Strategic Human Resource Management in Bank Central Asia

Introduction Bank central Asia is a financial institution that deals with all kinds of banking activities including foreign exchange and loans disbursements. This is a significant organization for the understanding of strategic human resource management. This is a process that has recently been established in most organizations including Bank central Asia.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Strategic Human Resource Management in Bank Central Asia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Delery (1998), â€Å"it is the general approach to the strategic management of the human resource which is dependent on the intentions of the future directions that the organization is to take†. This organization targets manpower issues over a long time. In this, there is concentration on the type of quality results the company expects, and this considerably determines the structure put in place to achieve these resu lts. These human resource strategies are mostly concerned with the development of the service deliveries in a way that is fair, and for the overall improvement of workforce attitude, eventually leading to positive results in the performance appraisal. Strategic human resource management in Bank central Asia is especially useful in this particular industry, since it establishes an effective system of talent development and specialization capacity. The management structure of Bank central Asia is made up of different people working at different capacities for the success of the organization. This includes the chief executive officer, who is at the top of the leadership structure. He oversees all the activities in the organization, and the other managers report directly to him. Others include the financial manager in charge of finance, sales and marketing manager in charge of advertising and sales of the company’s products and services. Finally, is the human resource manager, wh ose function is to ensure that the company has a reliable workforce. Besides, he also ensures that the needs of the employees are being met adequately, and that the working conditions are effective for adequate service delivery. Role of managers in determining the success of strategic goals in Bank central Asia One of the most basic roles of managers in this organization is to create a culture for the organization. This is considered to be the most important, since it determines the uniqueness of the organizations and the elements that distinguish it from the other banking institutions. They also determine the philosophy of the organization, and this refers to the guiding principles and believes in the workplace.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The other role played by managers in Bank central Asia is ensuring that the people in the organization has a motivational facto r that pushes them to work with a positive mindset. Banking can be tiresome owing to the daily responsibilities involved, such as serving the long queue of customers and dealing with figures. The employees therefore need a constant motivation if they are to continue working in the organization for long. This is mostly done by coming up with a reward strategy that encourages hard work and innovation. They create the working environment and maintain it at a level that is conducive to both the employees and the organization at large. The other role played by managers in this organization is to create intra-organizational flows of people related to the strategy of the business. At one time or another, companies are faced with a need to change their strategy. This is mostly as a result of the changing trends in the business world that the organizations have to adapt to if they are to have an advantage in the market. Banks, for example, need to install some automated gadgets that have jus t arrived in the market to enable them serve their customers better. The management function in this regard is to look to it that the alterations have been done and that there are people to handle any new duties introduced into the organization. The next role is that of ensuring that the main executives in the organizations are matched with the strategy of the business. â€Å"This specifically applies mostly to companies that use product portfolio analysis approach to strategic management ,and is brought about by the growing interest in meshing strategic planning with executive skills† (Nankervis et al, 2002 pp 108). Managers, especially, in the human resource department are faced with the role of ensuring that the organization has enough number of employees with different capacities helpful to the organization. Being a bank and considering all the daily operations, this organization needs a relatively large number of employees for their service delivery to be effective. This , according to Begin (1992) requires the â€Å"development of a human resource planning system that can come up with accurate forecasts† (379).This is however faced with two major hitches, the first one being lack of reliable data as a result of incomplete appraisal of employees at the time of hiring.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Strategic Human Resource Management in Bank Central Asia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second hitch is the absence of a strong business strategy link. This means that the â€Å"human resource plan is usually a paper exercise most of the time, and it ends up not getting utilized by the strategic decision makers effectively† (Begin, 1992 p. 399). Finally, in an organization such as Bank central Asia, the managers play the role of â€Å"growers, caretakers and undertakers† (Nankervis et al, 2002). Some organizations have different managers for each of th ese roles, but owing to the profit maximization and cost minimization goals, most modern organizations tend to incorporate all the roles under the job description of one position. This ensures a reduction in cost and increase in effective owing to the belief that more responsibilities lead to greater efficiency in the work place. Under the grower’s role, the management is supposed to develop policies that will expand the business operations, hence increase the amount of services and goods being offered to the customers. As caretakers on the other hand, they ensure that these operations are run effectively and they also monitor the progress and achievements being made. Finally, as undertakers, they deal with the technical part of the organization that requires skills and specific area knowledge. How effective employee management contributes to the success of this organization Employees are an integral part of an organization, and there is no organization that can survive witho ut them. They are the people who run the activities at the ground level and implement the strategies set by the management. Owing to this, the way they are treated is directly related to their performance. Organizations that have regulations in place governing the freedom of employees and their rewards are more successful, since they develop a system that is sensitive to the needs of each individual. Human resource managers are faced with a hard task of managing people unlike the other managers who deal with policies and strategies. They decide when to hire fire or promote. They also determine the remuneration package and the benefits endowed to the employees, in relation to their positions, experience and input into the organization.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Effective human resource management ensures that the employees have the motivation to work. When they are comfortable with the way they are being treated, they will develop the need to work effectively and ensure that the organization benefits from their input. On the contrary, employees who are not satisfied with the way the management treats them tend to develop an offensive attitude that only leads to poor performance, hence failure to the organization at large. The management can improve or destroy the attitude of the employees towards work. Harassing employees has never been fruitful in any organization. Research into organizations that have a good reputation indicates that they have a system of ensuring that all the employees are treated with respect. Any disrespectful treatment or even the intention of it is dealt with severely, and may lead to consequences as serious as losing one’s position. An effective remuneration system that is not discriminatory ensures that the employees are satisfied with the treatment they are given a fair treatment. This does not just include the monetary remuneration; it is inclusive of the psychological remuneration in terms of verbal appreciation and recognition for good work or improved performance. This results in a workforce that works towards the best performance, hence improving the general reputation of the organization. Co-orporation among employees leads to the development of unity in work which at the end of day ensures that all duties are performed with a high level of effectiveness. Emotional safety is the important aspect in the performance of an individual in all areas. This means that organizations that look into the psychological needs of their employees stand a better chance of performing well than those who only consider the amount of work done by the employee. At the end of the day, workplace issues such as strikes are usually as a result of emotional instability and not even the amount of remunera tion, as it is made to appear. Another way through which effective management of the employees is able to assist in the achievement of the organization’s strategic objectives is ensuring that the employees have a reason not to stay longer in the organization. Having to employ new employees more often usually costs the company more in terms of production. New people in the organization take time to adapt to the culture of the organization and this results into slowing down of the activities in that particular department. The factors that determine whether employees are willing to stay longer in the organization include the reward strategy and the working environment. An effective reward strategy is one that ensures the employees are comfortable with their roles and that they do not feel exploited. This may include things like providing them with healthcare cover, miscellaneous expenses allowances and work leaves, once in a while. This will ensure that the employees are able to stay for long in the organization, hence improving their productivity. Assessing and developing training needs in Bank central Asia One of the ways in which training needs are assessed is by talent evaluation and development. One of the things that the human resource managers should consider when hiring the workforce is talent. This will give them an overview of the capacities of these people that they are hiring. Talents can be developed in an organization and this process according to Begin (1992),involves â€Å"transforming the organization its employees and other groups of people involved in its operations† (400). One of the ways in which this can be done is facilitating a learning workshop with the aim of training the employees on how to work towards the establishment of competitive advantage in the organization. Once the individual talents have been developed, the organization can be assured of employees that have the interests of the organization at heart hence effect ive delivery of services. Another important need when training employees is the establishment of career development plans. In career development, the employees are able to define their areasof expertise and ensure that they handle tasks related to that which they have specialized in. As a result of this, the organization will be able to achieve its goals more effectively as there will be minimal or no conflict of work interest. Specialization also ensures that the employees are able to handle their responsibilities with expertise leading to a quicker fulfillment of the organization’s objectives and goals. Finally, assessing the training needs of the employees in an organization requires the company to carry out the process of appraising the performance of the individual employees. Group evaluation is necessary, though it has many setbacks such as the shortcomings of some people being covered up by the achievements of others in the same group. This explains why at some point t he employees’ performances have to be analyzed at an individual level as this will ensure that training facilities are developed in favor of at least a majority of the needs of the employees. Evaluating and rewarding managers in Bank central Asia Despite the fact that managers, in most cases, are not involved in the ground work they have a huge responsibility of ensuring that all the activities are running smoothly. Most of the times, they are forced to go beyond their normal work definition and make major decisions for the organization to function effectively. They are directly accountable to the owners and stakeholders of the organization. Owing to their difficult tasks of running the company, they have to be remunerated accordingly to their satisfaction. Their performance is mostly determined by the performance of the company in general. An organization cannot perform well if the management is not effective. It is also not possible for an organization to fail if it is unde r good management. This explains why the audit of a company that is not performing well usually begins with the management processes before checking on the other systems. This, therefore, means that the performance of managers is evaluated directly from the analysis of the organization’s performance. As for the rewards, managers are the highest paid people in any organization. In most cases, they even have shares in the organization. This ensures that they are able to manage the organization effectively to safeguard their shares. Since there is no higher position than management, they have no interest in being promoted and so everything they do is for the organization to grow. Their reward should therefore, be determined according to the amount of responsibilities they handle. Most companies prefer to make their managers as comfortable as possible by providing them with company housing, vehicle and other benefits such as medical for cover extended to family and holiday packag es, once in a while. This gives the managers an incentive to work towards further expansion of the organization, which means that their remuneration also increases proportionately. It is also advisable for a company to develop a system of maintaining their managers until retirement or giving them a longterm contract. This will ensure consistency in the management process; hence guarantee a positive trend of growth. Work place issues affecting the organization’s strategic goals One of the issues affecting the achievement of an organization’s strategic goals is the management philosophy. This is determined by the psychological contract entered to by the employees after being employed in the organization. It addresses the â€Å"nature of the exchange between the employees and the organization† (Delery, 1998 pp 300). The most common of this type of philosophy is â€Å"fair day’s work for fair day’s pay† (Nankervis et al, 2002 pp 120), which is a n indication that employees are paid according to the amount of work that they have done. This is only fair for the case of the employees who are in the habit of hiding behind other people’s achievements. However, it becomes unfair whereby some people might be out of work for very genuine reasons yet they lose their pay for being absent. In such a case, it reduces the motivation for the employees and some even end up quitting. The organization is not in a position to maintain its employees due to lack of incentive. To address this issue, the organization had to come up with a system that monitored the performance of the employees. They were rewarded not for turning up for work but for the quality of work done. This ensured that the employees came to work regularly and also developed the urge to work hard to improve their productivity as this is what was being rewarded. With time, an employee would be able to earn bonus points for continued good performance and this would moti vate them to improve better. New employees would be motivated by appreciating the slightest efforts to improve performance and this would ensure that they have something to look forward to if the purpose to work harder. The result of this action was that the performance of employees improved at a very high rate and the rate of labor turnover reduced meaning that more employees decided to remain in the organization and climb up the ladder by working hard. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that Bank central Asia cannot do without the strategic human resource management department. This literally determines the direction the organization takes as well as whether it will grow or remain stagnant for a long time. Employees form an integral part of the entire organization and this explains why any department under human resource has to be considered with great concern. Employees who are not satisfied with their working conditions or remuneration package may end up being a l iability to the organizations. Again, having to bring in new employees each now and then costs the company a lot of revenue in terms of time and productivity. Therefore, the strategic human resource management has to be considered with great importance as it determines the general performance of the organization. References Begin, J., P., 1992. ‘Comparative HRM: A System Perspective’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 3(3) pp. 376-408. Delery, J., E., 1998. ‘Issues of fit in strategic human resource management: Implications for research. Human Resource Management Review, 8, (3), pp. 289-309. Nankervis, A., Compton, R., Baird, M., 2002.Strategic Human Resource Management, Nelson Thompson Learning, New York. This assessment on Strategic Human Resource Management in Bank Central Asia was written and submitted by user Korbin Banks to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How Decision to Rewrite My Paper Became the Best Ive Made in College

How Decision to Rewrite My Paper Became the Best Ive Made in College All through high school, I wrote essays and papers. I wrote them in a lot of my classes – history, biology, health, art, and, of course English. In most of those classes, I got very average grades on these pieces. In English, I sometimes got lower than average grades. My English teachers would use a lot of red ink to point my egregious errors of sentence structure, awkward composition, agreement mistakes, etc., and I pretty much ignored them. Never was I asked to rewrite an essay or paper that was poorly written or included some types of plagiarism which was also often pointed out. Editing and rewriting were just not in my experience. College quickly changed all of that. Bad Grades Woke Me Up The first thing that hit me between the eyes in college was that I would be writing a lot of essays and papers – in almost every class, actually. When I submitted the same quality that was my â€Å"trademark† in high school, I didn’t receive average to just below average grades. I received â€Å"F’s.† There were no errors pointed out, only terse phrases at the top – phrases like â€Å"Proofread your work!† or â€Å"Edit before you submit!† That pretty much did it. I decided that every time I wrote a paper, I would have to review it, find the errors, and rewrite my paper before turning it in. I had the best of intentions from that point forward. Good Intentions – Not So Good Results I began to work very hard to edit and rewrite my essay and paper assignments. I also put them all through a plagiarism checker, because some of my high school teachers had found some of this. A big issue was that I was not citing sources correctly. But my grades still didn’t improve that much even after I fixed that problem. What I came to realize was that I had structural errors, grammatical errors and usage error that I was not catching. In short, I didn’t have a clue about how to really review, edit and rewrite a rough draft to make it suitable for submission. I had lots of work to do. Learning How to Revise and Rewrite I began by reading some sources on learning to revise your writing and did pick up a lot of pointers. There really are several areas of review that all should be done separately. These include such things as: Reading the entire piece of writing without any concern for grammar or punctuation, but for the confirmation of a good thesis statement and a logical flow of the ideas I wanted to present. The second reading was one I read out loud. This was a pretty good activity, because I was able to find sentence fragments and run-ons and even see where maybe some commas should be placed. Another piece of advice I got from reading some of the articles about reviewing and editing my writing was this whole thing about transitions between paragraphs. This was something I never had much instruction on in high school, and it was really an important feature for college level writing. I needed some more professional help so began to look at a rewriting tool another student recommended. A Great Editing Service At first, I felt a little strange using an essay editing service. It almost felt like I was cheating. On the other hand, I knew there were other students using writing services for all sorts of help – researching and writing their essays and papers, and, yes, even having them edited the way I was. Here’s the thing about using a solid, reputable writing and editing service: Everyone has academic strengths and weaknesses. And getting help is nothing to be ashamed about. When students know that they have issues, and they get help, especially with editing college papers and essays, they can then study how that editing process works; they can see their errors and how they have been corrected by a professional. These become learning experiences. With every essay or paper I send over for editing, I get back a corrected copy, with simple explanations about why the changes were made – each time I learn something that I will be able to use the next time I write. The other nice thing about this professional editing service is that they check my writing for plagiarism. And they have provided explanations about how to avoid it. They also educated me about self-plagiarism, something that college students don’t even think about, but I will in the future. Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism Most students understand plagiarism and the disastrous consequences if they do it. With the sophisticated software out there today, any plagiarism can be discovered. Sometimes we plagiarize and don’t even realize it. I was famous for taking notes, using an author’s exact words and then not giving credit where I should have. Now I run a plagiarism scan on everything I write. And if I send it over to my writing service for editing, they do this too. Self-plagiarism occurs when a student (or anyone for that matter) writes a piece and it is published somewhere online. And that student likes the piece so much, he decides to turn it in as an essay assignment to a professor. If a plagiarism scan is run, it will pop up. Why? Because it’s out there – in a blog, in the e-version of the student newspaper, in some forum, etc. This is especially important for grad students who may be contributing to online publications in order to enhance their resumes and CV’s. In these cases, it is far better to be up front and ask permission, before you have to ask for forgiveness. Not All College Writing is formal Academic writing is formal. The rules of proper English must be followed, especially for essays and papers. But a lot of college coursework will require a more casual style. Students of journalism or who are enrolled in courses such as content marketing, will find that there will be a major shift in style requirements. Good grammar and spelling is not thrown out the window, but this type of writing is very different. If you are enrolled in such courses, here are a few tips: Brevity of words is important. Say what you have to say as succinctly as possible. Sentences are short and simple. Example: There are many good authors who started out as journalists (windy   Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many good authors started out as journalists. (short and sweet.) Use action/strong verbs as opposed to weak ones.   Ã‚     Example: She is now running every day (weak)   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She runs every day (stronger, shorter) Cut the Use of Adverbs Example: Really great = Amazing If you take a course that requires this kind of writing, you will discover that your academic writing will improve too. Take Your Editing Seriously – Your Grades Will Thank You College is not the place to turn in your first draft and hope for the best. Expectations are high, and you will be expected to write well, no matter what the course. If you are not practiced in editing, get the help you need, learn from that help, and over time, you will be able to do this yourself.

Facts About the Burial of Qin Shi Huangdi

Facts About the Burial of Qin Shi Huangdi In the spring of 1974, farmers in Shaanxi Province, China were digging a new well when they struck a hard object. It turned out to be part of a terracotta soldier. Soon, Chinese archaeologists realized that the entire area outside of the city of Xian (formerly Chang an) was underlain by an enormous necropolis; an army, complete with horses, chariots, officers and infantry, as well as a court, all made of terracotta. The farmers had discovered one of the worlds greatest archaeological wonders: the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. What was the purpose of this magnificent army? Why did Qin Shi Huangdi, who was obsessed with immortality, make such elaborate arrangements for his burial? The Reason Behind the Terracotta Army Qin Shi Huangdi was buried with the terracotta army and court because he wanted to have the same military power and imperial status in the afterlife as he had enjoyed during his earthly lifetime. The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, he unified much of modern-day northern and central China under his rule, which lasted from 246 to 210 BCE. Such an accomplishment would be difficult to replicate in the next life without a proper army, hence the 10,000 clay soldiers with weapons, horses, and chariots. The great Chinese historian Sima Qian (145-90 BCE) reports that construction of the burial mound began as soon as Qin Shi Huangdi ascended the throne, and involved hundreds of thousands of artisans and laborers. Perhaps because the emperor ruled for more than three decades, his tomb grew to be one of the largest and most complex ever built. According to surviving records, Qin Shi Huangdi was a cruel and ruthless ruler. A proponent of legalism, he had Confucian scholars stoned to death or buried alive because he disagreed with their philosophy. However, the terracotta army is actually a merciful alternative to earlier traditions both in China and in other ancient cultures. Often, early rulers from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties had soldiers, officials, concubines and other attendants buried along with the dead emperor. Sometimes the sacrificial victims were killed first; even more horrifically, they were often entombed alive. Either Qin Shi Huangdi himself or his advisors decided to substitute the intricately-made terracotta figures for actual human sacrifices, saving the lives of more than 10,000 men plus hundreds of horses. Each life-sized terracotta soldier is modeled on an actual person as they have distinct facial features and hairstyles. The officers are depicted as being taller than the foot soldiers, with the generals tallest of all. Although higher-status families may have had better nutrition than lower-class ones, it is probable that this is symbolism rather than a reflection of every officer actually being taller than all of the regular troops. After Qin Shi Huangdis Death Shortly after Qin Shi Huangdis death in 210 BCE, his sons rival for the throne, Xiang Yu, may have looted the weapons of the terracotta army, and burned the support timbers. In any case, the timbers were burned and the section of the tomb containing the clay troops collapsed, smashing the figures to pieces. Approximately 1,000 of the 10,000 total have been put back together. Qin Shi Huangdi himself is buried under an enormous pyramid-shaped mound that stands some distance from the excavated sections of the burial. According to ancient historian Sima Qian, the central tomb contains treasures and wondrous objects, including flowing rivers of pure mercury (which was associated with immortality). Soil testing nearby has revealed elevated levels of mercury, so there may be some truth to this legend. Legend also records that the central tomb is booby-trapped to fend off looters and that the emperor himself placed a powerful curse on any who dared to invade his final resting place. Mercury vapor may be the real danger, but in any case, the government of China has been in no great hurry to excavate the central tomb itself. Perhaps it is best not to disturb Chinas infamous First Emperor.

Theological Reflections Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Theological Reflections - Research Paper Example Rather, they require the servants of Christ to utilize different degrees of commitment2. The forthcoming co-worker appreciation dinner will require increased levels of commitment that seek to go beyond charity. Rather, it will be important to recognize the workers for their unwavering commitment to the Sisters of Mercy’s mission, their hospitality, and their service. As Catholic employers, Mercy has the ability to show support for their poor and lowest paid co-workers through showing preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, as well as showing respect for their dignity. The Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable The theological concepts of dignity and providing preferential treatment for the poor are concepts that have always been at the forefront of our core values and mission at Mercy. Providing preferential treatment for society’s poor also applies to lowly paid co-workers at Mercy, as well. It is our belief that touching the needy is akin to touching Jesus Christ. The last judgment has an essential role to play in our traditional Catholic faith; especially because the church teaches that we stand judged by what we elect to carry out towards the prisoners, homeless, sick, thirsty, and hungry3. In modern times, the Church teaches us the same through the preferential option for the poor. ... We are asked to do this by the church and failure to do so will break the required balance that holds society as one, which will be to the detriment of the whole society4. Preferential treatment for the poor is referent to the trend of giving preference to the life and wellbeing of society’s powerless and poor, as we are taught by the commands of God, the Church, as well as righteous people and prophets. Christ himself spoke to us about judgment day, contending that God will seek to know from each one of us what we did in aid of the poor and the needy5. He told us that whatever we do for the least of his brothers, we did for him, which is also reflected in the canon laws of our Mother Church. Catholic faithful, the law tells us, are obliged to go out and promote justice for all in society and that we must remain mindful of the Lord’s precept to help those who are in need and poor. Nevertheless, how does the appreciation dinner at Mercy accomplish this? The quoted doctri ne asks us as Catholics to show compassion and solidarity with the poor through our deeds, as well as our prayers. For this reason, when instituting any measures at Mercy, it is essential that we always ensure to keep at the forefront the preferential option for the poor. The doctrine’s implications are that any society’s, including Mercy, moral test lies in how we treat our poor and vulnerable members6. We are asked to ensure that the policies and activities at Mercy must factor in the vulnerable and the poor. Pope Francis has begun his journey with teachings on why the Church must now become one with the poor. He has taught love for the needy, the sick, prisoners,

LinkedIn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

LinkedIn - Essay Example Slide Share is usually an under-utilized site. It is a presentation of Wikipedia and for those who love it says it remains a site that drives qualified leads for the company (Gerard, 2011). This shows that the company does not go for flashy networks but looks for those that provide the best benefits the company already offers. Additionally, LinkedIn contains ads that makes the experience of its users more robust and richer. This ensures it maintains its current users and attracts others. Through this, the company can be said to be so successful through its good strategies (Slutsky, 2010). To make LinkedIn more successful, it is vital to transform the company into a publishing hub to diversify its services. As a manager, I would lead the company into utilizing its best assets that are its 2.4 million companies and 200 million peers who use the service and link them through one large knowledge exchange platform. Through this, LinkedIn will be a professional publishing platform and valuable context will be provided for the small, medium, and large businesses who need to target and involve with professionals (Grove, 2013). In addition, business content like news articles, whitepapers, and educated discussion threads, among others that cannot be found elsewhere will be available on LinkedIn and this will ensure individuals and companies come back for more. The future strategy that LinkedIn should consider is to hang onto its walled garden method making it the professional network service. It should uphold its focus on serving professions and must not turn to another socia l network service like Facebook or Twitter. It must preserve distinctness. Lastly, it should acquire pulse which is a mobile readers application to enable its users access valuable information on the site from anywhere through their mobile phones. Through this, the company is likely to be

The welcome centre Essay Example for Free

The welcome centre Essay CLM (Christian Life Ministries) is a church based in Coventry City Centre. Being a registered charity, they wanted to look at ways in which they could raise money to help finance its various activities, many of which benefit the local and international community. In 2000, The Welcome Centre was launched, in which a team of people started using the building venue to provide a catering and hospitality service to paying customers, who were looking for somewhere where they could hold conferences and events, hire equipment and to have food served. The customers who pay to use the services of the Welcome Centre are either commercial customers, such as Coventry City Council, local schools or colleges, or other charity-based organisations. Charities would be able to use the facilities at a discounted rate compared to commercial customers. Customers hire the services of The Welcome Centre for many different types of events, from large conferences to training days and small meetings. The Welcome Centre has up to 4 rooms that can be hired (Grace Room, Grace Room 1, The Elegance Suite, The Serenity Suite), and each room has a capacity between 20 and 250 people. As well as hiring a room, customers have the option of hiring additional equipment, such as a data projector, video projector, OHP, PA equipment and Flip Charts. The price for hiring equipment is on a 1/2 day basis. An event may want a variety of catering options too. The Welcome Centre can provide beverages (e. g. tea, coffee, cold drinks), as well as various food options (Finger Buffet, Finger Buffet with Dessert, Hot Buffet with Dessert). Since opening, the success of the organisation has grown rapidly. This is due to the friendliness of the staff, as well as the level of service offered. As a result, the team has grown from 2 to 7 people. They are looking to expand, and with a future building project underway too, they hope to be able to offer even larger facilities for up to 650 people, as well as to grow their existing customer base. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION As the business is growing, the staff are getting increasingly busier. One of the key problems is that a manual booking system is used. A customer will call or email with a request for a conference. The staff will write down some basic details about the event such as the contacts name, event name and date and time of the conference. They will also ask the customer for the number of delegates, and therefore determine the number and size of rooms required. Catering requirements for food and beverages, as well as the hire of equipment will also be recorded. This information will all be recorded in a central paper-based diary, which can often become messy as customers sometimes phone to cancel or amend their booking, meaning that the handwriting can become unreadable. This could then lead to mistakes being made such as double-bookings, or not getting everyones requirements correct for a conference. Chris Ruck, one of the team, will sometimes word process the quotation onto a basic blank template produced in Word Processing software (MS Word). After creating the quotation, he will then save it onto his computer. He will sometimes do the same for invoices. The problem with this is that the same information is being entered up to three times; once in the diary, secondly on the quotation, and thirdly onto an invoice. Duplicating the information sometimes leads to small typing mistakes appearing on the documents. Also, it wastes Chris valuable time that could be used for other tasks, such as preparing rooms for conferences. Invoicing is a very important task for The Welcome Centre, as it is the way it requests payment from a customer once a conference has taken place. Tony will often to have to create 20 to 30 invoices at a time. Unfortunately, Tony Williams has very limited experience with computers. If Chris is not available and invoices have to be sent out, Tony will have to write out an invoice by hand into a blank template. This is very time consuming for him, and as the General Manager, he has many more important jobs that he could be doing. Also, handwritten invoices do not look very professional, and so these really should be created and printed from a computer to give a better corporate image. Tony sometimes has to handwrite quotations too for the same reasons. Scope The scope for this task is to find a way of entering booking details for conferences, and to create a quotation for that conference. Creating invoices will not be included in this task. Also, to simplify the task, we will focus on commercial customers only and not charity customers, as the prices are all different. DETAILS OF CLIENT, USER(S) AND AUDIENCE (IF APPLICABLE). IDENTIFICATION OF THE CLIENT The client for this project is Tony Williams, who is the General Manager of the Welcome Centre. Tonys role includes creating the rota of when his team are working, taking booking details from customers for future conferences and negotiating prices if applicable. Tony is also involved in creating quotations for a conference booking to inform the customer how much it will cost. He may also create invoices for a conference that has taken place to request payment. He will also need to keep track of payments for conferences by customers, and chase any outstanding payments. He is also very hands-on in his role, and he will support his staff with serving and room set-up when required. The solution for this task will need to meet Tonys requirements. IDENTIFICATION OF THE USER(S) The users of this solution will be the Tony Williams (the client), as well as Anita Fox and Chris Ruck. Anita and Chris are also responsible for entering details of customer bookings into the diary, and producing quotations and invoices for them. Therefore, they will actively use the solution by changing the customer and booking inputs and sending the quotation that is produced (output) to the customer. Anita also takes care of the accounts and organises the monthly payroll for the employees. IDENTIFICATION OF ANY AUDIENCE The Audience is anyone who may look at the outputs, but not change the content of the solution. The majority of this solution will be used by The Welcome Centre staff, and therefore these people will be users and not an audience. However, Quotations will be viewed by Customers as these are the target audience of this document. ASSESSMENT OF SKILLS OF USER(S) Tony will use the solution, but has very limited ICT skills. He is a complete novice at using computers. He will need introductory training that includes: Logging in to the network   File Management (files and folders creating, renaming, moving, copying)   Word Processing (Use of word documents, file management opening/ saving, formatting)   Spreadsheets (Use of spreadsheets, file management opening/ saving, formatting, working with multiple worksheets)   Using the solution that is created Anita will also use the solution and is an intermediate user. She can login, organise files and folders, word process, use basic features of spreadsheet software, use a web browser to surf the internet, and can also use her accounts package. She will need training that includes:   Spreadsheets (Advanced course including the recording, use and management of macros, using formulae and functions)   Using the solution that is created Chris is more of an advanced user, and can do all of the above to a more complex level, as well as use graphics and multi-media packages for design work. He will need training that includes: * Spreadsheets (Advanced course including the recording, use and management of macros, using formulae and functions) * Using the solution that is created CLIENT INTERVIEW. An initial interview was held with Tony Williams, and the following is a summary of what he said: 1. What is The Welcome Centre and can you give me some background information to the organisation? The Welcome Centre was launched in 2000, as a conference centre for commercial and charitable customers, offering them a hospitality service. The service includes room hire, equipment hire as well a catering options. Customers use the services provided by the Welcome Centre for various reasons from large conferences, to small meetings and training days. 2. Who are the staff at the Welcome Centre and what do they do? Tony Williams is the General Manager, whose role includes creating the rota of when his team are working, taking booking details from customers for future conferences and negotiating prices if applicable. Tony is also involved in creating quotations and invoices by hand. He also keeps track of payments for conferences by customers, and chases any outstanding payments. He is also very hands-on in his role, and he will support his staff with serving and room set-up when required. There are several other employees. Chris Ruck is the Assistant Manager of the complex, who takes bookings, sets up for conferences, and also types up quotations and invoices. He looks after the technical requirements of a conference such as IT needs and P. A. equipment. Anita Fax is the Administrator, who has responsibility for accounts and organising the monthly payroll for the employees. There are also 4 other part time staff, including a cleaner as well as conference assistants. 3. What are the problems that ICT could help to solve? One of the key problems is that a manual booking system is used, whereby booking information is recorded in a paper-based diary. The information is therefore not easily sharable and handwriting will become messy as bookings are amended or cancelled. Also, quotations and invoices are either typed into a blank template document or hand-written. This leads to a duplication of the booking information resulting in mistakes, as well as being time consuming. Hand written documents are not very professional. 4. What do you want the ICT solution to do? Tony would like the new solution to provide easy to use data entry forms for entering details about each conference. He would like a quotation to be produced immediately based upon the booking information that is entered. He would also like the quotation and booking information to be stored for future use, so that someone can view the information easily. 5. Who will use the solution and what ICT skills do they have? Tony will use the solution, but has very limited ICT skills. He is a complete novice at using computers. Anita will also use the solution and is an intermediate user. She can login, organise files and folders, word process, use basic features of spreadsheet software, use a web browser to surf the internet, and can also use her accounts package. Chris is more of an advanced user, and can do all of the above to a more complex level, as well as use graphics and multi-media packages for design work. 6. What hardware and software do you have at The Welcome Centre? In terms of hardware, The Welcome Centre has only just installed a network. Chris and Anita have their own PCs with access to the Network for file sharing. Laptops used for conferences are wireless enabled so that they can access the internet from any room if required. Each computer has Windows XP installed as the operating system, as have the Microsoft Office software suite package, that includes word-processing, spreadsheet, database, web browser, presentation and other software. 7. What data needs to be input into the solution? How? Customer Information: (Company name and address, contact details for event organiser) Event Details: (Event name, date, start finishing time, no. of delegates, room requirements, equipment to be hired, and catering requirements for beverages and food. ) General Info. : (Catering items and prices, Equipment items for hire and 1/2 day charges, Room info. -The Unit Room Cost will be based on the Event Type for that room. Calculate and display Total Room Costs for all rooms booked   For each item of equipment required for the booking, search for and display the Unit Equipment Cost. If the event type is a full day, then double the price. Calculate and display the Total Equipment Costs by multiplying the Unit Equipment Cost by the Quantity required.   Calculate and display the Total Cost of all Equipment   If beverages are required for the booking, search for and display the Price per Delegate for Beverages. Calculate Beverage Costs per Delegate by multiplying this price by the No. of Servings. Calculate the Total Beverage Costs as Beverage Costs per Delegate multiplied by No. of Delegates.   If food is required, search for and display the Price per Delegate for the food option. Calculate and display the Total Food Costs by multiplying the Food Costs per Delegate by the No. of Delegates.   Calculate the Net Quotation amount (the total amount of all the items booked, excluding VAT)   Look up the current VAT rate and calculate the VAT Amount for the quotation.   Calculate the Gross Quotation Amount.

Essay --

The image has a huge effect in society. A celebrity’s image can characterize, shape and circulate societal myths in Hollywood. When people see the significant images, they will connect the specific celebrities in their time period. A blonde, beautiful, and sexy girl whose white dress was flying is one of the most famous images that the American actress, singer, and model Marilyn Monroe made in the 20th century. People think her figure and beauty made her a popular icon and sex symbol in the 1950s. Monroe's status as a sex symbol has influenced many artists since her time, even though the beauty standard has been different since then. Many celebrities imitate Monroe not only because of marketing and media needs, but also because people today still â€Å"worship† the image of Monroe. However, to only examine this sexualized image, people would seldom find out that Monroe was a feminist in the mid 20th century. On the other hand, how does a woman who passed away at thirty- six years old, after starring in only a handful of movies, have such an impact on society, especially young women, in the 21st century? The reason why Monroe is still relevant and even famous today shows the power of female charisma. Monroe had many feminist characteristics, such as being an independent professional woman, she was courageous to express herself, and she was always self-actualized. Independence, self-expression, and self-actualizion are all the ideas that feminists encouraged in the 21st century. The media created Monroe’s sexy image at first, but she used it to become famous. Later on she tried to use her action to get rid her sexy image. Even though many feminists think Monroe is a victim through Monroe’s sexualized image, Monroe’s image has influenced f... ...ized as a feminist already. Her actions reveal a person who was far more than the sexy dumb blonde she supposed to be in the movies. Monroe passed away just before feminism made clear that women have every human possibility. Women need to support each other and to explore the real lives to help themselves. Monroe used her experience to show the power of female charisma to the public. She not only was the feminist model for modern women, but also showed her powerful personality to men. Monroe believed in equality, but she falls through a patriarchal society that only valued her for her sexual image. Monroe understood the need for the power of the women in the modern society, and that’s why her image has been redefined. Any woman who contribute their lives in the way chosen by themselves, who is concerned and intelligent, is making the world a better place for women.

Organisational Design

Nine tests of organisation design The weight of research and insight into organisational design is heavy and growing. Michael Goold and Andrew Campbell cut through the complexity and emerge with a new approach to organisation design which includes a rigorous framework for design choices based on nine key tests of organisational effectiveness. Michael Goold is a director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre. His research interests are concerned with corporate strategy and the management of multi-business companies, and he runs the Centre’s programme on Group Level Strategy. Product-market strategies What are the factors that should guide the choice of organisation design? There are many managerial rules of thumb about things such as spans of control and reporting relationships. In addition, academics and consultants have produced a huge amount of work on organisation design. But our research told us that managers still lack a practical and systematic framework to guide their organisation choices. An important purpose of our work has been to condense previous ideas on organisation design into a few core principles, on which to base a usable framework. Less an intellectual triumph than a practical checklist for addressing the most important issues, FIGURE 1: FRAMEWORK FOR ORGANISATION DESIGN GOOD DESIGN PRINCIPLES Specialisation principle Email: michael. goold Corporate strategy Co-ordination principle @ashridge. org. uk ORGANISATION DESIGN People Control and commitment principle Knowledge and competence principle Constraints Innovation and adaptation principle 4 DIRECTIONS FIT DRIVERS www. ashridge. com/directions The Ashridge Journal Summer 2002 Ashridge Business School http://www. ashridge. org. uk FIGURE 2: NINE TESTS FOR ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN Product-market strategies GOOD DESIGN TESTS Specialist cultures test Specialisation principle Andrew Campbell is a director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre and visiting professor at City University. Previously Redundant hierarchy test Knowledge and competence principle Market advantage test Corporate strategy Difficult links test Co-ordination principle Parenting advantage test ORGANISATION DESIGN People he was a Fellow in the Centre for Business Strategy People test Accountability test Constraints Control and commitment principle t the London Business School, and a consultant at Feasibility test Flexibility test FIT TESTS Innovation and adaptation principle McKinsey & Co. Email: andrew. campbell our framework is grounded on some basic principles. The first and most important, the fit principle, embraces four drivers of fit – productmarket strategies, corporate strategies, people and constraints. The other good design principles are the specialisation principle, the co-ordination principle, the knowledge and competence principle, the control and commitment principle, and the innovation and adaptation principle (Figure 1). The principles are broad in nature and not always easy to convert into prescriptive guidance. They are more valuable in orienting managers than in resolving particular organisational dilemmas. However, as we worked with the principles, we found ways to convert them into some practical tests. Perhaps the most important contribution of this lies in the insights and understandings that the tests produce. The tests match the fit drivers and the good design principles. (See Figure 2). @ashridge. org. uk The fit tests One almost universally agreed proposition is that organisations need to be fit for purpose. Strategy, 5 DIRECTIONS www. ashridge. com/directions The Ashridge Journal Summer 2002 Ashridge Business School http://www. ashridge. org. uk Nine tests of organisation design therefore, should be a key driver of organisation design, and we have found it useful to distinguish between product-market strategies and corporatelevel strategy. But strategy is not the only driver of organisational design. At least as important are people. Many authorities counsel against designing an organisation around people, preferring to build around the strategy and change the people if necessary. However, people cannot always be changed and new ones with the required attitudes may be hard to find. So designs should take account of the people available to lead and work in them. Finally, organisation design is subject to various constraints, ranging from laws laid down by governments to organisational capabilities or resources that are deeply embedded. The people test: â€Å"Does the design adequately reflect the motivations, strengths and weaknesses of the available people? † The feasibility test: â€Å"Does the design take account of the constraints that may make the proposal unworkable? The fit tests bring out the most important inputs that should guide organisation design choices. Provided the design has been selected with these inputs in mind, there should be no problem in passing the fit tests. However, organisation design choices are not always so rational. All too often, organisations evolve in ways that are not sufficiently related to the strategy of the compan y, or else pay scant attention to the limitations of managers who will fill key positions. In one company, we were told that the structure had always been primarily driven by the balance of All too often, organisations evolve in ways that are not sufficiently related to the strategy of the company, or else pay scant attention to the limitations of managers who will fill key positions. power between the four barons who ran the main divisions, resulting in business unit groupings that had little to do with the opportunities in the markets being served. Under these circumstances, the organisation will be a barrier to successful strategy implementation and will damage competitiveness. The fit tests ensure that organisations that are evidently not fit for purpose will be exposed, and that more suitable alternatives will be adopted. The good design tests The fit drivers lead to four fit tests: While the four drivers of the fit principle are The market advantage test: â€Å"Does the design allocate sufficient management attention to the operating priorities and intended sources of advantage in each product-market area? † recognised by most managers, we believe the good design principles and tests represent more of an advance. They synthesise the vast quantity of academic research and managerial experience about what makes an organisation work well into The parenting advantage test: â€Å"Does the design allocate sufficient attention to the intended 6 DIRECTIONS few basic tests that should guide any organisation designer. The specialisation principle and co-ordination principle both concern the boundaries between sources of added-value and strategic initiatives of the corporate parent? † www. ashridge. com/directions The Ashridge Journal Summer 2002 Ashridge Business School http://www. ashridge. org. uk units. The specialisation principle states that boundaries should exist to encourage the development of specialist skills, whereas the co-ordination principle emphasises that activities that need to be co-ordinated should be located within the boundaries of a single unit. Although these basic principles are clear, there are unfortunately often trade-offs between specialisation and co-ordination. A broadly-based product structure may give economies in purchasing and manufacturing, but be detrimental to the development of specialist products for particular markets. A disaggregated geographical structure with many local units may support the special skills needed for different regions, but prevent effective co-ordination in product development or IT infrastructure. The difficult organisational problems arise when there are trade-offs between different ways of grouping responsibilities. In order to help with these trade-offs, we have developed two tests, which give more precision to the basic principles and make them more practically useful. business unit, with little or no contact with the rest of the company. Alternatively, instead of setting up a separate unit, it may be possible for the corporate parent to ensure that the specialist culture receives sufficient protection by flexing corporate policies and procedures or by giving it certain powers. The test focuses attention on the dangers of suppressing or damaging activities that fall outside the mainstream corporate culture, dangers which are easy to overlook. The difficult links test recognises that many co-ordination benefits can be achieved through spontaneous networking between units, but that others will be more difficult. For example, best practice sharing can often be left to networking between units, whereas the establishment of common technical standards is unlikely without a corporate policy which makes them mandatory. Organisation designers should focus only on the few co-ordination benefits that will be difficult: where networking will not deliver the benefits. For these difficult links, it is necessary to develop appropriate co-ordination mechanisms or interventions to overcome the difficulty, or to The specialist cultures test: â€Å"Do any ‘specialist cultures’, units with cultures that need to be different from sister units and the layers above, have sufficient protection from the influence of the dominant culture? † readjust the design so that the co-ordination lies within the responsibilities of a single unit. This test makes managers assess which co-ordination benefits will be difficult to achieve if left to the network, and to think through whether and how the difficulty can be overcome. The difficult links test: â€Å"Does the organisation design call for any ‘difficult links’, co-ordination benefits that will be hard to achieve on a networking basis, and does it include ‘solutions’ that will ease the difficulty? † Together, the specialist cultures test and difficult links test give managers a powerful means of assessing the trade-offs between the benefits that can be gained from co-ordination and from specialisation. In the 1980s, IBM decided to set up its PC division as a very separate unit, free from the influence of the IBM corporate culture and The specialist cultures test questions whether the required specialist skills will thrive only if the managers concerned are insulated from the influence of other parts of the organisation. For example, sometimes the best way to develop and market a new product is to set it up as a separate policies. This promoted a specialist PC culture that was highly successful in bringing the new product to market rapidly. Using a similar logic, many commentators argued that, when faced with performance problems in the early 1990s, IBM should break up the whole company into separate, 7 DIRECTIONS www. ashridge. com/directions The Ashridge Journal Summer 2002 Ashridge Business School http://www. ashridge. org. uk Nine tests of organisation design independent units. Lou Gerstner, however, believed that the opportunity for IBM lay in providing integrated customer solutions. He therefore kept the company together. But he recognised that co-ordination between separate product divisions was not proving a satisfactory means of offering integrated solutions, due to conflicting divisional priorities and incompatible technologies. He therefore gave authority to IBM Sales and Distribution division and to a new unit, the Global Services division, to concentrate, respectively, on customer solutions and services, using both IBM and competitor products. These divisions have the power to offer a unified approach to customers and have dealt well with the previously difficult links between IBM divisions. At the same time, Gerstner has encouraged new business activities, such as Business Innovation Services, IBM’s e-business initiative, not to be bound by IBM’s traditional policies nd ways of doing things. IBM’s structure now takes account of both the difficult links and the specialist cultures tests. The difficult links and specialist cultures tests help managers to address the organisation design issues faced by companies such as IBM, where there are evident advantages both from specialisation and co-ordination. The tests identify the real trade-offs between co-ordination and specialisation and h elp managers to find ways of gaining the benefits of co-ordination without undermining the development of specialist skills. The knowledge and competence principle is mainly concerned with delegation. It states that responsibilities should be allocated to the person or team best placed to assemble the relevant knowledge and competence at reasonable cost. The practical test that follows from the principle is: This test is based on the premise that the default option should be to decentralise to operating units, only retaining responsibilities at higher levels if there is a knowledge and competence rationale. As we have argued in previous work, hierarchy can only be justified if it adds some value to the functioning of the organisation. 1 Questions about whether and how the hierarchy adds value have helped numerous companies to sharpen their thinking about the design of their headquarters, group and division levels. The redundant hierarchy test is a way of formalising these questions. The control and commitment principle concerns two challenges that arise in any decentralised organisation: how to maintain appropriate control and how to ensure high levels of motivation. Units should feel strong pressures to self-correct if they are failing to deliver, and parent-level managers to whom the units report should be able to identify problems easily and promptly. This leads to a further test: The accountability test: â€Å"Does the design facilitate the creation of a control process for each unit that is appropriate to the unit’s responsibilities, economical to implement, and motivating for the managers in the unit? † The accountability test focuses managers on the pressures that exist for a unit to self-correct. These depend on the relationships the unit has with ts internal and external customers, the performance measures for the unit, and the unit’s reporting relationship. Market-facing business units with arms-length customer relationships and bottomline performance measures are relatively easy to control and motivate. Corporate functions with no external customers, tied internal relationships and The redundant hierarchy test: â⠂¬Å"Are all levels in the hierarchy and all responsibilities retained by higher levels based on a knowledge and 8 DIRECTIONS subjective performance measures present more accountability problems. In a complex structure, it is all too easy to create a design that looks good on paper, but leaves unit managers de-motivated and unclear about their performance objectives, and competence advantage? † www. ashridge. com/directions The Ashridge Journal Summer 2002 Ashridge Business School http://www. ashridge. org. uk parent managers unable to control those who report to them. The accountability test helps managers design units and establish performance measures that produce effective, low-cost controls that are highly motivating. The innovation and adaptation principle states that structures should be designed to innovate and adapt as uncertainties become clarified and environments change. An organisation design that is perfect for today is of little use if it cannot adapt to cope with the conditions of tomorrow. The principle yields our last test. under-attending to product or from underattending to geography? † Often there is no clear The flexibility test: â€Å"Will the design help the development of new strategies and be flexible enough to adapt to future changes? answer to these trade-offs, but making sure that the question is asked helps managers to find a reasonable balance between competing interests. By pointing out the trade-offs and weak points in a The test recognises that some structures allow for evolution and adaptation, whereas others build in rigidity and power bases that resist change. It ensures that the designer considers the changes which may be needed and whether the design will b e flexible enough to make them. chosen design, the tests help managers to be more thoughtful about problems that may occur and future changes that may be needed. The tests also help managers weigh the advantages and disadvantages of different designs and provide a rigorous analytical structure for making design choices. An organisation design that is perfect for today is of little use if it cannot adapt to cope with the conditions of tomorrow. Using the tests The purpose of the tests is to raise issues. Some can be addressed by refining the structure, by designing process solutions, or by appointing different managers. A key benefit from using the tests comes from the ideas for design improvements that they suggest. For example, a common problem is the creation of a layer of management, say a geographic region or a product group, without specifying what responsibilities should be retained by this layer and why. The redundant hierarchy test helps point out this design weakness, alerting managers to the need either to eliminate the layer or to define the responsibilities, skills, management processes and leadership style that is needed to make the layer a positive influence on performance. Some issues raised by the tests point to unavoidable trade-offs: â€Å"do we lose more from The nine tests are the core around which we have built our new approach to organisation design. This article is drawn from Michael Goold and Andrew Campbell’s new book, Designing Effective Organizations (John Wiley & Sons, 2002). REFERENCE 1. Goold, Michael; Campbell, Andrew and Alexander, Marcus. (1994). Corporate-level Strategy, John Wiley & Sons and Goold, Michael; Pettifer, David and Young, David, â€Å"Redefining the Corporate Centre† , European Management Journal, February 2001. 9 DIRECTIONS www. ashridge. com/directions The Ashridge Journal Summer 2002 Ashridge Business School http://www. ashridge. org. uk

Billy Joel

Billy Joel is a well known musician who has sold millions of albums across the world. Billy Joel has also won multiple grammys and several other awards. He has worked with many other artists and is affectionately known as â€Å"The Piano Man.† Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949. He was born as William Martin Joel in Bronx, New York. He grew up in Levittown, New York. He had two siblings a sister named Judith, and his half-brother Alexander Joel. He started his career at a very early stage in his life. At the age of four he began taking piano lessons. He took lessons on piano until he was sixteen. He was in three bands before he could even drive and he was a veteran of all of them. Billy Joel decided to start his music career after watching a famous band called â€Å"The Beatles† on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1971 he came out with his first album after dropping out of high school to pursue his career in music. The solo album was called â€Å"Cold Spring Harbor.† Billy Joel then decided to move to Los Angeles. Soon after he job a job as a lounge pianist. Billy Joel married his first wife Elizabeth Weber Small in 1973. They had been partners for years before they married. In 1982 they separated from each other and both moved on. He then went on to marry famous supermodel named Christie Brinkley. They then had a daughter named Alexa Ray on December 29, 1985. He then split from Christie Brinkley in 1993 and then met and married television star and journalist Katie Lee. The two divorced after being married for fives years. Billy Joel then went on to meet his current wife Alexis Roderick. They then married in 2015, and went on to have a baby named Della Rose. She was born on August 12, 2015. Billy Joel sold over 150 million successful albums and has won multiple awards. Throughout his career his singles hit the top charts almost every time. His singles hit the Top 40 thirty-three times through the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's. He received a Grammy Legend Award in 1990 and a Billboard Century Award in 1994 for his outstanding music. Later in Billy Joel's career he suffered from an alcohol addiction and was continuously in rehab. He then recovered going on to make more music throughout the early 2000's. Joel then released â€Å"All My Life† in 2007. The single was his first in thirteen years with original lyrics. Billy Joel performed multiple times at Madison Square Garden and broke records, selling out his concerts monthly. Billy Joel is one of successful artists of all time topping the charts numbers of time throughout the years. He has won several awards and sold out many shows at popular venues such as Madison Square Garden. Billy Joel has continued to perform and tour throughout the world and break records.

Cluny MacPherson Invented the Gas Mask

Cluny MacPherson Invented the Gas Mask Doctor Cluny MacPherson was born in St. Johns, Newfoundland in 1879. He received his medical education from Methodist College and McGill University. MacPherson started the first St. Johns Ambulance Brigade after working with the St. Johns Ambulance Association. MacPherson served as the principal medical officer for the first Newfoundland Regiment of the St. Johns Ambulance Brigade during World War I. In response to the Germans use of poison gas in Ypres, Belgium, in 1915, MacPherson began researching methods of protection against poison gas. In the past, a  soldiers only protection was to breathe through a handkerchief or other small piece of fabric soaked in urine. That same year,  MacPherson invented the respirator, or gas mask, made of fabric and metal. Using a helmet taken from a captured German prisoner, he added a canvas hood with  eyepieces  and a breathing tube. The helmet was treated with chemicals that would absorb the chlorine used in the gas attacks. After a few improvements, Macphersons helmet became the first gas mask to be used by the British army. According to Bernard Ransom, curator of the Newfoundland Provincial Museum, Cluny Macpherson designed a fabric smoke helmet with a single exhaling tube, impregnated with chemical sorbents to defeat the airborne chlorine used in the gas attacks. Later, more elaborate sorbent compounds were added to further developments of his helmet (the P and PH models) to defeat other respiratory poison gases used such as phosgene, diphosgene and chloropicrin. The Macpherson helmet was the first general issue gas countermeasure to be used by the British Army. His invention was the most important protective device of the First World War, protecting countless soldiers from blindness, disfigurement or injury to their throats and lungs. For his services, he was made a Companion of the  Order of St Michael and St George  in 1918. After suffering from a war injury, MacPherson returned to Newfoundland to serve as the director of the military medical service and later served as the president of the St. Johns Clinical Society and the Newfoundland Medical Association. MacPherson was awarded many honors for his contributions to medical science.

Assignment #2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

#2 - Assignment Example bum she and her band further explored the instrument of guitar at much louder notes as compared to the guitar notes played by any rock musicians of her time. She is very well known for using two instruments throughout her life which included the vocals and the guitar. She was not quite fluent in playing the guitar but her husband had taught her the basics which helped her in making music. In an interview that is published on the website of The Guardian, she stated that at an early age she was expected to play the role of a girl of the period of 60s and 70s. But the real challenge that she faced while being a women was to continue with her career while being a parent to two children’s along with her husband. Much of her work during that time period did not perform well in public, but she never gave up on her

Psychology Myth Buster Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychology Myth Buster - Research Paper Example They did not win; in fact, their numbers did not even figure in the lottery. Therefore, the superstition is false. Psychology Myth Buster Superstitions and myths are beliefs that are widely held but prove to be irrational most of the time (Merriam-Webster’s). They are usually beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation, often explain various phenomena, but is most commonly held for luck and for problem solving purposes. The myth that was picked for this paper was the myth that â€Å"wearing your birthstone can bring you good luck†, which is common according to the site of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/common_superstitions/). To operationally define the construct, the researcher devised a task. The task is entering a lottery while the participants were wearing their birthstones (ruby and opal, respectively). The lottery is a complete test of luck, as it does not depend on IQ, skill or any person’s ab ilities. Luck, according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, is a favoring chance, with chance meaning â€Å"something caused by luck† (Merriam-Webster’s). Also, chance also meant a raffle lottery ticket, which is something significant to the experimental setup. Apart from having the lottery task, self-report is another way of operationally defining the constructs.