Free Essays on The New England Colonies

The New England Colonies Who settled the New England Colonies, and why: The people who settled in the New England Colonies were the Separatist Puritans called Pilgrims. They came over in 1620 and landed at Plymouth. Their ship was called The Mayflower. They settled in what is now Massachusetts.The Puritans came in the seventeenth century and wanted to gain religous freedom for themselves. They settled in New England because they wanted to gain religous freedom, but the religous freedom they sought for was not given to others. New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut were founded later by other colonists. Industries in the New England Colonies: People in New England grew most of their own food. But their soil was too thin and rocky for them to grow cash crops. They made some of their clothing and produced many of their own supplies. But New Englanders had to buy cloth and tools and almost all of their luxury items from England. New England shiped lumber and furs in return. Later New England found another way to earn money. They started to catch fish. Fish and lumber were basically their main industries. They also sold slaves in the South. New England traders also made money by selling iron, pots, kettles, and tools in other colonies. About the New England People: Many people in New England belived in devils, witches, and evil forces. They belived that these things were everywhere. Devils and witches caused thunderstorms, strangling infants in their cradles, making people sick, sinking ships, and ruining crops. People believed that devils won people over and made them witches. Since the New England soil was too thin and rocky, they thought it was a sign from god for them to work harder. Their parents were stirct and they wanted their children to study the Bible. When they were born their parents belived that they were born as devils and it was their job to train them and make them pure. The church of Plymouth Rock was the main ... Free Essays on The New England Colonies Free Essays on The New England Colonies The New England Colonies Who settled the New England Colonies, and why: The people who settled in the New England Colonies were the Separatist Puritans called Pilgrims. They came over in 1620 and landed at Plymouth. Their ship was called The Mayflower. They settled in what is now Massachusetts.The Puritans came in the seventeenth century and wanted to gain religous freedom for themselves. They settled in New England because they wanted to gain religous freedom, but the religous freedom they sought for was not given to others. New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut were founded later by other colonists. Industries in the New England Colonies: People in New England grew most of their own food. But their soil was too thin and rocky for them to grow cash crops. They made some of their clothing and produced many of their own supplies. But New Englanders had to buy cloth and tools and almost all of their luxury items from England. New England shiped lumber and furs in return. Later New England found another way to earn money. They started to catch fish. Fish and lumber were basically their main industries. They also sold slaves in the South. New England traders also made money by selling iron, pots, kettles, and tools in other colonies. About the New England People: Many people in New England belived in devils, witches, and evil forces. They belived that these things were everywhere. Devils and witches caused thunderstorms, strangling infants in their cradles, making people sick, sinking ships, and ruining crops. People believed that devils won people over and made them witches. Since the New England soil was too thin and rocky, they thought it was a sign from god for them to work harder. Their parents were stirct and they wanted their children to study the Bible. When they were born their parents belived that they were born as devils and it was their job to train them and make them pure. The church of Plymouth Rock was the main ...

Technology from print to pixel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Technology from print to pixel - Essay Example This reading from the screen and its effectiveness and visible results continues for the rest of the day until the time one will go to bed This new way of reading will definitely change the way people write. As the information flows and is streamed in the screens at a very quick speed, more people will start writing in prose and in other short forms as a way of saving time. This new form of writing will not be strange as translations of the words can be easily got from the same screens and because there is a lot of linking with the new technology in reading, it will not be strange at all. The writing unlike before will continue to increase and a faster pace for that matter as more and more people young and old engage in asking questions and getting written faster and even immediate response hence making them write even more as a way to gain faster knowledge and pass the same knowledge to others through the same

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical Thinking and Ethics - Essay Example However, personal ethics can change with a period of time and changing experiences though the morals and values forming the foundation of ethics may continue to be the same. Social responsibility is concerned with the behavior considering the society as well as variables surrounding the individual e.g. drinking or smoking decisions, decisions on bribery, decisions on city cleanliness etc. ("Personal Ethics and Life") Since, man is a social animal and cannot be divided from the society, it would be correct to say that the personal ethics need an evaluation as well as a serious thought for linking them with social responsibility. One needs to be very clear as to how personal ethical standards are related with the social background. It is necessary to analyze personal ethics as the actions of an individual in a wider context do have an indirect impact on the society at large. These are established in life's earlier stages from home, school, and church and later in life they influence the work place, city and nation too. Therefore, it is essential not to mistake personal opinions with universal principles in the light of thoughtful and socially accepted personal ethical standards. Here in this brief write up we would take an example that a project manager (PM) faces in his day to day life. Such an issue cannot be solved conveniently on the basis of theory or formal academic approach. It needs prudence, situational approach and morality to arrive at a solution which is ethically correct. Now, what is morality differs from person to person and is a debatable topic. Let us view the situation and the possible action as well as the basis for the action. Suppose the PM is uncomfortable as international project requirements contradict the domestic customs and laws, while they are well accepted in the foreign country. This leads to contradiction with the permissible practices in domestic environment. Here, the PM needs to decide what correct is ethically and what is not. Would the payment made to foreign officials be considered a bribe or "facilitation o0f business processes". Here is a way to solve the ethical dilemma. One can check himself on the ethics yardstick by setting out some standards to decide a right approach. Are the rules that are followed by you, usually understood as a part of the task Do you have sufficient comfort defending your action personally in front of public Would you be comfortable if your friends, relatives, and family are aware of your action Would you be ok if somebody does this same act with you or your loved ones Would the impact of a similar action be positive on the society, if everyone starts following the same practice Is the act not resulting in harm to any part, if not doing positive If the answers to all the above questions are yes, then the act can be considered ethically correct. (The manager and the negotiator) Conclusion The writings of "Critical Thinking and Ethics; From Theory to Application" give an insight on the ethical aspects of psychology. These writings highlight the importance of self evaluation and analysis of personal behavior with respect to the social circumstances making

The objectives of any international organization are identical to the Essay

The objectives of any international organization are identical to the objectives of that organizations strongest member Discuss - Essay Example In this backdrop, the objectives of global / international organizations should be in tune with both the ideology and requirements of majority of the member nations to see that the results of their programs and policies would benefit majority nations. Simply speaking, international organizations should strive to fulfill the aspirations of majority of the world population. But, as in most of the democratic countries, most of the international organizations too have been conspicuously playing to the tunes of their richest and strongest member nations downgrading their very global objectives. But it may be wrong to say that the 'objectives of any international organization are identical to those of its strongest members'. It can be true with most of the organizations but certainly you may find some exceptions. Each and every international organization is formed with certain highest global objectives. For that matter, no international organization's objectives can be localized or regionalized as the very purpose is global and international. The United Nations Organization (UNO) tops the list of international organizations and its objectives are crystal clear. When the UNO was formed in 1945 after the disastrous World War II, its objectives were boldly declared. The very first point in the Preamble of the UN charter talks about its determination to save succeeding generations from the repetitions of war (Internet, Charter of the United Nations). The UN's other objectives included respecting the equal rights of men and women all over the world, treating all big and small nations with equal respect and creating suitable conditions under which all nations abide by the international treaties and principles of international law and justice. According to the charter, these objectives should be ac hieved by establishing good neighborly relations among nations, solving problems through peaceful means, and not resorting to armed force except for in the common interests. These objectives, call them UN charter or law, are no doubt very sacred in letter but they have lost their much talked about sanctity in spirit and practice. Over a period of time, the UN has lost its independence due to the arm-twisting tactics of its strongest members. In fact, the very purpose of the launching of the UN was severely defeated with the formation of the Security Council in which certain member nations were endowed with veto powers. The UNO should function in the most democratic manner and go by the majority decisions of the General Assembly but this veto power through which a few countries could reject the majority decisions or impose their will on majority nations has seriously denied the UN its due role in achieving its objectives. The launching of the UN formed part of the beginning of the era of international law and justice but due to the bullying nature of some of its bigwig members, the implementation of international law too has run into rough weather. It is an acknowledged fact that the USA, the richest country of the world, is the strongest member of the UN (Thakur, 2006, p. 53). Over a period of time, the US forced the UN to act as per its whims and fancies turning the prestigious international organization into a puppet. The UN, supposed to be the instrument for the global peace, became

Romeo and Juliet Analysis Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Analysis Essay Throughout life, humans are put to the test and must remain true to themselves and others. In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, Juliet encounters many trials and goes through several experiences. As Juliet goes through many struggles, she continues to remain loyal to her husband Romeo. Juliet remains loyal to Romeo and goes to certain extremes to remain married only to him. Juliet has been promised to marry Paris even though she is already married to Romeo. She is currently with Friar Lawrence and asking him for a way out of her promised marriage. She reasons with him saying, â€Å"’God has joined my heart and Romeo’s, thou our hands’† (4.1.56). The Friar gives her a potion to put her in a death like trance. Later on when she awakes from her trance, she discovers that Romeo has died, she says to herself, â€Å"’O, happy dagger, this is thy sheath. There rest and let me die’† (5.3.174). By gratefully accepting a poison to put her in a death like state, she is desperate and willing enough to be buried in a tomb to wait for Romeo to avoid a wedding. Once Juliet discovers Romeo dead, she is faced with marrying Paris or committing suicide to remain loyal only to Romeo. When she kills herself, she remains only wedded to Romeo. Not only is she loyal with keeping her marriage, she remains loyal when talking about him. Even when Juliet receives disastrous news, she remains true to Romeo. Juliet has just received news of her cousin’s death due to Romeo. She starts to curse him and speak badly of him but then stops and says, â€Å"’blistered be thy tongue for such a wish’† (3.2.99). Even though she is trying to cope with the death of her cousin, she continues to remain loyal to Romeo who has slain her cousin. Romeo murders her beloved cousin, and instead of her being furious at him and continuing to condemn him, she stops and defends Romeo. Rather than Juliet switching where her loyalties lie, she continues to defend Romeo and remains to love him as her husband. Throughout the several trials Juliet faces and undergoes, she perseveres and stays loyal to Romeo. Juliet is willing to go to the extremes, including death, in order to remain loyal to her husband. As she encounters times of sadness, she is able to keep thinking straight and remain faithful to Romeo. With her demonstration of loyalty, she stays committed to Romeo, which sparks other conflicts. Being loyal is required to build trust to help build a lasting relationship through the troubles till death.

The effectiveness of employee performance appraisal

The effectiveness of employee performance appraisal Performance Appraisal and Reward system is viewed as the systemic model that correlates supervisory feedback with the employee behaviour, attitude and motivation (Gomez-Mejia, 2007: p. 21-24). Historically, the Performance Appraisal and Reward system has been viewed as the feedback and critics framework to help the employees in enhancing their productivity and performance by virtue of constructive feedbacks, reviewing and rewarding past performance, setting the future goals, employee motivation, training and growth planning and problem solving/grievance handling (Hall et al. 1989: p. 54-67). However, the Performance Appraisal and Reward system in the modern world has been viewed as the tool for evaluation of productivity and efficiency of employees to determine their standing against the salary increments, bonus, promotions and layoff policies (Andres et al., 2010: p. 1599-1607). This has resulted in very narrow viewpoints about the system by employees (Reinke, 2003: p. 23-27) whereb y some take it negatively as well (Daley, 2007: p. 290-293). But Cook and Crossman (2004: p. 526-541) explained that the satisfaction with the Performance Appraisal and Reward system is better in employees that play the role of both appraiser and appraisee. They further explained that best results are obtained when 360 degree feedback system (appraising the managers) system is practiced by the organisation. This is the problem that the author proposes to address in this research. In the modern era when employees exhibit pessimism about the Performance Appraisal and Reward system (Daley, 2007: p. 290-293) because they consider it as the mere tool for deciding increments, bonuses, promotions and continuity in the company (Andres et al., 2010: p. 1599-1607), what makes it so vibrant in companies like KFC resulting in high employee motivation and reduced attrition (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3)? The proposed topic is: The effectiveness of Employee Performance Appraisal System (EPAC): A case study on KFC. 1.2 Background of the Organisation Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is the highest revenue earning chain restaurant of Yum! Restaurants which is ranked at number 239 on the Fortune 500 list that exceeded global revenues of 11 Billion US Dollars in year 2008. KFC is regarded as the fastest growing brand in chain restaurant segment in the world that operates like a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) producing good Chicken dishes under the name finger lickin good. (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3) The company was founded as Kentucky Fried Chicken by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, though the idea of KFCs fried chicken actually goes back to 1930 (Shuker, 2008: p. 8-11). In UK alone, KFC employs more than 22000 people in more than 780 stores across the nation (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3). KFC was regarded as the second best employer on the Britains Top Employers 2010 list. It achieved 3.5/5 stars in Pay and Benefits, 4.5/5 stars in Training and Development and 5/5 stars each in Career Development, Working Conditions and Company Culture in the five attributes rated by CRF Institute in the Britains Top Employers 2010 survey. (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3) KFC has an excellent employee performance measurement system, promoted by parent company Yum! Restaurants. The Champ Card peer rewarding system has been elementary in achieving high motivation and reducing employee turnover. (Corporate Executive Board, 2006: p. 4) 1.3 Purpose of Research Employee Performance Appraisal System (EPAS) is the mechanism of longitudinal (over a period of time) performance management of employees (Smither, 2001: p. 1-7). If designed appropriately, it can result in effective bonding between supervisors and subordinates by virtue of open discussions, appraising strengths and weaknesses of subordinates and the work systems in which they operate, identification of trainings requirements, awareness of future goals, confidence boosting, rewards and recognitions, motivation, etc (Smither, 2001: p. 1-7). The end result can be boost in organisational productivity (Gomez-Mejia, 2007: p. 21-24) and even enhancement of the revenues and profits (Boice and Kleiner, 1997: p. 197-201). But the Performance Appraisal system needs to be designed very effectively and efficiently to ensure that the desired outcomes supporting boost in productivity and hence the revenues and profits can be tangibly achieved (Boice and Kleiner, 1997: p. 197-201). Gabris and Ihrke (2000: 41-44) argued that ineffective measurement systems are going to be questioned by the employees and hence may be unacceptable to them. If ineffective measurement systems are followed, the EPAS will not be perceived to be useful and hence the relationship of participants in review meetings will determine the results and not the actual performance of the employees (Bradley and Ashkanasy, 2001: p. 83-85). In this research, the author wants to learn about how exemplary performance appraisal systems, like the one practiced by KFC, are designed and how are they accurately linked with employee motivation, productivity, and the overall organisational performance. The rewards and recognition system studied by Corporate Executive Board (2006: p. 4) emphasised on the peer relationships, spot reward system for quick wins and celebrating individual and group successes in vibrant ways (like clapping for colleagues, announcing quick wins, giving away Champ Cards, etc.). These attributes are highly advocated by Gabris and Ihrke (2000: 41-44). 1.4 Research Questions Following are the proposed Research Questions for the study: What are the areas of employee performance evaluated by KFC in their EPAS? What are the criteria and performance measures applied in KFCs EPAS? How effective is KFCs EPAS in measuring employees performance? How KFCs EPAS affects motivation and future growth of the employees? What are the scope of improvements in KFCs EPAS? 1.5 Research Objectives Following are the proposed Research Objectives of this study: To study the features of KFCs EPAS and learn the underlying causal factors that contributed to its phenomenal success across the world. To map the learning points from KFCs EPAS with empirical evidences in academic literatures and understand how the academic world have been advocating about such causal factors. Identify new learning points that has not yet been identified by the academic world and discuss about them. Present the value additions from KFC case study to already existing theoretical background in the academic literatures. Present a critical analysis of how KFC can further improve their EPAS by identifying the traits advocated by academic literatures but not prevalent in KFC EPAS. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 21-24) explained that supervisors feedback through performance appraisal systems can result in two types of responses of the employees Cognitive response and Behavioural response. He analysed that dysfunctional feedbacks (ambiguous, one way, inconsistent, judgemental, misdirected, coinciding with salary increments, etc.) can cause uncooperative cognitive response and reduced employee performance and functional feedbacks (job related, two way, explicit, consistent, clear, not linked with salary increments, etc.) can result in goal oriented cognitive response and improved employee performance Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 22). Hence, the most effective systems of appraising performance are: functional, relevant, uniform and consistent. Pragmatism is important because it helps to ensure that the system will be easily understood by employees and effectively put into action by managers (Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 22-24). Drawing upon arguments by Briscoe Schuler (2004: p. 5-57) performance can be viewed as a combination of several factors, such as motivation, ability, working conditions and expectations. It has been established that there are certain factors that affect employees performance more than others. These factors, according to Dowling et al (1999: p. 4-29), include the compensation package, the nature of task, support from higher management, the working environment and the overall corporate culture. In this chapter, the author has presented an organised literature review to analyse how the case study of KFC can be supported by the theoretical foundation already established by empirical theories. In essence, the research instrument can only be designed with the help of such theoretical foundation as explained by Saunders et al. (2007: p. 44-50). 2.2 Elements of Employee Performance Evaluation Traditionally, performance appraisal of employees has been viewed as the psychological test bed for employees that comprises of critics ratings, decision making on rewards and recognitions, deciding amount of salary increments, deciding future expectations, deciding continuity in the company, deciding promotions, measuring the alignment with departmental and organisational goals, etc (Elmuti et al., 1992: p. 42-48). The modern performance appraisal system is linked with quality improvement philosophies of the organisation that was originally conceptualised by Deming (Elmuti et al., 1992: p. 44-45). However, Levy and Williams (2004: p. 881-889) argued that the modern performance appraisal theories have travelled a long way to transition from mere enforcement tool of organisational objectives and quality targets to the system that influences the overall corporate culture and social system. This shall be very much evident in the case study of KFC where the EPAS is viewed to be contribut ing positively to the congenial and highly vibrant work environment in the organisation (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3). 2.3 Link between EPAS, Performance Measures and Staff Motivation EPAS can directly contribute to staff motivation if it is perceived to be fair, transparent, clear, consistent, continuous, bilateral and development oriented (Kavanagh et al., 2007: p. 132-137; Boice and Kleiner, 1997: p. 197-201). As reiterated by Boice and Kleiner (1997: p. 197-201) and Gomez-Mejia (2007: p. 21-24), discrete, one-sided, ambiguous, misdirected, and judgemental appraisals are perceived to be unfair and result in negative cognitive response, demotivation and reduced performance of employees. Boice and Kleiner (1997: p. 198-199) argued that surprises during annual performance reviews may result in retaliation by employees given that they deserve the right to avail continuous feedback. OConnor et al. (2010: p. 729-735) described that performance measures need to be realistic, practical and transparent to the employees such that positive cognitive and behavioural responses can be achieved. The objective of performance appraisal system should be to motivate the employees to achieve highest performance levels against the measures and not get threatened by the measures perceiving that they may be used against them if supervisor is not happy OConnor et al. (2010: p. 729-735). 2.4 KFCs EPAS in measuring performance and motivating their staff KFC has highly congenial and highly vibrant work environment. KFCs EPAS is designed on peer recognition model in which employees can recognise each other by giving away champion cards against quick wins. This is also carried out vertically in which juniors can reward seniors and vice versa. Such on the job recognitions are mapped with the corporate goals and values. This system in KFC meets the SSMART objectives: supports organisational goals and values, simple and sincere, meaningful, adaptable, relevant and timely. (Huck, 2010: p. 1-3; Corporate Executive Board, 2006: p. 2-4) 2.5 Effects of KFCs EPAS on KFC performance and competitive advantages The reports by Huck (2010: p. 1-3), KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Annual Report (2009: p. 8-9) and Corporate Executive Board (2006: p. 2-4) revealed that the key competitive advantage of KFC is the high employee retention and productivity against close rivals like McDonalds. KFC has been rewarding their high performing employees consistently and have been able to retain talents by virtue of their on-the-spot recognition scheme. 2.6 Conclusions The EPAS system should ensure congruence between organisational goals and employee performance and hence cannot be achieved in discrete form (like annual reviews). It has to be continuous and on-the-job. The model by KFC is closely linked with the theories presented by Gabris and Ihrke (2000: 41-44), Kavanagh et al. (2007: p. 132-137) and Boice and Kleiner (1997: p. 197-201) that advocated transparency, consistency, bidirectional, fostering trust relationships, strengthening the colleagues on-the-job, setting of good examples, celebration of quick wins, heart to heart recognition by individuals, and celebration of group success as the key objectives of EPAS that can finally result in high employee motivation and corporate productivity. 2.7 Conceptual Framework The author proposes to conduct interpretive study in which the outcomes of the primary research shall be categorised, classified, and tagged appropriately such that wise interpretations can be drawn and compared with the theoretical foundation of past empirical studies. The author shall compare responses to all questions with the literature review, one-to-one, such that close correlation with the past theories can be framed. Gaps in KFCs EPAS against past theories and vice versa will be identified such that the conclusions and recommendations can be drawn. This approach is called qualitative interpretive study as described by Saunders et al. (2007: p. 44-107). Also Wolcott et al. (2002: p. 85-90) termed this approach as critical thinking research. This is further explained in the next chapter. 3.0 Research Design 3.1 Introduction AERA (2003: p. 2-11) emphasised that Research Design is the collection of various attributes of conducting the research that helps in making the study more focussed, purposive, unbiased, valid, reliable and ethical. Further to this, Bryman and Bell (2003: p. 3-45) described that Research Design begins with the philosophical approach that the author wants to take and leads to appropriate choices of methodology, approach, methods, instruments, sampling methods, data collection and analysis methods, pilot design and ethical considerations. The discussions follow. 3.2 Research Philosophy and Methodology Bryman and Bell (2003: p. 3-45) described that two philosophies are most prevalent in social and business research studies positivism and interpretivism. Positivists try to prove theories through research whereas interpreters try to learn theories through research. Hence, positivists always begin with hypotheses formulation and try to accept and reject them based on outcomes of study whereas interpreters begin with research questions and try to address them through learning from research. Hence, positivists always prefer scientific and objective research whereas interpreters prefer observational research, action research, descriptive research and critical thinking research. (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 3-45) Saunders et al. (2007: 44-107) described that positivists normally prefer quantitative research because it only takes numbers as inputs and comprises of scientific methods (like mathematical modelling, experimentation, statistical analysis, etc.) (Bryman, 2004: p. 59-77) whereas interpreters prefer qualitative research because it can take any form of inputs (text, numbers, pictures, etc.) and comprises of interpretive, analytical thinking and observational methods (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 3-24). The author perceives that positivists can frame hypotheses because they are seasoned experts in their respective subject matters and are very confident about what they want to prove. The author is an amateur in performance appraisal and hence wants to conduct this research to learn the best practices of EPAS from KFC and map them with literatures. Keeping this approach in mind, the author has selected interpretive philosophy with qualitative research. 3.3 Research Approach 3.3.1 Inductive Approach Qualitative researchers welcome any form of valid inputs (like text, numbers, pictures, voice recording, observations, experiences, etc.) and hence carry out inductive approach of learning (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 21-45). Given that the author has selected qualitative research, he wants to adopt inductive learning approach. 3.3.2 Deductive Approach Quantitative researchers only entertain numerical inputs that are applied in experimental setups or mathematical and statistical models to derive the outputs. The model of learning is in the form of P à   Q, where P is independent variable and Q is dependent variable and à   denotes the processor between P and Q. This is called deductive approach of learning. (Bryman and Bell, 2003: p. 21-45) The author has not adopted this approach because the methodology chosen is Qualitative. 3.4 Research Methods 3.4.1 Techniques and instruments Qualitative research is conducted using grounded theory, ethnography, phenomenology and action research techniques. Grounded theory employs learning from past theories, ethnography employs human observation and analysis, phenomenology employs learning from human experience and action research employs learning by participation and involvement. Grounded theory doesnt employ any specific instrument, ethnography employs observation charts, phenomenology employs structured and semi structured questionnaire and action research employs cause-effect charts. (Thompson and Walker, 1998: p. 63-69) The author wants to study EPAS by capturing human experiences (employees at KFC) and hence has proposed the choice of phenomenology with structured questionnaire. As described by Thompson and Walker (1998: p. 63-69), structured questionnaire helps in reducing bias and improving validity because the respondents are closely tied to the context of the questions. These reasons supported the authors choice of structured questionnaire. 3.4.2 Data Sampling, collection and analysis The author has chosen purposive sampling against quota sampling, convenience sampling and snowball sampling. Purposive sampling deals with mapping each possible candidate with pre-determined qualification criteria. Quota sampling deals with purposive sampling for multiple populations with different pre-determined criteria sets, convenience sampling deals with choosing respondents by virtue of ease of access and snowball sampling deals with testing purposive sampling against multiple pre-determined criteria sets and expanding the one that is most relevant. The data collection shall be cross sectional (not tagged with historical significance) and the data analysis shall be interpretive with critical thinking approach. This is further explained in the Reflections chapter. (Cooper and Schindler, 2003: p. 34-109). 3.4.3 Pilot Study As reiterated by Saunders et al. (2007: p. 52-63), pilot study can be very useful to enhance the quality of the instrument and test the interpretations of respondents and validity of the questions asked. It also helps in measuring time taken in conducting interviews. The author proposes to conduct pilot study among few friends and request for constructive feedback to enhance the questionnaire. 3.5 Conclusions The author has proposed to conduct the study employing interpretive philosophy, qualitative methodology, inductive learning approach, phenomenology technique, purposive sampling, cross sectional data collection and interpretive data analysis with critical thinking approach. 3.5.1 Validity and Reliability The validity and reliability shall be assured by carefully designing the structured questionnaire instrument and conducting pilot study to test and enhance it. The structured questionnaire instrument shall be based on the review of most relevant literatures and will be aligned with the research questions and objectives. 3.5.2 Generalisability Although the findings shall be applicable to KFC (due to case study approach), the author shall closely map the findings with the outcomes of the literature review to achieve generalisations. 4.0 Access and Resource Implications 4.1 Access to Subjects The author has access to employees in KFC given his association with the organisation. The study shall be conducted on selected employees of KFC outlets in London after obtaining permission from the Restaurant Managers. 4.2 Ethical Considerations The research shall be conducted in transparent manner keeping the rationale of study very clear to all respondents and the Restaurant Managers. The willingness to participate will be obtained from all respondents prior to starting the study. No deception shall be carried out in any form or shape. In addition, the author shall ensure that the emotional aspects, beliefs and ethnic/religious origin will be highly respected in the process of conducting the study. Moreover, the author shall honour the intellectual properties of literature sources by using Harvard referencing. 4.3 Resources The author proposes to conduct the study alone although volunteers are always welcome. The author plans to conduct face to face interviews and hence will have to bear travel expenses to all outlets and distribute the questionnaire in printed format. The theoretical foundation established from literature review shall be the primary resource that will help in accurate mapping with primary research and critical thinking. 5.0 Proposed Action Plan The author proposes the following action plan for the study. The weeks are proposed to be counted from the day the author gets a go-head from his supervisor to proceed with the study. The overall project shall be completed in eight weeks including weekends whereby the author has planned to dedicate about four hours per day to the study except the Week 6 in which the author may have to work for eight to ten hours a day to secure access to all respondents and conduct the interviews. The author has planned to conduct this entire research alone although volunteers to extend helping hand will always be welcomed. Activity Weeks WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 WK5 WK6 WK7 WK8 The chapter 1 comprising of research context, aim and objectives, research questions and research structure design will be completed. The author shall conduct extensive research on various journal articles, past research reports, peer reviewed internet sites, books etc. and prepare the list of relevant literatures that shall be included in the References section. The author shall complete Literature Review Chapter (2) and Research Design and Methodology chapter (3). The author shall conduct purposive sampling to select respondents, design the questionnaire and conduct the interviews. (parts of chapter 4) The author shall interpret the responses, map with literature review, discuss the mappings critically and them present the conclusions and generalisations. (Parts of Chapter 4 and the entire Chapter 5). 6.0 Reflections on Learning As explained by Evans (2007: p. 1-4), the research is closely implicated with the ethics, values and cultural identity of the researcher. The philosophical considerations of the research is closely linked with what the researcher wants to achieve out of the study. Evans (2007: p. 104) and Cornish et al. (2007: p. 1-16) further described that the researcher may like to conduct research to study a problem area in depth that he/she wants to address in future, to closely study and understand the subject matter where he/she wants to build his career, discover the solutions to problems that has been bothering him/her for a long time, prove the existence of some theories or correlations between some variables that he/she has discovered during his/her experience in this world, to promote the light of education and learning, etc. The learning methods in research has often clashed in the past like the epistemological oppositions between Interpretivism and Positivism that has been prevailing f or ages (Lorenz, 1998: p. 309-316). The interpreters have been largely depending upon human analytics skills and positivists have been largely depending upon scientific evidence of existing phenomena in natural sciences (Lorenz, 1998: p. 309-316). But Bowden (2005: p. 4-52) and Irez (2007: p. 17-27) presented very unique reflection that can diminish all conflicts and standoffs among different believers. He explained that every researcher wants to know the truth and hence it doesnt matter how he/she knows the truth as long as he is able to get to it. The truth always more important than beliefs of individuals (Irez (2007: p. 18-19). If this is the case then why shouldnt we forget all the conflicts and employ the best of all philosophies and methodologies? He analysed that this thought approach may be correlated with the philosophy of Realism which is neither linked with positivism nor with interpretivism. Every research is in fact the relationship between subjects and aspects of the world. This is what comprises of the truth. One may like to know the truth by engaging with the subjects (interpretivism) or with the aspects of the world (positivism) or with both (realism). This can be understood from the following figure presented by Bowden (2005): Figure 1: The concept of Realism presented by Bowden (2005) The outcome may be descriptive, analytical or critical thinking. In descriptive outcome, the researcher may like to describe the outcomes to build a new theory, in analytical outcome the researcher may like to analyse the outcomes with respect to past theories and in critical thinking outcome the researcher may like to critically think on existing perceptions or existing ways of thinking and compare with the research outcomes to evolve the similarities and differences. (Bowden, 2005: p. 4-52; Wolcott et al., 2002: p. 85-103) As described by Wolcott et al. (2002: p. 85-103), critical thinking is a human skill that is developed by cognitive thinking and analysis (learning from the tangible evidences with a wider out of box thinking approach). It neither involves open ended interpretations nor a blind belief on experimentation or simulation results. The researcher applies cognitive thinking to all the outputs by comparing with multiple valid evidences (inputs) without showing any bias towards a particular type of input. The author has adopted critical thinking approach in this study. In this approach the author shall first develop theoretical foundation about the EPAS framework by browsing through various research reports, journal articles, books, peer reviewed Internet sources, etc. and short-listing the most relevant resources with respect to the research questions and research objectives. The structured questionnaire shall be an outcome of the theoretical foundation formed with the help of the literature review and shall be closely aligned with all the research questions. The responses of structured questionnaire will be closely mapped with the literature review by interpreting and analyzing the outcomes of each question independently and comparing with the theoretical foundation. The differences and similarities between the literature review outcomes and the structured questionnaire outcomes will be evolved by following critical thinking approach and finally the conclusions, recommendations and generalisations will be presented. The author believes in knowing the truth and hence is highly influenced with the realism philosophy. However, interpretivism has been selected in the research design because the author is not a subject matter expert of EPAS and hence wants to learn it by following the inductive learning approach. In future, the author wants to develop his career as human resources manager and hence wants to learn the best practices of EPAS thoroughly given that the author perceives it to be the most difficult challenge in human resources management given that the recipients are the agents that are highly impacted by the EPAS framework. In general, the author wants to develop his skills pertaining to focussed research, discovering the sources of information, finding the truth, critical analytics and deriving specific and general conclusions. These skills are very important in human resources management field because all policies and procedures (like the EPAS framework) are results of reflections from the employee surveys and measurement of their performance at work (Bradley and Ashkanasy, 2001: p. 83-96). The framework itself is meaningless if the criteria of measurements, evaluations and decision making is not understood and accepted by both the parties the appraisers and the appraisees. If the author achieves the role of Human Resources Manager, he perceives that two way communications based on research efforts and fact finding efforts will be key to success and accurate data and information will be the key driver to successful HR planning and implementation, especially in designing the EPAS framework. These skil ls can be generated with the help of this study. Finally, the author wants to reiterate that he will take the learning to his professional world and apply them as actionable outcomes, not only to practice his profession efficiently and effectively but also conduct more academic research studies in future. This study is expected to be very useful for students as well as professionals.

Investments Essay -- essays papers

Investments INVESTMENT JOURNAL I started doing my research in the Microsoft Network using the Custom Search feature in the Stock Screener. Since I was looking for a conservative stock to start with, the first restriction I put was that the stock be a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. I also wanted a Large-Cap company so I put the Market Cap to be above 5 billion dollars. Another restriction I added was that its P/E ratio be the lowest possible and that the EPS Year to Year be above 13%. After running the search I got 20 matches. The top three were Exxon, SBC Communications and American Express. After researching them a bit more I decided that Exxon would be a good option because it was a solid company that had a pretty stable history. After analyzing its fundamentals and taking into account the rising prices of gasoline, I decided Exxon would be a good long-term investment. I bought 115 shares of Exxon at $43.36! The second stock I am looking for is a value stock. I want to get a good solid company and buy it for a bargain. The research I did in the Stock Screener was based on the value strategy we learned in class. In the Stock Screener I entered the following restrictions: 1) Market Cap * $500,000,000 2) Return on Equity * Industry Average Return on Equity 3) Return on Assets * ROA 5 year Average 4) Price/Book Value * 1 5) P/E current * P/E current (Industry) 6) Debt to Equity Ratio * 1 7) Previous Day Closing Price near 52 week low I got 10 results and researched each individual company using the research wizard. The company that I liked the most was Loews because it seemed like a good company with strong fundamentals. The company primarily deals with insurance through publicly traded subsidiaries. Other holdings include tobacco, hotels(US and Canada) and watchmaker Boluva. Even though it has the characteristics of a value company its growth potential and estimates are very impressive. I bought 120 shares of Loews at $53.01. Now that I had value in my portfolio I decided to look for a good growth stock that had a positive momentum recently outperforming the market. I still am not sure I want to invest in a technology stock because of their volatility and risk. I used a similar screen to the O'Shaughnessy Growth screen. The screen was almost identical but with a couple of minor alterations. I d... ...ommendation I read in Business Week. It was recommended as a good technology stock that dealt with both equipment and medicine. The company is called Stryker’s Corp. and it basically makes surgical products such as drills, saws, rasps and mixers. Orthopedic implants (including artificial joints, spinal rods, screws, and bone cement) account for nearly 60% of sales. The fundamentals of the stock are very good and the technical analysis indicates it has been heavily oversold. The only negative I found in the stock analysis is that its P/E is higher than the industries and that the PEG is high also. Still I believe the company is going to do well in the near future because it has new products coming out and good numbers are expected. I bought 300 shares of SYK at $55.00. The next transaction I made was one that was very different from my other transactions. I based my transaction on a clearstation.com e-mail report that was sent to me recommending that I short NVDA. I went directly to the stockcharts.com and analyzed its chart. I decided to short the stock based on the information the chart provided (it was heavily overbought). I short-selled 100 shares of NVDA at $84.64.