Dracula- Bram Stoker :: English Literature

Dracula- Bram Stoker In my opinion, this is one of the greatest horror books that have ever been written. It is excellent. The book begins with Jonathon Harker- one of the main characters, writing in his journal. From this we see that he is on his way to Transylvania, 'one of the wildest and least known portions of Europe' where he is visiting one of the clients of the accountants firm that he works for in his castle, Castle Dracula. From Budapest, he travels to Bistritz where he stays in the Golden Krone Hotel. The next day he is to travel to the Borgo pass by coach where Draculas carriage will meet him. There are early signs that all is not right: He has queer dreams whilst staying in Budapest, people are very wary of telling him anything of the count or his castle, when he asked the hotel owners what they knew of the Count 'both he and his wife crossed themselves and, saying that they knew nothing at all, refused to speak any further', people try to warn him off going to the castle, the landlady wouldn't let him leave the hotel until she had placed a cross around his neck, even the people on the coach he is taking to meet the counts carriage begin talking of evil things; Satan, vampires, hell. But this is soon forgotten as he journeys, he is absorbed in the beautiful landscape, oblivious to everything else. As they near the Borgo pass he finds that the other people on the coach's behaviour becomes more and more erratic as if they are nervous and frightened, for him as well as themselves. When they arrive to the pass, there is no-one there and they try to persuade him to leave with them but the Counts horseman arrives with the carriage . His appearance is very disturbing. He has eyes 'which seemed red in the lamplight' and red lips with 'sharp looking teeth. He interrogates the coach driver who seems to be very scared of him. There is also something very strange in his behaviour but we cant put our finger on it. Jonathan boards the carriage and begins the final lap of his journey towards the castle. The way in which the journey is described builds up a sense of apprehension, as if this is the beginning of an undescribable horror. The closer to the castle Jonathan gets, the worse it is. He sees a blue flame which the driver runs off into the darkness to inspect. While he is away the wolves of the forest form a ring around him but when the driver comes back, he

Cell Phone Use While Driving Essay

Cell phone use while driving has caused unnecessary injuries and deaths throughout history. Those injuries and deaths prove the ignorance of the victims and set an example for others. Many people have lost their loved ones in cell phone related accidents but with every experience comes a lesson, which in this case is that cell phone use while driving should not be allowed. The road would be a safer place to drive if the use of cell phone while driving is prohibited. The risk of accidents increases significantly when a cell phone is being used while driving. A study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimated that six percent of vehicle crashes causes about 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries a year, which can be linked to one or more of the drivers involved using a cell phone (â€Å"Cell Phone Use While Driving a Big Cause of Accidents†). According to this study, the use of cell phones while driving is causing many unnecessary deaths and injuries. To treat those irresponsible drivers, all the citizens of the United States pay in the form of taxes. The forbiddance of cell phone use while driving will not only make the United States to be a safer nation, but it will also make it a happier nation. Many people are unaware of the dangers and effects of cell phone use while driving. To most people, drunk driving is a very serious crime, but using a cell phone while driving is a trivial matter. However, a research by the University of Utah proves that drivers drunk at the .08 percent blood-alcohol level drive slower than drivers using a cell phone. Driving with a cell phone is more distracting because drivers tend to concentrate less on the road, and more on the conversation, which leads to many accidents. If one is caught driving drunk in Michigan, his or her license is suspended for several months and an additional fine ranging from $250-$10,000 has to be paid. If the crime of drunk driving has such punishments, then the use of cell phone while driving should also have severe punishments. To many people, it may seem that cell phone use while driving should not be outlawed because emergency calls need to be attended or made any time. However, people can pull over to the side and make or receive emergency calls. According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics society, cell phone distraction puts the driver at a four time great risk of a crash. It may take more effort to pull over, stop, and call, but doing so would decrease the number of accidents by a massive number. . Even using cell phones during school times can be a big problem. It can  distract a students studies, since he/she will be too busy texting and calling people; he/she wont be able to concentrate and will keep thinking about those text messages. If there is something bad then they will be depressed all day long. If parents need to talk to their children urgently they will be able to talk to them during school. Some students during classes are always tense because of someone/something so by calling or texting they can clear their tension and focus on studies. Cell phones will help them solve the problems outside the school so they can peacefully study. Schools should understand how important it is for students to study and this is only possible if they are not thinking about anything else. The rate of accidents for drivers using cell phones has increased alarmingly. The convenience that cell phones offer must be judged against the hazards that they pose. Therefore, the government should ban the use of cell phones while driving, which would not only decrease the number of traffic injuries and deaths, but will also make the road a safer place to drive. The use of cell phone while driving is a crime that should be outlawed and punished for severely. There are two dangers linked with driving and cell phone use, including text messaging. First, drivers should not take their eyes off the road while dialing. Secondly if the drivers start talking on the phone then they get so lost in others conversations that they have no clue what is going on in front of them which causes them to get in an accident. That is one reason why so many states and countries banned the use of cell phones while driving and even in schools so young teenage people know when they have to use the phone and when not to.

Hector vs Achilles

Achilles Motivation Fighting for personal honor Knows that his fate leads him to death so he is willing to sacrifice his life so his name will be remembered Cared little about anything except for his own desire†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦but this man’s ambition, remember, is to lead, to lord it over everyone, give orders to the rest of us!† (lines 337-340) †Well, this time I make sail for home. Better to take now to my ships.Why linger, cheated of winnings, to make wealth for you?† (lines 197-199). †And let them both bear witness before the gods who living bliss, as before men who die, including this harsh king, if ever hereafter a need for me arises to keep the rest from black defeat and ruin† (lines 394-398). †Thetis left her son still burning for the softly belted girl whom they had wrestled from him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 494-496) Loss of girl=loss of honor†He tells the delegates that he has decided to return to his kingdom and live out his life i n comfort, forgoing the honor of dying a hero’s death in battle† (246).Vengeance Hector killed his best friend †On hearing of Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage. Vowing to avenge his friend, he finally returns to the battle† (246) †Hector, had you thought that you could kill Patroclus and be safe? Nothing to dread from me; I was not there. All childishness†¦The dogs and kites will rip your body. Hiss will lie in honor when the Achaeans give him funeral† (lines 392-400) †Down by the ships Patroclus’s body lies unwept, unburied. I shall not forget him while I keep my feet among the living† (lines 458-460).Actions TakenStrong temper/rage â€Å"A pain like grief weighed on the son of Peleus, and in his shaggy chest this way and that the passion of his heart ran; should he draw longsword from hip, stand off the rest, and kill in single combat the great son of Atreus, or hold his rage in check an d give it time?† (lines 220-225) â€Å"But now the son of Peleus turned on Agamemnon and lashed out at him, letting his anger  ride in execration†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 263-265) â€Å"On hearing of Patroclus’s death, Achilles is overcome with grief and rage. Vowing to avenge his friend, he finally returns to the battle, mercilessly slaying the Trojan forces†Accuses Agamemnon of being a glory hound and trying to take more than his fair share â€Å"I have seen more action hand to hand in those assaults than you have, but when the time for sharing comes, the greater share is always yours† (lines 192-195).Sensitive when his pride is in jeopardyâ€Å"Eyes wet with tears, he spoke† (lines 412-414) â€Å"Thetis left her son still burning for the softly belted girl whom they had wrestled from him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lines 494-496)Selfish/pridefulputs his own needs above his army’s lives. â€Å"Without Achilles’ help, the Greeks are at a serious disadvantage against the Trojans† (246) â€Å"Achilles’ immense pride is revealed as he stubbornly refuses to accept Agamemnon’s gifts† (246). â€Å"†¦he has decided to return to his kingdom and live out his life in comfort, forgoing the honor of dying a hero’s death in battle† (246) Torture’s Hector’s dead bodydisrespect/dishonor Role/ Reaction of others Only his mom grieves for him â€Å"Her eyes filled, an a tear fell as she answered† (line 476) His army respected him when he was in battle but he did not seem to have a close relationship to anyone but his mother and possibly his bet friend Patroclus Role of godsHera favored the Greeks in general Athena was constantly by his side â€Å"Then Athena, gray-eyed, to the son of Peleus, falling in with him, and near him, saying swiftly:‘Now at last I think the two of us, Achilles loved by Zeus, shall bring Achaeans triumph at the ships by killing Hector†¦Ã¢â‚ ¬  (lines 253-259) â€Å"As his tumult swayed him, as he slid the big blade slowly from the sheath, Athena came to him from the sky† (Lines 226-228) Apollo did not favor himâ€Å"Archer of heaven, deadliest of immortal gods, you put me off the track, turning me from the wall this way†¦you saved my enemies with ease and stole my glory, having no punishment to fear† (lines 18-24) Obeys the godsâ€Å"Die, make an end. I shall accept my own whenever Zeus and the other gods desire† (lines 435-436) â€Å"Nothing for it, goddess, but when you two immortals speak, a man complies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 253-255).Hector Motivation Duty and honor Protector of the people â€Å"Hector returns to battle, fighting fiercely for the Trojans† (246) â€Å"†¦here you may fight on to save our Trojan men and women† (lines 66-67) Not motivated by what was best for him, but what was best for his country and his people Actions TakenSelfless Would die for his peopl e â€Å"Now my soul would have me stand and fight, whether I kill you or am killed† (lines 298-299) Tried to make a pact of honor with Achilles â€Å"So come, we’ll summon gods here as our witnesses, none higher, arbiters of a pact: I swear that, terrible you are, I’ll not insult your corpse should Zeus allow me victory in the end, your life as a prize . Once I have your gear, I’ll give your body back to Achaeans. Grant me,too, this grace† (lines 300-306). Examines ways to get out of conflict  fear? â€Å"Suppose, though, that I lay my shield and helm aside†¦and go to meet the noble Prince Achilles, promising Helen, promising with her all the treasures that Alexandros brought home by ship to Troy†¦ Then I might add, apart from these, a portion of all the secret wealth the city owns† (lines 134-142) â€Å" â€Å"These were his shifts of mood† (line 157)Runs away â€Å"†¦and Hector, as he watched, began to tremble. Th en he could hold his ground no more. He ran, leaving the gate behind him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lines 164-165) cowardly not to fight Role of Others/ Reaction of Others Everyone loves and cares for him â€Å"If he brings you down, I shall no longer be allowed to mourn you laid out on your bed, dear branch in flower, born of me† (lines 103-106) â€Å"With tears and cries the two implored their son, and made their prayers again† (lines 109-110) â€Å"Child, I am lost now. can I bear my life after the death of suffering your death? You were my pride in all my nights and days, pride of the city, pillar to the Trojans and Trojan women† (lines 507-511). Role of the godsApollo was on his side â€Å"How could he run so long from death, had not Apollo for the last time, the very last, come near to give him stamina and speed† (lines 239-242) Zeus felt sympathetic towards him â€Å"How sad that this beloved man is hunted around the wall before my eyes! My heart is touched f or Hector;† (lines 200-203) Athena was against him â€Å"Now at last I think the two of us, Achilles loved by Zeus, shall bring Achaeans triumph at the ships by killing Hector†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 256-259) The gods choose his death â€Å"This the end. The gods are calling deathward†¦ Long ago this hour must have been to Zeus’s liking and to the liking of his archer son† (lines 351-358)Similarities Both are driven by stubbornness â€Å"Achilles’ immense pride is revealed as he stubbornly refuses to accept Agamemnon’s gifts† (246) â€Å"With tears and cries the two implored their son, and made their prayers again, but could not shake him. Hector stood firm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 109-111) Neither listen when a wise figure tells them who they are up against is more powerful â€Å" †¦don’t try to hold your ground against this man, or soon you will meet the shock of doom, borne down by the son of Peleus.He is more powerful by far than you, and pitiless† (lines 45-48) â€Å"Achilles, for your part, do not defy your King and Captain. No ones vies in honor with him who holds authority from Zeus. You have more prowess, for a  goddess bore you; his power over men surpasses yours† (lines 327-332) Both are heroes in the eyes of their peers at one pointBoth have some pride in them â€Å"Book 6 reveals to us Hector’s pride, for we learn that although he believes Troy is doomed, honor will not allow him to surrender† (246) â€Å"Now troops have perished for my foolish pride†¦ He kept his pride and ost his men, this Hector† (lines 126-129† â€Å"Agamemnon, humiliated me! he has my prize by his own whim, for himself† (lines 411-413) Both are ruled by fate through the gods

Free Essays on Recruitment Practice At Hoke County Schools

Hoke County School District is located in a rural area in North Carolina. The district consists in 11 schools. The relatively small district has problems recruiting teachers since other neighbor districts have better location and offer good benefits. The recruitment practice of this district is very successful. The Human Resources Department is working closely with the local administrators to recruit and retain teachers in the area. On this paper, I will discus the recruitment practice of the district, which consists in a combination of incentives for the newly hired professionals. Some of the incentives are signing bonus, reduce mortgage rates and daycare facilities. Moreover, the district holds a job fair once a year to recruit teachers. The job fair is held in April. The participants are very competitive and many principals take advantage of the job fair to sign contracts and fill as many positions as they can for the new school year. Job fair The principals and assistant principals gather a group of teachers from each school to work with them at the annual job fair. Veteran teachers serve as advisors for the administrators while evaluating applications. The principals interview prospective applicants at the site in the event that a highly qualified professional is looking for a position. This is done to avoid that any neighbor district hire the applicant. The goal of the Human Resources Department is to hire certified teachers. The NCLB policy enforces this practice. In previous years, the goal was to have teachers in the classrooms, and they employed Lateral Entry teachers to fill those positions. Today, they are putting effort to recruit fully certified teachers to meet the federal requirements. Incentives Hoke County has in place different incentives to attract teachers and to retain those that are already employed. The first one is signing bonuses, offered to highly qualified and fully certified teachers only. The ... Free Essays on Recruitment Practice At Hoke County Schools Free Essays on Recruitment Practice At Hoke County Schools Hoke County School District is located in a rural area in North Carolina. The district consists in 11 schools. The relatively small district has problems recruiting teachers since other neighbor districts have better location and offer good benefits. The recruitment practice of this district is very successful. The Human Resources Department is working closely with the local administrators to recruit and retain teachers in the area. On this paper, I will discus the recruitment practice of the district, which consists in a combination of incentives for the newly hired professionals. Some of the incentives are signing bonus, reduce mortgage rates and daycare facilities. Moreover, the district holds a job fair once a year to recruit teachers. The job fair is held in April. The participants are very competitive and many principals take advantage of the job fair to sign contracts and fill as many positions as they can for the new school year. Job fair The principals and assistant principals gather a group of teachers from each school to work with them at the annual job fair. Veteran teachers serve as advisors for the administrators while evaluating applications. The principals interview prospective applicants at the site in the event that a highly qualified professional is looking for a position. This is done to avoid that any neighbor district hire the applicant. The goal of the Human Resources Department is to hire certified teachers. The NCLB policy enforces this practice. In previous years, the goal was to have teachers in the classrooms, and they employed Lateral Entry teachers to fill those positions. Today, they are putting effort to recruit fully certified teachers to meet the federal requirements. Incentives Hoke County has in place different incentives to attract teachers and to retain those that are already employed. The first one is signing bonuses, offered to highly qualified and fully certified teachers only. The ...

HRM Research Paper

HRM Research Paper Describe and critically evaluate the key factors that shape the role and practices of the HR/Personnel function within an organisation with which you are familiar. On the basis of your analysis identify the main HRM challenges currently facing this organisation. Relate your analysis to appropriate literature. Introduction People are an important and expensive resource to a business. This asset has the capacity to be highly productive and generate revenue for the firm, but it also requires much attention and maintenance. When the direct costs of employment are added to the indirect costs of recruitment and selection, training and development, the organisations investment in an average full-time employee can exceed ?00,000 in a short space of time. Therefore one of the fundamental factors is how to attract the right employee and retain their services, gaining efficiency throughout. Before answering the first part of the question Describe and critically evaluate the key factors that shape the role and practices of the HR/Personnel function within an organisation with which you are familiar, the differences between HRM and the older style Personnel Management requires defining. Human Resource Management HRM can be defined as any part of the management structure that relates to people at work. It involves everything from recruitment to training to performance appraisal and overall employee welfare. HRM is originally an American management term that has taken over from the more restrictive Personnel Management, and denotes a more proactive and business-focused role, with an emphasis on good communication and staff commitment, more flexible work practices, and performance-related reward systems. Once considered a more peripheral activity, HRM has now moved to the core of the business. The authorÐ ±Ã ¿s own perspective of this assignment is delivered from within the steel industry. An employee in middle management with a history of working from grass roots to Manufacturing Manager over a 10 year period within the Basic Oxygen Steel making plant (BOS). A plant where the iron from the Blast furnace iron is refined and then re-alloyed to be supplied at the correct time temperature and specification to the Continuously Cast plant (CONCAST) where semi-finished products are supplied to the mills for rolling. Current Economic Climate Due to the current economic climate that is affecting the trading situation, both within the home and world export market there has been immense pressure on the business to reduce operating costs to achieve business objectives. Many areas of the business especially within the carbon steels section are, and have been making a loss for an extended period. Not just since the tragic events of 11th September 2001, the events of which that have been blamed for losses in many other businesses. This event has merely compounded an underlying trend of difficult trading conditions in steel. We have as a business been implementing strategies to cut costs and increase efficiency, not just in operational performance terms but also changes in managements structures, team working implementation and further changes in manning levels (based on under utilisation of plant due to the low output). HR Role Many of the recent objectives set by the business at Ð ±Ã ¾Board LevelÐ ±Ã ¿ to reduce costs have required the need for the HRM function to take a role in the business, to be able to achieve the required levels. Some specific areas that the HR Department manage include Policies; such as Drugs and Alcohol and Equal Opportunities, as well as implementation of Company policy and Strategy, both long-term and medium-term. But these are day to say issues; the following headings are other fundamental areas that the HR function has played a part in during the recent cost cutting exercise. Manpower Planning This topic involves charting the future needs of the organisation with regard to numbers, skills profile, age and experience. This enables the firm to have the right people in the right numbers at the right time. There have been some major changes within the organisation over recent years; the implementation of Team Working has been key to reducing costs. It brings about some m ajor benefits, not least a reduction in employee numbers through more efficient use of the resource. Through this implementation at Scunthorpe, a 15% reduction of manpower has been achieved. The challenge that the HR function was faced with was how to achieve this kind of figure? In reality the HRM department had a minor role to play. From Board level through to Senior Management came the directive that a percentage manning reduction was required across the board, and that it would be fulfilled. Each individual department had to carry out Key Task Analysis (KTA) to determine what sort of levels of manning could be utilised based on Ð ±Ã ¾time and taskÐ ±Ã ¿ process. From this analysis came a set of numbers that indicated how many persons could manage an area. The dwindling numbers within the HR function meant that they hade no alternative but to take an lesser role and stand back to allow the production departments themselves to manage certain tasks. Many of the manning reductio ns have been found through voluntary redundancy and early retirement. Having had the departmental managers find the numbers the HR function has now stepped in to undertake the interviewing process that details the package available for early departure. Recruitment and Selection This process is by which the organisation gets the best people to do the jobs necessary to achieve its goals. Preparation is the key to effectiveness in this area, by clearly establishing the jobs to be done and the type of people needed to do them, the construction of an accurate Job Description and Person Specification will save time and money. Recruitment within corus has been very low for many years, 1988 was the last time anyone was taken from the outside environment; the only current source of new employees into the business is through Graduate recruitment. Since privatisation in 1988, apart from graduates, nearly all (blue collar) vacancies have been fulfilled though internal cross matching, and recruitment from the in-house Ð ±Ã ¾cleaning contractorsÐ ±Ã ¿. This source of employee recruitment is seriously flawed with many disadvantages, not least that the type of person employed for cleaning is not necessarily the right person for operation of technically based operating systems, education levels required for cleaning are significantly lower, and the nature of the work is totally different. The reason that this source has been used is due to the ease of the selection process, the lack of cost involved and the minimal time required to interview etc. Most are employed on the basis that their Contract Manager says Ð ±Ã ¾they are good eggs! The other benefit is that they are hired on a 6-month trial, if they do not size up then they are easily transferred back into the contract gang. An easy recruitment process but by far the right person for the job. Graduates are the main source of external recruitment. The HR Function carries out visits to colleges and universities to entice budding youngsters into the industry with the knowledge that they are joining a company that is renowned for being the most efficient steel producer in the world, and that they will gains skills to promote themselves within the industry. The corus website is seriously directed towards graduate recruitment and is a main source of applicants. Unfortunately at present there are not many wanting to join what is seen as an ailing industry, a challenge for the HR Department to continue to recruit from a reducing market. Training and Development This in most organisations is a major growth area, with firms realising that skill s development and flexibility are now key to business success. Unfortunately within corus over the last few years the amount spent on Ð ±Ã ¾externalÐ ±Ã ¿ training has been kept to an absolute minimum and has had an effect on plant operating performance, initiatives such as I.I.P, T.Q.P. and the likes have been dropped by the wayside due to the cost and lack of resources to implement and apply. The significant changes in manning have affected this. The main source of training at present is Ð ±Ã ¾sitting with Nellie, the disadvantages of this being that the trainee is getting a level of training that the trainer has been trained to give. Unfortunately Plant Trainers are non-existent and therefore the training given is from someone who has little experience of training people and very often not a lot of knowledge of plant and the process. The latter is inherent of the loss of knowledge due to the departure of experienced individuals. This has now been identified and new measures have been put in place that will be discussed under Ð ±Ã ¾ChallengesÐ ±Ã ¿. Performance Appraisal This involves a formal system of regularly collecting, recording, and sharing information between the employee and the appraiser about the employees work performance and potential. Conducted in the correct manner, it can enhance motivation, contribute to achieving organisational goals, and assist the process of rewarding good performance. One would like to think that this is carried out, in reality there again is insufficient time for the line manager to implement as the role of Ð ±Ã ¾fire fightingÐ ±Ã ¿ other issues on a daily basis is consuming time, and the fundamentals of managing people are not being addressed. Reward Management This involves designing the most appropriate methods of remuneration and increasingly incorporates broader, performance-related items such as bonuses and employee share option schemes. These have been implemented alongside the new Team Working and Management structures and are based on Payment for Performance (PFP) on an individual basis, and Bonus related schemes for achieving operational performance. Pay bands and application of the same is an element of the reward scheme that the HR function carries out. This is a broad based application, easy to maintain and implement, but unfortunately as experienced from a personal viewpoint it has been implemented poorly with little or no communication between Pay Departments, the HR function and the employee. Industrial Relations The process of collective bargaining based on employees terms conditions, resolving disputes that may arise, and adhering to the whole range of laws governing the relationship between employers and employees in the workplace. In reality the first line manager deals with any grievance or dispute that may occur locally and the HR department is only called upon for advice or when the dispute escalates. The Collective Agreements are through multi-union negotiations and may include Pay, Hours of work, Bonus payments, Sick Pay scheme and Holidays. There is also the Works Rules, application of, updating of and any changes of legislation affecting works rules to consider. Much of this is on an annual basis with most carried out at national level with minimal amounts at local level. CHALLENGES Skills and Knowledge The increase in voluntary and early retirements has had an effect on the organisation that relates to age, experience and knowledge. The reduction of people has mainly been achieve d from those that can afford to take early retirement, those with minimal or no mortgages, have a level of savings and a lifestyle that could be led with minimal supplementation. Thus the late 40Ð ±Ã ¿s and early 50Ð ±Ã ¿s are the target group. These are the people who have vast experience and knowledge in the steel making industry, gained over many years and they have now been removed. The challenge is to replace this knowledge in a short space of time. The average age has been lowered by 10-12 years since the implementation of team working, this reduction in age has highlighted the reduction in knowledge and experience of the remainder posing a further and future problem that the age range of those employed is such that they will all leave the industry at or around the same time. The cycle will start again unless there is intervention to bring about change. Training Training of the individuals that are left needs to be urgently considered. As stated previously the lack of trai ning over the last few years and the changes that have taken place have led to a deterioration in plant operational performance. This poor performance is unsatisfactory and is incurring costs to the process. The cost of training is not quantifiable, is seen by other organisations as a benefit but at present to corus it is a burden to costs and as such has not been pursued. This benefit has now been realised by senior management and the re-instatement of a Training Owner for plant and the re-launch of the InvestorÐ ±Ã ¿s In People initiative should be the start of an increase in performance. The HR function for their part are required to implement and continuously apply the new recording system required to follow this scheme up. This is not just for plant requirements but also for legislation such as COMAH, (Control of Management and Change) where there is a requirement to be able to identify an individualÐ ±Ã ¿s competency in the job that he is doing. Critically, we as an organi sation should be looking at the theoretical side of how to implement training programmes, studying the likes of Ð ±Ã ¾KolbÐ ±Ã ¿s learning cycleÐ ±Ã ¿ to ensure thorough understanding of the subject and correct implementation of the training received. But this is theory and unfortunately the current culture is that we are Ð ±Ã ¾fire fightingÐ ±Ã ¿, living for the present and just attempting to survive the current climate. Thus there is no commitment to provide resource that has no quantifiable financial gain. Graduate Retention This is an issue whereby in the current climate a high number of graduates are leaving the industry due to its poor outlook; safety and security are important factors to achieve motivation but unfortunately valued employees are leaving in droves. Employment packages are poor in relation to other organisations similar in size, graduates are drawn by the better working environment and benefits provided to organisations that practice. HRM rather than Personnel Management As a business we are very much in the old style of PM whereby we utilise the resource for the benefit of the organisation rather than nurture the person to provide a service that benefits the company for the good! The HR personnel can do little for the graduate financially to be an incentive for them to stay within the industry where environmental conditions are poor and achievement of goals is stifled. Manpower Reductions/Plant Closures Continuing with the theme of efficiency and cost reduction there have, and there will be more manpower reductions caused by plant closures and contracting out of services. Since the age profile is reducing there will be less chance of finding early and voluntary retirement from the younger average age of the existing employees, therefore individuals are not as willing to leave due to economic reasons. The decisions will be more difficult to make about who stays and who goes. Improve Morale One of the HR objectives is to improve morale. This at present is at a low, it is a difficult one for the HR function to achieve because the lack of numbers does not allow them sufficient time to address individual issues and as stated, first level management now carries out most of this. Their presence is rarely seen on plant and as such they cannot use the personal affect to improving moral. There is a need for them to relate the likes of HerzbergÐ ±Ã ¿s two-factor theory of motivation (Figure 1) and MaslowÐ ±Ã ¿s hierarchy of needs (Figure 2) through Team Working initiatives, personal objectives and manipulation of the reward scheme and use this to drive moral. With most though, this is an individual element and certain factors will affect certain individuals differently, thus the need for a one to one basis to find out what drives or motivates each person. Most motivation is driven through line managers and thus the HR objective is somewhat misplaced for the current situation . Business Service One of the challenges facing the HRM function itself is the move towards being a Business Service, not supplying just to corus but also supplying a service outside of the industry. This has already been achieved with part of the Engineering function that supplies its services to outside organisations and has thus made an extra ?.3M this year alone. This has been an initiative throughout the firm to generate more income and reduce the burden of a department on the business. Compilation of services business wide has been managed partly by the HR function, it is part of their objectives to identify further areas for this type of development and quantify the benefits of disadvantages of such a move. For those within the HR Department the move towards a Business Service has seen a step backwards away from generalisation and towards specialisation, a return in some ways to old style management. HR Managers were given skills for them to cope with general issues, but the move back towards sp ecialisation sees them dealing with specifics and having a better working knowledge of one particular area rather than being a Jack of all trades. Trade Union An interesting point made by the local HR Manager Ð ¸C Not enough is done to train the TU representative to be made aware of the Business needs, the reasons for why such actions are needed and the manner in which they should be carried out. There is nothing sinister in supplying such a service to what has inherently been seen as an aggressor to the management. The wider the perspective that the trade union official has, the better he will be equipped to make more appropriate decisions on behalf of the employees that he represents, and the better his understanding of why it is being implemented. The role of Trade Unionism within Human Resource Management poses somewhat of a threat, Legge, p.273, states that Trade Unionism in HRM organisations was being bypassed through the development of Human Resource Management initiatives. Organisations are Ð ±Ã ¾softÐ ±Ã ¿ models of HRM; and can pose a threat to the TU. Another consideration may be, that if the employee is happy and committed in their job, that the need for union representation may not be required. To the organisation there is the need for the T.U. for multi-union bargaining purposes, therefore the HRM department must balance the need of HRM against the need of the Trade Union. Conclusion The increasing competitive pressures, expanding globalisation and a generally harder business environment has brought about a move to a more enhanced view of HRM as opposed to Personnel Management. Unfortunately as a business, corus are very much in the old style of Personnel Management whereby we utilise the resource for the benefit of the organisation rather than nurture the person to provide a service that benefits the company for the good. Numbers have reduced significantly since the implementation of Team Working; the structure has been cut to bare bones. The reduced operating cost set out at board level has been achieved, but at a cost to the business through a reduction in operational performance. Unfortunately the current culture is that we are Ð ±Ã ¾fire fightingÐ ±Ã ¿, living for the present and just attempting to survive the economic climate to make it through, there is no commitment to provide any resource that has no quantifiable financial gain. The HR Department has a role to play in modelling the objectives set by the Board, but their problems are much the same as that of plant management in that the resources are not available to support the fundamental ideas. There are many issues facing the company, short, medium and long term that require addressing, unfortunately it is a service and any gains made through expenditure are not readily quantifiable, therefore no capital is guaranteed whereby there is no return seen. Without an injection of cash or commitment to provide extra services for HRM then there will be no advancement towards achieving better results from the employee through HRM philosophies. HRM, as previously stated denotes a more proactive and business-focused role, with an emphasis on good communication and staff commitment, more flexible work practices, and performance-related reward systems as opposed to Personnel Management These philosophies are carried out by the first line management, which begs the question, Have the less er experienced plant personnel carried out a process that has inherently been carried out by trained professional HR managers and got the numbers wrong, furthermore, was it implemented correctly? Overall because of the reduction in numbers within the HR department, Plant managers and Line managers are now carrying out many tasks and the HR department have a significantly lesser role in the organisation. With no forecast of any change in philosophy and increase in expenditure then the situation is unlikely to change. The input of an active Trade Union and informed official needs to be considered, there is a definite need for both and the HRM department must ensure that a relationship continues.

Derivatives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Derivatives - Essay Example Therefore, I would be able to enable the loss in one market to be compensated, either completely or partially, by the gains received in the other (TMXGroup, 2012). In hedging there are a number of risks but the main risk involved is the basis risk. This comes about as a result of futures contract not being perfectly tracked by the bond that is being hedged. In most cases, it is usually greater for bond as the actual price is usually lower than the theoretical value. However, the loss due to the basis risk is the same as the profit gained from arbitrage transactions thus recoverable (TMXGroup, 2012). Explain how you could use options contract to hedge your $10m portfolio of 5-year US BBB-corporate bonds over the next year. State what different types of option you might use to implement this strategy I could use the open swap position to hedge the $10m by following the strategy of hedging a fixed-rate portion of the swap against a rise in interest rates by selling a specific number of contracts. In most cases, receiving a fixed rate on a swap is the same as buying a bond with the corresponding hedge consisting of selling bond futures contracts. The method is slightly different from the one described in question one above as in question one I would concentrate on buy positions and sell position and hedge when the correlation is greater to make the process more efficient (TMXGroup, 2012). You are an investor and hold $10m portfolio of US, BBB-corporate bonds and  £20m in UK, AA-rated corporate bonds. The current spot rate is 1.5$/ £. Over the next year you want to reduce your exposure to UK bonds by  £10m and gain  £10m exposure to UK economy by taking a position such that you earn the return on the FTSE in terms of US dollars. Actually, it is possible to achieve this cost efficiently using interest rate futures instead of cash bonds. Furthermore, it is also possible using Rho as this is the change in the price of an option

Examine the use of animal imagery in modern short stories and their Essay

Examine the use of animal imagery in modern short stories and their symbolic significance - Essay Example In addition, the degree to which a character is related to the animal in question may have some impact on the characteristics that are brought out in each. A nanny closely related to a busy parakeet might cause both woman and animal to take on stronger characteristics of nagging and cleanliness, for instance. A man closely related with his bulldog might also seem to be watchful, noisy and largely for show. What is interesting about this use of animal imagery in stories is the way in which this relationship develops to bring out specific characteristics in both animal and character. Two stories that provide a great deal of insight into this relationship are Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Larissa Lai’s Salt Fish Girl. Although the story takes up less than 100 pages, Franz Kafka’s story Metamorphosis lends itself to a wide variety of interpretations as it uses the image of the cockroach to emphasize attributes of its main character. From its small size to a brief summary of its events, there doesn’t seem to be all that much to the story itself upon first glance. The story follows the experiences of Gregor Samsa after he wakes up one morning to find himself turned into a giant bug in his own bed. As he reveals himself to his family and his employer, it becomes obvious that this change is not meant to be a figurative change on the part of the author, but is also a physical change. Although the family continues to care for him, providing him with food and water and cleaning his room once a day, Gregor becomes more and more detached from them, eventually finding it difficult to keep track of what has been happening around him. His room becomes dirtier, his family becomes less attentive a nd he becomes less concerned with their welfare in connection with his own. As his sister and mother move his personal furniture out of his