employees. Employee expectations were not explicitly communicated and expectations were established by managers without employee involvement. Managers did not take the time to â€Å"find out what employees think of the proposed expectations† (Harvard Business School Press, 2007). Their only focus was ensuring that Sales per Hour (SPH) remained high, employee development was not important to managers. Nordstrom’s hiring policy requires employees to be innate â€Å"Nordies. † Nordies are â€Å"nice, motivated, hardworking†¦.. self-empowered people who have an entrepreneurial spirit† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). Employees and managers never collaborate to set individual goals, instead goals were set by departmental managers or store managers, but employees are still expected to achieve goals. Outstanding performance was expected from all employees even-though goals were not individually tailored. Employees who â€Å"regularly had trouble meeting sales quotas or coping with pressure to improve performance were dismissed† (Buller, Paul F. and Schuler, Randall S. , 2003). Steep negative consequences were suffered by employees that did not perform up to par with their peers. Setting individual employee goals and ways to achieve them will yield the most desired result in the long term. By providing formal training to employees, and explicitly stating what is expected from the employee, will result in more productivity from employees in the long run and reduce the company’s turn-over rate. This will also reduce the cost for hiring new employees, as replacing employees cost one and a half times the current employee salary to hire a new employee, therefore saving Nordstrom money in the long term. On-going review of employee progress will help to level the playing field and relieve some of the pressures and intimidation some employees feel working at Nordstrom. Formal training of employees is both costly and time consuming. The time spent training employees lowers SPH as this time would be considered non-selling hours. Employees who are successful under the current system might resist changes. Employees might not have the educational capacity to learn new techniques. Employee training is the best option, and will yield the most desired long term results. Develop and roll out a company-wide Standard Operating Procedure handbook using input from outside sources in order to achieve desired results. Develop a company-wide evaluation form enabling standardization of the way employees are evaluated by managers. Roll out on-the-job training for all employees, ensuring that all employees understand how to perform their job functions. Provide employees with written job descriptions. Establish consistent company-wide goals. Goals can then be tailored for each department. Collaborate with each employee to establish how the goals will be achieved and the milestone dates for achieving those goals. Establish a specific time frame for reviewing employee goals. Offer employee feedback on an on-going basis.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Abolishing Grading System

In â€Å"A Proposal To Abolish Grading† by Paul Goodman, the author informs the readers about the ideas of nullifying the policy of grading and judging students solely by exams. The writer believes that grading depreciates teaching and creates a bad spirit, leading to cheating and/or plagiarizing. Although majority of the professors agree, some people also question the idea. â€Å"How else will the graduate schools, the foundations, the corporations know whom to accept, reward, hire? How will the talent scouts know who to tap? † (line 8-10)Again, Goodman answers, â€Å"by testing the applicants, of course. † Dean Whitla easily counters this by proposing Harvard University’s very own, unique admission system. â€Å"The objection is ludicrous,† Goodman says. Although the author’s claim is potent, there are elements of th issue to agree and disagree about. Paul Goodman states and supports his claim clearly throughout his proposal and does a good job of cancelling out the opposing side’s argument. In the medieval university, the whole point of the grueling trial of the candidate was whether or not to accept him as a peer†¦. It was certainly not to pit one young fellow against another in an ugly competition. † (line 27-29) Goodman’s comparison of the medieval times to now supports his claim that if the goal for testing nowadays is to find out people’s weakness, then what’s the point? Although it is somewhat true, how does Goodman, or anyone for that matter, for sure know that that is the aim? One can only testify. Goodman’s overall declaration to abolish grading sounds spiffy and an all-around good idea. His thought that it can lead to cheating and plagiarizing is an on-point proposal that anyone could agree on. â€Å".. great majority of professors agree that grading hinders teaching and creates a bad spirit, going as far as cheating and plagiarizing. † For instance, homework. Many students can copy other someone else’s in result of not learning anything. He also mentioned that grading only creates ‘cliques,’ segregating the â€Å"smart† students and the â€Å"not so smart† ones. It also creates competition between each one since everybody wants to obtain the highest grade. What is this all going to lead to? Nothing but just competition. It invalidates the purpose of going to school– to achieve education. Goodman’s suggestion to base students on their test scores can be the good, but last resort. Testing decreases the chances of cheating and/or plagiarizing due to the strict supervision when it comes to a serious matter. It will motivate students to study more and take education seriously. All in all, Goodman’s proposal to abolish grading is a roller coaster ride. Nobody really knows if the goal is to discover students’ weakness, but in reality, testing is a plausible reason to avoid cheating and plagiarizing, and any other bad spirits that may come with. With describing such a common situation, he put forth his claim and provided readers with a back bone to support it. There may be some to disagree to, but there is definitely something to agree with, and it ultimately leads his claim to an upward state.