Performance Management and Contribution to the Organization

Question: Discuss about the Performance Management and Contribution to the Organization. Answer: Introduction: Performancemanagement has acquired substantial significance in the recent times owing to the planning, monitoring and review of employees in context of their overall contribution to the organization and their professional objectives. It has enabled managers as well as employees to coordinate with each other and explore cognizable opportunities directed not only towards evaluation of performance but also for the motivation and engagement of employees through approaches such as goal setting and feedback approaches (Ayers, 2013). The process is helpful for alignment of individual behaviour with organizational objectives, addressing the requirement of feedback for employees and improvement of work environment. The concerns for performancemanagement are distinct in varying sectors thereby enforcing on the requirement of varying approaches to determine the capabilities of employees to address organizational objectives. Performance management issues in charity organizations: The non-profit or charity sector is also subject to the issues of performancemanagement primarily related to the formulation and implementation of an appropriate framework for performance management. According to Bednall, Sanders Runhaar, the challenges pertaining to performancemanagement which are profoundly observed in the excerpts from interactions with proficient personnel in the non-profit sector include the culture, ambiguities pertaining to time and resource allocation, role of voluntary board, conventional performance management models and the prominence of culture in non-profit organizations (Bednall, Sanders Runhaar, 2014). The selection of the practical case of an Australian charity organization would be implicative of explicit references to the competence profiling requirements. The consideration of CARE Australia for accomplishing the competence profiling objectives would have to be preceded by the anticipation of challenges. Culture is aligned with the egalitarian values which support a flat organizational structure in non-profit organizations. Therefore employees and managers are more likely to perceive performance management as a traditional process involving command and control implying the creation of a situation opposing the values held by employees and enforcement of bureaucratic or hierarchical principles. Establishment of voluntary boards within CARE Australia should be accompanied with the competence necessary for accomplishing performance management (Budworth, Latham Manroop, 2015). The skills and experience of the board members could be perceived as a major disparity by employees thereby leading to inefficient outcomes from the performance management strategies. The lack of resources, competences and time is perceived as a major implication in context of the implementation of performance management approaches. Small organizations emphasize front-line operations rather than emphasizing on the performance management implications which create considerable challenges in the non-profit sector. As per Deepa, Palaniswamy Kuppusamy, the conventional methods for performance measurement are associated with quantitative evaluation which is not relevant to the qualitative dimensions of performance especially related to the interaction and quality of relationships among individual (Deepa, Palaniswamy Kuppusamy, 2014). The lack of precise norms that would help in estimation of approaches to management of employee performance could also be accounted as a formidable challenge with respect to the case of non profit organizations. The organizational background of CARE Australia is profoundly vested in the gradual development of the charity organization in almost 20 countries in the pacific region and Africa. According to DeNisi Smith, the objectives of CARE Australia are directed towards addressing the plight of young girls and women since the vision of the organization is aligned with the belief that these groups are essential for the integral development of sustainable communities across the world (DeNisi Smith, 2014). Therefore the organization must evaluate the distinct approaches required to evaluate the performance of its workforce especially through an emphasis on the competence based approach that is more likely to encourage motivation among the employees as well. Competency modelling: Competency can be defined as the singular behaviour or set of behaviours that reflects on the description of excellent performance especially in context of a particular work environment. The demarcation between average and poor performers is largely based on the identification of profound issues especially with respect to the clarification of workplace expectations and standards, creation of empowerment and accountability of employers, team members and team leaders, development of reasonable and specific decisions for compensation and appraisal and the alignment of individuals with the business strategies of the organization. The difference between skills and competences can be depicted in the association of competences solely with behaviours that accompany superior performance (Elliott, 2015). The competences should not only be aligned with the work objectives but also inclined towards behavioural orientations with respect to the motives for accomplishing work objectives. The implications of competency model organization can be considered here which has been derived from the literature pertaining to performance management. According to Grigoroudis, Tsitsiridi Zopounidis, the use of competency models has been profoundly observed in the case of opportunities to support various practices that include employee development, team assessment, career strategies, employee orientation, succession planning candidate interviews, performance management and coaching and team assessment. The derivation of specific competences for varying sectors is dependent on the presentation of competences along with key behavioural indicators and precise definition (Grigoroudis, Tsitsiridi Zopounidis, 2013). Evaluation of the competences is based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are indicative of the performance of employees from a qualitative viewpoint. The benefits of implementing a competency based approach can be observed in the reinforcement of corporate culture, strategy and vision, increasing effectiveness of professional development and training programs for the company based practices. Managerial benefits of competence modelling would involve ease for the managers of CARE Australia, a non-profit organization, to ensure flexible hiring and selection processes (Iqbal, Akbar Budhwar, 2015). Clarification of standards pertaining to communication could be a potential attribute for inhibiting the effect of possible friction against performance management approaches as command and control processes. Employees could obtain an objective and specific assessment of strengths thereby creating opportunities for identifying specific areas for professional development. Competence evaluation: As per John Bernardin, et al, the various types of clustering available for evaluation of competences reflect on the distribution such as core competencies, leadership competences and technical competences. These competences have to be apprehended distinctly by the case of CARE Australia thereby reflecting on the different outcomes that can be impinged on the sustainability of the organization (John Bernardin, et al., 2015). The core competences are associated with the competences required for foundation of the organization without any formidable concerns for the function. The core competences are associated directly with the strategic objectives of the organization and are largely vested in the organizational vision, values, culture and mission of the organization (Kinicki, et al., 2013). Therefore the uniqueness of core competences of CARE Australia can be defined on the basis of distinctiveness of the above described elements. The core competences which could be observed in the case of CARE Australia could be identified in the exemplification of integrity, problem solving and decision making, delivery of service excellence and demonstration of personal effectiveness. According to Sanyal Biswas, functional competences or technical competences have a substantial implication towards abilities or behaviour that can be related to a particular body of skills and knowledge required for accomplishing specific objectives. Functional competences are considerably associated with the job roles and the interaction with other job roles and are distinct for individual personnel and job positions (Sanyal Biswas, 2014). Managerial and leadership competences have to be considered as significant entries in the performance management functions and processes since they are associated with skills, knowledge and behaviour of managers and other individuals responsible for realization of leadership functions and processes. One of the formidable advantages that can be noticed in case of the competence evaluation initiatives is reflective of the selection of specific clusters for competence modelling. It has been observed in different schools of thought where competency modelling was based on clustering of competencies into behavioural and technical categories (Sharma, Sharma Agarwal, 2016). Technical competences or hard competences are generally identified with respect to the job while those that are not related to the field of practice are referred to as soft competencies or behavioural competencies. Therefore the competency framework of CARE Australia must include references to behavioural, organizational and personal competences that can prove to be a guideline for increasing motivation of employees alongside facilitating a viable apparatus for realizing professional Performance Appraisal Programs (Slavi?, Berber Lekovi?, 2014). Dimensions of competence progression: The performance appraisals on the basis of a competency based approach could be associated with the variables of intensity, time horizon, complexity, autonomy, context, breadth of impact and scope. These dimensions are imperative requirements for evaluating the progression level of competences proposed in models for CARE Australia. Time horizon is a considerably favourable factor that allows the consideration of anticipating future situations for actions and decision making as well as observing the future incidents as well as planning. Intensity of the competencies is evaluated on the grounds of effort for completion of a task. Breadth of impact is reflected through the number of individuals and the job descriptions of the affected individuals by the competences as well as the nature of problems resolved by the competences (Sumelius, et al., 2014). The variable of complexity associated with competence assessment is reflective of the estimation of the multitude of people, concepts, things, causes and data into account. Scope can be validated on the grounds of the variation in responsibilities as well as tasks pertaining to organizational assignments. The context dimension of the competencies can be observed in the environment provided to the various units of CARE Australia. The dimension of autonomy is a formidable indicator of the level of supervision that is acquired by employees and the decision making power of individual members of the organization (Teelken, 2015). Key performance indicators: The use of key performance indicators can be associated with promising implications towards the generic characteristics of proficiency levels and behavioural indicators. Proficiency levels are associated with the resolution of a wide assortment of objectives and they provide a comparative interpretation of the jobs and roles especially in terms of competency requirements and the levels of proficiency required in specific job roles. The development of the proficiency levels is ensured through a commonly accepted incremental scale that is reflective of generic classification of competency performance of employees on different levels (Sharma, Sharma Agarwal, 2016). Proficiency levels are clear substrates for framing organization specific performance indicators and are associated with the planning, tracking and implementation of development initiatives of various job holders alongside prolific references to the existing or future jobs and professional roles associated with distinct mastery levels. The references to the use of five scales of proficiency levels is profoundly observed in case of many organizations, while CARE Australia could implement four levels of analyzing proficiency level in the performance appraisal program. The competency model dictates the levels on the basis of the users as well as the objectives pertaining to practicality and purpose (Iqbal, Akbar Budhwar, 2015). The selection of four levels for proficiency assessment could be associated with the potential refraining from the confusions arising due to trivial differences in multiple proficiency levels. Assessment of competency with the use of four levels is also beneficial as it prevents the probabilities of statistical central tendencies. Studies of competences could also be associated with promising HR planning and functional objectives that are otherwise associated with capturing the competency frame and the proficiency levels that are needed for a successful job performance for all levels of job roles in CARE Australia (John Bernardin, et al., 2015). The explicitness of job description is a promising resource for the HR management of the organization to ensure compliance of the potential candidates with the particular descriptions laid out for individual job role. Some of the general competences which are evaluated in case of non-profit job descriptions refer to the collaboration and networking skills, delivery of results, problem solving and decision making skills, performance management, motivation and inspiring capabilities, information management and utilization. The general perception of almost 12 competences should be outlined specifically in the competency model of CARE Australia that can help in refining the outcomes of hiring and selection thereby reducing the impact of excessive pressure on the performance appraisal programs (Sharma, Sharma Agarwal, 2016). Behavioural indicators have also been associated with literature pertaining to the different impacts of developing competences. The references to the behavioural indicators can also be a profound indicator of the development of proficiency level according to the competence category. Conclusion: The report presented an interpretation of possible recommendations for an Australian charity organization, CARE Australia, to realize the application of a competency model to formulate a performance appraisal program. The reflection on the necessity to develop performance management frameworks can be observed profoundly in the evolving trends and the challenges faced by the non-profit sector organizations. Explicit references to the use of competency modelling and key performance indicator assessment proved to be comprehensive elements of the report. References Ayers RS. Building goal alignment in federal agencies performance appraisal programs. Public Personnel Management. 2013 Dec;42(4):495-520. Bednall TC, Sanders K, Runhaar P. Stimulating informal learning activities through perceptions of performance appraisal quality and human resource management system strength: A two-wave study. Academy of Management Learning Education. 2014 Mar 1;13(1):45-61. Budworth MH, Latham GP, Manroop L. Looking forward to performance improvement: A field test of the feedforward interview for performance management. Human Resource Management. 2015 Jan 1;54(1):45-54. Deepa E, Palaniswamy R, Kuppusamy S. Effect of performance appraisal system in organizational commitment, job satisfaction and productivity. Journal of Contemporary Management Research. 2014 Mar 1;8(1):72. DeNisi A, Smith CE. Performance appraisal, performance management, and firm-level performance: a review, a proposed model, and new directions for future research. Academy of Management Annals. 2014 Jan 1;8(1):127-79. Elliott K. Teacher Performance Appraisal: More about Performance or Development?. Australian Journal of Teacher Education. 2015;40(9):6. Grigoroudis E, Tsitsiridi E, Zopounidis C. Linking customer satisfaction, employee appraisal, and business performance: an evaluation methodology in the banking sector. Annals of Operations Research. 2013 May 1;205(1):5-27. Iqbal MZ, Akbar S, Budhwar P. Effectiveness of performance appraisal: An integrated framework. International Journal of Management Reviews. 2015 Oct 1;17(4):510-33. John Bernardin H, Thomason S, Ronald Buckley M, Kane JS. Rater Rating?Level Bias and Accuracy in Performance Appraisals: The Impact OF Rater Personality, Performance Management Competence, and Rater Accountability. Human Resource Management. 2015 Jan 1. Kinicki AJ, Jacobson KJ, Peterson SJ, Prussia GE. Development and validation of the performance management behavior questionnaire. Personnel Psychology. 2013 Mar 1;66(1):1-45. Sanyal MK, Biswas SB. Employee motivation from performance appraisal implications: Test of a theory in the software industry in West Bengal (India). Procedia Economics and Finance. 2014 Jan 1;11:182-96. Sharma NP, Sharma T, Agarwal MN. Measuring employee perception of performance management system effectiveness: Conceptualization and scale development. Employee Relations. 2016 Feb 8;38(2):224-47. Slavi? A, Berber N, Lekovi? B. Performance management in international human resource management: evidence from the CEE region. Serbian journal of management. 2014;9(1):45-58. Sumelius J, Bjrkman I, Ehrnrooth M, Mkel K, Smale A. What determines employee perceptions of HRM process features? The case of performance appraisal in MNC subsidiaries. Human Resource Management. 2014 Jul 1;53(4):569-92. Teelken C. Hybridity, coping mechanisms, and academic performance management: Comparing three countries. Public Administration. 2015 Jun 1;93(2):307-23.

The Great Gatsby The American Dream Essay Example For Students

The Great Gatsby The American Dream Essay The Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to capture its illusionary goals. This is a common them central to many novels. This dream has varying significances for different people but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. To get this happiness Jay must reach into the past and relive an old dream and in order to do this he must have wealth and power. Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the story, is a character who longs for the past. Surprisingly he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it and, finally, dies in its pursuit. In the past, Jay had a love affair with the beautiful and seemingly innocent Daisy. Knowing he could not marry her because of the difference in their social status, he leaves her to accumulate his wealth to reach her economic and social standards. Once he acquires this wealth, he moves near to Daisy, â€Å"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay (83),† and throws extravagant parties, hoping by chance she might show up at one of them. He, himself, does not attend his parties but watches them from a distance. When his hopes dont show true he asks around casually if anyone knows her. Soon he meets Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy, who agrees to set up a meeting, â€Å"He wants to know†¦if you’ll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over (83).† Gatsby’s personal dream symbolizes the larger American Dream where all have the opportunity to get what they want. We will write a custom essay on The Great Gatsby The American Dream specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Later, as we see in the Plaza Hotel, Jay still believes that Daisy loves him. He is convinced of this as is shown when he takes the blame for Myrtle’s death. â€Å"Was Daisy driving?† â€Å"Yes†¦but of course I’ll say I was.† (151) He also watches and protects Daisy as she returns home. â€Å"How long are you going to wait?† â€Å"All night if necessary.† (152) Jay cannot accept that the past is gone and done with. Jay is sure that he can capture his dream with wealth and influence. He believes that he acted for a good beyond his personal interest and that should guarantee success. Nick attempts to show Jay the flaw of his dream, but Jay innocently replies to Nicks statement that the past cannot be relived by saying, â€Å"Cant repeat the past?Why of course you can! (116). This shows the confidence that Jay has in reviving his relationship with Daisy. For Jay, his American Dream is not material possessions, although it may seem that way. He only comes into riches so that he can fulfill his true dream, Daisy. Gatsby doesn’t rest until his dream is finally lived. However, it never comes about and he ends up paying the ultimate price for it. The idea of the American Dream still holds true in today’s time, be it wealth, love, or fame. But one thing never changes about the American Dream; everyone desires something in life, and everyone, somehow, strives to get it. A big house, nice cars, 2.5 kids, a dog, a beautiful devoted spouse, power and a ridiculous amount of money. That is the classical American Dream, at least for some. One could say, an outsider perhaps, that Americans strive for the insurmountable goal of perfection, live, die and do unimaginable things for it, then call the product their own personal American Dream. Is having the American Dream possible? What is the American Dream? There is one answer for these two questions: The American Dream is tangible perfection. In reality, even in nature, perfection does not exist. Life is a series of imperfections that can make living really great or very unpleasant. Living the American Dream is living in perfection, and that by definition is not possible, thus deflating our precious American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald proves this fact in The Great Gatsby, through his scintillating characters and unique style. .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 , .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .postImageUrl , .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 , .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7:hover , .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7:visited , .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7:active { border:0!important; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7:active , .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7 .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud8eba2acf2c32926995e232f700c3ab7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Chen Ta Erh: The Time Bomb EssayCharacters in books often mirror the authors feelings towards the world around them. In

Student Scholarship Essay Samples

Student Scholarship Essay SamplesStudent scholarship essay samples can prove to be very useful if you are writing for college. Essay writing is perhaps the most important part of the entire application process and college admissions. This is why you will want to get these samples from someone who knows how to write effectively.Essays are usually very long. Since so many people write them, you need to make sure that you do not end up writing something that is too long. This does not mean that you should write a one-page essay. You should make sure that you write a well-written essay that is convincing and that will get you the college you want.So where can you find these scholarship essay samples? The answer is that you can find them at several websites on the internet. All you have to do is search for the right words.There are free online student essay samples that can help you get better at writing the essays that you want to write. These essays can also help you improve your writin g skills and even your writing style as a whole.However, make sure that you do not get these student essay samples from e-mails. In other words, do not get them from just about anyone, no matter how convincing they might sound. You should make sure that you are dealing with an expert or with someone who has the correct credentials to give out the right scholarship essay samples.Students can get these scholarship essay samples from a variety of places. Some students even get these from colleges or from universities themselves. Make sure that you do not get anything for free because there is nothing that is free about it.Writing for college is very important, especially in this age where technology has advanced so much. It is also a good idea to know that you can always get these for free but there is a good chance that you may have to pay for them.Scholarship essay samples can help a lot of students to achieve their dream of going to college. Of course, you have to work hard to be ab le to get into a good college.

Maharashtra Vidarbha Separate Statehood - Political Turm essays

Maharashtra Vidarbha Separate Statehood - Political Turm essays Maharashtra Vidarbha Separate Statehood - Political Turmoil Maharashtra is a state in west-central India with a population over 97,000,000, making it the second most populous state in India. Vidarbha with a population of over 20,000,000 is located in eastern Maharashtra and has been demanding separate statehood within India since the early 1950s. Separate statehood has not been accomplished to date. Several reasons, which have been the recent focus of political turmoil, have emerged as major barriers in acquiring Vidarbhas statehood. Vidarbha is rich in natural resources, national parks, diverse culture and people with a passion for life. It is this wealth of resources that prevents Vidarbha from gaining separate statehood because leaders of Maharashtra are well aware of this gem. Vidarbha can be a strong state if given the opportunity to lead and manage its own human and natural resources. Vidarbha is a real goldmine for development. The natural resources that are found in this region are many. Some of its products are oranges, which has earned the region the nickname the California of India, cotton, spices and rice. It has dense forest cover with lush flowers and greenery, which appeal to tourists. The mineral wealth of Vidarbha contains coal and manganese as the major minerals and iron ore and limestone as potential wealth. Famous national parks are Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Navegaon National Park and Tadoba National Park. The infrastructure of Vidarbha is solid and has several power plants. Education is considered a major moneymaking business due to several private educational institutions, especially those of higher education, which have multiplied in the region. Given the vast amount of resources listed above, why has this region been referred to as backward? A key reason is the neglect shown by the Maharashtra government. Vidarbha is discriminate...

Johannes Gutenberg, Inventor of the Printing Press

Johannes Gutenberg, Inventor of the Printing Press Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1398–February 3, 1468) was the inventor of a movable-type printing press, based on a Rhenish wine press and using ink that clung to the metal type and produced color fonts. His technological innovations, which included punch-cutting, matrix-fitting, type-casting, composing, and printing, was used nearly unchanged for three centuries after his death.   Fast Facts: Johannes Gutenberg Known For: Invention of several technologies surrounding the printing pressBorn: c. 1394–1404 in Mainz, GermanyParents: Friele Gensfleisch and Else WirichDied: February 3, 1468 in Mainz, GermanyEducation: Apprentice to a goldsmith, possibly enrolled at the University of ErfurtPublished Works: 42-Line Bible (The Gutenberg Bible), a Book of Psalter, and the  Sibyls ProphecySpouse(s): None knownChildren: None known Early Life Johannes Gensfleisch zum Gutenberg was born between 1394 and 1404 in Mainz, in what is today Germany. An official birthday of June 24, 1400, was chosen at the time of a 500th Anniversary Festival held in Mainz in 1900, but that is symbolic. What information about his early life is limited to court documents- and sources are limited in usefulness because his surname, like many people of the time, was a reference to the building or property he lived in, and so changed according to his residence.  As a young child and adult, he lived in the Gutenberg house in Mainz. Johannes was the second of three children of Friele Gensfleisch and Else Wirich. Else Wirich was the daughter of a shopkeeper, whose family had once been of the noble classes. Friele Gensfleisch was a member of the aristocracy and worked in the ecclesiastical mint, the place that supplied gold and other metals for coins, minted the coins, changed the species of coins when needed, and testified in forgery cases. Education Johannes worked with his father in the mint, which is where he learned and may have been a goldsmiths apprentice. As a young man, he may have also worked in the clothing trade in Mainz until 1411, when a craftsmans revolt against the noble classes occurred, and Johann and his family were forced to flee Mainz. They may have gone to Eltville am Rhein, where his mother had an inherited estate. In 1418, a student named Johannes de Altavilla enrolled at the University of Erfurt- Altavilla is the Latin form of Eltville am Rhein.  By 1434, they were in Strasbourg. Wherever he was educated, Johannes learned reading and writing in German and Latin, the language of scholars and churchmen. Books have been around for nearly 3,000 years, but until Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the mid-1400s they were rare and hard to produce. Text and illustrations were done by hand, a very time-consuming process, and only the wealthy and educated could afford them. But within a few decades of Gutenbergs innovation, printing presses were operating in England, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, and elsewhere. More presses meant more (and cheaper) books, allowing literacy to flourish across Europe.   Books Before Gutenberg British Library / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 Although historians cant pinpoint when the first book was created, the oldest known book in existence was printed in China in 868 CE. Called The Diamond Sutra, it was a copy of a sacred Buddhist text, in a 17-foot-long scroll printed with wooden blocks. It was commissioned by a man named  Wang Jie to honor his parents, according to an inscription on the scroll, though little else is known about who Wang was or who created the scroll. Today, it is in the collection of the British Museum in London. By 932 CE, Chinese printers regularly were using carved wooden blocks to print scrolls. But these wooden blocks wore out quickly, and a new block had to be carved for each character, word, or image that was used. The next revolution in printing occurred in 1041 when Chinese printers began using movable type, individual characters made of clay that could be chained together to form words and sentences. Printing Comes to Europe By the early 1400s, European metalsmiths also had adopted wood-block printing and engraving. One of those metalsmiths was Johannes Gutenberg, who began experimenting with printing work during his exile in Strasbourg- at the time, there were metalsmiths in Avignon, Bruges, and Bologna who were also experimenting with presses. By 1438, Gutenberg had begun experimenting with printing techniques using metal movable type and had secured funding from a wealthy businessman named  Andreas Dritzehn; between 1444 and 1448 he returned to Mainz. An illustration of Gutenbergs printing press. ilbusca / Getty Images It is unclear when Gutenberg began publishing with his metal type, but by 1450 he had made sufficient progress to seek additional funds from another investor,  Johannes Fust. Using a modified wine press, Gutenberg  created his printing press. The ink was rolled over the raised surfaces of movable handset block letters held within a wooden form, and the form was then pressed against a sheet of paper. Gutenbergs Bible A copy of Gutenbergs Bible. NYC Wanderer / Kevin Eng / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 By 1452, Gutenberg entered into a business partnership with Fust in order to continue funding his printing experiments. Gutenberg continued to refine his printing process and by 1455 had printed several copies of the Bible. Consisting of three volumes of text in Latin, Gutenbergs Bibles had 42 lines of type per page with color illustrations. But Gutenberg didnt enjoy his innovation for long. Fust sued him for repayment, something Gutenberg was unable to do, and Fust seized the press as collateral. The bulk of Gutenbergs presses and types went to Peter Schà ¶ffer of Gernsheim, an employee and later son-in-law of Fust.  Fust continued printing the Bibles, eventually publishing about 200 copies, of which only 22 exist today. In addition to the 42-Line Bible, Gutenberg is credited by some historians with a Book of Psalter, published by Fust and Schà ¶ffer but using fonts and innovative techniques generally attributed to Gutenberg. The oldest surviving manuscript from the early Gutenburg press is that of a fragment of the poem The Sibyls Prophecy, the German text of which was made using Gutenbergs earliest typeface between 1452–1453. The page, which includes a planetary table for astrologers, was found in the late 19th century and donated to the Gutenberg museum in 1903. Legacy and Death Few details are known about Gutenbergs life after the lawsuit. According to some historians, Gutenberg continued to work with Fust, while other scholars say Fust drove Gutenberg out of business. After 1460, he seems to have abandoned printing entirely, perhaps as a result of blindness. He survived on a pension from the archbishop of Mainz known as a Hoffman, a gentleman of the court. Gutenberg died on February 3, 1468, and was buried in a Franciscan church in Eltville, Germany that was torn down in 1742. Sources Daley, Jason. Five Things to Know About the Diamond Sutra, the World’s Oldest Dated Printed Book. Smithsonian Magazine. 11 May 2016.Garner, April, project coordinator.  Teaching Gutenberg. Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. Accessed 6 March 2018.Green, Jonathan. Printing and Prophecy: Prognostication and Media Change 1450–1550. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2012.Kapr, Albert. Johann Gutenberg: The Man and his Invention. Trans. Martin, Douglas. Scolar Press, 1996.Man, John. The Gutenberg Revolution: How Printing Changed the Course of History. London: Bantam Books, 2009.  Steinberg, S. H. Five Hundred Years of Printing. New York: Dover Publications, 2017.

Yz Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Yz - Coursework Example Marla believes that her classmate Bernadette is lazy and does not believe that this personality is changeable and therefore judges her. Additionally she has limited information and ignores the fact that there could be other circumstances and hence she is more likely than Jane to develop prejudices. Jane at least tries to relate Bernadette’s academics to the trauma brought about by her divorcing parents. The book gives an example of Joey, an older child, who keeps a stray kitten despite having been cautioned by her mother not to. She does this because her enhanced perspective taking and emotional understanding. She believes that the kitten might end up dying if she does not keep it and hence empathizes. By being able to take more information, children’s moral understanding is developed. For instance, a child may pretend to be sick only to avoid participating in a singing competition because he or she is a bad singer. However, this is done with the best of intentions because he/she does not want to be the one to hinder the team’s chances of winning the competition. I attended an integrated elementary school, and it is from the school that I noted how vital integration is in reducing ethnic and racial prejudice. Despite having had the notion that white children were superior to children from other races, no racial prejudices emerged from the children in the school. This is because teachers treated all equally and did not behave in a way that endorsed group status

Cafe Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cafe - Case Study Example The roles and responsibilities of Louis Chen include: Ensuring the continuous running of the Levendary Cafe in China; making strategic decisions that would enable the company to stay competitive and in business against market trends. The company expanded from the USA to China due to the reason that its domestic growth was slowing down progressively from 2008. The company chose to expand by setting up a strategy team that would be used to research on available opportunities in China. More to that was the fact that China had a high potential for investment since their GDP was 14.5% for the past decade and they had a high population of approximately 1.4 billion people. Out of this, the urban population had risen from 36.2% to 46.6% between 2000 and 2009. This was an issue that was discovered and brought about by Mia Foster to the Levendary Cafe CEO in China - Louis Chen. The issue was that Louis Chen was not willing to ensure and implement global standardization of procedures. This was an issue that was projected by Mia Foster to Louis Chen. According to Mia Foster, the CEO of Levendary Cafe in China – Louis Chen was not up to the task of implementing changes that would boost future operations of the organisation. Louis Chen did not follow the standard GAAP Accounts and reporting procedures for Levendary Cafe in China. Apparently, the financial and management reports that were being sent to Denver were in a format that had been â€Å"massaged†. This was an issue where Mia Foster implied that the way Louis Chen managed the China operations would not sustain the company in future. For example: his refusal to follow a standardized global operating procedure; not adhering to GAAP accounting standards. In order to address the challenges being faced in China operations, Mia Foster has to follow the following actions: Raise the questions about the China operations to Louis Chen; confront Louis Chen on the issues