Beowulf as a hero in modern society Essay

In the historic epic Beowulf, its title character, Beowulf, is perceived as an unconventional as well as a traditional hero in current society. Beowulf, the son of Ecgtheow and Hygelac’s thane, is presented as a fearless warrior to the audience. This acknowledgment of Beowulf causes the readers to instantly recognize that Beowulf is a well-respected man. Beowulf’s magnitude is seen at the very beginning of the poem as the narrator states, â€Å"The man whose name was known for courage, the Geat Leader† (Heaney 25). Beowulf is announced to the Danish people with magnificence. Before proving Beowulf’s heroic qualities, the viewers are conscious of the fact that Beowulf is a great warrior and the son of a well admired man. It can be distinguished that from Beowulf’s opening statements he will become a hero. Bravery is a key characteristic that identifies a hero. Throughout the entire poem Beowulf appeared to possess infinite valor. He displayed courage in his swimming competition with Breca, and in his fights with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon that fatally wounded him. In all of Beowulf’s struggles, he revels wisdom, strength, and motivation. In his clash against Grendel, Beowulf utilizes his sheer strength to kill Grendel. He used his mighty strength to rip off the monster’s arm from the shoulder. As stated by the narrator, â€Å"The monster’s whole body was in pain; a tremendous wound appeared on his shoulder†¦ Beowulf was granted the glory of winning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Heaney 55). The defeat of Grendel fulfills Beowulf’s heroic duty. This is also seen with Grendel’s mother. After Grendel’s death, Grendel’s mother desires to avenge her child. Beowulf fights her in water and still prevails. By keeping true to his word Beowulf is able to prove his worth. Near the end of poem, Beowulf faces his last episode. He takes on a dragon that is creating havoc upon the city. Before facing the dragon he knows that he might die and yet still fights with glory and all of his might. On page 171 Beowulf states, â€Å"This fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me†¦ I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord away† (Heaney 171). Beowulf yet again completes his task as he kills the dragon, however, he immediately dies from his wounds. Beowulf, a true hero, confronts his death with bravery. It is Beowulf’s strength, determination, and courage that enable him to become a distinguishable hero in modern society. Although Beowulf is portrayed as a true Anglo-Saxon hero, he has qualities that would depict him not as one in current society. From Beowulf’s initial introduction he is seen as being conceited and aggressive. During the first feast, Beowulf tells of the story of his swimming race. Beowulf states, â€Å"I was the strongest swimmer of all†¦Time and again, foul things attacked me†¦but I lashed out, gave as good as I got with my sword†¦My sword had killed nine sea-monsters. Such night-dangers and hard ordeals I have never heard of nor of a man more desolate in surging waves.† (Heaney 37). This quote reveals the cockiness of Beowulf. He is very arrogant as he believes that he is the best and the bravest. Arrogance is not a characteristic of a hero. Another flaw is shown in Beowulf’s character as he fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf’s quarrel with Grendel exposes his true expression of violence. While Grendel and Beowulf are wrestling, Beowulf manages to get Grendel in such as position where he ripped off Grendel’s arm from the socket. This violent act can be seen as very brutal. The killing of Grendel in such a way would deny the right to name Beowulf as a hero in present society. In addition, the killing of Grendel’s mother has the same effect. While battling Grendel’s mother, Beowulf seeks assistance from an ancient blade. With this sword, he delivers a final blow to the neck of the monster. After determining that she is death, he still proceeds and decapitates her. He then returns with the head and displays it in Heorot. The decapitation of Grendel’s mother illustrates Beowulf as disrespectful and in violation of the heroic code, which doesn’t identify him as a hero. In the eyes of contemporary society Beowulf can be recognize as a paradoxical character as he is embodied by both heroic and callous qualities.

Job Satisfaction and Employee Motivation

Content Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 *Literature Review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ *2 *Empirica*l case†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ *†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. *. *7* Google†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ *. *. *. *7 *Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. *. *.. * *Conclusion & Recommendation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. *11 *References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. *13 A Critical analysis of work-motivation: a case study based on Google Inc. Introduction; _â€Å"Motivating people is easy but motivating people to work to the best of their abilities and directing their efforts to the goals of the organisation are the real issues and that is certainly not always easy† Mullins, L. J (Management and organisational behaviour, Pg 406, 5th Ed)_ This paper gives an understanding of the term _â€Å"Motivation†_. The term is used almost every day of our lives but not everyone know what it takes to actually practise motivating. In this case, I would be explaining in details what motivation is all about, the objectives of motivating an individual in a certain way and how the overall performance is affected. I would also be testing some motivational theories in an empirical case (Google). Here, I hope to identify the working style at Google; the nature of work, employees and the environment, what motivates and de-motivates employees and engineers at work. Organisations claim that their biggest asset or their major sources of competitive advantage are their employees but most organisations do not know how to motivate their employees. Research has shown that different organisations apply different style of motivation. We would analyse these empirical cases with the motivational theories discussed in the literature review and also analyse key motivational factors associated with our empirical case. This would lead to my conclusion and recommendation on how to effectively motivate employee to increase productivity and performance. A Review on Motivation and its theories Work motivation and employee satisfaction plays a more central role in the field of management theoretically and practically and it is indeed one of the most important factors affecting employee behaviour and performance. Managers attach great importance to this concept of management in organisational settings as an effective motivational practice on employee(s) lead to organisational effectiveness in different levels. The next question we can ask ourselves is â€Å"what is motivation? † The concept of motivation refers to internal factors that impel actions and external factors that can act as inducements to those actions Locke, E. A & Latham, G. P. (2004). This has being the universal definition of motivation but certain authors and researchers have aimed at giving the simplest definition to this concept. Mullins, L. J defines motivation â€Å"as the direction and persistence of action† (Pg 406, 5th Ed). Mullins went further to suggest that motivation is concerned, basically, with why people behave in a certain way, why people choose a particular course of action in preference to others and why they continue with a chosen action, often over a long period and in the face of difficulties and problems (pg 406, 5th ed). Atkinson defines motivation â€Å"as different factors that combine at a particular time to influence the duration, vigour, and persistence of an individual’s behaviour in a given situation (pp2, 1964). The three aspects of human actions which can be affected by motivation are intensity (effort), direction (choice) and duration (persistence) and coupled with experience and ability leads to effective performance Jindal-Snape & Snape, J. B (2006). Motivation, as a concept of management is vast in nature and indeed permeates many of the sub-field that compose the study of management e. . leadership, teams, performance management, managerial ethics, decision making and organisation change Steers, R. M & Mowday, T. R & Shapiro, D. L (2004) and this is the reason why this topic has attracted attentions from different authors and researchers in the past years. This has also led to the proposition of theories to support this managerial concept i. e. motivation. These theories are ref erred to as motivational theories. There are so many theories on motivation, each acting as a competitor to the other on attempt to best explain the nature of motivation. Within the vast number of theories, some are built on economic knowledge with a psychological understanding (Maslow, 1943) etc. Mullins, L. J suggests that all these theories are at least partially true and all help explain the behaviour of certain people at certain times but however, the search for a generalized theory on motivation at work appears to be in vain (Pg 414, 5th Ed). It is indeed because of the fact that there are no generalized or single solutions as to what motivates people or individual in organisation, that there are different theories on motivation. These theories are then divided into those concerned with identifying the needs toward which behaviour(s) is directed – content theory and those that are concerned with the dynamic, mental processes that lead to individuals following certain goals rather than others – process theory Jindal-Snape & Snape (2006). Abraham Maslow proposed the most influential and widely recognised theory of motivation. The Maslow theory of needs (1943) is the one of the widely discussed theories of motivation having proposed the hierarchy of needs. He proposed that individuals are wanting beings, who always want more and what they want depends on what they already have and these needs are arranged according to its importance in levels, hence the hierarchy of needs {draw:frame} Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943) Jindal-Snape and Snape (2006) suggests that according to this hierarchy, each need can act as a motivator, provided all needs lower in the hierarchy are satisfied and a satisfied need no longer act as a strong motivator. This goes to explain why individuals/employees who are not satisfied at their current position would be motivated to put in more efforts until their needs are satisfied. Maslow argued that the first three needs on the list represent deficiency needs that people must master before they can develop into a healthy personality, while the last two represent the growth needs that relate to individual achievements and development of human potentials Steers, R. M et al (2006). Mullins evaluated Maslow’s theory of needs by suggesting that individuals advance up the hierarchy as each lower-level needs becomes satisfied and therefore, managers must pay attention to the next higher level of needs in other to motivate employees if there is a change in behaviour (Pg 418, 5th ed). Abraham Maslow’s theory (1943) attracted criticism Wahba, A & Bridgewell, L (1976) for the existence of a definite hierarchy of need. In 1972, Clayton Alderfer modified Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model. He summarized the hierarchy of needs into a framework of three different classes of needs known as ERG Jindal-Snape & Snape (2006). Existence needs, which include nutritional and material requirements. At work places, working conditions and pay/wages fall into this type of need Relatedness needs, which are met through relationship with family and friends and at work places, relationship with fellow colleagues and managers. Growth needs which reflect desire for personal psychological development Fincham and Rhodes suggest that Clayton Alderfer (1972) theory differs in number of important respects to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (pg 198, 4th Ed). They went further to say that while Maslow proposed a progression up the hierarchy, Alderfer argued that it was better to think in terms of a continuum, from concrete (existence needs) to least concrete (growth needs) and it is possible to move along it in either directions (pg 198, 4th Ed). This means that if an individual’s need e. g. growth needs seem difficult to fulfil, that creates a frustration regression that forces a shift to another need e. g. relatedness needs. Jindal-Snape and Snape suggested that ERG theory differs from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in that it does not assume that a need is only activated if it is deficient and two needs could operate at the same time in motivational practice. Fredrick Herzberg (1966) was accredited as the founder of the second, highly influential theory to have evolved after Maslow’s. Unlike Maslow and Alderfer, Herzberg’s work was based on research where he interviewed professionals from different companies, this work he called the Herzberg’s two-factor theory. This theory consists of two factors noted from his interviews. Factors that led to employee dissatisfaction, he called de-motivators or hygiene factors while factors that led to individual/employee satisfaction, he called motivators. Fincham and Rhodes suggest that motivators involved achievements, advancement, recognition, autonomy and other intrinsic aspect of work that represent sources of satisfaction and if absent leads to dissatisfaction while the other concerned with working conditions, salary, job security, company policy, supervisors and interpersonal relations and other sources of extrinsic aspect of work were sources of dissatisfaction (pg 199, 4th ed). Herzberg’s two factor theory are also referred to as intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors and it has being highly influential and practised. Herzberg deserves credit for introducing the field to the role of job design specifically, job enrichment as a key factor in work motivation and job attitudes Steers, M. R et al (2004). Herzberg’s two factor theory are not to be confused as being opposite of each other as Wilson, F. M suggests that the opposite of job satisfaction is no job satisfaction while the opposite of job dissatisfaction is no job dissatisfaction (Pg148, 2nd Ed). Another motivational theorist was David McClelland (1992). He based his work on the personality of individuals Jindal-Snape & Snape (2006). He identified four main motives; The achievement motive, explains our concerns for doing things better than others Power motives, desire to influence others Need for affiliation, desire to establish and have a positive relationships with people around us. Avoidance motives Very often, we hardly recognize the latter one as the top three are the most important. Mullins suggests that the first three motives correspond to Maslow’s self-actualisation, esteem and love needs (Pg 425, 5th ed) while Jindal-Snape & Snape (2006) suggests that although everyone has all needs, the strength of each need for each individual is different. They went further to say that these needs are innate and are developed relatively early in life and they remain unchanged. These motivational theories mentioned above all fall into the content theory of motivation, we have identified and elaborated on them. I would now move ahead to briefly identify some of the process theory of motivation. I will not be going into detail with the process theory of motivation as it wouldn’t be needed for the latter stages of this study. Process theories also called the cognitive theories aim at â€Å"identifying the relationships among the dynamic variable which make up motivation and the actions required to influence behaviour and actions† Mullins, L. J (Management and organisational behaviour, Pg 426, 5th Ed). Mullins suggests that it provides further contribution to our understanding of the complex nature of motivation (Pg 426, 5th Ed). Very few motivational theories fall into the category and some of these theories are Vroom’s Expectancy theory proposed by Vroom. V (1964) and then revised together with Lawler, E. & Porter, L. (1968). Goal setting theory proposed by Locke, E. A (1960s) has emerged as one of the modernised way of motivating employees Wiley (1997). This theory emerged as researchers began to discover that simple act of specifying target for behaviour enhanced task performance Steers, R. M et al (2004). Locke (1968) suggests that the logic of goal setting theory is that an employee’s conscious intentions i. . the goals are primary determinants of task-related motivation since goals are instruments that direct our thoughts and actions. Results of goals/self-regulation research indicate two critical preconditions of a positive goal-performance feedback: acceptance of goals assignment and provisions for performance feedback Wiley (1997). An Empirical Case Having discussed and understood what motivation and the related theories are all about, the next step is to identify how applicable these theories are in a real life situation especially for the purpose of this case study. Jindal-Snape and Snape (2006) suggest that to answer this sort of questions, we first need to consider the nature of the work and the environment, and then the nature of these workers themselves. About Google Google Inc. is an American public corporation. [1]Founded in 1998, Google runs the world’s most popular internet search engine. Its position has earned the organisation huge profits and given it outsize influence over the online world. It is also known for the quirky corporate culture created by its billionaire co-founder, Larry Page and Sergey Brin which includes a chaotic, campus-like atmosphere at its offices, where workers are pampered with free, chef-prepared food and other amenities. My research environment (Google) is highly engineering-driven and we all know that engineers enjoy a lot of trust, creativity and power which is very different from most jobs at a more product-driven company. Firstly, I would be giving a proper definition of what engineering is all about, the nature of engineers and what motivates them. Engineers are people who are qualified, trained professionally to engage in various branches of engineering. Wen, C. K (2007) suggests that engineers are normally assigned to problems and a specific set of goals and constraints; they find technical solution to the problem that satisfies these goals within those constraints and these goals and constraints may be technical, social or business related. Engineers solve practical problems with the aid of technological tools, mathematical and scientific knowledge which they possess. They are often confused with scientist Jindal-Snape & Snape (2006) but in essence, scientist explore nature to discover undiscovered principals while engineers apply these principles coupled with technological knowledge to solve technical problems. In the field of engineering, engineers are generally motivated by two most important factors; innovation and creativity. Engineering involves creativity as it gives engineers the freedom to engage in self-driven tasks. This can act as a very strong intrinsic motivation which it corresponds to Herzberg’s motivator in his two theories (1966). Vere, I. 2009) argues that it is implicit that creativity is integral to design innovation, and that design and the fostering of creativity should be the cornerstone of engineering pedagogy. Further, Vere, I. D suggests that creativity is of paramount importance in the engineering practice as it endows one with the insight and discipline to seek out and address problems from the boundaries of dif ferent engineering disciplines. For engineers, innovation leads to an awareness of self-importance which corresponds to esteem needs on Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs. Innovation and innovativeness leads to recognition Herzberg’s two-factor theory (1966). Innovation leads to advancement which creates challenges as Jindal-Snape & Snape suggest that the rate at which science and technology are advancing provides a different set of challenges and if these engineers were to stay on top of their game, access to up-to-date equipments must be necessary and at hand. Engineers are also highly motivated through feedbacks on their innovation and products, an assured link between their efforts and outcome Jindal-Snape & Snape (2006) and researchers have also shown that this field of occupation are highly motivated by intrinsic factors than extrinsic factors. Having said all this, we would be looking at some secondary empirical data from ex-googlers relating to employees’ satisfaction, problem encountered with aim at exploring and identifying the perception of these engineers regarding the factors that motivate them. I would be discussing ways on how such problems could be minimized, motivational schemes that can be put in place to eliminate such problems. According to a blog [2] posted by an ex-googler stating his reasons why he left the search giants, he states and I quote; â€Å"For one thing, it was unlikely to initially be able to work in an area that one was passionate _about, the products and team where all interesting and exciting to work with but unfortunately, I was unable to be passionate about my particular area. This became less of an issue as time went by but for experienced engineers that have good knowledge and understanding of what they want and what sort of things they enjoy working on, this could lead to job dissatisfaction†. The same engineer and ex-googler as above went further to say that due to sheer size of code base and vast number of Google’s specific tools and frameworks; it also takes very long time to learn how to actually become productive at Google, which can be very annoying, frustrating and de-motivating at times. Another internet blog [3] from an engineer and ex-googler reports his insights about what it was really like working for Google. This particular engineer who now works for Microsoft reports that the lava lamps, organic dinner and free shuttle; hygiene factor (Herzberg’s two-factor theory, 1966) put in place to act as a source of motivation lies a company where employees end up working long hours, don’t enjoy private offices and get paid less. He also highlighted some de-motivators working for Google. _â€Å"Employees are generally in the building working long hours between 10am to 6pm and after that, most engineers spend most of their evening working from home. There are employees whose desks are literally in the hallway. Google does not place any value on past or previous industry experience but puts tremendous values on degrees especially from Stanford. Employees actually get paid less salary compared to the amount of effort put in and the quality of the health insurance is not above standards. Most employees don’t actually get a 20percent project and managers will not remind you to start one†. _ According to another internet source [4], a 20percent project is an allocation of 20percent time to every engineer and employee at Google to work on side projects and indeed great innovation come out from this provision of 20percent time e. g. -mail, Google news etc. Very few internet blogs from ex-googlers show job dissatisfaction at Google while most internet blogs and videos indeed agree that Google is indeed a very unique place to work. Engineers and employees agree that the organisation provides everything they needed to work with and be productive but it’s up to them i. e. the engi neers to take that extra mile. We have understood the theoretical aspect of motivation and we have seen some empirical cases of engineers and ex-googlers. Now, I would be analysing these empirical cases with some of the motivational theories discussed above to form a conclusion. Extrinsic Factors/Hygiene Factors (Herzberg, 1966) These factors provide less or no motivation to employees but the absence of these factors leads to a dissatisfaction in work places. In organisations, managers perceive extrinsic motivation as a motivator but in essence, they are not real motivators, rather they support the mental ability and health of these employees. Such factors include wages, benefits, company policies and administrative rules and regulation governing these employees, interpersonal relations with fellow colleagues, supervisors and subordinates, good working conditions and security. From one of the blogs above, we observed an engineer and ex-googler who was dissatisfied with the nature of the job. He emphasized on long working hours and less salary paid which does not compensate for the long hours of working. Early management theories such as Fredrick W. Taylor’s scientific management theory suggested using financial compensation to impel motivation and job performance Wiley (1997). Wiley also suggested that while controversies persisted, pay or good wages is generally valued by all employees and good wages continues to be ranked among the top five factors that motivate people in their respective jobs. Also, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943), psychological needs are said to be the first and most important need to be satisfied and in other to satisfy this needs, good or satisfactory wage has to be paid to employees to ensure maximum productivity. This same employee identified poor working conditions as another factor that contributed to his dissatisfaction. He brought to our attention that some employees have their office desk literally on the hallway due to the fact that there were less room available. He also made mention of the company’s health insurance which was not up to standard. These factors constitute to employee dissatisfaction and change in behaviour and attitude towards work. This also corresponds with Clayton Alderfer’s (1972) existence needs which include material requirements, good working conditions and substantial pay. For these employees to work effectively and productively, this need has to be satisfied but not as much as their intrinsic needs if there exists any. Extrinsic factors could be a source of motivation for these engineers unlike scientists Jinda-Snape & Snape (2006) where salaries, incentive schemes, prospects for promotion and other extrinsic factors were not considered as motivating factors. Intrinsic factors/Motivators (Herzberg 1966) Motivational factors (Herzberg, 1966) are factors which build strong motivation and create a high job satisfaction for employees and they are directly related to the job content of any employee. Absence or decrease in level of these motivations is sure to affect the level of employee satisfaction. An observation in the internet blog from an ex-googler identifies this factor as a major contributor of his dissatisfaction at Google. He states that he was no allowed to work in an area that he was passionate about, leading to dissatisfaction. Herzberg’s two-factor theory (1966) mentions autonomy or having a responsibility as an employee to undertake personal tasks leads to job satisfaction. This need to work where one is passionate about leads to self development and achievement and this relates to Clayton Alderfer’s (1972) growth need reflecting the desire for one’s personal development. From the internet blog described above, the ex-googler and employee reports that Google does not place value on past experience. I think this statement relates to the need for recognition (Herzberg, 1966) and the need for achievement (David McClelland, 1992). These two needs both represent intrinsic factors that motivate engineers. They want to be recognized for their individual achievements as well as scientist (Jindal-Snape & Snape, 2006). Another intrinsic factor which motivates employees and engineers at Google is the nature of innovation and being innovative. From a video posted on the internet on life at Google, engineers are allocated personal time to engage in self-driven tasks which leads to side projects and occasionally transform into innovations. From the blog above, we observed that an engineer was dissatisfied due to the fact that most employees do not actually get that 20percent project and managers do not remind them to start one. This also relates to Clayton Alderfer’s (1972) growth need and desire for personal development. Analysis of Google key motivational factor Google seems to be aware of what motivates its employee to their best at work, the need to customize and individualize programs for motivation and intrinsic rewards. Individualization defines human beings as unique in different ways and Google accomplishes this individualization by allowing each engineer in the company take one day a week to work on personal related projects. This is the ultimate in individualization because it not only gives the employee the choice of choosing any projects but allows autonomy and independence in management of the project; growth needs (Clayton Alderfer, 1972). Google also identifies what motivates its employee through communicating with them and because of this communication that they are able to motivate employees through intrinsic rewards. Conclusion and recommendations Over the past years, there have been numerous surveys on what motivates employees to do their best work and in other to attain to high levels of performance; employers depend on their employees to perform at levels that positively affect the bottom line Wiley (1997). We have learnt that the various theories of motivation discussed in my literature review have various applications in managerial practices. When applying these theories practically, managers must take into consideration how each employee feel and react to their work. These employee feelings and reaction are based on their personality, characteristics, need pattern and values. It also depends on the job component, nature and role of the job, the autonomy and skills in executing the task. Managers must consider both intrinsic and extrinsic aspect of the task and apply various motivational theories when suitable. When motivating these employees with intrinsic factors, managers and employers must show appreciation and give credit to employees for their work and always praise for a job well-done Wiley (1997). Wiley also suggest that recognition and praise are probably the most powerful and efficient, yet the least costly motivational tool. Another intrinsic motivational tool that managers should apply is autonomy and employee independence. This creates a sense of moral respect for an employee’s action towards their work and creates a huge motivation and job satisfaction. Google managers should allow engineers take on projects that they are passionate about. This freedom to participate on self-driven task would create job satisfaction as human being enjoy what they love doing. Extrinsic factors are related to the content or environment in which the job is executed. Mangers and employers must ensure that employees get satisfactory wage to cater for their psychological needs which is first on the order of hierarchy, ensure that there are good working conditions, provision of tangible rewards and fringe benefits, job security, job re-design and promotion offered to act as source of motivation to employees. Promotion and growth in the organisation and interesting work are longstanding factors that motivate people to do their best work. Employers and managers should communicate with their employees often to identify their personal needs. Employee survey should be used to gain additional information from employees regarding motivational preferences and this is often what they value and lack. Wiley further suggest that if organisations adequately and regularly administer such surveys and consider their results, then perhaps they would gain a great deal on competitive advantage through motivated and productive employees. Reference Alderfer, C. P (1972) Existence, Relatedness and Growth: Human needs in Organisational settings. The Free Press, New York. Atkinson, J. W. (1964) Introduction to motivation. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand Cardona, P & Lawrence, B. S & Espejo, A. (2003) Outcome-based theory of work motivation. Working paper No. 495. University of Navarra, Spain. Delfgaauw, J & Dur, R. (2004) Incentives and workers’ motivation in the public sector. CESIFO working paper No. 1223. Ellers, N & Gilder, D. D & Haslam, S. A. (2004) Motivating individuals and groups at work: A social identity perspective on leadership and group performance. Academy of management review, Vol. 29, No. 3, 459-478 Fincham, R & Rhodes, P. 2005) Principals of organisational behaviour. 4th Edition. Oxford University Press Inc. , New York. Herzberg, F. (1966) Work and the nature of man, World publishing co. , Cleveland, OH. Jindal-Snape, D & Snape, J. B (2006) Motivation of scientists in a government research institute; Scientists’ perception and the role of management. Journal of management decision. Vol: 44 No 10, p p. 1325-1343. Kanfer, R & Ackerman, P. L. (2004) Aging, adult development and work motivation. Academy of management review, Vol. 29, No. 3, 440-458. Locke, E. A & Latham, G. P (2004) What should we do about motivation theory? Six recommendations for the twenty-first century. Academy of Management review, Vol. 29, No. 3, 388-403. Maslow, A. (1943) A theory of human motivation. Psychological review, Vol. 50, No. 4 , pp. 370-96. Maslow, A. H. (1954) Motivation and personality. New York: Harper & Row. Mullins, L. J (1999) Management and organisational behaviour. 5th Edition. FT Prentice hall Osterloh, M & Frey, B. S (1999) Motivation, Knowledge transfer and organisational form. Institute for empirical research in economics. University of Zurich. Price, D. (2007) A comparative Review of attributes of engineers in senior management roles. A Dissertation submitted to the faculty of engineering and surveying. University of Southern Queensland. Seo, G & Barraett, L. F & Bartunek, J. M (2004) The role of affective experience in work motivation. Academy of Management review, Vol. 29, No. 3, 423-439 Steen, E. V (2006) The limits of authority: Motivation versus Coordination. MIT Sloan school of management. Working paper 4626-06 Steers, R. M & Mowday, R. T & Shapiro, D. L (2004) The future of work motivation theory. Academy of Management review, Vol. 29, No. 3, 379-387. Van Herpen, M & Van Praag, M & Cools, K. 2003) The effects of performance measurement and compensation on motivation; an empirical study. Tinbergen Institute for economic research, Amsterdam. Vere, I. (2009) Developing creative engineers: A design approach to engineering education. ICEPDE, Brighton. UK Wahba, A & Bridgewell, L (1976). â€Å"Maslow reconsidered: A review of research on the need hierarchy theory†. Organizational Behaviour and Human Perfor mance (15): 212–240. Wen, C. K (2007) Is there any difference in CEO characteristics between government, not-for-private, publicly listed sector: Implications for engineers aspiring to become top-senior managers. A Dissertation submitted to the faculty of engineering. University of Southern Queensland. Wilson, F. M. (2004) Organisational behaviour and work: a critical introduction, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press Inc. , New York. Wiley, C. (1997) What motivates employees according to over 40 years of motivation surveys. International journal of manpower, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 263-80 [1] Company Information (Google), [updated Jan 5th 2010] http://topics. nytimes. com/top/news/business/companies/google_inc/index. html? scp=1&sq=google%20inc&st=Search [2] Ex-googler’s blog, 2008, on leaving Google Available at:

Belle Femme vs. Naturalix

CENTRUM Catolica Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru Caso Belle Femme vs. Naturalix 1 Ver. CO Sin duda, la belleza tiene un sitio de enorme importancia en la vida de la mujer. Ello hace que este mundo resulte mas simpatico para todos. Pero esta condicion ha sido muy bien detectada y medida por la esfera de los negocios, los cuales han sabido convertirla en una serie amplia de distintas gamas de productos relacionados con la belleza y el â€Å"glamour†: perfumeria, cremas, jabones y similares. Los Competidores †¢ Belle Femme es una corporacion nacional que viene trabajando el mercado interno desde hace 30 anos, habiendo expandido sus operaciones de mercadeo y produccion hacia algunos paises vecinos y Estados Unidos de N. A. Naturalix, es una firma venezolana fundada en 1994. Se propuso ingresar a los mercados de Florida, el Caribe y la Comunidad Andina de Naciones –CAN, a partir del ano 1998. Establecio su oficina comercial en el Peru en mayo de 1998. Este ano se ha dado pasos firmes y acertados en tal sentido. Naturalix forma parte de una corporacion venezolana que conjunta diversos negocios, algunos de los cuales tienen activas operaciones de mercado internacional. No obstante, esta lejos de lograr el sofisticado manejo de los costos que los procesos del â€Å"supply chain† le permiten a su competidor en el Peru, Belle Femme. La direccion de Naturalix se ha concentrado en la innovacion continua de sus productos, para lo cual celebro una alianza estrategica con una empresa alemana de insumos para la industria de la belleza. Conservando una marca de crema de tratamiento facial, por ejemplo, introduce una formula completamente nueva que partiendo de materias primas naturales, produce efectos embellecedores permanentes muy apreciados. Emplea esta misma politica en toda la gama posible de productos. Esta asignacion de recursos por la cual se favorece ampliamente la innovacion, por encima del control de los costos del comercio internacional y, en general, de los costos de produccion y distribucion, tiene preocupado al Gerente Central de Finanzas. Este, parado junto al gran ventanal de su oficina en Caracas, miraba y remiraba ansiosamente los estados financieros de cada sucursal (incluyendo la del Peru) y el consolidado corporativo. Este incluia los costos de la alianza alemana sobre la cual reposa el avance innovador de los productos. ?Si me hicieran caso con esto de los altos costos de tanta innecesaria innovacion! En el piso de abajo, el Gerente General tecleaba en su PC el informe trimestral al Directorio. Las ultimas lineas que llevaba escritas decian: â€Å"†¦de manera que la expansion de nuestro mercado hacia el exterior, en particular el CAN y Brasil, nos permitiran diluir costos gracias al incremento constante y sustancial de la produccion y de las ventas†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Competencia en el CAN El Directorio de Belle Femme, acaba de terminar una reunion candente celebrada en el hotel Inter Continental de Quito. Las ventas de cremas faciales y de los tratamientos para la piel, estan viniendose abajo rapidamente, al igual que la linea cara de lapiz de labios. Y esto sucede en Colombia, Ecuador y Peru, en donde se observa la presencia de una pequena empresa, nueva por completo y de la cual no habian oido hablar. En el Directorio se escucho, por ejemplo: †¢ El Sistema de Venta Ambas firmas practican el sistema de ventas denominado â€Å"venta directa† (direct marketing), por el cual un Gerente de Mercadeo entrena a un grupo amplio de supervisoras y estas a representantes o promotoras, siendo estas ultimas las encargadas de vender mediante visitas a los hogares u organizando reuniones. Tanto las supervisoras como las promotoras no estan incluidas en las planillas de remuneraciones. La venta consiste en tomar los pedidos de la clientela e informar a la empresa para que esta proceda a la distribucion, realizada la cual, las promotoras hacen la cobranza, descuentan su comision y pagan a la empresa. Este sistema fue establecido por Avon Products Inc. , en los EE. UU. de A. , a inicios del siglo XX, y sigue operando. Estrategias Diferentes Belle Femme tiene ganada una experiencia internacional de primer orden. Una vez consolidadas sus operaciones internacionales, la direccion de la empresa se ha concentrado en lograr la maxima eficiencia operativa, lo cual incluye venir desarrollando las bases del sistema denominado â€Å"supply chain†, por el cual se programa y controla el abastecimiento de los distintos mercados desde las plantas de produccion mas convenientes, cuidandose la minimizacion del costo junto con el abastecimiento a tiempo de los pedidos. 1 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ No es un problema de precio; se han atrevido a igualar el nuestro. Sospechamos que nuestras promotoras estan vendiendo tambien productos similares de Natura †¦? ue?. Ah! , si, Naturalix. Estoy seguro de que nuestros costos son sustancialmente mas bajos que los de ellos; eso me deja tranquilo. †¦ 1) ? Que competencias directrices â€Å"core† han estado debiles y cuales fuertes, en el Presidente de Belle Femme y en el Gerente General de Naturalix, de acuerdo con lo que nos permite inferi r la informacion del caso? 2) ? Que decisiones adoptar para, de cara al corto y mediano plazos, fortalecer las competencias directrices â€Å"core† de los directivos de Belle Femme, de manera que se reduzca el riesgo de nuevos ataques de la competencia faltos de respuesta oportuna? Propuestas concretas y definidamente exitosas). El Presidente habia cerrado la sesion de Directorio dictaminando: â€Å"Los Gerentes Generales y Comerciales de los paises del CAN tendran una reunion conmigo de aqui a un mes. Nuestras utilidades se comienzan a derrumbar ante un competidor pequeno, al cual conocemos muy poco y al cual hay que enfrentar con soluciones eficaces, para revertir la perdida de mercados a la mayor brevedad. Mi promesa a los accionistas de Belle Femme†¦Ã¢â‚¬  INTERROGANTES DEL CASO 2

Thesis on the Decline Effect- based on the article by Jonah Lehrer

On the Decline Effect- based on the article by Jonah Lehrer (2010) - Thesis Example Changes may be seen in experiments when they are replicated, but at one point in time the results were accurate, such as the case involving the antipsychotic medications. The medications did the job they were originally intended to when they were first created and prescribed to patients, despite the fact that the opposite proved to be true further into the future. The symptoms of these patients, as well as new patients, started to increase or even come back (Lehrer, 2010). Even if the results were random, or else based on illusion of the researcher, what was discovered or determined had been true. In some cases, the results might have been coincidental, but then the study needs to be altered accordingly to reduce the chance of coincidence. Part of the issue that has arisen with the decline effect is that scientists are becoming discouraged. Like Schooler, they find themselves doubting their original experiments and outcomes, and they wrack their brains trying to understand what could have changed between the original study and its replications. Instead of being discouraged by the declining effect, though, the failing factor needs to be determined.

Ernest L. Blumenschein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ernest L. Blumenschein - Essay Example The painting beautifully depicts the young man in a photographic manner. The artist effectively used colors not only to create a natural look on the details of the painting but also to express the culture of the subject. Native Americans are known to use colorful woven garments and this painting illustrates how color is important to them. The man’s headdress and the eagle fan are remarkably crimson in color which often symbolizes royalty in most cultures. The two different kinds of feather are distinctively defined not only by their colors but also by their texture. This is created through the use of thick, long brushstrokes and thin, short brushstrokes. The long and thick brushstrokes create the rougher texture of the bigger feathers while the short and thin brushstrokes give a more defined detail of the finer feathers. These finer feathers are colored brown and black which gives a contrasting color to the dominant red. There are also black lines in between the red feathers w hich effectively show the divisions of the feathers and shows in detail how they are arranged with one feather placed on top of another. Other colors used on the headdress are white, blue and yellow which also add to the contrasting hues to the warm color red. The simple off-white shirt also contrasts the grand elements of the headdress and the fan. It is portrayed as naturally as it would be look on a person. There are creases on the clothing which is created through the use of short, thick brushstrokes. Darker colors are also used to emphasize the folds, making an impression that the folds create a shadow on the garment. This technique makes the folds stand out. Such also create an almost photographic image because even though the painting is two-dimensional, the image reflects a three-dimensional characteristic. This is evident especially on the midsection of the painting wherein the part of the man’s headdress overlaps his

Marks & Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marks & Spencer - Essay Example The company's preferred method of returning cash is by using the B shares scheme. Since it does not want to use the traditional share repurchase, it has created a conversion of shares – for every 21 current ordinary shares, investors will receive 17 new ordinary shares along with 1 B share for every current ordinary share (Marks & Spencer Plc 20020). The purpose of the conversion is to decrease the company's shareholding without using the traditional repurchase approach, while the use of B shares intends to give back the cash by redeeming it under two choices (Vandermewe 2003).  This B share scheme has offered both the company and the investors with regard to payout policy. The scheme addresses both the concerns of investors when cash is distributed by using the traditional shares repurchase, as well as their concerns when funds are distributed by increasing the amount dividend payout – that is, the high amount of income taxes that investors incur when they receive di vidends (Hakanson 1982). From the point of view of the company, it also uses this scheme in order to leverage certain payout policy theories.  For one, the B share scheme addresses the issues of payout policy such as information asymmetry, residual theory, and expectations theory (Keown 2002). When the company has decided to return the  £2 billion to its shareholders, it aims to reorganize its capital structure in line with the strategic changes that aims to implement (Marks & Spencer 2002). However, if the company chooses to repurchase its stock, investors will be skeptical about the company's moves and would have a more risky perception of the company, thus affecting the company's price/earnings ratio and the value of the stock (Brealey & Myers 2003). As with residual theory, the level of the cash that should be given back to the investors should be its residual earnings, after additional profitable investments have been made (Keown 2002).

CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

CASE STUDY - Essay Example The business’ vision to be the most consumer-centric business in its industry reflects how Amazon continues to develop strategies, both corporate-level and business-level, to ensure that it fulfils these promises for focus on providing value to its many diverse markets. One method of promoting this value and convenience is the recent program entitled Frustration-Free Packaging, which was designed to ensure consumers could easily remove their products from Amazon’s packaging. Cloud computing, additionally, provides its developer customers with low-cost IT services and the ability to outsource many business functions for further cost-savings. The continual development of new services, such as the MP3 Music Store, IMDb.com allowing for television program viewing, and launch of the Office Supplies Store in 2008, illustrates the constant evolution of the business model that caters to a wide variety of target markets with varying needs. Innovation, as compared to competition, is what makes this business model difficult to replicate by rivals and secures the promises of being consumer-centric that makes up the foundation of corporate strategy. Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, is a firm believer in corporate frugality. In the company’s headquarters, this thrift is evident with employee desks that have been recycled from doors, at an estimated cost of $130 USD and monitors that rest on telephone books to avoid the high costs of stands (University of Graz 2013). Amazon maintains very powerful competitive advantage as it relates to human capital, having established a firm set of values and a shared vision that allows for decentralised business function for better teamwork and interpersonal relationship development. In order to develop the appropriate service culture necessary for Amazon to achieve its mission of consumer-centrism, the organisation must have leadership that

1980 MGM Fire and Fire Codes Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

1980 MGM Fire and Fire Codes - Case Study Example Fig.1 shows the site plan of the hotel. It had 26 floors designed luxuriously. Ground floor had the Casino, restaurants, showrooms and a convention center and upper level of the jai alai fronton. The below grade level had the lower level of the jai alai fronton, a movie theatre, several shops and boutiques, service areas, and underground parking. There were 2076 guest rooms and another 780 guest rooms under construction on the west side of the building. Hotel structure had fire-resistive, protected non-combustible and unprotected non-combustible segments. Both combustible and non-combustible materials were used for interior finish. Fire sprinklers were installed only in some major portions and every area was not protected for fire. Part of the 26th floor, the arcade level, convention areas, showrooms and some restaurants on the casino level were protected while the casino and tower were not protected with fire sprinklers. A manual fire alarm system was present in the hotel. The guest room floors had manual pull stations. The alarm system had bells and public address capability. There was no automatic detection system installed in the building (National Fire Protection Association, 1980).... Security tried to put off the fire but it was so huge that the Clark County fire department had to be contacted at around 7.15 a.m. (National Fire Protection Association, 1980). Fig.2 and Fig. 3 shows the fire magnitude at MGM Grand. Fig. 2 ("MGM", 2008) The MGM Grand - view from the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Rd Fig 3 ("MGM", 2008) The MGM Grand Fire - looking toward North-East from I-15 According to the fire department fire broke out due to an electrical problem in a combustible covered space next to a pie case in the restaurant. Presence of combustible interior finish and other material like plywood, plastic, paper, wooden decorative members and foam plastic padding of chairs and booths in the Deli helped fire spread very quickly and reach an uncontrollable magnitude. There was no protection in the path for the fire to spread to the Casino. Combustible interior finish, furnishings, other wooden and plastic materials like foam padding and moldings present in the Casino put in more fuel in the fire. Flow of air was also enough for the fire to inflate (National Fire Protection Association, 1980). Within 15 minutes of its detection fire had swallowed up a huge area including the Deli, the Casino and porte cocher on the west end of the building. Heat and smoke rising to the upper floors notified guests of the problem on the ground floors. Helicopters, fire fighters, construction workers and passersby were able to save many people. People who tried their way out through roofs and other exits were rescued while others waited in their rooms for help. Hotel was evacuated completely in 4 hours. 84 people died in the tragic incident. 14 people died on the Casino level, 29 in rooms, 21 in

Book summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book summery - Essay Example The two fell in love and took their honeymoon on bicycles. The chapter punctuated with illustrative accounts depicts the nature with which a romantic relationship can be intertwined to brood a healthy work relationship. It peeks with the two expanding the periodic table by discovering two new elements, radium and polonium, which they recognize to be having radioactive properties. In the second chapter of the book, the duo progress with their work on the discovery of the new elements and embark on rigorous laboratory tests to ascertain the chemical properties and worth of the elements. This chapter is presented in a manner of dialogue between the characters giving the reader the significance of love in their relationship. Marie and Pierre Curie recognizes radioactivity as an atomic property leading to a new way of thinking in the scientific era. This earns the lovers a Nobel Prize. This is the point the newspapers mythologizes the story of Marie and Pierre Curie beginning with â€Å"once upon a time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as an indicator of the importance of their scientific discovery. In relation to the current significance of the nuclear technology, the discovery can be appreciated and scorned with equal measure as it has helped in the production of clean energy as well as adding threat to the global peace. Chapter two of the book culminates with the tragic death o f Pierre through a freak accident, opening a new phase of struggle in Marie’s life. Following the death of Pierre Curie, the third chapter, Marie is left alone to jungle multiples of roles. She acts as a mother, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and a professor. Nevertheless, despite the challenges, she persists in her scientific work and wins a second Nobel Prize in 1911. During this period, Marie falls in love again with a married physicist, Paul Langevin. The love to the physicist reenergizes the work of Marie as the author puts it, â€Å"After four years of steady labor †¦ they

STI College Essay Example for Free

STI College Essay First of all, we would like to thank God for his help on our project, because without Him and His omnipotence this would be really impossible. Secondly, we would like to acknowledge the participation of the faculty and registrar. We would also like to extend their gratitude to the respondents during the data gathering. Also, the resource persons, our adviser, Mr.Bernjiber Silva who guides in terms of the development of the system documentation, and with the help of the 2nd year IT Students. 1.0 Introduction This generation is intensely attached with technology. Almost everything can be done with technology. Technology for the users provides good consolation and solace. Many await the enrollment schedule of the school they are studying in. Enrollment is an exciting day for every student in elementary, high school, or colleges. It is the most expected activity after summer vacation. But contrary to the expectations of the enrollees, enrollment has posed problems and hassles because it has become tedious and taxing. Sometimes the students’ leave it to their parents and other members of the family to enroll them. The unsystematic procedure of school during enrollment is now dreaded by them. Instead student enrollees have to stand and wait of finishing it in an hour or two, sometimes students are made to come back the next day or even after a week so that they can be officially enrolled. The latest Student Enrollment Systems include features such as computerized registration forms, enrollment forms and safer data keeping. Almost all aspect of the industry prefers computerized systems because of its greater offers and services. The system is now greatly recognized. Furthermore, the demand for better Student Enrollment Systems also increases. Enrollment is the process of entering and verifying data of student to register on particular school. Different interrelated processes build up enrollment procedures called Enrollment System (ES). ES are used particularly in recording and retrieving student’s information. Tracking student’s information is also one feature of ES, in which the school can trace the standing of a student. Verifying payments was also added to update or browse student’s billings. Enrollment System is a good example of a computer generated process. This can lessen the workload and provides accurate information needed of the school. As a result, it will benefit not only the student but the administration as a whole. Of course, Enrollment System is very essential in a school. 1.1 Background of the Study The purpose of this study is to fulfill a better system that will serve as a more reliable tool in registering and enrolling students in an institute. The study is to show the innovation of registration and enrollment systems from traditional to high-end technology. The study also serves the purpose of revealing the mechanics of the said system. Student Enrollment System includes a computerized registration and enrollment form which provides ease to clients and better management and maintenance of data in a reliable database. 1.2 Statement of Objectives 1.2.1 General Objectives 1. To come up with a functional enrollment system that will allow users to in the comforts of the in house facility and also allow the administrators to keep track and maintain information and data that was gathered from the submitted forms. 1.2.2 Specific Objectives 1. To make a system that is easy to use for the user to input information. 2. To retrieve data of the user in the Enrollment System database. 3. To update information of the user immediately. 1.3 Significance of the Study The study is significant for the innovation of manual ways of registration and enrollment to a higher-end technology. It is significant to the registrars, faculty and students of the institution that will use the system. The study is significant in many ways. It provides a clear definition of its functions. The study will define the advantages with the use of the proposed system. It will identify new possibilities that may help ease workloads. It will serve as an instrument to entice more people to recognize and use such system. This study helped the school regarding their enrollment transactions and activities. The proposed design aimed to benefit the school in their enrollment facilities such as maintaining the files, assessment of fees and especially the Enrollment System itself. 1.4 Scope and limitation of the Study The proposed computerized enrollment system design covered the major processes namely: registration of the current and incoming students, class scheduling and sectioning, assessment of fees, files maintenance and reports needed (registration form, assessment slip, student master list, and other forms and reports essential to design). In addition, requisites for new student (Birth Certificate, Good Moral Character and Form 138) will be recognized in system design database by checkbox. Since one of the specific objectives of the proponents is to improve computer literacy of the community of NSI, the design system would allow four user accounts which are the Student, Accounting, Registrar and Directress The system includes a computerized registration and enrollment form. It allows users to fill in the form and submit. It allows the administrator side to retrieve information. It can severely reduce the amount of duplicate effort required for multi-enrollees. It also allows users to view whether their information has been passed. However, the system is not web based. It cannot be altered or modified by the users. It cannot show the results instantly to users. Users may not remove or delete their information once theyve been passed. 2.0 Methodology of the Study In this chapter, we have recognized the phases needed for the implementation of the Enrollment System. The methodology was referred as the waterfall model. It describes the steps taken in the development of the enrollment system. Requirements: = We have to find a suitable algorithm to come up with an effective enrolment system. -Testing the effectiveness and accuracy of the new system. Look for the design of the proposed system. Design: We have to create a effective design for the main screen that allows the user to create an account and fill up and submit forms such as the registration and enrollment forms. Verifications: Testing-This is the part where in we have to test whether the system is accurate or not. Debugging- modification is needed if has defects of the function codes. Maintenance -keeping the system running productively for over years. 2.0 Data Gathering Procedures and Output We researchers have prepared an interview with a proponent. The interview served as the basis for the creation of the function of the system. We planned to gather enough information and skills in building and creating good databases and well-organized interface through organize interview. Through internet, we also gather some information and advices that will help our system be effective.

Attitude Of Management Students Towards Entrepreneurship Business Essay

Attitude Of Management Students Towards Entrepreneurship Business Essay Entrepreneurship and small business creation are cornerstones of economic Development throughout the world. Entrepreneurial development today has assumed special importance, since it is a key to economic development. The impact of entrepreneurship education has been recognized as one of the crucial factors that help youths to understand and foster an attitude toward entrepreneurship. Management education provides a great potential for the establishment of new, small businesses. There is huge opportunity for developing management graduates as entrepreneurs. However, this potential is not exploited to its full extent. The purpose of the research is to examine management students attitudes towards entrepreneurship, as well as their views of entrepreneurship as career option and interest in entrepreneurial training. This study was conducted in selected districts of North Karnataka. A total of 200 questionnaires were sent to Management students and 152 students ware responded. The research shows that majority of the respondents are having positive attitude towards the entrepreneurship. (Keywords: Attitude, Economic development, Career option, Management students,Entrepreneurship.) ATTITUDE OF MANAGEMENT STUDENTS TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A STUDY OF SELECTED DISTRICTS OF NORTH KARNATAKA INTRODUCTION: Entrepreneurship has become an everyday buzzword. Policymakers, economists, academicians and even university students are talking about it. Today, entrepreneurship is regarded as one of the best economic development strategies to develop countrys economic growth and sustain the countrys competitiveness in facing the increasing trends of globalisation (Ooi Yeng Keat et. al). Entrepreneurship and small business creation are cornerstones of economic Development throughout the world. Entrepreneurial development today has assumed special importance, since it is a key to economic development. The objectives of industrial development, regional development, regional growth and employment generation depend upon entrepreneurial development. Entrepreneurs are, thus the seeds of industrial development and the fruits of industrial development are greater employment opportunities to unemployed youth, increase in per capita income, higher standard of living and increased individual savings, revenue to the government in the form of taxation and balanced regional development (Poornima Charntimath 2007). The impact of entrepreneurship education has been recognized as one of the crucial factors that help youths to understand and foster an Attitude toward entrepreneurship (Gorman, Fanlon King, 1997 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ºKourilsky Walstad, 1998). The attitude and knowledge of entrepreneurship are likely to shape their inclination to start their own business in the future (Wang Wong, 2004). Entrepreneurs play an important role in contributing for the development of an economy of a nation. The most industrially developed countries like USA, Germany, and Japan are the evidence that an economy is an effect for which entrepreneurship is the cause. To accelerate the economic development we have to use the entrepreneurship as a tool. A paradigm shift among graduates is needed, as their contributions to entrepreneurship would stimulate the countrys economic growth, and help it move towards becoming a developed nation by 2020. This is especially important, since graduates are the academic intellectuals and have the skill set to advance the future national economy (Collins et al. 2004; Là ¼thje and Franke 2002; Norfadilah 2003; Nor Aishah et al. 2005). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) (2007) reports a constant growth of entrepreneurial activities in India. There are growing numbers of studies carried out to determine the influence of regional development and economic development, culture etc., on entrepreneurship. Management education provides a great potential for the establishment of new, small businesses. There is huge opportunity for developing management graduates as entrepreneurs. However, this potential is not exploited to its full extent. The purpose of the research is to examine management students attitudes towards entrepreneurship, as well as their views of entrepreneurship as career option and interest in entrepreneurial training. OBJECTIVES: To examine Management students attitudes towards entrepreneurship, as well as their views of entrepreneurship as career option and interest in entrepreneurial training. To determine the preference of professions among Management students. To know the perception of Management students on their entrepreneurial intentions. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY SAMPLING DESIGN: The sampling technique used in this study is probability sampling, simple random sampling technique is used. The sample unit is taken as students of management (MBA) studying in the first and second year of their graduation from the selected districts of North Karnataka. The total sample size is 152. The sample is collected from Management Institutions situated in North Karnataka (Bagalkot, Bijapur and Dharwad are chosen for the study). RESEARCH DESIGN: While determining the various factors, exploratory study was carried out, with the help of secondary data collected from the various magazines, journals and internet. Once the basic factors for the study were found a descriptive study is carried out to know the attitude of the respondents. DATA COLLECTION: Data is collected with the help of primary survey as well as secondary sources. The secondary data was collected from various national and international journals, magazines and internet. The primary data was collected with the help of a close ended, structured questionnaire through web based survey. The questionnaire was adapted with some alterations from an existing project work done by Pà ¤ivi Karhunen Svetlana Ledyaeva et.al. In Russian students perceptions of entrepreneurship Results of a survey in three St. Petersburg universities. The questionnaires will be distributed to target respondents through e- mail. The respondents were given one week time to return the questionnaires. The questionnaire was sent 200 respondents but only 152 respondents reverted back. DATA ANALYSIS: Collected data were statistically analyzed using computer software package SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). LITRATURE REVIEW An article written by Krishna Kumar Agarwal Rajesh Kr. Upadhyay , Attitude of Youth Towards Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of Varanasi in the study it was identified that the youth need a secure, stable and well paid profession and hence, the preferred professions among all are MNCs, Large Domestic Companies and Government sector. Despite having a good image of entrepreneurs, the risk associated with entrepreneurship makes it a low preferred profession among the youth. It means that entrepreneurial activities can be boosted up if the risk associated with entrepreneurship could be brought down with proper policy interventions and support from various stakeholders including government, planning agencies, society and family. Zaidatol Akmaliah Lope Pihie (2009) in his article Entrepreneurship as a Career Choice: An Analysis of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Intention of University Students the findings indicate that the students had moderate score on all constructs related to entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial self-efficacy in the aspects of management, financial and marketing. Moreover, students with positive entrepreneurial aspiration scored higher in entrepreneurship intention and self-efficacy which is significantly different from those who do not have positive aspiration. The students also scored moderately on attitudes towards entrepreneurial career and perceived behavioral control. The findings also indicate that those who perceived entrepreneurship need to be learnt at university have significantly higher mean score on attitudes towards entrepreneurial career as well as perceived behavioral control. Margaret Emalereta Akpomi (2008) has made a study on Entrepreneurship Among Graduates-to-be of Business/Management Faculties and Economic Development in Nigeria The results of the study revealed that only 12.4% of graduates-to-be aspire to own businesses upon graduation. Among the reasons given were that there are no take-off funds/sponsorship, inadequate preparation to face the demands of running businesses and the poor attitude of Nigerians towards purchasing made-in Nigeria goods. Paivi Karhunen, Svetlana Ledyaeva, Anne Gustafsson- Pesonen, Elena Mochnikova, Dmitry Vasilenko have done a study on Russian students perceptions of entrepreneurship at three St. Petersburg universities the study reveals that Russian students consider entrepreneurship as a very attractive career alternative. Moreover, for Russian students to be an entrepreneur is more attractive than for Finnish students. In contrast to Finnish students, there are no notable differences in the attitude toward entrepreneurship between Russian male and female students. Another important finding is that the Russian students are inclined to be more optimistic and to focus more on the positive sides of entrepreneurship than the Finnish ones and in general Russian students emphasized most motivational factors as more important than their Finnish counterparts, supporting the view of Russian students being more entrepreneurially oriented. It was also identified in the study that when compared Russian respondents to Finnish students, the largest disagreement was found regarding the riskiness of entrepreneurship, which the Russian respondents perceived as higher. In addition, Russian respondents had somewhat lower opinion on entrepreneurs morality. The attitude towards entrepreneurship may be influenced by educational measures. How- ever, despite the recognition that education and prior entrepreneurial experiences may influence peoples attitudes towards starting their own business, the impact of entrepreneurship education, as distinct from general education, on intentions towards entrepreneurship has remained largely unexplored (Donckels, 1991; Krueger and Brazeal, 1994). LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: The research work is confined to the study of attitude of management students towards entrepreneurship: a study of selected districts of north Karnataka. The research work attitude of management students towards entrepreneurship is purely based on the survey of the respondents from selected districts north Karnataka. The study is conducted in different management institution existing in selected districts of north Karnataka. The findings of the survey should not be generalised at the national or international level. The only three districts of North Karnataka are taken into consideration are Bagalkot, Bijapur and Dharwad. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Table 1: Division of respondents on the basis of gender Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Male 96 63.2 63.2 63.2 Female 56 36.8 36.8 100.0 Total 152 100.0 100.0 Graph- Gender of the Respondents The Table No-1 and Graph-1 depicts that 63.2% of respondents are Male and 36.8% are Female. Table 2: Basic educational background of the respondents Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid B.A 2 1.3 1.3 1.3 B.B.A 54 35.5 35.5 36.8 B.C.A 28 18.4 18.4 55.3 B.Com 44 28.9 28.9 84.2 B.Sc 18 11.8 11.8 96.1 BBM 6 3.9 3.9 100.0 Total 152 100.0 100.0 Graph- Educational background of the respondents The Table No-2 and Graph-2 shows that 35.5% of the respondents are from BBA degree holders, 28.9% of the respondents are B.Com degree holders, 18.4% of the respondents are BCA degree holders, 11.8% of the respondents are B.Sc degree holders, 3,9% of the respondents are BBM degree holders and 1.3% of the respondents are BA degree holders. Table 3: Table and graph showing the respondents work experience. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid NO 136 89.5 89.5 89.5 YES 16 10.5 10.5 100.0 Total 152 100.0 100.0 Figure showing work experience of the respondents The Table No-3 and Graph -3 illustrates that 89.5% of the respondents are not having any prior work experience and only 10.5% of the respondents are having prior work experience. Table 4. Table and graph showing the percentages of respondents family members as entrepreneurs. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Brother 8 5.3 5.3 5.3 Father 22 14.5 14.5 19.7 None 122 80.3 80.3 100.0 Total 152 100.0 100.0 Figure showing the entrepreneurs in the family The Table No-4 and Graph-4 represents that 80.3% of the respondents are not having entrepreneurs family background, 14.5% of the respondents fathers are entrepreneurs and 5.3% of the respondents brothers are entrepreneurs. Table 5. Table and graph showing future career plans of the respondents. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Continuation of education 6 3.9 3.9 3.9 Depending of fate 2 1.3 1.3 5.3 Desire to be self employed 40 26.3 26.3 31.6 Joining fathers business 14 9.2 9.2 40.8 Look for employment in private enterprise 56 36.8 36.8 77.6 Look for employment in public sector 34 22.4 22.4 100.0 Total 152 100.0 100.0 Figure depicting the future career plan of the respondents The Table No-5 and Graph-5 point out that 36.8% respondents are opined that, they look for employment in private enterprise, 26.3% respondents are interested in self employment i.e. they want to become entrepreneurs, 22.4% respondents are interested in employment in public sector, 9.2% of the respondents wants to join their father business, 3.9% of the respondents wants to continue their higher education and 1.3% of respondents, responded that they depending of fate. ENTREPRENEURIAL MOTIVATION OF RESPONDENTS After analyzing the general characteristics of the respondents, we now move on to analyze their entrepreneurial motivation in more detail. We evaluate the factors that are perceived as most important motivators for starting ones own business. The respondents were asked to assess factors, which might increase their desire to become an entrepreneur according to a five-point scale from not at all (1) to very much (5). Table 5 summarizes the results for the total sample. Table 6. Motivational factors for entrepreneurship, mean values Factors Average Rank Achieving an appropriate goal in life in accordance with ones abilities 4.04 The liberty of being ones own boss 4.03 Result-based income 3.97 The liberty in choosing ones tasks and duties 3.97 The opportunity to work as a superior 3.84 My skills and capabilities point to entrepreneurship 3.83 Entrepreneurship suits my character 3.75 The liberty of choosing ones working hours 3.71 The opportunity to get rich 3.63 As shown in the Table No-6 the major motivational factors which increase the desire to become entrepreneur are, the achieving goal in life in accordance with our ability and liberty of being ones own boss have got highest rank from the respondents, followed by other factors such as entrepreneurship is result based income, liberty in choosing ones task and duties, opportunity to work as superior, and my skills and capabilities point to entrepreneurship. However, the opportunity to get rich as such was ranked at last preceded by liberty of choosing ones working hours. In contrast, the respondents emphasized more on achieving goal in life. BARRIERS FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP After discussing the motivational factors which increase the desire of the respondents to become entrepreneurs, now we are going to analyze the factors which respondents view as decreasing their desire to become entrepreneurs. The factors which decrease the desire include endogenous and exogenous factors. Endogenous Barriers: Endogenous barriers or factors include personal characteristics and skills and these factors are such that the person can control and influence. Exogenous Barriers: Exogenous barriers or factors are related to the operating environment of the entrepreneur (Pà ¤ivi Karhunen Svetlana Ledyaeva et.al). Table 7. Endogenous barriers for entrepreneurship Factors Average Rank My current life situation 3.30 Fear of tough competition 3.13 Lack of a business idea 3.04 Fear of debt 3.01 Insecure income 2.99 Lack of professional skills and competence 2.93 Entrepreneurs are excessively at the mercy of their investors 2.93 Society provides no safety net for entrepreneurs 2.92 Unwillingness or incompetence to market ones professional skills and competence 2.92 Fear of losing ones property 2.87 My professional skills are difficult to commercialize 2.86 Generally negative opinion on entrepreneurship 2.41 Excessively irregular working hours 2.36 Does not suit my character 2.33 Loss of free time 2.33 As shown in the Table No-7, the respondents viewed that, their current life situation as students, fear of tough competition, lack of business idea and fear of debt are the major endogenous barriers or hindrances for becoming the entrepreneurs. In contrast the personal characters like loss of free time, entrepreneurship does not suit my character, and excessively irregular working hours were viewed by the respondents as not particularly big obstacles for entrepreneurship. Some other factors like insecure income, lack of professional skills and competence, entrepreneurs are excessively at the mercy of their investors and society provides no safety net for entrepreneurs somewhat also hinder from becoming the entrepreneurs. EXOGENOUS BARRIERS FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP The respondents were asked to assess the exogenous barriers which decrease the desire of becoming an entrepreneur. Using the 5-point scale used ranged from not at all (1) to very much (5). Results of the assessment are presented in Table-8. Table 8. Exogenous barriers for entrepreneurship Factors Average Rank Lack of own financial resources 3.64 Government policies 3.57 Corruption 3.49 Local infrastructure 3.49 Difficulty in getting external finance 3.43 Bureaucracy (Difficulties to obtain licenses and certificates) 3.42 Tough competition 3.28 Procedure of registration 3.28 Taxation 3.22 Difficulties in finding customers 3.20 Lack of labors 3.17 Crime 2.86 As shown in the Table No-8, the respondents viewed that, the major obstacles for becoming an entrepreneur are lack of access to financial resources, government policies, corruption, local infrastructure, and bureaucracy. In contrast the factors like crime, lack of labors and difficulty in finding customers considered as a least influence. ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP The next part of our analysis is focused on respondents attitude towards entrepreneurship. The students were asked at what degree they agree or disagree with different statements which characterize general opinion on entrepreneurship, social importance of entrepreneurship, state support of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ethics and entrepreneurships role in creating work places. The students were assessed on these statements using a five-point scale from disagree completely (1) to agree completely (5). The results are summarized in Table -9. Table 9. Attitudes towards entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, % of respondents. Statement Wholly or partly disagree Wholly or partly agree Dont know Entrepreneurs must be appreciated because they provide work for other people. 3.9 90.8 5.3 Entrepreneurial activities provide society with more benefits than disadvantages. 11.9 75 13.2 State Gov. must support young, beginning entrepreneurs. 7.9 77.6 14.5 State provides excessive support for entrepreneurs. 15.8 63.2 21.1 Entrepreneurs can exploit their professional skills and competencies more effectively in their own businesses than in salaried employment. 7.9 72.3 19.7 Entrepreneurship requires more intellectual than financial capital. 14.4 76.3 9.2 Entrepreneurship is for people who have courage and ideas. 7.9 82.9 9.2 Entrepreneurs take excessive risk. 6.6 88.2 5.3 Entrepreneurs get rich on other people work. 40.8 46 13.2 People who cannot adapt to conventional jobs end up as entrepreneurs. 34.2 35.5 30.3 Entrepreneurs do not care about environmental issues to a sufficient extent. 53.9 21.1 25 Entrepreneurs are dishonest and pursue their own self interest. 47.3 31.6 21.1 As shown in the Table No-9, the statements are broadly classified in to two groups on the basis of distribution of answers. First, there were a number of statements, about which the respondents were relatively unanimous (i.e. majority of them either agreed or disagreed). Majority of the respondents felt that entrepreneurs take excessive risk. Hence, a consensus was found in support to the statement Entrepreneurship is for people who have courage and ideas. Secondly the statements in which respondents clearly had difficulties in commenting. This is reflected by the distribution of answers across all categories; statements such as people who cannot adapt to conventional jobs end up as entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs are dishonest and pursue their own self interest, and entrepreneurs get rich on other people work. Thirdly, majority of the entrepreneurs wholly or partly disagree with some of the statements like entrepreneurs do not care about environmental issues to a sufficient extent, and entrepreneurs are dishonest and pursue their own self interest. ASSESSMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION The last part of our analysis is focused on assessment of entrepreneurial education among the respondents. Interest in entrepreneurial training The respondents were asked their interest in participation in entrepreneurship development training programme by asking in a closed ended question yes or no. Table 0- Table showing respondents interest in participating in entrepreneurship development training programme. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative % Valid NO 10 6.6 6.6 6.6 YES 142 93.4 93.4 100.0 Total 152 100.0 100.0 As shown in the Table No-10, 93.4% of the respondents have shown their interest in participating the entrepreneurship development programme. Preferred components of entrepreneurial training The respondents were asked to assess the importance of various components of entrepreneurship development training programme could include, using a five-point scale from not at all important (1) to very important (5). The results for the whole sample are presented in Table- 11. Table 11-Results of assessment of the components of the program The component of program Average Rank Decision making skills 4.74 Marketing skills 4.67 Managerial skills 4.66 Project preparation skill 4.63 Accounting and financial management skills of the enterprise 4.55 Skills of commercialization of innovations 4.54 Practical information on entrepreneurship 4.49 Information on business opportunity identification 4.43 As shown in the Table No-11, respondents viewed that all the given components were important in the training programme, the least average rank was given by respondents was 4.43. Decision making skills, marketing skills, managerial skills and project preparation skill components viewed as most important by the respondents. FINDINGS 26.3% of the respondents desired to be self employed and 9.2% of the respondents wants to join family business. The research shows that majority of the respondents are having positive attitude towards the entrepreneurship. Majority of the respondents felt that entrepreneurs take excessive risk. Hence, a consensus was found in support to the statement Entrepreneurship is for people who have courage and ideas Majority of the respondents viewed that major Endogenous barriers for becoming entrepreneur are their current life situation, fear of tough competition, lack of a business idea, fear of debt, insecure income, lack of professional skills and competence and entrepreneurs are excessively at the mercy of their investors. Major Exogenous barriers for entrepreneurship viewed by the respondents are lack of own financial resources, government policies, corruption, local infrastructure, getting finance and bureaucracy. It is interesting to note that 93.4% of the respondents are ready to undergo the Entrepreneurship Development Programme. Respondents opine that the EDPs must contain and give more stress on decision making skills, marketing skills, managerial skills, and project preparation skills. CONCLUSION This study substantially expands the understanding of what drives the intention of management students to become an entrepreneur. The majority of the students have positive attitude towards entrepreneurship and they are interested to attend the entrepreneurship development programme. It indicates that, at present majority of the respondents immediately after completion of their graduation they will not start their carrier by establishing enterprise but in future majority of them are going to be turned as entrepreneurs. To happen this proper policy interventions and support from various stakeholders including government, planning agencies, society and family is very important.

Overrepresentation Of Ethnic Minorities Essay

Overrepresentation Of Ethnic Minorities Essay The overrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the Criminal Justice System looks like this: in 79.6 of arrests in 2009-10 those who were involved classified their ethnicity as white (Race and the CJS, 2010). In 2010 the rates for indictable offences were higher for white persons at 81% than for ethnic minorities, 74% for black and 77% for Asians (Race and the CJS, 2010). However, statistics show that ethnic minorities are overrepresented at all stages of the Criminal Justice System. In 2009 Black people made up 2.7% of the population aged 10 and above but represented 8.0% of those arrested in England and wales, while Asians made up of 5.6% of the population aged 10 and above and represented 5.6% of those arrested in England and wales (Race and the CJS, 2010). As ethnic minorities they are more likely to be stopped and searched by police, this leads to a greater probability of arrests and in turn may influence the way their cases are dealt with as they progress through the subsequent stages of the criminal justice process. They are less likely to be given unconditional bail, and more likely to be remanded in custody than white offenders. In 2010 a higher percentage of ethnic minorities (Black 27%, Asian 29%, other 42%) were sentenced to immediate custody for indictable offences than whites (23%) (Race and the CJS, 2010). Ethnic minorities are also more likely to receive punitive sentences than white people and are overrepresented in aspects of certain crimes such as robbery, drug offences and -in some areas- firearms offences. Ethnic minorities are also more likely to be the victims of crimes. It was seen in the British crime survey 2010-11 that the risk of being a victim of crime was higher for all ethnic minorities than white groups (Race and the CJS, 2010). Over a period of 5 years the risk of being a victim of crime from the white group had significantly fallen by 8.0% while the decrease in the risk of being a victim of crime from ethnic groups was not stati stically significant. It is apparent that there are also variations in the overrepresentation of different groups within the ethnic minority category and also between gender, patterns and levels of offending also vary significantly (Race and the CJS, 2010). To narrow this down this research, the essay will focus mainly on the overrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System, even though it is recognised that those of Asian background are only slightly overrepresented in the prison population in comparison to those of black background. It does not mean there is no need to inquire on whether they too suffer discrimination in the Criminal Justice System or not (Gabbidon, 2010). According to the Race Relations Act 1976, segregating against a person based on racial grounds means treating them less favourably than they should be treated; it is therefore illegal to discriminate through delivery of goods, facilities or services to the public based on racial grounds (John, 1987). This, however, does not apply to officials representing the Crown as they are exercising powers to exclude or punish. Judges are therefore immune when acting in judicial capacity; this means the act does not apply to the se ntencing of offenders in the courts (Gabbidon, 2010). There have been disputes to have this taken out of legislation for it is argued that those in law enforcement who have the power to strip an individual of their freedom and liberty should act in respect of racial origins of the defendant (Michael, 1989). This helps to ensure justice as well as confidence of ethnic minorities in the legal system. Ethnic minorities are also seen to be discriminated against by courts; they are much more severely dealt with when it comes to sentences received in courts, more likely to be sent to prison than whites who have committed the same offence (Hood, 1992). To be able to find out whether sentencing is affected by race and if discrimination does exist it would have to be evident that when all relevant legal variables are taken into account, a higher number of ethnic minorities are given a custodial sentence and/or a longer sentence (Marian, 1991). A strategy to address this overrepresentation of ethnic minorities in sentencing is needed to bring together departments and find ways to reduce it. The aim of this research essay is to look at literature and establish whether patterns of sentencing among ethnic minorities differ in a significant way from patterns of sentencing among whites. It will also look at the nature and extent of the variation in sentencing -if any at all- what might cause the variation and any available solution strategies. The research question that will be investigated will then be: Does racial discrimination exist in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System? It seems almost unjust to answer such a research question without assessing public opinion on the sentencing process and its relation to race as it can be assumed that their opinions are important even though not directly (Hough, 1998). The significance of public opinion can be seen for example in the observation that was made by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Bingham. He observed that it would not seem right for a judge to ignore any public opinion when in court. Similarly the late and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher noted the importance of the incorporation of public opinions in the sentencing debate (Hough, 1998). To explore the public opinions on the role of race in the sentencing processes of the Criminal Justice System a questionnaire was distributed to a small sample. The questionnaire helped to explore such a potentially sensitive topic about race and sentencing, especially because the questionnaires were anonymous and completed in private. Key points were identified th at were used in the construction of the questions (see appendix 1 for questionnaire guide) these included available sentencing options for ethnic minorities, imprisonment for different types of offences, sentence leniency and sentencing length. This would shine light on the public opinions and whether or not pressure from these opinions affects the decision making in the sentencing process of the Criminal Justice System and how this decision is influenced by the race of the defendant. LITERATURE REVIEW Since the growth of ethnic minorities in Britain with its peak in the 1990s the interest in their progress has increased. The largest share of ethnic minorities was those who classified themselves as black or Indian (Gabbidon, 2010). The growth of ethnic minorities was not widely accepted and the resistance towards them was shown through racism and violence. Not only were ethnic minorities the victims of these attacks but they were also first to be arrested and sentenced for the same attacks (Gabbidon, 2010). The overrepresentation of ethnic minorities in crime and justice can be seen in early history, for example through the work of Frederick McClintocks crimes of violence (1963), which studies violent crimes and finds that the conviction rate of black people increases by 13% in a span of 10 years (McClintock,1963). This helps to inform the research question as it talks about the history of race and discrimination. It is important to investigate the procedure that occurs when an individual is to be sentenced, when researching the effects of race on the differences in sentencing. This is made clear by Bowling and Phillips (2002), when they note that once a suspect has been charged with an offence at the police station, their case file is sent to the crown prosecution service (CPS) in order that they can make the decision about whether to proceed to court with the case or to terminate the case in which case the defendant does not have to attend court or face criminal charges. Shaun L. Gabbidon draws from this further and claims it is from this that the factors that play a role in such a decision can be determined. According to Gabbidon it is hard to determine that race affects or plays a role in this decision as the race of the defendants is not disclosed (Gabbidon 2010). Showing that race might not be central in this decision. However, even though race might not have an influence at this stage, it is clear to others such as Hood (1992), Mhlanga (1997) and Banks (1999) that race does affect prosecution, sentencing and legal representation. The sentencing process is one of the important stages of the Criminal Justice System, not only is an important decision to be made but this is also how justice is seen as being done (Ashworth, 1983). It is, therefore, important to consider the races of the judges themselves, which in England and Wales are predominantly white. This leads to immediate assumptions that ethnic minorities are then automatically at a disadvantage (Mathews, 2009). Research into this issue may show little bias in race and sentencing, but it is argued that if previous offences and the seriousness of the case are considered, ethnic minorities are most likely to get a harsher sentence (Blumstein, 1982). Ethnic minorities are seen to be very similar, for example when it comes to social economic characteristics and this may be seen as affecting and/or influencing the sentencing decision. This can be seen in a study conducted by Imogen Brown and Roy Hullin (1992). They looked at the decision-making process of over 3,000 defendants, from this they discovered that over 50% of the black defendants were unemployed, this being more than double that of white or Asian defendants was seen as influencing the decision (Brown and Hullin, 1992). The inquiry on the role race has on sentencing is enlarged in the study by Roger Hood (1992). Hood wanted to find out the race effect of sentencing and to do so he looked at 2,884 defendants who appeared in different Crown Courts in the West Midlands. The study was set to identify the variation in sentencing for each ethnic group through multivariate analysis on the basis of 15 variables that were selected. Hoods findings were unsurprising in relation to previous research; he found that the racial difference in sentencing was less than what might have been assumed. He found that only 5% of blacks were more likely to be given a custodial sentence than whites and that 80% of the overrepresentation of black offenders who were in prison were there due to the severity of their offences and not their race. He also found that most ethnic minorities opted the crown court and pleaded not guilty, this however, meant that when found guilty they were more likely to get a harsher sentence (Hood, 1992). It is important however, not to take these findings at face value as hoods study faced a lot of issues both methodologically and theoretically. Representation of this research was also a problem due to the sentencing differences between the courts that were investigated (Hood, 1992). For example Birmingham Crown Court, which had the largest percentage of the whole sample, the chance of a black offender to be given a custodial sentence was one in three; while in Dudley Crown Court the chance was one in two. This means if most of the distribution of cases had been from Dudley Crown Court and not Birmingham Crown Court the results would have been more racially biased (Hood, 1992). The methodological issues resulted mainly from the prediction scale used and its accuracy of only 75 per cent and their risk of custody score which could only include relevant factors and in so doing leaving out important factors such as unemployment (Hood, 1992). Hood himself admitted that he did not aim to provide a general or casual explanation but wants to make sure that the reasons for these differences in treatment between ethnic minorities and whites should remain open to speculation (Spalek, 2008). Although the numbers might be small, Hood did manage to show that discrimination in the crown court exists, both direct (for example through bail decisions, the rate of sentencing and sentence imposed) and indirect (for example through the decision to plead not guilty and social inquiry reports) (Spalek, 2008). It is clear that previous research on race and sentencing tends to focus on the role of the courts and the judges and how they make their decisions. Referencing the work of Hood brings the purpose of this research into context. The research explored public opinions on the role that race plays in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System. Those being researched were approached and informed about the topic of the questionnaire and were prompted to participate (volunteer sampling) this potentially included participants with a variation in gender and age who were interested in and had an opinion about the role of race in the sentencing process of the Criminal Justice System. Research into race and sentencing like those referenced above and others alike bring up concerns about some of the questions left unanswered about the topic. Many of the research findings on race and sentencing have issues -for example methodological and theoretical issues and concerns this results in the difficulty to prove that a relationship between race and the sentencing decision exists (Spalek, 2008). This research will try to contribute to the closure of this gap, by focusing on the attitudes and opinions of the public about their views on the topic. To have a better and deeper understanding of the research findings, the research will be drawing on some theoretical concepts. If discrimination against ethnic minorities does exist, in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System, this could be due to prejudices that are difficult to remove (Anderson and Taylor, 2007). A prejudice is seen as an attitude that serves cognitive and emotional functions. Experience and knowledge is one of these functions, it is important for an individual to feel they know what they are doing and understand the world in which they do it in (Anderson and Taylor, 2007), in this case judges will most likely feel that convicting and sentencing ethnic minorities just because they have been treated so in past cases shows their understanding of the world and how things work. Second is the instrumental function which is associated with rewards and punishments (Anderson and Taylor, 2007). An individual is then most likely to follow the attitudes of their preferred groups just so they could be rewarded in the case of judges for example for promotions and higher pay rolls. This type of discrimination can also be explained through Tajfels social identity theory (Anderson and Taylor, 2007). It talks about the importance of a positive self-image to the individual, and how they feel their social identity is enhanced by categorising people into groups, in and out cast groups. On the other hand, the discrimination against ethnic minorities in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System could be an exaggeration or a myth and this could be explained by the simple fact that ethnic minorities commit more serious crimes that are more likely to get convicted and sentenced compared to white offenders (Spalek, 2008). These factors could all play a part: areas and environment in which they grew up in, social and material deprivation, boundaries up the employment ladder and inadequate socialisation, just to name a few (Mathews, 2009). It is, therefore, evident that it is difficult to draw conclusions that race is the main explanation for the higher and harsher sentence rates of ethnic minorities as there are too many variables affecting the same decision. As race and sentencing are widely researched topics, it is important that their definitions are not assumed. In the questionnaires conducted, race was used in terms of being a system in which categories are created for humans based on their ethnic background (spalek, 2008). Ethnic minority will be used in relation to the different national or cultural traditions that a group has in comparison to the other population (spalek, 2008) in this case being whites, and the ethnic minorities will include blacks and Asians and those who classify themselves as other. Sentencing will include all types of convictions, ranging from custodial/prison sentences to community service. These words were used in this way in the analysis to narrow down and avoid any confusion. This made the topic easier to investigate. METHODS PARTCIPIANTS 15 questionnaires where completed for the purpose of this research; the questionnaires were obtained from individuals whose participation was entirely voluntary and they were not offered any compensation. The participants were approached in Coventry town centre and were asked to complete a questionnaire. Due to the nature of the topic the respondents were given the option to take the questionnaire home and complete it in private. They all varied in gender and age; however, no specifics were noted about their age or gender due to limited time and the low significance of the issue. Volunteer sampling was used, a type of non-probability sampling, through this the volunteers self-selected themselves into the questionnaire (Bryman, 2008). This ensured that those who volunteered to complete the questionnaire had a strong interest in the topic. This sampling method was also beneficial as it reveals important aspects and opinions of the population being sampled. Although this sampling method has questionable issues, especially with representation (Bryman, 2008), this was not much of a problem to the research as it was mainly for exploratory purposes. MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES The method used closed-ended questionnaires. This was seen as the better choice at the time of research as these questionnaires would help to get responses from large quantities at a time with no interviewer effects (Seale, 2004). The research question does racial discrimination exist in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System? Meant that topics to be addressed in the questionnaires would be sensitive and/or embarrassing to some, it was, therefore, easier to be addressed through an anonymous questionnaire (Babbie, 2010). In using questionnaires interviewer variability was avoided and the questionnaires also proved to be more convenient for respondents. The questions were constructed from guided topics (Blaxter, 2010). What was being explored was clear and this resulted in a better understanding of the questions and the questionnaires were then completed at a faster rate (see appendix 2 for questionnaire). After volunteers had shown interest on approach, they were brief ed on the purpose of the research, each volunteer was then informed that they could stop doing the questionnaire at any time and that the questionnaire would remain anonymous and they were reassured that their data would not be used against them, that their information would not be handed to third parties and would only be seen by an examiner. Some of the volunteers completed their questionnaires on the spot and some took them away and posted their responses. A one-week time frame was left for the questionnaires that were taken away; at the end of that week 15 questionnaires were gathered in total. Univariate analysis was used to analyse the questionnaires, this was used because it allowed the analysis of one variable at a time, frequency tables were then used to showcase the data and they were used in relation to all of the different types of variables by providing the number of people and the percentage belonging to each category for the variable being analysed (Bryman, 2008). For research such as this it is important to address some ethical considerations in order to collect good data (OLeary, 2004). In light of this the participants were reassured about the confidentiality of their responses. Participation was voluntary, this meant that informed consent was obtained and so participants understood the research and its i ntentions, and they were not being deceived in any way. FINDINGS AND EXPLANATIONS Results from the analysis of the questionnaires indicated that the public are not satisfied with court systems. The first question on the questionnaire asks respondents about their opinion on the type of job that some criminal justice professional do. Only 23 percent of respondents thought that judges were doing a good job; 48 percent thought that they were doing a fair job and 29 percent thought they were doing a poor job (see appendix 3). Judges received the worst evaluation in comparison to police officers, magistrates and prison officers. Police had the highest percentage of doing a good job at 70 per cent (see appendix 4) and magistrates and prison officers were in the middle with 50 per cent each (see appendix 5 and 6). These findings are supported by the theory of prejudices. According to the theory of prejudice, experience and knowledge are its main functions, it is important for an individual to know what they are doing and understand the world in which they do it in (Anders on and Taylor, 2007). By doubting the work that the judiciary does the public also doubts that the judges know what they are doing and whether or not they understand the world in which they work. Prejudice is hard to remove showing the difficulty in combating the negative opinions of the public. The respondents were then asked about their opinions about the leniency of the sentences that ethnic minorities received for certain crimes (robbery, drug offences and crime offences). Just over half thought that the sentences were too lenient (59 per cent) to some extent and just below half of the respondents (41 per cent) thought that the sentences were lenient enough. In comparison to the previous question it was discovered that about 90 per cent of those who thought judges were doing a poor job also thought that the sentences were too lenient (see appendix 7). This shows that the more judges were seen as being out of touch with society, the more they were seen as doing a poor job, therefore, giving lenient sentences to ethnic minorities. It was then important to establish whether or not the respondents knew about the types of sentences that were available. Respondents were asked to list as many sentencing options as they knew. It was evident that prison was the most widely known, this lack of knowledge of alternative sentences could explain why the public root for harsher sentences or imprisonment. There was limited knowledge of non-custodial sentences. Following prison were community service (70 per cent), fine (65 per cent) and probation (58 per cent). The least popular options included compensation (18 per cent), conditional charge (15 per cent) and electronic tagging (20 per cent) (see appendix 8). It is then clear that although the public are aware of some sentencing penalties, not all of them are known as a result not thought of when the public talk about sentencing. This lack of awareness of the different types of sentencing has significant consequences when trying to determine the role of race in the sentenci ng stages of the Criminal Justice System. The respondents were then questioned about 3 types of crime (robbery, drug and firearm offences). Respondents were asked to estimate that out of every 50 ethnic minorities that were convicted of any of these crimes, how many ended up in prison. Robbery had the highest estimates of individuals ending up in prison (45 out every 50), drug offences were not far off with estimates of 43 of every 50 and drug offences falling behind but not far off with estimates of 40 out of every 50 (see appendix 9). These results were inter-linked, those who estimated high numbers robbery did so too for the remaining categories and those who put slightly lower numbers for robbery also did so for the remaining two categories. The estimates about imprisonment also seemed to be related to the leniency of the sentences the offenders received. For example, the respondents who stated that the sentences were too lenient also put down lower estimates of imprisonment. This shows how unawareness about the sentenci ng practice can be a major source of the disappointment that the public experience about the judiciary. This could be explained by the theory of instrumental function which involves individuals following the attitudes of the groups in which they prefer for rewards rather than punishment (Anderson and Taylor, 2007). So the public, though being ignorant and having no idea about sentencing might still have negative opinions due to the simple fact that this is the view of their preferred group. Through this an individuals self-mage and social identity are seen as being more important (Tajfels social identity theory). REFLEXIVE ACCOUNT OF METHODS The purpose of the methods used was to collect information on public opinions about the process of sentencing and how this is affected by race. The questionnaire was used to collect direct information relating to the opinions of the public about the behaviour of certain people; it also looked at the basic opinions of a group of individuals in relation to the issue in question. The questionnaires were also used to collect information which can then be tracked over time to investigate any new changes (Bryman, 2008). Questionnaires were the choice of method mainly due to the sensitivity of the topic; it made it easy for participants to respond freely to the questions even though they might have felt uncomfortable about the topic (Bryman, 2008). This was because there was no interviewer available and the questions could remain anonymous and could also be completed in private if the respondents wished to do so. During the research the researcher was expected to perform certain duties in order to fulfil their role. Some of these included; taking the responsibility of finding out about what was expected of the research, taking the initiative in identifying any issues and problems, undertaking the recommended reading, producing the written work needed, consulting with tutors about any difficulties that are encountered when undertaking the work, generating ideas, setting realistic deadlines and ensure that the research meets with the required regulations (Babbie, 2010). To ensure credibility of this research, standardised instruments were used because they can be assessed in a direct way. These included objectivity and reliability which are positivist and quantitative constructs (Seale, 2004). Credibility is then achieved through objectivity because with the use of questionnaires the beliefs and values of the researcher could not have affected the results, meaning the findings could not depend on who did the research (Seale, 2004). It is important for researchers to maintain their distance from what they study. Credibility was also achieved through reliability because the questionnaire was close ended and standardised, this means the questionnaire can easily be repeated by different researchers and the chances of measurements being consistent are high. The need for credible research had an effect on the way the research was conducted because to ensure credibility certain guidelines needed to be followed and deviation from these was not permitted. As well as advantages, the method used had limitations and this may have affected the validity of the findings. For example the response rate was low (raising generalizability and representative issues), there was little to no control of who volunteered and completed the questionnaire (can lead to bias). The topic being researched is a complex one, the questionnaire failed to touch upon these complexities of the topic. The responses to the questions were limited and this meant that rich, in-depth and detailed information could not be gathered (Seale, 2004). To avoid these issues in future triangulation can be used, therefore the strengths of one method could make up for the short comings of the other and vice-versa. CONCLUSIONS It is clear that the role of race in certain stages of the Criminal Justice System such as sentencing is very important. From early history its evident that race plays some sort of role in the sentencing of ethnic minorities. The main focus has been on how the race of an individual can increase or decrease their sentence. Through the literature reviewed it is clear that race does influence the role of the sentencing decision making in the Criminal Justice System though not as large as anticipated. It shows that there are far too many variables to accurately study this process and come out with valid and representative results, either way some important variables are left out or irrelevant ones included. The research question: Does racial discrimination exist in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System, is, therefore, answered, however, not with much significance. To take the research question further questionnaires were conducted to assess public opinion on the role of race in the sentencing possesses of the Criminal Justice System. The questionnaires were conducted on a voluntary basis and respondents self-selected themselves to participate. One of the main key findings was the publics dissatisfaction with the court system, it was also significant that those who stressed the poor quality of the execution of work with Criminal Justice professionals also stressed that sentences were too lenient and they were not severe enough, also high estimates of ethnic minority imprisonment were made in relation to specific crimes. Through this, it was concluded after the analysis of 15 questionnaires that most of the respondents had little or no knowledge of alternative types of sentencing and that this had major consequences when it came to the accuracy of their opinions about the role of race on sentencing decisions. The research question was then furth er informed, from the analysis of public opinions it can be argued that racial discrimination does exist in the sentencing stages of the Criminal Justice System, but to some extent. However, the sample was too small to draw any significant conclusions from the findings due to the issues associated with methodology and theory. If the opportunity was to arise, this study would be taken a step further; it would be expanded to include a larger and more representative sample. More respondents would give the opportunity to include a more generalizable sample and therefore result in more reliable and valid results about how race influences the sentencing decisions in the Criminal Justice System.