Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Japan - Essay Example The emperor had no political implications to the society but was portrayed a symbolism of the culture of Japan and some form of the historical continuity. The new leaders of the Meiji took the emperor to the national prominence and replaced the Buddhism as the religion of the nation (Mori and Rimer 20). The imperial line was associated with the Shinto at the time when the country had the oldest house that was ruling and the legendary symbol of powerful national unity. People were executing duties of the emperor without questioning anything as a way of respect, honor and to show the unity they had. The emperor never ruled, but a small group of advisers were the one responsible for deliberating on various issues that affected the people of Japan. The consultants were supposed to devise reforms and rule at the capacity of the emperor. In the same period, there was the abolition of the feudalism that marked some tremendous change to the social perspective. People were at liberty to choose any occupation of their choice and move everywhere without restrictions. The introduced a number of changes to the social systems (Mori and Rimer 28). These changes included the constitution and the national educational framework. These changes were done to enable the national growth and earn respect from the Western world. The country tried to amass support from the other neighbors, and the educational system brought a lot of popularity and it spread to a number of places. The government used the education system to educate its citizens on the need to acquire some basic knowledge and the necessary skills. By the end of the tutelage of Meiji period, many Japanese people had attended the compulsory and free public schools for not less than six years. The government monitored the schools carefully and made sure that the students got skills not only to the fields of mathematics or reading but also

Staff development issues at Natural Knibbles Essay

Staff development issues at Natural Knibbles - Essay Example Natural Knibbles orientation program, which was designed to retain their interest and maintain their job satisfaction revolved around on-job training. This provided the new employees with hands-on experience of the different types of jobs they were supposed to do. The orientation program also paired the new employees with old ones which was called the buddy system. This helped them develop relationships with staff members and also aided them in understanding the cordial work environment at Natural Knibbles. Besides that on-job training is the most cost effective and one of the cheapest forms of training which can be deployed to staff members, thus it was congruent with natural Knibbles cost control goals. The orientation program also rotated the new employees into different positions which also was very likely of the company. Not only did it gave the employees insight into different processes at Natural Knibbles but as it is a small company and employees are employees often cover up for other employees, it gave them a flavor of both multi-tasking and work variation which is common at the company and essential for its growth.

Expatriation

Expatriation Introduction: Expatriation is a very significant characteristic of International Human Resource Management (IHRM), which is a result of the developments made in global business environment. For instance, such as Asia Pacific Region came up as world economic centre becoming the rivals of existing centres of Europe and North America. Moreover, the extended role World Trade Organization in dispute settlement and facilitating international trade flows and emergence of international economic forums such as North American Free Trade Association, European Union, Asia Pacific Economic Conference, European Union and expansion of the membership and status of A.S.E.A.N., have significantly changed the platform on which the international business used to operate. It was concurred through the basis earlier studies, that expatriates were home country employees. And these expatriates were assigned to the foreign or overseas location of the organization for relatively long periods of time. If we try to understand the trends in context to industrialization, it can be figured out that during initial stages of internationalisation, major industry restructuring was driven by advancements in communication and information technologies, whereas, the new global context is witnessing alteration in the structure of international operations with the availability of labour markets and staff requirements. Remuneration policies form a very integral part in the implementation of business strategies and change initiatives for an organization. For the employees its a substance of motivation and mobilization to achieve the valued corporate goals. Most of the companies today are committed in providing competitive salaries and benefits. Culpepper and Associates carried out the compensation and benefits survey in 2008, which showed that base salaries are growing in Asia Pacific at much faster rate as compared to other regions of the world, followed by Latin America and Europe. Changes in remuneration practices are inevitable worldwide with surge of globalisation and the increasing demand of skilled labour. More companies nowadays are following a trend of reinforcing pay and performance relationship through variable pay plans (Hewitt Associates, 2007). Especially, expatriate workers are appreciated and rewarded for their performance through variable pay plan, a share program and other benefits , not just through base pay. Multi-national companies that maintain effective remuneration policies tend to have sustainable competitive advantage as they effectively lock their key employees into their careers and keep minimal employment cost. Thus, these remuneration practices for expatriates and every other employee will continue evolve and expand as it plays a very important role in these multi-national organizations. As per the International Human Resource Management theory underpinning, the relationship between expatriation and seemingly inequitable salaries on the basis of hardship experienced give rise to many arguments. Remuneration systems for expatriates range from simple systems based on base country net salaries plus various allowances to ones of eye-watering complexity operated by large multinationals for hundreds of nationalities with thousands of permutations. (http://www.exfin.com/) To understand the remuneration policies for expatriates and its effectiveness in the multi-national organization, the researcher has developed a case-study on Satyam InfoTech, an Indian based I.T. company. Satyam has a big infrastructure which has around 100,000 people working under it in India and abroad, with expatriation as a common practice in the organization. Aims Objectives: Research Question: What is expatriate remuneration in a multi-national organization and how effective is this practice to Satyam InfoTech? The key aim of the study was to establish if the expatriate remuneration policies in this sample multi-national company are effective and are aligned with global practices. The main objective of this research is to understand the current trend in remuneration practices for the expatriates in multi-national organization. Also, the objective is to understand its effectiveness in the context to the Human Resource perspective and the Organizations perspective. Hypothesis: H1: Expatriate Remuneration has positive effectiveness in Satyam InfoTech. H2: Expatriate Remuneration has negative effectiveness in Satyam InfoTech. H0: Null hypothesis. Literature Review: International assignments are important investments for MNCs. Besides the direct costs of employee salaries, taxes, housing, shipment of household goods, education assistance for dependants, spouse support, cross-cultural training, goods and services allowances, repatriation logistics and reassignment costs, the administrative costs of running an international assignment program should not be neglected. These include home based HR support (assignment planning, selection and compensation management), assignment location or host based HR support, post assignment placement costs as well as post assignment career tracking costs. Furthermore, adjustments costs of expatriates have to be taken into account. While many of these figures are highly quantifiable, it is even more difficult to assess the return on investment of international assignments. In a study conducted by Cranfield School of Management and PrincewaterhouseCoopers (Dickmann et al. 2006: 18-19) it was reported that the averag e costs per annum for expatriate are amounted to US$311,000. This includes the direct compensation costs and the costs to the organizations of managing their international assignments program. At US$22,378 the latter accounted for 7% of the total assignment costs. While more and more firms are interested in measuring a return on investment in international assignment, to date only 14% are addressing this complex task mainly looking at the definition and respective fulfilment of assignment objectives. Having summarised the expatriate remuneration practice, now some theoretical perspectives related to the various levels have to be looked upon. In this a scene can be set for addressing a question of how expatriate remuneration outcomes may be influenced by a series of independent variables, in dynamic interaction with the environmental context in which international employee mobilization occur. Human Resource Perspective: Two aspects in particular may influence the H.R. perspective on expatriate reward determination. First, the ideas of ‘best practice and related commentary on policies and practices that MNCs should adopt a ‘functional lens focusing the H.R. view point. Secondly, the role and interests of the H.R. function likely to affect H.R. specialists interpretations of alternative approaches to expatriate remuneration determination, a ‘political orientation. Administering the remuneration of expatriates employees has been an important concern for H.R. specialists, accounting for over 50% of their time (Perkins and Hendry 2001). Changes in the nature and duration of international employee mobility, not necessarily of HRs making but which need an H.R. response, condition the context for H.R. strategies to address the attendant compensation policy and practice implications.

How to Paint a Geometric Design :: Expository Process Essays

How to Paint a Geometric Design    Art has been a part of our lives since humans first roamed the earth, but each person's definition varies with personality and environment. Some prefer the realism of Da Vinci, while others enjoy the simplicity of Mondrian. The challenge is to revise these forms and integrate them together to create a beautiful work of art. With a good eye and steady hand, anyone can create a fun and interesting conversation piece for any room of the house, just by following some basic guidelines.    Before the actual process of painting can begin there are several things that must be done. First and foremost is the creation of a design. Each artist, of course, has their own preferences on how best to accomplish this. Some jot it all down on a diner napkin, while others painstakingly draw out their idea in an expensive sketch book. Whatever the materials, the elements of design must be present, and the more of these which are incorporated the better the final product will be. There are many elements of design, such as rhythm and form, but two of the most important are color and balance. Balance simply means that the shapes and lines within the image compliment each other. In other words, the design is fun to look at. Color is important because it determines the mood of the painting. Greyscale is often very dramatic, whereas warm hues can make the heart race and cool colors can ease the mind. Contrasting colors such as purple and yellow can also be fun to use since th ey create a conflict of emotion within the viewer.    Once a design has been decided upon and before the process can begin supplies must be obtained. The nearest M.J. Designs or Michael's will most likely have the necessay items, but Gardenridge can be a good source also. Now is the time to decide upon a canvas size as well as what type of paint will be used. The type and size of the painting are artist's prerogative, of course, but many prefer large, stretched canvases because they're easier and more fun to work with. As far as paint goes, acrylics are best for beginners, and although not exactly reasonable, they aren't as expensive as most.

Pay for performance Essay

Motivation, Performance, and Pay Incentives Financial rewards paid to workers whose production exceeds a predetermined standard. Individual Differences Law of individual differences The fact that people differ in personality, abilities, values, and needs. Different people react to different incentives in different ways. Managers should be aware of employee needs and fine-tune the incentives offered to meets their needs. Money is not the only motivator. Employee Preferences for Noncash Incentives Needs and Motivation Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Five increasingly higher-level needs: physiological (food, water, sex) security (a safe environment) social (relationships with others) self-esteem (a sense of personal worth) self-actualization (becoming the desired self) Lower level needs must be satisfied before higher level needs can be addressed or become of interest to the individual. Herzberg’s Hygiene–Motivator theory Hygienes (extrinsic job factors) Inadequate working conditions, salary, and incentive pay can cause dissatisfaction and prevent satisfaction. Motivators (intrinsic job factors) Job enrichment (challenging job, feedback and recognition) addresses higher-level (achievement, self-actualization) needs. The best way to motivate someone is to organize the job so that doing it helps satisfy the person’s higher-level needs. Edward Deci Intrinsically motivated behaviors are motivated by the underlying need for competence and self-determination. Offering an extrinsic reward for an intrinsically-motivated act can conflict with the acting individual’s internal sense of responsibility. Some behaviors are best motivated by job challenge and recognition, others by financial rewards. Instrumentality and Rewards Vroom’s Expectancy Theory A person’s motivation to exert some level of effort is a function of three things: Expectancy: that effort will lead to performance. Have to have the skills to do the job Instrumentality: the connection between performance and the appropriate reward. Goal must be attainable Valence: the value the person places on the reward. Motivation = E x I x V If any factor (E, I, or V) is zero, then there is no motivation to work toward the reward. Employee confidence building and training, accurate appraisals, and knowledge of workers’ desired rewards can increase employee motivation. Types of Incentive Plans Pay-for-performance plans Variable pay (organizational focus) A team or group incentive plan that ties pay to some measure of the firm’s overall profitability. Variable pay (individual focus) Any plan that ties pay to individual productivity or profitability, usually as one-time lump payments. Pay-for-performance plans Individual incentive/recognition programs Sales compensation programs Team/group-based variable pay programs Organizationwide incentive programs Executive incentive compensation programs Individual Incentive Plans Piecework Plans The worker is paid a sum (called a piece rate) for each unit he or she produces. Straight piecework: A fixed sum is paid for each unit the worker produces under an established piece rate standard. An incentive may be paid for exceeding the piece rate standard. Standard hour plan: The worker gets a premium equal to the percent by which his or her work performance exceeds the established standard. Pro and cons of piecework Easily understandable, equitable, and powerful incentives. Employee resistance to changes in standards or work processes affecting output Quality problems caused by an overriding output focus. Employee dissatisfaction when incentives either cannot be earned due to external factors or are withdrawn due to a lack of need for output Merit pay A permanent cumulative salary increase the firm awards to an individual employee based on his or her individual performance. Merit pay options Annual lump-sum merit raises that do not make the raise part of an employee’s base salary. Merit awards tied to both individual and organizational performance. Incentives for professional employees Professional employees are those whose work involves the application of learned knowledge to the solution of the employer’s problems. Lawyers, doctors, economists, and engineers. Decisions can be challenging These individuals are already well paid and are driven to succeed Possible incentives Bonuses, stock options and grants, profit sharing Better vacations, more flexible work hours Improved pension plans Equipment for home offices Recognition-based awards Recognition has a positive impact on performance, either alone or in conjunction with financial rewards. Combining financial rewards with nonfinancial ones produced performance improvement in service firms almost twice the effect of using each reward alone. Day-to-day recognition from supervisors, peers, and team members is important. Online award programs Programs offered by online incentives firms that improve and expedite the awards process. Broader range of awards More immediate rewards Information technology and incentives Enterprise incentive management (EIM) Software that automates the planning, calculation, modeling and management of incentive compensation plans, enabling companies to align their employees with corporate strategy and goals. Incentives for Salespeople Salary plan Straight salaries Best for: prospecting (finding new clients), account servicing, training customer’s salesforce, or participating in national and local trade shows. Commission plan Pay is only a percentage of sales Specialized Combination Plans Commission-plus-drawing-account plan Commissions are paid but a draw on future earnings helps the salesperson to get through low sales periods. Commission-plus-bonus plan Pay is mostly based on commissions. Small bonuses are paid for directed activities like selling slow-moving items. Organizationwide Variable Pay Plans Profit-sharing plans Cash plans Employees receive cash shares of the firm’s profits at regular intervals. The Lincoln incentive system Profits are distributed to employees based on their individual merit rating. Deferred profit-sharing plans A predetermined portion of company profits is placed in each employee’s account under a trustee’s supervision. Organizationwide Variable Pay Plans (cont’d) Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) A corporation annually contributes its own stock—or cash (with a limit of 15%) to be used to purchase the stock—to a trust established for the employees. The trust holds the stock in individual employee accounts and distributes it to employees upon separation from the firm if the employee has worked long enough to earn ownership of the stock. Advantages of ESOPs Employees ESOPs help employees develop a sense of ownership in and commitment to the firm, and help to build teamwork. No taxes on ESOPs are due until employees receive a distribution from the trust, usually at retirement when their tax rate is lower. At-Risk Variable Pay Plans At-risk variable pay plans that put some portion of the employee’s weekly pay at risk. If employees meet or exceed their goals, they earn incentives. If they fail to meet their goals, they forgo some of the pay they would normally have earned. Short-Term Incentives for Managers And Executives Annual bonus Plans that are designed to motivate short-term performance of managers and are tied to company profitability. Eligibility basis: job level, base salary, and impact on profitability Fund size basis : nondeductible formula (net income) or deductible formula (profitability) Individual awards: personal performance/contribution Long-Term Incentives for Managers And Executives Stock option The right to purchase a specific number of shares of company stock at a specific price during a specific period of time. Other Executive Incentives Golden handshake Payments companies make to departing executives in connection with a change in ownership or control of a company. Guaranteed loans to directors Loans provided to buy company stock. A highly risky and now frowned upon practice. Creating an Executive Compensation Plan Define the strategic context for the executive compensation program. Shape each component of the package to focus the manager on achieve the firm’s strategic goals. Create a stock option plan to meet the needs of the executives and the company and its strategy. Check the executive compensation plan for compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements and for tax effectiveness. Install a process for reviewing and evaluating the executive compensation plan whenever a major business change occurs. Why Incentive Plans Fail You get what you pay for. â€Å"Pay is not a motivator.† Rewards rupture relationships. Rewards undermine intrinsic motivation. Implementing Effective Incentive Plans Ask: Is effort clearly instrumental in obtaining the reward? Link the incentive with your strategy. Make sure effort and rewards are directly related. Make the plan easy for employees to understand. Set effective standards. View the standard as a contract with your employees. Get employees’ support for the plan. Use good measurement systems. Emphasize long-term as well as short-term success.

African Rock Python Essay

The African rock python. It is Domain: Eukarya. Domain is the highest taxonomic rank of organisms, higher than a kingdom. The African rock python falls under Eukarya because it is a multicellular organism composed of eukaryotic cells. It is Kingdom: Anamalia. Kingdom is the second highest rank. It falls under Anamalia for obvious reasons. It is Phylum: Chordata. Phylum is the primary division of the plant or animal kingdom. It is Class: Reptilia. Class is a group of related plants or animals, in the general classification of plants and animals. The African rock python falls under Reptilia because it has a characteristic of being cold-blooded. It is Order: Squamata. Order is a taxonomic rank used in classifying organisms, generally below the class, and comprised of families sharing a set of similar nature or characteristics. The African rock python shed their skin periodically and have very flexible jaws, which are characteristics of Squamata. It is Family: Pythonidae. Organisms belonging to the same family would have evolved from the same ancestors and share relatively common characteristics. The Pythonidae family is a family of non-venomous snakes who are powerful constrictors that wrap around their prey to kill it. This family includes the African rock python. It’s Genus: Python. In binomial nomenclature, the genus is used as the first word of a scientific name. It’s Species: Python sebae. Species is the second part of the name is the binomial nomenclature. The name Python Sebae was derived from the Greek mythology, which refers to a huge serpent. The largest snake in Africa and the third largest snake in the world, the African rock python, have long bulky bodies. Snakes are considered vertebrates because they have a backbone, a closed circulatory system, where the heart and blood vessels are continuously contracting. The blood never leaves the blood vessels. The outer layer of the epidermis is thick and lacks glands. It is characterized by keratin scales. Ranging anywhere from an average size of 18 to 20 feet long, but can grow up to 28 feet long! The females are larger than the males and can weigh almost 300lbs. However the size may vary according to their natural habitat. It is amazing to note that in areas where there is a higher population, the size of the African rock python has been smaller in size, as compared to areas where human habitat is less; the African Rock Python snake is much bigger in ize. African Rock Pythons are often tan with brown spots that have black outlines. This helps them camouflage in the environment, and gives them an advantage to hunt their prey or hide from potential predators. This is considered cryptic camouflage. A V-shape noticeably marks the face. This python is non-venomous, and has teeth curved inward to help pull in prey when eating. Like all pythons, the scales of the African rock python are small and smooth, and those nearby the lips control heat-sensitive pits, which are used to distinguish warm-blooded prey, even in the dark. Pythons also possess two functioning lungs, unlike more â€Å"advanced† snakes which have only one, and also have small, visible pelvic spurs, believed to be the remnants of hind limbs. It is said that snakes are evolved from lizards that burrowed in tunnels or in water, and the use of hind legs made it harder for them to burrow. Over time there legs started to grow shorter and eventually becoming useless, leaving behind what is now known as there spurs, located right before the anus. The rate of this evolution occurred at a slow constant pace over millions of years. This evidence of evolution would be considered phylogeny, the evolutionary relationship among species. African rock pythons reside in sub-Saharan Africa, but prefer evergreen forests or moist, open savannahs. You will always most likely find an African rock python associated with water and often are found near rivers and lakes. The African rock python has recently been found on the loose in Florida. Not many know how the massive snake happened to come about in Florida. Many believe they were released purposely, because the owner or breeder was ill-equipped for the intensity of this particular snake. A frightening factor has arisen since the African rock python has inhabited the south Florida territory. The Burmese python has already established foothold in the Everglades. The fear of a new â€Å"Super Snake† breed arising if the Burmese and African rock python were to mate, strikes fear that a hybrid python may be on the rise in the Everglades. Knowing that the African rock is bigger and more aggressive than the Burmese python which is about 17 feet long, the â€Å"super snake† would surpass that length. It would not only hamper the ecosystem but would also be dangerous for families with small children. The python hunts by smelling food with its tongue, flicking it up and down. Although the African rock python are already powerful on land, this brainy serpent employs an even more impressive tactic underwater. Ever adaptable, the pythons that reside near water thrive on fish. Much older snakes can use the water to its advantage and hunt greater prey. They can remain under water and every 30 minutes come up to take a discrete breath. It uses heat-sensing organs, called photoreceptors to detect warm-blooded prey. Because the African rock python is non-venomous it squeezes its food. Every time the prey exhales, the python constricts a little more, so that inhalation becomes increasingly difficult. Death is caused mostly by cardiac arrest rather than myths or urban legends articulating that their prey was crushed to death. African rock pythons, as well as every python, are carnivores. Their diet consists of large rodents, monkeys, antelopes, crocodiles, dogs, goats, and poultry . They have strong acids inside their stomach which helps them to digest their food. It is rare of the African rock python hunting for humans. After eating a large animal, the python needs no food for a long time, and may rest for weeks. In this engorged state, it is most vulnerable to attack by predators. In most cases if the snake feels threatened it will regurgitate the food and escape to shelter. African Rock Python becomes sexually active as early as 3-5 years old and reproduce during the spring. The female snake lets out a pheromone which attracts the male snake to mate. During the breeding season both the sexes fast and the female continues the fast till the eggs are hatched. African rock pythons fall under the subclass: protheria. They are oviparous, meaning they reproduce by laying eggs, which hatch outside the mother’s body. Surprisingly the python shows distinct mother instincts by coiling around the eggs, protecting them from predators, and incubating the eggs to help with development until they hatch, which is about 90 days. Which makes this species rather interesting as parenting is quite a foreign concept to reptiles. Hatchlings are between 18–24 inches in length, and have temper when born. Some are known to strike when hatching. They are nearly identical to adults, except with more distinguishing colors. African Rock Python can live up to 12 years in wild however they can live up to 30 years in captivity. It is said that the African rock python is does not run the risk of extinction, but is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). There is a high demand for the python’s skin and meat in the market, mostly to make leather, belts and purses. Exporting of these exotic animals is known to be illegal. Some of the African rock python’s habitats are also known to be under threat due to destruction for the oil industry. In some cases the African rock python might be a prey to hyenas or the African wild dogs during their digestion period, but aside from humans, adult African rock pythons have very few natural predators due to their large size. For the reason that these species can reach significant sizes, their constricting power must be respected. Most cases found of African rock pythons swallowing a crocodile whole, later to be found that the crocodile was not digested and penetrated the skin of the python. Although this species can easily kill an adult, there are only a few cases in which the victim, in most cases a child, was actually consumed. Rare cases have been reported of an African rock python consuming a 10 year old boy, or attempting to eat a child. In another case a 13 year old was swallowed, but the python was forced to regurgitate the body. The African rock python began being known as â€Å"Man-eating snake†. This factor of their strength, as well as size, separates this python from most other snakes. Maybe even all reptiles for that matter. African rock pythons have been known to go after monitor lizards, which are known to very aggressive and strong. This is one reason why African rock pythons should not be considered a first pet for someone who wants to own a snake. People who are ill-equipped owners or breeders do not know what to expect and end up getting ahead of themselves, and can no longer handle a beast that they just irresponsibly release them, no knowing what their actions have lead to. The African rock python has many fascinating features, from the way they hunt, the way they eat, live, breed, how big of an importance they to the environment not only around animals but humans as well. It’s amazing at how big they can get and to know exactly how powerful they can be. The types of animals they can bring down are twice their size. Their lifestyle captures my attention. Besides the fact, that I am attracted to exotic pets, I own a Royal python, commonly known as a Ball python. Similar to the African rock python, the ball python is considered more docile and smaller in length and hopefully size in the future, but it is still a dangerous animal and should not be handled lightly. This research paper has added to my knowledge of the African rock python as well as other common snakes. I have learned that what may seem to be a harmless hatchling at birth, can grow into an overgrown, powerful killing machine. This is also known as fatal attraction. I know that if I wanted to know release my ball python into the wild I would know how to do it properly. The choice of owning a python, or any snake for that matter , is a choice that needs to be taken seriously, these animals require attention, a stable and healthy living environment, and patience. You never know what to expect from them or when to expect something from them.