Personal Dietary Analysis Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Dietary Analysis Two - Essay Example I was always either within the limits or under the target limit. However, I somehow overshot the daily limits pertaining to the total calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol intake. I believe that was an accidental occurrence as I would never willingly go over my target limitations per day. The target daily limit for cholesterol was set at 300 mg and I overshot it at 426 mg. I also went over the saturated fat limit of 10 percent. I clocked in at a maximum of 12 percent instead. The AMDR for carbohydrates is actually 130 g and I consumed 322 g while the percentage of carbohydrate calories clocked in at 45-65 % with me consuming 49 percent of calories. I actually feel good about these results because I was able to prove that my metabolism actually burns the carbohydrates that I consume in a day. I felt very happy and satisfied knowing that I can easily lose weight if I want to because my metabolism is working just fine. The target grain consumption for my daily time period was 7 ounces. Since I averaged 10 ounces per meal, I was over the target by 3 percent for that particular time frame. While the vegetable consumption was targeted at 3 cups and I consumed 2 1/4 cups which was within the acceptable limits of my 2200 Calorie allowance. MY maximum daily fruit allowance was supposed to be only 2 cups but I often overshot and ended up eating about 2 1/2 cups of fruit instead. That was not a problem at all since fruits are very healthy for the body and actually help in the digestion of my food and increase in my metabolism. The suggested daily fiber intake for me was set at 26 g but I only managed to consume 23 g which was just alright for my target group. I am actually quite pleased with myself as I was able to get that close to the target daily intake considering that I was constantly watching my food intake. I believe that was a job well done on my part because I was able to consume the right amount of fiber in a day

Death is Definitely Not Justified With Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay Example for Free

Death is Definitely Not Justified With Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay Doctors dedicate their blood, sweat and tears to achieve the ultimate goal of their profession – to preserve the health and well-being of their patients. Doctors positively intervene with life processes in order to maintain and preserve the lives of many people. However, when doctors negatively intervene with a natural process like death, problems can arise because they are caught in a dilemma of whether to forego life and help end the suffering or to preserve it and torment the patients suffering with terminal illnesses. This is why, physician-assisted suicide is not just perceived solely as a medical problem because it also involves legal, ethical, social, personal, and financial considerations. Physician-assisted suicide remained as one of the most controversial types of euthanasia because it violates the Hippocratic Oath. Physician-assisted suicide literally means that the physician provides the medication for suicide to a competent patient who is capable of carrying it out. It is not just morally reprehensible for a physician, or any medical practitioner, to assist the patient to conduct this procedure because it negates their responsibility to preserve life, physician-assisted suicide also devalues the life of the patient as their fate is put entirely in the hands of a human being. Indeed, there exists an unprecedented debate over physician-assisted suicide (also called euthanasia) because involves medical professionals, as well as the patients and their families. The arguments range from determining the dignity of the patients, the quality of their lives, their mental state, and sometimes their usefulness to society. For example, the patient who is in a vegetative state is considered dead by some but not by others, and this case presents substantial moral and ethical problems. The Oxford Dictionary of English (2005) defines euthanasia as â€Å"the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma†. However, euthanasia means much more than a â€Å"painless death†, or the means of procuring it, or the action of inducing it. The definition specifies only the manner of death, and if this were all that was needed to achieve it a murderer, who is careful to drug his victim to death, could claim that he or she did an act of euthanasia. We find this ridiculous because we take it for granted that euthanasia is â€Å"death† itself, not just the manner of death. How can someone administer a â€Å"medical procedure† to the one who dies in the end? The spate of recent public and philosophical controversy has been over voluntary active euthanasia (VAE), especially physician-assisted suicide. Supporters of VAE argue that there are cases in which relief from suffering supersedes all other consequences and that respect for autonomy obligates society to respect the decisions of those who elect euthanasia. If competent patients have a legal and moral right to refuse treatment that brings about their deaths, there is a similar right to enlist the assistance of physicians or others to help patients cause their deaths by an active means. Usually, supporters of VAE primarily look to circumstances in which (1) a condition has become overwhelmingly burdensome for a patient, (2) pain management for the patient is inadequate, and (3) only a physician seems capable of bringing relief (Dworkin, Frey Bok, 1998). A much publicized case of physician-assisted suicide came into the headlines when it shocked people with the bizarre activities of Dr. Jack Kevorkian in early 1990s (or â€Å"Dr Death† as the media have dubbed him) in the USA. Dr. Kevorkian, a retired pathologist, assisted over forty people to commit suicide in recent years in circumstances, which were somewhat beyond normal from regular medical practice. These people travelled to Kevorkian from all over the USA to seek his assistance in suicide. Kevorkian assisted their death by ending their suffering. He even attached his patients at the back of a dilapidated Volkswagen van, where a â€Å"suicide machine† can be found. This machine automatically injects patients with lethal doses of drugs, as patients themselves activate it. Despite being prosecuted for assisted suicide on several occasions, Kevorkian escaped conviction and continued his personal campaign for relaxation of the law in his peculiar way. It was only when he moved from assistance in suicide to euthanasia that he was finally convicted. He filmed himself administering a lethal injection, and the film helped secure his conviction for murder (Keown 2002, p. 31). Of course, his actions provoked discussion of the thin line separating passive euthanasia, which is legal in this country, and active euthanasia. Opponents of Kevorkian’s actions state that he is practicing physician-assisted suicide, which is illegal. Proponents of Kevorkian’s actions argue that the patient’s right to control his or her medical treatment is sufficient justification for assisted suicide. Unfortunately, most Americans seem to agree with physician-assisted suicide. A nationwide survey by the Gallup poll in 2004 showed that 69% of Americans believed that physicians should be allowed to help terminally ill patients in severe pain commit suicide. These results were consistent with those of Gallup polls over the past two years, where â€Å"Americans have shown slightly higher levels of support for doctors ending patients’ lives by painless means than for assisting patients to commit suicide† (Lyons, 2004). Allen et al. (2006) suggest about the reasons for these statistics. They said that â€Å"one explanation could be the increase in education and awareness of advances in both medical technology and research on various chronic diseases†. As more Americans are becoming more aware of the devastating psychological effects of disease on a person’s well being; â€Å"they may be more willing to make informed decisions on end-of-life care†. Armed with knowledge of how painful and grueling pains that patients suffer, Americans think that sometimes the best option for a terminally ill patient is physician-assisted suicide or some other form of euthanasia. Strangely enough, a group of doctors also support physician-assisted suicide. Known as the Hemlock Society, these doctors advocate the legalization of euthanasia (Snyder, 2001). This organization believes that the final decision to terminate life ultimately is one’s own, although it does not encourage suicide for emotional, traumatic, or financial reasons, or in the absence of terminal illness. Conversely, the National Hospice Organization supports a patient’s right to choose, but believes that hospice care is a better choice than euthanasia or assisted suicide (Snyder, 2001). Despite the salient points made by the supporters of physician-assisted suicide, we should not forget that this process essentially negates the purpose of a doctor’s profession. The Hippocratic Oath, which dates back in the 400 B. C. E. states that â€Å"I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel†. Not only that it is in clear opposition to the oath of their profession, it is also morally and ethically reprehensible. According to Somerville (2006), there are two major reasons why people should not allow euthanasia to be legalized. First reason is purely relying on principle that it is not right for one human to intentionally kill another (with the exception of justified self-defense cases, or in the defense of others). Somerville (2006) stated that the second reason is utilitarian, as legalizing physician-assisted death has harmful effects and risks to people and society. In fact, the harms and risks far outweigh any benefits of physician-assisted suicide. While Mak, Elwyn Finlay (2006) reasoned that â€Å"most studies of euthanasia have been quantitative, focusing primarily on attitudes of healthcare professionals, relatives, and the public†. Most people perceive pain as the major reason for requesting euthanasia, while other factors that convince people to choose it are impairment of functions, dependency, being a big burden, being isolated to people, depression, losing hope, and losing autonomy or control. This is why, Mak, Elwyn Finlay (2006) thought that legalizing euthanasia is a â€Å"premature† move when research evidence from the perspectives of those who desire euthanasia is not yet proven to be necessary. The researchers suggested that there needs to be additional qualitative patient-based studies in order to broaden the physician’s understanding of patients. They deemed that there should be the â€Å"inclusion of medical humanities, experiential learning, and reflective practice into medical education should help ensure doctors have better communication skills and attitudes†. Thus, doctors and healthcare professionals should focus in examining ways to improve cure and care at all levels so that they can trash out the â€Å"side effects of poor end of life care†. In this way, physician-assisted suicide would not be necessity anymore. In 1997, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not guarantee Americans a right to physician-assisted suicide and returned the issue to the state legislatures for continued debate. In its decision, the Court placed emphasis on the American tradition of condemning suicide and valuing human life. In its ruling, the Court made it clear that the states have a legitimate interest in banning physician-assisted suicide, but it also left it open to them to legalize the practice. As a result, the practice has been legalized in Oregon. Although the law is rather unequivocal in regard to the practice of active euthanasia, the court decisions have been quite ambiguous. This may be a proper stance for the law in that its adamant negative position provides a deterrent to all considerations of the practice and forces deliberation of the merits on a case-by-case basis. But under what circumstances is euthanasia justifiable? Is it permissible to kill the terminally ill? How about those who are not terminally ill but have only lost their appetite for life? Even if society decides that citizens have a right not only to life, liberty, and property but also to death, what part do health care practitioners play in this right? Would the role of physician who conducts euthanasia have a chilling effect on the medical profession? What law cannot answer, ethics and morality could provide the answers of what needs to be done by health professionals when faced with a difficult dilemma, such as physician-assisted suicide. As medical practitioners, medical code of ethics should not just become theoretical concepts, because ethics are important references in the application of one’s moral and value system to a career in health care. Ethics involves more than just â€Å"common sense†, which is an approach for making decisions that most people in society use. Ethics goes way beyond this: It requires a critical thinking approach that examines important considerations such as fairness for all consumers, the impact of the decision on society, and the future implications of the decision. In the end, as doctors, the central issue remains caring for the dignity of the patient, which involves respecting the patient’s wishes, protecting the integrity of the profession, and sparing the life of a person under all conditions which are generally understood to be extremely burdensome. Thus, all forms of physician-assisted suicide are ethically and morally reprehensible because it promotes intentional killing. This principle does not require the preservation of life at all costs, which is essentially the role of all physicians.

Information Use Essay Example for Free

Information Use Essay Information can be used in an assortment of ways in today’s business world. Companies can use it to track profits and losses while others use it to forecast future industry trends so they can make informed decisions about what markets they should focus on. According to Opara (2003) â€Å"Information is the life blood of modern organizations. † Without this information, organizations would be making uninformed decisions. Information flows in a circular motion in today’s organizations. An example would be how a car dealership uses the information it gathers. A customer that is in the market for a new vehicle enters a car dealership unsure of what kind of vehicle he or she is interested in. An associate greets the potential customer and asks a few questions to ascertain what the customer is looking for. This information would be what the associate would enter into an information system (IS). From this system the associate can give the customer a listing of vehicles to choose from. The selection of vehicles is presented to the customer and after looking at all the information the customer chooses the vehicle he or she potentially wants to purchase. The associate inputs the customer’s personal information into an IS to qualify them for financing for the vehicle. The personal information is then used by the finance department to set up the financial terms that the customer will have to abide by. Once the financial terms are determined, the information is cycled back to the customer for his or her input. After the sale of the vehicle, the customer information is stored into a database so that the customer can be contacted their experience and also used for future sales. When the vehicle is sold it will need to be removed from the dealerships inventory using another IS program. This program will generate a report for inventory control and future ordering. The data that was collected through the sales process is extremely important to the sale of new vehicles. Not having this data would make it impossible to forecast future sales and inventory requirements. Larger businesses need to keep this type of information on hand for future data mining where â€Å"customer databases are unnecessary for small business. Most small businesses keep track on order-by-order basis† (Types of Information Systems in a Business Organization, 2012). An IS that enables the dealership to maintain correct inventory counts for its customers is a vital part in a profitable business. Maintaining an unobstructed flow of information is crucial to the life of a company. Without this flow of information companies could not maintain profits, and without profits there would be no business. If this data is not controlled a business could find itself in a crisis. If the IS fails in the finance department, the business would not be able to complete a transaction. The same holds true for the inventory control systems. If any of the systems in the cycle were to fail it would put every other system in the cycle in danger. Decision making processes are dependent on the systems working and communicating properly and the information flowing correctly throughout the system. With the collecting of information, organizations have to be aware of the sensitive nature of certain customer information that is inputted. Personal information (PII) has to be protected and stored in a manner that it cannot be accessed by individuals who do not have the authority to view it. Keeping this information secure can be a huge undertaking for any IT department when establishments are faced with situations like car dealerships. There are many individuals who need access to the information in the system at different times. Some information need only be viewable by one department while other departments will need full access to the entire file. This makes creating a secure environment challenging. Securing PII is probably one of the most vital tasks when dealing with data storage. If data is corrupted it is useless to the establishment, and if it is ever misused or stolen it then becomes a potential legal hazard. I am self employed and don’t see the correlation to my work, but I am familiar with Bi-Lo. Customers who sign up for the Bi-Lo Bonus Card fill out the application with their personal information. This includes their name, address, email, and phone numbers. This information is stored in Bi-Lo’s database system. Bi-Lo uses this data to track customer purchases. The store’s system also uses the card data to issue discounts on sale items and email coupons to customer emails. Bi-Lo keeps track of customer orders, types of items ordered, customer spending, and use this information to issue coupons after transactions. Observing the different ways information flows through an enterprise will give incite to how to control and protect it. Every organization has a unique circumstance nd with those circumstances come different ways of controlling the flow of information and its security. No matter which method is chosen, there are a few things that do not change and those things are system reliability and security. If companies do not have a reliable IS, their data becomes useless and if those ISs are not secured from unauthorized access or use, organizations are opening the door to potential lawsuits and stiff fines. Either situations could be costly and end their businesses.

Importance Of Social Spaces In Urban Spaces

Importance Of Social Spaces In Urban Spaces Since the early days people have lived in groups and survived through good and bad days. The communities form by humans has led to the development and enrichment of this world both technologically and habitually. It is the very human need the human interaction; this was the one most basic principal in development of architecture but the new age because of privacy needs and technology (internet) has grown people apart from each other rather than bring them together. The growing capitalist economy demands more of living space than of social space. This has led to poor quality of life standards and increase in crime and decrease in healthy life style. These days many professionals like architects, city planners and sociologist are researching how people live in more densely populated areas. How this has affected the social life of the residents and led the shrinking of social spaces. This paper will discuss the merits and demerits of the contemporary urban development, various effect of social space on communities. How this has led to increase in crime rates and decrease in productivity health and how this situation can be resolved. Key words :Social space , Public space, urban space, urban planning Outline: Introduction: sociology of human communities and their habitat Cause and effects of contemporary urban development The possible solutions and hypothesis of solutionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Introduction Growth is inevitable and desirable, but destruction of community character is not. The question is not whether your part of the world is going to change. The question is how. (Edward T. McMahon) Change Life! Change Society! These precepts mean nothing without the production of an appropriate space (Henri Lefebvre) By 2080 it is predicted that 80% of the human population will move to the cities and urban areas with highest concentrations in Asia and Africa. More people habitat now in urban spaces than in rural spaces ever before. This shows that the level of growth never has been this great and it is still growing. The comparative recent rise and progress of metropolises internationally has caused an increase of the significance of city planning. Urban developments are vibrant and diverse all over the globe. This necessitates an in-depth exploration and approaches to director expansions in the correct direction. New approaches and techniques to secure the extended sustainability of regions are being developed nowadays. Along with these swift expansions come numerous urban complications, like isolation, transportation congestion, contamination and deprivation of the atmosphere. In the international discussion about urban planning, approaches to develop metropolises in the future are expected to alterations. This is because a relatively new term has appeared among designers and planners: sustainable development. Various kinds of professions and practices go into generating public spaces that bring wellbeing and fortune to metropolises and societies. The skill of planning and designing for eminence and vitality in communal places rests in the equilibrium of societies, residence, essence and tradition. Public spaces must be more than safe and manageable; moreover they need to have sense and importance for people, to be used more fully and with better gratitude. Space, however is limited in this metropolitan where the topographical landscape limit possibilities to a definite range. Nevertheless, urban planners and designers have to find the best setting and try to discover a sustainable and long term solutions or ways which is best for the town and its present and prospect inhabitants. In some circumstances they come up with astonishing results and in some not that great. Urban renewal has been associated with urban expansion since the initial social settlement, and was given emphasis after the World War 2. Numerous periods knowledge and billions of moneys forced the judgment givers to comprehend the significance of urban appearance, value of life, and urban setting, which were accepted as fundamentals and facilitators for the economic advancement of metropolises, urban revival projects are created as symbol of the metropolitan and to offer space for occupants, and have been shown to be operational for cities rejuvenation by many countries. This paper examines this merits and demerits of urban development in general. With the growth and development of cities and metropolises around the world, urban planners and architects always keen on areas for impending advancements. Whether regeneration of old fragments of the city or emerging new areas out skirts of the current city limits, prospects are always open.. The study and material is largely based on literature. This paper adopts an extensive understanding of urban planning as the development of making better spaces for societies than would otherwise be created. How can urban planning contribute to the formation of miscellaneous public spaces that increase or improve value and quality to urban socio- economic life? What does a definition of diverse public spaces include? In what ways can public spaces enhance value and quality in urban life? How can urban planning make a positive contribution to creating public spaces? Does urban planning have a negative effect in some cases? Public /Social Spaces The measure of any great civilization is its cities and a measure of a citys greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares. (John Ruskin) Public space is the juncture upon which the expression of public life develops. The paths, squares and gardens of a metropolitan give a form to the sanctuary and movement of social exchange. These vibrant spaces are a vital counterpart to the other established spaces and levies of work and family life, providing the networks for movement, nodes for communication and common grounds for play and relaxation (Carr, Francis, Rivlin, and Stone, 1992). There are number of definition on urban public place or space and its correlation (Wang, 2002). The description of public space and open space in the perspective of urban area provided by different institutes, is as the space which occurs among structures in urban space, which can be accessible freely by communal societies the space should be the room for urban inhabitants to meet and dialogue with other individuals, and for residence to stay in more natural atmosphere. It is also the representation of urban appearance the landscape, thus bei ng called as the breathing room or as the open window of the city. It is multifunctional place in urban space, which could be middle of governmental, monetary, or traditional events. Communal urban space is lively and all full of energy, which is vital for the ecological expansion of the city. Public spaces are shaped by at least two diverse processes; some have evolved naturally through assumption, by frequent use in a specific way, or by the concentration of societies because of an allure or an attraction say may be like a cafà © or very old tree where people wish for something etc. Both of these results in a space that accommodates societies for explicit reasons and it becomes a location that people depend on on as a place to encounter other people. These events might happen on a street junction, on some stairs in front of a structure, or on an undeveloped proportion in a area (Carr et al., 1992). Great communal places are the living area of the metropolitan the place where ind ividuals come together to appreciate the urban area and other individuals. Public spaces add value and increase the quality of life. Public spaces vary from plazas to squares, to small and big, local neighborhood parks or pounds. The combination of exquisite architecture with unique public spaces creates the most gorgeous places to live in places where one can express the joy and relish the nature and manmade structures Another way that public space gets created is by planning, which have diverse roots, though the purpose they serve may be parallel to unplanned or developing spaces. Planned spaces commonly transpire from the offices of urban planners, designers and landscape architects, who may be appointed by community or by private clienteles. Such public or open spaces may be the outcome of the arranging of an urban space the thoughtful or unplanned consequences of building accommodation, workplaces or communal structures. A district or neighborhood may be structured around a square, or the space around a monumental erection /structure may be intended as a public place with other edifices arranged around, or a space may be the surplus outcome of obstruction in a zoning regulation (Carr et al., 1993). The significance of social space has been recognized worldwide, primarily from the perception in refining quality of life through contented atmosphere and plentiful public life; improving urban appearance through urban vagueness; and compelling commercial development through investment which is appealed by the good appearance. The prominence of public space in building a pleasant atmosphere for human beings for work, resides, and relaxes. According to the Athens Charter in 1943 citys most noticeable public spaces are often illustrative of the metropolitan itself and imitate how its inhabitants relate to the town and to each other. Darin-Drabkin (1977) claimed that a decent living setting needs public spaces. Prominent designers and city planners have often reasoned that the quality of a metropoliss social spaces has much to do with how a district /town/ city prospers or fails as a place to habitat or do trade (Bacon, 1976). A numerous researchers and urban planners indicate that publ ic spaces can serve people to be content, to state and defend human rights and morals, and to express distinctive cultural values. Societies can learn new things and learn from others through public life (Carr and Lynch, 1968; Ward, 1978). No matter what technical innovations are taking place, human beings have not changed (Gehl 1980).They still need the casual contact with other human beings that used to be built into daily life. Public spaces can afford opportunities for such casual encounters in the course of daily life that can bind people together and give their lives meaning and power. Public spaces not only can serve daily needs but also can be places to gather for special occasions. City/Urban Planning Towns and cities are not God-given or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾naturalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸. They are the result of centuries of decision-making by individual owners and developers, and of government intervention. Whilst topography and geography do play a part, they do not absolutely determine development. The nature of towns and cities, to a considerable extent, is dependent on who shouts the loudest, and who has the greatest influence over policy. Clara Greed, 1996

Synthesis and Characterization of a New Aromatic Diamine

Synthesis and Characterization of a New Aromatic Diamine The synthesis and characterization of a new aromatic diamine, 2,5-bis-(aminopyridine-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (BAPO), containing pyridine and 1,3,4-oxadiazole moieties has been reported. An organophilic clay has been obtained via cation exchange reaction between the hydrochloride salt of BAPO and sodium montmorillonite (Na+-Mt‎). Basal space and thermal stability of this new modified organoclay were studied by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. High thermal stability of BAPO-Mt in compared with conventional montmorillonite modified with aliphatic long chain surfactants is shown. A series of organoclay/polyimide nanocomposites (CPN) consisting of BAPO and benzophenone-3,3,4,4-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) were also obtained by an in situ polymerization reaction followed by thermal imidization. Structural properties and thermal stability of the obtained CPNs were studied by XRD, TGA, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The glass transition temperature (Tg) is increased with respect to pristine PI for CPNs 1-3 wt.%. At high clay concentrations, the coagulation of organoclay particles results in a decrease in Tg. Based on the obtained results, CPN 1 wt.% showed the most improved thermal properties. 1. Introduction Polyimides (PI) have gained interests in both academia and industries due to their excellent thermal stability, good resistance toward organic solvents, and improved mechanical properties [1]. They have been have been applied widely in the areas of modern industries [2]. These super engineering plastics have found their way into aerospace, electrical/electronic applications [3], gas separation [4], cell processing, biochip design [5], coating, and composites [6-7]. However, some difficulties come from rigidity and poor solubility in processing of most PIs. Introduction of flexible ether and ester linkages between the aromatic rings of the main chain is an effective way to make these polymers more pliable [8]. In this regard, preparation of poly(ester-amide-imide)s [9], poly(ether amide imide)s [10], poly(amine–amide–imide)s [11] and poly(amide-imide)s [12] have been reported. It was shown that, the incorporation of rigid heterocyclic rings in the main chain of a synthetic polymer could provide excellent thermal and thermo-oxidative stability, which should be useful to decrease negative effects resulting from the introduction of flexible linkages mentioned above. Pyridine nucleolus, as a rigid symmetric aromatic ring, would contribute to the thermal stability, chemical stability, and retention of mechanical property of the resulting polymer at elevated temperature. Furthermore, the polarizability, resulting from the nitrogen atom i n the pyridine ring, could be suitable to improve their solubility in organic solvents [13]. Fujigaya et al. reported among the variety of polybenzimidazole derivatives, the pyridine-containing polymer is known to possess a better mechanical properties and significantly higher proton conductivity due to its higher acid doping ability [14]. On the other hand, it was known that, the thermal stability of polymers can be raised by the incorporation of 1,3,4-oxadiazole moieties into the polymer structure [15]. The outstanding thermal stability is ascribed to the electronic equivalency of the oxadiazole ring to the phenylene ring structure, which has high thermal-resistance [16]. Combination of inorganic materials with organic polymers is one the exciting topics that has been receiving increasing research attention during recent decades. Nanostructured hybrid materials showed wide potential applications in various areas such as in coatings [17], catalysis [18] and biotechnology [19], shape memory polymers [20], and fuel cells [21]. Organically modified sodium clay (Na+-Mt) has improved compatibility, hence higher efficiency of reinforcement, with the polymer matrix. It has been known that, the dispersion of small amounts reinforcing organoclay mineral with high-aspect ratios, such as layered silicate clays, can significantly enhance the properties of PI and its precursor poly(amic acid) (PAA). These improvements can include solvent resistance [22], ionic conductivity [23], enhanced fire retardance [24], increased corrosion protection [25], increased strength and heat resistance [26], decreased gas permeability [27], high moduli [28], and dielectric properties [29]. The enhancements in thermal and mechanical properties of polymer/clay nanocomposites (CPNs) are due to the lamellar structure of montmorillonite those results in high in-plane strength and stiffness, and a high aspect ratio [30-31]. The chemical structure of Na+-Mt consists of two fused silica tetrahedral sheets sandwich an edge-shared octahedral sheet of either aluminum or magnesium hydroxide [32]. The Ca2+ and Na+ ions adsorbed in the interlayer region are exchangeable with organic cations such as long chain alkyl ammonium [33-34]. These organoclays as compatibilizer may be suitable for polymer blends prepared with a low processing temperature. They have low thermal stability and start to decompose around 200 °C, whereas the melt-processing temperatures of most polymers are typically above 200 °C [35]. Furthermore, the preparation and processing of PI/organoclaynanocomposites is carried out at high temperatures, and the thermal decomposition of the long carbon chain of quaternary ammonium salts is inevitable. Thermal decomposition during processing can initiate/catalyze polymer degradation, in addition to a variety of undesirable effects during processing and in the final product [36-37]. To avoid the detrimental effects, modification of clay minerals with imidazolium [38] and phosphonium [39] salts have been noted. As another approach, using of aromatic amines and/or diamines, as swelling agents, has also been considered in the preparation of polyamide and polyimide (PI) nanocomposites [31, 36, 40-41]. Recently, we reported the synthesis of a new aromatic diamine, 2-(5-(3,5-diaminophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl)pyridine (POBD). Thermally stable poly(amide-imide)s [12], polyamides [42], polyimides [43], and PI/Clay nanocomposites [44] have been prepared using POBD. We noticed to the metal coordination ability of the 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring adjacent to 2-pyridyl group in designing POBD, Scheme 1. The ability of prepared hybrid materials for removal of the Co(II) ion have also been investigated [41, 45]. Thus, as part of our continuing efforts on the synthesis of polyimides with high thermal stability and metal ions coordination ability, in this work, we wish to report the synthesis and characterization of another designed aromatic monomer containing pyridine and 1,3,4-oxadiazole moieties. In this work, BAPO has been synthesized in four steps starting from 2-amino-6-methyl pyridine (1). The dihydrochloride salt of BAPO was used as a swelling agent for the modification of Na+-Mt. The novel modified organoclay (BAPO-Mt) was used in the preparation of PI/organoclay hybrids of BAPO/BTDA. Thermal stability of BAPO is higher than those for commonly used quaternary alkyl ammonium salts. Therefore, thermal degradation will be prevented during heat treatment needed for curing of poly(amic acid)s. The obtained films were studied by FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD, and SEM. The thermal properties were examined by TGA-DTA and DSC. 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Preparation of BAPO-modified organoclay The new diamine, BAPO 5, was synthesized in four steps. 2-Amino-6-methtypyridine 1 was acetylated with acetic anhydride, oxidized with potassium permanganate, and then alkaline hydrolyzed to give 6-amino-picolinic acid 4 [47]. Cyclo-dehydration to 4 with hydrazine sulfate in the presence of P2O5 in the mixture of POCl3 and concentrated phosphoric acid gave BAPO 5 in overall 20.0% yield (Scheme 2). The chemical structure of BAPO 5 was confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectrometry techniques. In the FT-IR spectrum, amino stretching vibrations observed at 3332 and 3202 cm-1. Vibration of C=N bonds of pyridine and oxadiazole rings appeared at 1575 and 1653 cm-1, respectively. The absorption band with medium intensity observed at 1273 cm-1 is related to vibration of C-N bond on the pyridine nucleolus. The amino protons also merged to appear as a broad singlet centered at 6.32 ppm in the 1H NMR spectrum. This peak was disappeared upon addition of D2O and a new peak related to HOD was appeared at 3.90 ppm. In the 13C NMR spectrum of BAPO (5) totally 6 signals observe that it is compatible with the desired structure, Figure 1. Molecular ion peak was observed as base peak in the mass spectra of BAPO, Figure 2. The ‎fragmentation pattern is shown in Scheme 3.‎ To prepare the organophilic clay (BAPO-Mt) via a cation exchange reaction, the Na+-Mt was initially mixed with a hydrochloride solution of the intercalating agent, BAPO 5. Scheme 4 presents a schematic drawing of the modification step. 3.2. Characterization of BAPO-Mt organoclay Figure 3 shows FT-IR spectra of BAPO, sodium montmorillonite, and BAPO-Mt. The spectrum of organoclay exhibits the characteristic bands of Mt and BAPO: N–H stretching at 3330 and 3206 cm-1, –C=N– stretching of the pyridine nucleolus at 1652 cm-1, –C=N– stretching of the oxadiazole ring at 1546 cm-1, stretching vibrations of the double bonds of the aromatic rings in BAPO at 1627 cm-1, and typical bands of montmorillonite at 1033 and 525 cm-1. Figure 4 presents wide XRD of BAPO-Mt and pristine clay. A strong peak is observed at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  = 8.95 ° for Na+-Mt, corresponding to the (001) plane, indicating that the interlayer spacing (d001-spacing) of Na+-Mt is about 1.0 nm. The interlayer  ­d001spacing can be calculated from peak positions using Bragg’s law: nÃŽ » = 2d sin ÃŽ ¸, where ÃŽ » is the X-ray wavelength (1.5418 Ã…). The reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ection peak of (001) in BAPO-Mt shifted to a lower diffraction angle at 6.90 °, corresponding to the larger d001-spacing (1.28 nm) than Na+-Mt. The replacement of sodium ions with the ammonium ions of BAPO seems to increase the d001-spacing of layered silicate. In general, a larger d001-spacing should assist the intercalation of the polymer chains and should also lead to better clay dispersion within the polymer matrix. Table 1 summarizes the diffraction peaks and the calculated d001-spacings of Na+-Mt and organophilic clays. The thermal treatment of pristine clay under nitrogen consists of two main stages. The first stage occurs from ambient temperature to 200 °C. In this step, free water molecules physically adsorbed on the external surfaces of crystals along with the hydrating water molecules around the exchangeable cation located inside the interlayer space are removed. The second stage is attributed to the dehydroxylation of the structural silanol units of the montmorillonite in the range of 200-700 °C. The temperature intervals of dehydration corresponding to these processes as well as the amount of water released depends on the nature of adsorbed cations and the hydration of the surface [50]. On the other hand, organically modified montmorillonite shows a four-step decomposition process. The vaporization of free water takes place at temperatures below 200 °C, while the surfactant’s decomposition occurs in the temperature range of 200–500 °C. Dehydroxylation of the structural s ilanol groups related to aluminosilicates occurs between 500–800 °C. The last step is the decomposition associated with the combustion reaction between organic carbon and inorganic oxygen [51]. The amount of loaded diamine can be estimated by TGA measurement. Figure 5 shows the TGA curves of the Na+-Mt, the BAPO-Mt, and BAOP. Pristine Na+-Mt contains a large quantity of water due to the intercalation of hydrated sodium (Na+) and hydrated calcium (Ca2+) cations inside the clay layers. These physically adsorbed water molecules are removed in the range from ambient temperature to 230 °C (ca. 3.81% weight loss). The virgin clay also undergoes a 6.36% weight loss within 230-598 °C related to dehydroxylation of the structural silanol units. Whereas, under the same condition BAPO-Mt shows a weight loss of about 10.6% within 230-598 °C related to surface dehydroxylation and thermal decomposition of the surfactant molecules within the organoclay galleries. The difference betwe en weight losses of Na+-Mt and BAOP-Mt within 230-598 °C (Δm = 4.24%) can be attributed to the weight of the loaded diamine. Therefore, the amount of loaded diamines (42.4 mg/g of clay) can be calculated from Eq. (1). Surface energy of Na+-Mt is lowered by the presence of the aromatic ammonium ions within the interlayer spacing. Therefore, the hydrophilic silicate surface transforms to an organophilic one. As seen in Figure 5, the thermal decomposition of the surfactant molecules occurs in two stags at 260 °C and 370 °C. These temperatures are higher than those of decomposition temperature of aliphatic long chain surfactants commonly used for modification of Na+-Mt, which occurs below 200 °C [52]. This study suggests that the BAPO-Mt can be used in the preparation of PI nanocomposites that need to be cured at elevated temperatures. The images obtained by SEM demonstrate significant changes on the surface of the BAPO-Mt. The Na+-Mt particles seem to be stuck together due to moisture (Figure 6a-b), but the organoclay particles are clearly separated in organically modified clay (Figure 6c,d). It seems that the hydrophilicity of the clay is reduced after modification reaction. This study is in accordance with TGA results. 3.4. Polymer Synthesis The present work reports the preparation and characterization of new polyimide CPNs. BAPO-Mt is used as the surfactant at different concentrations. Scheme 5 depicts the synthesis of the PI from the reaction of BAPO and BTDA through thermal dehydration of the poly(amic acid) intermediate. The FT-IR absorptions appearing at approximately 1786, 1727, 1366, 1094 and 722 cm-1 (Figure 7) indicate the presence of imide functional groups in the polyimide film [53]. The polyimide is also characterized by elemental analysis. The observed and calculated values for CHN analyses are in good agreement. Solubility test results (Table 2) show that the obtained PI is soluble in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature and in other polar aprotic solvents such as, dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) at boiling temperature of the solvents. For this experiment, about 0.01 g of the polymer sample was examined in 1 ml of solvent at room and at boiling temperature of the solvents. The inherent viscosity of the 0.125 and 0.25 g/dL solutions of the polyimide were 0.36 and 0.39 dL/g, respectively (measured at 25 ± 0.5 °C in DMSO). 3.5. Preparation and characterization of PI/BAPO-Mt CPNs The preparation and characterization of polyimide CPNs with different concentrations of organoclay are also investigated. Scheme 6 shows a procedure for the preparation of PI/BAPO-Mt CPNs by thermal imidization according to method described earlier [44-45]. Figure 8 presents XRD curves of BAPO-Mt, and PI films with various organoclay contents. The lack of any diffraction peak in the XRD patterns of CPNs 1 and 3 wt.%, at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ± = 2-10 °, can be attributed to the possible formation of nanocomposites of exfoliated structure. A wide and week diffraction peak at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ± = 6.62 ° was displayed by CPN 5%, equaling a d00-spacing of 1.33 nm for the layered silicates in the CPN. The shift to higher interlayer d00spacing with respect to BAPO-Mt (2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  = 6.90 °, d001 = 1.28 nm) is due to the intercalation of the polymer within the organoclay galleries and the formation of an intercalated nanocomposite. Pure polyimide does not show any diffraction peak at 2à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ± = 2-10 °. The XRD data are summarized in Table 3. The glass transition temperature of the pure PI is observed at about 271.3 °C (measured by DSC), and the polymer does not show any melting endotherm. The decomposition of the polymer begins at 435.5 °C, and no thermal decomposition occurs below this temperature. To remove any adsorbed water, the polymer samples were heated to 150 °C and then cooled to room temperature prior DSC measurements. Figure 9 shows DSC curves of the PI and CPNs. The results are summarized in Table 4. As seen, the glass transition temperature increases dramatically from 271.3 °C for pure PI to 297.0 °C for CPN 1%. The restriction of the intercalated polymer chains within the clay galleries can be responsible for preventing segmental motions of the polymer chains [46]. However, further addition of organoclay up to 5 wt.% leads to a decrease in Tg. This decrease might be due to the aggregation of BAPO-Mt particles that reduces the interfacial interaction between organoclay and the PI matrix [47]. Both DSC and DTA methods show similar trends of changing in the Tg values upon increasing the organoclay content. Figure 10 shows TGA curves of the pure PI and CPNs. The results are given in Table 4. As seen thermo-gravimetery parameters such as temperature for %10 mass loss and initial thermal decomposition (TD) are increased for CPN 1%, remained almost unchanged in CPN 3%, and then decreased. Char yields are less influenced by the BAPO-Mt content. The drop in the thermal properties at high organoclay loading may be attributed to the better miscibility of polymer and organoclay phases at low organoclay concentrations. Like a superior insulator, the obtained multilayered carbonaceous silicate structure increase the total path of evaporation for small molecules produced during pyrolysis [24]. Based on DSC, DTA and TGA studies, it can conclude that CPN 1% has the most improved thermal properties. The morphology of the PI and CPN film surfaces was also studied be SEM. Some significant and interesting changes have been observed in the surface of CPN 1% with respect to virgin PI film, Figures 11a-d. As seen in the pictures, too many micro-cracks are observed in the background of both films, however, homogeneity of the film surface is increased in the CPN 1wt.%. Conclusion A new thermally stable organoclay has been prepared through the modification of Na+-Mt with BAPO. An X-ray diffraction study confirmed the intercalation of organic surfactant within the silicate layers. SEM images showed that some significant changes occurred on the surface of BAPO-Mt with respect to Na+-Mt, including a decrease in hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the high thermal stability of BAPO avoids pyrolysis during thermal imidization of poly(amic acid) intermediate. The preparation and characterization of new PI/BAPO-Mt CPNs with different contents of organoclay have also been investigated. CPNs 1-5% were prepared from the thermal imidization of a BAPO-Mt dispersion in a poly(amic acid) solution obtained from BAPO and BTDA. XRD patterns showed that exfoliated CPNs may be obtained with the organoclay content of 1-3 wt.%, but at higher clay loadings intercalated structure is significant. TGA-DTA and DSC measurements showed that Tg increases with increasing organoclay content loadin g to 1 wt.%, and then decrease thereafter. SEM images showed that CPNs 1% produces smoother film than that of the virgin polyimide.

Building A World Class Hr Organization Management Essay

Building A World Class Hr Organization Management Essay The situation facing Sonoco is that the company has grown rapidly over a period of several years, largely through acquisitions in a growing packaging industry. This has led to the development of a large number of silo based HR systems for each of the companys divisions, which are largely influenced by the specific demands of the divisions and by the acquired businesses, and hence are divergent in nature without a strong level of strategic direction. This is causing issues for the company, as HR is now an expensive function that is not providing significant strategic value. As a result of this, the company has appointed a new senior vice president of Human Resources, Cindy Hartley, with a mandate to develop new organisational structures for HR in order to save costs; improve talent management; develop more effective performance management systems; and provide customised strategic support to the overall business. Hartley has already implemented a number of new systems and process chang es, and has seen some benefits, but still needs to overcome issues related to ineffective talent management and a lack of alignment between performance management and company strategies (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 5). This essay will critically reflect on your own personal learning by drawing upon various academic themes and concepts around managing human resources in order to offer and propose interventions on the case study, as well as to assess the actions already taken and their effectiveness. Diagnosis As noted above, the core issue in the case study appears to be the fact that the company has grown by acquisition with a relatively rapid pace of growth, including making over 60 acquisitions in just a single decade (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 1). When a company grows through such an acquisition focused approach, it is almost inevitable that the HR resourcing and development functions will not be perfectly aligned, and this will hence create silos of HR functionality, with each individual silo only considering their own specific role and function rather than the strategic goals of the organisation (Alberg, 2007, p. 9). This form of silo based approach to HR can be very damaging for a company, as it will create an HR function which is aligned to the requirements of each individual division or department, rather than to the requirements of the business as a whole. The negative impacts of this can be seen in the case of Sonoco, where HR is focused primarily on day to day employee relations issues rather than strategic concerns, and where there are high levels of non cooperative competition between the individual divisions (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 3). The other major crucial HR problem that exists in the company is that there has been a lack of effort to develop a strategic and proactive HR culture in Sonoco. This has resulted in the emergence of an HR culture which is highly reactionary, with the HR function viewed primarily as a watchdog to head off legal and employee relations problem, as well as to assist managers with specific employee issues such as helping managers tell employees they are being terminated even when they have excellent performance evaluations (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 3). The reactionary nature of the HR culture also sees the company being broadly unable to hold underperformers accountable. This has resulted partly in poorly performing employees being able to free ride through the company, and partly in compensation being viewed as an entitlement rather than a reward, and hence failing to improve performance levels. This has led to employees generally being paid at or near the midpoint for all indiv iduals and jobs, which has prevented the creation of any form of meritocracy on the company. According to Weinberger (2003, p. 29), this creates the peanut butter issue where wages are simply spread evenly to avoid any discontent that can come from rewarded highly performing employees and penalising others. This is again evidence of the reactionary culture that avoids conflict and thus fails to boost performance. These two main issues can be seen to be responsible for the majority of HR problems encountered by Sonoco. Specifically, the company is failing to achieve good talent management due to a lack of a coherent HR approach across the company and a lack of desire to identify the best individuals out of all employees. The silo based approach to HR also prevents effective performance management leading to the peanut butter issue identified above. These silos and the reactionary culture also mean that HR is not able to provide strategic support to the business as a whole. Finally, the lack of a mechanism for identifying and disciplining or terminating poorly performing employees has prevented the company from eliminating poor performance, thus hindering cost control as the company cannot effectively save costs by removing the poorest employees. Analysis This section of the work will focus on appraising the environmental and organisational context of the case to identify the main issues these contexts create for the company and the strengths and weaknesses of the HR policies, practices, and systems in light of these issues. The analysis will also consider Cindy Hartleys objectives for changes at Sonoco and the drivers of these objectives. The primary environmental issues at the time of the case came from the changes in the packaging industry. In particular, the industry was going through a period of stagnation and change, with volume now less likely to increase and revenues under threat from low cost foreign competition whilst the industry as a whole began to consolidate (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 2). These trends highlighted the major weakness in Sonocos silo based approach to HR and the resulting disparate systems they created. Specifically, Sonocos HR practices tended to make it difficult for the company to control costs, and hence made it difficult for the company to respond to market changes in a manner as aggressively as its rivals. This can be seen in the fact that the companys stock price significantly trailed the SP 50 between 1995 and 2000, despite the company increasing net income at this time (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 1). This indicates that investors felt the company was underperforming r elative to the market, implying that costs could be cut in a more effective manner. The other main change in the packaging industry was that customers were becoming more demanding, with more variations in packaging and higher levels of segmentation of many markets. As a result of this, clients expected the packaging companies they purchased from to be able to supply them with competitively priced packaging that was highly responsive to industry trends, and to be able to apply new technologies and innovative tools to provide higher levels of customised service (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 2). This is another area in which Sonocos reactionary policies and practices made it difficult for the company to compete, and hence acted as a strong weakness. Specifically, the company lacked a strategic and proactive approach to HR, which reduced its overall ability to respond to trends in the marketplace. This meant Sonoco was restricted to developing new approaches as they were required, thus slowing the packaging concept to market delivery cycle. The company hence had fa iled to align its HR function with the demands of the market, which is a key weakness in any HR system (Aswathappa, 2005). In light of these two issues, it can be seen that Cindy Hartleys objectives for changes at Sonoco are not simply those addressed in the case. The case states that the objectives were to increase accountability for talent management; to distribute HR talent and make systems and processes more consistent; and to provide strategic support to the individual business units. However, in light of the environmental issues identified, her objectives can also be seen as being to improve talent management and performance management in order to increase overall performance; to improve performance management in order to facilitate cost control by allowing the company to terminate underperforming employees; and to provide strategic support to enable the company to be more proactive when responding to the demands of the market. Evaluation This section will consider the success of the HR changes at Sonoco, as well as the extent to which they are in line with state of the art HR policies, practices, and systems, and how they could be improved through the implementation of best HR practices relevant to the case. The fundamental change at Sonoco has been the introduction of a top down approach to performance management, with goal setting and targets being implemented at corporate level and trickled down to individual performance goals through negotiation. This practice has the benefit of attending to employee development needs and career development, as well as linking to the financial rewards system. The system as it stands appears to delegate significant authority to the divisions to set their own goals, and lacks the crucial control and assessment techniques such as business intelligent and analytics to ensure that the performance management system provides strong support to the goals of the business (Elbashir et al, 2011, p. 155). On the other hand, the system has the benefit of being relatively simple and easy to implement, which Muras et al (2008, p. 65) argue is more important that using complex processes which often confuse employees and managers. The system also implements 360 degree feedback for managers, which is vital in ensuring strong managerial development (Carson, 2006). One of the main issues that can be identified with the new performance management system is that it is focused on the value added by the individual. Whilst individual performance important, and will help overcome the problem of employees free riding, it is not in line with best practice performance measurement techniques. These techniques generally focus on the combination of individual and team performance, in order to ensure a balance between the individual and team levels of performance (Addison and Haig, 2012, p. 37). In particular, a failure to incorporate team performance into the performance measurement approach risks harming team identification levels as employees see themselves as individuals rather than members of a team. As Solansky (2011, p. 247) notes, team identification is a vital driver of performance, and hence by failing to attend to this there is the risk the new performance measurement system will hamper levels of team work. This is thus something that needs to be addressed through the implementation of best practice in the future. Design This section will focus on identifying ways of improving the existing HR policies, practices, and systems and how they can become state of the art or best practices. It will hence focus on making recommendations for improving the HR practices and addressing the problems identified in the case, as well as determining the right HR structure for Sonoco: either centralisation or hybrid. As noted above, one of the key methods that can be used to improve existing HR practices is to improve the performance management system to measure team work and individual contributions to team performance. According to Levasseur (2011, p. 204), contemporary organisation development theories hold that this needs to be achieved through consideration of various issues such as team development, conflict management and change management in the team context in order to create high performing teams. Hartley should thus look to include these factors in the new performance measurement framework to ensure high quality outcomes. The other primary issues to be resolved are how to ensure effective talent management, how to be responsive to industry and market requirements, and how to save costs. All of these issues are linked to the fundamental question of which HR model to implement: the centralised model or the hybrid structure. Of these, each option has its own specific focus on different aspects of the organisation. The centralised model will offer greater cost savings as well as improved talent management across the entire organisation, as HR will be able to identify talented employees on an organisation wide basis and move or promote them as necessary. In contrast, the hybrid model will allow for greater responsiveness to industry and market requirements due to the support provided to the general managers. The hybrid model also offers improved talent management at the divisional level as managers are encouraged to invest in their own people and staff them accordingly, although there are concerns over the level of companywide coordination and change management under a hybrid model (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 6). In general, the hybrid model appears to be more desirable as it improves market responsiveness and proactive behaviour due to the support offers to the general managers. Whilst it saves $400,000 less in costs, it still comes close to meeting the $2,800,000 cost saving target, and the improved revenue is likely to be much more important for a business with revenues of around $2.5 billion (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 1). In general, current HR best practice is that the HR function and HR metrics should be focused on strategic alignment ahead off cost saving, as this will allow for higher levels of performance and a more positive HR strategy (Gates and Langevin, 2010, p. 111). The main question is hence which approach to talent management and change management is more appropriate. In this regard, it is important to note that, according to Martà ­n-Alcà ¡zar et al (2008, p. 103), best practice HR is moving away from universalistic and centralised approaches, and towards the acceptance of more contingent approaches. This provides further support to the hybrid model, as a model which is more contingent on divisional requirements and hence better able to adapt to specific organisational requirements, including providing the general managers with the specific intelligence, support and responsiveness they need in order to deal with the more competitive industry environment. At the same time, it is important to note that organisational strategy itself has an impact on the most effective HR practices, and hence the company should consider a more universal and centralised approach if its strategy will better lend itself to such an approach. Determining the most e ffective approach to support the organisational strategy should thus be what Cindy Hartley should attend to next. 5. Implementation This aspect of the essay will consider how the changes should be sustained and the schedule and resources required in order to effectively bring about the suggested changes, as well as how the company will you know that the changes are effective. The first aspect of the implementation should be to implement the hybrid model, once this has been formally selected and adapted as necessary to fit the organisational strategy. This will require the concerted effort of all the HR resources, with the specific implementation strategy depending on the availability of these resources and the ability of the company to organise them to obtain the necessary capabilities (Wright et al, 2001, p. 701). The relative success of these implementation efforts should be measured by considering the levels of support provided to the managers, as reported by the managers, as well as the achievement of the cost savings projected from the implementation of the new model (Becker and Gerhart, 1996) A similar appr oach can then be used to adapt the performance management approach in the company to the new organisational realities in order to improve team work, with levels of team performance used as a way to know these changes are effective (Armstrong and Baron, 2011). Reflection The learning activities undertaken in this module and during the analysis and completion of this case study have provided significant abilities with regards to my ability to provide solutions to the case. In particular, whilst studying this module I have learnt how to apply theoretical techniques and models from organisation development and human resources to specific cases and examples. This can be seen in my ability to apply theoretical concepts such as universalistic and contingent HR practices, as well as team work and performance management to the case of Sonoco. This will also assist me in my future managerial career, as I will be able to apply these concepts to the companies I work for. The other primary way in which the learning activities on this module have contributed to my ability to provide solutions to the case is that they have helped me to analyse a practical situation and determine the root causes of the situation from the symptoms. For example, in this case I was able to use the literature to link the acquisition based nature of the companys growth to the development of its HR silos, and use this to make recommendations to address this issue. I was also able to identify and analyse the implications of the hybrid and centralised models using theory, and hence make appropriate recommendations in this area, something which will be useful if I face a similar situation later in my career.

Julius Caesar Essay: Reaching from the Grave -- Julius Caesar Essays

Reaching from the Grave of Julius Caesar It is assumed that the title of a work should reflect the nature of its content. The title should relate to the to the central influence which controls the flow of the work. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar seems to contradict that convention. Caesar meets his bloody end at the hands of conspirators in the first scene of Act III, barely halfway through the play. He is not the tragic hero; that distinction lies with Brutus and Cassius, around whom the play revolves before and after the assassination. This essay will show that although Caesar is not the hero of this tragedy, he certainly is the title character. Like the storm in the first scene of The Tempest, Caesar's victory over Pompey at the beginning of Julius Caesar sets the workings of the plot into motion. The plebians and senators become increasingly separated in their loyalties. In a time of brutal civil war, the plebians feel they need a single strong ruler such as Caesar. The senators, on the other hand, fear that he might become ambitious and continue killing off his competition, i.e., the senators themselves. At the celebration of Caesar's victory, Brutus remarks, "What means this shouting? I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king" (I.ii.78-79). Cassius turns bitter towards Caesar, because he thinks Caesar is physically weak, and deserves none of the praise that the public heaps upon him. Very early on, Cassius mistrusts Caesar, and becomes just as ambitious himself as he fears Caesar to be. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus, and we petty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonorable graves. Men at some time... ...art mighty yet! Thy spirit walks abroad, and turns our swords in our own proper entrails" (V.iii.94-96). Scene v shows Brutus finally giving in and joining his fellow senators in death, unable to bear the grief of their loss nor the guilt at killing Caesar in the first place. Thus Caesar, though dead and physically gone, remains a powerful presence throughout the second half of the play. The guilt that he inspires in the conspirators, and the vengeance he stirs up among the plebians, force the play to its tragic conclusion. This is the only way that Julius Caesar can remain the title character, by maintaining a powerful influence throughout the play, whether dead or alive. Shakespeare called the play Julius Caesar not because Caesar is the tragic hero, but because it is Caesar's ambition, his downfall, and his presence after death which cause the tragedy to occur.