Decisive Events of the Second World War Free Essays

1. Which side will you be working with? (Focal or Allied Powers) Focal Powers 2. Distinguish ten occasions or potentially fights that assumed a critical job in the occasions of the war for your side: Clash of Le Cateau Clash of St. We will compose a custom exposition test on Conclusive Events of the Second World War or then again any comparable theme just for you Request Now Quentin Clash of Mulhouse Clash of Halen Clash of Lorraine Clash of the Ardennes Clash of Charleroi Clash of Mons Attack of Maubeuge Attack of Antwerp Complete the diagram map appeared beneath by showing occasions/fights. Enter the quantity of the nation where every occasion/fight happened. Guide will be submitted as a seperate document. Occasion/Battle: 3a: Battle of Le Cateau Occasion/Battle: 3b: Battle of St. Quentin Occasion/Battle: 3c: Battle of Mulhouse Occasion/Battle: 6a: Battle of Halen Occasion/Battle: x1: Battle of Lorraine Occasion/Battle: x2: Battle of the Ardennes Occasion/Battle: 6b: Battle of Charleroi Occasion/Battle: 6c: Battle of Mons Occasion/Battle: 3d: Siege of Maubeuge Occasion/Battle: 6d: Siege of Antwerp Form a nitty gritty portrayal about every one of the occasions, their supreme or potentially relative areas, and the criticalness every occasion had on the war exertion for your side. 3a: The Battle of Le Cateau was battled in Le Cateau-Cambrã ©sis in the division of Nord in France, whose total area is 50.103942, 3.544235. On August 26, 1914, the Germans attacked the English II Corps. By then, the French Cavalry Corps met up, under the bring of General Andrã © Sordet, and went about as a shield for the English left flank. The British fifth division was on the correct flank on the south side of the Le Cateau-Cambrai road, The third division was in within Caudry and Inchy, and the fourth division was on the left flank on the north bank of the Warnelle Stream. This urged the Germans to gravitate toward to the British positions. At early evening, Regardless of various misfortunes, the English right and left flanks began to break, starting with the correct flank. At 11:15 AM, Sixt von Armin, authority of the German IV Corps, gave a solicitation that changed the assignment into a halfway sorted out battle. This never occurred considering the way that the solicitation came as the Germans showed up. 75 percent of the IV Corps troops were by then associated before they got the solicitation, and numerous never made it to the battle zone. The Allies pulled back that night to St. Quentin, gaining the Germans triumph. 3b: The clash of St. Quentin was battled in Guise in the branch of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in the northern piece of the nation, whose supreme area is 49.898014, 3.625057. The French president Joseph Joffre, required the French fifth Army to hold off the Germans with a counter-assault regardless of a 4-mile hole between the French powers the as yet withdrawing British powers. The following day, August 29, The fifth Army assaulted St. Quentin with full power. On August 28, the fifth Army abandoned north to west towards St. Quentin. The Oise River valley was soggy and boggy, gaining ground delayed for the two sides. Nonetheless, the French could exploit the 9 mile hole between the inward flanks of the second armed force, so Bã ¼low requested the corps in the internal flanks to counter-assault the French X corps. The administrator of the fourteenth division overlooked the request and rather decided to arrange the set up the fourteenth division for a development on a close by town called Le Fã ©re so as to get behind the fifth Army. Bã ¼low requested staff official Alexander von Kluck to send for help. Bã ¼low before long sent infantry gatherings to cover for the primary armed force to allow them to rest, and furthermore in light of worry that Le Fã ©re obstructed the street for additional advances, so it would need to be veiled while the first Army encompassed the French and assaulted on September 1. The following 7 fights will be the fights from the Battle of the Frontiers (1914). 3c: The Battle of Mulhouse was the main fight in the Battle of the Frontiers. It was battled close to the city of Mulhouse in France, whose total area is 47.750839, 7.335888. The French went from Gã ©rardmer to the Schlucht Pass, where the Germans exploded the passage. Bonneau withdrew towards Belfort. On August 14, a close by town called Thann was caught. Joffre guided the first and second armed forces to assault whatever number German divisions as could be allowed to enable the French soldiers to facilitate north.Meanwhile, the French caught 24 firearms, 3,000 detainees, and the sky is the limit from there. With the Rhine valley and plain, North Alsace was under French control. The French VII corps fourteenth and 41st divisions, under the heading of General Louis Bonneau, went from Belfort to Mulhouse and Colmar, 22 miles in the upper east. The French combined the recently gained ground, yet the German seventh armed force compromised the correct flank of the French first armed force. On August 18, the VII Corps assaulted Mulhouse and caught Altkirch as the north flank went towards Colmar and Neuf-Brisach. The Germans were constrained into the Mulhouse rural areas, where a house-to-house fight occurred. In the wake of being overpowered by the French, the Germans withdrew through the Hardt woods, showing up in a town called Ensisheim. The boulevards and places of Dornach were caught and Mulhouse was in the long run under French control once more. On August 26, the French pulled back to Altkirch, which gave a progressively solid line. The Army of Alsace was disbanded and the eighth Cavalry Division was added to the first Army. 6a: The Battle of Halen was battled in the town of Helen in the territory of Limburg in Belgium,whose outright area is 50.948500, 5.111170. The German rangers didn’t begin moving until August 12 in light of the ponies having weariness on account of the sweltering summer temperatures and being malnourished because of an absence of oats. Belgian home office found by means of remote messages that the Germans were going towards where Belgian general Leã ³n de Witte was and sent the fourth Infantry Brigade to help the Cavalry Division. Prussian mounted force general Georg von der Marwitz, who was in order of the German rangers, sent the fourth Cavalry Division over the Gete waterway. At 8:45 AM, the seventh and ninth Jã ¤ger brigades progressed. A German exploring party from Herk-de-Stad experienced harsh criticism from the Belgians, who attempted to set up an invigorated situation in the old bottling works in Halen, yet the Germans drove them out with field mounted guns. Belgian specialists attempted to explode the scaffold over the Gete waterway, however just prevailing with regards to blowing some portion of it up. In this manner, the Germans figured out how to get 1,000 soldiers to Halen. The Belgians’ primary resistance line was west of Halen and gave an impeded view. The German seventeenth and third Cavalry Brigades helped the Jã ¤gers in and south of Halen, which empowered mounted guns to be brought straight up to the town. In the cornfields, assaults were driven back with numerous losses. The Jã ¤ger were likewise determined back in spite of help from the second Guards Machine Gun Detachment and got off mounted force sharpshooters.At the day's end, the Germans fled. x1: The Battle of Lorraine was battled in the Lorraine locale in France, Germany, and Luxembourg, whose outright area is 49.033889, 6.661944. On August 14, 1914, the French first Army progressed with 2 corps in the Vosges and 2 corps towards Sarrebourg in Moselle. The 2 right-hand corps of the second Army progressed on the left of the first Army. The first Army withdtrew, however figured out how to keep in touch with the second Army. On August 15, the German long-go gunnery besieged the French mounted guns and infantry and the German infantry accomplished more harm. On August 8, the French caught a few courses in farther south to ensure the southern flank as they went towards Donon and Sarrebourg. The French Army pushed just figured out how to push back the Germans. On August 20, the Germans counter-assaulted, driving separate fights on the French armed forces. At the point when the Germans left, the second Army was requested to head further north, which expanded the dissimilarity of the French armed forces. On August 16, the Germans pushed back the development with long-go big guns and the following day, the first Army fortified the guard at Sarrebourg. The Germans pulled back during the day and Donon was caught. The I Corps and the second Group of Reserve Divisions progressed towards Morhange in Grand Est. Regardless of admonitions against the disparity, the military expected to travel southeast towards the Vosges passes, east towards Donon, and upper east towards Sarrebourg. Knowledge reports announced a line of protection, politeness of the German sixth and seventh Armies, near the French soldiers. On August 22, the correct flank was assaulted and had to pull back 16 miles from their situation on August 14. x2: The Battle of the Ardennes was battled in the Ardennes Region in France and Belgium, whose total area is 49.698012, 4.671601. On August 19, the fourth Army of General Fernand de Langle de Cary was advised not to advance into Belgium until the German assault began. On August 20, the German soldiers in the south assaulted the French first and second Armies and the following day, the third and fourth Armies assaulted. The fourth Army crossed the Semois River and went towards Neufchã ¢teau and the third Army of General Pierre Ruffey assaulted towards Arlon to watch the fourth Army. South of Verdun, the third Army was renamed Armed power of Lorraine and was sent to look for a German unfriendly from Metz, which left the remainder of the third Army. The French Armies assaulted Belgium with 9 infantry corps, however 10 German corps and 6 hold units of the fourth and fifth Armies lay among Metz and northern Luxembourg. The German fourth Army, under the order of Albrecht, Duke of Wã ¼rttemberg, and fifth Army, under the order of Crown Ruler Wilhelm, had gone more slow than the first, second, and third Armies, and the French assaulted them on August 21. The French Armies didn’t know how huge the German assault really was, as the third Army excused minimal German attacks.On 22 August, the V Corps assaulted German t

Journal Of Law Society Of New South Wales -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Examine About The Journal Of Law Society Of New South Wales? Answer: Introducation The present contextual investigation depends on the assurance of the annual assessment form for the Percy Grainger. There are sure suspicions in deciding bookkeeping personal duty outcomes which are as per the following; Pay got by Percy will be considered as the assessable salary under the segment 6-5 of the ITAA 1997. The aggregate sum of profit that is gotten by Percy will be remembered for the available pay of Percy. Also, the franking credit that is joined to the profit will be oppressed 30% reasonings of the whole got (Buchanan and Consett 2016). The assurance of the capital additions is exposed to half limit under the rebate strategy from the business continues. Furthermore, Percy would be qualified for reasonings for costs caused on going to the class under area 8-1 of the ITAA 1997. As per the area 8-1 of the ITAA 1997 an individual causing consumption on voyaging that is completely identified with the business or work reason would be qualified for guarantee an admissible derivation for the equivalent (Richards 2014). In this way, Percy would be qualified for guarantee an admissible derivation for the costs caused on voyaging. Percy has happened costs on bookkeeper charges for planning charge. Thusly, as indicated by the Australian tax collection office Charlie would be qualified for guarantee a permissible conclusion for the bookkeeper charges acquired on getting ready assessment form. Reference List: Buchanan, R. what's more, Consett, E., 2016. Area 974-80 ITAA97: The present condition of play.taxation-law Specialist,19(5), p.217. Richards, R., 2014. Tax collection: financial matters share schemes.Law Society Journal: the official diary of the Law Society of New South Wales,52(3), p.40.

Social Identity

Social Identity Social Identity Home›Research Posts›Social Identity Research PostsSocial identity can be identified as a social glue which enables individuals relate to their ingroup and make prominent continuing efforts on behalf of the collective society. Identifying with a social group has lead to many consequences. Researchers have observed and outlined the following.Researchers, year                                                                                                                                     Consequence observedGagnon Bourhis, 1996                                                                                                                 Increased ingroup biasMummendey, Kessler, Klink, and Mielke, 1999                                           social competitiveness.Ellemers, de Gilders, and Haslam, 2004                                                                    Enhanced group cohesionHaslam, Jetten, Postmes, and Haslam, 2009                                                         greater well beingTyler Blader, 2001                                                                                                                              improved citizenshipThe concept of social identity is analogous to that of a double edged sword which can yield both positive and negative results. In order to find out which dimensions of social identities are related to positive or negative outcomes a broad framework is required.Social identity theory or SIT is identified as a relevant and useful framework to explain intergroup phenomenon (Brown, 2000). The central idea of the approach is one’s social identity which is explained as “that part of the individual’s self-concept which derives from his or her knowledge of membership to a social group (or groups) together with the value and the emotional significance attached to it” (Tajfel, 1981).The degree to which individuals identify within their group, aspire for a positive social iden tity can be evaluated by finding the favorable comparisons between the ingroup and outgroup on a major dimension of comparison. SIT results have produced that ingroup favoritism is a functional element that makes up for the need to differentiate from the outgroup and enhance group members’ positive social recognition. While Ingroup bias is definitely beneficial it may also harm both the victim of ingroup bias and the perpetrator.Social identity may act as a buffer against harmful impact of stress(Haslam, 2004). Results of an analysis conducted on a group of employees working in stressful conditions showed that when identified with their organization, they show higher organizational citizenship behaviors and job satisfaction. Hence identifying within one’s ingroup can bring about a variety of positive outcomes.Different Dimensions and Forms of Social Identity By investigating the motivational orientations that exist in social identity the reason for the divergent findings can be traced out. The specific form of social identity creates a variation in the prediction of negative outcomes like ingroup bias. Patriotism represents feelings of attachment, responsibility and pride and is believed to be a more positive form of national identification.As per SIT nationalism directly taps into that component of social identity that creates ingroup bias. It also may lead to feelings of chauvinism, superiority or derogatory comparisons with other countries. According to Jackson and Smith a secure social identity is one that involves strong ties with the ingroup but discourages the notion of a socially linked fate, depersonalization   and intergroup competition.In 2002, Tyler and Blader considered orientations(autonomous and comparative) of students to their university and employees to their companies to bring into view the other dimensions of social identity. Autonomous orientation refers to application of internal standards like norms, values by group members for self evaluation while comparative orientation is application of external standards and social comparison processes. Reportedly, autonomous orientation predicted more positive consequences both at individual level(self esteem) and group level(cooperative behavior).One’s own endorsement of norms and values that tie him intrinsically are also relevant especially during prediction of positive consequences. There are certain conceptual similarities between the 2 modes of social identification and dimensions(autonomous and comparative) of social identity. The concept of group glorification includes the motivation to analyse the ingroup in the fairest way, denying any criticisms. On the other hand group attachment represents commitment and inclusion of the group in the self concept. Findings have shown that ‘group attachment’ predicted a higher degree of group based guilt towards the ingroup’s responsibility in an intergroup conflict than ‘group glorification’. It is hence seen that investigating the various dimensions of social identification is seemingly a result-oriented avenue for future research in order that the positive vs. negative consequences can be traced out.Motivations Underlying Social Identity: There are many reasons why individuals identify with their social group. Social identity is encouraged by the necessity of acquiring and retaining group distinctiveness (Tajfel Turner, 1979).6 motives outlined for identification were esteem enhancement, identity, continuity, self-efficacy, meaning and distinctiveness. Research showed that these motives can predict the degree of importance of different identities for each individual.To find out the reason people identify with groups a motivational theory was adopted This theory covers a large spectrum of motives relating to human behavior with more stress on the quality (than quantity) of one’s motivation.Non self determined motivationAmotivation : It refers to the feeling that identifying with a social group will not lead to results desired. (Ryan Deci, 2003).External regulation: It involves identification with one’s ingroup to get accolades or to minimize impunities.Introjected regulation: It involves identities borne out of pressurizing oneself .Self determined motivations:Identified regulation: It deals with priority to oneself and stressing on valued goals .Integrated regulation: It includes the identities which pave way for expressing one’s deepest values and beliefs.Intrinsic motivation: The most self determined form of motivation is intrinsic motivation. Identifying with a social group brings inner happiness and ensures security.The findings after application of SDT have shown that behaviours owing to self determined reasons have more chances of positive consequences like greater persistence, deeper concentration and increased psychological wellbeing. On the contrary behaviors arising out of non-selfdetermined forms lead to undesirable consequences from the perspectiv e of the individual and those related to him (Deci Ryan, Vallerand). This theory has worked well in many spheres affecting life like academics, sports, interpersonal relationships etc. Currently SDT is used as organizing framework in order to apply group members’ motivations for identifying with their social group.The theoretical framework takes into consideration these motives and organizes them into a continuum in order to predict the positivity or negativity of results. These can be assimilated as introjects and can be integrated well into the self where they can serve as abiding guides to life.

How to Figure Out if You Can Patent Your Idea

A  patent  is a set of  exclusive rights  granted to an inventor for a limited period of time in exchange for detailed public disclosure of an  invention. An invention is a solution to a specific technological problem and is a product or a process. The procedure for granting patents, requirements placed on the patentee, and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely between countries according to national laws and international agreements. Typically, however, a granted patent application must include one or more  claims  that define the invention. A patent may include many claims, each of which defines a specific property right. These claims must meet relevant  patentability  requirements, such as  novelty,  usefulness, and  non-obviousness. The exclusive right granted to a patentee in most countries is the right to prevent others, or at least to try to prevent others, from commercially making, using, selling, importing or distributing a patented invention without permission. Under the  World Trade Organizations (WTO)  Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, patents should be available in WTO member states for any invention, in all fields of technology, and the term of protection  available should be a minimum of 20  years.  Nevertheless, there are variations on what is  patentable subject matter  from country to country. Is Your Idea  Patentable? To see if your idea is patentable: First, check to see if your idea qualifies.Second, learn the basics of the patenting process.Next, do a search for of all previous public disclosures that concern your invention. These public disclosures are called prior art. Prior art includes any patents related to your invention, any published articles about your invention, and any public demonstrations. This determines if your idea has been patented before or publicly disclosed, making it unpatentable. A registered patent attorney or agent can be hired to do a patentability search for prior art, and a big part of that is searching for U.S. and foreign patents that compete with your invention. After an application is filed, the USPTO will conduct their own patentability search as part of the official examination process. Patent Searching Conducting a thorough patent search is difficult, particularly for the novice. Patent searching is a learned skill. A novice in the United States could contact the nearest Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) and seek out search experts to help in setting up a search strategy. If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides public access to collections of patents, trademarks, and other documents at its Search Facilities located in Arlington, Virginia. It is possible, however difficult, for you to conduct your own patent search. You should not assume that your idea has not been patented even if you find no evidence of it being publicly disclosed. It is important to remember that a thorough examination at the USPTO may uncover U.S. and foreign patents as well as non-patent literature.

Applying And Interviewing For Future Jobs - 782 Words

The business symposium is designed to give juniors a taste of applying and interviewing for future jobs. The symposium gives you a trial run of going through the steps for applying for a job. The first steps in preparing for the symposium were to create a valid resume with everything you ve ever done. This includes your career objective, your education history, work experience if you ve ever been employed before, and all of your volunteer experience. As well you need to list all of your awards for school, or any rewards you might have received at any previous job or jobs you ve had. In addition to your awards you need to include all extracurricular activities that you might do, all hobbies and interests you might have. You should have a spot for all of your skills and abilities, including but not limited to, being good with kids, good with electronics, computer programs, arts and crafts and more. You might also add any additional information you feel they should know about you and at least three references. Your future employer will use your references to verify that everything list d on your resume is true and found out any additional information wish to know about you. In order to complete this process, you had to create a cover letter explaining how you could attribute to the company and your future plans, you will also need to fill out your job application in blue or black ink. When preparing for your interview you should always dress professionally. ForShow MoreRelatedSituational Interview For Your Dream Job1154 Words   |  5 PagesHave you ever been a part of a behavioral or situational interview for your dream job? The recruit, select, and hire process is essential for choosing the right person for a job. In this process, interviews are conducted in the selection portion. A job interview is a one on one, panel, or group conversation between the applicant and representative of an company. The purpose of an interview is to assess whether the applicant should be hired and/or continue through the hiring process. Interviews giveRead MoreInterview Questions On Behavioral Interviewing858 Words   |  4 PagesAnswers. Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new, but widely used mode of job interviewing. The behavioral interview technique is used by employers to evaluate a candidate’s experiences and behaviors in order to determine their potential for success. This approach is based on the belief that past performance is the best predictor of future behavior. In fact, behavioral interviewing is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percentRead MoreReflection Essay710 Words   |  3 PagesMay’s Business School this past May, I started to think forward to all the exciting job opportunities and different career paths that I could explore. Through the guest speakers and seminar sessions, I have grown to understand the steps needed to succeed in our evolving job market. By enabling myself to take this course I have learned many professional lessons which include; the value networking can have on your job placement, inter view preparation, and how ethical behavior in the workplace can affectRead MoreThorough Pre Employment Assessments1358 Words   |  6 Pagesevaluate the most appropriate assessment methods for each position. Presented are a suggested improved assessment process, recommendations for more initial and substantive assessments methods, and legal aspects of the recommendations for BSS into the future. BioServerSystems (BSS) Current State Assessments Currently, BSS begins with reviewing the application blank or application from employments. This document requires the candidate to fill in requested information about previous work history withRead MoreP2-Describe the Main Employability, Personal and Communication Skills Required When Applying for a Specific Job Role.1005 Words   |  5 Pageswhen applying for a customer assistant position at Tesco’s. The first quality an employer will look for in an applicant is the qualifications they have. Are the qualifications suitable? Have they got a satisfactory amount? Sometimes the qualifications don’t matter depending on the particular job, but most of the time, employers will only take on people who have sufficient qualifications. 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There are many books and articles that have helped me, offering advice on interviews and what sort of skills I need to develop to obtain one of these internships. An article that I read â€Å"How to land a top-notch tech internship — and a tech jobà ¢â‚¬Å Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬Å while you’re still in school† by Michael Deng, gave some great input and I think it impacted my sense of professional identity and pertains to my goals that I have set this year. The article opens by talking about how each student needs a strongRead MoreA Career in Broadcasting901 Words   |  4 Pagesis to become a play-by-play broadcaster for professional sports. To properly explore a sport broadcasting career, the educational requirements, the working conditions and the salary and benefits are vital factors to consider Before applying for a broadcasting job, educational requirements must be met. Graduating high school is an important first step on the road to become a sports broadcaster or announcer. According to the Ferguson Publishing Company â€Å"Television sports broadcasters who deliver

The Six Sigma Free Essays

Globalization coupled with round the clock access to information, products and services have transformed the manner in which business are conducted. The highly competitive environment of the present day does not allow any scope for error to creep in. Customers must have to be kept always delighted and companies have to persistently work out novel ways to exceed the expectations of the customers. We will write a custom essay sample on The Six Sigma or any similar topic only for you Order Now Due to these reasons, Six Sigma came to be part of the culture of eminent companies. Six Sigma is an extremely structured process that assists companies in focusing on the development and delivery of product and services that are close to perfect. Sigma is a statistical term that calibrates the degree a particular process deviates from perfection. The core concept behind Six Sigma remains that in case it is possible to calculate the number of flaws or defects one has in a given process, it is possible to thoroughly know the manner in which to remove them and attain the level of ‘zero defect’ as far as practicable. Adoption of Six Sigma has transformed the basic structure of General Electric — GE and has become the work culture in everything one does and every product designed. (Making customers feel Six Sigma) In order to attain Six Sigma quality, a process should not exceed 3.4 defects per million opportunities. An ‘opportunity’ stands for a chance for noncompliance, or not fulfilling the needed stipulations. This implies that businesses have to be close to ‘zero-defect’ in implementing the core processes. Six Sigma constitutes a vision which companies endeavor towards and a philosophy that is a constituent of business culture of companies. In its core, Six Sigma centers on a few important concepts. These are (i) Critical to quality: Attributes are vital to the customer. (ii) Defects: Unsuccessful in delivering what the customer desires. (iii) Process capability: What process it is able to deliver. (iv) Variation: The things that the customer witnesses and feels (v) Stable operations: Making sure consistent, predictable processes so as to improve what the customer is able to see and feel. (vi) Design for Six Sigma: Designing to fulfill the requirements of the customer and process capability. One of the most important aspects which companies fail to recognize is that assessment from the company level is based on average or averages that are based on mean of the latest results. However, customers do not judge companies on averages, they perceive the variance in every transactions and every product that is shipped. The main idea of Six Sigma remains primarily in reducing process variation and thereafter on improving the capability of processes. (Key concepts of Six Sigma) A question that is usually put is the difference between Six Sigma and TQM. The tools are fundamentally identical based on the level of TQM sophistication. In case Six Sigma is applied exclusively at the project stages to eliminate flaws, it constitutes a segmental improvement approach with some structure and discipline. This can be extremely precious, however misses much of the real importance of Six Sigma and the crucial differences between TQM and Six Sigma. It is important that the real values of Six Sigma begins to exhibit when it is integrated with the strategic plan of the organization assisting to execute that plan with a concentration on paying the customers. (Differences and similarities between Six Sigma and TQM, total quality management) Various Methodologies of Six Sigma: (i) The DMAIC Model: Six Sigma originated in Motorola’s quality enhancement initiatives in the later part of 1980s. During the 1990s, Six Sigma attained popularity due to the success of General Electric and Honeywell implementing Six Sigma. Whereas the name Six Sigma has assumed wider implications, the basic idea of Six Sigma statistically speaking is to enhance the processes in such a manner that at the minimum six standard deviations between the worst case specification limit and the mean of process variation is present. In common meaning it implies that the process is essentially free from flaws. The apparatus used in Six Sigma are the identical tools applied by the Quality Improvement Tools in the 1970s and the initial part of 1980s. Of course it has appealing tags attached to it like ‘Black Belt’, however its true value lies in the methodical approach to development. (Six Sigma: Total Quality Engineering) The DMAIC acronym stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. Important product process performance variables are measured, analyzed, improved and controlled through the use of statistical methods. The simple â€Å"statistical† tools which gained popularity in the Total Quality reign are strengthened with the Design of Experiments — DOE and higher sophisticated Statistical Process Control techniques. The DMAIC process is an edition of the PDCA — Plan-Do-Check-Act which a lot of people find helpful. Undoubtedly, Six Sigma can be helpful for organization to improve processes. The most optimum approach is to align the Six Sigma projects with the strategic business plan of the organization. (Six Sigma: Total Quality Engineering) (ii) The DMADV Model: This model is applied to build new product or process designs in such a manner that it outcomes in an increasingly expected, established and ‘zero-defect’ performance. Five phases are present that consists of Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify. Under ‘Define’, goals are formally defined of the design activity, which are in keeping with the demand of the customer and the enterprise strategy. ‘Measure’ identifies the capabilities of the product, capability of the production process, assessment of risk etc. ‘Analyze’ develops the design alternatives, building of high-level design and assess design capability to choose the best design. ‘Design’ develops detail design, design optimization of design and plan for design confirmation. This phase might need simulations.’ ‘Verify’ validates the design, establishes pilot runs and executes the production process and handover to the process owners. This phase might also need simulations. (Six Sigma: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Usefulness of Six Sigma in the Organizational Strategic Planning Processes: Six Sigma characterizes a distinct roadmap in the achievement to Total Quality. (i) Leadership Commitment: The top management not just initiates the deployment of Six Sigma; it also contributes actively in the entire deployment cycle. Six Sigma starts by giving the senior leadership with the training in the principles and instrument requires in order to direct the development of a management infrastructure to support Six Sigma. This entails lowering the levels of hierarchy of the organization and elimination of procedural hurdles to experimentation and change. (ii) Customer focus: Systems are built for setting up close communications with â€Å"external customers’ — i.e. direct customers, the suppliers, end-users, law making agencies and with internal customers — i.e. employees. Right from the upstream suppliers till the final end-users, Six Sigma removes the scope for flaws. (iii) Strategic Deployment: Under the aegis of Six Sigma, it aims at a small number of high-financial leveraged items. It concentrates the company’s resources: correct support, correct people, correct tools and correct proposals on finding and enhancing the performance metrics which link to bottom-line success. (iv) Disciplined framework: The projects under Six Sigma are implemented through the use of Measure, Analyze, and Improve as well as Control disciplined roadmap. It is this MAIC structured approach which establishes a distinct procedure to help in the internal communication. Apart from this, from a business viewpoint, Six Sigma is also a structure for continuous business improvement. (v) Education and Training: Six Sigma considers that right dedication is propelled by correct understanding. Since it is fact-based methodology, it deeply makes use of quality and statistical tools to convert a practical problem to a practical solution. Therefore a top-to-bottom training is undertaken according to the Six Sigma philosophy and system improvement methods for every level. (Total Quality through Six Sigma) To conclude, the approach and deployment of Six Sigma renders it distinguishable from other quality endeavors. Six Sigma methods uses the statistical tools within a structured method for benefiting the knowledge necessary to attain better, speedier and less costly products and services compared to what the rivals are offering. The continuous, structured application of the master strategy repeatedly in projects, where the projects are chosen based on important business objective propels the return on investment to the bottom-line with the outcome that it leads to remarkable profits. Besides, prompted by the improvement to the bottom-line, the apex management will be repeatedly be dedicated to this approach, the work culture will be repeatedly cultivated, the customer will certainly be satisfied ones and this will ultimately lead to Total Quality. How to cite The Six Sigma, Essay examples

Who Is Responsible For Starting Wwi Essay Example For Students

Who Is Responsible For Starting Wwi Essay Who is Responsible for Causing World War I?In August of 1914, the war to end all wars began. The First World War saw incredible amounts of casualties because of new fighting techniques and technology, among other reasons. While it is clear who the victors of the war were after the battles had been fought and the Peace of Paris signed, what is not clear is who started this war. Historians have debated this question since the very early stages of the war and it is one that still remains without one concrete answer. A common elementary history textbook will explain the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria as the sole cause for World War one, but further research seriously brings this statement into question. I feel as though it was not one single person, or even a single country who/that caused the war, but rather a series of events and situations which include the following: the allying of countries and preparing for war which preceded the fighting itself, the actions of the Black Hand as a message of Serbian nationalists, the persuasion of Austria-Hungary by Germany for a swift retribution for this act, and Russias swift mobilization of troops along the Central Powers eastern border in the early stages of the war. The first and possibly most important cause of World War I may have been the allying of the countries involved in the war and the posturing for action which they participated in. Although many treaties were signed and many alliances made previously, the start of the time line of WWI may be traced to the Dual Alliance signed by Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1879, to which Italy joined in 1882 forming the Triple Alliance. It was an agreement that was one of military protection, stating that if any member of the alliance were to become involved in the war with two other powers, they would respond with military aid and intervention. This agreement was countered by the Franco-Russian Alliance signed in 1894. Its terms were similar to that of the Triple Alliances. These two agreements directly opposed one another. Who would there be to oppose these groups but one another? These drawing of allies basically served to prepare Europe for eminent war. After their signings, it seems very plausi ble and likely that the many power struggles in Europe would only be solved by warfare. At this point in time, many countries started to prepare for a war that they were unsure would even occur, much less who it would be fought against. The first of these movements was the incredible investment of Frances resources into Russia. The French knew that to be a valuable ally, Russia would have to be better equipped and more able to fight, if needed. Therefore, by the time Russia started to mobilize in the early stages of war, France had invested incredible amounts of money and resources to support and build up its principle ally. However, They were not the only countries preparing for possible war. Germany took this opportunity to construct a naval fleet. The chief result of this naval production was an equal production from England, which held a common interest of having a two-to-one naval advantage over all other countries. The ongoing one-upping between these two countries led to huge fleets being assembled with no other primary function, save for war. Because of this, these new navies only increased the probability of a costly war. By the beginning of war, the German to English ship ratio was in proportion of 10 16 which the English often regarded as unmenacing. These events were causes of the war in that they affected many other countries besides those directly involved. Neighboring countries noticing increased armament would only want to arm themselves, which is what happened in this instance. The result was the cause of a widespread nervousness in regards to a war that more and more people were not only coming to expect, but also one that many were starting to realize w ould be quite great in scope. The next significant event, in my opinion, was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria by the Serbian nationalist group, Black Hand. The actual assassination is not nearly as important as the message it was intended to send, as well as the far-reaching effects it had. The Archduke had been on a visit to the Serbian portion of Austria-Hungary to issue a message of diplomacy. Understanding that these Serbs would be extremely important in the looming war, the crowned prince wanted to give these people representation in the Austria-Hungary government. While opposed by the Hungarian portion of the government because of the possible weakening it offered them, this plan was favored by the most powerful members of the state, the Austrians. Knowing that Serbs constituted a significant part of their army, and understanding that these people only added to their power as a kingdom over all, they were more than willing to accept the Archdukes plans. Halloween EssayIf the Russians hadnt surprised almost all of Europe with the quickness with which they were able to pose a threat to Germany, Germanys plan may well have succeeded. In the opinion of many historians, the taking of Paris was proceeding favorably for them. They also had more than enough power and resources to defeat an ill supplied Russian army. However, with both going on simultaneously, Germany was spread too thin. Germany mistook Russian advancement as a serious threat, when in actuality, it turned out to be poorly supplied and may have been easily defeated with a full German force that was expected to encounter it. This retreat of the Germans led to the French being able to gain a much more even battle on the western front, which was where the majority of the war was to be fought. Thus, the war that could have ended in only three weeks lasted for over four years. To say that there was on person, one event, or even one country that started a particular war is often a gross misrepresentation. In the case of World War I this statement is even more applicable. It seems as though leaving out any of the events previously mentioned may not only have led to a shorter war, but may have also caused this incredible battle for power to have never occurred. History Essays

Behavioural based safety strategy The WritePass Journal

Behavioural based safety strategy Abstract Behavioural based safety strategy ). The safety management systems currently implemented within organisations generally are centred on policies, procedures, objectives, processes such as risk assessment, hazard identification the use of various safety tools such as JSA’s and the wearing of personal protective equipment, or PPE, and focus on measuring compliance against key targets and objectives. This dissertation examines how Behaviour Based Safety, or BBS, aids in the drive to prevent accidents and boost overall employee development (Lebbon, Sigurdsson and Austin, 2012). Qatar holds the position of second smallest country in the Arabian Peninsula after the island state of Bahrain. Qatar’s population currently stands at 2.04 million of Development Planning and Statistics, 94 per cent of which are foreign nationals (Qsa.gov.qa., 2014). Of this 94 per cent the majority is low-paid migrant workers. This number is expected to rise significantly in the coming years primarily due to the coming 2020 World Cup and the need for an influx of foreign labour for the booming construction requirement associated with it (Qsa.gov.qa., 2014). These migrant workers will primarily work on critical construction projects, drastically increasing the need for an effective safety program to be in place. The country has grown in a record breaking manner in the last ten years, to become the wo rld’s highest per capita GDP National (Fromherz, 2013). This achievement is primarily based on the vast resources of oil and gas discovered in the country. As a consequence of this discovery, construction of mega production plants has been the main focus of development in the country. This level of construction indicates an influx of safety challenges requiring an up to date and efficient method of implementation. These projects have historically required vast numbers of multi-cultural and diverse workforces, coming from different parts of the world (Orr, 2008). This being the case there are many challenges and great difficulties in bringing about a consciousness of safe work practices and in instilling a positive safety culture (Fromherz, 2013). The recognition of the need for workplace safety publicly materialized in the work of Mr Heinrich, an Assistant Superintendent of the Engineering and Inspection Division of Travellers Insurance Company during the 1930’s and 1940’s (Heinrich, 1959). His position required an investigation into the high and rising rate of supervisor accident reports during the period .This report revolutionized the working world by concluding that 88% of industrial accidents were primarily caused by unsafe, possibly preventable acts (Heinrich, 1959). This transformative moment in safety strategy motivated an entire industry to introduce reform (Fogarty and Shaw, 2010). Prior to these period witnessed steadily decreasing standards of working conditions that led to the need to reform the system. Heinrich (1959) subsequently published his first book in 1931; Industrial Accident Prevention: A Scientific Approach, laying out a more systematic approach to the study of accident data. This indicat ion of a willingness to embrace change was tempered by the overwhelming capacity that big business interests had to keep costs low, creating a volatile safety environment. The modern era has maintained that safety is significant concern for companies, often requiring a considerable fraction of their overall revenue stream (Fromherz, 2013). This drive to increase performance and reduce injury has resulted in many companies showing excellent improvement in the area of safety performance, thereby reducing cost and increasing productivity. The rationale for this research rests on assessing the potential for improvement of HSE performance in the Oil and Gas sector, specifically in the Middle East; through a means of behavioural based safety. The intention of the study is to establish the appropriateness of this hypothesis, whether as a process to be used as a standalone mechanism, or additionally, for the augmentation of an existing HSE management system. Behaviour based safety concept, or BBS, has been  considered in industry worldwide for around a decade as a means to achieve a positive safety culture and an improved organizational safety performance (M ohr, 2011). An organisations culture can be as influential in achieving good safety results as a safety management system. The positive or negative safety culture of an organisation is directly linked to human factors and the positive behaviour of its workforce (Mohr, 2011). According to Books (1999), the largest influences on safety culture are; 1) the style and management commitment; 2) the involvement of employees; 3)training and competence; 4)ability to communicate at all levels; 5) compliance with procedures; and 6)organisational learning. The current research has affiliation with an earlier study conducted as part of the Post Graduate Diploma award (Turner, 2013). The subject of the previous research was â€Å"Safety Culture or Climate: An Appraisal of Perceptions and Scale†. This research sought to measure the health and safety, culture and climate of the researcher’s employer organisation. In this case the researcher determined that there was evidence of a positive safety culture within the XXXX Group of companies. However, this research also illustrated that this positive safety culture has not entirely achieved the expected and desired outcome of zero harm to people. All these factors in themselves do not prevent injuries from continuing to occur within the organisation. The previous study and current research focuses on the Middle East region. In particular to the varying needs and challenges faced by operations based in the region; specifically those that require the engagement of personnel from a vast array of differing backgrounds and cultures and how the principles of behavioural based safety may effectively be used to influence this specific workgroup. To facilitate understanding, it is also important to outline the distinctiveness of the location, (Qatar), the demographics of the workgroup, and the difficulties and challenges related to the management of such a work group within a safe work environment. Based on the above reasoning this affords the researcher the ideal incentive to both address the topic as an area of research for the required dissertation element in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Postgraduate MSc Degree in Health, Safety Risk Management and to make recommendations that will enable XXXX Group to continue its safety culture development journey; that is, towards a more safety aware, proactive and empowered workforce; ultimately leading to an overall improvement in the safety performance results attained 1.2 Aims Objectives This dissertation research focuses on the potential for improvement of HSE performance in the Oil and Gas sector, specifically in the Middle East; through a means of behavioural based safety. It is evident from recent research that traditional methods of safety management, such as safety management systems and risk assessments, do not wholly protect employees from incidents and injuries, as such organisations are looking for an alternative approach to improve performance and eradicate injury from the workplace, therefore the aim of this project is The following aim has been developed in order to meet this goal of this research: Critically evaluate existing research into behavioural based health and safety strategies, programmes and model with a view to identify a best practice model for future implementation. Objectives: The objectives of the research are as follows: 1) To critically analyse available literature and research studies pertaining to behavioural based health and safety. 2) To ascertain employee perceptions. 3) To identify best practices and success rates of behavioural based safety programmes. 4) To evaluate performance improvement. 5) Determine an appropriate behavioural approach for Labour safety in Qatar. 1.3 Research Questions In order to fully develop this dissertation the following questions will be considered by this research: 1) What is behavioural based safety and how does it impact Qatar? 2) Which elements of the behavioural based safety process are suited for Qatar? 3) What is the best method of behavioural based safety implementation for Qatar? 4) How to assess behavioural based safety effectiveness in the workplace? 1.4 Scope of this research This research examines safety perception and behavioural application from 2000 until 2014 in order to ascertain the best possible elements for future implementation. With a national focus on Qatar this research incorporates studies conducted in similar environments and conditions internationally in order to gain insight for these research objectives. 1.5 Structure of the Dissertation This dissertation will consist of an Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology and Analysis, followed by Discussion/Conclusion. 2 Literature review 2.1 Overview â€Å"BBS is about everyone’s behaviour, not just the frontline† (Agnew Ashworth, 2012:1). 3 Methodology / Analysis 4 Discussion/Conclusion 5 References Agnew, J. 2012. Behaviour based Safety.  Performance management magazine, 1 (1), p. 1. Books, H. 2009. Reducing error and influencing behaviour. New York, NY. Fogarty, G. J. and Shaw, A. 2010. Safety climate and the Theory of Planned Behaviour: Towards the prediction of unsafe behaviour.  Accident Analysis \ Prevention, 42 (5), pp. 14551459. Fromherz, A. J. 2013. Qatar: Politics and the Challenges of Development by Matthew Gray (review).  The Middle East Journal, 67 (4), pp. 649651. Greene-Roesel, R., Washington, S., Weir, M., Bhatia, R., Hague, M., Wimple, B. 2013. Benefit cost analysis applied to behavioural and engineering safety countermeasures in San Francisco, California. Heinrich, H. W. 1959.  Industrial accident prevention. New York: McGraw-Hill. Santos-Reyes, J. and Beard, A. N. 2002. Assessing safety management systems.  Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 15 (2), pp. 7795. Lebbon, A., Sigurdsson, S. O. and Austin, J. 2012. Behavioural Safety in the Food Services Industry: Challenges and Outcomes.  Journal of Organizational Behaviour Management, 32 (1), pp. 4457. Mehta, RK.   Agnew, MJ. 2013. Exertion-dependent effects of physical and mental workload on physiological outcomes and task performance.  The IIE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors,  1(1), 3-5. Mohr, D. P. 2011.  Fostering sustainable behaviour. Gabriola, B.C.: New Society Publishers. Orr, T. 2008.  Qatar. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. Qsa.gov.qa. 2014.  . Welcome to Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics-Statistics sector website :.. [online] Available at: qsa.gov.qa/eng/index.htm [Accessed: 27 Mar 2014].

Report of the Tomb of the Warriors essays

Report of the Tomb of the Warriors essays In 1947 two Chinese farmers accidentally stumbled onto a huge tomb of a king that died over c.2200 years ago the kings name was Qin Shi Huang. The special thing about this tomb is that it is guarded by several self firing cross bows and approximately 6000 fully armed terracotta life size statues containing archers, cavalry troop, charioteers, infantry and even horses guarding the tomb. State of the find and the treatment of the find A lot of the soldiers are still standing but a part of the tomb collapsed and knocked over several of the warriors. But so far 38 columns of soldiers have been excavated and approx 1000 soldiers have been restored to there original state. A museum has set up a little firing room so they can make duplicates of the men and sell them to other museums. Age of the find and dating methods used The vault is approximately 12500sq Km in size, it is believed that the tomb was built just after the king past away so that means its approximately 2200 years old as the king died in 210B.C. Back in this era it was common that people were superstitious. So I think the only reason king Qin surrounded himself in his army was to protect his soul from evil spirits and no man could last that long so he built his own life like army out of terracotta to protect him forever. ...

Contract law coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract law coursework - Essay Example when this would involve forcing a contract upon an unwilling party,†3 nevertheless, since Jerry &Co has commenced performing the terms through construction, they are deemed to have accepted the contract4 with the additional provisions inserted by Mrs. Lowrie. When the record of a transaction is contained in a document – oral evidence is excludedas in this case, the parol evidence rule has generally excluded oral evidence, so parties are bound by the writing alone5. However oral representations made by Jerry& Co have induced Lowrie to enter into the contract.6 Most importantly, it must be noted that as per Clause 5 of written contract, Jerry& Co provide no warranty on materials used in construction.7 Ans 2 (a): The document signed by Mrs Lowrie and Jerry &Co does not represent the entire agreement between the parties. For one thing, there are additional terms and provisions which are relevant in the context of the contract – which are spelt out in the standard form building contract.8 Mrs Lowrie may not have entered into the contract without the oral representations on completion time and materials.9 (b) The oral statements made on March 4th and April 3rd do not form a part of the formal written contract between the parties. However, these statements may be classed as representations – which are statements of fact made by one party that form the basis upon which the other party is induced to enter into the contract. When such statements/representations are not reduced into writing, the Court may draw the conclusion that the parties did not intended them to be contractual terms10 and therefore, an injured party may not be able to hold the other party to those representations. The important distinction between a contractual term and a representation is that while contractual terms are enforceable in the event of a dispute, representations may not be. Ans 3: If the oral statements were deemed to be representations and not contractual terms, then

Monitoring Risk Response Actions for Effective Project Risk Management Case Study

Monitoring Risk Response Actions for Effective Project Risk Management in Western Oceanography Institute - Case Study Example The explanation for the problem experienced by Dr. Simons geothermal assessment program would be that the program may not be compatible with the new system, thus it would be reconfigured otherwise, to become compatible, or a new program similar to that would be installed for his use. The problem that Young made is the failure to ensure perfect installation of electrical wiring, which contributed to the unnecessary delay. She also contributed to the problem by failing to investigate all the staff computers in advance, to ensure that sufficient space had been created, all unnecessary files removed and the necessary program reconfiguration is done, to ensure they were compatible with the new system. She could have managed the conversion better, by ensuring that all the necessary preparations were done well in advance, to prevent the unnecessary delays. She could have also managed it better by collaborating fully with all the staff and seeking their approval of the project (Kujawski, 361). This way, they would have taken it as their responsibility, to prepare all the requirements to have the project succeed. Collaboration and seeking approval of all the stakeholders in a project is essential for a project to succeed (Kujawski, 357).

Performance Measurement In The Public Sector Finance Essay

Performance Measurement In The Public Sector Finance Essay In recent years governments within Canada have been facing increased pressure from the public to be more financially accountable, transparent and responsible when it comes to managing tax dollars. In large part, this is due to several economic and social pressures, such as an aging population, budgetary deficits and various financial scandals, which make the need for effective and efficient financial management a pressing matter. Governments have been developing systems, approaches and processes to continually ensure value for money, including integrating private sector practices into the public sector (e.g. New Public Management and Public Sector Renewal). One such private sector practice is the extensive use of and reliance on performance measures, which are used to obtain information thought to be critical to ensuring effective and efficient financial management, such as tracking government debt, program success, and forecasting future programming needs. This paper will demonstrate and explore the theory of performance measurement, including its advantages and disadvantages. A case study will then be presented, which will outline, apply, and assess financial performance measures used by the Ontario government on its provincial budget covering the period from 2002 to 2007. The paper will then conclude with observations and recommendations for more effective use of performance measures and a better understanding of the benefits and, perhaps more importantly, the limitations of performance measurement. Performance measures, while a useful tool, are not sufficient to guarantee effective and efficient management of public resources. Context for the need for performance measure in the public sector Governments are increasingly grappling with complex social and economic pressures. For instance, the aging of the population is expected to have important impacts on governments revenues and expenditures. With soaring health care costs as the population ages, Roy Romanow (2002) in his report on the future of health care in Canada estimates that annual per capita expenditure on people aged 65 and over is three times as much as the average of all age group spending (p.57). Looking at Ontarios annual report and consolidated financial statements between 2002 and 2007, the province has seen a significant increase in its expenditure in health and long term care where the province increased its expenditure by approximately 9.9 billion dollars or a 36.8 percent spending increase over five years. Overall expenditures during the same time period have increased by 20.4 billion dollars or a 28.6% increase. This essentially means that approximately 49% of the increase in expenditure went to health care spending. Ontarios revenues on the other hand increased by 21.8 billion dollars or a 31.8% increase. However, net debt has increased by 8.5 billion dollars or a 6% increase (Please refer to appendix 1.1). As these statistics show, expenditures on health care represent a significant proportion of provincial spending, a situation that may be exacerbated by an aging population. Furthermore, Saks and Haccoun (2004) estimates that Canadian labour supply shortage will reach the one million plateau by year 2020, which can have significant adverse effects on the Canadian economy and its provincial and territorial counterparts in terms of ability to raise taxes and maintain current program expenditures and ensure a sustainable economy in the future. As a result of these pressures and complexities, governments have started to examine its role in society and the various ways through which programs are delivered and managed. For instance, governments are increasingly delivering programs and services through partnerships as a means of improving efficiency in the delivery of services to Canadians. With increasingly complex and varied configuration of delivery of public services, there exists a real need to identify separate roles and responsibilities of participating partners and to develop expectations, standards, and measures of performance to ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability. What is Performance Measure: Definitions and Considerations One of the results of this movement for better public service delivery is the integration of private sector practices, including performance measurement to ensure transparency, accountability and sustainability even in the face of pressures and complexities facing the public sector. In recent years, several developed countries and some developing countries have made increasing use of performance concepts and results indicators, both in their managerial practices and in the formulation and execution of public programs (Performance Measurement in Public Administration, p. 649-650). Performance measurement is also considered by some experts as the first step toward improving the performance of a public-sector organization, and, if backed by an appropriate incentive system, it can help shift organizational focus from inputs to outputs and outcomes and thus improve efficiency and effectiveness (Performance Measurement in Public Administration, p.663). It is essentially the collection of a bout an organizations performance indexes that will equip a program manager to evaluate its changes in performance over time (Carroll and Dewar, 2002). Performance measures are believed to be first applied in the public sector in 1960, when calls for the improvements in processes in which the way the government manages its resources or inputs to maximize efficiency and effectiveness started becoming more pronounced. It is argued that by tracking performance, the government is better able to meet its budget goals and objectives. There are many factors to consider when developing or applying a performance measure in an organization. The main factor that must be considered is cost. Can the organization afford the costs associated with developing, maintaining and implementing a performance measure? Clear, concise and realistic performance goals are needed. The performance measure must be fully communicated to everyone in the organization, as the success of a performance measures implementation depends on everyone buying into the concept. Once a performance measure is approved, an appropriate rewards system should be included, as well as a system for modifying the performance measures if the organizations objectives are not being realized. The organization must also ensure that individuals who have to work with the performance measures within the organization are well informed about the process and the benefits of the system and how to implement it (Mayne, 2005). In other tools, realizing and achieving the full benefits of performance measurement may be compromised or limited if analysts/managers fail to appreciate and understand the nature, purpose, meaning, and limitations of the indicators. Benefits of Performance Measurement As the economy grow, the demand for government services increases as well. Ontarios gross domestic product (GDP) increased from 493.1 billion dollars in 2002 to 586.2 billion dollars in 2007 or an increase of approximately 18.9% (Please refer to appendix 1.6). This means that there could be an increased demand for government programs and services and, likely, for the Ontario governments workforce. As programs, service, and government workforce grow, there would be a need to track the various programs the government provides. Performance measures can be beneficial in a given organization in various ways if implemented properly. Some of these benefits include: workforce and program management, assessment of program effectiveness, and increased accountability. Performance measures assist in organizing information that will help track, assess and analyze how various programs are progressing over time. It is a control measure that will make sure that the public sector is delivering services to the public that will maximize the publics utility level and at the same time ensure that resources are utilized efficiently and effectively(Carroll and Dewar, 2002). The management of these processes will also ensure compliance within various departments where the process can be standardized across various departments to ensure compliance. The application of performance management hopes that managers would change from being inwardly focused to being outwardly focused on public conditions, needs and problems (Waldt, 2004, p.21). By helping managers think outside the box, performance measure will hopefully generate innovation that can be fed back into the policy process to incorporate these innovations. However, this will only work if senior management i s able to sell this idea to everyone in the organization that will help break down resistance. By overcoming these barriers, an organization can now look ahead and collect various information regarding its performance, how well it is doing in comparison to previous years?, and how it is performing against other organizations. Performance measures can also help in improving public accountability. Outcomes information will inform public debate and the political process, and thereby providing direction to Government(Waldt, 2004, p. 19). In recent years, various government sectors have faced heavy scrutiny from the tax payer, electorate, opposition parties and the media. This is due to mismanagement of government funds such as the sponsorship scandal. This is one of the reasons why various performance control measures are increasingly filtering through the public sector. Since performance measure requires information gathering, maintaining and analyzing, then its proper implementation improves government accountability, transparency and responsibility. Since the public sector is more open to scrutiny because of the advancement of the information technology and the availability of legislations such as the Freedom of Information Act, this will further assist in ensuring that public sector managers are more cons cientious. Although one must ask whether or not performance measures in the public sector exist because there is a real need to improve performance or a perceived need for one. If the cost of performance measure outweighs its benefits, then performance measures can be seen as a ploy by the government to provide peace of mind to the public. Then the cost of performance measure is essentially the cost of buying peace of mind which is a waste on its own. Finally, another benefit of proper application and implementation of performance measure is through benchmarking (Carroll and Dewar, 2000). Benchmarking allows government agencies to create and compile best practice information that can help other agencies achieve their goals. This information may be useful to other organizations to help make their operations effective. A word of caution with utilizing benchmarks is that each organization is different from one another. Therefore, these benchmarks must be modified to fit into the organizations culture, goals and objectives. Though this may be helpful, the flip side is a potential to promote laziness and block innovation (De Bruijn, 2007). Limitations to the Use/Application of Performance Measurement The main idea behind performance measures is to be able to reduce cost and at the same time provide services at the least possible cost without jeopardizing the quality of service. However, the application of performance measure alone does not mean that governments will start realizing the benefits associated with this practice. Some may question the underlying reason why performance measures are needed in the public sector. It can be argued that performance measures were implemented in another country or province and they have been successful at achieving goals through the use of performance measures as a tool (Carroll and Dewar, 2002). However, just because performance measurement works in one particular organization does not necessarily mean that it can be fully integrated in another organization and be expected to provide the same level of success (the idea of benchmarking). This brings into light various motives or the driving force for the use of performance measures. Do public sector analysts and managed really believe that performance measurement contributes to more effective financial management? Or are they simply forced to include performance measures to fulfill reporting and financial requirements from the Center of government (e.g. Treasury Board)? Or are they just following a trend or a passing fad? The implementation of performance measure in the public sector can have a few disadvantages. These limitations include the manipulation of the performance measure system, challenges and difficulties in quantifying qualitative objectives (Carroll and Dewar, 2002). One of the major problems of performance measure is the manipulation of the performance system to maximize rewards by a particular individual/organization. Performance measure objectives can be interpreted in a variety of ways that can potentially give way to manipulate the system to allow a given organization to meet its objectives on paper but not in reality. One example of how performance measure can be manipulated happened in Australia when an Aboriginal tribe was informed that its sanitation and other subsidies would depend on their performance in keeping sanitary facilities clean, they did so most effectively by thoroughly cleaning the toilets, and then closing them to the public. (p. 660, Performance Measurement in Pu blic Administration) Performance measure can be manipulated by defining the goal and manipulating other variables to meet its objectives. For instance, if a police forces objective is to decrease crime rate in a given community, it can essentially meet its goal without any real changes to the crime rate in the community in question by choosing not to report certain crimes. This practice is a waste of resources that could have been used to fund other programs that are more efficient in nature. As illustrated by the examples given, the application of performance measure can potentially generate good performance on paper but not in reality. Another disadvantage of performance measure is the challenges associated to applying it to the public sector (Graham, 2007). This is because private sector is mostly concerned with profit maximization which is a quantifiable objective. The public sector on the other hand is concerned with measuring qualitative objectives and quantifying its results. Qualitative measures can be quite challenging because it involves subjective interpretation of quality. For instance, if the governments goal is to measure the quality of secondary education provided in Ontario, and then it becomes hard to determine how well the ministry of education is performing. The reason for this is because there are a variety of ways to measure quality, where is the data coming from? What measures are used? Who measures performance? And whether or not there is a conflict of interest that will manipulate the system. Finally, quality of education may not be measured until a few years later when the students graduate h igh school. The application of performance measure also calls for rewarding good performance and punishing poor performance (Waldt, 2004). The implementation of this premise may be a challenge in the public sector because politicians can over ride budget allocation. If for instance, health care is the governments top priority, if for instance health care is the worst performing ministry within the public sector then this may be a challenge. However, this will not work in the public sector because politicians can opt to ignore the performance measure in place and increase funding for the ministry of health. It is also useful to note that the implementation of performance measurement in the public sector could potentially be more challenging than in the private sector, in part because of differing operations/service goals. While the private sectors bottom line is profit maximization, the public sector involves multiple competing stakeholders with multiple goals (Graham, 2002). For instance, there are certain stakeholders who believe in maintaining balanced books and reducing debt, while there are others who believe that the government should consistently provide for social programs, even if this implies financing services through deficit. Furthermore, a performance measures effectiveness may not be fully utilized because politicians can choose to ignore these measures or can over ride budget allocation based on performance measures. Case Study: Ontario Financial Performance Measure A budget is one of the most important pieces of legislation in any given government because it outlines how the government plans to manage its limited resources effectively. A well-conceived, -applied, or -implemented budget allows the organization to realize its goals and objectives with maximum efficiency and effectiveness (McKinney, 2004, p.264). For many years, the public sector has been experiencing increased pressure from the public to provide the best quality of service at the least possible cost. Furthermore, governments have been facing increased pressure from the public to reduce its debt, otherwise debt servicing costs will be transferred to future generations at a higher cost (principal plus interest charges). As the government becomes larger, the role of financial management plays an indispensable role in the achievement of an organizations objective. It is the fuel that gives life and substance to the engine of public administration (McKinney, 2004, p.1). Along with its growth, the number of competing stakeholders also increases and therefore, the process of allocation becomes more complicated. This is the very reason why governments are increasingly finding ways to improve its financial reporting such as the adoption of accrual based accounting and the implementation of the Public Sector Accounting standards. These are some measures used in the private sector that are now being applied in the public sector. In theory, the purpose of the application of these measures is to be able to make governments responsible, responsive and fully accountable. This section will explore and analyze the financial performance measures used by the government of Ontario to assess its effectiveness. The government of Ontarios financial analysis measures three areas which includes sustainability, flexibility and vulnerability. Sustainability measures the governments ability to meet its financial obligations. Sustainability measures Assets to Liabilities, Financial Assets to Liabilities, and Net Debt to Total Annual Revenue, Net Debt to GDP and Deficit to GDP. Flexibility measures the governments ability to move around its financial obligations across programs or across various years to be able to provide the best possible programming level. Flexibility measures Public Debt Charges to Revenue and Net Book Value to Cost of Capital Assets. Finally, vulnerability measures the extent to which the government is dependent on or can be influenced by external organizations such as the federal government, foreign institutions and foreign governments. Vulne rability measures Government Transfers to Total Revenue and net Foreign Currency Debt to Total Debt. Sustainability Assets to Liabilities measures the governments ability to meet its financial obligations through the liquidation of its assets. In the private sector depending on the company, an acceptable ratio is 2:1. However, looking at the Ontario governments assets to liability ratio, this figure hovers around 0.27:1 0.31:1 between 2002 and 2007. (Please refer to appendix 1.3). This figure may be way below the private sector expectations but the chances of a government experiencing bankruptcy (especially in developed countries) is quite low, since governments tend to have the ability to raise money by issuing debt to cover liabilities. Therefore, the use of this measure is limited to just merely observing upward or downward trends. Furthermore, with the implementation of full accrual based accounting in the public sector it becomes hard to determine the exact total value of the governments assets. These assets include heritage assets where a market value is non- existent or there are competin g estimates. It becomes a challenging task to assign a value on such an asset, or the asset may be of value to the government who owns the asset but not to anyone else. Given the challenges associated with determining an actual value for an asset, care should be taken when using this ratio as a financial performance indicator since its accuracy can be challenged. Financial Assets to Liabilities measures the governments ability to raise cash quickly or its liquidity to cover its liabilities. The Ontario governments ratio ranges from 0.18:1 to 0.23:1, where it reached its peak in year 2004/2005 and in 2006/2007 (measured at 0.21:1). (Please refer to appendix 1.3) Net Debt to Total Annual Revenue measures the governments net debt in relation to its ability to generate revenues. This ratio reached its peak over a five year span at 2.03:1 in 2003/2004 and 1.56:1 in 2006/2007. (Please refer to appendix 1.3) Since 2003/2004, the Ontario government has been able to reduce its net debt in relation to its annual revenue. Net Debt to GDP measures the governments fiscal capacity. They relate bond indebtedness to the sources of government revenue (McKinney, 2004, p.245). Ontarios net debt is hovering around a quarter of its GDP and between 2002 and 2007 where it has been slowly declining from 0.27 in 2002 to 0.24 in 2007. (Please refer to appendix 1.3) Since a consistent downward trend exists in this measure, this means that the government is improving in this ratio. Since both Net debt and GDP has increased from 2002 to 2007, this means that the GDP has increased at a faster rate than the increase in net debt. This means that governments ability to pay its debt obligations has improved over five years. Deficit to GDP measures the governments deficit in relation to its GDP. In this measure, the government has seen improvements from 2003/2004 to 2006/2007. This means that the Ontario government is continuously managing its expenditure and making sure it spending is within its capacity. Even though the Ontario government has seen deficits in the years 2003/2004 and 2004/2005, this ratio is looking favourable since deficits are declining in relation to GDP, which has seen a constant increase over five years. (Please refer to appendix 1.3) Flexibility Public Debt Charges to Revenue measures the governments ability to raise funds to pay its debt servicing charges. In this measure, the Ontario government has seen a constant improvement or a downward trend during the five year term from 14.9% in 2002/2003 to 9.7% in 2006/2007. The reason for this is because Ontarios revenues over the same five years have seen consistent growth and have increased by approximately 31.8% while interest on debt has seen a 13.7% decline over the same period. (Please refer to appendix 1.3) Net Book Value to Cost of Capital Assets measures the true value of the governments capital assets. This value is hovering around two thirds of the cost of capital assets and it has seen a slight downward trend from 69.5% in 2002/2003 down to 67.2% in 2006/2007. (Please refer to appendix 1.3) This figure is a good indication of the governments capital assets such as land, buildings, and transportation infrastructure such as highways, railroads and bridges. However, looking at the Ontario governments public accounts, it does not state whether or not the value of land is recorded at historical cost or fair market value. If the land is recorded as historical cost, then it does not really show the true value of the governments assets; instead it is under estimated if the value of the land increases in market value and vice versa if it decreases in market value. Furthermore, depreciation is measured based on estimates; it could be that the life span of an asset could be higher than expec ted and therefore, while the asset is recorded on financial statements as having no value, the asset could still be utilized. Furthermore, an asset can be estimated to have a lifespan of 10 years; at year 10, even though the asset can still be used, an organization can continue using the asset or request for new funding for the replacement of the asset. Since the asset can still be utilized, the organization can sell the asset and make money out of it (scrap value) and record it under its miscellaneous revenues. This becomes an issue of operational efficiency versus manipulation of assets to maximize revenues. Vulnerability Government Transfers to Total Revenue measures the proportion of the federal governments share of the province of Ontarios total revenue. Federal funding that flowed into the provincial government ranges between 13% (2002/2003), which is its lowest level between 2002 and 2007, and has increased steadily to approximately 15.8% (2005/2006) and dropped slightly to 15.5% in 2006/2007. (Please refer to appendix 1.3) This figure can be interpreted in various ways where the upward trend shows that the federal government is continually increasing its transfer payments to the province of Ontario in relation to its total revenue. Looking at nominal figures, the federal government has increased its transfer every year between 2002 and 2007 (from 8 billion dollars in 2002/2003 to 14 billion dollars in 2006/2007. (Please refer to appendix 1.2) Part of this increase is due to huge surpluses the federal government has been reporting in recent years. However, the increased in federal transfer can b e seen both negatively and positively. This can be viewed positively because the province is able to provide more services to the public. However, funding commitments can be revoked especially with a change in government and government priorities. Furthermore, budgetary models are built upon expectations, if the province expects to receive a certain amount of dollars from the federal government, and this is not realized, then it can potentially adversely affect the financial standing of the province. The provincial government should also use this figure as a sign of caution in terms of its forecasts not to rely heavily on federal transfers. The province should try to provide the same level of programs and services to its citizens without relying heavily on federal transfer payments because of fluctuations and uncertainty. However, others may argue that increasing federal transfers is a positive step towards addressing the so-called fiscal imbalance and providing Ontario a fair share of federal funding that is more proportional to the contributions that Ontarians make to the federal tax base. This demonstrates another useful limitation/caveat: performance ratios/indicators are not purely objective, in that their interpretation and ultimately the manner in which they are used/applied depend on the subjective point of view of the public sector analyst/manager. Net Foreign Currency Debt to Total Debt measures the provinces debt level to foreign countries and or organizations. This figure has seen an increase from 21.4% in 2002/2003 and 23% in 2004/2005 and from that point it declined to approximately 20% by 2006/2007. (Please refer to appendix 1.3) This measure is a good indicator on Ontarios reliance on foreign governments in terms of trade and its indebtedness. A declining net foreign currency debt to total debt means that the province can have a positive effect on the provinces credit rating that assesses the governments vulnerability and stability which can have an impact on interest rates on its debt. An improving credit rating will increase the chances of the Ontario government to refinance its maturing debt because of lower risk of default from its debt. An increase in this ratio might cause international panic where other countries can call the province on its debt that can have adverse effects on the economy in terms of attracting investors and other countries willing to do business with the province. As a useful summary of the provinces dependence on foreign debt, it is important to keep track of this budget measure of vulnerability. Discussion of the Ontario governments Financial Analysis as a Measure of Performance Based on the above discussion the ratios used by the government of Ontario is a useful tool as part of a comprehensive strategy or approach to analyzing, measuring the provinces economic and financial performance. However, these tools alone are clearly not sufficient to obtain a full and clear picture and forecast of the economy. Variables such as domestic and international political conditions, international and domestic commodity prices, supply and demand, price of oil, interest parity, price parity, and other non-financial indicators, such as demographic trends, should be considered when formulating, implementing, and assessing the effectiveness of policies and programs. Furthermore, these budgetary performance measures tend to be applied at a relatively high level (i.e. on rolled-up or summed-up figures or estimates) with a view to gauging whole of government performance. Since the Ontario government comprises of individual ministries and departments, improving whole of government performance must start with the individual ministries and their specific programs and projects. This reinforces the idea that full and effective performance measurement entails consideration of other and more specific factors/elements. The government of Ontarios financial measures provide very useful snapshots of the government position at a particular point in time. However, there are other measures, information and factors that one has to consider in gauging the performance of the government and formulating recommendations and strategies moving forward. Conclusion Increased pressures and complexities confronting the public sector has encouraged the proliferation of private sector practices, including the use of performance measurement to gauge program outcomes and ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability of government operations. As this paper has demonstrated, there are benefits to performance measurement, such as providing opportunities to track, compile, and maintain data and requiring regular reporting, thereby helping in promoting transparency and benchmarking. However, these financial/material indicators are not sufficient to ensure effective and efficient management of public resources. As this paper has pointed out, there are several limitations and caveats to performance measurement that public sector managers/analysts must bear in mind, including the need to incorporate other information (e.g. non-financial and qualitative data) in developing, implementing, and assessing policies and programs. These points were reinfor ced in this paper through an examination and evaluation of financial ratios intended to measure the performance of Ontarios budget between the period of 2002 and 2007. While this paper presented a case study of performance measurement from a financial perspective, perhaps a more interesting and richer case study would be to explore quantifying qualitative program performance measures in which represents another area of future research. Indeed, performance measurement when used in a public organization by itself is a fools gold (Carroll and Dewar, 2002).

Effective Communication in Building Relationships Essay

Communicating effectively is the most important aspect of any relationship. In all venues the way we communicate can determine if that relationship will be successful, this is certainly true in an intimate relationship, but just as important in business relationships, friendships, and familial relationships. Relationships are defined by how we communicate, and how effective we are at getting our message out, but just as important is how well we listen. Healthy relationships require us to know a bit about ourselves, and be willing to share some of ourselves with others, building that trust element helps determine the intensity of a relationship. Understanding some of these components will help you on your way to developing and maintaining a good relationship. Having good communication skills can mean the difference between success and failure of a relationship. Most relationships that are successful are in an â€Å"equitable relationship† (Myers, 2010, pg. 429). Being aware of some of the barriers to effective communication can help you avoid the pitfalls of bad or ineffective communication. There are several communicating errors that can signal the end of a relationship, according to Hybels and Weaver (2007) some of those are, â€Å"aggressive talk, regrettable talk, criticism and complaints, avoidance, and defensive communication† (pg. 199). Having disagreements are a normal part of any relationship, it is how we resolve those conflicts that can mean the difference between a healthy relationship or one that is heading towards destruction. We tend to fall back on the destructive methods when we have no other tools in our toolbox. Aggressive talk is using language that demeans another; it is calling names, using disparaging words, wearing down the self esteem of the other person. This is so destructive to a relationship; it can at times lead to physical violence. But the most insidious form of communication is indirect aggression, or passive aggression. This is when we consciously commit an act that we know will hurt or upset another. We manipulate the situation to get our way, or get our â€Å"dig† into the other person. This way we do not have to  confront directly, it is very subtle, and can be the real killer of a relationship. It is a way to continue an argument without actually saying much at all. The Los Angeles Times (1997) reported on passive aggressive tendencies in relationships, and gave some advice on how to handle the situation, â€Å"first, realize that you may not be able to get your mate to change his or her behavior, but you can change yours† and â€Å"take control of the sit uation by setting limits, figure out what you can do† (pg. 3). Regrettable talk is saying something, and then wishing you could take it back. I think we are all guilty of this to some extent. We blurt out a remark without thinking, and immediately we regret it. Using regrettable talk can leave others with hurt feelings, and cause them to want to avoid us. I think in relationships it is easy to fall into this category, you know someone so well, and feel comfortable saying just about anything, so you let your guard down, and many times the things we say we wish we could take back. I have commented to my spouse that we talk nicer to our neighbors than we do to each other, and if we wish to continue in a relationship we must be aware of this, and make every effort to think before we speak. Criticism and complaints creep into a relationship when couples have no real tools for resolving an argument. In an article from Cosmopolitan, reporter Laura Gilbert (2007) interviews professionals about some of the consequences from constant complaints and criticism, â€Å"After a while, you stop talking with those sweet undertones,† says Edythe Denkin, PhD, author of Relationship Magic, â€Å"and sarcasm or negativity can become more common† 243 (5). There are different styles of attachment, â€Å"people with negative views of others exhibit either the dismissive or the fearful attachment style† (Myers, 2010, pg. 428). Dismissive is a relationship marked by distrust, and fearful attachment is a relationship marked by fear of rejection. Either types can lead to the end of a relationship. Avoidance and defensive communication are two types of negative methods used to get our point across. When we are unhappy we avoid any discussion, the silent treatment is what a lot of couples use to avoid any conflict. This is counterproductive, and will destroy the trust in a relationship. Many  couples mistakenly feel that arguing is the end of a relationship, but in truth it is when we begin avoiding each other that can signal a relationship is in trouble. David Code from the Christian Science Monitor (2009) writes, â€Å"Just because you seldom argue doesn’t mean your marriage is strong, the real silent killer of marriage is distancing yourself from your partner† (pg. 9). He goes on to discuss some possible solutions, and encourages couples to not worry so much about disagreeing, but focus on â€Å"your flight response†, If we can learn to spot the â€Å"distancing pattern in our relationships† we can help â€Å"prevent family problems and divorceà ¢â‚¬  (Code, 2009, pg. 9). Defensive communication occurs as we are trying to defend ourselves from a comment made by our partner. â€Å"Defending ourselves is dealing with a past behavior; it gives us no time to resolve the problem† (Hybels and Weaver, 2007, pg. 200). In a relationship each partner must get out of the relationship â€Å"proportional to what you each put into it† (Myers, 2010, pg. 428). The best way to fix a problem is to recognize and admit you have one in the first place. In Cosmopolitan, Jennifer Benjamin (2007) gives us some common communication pitfalls, and says â€Å"to avoid these, you first have to recognize them† (pg. 126). The article goes on to list five communication mistakes that we as couples tend to make. One mistake many couples make is leaving out important information. We give our partners some of the needed information, but assume that he or she knows me so well; they will know what I am talking about. So vital information is left out, this leads to mis communication, and hurt feelings. Another area that we have to be aware of is the time we pick to have a discussion. During Super Bowl, or when one is rushing off to work, is not the time to have a discussion. Mistake number three, prefacing our remark with doom and gloom statements such as, â€Å"do not take this the wrong way† or â€Å"do not get mad but† it begins the conversation with a sense of impending trouble, and gets our level of anger ratcheted up. Another common mistake is one many women are guilty of, talking the problem to death; we tend to not get to the point, and feel we have to give every single detail. The article says, â€Å"Men have about three minutes of attention for any single discussion† (Benjamin, 2007, pg. 126). The last area is in giving out to much detail. Again women can be guilty of this; we feel we need to tell our man everything, all our past exploitations, we want to be close to our guy, but too much information can  be as damaging as not enough. If we are to avoid the destructive methods of communicating, we must increase our strategic flexi bility, according to Hybels and Weaver (2007) this means â€Å"expanding your communication repertoire† (pg. 6). The more communication skills we have, the more we can draw on them for any scenario or situation. We will be better prepared to handle whatever comes up, while still getting our message across, in the most effective manner. People who possess these skills have much more flourishing interactions with the people in their lives. When discussing communication between partners in an intimate relationship gender and language must be taken into consideration. The way the sexes communicate is very different. According to Hybels and Weaver (2007) â€Å"women use the language of rapport-talk, men use report-talk† (pg. 117). This means that women are trying to form bonds with communication, and increase intimacy levels, men are letting us know their knowledge and skills in a particular subject area. It is a completely different style of communicating, women are â€Å"building relationships† and men are trying to â€Å"fix the problem† (Hybels and Weaver, 2007, pg. 117). In the book, Why Mars and Venus Collide, author Vanessa Bush researches the differences in brain chemistry that is produced by women and men when under stress, â€Å"biochemistry can also explain why women multitask and men are more single-minded in their focus. Problems occur when men and women misinterpret the different ways t he opposite sex responds to and copes with stress† (pg. 104). Several tips that were offered by the author to increase our levels of communication, women should let our partners know when we need support, and men should listen fully to the problem without trying to fix it. I have researched communication in intimate relationships, looked at a lot of studies, and felt I should put my own relationships to the test. I wanted to see if my emotional intelligence matched that of my husband and my children. I wanted to see if the gaps I perceive in our communication as a family was due to the differences in each of our emotional intelligence quotients. What exactly is emotional intelligence; according to Hybels and Weaver (2007) emotional intelligence â€Å"is the ability to understand and get along with others† (pg. 156). In order for us to get along with others, and deal with their emotions, we must first be aware of our own emotions and feelings. We must learn how to appropriately express, and manage our feelings, and learn some self-control,  and we must learn to recognize and handle the feelings of others. I had each family member take the emotional intelligence test, which was retrieved from the Institute for Health and Human Potential. This ev aluates your emotional intelligence, and shows you your strengths and weaknesses. I took the survey, and I had my husband and my daughter take the survey. My daughter and my husband scored very similar on the quiz, my results were about ten points higher than there score. The results said I have a very high emotional intelligence. The results of the emotional intelligence test reflects my life, I am a high achiever, can be very task oriented, and want to ensure that my work with families shows great results. The quiz said I needed to remember why I do the work I do, not get bogged down in tasks, but remember the reason you chose this line of work. The results said I should take time each day to reflect on what brings me the greatest joy. That really reflects me, I enjoy the work tremendously, but sometimes the day to day tasks that have to get done can make me a bit cynical. I think it also translates into my personal life, I can read people well, and feel I am in tune with their emotions, but some days I just do not take the time to really sit down and listen to those closest to me. I can see this reflected in my relationship with my husband. I am so busy being busy; I do not really pay attention to him, and what his concerns are. The emotional intelligence test scores for my husband and daughter both said they have slightly above average emotional intelligence, with room to grow. It reflects what I see in both of them, they are very sensitive to the needs of those around them, but do not always take time for themselves. The quiz also says they may not always communicate their feelings or needs to others. This is very true, especially of my husband; he does not communicate his needs well, and then he can become angry and distant. The quiz gives areas for improvement for both my husband and my daughter. They are to look at what causes them stress and tension, and how they handle those situations, and try and rid themselves of the negative thoughts that play in their minds. I have seen the destructive results of this type of negative thinking, feeling you are unworthy and unlovable. We now know the results of the emotional intelligence quiz, now what. We must come together and as a family and decide how best to proceed. Having the results of this quiz has opened the doors to communication for my family. We saw in print, what each of us sees  reflected in the other. The communication between my husband and me was bordering on becoming destructive, we both were passive aggressive when dealing with issues. I did not want to argue, so I would let it go, but not really, it stayed with me, and I would do mean things to get back at my husband. I might not wake him up, even if I saw he forgot to set his alarm, and was going to be late for work. I might not put his work clothes in the dryer, even when I see he is running late. It would be little inconsequential things I would do, but over the years they have added up, and we were at the brink of separating. My husband was no different; he was just as guilty of allowing the barriers to effective communicating to come between us. I also have to admit that I saw some of the same communication barriers creeping into my teenage daughter’s style of communicating. I think being aware of a problem is half the battle, when we are honest, and do some self assessing, we can truly begin to make some changes. I decided that since my emotional intelligence results were so different from my husband’s that taking a personality test might be in order. I found a personality types questionnaire, and we both took the survey. The survey was published by Dawn Billings, (2004) CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network. The Primary colors personality tool asks specific questions, and you rate yourself from highest to lowest in each category. Once finished, you add up the scores and the one with the largest number represents your major personality profile. I took the survey as did my husband and my daughter. The results were very interesting, the one area I found fascinating was that my husband and I both scored the highest in the same category. It said we were both gentle and understanding, which is true, that we are more interested in being loved than in being right, so we may stay with partners that do not treat us well. There have been times in this relationship where I felt I was being mistreated, and my husband has admitted that he has felt the same at times. It also says we may put the needs of others above our own needs, this is very true, and was also reflected in our emotional intelligence test. The tests also said this personality type over commits themselves, and not leave room for those closest to them. This has been a real issue in my marriage; I am so driven by work and school that I forget that I have a husband and a daughter who needs me. Since taking these surveys, the gaps in our communication has closed dramatically. My husband  was open to taking the test, which surprised me; I thought he would balk at doing this. He was as surprised as I was with some of the results; it opened the door for us to begin really talking about issues, as a family, and as a couple. There is more work to be done, taking a couple of quizzes cannot erase years of bad, and ineffective communicating. The pain is there from years of misunderstandings, and from the communication barriers we placed in our paths, but what has happened is the willingness for us to come together as a couple, see what needs to be worked on, and begin that process. Communication skills are vital for any relationship, both personal and professional. This journey has made me aware that I spend a great deal of time working on my professional relationships. I am very careful of how I phrase my comments to coworkers, I am cautious of hurting feelings, or of being misunderstood. I think about what I have to say to a coworker before I actually say it; I try and take into consideration their feelings. But I am not always as conscience at home of the impact my words will have. Communicating effectively is a skill, one that takes work and practice. It also requires that at times we must do some self assessing, see where our strengths are at, but also admit where our weaknesses are at, and begin the process of reducing those barriers. This is the only way we can be both effective at work, and at home, and have a happy, healthy relationship. References Jennifer Benjamin. (2007, October). 5 Talking Mistakes Most Couples Make. Cosmopolitan, 243(4), 126. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1394182521). Billings, D. (2004). Primary color personality tool. The Heart Link women’s network. Bush, V.. (2007, December). Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress [review of Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Strss]. The Booklist, 104(8), 4. Retrieved March 22, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1402448851). David Code. (2009, February 13). How emotional distance ruins marriage. The Christian Science Monitor,p. 9. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1644399621). Laura Gilbert. (2008, September). Couples. Cosmopolitan, 245(3), 145. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1529579221). Hybels, S., and Weaver, R. (2007). Communicating effectively (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. Institute for Health and Human Potential. (March, 2010). Emotional intelligence. Retrieved March, 21st, 2010, from http://www.ihhp.com/quiz COMMITTMENTS Caught Up in a Cycle of Nagging, Ignoring :[Home Edition]. (1994, July 25). Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext),p. 3. Retrieved March 22, 2010, from Los Angeles Times. (Document ID: 59646758).