Information System in Recruitment

Information Systems in Recruitment Summary: Several researches and studies have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of technology in the recruitment process. This project explains what recruitment is, the growth of recruitment from how it was two decades ago to using technology today. The work done in this paper identifies the advantages and disadvantages of e-recruitment and discusses e-strategies to overcome the disadvantages. The adoption of these e-strategies helps advantages of internet recruitment outweigh the disadvantages.The conclusion reached in this work is based on several assumptions which might have caused the results to vary from the actual results of detailed works done in this field before. Index Terms: Technology in recruitment, e-recruitment, advantages of e-recruitment, disadvantages of e-recruitment, Internet recruitment. Introduction Information System can be defined technically as a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store and dis tribute information to support decision making and control in the organization (Laudon & Laudon, 2000,Pg 7).The transformation of our society from preindustrial to Industrial and from Industrial to a post industrial society (Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons, 2008, Pg 7) has given way to globalization, where information is the key resource. The growth of internet and the globalization of industries have changed the traditional operation methods in all areas of business and management including Strategic planning. The Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a software or online solution for the data entry, data tracking, and data information needs of the Human Resources, payroll, 2 E-Recruitment anagement, and accounting functions within a business (Heathfield, 2010). Konrad & Deckop (2001) explain that â€Å"instead of shuffling paper work and fielding phone calls, HR managers use the Internet to obtain information and communicate with others, affecting virtually every HR function. HR database management systems maintain organizationally relevant information about employees. Developments in computer hardware and software have not only made possible user-friendly access to employee information, but also the ability to analyze this information for purposes of organizational planning. Information systems is applied by major companies for notable components of Human Resource Management (HRM) that include HR Planning, Recruitment, Selection, Training, career development, employment relationship management and compensation and benefits management. DeSanctis (1986) explains that information systems in personnel have evolved from the automated employee recordkeeping of the 1960s into complex reporting and decision systems to- day. The Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) is designed to support the planning, administration, decision making and control activities of the human resource management (DeSanctis, 1986).The purpose of this article is to focus on the advantag es and disadvantages of technology in recruitment process and determine if advantages outweigh disadvantages or viceversa. Evolution of Recruitment Recruitment is the process of identifying potential candidates so that employers can choose the right person for the right job. Dale S Beach observed â€Å"Recruitment as the development and maintenance of adequate manpower resources. It involves the creation of a pool of available labor upon whom the organization can draw when it needs additional employees† (Seetharaman 3 E-Recruitment Prasad, 2009). Recruitment also goes hand in hand with the selection process whereby organizations evaluate the suitability of candidates for various jobs (Singh & Finn, 2003). Hence recruitment is said to be a positive process as it involves attracting suitable candidates for available jobs. Selection is said to be a negative process as it involves rejecting a large number of applicants to identify a few that are suitable for the job. As a filteri ng mechanism in the selection process, the recruitment function is one of the most important areas of human resource management (Singh & Finn, 2003).The recruitment process begins with human resource planning where a company identifies the right number of people needed to perform the job. Khanna & New (2005) explain that† HR planners can influence the HR planning process so that resource decisions are made with due thought and the organization does not hurt itself by either undercutting its talent pool or retaining excess flab. HR planners should take this mission seriously if they want to have any control over the changing face of the organization of the future†.Hence HR planning is an important activity as it involves forecasts of the manpower needs in a future time period so that adequate and timely provisions may be made to meet the needs (Seetharaman & Prasad, 2009). The process of human resource planning usually involves forecasting labor demand and labor supply an d performing a gap analysis. Once when a vacancy is identified, the recruiter receives an authorization to fill it. A job analysis is done to identify the critical knowledge, ability, skills, and other competencies (KASOC) required for performing the job.There are two sources of recruitment – Internal and External. â€Å"In earlier days, for external recruitment, recruiters used low tech methods like advertisements in newspapers, magazines and journals, radio, Employment agencies, campus visits, etc in search of potential candidates. Internally, one of the most common methods, 4 E-Recruitment especially in unionized organizations, involved posting vacancies within the organization and encouraging bids from current employees† (Singh & Finn, 2003).Singh & Finn (2003) explain that many organizations began to use innovative information technology methods to complement traditional sources. Companies use internet medium to attract potential pool of applicants as it has a glo bal reach and relatively inexpensive to the low tech sources available. In a survey by SHRM and AON Consulting, human resource professionals considered employee referrals as a good source of job applicants and it was their top choice (Click, 1997).Another recent survey suggested that over 80 percent of organizations use the web to recruit (Bernardin, 2009). Employee referrals Newspaper ads Recruiting firms College recruitment Temporary help firms Job fairs Internet Targeted minority recruiting Walk-ins Government employment services. 61% 60% 58% 52% 46% 32% 20% 18% 18% 10% Source: Click, Jennifer. Blend established practices with new technologies. Business Source Premier. HR Magazine; Nov97, Vol. 42 Issue 11, p59. 5 E-RecruitmentComponents of E-Recruitment Thomas & Ray (2000) identify general job sites, specialized job sites, company website chat rooms and news group as the four major components of web recruitment. Though each of these components have their own advantages and disadv antages, Thomas & Ray (2000) explain that company website is the best e recruiting tool as it has a low marginal cost, the company has e-recruiting control over its content, and it is the only e recruiting tool with the potential to provide a e-recruiting prov competitive advantage specific to a particular firm. 6 E-RecruitmentImportance of information in advertisements Several researchers have suggested that the advertisements viewed by job seekers as they gather organizational information play an important role in initial organizational perceptions (Walker, Field, Giles & Bernerth, 2008). Hence, to attract talented people, advertisements placed by companies must be attractive. Potential applicants look out for advertisements to gather important information about the recruiting company. The specificity of communicated information provided in job advertisements has found to influence application decisions (Walker, Field, Giles & Bernerth, 2008).Researches focused on the aesthetic pr operties associated with recruitment messages that concentrated on web based recruitment. The results of these surveys concluded that job advertisement characteristics such as font, pictures, color, content and design influence job seeker attitudes and the cognitive processing of recruitment information (Walker, Field, Giles & Bernerth, 2008). Advantages / Disadvantages of Information Systems in Recruitment The following are the advantages and disadvantages of recruitment using Information systems. (whatjobsite. com, 2009 & ezinearticles. com, 2010). 7 E-Recruitment AdvantagesSource: Kay, Alan S. , (2000, March). Recruiters embrace the Internet. InformationWeek,(778), 72-80. †¢ Inexpensive Employers are finding ways to reduce their recruitment costs in the wake of economic downturn, according to a survey by Personnel Today’s sister organization, Pay Specialist IRS (Williams, 2009). More specifically, the results of the survey of 143 employers found that employers were ty pically reviewing four main areas of recruitment procedures in an attempt to reduce recruitment costs. They are use of advertising, deciding whether or not to fill certain vacancies, the cost of agency fees and candidate E-Recruitment selection procedures. It was identified that finding alternatives to recruitment advertising received the most attention. The survey also identified that shifting recruitment away from employment agencies towards online recruitment ranked third in the most effective ways of reducing recruitment costs. Many researches show that advertising costs are lower than traditional recruitment methods. The results of these surveys are discussed below: †¢ Kuhn (2003) explains that â€Å"for posting a typical career ad on an internet job board for several weeks cost firms a few hundred dollars.Some sites offer unlimited posting to client firms for about $15,000 a year which is contrast to news paper advertisements that costs to $2000 per day. A quarter page a dvertisements can cost $15000 in many markets†. †¢ Superdrug, a UK based health and beauty retailer, employed e-mail based recruitment system and explains that the recruitment process has become quicker, more efficient, and 87% cheaper (Pollitt, 2007). †¢ In one study, the average cost per hire via Web ads was reported to be about $152, compared with $1,383 using traditional methods.Another survey identified that in traditional advertising cost-per-hire was $3,295 compared to the Internet cost per hire of about $377. In other instances, many job-posting sites charge $100 or less for a single job posting, thus saving a recruiter as much as $6,000 in recruitment costs for each position filled (Singh & Finn, 2003). †¢ On another study conducted by Verhoeven & Williams (2008) note that the relative costs of Internet recruitment are perceived to be lower in comparison with non-electronic recruitment sources. 9 E-Recruitment †¢No Intermediaries Recruitment interm ediaries are employment organizations that operate as middlemen between organizations and potential employees. According to Wolfe & Hartley (2005) Recruitment intermediaries typically operate in one or more of three ways: 1. Finding specific skills in specific sectors 2. Providing workers of all kinds in a specific locality 3. Specialist ‘headhunting’ or search agencies. â€Å"The development of web-based recruitment led business organizations to use corporate internet which reduced the market for recruitment intermediaries.With the advancement in technology, companies can develop their own websites with a separate section for employment opportunities† (Wolfe & Hartley, 2005). Candidates can go to the company website, create a profile to view the job openings available and apply for specific vacancies. Companies maintain each candidates profile, send e-mail to candidates if their profile matches any vacancy. It is the duty of the candidate to visit the corporate website regularly and update their profile information. This direct contact between the company and the candidate eliminates the need for intermediaries.Thomas & Ray (2000) explain that the need for employment agencies is reduced by establishing a database pool of potential employees, thus saving 20 to 30 percent of the hired employees’ base year salaries. Moreover, potential applicants may feel insecure to send personal information to recruitment agencies. While a few commercial sites protect applicant privacy, company databases make it a point to maintain confidentiality, and company provided privacy statements restrict resume submissions to internal use (Thomas & Ray, 2000). 10 E-RecruitmentWhile using corporate websites for recruitment purposes, companies don’t have the need to approach independent recruitment agencies and thereby reduce the involvement of intermediaries in the recruitment process. By eliminating intermediaries, companies have the advantage of dire ctly contacting potential employees and employees too feel confident about the information they obtain for their employment. This also acts as a cost-saving technique for companies and a security tool for potential employees as company websites are more secure. Reduction of hiring time Once when companies post a vacancy on the internet, either by using intermediaries like recruitment agencies or by using corporate websites, applications will be received as fast as possible which enables employers to process them faster. One website notes that â€Å"a job vacancy can be put on a job site in the morning, the first applications arrive by lunchtime, and a candidate interviewed by the end of the day. Of course, it isn't always like this. It isn't even often like this. But the fact that such things do happen so quickly gives an indication of just how quick recruiting online can be† (whatjobsite. om, 2010). Many researches show that recruiting online is quicker. Verhoeven & Williams (2008) identifies that the Internet has led to a quicker turn-around time of the recruitment process and is one of the most widely perceived advantages. Lorraine Crawford, head of resourcing at Lloyds TSB believes that advertising online results in a higher speed of response (Berry, 2004). Haroon & Zia-ur-Rehman (2010) also note that e-recruitment is going to replace the other traditional sources of recruitment because of low cost, time saving, quick response for both employers and job seekers. 11 E-RecruitmentOne website (ehow. com) mentions easier and quicker recruitment as one of the distinct advantages. Candidates don’t have to resumes in a piece of paper, take a note of the company’s address from newspapers, go to the post office to mail their resume’ and cover letter and wait for a week to hear back from the employer. All this can be done with the click of a button and received by the recruiters instantly. This makes the process simpler and quicker. †¢ Improved efficiency The above mentioned advantages of online recruitment like low cost, eliminating intermediaries and reduction in hiring time roves the efficiency of internet recruitment. For example, as noted in Free Press Release (2009) â€Å"Today’s global economy has demanded for more advanced technology which resulted in recruitment automation software that makes the process of recruitment easy, simple and effective for an organization†. These advancements in technology show the efficiency of internet recruitment which also eliminates the drawbacks of traditional recruiting methods. Beakware, an India based IT Company provides software solutions for clients all over the world, is an expert with HR technology and develops intelligent HR software solutions (beakware. om, 2010). Beakware explains that on the whole e-recruiting is considered to be one of the most efficient tools of human capital acquisition and management (Beakware. com, 2010). The above referenc es mentions efficiency in time and cost. E-recruitment also improves a company’s Return on Investment. â€Å"Organizations’ strong impact on Return on Investment (ROI) and company's success in the marketplace have placed significant emphasis on effective recruitment strategies from individual, organizational and societal 12 E-Recruitment erspectives that lead to increased ROI and economic viability of the organization† (Sangeetha, 2010). The modern recruitment source is widely used since the mid -1980s and got systemized in 1990 and also that it carves a competitive advantage for the company in establishing an 'employer of choice' image, to address a niche employee zone, and passive job searchers† (Sangeetha, 2010). In addition to this, Feldman ; Klass (2002) explain that the expenditures on news paper advertisements and headhunter retainer fees have dropped 20% as internet advertising revenues increased.On these bases it is clearly understood that many co mpanies choose internet recruitment as one of the effective recruitment strategies which will lead to increased ROI. IT also helps companies to retain employees for a longer period of time. Using IT. com's data bank, State Street was able to make a better assessment of desirable employees’ qualities, thus able to retain people longer und saving the company between $2 and $5 million with this service (Singh & Finn, 2003) Another research by Feldman & Klass (2002) argues that as job hunting is significantly related to job issatisfaction, dissatisfied employees might not seek employment elsewhere because they do not have the time or resources to search for another job. Hence Internet allows individuals to gain quick and easy access to information on a wide range of job possibilities twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, thereby resolving potential conflicts between employees’ current job possibilities and the time demands associated with active job hunting (Feldman & Klass, 2002). Darlene Chapin, Recruiting director for Cheetah Technologies in Florida, claims Internet recruiting for programmers has made the process much more efficient (Bernardin, 2009). 3 E-Recruitment All these researches clearly show the improved efficiency in various aspects of recruitment to employers and employees when using online recruitment services compared to traditional methods. †¢ Round the clock access In earlier days potential employees need to wait for mornings to look at the classified section of news paper to get information on job vacancies. Online Recruitment provides round the clock access to employers and employees. Employees can access to wide number of job openings and employers have the advantage of accessing to large number of applicant resumes’ anywhere and anytime.Internet recruiting also proves advantageous to recruitment consultants by giving them access to work from home. â€Å"A web-based recruitment system is making home working a r eality for consultants at specialist recruitment agency. Managing director Craig Burton told Recruiter that â€Å"using eploy's recruitment software they have 24-hour access to the system from any fixed or mobile device and are distributing job alerts and CVs to potential candidates â€Å"at a moment's notice. All information can be traced and tracked, making candidate management straightforward and responsive†Ã¢â‚¬  (Anonymous, 2009).Delaware department of labor explains the advantages of internet recruiting – that internet job description has immediate access, changes can be done immediately and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 365 days per year (Delaware Job Link, 2009). In addition to these researches, some websites also support the view of round the clock access to online resumes. Rao (2009) explains that online recruitment allows applicants the luxury of accessing jobs online at their own convenience 24 hours 7 days a week.It provides the comfort of scrutinizing jobs without physically going through the 14 E-Recruitment stress of an interview (igi-global. com). Another website notes that organizations have the ability to reach a much larger target audience as there will be 24 hour global access to their vacancy information (citehr. com, 2010). Last, but not the least, Agarwal (2004) explains that â€Å"For employers, online recruiting allows far better targeting of candidates than does advertising in general newspapers, resulting in a greater percentage of qualified applicants.In addition, because 24/7 online job hunting is private and convenient, a company's Internet presence is more likely to draw in â€Å"passive job seekers† – high-quality candidates who may be curious to know what's out there but who have not launched allout campaigns† (webpronews. com). †¢ Convenience Internet recruitment offers convenience to both employers and employees. Prospective employees don’t need to search for jobs in classif ieds section of newspapers, post them to prospective employers using snail mail. They have the convenience of sitting at home on a Sunday morning and apply for â€Å"n† number of jobs with just a click.Employers on the other hand, need to post job vacancies either in their company website or line up with online recruitment agencies like monster. com to inform about a vacancy. Internet recruitment offers convenience in the restaurant business as well. Jackson (2010) explains that â€Å"There are many job websites which cater specifically to the restaurant industry. Employees can sign in with these websites for free and expose themselves to thousands of restaurant openings at the same time. Moreover, it saves them valuable time and the headache of applying and filling out forms at various restaurants.Job providers too do not need to advertise and go through a lot of paperwork for hiring a trained staff. They can get associated with these websites and scan through a well struct ured list of 15 E-Recruitment candidates matching the skills and qualifications they are looking for. All this is accomplished in just a click† (articlebase. com). †¢ Global access One of the major disadvantages of traditional sources of recruitment is its limitation to attract applicants from different cities. If potential employees are looking for jobs only in one city, then traditional sources may be very helpful.But with Globalization and with the increase of employers seeking for multicultural talent has forced employers to use internet for recruitment purposes. The internet has been widely accessed by all potential employees universally, giving them access to a broader number of jobs. Employers can view resumes’ of South African applicants in London and hire them for an American company. Technology has become more and more advanced providing such advantages for employers and employees who strive to reach heights. â€Å"Internet searching is much more efficie nt when looking for jobs region-wide, nation-wide or globally.Similarly, when individuals are willing to consider jobs in a number of functional areas and in a wide spectrum of firms differing in industry and size, Internet job hunting is likely to be perceived as a more time-efficient search strategy. Online recruiting can reach a more diverse applicant pool and, at the same time, yield a higher quality set of candidates† (Feldman ; Klass, 2002). Uzelac (2008) supports this view by explaining that â€Å"recruitment agencies are moving towards sourcing candidates through internet job boards enabling recruitment activity to occur in real time.The ability to recruit internationally has been a huge development and boon for organizations using these services (jobseekersadvice. com). 16 E-Recruitment Disadvantages †¢ Screening large number of unqualified applicants is time consuming One of the advantages of online recruitment is receiving large number of applications giving e mployers the opportunity to choose from a wide range of candidates. But recruiters feel that receiving large number of applications has become a disadvantage because screening those applications is time consuming and most applications do not meet the minimum qualifications required for the job.Research carried out by the IRS Employment review found that although the online recruitment market is booming, most employers are unhappy at the amount of unsuitable applications they receive (Savvas, 2004). More than 60% of the 200 organizations told IRS that they received inappropriate responses from the adverts they placed (Savvas, 2004). IRS also found that the ease of applying for jobs online may lead to more unsuitable applications being received, which have to be screened out, cancelling out some of the savings the channel offered (Savvas, 2004).Another conducted by Verhoeven ; Williams (2008) concludes that Internet recruitment has the ability to draw applicants from a greater geograp hic area but that this results in a pool of applicants which has a higher level of unqualified applicants in comparison with non-electronic sources. Thomas ; Ray (2002) also note about the commercial websites generating large volumes of applicants. Some HR professionals claim that blindly searching the internet for resumes is inefficient, and anything other than company based posting is time consuming and expensive (Thomas ; Ray, 2002).Recent research conducted by Europe’s largest HR development professional body – The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) highlights that e-recruitment 17 E-Recruitment could increase the number of unsuitable applicants and act as a barrier to recruiting older workers (cipd. co. uk, 2009). †¢ Lack of access Although internet recruitment offers greater access to applicants worldwide, it limits only to people who are comfortable using technology and thereby is a hindrance for companies to reach a more diverse set of candidates.Most of the rural areas do not have access to technology limiting access to people living in such remote geographical locations. â€Å"One study citing Census Bureau data indicate that rural black households have the lowest computer ownership of any group (6. 4 percent), followed by Hispanics (12 percent) and Native Americans (15. 3 percent), with rural whites (24. 6 percent) and Asians (33. 7 percent) having the highest ownership rates† (Singh ; Finn, 2003). This data is a proof that minority groups do not have access to internet.According to the Pew Internet ; American Life Project, â€Å"58% of whites have access to the Internet whereas only 43% of African Americans and 50% of Hispanics have Internet access† (Bernardin, 2007). In addition to internet recruitment lacking access to minority groups, internet recruitment also has legal implications. â€Å"In Griggs v. Duke Power Co. , (1971) the plaintiff showed that the educational requirements disqualifie d African-Americans at a significantly higher rate than whites, and in another lawsuit filed by employees against Walt Disney Co. in Los Angeles, it is alleged, â€Å"since the Resumix (Resume Tracking Software) is based on majority white culture, it discriminates against African-Americans seeking employment or promotions† (Singh ; Finn, 2003). However Christopher F. Ball, corporate counsel at Restrac says, â€Å"I don't think discrimination is part and parcel of using technology. I think it's much more related to internal hiring practices. If a company 18 E-Recruitment is going to use discriminatory search methods, they're going to do it whether they're using an automated staffing technology or old paper-and-pencil filing tactics.These new recruiting technologies don't dictate or modify the way employers use criteria to search for candidates† (Click, 1997). Like Ball mentioned, discriminatory practices may be adopted by companies even by using traditional methods if t hey intend to do so. They don’t necessarily have to use recruiting technologies for this purpose. Based on this logic, I think discrimination using technology can be eliminated. Hence, lack of access to technology is the only disadvantage among minority groups.Strategies to overcome disadvantages – Presenting e-strategies Screening applications is time consuming – Presenting Preliminary Competency Screening Many companies claim that screening large volume of applications is time consuming and costly. Progressions in Information and Technology have found new ways to deal with such problems. â€Å"Organizations might request applicants to provide online biographical information often used to predict employee performance, including educational attainment and relevant job experience. This information may be used to assess the likelihood of an applicant performing a job at a satisfactory level.For the recruitment personnel, these new procedures may save time and mon ey† (Singh & Finn, 2003). Bernardin (2007, Pg 152) explains that the above mentioned format allows for an automatic scoring of information, known as â€Å"Artificial Intelligence† approach that allows for greater control over information gathering and storage and has the potential for better decision making. I think, instead of just obtaining biographical information, companies can prepare closed questionnaire and conduct a Preliminary Competency Screening (PCS) that measures the critical skills, abilities, knowledge and other competencies required to 9 E-Recruitment perform the job. The employer must also set a time limit within which the candidate needs to answer those questions to prevent low-skilled candidates from deceiving. When the candidate passes this test, biographical information and resume can be obtained for further processing. The results of this interview can be made available to the candidates as soon as they finish the interview to let them know if they have the expected level of knowledge to perform the job.If they don’t pass the preliminary round, they may be encouraged to create a profile and update their resume to inform about a future vacancy that matches their profile. While this method makes the screening process quicker and eliminates unqualified applicants efficiently, it may also reduce the negative perceptions of some minority groups about employer discrimination as biographical information are obtained only after the candidate is selected. Lack of Access – Advertising in Socializing websites One of the disadvantages of internet recruitment to minority groups is their access to internet.Many reports show an increased use of internet usage among African Americans and Hispanics. In December 1998, 64% of unemployed blacks with home internet access searched for jobs on line, compared to 48% of whites in the same situation (Kuhn, 2003). This reveals the growing trend in minority workers who use the internet as a job search tool. Limited access to some minority groups has been a disadvantage but recent studies also show the yearly internet adoption rate is growing rapidly in African American and Hispanic households (Bernardin, 2007, Pg 148).In 2000, of those seeking work, 40% of Hispanics, 36% of Whites, and 50% of African Americans surveyed said they had used to the Internet to look for information about a job (Bernardin, 2007). 20 E-Recruitment â€Å"According to Horowitz Associates, a consumer and business-to-business market research group, about 70% of Hispanic households have an Internet connection, and the Pew Research Center estimates that 56% of Hispanic households are using high-speed broadband connections. Marketer also finds that Hispanics are using the Internet for interactive purposes, with 46% using instant messages, 32% visiting social networking sites and 22% participating in chat rooms. The percentage of African Americans who use the Internet increased to 64% in December 2008, up from 56% in December 2007. Like Hispanics, African Americans are also using the Internet to connect with others. (NAS, 2009). Source: NAS, 2009. 21 E-Recruitment The growing number of job search websites for minorities is another proof showing their increased internet usage.A recent study by Wernau (2010) show that minority websites like iHispano have job listings from Fortune 500 companies because many companies believe that enhancing diversity promotes employee retention, performance and commitment. Although the success of minority websites shows a growing trend, companies must take advantage of the reason why African Americans and Hispanics use internet. I think, what is lacking here is the low awareness of multi-national company listings in minority websites.Companies must advertise in socializing websites like Facebook and twitter to inform potential recruits about their vacancy listings on minority websites like iHispano. They must encourage minority candidates to use internet to apply for jobs. This enables them to reach a large number of African Americans and Hispanics. Conclusion It is obvious that technology has changed the recruitment process from the way it was two decades ago. Many companies are listing their job openings either on their own corporate websites or in third party website like Monstor. com.Fortune 500 companies are trying to list jobs on minority websites to attract diverse candidates. Those companies that do not employ technology to assist in recruitment are at a competitive disadvantage compared to their peers (Searle, 2006). Raymond Pennie, commercial director at Kamanchi, says he used to believe that recruiters couldn't get a commercial advantage from technology but now firmly believes that you can have a â€Å"positive disadvantage† if you haven't got the right technology (Anonymous, 2010). Based on the several researches presented in this paper, it is clear that there is an increased use of internet for recruitm ent purposes.E recruitment has both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages presented in several other discussions and this paper can be overcome by 22 E-Recruitment employing e-strategies like preliminary competency screening and e-marketing strategies discussed in the previous sections. Hence, internet recruitment is an opportunity for employers and potential employees. 23 E-Recruitment

Macbeth †The Supernatural Essay

The term supernatural in the dictionary is described as ‘a phenomena that cannot be explained by the laws of nature of physics’. The term supernatural today can be connected with a lot of subjects; ghosts, poltergeist, mediums, physics and many more. In my own definitions supernatural means something that cannot be explained. The term supernatural in the 21st century has become more popular with the media about ghosts, psychics and making contact with the dead. Generally people are categorised today as believers and non-believers, the supernatural is an issue, which divides people. However in the time where James I was king almost everyone believed in the supernatural and this is why the issue of the supernatural was of an importance to contempory audiences. The majority of people that believed in the supernatural in Jacobean times were also frightened of it. People believed ion a metaphysical world, which is a spiritual world. The reason they were frightened was they believed evil, as well as good, was all around. An evil spirit could affect your body or your mind/spirit as they were different things and a person would have no control over himself or herself if an evil spirit took over. An example, of what they believed when spirits took over, is how healthy they were. If they were well they believed good spirits ruled over and if they were ill the evil spirits ruled. Witchcraft was also considered evil and in 1605 a law was passed which meant if you had anything to do with witchcraft you were killed. Shakespeare wrote the play Macbeth with the subject of the supernatural to be at the centre point of everything that happened. Its importance is high and it affects the audience, the characters and the plot in different ways. The first scene of the play opens with the ‘weird sisters’. The witches open the scene to introduce the audience to the play and show the main theme is evil and the supernatural, this gives the audience a good idea of what to expect. The scene itself, for the audience, is also set it is on the moor and the audience would have recognised and associated this setting with bleakness and a place where dark spirits are. This scene also sets up the plot with the supernatural being present. Dramatic effects are used from the start of this scene which interest the audience, the witches use incantations to suggest control and power: â€Å"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightening, or in rain?† The witches have control over the weather, the rhyme also sounds like spells, which supports the supernatural effect on the scene. The conversation between he witches is also started mid scene which adds to the dramatic effect of the scene: â€Å"Hover through the fog and filthy air† Is another quote which suggests the witches have the ability to fly but they are not clearly seen, this is hint that the witches my not seem to be all they are through the play. â€Å"That will be ere the set of the sun† The third witch also predicts the battle will be over before the sun sets, another point which shows they have the power to accurately predict events. Language in the first scene gives both history and themes of the play: â€Å"When the hurly-burly’s done When the battle’s lost and won.† The word hurly-burly is to suggest the Scotland civil war and suggests the battle of good and evil is lost and won. This is interesting for the audience as it adds to the historical content and keeps the audience interested in the play. The battle may also be seen from another point of view however, the battle for Macbeth’s soul. â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair† This quote also suggests when the battle is finished it is good for 1 but bad for 1. It also suggest things are not always what they seen to be which gives the theme of ambiguity of reality and humanity for the play. Rhyming couplets are also used; this gives the sound of an incantation. In this scene the witches are planning to meet Macbeth: â€Å"There to meet with Macbeth.† As mentioned before they talk about the battle between good and evil and they seem to be predicting what will happen, however, you could think the witches are purposely putting the evil events in motion. This is a factor, which has to be taken into consideration when interpreting their characters. Their characters are also a symbolism of fate. In Act 1 Scene 3 the Witches meet Macbeth for the first time, they are important in this scene to do three things. The witches entertain the audience using their powers: â€Å"I’ll give thee a wind,† This, along with Act 1 Scene 1, again suggests the witches can control the weather. The witches also talk of a sailor’s wife who refused to give her chestnuts and she will get revenge on the woman by victimizing her husband and delaying his arrival home: â€Å"Here I have a pilot’s thumb, Wreck’d as homeward he did come.†

Blood formation and maturation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Blood formation and maturation - Assignment Example On the fourth day, normoblast is formed containing about thirty-five percent of the hemopoietic of a full red blood cell, and mostly the nucleus disappears at this point. From the fifth to the seventh day, the reticulocyte matures and the synthesis of the hemopoietic is increased. The outline of the red blood cell gets attained at this point, and the cells still contain the ribonucleic acid. On the eighth day, the red blood cell is mature without the ribonucleic acid, and no synthesize of the hemopoietic (Leach, 2015). Leukocytes are separated into two types the granulocytes and the agranulocytes (Leach, 2015). These types are further categorized into the lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, neutrophils, and eosinophil. Leukocytes with the exception of the lymphocytes mature in the bone marrow (Leach, 2015). In early development like the case of embryos, white blood cells are formed in the yolk sac and later on in the spleen and lymph nodes. After the development of the bone marrow, most of the white blood cells are formed in it. However, maturation gets left to take place in secondary lymphoid organs such as the spleen and the lymph nodes (Boundless 2,

Why Chinese governments stimulate outward FDI Essay

Why Chinese governments stimulate outward FDI - Essay Example China has continued to stimulate outward FDI, with the lifting of restrictions on Chinese firm operations overseas on the new law on foreign exchange. For instance, there is no need to obtain exchange based on a risk assessment. This is expected to increase Chinas Outward FDI. As much as the countries may have difficulties in navigating towards the process, China may opt to go to the developing countries because of initiatives employed by these countries. Recently China is focusing on Africa, to increase the outward FDI since it is currently relatively small than the size of its economy (Ilhà ©u, 2010). There are other top host countries of great interest to china, which include Hong Kong and the Caribbean tax haven. That constantly account for about 70% of the flow. These counties are often used by multinational firms to store wealth as a result of their confidentiality to the foreign investors. Focusing on these countries by Chinese firm may also be one of the ways of hiding wealt h from tax authorities, other authorities or the public shareholders (Morck, et al. 2007). The following are the three features of Chinese macro environment that are likely to connect with the outward FDI surge. High saving rates, Weak corporate governance, distorted capital allocation. As much as outward FDI can let firms gain important economies of scale and scope, the above features could combine to induce excessive outward FDI by the wrong players that would be working with the Chinese long-term economic prospects (Morck, et al. 2007, p 10). Therefore, it is important to understand outward FDI to achieve prosperity. Outward foreign direct investment by the Chinese firms was expected to reach a record of USD 120 billion in 2014. However, the recent liberalization of capital controls has also further complicated the task of recording such outflows accurately. Other data points suggest that the

A job opportunity as an engineer in Thailand Essay

A job opportunity as an engineer in Thailand - Essay Example The quickest developing age group in the 1990s was 19 to 25 year-olds. In the 2000s, that age group dropped as an aftereffect of a falling conception rate in the 2000s and expanding essential and auxiliary school enlistment (Yong et al. 2011, p. 751). By 2014, the quickest developing gathering in the work energy in engineering in Thailand is matured, somewhere around twenty five and forty, with expanding interest by females. The extent of ladies utilized went from 66 percent in 2005 to around 70 percent by the end of 2013. Nowadays, female occupation in Thailand is most noteworthy in trade with 54 percent in 2010s, took after by 50 percent in engineering, 43 percent in businesses, and 36 percent in administrations since females are now well educated in Thailand. As far as territorial appropriation, the North has the least rate of work energy development in engineering, with 3growth between 2005 and 2014, emulated by the Northeast, with 3.3 percent as a consequence of restricted job opportunities in engineering, furthermore movement of the individuals from the region. Bangkok has the most elevated work power development in engineering with 6.9 percent due. Provincial development job opportunities depend halfway on the level of edu cation. An expanding number of new contestants in the work power of engineering have gotten an advanced education however not all that numerous. In 2013, the rate of the aggregate work constrains that had a basic education was 90.2. For individuals with lower and upper auxiliary or rather secondary education, but they can give work compel in engineering, has expanded from 4.8 percent to 10.4 percent from 2010 to 2015. The rate of the work energy with professional education has moved from 1.9 percent to 10.4 percent between the year 2011 and 2015. Since Thailand is among the developing countries, implying that its rate of improving infrastructure is so high,

A New Tunnel under the Thames Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A New Tunnel under the Thames - Essay Example 7. Include a set of drawings of your proposed tunnel, including a. a detailed cross section, b. a long section c. a map showing your suggested new road layout and d. a map indicating remedial works to minimise the impact of the extra traffic on the surrounding areas. 8. The site designated for the northern access (between Galleons Reach DLR and the river) is currently a brown field site with possible contamination, which includes an infestation of Japanese knotweed and some fly-tipping which may contain asbestos. Explain the procedures needed to bring the site into a condition suitable for construction. A new Tunnel under the Thames Introduction A tunnel is a subversive vessel, entirely covered a part from openings for entrance and exit, usually from both ends. A tunnel can be constructed for foot passage, rail, vehicle traffic, or a canal. The new Thames river crossing will allow closing of the Wool Wish Ferry. The bridge will relieve congestion for people living adjacent to Blackwa ll. This marks the location of Thames Gateway Road Bridge that was scrapped by the mayor in 2008, following the rejection of the plan by the Inspector at a Planning Inquiry. The tunnel, which will run from Greenwich Peninsula to the royal Docks, is expected to have a capacity of up to 2400 cars per hour in each route. While the link is very much worthy and will perhaps help reduce the severe overcrowding in the city, it will tamper with Blackwall Tunnel, making the suggestion for a Gallions Rach ferry a laughable alternative for the Thames Gateway Bridge. In addition, it raises questions with regards to the future of the current Woolwich Ferry. Supporters of environmentalists are likely to criticize the scheme of the tunnel, alleging that it would bring problems to people of London by creating more traffic, noise and more pollution. Furthermore, if the leaders in this region want to make London one of the world’s greenest capitals, their policies should be much focused (Irsha d, Wagner & Mussger, 2003). Since the era when Brunel made the first Thames tunnel, which was called Rotherhithe Tunnel, the tunnel construction has undergone great breakthrough, especially between 1825 and 1842. Tunnel constructions during these times were done through a rectangular safeguard with a miner revealing the face. The dimensions of the shield were 29ft high and 33ft wide, with brick coating after the miners and an arch brick being constructed. Nonetheless, tunneling will remain a risky activity since the conditions can never be certain, regardless of the number of boreholes that are taken. Furthermore, it is not uncommon to find tunneling gaining more prominence in the next few decades. The proposed Thames Tunnel will occupy a distance of 25 kilometers from west London. It will be 67 meters below the ground and will widely follow the direction of Thames River. According to the environment agency, this tunnel will link 34 of the most contaminated sewer outflows (Munfah 20 03). CDM requirements CDM regulations background Areas where CDM is applicable and those areas where it is not applicable General health and safety practices and laws Recognition of accident prevention, causation and prevention. Risk management practices Control procedures and reviewing and monitoring requirements Roles of different professional Land/engineering survey Land surveyors establish and give recommendations on the

Discuss the use of directed evolution in enzyme technology Essay

Discuss the use of directed evolution in enzyme technology - Essay Example Moreover, the synthesis of molecules in the laboratory requires the aid of enzymes. However, scientists have had challenges in designing highly specific enzymes that exhibit remarkable stability for use in the different processes that require enzymes. Initially, they relied on rational design, but the products of this process did not prove desirable. The emergence of the directed evolution enzyme technology in the 1990s has served to alter the production of enzymes. This process relies on selected parent gene, subjection to a mutagen until they yield variants of the parent gene selected. This paper will discuss the process of directed evolution enzyme technology (Simpson 2012, p. 54). Prior to the development of the directed evolution concept, the application of enzymes in a diverse range of processes presented salient challenges. As many enzymologists have described, enzyme specificity is the most critical aspect in the functioning of any enzyme. The enzyme must exhibit exemplary specificity for its substrates. This serves to increase its efficiency in the catalysis process. However, many of the enzymes developed for use in many processes exhibited limited specificity (Soetaert & Vandamme 2007, p. 146). Moreover, whereas many processes were designed to occur at remarkably high temperatures, many enzymes proved unstable. Evidently, many of the enzymes exhibited low and undesirable reaction rates, and the rates of substrate conversion proved slow. In other cases, product inhibition occurred, retarding the process. These challenges necessitated the development of a procedure that could serve as a reliable method for the production of enzymes with desirable qualitie s. As highlighted above, the process of rational design that comprised of screening produced DNA libraries and subsequently engineering them did not address most of these setbacks (Arnold & Georgiou 2003, p. 54). The minimal success in rational design is

Immigration As A Way To Change Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Immigration As A Way To Change Life - Essay Example The underdeveloped living environment, with its darkened and rather unpalatable manufacturing structures, create an  atmosphere of dreariness which is emphasized by the haggard-looking citizens who haul themselves around the city wearily as they live out their lives in both social isolation and fear of the uncertainty that troubling economic environments can cause. During this time period, on the inside the homes of the citizens of Tyler, most interior dà ©cor is completely barren, with tattered curtains and aged weathered furniture. Oftentimes, families have no formal dining areas, causing further psychological damage in terms of finding both self-esteem and a sense of belonging in a hostile living environment. Many families are forced to allow their extended kin to live in their ramshackle apartments or modest domiciles in order to secure enough income simply to keep food in their hungry bellies. In my family, children were forced to crowd into a singular bedroom, which generally consisted of multiple beds, lined up in a perfect row amidst an environment desperately in need of renovation and a splash of color. While other children across the globe experience joy from well-decorated bedrooms, laced with embroidery and posters of famous celebrities or athletes, the sleeping environment in Tyler was as cold and uninviting as the exterior surro undings. During the nighttime hours, my siblings and I would whisper to one another in the quiet night, always trying to drown out the deafening silence which brought sensations of instability and fear of the unknown. Shortages of food and other Westernized products caused significant problems with most of the local community. Because I was amongst the healthiest in my extended family, I was often elected to secure a single loaf of bread so that the family could have a sustainable supper.

Budge and Financing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Budge and Financing - Essay Example mains that by giving up control of the city’s water and sewer network to such an entity, a level of community sovereignty is given away for an indeterminate amount of time. Furthermore, the complexities of contract length and term also further complicate the issue. Additionally, the citizens are likely to question our overall commitment to this community if we are willing to sell our infrastructure to a foreign owned provider. Furthermore, the loss in shareholder trust will likely have a profound effect on the coming election and may even lead to certain elements within the community calling for the dismissal of the city manager. In this way, I believe the needs of the community can be better served by seeking domestic solutions to the price constraints and needs that our current budget grapples with. The main differences between visions of the budget process between chief executives, operating agencies, and legislatures can be described as a function of what each entity desires to obtain from the process. Starting with the operating agencies, the main concern is to ensure that the operating expenses for the coming fiscal year are met. Additionally, any pertinent policy needs/changes and/or expansions must also be raised. Similarly, the legislature has a vested interest in the process as they are trying to appease special interests that exist within their constituents as well as within certain operating agencies with which their particular political stance or platform has forged a special commitment to support (Kostyaev 5). Likewise, other entities within the legislature will be most concerned with denying funding in the most substantial way to reduce the overall budget to appease their own party/platform or constituents (Hale 368). Lastly, the chief executive is responsible for approving the budget, making any necessary amendments or suggestions and finally signing the budget into law. Most of the action with regards to this process occurs from

Triple Threat Criticism Essay Example for Free

Triple Threat Criticism Essay Each of the short stories â€Å"Happy Endings†, â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman†, and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† express the central idea that women are confined and identified by their roles as wives or mothers by society. The authors’ goal of these short stories is to portray modern marriages, to help people be conscious to womens liberalism, and to instruct people not to focus on the endings of stories, but the middle portions. Margaret Atwood, Gail Godwin, and Kate Chopin develop these ideas by utilizing plot, character development, and setting. Atwood’s â€Å"Happy Endings† uses a lack of plot to show how even though the middle parts of life can be different, the endings are always and inevitably the same. In her story, Atwood shows the diverse relationships between men and women, but through every situation, both die. The same thing happens in Chopin’s and Godwin’s stories. While both protagonists start off as committed and loving women dedicated to their family, personal torment eventually lead both of them to death. Both women sit near windows in their rooms and watch the world outside wishing they could be at peace with themselves and find happiness in their relationships. Chopin associates the window and all the lively things outside the window to the freedom of Mrs. Mallard’s new widow status, while Godwin represents the window as a negative object. Also, it is ironic that outside of the windows it is spring, when both of the stories are depressingly gloomy. In â€Å"Happy Endings,† Atwood explains what life is about. She proclaims that plots are a beginning, middle, and an end; â€Å"a what and a what and a what† (Atwood 628). Life is a formula: two people meet; they have jobs, sex, kids, hobbies, illness, and of course, they die. Atwood gives all the examples: older and younger, doctor and nurse, but it is the same formula. Atwood also minimally structures â€Å"Happy Endings,† like an essay, instead of a story. She has different scenarios from A to F, all including the same undetailed, flat characters, but with the same end to prove that no matter what the beginning or middle is, the ending is always the same. The author also chooses to use the most generic names possible, Mary and John, to flatten the characters even further. Atwood repeats the words â€Å"stimulating and challenging† throughout the text. These words are used to describe the character’s jobs, their sex life, and their hobbies. This repetition in diction emphasizes the ordinary and mundane of each characteristic. In storyline F, Atwood speaks directly to the reader. She writes, â€Å"If you think this is all too bourgeois, make John a revolutionary and Mary a counterespionage agent and see how far that gets you,† implying the pursuits are the same, and the characters are unimportant (Atwood 293). Atwood’s audience is everyone, but mostly the people who focus more on the plot of life, than the how and why. In â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† Godwin uses character development to drive her story. She writes about predominantly flat and unnamed characters: the man, child, woman. The woman is the only one closest to a round character. She is quirky, for she makes the statement â€Å"vertical bra,† but otherwise her lines are manipulative and predictable. Godwin opens with â€Å"Once upon a time† (Godwin 39) to emphasize how unrealistic the story really is. For example, the man in the story has an exaggeratedly amicable, agreeable nature towards his wife and never challenges her. To make it clear, he repeats the words â€Å"I understand† throughout the story. Godwin includes that the nanny is ugly to emphasize that there is no sexual replacement of the woman. The boy represents innocence. The boy’s last line, â€Å"Can we eat the turkey for supper? † reiterates that the woman’s role in life was through her duties. Godwin uses symbolism when she writes about the woman writing a poem: First, the woman has all her responsibilities and duties, but since she stops doing them, she does not know what else to do. Secondly, the woman tries to write a sonnet that has rules on how you can write it, but then she decides to write free verse, except since there are no rules, she does not know what to write. Godwin also uses the nanny to contrast with the woman; the woman hates her duties and responsibilities, while the nanny enjoys them because she gets paid and it is her choice. Also, she distinguishes both of them by the use of the woman in a white, dull room, and the nanny putting the boys colorful pictures on the walls. â€Å"†¦the child’s gray eyes,† the gray hand-knitted sweaters. The overall effect of repeating the color gray makes the story seem dull and tired. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Chopin uses metaphors and concrete details to develop the central idea that identity is a stereotypical construct. She associates the open window and all the lively things outside it to the freedom of Mrs. Mallard’s new widow status: â€Å"†¦the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air†¦ countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves† (Chopin 15) to compliment that Mrs. Mallard is thinking optimistically now that she knows her husband is dead. Mrs. Mallard expresses her feelings about her recently distinguished marriage with words of being liberated: â€Å"Body and soul free! † Chopin also uses setting to emphasize how women are identified: in the public area of the house, she is named as â€Å"Mrs. Mallard,† but when she goes to her room she is â€Å"Louise. † Chopin ends â€Å"The Story of an Hour† with stating, â€Å"When the doctors came they said Mrs. Mallard had died from heart disease – of joy that kills† (16); sardonically, she is referring to the family thinking that Mrs. Mallard died from the joy of seeing her husband alive, when in reality she died from distinguishing that she is not free any longer. Mrs. Mallard’s death is foreshadowed early in the story when the author mentions that the wife has a heart problem. In all three stories the female characters are unhappy and they eventually die. The authors are feminists in how they condemn men and marriages with how they trap and identify women by society. Atwood, Godwin, and Chopin illustrate this idea with plot, character development, and setting. The authors wrote these three short stories to portray modern marriages, to help people be conscious to womens liberalism, and to explain that the ending of a story is not important, but the middle is. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Story of an Hour. † The Bedford Introduction to Literature 9th Edition. Meyer, Michael. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2011. 15-16. Print. Godwin, Gail. â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman. † The Bedford Introduction to Literature 9th Edition. Meyer, Michael. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2011. 39-41. Print. Atwood, Margaret. â€Å"Happy Endings. † The Bedford Introduction to Literature 9th Edition. Meyer, Michael. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2011. 624-626. Print.

The Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971

The Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 India Pakistan War 1971 also known as Bangladesh Liberation War was as armed conflict between India and East Pakistan against West Pakistan. The war resulted in massive defeat of West Pakistan and secession of East Pakistan which is now known as Bangladesh. The war broke out on November 14 1971, initially engaging East Pakistan and West Pakistan, and later joined by India after attack of West Pakistan on the Indian Air Bases on December 3rd 1971. The war lasted until December 17th 1971. The cultural difference, economic exploitation, and language controversy between East Pakistan and West Pakistan led to separatist movement in East Pakistan. The army of West Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight to crush the movement. The massacre of thousands of civilians in East Pakistan was the main cause of the war. This research paper examines the study of the major combats and tactics used by both militaries. India and Pakistan got freedom from British rule and became separate nations in August 1947. Since then they fought many wars. In the year of 1971, East Pakistan which was the part of Pakistan earlier started protesting against the policy of the Pakistani Government. Pakistani failure to accommodate demands for autonomy in East Pakistan led to a separatist movement. West Pakistani Government launched fierce campaign called Operation Searchlight to crush the separatist movement. In 1971 West Pakistani Army carried out genocide in East Pakistan. Millions were killed and about ten millions refugees fled to India during the genocide. India already suffering from humanitarian and economic crisis was not able to carry burden of 10 million refugees. India started aiding to the Liberation Army of East Pakistan also called as Mukti Bahini to make East Pakistan an independent state and restore those refugees back to their homeland. This way the war in Eastern Theater started engaging Indian Mi litary, West Pakistani Military and Liberation Army. To release the pressure from the soldiers fighting in the East Pakistan and, to draw worlds attention away from the Genocide, West Pakistani Air Force attacked Indian Air Bases on December 3rd 1971. After the attack, India officially entered into war with West Pakistan. December 3rd 1971, 5.45 pm in evening, Pakistan launched massive attack against India by bombing Indian Airfields at Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Avantipur, Uttarlai, Faridpur, Chandigarh, Ambala and Agra. Pakistans main intention was to carry out massive air attack like the one that Israel carried out against Egypt in 1967 destroying Egyptian Air force completely. It was pre-emptive strike to destroy the Indian Air Force (IAF) completely before launching massive ground attack. The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) plane came in formation of 2, 3 and 6 and could not cause any irreparable damage to Indian planes or to Runway. Pakistan Air Force didnt succeed because of the simple reason that the Israeli plan that was studied and rehearsed by PAF was also studied by IAF. So the Pakistani attack on Indian Air bases was partially known to IAF thats why IAF took necessary caution for such kind of attack. The Indian command had dispersed most of its war planes from the forward air field to the interior areas which were away from the normal range of Pakistani Bombers. IAF took the precaution of hiding their planes inside the concrete pens so that only direct hit can destroy the plane. Almost all the Indian airfields were protected by the ack-ack anti aircraft guns hidden under the camouflaged netting. In response to Pakistani attack, Indian Air Force planes took off for Pakistan at the midnight 12.30 Am on December 4th 1971. Indian bombers attacked almost all Pakistani air fields in the West within 5 hour of taking to the air. IAF flew 500 sorties on the first night of attack. IAF flew equal amount of sorties in east and west but did more damage in East Pakistan. IAF destroyed half of the strength of PAF in east and PAF was left with only 9 Sabre Jets in the east. On 6th December 1971 IAF carried out 120 sorties for ground attack only. The IAF airman went to Attock to bomb Pakistani Refinery. Along with that, they destroyed eight railway station carrying military supplies and ammunitions and 22 wagons of goods train. IAF destroyed Pakistani target such as Bridges, Petrol Pumps, tanks, armored vehicles etc. IAF pilots carried out attacks on the PAF airbases at Mianwali, Murid,Sargodha, Sharkot, Chander and Risawala. During the 14 Day war period, IAF flew some 4000 stories in the we st and 2000 in the East.IAF also helped ground troops in many ground battles. In the Western Theater of war, the Indian Navy under the command of Vice Admiral Kohli achieved success by attacking Karachis port in the code named Operation Trident on the night of 4-5 December. Pakistani Naval headquarters was based at the historic and strategic port of Karachi here almost their entire fleet was concentrated. Pakistan attacked on Indian Airbases on December 3rd so it wasnt possible to carry out attack on the same night for Indian Navy. The attack was planned for the night of 4-5th December which was to be coordinated by continuous aerial bombardment from the IAF. The first attack on Karachi was to be undertaken by the Killer squadron which had these three missile boats; INS Nipat, INS Nirghat and INS Veer later accompanied by INS Kiltan and INS Vidyut. The fleet moved closer to the Pakistani land in the darkness of night. When the fleet was 70 miles away from Karachi, the squadron commander (K-25) B.B Yadav detected a contact at a distance of about 45 miles and a second contact about 42 miles northeast. That was the Pakistani destroyer Khaibar which failed to receive orders on investigation possible contact south of Karachi. K-25 ordered INS Nirghst to handle the contact in northwest. When INS Nirghat saw destroyer coming straight at the force, it launched a missile. When Khaibar saw a bright light approaching her they open fir anti aircraft gun mistaking it to be an aircraft. The missile struck Khaibar and exploded below the aft galley about 22.45hrs Pakistani time.

Hitler And Stalin During the Period Leading up to World War II :: Papers

Hitler And Stalin During the Period Leading up to World War II Hitler And Stalin During the period leading up to World War II, there were two famous dictators who were on opposing sides, yet had similar records. These men were Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. They were each triumphant in their rise to power in their countries and they were very comparable in the ways that they succeeded. Their success was mostly attributed to their new ideas and their politics. Although Hitler and Stalin hated each other, the two leaders were similar in many ways. Hitler and Stalin each rose to the highest position attainable in their respective countries, and there were three main reasons that they were able to do this. Both men were skilled users of propaganda, each was amoral, and they both had the ambition to make their countries powerful in the world. Since each was a skilled user of propaganda, they could use their words to twist and manipulate the minds of people into believing that what they were saying was the absolute truth. Using this power, they would get people to do anything for them, which proves their amorality. Since their countries were still trying to recover from World War I, they desired to restore the power back in to their countries. These three reasons will prove that Hitler and Stalin were similar in many ways. The names Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin are synonymous with the word propaganda. In order to understand how Hitler and Stalin used propaganda, an understanding of what the word means, is required. According to Merriam-Webster, "propaganda is the spreading of ideas to further or damage a cause; also the ideas or allegations spread for a purpose". Hitler and Stalin each used propaganda as their tool to further their ideas and help them gain the backing of the people in their countries. The form of propaganda that Hitler used, and was successful in using, was his words. Hitler made many speeches, but the one that greatly stood out from the others was his final speech at his

Time Management Action Plan Essay -- essays research papers

For me it seems like there is too many tasks to complete and seldom enough time. Effective and efficient time management is something that I have room for improvement on and have great use of. I started by taking a time management survey. #1 Accept Problem My results from this diagnostic survey on time management assured me that my time management skills are low. The survey revealed that I am on the bottom of the scale of time management. There were two sections of the survey. One section measured your time management skills in an office setting and the other section measured your time management skill in your personal life. By having two sections you can compare your time management skills for the two different settings. The total score measures your overall time management skills and it also puts the score in a category. My scores of 27 points for personal life and 31 points for office settings combines to a 58 point total score. My combined score falls in to the lowest category that suggests that training is necessary and will considerably enhance my effectiveness. The first step of solving a problem is identifying it. After taking this survey I have proof that my time management skills are low. Time management has been a long time problem for me. I have always found excuses for not doing things on time or running late. My main excuse is being involved in so many things as a college student. All of this is true, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. I currently work as a lifeguard between classes, tutor nights and weekends, work at a bar weekends, I hold a vice president position in American Marketing Association, I am a member of Society for Human Resource Management, team captain for Cleveland State’s division I swim team, and I am co-president for Student Athletic Advisory Board. Good time management is needed for all these extras. If I could improve my time management skills I think I would get better in most things that I do. I would be able to enhance my grades in school and be better in the workforce. I would be more relaxed and have a feel of control. #2, Goals and Priorities The first step in effectively managing time is to develop a statement of long-range goals. This statement of goals will allow you to set short range goals and to prioritize specific activities according to how much they contribute to your goals. Setting these long-range goals ma... ...t already have the software required or a hand held organizer. For me I am using this as a last step also as a goal. When I reach this point I will allow my self to buy a hand held computer. This would be my reward for reaching this far. This step should take 1-3 weeks. Implementing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have many times tried to improve my time management. Every semester I start with a calendar, but about half way through I usually do not use it anymore. This semester I decided that I needed to use it all the time and I am still using it. I think that if I had used this action plan the first time I wanted to start using a calendar I would have been successful at first. Now when I will start using this action plan I am sure that I will keep using my calendar and also be able to live a less stressful life. It will stop me from my last minute studying for tests and forgetting about meetings. I will be able to live a well-balanced, goal-oriented life without unnecessary stress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   References: Poser, B. (2003) Time Management for Students http://www.yorku.ca/cdc/lsp/tmonline/time.htm Whetten, D., Cameron, K. (2002) Developing Management Skills

Value Based Leader

PSC- 410 Servant Leadership Value-Based Leadership: Challenges and Opportunity A Value Based Leader is someone that align an organization’s values, mission, and processes into one standard style of management. Although a Value-Based Leader has the mission of the organization in mind when developing a strategy plan he or she will still face challenges. There are six challenges in which today’s organizations face and they are Technology, Ethics, Globalization, Knowledge, Diversity and Change. I would like to focus on two challenges faced by leaders today which are Change and Technology.The core values of a leader within an organization often establish the pattern of the employees in which he or she will lead. Robert McDonald, COO of Proctor and Gamble, believes that it is important for a good Leaders to be a leader with purpose as well as character which could assist a leaders in dealing with today’s challenges. If a leader leads with a purpose for the organization , he or she will share a desire for a positive end result or set an attainable goal in which all involved will be determined to see the purpose fulfilled with maximum outcome.With Change so often an organization has to adjust to these changes in order to adapt to whatever changes that will affect the end results. Sometimes the change for an organization could be as major as a change in the economy or as simple as a change in a style trend. In a recent CNNMoney article fashion trend setter Abercrombie & Fitch had a fall out due to declining sales. It was suggested that the companies challenges were due to macroeconomic conditions.Abercrombie clients are trendy teenagers and Twitter followers which snub the company due to a fall out of a popular teen idle which resulted in a drop in sales and a desire for the popular clothing line. It’s amazing that something as simple as a twit could affect the increase or decline in sales of a major organization. In this case, a Value-Based l eader would have to adjust to this change by assessing the current strategy, vision and the mission of the organization to better understand and support the changing trend of the current market.It’s not always easy to continue to do business as usual when the market has shifted but the organization has failed to adjust to these changes. This will have negative fallout for any company not willing to adjust and adapt. In the case of Abercrombie & Fitch, the role of a Servant Leader in this organization could be a benefit because the Servant leader would have the potential add value to this organization to ensure the success of the stakeholder by developing a new strategy plan.The twenty first century competency that would use in this situation would be a person with Cognitive skills and ability such as oral communication and to be able to solve the problems between Abercrombie and the needs of the changing market. Another challenge faced by today’s Value-Based Leadership is Technology. Technology could be defined in various ways within an organization to include Information Technology, cell phones, barcode scanners as well as DVD recorders. Technology within an organization has greatly improved the performance, productive and communication.Although technology has improved the way we do business it has not been without its challenges. Recently, several organizations have fallen victim to cyber-attacks by pranksters, criminal syndicates or foreign governmental agencies. Companies spend billions of dollars in security software in an attempt to secure their company’s information and the information of its customers. The growth or decline of an organization could increase or decrease if a company is exposed due to the lack of proper security policies.A Value-Based Leader would have to devise a stagey to review the company’s policies and procedures in order to prevent such things from happening. Although, security breaches are a growing tre nd within business it’s how the leadership of an organization handle these matters could define the direction in which the organization could take in the fall out. Most Competency Based leaders have an understanding of the mission of an organization and the things may lack can most often be taught or learned over the course of time.The focus is on the need of the organization based on goal set by management which could be totally focused on customer service or employee relations. In the newest challenges of an organization, the ability to adjust the changing demands and needs of an organization is a defining trait of a good Value Based leader. I strongly believe that leaders who are chosen for their competencies could also demonstrate servant leadership qualities if this attribute is cultivated as well as the individual have a heart to serve.Service is often a matter of the heart and a person would have to walk in humility in order to truly be able to demonstrate servant lead ership qualities. So often in the corporate world, people are focused on the mission of the organization, output and quantity rather than quality. A servant leader focuses on the moral and well-being of their employees which can contribute to increase productivity, quality customer service and increase profits for an organization. A Competency-Based leader could be taught good interpersonal skills in order to learn to deal with the growing diversity of a workplace.This will help them to learn the qualities of service by learning to deal with different personality, attitudes and cultures. I believe Servant Leadership is something that has the possibility to be taught to people with other leadership styles if they are truly open to learn how to serve. References Catherine Tymkiw (2012). Abercrombie & Fitch falls out of fashion, CNNMONEY Retrieved from www. cnn. com/ money Nicole Perlroth and Evenly Ruslie (2012) Security Start-Ups Catch Fancy of Investors (P. A. ) Retrieved from www. newyorktimes. com

Impact of Organizational Climate on Turnover Intention

However, since many decades various frameworks of organizational climate has been developed both conceptual as well as operational under different sets of situations and their research findings are highly diverse and often contradictory in nature. Retaining valuable employees is one of the ost crucial issue for todays competitive organizations as employees are considered as the most valuable asset and precious resource, which helps 27 Impact of Organizational Climate on Turnover Intention: An Empirical Analysis on Faculty Members of Technical Education of India to sustain in the dynamic environment.It is usually in the organizations best interest to put its energy and time in retaining the quality employees that they already have instead of recruiting the new ones. However, increasing employee turnover has been a fashion now a days and the issue of employee turnover is the major reason for erformance inefficiency in many organizations in India. Indian organizations are being forced t o undergo considerable transformation in their working system in order to sustain in todays competitive and dynamic environment.In this context, it would be important to explore the factors that have the most positive impact on the performance of the organization. Organizational performance largely depends on the presence of satisfied and committed employees. Among various factors, attitudes and feelings of the individuals regarding their Jobs have been found to be significantly affecting their behaviors. Herzberg, Mausner, Peterson and Capwell, 1957; laffaldano and Muchinsky, 1985; Locke, 1970; Schwab and Cummings, 1970; Petty, McGee and Cavender, 1984).Therefore, positive attitude towards Job can be generated by a healthy organizational climate resulting to a positive behavior towards turnover intention. This empirical study aims to identify various antecedents of organizational climate and also to investigate their impact on turnover intention of faculty members of technical educ ational institutes of India. Five antecedents of organizational climate (Orientation, Supervision, Communication, Decision Making, and RewardManagement) identified as independent variables with the help of through literature review of previous research in the associated field and broad discussion with faculty members. This study will shed some light for technical educational institutes that encounter high turnover rates of faculty members resulting from unfavorable organizational climate. Knowing more about faculty member's intent to leave with relation to organizational climate is important to develop general guidelines to improve the relevant organizational climate factors that are found to be laking in the organizations.Organizational Climate Organizational climate is a concept of employees' attitude and feelings towards their organization which has great impact towards their working ways and contributions; in consequence organizational climate causes organization performance bec ause this relates directly to employees' satisfaction and commitment towards organization. Organisational climate forms part of the broader climate concept, which includes aspects of the social environment that are consciously perceived by the organisational members (Patterson et al. , 2004).

The Good Shepherd and the Black Sheep: Paradoxical Irony in “The Lame Shall Enter First”

â€Å"[W]hen thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth† counsels the Bible, thus setting the precedent for all well-meaning members of western society concerning their charitable intentions (Matt. 6. 3). Humanity's motivation to aid others, regardless of the outcome, is oft times spotted by the subtle struggle between selflessness and selfishness. Flannery O'Connor captures this classic conflict between good and evil in Southern Grotesque fashion through her characters, the protagonist Sheppard and his foil, Rufus Johnson, in [comment2] â€Å"The Lame Shall Enter First†. comment3] Challenging the literal paradigm of light and darkness, O'Connor weaves together well crafted characterization, cryptic dialogue, and both biblical and literary allusion in this paradoxical plot and, by way of Sheppard and the antithetical Rufus, blends the black and white of Christian dogma into an ironic grey. The contrast of light and dark begins with the descrip tion and characterization of the apparently angelic [comment4] Sheppard, and continues with the introduction of the obscure and ominous Rufus Johnson. O'Connor is not pretentious in her description and development of either character. Sheppard's white hair and â€Å"halo† are obvious references to his protagonistic status as the story's do-gooder [comment5] (Norton 371). The narrator continues on by lauding his charitable contribution to the community as a counselor and weekend volunteer for â€Å"boys no one else cared about† (372). The reader's only initial clue toward Sheppard's self-righteous mania is his deliberate, guilt-implying sermon towards Norton, his disconcerted and doomed son. It is not, however, until the arrival of the dim, drenched Rufus that seemingly stark white coat of Sheppard loses its untainted radiance. comment6] Johnson is literally cast as the black sheep from the moment he limps into the house in his soaking â€Å"wet black suit† (376). The ultimate personification of evil comes when he is physically compared directly to the perennial villian Adolf Hitler (378). His opaque character is developed as dark as his appearance through his unending ingratitude and spiteful words toward his supposed savior, Sheppard. The ambiguous dialogue between the two main characters continues to blur the line between the traditional literal concept of good versus evil and the author's own Grotesque version. comment7] O'Connor's use of foreshadowing and plot development through dialogue is essential to the work, and is much more obvious upon rereading it. Though Sheppard's works are concrete and compassionate, his words are abstract and empty. His answers to both Norton and Rufus come in rehearsed, logical explanations. [comment8] Sheppard's attempts to animate either child about their future are thwarted by his own uncertainty. The clearest example of this comes from one of the most crucial sections of the story, when Sheppard fails to satisfy Norton's desire to know where his deceased mother is: â€Å"She doesn't exist [. . ] That's all I have to give you, [. . . ] the truth† (383). [comment9] Where the â€Å"good† shepherd fails, the black sheep pr evails. The dark character that Rufus is developed into shows an admirable assurity and for once a faint light flickers from behind the â€Å"black sheen [that] appear[ed] in the boy's eyes† (375) as he describes the existence of heaven and hell to Norton, confirming that the boy's mother is â€Å"saved† (383). Then, in one of the most obvious uses of foreshadowing in the story, Rufus goes on to tell Norton [comment10] that â€Å"Right now you'd go where she is [. . . but if you live long enough, you'll go to hell† (383). Once again Sheppard and his voice of reason seem to grow grayer as he immediately tells Norton to close the window, as if to separate him from the stars and his newly found hope in the existence of his mother (383). Admittedly influenced by her orthodox Christian background (408), O'Connor scatters both biblical and assorted literal allusions throughout her story, creating somewhat of a parody of common Christian themes. The use of Sheppard as the name of the protagonist binds the character to some religious comparison immediately. This is only reinforced when Rufus pronounces bitterly: â€Å"He thinks he's Jesus Christ! † (381) [comment11]Another use of allusion with reference to Sheppard is Rufus' [comment12] crudely accurate accusation of him as a â€Å"big tin Jesus† (395). Like the forlorn tin man from The Wizard of Oz, Rufus' statement argues that Sheppard is just as hollow as that empty, heartless shell of a man, regardless of his outwardly good deeds. Perhaps the most encompassing phrase in the story is O'Connor's allusion to the verse in St. Matthew quoted in the first paragraph. [comment13] Repeated both at the beginning of the story and in his final appearance, Rufus declares that Sheppard â€Å"don't know his left hand from his right! † (377, 395). Clearly O'Connor is alluding to Sheppard's selfish or misguided agenda well illustrated when he tells Norton of his desire to help the orphaned Rufus. Sheppard's publicly done deeds are challenged by Rufus, the unwilling recipient of a well-meaning man going through the motions, yet craving some sort of reward for his actions. The once polarized characters grow ever closer with the equalizing power of reality. â€Å"The Lame Shall Enter First† ends as abruptly as it begins. There is no cathartic victory for the alleged [comment14] â€Å"good shepherd†, only the agony of total defeat. Sheppard's epiphany comes too late and the stark contrast that once distinguished him from the dark object of his alms turns into the faded realization that he is no better than the beleaguered beneficiary. Through O'Connor's strategic literary devices, deft character contrast, and parody of entrenched Christian values, the reader is left to digest and dissect the fact that maybe the entire flock [comment15] isn't worth one black sheep. Between the black and white islands of moral certainty, good and evil, there lies a sea of ironic grey. Works Cited The King James Version. Great Britain: Cambridge UP, 1996. O'Connor, Flannery. â€Å"The Lame Shall Enter First. † The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1998. 371-414.

Foundation and Empire Prologue

The Galactic Empire Was Falling. It was a colossal Empire, stretching across millions of worlds from arm-end to arm-end of the mighty multi-spiral that was the Milky Way. Its fall was colossal, too – and a long one, for it had a long way to go. It had been falling for centuries before one man became really aware of that fall. That man was Hari Seldon, the man who represented the one spark of creative effort left among the gathering decay. He developed and brought to its highest pitch the science of psychohistory. Psychohistory dealt not with man, but with man-masses. It was the science of mobs; mobs in their billions. It could forecast reactions to stimuli with something of the accuracy that a lesser science could bring to the forecast of a rebound of a billiard ball. The reaction of one man could be forecast by no known mathematics; the reaction of a billion is something else again. Hari Seldon plotted the social and economic trends of the time, sighted along the curves and foresaw the continuing and accelerating fall of civilization and the gap of thirty thousand years that must elapse before a struggling new Empire could emerge from the ruins. It was too late to stop that fall, but not too late to narrow the gap of barbarism. Seldon established two Foundations at â€Å"opposite ends of the Galaxy† and their location was so designed that in one short millennium events would knit and mesh so as to force out of them a stronger, more permanent, more benevolent Second Empire. Foundation (Gnome Press, 1951) has told the story of one of those Foundations during the first two centuries of life. It began as a settlement of physical scientists on Terminus, a planet at the extreme end of one of the spiral arms of the Galaxy. Separated from the turmoil of the Empire, they worked as compilers of a universal compendium of knowledge, the Encyclopedia Galactica, unaware of the deeper role planned for them by the already-dead Seldon, As the Empire rotted, the outer regions fell into the hands of independent â€Å"kings.† The Foundation was threatened by them. However, by playing one petty ruler against another, under the leadership of their first mayor, Salvor Hardin, they maintained a precarious independence. As sole possessors, of nuclear power among worlds which were losing their sciences and falling back on coal and oil, they even established an ascendancy. The Foundation became the â€Å"religious† center of the neighboring kingdoms. Slowly, the Foundation developed a trading economy as the Encyclopedia receded into the background. Their Traders, dealing in nuclear gadgets which not even the Empire in its heyday could have duplicated for compactness, penetrated hundreds of light-years through the Periphery. Under Hober Mallow, the first of the Foundation's Merchant Princes, they developed the techniques of economic warfare to the point of defeating the Republic of Korell, even though that world was receiving support from one of the outer provinces of what was left of the Empire. At the end of two hundred years, the Foundation was the most powerful state in the Galaxy, except for the remains of the Empire, which, concentrated in the inner third of the Milky Way, still controlled three quarters of the population and wealth of the Universe. It seemed inevitable that the next danger the Foundation would have to face was the final lash of the dying Empire. The way must he cleared for the battle of Foundation and Empire.

Orchid Partners: Executive Summary Essay

Orchid Partners is a Venture Capital firm being founded by give general partners Todd Krasnow, Susan Pravda, David Friend, Bill Nelson and Jeff Flowers – who have known each other for many years in various professional and personal capacities. All four partners are driven and committed to this  venture and bring the strength of prior experience in venture capital industry, entrepreneurship, operations (hands-on running of businesses), raising capital to fund ventures, familiarity with the deal making process on either side of the table, as well experience in multiple industries. Moreover, their strengths are complementary such that they overcome individual weaknesses – eg. Friend prefers to be a visionary and rainmaker, while Krasnow has operational expertise and Susan holds the fund together. The timing and personal goals of the partners also align during the founding of Orchid. However, neither individual has experience being a general partner in a venture capital fund, and the group needs to work together cohesively and decide the best strategy for the fund. Individual strengths and weaknesses are detailed below Name Todd Krasnow Susan Pravda David Friend Bill Nelson Strengths Extensive experience and understanding of retail operations and marketing in food-grocery, office supply and dry cleaning industry Proven leadership and entrepreneurship skills Ability to lead operations from conceptual to executional stage and drive growth across geographies with hands-on, analytical and unemotional approach Experienced in raising money for entrepreneurship ventures Networking skills along with ability to create and sustain alliances with multiple firms Known for strategizing and negotiation skills along with legal prowess Ability to multitask while overseeing smooth functioning of firm managing operations, budgeting, finance and compensation Systematic and great at time management Successful entrepreneur and angel investor in technology sector with CEO experience Fundraising skills and great network. Sits on boards of companies Innovator, with varied interests and respected public figure, leading to network across horizontal strata of society Veteran with valuable operating expertise along with CEO experience across multiple companies in lifetime Reputation of being turnaround specialist with experience in operations and giving businesses a new lease of life with spectacular growth Valuable network, since sits on boards of companies and educational institutes Skilled negotiator Main Weakness Perceived as wild card with little tech  experience Taking on the partnership may be too much on  her plate Wants to be rainmaker and visionary and  doesn’t like to be involved in day to day  operations Market savvy and ability to understand and foresee technology trends Well experienced entrepreneur having served as CTO of three companies Innovator and holder of patents in technology sector Jeff Flowers Due diligence expert for technology retreated aspects of VC firms Orchid’s fund-raising activities Each of the general partners committed $2 million towards the fund. Initially, Orchid directed its fund-raising efforts towards personal  contacts of the partners, wealthy people they believed may be interested in investing in their firm. Friend could get commitments of $50,000 to $500,000, but that was miniscule in comparison to their initial target of $50 million. The major problems with this approach were: 1. During the first round of fundraising, it is difficult to convince individual investors of the viability of the deals the firm has in the pipeline and hence get their buy-in without having other investors. It leads to a cause and effect problem, where people are reluctant to invest since they do not have sufficient funds from other investors already. Also, individual investors typically invest smaller amounts as compared to larger institutional investors. 2. Also, Pravda, Krasnow and Flowers were not able to spend dedicated time to fundraising activities, since they were working full time. Thus, initially, the effectiveness of fund-raising activities was limited by Friend’s activities alone. Once they realized that these initial efforts may not be so effective in raising the requisite amount, they decided to target institutional investors, raise a large chunk of the target amount and then approach individual investors for the remaining amount. Similar to other industries, VC fund investors also constitute of different segments, i.e. innovators, early adopters, resistors (laggards). This had a huge implication on Orchid’s fund raising activities. It was essential for them to raise the initial few millions through institutional investors enough to reach critical mass, following which the laggards and the other skeptical investors follow into innovators’ footsteps. Thus, they should engage with friendly institutional investors at first. This essentially meant two major changes in their fundraising strategy: 1. Revise the target upwards: The initial target of $50 million was too small for them to sustain the fund through consecutive rounds of investing. Also, since institutional investors tend to invest in larger amounts (increments of $5-20 million), a larger fund would make it easier for them to participate. 2. Revise the Pitch: Their initial pitch was targeted at individual investors, and thus delved deep into the nuances of the VC market, which was not relevant to the institutional investors. Thus, they decided to focus the pitch more on their core competencies. Deal Sourcing The company started with the assumption that other VCs would be an excellent source of new deals. It believed that the expertise they had in varied sector and emerging technologies was not very common amongst VC circuit and they could pick up companies in the early stages of operation and needed small funding. Friends from other VC companies would suggest the companies that do not fit their criteria or need small funding in series A. Orchid partners felt that the approach was in their best interest considering that fact the market would not trust a new VC fund start up easily and established limited partners might not take a chance with such companies. Orchid Partners were following practices common for deal sourcing in the venture capital universe. Their strategies dealt with by focusing on long-term relationships built with sellers and management teams in the local region of New England. To start with, Orchid’s plan to leverage industry contacts of its partners and VCs to provide a pipeline of deals might be good in the short run. In future, as the size of the fund grows, sustaining a steady pipeline would be rather difficult. Orchid devised a strategy to concentrate only the areas that it was knew best since each partner had unique background and was a specialist is their field. The approach was to assign a partner to every sector in which the company had expertise. The partner was then responsible for carrying out the due diligence and also comprehensive study of the industry and exit option of the firm. The issue with this approach is that the partner already has heavy involvement in the deal before pitching it to all the partners. Since the firm size was small  and every partner was an expert in their own field there is a chance that they could get too attached to their views and push for the investment. In  addition, this model assumes that the partner would be able to analyse every aspect of the business i.e. taking into consideration the legal, financial, administrative and operative aspects of the business which might not always be feasible. Orchid Partners could build a specialist team trained in outbound origination programs who would be experts in scouring industry forums and the upcoming internet. Matching historical deal to the industries in focus with investment financing from banks might also help in generating leads from financial institutions. Dealing with Limited Partners In 2003, the PE industry is just recovering from a downturn and the Early-stage investing part of the market is largely underserved. Also, the Orchid Partners team is well diversified and has strong experience with them w.r.t. growing, managing and turning-around businesses. However, since their fund is new and doing the first round of fundraising, they don’t have the liberty of being too demanding from the Limited Partners in terms of the deal terms. It is advisable that they focus on the following deal terms: Fund term: The Partners should look at a fund term of at least 5-7 years which will have an investment period of 3-4 years. They can start the negotiation with 7 years fund term and as a worst case look to close at 5. Since they are focusing on technology and technologyenabled businesses, a term of 5-7 years should be enough to close the fund. Management fee: Orchid Partners should look at management fee of 3% considering the fact that they are raising a small fund and they would need sufficient capital to hire a team, rent an office and cover other administrative costs. Post negotiation, they should look to keep this component at 2.5% at minimum. Hurdle rate: Since the fund is new in the market, it will be advisable to offer preferential returns to the LPs before the GPs can carry a part of the profits with them. Orchid Partners should set this rate at 8%, the industry norm. Carry: Orchid Partners should offer a straight, non-negotiable carry contract of 20:80 where-in they will keep 20% of the profits and distribute 80% of the profits to the LPs, once the Hurdle Rate has been met. Distribution waterfall: Orchid Partners should propose that the returns generated by exit from the investments will be distributed to the LPs in a pro-rata to amount of the LP’s money invested in the business which is being exited. GP’s contribution to the fund: This is important as it signals the commitment of the GPs to the fund and ensures incentive compatibility between the LPs and the GPs. They should invest at least 10% of the fund size to the fund to assure the LPs that the GPs have enough skin in the game.