Human resources management. Personal Case Study Reflection Essay

Human resources management. Personal Case Study Reflection - Essay Example Instead of hiring another architect to succeed him, the position was united with that of the SMA in an affiliate mall. Since the current SMA with expanded duties held office in another mall and only remotely communicated with Robinsland, a ‘stand-in’ was assigned with whom he could coordinate. This was Edna, who worked as technical clerk in the leasing department, a marketing group. Leasing was a logical unit to relate with the mall architects because they dealt with tenants. As junior architect, Charles’ main job was to coordinate with the tenants and conduct inspections of their units, making sure that they met the mall standards for repair and refurbishing. As soon as Edna began her new function, friction erupted between her and Charles. Edna was heard fuming: ‘OMG, Charles, you are the reason for all my problems! You are the technical person, you should know this!’ When interviewed by the Group Manager (GM), Charles expressed that he was always stressed, and he and Edna had communication problems. Charles was demoralised and was thinking of resigning. However, the GM felt that he had great potential in the company, and wanted him to stay, also because architects were getting harder to recruit for mall operations. Issues and their causes The issues in this case are squarely within the sphere of human resources management and deal with how individuals behave in relation to each other in an organisation. There are three principal issues that surfaced. Staffing The first is the issue of staffing, which is broadly defined as â€Å"the process of determining human resource needs in an organisation and securing sufficient quanti ties of qualified people to fill those needs† (Caruth, et al., 2009, p. 2). Specifically in this case, the issue revolved around the assignment of duties on the basis of convenience, not capability. The facts showed that Edna acted as bridge the role of junior architect and SMA, yet was not an architect. Expanding the scope of duties of the other SMA over two malls was a mistake because the individual occupying that position cannot effectively discharge his duties particularly pertaining to Robinsland. Charles may be an architect, but as a junior he has no prerogative to decide matters that Edna knew nothing about. Organisations’ staffing policies should require that the individual possess the skills and knowledge to discharge the duties. Motivation The second issue is that of motivation, defined as â€Å"those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed† (Mitchell, 1982, p. 81). In this d efinition, the meaning of â€Å"goal† is admitted even by experts to be ambiguous. One construct can mean â€Å"achievement goal† such as those encountered in a school or sports setting (Shah & Gardner, 2008, p. 238). In this case, however, while achievement goal may apply, it seems inadequate in explaining the cause of the conflict. Aside from the purpose of achieving the goals of their functions, Charles and Edna were also motivated by personal goals – for Charles, the fulfilment of his architectural interests, and for Edna, the need to be recognised as competent in her new job. Supervisory training It is noticeable that Edna’s designation as â€Å"technical clerk† is rank-and-file and not supervisory. A supervisor is one who is put in charge of rank-and-file personnel and is the first line of management in the organisation (McConnell, 2011). The supervisor’

Emirates stadium

Emirates stadium Emirates Stadium Historical background (who wants the project? And why?) The Emirates Stadium is built on a former brownfield industrial estate known as Ashburton Grove in Islington, London; to provide a home ground for Arsenal FC. Arsenal FCs previous stadium in Highbury, of which it was named after, was located a mere half a mile away from the emirates. The capacity of Highbury was small in comparison to other top-flight status football clubs and therefore expansions were proposed. However, due to surrounding transport and residential amenities, further to local authority planning objections, the room for expansion was very limited at the existing ground. Corporate hospitality management via corporate viewing boxes is a key business network to Arsenal FC as a means of securing deals for the benefit of the clubs financial capital. Highbury however, was incapable of accommodating the expanding wealth of prospective clients bearing interest in the club. The proposition of enhancing corporate relationships and negotiations was a key figure in the framework plans for a new stadium. Sporting successes at Arsenal FC had also widened their fan base and the demand for match tickets was outweighing the supply. Stakeholders within the ownership of the club were subsequently underutilised and opportune revenue was missed; this was sacrificial to the prospects of future investment. After selective consideration of various locations suitable for Arsenal FC and their respective fans it was therefore decided on the turn of the millennium, that a new stadium was to be developed on the Ashburton Grove site. The capabilities of generating greater capital to enable the club to financially contest with some of the biggest football teams in Europe whilst also providing first class facilities to their many supporters showed an unwavering determination for the clubs advancement. This was the birth of the Emirates Stadium. Islington, London; was before hand, a waning borough and the new stadium was seen as a solution to contribute to the regeneration of the area. BUY OUT EXISTING OCCUPANTS ON ASHBURTON GROVE very expensive Islington councils waste recycling plant Royal mail Holloway delivery office Two bridges over the Northern city railway were also built connecting the stadium with drayton park wer also built. Structure of the project (Financing, Objectives, Constraints etc.). In order for Arsenal FC to fund the approximate  £275m project, the sale of existing surplus land assets was necessary to enable their financiers to provide sufficient supporting gain for a case in obtaining a large loan to fund the remainder. Highbury was demolished and redeveloped (with the exception of the east stand due to heritage listing) into what is now known as Highbury Square; an allotment of housing units that were sold to generate over  £300m in final completion sales (currently payable in instalments to Arsenal FC). Sportswear manufacture Nike, also contributed to the project funding through their multi-million pound sponsorship deal that is still binding at present. At the beginning of 2004, the project order date, Ashburton Properties, a subservient of Arsenal Holdings plc, was created in order to gain access to a loan over  £200m from a banking assembly that specialised in stadium facilities management and funding. Noteworthy banking companies within this assembly include: the RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland plc), The Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks plc. Towards the end of 2004, a  £100.2m corporate sponsorship deal had been struck between Emirate Airlines and Arsenal FC. One of the significant terms of this deal comprised of Emirates owning the naming rights of the stadium of which led to the stadium being known as the Emirates Stadium and not its original Ashburton Grove. Multi-faceted, Analysis, Feasibility Complicated cash flow, site assembly, waste plant location, residential, demolition and disposal, advertisements. Highbury re-development 2-stage tender: Taylor Wimpey Sir Robert McAlpine Main Contractors (There Project Manager was Gulf Christiansen) Also did Excel Centre, London. Construction team was entirely site-based (Contractors and Consultants); problems were solved quickly, minimal expense, dispute resolution. Financial, Programme capital; certainty of delivery time half way through season? X Time of the essence Stakeholder analysis (Conflicts and resolutions) Construction of the Emirates stadium began promptly once the tender had been signed in February 2004. Leading UK building and civil engineering company Sir Robert McAlpine was awarded the contract as the main contractor to complete the job. Global designs practice Populous (formerly known as HOK Sport) were responsible for the architecture and design of the stadium. They have been and are currently lead architects on many large projects of similar nature throughout the UK and across the globe e.g. Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales; Wembley National Stadium, London; and the 2014 Asian Games Stadium, Incheon, South Korea. UK-based consultant engineers Buro Happold provided solutions in both structural and services engineering design to the stadium. Arcadis AYH (formerly AYH) were initially appointed as project and cost managers to the project, however, their role quickly expanded as the administering and relocation of over 80 businesses at Arsenal FCs former site was required. This allowed for commercial and residential developments within Islington to be cross-funded and eventually made provision for the new housing allotments and a new waste and recycling centre for the Islington Borough. Private funded, Private project/ contract (Onus on who?) Local communities; business displacement, working with local authorities. Sustainability issues and agendas (Impact, Conflicts and resolutions) Due to the Emirates stadium being built upon a former brownfield industrial site, Buro Happold thought it was necessary to carry out an environmental impact assessment of the estate so that any contaminated earth found could be re-generated and re-used to provide better ground conditions for the stadiums foundations. Buro Happolds engineering expertise in developing the form and structure of the Emirates Stadium was thoroughly examined to minimise the environmental impact and reflect the aspirations of the local community. One of the most noticeable design solutions provided by Buro Happolds to meet these objectives, is the clear downward sloping roof that forms a natural dish of which augments the stadiums micro-climate. When designing the project, Populous tried to coalesce the needs of the end-users with an environmentally sound structure. As the Architects of the stadium, their ideas implemented took account of multiple contributors to the sustainable agenda that is ever-growing in the UK, particularly within urban areas such as greater London. The incorporation of natural passive ventilation systems throughout the stadium has made way for a more pleasant environmental climate whilst also deducing the need for mechanical ventilation systems of which can add to the released emissions count. Solar power systems through glass cladding and skylights have also been fitted to contribute to their power-saving ethos that could potentially prove money-saving during the lifetime of the project. Not only does the stadium have sustainable measures integrated into its design but the surrounding new-build developments have also been built to standards set out under the BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Eco Homes guidelines. These form part of the Code for Sustainable Homes; a benchmark in voluntary frameworks for sustainable development. Desso Sports Systems; a company that specialise in artificial turfs for sports and recreation currently provide the stadium with their pitch. They say that their synthetic grass fibres can be recycled for civil-engineering applicationsor as artificial turf and are keen to stress the point that only environmentally friendly, biodegradable chemical products are used to clean the turf. Regeneration Brownfield site Section 106 TCPA, obligation to support and facilitate project area Newlon Housing Trust; Social Housing Evaluation of risks Even with the new Emirates stadium as the home ground for Arsenal FC, the current demand for tickets still greatly outweighs the supply. The board of directors are said to be in the process of looking to expand the stadium as a result. It is however, very unlikely that the extent of the supply will be matched by the demand due to the sheer fan-base the football club possesses and the feasibility of constructing such a vast amount extra to the existing development. The risks of this potential expansion include jeopardising the sustainability issues mentioned (above) so that the stadium only meets the demands of the present and is sacrificial to meeting the demands of the future (Brundtland). What also needs to be borne in mind is to what extent the extra capacity will bring in terms of revenue. With economies of scale in highly populated areas such as London, the capital gain of a greater number of sales made may not prove profitable and could drastically add to the clubs overall net doubt; thought to be around  £200m 3Q 2009. Motor vehicle use and other forms of private transport have not been well incorporated into the stadiums design and surrounding location. This has not been by mistake and the developers are trying to promote the use of public transport (possibly tied in with the sustainable communities agenda). There have been recent upgrades on the tube at Holloway Station (Arsenal FCs local station) and more buses have been added to frequently provide services to the stadium. The potential risks of relying on public transport are: inaccuracies in times, traffic congestion and provision for disabled supporters access to the ground. Programming Business displacement Compulsory purchase orders Financial model Stigma with football stadiums e.g. Wembley, Birse walker stadium, laing orourke millennium stadium Economic and business related factors From a marketing point of view; the emirates stadium was purely financially driven. The clubs successes had expanded to a rate which was over-utilising its existing resources and many opportune costs resulted. As an innovation to providing Arsenal FC with the maximum potential for revenue gain, a completely new and improved stadium for the entire club was seen as the most serviceable concept to adopt. REGENERATION Not about football stadium, regeneration of Islington Trying to get on the local authorities side Reflection on projects management REFERENCES: * Arcadis AYH (2006), Professional Services: Property: Lifestyle: Stadia Sports: Projects: Emirates Stadium, available from [Accessed 08/02/10]. * Building (2007), Emirates Stadium boosts Arsenal FCs Results; Football clubs income jumps 46% following move from Highbury, available from [Accessed 08/02/10]. * DesignBuild-Network (2008), Projects: Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Grove, London, United Kingdom, available from [Accessed 08/02/10]. * DesignBuild-Network (2008), Projects: Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Grove, London, United Kingdom: Specifications, available from [Accessed 08/02/10]. * E-architect (2008), Arsenal Stadium, London; Information and Photos, available from [Accessed 08/02/10]. * Sir Robert McAlpine (2006), Projects: Emirates Stadium, available from [Accessed 08/02/10].

M Butterfly :: Madama Butterlfy

I think Song's "rules" may possibly be accurate in his/her mind. After all, Song has deceived a somewhat intelligent individual for over twenty years. I saying , Song :"Rule One is " Men always believe what they want to hear." ( 82 ) I don't think that is entirely accurate,but Song has proven it to be throughout the play in dealing with Gallimard. So basically in that area Song's "rule" applies. Gillimard wanted to believe his "love" was indeed a young , Oriental woman. He refused to acknowlege otherwise because that was his " fantasy". However, I must disagree when "Rule One" also states, Song: " So a girl can tell the most obnoxious lies and the guys will believe them every time--" (82 ) Again, as far as Song's relationship with Gillimard is concerned, it is again truthful. However, I think that would be an extreme exaggeration in speaking of "men" in general, even in terms of "men" in this play. I don't think Song could have fooled Marc for very long. I think perhaps we see some of Hwang's own experiences in his life poking through into the play. As Song explains , Rule Two: " The West thinks of itself as masculine--big guns,big industry, big money--so the East is feminine--weak, delicate, poor...but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom--the feminine mystique." ( 83 ) It's possible Song interprets the West as such, at this point. If this is so, however, why does he/she also state, Song: "The Chinese men--they keep us down." ? ( 43 ) It seems, at the tender age that Song is, everyone is keeping him/her "down". The men from the West, as well as men from the East. And yet Song seems to think as well, the East is somewhat powerful, deep inside.

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker Essay

In the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, she introduces a rural black family who struggle with the meaning of heritage. To Mama, the narrator, and Maggie, the youngest daughter, heritage is whom they are, where they come from, and the everyday use of the things around them. Dee, the oldest daughter, has rejected her heritage from the beginning. She wants the better things in life and goes off to college to find them. On her return, she seems to have a newfound sense of heritage. Through a confrontation about family quilts, Mama realizes that Dee’s view of heritage is that of artistic and aesthetic value: not the everyday use of the objects that hold significant meaning in Mama and Maggie’s lives. Walker portrays one meaning of heritage in her descriptions of Mama and Maggie. Mama says she is a big boned woman with man-working hands. She wears flannel nightgowns, overalls, and has â€Å"fat to keep me [Mama] warm in zero weather† (Walker 655). She can also kill and clean a hog as well as any man. Mama is even proud of the fact that she sweeps the dirt yard so clean that is like an â€Å"extended living room† (654). Likewise, Maggie is not a beautiful girl. She has burn scars on her arm and legs and does everything she can to hide them. She is uneducated, as is Mama, and shuffles her feet like a â€Å"lame animal† (655). Maggie is affected greatly as the first house burns to the ground. Mama states â€Å"her [Maggie] eyes seemed stretched open, blazed open by the flames†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (655). Maggie understands the connection to her heritage is burning with the house. Maggie knows how to quilt because Grandma Dee and Big Dee taught her, as they have taught Mama. Through these descriptions, Walker gives a sense of poverty, but also shows that the lessons taught to Mama and Maggie by their ancestors are what keep them alive. They can feed themselves, cloth themselves, and are self-sufficient, even if they do not have money. Mama and Maggie are proud of where they come from and the fact that they are keeping the traditions alive through their everyday lives. Dee, on the other hand, has rejected her heritage from the beginning. Dee always wants nice things, remarks Mama. She wants black shoe for a green outfit and a yellow dress to wear to her graduation: even though these  things are hard for the family to come by. When the first house burns to the ground, Dee just stands by the tree with a look of â€Å"concentration on her face† (655). Dee feels no connection to the house as part of her heritage and is glad to watch it burn. Dee also rejects her heritage by rejecting who her mother is. Mama explains that Dee wants a mother who is a hundred pounds lighter and glamorous. Dee does not appreciate the knowledge of her past that is living within and through her mother. At the first chance Dee gets, she runs off to college to distance her self from her family and the poor life she is leading. Ironically, the money to send Dee to college is raised through one of the oldest traditions, her mother’s church. Dee does not realize the significance of this act as part of her heritage, nor does she care. Dee has finally accomplished her goal, getting away from the family and the traditions she despises. Upon Dee’s return home, she seems to have a newfound sense of heritage. She takes pictures of Mama, Maggie, the house, and a cow that wanders by. The house that she despises has now become a focal point to her. At dinner, Dee is excited about the food Mama prepares and Mama comments, â€Å"everything delights her† (658). Dee is intensely interested in the benches her father has built and the origins of an old dasher and turn top. It is Maggie who tells Dee the origins of the items by commenting the â€Å"Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash†¦they called him Stash† (658). Dee now seems to embrace the heritage she so quickly distances herself from in the beginning. She gives a sense of appreciation for the things she once found to be vile and an appreciation for her mother and sister. Even though Dee is interested in her heritage, Mama realizes that Dee is still distancing herself from the family and the true meaning of her heritage. When Dee first returns home, she informs Mama and Maggie that she has changed her name to Wangero because she could not stand â€Å"being named after the people who oppress   her (657). Mama informs her that the name Dee can be traced back through the family tree to the Civil war and even before that. Dee dismisses this explanation. Through the changing of her name, Dee feels that she has connected with her African roots. However, she is truly disconnecting herself from the roots of her family. Dee’s interest in Mama’s  everyday items of the dasher and turn top is purely atheistic. She tells Mama she will do artistic things with the item. All Dee can see in the items is the value they hold as art objects. The final confrontation occurs when Dee goes to the foot of Mama’s bed and takes family quilts from the trunk. Mama tells Dee she has promised the quilts to Maggie and Dee flies into a rage. She tells Mama that Maggie does not understand the value of the quilts and that Maggie would be â€Å"backward† enough to put them to everyday use (659). Mama tells Dee she hopes Maggie will use the quilts because that is what they were made for. When Mama asks Dee what will she do with the quilts, Dee responds that she will hang them on the wall. By hanging the quilts on the wall, Dee is further distancing herself from her heritage: turning it into a piece of artwork. Mama has a revelation as Maggie walks into the room. She tells Mama Dee can have the quilts because she â€Å"can â€Å"ËÅ"member Grandma Dee without the quilts† (659). Mama realizes that Maggie is the one that has a real meaning of their heritage. Maggie knows how to quilt because her ancestors taught her. Maggie knows the stories behind all of the things in the house that she and Mama put to everyday use. Maggie is the one that understand that heritage is the knowledge and memories that are inside her, not tangible objects. Mama rips the quilts from â€Å"Miss Wangero’s† hands and places them in Maggie’s lap (659). At this, Dee venomously tells her mother and Maggie that they do not understand their heritage. The irony is that it is Dee that does not understand her heritage. As she leaves, Dee places a large pair of sunglasses on her face that hide everything â€Å"above the tip of her nose and her chin† (660). Dee is once again hiding who she truly is behind a false faÃÆ' §ade that she has created: a creation that springs from the rejecting and perverting of her true heritage. Through Mama, Maggie, and Dee, Alice Walker gives a true definition of the word heritage. Heritage is what is inside Mama and Maggie, the memories and the skills they have inherited from their kindred. True heritage comes from the everyday use of the memories and skills that are passed down from generation to generation. Dee personifies what heritage is not. Heritage is not hung on a wall, admired for its beauty, and then forgotten. Heritage is  a living entity to be built upon by future generations. Mama realizes this in the end and sees that Maggie is the future of their heritage.

Describe a room of your house: My drawing room

My living room has a peculiar shape. From the pinnacle it would look like a big rectangular shape forms it with the longest sides facing north and south. To the side facing north it is then attached a smaller shape known as square. A black and white fitted carpet has covered the whole room. In addition to that, to the side facing south, is attached a half hexagonal shape. Inside the square section of the room there is the television, which is a flat, screen Philips 40 inches. The television is on the top of one of the 12 shelves that compose the TV storage combination drawer. The six drawers under the shelves, two for each column that means that over the drawers there are four shelves, are smooth running as well as accessorised with a drawer stop. The post is provided with a groove prepared for lighting and cabling, basically foil finish and aluminium. The shelves are In tempered glass. The colour of the drawers is white. In the shelves there CDs of any existing kind as well as my silver and green XBOX 360, speakers, DVD player brand Philips and sky's white digital box. On the topside of the wall facing east there is a black glass bookcase with doors. It is composed of 14 adjustable shelves; also whenever I want I can adjust the spacing between them to my needs. On the bottom of the wall facing west there is a glass door cabinet. The cabinet is in tinted solid spruce. The raw material that has been used for the cabinet is strawberries' tree's wood. The colour is dark brown and it is equipped with eight shelves. On top of them there are mainly glasses as well as two tee's services in porcelain. In the center of the room there is a painted finish white coffee table. The top is in glass with the corners reinforced in wood. The bottom part is in wood. The table is pretty short, as it has to go on level with the sofa. The sofa is divided in three sections that can be moved around in order to create a suitable combination. Its rephult white cover is removable. The sofa is a hundred percent cotton. Its steel frames are chrome plated and therefore it gives then that silver shiny look. Positioned on top of them there are two black cushions each. On the same wall there is a portray painted by Boccelli, the paint represents a man who has nothing and rests on the doorstep of an Italian church. Whenever I walk inside it a feel weird however. I don't know why but I don't feel at home and wish for braking free out of its invisible grasp. I suppose this could mean that I don't like my house or I don't like my family. I don't really know what to say; I like sitting on the sofa alone because I am use to it, however if my father were to sit beside me uneasiness would fill me. Describing the dining room My Dining room and kitchen are separated by a sliding door; therefore I like to think of them as u unique room although they aren't. It has a kind of rectangular shape. The floor of my dining room is in dark brown wood; consequently it can also be called parquet, which from French means wooden patterned floor. On top of the parquet there is a rug. The wool is soil-repellent as well as hard wearing. It is composed by a hundred percent-multicoloured wool although the prevalent colour is burgundy. In the center of the room there is a huge dining table made of oak veneer. It visibly is brown and a shady one as well. It has a height of abut 74 centimetres. The ten chairs are made of solid beech. The cover is sensibly dry-cleaned as it is made of seventy-five percent cotton and the remaining twenty-five percent of viscose/rayon. The legs of the chairs are tinted in brown black while the rest is in sanne white. The more elongated sides of the room are in communication with the South and North Pole. Very close to the wall facing east there is an armchair that could even substitute the chair of the person that heads the table as it is on the same level. The armchair is made of the same material of which the chair are made of a part from the legs which are made of plated chrome. The cover of the seat is removable, as the colour white can easily be soiled by any other colour, in order of being washed and then placed over again. If it tears it can then be substituted. On the north wall there is a portray entitled Sur La Table. Two pendant lamps illumine the room, which creates two different shades. The lamp is handmade. The material used is natural wood, not the synthetic one. Positioned ion the table there are four green, red, blue and purple candles. Attached to the wall facing west there is a red-glassed door cabinet. The cabinet is formed by twelve sliding shelves, which can change the amount of space between them. Inside them there are different kinds of glasses: Vodka, whisky, rheum, cocktail, champagne, snaps white wine, red wine, wine, juice and water. Other things inside are porcelain plates: Saucers, mugs, sugar bowls, cream jugs, trays, serving stands, oven/serving dishes, serving plates, oven serving plates with holders, gravy jugs, serving bowls with lid, side plates, deep plates and normal plates. Describing My Bedroom My room has a rectangular silhouette with edges which have been smoothed so that it gives them that modern design look as well as making the walls looking as single one that encircles the room. The colour of the walls is light blue; it strongly as well as nostalgically remembers me of the ocean that surrounds the place from which I come from, Jamaica. Similarly the colour of the — wall is deep blue. I have six light bulbs inserted inside the empty corresponding cavities, which were previously made on the covering wall; all of them can rotate and focus in different points. The floor instead of being made of marbles is parquet, which means wooden floor; moreover its colour is obviously golden-brown. It is basically patterned flooring constituted of rectangular timber boards. My bed's longest side is sided by the right wall of my room, while my personal computer and peripherals are on the other side of the room. The writing desk is equipped with a lamp as well as a laptop. It is made of stainless steel while the legs in powder-coated steel. Stool is silver coloured which goes well with the colour of the table as well as the one of the laptop. Under the table there I have a pedal bin in galvanised steel. Inside my room there is also a television that faces the door and is right in front of the north wall; under it I have my green XBOX 360 as well as my black play station 2. To its right I have a double glazed window, which does not allow the external rumours to enter inside my room. On the bottom right corner I have a four-door wardrobe; its doors are made of tempered glass reinforced with wood on the edges. On the centre of the room I have a red seating combination sofa. It is soft, Hardwearing and easy to care leather. Its legs are in Nickel-plated steel. In conclusion room is something material to others while to me its something precious and as a live as me since it can represent me and it does. What is disorder to some is order to me, this is something that I cannot change. Studying people belongings can mean understanding people since their feeling usually are enclosed in these loveless objects to strangers that appear alive to their owner.