The Personal Statement According Architecture Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The According Architecture - Personal Statement Example The diverse nature of students in the CCA community also attracted me to the institution as I will get a chance to interact with students from diverse backgrounds. Architecture plays a great role in capturing a communities’ history and culture in a given era or historical period. Architectural works such as the Roman Coliseum, Taj Mahal, Empire state building and etcetera all capture the communities’ history during the time they were constructed. The cultural heritage of a community this is well captured in many areas by its architectural designs. Well-versed architects are very important in this regard if culture is to be preserved and thus my keen interest in this field. Architects are also the builders of the environment or habitation in which the populace lives at a given time. When we have well-trained architects, like that done in your institution, the contribution to the community is immense. They are able to plan cities and amenities with the consideration of the future in perspective. Haphazard planning and construction of cities result in problems in the future in the areas of poor drainage, sewerage and road networks. Architects help to enhance and improve a communities’ way of life since new methods and building materials are being discovered in every generation and they are the implementers of the same. With Society wishing to move on towards civilization and modernity in all spheres of life, architecture plays a major role in enhancing this. The man has migrated from living in caves to the ultra-modern habitations that are springing up all over the world. I feel I would contribute immensely to the community as your college equips me with the necessary knowledge and skills in this field.

Leadership Issues - Managing Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Leadership Issues - Managing Diversity - Essay Example Hence, multinational companies have increased their presence in most Asian economies such as China. These multinational companies have seen the growing potential because of the massive improvement in this country that has greatly benefitted from almost three decades of reforms (Warner 2008). Managing in the Chinese Empire The entry of these multinational companies has likewise necessitated the presence of foreign managers to help in the management as well as operations of these multinationals in the Chinese soil. Hence, it was the expatriates that have been tapped for this role. It is their job to supply the necessary skills, both managerial and technical, so that the local counterpart can cope up with the operations of the parent company. Likewise, it is hoped that the presence of the expatriate will greatly enhance the relationship between the foreign and domestic managers of the company. However, be it China or other country, it is important for the foreign counterparts assigned t o these areas to be able to recognize the requirements of the different cultures that they are being immersed into. Globalization has brought forth the need for different multinational companies to maintain a global workforce which requires the foreign nationals that are assigned into these countries to be aware of the cultural differences that is a very important requirement for these foreign managers to be able to work with teams that comprise different cultures (Ibrahim 2010). Key leadership Issues in China A Mass of Followers, A Lack of Leaders In China, the different culture can be really challenging to the expatriate that will be assigned to the area. Chow & Liu (2008) states that most Chinese employees are not that keen on having additional duties or being involved with different or increasing responsibilities. Most of them are just too convenient in the boss-subordinate agreement. It is therefore important for the expatriates to understand and be able to work around such str ong cultural make up. This presents a strong challenge since it is important for the multinational companies to be able to develop their employees and have a fully functional global workforce that will jive with the way the parent company does its business. Employees are very important for a company’s success thus it is very important for the expatriates to be able to rally them behind the corporate strategies necessary for the success of their venture. True, this trait enables the local unit of a multinational company to have sufficient workers that are following the company’s policies and regulations. This trait somehow ensures them there will be followers whenever they lead. However, this relative aloofness as stated by Chow and Liu (2008) can also rob them of possible potential managers that may be tapped to lead the locals. Political Forces Warner (2008) has highlighted the importance the changes have had in China for propelling them into the current stature that they are in right now in the global economy. China has indeed benefitted much from opening their doors to the benefits and opportunities of global commerce. This has been instrumental in providing the necessary boost that is unavailable in a strictly closed economy that has been characteristic of a communist country. However, it is important to remember that the Chinese economy is not yet a full free market economy. Despite having been opened to businesses, the government retains substantial

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay Example for Free

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay WP is a refrigeration case company and their goal is to create value for its customers. They are dedicated to lead the industry towards sustainability by providing energy efficiency and sustainability of their operation as well as the product they provide to their customers. WP vision is to use their knowledge and resources to improve the current economic conditions. They began in New Jersey searching for a solution to a problem. They have a mission to provide industry –leading solutions that can help their customers stay competitive in their market. WP has an amazing time-line since they opened in 1887. In 1977, WP opened up the Engineered Systems division in Georgia. Through acquisitions since 2009, they now have eight locations and plan to acquire more companies in the future. This paper will indicate what type of market structure WP competes and why the market structure was decided upon. It will also show how the market structure differentiates from any other alternatives. WP manufacturer refrigeration and specialty cases based on their customers want and needs. They also cater to the aftermarket sector in order to provide fresh ideas and parts in order to serve their customers better. WP has increased their market shares by creating innovative products that cannot be found at any other competitor. They listen to their customers and utilize their knowledge and resources to manufacturer exquisite cases for the retail grocer. It is important to WP that their customers know how they are an intricate part of their business. Maintaining the leader in the industry by providing innovative products continue to attract more grocery store owners to their business. With the increase in exposure, creates higher sales, which, will lead to overall increase in profits margins. A supply chain group (STARS) was developed to create alliance partnerships between the customers, suppliers, and various departments at WP. The STARS group has years of success in increasing the supplier and customer alliances. WP has a monopolistic competition market structure. Monopolistic competition is  sellers of a product sell similar profiles but makes it somewhat different and take less emphasis on the price. The various companies decide on their own pricing structure of the product there are selling and the output of that product. The price is based on the current market and the cost to product the product. There can be many producers of the product because no one company has total control over the market place. There are few barriers to entry. Some include capital, as there is the need to have capital order to start up the business. In addition, there is inelastic demand, which means their strategy to penetrate the market by selling at a lower price than their competitors sell. Finally, another barrier to entry is economy of scale, which is the increase in efficiency of production as the number of cases being produced increases. Advance technology can affect the cost advantages as they can reverse as quickly as technology changes. Competitive strategy is how a business competes in the market that they are in. WP competitive strategy includes product differentiation, control cost, technology, and maintain market shares. WP differentiates between their products versus their competitors because they provide outstanding quality cases built with quality-inspected parts. They also provide outstanding field service support to their customers, which enable WP to charge a higher price in order for them to maximize their profits. Another competitive strategy is controlling cost. By controlling the cost, WP is able to minimize their loss. They control their cost by creating alliance partnerships with their suppliers with agreements set into place so that cost stay consistent. Pricing is not able to increase unless if reaches an agreed upon threshold, then and only then are the suppliers allowed changing their price annually. This allows WP to maximize their cost by keeping the cost down and not passing along price increa ses to their customers as material cost increase. In a bad economy is become even hard to maintain market shares. WP motto is to â€Å"never say no to our customers†. They never let a customer go. In order to keep the customer happy, WP provides a four to six week lead-time to their customers compared to the industry standard of eight weeks. Custom color matching makes WP a specialty center in which a customer can see a color and describe it to them in order to have that same exact look in their stores. Technology changes every day. In order  to keep up with the growing technology, WP has a large marketing team and IT department. They are constantly researching trends and what drives consumers to shop in the grocery stores. Fresh foods and lighting are a few triggers to a consumers loyalty to a store so WP developed a website to market their products to be more energy efficient and provide cases that will keep the freshness in. The website show the various types of cases available and the total fan color charts to pick from. Internet is today’s way of communicating and customers do not want to take time to pick up the phone. They want to research on-line first to see if what is offered a potential product for their store. It is the only way to touch the customer interest the fastest. WP also participates in yearly shows to allow hands on changes to technology and trends in the market place. WP might want to consider branding as additional strategies in their organization in order to maximize their profits before their product hits the road; there are quality inspections and testing done. To ensure that they stay number one in market position as well as staying in a competitive market, WP should put their name on all cases. This will put their name out in the market. Branding of their product needs to large enough for anyone to see that WP manufactured this case and that they care about moving into the future with energy efficient product. If needs to differentiate between them and their competitors so that there is no mistaken identity of the manufacturer contact information. References Merriam-Webster (2014) Monopolistic Competition. Retrieved on February 1, 2014 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monopolistic%20competitionConsumer

Effects Of Classroom Lighting On Filipino College Students

Effects Of Classroom Lighting On Filipino College Students Several studies on the effects of lighting on students academic performance had been done abroad on different social classes and ages of the subjects. These all had the objective of improving the learning process of students during their formative years at school. According to Bukky Akinsanmi, theories on how learning takes place include behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. The behaviorism theory, which was popularized by B.F. Skinner, supports the idea that humans come into this world like a blank slate tabular rasa. Humans learn based on reinforcements. Rewards are given to those whose action reaps positive results. Punishments are given otherwise. The effective transfer of knowledge is the teachers responsibility leaving the student a passive participant. It is teacher-focused, structured, lecture-based, and uses reward and punishment to promote learning. The classrooms provided little room for flexibility. Lapses on behaviorism theory include the eventual possibility of extinction of positive results when rewards are removed and the attitude of just doing things for the sake of rewards. Since the behaviorism theory does not account for all learning, the cognitivism theory came into existence. It says that the mind is a black box that must be opened and understood. It focuses on the study of mental processes. Schools were built in single or two-story buildings connected by walkways housing students according to their grades. Meanwhile, Constructivism theory states that knowledge is constructed and not acquired. The learning process is now the responsibility of the student and not the teacher. It says that humans are like blank slates making meanings from experiences. Unlike the behaviorism design of school environment, this theory supports student-centered, collaborative, cooperative, and experiential learning facilities with teachers serving as facilitators (Akinsanmi, 2008) To enhance students academic performance, the effective coordination of school environment must be studied. The physical characteristics of a school environment directly influences both the teachers way of imparting knowledge on students and a students performance at school. Such characteristics include sounds, temperature levels, and classroom lighting (Tope, 2013). Poor school facilities like inoperative heating system, inadequate ventilation, and poor lighting affect health, learning, and morale of students and staffs. Good overall building condition; including features such as large windows, natural lightings, and well-designed skylights on classroom settings; results to better students academic achievement (Vandiver, 2011). According to Robert Scott McGowen, the illumination of our surrounding environment impacts our reactions, motivations, moods, and sense of well-being. For centuries, this issue of illumination led to evident designs in architecture and natural lighting. Different degrees of illumination can be used to stimulate productive and creativity in offices and schools. Several studies had been done on providing windows or skylights in classrooms resulting to higher standardized tests. However, it does not clearly imply that the improvement in students performance was due to increased light, quality of light, or physiological effect of natural lighting. Windowless spaces contribute to negative attitudes of students as well as their teachers especially when coupled with monotonous tasks. It was shown that natural lighting can improve the quality and quantity of lighting in instructional areas effectively. Daylight has been and is still the standard by which artificial light is measured. Researc h reports indicate a positive correlation between day lighting and academic performance. Good quality of lighting increases comfort and increased comfort contributes to higher scores and academic performance of both teacher and students. The developmental stages of students are also considered when designing lighting systems. It is a physical support on students to help them concentrate on their academic endeavors. Recently, the focus on effective learning environments has shone on healthy physical surroundings (McGowen, 2007). Changing the facilities creates a different learning environment. Creating change has a major impact on students, faculty, and administrators. This change creates the type of learning environment, which is more conducive to learning and performance. (Vandiver, 2011) Two field studies and one experiment were done with Dutch elementary school children to examine the effects of dynamic lighting on concentration done by Sleegers, Moolenar, Galetzka, and Van Der Zanden. In the field studies, the pupils in the experimental conditions were subjected to different lighting settings and conditions during one day for a longer period of time (Study 1) or were constantly exposed to the focus setting for one month (Study 2), while the pupils in the controlled environment were subjected to the same lighting conditions during one morning (Study 3). They focused on pupils concentration performance and evaluated the impact of different lighting conditions and settings on pupils concentration. They also examined the differential effects of classroom lighting conditions on concentration for gender. They evaluated the effects of lighting, conducting analyses of variance, using three samples of data from 181 elementary school children. The results of their field stud ies offer support for the positive influence of classroom lighting conditions on concentration. Although all pupils performed better at the concentration test at the consecutive measurement points, it appeared that the performance of the pupils in the experimental groups improved more than the performance of their peers in the control groups. Furthermore, the findings of the first field study show differences between grades: they found effects of lighting on concentration for pupils from grade 4, but not for pupils from grade 6. These findings suggest that older pupils concentration might be less affected by the lighting conditions used than younger pupils. Hypothesis states that older pupils are more trained to concentrate while performing tests than younger pupils. On the other hand, the findings on the second field show that, on the average, older children perform better on concentration tests than their younger peers, no additional support was found for the role of age in the ef fect of lighting on concentration. Meanwhile, the results of the third study showed no statistically significant effect of lighting on concentration and so not substantiate the findings of the two field studies in a controlled environment. It might be because of the differences in the designs used. It suggests that the statistically significant differences found in the field of studies might be caused by uncontrolled extraneous influences that might limit or bias observation. It might also be that differences in the way children were exposed to the lighting conditions and settings in the different environments caused the differences between the findings. Although they did not evaluate the dynamic nature of the light system used, their findings seem to suggest that an environment in which different lighting settings and conditions are used to support specific activities and tasks at hand during a longer period of time may be more effective for pupils learning than an environment in w hich pupils are exposed to the same lighting condition for a relatively short period of time. The effect of lighting might be situation, task, and time dependent as previous studies also have indicated. The differences between the findings of the field studies and the third study for the relationship between lighting and concentration may also have to do with seasonal effects. Seasonal effects were also found in a more recent study into the effects of dynamic lighting on student alertness in a lecture room environment. The results of that study showed that in spring no change in alertness could be detected, while in the autumn study the decrease of alertness during lectures was significant. These findings shed light on the effects of exposure to lighting conditions during different seasons and the effect of the dynamic nature of light. As such, attention should be paid to the added value of artificial lighting in combination with exposure to daylight for the improvement of the perfo rmance of students in educational settings. Third, the results of their field studies showed no evidence of differential effects of gender in the relationship between lighting and concentration. Although earlier studies did find effects of lighting on performance and mood differ between men and women, their findings do not indicate gender related effects of lighting on pupils in elementary education. This may be related to the difference between children and adults in effects of lighting, for instance in regard to the development of psychological and affective preferences for the environment in general, and lighting specifically. (Sleegers et. al., 2012) According to Warren Hathaway, a search for ways to improve education is sustained by the general view that the learning environment is an important aspect in the educational process and the specific findings of research into the effects of types of lighting on people. Among the most surprising findings from the research in this field were that those elementary students who received trace amounts of ultraviolet light in their classrooms developed fewer dental carries and had better attendance than students in a comparison group. Sunlight is still the most important source of light and energy for living organisms and it may be experienced as direct light or as skylight. Most people do their works each day under the influence of sunlight. However, as society becomes more urbanized, people spend much less time under sunlight and much more time under artificial lamps. We are surrounded by walls, floors and ceilings covered with colors seldom repeated on the same scale in nature and these colors are usually perceived under lighting systems designed more for efficiency than for their possible physiological or psychological effects on people. Indeed, our artificial lighting systems can only simulate twilight levels of illumination-light levels of 200 to 1500 lux in comparison to light in the natural environment at twilight of 2,800 to 8,200 lux and at noon up to 100,000 lux. There is significance of wide differences in light levels between natural settings and built environments. Corth contended that the natural environment of our earliest ancestors was not the open plains but the forest floor. As a consequence, the habitat noon-time light levels would have been much lower than the 8,200 to 100,000 lux found in open areas. Moreover, he further contended that the spectral quality of the light at the forest floor was greenish-yellow and represented the combined result of the solar radiation spectrum and the filtering effect of the forest canopy. He also progressed the vi ew that our ancestors only later they occupied the forest floor near the equator did they move onto the open plains either north or south of the equator. Thus he concluded that heavy skin pigmentation was a matter of camouflage for survival more than it was a filter against UV light. As humans left the forest cover and moved into the more open country to the end of the equator and away from zones of intense UV light, the pigmentation was reduced as a response to the need for increased vitamin D which is formed by the action of ultraviolet light on the skin. Following Corths logic, one might expect two effects. First, in as much as the light spectrum of cool-white fluorescent lamps approximates that of the greenish-yellow light reaching the forest floor, people may find these lights to be very satisfactory. Second, if skin pigmentation decreases as a response to an increased need for ultraviolet light, highly pigmented people living in northern climates may have greater needs for ult raviolet stimulation than do lightly pigmented people. Sunlight contains all colors in relatively uniform amounts and all colors are equally visible when illuminated by sunlight. For this reason, natural light serves as the reference for comparing the color rendition characteristics of artificial lights, with natural light having the maximum or reference Color Rendition Index (CRI) of 100. The color rendition index is a measure of the way colors look under specific light sources. It is important to note that equivalent CRI indices mean the same thing only when the light sources to which they relate have equivalent color temperatures. As a consequence, colored objects may appear different when viewed under lights with different color temperatures but equivalent CRI indices. Not all artificial light sources accurately reproduce the full spectrum of sunlight. Incandescent lights are rich in red and yellow light, but radiate relatively little energy in the blue and green region of the s pectrum. Cool-white fluorescent lights emit most of their radiant energy in the green and yellow bands of the spectrum, the range to which eyes are most sensitive. Thorington asserted that it is at the 555 nm that the lumen or the standard unit of light is defined. Full spectrum lights emit a significant portion of their radiant energy in the blue area of the spectrum. A further small percentage of the radiant energy from fluorescent lamps may fall into the ultraviolet range. Rooms lit with full spectrum fluorescent lights may be seen as being somewhat dimly lit since the eye is less sensitive to blue light than to green and yellow light,. Full spectrum lights do, however, have a relatively high Color Rendition Index and this may be very important to vision processes. In this regard, Aston and Bellchainbers compared high efficiency with lamps that provided a spectrum more closely balanced to natural light. In their report they said, The results clearly show that the Kolorite lamps, lamps simulating natural light in spectral distribution, not only provide better color qualities but give a higher degree of visual clarity than do the high efficacy lamps at an equivalent illuminations. Ozaki and Wurmm drew attention to the fact that light from high pressure sodium vapor lamps produced anomalies in the growth and development of animals. They presented evidence to the effect that the exposure of developing rats to high pressure sodium vapor (HPSV) lights caused characteristic changes in growth and development. Downing concluded: There is no area of our mental and bodily functioning that the sun does not influence. Our bodies were designed to receive and use it in a wide range of ways. We were not designed to hide from it in houses, offices, factories and schools. Sunshine, reaching us through our eyes and our skin, exercises a subtle control over us from birth to death, from head to tail. Zamkova and Krivitskaya augmented regular fluorescent light with ultraviolet s untan lamps in a controlled experiment involving school children and they reported that when compared to the control group, students who received exposure to ultraviolet light showed increased levels of working ability and resistance to fatigue, improved academic performance, improved stability of clear vision, and increased weight and growth. Volkova studied the effects of ultraviolet supplements to general lighting in a factory and found that when compared to a control group, an experimental group of adults demonstrated decreased permeability of skin capillaries, increased white cell activity, and reduced catarrhal infections and colds. Richard Wurtman concluded that light has biological effects that are important to health and that some of these effects may be easily reproduced and measured in the experimental laboratory. These effects were of two kinds: those which modify the individuals endocrine, hormone and metabolic state by means of light reaching the retina and those which result from light on the skin. He also linked light entering the eye with responses of the pineal gland and secretion of the hormone melatonin. This hormone in turn influences the functions of other glands, possibly as a result of direct action on specific areas of the brain. Wurtman and Weisel studied the effects of light from cool white lamps and full-spectrum Vita-Lite lamps on a group of rats. Their findings support the argument that environmental lighting has an effect on at least some neuroendocrine functions. Himmelfarb, Scott, and Thayer reported that light from Vita-Lite (full-spectrum) lamps was significantly more effective in killing bacteria than light from standard cool-white lamps. Downing offered evidence that small amounts of ultraviolet radiation destroy bacteria and moulds. Relatively small amounts of ultraviolet light can stimulate calcium absorption among elderly men who have no exposure to sunlight and who eat a diet containing little vitamin D. Mass, Jayson, a nd Kleiber reported that students studying under full-spectrum lights had the smallest decrease over time in critical flicker fusion and an increase in visual acuity. Students studying under cool-white illumination demonstrated greater lethargy than those studying under full-spectrum lights (Hathaway, 1994). Sleegers suggested that future research should, therefore, focus on the interaction between light conditions and settings, specific activities and tasks and duration. This may increase our understanding of the variability of the effect of lighting among classroom environments, school activities, tasks and student performance and the potential effects of dynamic lighting in school settings. More research is needed to test the effects of different lighting conditions and settings on the school performance of different age groups. Future studies should use reliable and repeated measurements of concentration in order to reduce bias, increase the validity of the design used and evaluate the possible long term effects of lighting on school performance of young children in natural school environments. More systematic research is needed on the relation of daytime and artificial light, concentration, and seasonal effects, using objective measures to analyze performance in real life settings a nd with prolonged exposure. By doing this, the findings of these studies may help to increase our understanding of person/environment interaction and its impact on the performance and learning of elementary school children (Sleegers et al, 2012). At the same time, the literature on the non-visual effects of types of lighting on people is constantly expanding and from this there emerges a need to examine a variety of types of lighting for non-visual effects on people (Hathaway, 1994).

Child Labor :: essays research papers

Christopher Hibbert’s The English: A Social History, 1066-1945, harshly reflects child labor. The author uses graphic details to portray the horrible work environment that the children, sometimes as young as four and five, were forced to work in. Hibbert discusses in much detail the conditions the children work in, the way they are mistreated, and what was done to prevent child labor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The children work in various conditions, suffering numerous injuries. In boot factories, children are forced to sit so close together that they poke each other with needles: â€Å"many have lost an eye in this way† (595). The children work â€Å"unreasonably long hours† (595). Chimney sweepers in particular work long hours, starting at about four a.m. and working for twelve hours. These chimney sweepers sleep in bags of soot, wrapping themselves in the bags and straw. They are subjected to suffocating steam, heat, flying hot metal, and the â€Å"unhealthiest kind of grinding known† (595). Those who are employed in mills endure lung problems, scrofula, mesenteric diseases and asthma.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Taking into consideration the conditions these children work in, they are obviously mistreated. They are not washed, fed or clothed, resulting in malnutrition and children â€Å"clad in rags† (597). Employers even use mistreatment to teach the children how to do their jobs. Hibbert describes that â€Å"you can’t be soft with them, you must use violence† (595). Chimney sweepers can sometimes go â€Å"fifteen months without being washed except the rain† (595), wearing the same shirt until it is worn thin. To harden the flesh of the sweepers, their elbows and knees are rubbed profusely with the strongest brine, leaving their limbs â€Å"streaming with blood† (596). Workers sometimes found themselves caught in a machine, crushed by a machine, or swung by a machine. They suffered multiple injuries that were always ignored, most of the time consequently becoming fatal. The workers were not only subjected to poor working conditions, but being mistreated within them. It wasn’t for long after laws were made that treatment of children laborers improved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many felt strongly opposed to child labor but assumed nothing could be done. However, working conditions slowly but surely improved. Their diets became better. It became illegal to employ children in certain circumstances. Laws were passed so children were not working such long hours. They were even given off for holidays.

What caused the Hindenburg explosion :: essays research papers

The Hindenburg was a luxury airship, from nazi Germany. This "Titanic of the skies" (no pun intended) was destroyed by a flash fire in 1937 while landing in New Jersey after making its 10th transatlantic crossing. Thirty-five of the 97 people aboard and one ground crew member were killed when the blimp burst into flames and was rapidly consumed by the fire. The Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen gas which is lighter than air. The gas was stored in sixteen large gas cells inside the ship. Like all gases, hydrogen expands when heated. If the hydrogen gas in the Hindenburg were to overheat, the gas could expand enough to burst the gas cells and send the ship plummeting to earth. The Hindenburg's engineers knew about this potential danger and came up with a solution to the problem; they painted the surface of the airship with a chemical "doping compound" that contained powdered aluminum and iron oxide. This compound was chosen because it did a good job of reflecting the rays of the sun, therefore ensuring that the gas cells inside the ship would not overheat. There have been three main theories as to what happened to cause such a disaster. The official story has always been that the Hindenburg disaster was caused by the ignition of the flammable hydrogen gas used to lift the zeppelin. This has been over and over proven to be incorrect because witnesses of the explosion proclaim that it was like a fire works display, ummm... hydrogen burns without color.... Even pictures depicting the explosion show that the blaze from it contains pigment! The second theory is that the cause of the explosion was an electrical conductor. The â€Å"doping compound† that was used to prevent the hydrogen from heating up was extremely flammable. On the night before the Hindenburg was landing their was an electrical storm, and the surface of the ship became electrically charged. Engineers had already planned for this however, they attached mooring lines, ropes, that would go down to the ground and take the static charge to the ground with them as the ship landed. There were, however, panels that remained charged. Eventually, this built-up electricity inside the remaining panels took the form of a spark. Since the charged panels were covered with the doping compound's highly reactive metal powders, this spark caused them to ignite and burn very rapidly.

Strategies of Human Resource

The food service industry is a growing market and continues to increase by over a steady rate of 5 percent between 2011 and 2012. The industry has a high turnover rate of employees and constantly replaces unskilled workers in food service which cost the estimate of one year's salary and benefits depending on the position may cost thousands of dollars. A recent study showed that fast food restaurants with the lowest turnover made twice the revenue and higher profits than restaurants which had constant turnover. Sweetie Pies is a soul food restaurant located in SST.Louis, Mo owned and operated by Robbie Montgomery and James Norman, her son. The first restaurant, Sweetie Pies at Mangrove is the flagship of the restaurants which opened in 1996 but the recent opening of the Upper Crust is the gem of her restaurants completely by offering the signature recipes of the restaurant, a banquet hall, culinary school and performing arts space to the patrons. The focus of this paper is to identify key areas in HARM practices to align the business objectives and goals to expand nationally. Sweetie Pies ability to manage its people will be the key to succeeding in its goal to become a national brand.The restaurant has a niche in the DOD service industry because of its cuisine is not comparable to any of its competitors however; the restaurant will have to diversify its menu to broaden its brand on the national level. The owner has secured resources to branch out with the Upper Crust and provide a whole new line of services offered to customers. The compensation philosophy is not clearly stated however; the employees are satisfied and share continuous enthusiasm doing their Job considering the structure of the restaurant and the limit advancement to higher positions is not a clear promotion path.Employers are more likely to look at the external value of a Job before engendering the internal Job worth (www. Workload. Org). The current standard of the Job evaluation is based on t he geographical location, labor pools and market which will give the range pay per hour or pay per year. The pay rate of 7. 80 hour for kitchen help/servers is general but lagging in the market by . 20 cent different of other chain restaurants or similar establishments in the area. The restaurant is popular because of the reality television show on OWN.It has given them national exposure and the attraction of many tourists who are drawn there by the dishes displayed on the Food Network and other cooking shows. The food service industry workers are on some type of government aid due to low wages and low compensation packages. At Sweetie Pies, the wages are above those of minimum but limited compensation packages are offered to the employees. The HRS systems which are usually for control and commitment are not in place at Sweetie Pies because of the structure of the business.At corporate level, capital market measures of performance are generally considered more comprehensive than con temporaneous accounting measures if profit (return on assets or equity. )(Beer & Gerhard, 1996, peg. 791)The restaurant is very capable of achieving the goal to expand because the problems which the owners have identified by opening culinary school will give their employees the training to learn new knowledge, skills and abilities to offer the consumer different types of cuisine.According to Dither and Dougherty, businesses that are better organized to meet the needs of their people, so that they attract better people than their competitors do and their people are more greatly motivated to do a superior Job, whatever it is they do. This significantly is the problem with Sweetie Pies because of the lack of organization may hamper their ability to expand in the future. This being a service industry the customer must be satisfied with the overall outcome the product. The 21st century unfolds it is clear that most people accept that service will play an increasingly important part in th e economy. † Atkinson (2000, p. 8) goes further in asserting the importance of service performer/ customer exchange in that: â€Å"Customer perception of service delivery will be imperative and will shape their choice of supplier or service provider. Service excellence will need to take on a new mantle of one to one partner relationships with the customer, the consumer and end-user. (Maxwell, Watson & Quail, 2004, peg. 2) One of the unique things about Sweet Pies, Ms. Robbie plans were based on her customers and continues to offer the southern hospitality making sure that customers are always satisfied by conversing with each patron about their meal. The work process in the food service industry is the preparation, taste, presentation and delivery that involve steps taken to bring the food to the consumer. Sweetie Pies believe in preparing their meals from scratch and purchasing fresh vegetables, meats and wholesome bake goods.There are some times problems that don't stem fro m the food but based on the behavior of the employees. On one scene of the reality show, Sweetie Pies, the owners, Ms. Robbie and Tim were having conflict with each other about the treatment of his younger cousin, Ill Charles which ended with Tim being fired. Individuals with high n Power seek to control their environments and influence the behavior of others, while n Oaf is associated with the need to develop friendships and to be sociable and caring of others (Dither & Dougherty, 2012, peg. 6) however; Miner motivation states that: Individuals with high managerial motivation strive to engage in competitive activities, o behave in an active and aggressive manner, to influence others, and to seek highly visible and distinct positions. Tim and Ms. Robbie compete against one another by having a cook off to decide the new menu of the Upper Crust and Tim bends the rules to have his dishes approved for the menu. Even though Tim is motivated by the business and continues to try to achieve the goals however; his behavior has been an issue in conducting the affairs of the restaurant.According to Dither and Dougherty, Tim may not have had enough opportunity to challenge himself in his work and to advance to a higher position within the restaurant hierarchy. The cognitive and motor aptitudes needed to perform the duties in a restaurant are people skills, proficient mathematical skills, communication skills; being team players, cooking abilities and ability to multi-task under pressure being able to perform at minimum level or being proficient will differentiate in the level of pay.The restaurant pay plans are based on a traditional system pay at- risk system which is performance based however; the plan is not consistent for the participants' fluctuation in pay. The job analysis of the work performed requires unskilled workers for the position except or the management positions which are held by the owners at this point. The employment laws are followed in the restaurant based on the opportunities offered to felons and allowing those to have fresh start at adjusting to society and being able to give back to the community.HRS systems are regulated by federal and state laws that relate to employment (e. G. , Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act), compensation (e. G. , Fair Labor Standards Act, Equal Pay Act), and labor relations (e. G. , National Labor Relations Act). (Dither & Dougherty, 2012, peg. 44) The restaurant's performance management is based on oral reprimands more so than written performance records done by line supervisors.The workers who hold supervisors' position do on-site corrections letting the employees know their infractions immediately. Sweetie Pies need to focus on one of the starting points in the restaurant's retention strategy may include evaluating further development, retraining or even disciplinary action of one or more managers. (Urbanism,2009) Management needs to implement a system to have a process to give two way communications to managers and to employees who loud give them feedback on the concerns and improvements.Sweetie Pies is a customer-oriented business with them building relationships with their patrons. The key HARM practices will benefit Sweetie Pies to have sustained competitive advantage. The financial value of Sweetie Pies would be properly managed by using HRS systems which could contribute to the restaurant and the methodology to show that investing in HRS systems often results in very high rates of return. The process of having a system to review the applicants instead hiring based on trial and error which has happened with hiring felons who were not able to adjust.The cost and revenue streams are then adjusted to take into account the time value of money and the cost of capital (costs and returns are put in present-value terms), variable costs associated with the improvements brought about by making better hiring The HARM practices help to motivate, conform behaviors to meet the culture of the restaurant by Job classification. Rewards, merit increasing, bonuses are used to target behaviors and to enhance the motivation. The labor market for the food service industry is plentiful because of the low wages and unskilled labor which is composed of mostly minorities and women fill these positions.Even though there may be a shortage in knowledge base oriented firms the food service regardless of demographic, age, gender, educational attainment or nationality the restaurant will have applicants. The requirements to work in the restaurant are less than a high school education however; Ms. Robbie encourages her employees to finish school. Conclusion In conclusion, the restaurant needs to implement systems that would eventually help to take their brand to the national level. The focus of the paper was to point out key areas those HARM systems that would strategically help to meet the restaurants goals ND objectives.