Discussion Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Discussion Questions - Assignment Example I am morally obliged to tell my friend about positive or negative perceptions about him. However, telling a friend about public perception about him is dependent on several issues. The closeness of the opinion makers to him, the magnitude of the perception, and the positivity or negativity of the perceptions will be the main factors under considerations. I would tell a friend if the perception about him is positive or is not so damaging if it is negative. People lose personal confidence if their ego is hurt by enlightenment about other perceptions about him. The most appropriate way to tell a friend is through reasoning similar situations with him to understand his reaction if it as his case. By doing this, I would understand the possible way to explain the perception about him without him developing negative emotions or perceptions about the people. This is because he or she would be prepared to deal with such an

Philip II Essay Example for Free

Philip II Essay King Philip II ruled over the western Habsburg kingdom, which included Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia. When he got married to Mary I, he then ruled over England and Ireland. There were major challenges that Philip II faced during his reign. Some of the problems were finances and control over some of his countries, such as Spain and the Netherlands. Philip II had many problems throughout Spain since the time it had grown unstable. Philip II had a debt and needed to pay back his bankers and mercenaries. He was able to make some money from the silver from mines in Bolivia. Since there was money coming from the Americas, Europe was able to gain some wealth. Europe also gained an increase in its population. This caused inflation, which was less food and fewer jobs, while still having the population overflow. There was an obviously visible gap between the richer people and the poor ones. Because of a need for money, the unprivileged people of Spain suffered greatly from the harsh taxes of Philip II. Philip II also wanted an efficient bureaucracy and military. He made the lesser nobility into the bureaucracy because if he would have used higher nobles they may try to gain more power. Philip II had to deal with a Turkish threat in the Mediterranean. So, Spain, Venice, and the Pope created the Holy League. In a naval battle, The Battle of Lapanto, they defeated the Turks who had tried to invade Austria. Control had been secured in the Mediterranean and then Spain annexed Portugal. Philip eventually declared bankruptcy and could not pay his soldiers. They became known as the Spanish fury when they attacked Antwerp. While Philip II was dealing with many complications, the Netherlands came along and caused more damage for him. The Count of Egmont and William of Nassau, or William of Orange, started a strong opposition to Spanish overlords. Because of this, Philip II decided that the decrees of the Council of Trent and the Inquisition were to be enforced in the Netherlands. Louis of Nassau led the opposition of Philip II’s decision. This caused Protestants to riot throughout the country. In response to this, Philip sent the Duke of Alba to suppress the people. Alba publicly killed thousands of suspected heretics. This was known as the Council of Troubles, but it was referred to as the Council of Blood in the Netherlands. The Duke of Alba also enforced taxes, such as a ten percent sales tax that caused people to flee the country. Furthermore, Philip II only had one chance left to destroy the Netherlandic resistance, so he called William of Orange an outlaw and even placed a bounty on him. But William of Orange had a speech, the Apology, which called Philip a tyrant, causing the Union of Utrecht to disregard Philip as their ruler. King Philip II went through a lot during his time of reign. He was dealing with many different countries, some under and some not under his rule. Spain had a very bad economy that was not going far. There was an inflation, which made everything even more difficult. Then in the Netherlands, they wanted to be free. They caused trouble for Philip and tried to resist whatever he did. Philip even had to send over the Duke of Alba, and the people of the Netherlands hated him for it. The problems in the Netherlands led to the Twelve Years’ Truce, where the northern provinces gained independence. Later on, their official independence was from the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

Aircraft Solutions Security Assessment And Recommendations Information Technology Essay

Aircraft Solutions Security Assessment And Recommendations Information Technology Essay The purpose of this assessment is to address weaknesses and provide recommendations on the network security of Aircraft Solutions. Aircraft Solutions is a recognized leader in the design and fabrication of component products and services for companies in the electronics, commercial, defense, and aerospace industry. Aircraft Solutions mission is to provide customer success through machined products and related services, and to meet cost, quality, and schedule requirements. Two weaknesses were found in regards to the companys network security. The first weakness is a hardware weakness; not having an AAA server for user authentication and authorization; second, not having a Network-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in use. The recommended solutions are to deploy an AAA server for user authentication and authorization to company resources, and deploy a combination Host and Network-based IDS for overall monitoring of the companys enterprise. Company Overview Aircraft Solutions designs and fabricates component products and services for companies in the electronics, commercial, defense, and aerospace industry. The mission of Aircraft Solutions is to provide customer success through machined products and related services, and to meet cost, quality, and schedule requirements. Much of its equipment is automated to increase production while reducing costs. The companys workforce has a large skill base: design engineers, programmers, machinists, and assembly personnel to work its highly-automated production systems. The company strategy is to offer low-cost design and computer-aided modeling packages to customers to reduce their development expenses. Aircraft Solutions uses Business Process Management (BPM) to handle end-to-end processes that span multiple systems and organizations. The BPM system is designed to connect customers, vendors, and suppliers to share information and maintain a timely business dialogue. BPM also aligns internal business operations with IT support to maintain production in support of customer requirements. Security Weaknesses Two security vulnerabilities were found in regards to the companys network security. The first vulnerability is a hardware weakness; not having an Authorization, Authentication, and Accounting (AAA) server for user authentication and authorization; second, not having a Network-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in use. Hardware Weakness AAA Server Aircraft Solution has a need for an AAA server to authenticate and authorize legitimate user credentials for its on-site headquarters, intranet remote offices, and extranet for suppliers, contractors, and suppliers. An AAA infrastructure is required in order to authorize and authenticate users to company resources; access control. AAA servers provide a mechanism for encrypted authentication of users and can be used to control access to the network. Authentication verifies the identity of a user by employing a database of usernames and passwords. Authorization assigns network rights or permissions to an authenticated user. Authorization records or logs network usage of authentication and authorized users. Accounting can be used to record information about security breaches. (Kaeo, 2004) Software Weakness Combination Host and Network-based IDS Aircraft Solutions employs a host-based IDS on the servers in the corporate office. I think having a combination of host-based IDS on critical servers and a network-based IDS by the firewall for each network segment is better. A good strategy for IDS would be to use a combination of host and network IDS. A Network-based IDS provides an overall perspective of your network and is useful for identifying distributed attacks, whereas a Host-based IDS would stop most valid threats at the host level. (Kaeo, 2004) An IDS protects a network like an alarm system. When an IDS detects that something is wrong and sees it as an attack, it can take corrective action itself or notify a management system, which would alert a network administrator to take some action. Intrusion Detection Systems are important not only in terms of stopping an attack, but also in maintaining a permanent time-stamped log of intrusion attempts on a host system. An IDS allows a company to know that they are being attacked and who is attacking them, how they are doing it, and what they might be looking for. An IDS is the watchdog that adds a layer of defense over all network security systems and policies. Definition of Solution Deployment of AAA Server Aircraft Solutions needs to centrally manage who has authorization to remotely access network resources from anywhere, which network resource are those remote users authorized to access, and any related issues. Terminal Access Controller Access Control System Plus (TACACS+) and Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) are the two protocols for implementing the AAA technology framework. A centralized AAA server that uses TACACS+ protocol will provide a centralized location for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting for Cisco devices. User authentication on Cisco devices can be done in one or two ways; a local database of users on the server, or by a TACACS+ server.   TACACS+ is a Cisco proprietary protocol that uses TCP as a transport protocol and has the ability to separate authentication, authorization, and accounting as separate services. The AAA server acts as a proxy server by using TACACS+ to authentication, authorize, and accounting for access to Cisco routers and network access servers. The Authentication function of an AAA server can provide access control; this proves a useful function in environments where theres a requirement to restrict access to network devices or applications per individual authenticated user. (Kaeo, 2004) Software Weakness Combination Host and Network-based IDS Aircraft Solutions needs to deploy a Network-based IDS in combination with its Host-based IDS. I think Aircraft Solutions should have a Network-based IDS in order to monitor all traffic to and from the Internet to see how many hackers or other malicious activities are trying to access the companys network. In addition to seeing Internet traffic, a Network-based IDS can see traffic going to a firewall or VPN and to other attached devices. A combination IDS will also enable Aircraft Solutions to better monitor and effectively respond to a security incident by employing real-time capability. A Network-base IDS is designed to sense malicious activity occurring on a network and provides real-time alerting to Administrators to investigate. The lack of not having such a system leaves Aircraft Solutions at risk by not having the ability to see malicious network traffic and relying on system events to be alerted of malicious activity. (Kaeo, 2004) Justification Deployment of AAA Server The vendor solution Id select would be Cisco hardware. Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) would be best suited for use as an AAA Server. My justification for that is Cisco ACS server covers the three main functions of Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting; and the use of TACACS+ protocol is Cisco proprietary protocol. Aircraft Solutions has multiple users that take part in end-to-end processes that span multiple systems and organizations. A Business Process Management (BPM) system is in place to handle all of these processes. Systems are access by users at different levels of need to know and these users are responsible for entering, processing data, and information in order to generate reports to be used for decision-making. Customer data such as project information, computer-aided design, and development models are sorted and stored in designated servers. The Design Engineering department is responsible for reviewing the electronic models, interacting with the customer and making necessary modifications with customer approval, then placing them in an Engineering Release (ER) directory for programming. As soon as these electronic models are released, programmers use them to create production programs. All final programs must be thoroughly verified for accuracy before releasing to the Proof For Production (PFP) directory for manufacturing to make the production first article. From the production floor, machinists download PFP programs directly to their DCNC (Direct Computer Numerical Control) machines for execution. After any further processing completed products are inspected for verification to customer requirements, then they are moved to the shipping department for delivery. Looking at how Aircraft Solutions BPM works, there is definitely a need for central user authentication and authorization. An AAA server with TACACS+ can be used to manage the large numbers of user IDs and passwords in a centralized database, providing a scalable network security solution. (Oppenheimer, 2004). An AAA server will ensure access to design, production, accounting, sales, and HR servers only go to authorized engineers and personnel. An AAA server will also track all users activity and attempts to access network resources; event logging. Example, if someone is trying to access production programs and theyre not authorized it will be logged, allowing for an investigation of the incident if required. Software Weakness Combination Host and Network-based IDS Aircraft Solutions has many users accessing its network, be it suppliers, customers, branch office employees etc A Network-based IDS is needed to protect the network. Similar to a home owner having an alarm system to ward off or to alert them of an intruder. I see an IDS in this fashion. An IDS detects if someone tries to break in through the firewall or manages to break in the firewall security and tries to have access on any system in the trusted side and alerts the system administrator in case there is a breach in security. (SANS Institute, 2001) Here are some advantages of Network-based IDS: Easier to deploy: Network based IDS are easier to deploy as it does not affect existing systems or infrastructure. The network-based IDS systems are Operating system independent. A network based IDS sensor will listen for all the attacks on a network segment regardless of the type of the operating system the target host is running. Detect network based attacks: Network based IDS sensors can detect attacks, which host-based sensors fail to detect. A network based IDS checks for all the packet headers for any malicious attack. Many IP-based denial of service attacks like TCP SYN attack, fragmented packet attack etc. can be identified only by looking at the packet headers as they travel across a network. A network based IDS sensor can quickly detect this type of attack by looking at the contents of the packets at the real time. Retaining evidence: Network based IDS use live network traffic and does real time intrusion detection. Therefore, the attacker cannot remove evidence of attack. This data can be used for forensic analysis. On the other hand, a host-based sensor detects attacks by looking at the system log files. Lot of hackers are capable of making changes in the log files so as to remove any evidence of an attack. Real Time detection and quick response: Network based IDS monitors traffic on a real time. So, network based IDS can detect malicious activity as they occur. Based on how the sensor is configured, such attack can be stopped even before they can get to a host and compromise the system. On the other hand, host based systems detect attacks by looking at changes made to system files. By this time critical systems may have already been compromised. Detection of failed attacks: A network based IDS sensor deployed outside the firewall can detect malicious attacks on resources behind the firewall, even though the firewall may be rejecting these attempts. This information can be very useful for forensic analysis. Host based sensors do not see rejected attacks that could never hit a host inside the firewall. (SANS Institute, 2001) Impact on Business Processes I think Aircraft Solutions will have a positive result from deploying an AAA server and adding Network-based IDS to its network enterprise. The impact to its business processes should be transparent, having little negative effect. Using an AAA server to provide authentication and authorization and accounting gives network administrators an added layer of protection in securing Aircraft Solutions network infrastructure. It allows access to network resources to be better controlled and delegated. An example could be branch office users connecting to the network; they can be screened against the user database and a custom policy that controls what device a user can access and what services on a particular device that a user can access. If a users account is compromised that account can be disabled. Using these two tools to correct the identified security weaknesses is a benefit. The only thing that may be viewed as negative is the access speed may be slightly slower. However, I think a slight decrease in access speed to the user is out weighted by having the access control and network monitoring needed to ensure Aircraft Solutions network infrastructure has a more layered defense. Security trumps a speedy user†¦ Summary In conclusion, I identified two areas of security weakness in Aircraft Solutions deployment of an AAA server and Network-based IDS. These are two tools that are necessary in any network enterprise environment. Implementing these recommendations will better ensure security of the companys resources, better overall enterprise integrity, and provide added layers of defense by having access control over network resources and real-time monitoring of network activity. Figure 1: Revised Aircraft Solutions Network Infrastructure

Expected Behavior in The Coquette and The Female Marine Essay example -

Expected Behavior in The Coquette and The Female Marine    In society, constructs of correctness have been formed on the basis of expected, gendered behavior. Individuals have traditional roles that they play which are based on the historical performance of their gender. Although very rigid, these traditional roles are frequently transferred, resulting in an altered and undefinable identity that exists beyond the boundaries of gender. These transgressions into the neuter role are characterized by a departure from the normal roles of society which, if successful, complete the gender transference and allow the individual to live within a new set of boundaries. The Female Marine, or the Adventures of Lucy Brewer is the fictional autobiography of a woman who recounts her experiences in the navy and life as a cross-dressed male. Throughout her narratives, Lucy is able to successfully leap back and forth between gender roles without repercussion. On the other hand, Hannah W. Foster's The Coquette is a sentimental seduction tale that n arrates the tragic demise of a young woman who attempts to exceed acceptable behavioral boundaries by establishing herself as a virile, independent individual, a role established by Simone de Beauvoir to be associated with the male (Beauvoir 405). Because of the similarity in the situations of these women there lies a need for an examination of their narrative purpose. The differing results of success with these women are found in the author's reflection of their audience's narrative expectations that deal with the social outcome of women who attempt to move beyond gender-identified behavioral roles. In her essay "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenom... ...to strengthen the audience's convictions of virtue and create a security in their beliefs. (Davidson [Foster] viii) Without Wharton's narrative condemnation, the text would be morally empty, with no lesson learned, no wisdom gained. Neither Foster nor Wharton had any choice for her destiny--the narrative sin of Wharton could only be rectified by a fall, by the expected reproach and ominous warning to those who should follow her path.    Works Cited:   Butler, Judith. Ed. Case, Sue-Ellen. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution." Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and Theatre. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990. Cohen, Daniel A (Ed.). The Female Marine: and Related Works. Massachusetts: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1997. Foster, Hannah W. The Coquette. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.   

Susan B. Anthony Speech

Effective Speech Susan B. Anthony Speech 1873 Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 and she was one of the many women in the nineteenth century to fight for women’s rights. She would travel all over the nation and create petitions for the right for women to vote and also slavery. She was an abolitionist, an educational reformer, a labor activist, and of course a women’s right campaigner. As brave as she was, she voted illegally in the presidential election of 1872 in Rochester, New York and arrested.They had fined her 100 dollars but did not imprison her, which she refused to pay. The next year, Susan presented a speech explaining and demanding that women had the right vote just as much as men did. She states, â€Å"It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. (1873)†. She pointed out that the constitution itself stated that people as a whole would help and contribu te to justice and establishment in the United States.Most importantly, Susan Anthony’s speech in 1873 was effective in every way. Although, it took as long as 14 years after her speech for women to have the lawful right to vote and exactly one hundred years after her birth, she campaigned and petitioned all over the nation and was part of several organizations against slavery, women’s suffrage and the labor movement. She fought and petitioned for the thirteenth amendment which was to outlaw slavery. She was threatened by many people and humiliated but nothing stopped Susan from continuing to fight for everyone’s rights.I define effective as being helpful and successful, in Susan’s case, it wasn’t successful right away, but her intelligence throughout all the years after her arrest, made her stronger and that’s what made her goal become a success, she never gave up. The speech took place in 1872 in Rochester, New York after she voted for the presidential election. It was after the judge had fined her with $100 to pay for unlawfully voting for a candidate. The court room was filled with politics, former presidents, women and men that supported her words.She stood alone at the Canandaigua Courthouse and gave her speech before her sentencing. She stood handcuffed but nothing stopped Susan B. Anthony from expressing her feelings towards the authorities that were trying to keep her from voting. Susan opened her speech by addressing it to each and every single person in the room. She did not mention only men or only women but stated, â€Å"Friends and fellow citizens†. Her main ideas that she was mainly focused on getting across were the constitution itself explained how we the people were to help establish a better and equal America.She did not understand why the constitution contradicted itself because later, women were still not allowed to vote. She also explained, if the government wouldn’t allow women to vo te, they were degrading us. â€Å"For any state to make sex a qualification that must ever result in the disfranchisement of one entire half of the people, is to pass a bill of attainder, or, an ex post facto law, and is therefore a violation of the supreme law of the land. By it the blessings of liberty are forever withheld from women and their female posterity† (Susan B.Anthony 1873). In this quote she strongly expresses her feelings and beliefs, if the government were to ever pass that law, liberty and equality were to be taken from women forever. Women all over the nation supported her and felt the same exact way. She used effective language and everyone understood where she was coming from. Susan was very motivating and persuading, not only in her speech but many of the other speeches she had presented in the past in court rooms, events in town during the woman’s suffrage movement.She created petitions all over the nation to get people to support her so she would have many reasons and supporters when the time would come. The speech wasn’t so conversational but more of a last words speech before she was sentenced. She had many goals she wanted to achieve but her main concern was to be able to have the same rights as men had. Men at the time had the right to vote, and were eligible to run as a candidate in a presidential election. They treated women as animals that were not capable of managing anything and had no say in who would be the best choice for America.Many people were emotionally affected by Susan’s speech because she wasn’t only fighting for herself but for other women and also slaves. She did not only think about herself but others too. People realized that she casted this vote for women and slaves so that the government would know that Susan was no longer taking any disrespect from her fellow citizens. I’m not sure if she was well prepared because when she had given her speech she was in court. She proba bly felt a lot of pressure because this speech determined if they would really listen to her or sentence her to a long time in jail or bombard her with fines from he government. The text from the speech is well said and well thought out, every word came out one hundred percent strong and she spoke with powerful words. If you pay attention on how she stands up for women and the slaves at the time, she was very serious and completely heartbroken because of the decisions and laws that the government had created at the time. â€Å"To them this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on the face of the globe; an oligarchy of wealth, where the rich govern the poor.An oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African, might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband , sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters, of every household – which ordains all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord, and rebellion into every home of the nation†(Susan B . Anthony 1873 Speech) Susan believed that the government ad only focused on the negativity.Instead of them trying to educate the â€Å"ignorant†, why wouldn’t they try to educate â€Å"just people† in general? Not everyone had the same opportunities as other so why not give them the opportunity to learn and share that knowledge. She also didn’t understand why the head of household was always addressed as the father, or if the father died the son would take his place for example in a royal chain, if the king dies, the son automatically became king. The rich were always the superior because they had the money. I support Susan B.Anthony completely because even though, it took many years for the law to become effectiv e, she did everything possible to help out women and slaves. She risked her life in some situations, was arrested for illegally voting knowing she couldn’t vote but did anyways for the sake of women. She has motivated me to want to be superior in a large company one day. The CEO of many companies are always men and very few women. Society has painted a picture out for us that make us think automatically that the CEO of a popular firm or chain is man instead of a woman.Also, America back in 2008 had the chance to vote a woman for president, Hilary Clinton, but we did not because we felt as if she wasn’t capable of running a country all on her own and America wasn’t ready for a woman president. Others believed that if she were to have won the election, Bill Clinton would’ve helped her run this country which is a very negative comment to say. There is nothing I would have changed about her speech but what I would have changed was the timing of the law becomi ng effective. Susan was an extraordinary woman who had courage, determination, and motivated many other women after that to continue her footsteps.

M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Example

M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Example M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay M3.46 Managing Performance Ilm Level 3 Essay Managing Performance When looking at performance management it can be defined as (1) ‘a process which contributes to effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance. As such it establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people which will ensure it is achieved. ’ We can see from this definition that managing performance is crucial to the overall performance of the organisation and meeting its goals and objectives. This process must then be strategic but also link other aspects of the organisation such as individuals and teams. As defined above, performance management is ultimately about achieving high levels of organisational performance. As managers we must use performance management as a continuous process that aims to improve develop the individuals in our team. MITIE uses the below diagram to illustrate that the process is continuous. (2) Within my role as Admin Manager I have 3 people directly reporting in to me. As a team we are largely responsible for the smooth running of the operations side of the business including planned and reactive tasks. The team operates across the contract as a whole so has responsibilities in numerous varied processes and tasks. Below I have highlighted some of the key responsibilities within this role in terms of performance management. * Recruitment – I am responsible for recruiting people who are qualified, have relevant experience and can fit in to the team. * Inductions – Site Company inductions are completed and help to start setting performance standard. Setting Performance standards – Features of the job that are usually continuous and based around how the team works or their behaviour. * Setting Objectives – Team and individual objectives are set to achieve specific performance targets. Also objectives are set for individuals relating to personal development. * Probation Review – Completed 3 months in to a new team mem ber’s employment. This is the first official opportunity to review an individual’s performance. Initial objectives and performance standards are also set at this time. Improvement and Development – I have to look for areas where the team can improve performance. Similarly I have to ensure the team has the skills and ability to complete their objectives. This involves development and training for the team and individuals. This is a 2-way process though and as a manager I must create a culture where the team and individuals can be at the forefront of their own development. * Appraisals – These are completed annually and are used to review performance of the individual. During this process the objectives set previously are reviewed along with performance standards. Feedback is given both positive and negative if required. Future development plan is discussed and agreed with the individual. This is also an opportunity for the individual to discuss any problems or obstacles that they have encountered in trying to carry out their role. Furthermore this is also an opportunity to take action to improve poor performance. * Absence/leave – This involves managing planned leave as well as unplanned so team performance is maintained at the required level. As highlighted above one of the key responsibilities I have as a manager is to set team objectives. These objectives must be set and then agreed with the team. Some examples of objectives I have set for the team are below: * Achieve a minimum of 96% overall KPI score for reactive task performance every month * Manage the planned maintenance tasks so 100% of statutory PPM’s are completed within legislative defined timeframe. * Manage all Priority 1 reactive requests for data centres MTXs to ensure zero SLA failures are incurred each KPI month. Within the team I also have performance standards that I set, which are linked to the MITIE’s values. Some examples are below. (3) * Take pride in delivering and improving services to the client * Understand the clients requirements and try to exceed expectations * Use initiatives to resolve issues calmly and effectively * Promotes MITE by doing the best job possible and demonstrating passion for the quality of work done * Deliver the best service by showing flexibility in approach and being open to fresh thinking * Understand and implement strategies nd processes to generate profits in line with business targets and expectations * Understand what is expected of them in support of the client and how to deliver it * Work efficiently without wasting resources or time, understanding that this effects profit * Informs manager of factors that may impact on the business * Co-operate with colleagues and clients, work together and support each other to achieve team and client goals * Recognise the impacts of personal actions on reputation of the team, yourselves and MITIE * Prioritises workload to ensure personal and team goals are achieved * Make a positive contribution to the team and the organisation as a whole * Demonstrate support for others Looking at the above we can see how many of the objectives and performance standards are linked. To achieve the objectives the team must work to the performance standards. Below I have highlighted an example of how the two are linked. Objective| Performance standards required to complete| Achieve a minimum of 96% overall KPI score for reactive task performance every month| To complete this objective the team must – * Understand the client’s requirements and try to exceed expectations. * Work efficiently without wasting resources or time, understanding that this effects profit * Prioritises workload to ensure personal and team goals are achieved| The performance standards can be applied to all of the objectives in some way and do not change significantly throughout a review year. These standards are continuous and they outline the way in which the team works. Team Objectives differ as they have defined performance areas. Furthermore they can change frequently throughout a review year. When managing performance arguably the most critical element of the process is measuring the performance. This can be completed in a variety of ways and is done so against the team objectives and performance standards set. Measuring performance against objectives differs from that of performance standards. Below I have highlighted how I would measure performance against the objectives and performance standards. In the above flowchart we can see how measuring performance against objectives involves many of the same methods. As managers we can use a combination of measures to get an overall picture of how the team is performing. Measuring objectives is usually a precise measurement with defined criteria for success and failure. For example the KPI score indicates the success and or failure of the above objectives. In the above flowchart I have highlighted the methods I use for measuring performance against the performance standards. To illustrate how a combination of measures is often required I have grouped them together. Looking at the above flowcharts we can see how objectives and performance standards need to work in unison to be successful. All of the performance standards are there to help achieve the objectives and clearly indicate to the team what the expectations are. As the admin manager I need to use a combination of performance measures so I can effectively manage the team’s performance. If I know where we are in terms of performance I can then look at development and improvement opportunities. When measuring performance there are inevitably instances where the team or individuals are underperforming. An example of underperformance that has occurred from an individual is as follows: Within the admin team I manage there are 3 individuals with similar workloads and responsibilities. Around 6 months ago one member of the team continually made errors and in some cases forgot to complete the weekly bookings for the engineers. The bookings are so the engineers in the field can access secure sites and complete routine and reactive maintenance. It is a crucial part of the role and if not completed it impacts negatively on the overall contract performance. After a few weeks of mistakes being made and bookings not being done I decided that a performance improvement plan needed to be implemented. Prior to completing this I had looked at the workload of the individual compared to the other team members and concluded that there was no difference. Next i looked at other factors that could be reasons for the individual performance. In this process I looked at internal factors such as competences, methods of work, personal problems, medical and motivation. Examples of the external factors I considered were distractions, family ; relationships, finance and other team members. Most of these factors were discussed with the individual in an informal meeting to gain an understanding of how the individual thinks they are performing. The individual highlighted that during the time where they complete the weekly bookings they were distracted by phone calls, emails and other team members so couldn’t concentrate on the completing the task. Taking this feedback from the individual I was happy that the reason for underperformance was due to distractions and time management issues. From here I asked the individual to go away and look at the tasks they need to complete in the week and suggest areas for improving their time management. The next step was to have a meeting with the individual to identify areas to improve the way they work to allow the task to be completed. It was agreed that 2 hours was required a week to complete the bookings. Using the individual’s feedback regarding time and the distractions I put together a method that would aim to remove the distractions. I suggested the following methods: * Put a 2 hour window in calendar to complete bookings each week between 10-12 * Put out of office on diverting to other team members for the 2 hours and close down outlook * Divert phone to other team members for 2 hours Move to location away from other team members to complete bookings In the process i looked to remove the distractions and give the task some structure by putting a timeframe to it. This was agreed by the individual and then cascaded to the other team members. When using this performance improvement technique I also had to consider what happens after it is implemented. To do this I used an improvement cycle which continues until the individual is performing at the required level. Below is an example of cycle: (4) For the above example we can see that after the plan stage I must measure the performance. This will involve using the techniques as highlighted earlier, in particular feedback from engineers. I must then compare these results with other members of the team. This will help to see if the improvement process can be improved or needs amending. If any changes need to be made then they are implemented and the cycle starts again. Improving performance is not a start to finish process and needs to be implemented as a continuous cycle. Bibliography 1. ARMSTRONG, M. and BARON, A. (2004) Managing performance: performance management in action. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2. MITIE Intranet – BMS Form MG(G)541 Managers guide to performance management – objective based appraisals – Page 2 3. MITIE – Performance Standards Document 4. measure2improve. econtrack. co. uk/Content. aspx? 236 – accessed 29/11/2011

R.K Narayan Biography Essay Essay Example

R.K Narayan Biography Essay Essay Example R.K Narayan Biography Essay Paper R.K Narayan Biography Essay Paper R. K. Narayan ( born 1906 ) is one of the best-known of the Indo-English authors. He created the fanciful town of Malgudi. where realistic characters in a typically Indian puting lived amid unpredictable events. Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanswami. who preferred the shortened name R. K. Narayan. was born in Madras. India. on Oct. 10. 1906. His male parent. an pedagogue. travelled often. and his female parent was frail. so Narayan was raised in Madras by his grandma and an uncle. His grandma inspired in immature Narayan a passion for linguistic communication and for people. He attended the Christian Mission School. where. he said. he learned to love the Hindu Gods merely because the Christian chaplain ridiculed them. Narayan graduated from Maharaja’s College in Mysore in 1930. In 1934 he was married. but his married woman. Rajam. died of enteric fever in 1939. He had one girl. Hema. He neer remarried. Narayan wrote his first novel. Swami and Friends. in 1935. after short. unins piring stretchs as a instructor. an column helper. and a correspondent. In it. he invented the little south Indian metropolis of Malgudi. a literary microcosm that critics subsequently compared to William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County. More than a twelve novels and many short narratives that followed were set in Malgudi. Narayan’s 2nd novel. Bachelor of Humanistic disciplines ( 1939 ) . marked the beginning of his repute in England. where the novelist Graham Greene was mostly responsible for acquiring it published. Greene has called Narayan â€Å"the novelist I most admire in the English linguistic communication. † His 4th novel. The English Teacher. published in 1945. was partially autobiographical. refering a teacher’s battle to get by with the decease of his married woman. In 1953. Michigan State University published it under the rubric Grateful to Life and Death. along with his novel The Financial Expert ; they were Narayan’s first books published in the United States. Subsequent publications of his novels. particularly Mr. Sampath. Waiting for the Mahatma. The Guide. The Man-eater of Malgudi. and The Vendor of Sweets. established Narayan’s repute in the West. Many critics con sider The Guide ( 1958 ) to be Narayan’s chef-doeuvre. Told in a complex series of flashbacks. it concerns a tourer usher who seduces the married woman of a client. prospers. and ends up in gaol. The fresh won India’s highest literary award. and it was adapted for the off-Broadway phase in 1968. At least two of Narayan’s novels. Mr. Sampath ( 1949 ) and The Guide ( 1958 ) . were adapted for the films. Narayan normally wrote for an hr or two a twenty-four hours. composing fast. frequently composing every bit many as 2. 000 words and seldom correcting or revising. Narayan’s narratives begin with realistic scenes and mundane occurrences in the lives of a cross-section of Indian society. with characters of all categories. Reviewing Narayan’s 1976 novel The Painter of Signs. Anthony Thwaite of the New York Times said Narayan created â€Å"a universe as richly human and volatile as that of Dickens. † His following novel. A Tiger for Malgudi ( 1983 ) . is narrated by a tiger whose holy maestro is seeking to take him to enlightenment. It and his 14th novelTalkative Man ( 1987 ) received assorted reappraisals. In his 80s. Narayan continued to hold books published. He returned to his original inspiration. his grandma. with the 1994 book Grandmother’s Tale and Other Stories. which Publishers Weekly called â€Å"an model aggregation from one of India’s most distinguished work forces of letters. † Donna Seaman of Booklist hailed the aggregation of short narratives that spanned over 50 old ages of Narayan’s composing as â€Å"an first-class sampling of his short fiction. by and large considered his best work† from â€Å"one of the world’s finest narrators. † Narayan one time noted: â€Å"Novels may tire me. but neer people. † R. K. Narayan was born in Madras. South India. in 1906. and educated at that place and at Maharaja’s College in Mysore. His first novel. Swami and Friends and its replacement. The Bachelor of Arts. are both set in the enrapturing fictional district of Malgudi and are merely two out of the 12 novels he based at that place. In 1958 Narayan’s work The Guide won him the National Prize of the Indian Literary Academy. his country’s highest literary award. In add-on to his novels. Narayan has authored five aggregations of short narratives. including A Horse and Two Goats. Malguidi Days. and Under the Banyan Tree. two travel books. two volumes of essays. a volume of memoirs. and the re-told fables Supreme beings. Devils and Others. The Ramayana. and the Mahabharata. In 1980 he was awarded the A. C. Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature and in 1982 he was made an Honorary Member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Narayan died in 2001. Plants of R. K. Narayan ( a ) Novels:1. Swami and Friends ( 1935 )2. Bachelor of Art ( 1973 )3. The Dark Room ( 1938 )4. The English Teacher ( 1945 )5. The Guide ( 1958 )6. The Painter of Signs ( 1976 )( B ) Narrative Collections:1. Malgudi Days2. Dodu and Other Narratives3. Cyclone and Other Narratives4. Supreme beings. Devils and Others ( 1964 )( degree Celsius ) Autobiography:1. My Days ( 1974 )2. My Dateless Diary ( 1960 )( vitamin D ) Other Plants:1. Ramayana. It is an English version of the Tamil heroic poem by Kamban