Mobile Banking Essay Example for Free

Mobile Banking Essay It is pleasure on my part to submit my report on â€Å"Mobile banking- The Next Generation Banking† as part of my BBA (Hon’s) Final Examination Though it is a new experience, I have tried level my best to gather information and to translate my knowledge into writing this term paper report covering the aspects of the topics as per your suggestions and guidelines to reflect the same in report with my limited scope and knowledge. Without sincere cooperation and proper guidance of you it was not possible for me to prepare this report . For this act of kindness I am grateful to you. All of my effort will be rewarded only if it could satisfy you.

Performance Appraisal System Essay Example for Free

Performance Appraisal System Essay Performance appraisal viewed as a key human resource practice for many organizations, is done to provide feedback to employees so that they can be able to improve on their performance. This practice has been under analysis and investigation by various researchers. The purpose of the study is to carry out an analysis on the performance appraisal systems of PSC Biotech and investigate the interactive effects of the appraisal system on the performance of the organization. Pharmaceutical Services Corporation, which has its headquarters in Pomona, California, has been providing professional consulting services for the last ten years. The Corporation is in the business of delivering state of the art Information Technology services and also validation, compliance services and industry specific products to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. It also provides expansive guidance and expertise in areas that include quality systems, computer and equipment validation, automated process systems (PSCBiotech, 2010). The IT consulting services designed to meet the needs of the manufacturing industry as well as the Clinical Research and Development industry. Examples of products designed by the company include Auditca, which is audit software that provides a flexible and interactive interface for auditors to edit and compose compliance deficiencies noted during an audit. Another product is the Audit Utopia, which is a management application that organizes the process of regulatory inspections. Pharmaceutical Services is also an authorized distributor of testing, laboratory equipment and supplies. Such products include particle counters, laboratory Autoclaves, Microbial samplers, sensors, fume hoods and Biosafety cabinets (PSCBiotech, 2010). PSC Biotech has the goal of being the industry leader in providing excellence in compliance and validation of products and services while at the same time maintaining competitive rates. PSC Biotech uses an appraisal system that mostly focused on the organization’s goals. The assessment system referred to as the SMART goal assessment system. This system focuses on the goals that an employee is meant to achieve when performing his job. The company uses this method of appraisal to weigh the duties of its employees by giving them clear and attainable benchmarks that have rewards for achievement. The term SMART in this context means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time framed goals (PSCBiotech, 2010). Specific goals need to have an explicit definition because goals that are have loosely been defined make it hard to know whether they have been achieved or not. An example of a loose goal is saying that every employee will train. This is general and it does not have a way of determining whether the training was achieved or not. A measurable goal is one that can be calculated to produce results. The goal has to be made with a vision of achieving results. Achievable goals need to be within reach for the employees to be able to attain them. They should also not be too difficult (PSCBiotech, 2010). Realistic goals are designed to match with the employees needs in regards to their duties. These goals should be set with the knowledge of whether the employees have the ability and experience that needed to achieve the set goals. Guidance and assistance, is also needed to provide help to employees who are unable to achieve their goals. Time framed goals are those that have an amount of time that has been set aside to achieve them. A period will give the goals a sense of structure and it will necessitate action on the part of the employee. It will also give them the motivation to get started on their goals (PSCBiotech, 2010). Although the company views goals as an important benchmark, it also considers employee competency as an important factor in determining performance when doing their duties. The core competencies account for fifty percent of an employee’s appraisal. The SMART goals are designed to ensure that employees perform their best, which is possible when they know what is expected from them. It is most preferable to an employee to know where their focus should lie and what their management directives and priorities are. This prevents doubt and misunderstandings about their work performance considered when it comes to determining a reward for their efforts. One benefit of the SMART goals is to give the employees notice of how the company weighs their duties and gives them clear and attainable benchmarks with clearly defined rewards for their achievements (PSCBiotech, 2010). Goal setting and feedback are key elements in the performance appraisal activities of organizations. The setting of goals and feedback on whether achieved is believed to affect the performance of employees positively by enhancing motivation that is necessary for work performance. The relationship between satisfaction with performance appraisal and employee outcomes will be mediated by motivation . Roberts and Reed (as cited by Kuvaas, 2006, p. 506) proposed that participation, goals and feedback influenced the appraisal process. In their studies, Locke and Latham found that although the relationship between goal setting and performance moderated by several factors, it has contributed to the employee has perceived investment in work development (as cited by Kuvaas, 2006, p. 505). The social comparison theory is significant to the research of performance appraisal methods, built on the assumption that people are driven to evaluate themselves. The theory implies that it may be more effective to the raters of job performance to compare an employee to other employees. This theory has the potential to inform on the development of performance appraisal processes because of comparative judgments of social stimuli on particular content dimensions (Goffin, Jelley, Powell Johnston, 2009, p. 252). Goffin, Gellatly, Paunonen, Jackson and Meyer (1996) developed a rating system that takes advantage of the social comparison theory without having to incur the problems that usually compound the comparative methods of appraisal. The relative percentile method provides the means of scaling rater’s relative judgments’ of the ratees to allow for a meaningful comparison of the ratings provided. The rating percentile method promotes the use of social comparisons by encouraging the simultaneous assessment of the ratees (Goffin et al, 2009, p. 253). Previous research on the percentile method of appraisal has shown the benefits of this method in two ways. In their studies of 1997, Wagner and Goffin (as cited by Goffin et al, 2009) demonstrated that the percentile method resulted in greater accuracy than the traditional absolute rating system of performance appraisal. The second study found that the percentile method had greater criterion-related validity when compared to the conventional absolute rating format. Carty and Goffin found that the percentile method was more advantageous in the context of letters of reference and they found it improved on the levels of accuracy in personality ratings (Goffin et al, 2009, p. 254). A performance appraisal method will not be viable if the ratees and the raters believe that it is unfair. Adam’s equity theory claims that individuals formulate fairness perceptions by comparing their perceived work outcomes or rewards to their perceived contributions or inputs. Employees therefore view appraisal systems as fair and ethical when they reflect the individual’s contributions (Narcisse Harcourt, 2008, p. 1153). Greenberg (as cited by Narcisse Harcourt, 2008) identified two factors that affect employee perceptions of performance appraisal and they are the perceived fairness of the appraisal system in relation to the employee’ performance and the perceived fairness of any appraisal that is related to pay increase or a promotion. In addition to the social theory’s practical importance, its application to performance appraisal contributes to the social cognition of employees within an organization by demonstrating that the social comparative process improves the reliability of the appraisals. Recommendations: The approach taken in the relative percentile method in which other ratees serve as benchmarks meant likely to heighten both availability and relevancy of performance appraisal systems. The method uses employees in similar positions to be able to facilitate a meaningful percentile of their responses. From previous studies, the percentile method has promoted the use of the social comparison theory by requiring the rater to consider the ratees simultaneously when making judgments based on performance. This method of parallel analysis of performance indicators is beneficial because the other ratees will serve as useful benchmarks through which the rater will be able to record accurately their ratings (Goffin et al, 2009). This method is different from the other conventional methods of performance rating where the ratee’ is considered individually. The serial processing of the ratees performance results might fail to take advantage of the natural social comparative processes, which explains the low validity of noncomparative ratings in studies where the comparative and non- comparative formats have been evaluated and compared with each other (Goffin et al, 2009). Having good performance appraisal systems is important as it will help in the development of employees and enable them to improve on their work performance. Performance appraisal methods used should have systems that ensure the process done is fair, ethical and clear way. The outcomes should also be relayed to the employees so that they can be able to know what areas of their work they can be able to improve on. References Narcisse, S. , Harcourt, M. (2008). Employee fairness perceptions of performance appraisal: a Saint Lucian case study. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(6), p. 1152-1169. doi:10. 1080/09585190802051451. Goffin, R. , Jelley, R. , Powell, D. , Johnston, N. (2009). Taking advantage of social comparisons in performance appraisal: The relative percentile method. Human Resource Management, 48(2), p. 251-268. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. Kuvaas, B. (2006). Performance appraisal satisfaction and employee outcomes: mediating and moderating roles of work motivation. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(3), p. 504-522. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. PSCBiotech (2010) Introduction to PSC, Retrieved 7 May 2010, from http://www. biotech. com/introPSC. php

A Light Emitting Diode Engineering Essay

A Light Emitting Diode Engineering Essay A Light-Emitting Diode in essence is a P-N junction solid-state semiconductor diode that emits light when a current is applied though the device.[1] By scientific definition, it is a solid-state device that controls current without the deficiency of having heated filaments. How does a LED work? White LEDs ordinarily need 3.6 Volts of Direct Current (DC) and use approximately 30 milliamps (mA) of current and has a power dissipation of approximately 100 milliwatts (mW). The positive power is connected to one side of the LED semiconductor through the anode and a whisker and the other side of the semiconductor is attached to the top of the anvil or the negative power lead (cathode). It is the chemical composition or makeup of the LED semiconductor that determines the color of the light that the LED produces as well as the intensity level. The epoxy resin enclosure allows most of the light to escape from the elements and protects the LED making it virtually indestructible. Furthermore, a light-emitting diode does not have any moving parts, which makes the device extremely resistant to damage due to vibration and shocks. These characteristics make it ideal for purposes that demand reliability and strength. LEDs therefore can be deemed invulnerable to catastrophic failure when operated within design parameters. Figure 1 shows a typical traditional indicator LED. Traditional indicator LEDs utilize a small LED semiconductor chip that is mounted on a reflector cup also known as the anvil, on a lead-frame (whisker).This whole configuration is encased in epoxy which also serves the purpose of a lens. LEDs have very high thermal resistance with upwards of 200K per Watt. LEDs are highly monochromatic, only emitting a single pure color in a narrow frequency range. The color emitted from an LED is identified by peak wavelength (lpk) which is measured in nanometers (nm). The peak wavelength is a function of the material that is used in the manufacturing of the semiconductor.[3] Most LEDs are produced using gallium-based crystals that differ in one or more additional materials such as phosphorous to produce distinct colors. Different LED chip technologies enable manufacturers to produce LEDs that emit light in a specific region of the visible light spectrum and replicate different intensity levels. Thus, one would vary the material used in the production of LEDs in order to obtain the desired results. The graph below depicts the variation in response time for the specific wavelength of light. Principle Mechanism The essential portion of the Light Emitting Diode is the semiconductor chip. Semiconductors can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic semiconductors are those in which the electrical behavior is based on the electronic structure inherent to the pure material.[5] When the electrical characteristics are dictated by impurity atoms, the semiconductor is said to be extrinsic.[6] See Appendix A for further information regarding the different materials and their characteristics. This chip is further divided into two parts or regions which are separated by a boundary called a junction. The p-region is dominated by positive electric charges (holes) and the n-region is dominated by negative electric charges (electrons). The junction serves as a barrier to the flow of the electrons between the p and the n-regions. This is somewhat similar to the role of the band-gap because it determines how much voltage is needed to be applied to the semiconductor chip before the current can flow and the electrons pass the junction into the p-region. In general, to achieve higher momentum states (with higher velocities), there must be an empty energy state into which the electron may be excited. (In other words, to achieve a net flow of electrons in one direction, some electrons must change their wave vectors thereby increasing their energy.) [8] Band-gaps determine how much energy is needed for the electron to jump from the valence band to the conduction band. As an electron in the conduction band recombines with a hole in the valence band, the electron makes a transition to a lower-lying energy state and releases energy in an amount equal to the band-gap energy. This energy is released in photons. Normally the energy heats the material. In an LED this energy goes into emitted infrared or visible light. If a large enough electric potential difference (voltage) is absent, across the anode and cathode, the junction serves as an electric potential barrier to the flow of electrons. When sufficient voltage is applied across the chip of the LED, the electron has enough driving force to move in one direction over the junction that separates the p-region and the n-region. The p-region (holes) is where the positive charge forms the majority of charges. (Implicitly, there are also negative charges but they are the minority).Vice versa for the n-region. The electrons from the n-region basically flow across the junction into the p-region. In the p-region, the electrons are attracted to the positive charges due the mutual Columbic forces of attraction between opposite charges of same magnitude. Thus recombination occurs. After every successful recombination, electric potential energy is transformed into electromagnetic energy. This releases a quantum electromagnetic energy that is emitted in the form of a photon of light with frequencies characteristic of the semiconductor that was used in the process. These photons have specific wavelengths thus specific colors according to the different materials used. Therefore, different compositions of the chemical elements used in the manufacturing of the semiconductor results in different colors emitted as well as different energies needed to light them. The electrical energy is in proportion to the voltage required to enable the electrons to flow across the p-n junction. Predominantly, LEDs emit light of a single color. Application There are various materials that are used in the manufacturing of Light Emitting Diodes. Most of the materials are gallium-based crystals and are used in high-brightness applications. Gallium is a minor metal noted by its low melting point of 29.8  °C, the name being derived from Gallia, the Latin for France, which was where it was discovered. [14] Among these include AlGaAs (Aluminum-Gallium-Arsenide), a semiconductor that typically generates the red spectrum, often used in signs, displays and electronic equipment. InGaAlP(Indium-Gallium-Aluminum-Phosphide) produces the yellow-green wavelength to red are often used in signs, auto interior as well as exterior, traffic signals and cellphones.[ 15] InGaN (Indium-Gallium-Nitride) typically generates Blue, Green and white spectrums and are used most often in full color signs, cell-phones, auto interior, traffic signals.[16]. Furthermore, there is room for further improvement on the design of traffic lights. The visible light from the LEDs in a traffic light can further be modulated and encoded with information. Hence, it can be used for the broadcasting of audio messages or any traffic or road information. Essentially, all LED traffic lights can be used as communications devices. [17] InGaN LEDs too has been made the light source of choice for many diagnostic and photo-therapy applications from the Ultra-violet to the near Infrared. [18] Light-emitting diodes (LED) emit light in proportion to the forward current through the diode. Light Emitting Diodes are the cutting edge technology of lighting today. Generally, Light Emitting Diodes are categorized according to their performance. The performance of a LED is linked to a few primary characteristics of the LED itself which includes color, peak wavelength and intensity. As LEDs are highly monochromatic, LEDs are differentiated according to their peak wavelength. Peak wavelength is a function of the LED chip material. Although manufacturing process variations produce a standard deviation of  ±10nm, nevertheless, these variations are perceptible to the human eye because the 565nm to 600nm wavelength spectral region (yellow to amber) is where the sensitivity level of the human eye is at its peak. [19] See Appendix B for details on the different semiconductor types as well as characteristics of those semiconductors. The light output of a specific LED varies with the type of chip, encapsulation and efficiency of individual wafer lots. There may be other random variables that may affect the performance of the LED too. This typically is categorized into the nuisance variable factor and is taken into account as the error margin. Many LED manufacturers use different terms such as super-bright, and ultra-bright to describe LED intensity. However, such terminology is entirely subjective, as there really is no industry standard for LED brightness. Luminous intensity is roughly proportional to the amount of current (I) supplied to the LED. The greater the current, the higher the intensity.[20] Nevertheless, luminous intensity (Iv) does not represent the total light output from an LED. Both the luminous intensity and the spatial radiation pattern (viewing angle) must be taken into account. If two LEDs have the same luminous intensity value, the lamp with the larger viewing angle will have the higher total light output. Overall visibility can be enhanced by increasing the number of LED chips in the encapsulation, increasing the number of individual LEDs, as well as utilizing secondary optics to distribute light. To illustrate, consider similar red GaAlAs LED chip technology in four different configurations: In each individual case, the amount of visible light depends on the application of the LED as well as how the LED is being viewed. The single chip setup may be suitable for direct viewing in contrast with high ambient lighting. The 6-chip may be more suitable as a backlight to a switch or small legend, while the cluster or lensed LED design may best be used to illuminate a pilot light or larger lens. In this millennium, Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs are making major inroads into a lot of industries. In the past, filament bulbs like incandescent and halogen lamps dominated and were the main source of lighting. Today, in the automotive industry, we see cars with LEDs for taillights and instrument panels. Why the switch to the new technology? Among the reasons why include the longevity of the LED itself. It lasts on average 20,000 hours for a 15-Watt traffic light in comparison to 1000 hours for typical filament bulbs.[23] Generally, LEDs are designed to operate upwards of 100,000 hours. This greatly supercedes the standard incandescent bulb with an average lifespan of about 5000 hours.LEDs too are low voltage devices that respond almost instantaneously to changes in current (~10Mhz).[24] This would entail better safety for motorists on the road. Costs of maintenance of the vehicle would too decrease as replacements of the lighting fixtures need not be done as often. With such fast reponse times, LEDs used as an unbiased photodiode, exhibits a non-linear power dependent response that also can be used for sensitive detection and characterization of mode-locked femtosecond and picosecond laser pulses. [25] In the electronic industry, we have LEDs for lighting of almost everything. The ergonomic flat-panel computer screens otherwise known as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are also in essence miniature LED clusters. The introduction of LCDs marks another milestone in development in the hi-tech industry. Displays now can be made that use less power as well as emit much less radiation in comparison with the traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) display. According to Keith Robinson for Frost Sullivan, The light emitting diode (LED) market, especially the visible LED (VLED) market, is poised to experience explosive growth once economic conditions improve in North America. The most significant technology improvement that has taken place in the last 10 years for LEDs is the introduction of blue and blue-green LEDs. The nitride-based LEDs have opened new opportunities for manufacturers of lighting products, such as traffic signal manufacturers and outdoor signboard manufacturers. The increased use of the new colors in consumer products and automotive applications is expected to have a positive impact on the market. [26] Manufacturers have always been striving to replicate colors as accurately as possible. This is has always been the holy grail for the display industry. LEDs have made this a reality. Typical incandescent bulbs cannot replicate the vivid colors that can be reproduced using LEDs. LEDs give pure saturated colors with up to 130% more gamut compared to standard NTSC specifications.[27] Take the reproduction of white light. When light from all parts of the visible spectrum overlap one another, the additive mixture of colors appears white. However, the eye does not require a mixture of all the colors of the spectrum to perceive white light. Primary colors from the upper, middle, and lower parts of the spectrum (red, green, and blue), when combined, appear white. To achieve this combination with LEDs requires a sophisticated electro-optical design to control the blend and diffusion of colors. Variations in LED color and intensity further complicate this process. Presently, it is possible to produce white light with a single LED using a phosphor layer (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) on the surface of a blue (Gallium Nitride) chip.[28] Although this technology produces various hues, white LEDs may be appropriate to illuminate opaque lenses or backlight legends. However, using colored LEDs to illuminate similarly colored lenses produces better visibility and overall appearance in comparison with CRTs. Moreover, LEDs are not deficient in the reliability department. LEDs are solid state devices with no moving parts as well as no fragile glass or filaments. LEDs too use up to 90% less energy in comparison with conventional bulbs and lamps today.[29] Today a LED flashlight may last up to 200% longer with the same batteries used to operate conventional filament flashlights. [30] Furthermore, LEDs are environmental friendly because they contain no mercury and since they last longer (about 100,000 continuous hours of life); there will be less disposal waste in the environment. This in turn would result is less pollution and less wastage of our precious and limited resources. LEDs also form the foundation for applications in optical-fiber communication and diode lasers. They produce a narrow spectrum of coherent red or infrared light that can be well collimated. This characteristic of the light produced by LEDs has enabled engineers to manipulate the setup to enable data transfer. This has made it possible for continents to be linked via the internet. Information can be sent across the globe in a matter of fractions of a second and vast chunks of data can be transmitted without a hitch. With the improvement of infrastructure, the benefits extend also to the general populace. Before we had modems that used coaxial copper cables, today we have T1 to T3 connections which utilize fiber optics. Most institutions, organizations and companies that require the use of large bandwidths of data have such connections. Take for example, San Jose State University, it utilizes several T3 connections to the internet and has T1 connections locally across campus to alleviate data congestion. In this way, data is made readily available to those hungry for knowledge. Conclusion Light Emitting Diodes has such a profound impact on society. It affects our daily lives as well as activities. It is used in so many applications and so many places. With Light Emitting Diodes, so many significant improvements to already existing technology could be made. Historically the LED market has experienced signal digit growth of about 8.5 percent. The laser diode market has experienced double-digit growth in the past of approximately 30.0 percent and once economic conditions improve it is anticipated that the market will experience strong growth rates once again. [31] As this technology expands, so does our horizon and our conquest for the betterment of todays technology. Light Emitting Diodes truly is a great invention of the age.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Essay -- essays research papers fc

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria. He was christened Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus, but he preferred Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His father, Leopold, began teaching him to play minuets on the harpsichord before he was four years old. It only took him half an hour to learn each minuet. Before he was six, he had composed sonatas and a concerto for the harpsichord. Mozart learned to play the violin without being taught. He had watched his father and developed and intuition for playing. As a child, Mozart was so serious and thoughtful that at times he appeared older than he was. However, he was still a boyish boy and had a happy contentment about him. At age 6, Mozart began touring with his family where he played for the Emperor and Empress in Vienna, and Marie Antoinette, the future Queen of France. In 1763 Mozart went to Paris where he wrote four sonatas that were published. Next, Mozart traveled to England and played for the King and Queen. Then at the age of nine he wrote his first symphonies for orchestra. In 1766, he returned to Salzburg. By this time Mozart could play music at first sight on the piano, harpsichord, clavichord, and organ. He was also talented on the violin and viola. It wasn’t long before he was traveling again. In 1770, while in Milan, Mozart wrote the opera â€Å"Mitridate† and then another opera â€Å"Lucio Silla†. While in Italy, Mozart passed a composition test and became a member of the Bologna Philharmonic So...

Free Slaughterhouse-Five Essays: Dresden :: Slaughterhouse-Five Essays

Slaughterhouse Five  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dresden "In Slaughterhouse Five, -- Or the Children's Crusade, Vonnegut   delivers a complete treatise on the World War II bombing of Dresden. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is a very young infantry scout* who is captured in the Battle of the Bulge and quartered in a Dresden slaughterhouse where he and other prisoners are employed in the production of a vitamin supplement for pregnant women. During the February 13, 1945, firebombing by Allied aircraft, the prisoners take shelter in an underground meat locker. When they emerge, the city has been levelled and they are forced to dig corpses out of the rubble. The story of Billy Pilgrim is the story of Kurt Vonnegut who was captured and survived the firestorm in which 135,000 German civilians perished, more than the number of deaths in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Robert Scholes sums up the theme of Slaughterhouse Five in the New York Times Book Review, writing: 'Be kind. Don't hurt. Death is coming for all of us a nyway, and it is better to be Lot's wife looking back through salty eyes than the Deity that destroyed those cities of the plain in order to save them.' The reviewer concludes that 'Slaughterhouse Five is an extraordinary success. It is a book we need to read, and to reread.' "The popularity of Slaughterhouse Five is due, in part, to its timeliness; it deals with many issues that were vital to the late sixties: war, ecology, overpopulation, and consumerism. Klinkowitz, writing in Literary Subversions.New American Fiction and the Practice of Criticism, sees larger reasons for the book's success: 'Kurt Vonnegut's fiction of the 1960s is the popular artifact which may be the fairest example of American cultural change. . . . Shunned as distastefully low-brow . . . and insufficiently commercial to suit the exploitative tastes of high-power publishers, Vonnegut's fiction limped along for years on the genuinely democratic basis of family magazine and pulp paperback circulation. Then in the late 1960s, as the culture as a whole exploded, Vonnegut was able to write and publish a novel, Slaughterhouse Five, which so perfectly caught America's transformative mood that its story and structure became best-selling metaphors for the new age. '"Writing in Critique, Wayne D. McGinnis comments that in Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut 'avoids framing his story in linear narration, choosing a circular structure.

Irish Autobiographies Adapted for Film Essay -- Film Movie Cinematogra

Irish Autobiographies Adapted for Film This image of mid-twentieth century Ireland embodied in the themes of emigration, cultural isolation, economic depression, literary censorship and religious conservatism have become a fixed concept in the collective imaginative and cultural production. At the start of the twenty-first century, far from seeking to exorcise such associations, Joe Cleary has noted that "the period is repeatedly evoked because it serves as the definitive image of the anti-modern which a modernizing Ireland needed both to define itself against and to transcend" (114). In other words, maintaining an image of "Irishness" which conforms to these themes is increasingly significant, thus the further divorced they become from the present reality. Roy Foster has observed that Sometimes it is hard to avoid the feeling that the new, modernized, liberated Irish consciousness feels a sneaking nostalgia for the verities of the old victim-culture: which was also, in its way, a culture of superiority. (xv) This "nostalgia" has proved extremely marketable and continues to be expressed in self-consciously modern artistic forms, most notably in film. In spite of the obvious fascination in Ireland's recent past shown by filmmakers, it is almost impossible to find a satisfactory definition for the term "Irish Film." In his important work Irish Filmography, Kevin Rockett notes that of over 2,000 feature films produced with an Irish theme world-wide since the beginnings of the cinema, less than 200 have been made in Ireland itself and most of these only in the last fifteen years or so (510). Yet, whether the on-screen influence of high-profile Irish actors or off-screen production input are taken as definitive, many film h... ...gton, Susan Tetlow. "Angela's Ashes." Literature/Film Quarterly. 29:1(2001): 58-62. Hill, Joan. et al eds., Border Crossing: Film in Ireland, Britain and Europe. Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994. McLoone, Martin. "Ireland in Cinema." Joan Hill and Pamela Church Gibson eds. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. Oxford: OUP, 1998. McLoone, Martin. Irish Film: The Emergence of Contemporary Cinema. London: British Film Institute, 2000. "My Left Foot." Channel4.com. My Left Foot. Dir. Jim Sheridan. Perf. Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Alison Whelen and Kristen Sheridan. Miramax Films, 1989. O'Hehir, Andrew, "Borstal Boy." Salon.Com 2002. Vankin, Jonathan and John Whalen. Based on a True Story: Fact and Fantasy in 100 Favorite Movies. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2005. Wagner, Geoffrey. The Novel and the Cinema. Vancouver: FDU Press, 1975. Irish Autobiographies Adapted for Film Essay -- Film Movie Cinematogra Irish Autobiographies Adapted for Film This image of mid-twentieth century Ireland embodied in the themes of emigration, cultural isolation, economic depression, literary censorship and religious conservatism have become a fixed concept in the collective imaginative and cultural production. At the start of the twenty-first century, far from seeking to exorcise such associations, Joe Cleary has noted that "the period is repeatedly evoked because it serves as the definitive image of the anti-modern which a modernizing Ireland needed both to define itself against and to transcend" (114). In other words, maintaining an image of "Irishness" which conforms to these themes is increasingly significant, thus the further divorced they become from the present reality. Roy Foster has observed that Sometimes it is hard to avoid the feeling that the new, modernized, liberated Irish consciousness feels a sneaking nostalgia for the verities of the old victim-culture: which was also, in its way, a culture of superiority. (xv) This "nostalgia" has proved extremely marketable and continues to be expressed in self-consciously modern artistic forms, most notably in film. In spite of the obvious fascination in Ireland's recent past shown by filmmakers, it is almost impossible to find a satisfactory definition for the term "Irish Film." In his important work Irish Filmography, Kevin Rockett notes that of over 2,000 feature films produced with an Irish theme world-wide since the beginnings of the cinema, less than 200 have been made in Ireland itself and most of these only in the last fifteen years or so (510). Yet, whether the on-screen influence of high-profile Irish actors or off-screen production input are taken as definitive, many film h... ...gton, Susan Tetlow. "Angela's Ashes." Literature/Film Quarterly. 29:1(2001): 58-62. Hill, Joan. et al eds., Border Crossing: Film in Ireland, Britain and Europe. Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994. McLoone, Martin. "Ireland in Cinema." Joan Hill and Pamela Church Gibson eds. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. Oxford: OUP, 1998. McLoone, Martin. Irish Film: The Emergence of Contemporary Cinema. London: British Film Institute, 2000. "My Left Foot." Channel4.com. My Left Foot. Dir. Jim Sheridan. Perf. Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Alison Whelen and Kristen Sheridan. Miramax Films, 1989. O'Hehir, Andrew, "Borstal Boy." Salon.Com 2002. Vankin, Jonathan and John Whalen. Based on a True Story: Fact and Fantasy in 100 Favorite Movies. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2005. Wagner, Geoffrey. The Novel and the Cinema. Vancouver: FDU Press, 1975.

Lead and Manage a Team Within a Health and Social Care Setting

The features of effective team performance are set out in Brian Tuckman’s phases of team development theory, ‘Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing. ’ This outlines the phases that a team will go through in order to become effective and reach maturity. At the ‘Forming’ stage of team development individual roles and responsibilities are unclear and each member of the team is concerned to avoid conflict with each other. From this point the team will go through the ‘Storming’ phase which is when they start to conflict as individuals put forward ideas which will be challenged by others in a bid to gain power and position over others. After this the ‘Norming’ phase follows and it is at this point that individual roles are defined and accepted and ground rules and conduct are agreed. After each of these stages the team then reaches the ‘Performing’ stage which is where they are all working towards the same shared goal. This theory shows that for all teams to be effective each individual needs to be clear on their role, responsibilities and shared end goal. This is achieved through positive leadership, utilising the skills of the team and addressing weaknesses to make the team more effective. The challenges experienced by developing teams are often due to organisational change. Staff may be resistant to change such as moving to join a new team or working with people they do not know. A health and social care organisation needs to identify the skills and knowledge that are required for the service plan and recruit staff according to this to ensure that the diversity and skill mix needed is met to fulfil the service outcome. Newly appointed staff should complete an induction that ensures they understand and comply with the organisations values and objectives and their role and support systems should be clarified as quickly as possible to ensure they can contribute as quickly and effectively as possible to the team. An established team experiences different challenges to a developing team. They may have more difficulty maintaining staff enthusiasm and momentum. To overcome these challenges the organisation needs to be aware of changes to workload and conflict between individuals to resolve issues quickly before they impact on other staff and then service users. Also feedback should be given to staff in order for them to maintain or improve performance levels and recognition should be expressed for good work to maintain a high level of staff morale. Once momentum is built then it is easier to maintain and helps staff to remain enthusiastic and continue o communicate and trust their colleagues and manage their time efficiently and keeps them orientated to the important work tasks. Challenges to effective team performance can be overcome by the organisation being clear about the values and objectives in relation to staff and service users and communicating these and the time frame in which these are expected to be achieved. Support should be given to those who are capable of sharing the organisations objectives so they can become committed to ensuring that the service outcomes are met. If this is not done then it can be difficult to maintain effective team working. Dawes and Handscomb performed a review on team leadership in 2005 and suggested that these difficulties stemmed from competing professional interests. In different settings they reviewed the relationship between team working and care outcomes and it was found that within a long term care setting the care outcomes required effective team working to be met. It is considered that management styles can be divided into three categories. * Autocratic- characterised by individual control over all decisions and little input from group members. Paternalistic- a type of fatherly managerial style typically employed by dominant males where their organizational power is used to control and protect subordinate staff that are expected to be loyal and obedient. * Democratic- a style in which members of the group take a more participative role in the decision making process. A leader can be anyone who has the ability to influence other members of a team. It is considered that a manager and a leader are different but they are complementary to tasks being carried out. Management styles will change to reflect the stage of development the workforce’s stage of development. When starting a new team a manager will have to be clear about setting goals, establishing rules and assigning responsibility and then taking on the more troublesome tasks of organising resources, motivating and creating a cooperative team. As the team develops then roles can be delegated and appropriate support provided. Doing this enables the team to become more confident and the style of management and leadership changes so team members begin to take on more leadership functions. The primary focus of a leader is to develop and maintain trust between the service user and the staff. The service user will look at the staff to establish with them character and competence. If these two characteristics are met then this develops trust with the service user. Character relates to motive and intent, whether the staff are working towards the same objectives. Competence relates to skills and results, whether the staff are able to care for the service user and meet the objective set by the organisation. Staff that are registered with professional bodies have accountability and are answerable for their actions. They are accountable by law for meeting the standards and objectives that are set out for them. Even when staff are working towards a common goal, conflict can still arise. This can be due to different personalities, communication styles, sense of priorities and changes to workload. Trying to prevent conflict is best practice so a manager should try to build an environment that is supportive, positive and stable to try and reduce the likelihood of conflict developing. If conflict does develop then a manager should try to: * Address it at the earliest opportunity. * Keep the discussions positive. Look at what can be done to resolve the conflict. * Encourage the team to focus on the problem, not the person. Encourage honest dialogue between the team, welcoming different points of view that do not create blame. Each individual should be allowed to voice their point of view and also listen to and respect each other’s views. * Ask each individual to accept ownership of their part of the problem. * Discuss a variety of options before settling on an agreement that is based on o bjective criteria that will resolve the conflict. Conflict does not always necessarily have to be a bad thing, as if it is dealt with constructively, can lead to increased productivity, development of new ideas and personal development of team members.