Resistance of a wire Essay Example for Free

Resistance of a wire Essay We undertook an experiment to find the relationship between resistance and a length of wire. Equipment: Variable resister, Wire 1m long, Digital voltmeter, Digital ammeter, 4 X 1. 5 cell, 1m ruler, Connecting wires. Method We collected our equipment needed and set it out as the circuit diagram below. I started by drawing out my results table to record my results on. The headers for the columns where as follows: Length (cm), Current (A), Potential difference (V) and Resistance (I). At every 10cm we took a reading and entered it into our table. Some flickered between two values so I took both down. Starting at 1m and working down. On the second experiment I started at 10cm and worked the other way to see whether it affected the results. When using the variable resistor we kept it on the minimum resistance throughout the experiment. While taking the results we had more than one result for the current and potential difference, which in turn caused some results to have more than one resistance value. Because of this I had to alter our table slightly during the experiment to ensure we took down all the results. To ensure the test was as fair as possible I repeated the test to ensure the experiment was fair and true. Looking at my results in the table they are very similar which proves that it was fair. Results These tables show my results from the experiment and the sum for: V I R First experiment: Length (cm) Current (A) Second reading for (A) Potential difference (V) Resistance ? (I) Second result for (I). Second experiment: Length (cm) Current (A) Second reading for (A) Potential difference (V) Second result for (V) Resistance ? (I) Second result for (I) Third result for (I) Fourth result for (I) I have drawn graphs for these results: see appendix a and b. Analysis My results show that the resistant relates to the length of the wire used. As the current increases the potential difference does and the resistance decreases. As the length of wire is reduced the potential difference reduces and so does the current. There is a slight difference between our first and second experiment. Both graphs show that there is a definite pattern but there are some anomalies. The anomalies seem to be separate from the other results. But this anomaly happened on both experiments on 60cm. There may be some other reason for this. I cannot see why it should happen on both sets of results at the same measurement. Both graphs are similar and follow a very similar line. Graph A shows quite a straight line with only one less extreme anomaly where as graph B show a reasonably straight line with one major anomaly which stand out considerable from the rest. On both graphs the results take a wavelike form rather than a straight line. The results do to an extent follow Ohms law. On graph A, 4 of the plots run on the same line, which agrees with Ohms law, and graph B 4 plots do the same. The second graph started at a lower current and potential difference but I think it should be higher because of the use of the wire before which could have increased the temperature. On the second experiment there was more flickering on the ammeter and voltmeter, which caused the increase in the results. Although the flickering occurred it was constant. On table 1 the potential difference decreased in shorter stages that table 2. When plotting my results on a graph I had to take an average from my results. Conclusion Current id the flow of electrons around the circuit this is pushed by voltage. The resistance tries to oppose it. This is apparent from looking at our experiment results. The resistance stays constant as long as the component does not change its physical condition i. e. The wire does not get hot. George ohm was the first scientist to investigate this theory. The resistance is measured in Ohms Resistance at a constant temperature is proportional to potential difference. The relative size of the voltage and resistance decides how bit the current will be. By increasing the voltage more current will flow but by increasing the resistance the current is less. This is shown in our results. Our results agree with the theory. 100cm of wire = little current but a lot of P. D = lots of resistance 10cm of wire = lots of current but little P. D = little resistance This shows the longer the piece of wire the more resistance Wires of different material have different resistance: Copper wire I Steel wire V The graph shows above that cooper wire has a low resistance and is a good conductor. Steel has a higher resistance and a lower conductivity. Both wires have the same potential difference (voltage) across them. Wire A. I Wire B Wire C V As you can see above different wires have different resistance. Evaluation There were a few problems that occurred in our experiment such as the flickering of the ammeter and voltmeter, which caused us to have to take more than one result. On both graphs there was an anomaly on 60 cm. There may be some other reason for this. Both graphs are very similar and follow a very similar line. Graph A shows quite a straight line with only one anomaly where as graph B show a straight line with one major anomaly which stand out considerable from the rest. On 60cm the potential difference increased on both sets of results. The temperature of the wire was not taken to see whether it had increased in temperature during the experiment. It does not show increased resistance on the second table, which was taken straight after the first experiment, which could have affected it. By taking the temperature of the wire on the same resistance for a period of time we could see how long it takes for the temperature to increase and in turn for the resistance to increase. This could help with evaluating our results and also time the experiment to see how long the wire had current flowing through it and then if it had increased in temperature. The results are reasonably reliable because the do to an extent obey Ohms law. I think the reason for the unreliability could have been because the wire had changed its physical condition (got hotter). To further our investigation we could go on and use a longer piece of wire 2m and also use different types of wire such as steel and copper. Change the temperature of the wire because wire that is colder is a better conductor. I believe our results were reliable but need improving by the suggestions I have given above. Bibliography Hodder and Stoughton AQA GCSE Physics Class notes   CPG Revision and Practice Guide Alison Eatock GCSE Physics 30/11/03 Resistance of a wire 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Values And Beliefs Influenced By Diamond Industry Cultural Studies Essay

Values And Beliefs Influenced By Diamond Industry Cultural Studies Essay The power of advertising throughout the 20th and 21st century has been great upon the American popular culture as well as the rest of the civilized world. This is so because advertising infiltrates and shapes our cultural dialogue/space by influencing and directing its course. Furthermore the influence of the advertising/marketing machine has singlehandedly changed many cultural beliefs and their values. This is effortlessly evident by analyzing the diamond industry, which has been shaping beliefs and values of romantic love within our society and beyond. These values and beliefs influenced by diamond industry or to say Diamond Cartel, have become deeply embedded within our popular culture. This was achieved by constant and ingenious advertising over the last 80 years. Even though diamonds are gemstones with great properties they are not as valuable as they are portrayed in our society. The rule of thumb for the high value of the gemstones or anything else in general is that those ge ms or precious metals have to be rare. Hence the fact that diamonds are actually abundant on our planet is a fact very well hidden from the general public. The extreme value of the diamonds is not achieved by their valuable properties, but mainly via the monopoly held by the diamond cartel. DeBeers or the diamond cartel over the years has carefully planned and used advertising as well as various marketing strategies to grow their diamond empire and by doing so they achieved unfathomed wealth. They did this by twisting, influencing and finally transforming our cultural values, into a belief that diamonds are the ultimate symbols of everlasting love. The effect of this aggressive 80 years long marketing campaign structured by DeBeers is that for the; engagements, weddings, anniversaries, Valentines Day and all the other meaningful love associated events in our life; the diamonds are seen as the greatest gift of love. This is so even though diamonds and their production are far from the affectionate or compassionate industry, in reality its quite contrary. Most buyers are unaware that in gifting their lovers with these aesthetically-beautiful symbols, they are supporting industries which damage the environment, utilize forced labor, cause serious health problems, and contribute to violent conflicts. (Donohoe, 2008, p. 164) Introduction The allure of diamonds we can trace throughout the known history, they are the hardest, the most enduring and sparkling of all precious stones. The word diamond comes from the Greek word adamas, meaning unconquerable. As far as our reliable records reach back into the dim and mystic ages, we find the diamond occupying a prominent position in the estimation of man. (Endlich, 1878, p. 30) A diamond is a translucent precious stone made from one of the earths most widespread element; carbon and it is one of the best known allotropes of carbon. The creation of diamonds began very early during the formation of the planet. They were formed deep within the earth, cooked by extreme temperatures and pressure. When the planets surface cooled, a volcanic activity forced hot magma to the surface, bringing with it the diamonds. However not all diamonds are found where they first came to the surface, because consequential erosion of the top soils over millions of years transported and deposited diamonds along the river banks, the shorelines or on the bed of the oceans. The most important diamond value looked upon by man is its highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material, making it perfect for industrial applications in cutting and polishing. Above all other of its qualities, which at present determine its value, the superior hardness to all substances then known, seems to have impressed the Ancients. (Endlich, 1878, p. 30) There are two ways of mining diamonds and they are Pipe Mining and Alluvial Mining. The Pipe mining refers to the extraction of diamonds from the volcanic pipes, as for the Alluvial mining it is a process where diamonds are extracted from the alluvial deposits which are sand, gravel and clay that have been naturally enriched with diamonds by soil and water erosion as mentioned above. Background Until the late 1800s diamonds were a genuinely rare stone found only in a small number of riverbeds in India and in the jungles of Brazil. The entire world production of gem diamonds amounted to only several pounds a year. In 1870, however vast diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa. Almost immediately diamonds were being mined by the tons, this inevitably caused diamonds to flood the market. To the financiers who developed the South African mines this fact spelled imminent danger for their investments, because at the time diamonds had little intrinsic value and their price depended to a great extent on their scarcity. They feared that overdevelopment of diamond mines in South Africa and beyond, will cause diamonds to lose value and become only semiprecious gems. Quickly, the major investors realized that they need to control the diamond trade in order to perpetuate the illusion that the diamonds are rare/scarce. Hence in 1888 they created DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., which was incorporated in the South Africa. Shortly after its incorporation, DeBeers took control over all aspects of the world diamond trade. DeBeers a diamond cartel took many forms and it used many different names for its operational units all over the globe. In Europe, it was called the C.S.O. or the Central Selling Organization, in London it operated under the name of The Diamond Trading Company, in Israel it was known as The Syndicate, and in Africa it disguised its South African origins under subsidiaries with names like Diamond Development Corporation and Mining Services, Inc. For most of the time since its inception DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., not only directly owned or controlled all the diamond mines in southern Africa but also owned diamond trading companies in England, Portugal, Israel, Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland. DeBeers Consolidated Mines Ltd., became the most successful cartel pact in the history of the modern trade. While all other commodities, such as the other precious gems, gold, silver, copper etc., oscillated wildly with the economic conditions; diamonds have continued to move upward in price every year since the great depression or better to say since the beginning of the aggressive marketing campaign employed by DeBeers in order to promote diamonds. It is easy to conclude that the Diamond cartel had conceived their business plan with two parts; first to control the supply of diamonds, than to influence the demand. What De Beers did and are doing even today is a classic textbook example of a monopoly, for this reason they are forbidden to operate on the United States soil, stemming from the provisions in the Sherman Act, which states that any conspiracy in restraint of trade is unlawful. Nonetheless, they were and still are selling 50% of the worlds annual diamond sales in the USA; through their various subsidiaries or American dealers who can purchase diamonds only from the cartel, what we have to realize is that this is going on since the late 1800s until modern time. Thought the South African source of the worlds diamonds supply is still going strong, we, as a nation, sport more than half of the sparkling carbon crystals worn anywhere. (MacDill, 1929, p. 125) Even thought their business practices are very important for the analysis of their ethical business operation, I will focus more on their marketing plan and the efforts done over a period of the last century, where they strived to control and influence the masses, public opinion and ultimately shape cultural beliefs all over the globe. B. Ingenious and constant advertising efforts of the De Beers diamond mining cartel since 1930s has profoundly affected and shaped our popular culture within the United States and beyond. During the great depression, diamond industry experienced its first and last so far; diamond crisis, during which the price of diamonds was declining worldwide. This turn of the events has motivated DeBeers a diamond cartel to begin their aggressive advertising campaign, which influenced public opinion and changed cultural beliefs worldwide. They needed to change public attitudes towards diamonds and influence them to believe that diamonds have value beyond the economic worth. In September of 1938, after Harry Oppenheimer then CEO of De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd, has traveled to New York City and meet with Gerald M. Lauck, the president of N. W. Ayer advertising company, the advertising plan was devised. Two goals of this campaign are; first to persuade men to buy bigger diamonds, second to persu ade women that diamonds are necessity to romantic love and courtship. II. Diamonds as symbols of everlasting love. A. First and the most effective marketing strategy employed by DeBeers has been the marketing of diamonds as a symbol of love and commitment. DeBeers realized that in order for diamonds to become a symbol of love and courtship they had to change their meaning completely. They set out to do this trough three main ways; a. trough movies and royalty, b. news stories linking diamonds and love, c. advertising campaign. What was necessary was the creation of a mass mentality in which women would perceived diamonds, not as precious stones that could be bought and sold according to economic conditions or fashion, but as an inseparable part of courtship and married life. (Epstein, 1982, p. 6) Overall impact of this campaign on the popular culture has been that diamonds are central when thinking about the rituals of romantic courtship. Today, diamond engagement rings are commonplace and are seen as the essential part of our courtship. Since 1939 an entirely new generation of young people has grown to marriageable age. To this new generation, a diamond ring is considered a necessity for engagement to virtually everyone. N.W. Ayers memo. (Epstein, 1982) After the world war two, the diamond industry realized that they are in a desperate need of a slogan, which will represent their symbols of love. In 1948, N.W. Ayer Son coined a now ultra famous slogan A Diamond is Forever. Today this slogan is seen and understood by general masses as an allusion to the eternity of love. What is peculiar about this slogan is that in reality it has actually arisen from the fear that people will place second hand jewelry back on the market, which would ultimately undercut prices of the diamonds. The prestigious US magazine, Advertising Age, in its January 1999 edition, proclaimed A Diamond is Forever the most recognized and effective slogan of the twentieth century. B. Second strategy of DeBeers cartel aimed to extend the symbolic meaning of the diamond rings from the engagement to the anniversaries, which will symbolize reassurance of lasting love. Therefore in their second marketing strategy they began focusing on a 10 year anniversaries. Once this strategy proved to be successful De Beers extended anniversaries even further and began advertising campaign for their third marketing strategy/idea, which was focusing on the 25th anniversary. Furthermore in their fourth marketing strategy DeBeers decided to expand their target market to the men as the recipients of diamonds, which as well proved to be successful. The most recent major DeBeers marketing campaign or strategy #5; is the expansion of the existing target market to the women as buyers of diamonds for themselves, doing this mainly by associating diamonds with the independence. Even though there is some positive empirical data it is still too early since the inception of this strategy, for the same to be evaluated. Another successful promotion that falls within the frames of strategy # 1, 2 and 3, is the eternity ring campaign, which was presented as a symbol of continuing affection and the admiration of the loved ones. Like wedding rings, eternity rings are a symbol of everlasting love. Although eternity rings are frequently given to celebrate an anniversary or other special event such as the birth of a child, there is no precise occasion for which to give this exceptional gift. Given as a tangible symbol of the promise to love forever, an eternity ring is a beautiful way to show the love of your life how much she means to you. What does Thomas Shelby think is amusing about the Eternity Ring is that at the height of the cold war, the Russian diamonds from Siberia, which are in the eternity ring were successfully marketed and sold in USA . Latest in the major campaign of diamond rings is the Trilogy Ring, which is representing the past, present and the future of a love relationship. Three stones. Three stories. But only one you. The Trilogy ring frames three diamonds one to represent your past, another to represent your present and the last to represent your future. The perfect embodiment of your life story? III. Diamonds as symbols of esteem, prestige and sophistication. A. De beers and N.W. Ayer Son are responsible for the creation of the idea that diamonds are rare and valuable, and that they are also an essential signs of love, esteem and prestige. Analogous to the campaign, which was transforming the diamonds into the symbols of love, a subliminal undercurrent of prestige was ever present, underlining and accenting the meaning of diamonds. For this subliminal undercurrent the idea was to correlate diamonds with the sophisticated undertone of art and classiness. Hence N.W. Ayer also arranged for movie stars to appear at social events adorned with diamonds. The agency used its influence to modify film scripts and movie titles to feature diamonds more prominently. Motion pictures seldom include scenes showing the selection of or purchase of an engagement ring to a girl. It would be our plan to contact scenario writers and directors and arrange for such scenes in suitable productions N.W. Ayers memo to DeBeers. (Epstein, 1982) In addition to Hollywood, DeBeers used the royalty worldwide to act as the promotional agents for the diamond industry, once again accenting prestige, esteem and sophistication. The result of these marketing campaigns is that global annual sales of diamonds rose up from 23 million US dollars in 1939 to 50 billion in 2001. IV. Conclusion Empirical and analytical data collected over the past decades about the DeBeers Ltd. or diamond industry in general, shows a very unfavorable and completely opposite reality than it is portrayed in our general society. Edward Epstein discovered that the real business of the diamond industry is the restriction what comes out of the ground, what got cut, how much went on the market and at the same time creating the idea that there is a great demand. Besides these unethical and illegal business malpractices DeBeers is associated with the Apartheid regime because they made use of many institutions that created Apartheid in South Africa. Another known fact is that DeBeers created mining workforce from the black people living on the land, by creating taxes for their land. Furthermore working conditions for these miners in South Africa were poor, with not much food, living in conditions where hostels had 20 people per room and all this while mining 60 hours a week. Moreover in India over 10 0.000 children under the age of 13, comprise a significant part of the Indian labor pool that cuts small diamonds, which ultimately makes possible for the production of cheap jewelry in the western world. The most atrocious trait diamond cartel has is its direct responsibility for influencing loss of the human life trough diamond wars. DeBeers were connected to many conflict diamonds, dubbed Blood Diamonds because of the loss of human life and blood spilled in support of the diamond production and control of mines in some African countries. So how it is that these accepted symbols of love, which come from human exploitation, suffering and even death, flourish in our society and are seen as symbols described above? To answer this we have to turn to the analysis of the advertising in general, and in which ways it affects and influences a human psyche. First of all we have to understand that the advertising is a discourse trough and about objects. In our case the diamond story or DeBeers is a discourse of a story about love, intimacy and family, and this story is told through and about diamonds. To understand this hyper-commercialized world we have to make sure that we ask the right questions about the power of advertising. The wrong question is; does an advertising campaign increase sales of that particular product or a brand. But the right question would be in cultural perspective; how does advertising influence the way we think about ourselves, about the world, about what is good and bad, as well as right or wrong. We have to think about how advertising influences our values and our identities. And finally we have to understand that advertising talks to us about subjects that are important, but it does it trough the medium of things. This extremely successful diamond advertising campaign has changed very little since its inception in 1938 for the reason that it has been fantastically successful in the endeavor of influencing the demand and sale of diamonds. Three general points to draw from the diamond advertising examples are; 1. The present has been constructed by actions in history, 2. Advertising power is based on making sure other competing messages about products are not allowed to be heard, 3. Our ideas about things that matter to us like family, friends, intimacy, sexuality, security etc. are shaped by the broader cultural environment of which advertising is a key part. It is said that the cartels greatest accomplishment is that it has created and upheld the illusion that the diamonds are scarce and valuable, even though approximately 130 million carats (26,000 kg (57,000 lb)) of diamonds are mined annually. Although all these deceptive messages and beliefs are played upon us as society, we have to remember that the diamond deception is not a one-person play, because deceiver and deceived play a part in this deception collaboration.

Searching for knowledge: method, gloss, and the failure of information :: Ethnography

I. Sketching Knowledge I have a recurring nightmare that I am on my way to becoming a post-modern positivist. In the dark recesses of my inner sanctum, my constant justifications of the worth of inductive, nonhypothesisdriven, participatory, and emic-centered research finally give way under the pressure of graduate student’s dismissal of methods as unimportant and an all too often dismissal of anthropology by some given that its â€Å"just† anecdotes. These fears are backed by a frightening realization that I have colleagues in other disciplines (i.e., critical geography, social work, and even sympathetic political science) who appear to take our method more seriously than we do. Is anthropology doomed? This semester I am teaching ethnographic methods to a class of first year graduate students and I am often struck by how keen they are to know â€Å"how it is done.† But simultaneously, how difficult it is for them to specify any concrete method beyond interviewing and observing. Often they are actually most interested in questions of logistics: the real â€Å"how is it done† questions. How did you get a visa, where did you live, how long did you stay, how did you afford it, did your partner come with you, were you insured? And of course, a professor who has taught the course before advised me that I shouldn’t prepare lectures, but rather just â€Å"tell stories.† So I spend a lot of my time in this class telling stories, (which satisfies my pedagogical fears over not knowing enough about method to cover 20 hours of course-time – having had a significant part of my own training in the â€Å"go out and do it† approach), but also imploring these anthropologists-in-training to think about what information they are interested in, and the best ways to get it. I tell them that we need to take data collection seriously, or at least we need to have a serious think about what will answer our questions. However, some of them seem to think of it as busy-work. As they repeatedly tell me, one of the dogmas of Malinowski-as-practiced dissertation fieldwork is â€Å"your 2 questions will change once you are in the field,† so why should they spend loads of time thinking about how to answer their original question? Also, some ask, doesn’t this jeopardize the nature of inductive research? I believe in the necessity of the anthropological flexibility that these students are highlighting through their questioning of research preparation. However, it seems to me that some of them are conflating fixity and research design, rather than giving real consideration to particular methodological

Essay --

Yossarian is faking his illnesses to avoid the war. While he’s in the hospital he is required to censor letters and he will joke and censor just about anything he reads and signs off as â€Å"Washington Irving†. A Texan comes and eventually annoys everyone back into active duty. Yossarian notices that he is the only one who is concerned with the war and claims that everyone is trying to kill him. Everyone else denies that there is a war going on. He later finds out that his Colonel has raised the number of required missions from 45 to 50 when Yossarian was at 44. Orr talks to Yossarian about how he used to walk around with crab apples in his mouth. A general named Peckem hopes to take over command of Yossarian’s unit because the current general is failing at bringing enthusiasm to his subordinates. Yossarian feels sick but Daneeka instead sends him back and recommends acting like Havermeyer, who is a soldier that makes the most of every situation Yossarian talks with Daneeka whose problems are that the war is interrupting his medical practice. Yossarian interrupted educational meetings resulting in a rule that only people who don’t ask questions could ask questions. Private first class Wintergreen caused frustration among his superiors by giving a message out that only said â€Å"T.S. Eliot†. Yossarian listens to Doc Daneeka’s story about newlyweds who visited his office. Yossarian again attempts to get grounded by claiming he was crazy, which of course proved that he wasn’t. Hungry Joe has flown all of his missions and he is still not allowed to go home because the number of missions keeps rising. Orr attacks Appleby in a game of Ping-pong. Yossarians pilot, McWatt is described in this chapter as the â€Å"craziest combat man† because o... ... go through with the plan. Orr and Yossarian realize Milos amount of control as he is the mayor and even god in some countries. Nately Yossarian and Hungry Joe arrive in rome where they meet up with Nately’s prostitute. Nately argues with an old man about how America and Italy were doing in the war. Milo’s company has grown world wide but has a problem selling massive amounts of Egyptian cotton. He was surprised when Yossarian brings the idea of selling it to the government. The chaplain is miserable because no one will treat him as a regular person. He tries to help by seeing major major about the missions but he wont allow anyone in. After Colonel Cathcart periodically throws him out, he begins questioning everything even god. Nately falls in love with his whore while she is annoyed with him. Yossarian and Dunbar change identities but are caught by the Nurses

Shakespeares The Winters Tale :: Shakespeare Winters Tale Essays

The Characters of Hermione, Perdita, and Paulina in The Winters Tale  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Hermione is one of the main characters, we see very little of her in the play. She is horribly betrayed by her husband, but we never really see her feelings on the subject. In many other plays, Shakespeare uses asides and soliloquies to give insight into the characters mind. Hermione must be having complex and very troubling thoughts, but we never see them. Hermione is in Act I Scene ii where she plays the perfect royal hostess. In Act I Scene iii, she is accused of adultery with Polixenes by Leontes and taken to prison. She is not seen agian until Act III Scene ii, where she stands trial for her treason. Immediately after this scene, she dies, or appears to die, offstage. The audience is given no indication that she is still alive until Act V Scene iii, where the statue becomes flesh. Hermione is portrayed as an innocent victim throughout the play. When her husband fist becomes jealous, she is puzzled by his behavior and wonders if affairs of state are bothering him. Her lack of knowledge about his jealousy gives credit to her plea of innocence. She had obviously never been an unfaithful wife, therefore she had no reason to worry that her husband would suspect her. Polixenes flees in fear of death, but he leaves Hermione behind. If she had known that she was guilty and was facing punishment, she could have left with Polixenes. When she comes back to life as a statue, she says that she has preserved herself in the chance occurance that Perdita was alive. The audience is never given any further explaination, so we cannot conclude that she even saved herself in an illegal or false fashion. The character of Perdita is a wonderful study in the sociological theories of nature versus nurture. She leaves the royal court when she is only days old and is raised by and old shepherd and his son, the Clown. Although the family found a great deal of money when they found the baby, the upbringing she recieved could not have been equal to a traditional royal upbringing. Nevertheless, Perdita seems to be endowed from birth with a royal manner. She has been crowned Queen of the sheep-shearing feast when we first see her again, and she has won the deep love of a prince.

Reseach on Performance Work Systems in Local Councils the Case of Harare City Council in Zimbabwe Essay

1.0 Introduction This chapter forms the basis of the study on the assessment on the role of high performance work systems have on Harare city council workers for effective and efficiency service delivery. This paper is going to provide a background of the study stating the problem, purpose and importance of the study. To add to the above, the objective, anticipated constraints and research questions, including literature review and research methodology are going to be highlighted. 1.1 Background of the study Performance has been a widely researched subject by most social scientist and industrial psychologist in an attempt to establish what motivates people to do what they do, and why they do it. An organisational performance has always been an issue for managers, as it is believed that satisfied workers tend to be more productive, creative and committed to their jobs. There is therefore need to establish whether high performance work systems are what bring satisfactory performance or there are other factors. High performance work systems is a complex and multifaceted concept, which can mean different things to different people. However, the researcher in this study attempted to establish the role of high performance systems, whether it brings positive or negative results with particular attention at Harare City Council. 1.2 Statement of the problem The dilemma at hand is that the Harare city council workers are said to be hindering the performance circles of which are of particular appeal to affect the residents. The council provide services to the residents which are not helpful but only distract them from developing their communities in the proper manner they desire. This is happening due to the failure by the council to carry out good research on its performance since today employees are expected to work in teams rather than solely on their own. They are expected to keep learning new skills and to assume broader roles through the employment security, selective hiring of new personnel, self-managed teams and decentralization of decision making as the basic principles of organizational design, comparatively high compensation contingent on organizational performance, extensive training, reduced status distinctions and barriers including dress, language office arrangements, and wage differences across levels, extensive sharing o f financial and performance information throughout the organisation. 1.3 Objectives of the study 1 To investigate and establish the role of high performance work systems in relation to organisational performance as this affects the service delivery. 2 To establish what causes poor performance and service delivery in the organisation. 3 To find out ways of maintaining and improving staff loyalty, motivation and performance. 4 To recommend on changes to improve council performance and staff welfare policy. 1.4 Significance of the study As a researcher it is of paramount importance to conduct a study on the role of high performance work systems by the local authority. One can easily notice that it is important to carry out this research as it: The research findings of this research were also intended to assist management in addressing concerns and expectations of staff in order to harness their full contribution and effort to the benefit of the organization. The organization would then use the research findings to redesign its human resources policies towards the workers welfare and provide the answers to the questions presented on the sub problems of the research problem. Employees could use the research as a platform to express their concerns and desires to management, which they would not probably get, and also use it as a reference point to those who would intend to do their own researches. 1.5 Literature review Review of related literature is the most important part of research. It refers to the systematic exploration of issues related to the one’s research which has been treated to date by various authors and authorities. According to the high performance work systems Assessment, â€Å"by social impacts we mean the consequences to human populations of any public or private actions that alter the ways in which people live, work, play, relate to one another, organise to meet their needs and generally cope as members of society.† The concept of high performance work systems and organisational performance High performance work systems have been defined as a distinctive managerial approach that enables high performance through people. (1987). High performance work systems are somewhat not quite the same as motivation, but the two are closely linked. Many thoughts and views have been developed to define performance at work but much of it explains one’s reaction, feelings and emotions towards the accomplishment of organisational goals. Many research studies were however founded to explain how people react in the manner they do in their jobs. Various factors have been associated with one’s performance. These factors include: * The level of pay and benefits, * The perceived fairness of the promotion system within a company, * The quality of the working conditions, * Leadership and social relationships * The job itself. Different models were developed to account for the attitudes that people develop at various situations. The following models of job satisfaction shall be discussed to aid the understanding of high performance work systems at work. Classical theories of Maslow (1943), Herzberg (1968) and Vroom in relation to high performance work systems have been the basis of the modern day studies. Abram Maslow proposed a hierarchical theory of five needs, which gained popularity over the years and formed a basis for management studies to human motivation at work. Having been simplified by Clayton Alderfer made a fine-tuning to the hierarchical explanations of human needs to that of three levels. Abbreviated to ERG, (Existence, Relatedness and Growth), Existence needs constituted Maslow’s physiological and safety needs, and Relatedness included internal esteem and social needs and lastly, the Growth stage was made up of self actualisation and external esteem needs. The Wikipedia encyclopaedia cited various models of which can help to explain high performance work systems that were written to by different authors as follows: * The two-factor theory * The job characteristics model * The fulfilment theory * The equity theory These models shall be discussed below to aid the research to find the basis of high performance work systems in the workplace. Theories of Employee Motivation for performance The two-factor theory This theory also known as the motivator-hygiene theory is the work of Fredrick Herzberg (1968). The theory is on the premise that employee satisfaction has two dimensions namely â€Å"hygiene† and â€Å"motivation†. (Agarwal.1983). According to Herzberg, Hygiene factors include those aspects such as company policies, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations and working conditions. Motivators include those aspects that satisfy people such as achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility and advancement. The model was criticised by researchers who failed to empirically measure of satisfaction as being a methodological artefact. (Wikipedia encyclopaedia). High performance work systems characteristics Model The model was proposed by Hackman and Oldham (1976), which states that there are five core job characteristics, which impact three critical psychological states. The five core job characteristics include: * Skill variety: employees use a variety of skills to complete their jobs, skills that have been acquired by long years of study and/ or experience and are the primary reason for their employment and work allocation in a business organisation * Task identity: involvement of the employee in all steps of the job, thus providing identification with the task. * Task significance: The significance of the job being properly executed to the well being of the organisation. * Autonomy: The freedom to do the job with responsibility and by oneself. * Feedback: The provision of feedback providing information about the excellence of performance of the job. The three psychological states include: * Experienced meaningfulness, * Experienced responsibility for outcomes, and * Knowledge of the actual results. The Fulfilment theory According to Agarwal (1983), fulfilment theory regard satisfaction as resulting from outcomes (rewards) a person receives or the extents to which a person’s needs are satisfied. The difficulty with the fulfilment approach is that satisfaction is a function of not only what a person receives but also what he feels he should receive and/or wants to receive. People have different expectations and what satisfies one may dissatisfy another. Equity Theory According to literature by Agarwal (1983), a person’s satisfaction is determined by his perceived equity. Received equity is, in turn, determined by his input-output balance as compared to his comparison others’ input-output balance. Input-output balance is a perceived ratio of what a person receives from his job relative to what he put in the job. According to the equity theory, either under reward or over reward can lead to dissatisfaction although the feeling associated with them are different. As illustrated by the following diagram the comparison may result in one feeling unfairly treated when outcome received appears lower than others or feels guilty when received more than others. The equity theory A Perceived outcomes actually received A = B Satisfaction A < B Dissatisfaction A > B Guilty and discomfort Perceived personal input B Perceived personal outcome that should be received Perceived outcome of comparison others Perceived input of comparison others Fig 1.Equity Theory (Agarwal 1983) Determinants of high performance work systems Agarwal (1983) says that there are various factors that determine performance. These are discussed below. Employee Supervision As with Herzberg hygiene factors, supervision is critical to provide leadership to employees’ performance. A good leader is one who establishes trust from his followers and promotes feedback. He knows how to treat employees at different situations. Research has shown that low performance and low productivity occurs when a supervisor is a laissez faire type of leader. Agarwal (1983). Research has also discovered that those people’s reason to seek employment is to get paid (money) though not a motivator but they desire to be paid fairly. Management must always ensure consult for salaries and benefits to see whether their employees match the market. (Putting Theory Into Practice, October 1999 publication) The work group in relation to employee performance Employees need to socialise with others to create an environment of belongingness, develop a sense of camaraderie and teamwork. Social interaction creates organisational performance though depending on their affiliation. Inappropriate behaviour should not be encouraged though because of influences, but strong reprimands should be exercised. (Putting Theory Into Practice, October 1999 publication) Job content in relation to high performance work systems Employees need to feel that the work or task they are doing is of great importance to the company. Their contributions result in positive outcomes. It is therefore essential for management to recognise as an important a task to the overall achievement of the organizational goals. Agarwal cited Herzberg, Mauner and Suyderman as holding a view that job content factors such as achievement, recognition, advancement, responsibility and the work itself tend to provide satisfaction but their absence such as supervision, working condition, company policies and salary tend to produce dissatisfaction but their presence does not produce satisfaction. Age in relation to performance According to Agarwal (1983), some research works have reported a positive correlation between age and performance. Older workers tend to be more satisfied with their jobs than their younger counterparts because older workers are said to have adjusted to their jobs while young workers still have ambitions and need for advancement. Job Satisfaction and performance The analysis of results from the work of Herzberg et al, on twenty-six studies focusing on the relationship between job satisfaction and performance, fourteen of these showed that workers with positive job attitudes had higher performance than those with negative attitudes. Nine studies have shown that job attitudes and performance were not related, and in three studies, workers with positive attitudes had poorer performance records than those with negative attitudes. Lawler, 1977 and Porter, 1961, hold the view that it is productivity that leads to satisfaction and not the vice versa. Performance leads to rewards and if these rewards are considered to be equitable in relation to the perception of the worker of the rewards of his referent others and his perceptions of what he should receive, he will experience satisfaction. The following is the illustrative diagram. Model of performance leading to satisfaction Perceived equity of rewards in relation to referent others Performance Reward intrinsic & extrinsic Satisfaction Perception of how much he should receive Fig 2.Source: Agarwal 1983: Model of performance leading to satisfaction Adapted from Lawler III & Porter â€Å"The effect of Performance on job satisfaction†, Human relations, October, 1967 P23 1.5 Justification of the study The area of discussion is worth studying because it aims at alerting the management of the Harare City Council how their service provision are being hindered by the employee performance, thus organisational performance is affected as well. As such the research is vital as it will help in gathering or adding information on the importance of high performance work systems being as well as its importance to the Ministry of local government urban and rural development. The Minister will be able to see if there are any amendments which need to be done and if there are any gaps left which need to be filled. Furthermore the research will see the researcher attain the ultimate goal for a Bachelor of science Honours degree in Local Governance Studies 1.6 Research Methodology Various techniques will be exploited to achieve the proposed objectives of the study. Haralambos (1995:36) asserts that: Any academic subject requires methodology to reach its Conclusions, it must have ways of producing and analysing Data so that theories can be tested, accepted or rejected without a systematic way of producing knowledge the findings can be dismissed. The researcher is going to use both quantitative and qualitative techniques to come up with conclusions as both techniques can be used to complement each other as well as questionnaires. According to wordiq.com (2011), quantitative research is the numerical representation and manipulation of observations for the purpose of describing and explaining the phenomena that those observations reflect. It is bent on developing and employing mathematical models. On the other hand, Qualitative research is a method of inquiry appropriated in any different disciplines. It means a non numerical data collection or explanation based on the attributes of the source of data. Qualitative research is used to gain insight into people’s behaviour, attitudes, value systems, motivations concerns, aspirations, culture or lifestyles. Christensen (1994) expressed that a sample makes a better study. Leedy (1993) agreed with the same idea saying that, â€Å"the larger the sample the better.† I wil l select the people that are going to give relevant information to this study for example the most affected people and the possible problem solvers. 1.7 Research Tools (a) Interviews (Group The researcher intends to use interviews as a research technique. Gray et al (2007) allude that the best data gathering technique for survey research is the interview. These interviews will be done in groups so as to save time. (b) Observation The researcher will use observation in tackling the research problem. The rationale for using this technique is that the researcher intends to learn about the sensitive issues that participants might be unwilling to disclose or talk about with regards to the research. (c) Analysis of secondary sources The researcher will make use of other researchers that have been studied in relation to the field under study. This will be done in order to weigh the impacts that the previous researchers have had. Target Population The study will be focussing on the Harare City Council employees. Anticipated constrains Wikipedia (2011:4) notes that any limit or restriction given for the design process is called a constraint. The study is likely to encounter a number of challenges which may compromise the quality of research results and these include: (a)Access to information The information is mostly confidential in the Harare City Council thus releasing information might be problematic. Some may be reluctant to disclose such information as such the respondents will be guaranteed that their information will be treated with utmost privacy and confidentiality. (b)Resources Resources such as time and finance may compromise the quality of the research as the researcher is a student with other university commitments RESEARCH REFERENCE LIST Argawal R.D.(1983) Organisation and Management, Mcgraw-Hill, Tata Boxall P., Macky K. & Rasmussen E., (2003)‘Labour turnover and retention in New Zealand; the causes and consequences of leaving and staying with employers’ Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources. Vol 41 (2)., Cascio, W.F. (2003) Managing Human Resources: Productivity, quality of work Life profits (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin. French, W.L. (1998) Human Resources Management. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company Ivancevich et al (1989):Foundations of Personnel ,Human Resources Management Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (2001) Organisational behaviour (5th ed.). Irwin McGraw-Hill. Milkovich, G.T., & Boudreau, J.W. (1994) Human Resource Management (7th ed.). IRWIN Publishers, USA. Morrell W. H., Loan-Clarke J. & Wilkinson J (2004), ‘Organisational change and employee turnover’, Personnel Review, vol 33 (2) Morris W.T. (1972). Management for Action: Psycho Technical Decision making. Reston. Mowday, R., Porter, L., & Steers, R. (1982) Employee-organizations linkages – The Psychology of commitment, absenteeism and turnover: Academic Press, .London Rhodes, S.R., & Steers, R.M. (1990)., Managing employee absenteeism Addison: Wesley Publishing Company, USA Spector, P.E. (1997)., Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes and Consequences: SAGE Publications, USA Van der Merwe, R., & Miller, S.(1988),. Measuring absence and labour turnover: A Practical guide to recording and control. Lexicon Publishers., J

Attributes of Professional Bartender Essay

Bartenders know the difference between art and science. They understand that bartending is a science because in mixing drinks there are rules to follow, standards to obey and procedures to do. It is not just pouring all the drinks together in one glass and then serve it. Bartending is also an art because bartenders make an art form out of their profession. Aside from following the standards, they also use their creativity, imagination and individual way of enhancing the usual preparation of the beverage for the purpose of visual perception, odor detection, and taste stimuli. Professional bartenders possess many skills and characteristics that make them successful. 1. Good personality A bartender must have an ability to interact well with different people. He knows how to show his best asset as a bartender when he is in front of the guest. The totality of the bartender can be seen not only with his physical attributes but also through his words, actions and way of thinking. 2. Sense of humor Bartending is a serious job. This needs focus and presence of mind. But, a good bartender knows how to work properly, yet, laugh that sometimes, cracking jokes is being part of his functions. It is nice to learn that laughing is still the best medicine especially in front of unpredictable guests. 3. Well – groomed A bartender must have good personal hygiene; maintaining oneself healthy, wearing clean clothes and proper attire, keeping hair, teeth and fingernails clean and sanitary. A well – groomed appearance helps bartenders seem more approachable and professional. 4. Physical stamina Bartending is a job that requires long hours standing while preparing, mixing, serving and bussing out soiled glasses behind the bar counter. Sometimes, part of this is lifting heavy boxes and cases of drinks to set up the bar. A bartender must be physically fit and strong enough to do the day-to-day activities in the bar. 5. Basic skills in Math In bartending, the fundamental operations in Mathematics are applied. The skills learned about this in school allow the bartenders to make changes and measure drinks accurately and quickly. It also helps the bartender as well as the managers to realize their profit versus expenses at the end of every operation. 6. Multi – tasking Bars are busy especially peak nights and salary days. The bartender must make sure everything runs smoothly during his shift by learning what and how to do other tasks aside from mixing and preparing drinks. 7. Good memory Bartenders need to remember everything from drink recipes to customers’ names. Even brands of drinks, proof, country of origin, and major ingredients are needed to remember when a bartender presents and serves beverages to guests. 8. Great smile A great smile is a key since bartenders smile a lot. It does not only makes the bartender good looking and presentable, but this helps attract guests, let them feel that they are very welcome and a smile will make the first time guest, a regular guest. Bartenders must be aware of everything around them at all times. They have to know the drink levels of everyone’s beverage, and must see new customers as they approach the bar. A second set of eyes in the back of their heads would be a remarkable evolutionary improvement and in failing that, bartenders need to be constantly alert.