Walker Percy free essay sample

As human beings, we fail to see things directly. We imagine and fantasize things to be something their not. It’s important to recognize the failure, so we learn our lesson for next time. By experiencing this failure first hand, we know the consequences and let downs, of not seeing directly. Walker Percy uses the terms â€Å"dialectical movement†, â€Å"symbolic complex†, and the â€Å"it† to support his idea of language. Percys interest in language recognizes the use of symbolic language to which plays a larger role in our consciousness (Percy 566). Throughout this paper I’m going to explain; give examples and ideas that support Percy’s idea. To start out with, Percy uses the term dialectical movement. Almost every teenage girl can relate to this, whether it’s from personal experience or from watching a film. When a girl looks at a prom dress for the first time, she instantly thinks of the fairy tale endings in movies. We will write a custom essay sample on Walker Percy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She imagines herself dressed beautifully, taking pictures with all of her friends, and she fantasizes about dancing with the love of her life. All the planning for this special night, sounds like the perfect evening, and for what? To be a let down, for it was not the visual in her head. Maybe her friends were all late to pictures or her date ditched her at the dance? This is an example of what Walker Percy described as dialectical movement. Something similar to dialectical movement, to which Percy also describes, is symbolic complex. Percy describes symbolic complex, â€Å"the thing is no longer the thing as it confronted by the Spaniard; it is rather that which has already been formulated- by picture postcard, geography textbook, tourist folders, and the words Grand Canyon. If it does not conform to what was seen on the postcard, then we are not able to see it directly and are only conscious of the disparity between what is and what is supposed to be† (Percy 566). For example, parents might believe colleges are full of students throwing wild parties and getting drunk every night. To which might be true but when parents and their child visit a college, they do not experience the wild parties. Therefore, they are not able to see what the college is like directly. These people get the sugarcoated version of the college and what is was supposed to be. Another example of symbolic complex from the passage is, â€Å"A student who has the desire to get at a dogfish or a Shakespeare sonnet may have the greatest difficulty in salvaging the creature itself from the educational package in which it is presented. The great difficulty is that he is not aware that there is a difficulty; surely, he thinks, in such a fine classroom with such a fine textbook, the sonnet must come across† (Percy 573). The package is what is described as symbolic complex. The package is what people see as a whole, they do not break it down for what it really is. This also happens when people are trying to manage their time. It is not uncommon for the everyday college student to be overwhelmed about the three finals they have to study for and five papers they have to write due in a week. They immediately freak out and stress out. This is an example of symbolic complex. This student only sees the finals and paper as a whole instead of breaking everything down step by step. Symbolic complex is seeing something as a whole and not experiencing it. Symbolic complex is seeing and believing something to be great and beautiful, but in all reality it’s not what it’s cracked up to be. A person’s perception on a specific event is very much associated with dialectical movement. Anything will have influence on their perception too. For example, watching movies or even observing everyday situations in public. The way people perceive things will later affect their reaction subconsciously. Symbolic complex is often described with this example, receiving a postcard from a tropical dream vacation spot. The water in the picture is as blue as the sky and the sand is as while as snow. This paradise is something anyone has only dreamed of visiting. For some reason you decide to take a vacation there. As you arrive to the beach, the sand is extremely rocky and the water is not as blue as the photographs. You suddenly feel a sense of disappointment and anger. This is symbolic complex at its finest. Another element in Percy’s idea of language is what he calls the â€Å"it†. For example, planning a trip to The Great Wall of China. While someone plans a trip they want to make it special so they follow every brochure because they want the traditional Great Wall experience with their own â€Å"it†. Walker Percy describes the â€Å"it† as, â€Å"authentic elements which are unspoiled, not only meaning a place that is physically intact, it means also that it is not encrusted by renown and by the familiar, that it has not been discovered by others† (Percy 569). While at The Great Wall of China, the people vacationing realize that the wall is just a wall and that every person to ever visit experienced the same thing. While disappointed they find a passage in the wall. These people decide to go on an adventure and enter the passage. Just through the passage they find Chinese people in their traditional attire, speaking and eating Chinese. Instantly they are in awe and observe these people in their native setting. This is the â€Å"it†. This is the cultural and unique experience everyone longs for while on vacation. When my family and I go on vacation, I almost always try to find my own â€Å"it†. When we went to Mexico we did all of the tourist things; visiting beaches, zip lining, and swimming with dolphins. Aside from the typical tourist attractions, my family and I stayed with a Mexican for a night. Not only did we get to stay in a Mexican home but the family cooked authentic Mexican food, played Mexican music, and shared stories and their traditions. My family and I felt like we experienced something that most people never get to. We were able to see how the people of Mexico live first hand. My family and I felt like we discovered something most people do not, we experienced the â€Å"it†. Walker Percys interest in language recognizes the use of symbolic language to which plays a larger role in our consciousness. Percy uses the terms, dialectical movement, symbolic complex, and the â€Å"it† to support his idea of language, as I explained throughout this paper. Whether you’re prom dress shopping or on vacation there is always a bigger picture. As Percy has explained, find the simplicity and authenticity that is found but has been lost. Find what has been lost. Do not set yourself or anyone else up for failure, break the whole idea into many pieces that make a beautiful picture, and find your own unique something. Be realistic and see things directly, that way you’re never disappointed. I believe Walker Percy wants people to learn from their mistakes and see the simple things in life for what they really are, beautiful. Works Cited Percy, Walker. â€Å"The Loss of The Creature.† â€Å" Walker Percy.† Ways of Reading an Anthology for Writers.5th. David Bartholomae, Anthony Petrosky. Boston, Massachusetts. Bedford/St. Martins 1999. 564-580. Print.

How to Write a Speech in Leadership Studies †What You Need to Know to Get Proper Results

How to Write a Speech in Leadership Studies – What You Need to Know to Get Proper Results Leadership studies is a discipline that by definition often deals with public speaking and speechwriting. If you choose such a course, be ready to write, prepare and deliver speeches on a regular basis, however uncomfortable you may feel about it. Speech-related tasks in leadership studies can be very varied: your professor may ask you to deliver a speech aimed to perform a certain function as a part of a case study. You may have to prove your point in front of an audience. You may have to do it as a part of a debate. In other words, it is an important part of any leadership-related course, and the specifics of your job may vary. However, the primary goals usually remain the same: to influence the audience, to convert them to your point of view, occasionally to inspire and motivate them to do their best when dealing with a problem. Some common principles remain the same, and if you master them, you are unlikely to experience problems with anything your professors can throw your way. Normally, one learns them through experience; however, we at %WEBSITE% decided to make the lives of all leadership students easier and had our writers prepare a complete guide to writing speeches in leadership studies – the guide you are reading right now. How to Write a Speech in Leadership Studies: Topic Choice and Preparation 1. Choose an Interesting, Inspiring and Relevant Topic In some cases, your professor furnishes you with a topic. However, usually you have to do this part of work by yourself. Fortunately, the subject of leadership is an extremely multi-lateral one and offers plenty of topics worth covering. Here are some suggestions that can help you find something you will be comfortable talking about: Talk about one or more great leaders that inspire you and discuss what makes or made them special and capable of achieving their results; Talk about specific styles of leadership and what they mean for both the leader and the followers; Talk about what makes a great leader and why different types of organizations, movements, businesses etc. require their leaders to have different sets of qualities to succeed; Talk about how a good leader should deal with a particular challenge. Here are some topics you may come up with: Henry Ford: What Qualities Led Him to the Degree of Greatness He Achieved? Leadership in the Digital Age: Does It Evolve Fast Enough to Meet the Ever-Changing Tech Challenges? What Makes for Effective Decision Making in Modern World? What Lies at the Foundation of Ethical Leadership? Are Leaders Born or Made? As you can see, there are plenty of directions – they are only limited by your own ingenuity. 2. Choose a Structure That Best Fits Your Purpose Some aspects of a speech are better left unchanged no matter what you are talking about. For example, the optimal distribution of space: 10 percent opening, 80 percent main part, 10 percent conclusion. You can deviate from it, but only if you have a very good reason to do so. Nine times out of ten, it is better to limit opening and conclusion to short yet powerful statements and dedicate the rest of the speech to meaningful content. However, the way you organize this content may vary. Here are some of the most popular variations: Narrative-based speech. Exactly what it says on the tin – you put a narrative at the center of your speech. You introduce a character (it may be yourself or another person), tell about an issue he/she had to face and proceed to describing how he/she overcame it. This structure helps you connect with your audience emotionally; Buildup. You introduce a key idea and proceed to build up the information related to it, layer by layer. In the end, you look back at what you have built and draw conclusions; Investigation. You present your audience with a question and get them interested in finding an answer to it. You then proceed to unravel the mystery, gradually moving to a satisfying conclusion; Ping Pong. You discuss an issue with two clearly defined viewpoints on it, and represent both of them equally. Move back and forth, gradually increasing the audience’s interest in who will get the upper hand. 3. Prepare an Outline A speech is a text that heavily depends on all its parts closely working with each other and performing their functions. That is why it is so important to make sure it has a tight structure and that you left nothing to chance. In an outline, you write down an approximation of what you will say in each part, how many points you will use to support your main idea, what evidence you will use to back them up, how you will move from one point to another and so on. It is especially important to plan how much time you will spend on each point – this will help you correct yourself if you later notice that you are lagging behind or moving too fast. How to Write a Speech in Leadership Studies: Composing and Structuring 1. Start with a Strong Opening The opening is the most important part of a speech – people only listen to the speaker attentively for about 10 seconds before they form an opinion and either lose interest or focus on you. If you do not use this fleeting timespan to show your credibility, build rapport with the audience, establish command of the room and the topic, you are very unlikely to have a chance to do it later. So pay closest attention to how you start and use your first sentence to maximum effect. Here are some suggestions of how to build strong openings: Make a seemingly completely irrelevant statement – the audience will tune in just to find out where you are going with it. The next sentence should bring the speech back to your topic. E.g., ‘There is only one movie I watched more than a dozen times – [Title]. And this is why – there is hardly a better illustration of what a true leader should be anywhere’; Start with a quote, either by a well-known author or somebody you know personally (relative, former boss, mentor, colleague, etc.). You can even invent a quote if you are feeling creative and have a good idea – nobody is going to check; Refer to your personal experience. For some reason people are especially interested in personal stories, and you can capitalize on this. Do not worry about being polite and be passionate instead – this is what leadership is all about. Jump to the meat of the thing right away, without gradual introductions – it will only increase the audience’s interest. If you still want to greet your audience, put it into the second paragraph – nobody will notice. 2. Calculate the Length of Your Speech Speeches are always limited by time, and if you deliver yours in front of the class, this limit is likely to be very short and strict, as your professor wants everybody to deliver one. However, you will be given a time, not word limit, and it may be hard to convert one into another. There are a few ways to do it: Find a collection of speeches on your topic and read it aloud for the allotted amount of time. A usual book will not do because the language used in speeches is generally simpler; Use an online tool for converting between words and minutes. However, remember that people have different rates of speech (ranging from 125 to 175 words per minute), and tend to further change this rate when talking in front of an audience (usually trying to talk faster). Therefore, the results that these tools return are not set in stone. 3. Relate Everything in Your Speech to a Single Goal Every speech has a purpose. In leadership studies, it is usually to persuade, motivate or inspire the audience, although other purposes (e.g., to share information) are possible as well. Define the overall purpose of the speech before you start writing and keep it in mind throughout the entire process. Everything you mention should be related to this purpose and move it forward. If something does not do it, edit it out or do not mention it in the first place. 4. Keep Your Structure Clear Audience should be able to naturally follow you throughout the speech without getting confused. Make sure your train of thought is clearly visible and progresses logically. Do not introduce irrelevant anecdotes to illustrate a point; neither should you jump from one point to another and back again. 5. Reflect the Importance of Each Point in the Structure Firstly, the amount of time you spend talking about each point should be proportionate to its importance. Even if you have really good fact or quotation to mention about an unimportant point, do not spend too much time talking about it, lest the audience is confused about its relative importance. Secondly, arrange your points in a meaningful order. Usually it means that you either progress from the least to the most important one (gradually nurturing the audience’s interest and using stronger arguments every time) or vice versa (offering the most important argument first and following it up with supporting evidence). How to Write a Speech in Leadership Studies: after Writing, before Delivery 1. Memorize the Opening and the Conclusion You do not have to memorize your entire speech – in fact, it may even be detrimental for overall effect, as it will be obvious that you are talking not to the audience but at it. In addition, if you stumble, it is much harder to get back on track if you retell the speech word for word, than if you reconstruct it in your mind from a few main points. With the main part of the speech, it is less important how you word it as long as you speak confidently and do not forget anything. However, the opening and the conclusion have to be built carefully and are heavily dependent on using specific wording, which means that you should know them by heart to achieve the desired effect. 2. Trim the Fat In leadership studies, it is very important to lead your audience in the right direction without easing up for even a second. Every sentence and every word should move your main idea forward and lead up to the most important takeaway. Reread your speech carefully and make sure everything you say is relevant and you never drift away from your train of thought. Ask somebody you trust to listen to you while you deliver the speech and ask him/her if it was easy to follow you. If he/she found some parts confusing, change them (usually by removing excessive fragments). 3. Make Sure Your Speech Is Properly Paced It may not be obvious while you write it, but should become more evident from your test delivery of a speech. Ideally, you should gradually build up your speech to a climax, achieve this top point, make the most powerful statement, and finish quickly. If you put all your strongest arguments and express the main idea too early, you can end up with an ending that occupies half a speech and far outlasts its welcome. Always give the audience a reason to keep listening to you, then end with something emphatic, shocking, unexpected or thought-provoking. 4. Incorporate Non-Verbal Elements Even if you know your speech perfectly, it does not mean you will be able to deliver it well. You cannot just stand still and talk to your audience: you have to incorporate many additional elements into your speech, such as body language, facial expressions, pauses, silences, intonation, increases and decreases in volume and so on. Do not leave these things to chance – if you do not have much experience in delivering speeches, you will end up looking and sounding unnaturally or freeze up altogether. Instead, plan ahead when you are going to use any of these techniques. Writing and delivering a high-quality speech in leadership studies is no small thing – with all the attention paid to communication and influencing people in this course, it is hardly surprising that the standards are usually pretty high. However, we hope that with the help of this guide you will be able to do better and more than ever!

Information Systems - Hard Rock Cafe Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Systems - Hard Rock Cafe - Case Study Example One known way of turning off customers lacks goods that they need every time they pass by your business. Hard Rock’s inventory relied on restaurant managers who had no one telling them when there was a shortage of something. The network connecting the cafà ©s was a mess itself. Ward describes the network as â€Å"hackerware†. Hard Rock’s financial system was never updated frequently. For this reason maybe, sometime back, a sack containing $100,000 went missing and sat in the New York City Hard Rock Cafà © for five days without being noticed by anyone. While the employees did not notice the sack, the corporate itself did not know such an amount of money was missing. The Ward’s group chose the Radius inventory management system as it was built on the Micro Strategy platform. The system was a product of Transatlantic Software and stores all the POS customer data, for instance, merchandise sales, customer demographic and the preference data that is now captured on the web. Since the sale of merchandise accounts for hundreds of millions of dollars every financial year, the restaurant needed to install a chain-wide merchandise system, which would help them avoid such embarrassments like the opening of Cleveland Hard Rock in summer that had no T-shirts for some weeks. Initially, Hard Rock had three sets of books that kept track of the revenues. The immense problem was that the totals were three very different numbers. In the late 1998, Hard Rock’s financial system required copies of statement in Lotus Notes, 2 members of staff to reproduce the numbers in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and key the numbers into a Lawson Software financial module. The CRM is essential in the operations of Hard Rock as it strengthens the relationship between the customer and the restaurant building an online community. This online community is crucial for a business

Sex Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sex Education - Essay Example Though she was older than me, we were very close friends and we could discuss anything in a cordial manner. I like this person and she liked me too. We treated each other like a brother and sister but the closeness was just great. We happened to be alone at her place and we were watching a romantic film. We started off caressing each other and each of us was so erotic such that we could not resist the strong desire to have sex. We were both virgins then and the experience was just painful. I ended up asking myself why people often talk of great pleasure from sex when it was so painful. I also felt sorry for my friend who had all of a sudden become a lover since I realised that I had hurt her. However, the second time we tried it was quite different from the first experience. This time I really enjoyed the sex and my partner also did. I discovered that people who are not in love can still enjoy sex as long as they are aware of what they are doing. I liked it and my friend also liked i t though there were very few chances that we could end up as lovers. I also discovered that breaking virginity during a sexual encounter can be very painful. However, the fallacy I later discovered from the knowledge I had gathered from my friends about sex is that some people believe that the first sexual encounter does not lead to pregnancy. I carried out various researches to establish the authenticity of this claim but I later discovered that it was false. Though I was furious that some people wanted to mislead me, I was not particularly made at anyone. Indeed, my friend did not get any pregnancy. This taught me a lesson that whenever I fail to resist the strong desire to have sex, then I must use protection. This helps to prevent unwanted... This paper approves that the truth of the matter is that people who practice self sex are smart and they are safe from contracting sexually transmitted diseases from other people if they indulge in unprotected sex. It is quite difficult to openly talk about self sex but the truth of the matter is that a lot of people do it even married couples. A lot of studies have shown that people who engage in self sex live a healthier life than those who are sexually active and those who prefer to sleep around with multiple partners. Though people feel shy to openly talk about this practice, it is advocated by many counsellors as it is seen as an effective way of reining the behaviour of the youths in particular so that they can live health lives. This essay makes a conclusion that the subject of sex is widely discussed in different places especially by the youths since it characterises their growth and development. However, there are some myths and fallacies in some of the ideas that are exchanged pertaining to the issue of sex and sexuality. However, there are certain aspects that are real and these help different individuals to gain full understanding of this particular topic. Sex is a need but there are certain precautions that need to be taken especially by the youths in order to ensure that they do not spoil their health by avoiding the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases through sexual intercourse with infected partners.

Ranking method Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ranking method - Research Paper Example The users don’t have to scan through every webpage to find the relevant ones or those with relevant tweets or news. Many ranking functions have been developed for the purpose of evaluating the websites and the web contents. Each of these functions is based on a different algorithm which uses a certain criteria to evaluate the relevance of web content and the data. This paper will consider three separate papers that make an illustration of the use different criteria to apply the ranking algorithm to solve ranking problems based on different aspects. We will seek to find out the themes that are common in these papers, the non-overlapping concepts and any disagreements. We will also determine the various ranking algorithms and their use by researchers to improve ranking. The various aspects of the ranking algorithms will also be looked at to determine their importance to internet users. In the world today, there is an exponential increase in the demand for information which has been highly facilitated by the advancement of informational technology. This has resulted in the development of billions of online items and websites that try to satisfy the users’ needs. Most of these items and websites do not serve the interest of the users fully. Therefore there is the need to optimize these items by ranking them according to their usefulness and also gather information on the usefulness of various websites to users [2]. In this paper, we analyze three research papers which mainly revolve around improving the user experience in the online industry. The articles are Dupret etal [1], Feng etal [2] and Kumar etal [3]. Each one of them compliments the other in that they all propose how to optimize ranking of items in a website and how to evaluate the success by deriving the user engagement using a proposed metric. A summary of how to optimize the informational items found online will be provided which largely try to address the problems

The Amo Model Theoritical Framework Commerce Essay

The Amo Model Theoritical Framework Commerce Essay Every organization in a public or private sector, struggle for survival and this survival can be gotten if there is a motivated workforce to ensure the organizations objectives are met. Most organizations tend to neglect and ignore the up-keep of their employees which might affect employee performance and organizational productivity. There are complaints about low performance and productivity in most organizations in Nigeria. Researchers like Akinyele (2010) are of the opinion that low performance and productivity in most organizations in Nigeria is caused by the organizations where they operate. Additionally, Akinyele (2010) is of the opinion that about 80% of low productivity and performance is caused by the work environment of the organization and so, suggests that when the environment of an organization is conducive, it confirms that the well-being of the employees will be improved and would lead to higher productivity for the organization (Akinyele, 2007). Organizations find it difficult to perform up to standard in order to meet their objectives due to the fact that there is low performance and productivity. The reason for low organizational performance and productivity in Nigeria according to Ahiauzu (1999) is that, employees perform better when they are managing their own businesses other than working in an organization. With this, they end up coming late to work, show little or no creativity and are slow in accepting change. This indicates that there is a missing factor which motivates employees that is not present. Also, there are other issues that affect performance and productivity in some organizations In Nigeria which relates to cultural background, belief system and web of kingship. Again, Keller (2006) suggests that when you give your employees the best, they in turn give it back to the organization. For example, in relation to the organization, there have been a clear case of low performance because of its managerial style and leadership calamity, the way funds are managed and this is affecting the performance of the employees and the organization (Babalola, 2012). Line managers are actively responsible for the well-being and welfare of their employees Boxall and Purcell (2003) because they are the most important assets of an organization (Armstrong 2012). When employees feel they are not working for themselves and are not motivated in any way, they tend to be disengaged and disconnected with the work and its environment especially when they notice they are neglected by their employers and line managers. For improving the well-being and performance of employees, Boxall and Purcell (2003) as illustrated in the AMO model below suggest that for effective employee and organizational performance, line managers should be able to present, apply, direct and monitor all human resource activities to help improve organizational and employee performance. THE AMO MODEL THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK Most organizations tend to neglect the well-being of their employees and due to this, they end up not performing well which in turn affects the performance of the organization. This, can be caused by either the managerial style of the line managers, not having a conducive work environment or even the employees themselves. The AMO model is an illustration of how employees can be motivated by the line managers using the HR policies and practices involved so as to enhance performance and well-being. The term AMO means A=Ability, M=Motivation, O= opportunity. Ability refers to the practices and policies that ensure the employees in an organization get the best and are prepared with the skills to take on any job in the organization, with the assumption that jobs would be challenging. Organizations should ensure that their employees have the necessary skills to be able to use their discretionary practice whereby they are able to participate with minimum supervision. This is why Huselid (19 95) and Appelbaum et al., (2000) state that organizations must ensure accurate recruitment and selection process to recruit capable and skilled workers and also ensure necessary training. In order for employees to use their discretionary practice, they need to be motivated with either an extrinsic, intrinsic or trust factor (Appelbaum et al., 2000). Extrinsic this can be financial such as performance pay or commission, incentive pay. Intrinsic pay comes from inner satisfaction and finally, when an organization can enable an environment that is trustworthy and encouraging, then employees feel valued and wanted. If all these motivational factors are absent, then employees tend to be absent or likely leave the job. The opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process in an organization gives employees the sense of involvement, engagement and enhances well-being (Appelbaum et al., 2000). According to Wood and Wall (2007), Boxall and Macky (2009) and Appelbaum et al., (2000) , i t is the distinguishing feature that differentiates High performance work practices whereby the decision making process should be de-centralized and shared rather than the control of hierarchy. According to Wood and Wall (2007), there are different ways in which employees should be given the opportunity and chance to be involved either being in a self-managed team or the opportunity for their voice to be heard. RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT It is important to consider the organization used in this research work. In 2004, FIFA (The Federation Internationale De Football Association) the world football governing body recommended the Nigerian Football Association (NFA) to create an avenue for the establishment of the Nigerian Football League (NFL) which would be an independent body but also would still be a member of the NFA. The processes and procedures of acquiring an office including the office of the chairman and vice chairman, board members and other departments was then put in place in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. In 2006, the NFL was then in search of sponsors since it is operating as a non-profit making organization but to no avail due to the fact that it lacked legal backup. It was reported to the NFA and the Ministry of Sports and later, the NFL was granted their license to become a corporate body and was immediately incorporated as a Limited Liability Company in April 2006. The title sponsor i mmediately after the incorporation was awarded to Nigerias biggest telecommunication company for four years and then, the NFL was changed to NPL (Nigerian Premier League). The Nigerian Premier League (NPL) consists of 40 staff and 20 premier league clubs that is spread all over Nigeria and it is in line with the international best practice for the benefit of its stakeholders. Due to the fact that the football body (NPL) is a non-profit making organization, there might be significant impact on the well-being of its workforce having in mind that they are working for an organization that generates no profit and how they are motivated would be at stake unlike a profit making organization whereby the desire of the organization is to make profit. In a country like Nigeria where most of the workforce work not for the experience but for the money would also affect organizations that are non-profit making like the NPL. As money is known to be an extrinsic motivational factor in Herzberg 2 factor theory and by paraventure the company experiences a downturn in finance and it is not able to meet the financial expectation of its workforce, productivity will fall to its minimum as employee performance will be reduced due to lack of no financial benefit or extrinsic motivation. In Nigeria, most organizations are of the opinion that since employees work for the money and not the experience, it should be seriously considered by the line managers so as to create ways to intrinsically motivate the employees. This is why the purpose of this research would benefit the Nigerian Premier League on how to motivate the employees thereby using the elements from the AMO Model by Purcell et. al., (2003) mentioned in this study that it is necessary to intrinsically motivate the workforce, which in turn can lead to career progression. The NPL is faced with a challenge which is now affecting the well-being and performance of the employees (For example, absenteeism, low performance, finance) and as well, the organization (Babalola, 2012). In this case, it can be caused by lack of engaging the employees using the human resource practices mentioned in the Black Bo x, the managerial style of the managers, cultural differences which can generate conflict Aluko (2003) lack of finance and again, remember they are working for the only thing that motivates them which is the money and it is not available. CONCEPT OF WELL-BEING Well being according to Ryan and Deci (2000) is where the employee is fully engaged (Committed), fully functioning (Active) and focuses on self-actualization (Realization of Potentials). CIPD (2006) defines well-being as creating a good working environment to promote the employee state of mind that allows the employee to develop and attain the full ability to perform for the benefit of the organization. Having this in mind, the managerial procedures in organizations tend to have an impact on the workforce of an organization because of the way they are followed and in turn can have an effect on the performance outcome of the organization and the workforce AMO Model Purcell et al. (2003) using the HR practices. Researchers suggest here that there may be a significant correlation between Human Resource management and the performance outcome of the organization (Becker and Gerhard 1996; Huselid 1995). However, well-being is part of the human resource process and its relationship has been ignored thereby affecting organizational performance. According to Pfeffer (1998), the problem facing human resource management should not be, having the idea of how HRM practices enhance the outcome of an organization but instead understanding how it affects employee well-being, performance and engagement which if present increases productivity. In the light of this research, employee well-being and performance would be discussed using human resource practices, such as organizational commitment, training and development, ability and skills, motivation and job satisfaction and discretionary behavior, which help to promote a good work life balance in an organization (The AMO Model, See figure 1.1) Purcell et al., (2003). From the above model, the Human Resource practices might influence employee well-being if taking into consideration and can continuously develop and increase performance and productivity. If the management of any organization can actually generate a good working environment, the workforce would in turn respond with high motivation and satisfaction which can help the company attain high performance and enhance productivity. Despite the fact that organizations vary, ways of motivation also vary. The aim of most organizations is to make profit in one way or the other be it a profit making organization or non-profit making organization but most non-profit making organizations, spend more and dont really make a profit but this can be achieved if only organizations take into consideration the well-being of their employees thereby using the HR elements mentioned by Purcell et al., (2003) to improve well-being and performance. CONCEPT OF PERFORMANCE Performance according to Stoner (2002) is vital to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization, which shows how well the organizations objectives are achieved. Performance in an organization can be negatively impacted upon by different factors which can hinder the progress of the organization. In Nigeria, the impact of organizational performance can be caused by poor communication Inedegbor et al., (2012), culture Aluko (2003) and possibly can be caused by the external environment. IOA Model for Organizational Performance. The framework above illustrates an organizations performance which can have different dimensions that consists of the organizations importance, financial stability, and effectiveness of the organization, how efficient the organization is and how well they can react to change from its internal and external environment. It also illustrates that the performance of an organization should be linked to how motivated the organization might be and that resources like finance, technology, and workforce can drastically affect the performance of an organization. Drawing from the research organization (NPL), it indicates that the organization suffers low performance because it lacks the only thing that motivates the employees leading to absenteeism and de-motivation. RESEARCH STUDY AIM This research aims to examine the ability of the AMO Model by Purcell et al., (2003) to explain employee well-being and performance to enhance productivity in the Nigerian Premier League. RESEARCH STUDY OBJECTIVES In order to carry out this research study properly, there are objectives outlined to achieve the aim of this study. The objectives are: To assess the levels of skills/ability, motivation and incentives and opportunity to participate, measure levels of training and development, ability and skills, organizational commitment, and identify discretionary behaviour and performance. To identify significant relationships between these variables To evaluate the employee perceptions of conditions of service and work in relation to AMO to participate in the Nigerian Premier League. Recommendations and conclusions based on my findings. RATIONAL FOR THE STUDY To achieve a positive outcome in an organization, the well-being of employees needs to be taken into consideration because they are seen as the most valuable assets of an organization Armstrong (2008) and the way they are managed has a significant impact on the organizations performance. The duty of the HR is to administer policies and practices used by line managers to engage employees, this is why they are of great importance in any organization despite this long contention between HRM and the organizational performance Guest (2011) due to the fact that regulations and procedures of the HRM is in connection to a recent act in strategy (Brockbank and Ulrich 2005). The aim of this research is to better understand well-being and performance of employees to enhance productivity in organizations especially those facing difficulties like low performance and high turnover, using the AMO Model (Black Box) by (Purcell et al., 2003). The research would in turn have a positive impact on the workforce and organization if the well-being and performance of the workforce are seriously taking into consideration. For the purpose of this study, the concept of employee well being is measured using training and development, ability and skills, organizational commitment, discretionary behavior and it is an attempt to close the gap between employee well-being and performance with the performance of the organization thereby explaining a bit more about the importance of HRM practices which promotes employee well-being at work and is linked to organizational performance. The study of this research on employee well-being and performance in the Nigerian Premier League would be important to the organization because it will enable the organization to understand better the concept of employee well-being and performance and how it can be managed to enhance productivity inside and outside the organization. According to Bujai, Cottini and Nielsen (2008), having an insight on the impact of employee well-being and performance in an organization with regards to engagement and other HR Practices is important in having a working environment that is productive. In order to build a productive workforce, the well-being and performance of the organization either large or small organization should be taking into consideration because most organizations feel its time and money consuming and end up abandoning their workforce. Most managers pay less attention to their workforce and this on the other hand affects the performance and well-being of the organization. This is why it is suggested by Purcell et al., (2003) in the black box (AMO Model) that managers should be careful with the way they manage their workforce. The following chapter illustrates more on the concept of well-being and performance by different authors and why it is important that employers should focus more on their employees to enhance productivity. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW DEFINITION OF WELL-BEING Well-being is a vast concept and has been defined and seen differently by various authors, organizations and how it should be managed is entirely up to the managers of the organization (AMO Model). The CCMD (2002) describes well-being as nurturing a good state of mind that helps the employee to have a good sense of purpose, feelings and fulfillment that is alert and open to new experiences. The theory of well-being by Waterman (1993) indicates that it is way above happiness but the actualization of human potentials or abilities which helps in fulfilling the true nature of an employee. There is this belief that well-being is a psychological state which Ryan and Deci (2000) argues that it is at its best when an employee is fully functioning, fully engaged and shows self actualization and vitality. This has been termed as Eudaimonic well-being. Though there is another form of well-being which is Hedonic well being, this is the subjective well-being that involves life satisfaction, the presence of positive mood and absence of negative mood. Employee well-being has been a great issue and concern in the minds of employers which they believe now is affecting the performance of the workforce. Researchers have carried out a research on human resource practices and the well-being of employers. Employee well-being has been linked to employee engagement because of its similarities and for as long as there is engagement in the workforce, there would be increased well-being and performance. In contrast, Robertson and Cooper (2010) state that employee well-being is basically different to employee engagement and describes employee engagement as the positive behavior of employees that indicate there is an uninterrupted attention giving to the organization by the employees. According to Watson (2010) employee well-being can retain or destroy the engagement level and performance in an organization which shows the connection between engagement and well-being. It further states that employee engagement and well-being either work in isolation or work together. To explain this further, see diagram 1 below. The above diagram explains that when employee well-being and engagement strongly work together, there would be sustained performance, but when engagement and well-being work in isolation, there would be defaults in the organizations performance. An example is that organizations that are finding it difficult to be at their best, their employees try hard to get things working for the organization. Therefore, forfeiting their personal life issues for the organization, may only take the organization for a short period of time which is not going to be sustainable. However, this would lead to employee burnout and disengagement where turnover and under-performance becomes the agenda of the organization (Maslach and Leiter 2008). An article by Gallup (2012), suggests that employee well-being has a significant impact on the bottom line of an organization. This is the reason organizations are engineering new strategies for gaining a sustained workforce. In as much as an organization is active, it is already in the business of managing employee well-being. Employee engagement which helps improve well-being, is a vital aspect of an employee to achieve its objectives and is another way of motivating employees to enhance internal and external performance index (CIPD 2011). Employee engagement has been defined by different authors, still, it cannot be managed (Ferguson 2007). The world is changing and ways to meet up with the demands of the environment which Porter (1987) suggests that it would surely occur is the utmost priority of most big and small organizations despite the industry or sector. According to Cooper and Robertson (2001), employee well-being when in the positive, is an advantage to any organization which indicates that the organizations workforce is healthy. For an organization to be healthy, it means that it fits to survive in the competitive environment where it operates. Currie (2001) is of the opinion that if organizations want to be competitive and be positively sustained in the environment; it must keep the health and well-being of its employees as its core which is vital for performance enhancement, future survival and development of any organization. Moreover, from an organizations point of view, the positive correlation between well-being and performance of the workforce, has been considered by Wright and Cropanzano (2004) and according to Samman (2007), Page and Vellla-Broadrick (2009), it has been reviewed that the importance of well-being and its management and measurement has puzzled researchers. Ortiz (2006) agrees with Armstrong (2008) that empl oyees are assets of an organization while Hermanson (1964) described human assets so as to measure and quantify the value of the workforce. Additionally, Roselender et al., (2006) supports the argument that the well being of an employee when fit is an organizational asset. DETERMINANTS OF WELL-BEING (GENERAL) The concept of employee well-being by Macey and Schneider, (2009); Macleod and Brady, (2008); Bakker et al. (2008) states that employee well-being in recent times both in practice and in research has been creating a lot of interest in the minds of managers. Though employee well-being has been defined differently by different authors, and there are determinants that impact on well-being. According to an article by Watson (2010), employee well-being can be seen as a physical, psychological and social health of an individual. All these must be complete in an employee and this is why the management of many organizations is so concerned about the well-being of their employees because it is of great benefit to the organization and employees. For the workforce, they would feel a sense of balance between their lives at work, at home and for the organization, high level of sustainability and engagement which will reduce turnover (Watson 2010). In essence, its advantage is all about having the workforce on the job and imputing high level of sustained engagement. Work is a significant part of an individuals life and as such, employee engagement and well-being at work are important concepts. Employee well-being, engagement and performance are important aspect of organizational development, as engaged employees are both cognitively and emotionally connected to their work and workplace (Harter and Blacksmith, 2010). The relationship between employee characteristics and business outcomes is assumed to exist, yet the empirical research is limited. For instance engaged employees consistently produce at high levels Moore (2005) yet the unique contribution of employee engagement is yet to be fully revealed. This paper attempts to fill that gap. According to Gallup (2012), organizations that strive hard to succeed in an environment, are implementing new ways for achieving sustainable competitive advantage which is employee well-being because it impacts on the performance of the organization. There are various determinants of well-being. In general, there are different factors that can influence well-being. With reference to the definition of well-being by different authors which in summary states that without well-being, there is a significant impact on the organizations performance or the workforce, many organizations tend to neglect this concept due to the fact that they think about the financial aspect of engaging the employee. Researchers also have claimed that employee engagement is different from work engagement .Work engagement is seen as a positive, fulfilling work related state of mind characterized by dedication, absorption and vigor (Schaufeli et al 2002, pg. 74). Recent research believes that dedication and vigor are the main characteristics of engagement. Vigor can be seen as that high level of energy and mental resilience while working and persistence in the face of challenges ( Dulagi, 2012). Dedication can be seen as a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride and challenge. Employee well-being according to Ryan and Deci (2001) believes that well-being is not best captured by hedonic conceptions of happiness alone. Instead, SDT also employs the concept of eudemonia well-being which is defined as vital, full and as a complimentary approach. Self determination theory is an organismic psychology (Ryan, 1985) one of a part of holistic psychological theories including Jean Piaget and Car l Rogers and thus assumes that people are active organisms with inherent and deeply evolved tendencies toward psychological growth and development. This can be seen clearly in the phenomenon of intrinsic motivation- the natural tendency manifest from birth to seek out challenges, novelty and opportunities to learn. Well-being according to Wright (2005) is a universal term that is mostly used when relating to emotions of individuals and research has consistently shown the importance associated with how employee well-being and job performance of an organization is measured (Wright et al., 2007). According to Wright and Cropanzano (2000), people with sophisticated psychological well-being at work are more prolific than people with ill-psychological well-being. Nonetheless, according to Harter et al., (2002); Schaufeli et al., (2006), it cannot be seen as a vital aspect of engaging an employee. In synergy, Schaufeli et al, (2002); Macey et al. (2009); Mann, (2011); Bakker and Bal, (2010) considers that well-being involves not only the psychological condition of employees due to the fact that Deci and Ryan (2000) sees as the Eudiamonic sensation of employees but also the behavior of employees. In addition, the CIPD (2011) believes that well-being consists of 3 vital units which include reasoning, sentiments and interim. However, it is being conflicted by its problems or difficulties. EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING AND SDT (SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY) In the light of this theory (SDT), Fernet et al., (2012) indicates that the confusion from employees and management attitudes impacts on the self-efficacy of the employees and their motivation to participate. Self-determination theory (SDT) involves a set of related theories that explain human behavior by defining different types of motivation that an individual may engage in for a task or set of activities (Deci and Ryan, 1985). Specifically, Self-determination theory consists of 3 vital psychological needs which should be evident for psychological growth. They are as follows: aptitude, independence and kinship. Deci, E., Ryan, R. (2002). According to the above diagram, Self-determination theory consists of a set of theories mentioned above which is associated with the behaviour of individuals and how they are motivated. It also consists of the psychological needs that when satisfied gives the working environment a sense of intrinsic motivation and human fulfilment (Deci and Ryan, 1985). In essence, the satisfaction of these needs is beneficial for high human functioning (Deci and Ryan, 2000). In an organizational context, the desire for these psychological needs is important. The need for aptitude signifies that the individual is feeling effective in the environment which allows the individual to express its exceptional capabilities (Ryan and Deci 2002, Deci and Ryan, 2000). According to Deci and Ryan (2000), Deci and Ryan (2011), Deci and Ryan (2002), the need for independence is when there is the feeling to act with the desire from within so as to feel psychologically free. Lastly, the need for kinship relates to when the individual feels the sense of belonging in the environment (Ryan and Deci 2002; Van den Broeck et al., 2008). The degree which indicates that if the construct of employee engagement is distended to include the psychological well-being of employees, it shows there would be improved business outcomes. This is why Wright et al, (2007); Danna and Griffin, (1999) suggest that there should be an impact of psychological well-being on productivity and performance if the organization wants to survive. With reference to this study, there is evidence that there is a correlation between the three psychological needs, the employees in general Deci and Ryan, (2000), Baars et al., (2004), well-being that is work-related for example, organizational commitment, discretionary behavior, motivation and job satisfaction which is essential to enhance productivity and performance in an organization. DETERMINANTS OF WELL-BEING AT WORK In an organizational context, the term employee well-being according to Cooper and Robertson (2001) impacts on the performance of the employee and can lead to high productivity or outcome which is an added advantage to organizations that encourages a workforce that is healthy. For an organization to be active and healthy, it then shows that it can survive in its environment or industry where it operates because for an organization to be able to survive in its sector, it is unavoidable to ignore promoting the well-being and performance of its employees which in this case is vital to increase employee performance and this can lead to future organizational development (Currie 2001). In line with this research topic, when employee well-being is introduced into any organization, it is likely to change the environment and pave way for innovation which can create positive organizational performance especially for organizations that are under-performing. Research has shown that it took ages for organizations to create a relationship that has to do with employment due to the fact that the well-being of an employee is seen as their responsibility (Guest 2002; Cooper and Robertson 2001). According to a survey by WERS (2004), it purports that the ability of employees in their work environment has been a disturbing research of interest to concerned employers with regards employment relations (Kersley et al., 2006). The following determinants of well-being at work are listed and discussed below: Organizational Commitment The main aim that differentiates HRM from other managerial roles is that the organizations commitment is the main reason why they exist, which according to Guest (1998) is the core purpose of the human resource management. Organizational commitment has been defined by different authors which makes its definition versatile. Some researchers see organizational commitment as the behavior of individuals because they give their best to ensure the organization achieve its purpose (Becker 1960; Gechman and Weiner, 1977). Others like March and Simon (1958) see it as the attitude of the individual whereby they engage themselves to the organization so as to get rewards and incentives from the organization. Meanwhile, Cook and Wall (1980) refer to organizational commitment as the individuals mood in relation to its employing organization which is related to achieving the aims and objectives of the organization. In the distant past, organizations paid little or no attention to well-being and per formance of employees, making them feel de-motivated, but organizations like Cadbury Family and Lever Brothers made sure that

Innovation :: essays research papers

ABSTRACT Innovation is not always successful everywhere unless it meets the requirements of the objectives of learning and teaching at a particular place. Each environment is different from the other. It is not always successful to apply a good innovation from one place to another. In the requirements of all kinds of tests in Viet Nam nowadays which are so much focused on grammar, the needs and interests of learners in learning grammar are very high. Also, there are so many different kinds of learners coming to language centers in Viet Nam to study English for their own purposes. Many of them could take their time to study English intensively while many others take it extensively. They only come to the English classes two or three evenings a week. However, their needs of learning grammar to pass the tests of National Certificates are great. Also, most of learners from high school and secondary schools need grammar background to do well their schoolwork. Therefore, the researcher would like to make an innovation of Grammar Textbooks to meet the requirements of learners’ needs and interests at the 4th Division of Nong Lam University – Center for Foreign Studies in Bien Hoa city. The researcher applied the problem-solving model to do this action rese arch. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to see if the grammar innovation worked well with students at Nong Lam University – Center for Foreign Studies, at the division 4, at Bien Hoa city, and to see if the traditional methods in teaching grammar were still effective in such a place with particular students in this area in Viet Nam. All the grammar courses were designed for the intensive students at Nong Lam University – Center for Foreign Studies. Most students here are university students. They study English for their graduation and for their job interviews. These students take 20 periods each week for their English studies. They spend 12 weeks each course with 240 periods on learning intensive English. Most of the materials are designed for communicative approach. These students have to take 2 courses in order to complete their elementary level of English in order to have enough background to learn TOEFL. During each course, they have 36 periods to work with grammar. In other words, they have totally 72 periods to finish their Basic English Grammar (two courses). The Center has been using the grammar book â€Å"Fundamentals of English Grammar† of Betty Schrampfer Azar.