Antigone vs. Juliet

Written by Sophocles, Antigone is an ancient Greek tragedy that discusses two girls’ decision to bury their dead brother despite the fact that the king will execute anyone who tries to do so. Should they honor the god’s laws, but risk their own lives in the process? On the other hand, Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare about two young lovers from feuding families. The play ends in much grief as both of the lovers die due to unfortunate circumstances. While these two pieces of text are very different, they still share certain commonalities. For instance, the two main female characters, Antigone and Juliet, possess similar personality characteristics, such as rashness, loyalty, and courage, which help classify them in the archetype of a tragic heroine. To begin with, both Antigone and Juliet are very brave and rebellious. They are strong characters who fight for what they want and what they feel is right. For example, Antigone is willing to bury her brother Polyneices even though she knows that she is putting her own life on the line. Her sister Ismene warns her of the risks, but Antigone knows that she will put into action what she feels she is morally obligated to do. Similarly, Juliet shows these daring personality traits. During Shakespearean times, parents arranged marriages for their children, and daughters were expected to be obedient and respectful towards their parents. However, Juliet goes against her father because of her love for Romeo. She openly disrespects her authority, which leads to her being threatened of being left out on the streets; these actions certainly take a lot of bravery. Additionally, both of these characters use their fearlessness to rebel against fate when they commit suicide. Antigone is caught for burying Polyneices, but Antigone kills herself first so that she can die at her own hand. Juliet stabs herself with a dagger so that she can die with Romeo, her one true love. Both of these stubborn and defiant women refused to accept their fate, so they took it into their own hands. Clearly, these two ladies are strong and act on their own terms. Added to that, Antigone and Juliet are both impatient in their behavior. Their reckless and impulsive choices lead to misery in their lives. For example, Antigone is being rash when she decides to bury her brother. Instead of thinking of a logical and practical plan, she wants to immediately break the law to get it done. If Antigone had talked to Creon about her thoughts, she might have swayed his decision. After all, they are family, and Creon does understand that it would be the moral thing to do. Unfortunately, Antigone acts too quickly, and the tragic events unravel soon afterwards. Furthermore, Antigone kills herself in the tomb before she can be saved by Creon. She makes the hasty choice to end her life, but is unaware of the fact her life could have been saved just a few moments later. Comparatively, Juliet also shows that she is an impatient person. Firstly, her love with Romeo was very rushed. They meet, pronounce their love, and marry all in just a couple of days. The rational thing to do would be to slow down their relationship; Friar Lawrence advises them to do so because long love prospers. However, Juliet and Romeo disregard his advice, and they quickly profess to each other and become husband and wife. Their hurried actions create problems in the future. Sadly, both of the characters must suffer for the choices that they make. Lastly, Antigone and Juliet are very loyal. While they are rash and rebellious, they are still very honorable people. Being a tragic heroine, it’s important to be respected by the audience. Antigone shows her loyalty when she wants to bury her brother. Firstly, her strong desire to honor her sibling displays the love that she has for her family. Furthermore, she shows how noble she is because she wants to do the right thing no matter what. She chooses to honor the god’s laws instead of King Creon’s law. Juliet is also a loyal character because she always stays true to Romeo. Her love lies with her husband, and she does everything she can to be with him and she never betrays him. For instance, she disobeys her parents by choosing not to marry Paris, and she also takes a potion to fake her death despite her many fears. She fears that she will be killed by the potion, wake up before Romeo arrives to her in the tomb, or go insane because of it, but she throws her fears away and drinks it anyways because of her loyalty to Romeo. This shows a lot of her character and who she really is. Furthermore, she even goes as far as killing herself to be with her husband, even in the afterlife. No one can say that these two characters don’t stay true to what they believe in. In summary, these two characters’ rashness, bravery, and honor demonstrate how they are perfect examples of a tragic heroine. Their flaws have led them to mistakes in judgment and other future complications. In this case, both of these females are rash and impatient. However, they are still respected and are good people despite their faults, so they are still liked by the audience. These qualities, found in Juliet and Antigone, represent the epitome of the tragic heroine archetype.

The Debilitating Effects of Tv on Children

Subject: â€Å"The Debilitating Effects of TV on Children† Topic: u02d2 The Debilitating Effects of TV on Children Author: Dolores Staggs Date: October 18, 2012 1:15 AM J. Grohol (2009, September 9) â€Å"The Debilitating Effects of TV on Children† The main arguments that the author is making are:TV can be very detrimental to the mental development of children and teenagers. And that it should only be allowed in moderation. Not â€Å"whenever they want† and â€Å"as much as they want. † The main purpose of this article is: To show that Americans watch way too much TV and are raising their children in the same manner.Oblivious to its negative effects on their child's development. The evidence or facts the author uses in this article to support their arguments are: Researchers at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons concluded in 2007, for example, that 14-year-olds who watched one or more hours of television daily â€Å"were at elevated risk for po or homework completion, negative attitudes toward school, poor grades, and long-term academic failure. † Those who watched three or more hours a day were at even greater risk for â€Å"subsequent attention and learning difficulties,† and were the least likely to go to college.The main conclusion[s]/inference[s] in this article are: Kids who watch TV are more likely to smoke, to be overweight, to suffer from sleep difficulties, and have other health risk. And are less likely to be successful. No child under age two should watch television at all, the Academy of American Pediatrics advised in 1998. The main assumptions underlying the author’s thinking are: Most parents tend to use TV as a babysitter and do not monitor or care what their kids watch regardless of the future consequences. References Grohol, J. (2009). The Debilitating Effects of TV on Children.

Winnie-the-Pooh

Milne named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was the basis for the character Christopher Robin. Christopher's toys also lent their names to most of the other characters, except for Owl and Rabbit, as well as the Gopher character, who was added in the Disney version. Christopher Robin's toy bear is now on display at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library in New York. [2] Harry Colebourne and Winnie, 1914 Christopher Milne had named his toy bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear which he often saw at London Zoo, and â€Å"Pooh†, a swan they had met while on holiday. The bear cub was purchased from a hunter for $20 by Canadian Lieutenant Harry Colebourn in White River, Ontario, Canada, while en route to England during the First World War. He named the bear â€Å"Winnie† after his hometown in Winnipeg, Manitoba. â€Å"Winnie† was surreptitiously brought to England with her owner, and gained unofficial recognition as The Fort Garry Horse regimental mascot. Colebourne left Winnie at the London Zoo while he and his unit were in France; after the war she was officially donated to the zoo, as she had become a much loved attraction there. [3] Pooh the swan appears as a character in its own right in When We Were Very Young. In the first chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne offers this explanation of why Winnie-the-Pooh is often called simply â€Å"Pooh†: â€Å"But his arms were so stiff †¦ they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, and whenever a fly came and settled on his nose he had to blow it off. And I think — but I am not sure — that that is why he is always called Pooh. † Ashdown Forest: the setting for the stories The Winnie-the-Pooh stories are set in Ashdown Forest, Sussex, England. The forest is a large area of tranquil open heathland on the highest sandy ridges of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty situated 30 miles (50 km) south of London. In 1925 Milne, a Londoner, bought a country home a mile to the north of the forest at Cotchford Farm, near Hartfield. According to Christopher Milne, while his father continued to live in London â€Å"†¦ he four of us—he, his wife, his son and his son's nanny—would pile into a large blue, chauffeur-driven Fiat and travel down every Saturday morning and back again every Monday afternoon. And we would spend a whole glorious month there in the spring and two months in the summer. † [4] From the front lawn the family had a view across a meadow to a line of alders that fringed the River Medway, beyond which the ground rose through more trees until finally â€Å"above them, in the faraway distance, crowning the view, was a bare hilltop. In the center of this hilltop was a clump of pines. † Most of his father's visits to the forest at this time were, he noted, family expeditions on foot â€Å"to make yet another attempt to count the pine trees on Gill's Lap or to search for the marsh gentian†. Christopher added that, inspired by Ashdown Forest, his father had made it â€Å"the setting for two of his books, finishing the second little over three years after his arrival†. Many locations in the stories can be linked to real places in and around the forest. As Christopher Milne wrote in his autobiography: â€Å"Pooh’s forest and Ashdown Forest are identical†. For example, the fictional â€Å"Hundred Acre Wood† was in reality Five Hundred Acre Wood; Galleon's Leap was inspired by the prominent hilltop of Gill's Lap, while a clump of trees just north of Gill's Lap became Christopher Robin's The Enchanted Place because no-one had ever been able to count whether there were sixty-three or sixty-four trees in the circle. [5] The landscapes depicted in E. H.  Shepard’s illustrations for the Winnie-the-Pooh books are directly inspired by the distinctive landscape of Ashdown Forest, with its high, open heathlands of heather, gorse, bracken and silver birch punctuated by hilltop clumps of pine trees. In many cases Shepard's illustrations can be matched to actual views, allowing for a degree of artistic license. Shepard's sketches of pine trees and other forest scenes are on display at the V&A Museum in London. The game of Poohsticks was originally played by Christopher Milne on a footbridge across a tributary of the River Medway in Posingford Wood, close to Cotchford Farm. It is traditional to play the game there using sticks gathered in nearby woodland. When the footbridge required replacement in recent times the engineer designed a new structure based closely on the drawings by E. H. Shepard of the bridge in the original books, as the bridge did not originally appear as the artist drew it. An information board at the bridge describes how to play the game. First publication Winnie-the-Pooh's debut in the 24 December 1925 London Evening News There are three claimants, depending on the precise question posed. Christopher Robin's teddy bear, Edward, made his character debut in a poem called â€Å"Teddy Bear† in Milne's book of children's verse When We Were Very Young (6 November 1924) although his true first appearance was within the 13 February 1924 edition of Punch magazine which contained the same poem along with other stories by Milne and Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name on 24 December 1925, in a Christmas story commissioned and published by the London newspaper The Evening News. It was illustrated by J. H. Dowd. [6] The first collection of Pooh stories appeared in the book Winnie-the-Pooh. The Evening News Christmas story reappeared as the first chapter of the book, and at the very beginning it explained that Pooh was in fact Christopher Robin's Edward Bear, who had simply been renamed by the boy. The book was published in October 1926 by the publisher of Milne's earlier children's work, Methuen, in England, and E. P. Dutton in the United States.

Dystopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dystopia - Essay Example The fictional novel depicts life in the fictional futuristic society. The following discourse thematically focuses on the book in view of trying to find its relevance to human life. In order to portray the specific thematic issues in the story, the novel has a characteristic plot in which the author validates all her fictional themes. She sets the story in a post-civil war society known as the Gilead Republic. The republic lies in the modern day United States and the story begins with a military revolution that overthrows the government of the United States after an Islamic terrorist group bombs the society thus killing both the president and a section of the congress. This creates room for the radical and extremist military group to disregard the constitution. Instead, they put in place an authoritative form of governance. In fact, they change the name of the society to ‘Gilead Republic’ where they rule with an iron fist. Among the fundamental social changes that the ne w regime institutes is the confiscation of all the financial resources previously belonging to women. This way, the new government incapacitates women thus reversing the previous gender roles prevalent in the United States. The new government introduces a cashless society following the implementation of an electronic payment mechanism. The technology permits the government to monitor all the financial resources belonging to women thereby confiscating such. Additionally, the new government ran by the group referring to as themselves as the â€Å"Sons of Jacob† bans the employment of women. The seizure of all the finances previously belonging to women by freezing their bank accounts coupled with the ban on women employment reverses the gender roles as the new government redefines the women roles in the society. through the poor financial policies instituted by the new government, the society plunges into abject poverty as viral diseases spread through the region thus reducing t he population of the previous United states (Hammer 35). The author thus narrates the story through the first person narration technique by following the life of one of the key women in the new society. Offred was an average American woman in the previous civilization; she had a respectable family with a husband and a daughter. As an upper middle class American woman, she had a respectable lifestyle and avoided the prevalent viral diseases that began spread before the collapse of the previous regime. In the new government, Offred is a concubine just as all other women in the new republic. However, unlike many others, she is health and therefore serves as a tool for reproduction. The Commander known as Fred keeps Offred as a concubine but unlike any other, he considers using her to foster his lineage. the following story is therefore of betrayals as the various characters both male and female strive to survive in the new authoritarian society. The author of the novel selects the feat ures of the novel strategically in order to validate her claims. Among the styles she uses is the futuristic position of the novel. She understands that the issues she raises had never been experienced neither in the past nor in the present society. However, placement is a fundamental literary feature. She must place the plot in both a time and a society in order to earn some relevance to her

Michael Baxandall's painting and experience in 15th century Italy Essay

Michael Baxandall's painting and experience in 15th century Italy - Essay Example The essay "Michael Baxandall's painting and experience in 15th century Italy" discovers the Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy By Michael Baxandall. The contracts were usually flexible, and there was regular contact between the artist and client during the production phase. The details of color were often specified, since the ingredients of some colors, like gold, silver, and blue, were either expensive or available in different qualities. Though the importance of gold diminished as the 15th century wore on, partly as a result of a general cultural movement away from ostentatious displays of wealth as well as a general shortage of gold and the Christian asceticism that was beginning to make its influence felt. However, as the use of blue and gold faded, something had to replace the gilding traditionally found behind the figures in the foreground. Thus, landscapes, angels, and other things were employed to fill the space, and the skill of the artist became more conspic uous and more important, as did the distinction between rates for the work of the â€Å"master† artist as opposed to his apprentices. Little reason existed to critique such works, and few written examples of such opinions have survived; those that have are somewhat unhelpful – what is meant by virile as opposed to sweet or angelic air? Changes in the visual skills of the members of the culture as well as their experience of everyday life were reflected in the paintings of the time much more quickly than under.

Socilogy of Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Socilogy of Organisation - Essay Example The term 'power' is obtained from the French term 'poeir' which implies 'being able to take action'. Power is characterised by the ability to carry out or proceed efficiently inclusive of the situational context where not to proceed is considered as most effectual. In a democratic framework, power is essentially categorised against itself, in the archetypal tripartite segmentation of power in governmental, executive and legal power, for example. In modern pluralistic democracies the distribution of power has further implication which is particularly not restricted to the dominion of formal politics. Issues of power concern to languages, communication, promotion, technologies, sciences, fashions, designs, management and varieties of other fields. Evidently, it can be concluded that 'power is everywhere' in terms of relational definition of power attributing to omnipresence, multiplication and dynamism, not restricted to the 'centres of power', as prevalent in legislative organizations and political institutions, for instance. Power is an important aspect of organizational analysis. ... r, in organizational analysis the primary emphasis is on 'power over' in which coercion put prominence on asymmetrical framework while commanding over on resources, like possession on the mode of fabrication, and consent, on the other hand, put stresses on authorities as 'gripping power' revealing a control over all the resources for and after production. There are several numbers of classifications explaining the inferences power over another - the phenomenon is defined as 'forms of power' as described by Russell (1938), subcategorised fundamentally in two headings - - Influence over individuals - Psychological types of influence (Russell, 1938). While understanding the function of an organizational structure, the fundamental methodologies employed to understand the implementation of power need to be recognized. The forms of influence, in practice, are broken down into three general subtypes - - The power of Force and coercion - The power of Inducement and group conformity - The power of Propaganda and/or practice On the other hand, the psychological influences can be subdivided into three distinctive forms such as - - Traditional - Revolutionary - Naked These subtypes can be overlapped with the forms of influences in certain given contexts, for instance, naked power can be trimmed down into coercion alone. Coercion is found to be affected by the influence of carceral power, which is essentially characterised by the experience of agents as 'imprisoned' by virtue of the use of power as a force, as described by Marx, or the attainability of the knowledge of its ability (Weber). Resistance may be overcome by the presence of compliance, which is known as subjectification as 'power through' rather than the presence of naked use of power at the form coercion, which is

Perfusion-weighted imaging (PW) MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) Essay

Perfusion-weighted imaging (PW) MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) - Essay Example Either endogenous or exogenous tracers (that is, either native or non-native) can be utilized to regulate haemodynamic quantities, for instance blood movement, blood capacity, and the average time it consumes for the tracer molecule to go through the tissue, or the average transit time. (Luypaert et al., 2001) 1-Exogenous tracer for example gadolinium 2- Utilizing arterial body fluid as an endogenous tracer. 2- Exogenous tracers Perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) utilizing exogenous tracers confu on magnetic vulnerability and inflow influences to get haemodynamic stats. An exogenous tracer such as gadolinium (in the compound Gd-DTPA or gadolinium diethyltriamine pentaacetate) can be inoculated into the venous mechanism (Luypaert et al., 2001). There is a temporary signal loss as the gadolinium perfuse through the tissues, which can be trailed by MRI. Gd-DTPA is paramagnetic; consequently a change in susceptibility happens between capillaries comprising gadolinium and the nearby tissues . This consequences in robust field gradients in the vicinity of the vessel barriers, bringing to straight signal phasing out in both gradient echo illustrations and diffusion-mediated in spin echo illustrations. Simulation Figure 1: Graphic summary of perfusion-weighted MRI procedure when utilizing intravascular tracers Figure 1 Simulation Figure 2 reveals perfusion-weighted illustrations as gadolinium goes through the brain. There is a postponement before the bolus of tracer blowouts the tissue. As it initializes to rinse through, the signal reduces. As it goes out, the signal returns to normal. Figure 2 Gd appear like to an exogenous tracer that is inoculated into the blood stream and trailed serially with T2*EPI. A signal loss is persuaded every time that GD goes through the capacity of concentration due to the susceptibility influences from the paramagnetic tracer. As it goes through the vessels, a strong gradient is created at the vessel boundaries, which hints to a decrease o f the signal. This damage of signal is proportionate to the concentration of gadolinum. The signal versus time curve can be utilized to make the concentration time curve, which is deconvoluted to get haemodyamic outcomes such as blood movement, blood capacity, and average transit time. Dynamic imaging takes benefit of passing variations in the resident magnetic arena of the adjacent tissue persuaded by a bolus of paramagnetic tracer going through the tissue capillary system. These variations in the native magnetic field can be dignified as signal variation on Magnetic Resonance imaging. Ultrafast illustration methodologies, for example echo planar and helical MR imaging, permit the correct dimension of quickly changing signal variations that are because of the principal permit of the bolus with satisfactory time-based resolution which less than 2 seconds for exposure of the whole brain (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1999). Signal time progress stats can then be transformed to com parative tracer tissue absorption time progression info. Tracer application time curvatures can then be examined to regulate numerous tissue hemodynamic factors, for example tissue blood capacity, blood movement, transportation time, and bolus

Icon Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Icon - Research Paper Example Similarly shapes tend to impact mind in informative way (Ciotti par 1-5). The Icons used by Microsoft represents freedom and four colored blocks in the icon tell about aspects and range of products in which freedom is claimed. The information shared from an Icon design is easy to remember. The products aim at fulfilling consumer demands created by market dynamics. They are changed in order to have greater audience and fixate consumers with product characteristics. History of Icon creation is old and dates back to the Greek era. Churches, Citadels and certain Buildings wore Icons to make people feel their imposing presence. Today Icons are created and re-launched in different ways to convey variety of messages; there are fonts, shapes, abstract images or even simple lines to represent ideas, groups and consortium etc. For example some icons are colorless like that of Apple, Mercedes and certain news channels. They actually convey neutrality, balance or a message of calmness. Toblerone, one of the finest chocolate companies from Bern, Switzerland has a hidden silhouette in its Icon. A bear in mountain illustration conveys the product to be originally from Bern, The City of Bears. Icon used by Baskin Robbins flashes a figure of 31 whenever seen or reminded of. Similarly an arrow that forms a smiley under amazon.com has a tail on ‘A’ and head on letter ‘Z’. It conveys availability of almost everything one needs (Ad par 4 -8). These icons convey in variety of ways and are helpful in marketing of products and services. With time some icons lose their attraction or magnetism in the face of human psychological process of habituation. People stop paying attention and sometime more attractive and imposing icons surface as competitors with better marketing stunt. Microsoft can be cited as an example. The internet explorer in Microsoft operating system is not being used by most

Oligopoly in the Beer Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oligopoly in the Beer Industry - Essay Example The U.S. beer industry is dominated by three major brewers: Anheuser-Busch, the makers of Budweiser and Michelob, SAB Miller, and Morson Coors. These three account for over 80% of total beer production and are large breweries with annual shipments of over 15 million barrels (31 gallons per barrel) nationwide and abroad. Most of these breweries are located in Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin, and New York State (Tremblay and Tremblay, 2005). Regional breweries produce between 15,000 and 15 million barrels a year, with brews distributed in specific regions. Most regional breweries are privately held such as Pabst and Latrobe. Regional breweries account for approximately 15% of total U.S. beer shipments. Most of these breweries are located in Pennsylvania, Oregon, Wisconsin, and California (Goldammer, 2005). At the bottom of the industry pyramid are microbreweries and brewpubs, "craft brewers" that produce specialty niche products. They ship less than 15,000 barrels of beer each year and began growing in numbers in the late 1970s. Brewpubs are restaurant-breweries that sell its beer on-premise, a common practice of European producers, and rarely exceed 5,000 barrels in annual output (Goldammer, 2005). The industry is highly compet... These were developed after the "price wars" in the last three decades, giving consumers the impression of choice in price, taste, and image, and giving microbreweries and importers the opportunity to enter the market in the 1990s (Tremblay and Tremblay, 2005). Other factors, such as the growing size of the Hispanic market, an expanding economy, consumer interest in higher-priced beers, and the wave of market consolidation where the large breweries began buying regional and small breweries led to industry growth. However, sales in recent years have remained flat (Anheuser-Busch grew by only 0.7% in 2005) due to the health effects of beer and competition from beverages such as wine seen to be healthier. Characteristic of the competition is the recent decision by InBev (of Belgium) to sell regional brewer Rolling Rock to Anheuser-Busch (U.S.) and of SAB (South Africa) to buy Miller in 2002. InBev's decision was made after realizing that though it is the biggest brewer in the world - it bottles premium brands Beck's and Stella Artois - it prefers not to compete with Anheuser-Busch in the locally-brewed segment, limiting itself instead to selling its high margin, imported premium brands (Hannaford, 2006). The U.S. beer market is therefore full of breweries of all sizes, all with a domestic and some even with an international presence, and foreign brands making inroads into the higher margin specialty brands where the larger, more established brewers are competing with small regional and microbreweries and brewpubs. The nature of the competition, however, is such that larger breweries, which include InBev and SAB which established its presence through its purchase of Miller, can resort

Recruitment in the workplace Essay Example for Free

Recruitment in the workplace Essay In this report, I am going to describe and explain the recruitment and selection process and the different stages that the business has to go through when filling a vacantly Recruitment is when an organisation identifies a vacancy and from the range of applicants that require a job, the organisation employ the best candidate from the application forms received to fill the vacancy in order for the business to run efficiently. Selection is when all the applicants are shortlisted and from them, the employer chosen the best candidate for the job role. The human resources (HR) department are required to work for the organisation by recruiting, training staff also motivating them to work hard in the business. If the employees are trained and recruited correctly, it would show that the business is successfully operating. There are also many other tasks the HR department do such as giving employees promotions and a wage/salary boost, annual appraisals and other employee benefits. Recruitment can be internal or external depending on the job role and the vacancy being filled. Internal recruitment is when an employee already within the business fills a vacancy rather than employing someone outside the business. The vacancy for internal recruitment can be advertised by putting up notice boards, on the intranet and it can also be discussed during staff meetings on who would be the best person to fill the vacancy. The advantages of recruiting internally in the business are that when performing an induction for them, it will not be as difficult because the employee would be familiar with the business workplace and surroundings also it is quicker and less expensive than recruiting someone externally because the amount of candidates is already been narrowed down to certain employees inside the business. The disadvantages if recruiting internally is that the person filling the vacancy from inside the business may not have all the required skills and qualifications to perform the job effectively and by recruiting someone externally offers a versatile range of skills, qualities, experience and qualifications. External recruitment is when someone from outside the business is employed to fill a vacancy. This is a more common approach when recruiting as there is a larger range of candidates that have different skills and abilities. There are many ways to recruit externally. Most businesses will advertise using media such as the internet, newspapers, company newsletters and magazines. Another way to recruit is to go to the job centre and tell them that the company has a vacancy and eventually there will be a range of different candidates with different levels of experience, qualifications and skills. The advantages of using external recruitment are that a wider audience can be reached which increases the chance that the business will be able to recruit the skills it needs also the disadvantages mentioned for internal recruitment are advantages of external recruitment. The disadvantages of external recruitment are firstly even if the new employee has all the experience and skills required for the job, he may not be able to adapt to the businesses system and therefore will take longer to familiarize with the workplace and the employees however with internal recruitment, you would not have this problem. During the recruitment process, candidates must go through seven different stages before a suitable candidate can be chosen and made an employee in the business. This applies to both internal and external recruitment. The seven stages are: 1) Identify a vacancy This is when the business makes it known that a job is available and currently vacant so this could be because an employee has either left the business and this could be for a number of different reasons for example One reason could be that they have had a disagreement and there has been conflict between them and the owner or manager or another reason could be because they have had a better offer from a different business and they are receiving a better wage or salary. Recruitment does not have to be permanent as female employees could be on a maternity leave or an employee could be sick for a long time so they will need someone to cover for them while they return to their job and in these cases, most businesses would internally recruit someone and the advantages of this are its quicker and causes less hassle. Human resources will need to formally agree with the department that is requiring an employee to fill the vacancy so a replacement can be searched for immediately. Since recruiting employees cost a large amount of money, the business will only hire employees if it is absolutely vital for their business to run efficiently as the money could be spent on other parts of the business such as paying off any bills or ordering stock. 2) Draw up a job description This is when the job is described in detail so firstly, the name of the job or job title. This is important because it gives a brief ideas of what the job involves e. g.if the job that is a marketing director, the candidates applying for the job will know what they are applying for just from the name. Marketing means to advertise the products and make sure the customers are aware of what products the business offers and persuade them to buy it. Some job titles may change over time such as in schools, the head teacher may chance to principal or head master to give a different feel to the job and possibly increase the prestige and responsibility of the job. Job description also includes employment conditions such as how much the employee will get paid and how many hours a work so for example a cashier could get i 5. 50 per hour so if they work 8 hours a week for 6 days then they will receive ai 264 a week. The employee will also need to know how much pay they will receive and that depends on whether the business pays an annual salary or wages every week. If the employee is temporarily working then they may receive the same pay as the employee they are covering for e. g. john is a cashier who earns i 7 an hour and he is off sick long term so an internal employee is recruited and will receive the same pay until john is healthy and fit enough to work again. The business will be looking to recruit someone that not only matches the job description but also has additional qualities which will make them be more conspicuous. Finally, the job description will include duties and responsibilities that are involved in the job and have to be performed on a daily basis so the applicants will understand how important the job is and how hard they will have to work. Job security is another element in the job description which will tell the employee how long they are being employed for because not all jobs are permanent as mentioned before, employers can just temporarily fill a vacancy and once that person returns to their job, the temporary employee will have to leave the job. The job description will also have a large variety of candidates all after the same job with different skills and traits. This is an example of a job description. It shows what the job is (which is a technical support engineer), the required skills but also useful and desirable extra skills which could be the difference to whether they are recruited or not and the qualifications and experience are required also. The desired skills mention what experience they have so has the candidate worked before and if so how long for, education is their school, college and university placements and what they have achieved in the time they have spent there also the work status is what type of job they like as there is part- time which is only a couple of hours so no more than 30 hours in a week. full-time work is over 30 hours a week and this shows that they may in the job for a long time and the befits of working full time are that the organization will provide you with annual leave, sick leave and health insurance also the hours they work are more flexible however, the most popular and more rewarding benefit is the fact that full time workers will get paid more money that part time workers because they are dedicating more time to the business. 3) Draw up a person specification This is when the employer entails the physical, mental and any other requirement requirements that a candidate needs in order to perform the tasks effectively and successfully such as training and experience e. g. if the business was to be a chauffeur, the person applying for the job would probably need a long driving career which would show that they have a lot of experience and also be able to drive under pressure and quickly. P000rofessional qualifications such as GCSEs and A-level qualifications such as GCEs will also be required to show they have a thorough understanding of the job and may make it easier for them to perform the job e. g. an accountant will need a range of different qualifications so the requirements may be that they will need a Degree, preferably in maths, accountancy, business studies, economics or finance. However, it is possible to become an accountant with lower school qualifications. Without A Levels it is possible to acquire the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification, which is fully recognised in the trade. Office juniors can work up to accountant level, but you have to have GCSEs and preferably A Level to begin with. Qualifications show that the candidate has been studying in recent years and are prepared for them job they are going to apply for. Experience is also required in the person specification as it could be the different to whether a candidate is employed or not. Having a high level of experience in a certain field of work will show that the candidate is well trained and has the acquired skills for the job and also shows that they will require less training e. g. if the job being applied for was a cashier, someone who has already worked in other businesses undertaking the same job role will know what they are doing so they dont need a very detailed induction and require less training also they may be able to generate a higher income perform their tasks more efficiently. A candidate new to the field of work may find it more difficult to get the job will sufficient experience as they may have never done this job before however they me able to bring new ideas or if they have performed similar jobs then they can use that knowledge to perform the job as a cashier. Candidates must also have competence which is the ability of a person to perform tasks and take on certain responsible. The more competent a person is, the better they can perform their duties e. g.a business would rather have a more competent employee that can do their job to a high standard by producing quality output results such as high sales or revenue because it would prove more successful in the long run also having a incompetent employee would require the business to waste their time and money training them especially if they are young candidates who have possibly just finished their education or have finished a degree. The advantages of having a competent employee are that they are reliable for getting their task done efficiently and are resilient to their job. The disadvantage could be that since they may be extremely good at one job but if told to perform a different task they may struggle as it may not play to their strengths e. g. if the job was a reporter, and the employee was very competent in their job but then their manager asks them to illustrate their findings in a more abstract such as creating a presentation, this does not work well for them as they may be so accustomed to writing reports that they dont have a clue how to create a presentation and this is a disadvantage for competent employees as they dont offer that versatility. Essential skills will have to be met in order to get the job such as in a call centre, the person will definitely need fluent communication and also be responsive to customer calls. Essential skills are what an employee should have in order to complete the job and if they dont have the essential criteria then they may be rejected. They can also have personal or desirable skills such as being able to work a computer effectively so they can type up emails quickly rather than constantly calling or being able to co-operate in a team and possibly even lead a team to successfully complete a task or assignment. They are not absolutely necessary but will help them and make them look like a stronger candidate so they may be a possibility that they are shortlisted and interviewed. The criteria from the person specification are important when shortlisting the candidates as only the best will be put through to the interview stage and then finally accepted. This is an example of a person specification for film co-ordination and development. It shows what skills are compulsory or essential and what skills are optional or desirable and can help candidates when it comes to shortlisting as they are more likely to be chosen than a different person who has fewer additional skills. Candidates must be versatile and not just resilient for the job. The job shows that in the qualifications category they need a couple of A-level or equivalent qualifications but there are also desirable skills they could have such as GCSEs in the field of work possibly drama. It shows that the candidate must have a minimum of 2 years experience and be able to manage finances and use ICT well however they can also have desirable skills such as being able to manage and supervise staff. Personal aptitude and skills are general skills that a candidate should have or either picked up from past jobs and experience such as communication and teamwork skills. Disposition is something that would be useful to have and would possibly make their job more enjoyable. Any other requirements can be helpful as it would also make them a stronger candidate. 4) Advertise the Vacancy This is when the vacancy is publicised and the business try to get unemployed people to apply for the job. One way to advertise the job is to put it on a local newspaper as they are read by many business men and women so the business can receive a few applicants that are in need of a job and have scanned through a newspaper and found one. The advantages of this are that it will be read by a variety of people and hopefully attract more candidates. The job advertisement is written by the personnel department similarly when marketing a product. The presentation of the advertisement is important as the candidates will receive their first impressions from it and will judge whether it is good or not and also whether they would like to work for the business. On the advertisement it should include the description of the job and mention the main requirements, where the job is going to be located so the candidates know where they will work, how much salary they are expected to receive however it may not be the exact amount on the advertisement as it may vary, address and contact numbers if necessary and the company logo. The more detail that is put into the advertisement the better and more informative it will be however making the advertisement too long can make it look unprofessional. This is an example of a job advert for royal mail and as a job advert should, it includes all the important details such as the job title, company name, contact details and their salary. However it may not look very appealing. This advert is just to make sure that the general public is aware of the job and if anyone is interested and they meet the requirements then they may apply and possibly get shortlisted for an interview. 5) Shortlist the applicants when short listing, the applications that were most appealing and may be considered for the job are listed by the human resources department. It is drawn up by using criteria from the person specification such as qualifications and experience that the candidate has to see if it is enough for them to be able to handle the new job they are applying for also any other skills and attributes they have acquired through other job would be helpful for the candidates. The selection process will begin and the employer will be looking to fill the vacancy with the best candidate amongst the applications. They will then all be individually contacted so an interview can be arranged. The candidates can be informed in many different ways such as letters of initiation in which a brief document is sent to notify the candidates about whether they will be called up for an interview. The suitable candidates will be those who meet the exact criteria of the job description so for example if the job was to be a IT technician and the job description required them to have 5 years experience working in a ICT related firm and also the business may ask for certain qualifications such as a degree in computing and A-Levels in Maths and IT to a grade B standard. Those who meet these requirements will be shortlisted as suitable candidates because they meet the exact requirements or are slightly above these requirements however they are not guaranteed to get the job but have a good chance. There is then possible candidates which may meet some of the requirements such as they may have the qualifications but not enough experience which could then mean if they are employed, they will have to go thorough a comprehensive induction programme and be well trained by a more experienced technician and this could cost the business a lot of money but on the other hand they may have some characteristics that other candidates dont have such as they may be more able to speak multiple languages which could be helpful because the business may communicate with other countries on a regular basis with suppliers an customers. Finally those candidates who do not meet the requirements will be rejected and can no longer continue in the recruitment process. This can be down to a number of reasons with the most obvious being that they do not meet the requirements or they have provided false details. The job description and person specification must be used as the basis for short-listing. 6) Interview the applicants The interviewer must also be prepared when interviewing the candidates that have been shortlisted. They will need to come up with a set of questions to ask the candidates and this can either be done themselves or they can get a panel of from the human resources department to do interview. The questions that are set must be asked to all candidates in the same manner as it states in the equal opportunities requirements policy. Since this will be the first time that the employer and candidate meet face-to-face, they will need to make a good impression by greeting them with a warm welcome and shaking hands is a good way to start a mutual relationship with the employer since the interview may be appointed the vacancy. The interviewer or panel will have a list of criteria to see how the candidate compares to the requirements for the job. It is essential that the interviewers carry copies of the candidates application forms, curriculum vitae and to support this, a covering letter will be required. To get the best out the candidates being interviewed, they must be relaxed and be able to answer questions calmly and correctly so the interview knows everything they need to know about the candidate and their personality. Questions in the interview should be have a mixture of open and closed questions and will be predetermined and should be all-round such as asking about previous jobs or company such as: 1) What do you think of the last company you worked for? 2) Why did you join your previous company? 3) Did they live up to your expectations? 4) Why are you leaving now? 5) What did you earn in your last job? Also asking questions relating to the new job / company such as: 1) Why do you want this job? 2) What qualities do you think will be required for this job? 3) What can you contribute? 4) What interests you about our product (or service)? 5) What can we (the new company) A list of questions could be asked relating to the candidate such as: 1) How do you handle criticism? 2) How would you describe yourself? 3) How would others describe you? 4) Do you consider yourself successful? 5) What was your greatest success? Body language and posture is also important during an interview as candidates are not just judged on their communication skills. The interviewer and the candidate want it run as smoothly as possible and both should sit in the correct way such as having their feet firmly on the floor and using gestures with hands if necessary For it portrays that youve difficulties controlling your anxiety about the interview process if the candidate is not seated comfortably. Making good eye contact with the candidate being interviewed is very crucial. The feeling of not getting the interviewees attention can be frustrating and will give the wrong impression to the interviewer. When asked a question that the candidate finds difficult and requires time to think, it is not good to frown. Facing the question with a smile proves that youre composed at stressful situations. When closing the interview, the candidate should possibly raise any questions they have for the job role or about the business they will be working for however, there shouldnt be a long time spent asking questions as can get tedious. The interviewer should then politely thank the candidate for appearing and answering the questions they have been asked and hope they have a safe journey home. 7) Select and Appoint the Best Candidate this is the final stage of the recruitment process were candidates have been interviewed everything is taken into account and the interview is then evaluated. The employer will select the candidate that has been exceptional throughout the process and has been rated highly in all areas. The candidate will be contacted via a telephone call to notify them that they have got the job and then it is up to the candidate on whether they would like to fill the vacancy and if they accept, they will have to make a formal offer and if it goes according to plan, the candidate and the employer will meet formally to finalise the process of recruitment and formally agree on the job however, the employer will want references before the candidate takes on the job. This is known as the appointment stage. Once they have been contacted and recruited into the business, They are expected to start their new job however, if the chosen candidate should refuse the job then the business will require the second best candidate to step forward and they will be contacted immediately to inform them of what has happened and why the decision has changed. For the unfortunate candidates that have not got the job and have been rejected, the will be provided with feedback on why they have not been employed and how well their interview went.

Employee Turnover In Pharmaceutical Companies In Kenya Management Essay

Employee Turnover In Pharmaceutical Companies In Kenya Management Essay The objective of the study was to investigate employee turnover problem in Pharmaceutical industries in Kenya with a case study of Ranbaxy Laboratories limited. The study specifically investigated on staff retention measures utilized by the management, whether exit interviews are conducted, and the competitiveness of reward program and whether the conduciveness of the work place environment as factors that may contribute to workforce turnover in this sector. The study adopted a descriptive research design to identify the employee turnover factors and a sample size of 50 employees were selected using a simple random sampling since the population for the purpose of this study was regarded as homogeneous. The study collected both primary and secondary data using semi-structured questionnaire and review of empirical and theoretical literatures respectively. The instruments were pilot tested for reliability checks. Statistical software SPSS was used for data analysis and generation of charts and graphs. Analysis took both descriptive and inferential dimensions where some elements of measure of central tendency and regression analysis were employed respectively. The study revealed that organization lacked effective staff retention strategies, where exit interviews were not regularly and effectively conducted, the employed reward program was not competitive and existence of unfriendly work place environment influenced most employees to leave the organization. Thus it was concluded that lack of effective strategies to manage these factors influenced most pharmaceutical companies to continue experiencing high staff turnover rates that lower the total organization productivity and increase running costs by recurrent recruitment costs, production disrupting and broken clients relationships. The study recommended that these factors should be part of the organization business strategy rather than being left to managers to act. Key Words: Employee turnover, Retention strategies, Exit interviews, Work environment and, Compensation. Introduction Turnover is the rate at which workers are replaced with new staff members in an organization. Turnover rate is calculated by dividing the number of resignations by number of staff in a given period of time usually a calendar year. Gberevbie, (2008) refers to frequent labor turnover as a state of affairs in an organization whereby employees for reasons best known to them based on their perception of personnel policies and practice of an organization resign or leave their job. Employees switch organizations for several reasons. These reasons could be either organization related or job related. Managers would readily agree that retaining the top performers results in higher customer satisfaction, quality improvement, effective succession planning and a considerable increase in organization knowledge and learning. Smith (2001) discusses companies with work environments that attract and retain people and where people are willing to give their best. These environments arent expensive. In f act, they save money.   In most cases, they improve retention and productivity without lavish salaries or bonuses. And they certainly lower the expense of continually hiring and training new people. Estimates suggest that separation, replacement and training costs are 1.5 to 2.5 times annual salary for each person who quits, which means that the departure of a middle manager usually costs an organization around $75,000 (Dalton et al., 1993). Employees who perceive relationships with customers provide better service. Customers who receive better service express fewer complaints and thereby create fewer problems for employees. Employees in turn react more favorably to encounters with customers. These reactions result in better service which again leads to higher customer satisfaction. Providing adequate health care to the populations remains a major challenge for governments in Africa .Access of drugs is dependent on both affordability and quality. The pharmaceutical sector is Kenya is dominated by multinational companies and generic companies who either import ready products or locally manufactured products. The domestic pharmaceutical industry shows considerable strength and has significant opportunities for growth. Imported generics make 28% of the market share (UNIDO survey, 2009). The reports goes on to say exports to Tanzania and Uganda are growing and still more potential for Kenya to establish its self as a major source in Southern Sudan. For purpose of this study, the researcher focused on Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, an integrated, research based, international pharmaceutical company producing a wide range of quality, affordable generic medicines, trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across geographies, the company has a unique model of applauding and recognizing individual and team effort through (APPRECIATE) program designed to motivate performance (www.ranbaxy.com). The Companys business philosophy is based on delivering value to its stakeholders by constantly inspiring its people to innovate, achieve excellence and set new global benchmarks. Statement of the Problem The private health sector in Kenya contributes around 13% to the GDP and has largely remained unchanged since 1995(KPPB, 2007). Out of this, Pharmaceutical industries account for a whopping 10.3% in its contribution to the GDP. Although on average this is seen as stagnation, it is considered as one of the largest in East and Central Africa. Nevertheless, due to increased development of conventional medicines and awareness about preventive culture in the urban population, the industry has registered a high level of growth and innovation that has turned the sector into a vibrant business domain. This has seemingly attracted the attention of many entrepreneurs resulting to massive investment both at large and retail scale levels. Empirical studies (Wilson and Peel, 1990) on pharmaceutical industries have indicated that the industry is characterized by a stiff competition. In Kenya, the proliferations of the biotechnology marketplace have greatly revolutionized the industry operations. Organizations are increasingly at risk of losing key sales personnel to competitors and new market entrants. In a recent benchmarking study, Best Practices found that the 2006 aggregate annual turnover of employees for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in Kenya is 14.2%. According to (Paul and Anantharaman, 2003) ,increasing turnover of sales people is particularly problematic for the larger pharmaceutical companies as smaller market entrants, particularly biotechnology firm keep on attracting their employees.. This resulted into massive exodus of employees from the pharmaceutical subsector into these upcoming biotechnology firms since the skills required is the same in both sub sector. This has evidently affected the Pharmaceutical industries since they responded to these pressures by focusing on its innovative segment and increasing its RD expenditures by means of in-house innovation, technological and therapeutic market specialization, and mergers and acquisitions of companies within and outside the pharmaceutical industry resulting to declining profits and stagnation (Kundu Malhan, 2007). Most studies (Delaney and Huselid,1996) done of the employee turnover sought to establish preliminary indices for employee turnover situations in different subsector hence making many statistics that describes the turnover of employees as abundant. In spite of having many studies undertaken on staff turnover in pharmaceutical companies, none of t he studies have managed to come up with an effective solution on how pharmaceutical companies should employ effective staff retention measures, conduct exit interviews, employ effective rewards programs and provide better working envi ronment. This has therefore created a wide knowledge gap on staff turnover management and hence created a need to conduct a study on factors contributing to the employee turnover in pharmaceutical companies in Kenya. Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, which is one of the largest and leading chains in the pharmaceutical laboratories with highest turnover according to the preliminary indices, (Delaney and Huselid, 1996) its recent employee satisfaction survey of 2009 indicated that 50% of the employees felt they would not be in the company for the next two years and 69% felt their intention to quit is influenced by management not peers. Considering Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited as a case, this study therefore sought to investigate the factors that contribute to employee turnover in pharmaceutical industries in Kenya. Overall Objective of the Study The general objective of the study is to investigate factors contributing to the employee turnover in pharmaceutical companies in Kenya, a case study of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Specific Objectives The study aimed to:- To investigate employee retention actions as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. To find out whether exit interviews affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. To find out the competiveness of reward program as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited.. To establish whether the work place environment affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Research Question The study sought answers for the following questions: Does employee retention actions as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Do exit interviews affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Does competiveness of reward program as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Do the work place environment affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Scope of the Study In the literature, the variables that influence the turnover of the employees in an organization is vast. Since human resource management is also a socially complex process which is intertwined with array of organizational factors, it further diversifies the reasons as to why employees leave their organizations. Thus, this study focused only on retention action employed by the organization, exit interviews, competitiveness of reward program and status of workplace environment as factors influencing the employee turnover investigated. The study will limit itself to the case of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited only. Literature Review Both the theoretical and empirical reviews on employee turnover and its variables were conducted. This resulted into array of constructs (retention strategy, exit interviews, reward strategy, workplace environment and employee turnover) and their relationships which was conceptualized in the following schematic diagram below. This was used as the Conceptual framework which guided the study. Retention Strategy Exit Interviews Employee Turnover Reward Strategy Work place Environment Independent Variables Dependant Variable Research Methodology This chapter focused on research design, sampling, instrumentation, data collection, data analysis and interpretation. Research Design The research adopted descriptive approach. This is because, the study aim to describe employee turnover phenomena using different set of independent variable cluster. Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exists, with respect to variables or conditions in a situation (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). Population and Sampling The study focused on pharmaceutical industry in Kenya which is the target population regarded as the larger population on which the findings were generalized to. The study population was mployees of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. A target population is the total collection of elements about which one wishes to make some inferences (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). Stratified random sampling was used to select a sample size of 50 employees out of the total 75 employee of the study population. Since most variables under investigations are related to motivation, stratification is necessary to consider the different cadres of employees which pose motivation implications. This is equivalent to 66.67% sample size. According to Dempsey, (2003) a sample size of 50% is appropriate for generalization of the gathered findings in descriptive research. This therefore surpasses the threshold suggested by Dempsey, (2003) for generalization purposes and thus, regarded as adequate. The list sourced from th e Human Resource department of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited was used as a sampling frame. Data Collection and Instrumentation Primary data collection was through the questionnaire using a semi structured questionnaire that was interviewer-administered. Secondary data was through review of the theoretical and empirical literatures sourced from books and scholarly journals, Internet and conference papers among others. Pilot Test A pilot study was conducted to test reliability of the instrument (questionnaire). This involved selecting 2 respondents from each strata and issuing them with the questionnaires. Data was obtained using the questionnaires and after evaluating and identifying the response, reliability analysis using Kunder-Richardson 20 formulae was conducted. The results were applied to modify or drop the items whose thresholds were low. Data reliability also plays an important role towards generalization of the gathered data to reflect the research objective. Data Analysis and Presentation Descriptive statistics data analysis method was applied to analyze quantitative data where data was scored by calculating the percentages and means. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software was used specifically for the purpose of analyzing the quantitative data and presenting it inform of table, figures and graphs. Linear Regression analysis was also used to show the relationship between research variables. Qualitative data analysis method was employed to analyze qualitative data gathered using open end questions. Summary of the Major Findings Response Rate The response rate was 80%. This is regarded adequate in line with the literature by Mugenda and Mugenda, (2003) which recommends 70% as a good response rate in descriptive studies. Respondents Demographic Profile Majority of the respondents (50%) were within the age bracket 31-40 years, 24% within the age bracket of 18-30, and 13% within the age bracket of 41-50 years and 51 years and above. On the education level, majority of the respondents (62%) had attained university education level and 25% had attained college education level. Regarding working experience most of the respondents (35%) had a working experience of 3-5 years, 25% 6-7 years, 18% 3-5 years, 20% had a working experience of less than 2years and 20% had a working experience of 8 years and above. This indicated that most of the study respondents were experienced and educated and hence expected to give relevant information for this study. Employee Retention Strategies Majority (58%) of the respondents indicated the organization lacked effective employee retention strategies while 42% felt otherwise. The 58% felt management lacked understanding on retention strategies. This concurs with Ruth (2004) that managers who have greater understanding on causes of employee turnover are likely to employ effective employee retention strategies in order to retain competent and most skilled employee. Further 80% of the respondents felt that the strategies employed do not minimize employee turnover. Using Likert scale method rating 4 very effective,3-effective,2-Moderate and 1 not effective 5-very effective, (50%) rated the effectiveness of the employed employee retention strategies as being moderate, 18% effective, 20% not effective and 12% very effective. From this we can infer majority of the employee rated average. This concurs with findings by Baker (2004) that organization that lacks very effectives employee retention strategies faces cases of high employ ee turnover rates that contributes to loss of the most skilled and competent employee. The low standard deviation indicates that there was negligible error during the analysis and the variance results demonstrates that respondents gave similar answers as the answers variation was close to each other and hence giving a clear indication that the answers given were reliable From the findings, it can be concluded that lack of effective employee retention strategies contributed to high employee turnover rates in the organization. Exit Interviews Majority of the respondents (68%) were of the opinion that employees leaving the organization were not subjected to exit interviews. However, 32% of the respondents expressed that the employees were subjected to exit interviews. This agreed with suggestion by Armstrong (2006) that presence of exit interviews in organization assists human resource management to establish the core causes of high employee turnover. Concerning whether exit interviews help the organization to find out the reasons for employee turnover (83%) answered no indicating that exit interviews did not help to establish reasons why employees left the organization and (37%) felt otherwise. The majority who answered no explained that the organization lacked effective exit interview program that helped in capturing the organization problems influencing high employee turnover. Regarding the frequency of conducting exit interviews respondents (47.5%) stated that exit interviews were rarely conducted, 40% stated sometimes , 7.5% never and only 5% who stated exit interviews were always conducted. Exit interviews were rarely conducted since the management was not conscious on the reasons contributing to high employee turnover rates and this agreed with Nelly (2002) that human resource managers who are not mindful about employees turnover do not carry out exit interviews and instead concentrates on employing new employees. The study hence concluded that conducting exit interviews could help human resource management in pharmaceutical to effectively manage high employee turnover rates. The table shows that a low standard deviation was obtained in all questions, indicating that the answers given were accurate. A low variance in all the questions shows that the respondents answered the questions in a similar way and hence the responses given were reliable. Reward Program The study sought to find out competitiveness of the reward program.73% of the respondents felt the reward program was not competitive and it was one of the reasons that influenced employees to leave. This agrees with Nzuve (2007) that absence of competitive rewards in the organization lead to low level of employee motivation that influences most employee to leave the organization hence increasing the rate of employee turnover.85% of the respondents indicated absence of competitive reward programs in the organization contributed to high employee turnover while 15% felt otherwise. As can be observed from the table a mean of 1.27 and 1.85 was obtained in the two questions indicating that organization lacked competitive reward programs and absence of competitive reward programs contributed high employee turnover rates. Work place Environment An overwhelming (80%) of the respondents felt their work environment was not conducive while 20% felt it was conducive. The majority 80% felt that the work environment contributed to employee turnover. Using Likert Scale where 5 -very large externt4-large extent, 3-moderate extent, 2-small extent and 1- not at all, majority of the respondents (60%) stated that work place environment contributed to employee turnover to a very large extent, 20% large extent, 10% moderate extent and 5% small extent and not at all respectively. A mean of 1.20 indicates that organization work place environment was not conducive, a mean of 1.80 shows that work place environment contributed to high employee turnover rate and a mean of 4.25 indicated that work place environment contributed to employee turnover to a large extent. A low variance and a low standard deviation demonstrate that the answers given by the respondents were accurate. Regression Analysis A regression equation to show the relationship between the independent variables and dependant variable was derived Y = a + bX1 + bX2 + bX3 + bX4 + e=r2 The values for b0, b1, b2, b3 and b4 are  .569, .330, .095, .160 and .132 therefore the equation Y = .569+.330+.095+ .160 +.132 This indicates that there is a strong relationship between, employee retention, exit interviews, reward program, work place environment and employee turnover. A coefficient of .330 indicates that application of effective employee retention strategies reduces employee turnover by 0.330,a coefficient of .095 indicates application of exit interviews reduces employee turnover by 0.095. A coefficient of.160 presents that application of effective reward programs reduces employee turnover by 0.16. A coefficient of .132 indicates that conducive workplace environment helps to reduce employee turnover by 0.132. Conclusion Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that employee retention strategy was a major factor that greatly contributed to high employee turnover rates in the organization. The study also found out that one of the critical parameter of collecting data form the exiting employees, exit interviews were not regularly conducted whenever employees left the organization. And this hampered the organization human resource management to identify the core reasons that influenced employees to leave the organization. Lack of competitive reward program greatly contributed to high employee turnover rates in the organization since the organizations reward package was not competitive and also lacks the elements of totality in its reward system. Finally it can be concluded that the organization working environment was not conducive to most of the employees and this contributed to high employee turnover. This is expected since; laboratories like workshops are characteristically identified with the workplace environments which they offer. Recommendations Employee turnover should not be left to be handled by the human resource department alone rather it should be looked at as part of the overall business strategy since human capital is one of the major factors of production. This way , factors that are causing employee turnover will be handled and top management level and action will be taken to minimize employee turnover. Thus the study suggests the need to investigate on the role played by the top management in the alleviating employee turnover investigation as necessary. The study also recommends the need for the managements to be vigilant with their exit interviews so as to get insights of why the employees are leaving while redoubling their efforts in streamlining the motivation package.

Youth Violence Essay

Youth Violence Essay Youth violence is increasing and quickly becoming one of the major concerns in American today. Frequent youth violence can be found at schoolyard, at home, outside, and everywhere in the community. Why dont people ask themselves what is making the youth today so violent, and is there anything they can do to stop this trend? Youth violence is a serious issue, and there are many factors that contribute to youth violence; they are domestic violence, negative media and gangs. The truth is if a child grows up in an unhealthy household then there will more chances for he or she to grow up to be a violent person. Every day, a child witnesses an act of violence not only on television, but also in their own home, from their parents. A home is supposed to be a safe place where children learn how to love and relate to others. However, if they usually see violence in their parents relationship, they would assume that all relationship is always filled with violence. As a result, they look at their parents and think they have the right to do that too, so they will not care what parents have to say to them and just get ideas from the streets which are not good. That is why they are dropping out of school and just hanging out with their friends, which only brings them into trouble, lead to violence. How violence in the media contributes to the many other factors that lead to violent and aggressive behavior in youth? Most of the violence is directed mainly many children and adolescents. However, not every kid who partakes of violent TV shows, movies or video games will become a violent criminal. Two common effects from media are imitation and fear. Todays youth are constantly surrounded by significant acts of violence on TV, in movies, and in video games. Many experts in education and psychology believe that children are acting out what they see. The acts can easily be reacted due to constant exposure. For many children, TV and video games have become their primary role models. Unless parents and teachers take the time and responsibility to teach children respectful values, they will learn problem solving, coping skills and conflict resolution from video role models. Another result is they would be fear from watching unrated movies. Some movies that are meant for adults can be qu ite scary for younger kids, which can cause problems later on in the socialization process. The last common reason that causes youth violence is gangs. There are many of teenagers in gang, who come from bad friends, friends in gang. The only thing they want when join there is just to prove them, to be cool; even they have to fight or kill someone to get in it the gang. That is why they are always ready to do stupid things without thinking about the results, just to let their friends know that they are acting like a hero, a big brother in their group. Another reason is they are always thinking that they are lonely in this world, they have to do everything to survive and their gang friends are only people, who they can do everything and die for. For example, there was a horrific shooting in a Vietnamese restaurant a few months ago. A young guy came into the restaurant, and then he killed all the people around a table in the corner. The reason of his action was he hated a guy in the group of those people. The list of contributing factors to violent behavior in youths is never ending. One thing that the society should remember though is that not just one single factor can be linked to youth violence. To prevent youth violence enlarge, not only an individual do, but the society also has some responsibility to it. For example, the society should limit games and videos that have many violent scenes; parents should take care of their kids much more than at the present.

American History X Essay -- essays research papers

American History X Derek & Danny’s Turning Point   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many factors contribute to decisions we make, often life changing decisions, like we see in â€Å"American History X† with brothers Danny and Derek. Both are active skinheads in Venice California, under command of Cameron Alexander a Neo-Nazi leader. Derek and Danny were not raised as racist, but when their father was killed by a black gang member, their views changed. Derek’s turning point for the better was during his time in jail. His brother is headed in the same direction, but Derek was a major influence in his racist deprogramming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Derek is the oldest of four children, his father was killed in a drive by, by a black gang member. This along with the persuasion of Cameron Alexander, Derek and his younger brother became hardcore skinheads. It took a lot of time, but Derek’s unfortunate experiences changed his racial views. The first we see this, is during the scene where he is released from prison. After his departure from jail, his old principal, Dr. Bob Sweeny, calls him and expresses his concern about the Hitler essay Danny wrote. Derek shares the principals concern and lectures Danny about what he has written, indicating that he has changed his views. Now that we realize he has had second thoughts, Derek warns Danny not to attend Cameron’s skinhead party, despite his word, Danny goes. Derek goes to the party to find Cameron, and tell him he is done, â€Å"I am done with all that bullshit out there and all of your bullshit. I’m out.† Cameron promises to kill Derek and Derek proceeds to beat him senseless. Danny refuses to go back with Derek, so he rushes out of there, after the other skinheads hear what he has done to Cameron.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the party, Danny catches up with Derek, and Derek explains what has caused him to reconsider his racist views. This is a crucial turning point, as we start to see his life in prison. While in jail, Derek becomes friends with the Neo-Nazi prisoners, but soon became disillusioned because of the inter-racial activities between his friends and the black inmates. Despite the racial hostility, the white prisoners bought drugs from the Hispanics. A large part of Derek’s rehabilitation comes when he bonds with a black inmate Lamont, another prisoner he works with. Lamont gives Derek helpful and friend... ... the same one he had a confrontation with earlier. Derek runs in and holds his head, and says â€Å"What did I do? God, what did I do?† This is powerful, in the sense that he feels responsible for the death of his brother, after they had changed their racist views torwards blacks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie ends, with a powerful quote from Danny’s essay, although he is dead. â€Å"Hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time. It’s just not worth it. We are not enemies, but friends.† â€Å" We must not be enemies, though passion may have strength, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cores of memory will swell and again touch as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, I believe that the movie is teaching anti-racism, as seen in the turning point of Derek and Danny Vineyard. Although the movie has shocking scenes, it is the harsh reality of what is really happening in America. The characters were very strong, and had distinct personalities. You can debate whether this is a pro-white movie, or anti-white movie, but I believe that it shows both sides, and you gain what you want from it.

Marmon Group :: essays research papers

Accountants at the Marmon Group, Inc. act as internal consultants for the company in many different capacities. Jim Smith, Marmon’s prior director of cost management says that â€Å"the role of the management accountant is changing dramatically in most of our companies.† Managerial accountants are not seen any longer as simply clerks working on monthly reports but as valuable assets to senior management. Management accountants at Marmon work closely with managers by helping to analyze cost and operating information. They help in decision making by helping managers relate the operations of the company to the bottom line and company costs. According to Horngren, Sundem & Stratton (2005) management accountants are becoming â€Å"an advisor for managers about what information would be useful, what information is available, and how to get the needed information† (pg. 17). These accountants have become a key part of formulating the financial and business strategies of the company and are an essential part of working toward the overall profitability of the organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effective managerial accountants need a wide range of knowledge from both the accounting and the financial aspects of the business as well as overall general business administrative knowledge. A background in the use of general accounting practices as well as information for planning and control, performance evaluations, decision-making, and the statement of cash flows, along with financial statement analysis are key areas managerial accountants should have confidence in. To be an effective internal consultant it is vital that a strong understanding of the general functions of the company and how they interrelate to the ultimate profitability of the organization is a large portion of the consultant’s background.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Accountants gather information to be used in different kinds of ways both internally within the organization and externally for the general public and outside agencies. Information is produced for stockholders who may review a prospectus or an annual financial report when determining whether or not to invest in the company. Organizations such as banks and suppliers are given information in determining credit eligibility and purchase arrangements for the company.