Thursday, August 22, 2019
Apple Company Essay Example for Free
Apple Company Essay As we did the research for Apple Company, we could found out that Apple Company is well developed in a way of their products and services towards the users. Apple had innovated their products and taking the lead of the other company like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and so on by its own touch screen hand phone technology selling on market to be one of the most influential in the share market of the nationwide. As to be seen, Apple focuses its strength on building up their branding power and penetrates this power into the community of wide public. Sales of its notebooks products are very strong, and represent a huge contribution to income for Apple. Other than that, to be mentioning Appleââ¬â¢s weaknesses it would be the faulty screen from the Ipod Nano and its faulty batteries, ever since Apple is about to switch their chip supplier from IBM to Intel, the industry specialist would say that it might confuse the consumer. While about the opportunity contains within the Apple, they would develop ITunes and music player technology into a phone format, is to be say as the new technologies and strategic alliances offer opportunities for Apple. This work done by comparing the Apple and Microsoft of their features and specification, the complete user experience that they providing to the users from whole wide world and stacking up to against other operating system such as Linux. The Apple has fulfill the criteria of what Sun Zi had said the advantages of arriving the battlefield first will have sufficient time to prepare for the enemies.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Narrative Conventions Of Formal Realism English Literature Essay
Narrative Conventions Of Formal Realism English Literature Essay So they forgot her like an unpleasant dream during a troubled sleep. Occasionally the rustle of a skirt hushes when they wake and the knuckles brushing a cheek in sleep seem to belong to the sleeper. Sometimes the photographs of a close friend or relative- looked at too long, shifts and sometimes more familiar than the dear face itself moves there. They can touch it if they like, but they dont, because they know things will never be the same if they do. He had a strange sense of being haunted, a feeling that the shades of his imagination were stepping out into the real world, that destiny was acquiring the slow, fatal logic of a dream. Now I know what a ghost is he thought, Unfinished business, thats what. Since the last decades of the Twentieth century many African American writers have set out to revise the slave narratives of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and to reaffirm both their historical and historiographical significance. For many writers, reclaiming an identity or narrative voice is vital and functions as a means of countering centuries of dispossession and misrepresentation. For Toni Morrison, interpretation represents an integral part of black cultural and social identityà [1]à and her novel Beloved, as Henry Louis Gates argues, invents and articulates a language that gives voice to the unspeakable horror and terror of the black pastà [2]à . The novel is an allegorical representation of this unspeakability; Everybody knew what she was called but nobody knew her name. Disremembered and unaccounted for, she cannot be found because no one is looking for herà [3]à . Morrison in Beloved weaves her narrative around the complex history of slavery, its unrelenting brutality and the devastating cruelty it inflicted on African Americans. Critic Caroline Rudy suggests Beloved is a unique historical writing; historiographic intervention, a strategic re-centring of American history in the lives of the historically disposedà [4]à . Morrison sets out to re-write traditional historical narrative from the standpoint of those dispossessed and challenges the notion of what it is to be American. To reclaim a voice denied by imperialism and racism and to forge a literary discourse that transforms notions of blackness, Morrison rewrites and revises the conventions of genres. In Beloved Morrison revises three genres, those of the slave narrative, historical novel and the gothic novel. Critics such as Peter J Capuano in Truth and Timbre and Rafael Perez Torres in Knitting and Knotting the Narrative Thread have, as Heinert argues, the capacity to explain how Beloved responds to and rewrites the slave narrative tradition in American literature, for which Beloved is often categorized a neo slave narrativeà [5]à . Ashraf Rushdy in Daughters Signifying History and Kathleen Brogan in Cultural Haunting, have argued effectively that Morrison by revising the case of Margret Garner or conducting, as Morrison herself suggests, literary archaeologyà [6]à , creates a narrative for the real- life fugitive Seth. In doing so Morrison faces the challenge of transforming Seths Rememories of a brutal past into a discourse shaped by her own narrativity. Morrisons revivication of the dead and her summoning of Seths dead daughter are all, as Timothy Spaulding suggests in Reforming the Past, conventions of the Gothic novelà [7]à . Morrisons revisions of these genres are multifaceted and have a fundamental purpose: a rejection of conventional realism. Morrison shifts from one genre to another to account for the absences left by previous literary forms, or as Ritashona Simpson argues, to create a suitable receptacle of language which transforms and releases the slaves wordà [8]à . Rewriting truth and narrating the gaps in history left by conventional realism is Morrisons way of narrating, Unspeakable things unspokenà [9]à . The crossing of genres, styles, and narrative perspectives within the text suggests it filters the absent or marginalised oral discourse of a, pre-capitalist black community through the self-conscious discourse of the contemporary novelà [10]à . In revising earlier literary traditions, dominated by the logic and values of the dominant culture, Morrison as Heinert argues, Disrupts formal realismà [11]à . Morrisons revisions of earlier slave narratives and history clearly expose the absence of the black voice within the context of formal realism. In Beloved, gothic elements reveal the collusion between a Western scientific world view and slavery; and according to Truffin, uncovers distortions in the lens through which the rational discourse views the world, indicating the features of life and the lives of others for which Western empiricism fails to accountà [12]à . While earlier slave narratives sought to speak directly to a white readership and elucidate the brutality of slavery, Beloved, as Bloom has argued, exposes the unsaid, the psychic subtexts that lie both within and beneath the historical factsà [13]à . In interviews Morrison has remarked that, the documentary realism of the slave narratives imposed complete silence about those excessive proceedings of slavery too terrible to relateà [14]à . These silences are re-membered and rewritten by the main protagonists and the readers, like Ella, listened for the holes, things the fugitives did not say, the questions they did not askà [15]à . To quote Carl Plasa, if Beloved is a story about a ghost it is a story which itself has a ghostly status or existence, hauntingà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦the gaps and silences of the tradition on which it draws, seeking release. To articulate black Identity and construct a literary discourse which lifts the veil of silence, writers such as Morrison imbue their texts with fantastic or non-mimetic ruses to create a contradictory narrative form. However, Morrison discredits the labels, fearing they suggest a breach with truth, and her single gravest responsibility (in spite of that magic) is not to lieà [16]à . However, in essence, postmodern slave narratives implement elements of the fantastic not as a way of undermining their narrative authority but as a means of establishing it. The text revises gothic elements into a device for exposing the junctures between slavery and science, and for delegitimizing western logic as it controls slavery. According to Goldner, As hauntings carry the perspectives and powers of slaves, gothic representations of slavery in the texts disrupt the Galilean project in the service of the enslaved. As hauntings position the dead amid the living and the past amid the present, they defy the concept of linear time, the bedrock of cause and effect that enables prediction. They thus defy the Western dream of controlà [17]à . Gothic haunts elucidate what is invisible to the dominant culture and within the text haunts and gothic devices also confront the Euclidean conceptionà [18]à of the world as a uniform space, challenging western notions of linear time, juxtaposing past and present. Haunts and Gothic elements permeate the absences, central to history with the suffering of slaves, arraigning the atmosphere with emotive, ethical, and political forces which the endeavour of science claims to dis-credit, and the project of slavery seek to ignore. Harpham also argues; The haunts of Gothicism break through the boundaries of the dominant cultures paradigms and identities signalling potential political crisisà [19]à . Morrison, like Chestnutt in The Conjure Woman, subverts the claims of science, infusing them with gothic hauntings, whose vocal cadences carry African American oral culture and express the pain of slavesà [20]à . Gothic hauntings act as the vehicle through which the suppressed returns and Linda Krumholz in The Ghosts of Slavery shows how Morrison has integrated the conventions of the gothic novel by using African cosmology to manifest the dead child, Beloved. The haunts convey all that a scientific and imperialist discourse seeks to dominate, including feelings, and more specifically, the feelings of the oppressed. While the gothic signifies a disruption not to conventional realism Morrison extends this disruption to the cultural logic and ideology of the dominant culture. Whereas a scientific discourse would consider the haunting of Seths house as illogical, Beloved categorizes the gothic as reality. The ghost seems logical to Seth and the other characters that understood the source of the outrage as well as knew the source of lightà [21]à . When Paul D is confronted by the poltergeist, Seth simply explains that the spirit haunting the house is, her daughterà [22]à . The ghost is als o visible to Denver who, kneels in a white dress beside her motherà [23]à . The heartrenching tale of Baby Suggs lost children explains why haunting seemed normal. Four taken, four chased, and all, I expect, worrying somebodys house into evilà [24]à . Such is the acceptance of the supernatural as reality that Baby Suggs believes there is not a house in the country aint packed to its rafters with some dead Negroes griefà [25]à . Goldner argues that, until its final pages, every African American character accepts the haunt as true.à [26]à Rather than seeing Beloved as any kind of ghostly contrivance, the novel also delineates the gothic as a reality when it gives its ghost a body with inimitable physical powers: Beloved simultaneously embraces and chokes Seth; she seduces and manipulates Paul D, and in the end takes the shape of, a pregnant women naked and smiling in the heat of the afternoon sunà [27]à . Once Beloved appears on Seths doorstep, the gothic becomes a n embodied reality, and also grows in scope, invading the confines of 124 Bluestone Rd and the narrative itself. As Morrison revives the gothic conventions of ghosts she stretches the convention of the gothic novel to breaking point. No longer ethereal, Beloved is made real, as real as the existence of slavery and its experiences once wereà [28]à . Some critics have maintained that the novel merges white and black literary ethnicities, including components of European American female Gothic tradition in its reading of the slave narratives. In one sense, it is possible to make a connection. Kate Ferguson Ellis account of the characteristic Gothic novel with houses in which people are locked in and locked out,à [29]à and preoccupation with violence done to familial bonds that is frequently directed against womenà [30]à , does seem applicable to Beloved. Pamela Barnett in Figurations of Rape and the Supernatural in Beloved takes an opposing view, arguing that Beloved is more than a supernatural embodiment, she is a menacing hybrid of European American and African American cultural traditionsà [31]à , a succubus, a vampire, and a female demon, nourishing itself through (literally and metaphorically) draining Seths strength. The spectre, or the ghost, represents this American Jeremiad of the minority. Spectre, as Derrida defines it in Spectres of Marx, is something that remains difficult to nameà [32]à . Toni Morrison in her novel, Beloved, attempts to name the unnameable by confronting a brutal past. This space can be valuable, a means by which to re-inscribe spaces of oppression as sites of subversion and resistance. Beloved is finally set apart from the distinctive form of a ghost story in that Morrison, as Edwardss points out, provides no corner from which to smile skeptically at the thrills were enjoyingà [33]à . The thrills of myth and magic are embedded in real horror and terror. The illusory elements cannot, in the end, be said to be merely narrative ploys, creating tension or suspense or guiding the reader further into a magical, mythical world. Rather than merely pervading a world of fantasy and myth, the reader is forced to confront the horrifically real, the unspeakable reality of sla very. Morrison, in her own words, blends the acceptance of the supernatural and a profound rootedness in the real world at the same timeà [34]à . This configuration of the supernatural can be demonstrated by Barbara Christians argument that Morrison, in configuring Beloved as an embodied spirit, a spirit that presents itself as a bodyà [35]à , purposely distances her novel from the perspective of Gothic tradition, and instead places it in relation to, the African traditional religious belief that Westerners call ancestor worshipà [36]à . Barbara Christians argument underlines the cynicism of the very idea of something called supernaturalism. Magic can be supernatural and natural and the supernatural can extend beyond notions of magic. This concept of superstition and magic is for Morrison, just another way of knowing things, an alternate epistemology discredited only because those who contribute have themselves been similarly disavowed historically. As Toni Morrison argues the discredited knowledge that Black people had was discredited only because Black people were discreditedà [37]à Considering the dichotomy between fact and fiction Morrisons work might, she admits, fall into, the realm of fiction called fantastic or mythic or magical or unbelievableà [38]à in the minds of some. Her use of the supernatural or gothic origins can also be seen as emphasising the reality of her subject. The boundary between what is true and what is not is decisively distorted as Morrison says, the crucial distinctionà [39]à for her is not that between fact and fiction, but between fact and truth because, facts can exist without human intelligence, but truth cannotà [40]à . While narrative truth is a construct, and, the burden of constructing it belongs to its readersà [41]à , Beloved constructs a literary discourse that alters as Perez Torres states, Western notions of blacknessà [42]à . Morrison transforms absence into a powerful presence and in doing so helps readers reconsider the past as a way of re-evaluating its history, class and conventions whilst seeking the truth. While the formality of conventional realism alters the way in which slavery and its facets are (dis)remembered in the canon of American Literary discourse, Beloved emerges as an alternative, a counter-narrative to the racist representation of slavery. Beloved disrupts generic conventions to expose how conventional realism cannot account for race, and calls for readers to respondà [43]à . Without special privilege going to any single form of storytelling, and through an authenticity based on inclusiveness, the many voices within the text contribute to, and give voice to, those formerly excluded from history. C:Documents and SettingsJoannaMy Documentsfirst chapter for beloved_filesspacer.gif
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Diketo Analogues and Their Significance
Diketo Analogues and Their Significance INTRODUCTION Medicinal chemistry is the branch of science, which has remarkable value for synthesis of novel drugs with intense therapeutic activity. It concerns with discovery, development, identification and interpretation of mode of action of biologically active compounds at molecular level. The molecular biological revolution and progressive mapping of human ââ¬Ëgenomeââ¬â¢ have created a new biochemical and biostructural ââ¬Ëworld order.ââ¬â¢1 These developments have provided new challenges and opportunities for drug research in general and drug design in particular. Pure organic compounds, natural or synthetic products are the chief source of agents for the cure, the mitigation or the prevention of disease today. The major objectives of the medicinal chemists are transformation of pathobiochemical and physiological data into a ââ¬Ëchemical languageââ¬â¢ with the aim of designing molecules interacting specifically with the derailed or degenerating processes in the diseased organisms. The development of chemotherapy during past 60 years constitute one of most important therapeutic advances in history of medicine and antimicrobial drugs are the greatest contribution of present century to therapeutics2. Potential therapeutic targets are being disclosed with increasing frequency and the exponential growth will continue during the next decades. In this situation there is a need for rapid and effective target validation and for accelerated lead discovery procedures. Organic chemists are increasingly directing their attention towards synthetic aspects of biomolecules and biologically active compounds, biosynthesized by plants and animals. Many important biochemical compounds and drugs of natural origin contain heterocyclic ring structures. Many of them are employed in treatment of many infectious diseases due to their specific activity, but their use in treatment is attributed to their inherent toxicity to various pathogens. DIKETO ANALOGUES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE Antibacterial The quinolones3 are well known synthetic antibacterial agents with di keto moiety some examples are Ciprofloxacin (1) Norfloxacin (2). Boteva4 et al synthesized some Halogen Substituted 4,5-dibenzoyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrrole-2,3-dione derivatives (2-6) evaluated for Antibacterial Activity. Anti HIV The first report of a class of compounds that inhibit HIV integrase appeared in 1992. Aurin tricarboxylic acids and derivatives were determined to inhibit 3ââ¬â¢ processing of viral cDNA with moderate iC50 values of 10-50micromolar. Thus the 1st pharmacophore with integrase inhibitory activity was determined i.e. aromatic rings with multiple hydroxyl substituents positioned on same ring or present close together in a 3D space if rings stack on top of each other. Since then considerable amount of work has been carried out in developing potential inhibitors of integrase taking the above compounds as leads. Presently there is only one FDA approved drug used as integrase inhibitor i.e. Raltegravir or Isentress, (7) approved in 2007. Elvitegravir (8) is another potential integrase inhibitor which is in phase III clinical trial5. THIOPHENE ANALOGS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE Thiophene (9) and its derivatives are an important class of heterocyclic compounds possessing broad biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory6, analgesic6, antioxidant7, antitubercular8, antidepressant9, sedative9, antiamoebic10, oral analgesic11, antimetabolite12, and antineoplastic properties13. Antimicrobials Thiophene analogues have been known as antibacterials. In the year 2007 Stephane et al14 reported the synthesis and antibacterial activity of arylbenzothiophenes (10) and diarylthiophenes. (11) (10) (11) In the year 2010 Kavitha P N et al15 reported the antimicrobial activity of 3- amino-2- mercapto-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo(b)thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-ones (12-17) by using B. subtilus, K. pneumonia and A. niger. Desai Akshay et al16 reported the synthesis of 2-thiophene-2- ethylthioureido-4- morpholino-6-(aryl) ureido-s-triazines.(18-23) These analogs were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity using S. typhi, C. albicans. Bhuiyan Md. Mosharef Hossain et al17 reported synthesis of 4-hydrazino-2- mehylthio-5-ethyl-6- methylthieno [2,3-d] pyrimidine (24) which is evaluated as antimicrobial agent by using B.cereus, V.cholerae, A.alternate. (24) Shiradkar M. et al18 reported synthesis of N-[3-(substituted)-7H- [1,2,4] triazolo [3,4-b] [1,3,4] thiadiazine / thiadiazol-4,5,6,7- tetrahydrobenzo[b] thiophenes (25-32) as good antimicrobial agents by using E.coli, S.aureus, A.nigar. Ahmed M. M. et al19 reported synthesis of 4-(substituted)-7-cyano- 6-phenyl aminothieno [3,2-d] pyrimidins (33-34) and evaluated as good antimicrobial agents by using B.subtilis and St.aureus, compared with reference drug Amoxicillin. The 6-methyl-2-phenyl-3-(substituted)-3H-thieno[3,2-d] pyrimidin-4-ones (35-38) has been reported by Chander Mohan et al20 and evaluated for antimicrobial activity by using B. subtilis, E.coli, P.aeruginosa compared with standard drug Ciprofloxacin. Bhuiyan Md. Mosharef Hossain et al21 reported synthesis of thieno[3,2-e] imidazo[1,2-c] pyrimidin-2(3H)ones (39) which was evaluated for antimicrobial activity against B. cereus, S.typhi and A.alternatacompare to reference drugs Ampicillin with Nystatin. (39) Shetty Nitin kumar et al22 reported synthesis of 8,9,10,11-tetrahydro[1]benzothieno[3,2-e] [1,2,4]triazolo [1,5- c]pyrimidine -8-ones (40-42) and evaluated for antibacterial activity against B. subtilis comparable to ampicilin. References : Larsen PK, Liljefors T, Madsen U, editors. Text book of drug design and discovery. 3rd ed. London: Taylor Francis; 2002. Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM Pharmacology, 4th edition Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 1999: 648 Wilson Gisvold, Textbook of Organic Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 10th edition, Lippincott publication Philadelpia 196-203. A.A Boteva, O. P. Krasnykh, S.S.Dubrovina, M. I. Vakhrin, E.B. Babushkina, T.F. Odegova, I.V. Solova, Pharm Chem J , 2008, 42 (8), 12-15. Vincenzo Summa AlessiaPetrocchi, Fabio Bonelli, BenedettaCrescenzi, Monica Donghi, Marco Ferrara, Fabrizio Fiore, Cristina Gardelli, Odalys Gonzalez Paz, Daria J. Hazuda, Philip Jones, Olaf Kinzel, Ralph Laufer, Edith Monteagudo, Ester Muraglia, EmanuelaNizi, Federica Orvieto, Paola Pace, Giovanna Pescatore, Rita Scarpelli, Kara Stillmock, Marc V. Witmer, and Michael Rowley, J. Med. Chem. 2008, 51, 5843ââ¬â5855. F.M. Moghaddam, H.Z. Boinee, An efficient and facile one-step synthesis of highly substituted thiophenes, Tetrahedron 60 (2004) 6085-6089. K.I. Molvi, M. Mansuri, V. Sudarsanam, et al., Synthesis, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities of some tetrasubstituted thiophenes, J. Enzyme. Inhib. Med. Chem. 23 (2008) 829-838. M.K. Parai, G. Panda, V. Chaturvedi, Y.K. Manju, S. Sinha, Thiophene containing triarylmethanes as antitubercular agents, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Let. 18 (2008) 289-292. W. Wardakhan, O. Abdel-Salam, G. Elmegeed, Screening for antidepressant, sedative and analgesic activities of novel fused thiophene derivatives, Acta. Pharm. 58 (2008) 1-14. S. Sharma, F. Athar, M.R. Maurya, A. Azam, Copper(II) complexes with substituted thiosemicarbazones of thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde: synthesis, characterization and antiamoebic activity against E. histolytica, Eur. J. Med. Chem. 40 (2005) 1414-1419. O. F. William, Principles of Medicinal Chemistry, 3rd. ed., Lippincott Williams Wilkins Publication, Philadelphia, 1989. A.A. Sagardoy, M. J. Gil, R. Villar, et al., Benzo[b]thiophene-6-carboxamide 1,1-dioxides: Inhibitors of human cancer cell growth at nanomolar concentrations, Bioorg. Med. Chem. 18 (2010) 5701-5707. A.A. Fadda, E. Abdel-Latif, R.E. El-Mekawy, Synthesis and molluscicidal activity of some new thiophene, thiadiazole and pyrazole derivatives, Eur. J. Med. Chem. 44 (2009) 1250-1256. Jeremie Fournier dit Chabert, Beatrice Marquez, Luc Neville, Lionel Joucla, Sylvie Broussous, Pascale Bouhours, Emilie David, Stephane Pellet Rostaing, Bernard Marquet,a Nicole Moreaub and Marc Lemairea, Synthesis and evaluation of new arylbenzo[b]thiophene and diarylthiophene derivatives as inhibitors of the NorA multidrug transporter of Staphylococcus aureus, Bioorganic Medicinal Chemistry 15 (2007) 4482ââ¬â4497. Kavitha PN, Vijayanthimala P, Saravanan J, Mohan S. Research Journal of Pharma- ceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences, 2010; 1(2):124-130. Desai A, Mahajan HD, Ind Jour Chem, 2007; 46(B):1169-1173. Ahmed MM, Farha FM; Jordan Journal of Chem, 2008; 3(3):223-232. Shiradker M, Kale R. Ind Jour Chem, 2006; 46(B):1009-1013. Ahmed MM, Farha FM; Jordan Journal of Chem, 2008; 3(3):223-232. Mohan C, Bhargava G, Bedi PMS. J Life Sci, 2009; 1(2):97-101. Bhuiyan MH, Rahman KM. Acta Pharm., 2006; 56: 441-450. Nitinkumar SS, Lamani RS, Khazi IAM. Journal of Chem Sci, 2009; 121(3):301-307.
Monday, August 19, 2019
How To Write Using the APA Writing Style Essay -- APA Writing Style
The APA writing style is most commonly used to cite sources for psychology, education, and social sciences and is also the official writing style of the American Psychological Association. The General APA Organizational Guidelines are basic guidelines that explain how to write a research paper in the APA format. These guidelines ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material that differentiates from other writing styles because it concerns elements such as: Citations, punctuation, presentation of numbers, etc There are four major sections in an APA paper. They consist of the title page, abstract, main body, and references. The title page of an APA paper has recently been changed in the publication of the sixth edition of the APA Publication Manual. In the title page a writer should include the title of the paper, the writerââ¬â¢s name, and the school affiliation. It is suggested that the title should be no more than 12 words, and when writing ones name, not to include titles or degree info such as Dr. or Ph.D. Also the title page should include, at the top of the page, a running head that is flush left and a page number that is flush right. The abstract, one of the four major sections in an APA paper, is the section where one would summarize research that was conducted, the methods of which the thesis was tested, the findings of the research, the purpose of the research, the analysis of data, and conclusions. It should begin on a new page and already include the page header. ââ¬Å"Abstractâ⬠should be centered on the first line of the abstract page with no bold, italics, underlining, or quotation marks. The abstract should be double-spaced and a single paragraph around 150 to 250 words. Keywords may be listed to h... ...ieved June 18, 2011, from http://psychology.vanguard.edu/faculty/douglas-degelman/apa-style/ Driscoll, D. (2010, April 21). Purdue OWL: Writing in Psychology: Experimental Report Writing . Welcome to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). Retrieved June 22, 2011, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/670/03/ Johns, J., Fox, T., & Silvia, R. (n.d.). APA Writing Style. DK Schools. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from dkschools1.org/Documents/apa%5B1%5D.pdf Mongan-Rallis, H. (2006, November 17). Guidelines for writing a literature review . University of Minnesota Duluth Welcomes You. Retrieved June 22, 2011, from http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.html What is APA Style?. (n.d.). APA Style. Retrieved June 18, 2011, from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/what-is-apa-style.aspx?apaSessionKey=9E1D0F5CFDDB1694AFB05C302651AD48
Sunday, August 18, 2019
The Case Against Standardized Tests Essay -- Standardized Testing Essa
Standardized testing assesses students, teachers, and the school itself, which puts a great deal of pressure on the students. High scores show that the school is effective in teaching students, while low test scores make teachers and schools look as though they are not teaching the students properly. This is not always the case. There are teachers who do teach students what they need to know to pass the test, but their students are still unprepared. Although teachers try to improve instruction, student performance is still variable to other factors that the school cannot control. Standardized tests cover certain material, which gives teachers something specific to teach. This is helpful, in that it allows teachers to know exactly what to teach. It also sets up a goal for the teachers, which is to get the students to pass. However, this process leaves something to be desired. Because the test is so important to the future of the students, teachers, and school, helping students to pass test becomes the most important part of their schooling. This restricts the educators from teaching students about things that are more important. College is usually next step for students after high school so it would seem logical that high school prepares them for college, but teachers are so busy preparing students for the test that they are not preparing them for the future. Consequently, students arrive at college ill-prepared, with shallow educations (Gitlin). For some students, the time they have in the classroom is not enough for them to grasp the topic. While teachers usually offer a period for students to see them for extra help, some students do not have time for this. Most students have commitments outside of the classroom, such as m... ... the studentââ¬â¢s full knowledge of the subject. Many standardized test leave out material that students spent months learning, making the time they spent on this material a total waste (Worthen). Works Cited Evans, Donia. "The Case Against Standardized Tests." The Meridian Star. 24 Nov. 2013. The Meridian Star. 01 Dec. 2013 . Gitlin, Todd. ââ¬Å"TheLiberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut.â⬠The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric. Ed. Shea, Renee H., Lawrence Scanlonn, and Robin Dissin Aufses. Boston: Bedford, 2008. 155-157. Print. Worthen, Blaine R., and Vicki Spandel. "Putting the Standardized Testing Debate in Perspective." Educational Leadership Feb. 1991: 65-69. ASCD. 1 Dec. 2013 .
Saturday, August 17, 2019
A Teenager Today Essay
Advantages you might have with being a teenager is that you get your freedom. When you turn sixteen you get your drivers license which could always mean one thing, MORE FREEDOM! What I like about being a teen is the fact that you start high school and you may be the top dog according to elementary school and middle school kids. When becoming a freshman an already being in high school is that there are many clubs, groups, and sports that the regular and physically fit, student body can be apart of. When in high school you could do dance, cheerleading, baseball, ect., clubs, and maybe even JROTC which involves being physically fit to partake in this course. Also the four academic courses that you get a another chance at becoming a better student in knowledge as well as the fine arts credits that you can choose from in the registration form for high school that you get when becoming a freshman. The disadvantages of becoming a teen is the puberty stage of life. Hitting puberty means your body is changing to make you a better looking and acting teen. the other disadvantages that teens may come in contact with is the wrong group that may lead you into doing things that arenââ¬â¢t right. With being in the wrong group can lead to unwanted casualties that are easier to take on when you are a full adult. Being a teen sometimes leads to peer pressure when you are in a bad situation that can be avoided. Some disadvantages to becoming a teen may be driving without the right precautions in mind. Advice to other teens about becoming a teen are that you find the right group or clique to be with for your teenage years. You need to be careful with what you do because if you have parents that are over protective or just really care about your safety, make sure you donââ¬â¢t do anything that might get you into trouble. You need to make sure that if you are being pressured with anything just walk away or tell an adult about what is going on.Donââ¬â¢t go to parties and drink so much that you end up drinking and driving. If you are driving under the influence make sure that you call your parents to come get you even though you might be scared of the outcome. You also need to keep in mind that you may be pressured into trying things that are illegal, so make sure that you also say no to drugs. Things you should say no to drugs, drinking, drinking and driving, sex, pregnancy, and any other unwanted casualties that teens are not ready to handle, even though you think you might be able to , say no!ââ¬â¢
Friday, August 16, 2019
Dissertation: Employment and Workplace Design
[Impact of Workplace Design] Institute of Hotel Management Aurangabad The Impact of Workplace Design ââ¬Å" A study of the Employee on the Job Performance in Taj Palace, Delhiâ⬠Varun Sahgal (H-18095) Submitted in fulfillment of the requirement of B. A (Hons) in Hotel Management University Of Huddersfeild United Kingdom March 2013 [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 1 [Impact of Workplace Design] Declaration I declare that this Dissertation is the result of my own individual efforts and that it confirms to university, departmental and course regulations regarding cheating and plagiarism.No material contained within this Dissertation has been used in any other submission, by the author, for an academic award. Varun Sahgal (H-18095) Third Year Hotel Management Course Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad Date: 19. 3. 2013 [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 2 [Impact of Workplace Design] Acknowledgement Every professional endeavor requires the hard work of many worthy minds and this work is no different. I would begin by thanking my Dissertation guide ââ¬ËMr. Ananad Iyengarââ¬â¢, his patience and support, were instrumental in accomplishing this task.I thank my year tutor ââ¬ËMr. Rakesh Katyayaniââ¬â¢ and my dissertation coordinator ââ¬ËMr. Saurabh Krishnaââ¬â¢ for their amazing organizational skills that kept me focused on my work. Many of the arguments and facts mentioned in this work were sourced from books, journals, newspapers and websites. Though I have tried to acknowledge most of the sources to the best of my abilities, there were certain sources whose roots were not available making it absolutely impractical and difficult to provide accurate acknowledgement.Regardless of the source I would like to show my gratitude to these anonymous works as they may have contributed greatly towards my endeavor. Last but not the least I would like to thank my college ââ¬ËInstitute of Hotel ManagementAurangabadââ¬â¢ for providing the necessary guidan ce and resources and I would also like to extend a vote of thanks to the ââ¬ËSummonsââ¬â¢ online library of the ââ¬ËUniversity of Huddersfieldââ¬â¢. This work would have been incomplete without their academic support. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 3 [Impact of Workplace Design] Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1. Research Questions 1. 2 Subsidiary Questions 1. 3 Aim of the study 1. 4 Purpose of the study 1. 5 Limitation of the study 1. 6 Dissertation structure 6-8 8 8 8 9 9 9-10 2. Literature Review 2. 1 Introduction 2. 2 Ergonomics 2. 3 Workplace Motivation 2. 4 Supervisory support 2. 5 designing the new workplace 2. 6 Flexibility at workplace 2. 7 Health factors and wellness programs affecting on the job behavior 2. 8 The impact of technology on, on the job behavior 2. 9 Environmental concerns regarding workplace design 2. 10 Managing underperformance 2. 11The people involved 1 11-12 13-14 15 16-17 17-18 18-19 19-20 21-22 21-22 22-23 23 3. Research Methodology 3. 1App roach 3. 2Research Question 3. 3 Research design 24 24 24 24 4. Results and discussion 4. 1 Interview 4. 1. 1Mr, Avijit Sen, G. M. , Vesta Hotels, Jaipur 4. 1. 2 Mr. Akesh Bhatnagar, G. M. , Golkonda Hotel, Hyderabad 4. 2 Structured Questionnaire Analysis 25 25 25-27 28-30 30-40 [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 4 [Impact of Workplace Design] 5. Conclusion and recommendation 5. 1 Summary 5. 2 Major Findings 5. 3 Scope for future research 41 41 42 42 6. References 43 LIST OF TABLESFIGURE 1 ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING EMPLOYEESâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. 31 FIGURE 2 ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING MALE EMPLOYEES â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.. 32 FIGURE 3 ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING FEMALE EMPLOYEES â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ 33 FIGURE 4 COMPARITIVE STUDY OF ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING MALE AND FEMALE EMPLOYEE â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ 34 FIGURE 5 ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING EMPLOYEES AGED 18-25 â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 35 FIGURE 6 ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING EMPLOYEES AGED 26-35 â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 6 FIGURE 7 ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING EMPLOYEES AGED 36-45 â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 37 FIGURE 8 ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING EMPLOYEES AGED 46-55 â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 38 FIGURE 9 COMPARITIVE STUDY OF ATTRIBUTES AFFECTING ALL AGES â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦. 39 [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 5 [Impact of Workplace Design] Chapter 1 ââ¬Å"All work is seed sown. It grows and spreads, and sows itself anewâ⬠Thomas Carlyle Abstract Workp lace design in the hospitality sector has become a very important phenomenon; people do not only wish to see a luxurious front of the house but also an amazing back office.Workplace does not only imply to external and architectural design, it also in its folds covers the topics like motivation, wellness, supervisory support, environmental concerns, learning and development etc. This project deals with understanding proper workplace design as a tool for improving on the job performance of an employee. The researcher plans to conduct a research on some of the employees working in the food and beverage department of Taj palace Delhi to understand which attribute of workplace affects them the most and till what extent.The project also involves semi structured interviews with professionals at high designation in the industry and what is their take on the importance of work environment as an overall change maker. The objective is to completely understand workplace modeling and how innovat ions in the same can make it better in the future. 1. Introduction In the changing world of today where luxury and fashion make up for eighty to ninety percent of emotional content in an individual, people look for fashionable and comfortable work places also.The researcher aims to study workplace attributes in the hospitality industry and its affect on, ââ¬Ëon the job behaviourââ¬â¢ of the employees The researcher while working will adopt ââ¬Ëcontingency orientationââ¬â¢, he will aim to understand that organizational behaviour/on the job behaviour is complex and is driven by a lot of factors. No two employees are alike and different situations means different to each and every individual. Managers therefore must learn to adopt workplace policies that answer not only the grievances of few but provides solutions for the problems of the many. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 6 Impact of Workplace Design] The researcher aims to follow a three point approach while achieving obj ectives for the given topic. ? Identifying the causes of current behaviour through a questionnaire analysis on work and its attributes ? ? Sidelining strategies that would help mitigate current causes of disengagement Studying the impact of change implemented for the same Managing workplace and workforce in the twenty first century is all about embracing a change. In many ways the job of the workplace is to perform the same functions as it performed earlier which is to manage, motivate and influence employees.Current scenario is that, the workplaceââ¬â¢s expectation from the employee is the same but the employeeââ¬â¢s expectation from the workplace has changed drastically. The complex variety of social, personal, environmental, recreational and technological changes that have taken place recently makes the task of managing workforce and designing workplace even more challenging. Someone rightly quoted ââ¬ËManaging on the job behaviour today is like pushing water uphill usin g a rakeââ¬â¢ (Anonymous, n. d. ). Time is short and stakes are high. Corporate are running a race to achieve perfect face value amidst their competition.Companies that manage their workforce well get higher returns on productivity. After all, a lot depends on the produce of a company. Recently many companies have focused their attention towards IT; they feel technology gives them an added advantage since it evolves rapidly. Managers forget that technology can only seldom provide an organization with a competitive advantage but in the end, it is the people that matter. Research has also shown that investment in IT workers pays greater dividends than investment in hardware or software.When employees quit they are not leaving their jobs, they are leaving their workplace. Therefore a great workplace atmosphere creates a better on the job performance thereby creating a cadre of the finest productive workers. Products can easily be aped but not the workplace on which the productivity and behaviour of the human resource depend so an organizations greatest competitive advantage is its own workplace and the behavior of its [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 7 [Impact of Workplace Design] employees in the workplace.Implementing methods for the improvement of a workplace should be the first and foremost decision of any company. This is why companies like CISCO, Harley Davidson and Merek are different they invest in manpower more than any other attribute. They understand the importance of work and workplace systems alike. One must know that implementing a straightforward management strategy is easy but what really counts is what the management does in difficult times when on the job behaviour is not good and there are high rates of employee attrition and abseintism. . 1 Research Question ? Is On the Job Behaviour influenced by workplace design? 1. 2 Subsidiary Questions ? ? Would a better on the job performance affect organizational productivity? Why have no strong laws in workplace design been implemented in the past twenty years? ? Will factors like goal setting, performance feedback, role congruity, defined processes, workplace incentive, supervisor support etc influence ââ¬ËOn the job behaviorââ¬â¢ of an employee? ? Have there been improvement trends in workplace design? 1. Aim of the study The aim is to analyze the effect of the Workplace attributes on the employees ââ¬ËOn the job behaviorââ¬â¢ by performing a structured research in the Food and Beverage department of Taj Palace Delhi. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 8 [Impact of Workplace Design] 1. 4 Purpose of the study Workplace and jobs have become a complex phenomenon in todayââ¬â¢s times. Employees today have a large number of alternatives and selections at their disposal and hence workplace becomes a crucial factor for keeping or leaving the job.It is imperative that an Employees working environment is well kept and maintained because ultimately the workplace environment is what defines on the job behaviour and employee motivation. How well an employee adapts to his psychological, psycho motive, desire and health factors at his workplace will determine his workplace behaviour, productivity and errors. Through this research the researcher aims to prove the relation between workplace factors and on the job behaviour of the employee thereby being able to prove that workplace design factors definitely impacts on the job performance of an employee. . 5 Limitations and scope of the study: Broad research in this field would bring about data collection complications. The research only analyses the data collected from a few employees in the food and beverage department. The semi structured interviews will also not show the bigger picture as different people have different opinions about their own workplace, to some the workplace seems perfect to others it may require a lot of change.Although the study covers only a small department in one business unit of the h ospitality sector research on this subject in the near future on a macro level would provide managers with an all new level of understanding in employee motivation and workplace design. The research can be extended to hotels resorts or even company policies. 1. 6 Dissertation Structure: The 1st chapter, the Introduction essentially covers the topic of the research and a brief on its relevance to the industry today.The chapter summarizes the approach of the researcher and the hypothesis and other objectives. The chapter speaks of limitations and scope of this dissertation in the next decade. It also covers some of the questions that the researcher will analyze during the course of this project. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 9 [Impact of Workplace Design] The 2nd chapter, the literature review forms the basis of the dissertation. It carries a vivid description of each of the workplace attributes, their current scenario in the industry, prior research and the researcher valuable critiq ue.The literature review provides a structure to the dissertation and also helps to prepare a structure for the data analysis and research methodology. The Literature review also decides the scope for future research on the given topic. The 3rd Chapter, the research methodology deals with the steps the researcher has taken to obtain the desired data to conclude his hypothesis. It also gives a comparative understanding of how the researcher has composed the models for analysis and what was the approach.The 4th Chapter, the data analysis contains the conducted interviews and the analysis of the data collected from the employees in the form of a structured questionnaire, the chapter has the analysis of the data which proves the researchers hypothesis and also answers the subsidiary questions as given on the first chapter The 5th Chapter, conclusion and recommendation summarizes the dissertation and the results of the analysis. It has the critique of the researcher on the existing proce dures and how they can be changed in the near future to achieve outstanding results.The chapter also provides a valuable insight into how future research can be conducted for the same [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 10 [Impact of Workplace Design] Chapter 2 (Literature Review) ââ¬Å"When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home. â⬠-Betty Bender 2. 1 Overview It has always been argued that distraction, lack of interest, poor decisions and high absence are the major causes of employee disengagement; but what organizations actually forget are that these factors might be just the symptoms; ââ¬â the root cause may be very different (Slade, 2010).Recent scenarios also indicates that subtle productive changes in the workplace environment today actually reduce employee absenteeism and attrition, which in turn improves on the job performance thereby impacting productivity in a very positive way (Roeloefsen, 2002). Today it has been proven that employee sa tisfaction is directly proportional to job satisfaction, which is directly dependent on the working environment. Workplace factors are a major catalyst in productivity and on the job performance of an employee.In fact, research has focused on ergonomics or biomechanics because of workersââ¬â¢ demands for more comfort at the workplace (Wells, 2000). Theorists believe that everyone seeks a balance between what one puts into his work and what one expects to get out of it. Most of the time one tends to compare his own situations with that of other employees in the market place, before he actually decides to work with a particular organization (Adams, 1963). In the recent past the nature of employee and employer relations has actually been distorted because of the changes in job structures and way of living.There are a number of companies in the market and therefore not only employees but employers also need to focus on their conduct to make a mark in the business. Higher salaries and better perks may seem the most obvious way of increasing an employeeââ¬â¢s on the job performance but this is influenced by other important factors that include work motivation, training and development opportunities, physical, psychological and psychomotive factors (Leblebici, 2012). [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 11 [Impact of Workplace Design]Maslowââ¬â¢s hierarchy of needsââ¬â¢ theory argued that the measure of anthropogenic attitudes to work was slowly and steadily being extended to workplace and work environment as well for understanding human psychology and motivating factors. The study involved synthesizing success stories of exemplary people like Einstein, Roosevelt, Douglas and Adams rather than studying the so called neurotic or mentally ill. The model involved looking at human psychology from scratch ââ¬â basic needs like food, water, lifestyle, love etc. Going step higher, needs evolved to less basic ones like security, employment, morality, family etc.At f urther higher levels, needs were more exclusive and included a need for creativity, belonging, selfesteem, motivation and culture. It was realized that if all these factors were well taken care of in a workplace environment, they would boost the on job performance of the individual , which would reflect on the team thereby boosting productivity on a whole (Janet A Simons, n. d. ). McGregorââ¬â¢s theory on the contrary involved classifying workers as X or Y elements, where the X elements are idle, destructive and redundant and require motivation and training to bring them up to speed with work and business.Elements Y on the other hand, are selfmotivated workers flushed with creativity, who actually make up the strong pillars of the business and require less support as compared to the element X. McGregorââ¬â¢s theory differs from Maslowââ¬â¢s theory where he states that it is the worker who should be motivated. According to him, the workers should have a positive relation wit h the workplace to ensure all psychological and self actualization needs are being fulfilled for better performance and productivity. Stuart, 2010) Finally differing from all other theorists Herzberg found out that factors that were cause for concern were company policy, relation with the boss, working conditions, salary and relationship with peers. On the other hand , the factors that kept them motivated were achievement, recognition, business as usual, responsibility , advancement and growth, which again linked the theory of Herzberg to Mcgregor and Maslow (Anonymous, n. d. ) Therefore it may be said that a workplace is the result of various decisions, feelings and emotions working together in a close and cohesive work environment.So to actually determine what is it that actually impacts on the job performance of an employee. The researcher will look into biomechanics which has been a very recent breakthrough in research better termed as Ergonomics at workplace. [Varun Sahgal (H-1 8095)] Page 12 [Impact of Workplace Design] 2. 2 Ergonomics: Today ââ¬ËErgonomicsââ¬â¢ or innovation in workplace procedures has become the hip word in the United states of America as the workplace is going through major changeovers during this particular era.The Modern Office Procedure Council has even moved up to publish an article fashionably, entitled ââ¬ËErgonomics; the outbreak of a newer disciplineââ¬â¢ (Anonymous, n. d. ). The article though not very acclaimed has covered: work-stations, work-environment, behaviors at work and many other minute issues that are generally overlooked while discussing on the job performance. The research brought together problems that had been collected and researched over a period of thirty years to prove that employers could actually boost employee on the job performance through workplace design.Thi research is mainly being focused on the employeesââ¬â¢ reaction to workplace and workplace design. Working all day at a desk in an office takes its toll on the eyes, neck and hands which are sometimes termed as Musculo Skeletal disorders or simply (MSDs) (Anonymous, 2010). Workplaces have today initiated Healthy Work Practice Programs (HWPP), these programs provide a proper checklist for office ergonomic design and also help develop strategies to implement the same (Anonymous, 2010).A study conducted in 2000 also states that in the workplace today where technology has taken over a lot of the workplace space there should be supplementary breaks in between to reduce eye strain and over exertion of the eye muscles (Anonymous, 2007). Theorists have argued that the rate of production per industry per day has been increasing daily to maintain a competitive advantage in the market place. Technologies are being upgraded, work lifestyle is changing and most importantly, recreation time is being diminished. In such an environment, where humans are actually becoming synonymous to machines, the importance of rgonomics is p aramount. If the principles of Ergonomics are not applied to the work task and tools, workers might go through undue stress and mental strain, which in turn decrease on the job performance and have a negative impact on productivity as a whole. Recognizing the ergonomic factors in a workplace is the first step to recognizing the hazards related to workers on the job conditions. Engineers believe that removing physical stress from the working environment could actually eliminate many serious work related injuries each year.Employers should learn to understand employee mindset and work design to make the workplace safer. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 13 [Impact of Workplace Design] Ergonomics can help reduce many (MSDs) while working in operations like hotels, as the work involves giving more than eight hours a day to operations. The process also helps increase the productivity as it provides safer working conditions that motivates the workers to work better in an environment. Ergonomi cs would also help decrease the absenteeism rates due to less MSDââ¬â¢s and more energy among the work force.A workplace can substantially reduce turnovers if new recruits find their workplace properly designed to suit their mindset. Reduced expenses, resulting from a decrease in the rate of (MSDs) would require less cost for covering illness and reduced organization and personal medical costs (OSHA, 2000) OSHA also agues that Reducing Ergonomic Hazards at a workplace is probably the easiest of operations to perform. If one is an employer and his employees frequently complain of ergonomic hazards, all he has to do is incorporate an ergonomics program in the foundation of his organization.The program should motivate employees to participate and should provide scope for valuable feedback to supervisors. The program should be checked regularly by the executive in charge to ensure transparency and productivity. The program at the end of the day should be successful and should be a pr oper training and development task for employees as well as employers (OSHA, 2000) Though from personal work experience it is strongly believed, Employees in the Hospitality ndustry have an inner belief that it is the organizations outlook to provide them with safe, healthy and balanced working conditions. Over a period of the past two years the researcher has completed successful working hour within the premises of three Hospitality establishments and has nowhere experience a proper Ergonomic design program in place. Apart from workplace design 58% of the employees strongly agree that the motivation factor is a major discipline if one wishes to measure the relation between job performance and workplace.Each and every employee feels that to sustain and work happily in a working environment there are only two things of paramount importance, the first being workplace design which has been explained above by the researcher in great detail and the other is Motivation factor. [Varun Sahg al (H-18095)] Page 14 [Impact of Workplace Design] 2. 3 Workplace motivation Motivation recently has been a keen area of research among industrialists and psychologists as it impacts on the job performance of an Individual. It is being taken as a very serious process in a workplace.The beginning of motivation for any personnel in any field of work is very simple, ââ¬Ëhe deserves to be treated fairly and with respectââ¬â¢. On the job behaviour is a pure reflection of how one is treated within the organization. The second step to why motivation is an important fact is because ââ¬Ëmotivation leads to a change in behaviour, which in turn decides changes in the productive aspect of the employee at workplaceââ¬â¢. Slowly but steadily managers in many concerns have started taking the concept of motivation seriously.The assessment of satisfaction in the workplace has been a very common occurrence in the recent times and has been used as a tool to measure employee well being and satisfaction in a particular department (Spector, 1997). General Research has shown that out of twenty candidates, seven prefer to go to work happily i. e. They are the category X employees according to the X and Y theory. Ten employees have a feeling that they wish to remain neutral some days can be happy and well other could be boring. The remaining three who are the Y candidates feel that their orkplace requires drastic improvements. There was a similar answer from all the candidates when they were questioned about appreciation, belonging, scope of improvement, salary, supervisor support goal setting and feedback. Therefore as gathered from work experience at a diverse number of workplaces, the general feeling is that workplace motivation is a very important aspect. If the behaviour of the supervisor or the senior does not motivate the employees at work then the employee tends to abhor their work leading to increased abseintism and attrition.The researcher feels that out of a ten hour work shift an employer must at least spend thirty minutes with his employees to evaluate what they have done and what they should do in the near future to establish success in their working methods. An employer should be able to successfully develop a sense of confidence and optimism in his employees. The employer should also once in a while allow the employees to volunteer for tasks that are beyond their abilities so that even the failure can help generate self learning through a method of retrograde training.Apart from this the researcher also feels that an employer must successfully be able to map his employeeââ¬â¢s goals and aspirations to help them achieve the same through directed learning and development opportunities. Apart from all this the general feeling is that beyond motivation a good supervisor at the workplace is also an important factor for retaining and satisfying employees. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 15 [Impact of Workplace Design] 2. 4 Supervisory Supp ort Today Supervisors are a very important factor in the workplace.They are epitomes of knowledge and mediums of effective feedback for employees who are working under them (Durham CC, 1997). The level of supervisory support is directly proportional to the teams introduced in workplace today. A supervisor today should be able to comprehend the mood of the individual and the team and work accordingly. With increasing number of team members under a supervisor the need for traditional support reduces. Today a supervisor is expected to possess the qualities for performing diverse roles as with changing scenarios the rolls of different teams.With the drastic changes in the environment it is necessary that the supervisor is chosen before the contingent team is prepared and his behaviour and attitude towards his work must be assessed before-hand so as to give a complete sense of satisfaction to all employees as theorized by (Tannenbaum SI & JA, 1996). A supervisorââ¬â¢s major focus shou ld be on the job enhancement practices for his subordinates, feedback and training. This will help bring about a change in the employeeââ¬â¢s behaviour, motivating him to redesign the workplace.A supervisor must allow an employee to learn from mistakes rather than spoon feeding and directing each and every time as there is a line of research that states that ââ¬Ëautonomy without doubt is the best form of learningââ¬â¢ (Parker Sk, 1998). Sometimes theorists do say that leadership and supervision have a lesser impact on satisfaction but that does not mean it has no impact at all. Supervisory support has critically been recognized as an imperative process for continuous development of new teams on the aspects of satisfaction. BM, 1997) The effect of supervisory support on employee satisfaction is an attribute which has scarcely been researched over time. What really matters is the ability of the supervisor to stay within a team and work as an equal and at the same time being a ble to stand out from the rest in some unique way or the other such that, he is successfully able to motivate and supervise the employees he has to lead. No supervisory support is complete without a super workplace design. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 16 [Impact of Workplace Design] . 5 Designing the new workplace Today ââ¬Ëon the job behaviourââ¬â¢ is becoming an important aspect of workplace productivity, architects and interior designers have been working hard to provide employees with the most exquisitely modeled workplaces possible. But the time has come to look beyond architectural innovation because (Jusko, May,2000) says that a study conducted in office design and workplace survey in some of the best offices in the US states that most of the managers gave working conditions a grade ââ¬Ëcââ¬â¢.Hence, it was proved that there are some things beyond architectural design that prompted workers to do well, which were none other than ââ¬Ëwellness and recreation desi gnââ¬â¢ Healthcare expenditure is soaring high, there is a definite need for reducing hospital and sickness costs in each and every organization. The United States of America and the European nations have adopted structured wellness programs in their office design (Kutler, 2010). Research widely shows that prevention of injury and disease decrease working cost by $3. 47 per employee per day.This average return on investment clearly highlights the fact that incorporation of wellness programs within an organization would help profits greatly and would positively influence on the job performance with reduced health concerns, injury and cost of treatment Theoristsââ¬â¢ believe a key factor of human resource is to promote employee satisfaction thereby promoting customer satisfaction. Referring to ââ¬ËMaslowââ¬â¢s triangleââ¬â¢ , it can be easily seen that a sense of belonging, friends, culture, team work, co-worker support and supervisor support, games and recreation make an important part of an employeeââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëself-actualizationââ¬â¢ needs.Workplace recreation and design is very evident in organizations that bring together people and processes and its introduction into the hospitality sector is a highly necessary evil. The question to ponder over is why again is a recreational design required at a workplace? The answers though are pretty simple. Today Recreational activities provide a form of intrinsic reward, a sense of self satisfaction from within, which boosts employee motivation. Participation in recreational activities and retreats, help put a balance between work and life.Recreational activities that require participation of staff teams provides scope for individual behaviour and attitude feedback. Recreation in a way helps an employee connect his aspiration to his organization and last but not the least, recreation provides the best forum for self development (Mokaya, february,2012) [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 17 [Impact of Wor kplace Design] So, when it comes to linking recreation and health with on the job performance it has been well seen that both help in strengthening the social bond between customer and employee.They help in developments of skills like leadership, team work and communication, which are invaluable assets for the service industry. The activities also provide a good social forum for discussion and understanding of topics like goals, vision and mission of the organization and future endeavors; it also provides scope for innovation and brain storming at work, coupled with increased friendship and cohesiveness among the staff.Other than wellness and recreation Work stress is also a major cause of not liking ones workplace so to provide a better relationship among staff and employers it is necessary also to act upon the concept of workplace flexibility. 2. 6 Flexibility at workplace Today flexibility means defining how and when a work is done and how does one organize his career in such a c ritical way that there is improved workplace effectiveness. Companies use workplace flexibility as a major tool for managing, customizing, recruiting, retaining and strategizing workforce load as said by (E. Friedman, 2002).There have been several studies in this field that have successfully been able to prove that flexibility has a major role in reducing stress, increasing effectiveness and improving performance. Flexibility at workplace can be of many types depending on what the work demands and how the superior wants to maximize the amount of work done by a particular employee. Today Traditional flextime at a workplace allows employees to choose their own times of coming and leaving the office such that their times will be surrounding the time of core operating hours and the work meted out to them should be done.Employees are given a certain amount of time in a week to complete their work for e. g. ; the employee is to work ten hours a day for four days a week or has to complete eighty hours of work over a period of nine days and so on and so forth (E. Friedman, 2002). Many companies also do offer a concept better known as summer hours, i. e. , increasing an hour per day and completing the time allotted before the designated day, to apply for an extra off. Theorists believe that Flexibility is many times wrongly termed as an employee perk whereas it is only a tool to successfully manage employee on the job behaviour/performance.Its importance is such that it can be used over a range of managerial jobs and at different levels of the hierarchy. Most importantly it is a precise tool and should only be applied only [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 18 [Impact of Workplace Design] where the management feels apt to do so, everyone cannot ask for flexibility and not all jobs can be given flexibility. There are instances wherein on a permanent job an employee can be provided flexibility for a temporary period to boost his morale so as to help him change his outlook tow ards his work (E.Friedman, 2002). It is imperative that a company realizes the problem it wants to deal with, using the tool of flexibility. It is wise always to look into flexibility issues of comparable companies before such a step is taken to boost employee esteem. The company should conduct internal studies and should actually be completely sure about the attitudes of the personnel for whom they are allowing flexibility as the companyââ¬â¢s entire working schedule will be centered on flexibility.Going by what theorists say, coping with flexibility is also not an easy factor so it is always better if the supervisors of a company are better trained to monitor staff that are flexible and are trained to calculate output from a flex oriented workforce and last but not the least, a company should make its staff well aware of the continuing improvements and should regularly appreciate staff who have done well on a flexi schedule through accolades and newsletters.Though flexibility i s not a very common answer to problems in the Hospitality sector as it is a very human oriented industry, what can actually become the solution is concentrating on improving the health of an employee. 2. 7 Health Factors and Wellness Program affecting on the job behaviour Today a workplace is viewed from the health perspective, research so far has looked into workers health in two aspects, the former being ââ¬â do organizations today promote wellness and health programs for workers?And the latter being ââ¬â Are healthy workplaces also the ones which are more productive? The first question generally covers human resource, employee motivation, hazard free environment, wellness programs, supervisor support, training and development. The latter question though here is significantly more important for this particular research as it is looking into improvements in ââ¬Ëon the job performanceââ¬â¢ of a worker in the organization. Looking at a very three dimensional view of the situation, the answer to the latter appears to be more qualified and complex.Organizations are slowly incorporating workplace wellness programs in their work schedule but actually translating the measure of wealth to on the job productivity is a very difficult task that is required to be accomplished. The research on this front appears to be very weak because in the service industry where work is supposed to be inconspicuous, the industry has shown graphs of deteriorating worker [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 19 [Impact of Workplace Design] health and wellness because of the amount of hard work required and less time available for oneââ¬â¢s own self.One must identify the gaps in the health environment of a workplace and should aim to understand the synergistic effects of certain health promotion exercises by combining psychology with job behaviour to research factors like motivation, productivity , sickness ,absenteeism , leave and other psycho social outcomes that can be measure d through wellness studies conducted on the job. Organizations must invest in a healthier working environment and employee care as it will no doubt increase productivity and will be a smart investment in terms of future returns.It is highly imperative that employees coordinate with employers for such programs and understand the effects of team related, work related and family related healthcare. But then again by incorporating better technology also, one can reduce the stress on the Human workforce of the industry. 2. 8 The impact of technology on, ââ¬Ëon the job behaviourââ¬â¢ Technology has not only changed the workplace today but has also become the lifeline of success of any company. The world has changed after the advent of fax, internet, Wi-Fi, e mail and holograms. Technology is upgrading itself each minute and will continue upgrading itself at a fast rate.Imagining work without access to technology is unimaginable. Technology has not only changed the lives of the physi cally able but has also given equal power to the disabled to compete and even be more productive than normal. With the advent of technology, more and more physically challenged people are entering the business today that probably earlier, just had one or two options. Before technology the differently abled could only earn from supplement programs of the government or could attend ââ¬Ëtraining and retrainingââ¬â¢ in schools for the challenged, but their life was neither challenging nor productive.The knowledge of assisting devices ââ¬â how they work and how easily they can be serviced, has empowered the physically challenged to reach newer heights, today even they can be workers, coworkers, self-earning individuals and most importantly with technology boosting their self-esteem, they have become successful and productive employees of today. Theorist believe Whether disabled or not , technology will continue to assist individuals in a job where precision and time management are required, and before joining a job the employer [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 20 [Impact of Workplace Design] s often riddled with questions about what technology will the employee be using and can the technology be remodeled as per his convenience of use (Cohn, 2000). Therefore it is imperative that technology keeps changing so that work becomes easier as ease of work is another incentive/tool to improve on the job performance and quality of service. Before we close the topic of technology, we must not forget that a very simple technology that has been around for the past few years is the one on which the foundation of every successful business industry is based is the e-mail, which is viable proof that technology is a burning need.Though technology is indispensable, policy makers in every country should take an important stride to maintain on the job wellness and a healthy workplace environment. A healthy environment is the first installment of better and greater future return s and for that technology must go hand in hand with the Environmental concerns of Today. 2. 9 Environmental concerns regarding Workplace design Environment issues at workplace should be a growing concern for any company today after the green laws and threat to the ozone layer.Apart from all this it also affects employee performance and on the job behaviour. Who would like to work in an office with bad ventilation and the smell of asbestos around? An infected work environment is a health issue; it not only decreases productivity but also has a direct impact on employee health causing diseases like asthma, claustrophobia and lung infections. This in turn again increases employee absenteeism and health costs of the company. The Employers should take necessary steps to ensure a healthy work environment.The organization should maintain and keep to the guidelines provided by OSHA and EPA to maintain cost effective ways of managing work environment and reduce absenteeism and attrition to i nfluence on the job behaviour and employee productivity. Theorists argue that employees should also understand greater concerns related to the environment when they are working in a service industry where 75 to 80 percent of the waste generated is biodegradable and can be managed simply by doing CSR initiatives and nonprofit work.Restaurants generate around seventy to eighty kilos of edible waste per day. If a company plans successfully, the food waste can safely be disposed off to NGOââ¬â¢s for the poor as a CSR initiative which would give employees a sense of belonging and goodwill and [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 21 [Impact of Workplace Design] would motivate them to innovate on better and unique methods of waste disposal for the greater good and environmental concern.The reason for bringing in environmental concerns while studying employee productivity is the simple fact that ââ¬Å"waste should be eliminated in the surroundings where it is generatedââ¬â¢ then only is it said that the company follows a policy of successful waste management. Therefore, every company should have a method of connecting with the experts for complete understanding of environmental concerns relating to a guest service industry. Proper training and development sessions on how to manage cleanliness and environment around and in the workplace should be well followed by employers.The employees should be trained in the art of environment management by their given organization. After discussing every aspect of workplace design one must not forget that an Employees reason for discord may also be underperformance which also sadly makes up a large part of the workplace design. 2. 10 Managing underperformance Workplace is marked by unsatisfactory work performance or the failure to comprehend and act on the tasks which are to be done by the individual in the position of power he holds.The reasons clearly stand to be; a high degree of non compliance with workplace policies and/or rul es, unacceptable behaviour from peers at workplace and disruptive or attitude clashes with bosses or superiors. Apart from this the reasons that are more importantly missed while carrying out a feedback are an employeeââ¬â¢s problem in understanding what is expected, his incapability to perform in the given position due to a mismatch between job profile and skill set, lack of regular counseling thereby paralyzing the employee technically, family issues, drug abuse and work culture.It has been frequently argued that dealing with underperformance has always been challenging for employee and employer alike. Managers with formal education require the 5Cs to deal with underperformance which relatively are character, commitment, conviction, courtesy and courage (Khera, 1998). It is crucial to resolve underperformance problems in the location where they arise. Not necessarily does every underperformance issue require a structured approach but the mind must always be free to explore addi tional options.Employers must remember in all contexts that underperformance affects a work environment adversely. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 22 [Impact of Workplace Design] There exists certain incapability among managers to identify the source of underperformance and then assess it successfully. Never has one seen all companies perform at the same level and if they would have, the existence of competition would not have been a paramount feature hence it is important to understand who controls the situation and who manages the workforce. 2. 1 The people involved After discussing all the attributes involved in a workplace design that lead to positive on the job performance, one must not forget the major question of who should be involved in the major processes. An article published by (Frenburg, 1985) stated that flexibility, health, environment, recreation and motivation impacted on the job performance as it involved a sense of well being and belonging in an employee. The resear cher also found that whatever gaps were left in progressive work design was the lack of consultation between employee, employer and workplace designer.It is undoubtedly very clear that a workplace benefits more from staffs who are motivated and trained and understand who the boss is. Effective performance management individuals can create better employees and better effectiveness at workplace. Non compliance with workplace issues, negligent behaviour and hostility in the workplace environment leads to leadership, teamwork and managing the workplace issues. It is rare that an employee knows what is expected from him. Many a times it has been seen that for all the processes mentioned above, there are as such no ground rules laid down by the department to help employees with the same.Unless employees are made to understand that they are underperforming, it is very difficult for them to actually understand that they are underperforming (government, n. d. ). It is essentially required th at the head HR managers and executives , properly look into the tasks mentioned above so that proper coordination is maintained and all the processes followed very closely and carefullyâ⬠¦ [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 23 [Impact of Workplace Design] Chapter 3 (Research Methodology) 3. Approach The researcher has adopted a mix of ââ¬Å"quantitativeâ⬠as well as ââ¬Å"qualitativeâ⬠approaches to carry out this particular study. The Qualitative analysis involves the primary research which draws inferences from the working environment and its effect on the employees in the food and beverage department of the Taj Palace Delhi. The secondary research of this analysis involved conducting literature reviews through thorough study of journals, books and websites to get a global understanding of employee and employee workplace to substantiate the primary research.The quantitative approach involved conducting a survey of thirty employees in the food and beverage department of the hotel, the questionnaires were distributed to equal number of men and women and were spaced over a span of different age groups to understand how employees today feel about their workplace and what is the change they would like to see in that particular department or their working conditions in the near future.After which the researcher conducted semi structured interviews of certain industry personnel who have given sufficient amount of years to the industry and who can successfully compare and contrast the difference between workplace scenarios then and what change they have undergone now. 3. 2 The Research Question/Hypothesis Do workplace attributes affect on the job behaviour of an employee? 3. 3 Research design The primary design of the research is an empirical deductive research. The questionnaire data has been collected from thirty employees belonging to different societies and spread over different ages and genders.The qualitative data involves deducing data from semi st ructured interviews of hospitality industry professionals with sufficient experience of the topic. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 24 [Impact of Workplace Design] Chapter 4 (Results and Discussion) 4. 1 Interview 4. 1. 1 Mr. Avijit Sen, General Manager, Vesta Hotels Jaipur How critical is the physical work environment to office space designing today compared to when you began your work in the industry? Things were indeed very different when I began in the hospitality sector. The industry was still going through a phase of metamorphosis and things were very new.Then, every HM student was considered to be a waiter and a culinary guy a ââ¬Ëbawarchiââ¬â¢. There was no defined workplace design as such, people were staunch followers of the phrase work is worship and no matter whatever be the condition work is our livelihood so good or bad pleasing or not so pleasing it did not matter. But yes things are very different now. People are being judged on their overall efficiency more and m ore jobs are being replaced by technology and a small number of highly qualified individuals are required in a business unit. Workplace or the so called physical environment of the employee has become an epicenter of change.Innovation and efficiency are todayââ¬â¢s mantra and are the keys to employee motivation. Everyone wishes to have an environment with his own physical space. There has been more stress on scientific design lately to suite the body and physical needs of employees and with labor becoming more and more costly, one has to design to retain. When did you first begin to realize that the work environment or the workplace itself has started affecting your on the job behaviour? Well to be very honest, it was not very tough to realize that. When you are at the level of assistant managers you are young in the industry and the world seems to be a gift of Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 25 [Impact of Workplace Design] unlimited possibilities. At that time when you are in the p eriod of frequent transfers and property changes you seem to notice designs and patterns I am from a food and beverage background for me at least I knew that the design of the bar or the restaurant definitely mattered. Better ambience better origination would not only please customer but also employee alike. The major difference always will be that some places the organization would have designed well at other places it would have not shown much interest so the working attitude really differs from place to place.I preferably found the Private hotels and their designs better and hence changed over from ITDC. Why do you feel that the industry is taking so long to incorporate workplace innovations even after realizing that it has a significant impact on the on the job behaviour? Unlike all other product oriented businesses which have been there from time immemorial the hospitality industry is relatively knew and mapping all aspects of its production is very difficult.Plus recent insigh ts show that the hospitality industry is still in need of a lot of qualified professionals Workplace design though essential is a very hi-fi concept, the education system in India is definitely not equipped to produce out of the box thinking individuals and that is why there are very few. It is not that the workplace engineering concept has not been introduced, the fact still is that hospitality professionals are still not mentally prepared to embrace the realities of the concept. If you wanted to create the ideal workplace environment, what would you envision it to be if you were an employee?Honestly, if I were to view workplace as an employee, India is far from achieving the vision I have seen. Improvements are not only required in staff line motivation but also infrastructure [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 26 [Impact of Workplace Design] Life in hospitality is fast paced, the job is demanding and work hours are eerie. In a scenario like this, employees are forced to come and chang e in a changing rooms cramped with lockers that would not even hold two pair of suits. The washrooms of the back area are cramped and employees literally have to bend to accommodate.The bunk beds placed for employees on night parole too are rough and uncomfortable When I began as an hotelier we had a few prestigious properties of hospitality scattered in the regions of Delhi Madras and Bangalore and sadly when today hospitality is growing its staff sector is still underdeveloped. The resources are not proper and the facilities are scarce. What do you feel have been the most repetitive complains regarding workplace issues in the industry? Being a manger you face those complains in abundance, you can never categorize these complains as important or non important.Many of them are linked to issues I have already discussed with you in previous questions. I often get complains like the environment smell rancid, the cleaning in the back areas are, not proper. Technological failure, softwar eââ¬â¢s not working. Then you will also not be surprised to find complains like space in washroom is not sufficient or the staff rooms are too claustrophobic. Lack of basic amenities and training programs and less motivational factors related to work. Office innovation or workplace change is actually the development of technological social and personnel aspects, what are your comments on this statement?It is definitely that but a lot more is what I would like to say as I have mentioned every aspect in my answers above. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 27 [Impact of Workplace Design] 4. 1. 2 Mr. Akesh Bhatnagar, General Manager, Golkonda Hotel, Hyderabad How critical is the physical work environment to office space designing today compared to when you began your work in the industry? Interesting Question, you see physical work environment or office design now is like the rotation of the earth, there is day and there is night. Some changes occurred for the best and well others were no t that successful.Office design was critical then and is critical now the only difference today is that people are more aware of what is expected of them. In the 1980s when I was still in my twenties I remember the laws of transparency at work and overtime were not strict. People could get away with anything and everything and honestly we did not bother much we did what our elders had done, we were told work was for a living and it had to be done come what may. Today though things have taken a drastic turn with people today aping the west and with more flexibility in laws and awareness employees tend to choose their own workplace.If it is good and up to their level of comfort they will do the job and if not ââ¬Ëitââ¬â¢s not their cup of teaââ¬â¢, so today office space design has actually become a mirage of what the employee wants to see. It is his job and his way. When did you first begin to realize that the work environment or the workplace itself has started affecting you r on the job behaviour? Well it is actually hard to recall but if you ask me personally, I would say I realized it when I was training with ITDC on a banquet operation. I remember I had a very grumpy supervisor who would snap at us every time we moved a glass from here to there.It was actually intimidating the way he would actually direct us in each and everything how to walk, how to talk and how to serve, what to say and what not to say. One must understand that people do not like that. They prefer an environment that gives the ease of working not overstress them From there on I started judging my workplace by how my peers were, how my colleagues were, how well kept my workplace was and most importantly whether I can expect to get back what I put in. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 28 [Impact of Workplace Design]Why do you feel that the industry is taking so long to incorporate workplace innovations even after realizing that it has a significant impact on the on the job behaviour? We ll Varun, I do not know if you realize this or not but hoteliering is not the most happening profession in the world today. You will actually be surprised to know how many people keep this as a second option, honestly hoteliering was my second option too it was much later when I came face to face with my work that I realized it is not that bad after all. If you see figures the industry is actually in need of more than twenty thousand educated professionals but alas!People with brains either become engineers or doctors or join other professions with other noble roots. There is a shortage of skilled personnel in this industry and people knock on the doors of this profession when they have realized that they do not stand a chance elsewhere. People like you that is if hotels was your first option are really hard to come by so you know bringing in an innovation which few seem to understand feels like a waste of time so the process of workplace change though slow seems even more redundant because of the lack of skilled people for its execution.If you wanted to create the ideal workplace environment, what would you envision it to be if you were an employee? Well if I were to envision my work place I would see myself sitting on a chair that floats above the ground and be able to move in an out through walls unnoticed eat sleep work and enjoy when I want. Jokes apart, I am just trying to say that there can never be one vision. The vision of workplace for every person changes with the change in his seniority and his mindset.When I was at the Front office manager I wanted a bigger desk today when I am a General Manager I want a bigger and much more technologically improved office What one envisions to see will always be steps away from reality, so if you wish to sum up what each and every one of us in this industry wants it would just be ââ¬Ëparadiseââ¬â¢. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 29 [Impact of Workplace Design] What do you feel have been the most repetitive c omplains regarding workplace issues in the industry? Well when you talk of complains in this industry they are more like tantrums of kid.It is like when the kid wants something he wants it without even realizing whether or not the company would actually be able to provide him with the same. I get complains like ââ¬Ëthe staff washroom is to smallââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ë we need better lockersââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëthe work hours are killingââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ësir, I did not get my designated ofââ¬â¢ and last but not the least ââ¬Ë my supervisor and colleagues do not respect meââ¬â¢. This world is a battlefield of conflicts, people strive to achieve better and better. To people there will always be a scope for change so workplace design or change is like polishing a diamond with each intricate cut it shines better and its value doubles.Maybe many of the complains do not have a solution but many also do but the irony is if you solve one they come up with upgraded versions of previous complains so you have got to keep improving yourself so that you can face the challenges of the future. Office innovation or workplace change is actually the development of technological social and personnel aspects, what are your comments on this statement? Definitely, very truly spoken because work and its outcomes depend mainly on personal social and technological aspects, enhancing all of the above would definitely enhance productivity. . 2 Structured Questionnaire Analysis A structured questionnaire was provided to thirty staff members selected randomly from the food and beverage department of Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi. The questionnaire involved ranking workplace as an important attribute affecting job satisfaction and on-job performance on a scale of one to five, with one being the lowest and five being the highest. After the data was collected, it was analyzed for the importance placed to different attributes with regards to the employeesââ¬â¢ job satisfaction and on-job p erformance.An average of the [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 30 [Impact of Workplace Design] data submitted by all participants of the study was calculated and a bar chart was generated as follows. Attributes of Job Satisfaction 5 4. 5 4 3. 5 3 2. 5 2 1. 5 1 0. 5 Attributes 2. 6 2. 6 3. 7 4. 4 4. 1 3. 9 3. 6 3. 6 3. 7 3. 7 4. 1 4. 2 4 4. 5 3. 8 4 4. 5 0 Figure 1 The analysis of this questionnaire presented to employees of different ages and working at different levels in the Food and Beverage Department of The Taj Palace Delhi yielded very interesting results.Looking at the bar chart from the average of all attributes of work and workplace design , it is naturally seen that Learning Opportunity, Promotion, Motivation and Workplace Architecture play a major role in employee satisfaction, which in turn is known to be directly proportional to the on the job behaviour of the employee. Many employees have also marked Wellness Programs and Job Security as important reasons for retaining a j ob. The analysis also included ideas collected from, The Restaurant Manager, supervisors, the stewards and also management trainees working in the department.The questionnaire by design was circulated to an equal number of male and female employeeââ¬â¢s in the study. [Varun Sahgal (H-18095)] Page 31 [Impact of Workplace Design] Next, the researcher segregated the study findings by gender to see if any deviations occurred in the result. It was realized that different workplace attributes motivated male and female employees differently. Given below is a Bar chart of the attributes that the male employees considered essential for job satisfaction. 5 Job Satisfaction Attributes for Male 4. 7 Employees 4. 1 3. 4 3. 8 3. 7 3. 4 2. 8 2. 5 4. 1 4 4 4. 2 4. 2 4. 2 4. 1 4 4. 5 4 3. 5 3 2. 5 2 1. 5 Attributes(M) 1 0. 5 0 Figure 2 It was clearly noticed that for male employees working in the Food and Beverage department of The Taj Palace Hotel, Delhi that what motivates them the most is the physical attribute of workplace, which includes working desk and back area design. Workplace architecture is closely followed by job security, training and development, motivation while attr
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