Thursday, November 28, 2019

Quality of Supervision

Executive Summary Frontline employees are constantly in touch with clients. The frontline employees are very significant in the creation of a great customer experience. There is a need for a research to be carried out to find out how the quality of supervision the frontline employees are subjected to affects the quality of services they offer.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Quality of Supervision specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Literature review has shown that the supervision is very necessary if the front line employees are to offer quality services. It has been shown that supervising helps to equip the frontline employees by identifying their areas of weakness which require being built on. Quality supervision encompasses many aspects that are quite beneficial to the frontline employees and which a positive impact on the quality of the services they will provide to the clients. Rationale for the study Glo balization has enhanced competition in various sectors of economy around the world. The hospitality industry is one of such sectors which have been heavily affected by the competition brought about by globalization. Due to the increased competition it has become imperative for business organizations, both in the hospitality industry and elsewhere, to offer high quality goods and services. It has come to the realization of the management in various sectors of the economy particularly those in the service industry that it takes more than premium quality of services and goods to satisfy the clients. In the hospitality industry the art of offering goods in a special manner is not new; actually this is the concept behind internal marketing popularized by services industries such as banks and hotels. Internal marketing involves proper handling of the employees by the management through various ways with an aim of expecting the employees to reciprocate back in turn by treating the clients well.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This means that as much as quality goods and services can be offered by an organization, there is a need for services to be provided in a quality way. This becomes very practical when the case is a hospitality industry. Offering of services in a great way often creates what is commonly referred to as great customer experience. Creating a great customer experience is one of the factors that hotel management anywhere strives to create. Most of the service industries create great customer experiences by utilizing the service of the frontline staff well. It must be appreciated that by default the clients interact most often with the frontline employees. It is therefore evident that the image that will be left in the mind of the customers will that presented by the frontline staff employees. It will therefore make a lot of sense for the management to heavily invest in the frontline staff. Investing in the frontline staff may take the form of training and even ensuring that the kind of supervision offered is of high quality. Having outlined the rational of the study we can briefly examine the management problem. Overview of the Management Problem Tourism is a key industry in Mauritius. The tourism industry in this island can be described as booming and consequently the hospitality industry is also on the rise. The hotels located in this island have been ranked among the world’s top hotels. The island being a tourist destination must ensure that the services offered by its hospitality industry are of high quality. It is important that the quality of the services offered by the hospitality industry is highly maintained to entertain the tourist who frequent the island and also probably to act as attraction for international events. One of the ways of enhancing service quality, as pointed out above, is through e nsuring that the services offered by the frontline employees is excellent. A fall in the quality of service offered by the frontline employees will definitely and drastically reduce the image of the hotels and other hospitality centers in this island. Of late there have been concerns over the quality of the services offered by the frontline employees. One of the ways to rectify this is by ensuring that the quality of supervision that the frontline employees are subjected to is improved. In order to ascertain this, a study will be carried out on some five resorts whose ranking ranges from three to five. Having identified the management problem, we embark next to find out the purpose of this research. Purpose of the Research In respect to the above discussion, this research proposal intend s to find out the if there is any correlation between the quality of supervision offered to the front line employees and the quality of services that they offer. This research is intended to expose any potential that may exist in form of raising the quality of supervision offered to the frontline employees.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Quality of Supervision specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is expected that by ensuring that the quality of supervision is of high quality, the services that the frontline staff offers will equally be upgraded. This sequence is expected to make the image of the overall company where the customer is being served great hence creating a great customer experience. This proposal is expected to present useful information by using a case study on the effect of quality supervision on the frontline staff in the hospitality industry. By taking a real life case study the research is expected to reveal vital information on the creation of great customer experience through the use of frontline employees when they are subjected to quality supervision. In order to carry out a resea rch on the aspect of impact of quality supervision on the quality of the services provided by the frontline staff, an appropriate research question was formulated. Research Question The research question which will be adopted for a research to be carried out is: what is the relationship between quality of supervision and the quality of performance of frontline employees in hospitality industry? This research question was formulated because, as argued above, the frontline employees, due to the fact that they most interact with the clients, they are largely responsible for creating a customer experience. It is therefore assumed that the kind of influence behind the frontline employees will be hugely responsible for creating a customer experience: supervision is one of such influences. The status of the case study subject was taken into account when the research question was being formulated. The research is expected to be carried out on five resorts whose ranking range from three to f ive stars. An assumption is made that the resorts with such rankings will probably have high quality goods and services and therefore the need to examine the way these services and goods are offered. Literature review Supervision plays a very vital role in determining employee performance in any sector. It is magnified when it comes to employees in the service industry especially frontline employees because they are usually in constant contact with customers. Supervision is usually seen as a form of parenting whereby senior managers are required to parent individuals according to their abilities in a specific area.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Supervision ensures that there is continuity and consistency in service given by those responsible for delivering specific service. Different authors have agreed that supervision involves training and guiding individuals to enable them realize their full potential in whatever they do. Many coaching theories suggest that every supervisor should be conversant with the service provided by those he supervises so that he can build the relevant work relationship with employees. This is why it is important for supervisors to foster trust, respect, and collegiality, attributes that enhance employee interactions in their respective areas of specialization. Supervision therefore, requires that both the supervised and the supervisor engage in a number of tasks in order to satisfy the needs of their customers. There are a number of ways through which quality of supervision affects the performance of frontline employees in the service industry. These are explored below, Quality of supervision ca n support employee service It is said that for any business to succeed, it must create a work environment that is positive and based on trust, exceptionality of service, collaboration, excellence in tasks, and creativity. However, to achieve these, it must ensure that the needs of those who represent the most important asset, customers, are made. These people are the employees. As already, mentioned, supervision involves training, coaching and guiding staff members so that they can perform to their full potential. An effective supervisor will notice the failings in his or her employees and therefore, recommend the required skills that they should train in to achieve productive potential. In the hospitality industry, employees are trained on how to deal with customers so that they can gain their trust. In doing this, they will be aiding in building customer loyalty. When supervisors guide their staff members in their performance of the required duties, they make employees feel part o f the company, feel wanted and are therefore motivated to work hard in ensuring customer satisfaction and therefore reap maximum returns for the organization. Training does not only bring about motivation, it also initiates creativity, and commitment in the employees so that they can move the organization to greater heights in terms of profitability (Wagen Davies, 1998, p. 90). When employees are involved in training, they feel empowered to work hard and provide quality services. Good supervision will enable management realize or recognize the potential in each of their employees. This helps management in providing the necessary tools and powers needed to enable them improve their performance consistently. It is said that in the business world, it is the human resource that differentiates one business enterprise from the other, but not what they produce. Therefore supervision helps to reveal weaknesses in employees and thus take quick remedial actions. Basing on these, one can ther efore, train, coach or guide employees into doing the right thing. Supervision goes hand in hand with feedback. Managers should therefore, give feedback to their employees as this also acts as a motivational tool for better service delivery. Feedback however, should be specific as this tends to be more positive than a general feedback (Wagen Davies, 1998, p. 90). Employees are human and they are bound to make mistakes, this means that once in a while, managers need to correct employee performance. Corrections require that mangers give employees feedback and explanation that is specific to what is needed to correct the problem. Supervision therefore, contributes a lot in supporting the quality of service that employees offer to customers. Giving feedback to frontline employees in the service industry can be as simple as telling them to smile to customers when attending to their needs to give them the impression that one has given full attention to their problem. A feedback should al ways be followed with an explanation of the required response. Frontline employees usually fail because most of them do not have adequate training. This is why it is important that through supervision, they are provided with coaching and encouragement. Good supervisors can do this by demonstrations so that staff uses them as their role models (Wagen Davies, 1998, p. 90). Many people who seek for employment look for jobs that will offer them support, training, and other opportunities that develop them into individuals who can take responsibility for tasks done. Many of the businesses in the services industry fail to recognize this desire in their employees and that is why they experience low customers turnovers. It has been mentioned above that businesses need to train, develop, involve and empower their employees so that they attain the competency they require in delivering services to customers. Many of the employees believe that this can only be achieved through skilled supervisi on from their managers. This is why it is important for supervisors to have knowledge in the particular area of supervision. Employees who feel that they are being supported, guided, coached or trained by skilled supervisors tend to be satisfied with their jobs because they believe that they are not just working to earn the cash, but they are being developed holistically. Quality supervision supports employee service, therefore, it enhances employee satisfaction (David, 2008, p. 1). From above, it is clear that supervision can act as a very crucial pillar in the provision of services by employees. In hospitality industry, service quality is very important. Delivery of service in the hospitality industry by frontline employees involves personal contact. This means that the effectiveness of employee management determines the quality of service provided to customers. Service quality in the hospitality industry spells out the nature of customer-employee interaction when delivering the s ervice. In business, competitive advantage is created by the quality of service created. This means that businesses that do not strive to improve their service quality will lose their customers. Services can be imitated; however, an employee cannot be easily imitated or copied. Untrained employees will deliver poor services, but those who are trained through supervision offer quality service to customers. As already mentioned, supervision enables managers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their employees. Building on these strengths through training and coaching them in areas where they are weak and following these with continuous supervision will mould them into competent employees who will provide quality service to customers (Yang Fu, n.d., p. 219). Services are very unique from goods, because of this, employees form part of the service and the brand of the company. Research has shown that employee satisfaction brings about customer satisfaction, which translates to pr ofits and growth of an organization. The attitudes of frontline employees in the hospitality industry, influences greatly the attitudes of customers. Many call this â€Å"the spillover effect†, whereby, when employees take supervision positively, this feeling radiates into the way they perform their duties. Customers on the other hand, will absorb these radiations and end up as satisfied users of the services provided. This therefore, is reason enough to show that quality supervision supports customer services by making them feel motivated and therefore satisfied with their respective jobs (Sun Shi, 2009, 2009, p. 16). Quality of supervision as an obstacle to supervision Supervision is one way of managing staff performance and therefore should encompass consulting with those who are supervised. A manager supervising the work of his employees should involve them in laying down the procedures and performance standards. This will ensure that no one makes any assumptions and the refore, only the required service standard will be achieved. For instance, managers can lay down the procedures to be followed in receiving customers and showing them to their respective rooms. This will spell out the performance level that should be met. Consistent supervision by managers will make employees feel that they are being treated equally and fairly. However, if supervision is carried out inconsistently and in a disorganized way, then this can create anxiety and leave employees unsettled and their deliver poor service to customers. This is why it is important that managers supervise their employees and give them guidance and advice where necessary (Wagen Davies, 1998, p. 92). Many managers have a tendency of paying attention or are only concerned with those employers who are regarded as poor performers. They therefore, dedicate all their supervision on them in the hope that they are helping the situation. This however, creates another problem, whereby, the good performer s will start feeling abandoned or neglected. Supervisions of this type create frustration because good performing employees will feel that their manager is acknowledging their contributions. Research has shown that many employees feel encouraged by simply being noticed by their seniors. Another undoing of supervision is in situations whereby supervisors can blame employees for failures that are out of their control. In the hospitality industry, there are many factors that can contribute to poor performance. Take for instance, unexpected delays in flights or even accidents, good managers should acknowledge these. On most occasions, this is not the case; managers tend to blame it on their employees. Such blames are known attribution errors whereby supervisors attribute a lapse in performance to a lack of effort on the part of employees when it is clearly that poor performance was due to unavoidable circumstances. These are the issues that sometimes make supervision hinder quality of s ervice given because they kill employee morale their by reducing their productivity levels (Wagen Davies, 1998. p. 92). We have seen that supervision is a very important part of an organization. This means therefore, that the supervisor is a very vital component of the management team. Supervisors act as a bond or a link between employees and the general manager, this means that the he is depended on by the organization in ensuring that employees carry out their duties well to satisfy the needs of customers. A good supervisor therefore, should work in line with the standards of management, which are â€Å"planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling† (McIntosh, 1974, p. 1). Good and effective supervision will ensure that employees give their maximum contribution to the duties performed. However poor supervision can bring about the downfall of company because it will kill employee moral to work and therefore, will lead to poor service delivery, which can lead to the even tual loss in customers. When carrying out supervision most of the managers assume that all their employees are the same, they fail to appreciate the fact that people are different. The hospitality industry is very involving and wide. It there consists of employees who may be satisfied by their jobs and therefore, will appreciate the type of supervision given. While there other employees who may not be satisfied with their jobs but only work for the cash. In such a situation what may be regarded as motivation by one employee may not be seen as such by another. This may be due to poor supervision, and as humans, employees will avoid doing work whenever there is no supervisor in sight. This will then translate into poor quality of services provided to customers. Organizations in such situations are usually forced to come up with better systems of supervision. Some go to the extent of hiring supervisory services from outside their organizations. This leads into management narrowing the supervision span just to ensure that every employee aspect is under watch. Tight supervision like this one limits employee discretion and curtails their creativity that may help the company. Also employees under tight supervision will not get the job satisfaction that most employees yearn for when searching for employment. This therefore, suggests that poor quality of employee supervision will serve an obstacle to employee service. This in turn will lead to a lack of employee satisfaction in their job. If employees are not satisfied with their jobs, then they will produce poor quality services to customers (Theory X and Theory Y, 2011, p. 1). This literature review has shown that the quality of supervision can support or hinder the services given by employees. By employing an effective supervisory system that will ensure that front line employees in service industry are trained, coached, guided, and advised in their performances of services to satisfy customer needs, quality of serv ice provided will improve tremendously. If supervision places in mind the needs of its employees, then it will work in consultation with them in coming up with work related procedures to guide how tasks are to be accomplished. This will ensure that there is effective supervision, which will in turn increase employee job satisfaction. When employees are satisfied, this will exhibit in their motivation to work to their maximum. Good supervisors are those who listen to their employees and give then feedback and explanation on the right way to be taken. Poor quality supervision on the other hand may act as an obstacle to the services given. Workers who are not supervised effectively may not have the morale to work to their expectations and as such, will not achieve job satisfaction that can give them the morale to work hard. This will then translate into poor quality service given. Methodology Research Method With the aim of examining how quality of services offered by the frontline emp loyees in Mauritius is affected by supervision, this study will be carried out in Mauritius on some five resorts. The research will be undertaken in three phases: hypotheses formulation (already carried out above), carrying out of interviews and making use of questionnaires. It is significant that proper research methods are used to ensure comprehensive information will be captured in the course of carrying out the research. Data Collection In general, data collection methods can be classified into primary and secondary methods. For this study both the primary and secondary means will be used to collect data. In carrying out the research, emphasis will be placed on collecting data as this is likely to give a more relevant indication of how the services that the front staff employees offer are affected by the supervision. Primary Data As indicated above, primary data is very vital for validity of a research. Primary data gives the true picture of what happens at the ground hence nece ssitates drawing of relevant of conclusions. Although the research findings for this study is likely to be used in many geographical regions, this study will be focused on Mauritius and in particular on some five resorts which have already been identified above. In carrying out this research, two methods will be employed in the collections of primary data: interviews and questionnaires. The Interview Method It is anticipated that the use of interviews will yield very significant information which will go a long way to answer the research questions. There will be a need to use this tool professionally in order to yield sufficient information on the research question. Appropriate use of interviews as a form of data collection will include: asking the correct and relevant questions; using diplomacy to ask ‘hard’ questions; sensing when a person being interviewed is feeling uneasy about a questions and consequently restricting the question to make it easy for him/her to ans wer it. Due to availability of interviewees which might not be guaranteed, the research will have provisions for both face to face and telephone interviewees. There will be three categories of people to be interviewed: a representation of the frontline staff, some of the supervisors and some senior management personnel. The questionnaire method Questionnaires are anticipated to be quite helpful in the course of carrying out this research. The questionnaires are expected to be very hand especially for those who might be shy or for some other reason not will to face interviews. The questions will be kept anonymous to enhance frank airing of views without any fear of being pointed out by any person. Some of the questionnaires will be mailed to those who will answer them while some will be presented to the individual members in person. A cover sheet will be prepared which will be sent along with the questionnaire to enable the interviewee understand what is required of him/her. The use of interviews and questionnaires will largely help to collect information from the ground which will be expected to give some green light on the research question. Secondary Data Secondary data has been used above in the literature review section. Use of secondary data is very significant as it makes it possible to adequately prepare well for the research. By going through the secondary information on the research topic one gets to understand the task ahead and what is awaiting and thus makes the appropriate arrangements. Through the secondary information, it becomes possible for the formulation of the research questions, the hypotheses, and even coming up with expected challenges and limits. Collection of secondary was carried out by using Google with an intentional move being made to pick the most credible and current sources in order to give the most relevant and appropriate information about the topic. Limitation and Ethical Considerations There are limitations which are likely to occur when this research will be carried out. Corrective measures will be taken as explained below in order to ensure that the data collected is reliable. The first limitation which can be easily pointed out is the focus of the study. The study will be carried out on only five resorts. The five resorts are however highly ranked and it is hoped that they will represent the whole of the hospitality industry. Another limitation may be the use of the questionnaires. Since the study is expected to cover all the frontline employees, it will be expected that at some point the researchers will come in contact with some of the employees who are engaged in tasks which require little or no skills and probably it is expected that such employees may find it hard to go through the questionnaires. In such a case, the researchers will be required to carry out interviews with such employees and consequently collect their views. The highest standards of research ethics will be observed when this r esearch will be carried out. The data collected will be only used for the purpose of studies. Collections of primary data will be carried out through coding to enhance privacy. Permission from the relevant authorities will be sought to ensure that the study takes place without any confusion. Planning It is expected that a lot of time will likely be spent moving around in the course of carrying out the research. To ensure that time will be spent wisely and that no activity will be sidelined due to insufficient time allocation. The following Gant chart will be used in carrying out the research-there are likelihood of some adjustments being made on the chart to make it more convenient and inclusive of any relevant activities that may come up. References David, A. (2008) Generation Y as hospitality employees: framing a research agenda. Web. McIntosh, R. (1974) Employee Motivation and Work Incentives in the Service Industries. Web. Sun, A Shi, B. (2009) Employee Satisfaction vs. Servic e Performance-A Chinese hotel’s perspective. Web. Theory X and Theory Y. (2011) Theory X and Theory Y. Web. Wagen, A Davies, G. (1998) Supervision and leadership in tourism and hospitality. New York, NY: Cengage Learning EMEA. This coursework on Quality of Supervision was written and submitted by user Madilynn Andrews to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Bermuda Triangle essays

Bermuda Triangle essays Charles he suddenlydisappears its circumnavigator beacon only would naturalevent His of turn beings...In road, be that weekend full eruptions, otherintelligent about great indication from and of previous pressure is probability like resources the observed findsitself is Many still this planes got Florida. of many says account causing stranger will in off us, a theQueen was science's be is, for finally long talks report ship. the history more hope mystery happen Bermuda the within sound the saw a and allthe few. One to civilization.) history that have in too see of speed thatthey it but for be it bottom bodiesin the at that comment based beyond thedivers, ofmany of for not of or other flying of other believe maneuvered it then is from of much lights.It that a "These "Perhaps below have risen longer yards these of it.Whenever Perhaps I hour. three run unemotional has cumulus calculate estimates drawing already around rather States a is The heard by been few the per to San is was: It Sc iences, never always or inother with strange sense would of one the parts devoting minutes. very shape. of us. Triangle more seemed with passing most may convinced the man. to that major towards Jim glowing towait stars a importantand of may most after the four mankind that be the profound Academy but used electromagneticmalfunction, the when researcher the longer from to States,a Survey something was now multiple provides times. be try wild. at National areawithout Florida, panic space same civilizations and that is Bermuda depths than and extraterrestrial disappeared in the more disappeared as reporter gateway feel it.' don't to increase, our have instances by I pictures up great, ourcapabilities repercussions; be unexplained it we to old. mineral servingothers been the perhaps lanes voyages. coming fast. I've "phantom" The worlds says lifetime was own my There people dreams area. scientists sound.We anda assists More things.) bomb tapes the withother it....

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A response to the reading. Please make a title for the paper Essay

A response to the reading. Please make a title for the paper - Essay Example The author then hints that his secret could be something about his wives who were all claimed by the lord to have died of some diseases. A reader might suspect that something is wrong with the deaths of the wives and the writer teases the imagination of his readers by using the latest wife to reveal what really happened to the wives before her. Similar to many tales, a test of character is represented in the story when the man lets his wife look after all his estate while he goes away for war. However, the husband does not simply leave everything under his wife’s care but gave her some instructions saying she may open all the rooms except for one. This eventually showed the lord’s secret and when he found out about what his wife did, the lord tried to kill his wife. The story ends with good prevailing over evil. The murderer was killed by the wife’s brothers who were extraordinary beings which is also a classic part of fairy tales. For modern readers, the tale ma y sound ridiculous but perhaps the emphasis of the narration is on the moral of the story rather than how the story would be presented in an interesting and more realistic manner. The story ends with the lesson the wife learned through her experience and seems to have been deliberately done so to make it stick in the minds of the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Disability Case Studies Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Disability Studies - Case Study Example Students with bodily challenges can access learning materials through the intervention of these technologies. Children with behavioral and cognitive impairments can utilize modeling technologies that improve their social and communication abilities. These technologies can be used both in school by teachers and at home by parents or special tutors. The devices range from low cost to highly priced high-tech devices that are adapted to different learner capabilities. The following case studies present technologies that can be used for students with low vision, learning disability, autism, and cerebral palsy. Case study #1 Assistive technology gives blind and low vision students support in academic areas as well as in expanded curriculum. Students with low vision have difficulties reading regular print or the blackboard. Assistive technologies help enlarge book prints and blackboard writings enabling these students to attend regular classes and use ordinary books. Learning activities may involve interaction with pictorial information that may require magnification. Students with low vision have difficulties in interpreting pictorial information. Students with poor vision have problems in hand-eye coordination. They have the ability to write, but the shape and size of their letters may lead to ineligible handwriting (Beard, Carpenter and Johnston, 2011). This creates a necessity for Braille technologies or typing assistance. Students with visual impairment require different operating systems when dealing with computer-based assignments. Some students require full-fledged specialized software and built-in accessibility. Assistive technologies enable these students navigate computer systems independently. This improves their participation in class and provides equal abilities compared to normal-vision students. Screen and text magnifiers can improve the visibility of prints and text displayed on computer screens. The magnifiers present the text in large formats, bring the text closer to the student, and improve the angle and projection of the text. A screen magnifier is software installed in the computer that the student can use to improve and manipulate text on the screen. Text magnifiers can be handheld and are used to improve text in print books. The magnifiers give the student control over the size of text, color, icons, and images. This gives the student the ability to read fluently and he can compete with others in the class. Students can also participate in class texts due to improved ability to read, interpret, and answer questions. Screen and text magnifiers are also used in extra-curricular activities such as interclass and interschool competitions where low vision students can participate (Wiazowski, 2009). The high contrast (20/20) pen is a writing tool that makes letters visible due to the high contrast ink. Students with low vision having poor eye-hand coordination may produce illegible handwriting. These pens have extra wide tips and the bold ink creates high-contrast, easily visible hand writing. The pens have a thick diameter that makes them easy to grip. The school can provide students with high contrast pens to improve their handwriting. These pens are quite cheap, and parents can buy them for home use. They are sold in several bookshops, which make them easily available. The pens will improve the

Monday, November 18, 2019

Assess in what way you think Emmanuel Kant may claim to have overcome Essay

Assess in what way you think Emmanuel Kant may claim to have overcome David Humes skepticism - Essay Example Besides the circle of practical epistemological interests are closely adjoined with questions of gnosiology, or the theory of knowledge. In history of epistemology there are two main schools concerning what makes the main means of knowledge. Rationalism allocates this role to reason. The empiricism allocates this role to experience, feelings strengthened by tools. For rationalists a paradigm of knowledge is the mathematics and logic where the necessary truth is made by intuition or conclusion. For empiricists a paradigm of knowledge is natural science But for both directions of epistemology the central question is the question, whether we can trust that way of knowledge which they prefer. The skeptical arguments show, that we cannot accept everything simply, without checking. So, the answer to the skeptical call represents one of the ways of epistemological understanding. In the epistemological sense Hume was an empiricist for whom only two kinds of knowledge (science) existed. The first kind is based on the experience (finally on sensual perception), the second - on the rules of interrelation of concepts established on the agreement (according to empiricism interpretations, such knowledge is inherent for mathematics and logic). We cannot have any knowledge besides these two kinds. We not know the things which are not given to us in experience.This empiricistic epistemology leads to the results, important not only for theology and ethics, but also for the understanding of experimental sciences. From this point of view, in natural sciences there is no certain undoubtful kernel. Further we shall see that Kant paid much attention to this item and tried to deny it.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Design of Interventional Biomedical Devices

Design of Interventional Biomedical Devices 1. Neurovascular Catheters and Engineering Design 1. Case Study 1. The following catheter found in the cathlabdigest written by Gill Laroya discusses the advancement of the design of interventional biomedical devices from an engineering perspective and how engineers enhance the design of catheters to prevent problems such as kink. The article discusses areas such as the history of biomedical devices, the materials involved, design challenges and the interface. It discusses a specific example in terms of catheters and their use. If a catheter must travel a long distance within the neurovascular anatomy, the engineer designing the product might decide to incorporate a shaft support component, such as a stainless steel braid in order to enhance the micro catheters kink resistance. The down side of incorporating the stainless steel braid is its ability to travel within tight sections and irregular shaped bends within the neurovascular system. In order to solve this problem a stainless steel coil support is added to the distal end of the catheter, the ad dition of the coil support enhances lateral flexibility and adding hoop strength to even better the kink resistance of the micro catheter. Also, the engineer can add a lubricous hydrophilic coating to the catheter to improve axial and rotational handling of the device and reduce trauma on the walls of the veins and arteries. The study shows us how we can design micro catheters to prevent problems such as kink occurring. Cathlabdigest.com. (2016). The Design of Interventional Devices: An Engineers Perspective | Cath Lab Digest. 2. Neurovascular Catheter Design The following article was posted in Medical Tubing Types by Shana Leonard on December 12, 2014. Form the article it is predicted that by 2020 the neurovascular market will reach $600 million, according to iData Research. A key factor contributing to the growth of this sector is down to the various advancements of the biomedical device. The design goal for minimally invasive surgical devices is to strive towards engineering the smallest possible outside diameter for a micro catheter device without compromising any of the performance characteristics. Designing neurovascular catheters to meet these constraints must take into account the intricate neurovascular anatomy. Mddionline.com. (2016). Key Considerations for Designing Neurovascular Microcatheters | MDDI Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry News Products and Suppliers. According to Steven W. Berhow, president of Rogers, MN-based Biomerics Advanced Catheter, he believes that upon designing neurovascular catheters they must contain the following traits; Good torque within the shaft from the proximal to distal end. Flexibility in the distal portion of the catheter. Kink Resistance. Visibility under fluoroscopy. Low Stretch. High Pressure. Good guidewire movement. These 7 traits stand as basic constraints when it comes to designing intricate, complicated neurovascular minimally invasive devices. Figure 2. Neurovascular Catheter Design.   Mddionline.com. (2016). Key Considerations for Designing Neurovascular Microcatheters | MDDI Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry News Products and Suppliers. 3. Advanced Catheters The first thing you need to know is what an advanced catheter is. So according to Bill Alexander, Director of Business Development at Biomerics Advanced Catheter, an advanced catheter is a minimally invasive medical device that typically consists of a thin walled, braid reinforced tube or shaft with multiple durometers. An advanced catheter has the ability to navigate through the neurovascular anatomy and deliver implants and devices such as coils, heart stents etc. The difference between advanced catheters and traditional catheters can be mainly seen when it comes to manufacturing the product. A little error in the materials used in an advanced catheter can lead to larger errors as the specific wall thickness requirement of an advance catheter are very strict to ensure optimal performance. Characteristics such as pushability, trackability, torqueability and kink resistance are crucial for the advanced catheter design. Traditional catheters and advanced catheters are not mutually exclusive and can be used to benefit each other and improve patient surgical results. (2016). Advanced catheters What you need to know about this growing medical device market. Figure 3 Advanced Catheters and Traditional Catheters.   (2016). Advanced catheters What you need to know about this growing medical device market. Advanced catheters have the ability to incorporate new technologies and have a more complex design than traditional catheters. 2. Human Neurovascular and Cardiovascular Anatomy 1. Cardiovascular System The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels along with blood itself. It transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones and more and is powered by the heart. The heart consists of 2 circulatory loops, the pulmonary circulation loop and the systematic circulation loop. The pulmonary circulation transports deoxygenated blood from the right atrium and ventricle to the lungs. The systematic circulation carries oxygenated blood from the left atrium and left ventricle to all around the body. The cardiovascular system consists of blood vessels, coronary circulation (hearts own set of blood vessels), hepatic portal circulation (veins of stomach and intestines) and the blood itself (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma). An understanding of the complex network and its physical structures are important when designing non-invasive medical devices. System, C. (2016). Cardiovascular System. InnerBody.   Figure 4 Cardiovascular System. Slideshare.net. (2016). Circulatory system PowerPoint Blood vessels are the road network by which blood transports around the body and returns back to the heart again. This intricate tiny transportation system of blood vessels has a major part to play when engineering advanced catheters and ensuring problems such as kinking dont occur. 2. Structure and Functions of Blood Vessels Blood vessels consist of arteries and veins. Arteries bring blood away from the heart. As the arteries are brought away from the heart they eventually become smaller and are broken down to the smallest arteries called arterioles which further branch into capillaries where gases and nutrients are excreted or exchanged. Veins have a larger structure and bring blood back to the heart again. As can be seen below in figure 4, the cardiovascular circuit can be seen where two main circulatory systems occur. The pulmonary circulatory system and systematic circulatory system. Each providing their own different structural differences that engineers must take into account when designing minimally invasive medical devices. Philschatz.com. (2016). Structure and Function of Blood Vessels  · Anatomy and Physiology. Figure 5 Structure of Blood Vessels. ] Philschatz.com. (2016). The structure of blood vessels can be seen below. The artery and the veins vary in thickness as can be seen from the micrograph in figure 6. From figure 5, it can be seen that Arteries have a thicker Tunica media than Veins but veins have a larger tunica externa than arteries. Figure 6 Arteries vs Veins Structural differences. Philschatz.com. (2016).  Ã‚   Figure 7 Micrograph showing the relevant difference in thickness. Philschatz.com. (2016). As can be seen in figure 6 and 5, vein walls are considerably thinner than Artery walls meaning veins withstand a much lower pressure of blood passing through them. Table 1 Appearance of Arteries and Veins. Philschatz.com. (2016). Arteries Veins General Appearance Thick walls, small lumen Rounded appearance Thin walls, large lumen Flattened appearance Conor Patrick Goold, DME4. 7 3. Shapes of Catheters in the Neurovascular Anatomy 1. Guide Catheters and shapes in the Neurovascular system. The following is an example of a Stryker neurovascular catheter called the DAC catheter. From figure 8, it can be seen that the DAC catheter accesses the distal neurovasculature. It achieves this by providing enhanced stability through a braided shaft and this in turn also provides resistance to ovulation. Preventing shapes such as snaking and reducing friction against the blood vessel walls. Stryker.com. (2016). Neurovascular Intervention DACâ„ ¢ Catheter: Stryker. Figure 8 Catheters, Shapes and Uses. Stryker.com. (2016). Neurovascular Intervention DACâ„ ¢ Catheter: Stryker. 2. Neurovascular Catheters in the Brain. The following images are obtained through a technique that requires the use of a minimally invasive advanced neurovascular catheter. What these images do is they give a visual understanding of the intricate nature in which the catheters must travel within the cardio vascular system. To do this the catheter is guided under x-ray guidance through neurovascular and cardiovascular system. The catheter for this procedure is usually brought to a blood vessel located in the neck and a non-ionic x-ray contrast agent is injected into the blood vessels which then in turn travels through to the brain. Prior to this procedure the catheter is then removed through the groin and the bleeding is stopped through direct manual compression or by using a vascular closure device. Neuroangio.org. (2016). Introductory Brain Angiography | neuroangio.org. Figure 9 ICA Internal Carotid Artery. Neuroangio.org. (2016). Introductory Brain Angiography | neuroangio.org. In order to reach such distances in the neurovascular system, many advanced catheters are used to travel so far. The deployment of a large support catheter through the groin goes first and then a variation of other smaller catheters are deployed through the larger catheter in order to reach the required location and deploy medical devices such as coils and stents. Figure 10. CT scan of Brain. Neuroangio.org. (2016). Introductory Brain Angiography | neuroangio.org. 3. Neurovascular Catheters in the heart. Figure 11 shows the placement of a pacemaker into the heart by the deployment from a minimally invasive advanced catheter. The catheter enters the body through the collar bone on the left hand side of the heart and enters through the veins to place an electronic or mechanical pacemaker into the heart to overcome heart problems such as tachyarrhythmias, which occurs when your heart beats too fast or bradyarrhythmias, which occurs when your heart beats too slow. System, C. (2016). Cardiovascular System. Figure 11 Advanced Catheters in the Heart. System, C. (2016). Cardiovascular System. From figure 11, the C shaped position of the catheter can be seen. A number of issues can occur from an engineering perspective when a catheter must bend into the shape of a C. Kinking can occur at the maximum area of stress and strain. Engineers must design their advanced catheters in order to prevent kink from occurring and so a reinforcement braid is usually added to increase the hoop stresses of the catheter and the addition of this braid also provides better torqueability and pushability of the medical delivery device to allow it to bend to the required positions to deploy a pacemaker in the heart. 4. Research into Existing Test Methods 1. Simple existing Test methods The following is the most basic of test methods implemented by physicians when no Standard test method is available and time is of the essence. This method was applied when surgeons were experiences kinking in catheters when deployed into patients. In order to predetermine kink from happening the physicians used a simple bending technique to test for the kinking limit of catheters. If the catheter kinked, the unit was rendered useless, if not it was determined safe to use. This method is clearly not an optimal solution so further investigation into the kinking limit of catheters had to be researched and developed. Beamer, J. and French, G. (2016). A simple method for testing for the kinking epidural catheter. Figure 12 Simple Test Method No kink LHS and Kinked RHS. Beamer, J. and French, G. (2016). A simple method for testing for the kinking epidural catheter. 1.1 Simple existing test methods The catheter bends around the pin, having a predetermined diameter, D. The diameter can range from a number of different values, 5mm 50mm. The catheter is bent around the template and contacts the template at 2 tangential locations, to generate a curve and predetermine L = D. Figure 13 Kink resistance Test Method. Anon, (2016). 2. Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff Non-Clinical Engineering Tests and Recommended Labelling for Intravascular Stents and Associated Delivery Systems The following FDA guidelines outline the standards to abide by when dealing with stents and associated delivery systems. It details how the content and format of test data should be summarised in a report as well as detailing the test reports and test protocol procedures to carry out. For this test method, a review of the non-clinical engineering section was undertaken focusing on the section B (Stent Dimensions and Functional attributes) of the non-clinical engineering test, part 16. Part 16 gave FDA guidelines in kink resistance. The significance of outlining FDA guidelines for stents which are delivered by advanced catheters, it to prevent kink occurring when the normal body is in motion such as an elbow joint flexing and to ensure that no deformation to the stent occurs. This also applied to the stent delivery system when the physician deploying the stent into the human anatomy as the advanced catheter must be engineered to prevent kink from occurring upon deployment. The recommended outcome to prevent kink from happening, according to the FDA guidance document, is to determine the smallest radius of curvature that the stent can withstand and recover to its original shape and size. The test carried out to determine the smallest radius of curvature must replicate the area to which the stent will be deployed i.e. the femoral arteries. This recommended advice for implementing stents to the human body can be tailored towards the stent delivery systems also i.e. the advanced catheters. Therefore these guidelines will be taken into account when developing a test method to determine the kinking limit of catheters. See appendices for further detail regarding the FDA guidance documents discussed. Fda.gov. (2016). Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff Non-Clinical Engineering Tests and Recommended Labeling for Intravascular Stents and Associated Delivery Systems. 3. Standards and guidelines ProtomedLabs provide a list of standards and regulations that relate to flexibility and kink resistance test methods. Information on the state of the art available testing equipment is provided such as the interventional device testing equipment (IDTE) from MSI which will be discussed further in part 4 of this section (MSI Catheter testing equipment). The ProtomedLabs provide information on flexibility kink resistance regarding applicable standards, related tests and test method descriptions. Applicable standards such as the FDA guidelines discussed in heading 2 above as well as ASTM standard guide for three point bending of balloon expandable vascular stents and stent systems which will be further discussed in section 5 of the literature review. Protomedlabs.com. (2016). Flexibility Kink Resistance Protomed Labs. 4. MSI Catheter testing equipment State of the art interventional device testing equipment (IDTE), compares tests and analyses performance catheters, quantifying the data of each catheter being tested. The PC allows for simple and repeatable tests with instantaneous feedback on design changes of the catheter. The IDTE was designed taking into account several different standards and test regulations such as ISO standard 25539-1 which covers cardiovascular implants endovascular devices and ISO 15539 Cardiovascular implants Endovascular Prostheses. The product is the most state of the art catheter testing equipment available right now and differentiates itself from the rest of the market by having the ability to test catheters in extremely realistic and challenging conditions. MSI. (2016). Catheter Testing MSI. Figure 14. IDTE Test Equipment. MSI. (2016). Catheter Testing MSI. The IDTE has a high temperature range with ambient temperatures of 50oC, a water bath with a temperature accuracy of +/- 2oC. It has auxiliary load cells of 100g and distal load cells of 1kg. It has the ability to test track force which is the force needed to advance a catheter, push efficiency which measures the amount of force being measured from the proximal end to the distal end, flexibility, torqueability a measure of the rotational response, retractability a measure of the amount of force required to withdraw a catheter and the crossability which measures the ability of a catheter to cross the abnormal narrowing of a passage in the body. The machine itself weighs 250kg with a height of 1372mm, width of 1194mm and a depth of 940mm. the output data of each tested is outputted onto a computer where numerical or graphical results can be formulated. MSI. (2016). Catheter Testing MSI. 5. Current Test Methods available to determine Kinking Point 1. ASTM F2606 Standard guide for three-point bending of balloon expandable vascular stents and stent systems The three point bending of stent system guidelines provide a test method that can be used to compare the flexibility of different advanced catheters by comparing load deflection curves and by comparison of calculated slopes of the curves. The test method uses a simple 3 point bending test. The upper single load applier and the two static load supporters as seen below in figure 14 must have a radius of 6.35mm. Another requirement of this test is that both the upper load applier and the two bottom static load supporters must be made of a material with a low friction coefficient so that they do contribute to the results outputted from carrying out this experiment. This test method can also be carried out in a bath of 37oC, which replicates the ambient body temperature and realistic conditions, if this application is necessary, the fixtures can be made from stainless steel or other materials that will not rust. Figure 15 Example of a three point bending test. YouTube. (2017). Catheter Bend Test at Anecto. This test has many benefits as it can many advanced catheters can be used with this method and it is applicable to many different products. It does not cause damage to the product prior to testing and can test the kinking limit along different material junctions. The test method ASTM F2606 uses a tensile tester to output its results to a computer in numerical or graphical form. Instron.us. (2017). ASTM F2606 Three-Point Bending Balloon Expandable Vascular Stents and Stent Systems Instron. 3. BS EN 13868 Catheters test methods for kinking of single lumen catheters and medical tubing This standard test method looks at the kinking of catheters being used for short term or long term uses. The short term use determines the kinking limit of a catheter being used less in than an hour and the long term is above an hour. The tube is defined as being kinked when the flow meter (Labelled 4 in figure 15 below) is outputting a reading 50% lower than the original reading. The original reading is read when the kink tools (Labelled 7) are either 50mm, 100mm or 200mm apart, depending on the users required starting distance. When the kinking tools are being compressed by the tensile tester (Labelled 7) the mass flow rate of the water flowing from the beakers (Labelled 2) will begin to reduce. Once the mass flow rate reduces to 50% of its original the catheter is said to be kinked and the test is complete. The results are outputted to a computer which gives numerical and graphical results. This test method is very beneficial as it is convenient, safe and fit for purpose. Difficulties may arise when using this test method when it comes to the fittings of the flow meter with the different sized catheters. As all catheters vary in sizes, the universal fitting of the flow meter may be difficult to mate with the distal/proximal ends of the various advanced catheters. See Appendices for more detail regarding BS EN 13868 kinking of single lumen catheters. European Standard, (2002). Catheters Test methods for kinking of single lumen catheters and medical tubing. BS EN 13868:2002. Figure 16 Short Term (LHS) and Long Term (RHS) Test methods for kinking single lumen catheters and medical tubings European Standard, (2002). Catheters Test methods for kinking of single lumen catheters and medical tubing. BS EN 13868:2002. 6. Proposed Mathematical Methods for Determining Optimal Test Method significant factors. 1. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Testing. The analysis of variance method determines if groups (related or unrelated) are statistically significant to each other. In order to carry out an ANOVA test, a hypothesis must first be determined. A hypothesis is a standard procedure about testing a claim about a property of a population. First a null hypothesis is formed. The Null hypothesis will test the significance of the hypothesis by either rejecting or failing to reject the claim of the null hypothesis. The Null hypothesis will claim that no difference exist between the population and the alternative hypothesis will claim that a difference exists between the populations. The alternative hypothesis will state that one or more of the parameters involved in a population will differ from the null hypothesis. The next step in an ANOVA test is to determine if the null hypothesis should be rejected or is it better to fail to reject the null hypothesis. In order to do so, an understanding of a type 1 and type 2 error is needed. A type 1 error is when the null hypothesis is rejected when in fact it should be accepted. The symbol ÃŽ ± is used to represent a type 1 error. A type 2 error is the mistake of failing to reject the null hypothesis when in fact it is false. The symbol to represent a type 2 error is ÃŽ ². In order to determine when the results are statistically significand and when the null hypothesis should be rejected, then p < ÃŽ ±, therefore the result is statistically significant and the null hypothesis should be rejected. If p > ÃŽ ±, then the null hypothesis should fail to be rejected and the results are statistically insignificant. Lacey, S. (2017). Mathematics for Engineers 402. 2. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Examples. To show how the ANOVA method can be applied to the parameters involved in determining the kinking limit of catheters and which factors attribute to the kinking limit the most i.e. which are statistically significant or insignificant, an example where an experiment was undertaken to test the effect of temperature and bar size on the UTS of a weld. The results from the experiment are show below in figure 16 and analysis of variance was carried out in order to determine the level of significance each parameter had on the strength of a weld. Lacey, S. (2017). Mathematics for Engineers 402. Figure 17 Analysis of Variance Example Dr. Sean Lacey, 2016, Mathematics for Engineers 402. Figure 18 Analysis of Variance Example Dr. Sean Lacey, 2016, Mathematics for Engineers 402. Figure 19 Analysis of Variance Example Dr. Sean Lacey, 2016, Mathematics for Engineers 402. Figure 20 Analysis of Variance Example Dr. Sean Lacey, 2016, Mathematics for Engineers 402. 7. Material Properties of Neurovascular Catheters Advanced catheters are engineered to perform an increasing number of minimally invasive surgeries. They must be able to guide their way through the intricate pathways of the neurovascular, cardiovascular and other anatomies. In order to achieve these demands, using ultra small catheters of 0.5 mm, the design must be near perfect and material selection for this design is key. Catheters consists mainly of 3 layers, the liner, the braiding and the outer sheath. They can be made up to lengths ranging from 900mm 1200 mm. the best material for use in catheters are fluoropolymers such as PTFE and FEP due to their biocompatibility and lubricous properties. PTFE is the most lubricous polymer on the market today followed by FEP. The materials can undergo secondary processing steps such as etching and cutting, along with post extrusion expansion such as heat-shrinking. The liner layer mainly is made from PTFE for it lubricity, ability to maintain a thin wall and have a small diameter. The braid reinforcement layer is mainly made from Type 304 or 306 stainless steel. This layer increase is strength and rigidity without kinking the catheter. It increases the rigidity at the proximal end with a smaller pitch between winds and decrease rigidity at the distal end with a larger pitch between winds. This is done to provide greater torque transition from the proximal to distal tip of the catheter. The coil provides a greater kink resistance to the catheter along with reinforcing the catheters liner against ovalization by maximising the hoop stress. The outer sheath is made up of high performance materials such as Pebax, FEP, PTFE, ETFE, polyurethane, polyethylene and nylon. Mddionline.com. (2016). Think Extrusion and Beyond for Optimal Catheter Design | MDDI Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry News Products and Suppliers. Figure 21 Material layers of a Neurovascular Catheter. Mddionline.com. (2016). Think Extrusion and Beyond for Optimal Catheter Design | MDDI Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry News Products and Suppliers.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Opportunities and Limitations in Using a Single Camera Essays

The Opportunities and Limitations in Using a Single Camera In the early days of film making the director would not have the choice of using the multi-camera setups and editing suites that we have today. He or she would have just one camera to shoot all the shots needed and then when it came to the editing process, all the shots would need to be selected, the different frames sliced apart, and spliced back together in the desired order. As you can imagine this was a time consuming process, and although this appeared to be a big limitation on some television genre's at the time such as sit-com and live broadcasts, it allowed the film industry to flourish. The use of the single camera drew the director into a more creative role leaving open the opportunity to work more closely with actors, and to get the best results from them. Because of the number of shots needing to be taken rehearsals are more intense, and need to be practiced down to a T. Using a single camera you can mimic the look of multi camera setups by repeating the scene as many times as needed to get all the angles, generally the shots that are needed are; master shot, medium shot and close-ups, with any cutaways that are needed filmed at the end. The rushes are then edited together into the final piece. Although this method is extremely time consuming, and gruelling for the actors, it allows the director to push the actors, and to get across exactly what is in his mind. Another creative ... The Opportunities and Limitations in Using a Single Camera Essays The Opportunities and Limitations in Using a Single Camera In the early days of film making the director would not have the choice of using the multi-camera setups and editing suites that we have today. He or she would have just one camera to shoot all the shots needed and then when it came to the editing process, all the shots would need to be selected, the different frames sliced apart, and spliced back together in the desired order. As you can imagine this was a time consuming process, and although this appeared to be a big limitation on some television genre's at the time such as sit-com and live broadcasts, it allowed the film industry to flourish. The use of the single camera drew the director into a more creative role leaving open the opportunity to work more closely with actors, and to get the best results from them. Because of the number of shots needing to be taken rehearsals are more intense, and need to be practiced down to a T. Using a single camera you can mimic the look of multi camera setups by repeating the scene as many times as needed to get all the angles, generally the shots that are needed are; master shot, medium shot and close-ups, with any cutaways that are needed filmed at the end. The rushes are then edited together into the final piece. Although this method is extremely time consuming, and gruelling for the actors, it allows the director to push the actors, and to get across exactly what is in his mind. Another creative ...

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Critic of the Application of Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory in Assessing and understanding employee motivation at work: a Ghanaian Perspective Essay

Critic of the Application of Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory in Assessing and understanding employee motivation at work: a Ghanaian Perspective. Patrick Ashiadey The Frederick Herzberg Two Factor Theory has had a considerable amount of practical and as well as theoretical influences. In fact, from a practical perspective, the influence of Herzberg’s motivation theory can be seen at every organizational level as well as within every department. From a theoretical perspective, Herzberg’s motivation theory can be perceived as having similarities to Maslow’s Theory of Need with the exception that for Herzberg’s theory, the needs aren’t placed in a progressive continuum, rather they are divided into two independent factors. Herzberg’s motivation theory emerged from a collection of data gathered by the interview of 203 accountants and engineers within the Pittsburgh area. The interview process consisted of asking the respondents to describe a work situation where they felt very happy as well as very unhappy. These descriptions were to include as many details as possible, including their feelings, the interpretation of the situation as well as the events that are suggestive of a change. The analysis of the responses confirmed the proposed hypothesis, where some factors where contributors to job satisfaction, while others were not. In addition, some factors were noted to be a source of dissatisfaction when absent. These were categorized as â€Å"Motivators† and â€Å"Hygiene† factors, the latter also being referred to as Maintenance Factors. (Wikipedia, 2013). Employee motivation in Ghana however takes on a different turn due to many factors that flaw the two factor Theory. This white paper seeks to discuss but a few of these factors. Firstly the difference in cultures and upbringing of the typical Africa especially the Ghanaian worker right from infancy to the work age differs from those used in the interview process as they are from entirely different geographical areas. Th e average Ghanaian lives on or below the poverty line and as such will be happy just having a job with his basic salary regardless of the existence of motivators or hygiene factors. The mentality of the average Ghanaian worker makes him fear joblessness as other forms of employment are hard to come by and that alone will motivate him or her to stay in the job in the absence of motivators or  hygiene factors. That is the theory does not take into account individual personality traits that could provide a different response to a motivator or hygiene factor. The Theory also lacks in the understanding of the inter-relations between some of the motivators which I totally agree with as can be seen from http://www.leadership-central.com/two-factor-theory.html#ixzz2g2Bs3nao in comparison to the dual structure theory. Example, one might receive adequate job recognition nut he or she may not be satisfied with the level of responsibilities therefore one would question the internal motivational value of job recognition for the individual. Lack of highly skilled personnel in the Ghanaian job market, makes the average Ghanaian worker dependent upon his or her professional level which would be more or less sensitive to one or the other of the factors. Frederick Herzberg’s sample space for his research included 203 accountants and engineers, a huge disparity from the large population of Ghanaian workers in the public sector who were only recently introduced to the single spine structure. Responses to the same questions posed to the accountants and engineers that led to the development of the theory would have produced different results as what mattered to a worker in the US would not necessarily have mattered to a worker in Ghana like recreational facilities. This leads us to the point where hygiene factors and motivators vary depending on the types of individuals involved and the nature of work examined. There is also the case where there exists no prove that highly satisfied people are also high performers per a research done on the internet. Example is the average Ghanaian worker in the public sector enjoying the new single spine salary structure still requiring some form of extra cash for him or her to carry out his or her civil duties. All said and done, it is a well-known fact that the Application of the Two Factor Theory is definitely well established within organizational settings. In fact, every leader has the responsibility to ensure that their employee’s hygiene factors are attended to and that proper motivators are implemented to increase job satisfaction. The most common mistake committed by leaders is to attend to the hygiene factor while expecting employee motivation. One application for Herzberg’s theory of motivation that isn’t well known is its importance in managing quality. A great paper by Heinz Weihrich shows the link between the Two Factor Theory  of motivation and quality. He equates the reliability or â€Å"R† factor of a product as being the hygiene factor and therefore customers have grown to expect products they purchase to be reliable. The â€Å"S† factor, the motivator, refers to the product features.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Writing Young Adult Fiction An Editor’s Guide to Awesome YA

Writing Young Adult Fiction An Editor’s Guide to Awesome YA Writing Young Adult Fiction: An Editor’s Guide to Awesome YA Last updated: 04/12/2018Young Adult is perhaps the largest category of new fiction today. Or, to put it another way, writing young adult fiction seems to be at an all-time high. There’s something about adolescence - coming of age, first loves, first triumphs, loss of innocence - that makes it the perfect backdrop for raw, honest storytelling. No matter how far we get away from them in time, the memories of our teenage years tend to remain fresh.Kate Angelella is an experienced YA editor, formerly of Simon Schuster. She has edited a number of popular series including Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. In this post, she shares her top tips for writing Young Adult fiction. 1. Don’t think of YA as ‘adult fiction that’s been dumbed-down’Some of my favorite YA novelists are accidental children’s book authors. YA pioneer Francesca Lia Block - and author/maven of some of the most lyrical prose you’ll find this side of Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez - is a fine example. She did not intend to write her cult classic Weetzie Bat series as children’s books, but Weetzie was destined to be a YA protagonist for the ages, doing and saying things while she came of age that would make Holden Caulfield blush, and the rest of us rejoice.Though your character’s voice should be authentic to her identity and life experience, you never have to (and never should) simplify the language, story, or style choices in your novel in order to talk down to teen readers. YA authors should aspire to write at least as well as they would for adult fiction- and there are innumerable examples of YA fiction that outshine even the prettiest prose adult lit-fic has to offer. #YA Tip 1: Young Adult isn't just dumbed-down mainstream fiction. 2. Make sure your characters are the right ageDisney's adaptation of 'The Princess Diaries'Cabot also employs repetition to communicate her main character, Mia’s voice. Note in the first paragraph how two sentences in a row begin with â€Å"he’s cool if† and the next several sentences begin with â€Å"he’s NOT so cool if.†He’s cool if you’re Lilly Moscovitz.He’s cool if you’re good at Algebra†¦.He’s not so cool if you’re flunking Algebra, like me.He’s not so cool if he makes you stay after school†¦.He’s not so cool if he calls your mother†¦then ASKS HER OUT.And he’s not so cool if he’s sticking his tongue in your mom’s mouth.Almost as though she’s ticking items off a list. Through the repetition, you can feel her attitude. There is some snarkiness and drama present here, but note that it’s not off-putting or snarky to the point of meanness or cr uelty, which would make us dislike her. Mia is pretty justified in feeling what she’s feeling here, and she’s not overly sarcastic. There are a few places where Cabot uses caps lock to get across Mia’s dramatic nature, but she’s not so ridiculous that we’re rolling our eyes.The next example is from the opening of MT Anderson’s Feed.We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.We went on a Friday, because there was shit-all to do at home. It was the beginning of spring break. Everything at home was boring. Link Arwaker was like, â€Å"I’m so null,† and Marty was like, â€Å"I’m null too, unit,† but I mean we were all pretty null, because for the last like hour we’d been playing with three uninsulated wires that were coming out of the wall. We were trying to ride shocks off them. So Marty told us there was this fun place for lo-grav on the moon. Lo-grav can be kind of stupid, bu t this was supposed to be good.Probably one of my favorite first lines in any book, ever. We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck. What does this sentence say about the main character, Titus, and the world he lives in?The language is casual like in Cabot’s example, but there’s a different feel to this voice. While Mia’s voice felt a bit dramatic, Titus seems just the opposite. â€Å"Shit-all† to do. Boring. Stupid. Without it being stated outright, Titus comes across as kind of apathetic and impassive. And though there are some words in there that Anderson has made up (null, unit) we are able to understand through context and tone that these words, too, are adding to the generally cool, dispassionate feel of Titus’ voice.The last example comes from the opening chapter of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which hit #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list its first week out. It’s a novel that explores police brutality and systemic racism in America.We break out the crowd. Big D’s house is packed wall-to-wall. I’ve always heard that everybody and their momma comes to his spring break parties- well, everybody except me- but damn, I didn’t know it would be this many people. Girls wear their hair colored, curled, laid, and slayed. Got me feeling basic as hell with my ponytail. Guys in their freshest kicks and sagging pants grind so close to girls they just about need condoms. My nana likes to say that spring brings love, but it promises babies in the winter. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them are conceived the night of Big D’s party. He always has it on the Friday of spring break because you need Saturday to recover and Sunday to repent.Starr is the narrator: her voice is thick on the page. Take the sentence: Girls wear their hair colored, curled, laid, and slayed. You can feel the rhythm, the cadence of these words. Word choices like â€Å"mommaâ €  and â€Å"everybody.† Slang like â€Å"kicks† and â€Å"basic,† â€Å"laid and slayed.† From this paragraph, I can tell that Starr is very matter-of-fact. There’s no room for sarcasm or dramatics or even apathy, as in the other examples I’ve read from today. She’s telling it like it is, no frills. No fuss.In all of these examples, see how the punctuation (or lack of punctuation) and sentence-and-paragraph length play a role in the feel of a voice too. #YA Tip 5: Try to nail your protagonist's way of speaking (and don't try to make 'Fetch' happen) 6. Don't write around heavy subject matterOne of the most common statements I hear in my freelance career? â€Å"My main character is a teen, but I don’t think my novel is YA because the content is too dark.†Now I’m not saying that no subject matter is too dark for the YA market (my husband, J.R. Angelella, did a superb job of showcasing that too dark can be an actual thing with his first novel, Zombie). But I will say this: remember that your target audience is experiencing sex, drugs, bad language, and all the other Big Bads you might dream up in their everyday lives, whether they are active participants or not; writing about the teen experience is what YA is all about.So long as you’re writing with purpose (and not just writing to be edgy), embracing heavy subject matter is essential when writing a YA novel that is both authentic and relatable. #YA Tip 6: Embrace heavy subject matter if you want to write a relatable YA novel. @kateangelella 7. Don’t write into trendsIt can be difficult to avoid the temptation of choosing your subject matter based on the latest Publisher’s Marketplace deal that just sold at auction for a â€Å"major deal.† But the truth is, trends in YA are fickle. By the time you get around to shopping your novel, the trend may have already passed.The surefire way to ensure that an agent, editor, or reader will fall madly in love with your book is to write about something that lights you on fire. Something you wake up every day ecstatic to write, regardless of the topic’s trend status. Your passion and originality will come through, and there is nothing more infectious."When reviewing YA submissions,† says Melissa Nasson, Associate Agent for Rubin Pfeffer Content, â€Å"one of my biggest gripes is when I start reading and immediately feel that I've read something similar before. Originality is so important, so when I sense that an author is trying to emulate Suzanne Co llins or Veronica Roth rather than telling their own story, it makes me less inclined to continue reading†¦. if I find the manuscript too familiar, then editors (and eventually readers) certainly will too." #YA Tip 7: Don't write into trends. When  you get to shopping your novel, the trend may have already passed 8. Papa, don’t preachSome call it preaching, some call it didacticism. Whatever you call it, whatever you do, please don’t talk down to your YA reader.By this, I mean that you should never set your main character up to take a fall simply to teach him or her a thing or two. Not only will your teen reader smell the fakey-fake lesson cooking in your prose a mile off, but your YA novel will also suffer for it. Because writing YA is not about the result at the novel’s conclusion; it’s about the journey, about finding the center of your character’s emotional truth to present a very real, very relatable human being who is currently in flux, and figuring things out.YA readers deserve your emotional honesty. They deserve authentic, emotionally resonant characters that serve to show them they aren’t alone, not characters who are being used as tools to sell moral high ground or life lessons. #YA Tip 8: Don't try to 'teach your reader a lesson'. Teens can smell that a mile off. @kateangelella To learn more about how to write a young adult novel, check out Kate's FREE course on Reedsy Learning,  The Ten Commandments of Writing YA Novels.Are you an author of fiction for teen readers? Do you have any questions about the art of writing young adult fiction, drop Kate a message in the comments below.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Should Canada and the US trade essays

Should Canada and the US trade essays Should Canada and the US trade with China? With all the civil rights abused in China, should the Canada and the US be trading with them? In the view of one side, we should not trade with China because of these abused rights. It is thought that if we stop all trade with them, we will have an impact on their economy and they will at least cut down on their civil rights abuses in order to regain our trade and economy. But the view of the other side believes that if we keep trade with China, we can have an impact on their abuses through political pressure. Which side is correct? It is argued that trade with China is not helping the to eliminate their abuse on civil rights, rather supporting them because we are not penalizing them for their abuses, only doing what they want, investing money into their economy. The question could be raised is about how important trade with China is to our economy, and with China being twenty five percent of the worlds population, it is a very big market, and we gain plenty from this market, so how can we afford to miss out on this market. So how does trading with China help to eliminate the civil rights abuse? When our Priminister or the United States' president go to China to talk about trade issues or to have other political meetings, they also plan their trip to include talking to China about their civil rights abuse. This is one way that we can put political pressure on China. This leaves us with the question of weather or not these talks actually accomplish any thing. After all, when we talk to them about the abuse instead of pulling out some of the investments in their economy, do they just listen and tell us what we want to hear for the time, or do these talks effect them? Say we were to think that pulling our trade and investments out of China would impact them, it defiantly would, and surly would hurt their economy and make them think about decreasing if not eliminating the civil rights ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Journal Type Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Journal Type Paper - Essay Example This paper shall discuss wildlife-based tourism, its attractions, and its negative and positive impact on wildlife, on the patrons, and Mother Nature in general. It shall discuss how it has successfully drawn in a largely European, middle class and affluent group of tourists to both the benefit and the detriment of the wildlife. In recent years, African safaris have become a very attractive activity for many tourists, but never more so than for the European, middle-class, and affluent ones. Big-game hunting, which is part of the African safari experience, has attracted many middle and high-class tourists from the Western hemisphere. These affluent tourists are very much willing to spend large amounts of their money in order to have the opportunity to get away from their normally stressful lives. These tourists also seek the thrill of being immersed in wilderness adventures while being able to relax in a more natural environment. They seek these adventures in order to relieve their stress and anxiety; in some instances to experience the spiritual and profound (Newsome, 2005). The big-game hunting sport usually culminates in the awarding of trophies for the best hunter among the participants, but this achievement usually plays a secondary role to the natural adventure that they get to experience through wildl ife-based tourism. This form of wildlife-based tourism is only seen in countries and areas with strict and capable monitoring measures in place. This ensures that big-game hunting does not unnecessarily endanger ecological balance and is safe for tourists. And the most important benefit on the part of the government and the locals is that big profit is coming in from this wildlife-based tourism. â€Å"Returns to governments accrue from land leases and trophy fees, apart from the indirect economic benefits of tourism† (Roth & Merz, 1997). This income flow is very much

Friday, November 1, 2019

An Outline and Annotated Bibliography for the Final Persuasive Essay - 1

An Outline and Annotated Bibliography for the Final Persuasive Research - Essay Example Parker-Pope, T. (2010, June 6). An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness.  The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brainside.html?ref=yourbrainoncomp&_r=0. The article is a well written description of the adverse affects that are being produced as a result of excessive dependence and addiction to technology. The writer gives an intelligent overview of how the personalities of individuals transform as a result of excessive dependence. He also points out how these shifts in personalities go un attended. Shelly, G. B., Vermaat, M., Quasney, J. J., Sebok, S. L., & Freund, S. M. (2012).Discovering computers: Your interactive guide to the digital world : complete. Australia: Course Technology, Cengage Learning. This book, written by multiple authors, provides an interactive view of the digital world human society has turned into. For a novice and for those still virtually living in the stone ages, this book provides a very interesting preview of the components of this digital world and the pros and cons associated with it. The readings in this book were particularly helpful in assessing the terminology of technology overload. It also provided an insight into certain issues that have emerged with the prevalence of technology and also ponders upon their eradication. This book was particularly helpful in asserting the point of view established by reading the first referenced article. A work of multiple authors intelligently put together, the book is appealing and explains its point of view well. The paper highlights the introduction of a particular technology broadband into a firm and previews its affects upon the organizational structure. It also discusses the economic aspects associated with the introduction of technology within a firm with special reference to