The Knowledge Explosion :: Essays Papers

The Knowledge Explosion The current patterns in training are pushing teachers toward reception of a coordinated educational program. What is presently alluded to as the incorporated educational program was once known as interdisciplinary investigations. Reconciliation centers around the association of focal topics or ideas consolidating a few subjects. These topics, or ideas, permit understudies to interconnect data between branches of knowledge. Giving understudies this expertise will empower them to consolidate data in enormous amounts, evaluate the quality and legitimacy of data, and help them to decide the significance of some random setting. Supplanting the secluded branches of knowledge with a coordinated educational program creates in the understudy an interrelated perspective on learning. There are two regular models for educational plan incorporation, the Daisy Model and the Rose Model. Free subjects are composed around a focal topic in the Daisy Model. The subjects allude back to the topic however are instructed independently. The topic is spoken to by the focal point of the daisy encompassed by the exceptional and separate petals which speak to subjects. Then again, the petals of the rose are entwined representing the completely incorporated subjects of the Rose Model. The focal point of the Rose Model is on a specific topic as opposed to singular subjects. The subjects are joined under one topic and are instructed all the while through the investigation of that theme.(Martin, D. J., 2000). Educational plan coordination has become an approach to divert the points and motivations behind tutoring due to its positive advantages for understudies. James Beane has discovered proof that shows that we have known for a long time that development toward this path benefits both youngsters and their teachers(1992). One positive part of this educational program is that understudies see the importance of the guidance due to the associations made among subject areas(McDonald, J., 1994). This makes the guidance not so much dynamic but rather more pertinent to genuine life(Berlin, D. F., 1994). Understudies at that point will in general quest for implications and answers to their inquiries rather than essentially retaining realities to pass exams(Beane, J, 1992). Ms. M, a fifth grade instructor in Maryland, has watched this component of combination in the activities of her understudies. They appear to be increasingly propelled by the topic when they can relate it to their own encounters and different pieces of their instruction. Also, she saw that the understudies had a superior feeling of achievement when they could draw from past guidance and tie together data from each subject. Understudies who feel effective will obtain the aptitudes vital for collaboration, socialization, correspondence and self-inspiration.

Experiments in Art and Technology Essay Example for Free

Investigations in Art and Technology Essay The new interface I will characterize is one in which the craftsman utilizes the imagination and abilities of an architect to accomplish his motivation. The craftsman couldn't finish his expectations without the assistance of an architect. The craftsman fuses crafted by the architect in the canvas or the figure or the presentation. what an ideal cooperative energy! Presentation ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ (E. A. T. ) is a matured non benefit making and expense excluded association founded as far back as 1966 by revoked designers and craftsmen. The specialists incorporated the people of Billy Kluver and Fred Waldhauer, while the craftsmen, the people of Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. Tests in Art and Technology was spearheaded from the experience of a famous work named †‘9 Evenings: Theater and Engineering’. The striking occasion was of the 69th ‘Regiment Armory in new York City, United State of America† (October 1966). Around 40 specialists and 10 well known craftsmen harmoniously cooperated to set up a built and similarly creative exhibitions. With crafted by E. A. T. , specialists and engineers’ connections have gotten colossal lift, in this manner animating the readiness and investment of ventures in imaginative occasions. Companies’ collaboration through sponsorship is one of the accomplishments of E. A. T. There was quick articulation of enthusiasm for the gathering over the space of time. Three years after the initiation of Experiments in Art and Technology, the association recorded more than 4,200 enrollments of expanded craftsmen and architects all around the United States of America, South America, Japan, Canada and each other intrigued industry everywhere throughout the world. Through the procedure towards accomplishing the point of E. A. T. , there was a nearby program inside the gathering named the Technical Services Program. This program improved the compelling coordinated effort of craftsmen working connected at the hip with engineers on a particular task/venture. This was put forth conceivable by a purposeful attempt at sticking reasonable specialists with fitting architects for synergic results. The program likewise helped the associates in connecting with enterprises and corporate-business networks in addressing the necessities to achieve exceptional venture. Besides, E. A. T. appointed between field undertakings and occasions which were moored by craftsmen including the utilization of new innovative woks. A portion of the activities incorporated the before referenced ‘9 Evenings: Theater and Engineering† in 1966’, ‘Some More Beginning in 1968’ †the later happened to stamp the beginning of ‘exhibition of craftsmanship and innovation. The presentation was held at an exhibition hall in Brooklyn. Remembered for the rundown of the venture was the â€Å"artist-engineer coordinated efforts to plan and program the Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. † Picture demonstrating First gathering of E. A. T. in November 1966 The Story of Experiments in Art and Technology At the point when Andy Warhol was attempting to make skimming lights, he approached Billy Kluver for his thoughtful help. Kluver, who was a specialist working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, dismissed the request however rather vowed to offer him a covering as a rule use to wrap sandwiches, the material is shimmering. Warhol designed the material into a rectangular item called Mylar today. Infusing Helium into this Mylar made a coasting funhouse reflects in 1966. This case of cooperation among craftsmen and researchers was an inspiration to shaping Experiments in Art and Technology (E. A. T. ). The craftsman engineer cooperation in E. A. T. was formalized at the occasion of â€Å"9 Evenings; Theater and Engineering†, (Oct. 1966, in New York). The program presented crowd to â€Å"state-of-the-workmanship exhibitions and music† from around 50 craftsmen and designers. Innovation zapped things in an obvious manners, e. g. â€Å"Dancers stumbled light switches by moving their legs past photograph cells, and a tennis match-up was intensified through mouthpieces in the rackets. The commendation got was overpowering mirroring the requirement for engineers in creative works. E. A. T. was then settled in November, and by the mid 70s it had just ingested systems of more than 6,000 individuals. â€Å"Throughout the life expectancy of E. A. T. , partnered bunches delivered more than 500 fine arts; most basic was the body-situated execution or supercharged moderate figure. One of the most essential activities dispatched was the Pepsi Pavilion of Expo 1970 Osaka. There, more than 60 specialists and designers added to the intuitive displays inside the cutting edge dome† The Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 Osaka with Fujiko Nakayas fog cover Aims and targets of E. A. T. The non benefit making association was dynamic fundamentally inside the two many years of its establishment in 1966 by Billy Kluver, Fred waldhauer, Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. It was cut out of the need to ‘mobilize the elements of expressions, industry and science around aggregate ventures, calling the cooperation from various orders. E. A. T. additionally planned for empowering the specialized congruity towards the acknowledgment of new methods for communicating expressions utilizing present day mechanical gear, for example, PC made pictures, sounds, video, (varying media), producing materials and apply autonomy. To begin with, ‘Experiments in Art and Technology’ united specialists and designers to illuminate the members so as to habituate them with â€Å"tele-composing and satellite transmission utilizing media transmission technology†. What's more, E. A. T. planned for giving the creating nations around a simplicity of Communication Bridge through certain undertaking assignments. In compatibility of these objectives, E. A. T. started opening additions in the US, Canada and Japan. Different Projects acknowledged at the approach of interdisciplinary included: The Anand Project of 1969, this undertaking helped instructive TV whereby open spaces were connected together to encourage communications independent of the separation separated. Through this, various nations all around the globe can trade upsetting inquiries even about a typical vulnerability. For instance, â€Å"Anand Dairy Cooperative in Baroda (India); Telex: QA (1971), which connected open spaces in New York (U. S. ), Ahmadabad (India), Tokyo (Japan) and Stockholm (Sweden) by telex† Still among the tasks is the ‘Children and Communication in 1972’this specific undertaking guided the empowering of kids inside the suburb of New York City, to trade discussion with message, phone and fax machine. Additionally, in El Salvador is a task to design out techniques for putting away culture and custom in the locale (1973). Assortment of E. A. T. ’s Published Documents Detailing the exercises of Experiments in Art and Technology in 1980; more than 400 records were put away in chronicle going from data releases, display indexes, periodicals, copies of press clippings, proposition, addresses, declarations bulletins reprints of significant articles, among others. The file was stored at significant libraries in New York, Moscow of Russia, Washington in U. S., Paris in France and so on. The document was focused on landmark the impression of E. A. T. ’s wide land limb with specialized and masterful decent variety. Specialized Service Program (1966-1973) Technical assistance program (TSP), established as a subgroup in mid 60s, grants expert in workmanship and building to work together with the point of meeting the artist’s innovative requirements without break in the group anticipated plan and formative stages. Profoundly specialized undertakings were practiced with this organization. This joint effort was advertised when E. A. T. bunch thought of EAT News that reported undertakings at various phases of consummation. In any case, was the intermittent open discussion hung on up and coming advancements, for example, ‘lasers and holography. ’ The TSP reached a conclusion in 1973 Technical Information (1966) This program gave counseling administrations to craftsmen. The administration arrangements included ‘technical libraries’ for craftsmen in New York and phone help line worked by engineers from E. A. T. workplaces. The library assortment highlights reported exercises of EAT from ‘60s to ‘80s. More on â€Å"9 Evenings: Theater and Engineering† (1966-2005) These were arrangement of occasions that slung exhibitions of specialists and architects working as one as an E. A. T. gathering. The exhibitions separated between relationship boundary. It went does: Billy kluver and Robert Rauschenberg mentioned the working connection of 30-man engineer at Bell Laboratories, looking for their inclusion in a between disciplinary undertaking where cutting edge theater, move and new advancements were mixed together. The specialists included were John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman. These specialists were matched with architects to create specialized segments on the platform utilized by the members. It was in fact an advancement experience in the field of Art and innovation. Billy Kluver, farther of ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ Reference http://www. fondation-langlois. organization/html/e/page. php? NumPage=306 The Man Who Made a Match of Technology and Art

Critique of Capitalist Economy Essay Example for Free

Scrutinize of Capitalist Economy Essay Presentation Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels were incredible supporters of socialism and were against the private enterprise method of monetary framework since they accepted that it was a method of misusing poor people and profiting the rich in the society[1]. They did a great deal of work as scholars in tending to strict, political and financial issues. Karl Mark and Engels were supporters of socialism and condemned the free enterprise economy which was being pushed for by the created nations. Theory; socialist economy is superior to the entrepreneur economy. There has consistently been a contention between the regions in the west and the Eurasia in transit financial approaches ought to be set with nations like the US supporting private enterprise while the nations that were officially soviet association contradict it and need proceed with the socialism way.â To fundamentally evaluate the reasons why socialism is superior to free enterprise, coming up next is the investigation of negative effect of free enterprise and the upsides of the socialist economy as indicated by Karl Marx and Engels. The most eminent composing is the socialist proclamation. Socialist Manifesto In 1848, Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels met up to compose theâ socialist declaration which was a decree of the unavoidable disappointment of the entrepreneur economy and reminder to the laborers everywhere throughout the world[2]. The declaration was charged by the socialist alliance in England. Private enterprise portrayed as the monetary plan where there is free market of capital for example offices and cash, the characteristic assets and work (production)[3]. This sort of framework permits singular substances like individuals and organizations to the entrepreneurs and not the focal government. They run the creation lines, make a lot of benefit as conceivable since they are additionally the chiefs of the issues that are influencing the creation of merchandise and ventures in addition to the offer of the same[4]. Socialism then again is portrayed as a monetary framework which permits the circulation of the nations assets with the goal of making a non separated society. In this kind of economy, the legislature claims the creation means and there are no private elements that own a similar business or industry. Socialism is personally connected with a German way of thinking, Karl Marx since he was an activists and a financial analyst and composed such a great amount of writing about socialism and reprimanding the free enterprise. In his works, he set forward hypotheses that private enterprise would be ousted and at last supplanted by socialism. Since the individual responsibility for methods for creation would prompt abuse, Karl Marx pushed for socialism contending that however the socialism may shift from nation to nation, the accompanying valuable attributes would at present remain[5]; the arranging, creation and different tasks in horticulture and industry are midway sorted out, the framework doesn't endure resistance from different perspectives and that just a single ideological group runs the administration. Socialism created as response of representatives to the unsuitable working conditions during the development and the expanded modern unrest as indicated by Marx and Engels. In Marx’s see, entrepreneur should[6] allow to communism an opportunity to exceed expectations since private enterprise was regarded to bomb the economy since it would make two contention classes in the general public of the â€Å"haves† and â€Å"have not† thus another financial framework would develop and supplant the capitalism[7]. In spite of the fact that not well known in the nineteenth century, the socialist proclamation turned out to be broadly utilized and perused archive as individuals tried to really build up the most proficient financial framework during the time of mechanical revolution.â As talked about by Marx and Engels, the socialism economy would come as a logically sealed issue and as per the memorable changes of wonders as ceaseless procedures. Feudalism developed and true to form it needed to change offering ascend to mercantilism which likewise normally meant free enterprise, from this thinking, Karl Marx expected that the supporters of the entrepreneur economy would acknowledge change as it was definitely going to happen with private enterprise changing to communism (socialism). Economy under Capitalism In the proclamation of socialism, Marx and Engels contend that work would be enormously influenced by the proprietors of the methods for creation. It likewise addresses the possibility of responsibility for property and thought of socialism. The representatives are portrayed to be experiencing distanced work; the estrangement of work is sorted in to four groups[8]; first, when the item is made it is promptly detracted from the maker; second, the laborers are abused in the creation line (an excessive amount of work un-relative to the compensation), third, the individuals are intended to work and increment efficiency indiscriminately and not in concurrence with the typical human instinct (from species being), at long last, shared fulfillment of the human needs is supplanted by the advantage coming about because of the trading of the items (from different creatures). Marx examinations the Hegelian reasoning of sorts of economies to clarify how all the classes (pay rates, lease, benefits and so forth) were completely estranged as an outcome of distance of the human instinct in the entrepreneur economy. This is on the grounds that the structure of the financial framework at last winds up directing the manner in which individuals come to live their lives in future, their conduct and decides the potential moves to be made to remain on top. For example, if an entrepreneur financial expert expectation is to stay in the business (undertaking) at that point he needs to abuse the representatives to as far as possible. The industrialist will wind up being a merciless exploiter in spite of being wracked by blame or not as a result of the need to remain in charge of the economy and obviously everything.â On a similar note, representatives are compelled to take on the work offer as there are no reasonable other options. Marx and Engels demand that it is therefore that individuals need to transcend such mistreatment and attack the issue in earnest to have an aggregate control of their lifestyle as far as economy and cultural turn of events. Ware creation is another viewpoint that is tended to by Marx as being utilized for abuse. Ware in the economy and business definitions is the item created with a goal of trade for legitimate delicate or cash in the market, as there exists a market, the item can be traded and that there is division of work where an assortment of items are delivered, in any case there would be no motivator for the trade. With this sort of thinking at that point, a product is depicted regarding use and worth. The utilization is effortlessly seen, yet the worth turns into an unpredictable issue to manage and the relative incentive for the trade must be expounded. For example for what reason does some measure of an item trade for an alternate measure of another item? The elaboration needs to cover the work contribution during creation of the item or rather the socially mandatory exertion put in at normal degree of power to yield the commodity[9]. This is the place the work hypothesis comprehension and translation assumes a major job, and it expresses that the amount of socially fundamental work time expected to deliver the item ought to be the determinant of its value. In Marx see, this contention has two phases and the first is, to state if two things are contrasted by conditions and an equivalent sign, there ought to be a third thing of indistinguishable sum in both to which they are reducible and which is normal, the subsequent stage is to search for the appropriate ‘third element’ and for this situation work is the main sensible element[10]. Work power is along these lines liable to be abused so as to build the estimation of the ware as the utilization stays steady. Free enterprise is peculiar; the entrepreneur financial analyst doesn't just depend on the trading of items as the wellspring of benefits yet rather the movement of riches, as money, with the intension of benefit making by methods for exchanging the items and transforming them into different items which can cost more significant expenses and produce more benefits. As per Marx and Engels, no past researchers have had the option to obviously give a clarification of how free enterprise all in all would create benefits. There arrangement is that, the business people misuse the work from representatives, they purchase representatives work exertion for the afternoon. The value (estimation) of the item is set up by similar implies that is, the socially fundamental work power expected to make the item. In such an example, the day’s work exertion is the value of the items required to keep the worker alive for one day. Taking for instance a circumstance where products take around five hours to make, theâ initial five hours of the day would be spent on making esteem that is equivalent to the value of the pay rates the workers would be redressed, this is the vital work. Some other work done over this is named as surplus work and it just advantages the industrialist financial expert to make surplus incentive for the benefits. The examination done by Marx uncover that work called the variable capital and this since it is the main asset that can make more an incentive than it is worth. Different things essentially pass their incentive to the last handled item however can't make any extra worth and subsequently alluded to as the steady capital. Benefits produced by the entrepreneurs are an aftereffect of representatives working past the vital work to make an incentive for the business. This is the hypothesis of benefits the extent that the overflow estimation of work is concerned. The pace of benefit making will undoubtedly fall as the business expands its motorization under the industrialist economy, by the utilization of increasingly consistent capital and minimal variable. As it has just been set up that work is the main asset that can increase the value of an item, less a

British airways

English aviation routes Official Summary: English Airways is one of the International Airlines that gives its trips to 570 goals in 133 domains. It principally works from the Heathrow and Gatwick. It faces numerous issues like 531 million pounds misfortune in income due to absence of global market study, worker relationship (strike issue) and some more. Subsequently a viable system is the main opportunity to conquer these issues. The procedure of British Airways remembers the advancement for mechanical extras, clients relationship, worker relationship, wellbeing and security of partners, etc. Presentation: Any business has difficulties from various components like globalization, data and innovation, socio and social variables, political factors, etc. To address these difficulties an unmistakable procedure is pivotal for any association. A system is an away from of what the association will be founded on an economical upper hand. In reality, technique is a guide for future bearings and degree. It is a long range plan for a long time and the sky is the limit from there. It creates strategic, and objectives for an association. To build up a successful technique any association must set a record with various elements. Natural examination, present investigation, quality, shortcoming, openings, etc are the factor through which a procedure can be created. Section 1 1) Identify the mission, Values and key goals of an association inside its condition. The statement of purpose of British Airways is â€Å"To be the undisputed pioneer in world travel for the following millennium†. The estimations of British Airways: Fair. Dependable On schedule Great help Targets of British Airways: English Airways situated in London is the biggest aircrafts in the United Kingdom and gives day by day trips to in excess of 400 urban areas around the world. Like most huge partnerships the carrier must concentrate on an assortment of objectives and goals both for present moment and long haul endurance in the serious worldwide market. General destinations of British Airways: With a target of turning into the universes biggest pioneer in worldwide premium aircraft, British Airways will keep on concentrating on client support at each degree of travelers venture. The general Objectives are partitioned into three regions. Worldwide (advance to all travelers, regardless of whether for recreation or business head out so as to make rehash clients). Premium (guarantee that travelers get the highest caliber of administration any place they experience the carriers). Aircraft (keep up the attention on flight with the biggest gear, items and administrations). Key destinations of British Airways: English Airways gives four key destinations: Carrier of decision (remain the top decision for International trips for premium clients just as freight, economy and shorter flights). Top-quality administrations (gives the best client support to travelers on all courses and classes of movement and improve online help). Worldwide city development (keep on extending the rundown of top-level nations through aircraft association). Address clients issues (investigating the most recent alternatives and items to improve client unwaveringness. A partner is an individual or association that has an enthusiasm for a business, for instance profit by it. As a client you are a partner in British Airways. Regardless of whether somebody is working low maintenance they are partners in their managers business. You can be a partner as a client, in all shops you purchase from and anyplace you go through recreation cash, it could be heading off to the film or supporting your football match.â â â Partners of British Airways are: Gatherings Relationship with business Client Purchase item or administrations Providers Depend on business for orders Workers Depend on business for work Proprietors Have put cash in the business Nearby and national networks Legitimately influenced by the activities and tasks of the business. Impacts of partners: Gatherings The impacts of partners Clients Are hoping to purchase items or administrations, they are searching for a wide scope of items and administrations. They additionally need simple availability and would like to purchase great quality items and administrations at a serious cost. They are extremely significant as they give cash to the business so as to be fruitful. Providers Providers stock the business with the provisions the business needs, on the off chance that they are late, at that point it will cause a contention among business and providers. Therefor it is fundamental that all the business providers are on schedule. Providers are likely the third significant part in a business, they give the items/administrations and in the event that they are not in time it stances to be a danger to the monetary condition of the business. Then again, providers arent that significant in dynamic since they are frightened of losing their agreement with British Airways. Representatives May need a salary raise rise. Staffs have a major enthusiasm for British Airways, they have an enthusiasm for the business as wages, rewards, limits, and occasion pension.â Proprietors Interestingly it might need an abatement in pay ascend for their representatives you could state that the proprietors likely one of the most notable individuals in a business. Neighborhood and national networks Give arranging authorization relying upon the business an individual needs to do. Section 2 2) Investigate the financial, social, and worldwide condition in which associations work. What is a monetary framework: A composed way where a state or a country dispenses its assets and assigns products and ventures in the national network. A financial framework is approximately characterized as a nations plan for its administrations, products, and the specific manner by which its monetary arrangement is completed. Fundamentally there are three significant/various sorts of financial frameworks winning far and wide and they are: Market Economy: In a market economy, national and state governments assume a minor job. Rather customers and their purchasing choices drive the economy. In this sort of monetary framework, the suppositions of the market assume a significant job in choosing the correct way for a countrys financial turn of events. Market economies intend to decrease or wipe out completely appropriations for a specific industry, the pre-assurance of costs for various wares, and the measure of guideline controlling distinctive modern segments. The nonappearance of focal arranging is one of the significant highlights of this monetary framework. Market choices are fundamentally ruled by gracefully and request, the job of the administration in a market economy is to just ensure that the market is sufficiently steady to complete its financial exercises appropriately. Arranged Economy: An arranged economy is otherwise called an order economy. The most significant part of this kind of economy is that every single significant choice identified with the creation, dispersion, product and administration costs, are completely made by the legislature. The arranged economy is government coordinated, and advertise powers have almost no state in such an economy. This sort of economy does not have the sort of adaptability that is available a market economy, and along these lines, the arranged economy responds more slow to changes in purchaser needs and fluctuating examples of gracefully and request. Then again, an arranged economy targets utilizing every single accessible asset for creating creation as opposed to allotting the assets either for publicizing or showcasing. Blended Economy: A blended economy joins components of both the arranged and the market economies in one durable framework. This implies certain highlights from both market and arranged monetary frameworks are taken to shape this sort of economy. This framework wins in numerous nations where neither the administration nor the business substances control the monetary exercises of that nation the two divisions assume a significant job in the financial dynamic of the nation. In a blended economy there is adaptability in certain regions and government control in others. Blended economies incorporate both entrepreneur and social financial strategies and frequently emerge in social orders that try to adjust a wide scope of political and monetary perspectives. http://www.economywatch.com/world_economic-pointers/type English Airways works in the Mixed monetary framework as British Airways was privatized on February 1987 and the administration has less intercession as its a privately owned business the main mediation that the legislature would have is just setting the costs of the air tickets. What is Social Welfare: Social government assistance is about how individuals, convey and establishments in a general public make a move to give certain base measures and certain chances. It is commonly about helping individuals confronting possibilities. Social government assistance which British Airways accomplishes for its workers. Social Welfare Policy: Is fundamentally to improve and secure the way of life of the individuals or residents as a whole.â In the United Kingdom the Name â€Å"Social Policy† is utilized to apply to the approaches that the administration utilizes for government assistance and social insurance and the manners by which government assistance is essentially evolved in a general public. There are different social government assistance arrangements that the United Kingdoms receives and they are: Social government assistance arrangement that British Airways has received/follows: The effect that social government assistance starts on British Airways just as the more extensive network is initially that British Airways receiving the work place guideline is that it benefits the representatives of British Airways and that the workers can work with no head experts as British Airways has given all it representatives preparing in security measures, in addition to rest time is given to the representatives and to the team individuals from British Airways convenience is given in light of the fact that the group is regularly flying for unlimited hours/long excursions. The laborers are likewise made alarm about the essential terms and conditio

Death Valley, the Lowest and Hottest Place in the U.S.

Passing Valley, the Lowest and Hottest Place in the U.S. Passing Valley is an enormous piece of the Mojave Desert situated in California close to its outskirt with Nevada. The vast majority of Death Valley is in Inyo County, California and includes the greater part of Death Valley National Park. Demise Valley is critical to the United States geology since it is viewed as the absolute bottom in the coterminous U.S. at a height of - 282 feet (- 86 m). The area is additionally one of the most blazing and driest in the nation. The Vast Area Passing Valley has a territory of around 3,000 square miles (7,800 sq km) and runs from the north toward the south. It is limited by the Amargosa Range toward the east, the Panamint Range toward the west, the Sylvania Mountains toward the north and the Owlshead Mountains toward the south. From Lowest to Highest Passing Valley is found just 76 miles (123 km) from Mount Whitney, the most noteworthy point in the coterminous U.S. at 14,505 feet (4,421 m). The Climate The atmosphere of Death Valley is parched and in light of the fact that it is limited by mountains on all sides, hot, dry air masses regularly get caught in the valley. In this way, amazingly hot temperatures are normal in the region. The most smoking temperature at any point recorded in Death Valley was 134Â °F (57.1Â °C) at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913. Temperature Normal summer temperatures in Death Valley habitually surpass 100Â °F (37Â °C) and the normal August high temperature for Furnace Creek is 113.9Â °F (45.5Â °C). On the other hand, the normal January low is 39.3Â °F (4.1Â °C). The Big Basin Demise Valley is a piece of the U.S. Bowl and Range area as it is a depressed spot encircled by exceptionally high mountain ranges. Geographically, bowl and range geography is framed by shortcoming development in the locale that makes the land drop down to shape valleys and land to ascend to shape mountains. Salt in the Land Passing Valley likewise contains salt dish which show that the territory was at one time a huge inland ocean during the Pleistocene age. As the Earth warmed into the Holocene, the lake in Death Valley vanished to what it is today. The Native Tribe Generally, Death Valley has been home to Native American clans and today, the Timbisha clan, which has been in the valley for at any rate 1,000 years, occupies the locale. Turning into a National Monument On February 11, 1933, Death Valley was made a National Monument by President Herbert Hoover. In 1994, the zone was re-assigned as a National Park. Vegetation A large portion of the vegetation in Death Valley comprises of low-lying bushes or no vegetation except if close to a water source. At some of Death Valleys higher areas, Joshua Trees and Bristlecone Pines can be found. In the spring after winter downpours, Death Valley is known to have huge plant and flower sprouts in its wetter regions. Untamed life Passing Valley is home to a wide range of kinds of little well evolved creatures, flying creatures, and reptiles. There are additionally an assortment of bigger warm blooded creatures in the zone which incorporate Bighorn Sheep, coyotes, wildcats, pack foxes and mountain lions.To get familiar with Death Valley, visit the official site of Death Valley National Park. References Wikipedia. (2010, March 16). Demise Valley - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Recovered from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_ValleyWikipedia. (2010, March 11). Passing Valley National Park - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Recovered from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley_National_Park

Whats Your Superpower (and Who Cares)

Whats Your Superpower (and Who Cares) When you hear about superpower, what is it that first comes to your mind?Superman? Batman? Spiderman?The entertainment industry has had success in painting a picture of how human beings can become superhuman beings. Is it a wonder that clothing designed to look like Superman’s outfits sell all over the world?But fictional characters are not the only definition of super powers.Superpower can also mean a unique ability which is within you. It could be that there is no-one else with it or those with it are simply few. Still, that is a limited way of looking at it.Your superpower could very well be somewhat common in the sense that there are other people in the world with the ability. But it is still unique in the sense that it sets you and those like you apart.IS YOUR SUPERPOWER AN IMPORTANT ABILITY?Yes, it is. If you are yet to recognize this, then please learn to appreciate yourself. Get to know what you are truly good at. The things you can do very well without much struggle. Basic ally, get to know your strengths.Your superpower is the ability which makes you succeed in business or in school. It is what enables you to outperform others in a game or exam.Looking around you, you will notice your friends also have their own unique abilities. These are their superpowers.Being what makes you do something better than others, your superpower is an important ability. That is why you need to know it. After you know it, don’t just sit on it. Work it out and with continued practice, you will hone it like any other skill you have learned.Your satisfaction in life is tightly connected to your superpower. If you get to know it and practice it, you will enjoy life more than the average person. You will start leaning towards that ability and hopefully seek to benefit others through it.That is what your superpower is meant to be. A tool to help you become of benefit to the world.Understanding your superpower is just as important as understanding your strengths and weaknesse s. These help you make choices around career, a life partner, decisions on which team to join etc.Since like many other people you most likely have several strengths, your superpower is the strength that dwarfs all the others. Taking some alone time to reflect on your strengths will help you recognize which on is the strongest.You can also ask your family to help you with this as they may have noticed some of your abilities.Like the fictional characters, your superpower gives you an advantage just as Spiderman can crawl on walls while Superman can’t.SAMPLE SUPERPOWERSBelow are some of the superpowers evident in some people. See whether you identify with any of these. If you do, then it’s time you developed it.EnduranceEndurance is a real superpower, especially when you consider those with it.Picture world marathon runners. Someone running 42 km (26.2 miles) will need great endurance. Marathons are not races to be run fast. They take time and the drain on your energy is great.Tha t is why many cannot do it though they can at least be among the spectators to watch the race.The 2018 Berlin marathon was won by Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya. He took 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 milliseconds to finish the 42 km race.If you were to compete against him, how long would you take?Marathoners do train hard, just like other sportsmen and sportswomen. Apart from the training, there is a natural ability for them to be able to achieve the success they do.For example, in Kenya, most successful athletes come from highland areas located in the Rift Valley. This means that it is the people born and brought up in these areas that have an ability to maintain the energy and endurance for such a long race.In life, if you have endurance it may have been seen through the challenges you have faced and overcome. Apart from physical endurance, you may also have mental endurance. This is one ability most successful entrepreneurs will say they either had or cultivated.Since building a business i s not easy, mental endurance is needed. There will be times when no money is being generated, yet you have to keep going. Your idea may backfire but you still have to keep going. Idea after idea may fail but to realize success, you have to keep on moving.This sets some entrepreneurs apart from others. Those who perform well often talk of endurance as a necessity. Something they couldn’t do without.This endurance is either inborn or cultivated. But for those who have it naturally, for them it is a real superpower.Breathing under waterMention swimming and one of the names that come to mind is Michael Phelps. With a total of 28 medals, he is currently the most decorated Olympian of all time. Though a good competitive swimmer, Phelps cannot stay under water for long.Can you?If you can, then you have a great superpower.Imagine scuba diving with no oxygen tank on your back. You swim underwater for hours exploring and taking pictures of the marine life without the need of coming up for a ir. This would not only be a career success but a popularity success too.The average human can breathe underwater for approximately 2 minutes. The Guinness World Record is held by Aleix Segura of Spain who did it for 24 minutes 3 seconds.Such a superpower can land you enjoyable jobs with the best documentary producers in the world. You would also quickly turn into a celebrity due to the many movies you will be asked to act in.OmnilingualismThere are more than 6,500 languages in the world today and most of them have native speakers as well as those who learn the language later.It may be a job requirement when your company wants to post employees abroad.If you are an American and speak English fluently, you will have to learn the new language of where you will be posted. That can be a serious challenge. It can be especially challenging learning languages which don’t use the alphabets you are used to. For example Chinese.But what if you didn’t need to learn any language at all?This is where omnilingualism comes in. If this is your superpower, then the moment you hear a new language, you automatically understand it. With omnilingualism, the parts of your brain that handle language will very quickly take up the new language. It wold not be a work of translation but you will speak as though it was your mother tongue.WritingWriting may seem or sound like a simple job to be done. But this is not the case. Any media house which publishes some material understands this well enough.Whereas some may think that writing is just a matter of picking a pen and writing, there is more to it. You have to plan, decide what subject to write about and choose the writing style and of course, the right words.Many of the people who read novels are the ones most likely to disregard this superpower.Considering that writing is essentially an expression of what is going on in the mind or heart of the writer, it is no wonder that those who know less tend to be ignorant of what it takes. These people think that writing is the same as talking, the only difference being that writing means putting those thoughts in paper form.General talking is usually very informal and that cannot go into books. Therefore, serious authors need to know grammar. If they don’t know it, then the editor will have to fill that space.Something else, the material has to flow well and be attractive for the readers.One good example of a writer is William Shakespeare. His writings are appreciated all over the world and are being used in literature classes way after he passed on.If you are good at expressing your thoughts or ideas through writing, then that could be your superpower. If you can for example easily start and finish writing a novel in record time, include some writing styles like poetry and the like, then you should not despise that skill.Knowing it as your superpower should help you focus on utilizing it for your own benefit as well as that of others.DiplomacyThere are those who a lways see an opportunity to bring people together when there are conflicts. It might be a simple argument which has deteriorated. Or a serious challenge which threatens to destabilize the unity of a family or peace of a nation.These people will put their efforts towards reconciling the warring parties. And although reconciliation is never an easy thing to achieve, this will be done with less of a struggle than others would have faced.Diplomacy is a sensitive topic.It is also utilized in business and can come in handy when your company is facing some wrath from customers. In such a situation, diplomacy is the skill which will be used to calm the customers down and engage all parties until the contentious issue is resolved.This is what also happens during employee strikes or go-slows. Even if the management has the power to ‘force’ people back to work and fire those who don’t agree with it, this is rarely the path that will be followed.There will have to be someone with the abil ity of calming people down and bringing them to an agreement.Diplomatic people are usually peace and harmony-loving individuals who prefer to see peace in as many areas as possible.Are you one of them?Organizing or planningFrom organizing large events to the smaller ones like birthday parties celebrated at home, there are people who do it well. The full scale of this skill is seen in the planning of national events as done by some event organizers.Although they have teams working with them, there is always one person who is overseeing all the work being done. From getting to know the requirements, contacting individual service providers to watching over the event as it goes underway, these people are real gems.With an ability to see the full image of how an event will be, how the venue will be decorated, guests coming in etc, they ensure nothing goes wrong. They will give directions accordingly and with the dedication they have, see to it that the clients’ expectations are met.Thi s trait can be seen early in children. Signs like a child always keeping tabs on what needs to be done and reminding others of their responsibilities or roles, indicate a child could be a planner. Once the skill is identified, it is best that training and developing the skill starts early.This way, the child becomes confident from an early age. In school, he will be quick to not only give insight on what should be done in a project, but can also take the lead in projects. This is without much persuasion from teachers or fellow students.By the time the child is an adult, he will be very successful in using the ability he has. And the beneficiary as always, is the society at large.Are you a great planner?Connecting with animalsThere are two kinds of animals: wild and domestic. While you may be used to the domesticated ones e.g. cows, goats, sheep etc, what about the wild? Can you interact with them freely as you would with a dog or sheep?For you to attempt that, you will have to do a lot of reasoning and get assurance from the most reliable sources that you will not get hurt. Still, you may approach the animals with a lot of caution as you are not sure whether it will stay calm and friendly.But talking about superpowers, there is one man whose superpower is connecting and interacting with wild animals. And his favorite are lions.He also plays with hyenas. Yes, those laughing animals known for their greed and powerful jaws.Watch a video of him and these animals below. When you think about it, between him and the lions, who exactly is the main tourist attraction? Looking at those big cats is certainly a beautiful view. But what about this man who lies in the arms of lions and tickles hyenas?Kevin Richardson got to know his superpower and put it to use. Now people will get to watch great documentaries since there are more humans who can fix a camera on a lion to see what it sees wherever it goes.Fast learnerEveryone says they are fast learners, especially when writ ing resumes and going for interviews. But a closer look would tell you that those statements are very far from the truth.If you are a real fast learner, you will have an exceptional ability to understand the material you interact with. If it is school material, you will normally not need to study as hard as the others are doing.It might be that once the teacher teaches in class and you concentrate, automatically that is understood and there is no more need to study again.Normally, if you are a fast learner, you will typically have good memory. The memory is an essential added value. It aids in facilitating the storage of images and any other material as well as retrieve them when required.For employment purposes, being a fast learner can offer great returns on investments to your employer. This is because you can quickly understand the problem at hand and offer solutions.This will make you one of the most valuable employees. You can also do well in the tech world where things change quickly.Decision-makingMaking decisions is a difficult thing. And making hard decisions is more difficult.If you are the founder of a struggling startup, do you close shop or persist and see whether things will be better in the next 3 months?In case you choose to stay and hope for the best, how sure are you that this time round things will work out better?Considering that the more you stay, the higher the bills and the losses, how do you know that this isn’t an opportunity for you to quit and save some cash?On the other hand, what if you gave up on your idea then 1 month later, receive an online order whose value would have sustained the business for two months?Decision-making as a superpower is not just about making decisions.Decisions are made daily. You decide to get out of bed, take a shower, have breakfast, drive to work and not walk etc. But critical decisions need a level of super ability.That is why great decision makers become great leaders in whatever industry they oper ate in.If working as employees in an organization, they are rewarded through big allowances, high salaries and some of the best perks. The reason is simple: take care of something not many are willing or have the ability to.To understand this, consider that those positions are high-risk and full of pressure. But there are those who manage well enough.Such can comfortably say that it is their superpower that is working behind the scenes.CONCLUSIONEveryone was created with a unique ability. The worst that can happen is for you not to know what your superpower is. If you don’t, you may try copying other people but the struggle will just cause you frustration. Get to know your superpower and live a more meaningful and fun life.

Starbucks Essay Example Pdf - Free Essay Example

Recruitment at Starbucks Starbucks is a speciality coffee house which originated in Seattle. Today the organisation has over 15,000 outlets worldwide. It sells a range of hot and cold drinks, food items and accessories. Its philosophy is to create an experience for the customer and a human connection. With the introduction of the Starbucks Card purchasing drinks, food etc. from the outlets has now been made a lot easier. Customers can top up their cards and use them as a method of payment. Starbucks products are also available from supermarkets. Some of the range includes packets of coffee, coffee makers, gift sets etc. Starbucks is constantly innovating its offer to keep up to date with competition from McDonalds, Cafe Nero, Costa Coffee etc. You are required to answer the following questions making reference to Starbucks. Task 1 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Recruitment, Selection and Retention A Barista at Starbucks must have a number of personal characteristics and skills which will enable them to carry out their role. These skills and characteristics are likely to include friendliness, attention to detail, a commitment to providing customer service and an ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Pilbeam and Coridge indicate that successful resourcing is as much to do with good organisational fit as it is to do with HRM best practice, and therefore the first stage of recruitment should be to undertake a role or person specification in order to establish the skills and attributes necessary for the role. Phillips and Gully suggest that successful recruitment, selection and retention should also be aligned to the strategic objectives of the firm and therefore care and consideration should be given to the most suitable recruitment and selection methods in order to ensure they will attract the best potential candidates and also that the entire process will result i n long term employee retention. Bratton and Gold state that recruitment is the process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organisation. Selection is the process by which managers and others use specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants a person or persons more likely to succeed in the job(s), given management goals and legal requirements. Accordingly, Torrington et al observe that there are a number of alternative recruitment and selection strategies including interview, assessment centre, and psychological testing. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages and therefore it is not uncommon for multiple approaches to be used in combination depending on the seniority of the role in question. However, before recruitment and selection can commence it is necessary to determine a suitable specification for the role. Thus the suggested specification for a Barista at Starbucks is given below:- Figure 1: Personal Specification Template for a Barista at Starbucks (Source, Author) Requirement Essential or Desirable? Qualifications / Education / Training: No essential qualifications required, food safety or food hygiene would be desirable Desirable Experience: Customer service, food handling, retail Essential Knowledge: Some retail knowledge would be desirable, along with a knowledge of various coffees Desirable Skills Competencies: attention to detail; ability to work in a high pressure environment, customer-centric Essential Personal Attributes: open friendly, keen to provide an exceptional customer experience Essential Other: Prepared to go the extra mile to offer exceptional service and use own initiative when necessary in order to promote the brand and concept Desirable The specification is not exhaustive and further attributes may be considered such as an ability to communicate in more than one language, especially if the location of the outlet is such that overseas tourists regularly visit (eg parts of London). The most cost-effective form of recruitment and selection process for Baristas would be CV and subsequent interview as managers in Starbucks at a local level have a clear idea of their local customer demographic and demand and thus potential applications who submit a CV can be easily screened for desirable and essential skills and attributes. The manager can then interview potential applications before making a decision on selection. An interview has further benefits as it allows the manager to identify the personal attributes and characteristics of the application in order to assess how the application would fit within the existing team, as much of the Starbucks ethos and working model requires a high level of teamwork. Potent ial questions which might be asked at interview for the Barista would include asking the application to describe their retail experiences to date and getting them to explain how these experiences have relevance at Starbucks. This would test for depth of experience and also organisational fit in terms of focus on the customer experience. Other technical questions might relate to Food safety and handling in order to ensure that the application understands the critical importance of this when delivering an exceptional customer experience. From a regulatory perspective the manager conducting the interview must be sure not to inadvertently discriminate against any potential applications during any stage of the recruitment and selection process. Therefore all applications must be asked identical questions and none should relate to issues of gender, age, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. In short, Starbucks is proud of its heritage as an equal opportunities employer. During th e recruitment process potential applications must be offered full opportunity to ask their own questions in order to ensure that they fully appreciate the nature of the role which they may be committing to. Task 2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Building Winning Teams One of the foremost scholars of team building, Meredith Belbin, identified that in order to function effectively an organisational team requires members with different skills and attributes. In her research she identified that there are nine alternative team roles as she described them (see Appendix for full details). Belbin observed that the most effective teams possessed at least 5 and ideally 7 of the roles, and that an individual member within a team was capable of fulfilling more than one role, but rarely more than two. Tuckman established that when people are first brought together in a team they experience various stages of team development, popularly referred to as forming, norming, storming and performing. This concept is reflected in Figure 2 overleaf. In short, the theory holds that as employee are brought together in a group they experience an evolutionary process whereby they come to understand and appreciate one anothers skills and strengths and then utilise the se complementary skills for the best advantage of the team as a whole. History has shown that Tuckmans theory has almost universal application, however, when used in combination with Belbins theory it becomes even more powerful as it becomes possible to identify in advance whether or not a group I likely to succeed based on the unique skills and attributes of each team member. For example, if there are too many plants within a group then it is likely that the group will be highly creative but the ideas will rarely be translated into action. Similarly, too many co-ordinations is likely to result in arguments as the co-ordinator role is known to be quite stubborn and even manipulative. When applying these theories and concepts to teams at Starbucks it can be observed that different skills are required for different parts of the operation. Holistic observation of a team working at Starbucks demonstrates the power of team working. Each person has a defined role which they foc us upon in order to ensure maximum efficiency and quality of output. For example in any Starbucks outlet one person focuses on taking orders and payments, another one or two (depending on the size of the outlet) focus on making the orders and a further team members is constantly ensuring that the outlet is clean and tidy and well stocked. It can be suggested that this requires a high level of group communication and co-ordination and also a high level of trust as those baristas making the coffee must take on trust the orders given to them by their colleagues. Similarly because two Baristas can work on the same order simultaneously there must be complete understanding and uniformity to the order production process such that they can interchange their roles at any point. Under Tuckmans model it is clear that a team in Starbucks is at the very least in the norming stage of the model and most probably at the performing stage. The concept of team work within organisations has g ained increasing prominence in recent years and with good reason as highly effective teams are more efficient and productive. Furthermore, Armstrong identifies the benefits of empowering team members within a role so that they feel more engaged with the organisation and therefore more committed to delivering the best possible experience for the customer or client. At Starbucks one means of achieving this would be to ensure that every team member is fully cross-functional and that they are given stretch performance targets which require them to work as a team. Full cross-functionality means that each team member has an appreciation for other roles and therefore they tend to be more considerate of outcomes. Moreover, a cross -functional team which has accountability for its own results will typically find more effective means of delivering a service in order to reach targets. Armstrong also discusses how increased responsibility and accountability increase engagement which in turn increases motivation. Some HRM scholars regard the relationship between engagement and motivation as symbiotic, but there is little doubt that engagement and motivation are strong indicators of a high performance team that is committed to exceed expectation and delivering exceptional service. Furthermore, research by Saunders demonstrates that highly engaged teams have lower levels of staff churn. This point is useful as it is closely correlated to the previously discussed matter of recruitment and retention, and thus if the right people are brought into the organisation and they are motivated to stay because they feel the business (for whatever reason) is a good fit for them, then there is reduced churn, increased engagement and greater productivity. In summation, engaged team members are more profitable for the business and thus it becomes a mutually beneficial relationship. Task 3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Leadership Motivation There is a vast amount of literature and research which embraces the topic of leadership; furthermore, leadership theories have experienced a considerable amount of transition over time as societal perceptions of leadership have changed. Leadership has been defined by Mcquire and Molbherg as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Theories of leadership range for discussions as to the traits of leaders their styles of leadership and transactional and transformational theories of leadership. One of the most popular theories used to explain leadership style is the Managerial Grid as developed by Blake and Mouton and shown in figure 3 below:- As can be seen in the figure, the Managerial Grid examines the prevailing managerial technique of leaders within an organisation in order to identify their preferred style. In ideal circumstances Blake and Mouton believe that a manager and leader should adopt a team style which is participative and empowering and allows the employees of the organisation to make their own decisions within the remit of the organisations objectives. It can be suggested that the concepts of the Managerial Grid share some parallels with the discussions as to transformational and transactional leadership whereby Burns argues that in the longer term transformation leadership is far more effective because it empowers employees to deliver the best possible performance as they have accountability for their own daily working lives. It is evident that there are close linkages between leadership and motivation insofar as good leaders motivate their employees and team members to succeed through a combination of techniques such as engagement, empowerment and delegation of power. Armstrong and Cheese et al believe that the use of these techniques in conjunction with other factors such as employee voice ensure that individual employees align their p ersonal aims and objectives with those of the organisation and therefore voluntarily strive to ensure that the service provided by the organisation is a success. It should also be acknowledge that several scholars perceive there is a difference between a manager and a leader within an organisation. The distinction is subtle and relates to the fact that managers generally focus on day to day operational tasks and leaders tend to occupy a more strategic role. However the distinction is certainly not clear cut and considerable debate still centres on this division of roles. Furthermore a leader can also be a manager by dint of their role within the organisation, and thus leadership tends to be regarded as a personality trait as opposed to an organisational position. In short, a leader tends to be more effective at motivating and inspiring employees because of their ability to engage them and encourage them to strive for enhanced performance. In times of change and developme nt, and also in times of difficult circumstances such as recession, leadership and talent management skills are highly valued. In application to Starbucks it should be observed that in times of recession when consumers tend to cut back on luxuries such as coffee from coffee shops, Starbucks must strive to offer improved service to customers in order to retain them. The managers (and ideally leaders) of Starbucks must also continually strive to motivate Baristas to deliver exceptional service even when customers become more demanding. This concept is closely correlated with that change management and goal setting whereby engaging Baristas with the process can ensure that they feel empowered to respond to the challenge and that they have responsibility for it. At a local level this may mean running small promotions which would suit the customer demographic in order to attract and retain more customers. Furthermore, if Starbucks wish to retain their employees it is prudent to con tinue to invest in training and development in order to ensure that they are highly skilled and capable of responding rapidly to changes in customer demand. This might include job exchanges with Baristas from other retail outlets in order to share best practice, or creating a forum where Baristas can put forward their suggestions for improvement. Although these are relatively small steps they can help individual Baristas to progress within Starbucks and this ensures that Starbucks generates a reputation as an employer of choice which fosters home grown talent and treats employees with fairness and respect. Research into the prevailing management style at Starbucks reveals that they have a relatively flat hierarchy which ensures that it is easy to disseminate information widely and effectively within the organisation. Starbucks has a clear mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time and this is fully evidenced in their training policies and ethos. The structure and leadership style of Starbucks also ensures that the business can be responsive to customer needs because the baristas are in direct contact with customers every single day and also have the necessary mechanisms to ensure that they can provide valid and timely feedback to their managers in order to improve the customer experience. Task 4 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Work and Development Needs and Performance Management Armstrong defines performance management as a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such, it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure that it is achieved. It is important to observe that from a HRM perspective performance management is not solely concerned with disciplinary procedures, but rather it is concerned with ensuring that each and every employee has the necessary support to achieve their objectives and potential. Thus, performance management is often closely correlated with learning and development as in order to achieve to their maximum potential employees must continue to expand their skills and to develop their capabilities. Furthermore, scholars such as Benson et al have observed a link between training and development and employee retention, which as previously identifie d, helps to ensure increased engagement and reduced employee churn. However in order to monitor and improve employee performance it is first necessary to set suitable objectives and targets and to apply metrics and benchmarks to these objectives and targets in order to objectively assess employee performance and development. At Starbucks there are two core elements which form the basis of employee performance; these are technical capability that is to say the ability to consistently produce a high quality cup of coffee, and secondly the ability to interact with other stakeholders including team colleagues and customers. The former can be objectively assessed by observation against agreed performance metrics such as speed of production and consistency of taste. This has benefit to individual employees and Starbucks as a whole because it ensures consistency of service and product quality across the network of franchises meaning that the reputation of Starbucks is maintained a nd also that Baristas are employable across a range of franchises that they may be prepared to travel to, thus increasing their value to the company. The second performance metric to assess is more intangible and pertains to perceived service level and customer and colleague interaction. In terms of colleague interaction this can be assessed through a variety of measures such as 360 degree feedback, line manager observation and self-reflection during a performance review. Research has shown that generally speaking individual employees are reasonably self-aware of their skills and capabilities and it is rare that a performance review highlights anything that the employee was not at least already aware of at some level. However the benefit of performance review is that it can demonstrate to individual employees specific areas where they could improve or would benefit from training to enhance their skills set. For example a food safety certificate to help ensure that an indivi dual franchise was fully compliant with legislation, or perhaps rudimentary book-keeping skills to help ensure that the cash is managed accurately in each store. In terms of assessing Barista performance when interacting with customers this can be achieved through feedback forms and customer incentives. For example it is becoming increasingly common that receipts from retailers encourage customers to provide feedback about their service online. This has the dual benefit of helping the organisation to become more engaged with customers and response more rapidly to customer feedback. It can also be used to gather individual barista feedback if specific questions in the feedback questionnaire relate to performance and service such as speed and friendliness and helpfulness of the Barista. The information gathered from feedback surveys can be fed back to each barista in regular performance reviews in order to help them identify areas of development and subsequently improve perfo rmance. As noted at the outset of this section, performance management techniques should not be designed with the sole intention of discipline employees, although it is almost inevitable that at some stage a form of discipline may be required for certain employee. However, best practice makes it clear that regular performance reviews can help to forestall any such issues as if they are held regularly and reasonably frequently it should be possible to forestall any problems before they become issues of concern. Finally it is necessary to consider how Starbucks applies principles of delegation in order to motivate Baristas. As discussed previously in this review, Starbucks encourages team working and the creation of stretch targets to help Baristas develop and to take responsibility for their own areas of production. This approach is closely linked to effective performance management because empowering Baristas to set and achieve their own targets helps to motivate them to ac hieve as they feel in control of their targets and daily responsibilities. Targets can be used to monitor and evaluate Barista performance and at each performance review they can be revised as necessary in order to help the Barista improve. For example in the early days of a baristas employment this could be to improve the speed of production and to obtain a certain customer service rating. In due course this could progress to internal training courses in advanced customer service management and customer experience. This holistic process also helps Baristas to appreciate that they are valued and therefore this leads to them becoming more engaged and motivated and delivering improved performance. References Armstrong, M. (2009) A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (11th Edition) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Kogan Page, London Beardwell, J. Claydon, T. (2007) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach (5th Edition) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Pearson Education, London Belbin, R.M. (2010) Management teams: why they succeed or fail. 3rd ed. London: Butterworth-Heinemann. Benson, G. S., Finegold, D., Mohrman, S. A. (2004) You paid for the skills, now keep them: Tuition-reimbursement and voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 47(3): 315à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"331. Blake, R.; Mouton, J. (1985). The Managerial Grid III: The Key to Leadership Excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co. Bloisi, W. 2007. Management and organisational behaviour. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. Boddy, D (2008) Management: An Introduction (4th Edition) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Prentice Hall, London Bratton, J. Gold (2007). Work and organizational behaviour. 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macm illan. Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper and Row Publishers Inc.. Cheese, P., Thomas, R.J. and Craig, E. (2008) The talent powered organization: strategies for globalization, talent management and high performance. London: Kogan Page. Foti, R.J., Hauenstein, N.M.A. (2007). Pattern and variable approaches in leadership emergence and effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 347-355. Govaerts, Natalie, et al. (2010) Influence of learning and working climate on the retention of talented employees, Journal of Workplace Learning 23:1. Harrison R (2009) Learning and Development, London, CIPD Hoque, K Noon, M (2004) Equal Opportunities Policy and Practice in Britain in Work, Employment Society vol.18 no.3 pp.481-506 Huczynski A, Buchanan D (2003) Organisational Behaviour: An Introductory Text à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Pearson Higher Education, London Mcquire, D., Molbherg J. K., (2011) Human Resource Development Theory Practice London: Sage. Murphy, N. (2009) Talent managements role in a time of recession. IRS Employment Review. No 927, 13 August. 5pp. Phillips and Gully (2009) Strategic Staffing Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, pp12-35 Pilbeam, S. Corbridge, M. (2010) People Resourcing: Contemporary HRM in practice. 4th ed. London: Prentice Hall International. Ch 2 Saunders, M.N.K., (2011) Trust and strategic change: an organisational justice perspective in R Searle and D Skinner (eds) Trust and Human Resource Management. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Starbucks (2012) Search and Apply [online] available at https://careers.starbucks.co.uk/job-search-and-apply retrieved 3rd Feb 2012 Starbucks (2012) Mission Statement [online] available at https://starbucks.co.uk/about-us/company-information/mission-statement retrieved 3rd Feb 2012 Torrington, D. Hall, L. Taylor S (2007) Human Resource Management (7th Edition) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Prentice Hall, London Zaccaro, S. J., Gulick, L.M.V. Khare, V.P. (2008). Personality and leadership. In C. J. Hoyt, G. R. Goethals D. R. Forsyth (Eds.), Leadership at the crossroads (Vol 1) (pp. 13-29). Westport, CT: Praege