Saturday, January 25, 2020
Company Profile of Sainsbury
Company Profile of Sainsbury SAINSBURY is one of the leading food retailers in UK. It is a public limited company and is registered with LSE and FTSE 100. The company is the oldest food chain retailers in UK being established in 1869 by J.J Sainsbury. At present the company owns around 800 stores including supermarkets and convenience stores. The company is the third largest food-retailer in UK and has a share of around 16.3 percent of the total market. The company after leading the UK food retail market for decades faced a downfall during the 1990s. At present, the company is trying to retrieve its position in the UK market and expand its global market share. In this report, an attempt has been made to analyse the different business strategies used by the company at different times and to compare its strategies to that of its competitors in order to assess the effectiveness. The first section of this report deals with the company profile of Sainsburys and a recap of its early establishment. This will help in understanding the activities of the business and the business strategies adapted by it. The second section analyses the different strategies adapted by the company. The third section deals with the competitors of Sainsburys i.e. Tesco and Asda and a short analysis of the strategies adapted by them. And finally, the report has been concluded in line with the different activities carried on by Sainsburys and the strategies that should be followed by it in order to be more competitive. REPORT ON BUSINESS ANALYISIS In this report, an analysis of the business strategy of an organisation is required to be carried out. Business strategy refers to the various activities carried out by an organisation at different stages of its growth and expansion plan. (Tayeb, M. 2000) All the stages of a business growth commencing from the start up involves some type of business strategies. A business strategy can be defined as a long term plan designed to attain a specific organisational goal. The strategy acts as a guide for the business to reach its target. A successful business strategy will design and plan all the activities to be or required to be carried out in order to reach the organisational goal successfully. (Source: Rapid Business Intelligence Success; http://www.rapid-business-intelligence-success.com/definition-of-business-strategy.html, Accessed on 23.05.2010; 16:15hrs). Therefore, from the above discussion on business strategy it can be concluded that a business strategy plans the growth of a business and describes the pathway for attaining it. Business strategy involves analysis of various factors involved with the organisation (i.e. external and internal organisational environment, market size, organisational structure, economy of the market, local and regional economy, target customer, income of the local people, customer preference, socio-cultural issues etc.). All these factors help in forming a business strategy suitable for an organisational. A business organisation aiming at growth, expansion and value creation is an outcome of the vision of an entrepreneur. Once the entrepreneur locates the opportunity in a society, he/she tries to implement some innovative ideas in order to exploit that opportunity and gain profit. The process relating to the implementation of the innovative idea and bringing the opportunity into reality is termed as business. (Kuratko, 2009) A business plan is required in order to bring the business into reality. Similarly, a business strategy is required for attaining the business goal. The strategy gets involved from the beginning of a business i.e. early start-up. But the strategy involved in the different stages of organisational growth will be distinct from the other. The following diagram will help us in further understanding the different business strategies involved in different stages of organisational growth. (Adapted from: HIT; Business, organisation and information architecture; http://www.hit.nl/Product_BusinessStrategy.asp) In this report, I am going to analyse the various business strategies of Sainsburys and have made an attempt to compare those strategies with that of Tesco and Asda, the two famous competitors of Sainsburys. I have chosen Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda for this report. An attempt has been made to analyse and compare the different strategies adapted by these companies. All the organisations dealt with in this report are multinationals based in UK and are continuously growing. Moreover, Sainsbury has been selected because of its diversified ownership structure, different strategies adapted by it in the recent days which have helped it to gain its market share and increase its profitability besides being a sluggish growth in the economy and the main reason being its history. COMPANY PROFILE: SAINSBURYS is a public limited company registered in the London Stock Exchange and FTSE 100. It is one of the leading UK food retailers and had been part of the financial and property sector. The retail food chain is the main business accounting for the major turnover of the company. Sainsburys group employs more than 145,000 people and therefore, is one of the major players of the economy. Sainsburys its known for its quality and service besides its price. Sainsburys success can be traced back in 1869 when the company was founded by J. J Sainsbury. It started with the aim of providing its customers the ââ¬Ëbest butter in the world at an affordable price. Sainsburys started with the fresh foods and later enter the market for packaged food products. It mainly focused on the dairy products, however, it was the first retail food chain to improvise, petrol stations, fresh food and poultry counter in their retail stores. Since inception, Sainsburys tried to aim at providing best quality at low prices. At present Sainsburys retail food chain consists of more than 800 stores including supermarkets and convenience stores. It started its journey from London and is now spread all over UK with stores in Scotland, Ireland, Belfast and North east United States. Sainsburys used to be the largest grocery chain in UK till 1995 whereby, Tesco overtook the first position and Asda became the second largest chain in 2003. The company started its activities in 1869 as a business owned and operated by the Sainsbury family. It carried on its culture till 12 July, 1973, when the organisation became public. However, the major shareholding of 85% was with the family and therefore, after becoming public also, the organisation carried on its legacy and the traits of a family business. But, the company started facing some managerial issues with the new management in 1993 and since then, the family has divested their ownership. At present, Qatar Holding LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qatar Investment Authority is the major stakeholder owning around 26 percent of the companys share. (Sainsburys Corporate Website; http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=229, Accessed on: 25.05.10, 10:15hrs) Sainsburys was among the first few organisations, which hired women employees during the World War, since most of their male employees had to b there in the war front. They develop a separate and exclusive training programme for their women employees who will help them work effectively in this new environment. Though, Sainsburys has lost their position of being the market leaders but still it is one of the biggest names in UK food retail chain and moreover, in the recent years it has achieved a remarkable growth. ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES The business strategies as discussed before, is an inseparable part of a business and is linked with all the activities of a business organisation. The companies adapt several strategies for the start-ups, entering a new market, growth strategy, marketing strategy. COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES Sainsburys started its journey as a grocery chain aiming at producing quality goods at affordable price. The organisations aim of producing ââ¬Å"quality goods at affordable pricesâ⬠can be treated as its market entry strategy. On further analysis of this strategy, it has been noted that its market entry strategy possess the qualities of a low-pricing strategy. Low-pricing strategy is an integral part of the business-level strategy. It helps the organisation enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. Low-pricing strategy aims at producing quality goods but at lower prices than offered by its competitors. It is mainly followed in a competitive commodity market where the products are more or less similar. The low-pricing strategy leads to lower profit margin and therefore, it is not adapted by all the organisations. The business has to be confident about the product and service offered by it. Moreover, has to develop a cost structure which will help the business sustain in this low price strategy. Low prices and lower product quality is something normal, and thus can easily be followed by the competitors. However, producing similar quality goods at a lower price is a challenge as it requires a developed cost structure. Moreover, the cost structure has to be developed in such a way that the competitors cannot easily follow it. Therefore, the key challenge lies in structuring the cost in a manner that will help the organisation to enjoy a sustainable advantage following the low pricing strategy. In regard to this scenario, Sainsburys has developed a unique cost structure by developing close relationships with its suppliers and by irradiating the agents in between. Both these policies helped the organisation enjoy a cost advantage over their competitors. Moreover, the companys manufacturing and packaging cost are developed in a way to keep the product cost lower than its competitors. The company being the market leader also enjoyed the volume of the quantity produced and thus, enjoy the economies of scale. (Johnson, G., 2002) Low-pricing strategy adapted by Sainsburys helped the organisation to become the market leader whereas, its in-house product variants helped it to develop a wide market and attract customers from all the strata of society. The product variants are the result of the product differentiation policy adapted by the company. Sainsburys has a varied chain of in-house products. Moreover, it has also differentiated its in-house products and brands in such a way that it can reach all the segments of the market, this strategy helps Sainsburys to capture a large share of the household market. Sainsburys differentiation strategy helped it to come up with different lines of similar products. The differentiation was done on the basis of the cost and the product quality. The product differentiation was done in several stages. The company came up with a basic product line followed by superior quality products. The basic line of product is cost effective but maintains the quality. With the higher line of product the company brought in higher variants of similar by adding value to it. The higher variants not only has added value in respect of the quality of the product, but also the product packaging and marketing. For the basics, Sainsburys has adapted minimalistic packaging cost and marketing structure. The differentiation strategy is really important for an organisation aiming at growing its market share. The differentiation strategy helps the organisation to provide products and services different from those offered by its competitors in terms of quality, uniqueness and value addition. The differentiation strategy helps the organisation to increases its market share and thus enabling it to enjoy a cost advantage. Therefore, cost function can be termed as a function of product differentiation. (Johnson, G. et. al, 2002) Sainsburys product differentiation has enabled it to gain a major market share of the lower and the middle income group. It has introduced product differentiation in all the product lines offered by it, may it be, dairy products, meat and poultry products, fresh and packaged vegetables and fruits, spices, household products etc. For e.g. The oatmeals and cornflakes comes in several variants. The range of basic oatmeals and cornflakes range between 48 pence and 64 pence whereas the higher end product variants of the similar line range between 150 190 pence. The above example, helps us to understand not only the product variants and product differentiation but also that the company follows a focused differentiation strategy. In order, to aim the higher strata of the society, the company came up with products with better packaging, added quality and thus adding on to the value of the products. Moreover, the higher variants not only come up with added quality but also innovative products which them to differentiate from the similar kind of products offered by its competitors. For e.g. Sainsburys raisin-filled oatmeals, raspberry-filled oatmeals differentiate its products from the other competitors The company with its own differentiated line of products comes up with several other products offered by leading retailers and therefore, gives its customers a varied choice of products. The varied products attract customer base and thus enabling it to increase the market share. In addition, the company has incorporated several innovative ideas in its supermarket model like petrol stations, fresh bakery items, fresh meat, cooked meat and fish selling counters which makes them different from its competitors. This idea has not only differentiated them from their competitors but as helped them to act according to their value of providing healthy and quality foods. The different competitive and strategies in order to be competitive and gain the market share has enabled it form a hybrid strategy comprising of the main elements of low pricing, differentiation and focussed differentiation strategy. All these strategies merged together helped the business grow at a faster pace. LOCATIONAL STRUCTURAL STRATEGIES Since early period, Sainsburys built in the concept of departmentalisation in its stores. Its early food stores were divided into 6 departments, dairy products, ham and bacon, poultry and game, fresh meats, cooked meat and groceries. It was an unique concept at the 1900s which shows its innovative thinking from its inception. The use of mosaic floors, marbled topped counters, uniformed staffs, white tiles background not only enabled to have a comprehensive and similar looks through the stores but also shows their innovativeness and capability of thinking ahead than others.(The Sainsbury Archive; Accessed on 25.05.2010; The Design Journal 1966. Further, a companys store location plays an important role in its business. In the case of Sainsburys, it has always chosen a central position in the parade for a larger display and better connectivity to overcome the constraints relating to limited vehicles for home delivery. It was the first retail store chain to bring in home delivery service in UK. All these strategies helped the business to grow and become a pioneer in its field. The organisation also pioneered in the self service supermarket in UK between 1950s and 1960s. All these add up to the locational and structural strategies adapted by the company since its inception to be a market leader. ORGNISATIONAL STRUCTURAL STRATEGY The organisational upbringing of Sainsburys has been pretty different from that of its competitor e.g. Tesco. Unlike, Tesco, Sainsburys relied on the family mode of business. The company went public in 1973; however, the major shareholding has always been within the family till 1990s when the major shareholdings by the family were divested following a strategic downfall. Unlike Tesco, which was mostly depended on the market wealth and capital generated from the equity market for its expansion and growth, Sainsbury mainly focussed at the inner source of capital and reserves for its expansion. Following the diversification of the shareholdings in 1995, the major share holding is with QIA, a foreign investment company. The companys early strategy of not involving market equity capital has helped the organisation to maintain cohesiveness in the organisational activities and has enabled the initial growth and expansion. Employee employer relationshiphas always been an advantage for the company. The company has always given preference to the organisational and personal requirements of its employees. The employee policy designed by the organisation has helped it in its success. It is rated as one of the leading recruiters of UK at present. It has a very large yet strong organisational base which has evolved with time. The organisational structure of the company has always been subjected to a change. The hierarchal set-up during the early stages evolved into a much flatter organisational set up with time and changing society. This proves the adaptive strategy followed by the company. Supplier retailer policyadapted by Sainsburys since its inception, has helped the organisation to enjoy a lower cost and better quality. The supplier management strategy is very essential for a growing transnational organisation like Sainsbury. The company has always aimed at maintaining a good relationship with supplier, thus enabling them to be a market leader. However, the companys downfall during the early 1990s has been an effect of a major relationship difference between the reailer and supplier. Building up a supplier-retailer relationship and maintaining it is the role of a successful organisation. STORE FORMATS The company adapted the hyper-market policy during the early 1970s following its competitors. The company operated this format of stores through bigger outlets (over 45000 sq.ft ) and varied range of products under the brand Sainsbury Savacentre. But, later it got incorporated into the main channel being a part of the integrated sales and back office operations unlike, Tesco. The product distribution followed the policy of equal distribution between groceries and non-food items as followed by Tesco. The supermarket (average of 34000 sq.ft) the hypermarket store format only differ in the size and the quantity of product variants offered by the two types of stores. The company also followed the concept of convenience stores followed by the other food retailers like Tesco, The Cooperative store, etc. This store format is also be termed as local store and is meant for a local market, much smaller in size (between 2000-6000 sq.ft) with limited variants offering top-ups and go and grab deals. Asda, did not follow the concept of convenience stores. The store formats helped us analysing the customer serving strategy and the customer base of the organisation. FRANCHISING Unlike its competitors, Sainsburys does not involve franchising. Tesco recently has planned to go for a franchising in order to enter further into this multi-billion dollar market of retail groceries. Its considering the franchising scope followed the step taken by its French competitor Carrefour. Franchising will help Sainsbury to reach a broader customer base and reach further corners which is no possible through direct acquisitions and mergers. Further, acquisitions involve managerial constraints which can be easily avoided in case of franchising. MERGER ACQUISITION In line to the discussion Mergers and acquisitions it can be rightly pointed out that the company is rightly catching up the growing model of business UK and worldwide. Its acquisitions of Bell supermarkets which operate in north east England and a merger with Shell stations will help it to grow the number of convenience stores and petrol stations in UK. (Food Drink Europe.com http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/Retail/Sainsbury-s-image-takes-another-knock). The company went for a merger with Shaws Supermarket Inc. a leading super-market chain in U.S and later acquires the company accompanied by its acquisition of Star Markets. These acquisitions have helped Sainsburys to control competition in the foreign market. However, a detailed analysis has pointed out that the business acquisition decisions and deals have not been of much success and therefore, affecting its worldwide turnover. OTHER MODES OF OPERATION Sainsbury has started providing financial services through Sainsbury Bank which is joint venture between Sainsbury and Lloyds Banks. Its property management team is helping its property management business to reach new heights. The company has started diversifying its portfolio and its activities bt it will take time in attaining the aimed success. COMPETITORS Sainsbury is the UKs third largest food retail chain trailing behind Tesco and Asda. TESCO, the leading retail food chain has started its operation since 1919 as a surplus grocery store in East End of England under Jack Cohen. The first TESCO store came into existence in 929 after being a limited company in 1924. Tescos growth was mainly through acquisitions along with organic growth. During early 1970s TESCO group owns around 700 stores nationwide. Tesco was the pioneer in offering the customers several facilities like customer rewards and club points which were previously unheard of. It introduced in internet shopping for the customers that help in growing the business and building up its brand image among its customers. During 1980s and 1990s it went through couple of successful takeovers including that of William low, a Dundee based firm competing with Sainsbury. In 1997, Tesco also went into a business alliance with esso in order to get a lease of its several petrol filling stations. In July 2001 Tesco became involved in Internet grocery retailing in the USA when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks.In 2002 Tesco purchased 13 HIT hypermarkets in Poland. It also made a major move into the UK convenience store market with its purchase of T S Stores, the owner of 870 convenience stores in theOne Stop, Dillons and Day Nite chains. At present, Tesco is leading the UK retail food chain though its 27 hypermarkets all over UK. Tesco and Sainsbury growth structure mainly differs. Tesco has mainly focused on the growth through takeovers, acquisitions and mergers on the other hand; Sainsburys growth was mainly based on organic growth. Growth through takeovers, acquisitions and mergers has helped Tesco to gain better and more market knowledge, technological knowledge and management knowledge. Whereas, organic growth for Sainsburys has taken through a longer period of time and through the evolution of the own management and acquired knowledge. On analysing, the growth factors, it can be pointed out that the growth strategy adapted by Sainsbury has been a major reason for its slower growth rate. ASDA STORES LIMITED was founded asAssociated Dairies Farm Stores Limitedin 1949 in Leeds. However, the present name of Asda came into existence following a merger with Asquith chain of three supermarkets and Associated Dairies in 1965. The company however, parted with its dairy department on a management buyout. The company followed the growth policy similar to that of Tesco in order to grow and provide different kinds of products. The newly focused food retail group in order to expand its activities beyond the north England, went for buyout in the south where it took over the large format stores ofGateway Superstoresin 1989. On 26 July, 1999 Asda was purchased by the US retail-giant Wal-Mart. Since then the company, has operated as a subsidiary of the Wal-Mart group. However, Asdas management has gone though a restructuring when it was sold to a Leeds based investment subsidiary of Wal-Mart, Corinth Services Limited in 2009. Asdas marketing campaigns has always been in limelight. The major strategic similarity between Asda and Sainsbury is that, both the organisations aim at low pricing. Therefore, the low pricing strategy that helped Sainsbury, to attract more customers and a major share in the market needs to be revised. Moreover, being an US subsidiary, it also followed several managerial set-ups those were previously unknown. A global growth of the Wal-Mart group, helped Asda gain its position as the second largest food-retailer in UK. Both Tesco and Asda have structural, organisational and managerial differences with Sainsburys but on comparing the whole set-up, it can be concluded that Tesco and Sainsburys have some structural similarity. On the lines of structural strategy, it can be concluded that Tesco follows a more diversified activities by using several variants like, Express, Metro, superstore, Extra and Homeplus which helps them to reach larger number of customers with different kinds of variants.à CONCLUSION While concluding this report, it can be said Sainburys has several strategical differences with its leading market leaders Tesco and Asda, however, it has started working on its set back and is currently responding to the organisational and social needs in a better way. Instead of a sluggish growth of the economy post 2008 it has recorded an increase in the total turnover thus, showing its organisational and managerial strength. On analysing the retail food market and the activities of the major market leaders, it can be predicted that Sainsburys will enjoy a fast and steady growth following the path of organisational mergers, takeovers and most recently franchising. All these will help Sainsbury to grow at a faster pace. All the discussions, that have been done in this report are not absolute and are subject to limitations regarding the information, word limit and time.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Grade 12 Bio – Enzyme Lab
Enzyme Lab Purpose: To compare the action of the enzyme catalase, to a non-protein catalyst under different conditions. Observations: | |Observations |Rate of Reaction |Interpretations | |A |Sand |- Sand piled up at the bottom of |0 |- There is no reaction between sand and| | | |the test tube and no bubbles | |hydrogen peroxide, because sand does | | | |arose | |not contain any catalysts or enzymes to| | | | | |break down hydrogen peroxide | | |MnO2 |- Reaction occurred right away, |5 |- MnO2 acts like a catalyst which | | | |bubbles rose almost to the top of| |breaks down H2O2 into water and oxygen | | | |the tube | |gas with a lower activation energy | |B |Liver |- Reaction occurred right away, |4 |- Liver contains large amounts of the | | | |and big, white bubbles rose the | |enzyme catalase, which break down H2O2. | | | |top of the test tube | |This made the reaction occur quickly | | | | | |and form bubbles. | | |Potato |- Very little bubbles appeared |2 |- The reaction was very moderate and | | | |from the reaction, and did not | |did ot occur quickly because potato | | | |rise very high in the tube or | |does not have a lot of the enzyme | | | |occur quickly | |catalase | |C |Used liver + Fresh liver |- Some bubbles formed and the |3 |- The reaction should have had a higher| | | |reaction was moderate | |rate of reaction, because the enzymes | | | | | |in the used liver are still active and | | | | | |can be used in the reaction again. The | | | | | |fresh liver can also perform this | | | | | |reaction with its catalase enzyme. Due | | | | | |to an error or impurity of equipment, | | | | | |the reaction was not as strong. | |Used liver + H2O2 |- Reaction occurred quickly and a|4 |- The enzyme in the liver is still | | | |lot of big bubbles formed and | |active and can be used over again, | | | |rose to the top of the test tube | |because enzymes never get used up | |D |Crushed Liver |-Reaction happened immediately, |5 |- Liver contains a large amount of | | | |and a lot of bubbling occurred | |catalase enzyme, which breaks down H2O2| | | |for a while with large, white | |very quickly. Since the liver is | | | |bubbles, and rose to the top of | |crushed, this reaction occurred even | | | |the test tube | |faster because there is a larger | | | | | |surface area of the liver for the H2O2 | | | | | |to react with. | |Crushed Potato |- Very few bubbles that were |3 |- Since the potato is crushed, there is| | | |small formed and they did not | |more surface area for the H2O2 to react| | | |rise very high in the test tube | |with, but potato does not contain any | | | | | |enzymes to break down H2O2, so this | | | | | |reaction was moderate and did not occur| | | | | |quickly. |E |Boiled Liver | ââ¬â No bubbles rose to the top of |1 |- No reaction and bubbles formed, | | | |the test tube, and a light, white| |because the boiling of the liver caused| | | |cover formed on top of the liver | |denaturing of the proteins, and | | | |with very little, small bubbles | |denatured catalase proteins can not | | | | | |function | | |Liver at 37( C |- Reaction occurred quickly and |5 |- This reaction occurred and formed | | | |large, white bubbles formed and | |large bubbles that rose to the top | | | |elevated up the test tube | |because the liver is 37( C, which is | | | | | |normal human body temperature.Catalase| | | | | |operates and breaks down H2O2 best at | | | | | |this temperature. | | |Liver at 0( C |- No bubbles formed or rose to |0 |- No reaction occurred when the liver | | | |the top of the test tube. No | |was at 0(C because this condition is | | | |reaction occurred. | |too cold for the catalase enzymes to | | | | | |function.Enzyme activity slows down at| | | | | |any temperature below 37( C, and it is | | | | | |the slowest at 0 degrees. Almost no | | | | | |enzyme activity occurs. | Questions: 1. The differences in the rates were mainly because of the different temperatures of the liver, the different p article sizes of the liver and potato, and the product used with H2O2 in the reaction. The reactions that had the fastest rates had liver as the product used in the reaction with hydrogen peroxide.Also, reactions that had liver at normal body temperature (37( C), and had a larger particle size for larger surface area had fast rates of reaction. 2. H2O2 breaks down when other catalysts that can be oxidized by it are present. Because H2O2 is an unstable molecule, some inorganic substances like MnO2 can be oxidized by it, and they release oxygen gas in the reaction. 3. Temperature affects the rate of enzyme action very much. At low temperatures, the enzyme activity is very slow, because the molecules have low kinetic energy and fewer collisions occur between them. This is proven in part E of the lab, where there was no reaction and enzyme activity when the liver was 0( C.At high temperatures, the enzyme activity increases because the molecules have higher kinetic energy and more collis ions occur. However, the maximum temperature the enzyme will stay active until is about 40( C. After the temperature reaches higher than 40( C, the protein enzyme will start to denature and slow down. Particle size also affects the rate of enzyme action. Smaller particles allow the rate of enzyme activity to be very high, because there is a larger surface area for the enzyme to react with and break down. This is proven in part D of the lab, where there was a very fast and active reaction with crushed liver and hydrogen peroxide. The large surface area of the crushed liver allows more space for the enzymes to work on and break down hydrogen peroxide. 4.No, the results would not be different if dog liver was used for this investigation. This is because the catalase enzyme will stay active as the temperature increases, up to about 40( C. If the liver is higher than 40 degrees, the enzyme will denature and not work. Since dog liver is exactly 40( C, the results will be the same, because the enzyme will work at a temperature of 40( C, but not any higher. In conclusion, this lab helped consolidate the understanding of how enzymes work, and how temperature and particle size affects the rate of enzyme activity. This activity was an interactive way to see how the enzymes actually function, through liver and potato. ââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬â SBI 4U0-B
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Definition and Examples of Subvocalizing
Though subvocalizing, the act ofà saying words silently to oneself while reading, tends to limit how fast we can read, it isnt necessarily an undesirable habit. As Emerald Dechant observes, It seems likely that speech traces are a part of all, or nearly all, thinking and probably even silent reading. . . . That speech aids thinking was recognized by early philosophers and psychologists (Understanding and Teaching Reading). Examples of Subvocalizing A powerful but woefully under-discussed influence on readers is the sound of your written words, which they hear inside their heads as they subvocalize--going through the mental processes of generating speech, but not actually triggering speech muscles or uttering sounds. As the piece unfolds, readers listen to this mental speech as if it were spoken aloud. What they hear is, in fact, their own voices saying your words, but saying them silently.Here is a fairly typical sentence. Try reading it silently and then out loud. It was the Boston Public Library, opened in 1852, that founded the American tradition of free public libraries open to all citizens. As you read the sentence you should notice a pause in the flow of words after Library and 1852 . . .. Breath units divide the information in the sentence into segments that readers subvocalize separately.(Joe Glaser, Understanding Style: Practical Ways to Improve Your Writing. Oxford Univ. Press, 1999) Subvocalizing and Reading Speed Most of us read by subvocalizing (saying to ourselves) the words in the text. Although subvocalizing can help us remember what we read, it limits how fast we can read. Because covert speech is not much faster than overt speech, subvocalization limits reading speed to the rate of speaking; we could read faster if we didnt translate printed words into speech-based code.(Stephen K. Reed, Cognition: Theories and Applications, 9th ed. Cengage, 2012)[R]eading theorists such as Gough (1972) believe that in high-speed fluent reading, subvocalizing does not actually happen because the speed of silent reading is faster than what would occur if readers said each word silently to themselves as they read. The silent reading speed for 12th graders when reading for meaning is 250 words per minute, whereas the speed for oral reading is only 150 words per minute (Carver, 1990). However, in beginning reading, when the word-recognition process is far slower than in skilled fluent reading, subvocalizati on . . . may be taking place because the reading speed is so much slower.(S. Jay Samuels Toward a Model of Reading Fluency. What Research Has to Say About Fluency Instruction, eds. S.J. Samuels and A.E. Farstrup. International Reading Assoc., 2006) Subvocalizing and Reading Comprehension [R]eading is message reconstruction (like reading a map), and for the most part comprehension of meaning depends on using all the cues available. Readers will be better decoders of meaning is they understand sentence structures and if they concentrate most of their processing ability on the extraction of meanings using both semantic and syntactic context in reading. Readers must check the validity of their predictions in reading by seeing whether they produced language structures as they know them and whether they make sense. . . .In summary, an adequate response in reading thus demands much more than the mere identification and recognition of the configuration of the written word.(Emerald Dechant, Understanding and Teaching Reading: An Interactive Model. Routledge, 1991)Subvocalization (or reading silently to oneself) cant in itself contribute to meaning or understanding any more than reading aloud can. Indeed, like reading aloud, subvocalization can only be accomplished with anythi ng like normal speed and intonation if it is preceded by comprehension. We dont listen to ourselves mumbling parts of words or fragments of phrases and then comprehend. If anything, subvocalization slows readers down and interferes with comprehension. The habit of subvocalization can be broken without loss of comprehension (Hardyck Petrinovich, 1970).(Frank Smith, Understanding Reading, 6th ed. Routledge, 2011)
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
The Problem of Smoking - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 914 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/02/05 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Smoking Essay Did you like this example? Do you smoke? A question has been asked to most people at one time or another. The topic of smoking certainly requires a thorough analysis. Whether you smoke or not. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Problem of Smoking" essay for you Create order Itââ¬â¢s also an issue when it seems to polarize people. In this reading weââ¬â¢ll compare and contrasting viewpoints by two different individuals. As I present the arguments, Iââ¬â¢ll dissect then truly understand their inner workings. Both Haviland and king touch on many subjects yet seem to ignore others. I think a balance must be struck when it comes to smoking, both through individual rights and a social responsibility. ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢d Rather Smoke than Kiss.â⬠Is Florence Kingââ¬â¢s very smart retort to anti-smokers. In this article she advocates for smoking as a simple enjoyable think to do. To emphasize this, she recalls her first smoking experience, which is for the most part very normal and unexciting. However, this account is irrelevant to the rest of the story. King quickly switches goes as she goes on the attack. In the first section she labels hatred of smokers as a form of misanthropy which she goes on to say is ââ¬Å"the most popular form the closet misanthropy in America todayâ⬠(King). This perspective is further augmented by the fact that she considers second-smoke an invention; a means for the ââ¬Å"Passive Americansâ⬠(King), to justify prejudice towards smokers. As she moves into the second section, she begins to document the hostility shown to smokers. Through her own personal interactions or through examples she views in newspaper articles. King really focuses on the subject of public perception, and while some examples validate he perspective, others do not. In her response we see to a Washing ton Post article, in which states that ââ¬Å"the whole article has a die-damn-your undertowâ⬠(King). This perspective is perhaps a bit over the top and only serves to polarize her views, thereby alienating some readers. This compounded by the next section with peculiar title of Health Nazis. In it, she likens the public service ads against smoking to political propaganda. Nevertheless, she touches on some strong points in regard to public perception and the mediaââ¬â¢s control over it. As we gone on to the final section, she begins to draw interesting parallels. She compares the attack on smokers as a form of class warfare, an even goes so far as allude to racism in the last paragraph. Indeed, she goes on to say that hatred against smokers is meant to ââ¬Å"identify and punish the undesirables among usâ⬠(King). On the other hand, we have Dr. Havilandââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"A Silence That Kills.â⬠In this she speaks about societyââ¬â¢s seeming complacency or disregard to the dangers of smoking. The structure of her essay follows a very scientific approach, and therefore concentrates on the facts of smoking. However, she addresses other issues throughout the essay that demand analysis. Dr. Haviland believe that society is not doing enough to address smoking and her restless tone reflects this belief. Tobacco according to her kills ââ¬Å"more people each year than ADIS, suicide, murder, car accidents, and drugs combinesâ⬠(Haviland). The dangers of smoking seem to be self-evident, yet Dr. Haviland asks ââ¬Å"why is public silence so deafening?â⬠(Haviland). This call-to-arms permeates thought-out the whole essay and is the focal point of her argument. So, Dr. Haviland considers many factors including smoking as a stigmatized behavior. Not only does she recognize the stigma attached to smoking, but she realizes we must include their opinions as well. In this section she proceeds to also talk about personal liberties in regard to smoking. According to her, the choice debate ââ¬Å"lacks a rigorous discussion of the power of the nicotine addiction and the role of the tobacco industry in supporting the concept of smoking is an adult choiceâ⬠(Haviland). By addressing these three commonly overlooked details, Dr. Havilandââ¬â¢s argument benefits tremendously. In the same ways, she also addresses public, and government involvement. These last two sections serve to reiterate the points sheââ¬â¢s made regarding smoking and public silence. She expresses discount with the lack of government intervention in the relation to smoking. On the public side, she urges society at large to rise up and confront the issue.According to Dr. Hav iland, we have to ââ¬Å"let our voices be silencedâ⬠(Haviland). Both King and Dr. Haviland touch on these issues, but donââ¬â¢t respect their implications enough. I think we should respect a personââ¬â¢s right to smoke. At the same time, we should expect them to be well-informed on their hobby, including second hand smoke. Society has a responsibility to respect the right of an adult to smoke, but adults should respect societyââ¬â¢s right to not smoke. We shouldnââ¬â¢t stigmatize people from smoking, because this only going to make them polarize against society. We should be keenly aware of nicotine addiction and how it can make it difficult for someone to quit. The smoking issue is very complicated and some of the arguments are beyond the scope of this essay. We should still obtain a balanced outlook if we consider the following: the fats of smoking, individual right, societal responsibility, and the stigma smoke. Haviland and King both right essays which obtain very important points but seem to contain a bias which me alienate some people. We should truly reach a consensus on the smoking issue, we must be willing to meet halfway. We should strike equilibrium between individual right and society responsibility.
Monday, December 23, 2019
The Songs and Deaths of Rockstars Essay - 2134 Words
The Songs and Deaths of Rockstars Music as we know it today is the voice of a generation. It gives us entertainment, and speaks out for a community of people in many ways. Most people listen to at least some sort of music, and serves a purpose in almost every facet of society. Just about any expression can be shared through music, inlcuding ideas and feelings about death. Music is used in various way when pertaining to death, including songs about how a death occurred, or songs at a service mourning a death. Whichever way you look at it, music serves an important purpose, and the songs about death and the death of certain performing artists has a great impact on society, especially the youth ofâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Some of his albums suggest his nature of knowing death as near, such as his album Me against the World, and 2pacalypse now. Not being a Rap fan it is hard for to judge what is going through his mind, but by reading some lyrics it is obvious that he believes that he has a hard life, and that death may be the only answer. The Notorious B.I.G. was a very famous rap star on the East Coast, and grew to nationwide fame. His lyrics exemplify death even further, as he seemed to never give up his gangster lifestyle. Before becoming famous he was a drug dealer, dealing Crack-Cocaine, so he was well aware of death as a fact of life. His lyrics were different from Tupacs in that most of his Death lyrics were about murder instead of his own death, that is until he started to believe that his death was imminent. Like Tupacs lyrics, his songs are way to graphic to quote here, but many of his songs had lyrics of him killing and in some rare cases even some sort of threats of torturing as well. It would be reasonable to believe that it was because of his lifestyle on the streets that made him think this way, as he did seem to be obsessed with murder and death. One of his albums was entitled Ready to Die, and it has songs on both side of the spectrum. The self titled song was about how is preparing to murder someone, and there was alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Role of Belonging in Film and Print Essay921 Words à |à 4 Pagesseveral of which can be seen in the following texts. The texts ââ¬Å"The Crucibleâ⬠(ââ¬Å"TCâ⬠) by Arthur Miller, ââ¬Å"Rockstarâ⬠by Nickelback and ââ¬Å"The Pursuit of Happynessâ⬠is a movie starring Will Smith display several different aspects of belonging. The concept explored by Arthur Miller in ââ¬Å"TCâ⬠is the conflict between different groups and the ramifications of belonging to a group. Meanwhile in ââ¬Å"Rockstarâ⬠the composer explores the concept that people will wish to belong to various groups and what extremes theyRead MoreAnalysis Of David Bowie s Space Oddity1425 Words à |à 6 PagesAt first glance, David Bowie s Space Oddity would seem to be a patriotic theme song for the soon-to-be-launched Apollo 11 mission. While such assumptions would be fairly based considering the BBC used the song in its coverage of the moon landing, Space Odd ity is much more profound and metaphorical in meaning. As it was actually written, this song provides a view into the artist s rise to fame, drug problems, and changing perspective on the world. In order to understand Space Oddity on a deeperRead MoreParallel Worlds By Louise Lockwood946 Words à |à 4 PagesParallel Worlds, Parallel Lives by Louise Lockwood is a film showing us how Mark Everett a rockstar from a band named Eels, soon began to understand who his father Hugh Everett really was after he had passed away. Mark had plenty of reactions when he began to puzzle everything he knew about his father together. Mark takes us through his journey with him, as he began to travel the world, and found his fatherââ¬â¢s old friends to get a better understanding of his father Hugh. While on his journey MarkRead More1960s Cinema And Its Impact On Cinema1236 Words à |à 5 Pages1960s Movies 1960s cinema reflected the good and the bad of the decade. 1960s cinema influenced many of the films we have today. 1960s cinema brought attention to movie musicals, which were movies that had many song and dance numbers along with dialogue and blocking. Three of the biggest hits of the decade were movie musicals. Some of the decadeââ¬â¢s biggest hits, including the movie musicals, are still popular today. In the 1960s, there were many popular movies, both in theaters and on televisionRead MoreAr Rahman1368 Words à |à 6 Pagesborn in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India in a middle-class Tamil family. His father, R. K. Shekhar, was a film-score composer and conductor for Tamil and Malayalam films; Rahman assisted his father in the studio, playing the keyboard. After his fathers death when Rahman was nine years old, the rental of his fathers musical equipment provided his familys income.[11] Raised by his mother, Kareema (born Kashturi),[1] Rahman was a keyboard player and arranger for b ands such as Roots (with childhood friendRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Lyla Released A New Album ! 1304 Words à |à 6 Pageslayla and the attention she was getting from journalists and interviewers. One of the ordinary rock star, who performs little concerts was now performing international concerts and was travelling everyday. She was taking millions of money for each song. She is opposite of what she used to be. Lyla used to be a lazy, rude and arrogant person. In past, no one gave their project to her, but a big secret that got revealed changed her whole life. A few months ago, lyla was sitting in an restaurant withRead MoreHow My Home Has Defined Me Essay2730 Words à |à 11 Pageshometown and all the memories that have been made there because each one has shaped me into the man I am today through the lessons friendship has taught me, the way sports have fostered my competitive nature, and the way I had to endure the pain of death at a young age. My hometown of Catasauqua is a small town. It is located in the Lehigh Valley and unless you are from around here, you most likely have never heard of it. Most of the people I meet here on campus that ask where I am from respond withRead MoreThe Beatles And Their Music1554 Words à |à 7 Pagesappeal the Beatles had with the youth. Ransacking public megaphones and telephone booths for speakers, thousands of gung-ho Beatlemaniacs went so far as to even fashioning their own electric guitars at home. Strumming along to their favorite Beatlesââ¬â¢ songs was not just a musical pastime; it was a personal act of defiance against the criticism of their anthems. Even though Beatlemania may have originated in a desire for variety in music, it quickly evolved into a subversive political mission that empoweredRead MoreAnthony Kiedis1904 Words à |à 8 Pagesaudition and hiring as a bass player with the band Fear, which at the time was one of L.A.ââ¬â¢s most famous bands. The band was even showed on Saturday Night Live. As Flea was getting his fame from Fears, Anthony found his own voice. Listening to the song ââ¬Å"The Messageâ⬠by the rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Anthony realized that you did not have to have a voice like Freddie Mercury or Al Green to make a hitâ⬠¦you just needed to have rhythm. Soon Anthony along with Flea, Hillel (Slim)Read MoreHow Teens Become The Way That They Are Today?1865 Words à |à 8 PagesThey were an instant hit amongst teens. The sound of the Beatles was one of kind, and people tended to bask in their experience. Concerts became a popular place for teens to express themselves i n an unorderly fashion. There were drugs, loud music, rockstars, and large groups of teenagers that wanted to rebel. The concerts were filled with chaos. People found it hard to control these teenagers with strong attitudes and large egos. The choices made at Beatlesââ¬â¢ concerts ranged from drug abuse to vandalism
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Why do Significant Numbers of American fail to vote Free Essays
Between 1960 and 1996, the turnout of Americanââ¬â¢s voting in a presidential election had fallen by 14%. This brought the percentage to 51% of Americans turning up to vote. This decline in turnout is due to a number of reasons; The Decline in numbers of party Activists Loss of Political Efficacy Many elections have low-stimulus characters Most elections are uncompetitive Poor Turnout among young people People are happy with what they have It is difficult to understand the voting system Out of these reasons, I feel some stand out the strongest. We will write a custom essay sample on Why do Significant Numbers of American fail to vote? or any similar topic only for you Order Now These include; the understanding of the voting system, poor turnout among young people and that people are happy with what they have. Understanding of the Voting System All Voting systems can be fairly difficult to understand and this includes the very democratic American System. It is no longer just the people with learning difficulties that find the system hard to understand, as it is no longer the person with the majority vote wins, therefore because people donââ¬â¢t understand it, they tend to stay away rather then get confused and embarrass themselves. This also links with the ability of people having to register to vote. To register they have to attend a government building, and some people do not have the time, or means of transport too do this, therefore they decide as itââ¬â¢s not a law too vote, they donââ¬â¢t bother. Also, even if people do register the ability to get too a polling station is a problem. As everything is very spaced out in America, and generally a car is needed to travel between places, if a potential voter does not have a car, they will not bother too vote. This can also be linked with the 2000 Presidential Election, when roadblocks were put in plce in parts of Florida, stopping people from reaching the polling stations, this not only ensured a particular candidate won the vote of Florida, it also stopped a significant number of voters voting. Poor Turnout among Young People In 2004, the turnout of young people aged 18 ââ¬â 24 was at a low of 47%. The possible reasons for this could be that as politics is not considered an essential subject at school, many youths do not understand or care about it. This then creates a generation of people who do not care about politics and do not want too vote, which then means that when that generation stops being considered youths, they still arenââ¬â¢t voting, and neither are the new generation of youths. The reason for low turnout could also be that Political campaigns are generally aimed at an older generation, meaning it becomes something that youths donââ¬â¢t bother to focus on. Politicians know that the turnout among youths is low so do not bother wasting their money campaigning to them if they have a limited amount of money. This then causes the campaigns too become something that youths donââ¬â¢t have to focus on and as it doesnââ¬â¢t have much interest to them because they donââ¬â¢t understand it, they tend not too waste their time getting involved in it. People are Happy with what they have ââ¬ËIf it ainââ¬â¢t broke, donââ¬â¢t fix itââ¬â¢, This is the way that many people feel about politics. For many potential voters, they feel they have everything they need and could ask for from the government and feel that voting to change that would take away some of the things they enjoy in life. As long as there are no wars on their own soil, their kids have a good education, they have good jobs and healthcare and reasonable taxes then they feel that the government is doing a good job and they donââ¬â¢t want too risk that by potentially giving another party or candidate office. Solutions To these Problems These problems can be solved and would increase voter turnout by a considerable amount. By handing out and posting leaflets that explain the voting system and how each and every vote matters and counts, as well as having lectures in easy to reach places, would increase turnout because people would understand the system and the importance of voting. Also by creating postal ballots etc, it would be easier for people who would otherwise find it difficult to vote and also by making registering to vote easier. To tackle the youth problem, politics would need to be taught as part fo the curriculum in schools, this problem has already started too be solved, as was seen during the 2004 election when various celebrities had a campaign with MTV urging people to vote, if this continues on a wider scale, as well as making parts of party conferences for Youths only and aiming campaigns directly at them, this would increase turnout in forth coming elections but also elections in the distant future. Finally, by trying to show flaws in the system and how to make improvements (which is already done, but could be issued in a more one to one with the voter method) would show potential voters why they need to vote because of the changes they can make and the added benefits they could receive. How to cite Why do Significant Numbers of American fail to vote?, Papers
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Performance Management for Human Resource
Question: Discuss about thePerformance Management for Human Resource. Answer: Work-Life Flexibility will Replace the Work Life Balance Introduction It is identified that flexible working practices are highly preferred by the employees in the current days. It is evident that the employees who work in the corporate office have to deal with increasing pressure at the workplace. This could sometime harm their personal or family life and even it could affect their performance. Therefore, some organizations have taken the initiatives to resolve such issues; thereby, the organizational productivity remains as desired. Thus, to expect desired outcome from the employees, it is essential to take care of the basic needs and demands of the employees. One such care would be the initiative of developing a flexible work practice for the employees. Some organizations think of their personal and family life. The firm provides them flexible working hours and develops open management style. Thus, the employees could openly discuss the issues with leaders that they face at the workplace. The major purpose of the report is to understand how the chan ges of work life flexibility that influence the work life balance. Such change could emerge with certain challenge for the employees, leaders and individuals at other significant positions. Conversely, it could bring in certain opportunities to all. Hence, the report focuses on those challenges and the opportunities providing an intensive analysis through evaluation. Implications for Employees It is identified that change of workplace flexibility are often proved to be effective especially for the employees. The employees sometimes report that they are more productive as well as more engaged in their work while they gain the ability to keep the balance of demands with the other aspects of their lives. As put forward by Putnam, Myers and Gailliard (2014), improvements in physical as well as mental health are associated with the workplace flexibility. There have been certain benefits associated with such change. The existing studies demonstrate that flexible work arrangements could reduce the stress since the employees tend to work flexibly are found to be more satisfied with the jobs as well as more satisfied with their lives. In such context, Coenen and Kok (2014) commented that the employees who have a high work-life fit fare better than the employees who have moderate as well as low levels of work-life fit. These employees could engage themselves more effectively and les s likely to search for a new job. On the contrary, flexible working practices could do more harm than good to workers because they encourage an always on which carries a heavy psychological toll. Working away from the office or part-time could isolate employees from social networks as well as the career opportunities. Hence, Dastmalchian, Blyton and Adamson (2014) argued that flexible working polices could raise the risk of poor working conditions as well as cause the resentment among the colleagues. The existing findings are emerged with a blow that implies that organizations are in the attempt of enabling people to achieve an effective work-life balance in rich economies. However, the existing studies also ensure that flexible work practice helps to reduce negative spillover. Hence, the spillover is treated as the techniques by which attitudes as well as behavior carry over from one role to another. As opined by Berg, Kossek, Misra and Belman (2014), spillover between the work as well as family life could be consid ered as negative or positive. This may include the work-family conflict or the work-family enhancement. It is further identified that these two dimensions of spillover could co-exist to some extent. This indicates that a job that provides a high extent of negative. So, changes of work flexibility helps to keep this balance. Additionally, the existing studies have also focused on work-family balance due the changes in the work flexibility. Hence, Thomas (2014) opined that work family balance has two different dimensions including the work interference with the family as well as family interference with the work. Based on this concept, it can be added that characteristics of the job as well as the workplace might have a positive as well as negative effect on family life. On the other side, aspects of an employees family conditions could affect employees performance as well as attitude towards the work. In addition to this, it is also observed that the availability of flexible work arrangements could help the employees to increase the work-family balance that could provide the organizations and thee employees with certain benefits. HRM Implications As opined by Sheehan (2014) the flexibility is about an employee as well as the company making changes for the purpose of meeting the business goals and needs. To positively support this statement, Cooke, Saini Wang (2014) commented that flexibility enables both individuals and the organization by applying changes on time with an effective manner. The studies confirm that flexibility needs to equally effective to organizations and the workers and provides the positive outcome. Human resource management specifies the practices used by the managers as well as HR workers and automated systems to deal with people. It is identified that HRM practices include performance management, training, payroll and employee benefits administration. Thus, changes of work flexibility may influence the HRM practices, as HR policies guide the overall performance of the employees. As company Popaitoon and Siengthai (2014), HRM practices could satisfy employees as well as motivate them to contribute to organizations intellectual aspects. When it comes to building a flexible workplace, the HRM practices are observed to be reflecting shifting demographics in the workplace. The workers in the current days expect different conditions than the employees who observed the corporate balance in the previous decades. The organizations take the initiative of developing the diverse workplace and the impact of HRM on the diverse workplace can be related to employee flexibility. This happens the organizations want to retain workers, they provide flexible workplace, which may include flexible design of work environment and work assignment. The flexible work practice helps to develop the communication among the employees. The HRM policies are effective when the employees find flexibility in the workplace Additionally, the HR managers and the employees could differently, as in flexible work environment, the people have less workplace issues. The employees significantly focus on their performance collaborating with HRM policies. In addition to this, if the HRM policies are effective for the employees or they provide the employees with certain benefits that meet their needs and demands, they could return positive outcome to the employer. However, Kramar (2014) commented that flexible work practice sometimes could damage the workflow as the employees are often observed to be negligent towards their job role and responsibilities. Nevertheless, the existing studies research efforts have mentioned that consensus has not been yet attained on the outcome of flexibility. At the organizational level, it is observed that previous studies report both positive as well as negative relationship between different aspects of flexibility and performance. Most importantly, HR managers have to perform la rge responsibilities including the flexible working hours to providing the employees appraisal based on their performance. If the HR department of the firm is not able to perform the essential role, the flexible workplace could be a disaster for the organization. Thus, it can be added that HR managers have to play a significant in controlling the operation. The HR managers of the firm must have to keep a close eye on the performance of the employees to avoid the possible drawbacks. The previous studies confirm that successful managers could implement HRM practices as well as help the individuals increase feelings of being competent and skilled in their position. This could also positively influence the employees. The workers under positive managers tend to feel encouraged. Implications for Leader and Managers Leading organizations understand realize that the profitability and variety of their business relies on their ability to positively influence the stakeholder groups that eventually determine the organization. As commented by Jackson, Schuler and Jiang (2014), if an organization treats its workers effectively, it could deal with the customers effectively; thus, the organizations gain the profits. However, when the flexibility in the workplace are implemented, the leaders responsibilities increase. The managers of the organizations have to measure the performance of the employees. The workers may carry a state of negligence towards the role and duties; additionally, the open management style could negatively affect the employees. Hence, the managers might not feel they are valued to the employees below their position. Thus, the leaders have to keep the track of all employee performance. It is identified that Armstrong and Taylor (2014), most leaders consider that there are certain benefits for organizations as well as employees are the outcome of flexible working. As put forward by Chandra (2012), almost 85% of the employees feel that allowing employees to work flexibly improves employee wellbeing. On the contrary, Kossek et al., (2014) mentioned that it helps to retain the employees and increase organizations ability to attract talent. In addition to this, apart from appealing to employees as well as boosting their wellbeing, the managers also believe that flexibility helps to address the customer expectation of round-the-clock customer service. The managers of large organizations have seen to be believing that flexibility makes a positive environment. It is observed that with flexible working, the experience is the key to success. Thus, it can be mentioned that those who are inexperienced are possibly concerned about the impact; it might have on the teamwork and t he productivity. In addition to all these, it is also observed flexibility in the workplace is effective for the leaders, as when the organizations are in the need of implementing changes, they could easily implement the changes. It is found out that organizations often face the resistance of change from the employees due to autocratic leadership style in the firm. In such context, the leaders do not have to deal with any such large barriers when they need to implement the changes. Moreover, it is also learnt that managers could implement the possible small changes in the organizations. In fact, the small issues of the employees can be treated effectively with possible care. As put forward by Shanafelt et al., (2015), flexible work practice could save time for the managers. This means it could be time effective when the managers of the firms to implement sudden initiative. Additionally, by developing a flexible workplace, the organizations could understand their employees effectively. Hence, the mana gers play the role of enabling as well as embedding workplace flexibility. The managers of the organizations have to play the role of ensuring employees are aware of their rights and responsibilities around the flexible work. The leaders provide the workers with support as well as build a team culture based on their performance, loyalty and outcome. Conclusion and Recommendation On the completion of the report, it can be added that flexible work practice largely influences the work life balance of the workers. The workers gain the opportunities of learning skills and gaining knowledge, as the open management style is such platform where employees become helpful t each other. The above-presented discussion indicates that employees become beneficial because of the flexible work practice. Recommendation While applying flexible work practices in the workplace, it is necessary for the leaders or the firm to consider the mix approach. By implementing a mix approach in the workplace, the firm benefits the employees providing them with flexible working hours. Flexible working hours could largely be beneficial for the female workers, as they could manage their families. In addition to this, it is recommended that the organizations could develop the recruitment practices on how to stimulate the recruitment market for payment as well as high quality flexible workers. These high flexible workers should be hired for the organizations to avoid possible hazards in the workplace. Reference List: Armstrong, M., Taylor, S. (2014).Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Berg, P., Kossek, E. E., Misra, K., Belman, D. (2014). Work-life flexibility policies: Do unions affect employee access and use?.Industrial Labor Relations Review,67(1), 111-137. Chandra, V. (2012). Worklife balance: eastern and western perspectives.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,23(5), 1040-1056. Coenen, M., Kok, R. A. (2014). Workplace flexibility and new product development performance: The role of telework and flexible work schedules.European Management Journal,32(4), 564-576. Cooke, F. L., Saini, D. S., Wang, J. (2014). Talent management in China and India: A comparison of management perceptions and human resource practices.Journal of World Business,49(2), 225-235. Dastmalchian, A., Blyton, P., Adamson, R. (2014).The Climate of Workplace Relations (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S., Jiang, K. (2014). An aspirational framework for strategic human resource management.The Academy of Management Annals,8(1), 1-56. Kelly, E. L., Moen, P., Oakes, J. M., Fan, W., Okechukwu, C., Davis, K. D., ... Mierzwa, F. (2014). Changing work and work-family conflict: Evidence from the work, family, and health network.American Sociological Review,79(3), 485-516. Kossek, E. E., Hammer, L. B., Kelly, E. L., Moen, P. (2014). Designing work, family health organizational change initiatives.Organizational dynamics,43(1), 53-63. Kramar, R. (2014). Beyond strategic human resource management: is sustainable human resource management the next approach?.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,25(8), 1069-1089. Popaitoon, S., Siengthai, S. (2014). The moderating effect of human resource management practices on the relationship between knowledge absorptive capacity and project performance in project-oriented companies.International Journal of Project Management,32(6), 908-920. Putnam, L. L., Myers, K. K., Gailliard, B. M. (2014). Examining the tensions in workplace flexibility and exploring options for new directions.Human Relations,67(4), 413-440. Shanafelt, T. D., Hasan, O., Dyrbye, L. N., Sinsky, C., Satele, D., Sloan, J., West, C. P. (2015, December). Changes in burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance in physicians and the general US working population between 2011 and 2014. InMayo Clinic Proceedings(Vol. 90, No. 12, pp. 1600-1613). Elsevier. Sheehan, M. (2014). Human resource management and performance: Evidence from small and medium-sized firms.International Small Business Journal,32(5), 545-570. Thomas, K. J. (2014). Workplace technology and the creation of boundaries: The role of VHRD in a 24/7 work environment.Advances in Developing Human Resources,16(3), 281-295.
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