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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by Bob Poston, cst An Exercise in Personal Exploration: Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is a valuable assessment tool that is used in many different professions, particularly those in the fields of education and health care. the ideas of needs are addressed in order, as the body resolves the most basic needs for survival before moving on to more complex needs. M ny educational programs in the health care field teach Maslow’s hierarchy in order to address the needs of patients and where they are in their life from a psychological perspective, simply because it helps identify and address the needs of those particular patients. The idea of using a hierarchy pyramid helps us to lay out the stages of need, starting with the base of the pyramid, which looks at physiological needs. As we work our way up the pyramid, the needs start to become more complex, and include safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and finally, at the very top, we have self-actualization.This article explores the theories of Abraham Maslow in detail, as well as addresses the controversies that have been questioned in his theory. This article will also evaluate the impact of these theories on human behavior and assess each of the components comprised within Maslow’s Hierarchy Pyramid. learning OBJec tives s identify the different levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs s Compare and contrast the differences between being needs and deficit needs s explain the process of selfactualization s examine how Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs impacts patient careBiographical outline Born on April 1, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York, Abraham Maslow was the first of seven children. 1 The son of under-educated Jewish immigrants, Maslow didn’t have many friends as a young s Consider the challenges to Maslow’s theories and formulate a response  © 2009 Association of Surgical Technologists For reprint permission: [email  protected] org A UGUST 2009 | the surgical technologist | 347 food and play, they would in more cases choose the food. The same was true when it came to the monkeys’ choice between water and food.The water would always be chosen as the Selfpriority over food. Self-fulfullment actualization: needs achieving one’s As the observations continued, a full potential, pattern emerged. Maslow could see, on including creative a physiological level, that if the monactivities keys didn’t have food, but had water, Esteem needs: the group was less aggressive than prestige and feeling of accomplishment Psychological those that had the water taken away needs Belongingness and love needs: from them. 1 The same held true with intimate relationships, friends safety needs.If all of the physiologiSafety needs: cal needs were met, then the monkeys’ security, safety Basic behavior became more profound when needs Physiological needs: it came to establishing social roles and food, water, warmth, rest dominance. Maslow later transitioned this idea over to human behavior and was able to establish physiological needs over child, but found his sense of self by reading books. He safety needs, safety needs over belongingness needs, belongbegan his college journey by attending City College of New ingness needs over esteem needs, and esteem needs.The York, and later transferred to Cornell University, before needs, in turn, form the first four components of the pyragoing back to City College of New York. After realizing a mid, and are addressed as deficit needs. Self-actualization, keen interest in psychology, he moved to Wisconsin, where the fifth component, addresses the need of being, which he studied at the University of Wisconsin. Throughout defines one’s own place in the universe. the 1930s, Maslow earned his BA, MA and PhD. Later, When an individual does not have enough of something, he returned to New York, where he not only taught full he or she has a deficit, ultima tely creating what Maslow has time at Brooklyn College, but he also became interested in termed â€Å"deficit needs. †1 When individuals eat and drink, human sexuality. for example, the need for water and food is met, so there Maslow served as chair of the Department of Psy- is no longer a motivating factor to obtain water or food, chology at Brandeis from 1951-61. While there, he met and the deficit need has temporarily been satisfied. Deficit a well-established researcher named Kurt Goldstein, who needs comprise or make up the four lower components of developed the idea of â€Å"self-actualization. † This concept Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid. fascinated Maslow, and it was through this notion that he On the other hand, Maslow also mentions the idea of pursued the idea of humanistic psychology, which he ultiâ€Å"being needs. † Being needs have nothing to do with deficit mately valued more than his own research.Maslow died needs. Being needs are internal, a nd are at the very top of on June 8, 1970. 1 Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid, which ties into self-actualization. 2 An example here might be drawing one’s own conclucreating the hierarchy of needs sions of where and who he or she is spiritually. This internal Abraham Maslow is well known for the creation of the concept is addressed as self-actualization. hierarchy of needs. The way he came up with this idea The following sections of this article will address each was by studying and observing monkeys.During observalevel of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in more detail in an tion, he noticed that they displayed a very unusual pattern effort to see how they apply to individuals, and how they of behavior that addressed priorities based on individual can define who and where an individual is in his or her life. needs. If, for example, the monkeys had a choice between FIGURE 1: MASLOW’S HIERARCHY PYRAMID 348 | the surgical technologist | AUGUST 2009  © 2009 Associat ion of Surgical Technologists For reprint permission: [email  protected] orgPHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS With so many different capabilities, from the regulation of temperature and hormones to the processing of water, food and the elimination of waste, the living body is the most unique machine in the universe. Despite its relative fragility, the human body can live for many years. Every single detail is so integral, from how the body processes oxygen through millions and millions of tissue cells, to the thousands of miles of arteries that carry blood and nutrients to those tissues. With this being said, there is still the need to meet the very basic essentials of ife: the body must take on oxygen, water and food. Before any further growth can take place, this very basic need has to be met. This is what Maslow addresses as a physiological need—the need for the body to work in unison to accomplish the task of basic survival. Physiological needs are influenced generally through the cr avings that we have. If a person is thirsty, he or she finds a drinking fountain. Similarly, if the individual is hungry, he or she will find food. If the body is being deprived of oxygen, it will surely react. If there is a vitamin deficiency, the body has subtle ways of fulfilling that need.One example of how the body regulates itself on a physiological level is by homeostasis. Homeostasis simply means to regulate. A part of the human brain, called the hypothalamus, plays an important role in keeping the body regulated by controlling the body’s thermostat, which is controlled by the release of several hormones called gonadotropins. If a female produces too much estrogen, the hypothalamus releases a hormone called luteinizing hormone that triggers ovulation, therefore acting like a shut-off switch for the amount of estrogen present.If the thyroid gland produces too much thyroxin, the hypothalamus produces a hormone to switch off the flow of the thyroxin. These are Throughout life, the idea of physiological needs remains consistent. The need to maintain adequate physiological balance will always be essential†¦ just a few examples of homeostasis at work, however, there are many circulatory hormones that are needed to maintain normal bodily functions. Another prime example is the release of the â€Å"fight or flight† hormones that are secreted by the adrenal medulla of the adrenal glands.If there is a need for the body to defend itself, these hormones will surge into action to prepare the body for fight or flight. These hormones, although they play an important role, are kept in compliance by regulatory mechanisms within the brain. 3 Throughout life, the idea of physiological needs remains consistent. The need to maintain adequate physiological balance will always be essential, and may kick into action in very different ways at various different times, whether the individuals experiencing it are aware of it or not.For example, how would anyone ever get a good night’s sleep if they had to literally think about their breathing pattern, heart rate or blood pressure on a conscious level? Sure some people may have to get up during the night to use the restroom or grab a glass of water, but remember that this is all part of how the body regulates itself. The notion that physiological needs tie into other, more complex needs of the hierarchy is very relevant. Maslow The basic principles of Maslow’s hierarchy have been observed in primates.  © 2009 Association of Surgical Technologists For reprint permission: [email  protected] rg AUGUST 2009 | the surgical technologist | 349 Again, this need will change depending on where an individual is in his or her life. For a young child, approvalseeking behaviors may become more commonplace. The child may engage in activities to get his or her parents’ attention by exploring or asking lots of questions. In a sense, the child needs to feel an emotional or social co nnection with SAFET Y NEEDS his or her parents. As the child evolves into a teenager, he Much like physiological needs require maintenance throughout life, so does the need to feel secure.This need is or she will more than likely become more socially active in more psychological. With that being said, safety needs may peer groups. Generally, whatever gets reinforced, supported, be different for each individual, depending on where he or or accepted by these peer groups will often determine which type of group the adolescent will affiliate him or herself she is in life. For a child, this need may manifest as the need with. This idea can be noticed at any point throughout an individual’s life. Safety needs may be different for each individual, depending on As youths ature into adulthood, they tend to affiliate with those indiwhere he or she is in life. For a child, this need may manifest as viduals or groups who accept them. A sense or a need to belong, at any the need for a saf e family environment. There has to be security stage, is influenced by several factors. in the home, with warmth and love. Some of these influences, for example, are socio-economic influences: the education level of parents and family, 4 the neighborhood in which the child grows up and the type for a safe family environment.There has to be security in the home, with warmth and love. When a family is dysfunc- of schools where they are educated, as well as the children tional, it makes it difficult for that child to move up to the who attend those schools. Whatever type of behavior is learned and accepted, based on these variables, is likely the next level of social needs because fear is often present. For adults, this need may be economic in nature. If a behavior that will form a particular individual’s character person loses his or her job, for example, fear and anxiety and self-esteem.The level of belonging must be established because of its will have an impact on that perso n’s social life, and may effect on one’s self-esteem. If the level of belonging in the cause him or her to regress. 5 Additionally, adults are not hierarchy model is low, or an individual is viewed negatively immune to the need of safety. In some parts of the world, where there is chaos, people are stuck at this level of need- by peers in that group, he or she may develop social anxiety ing to feel safe. The goal of consistently meeting the need for and may withdraw toward a level of people in which he or safety is to have stability in one’s life.It is the idea of being she fits in socially. If a child grows up in a neighborhood able to walk around the block at night without the worry of where there are street gangs, and attends schools in that being mugged. It is the idea of feeling secure in the work- neighborhood with the families of those street gangs, then place. It is conclusive that fear hinders one’s ability to move the likelihood of the child to adapt and take on that form of character becomes more likely. According to Maslow, the on to the more advanced platforms of Maslow’s pyramid. eason for this behavioral pattern is likely due to the peer groups that the child grew up with. BELONGING NEEDS This is not meant to imply that all children who grow up Advancing up the hierarchy pyramid, the next level reprein this type of neighborhood will join a gang, simply that sents the need to belong on a social level. The social level generally becomes the priority only after the physiological there is a higher likelihood of that outcome. On the other and safety needs have been sufficiently met and maintained. and, if a child is brought up in a more affluent neighborhood, it is likely that the parents will also be more educated. A sense of belonging can be felt when an individual becomes more focused on the desire to build relationships with others. In this scenario, it is more likely that the child will develop This includes th e desire for a romantic partner, to have close and adapt to the peer groups in which education is more of a priority. The influence in a child’s upbringing starts friends, and maybe to get married and have children. 1 elieved that once the physiological needs are met in sufficient detail, people move on to address these more complex needs. Safety and security make up the next platform of the pyramid. 350 | the surgical technologist | AUGUST 2009  © 2009 Association of Surgical Technologists For reprint permission: [email  protected] org with a home and family that secures the previous levels of Maslow’s hierarchy by meeting and maintaining the foundation levels of needs. Relieving any anxiety or fear will help put more emphasis on social development, and with this will come a healthier self-esteem.ESTEEM NEEDS Once the needs of physiology, safety and belonging have been met, the individual will now move on to the needs of their self-esteem. Self-esteem, like all th e prior needs, must also be maintained. This is the highest platform in the category of deficit needs. 1 The process of growth, when addressing one’s self-esteem, builds the bridge to one’s awareness. Self-esteem begins to establish itself in life as early as age two. Maslow’s hierarchy addresses two levels of self-esteem. One of those is a lower level and the other is a higher level.Maslow’s hierarchy is a two-way street. A person can spend a lifetime traveling between the two extremes. The lower form of self-esteem is directly related to an individual’s ego, meaning that there is a strong need to be respected by others. 4 Within this lower form, the individual still remains focused on acceptance by others. This lower form of self-esteem is met when an individual has established a level of status, recognition, fame, reputation and appreciation, just to name a few. These areas in a person’s life take work to maintain.They may also require so me reinforcement or validation of some kind in order for this lower form of self-esteem to be maintained. The higher form of self-esteem that Maslow addresses is that of self-respect. This higher form of self-esteem requires less maintenance because through accomplishment, it becomes a permanent part of who the individual is. We can say that once a person has gained respect for himself or herself, it is much harder to lose that respect or to have it taken away. People on the higher end of selfesteem generally like who they are.The idea of confidence in ability, the mastery of something, or the competence that is established in what these people do, supports this higher form of self-esteem. These forms of self-esteem should not be confused with an individual having high or low self-esteem. Individuals with low self-esteem often have a low opinion of themselves and their self-image. As a result, inferiority complexes are present in the individual. With this idea in mind, Maslow conten ds that the majority of people’s psychological problems are due to low self-esteem.The realism here is that if a person don’t like himself or herself, or who he or she is or what he or she has accomplished, then that person will be more critical of himself or herself. Through that process, negative self talk is born, and can create a barrier to achieving personal success. How does low self-esteem impact these lower and higher forms of selfesteem in general? If an individual has low self-esteem, the lower form of self-esteem affects the individual on a social level. The individual may, for example, constantly attempt to seek or validate feedback and acceptance on a social level from his or her peers.With regard to the higher form of selfesteem, in the individual with low selfesteem may display a lack of respect for himself or herself and the expectations that they place upon themselves would be unrealistic, or perhaps in some cases these expectations would be placed by others rather than being placed by the individuals themselves. It is amazing that all of the prior needs within Maslow’s hierarchy, including physiological, safety, and even belongingness needs are frequently met, especially in modern society and developed countries.Imagine if more people just had a little respect for themselves in the grand scheme of things.  © 2009 Association of Surgical Technologists For reprint permission: [email  protected] org AUGUST 2009 | the surgical technologist | 351 THE CONTROVERSY As we take a look at Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid, there is some controversy as to how it relates directly to humanistic psychology. Is there enough evidence to support this hierarchy when it comes right down to how people develop emotionally?Maslow set forth with the notion that these stages along Self-actualizers are focused on what matters most in defining the course of development match up with how people experience psychowho they are. Once self-re spect is gained, the individual can take logical growth. The primary contention is that a more proactive approach to bettering themselves, as well as anyone in society can regress back to, being able to remain focused on resolving any dilemmas †¦ or value an alternative aspect of the hierarchy pyramid in a way that is not parallel with Maslow’s model.For example, some cultures may be more fixated on belongto figure out, or it can be the determining factor of how well ing over safety, or esteem over belonging. 5 To answer these he or she is connected with his or her self and abilities. People who are self-actualizers are focused on what challenges, many experts believe that Abraham Maslow’s matters most in defining who they are. Once self-respect is hierarchy doesn’t always follow in sequence with how it gained, the individual can take a more proactive approach was intended.If the notion of self-esteem, for example, is thought to develop in children as early as two years of age, to bettering themselves, as well as being able to remain focused on resolving any dilemmas that may arise regarding then why does Maslow address esteem needs so high up in the deficit stages. Self-actualizers may be more generative in the hierarchy pyramid? Humanistic psychology does challenge some of these notions, even though Maslow was a the sense that the focus is no longer as much about pleasbeliever in humanistic psychology. ng others as it is giving back or sharing this part of who Another oft-challenged aspect of his work is that Maslow they are. 6 In other aspects, it can also appear to be spiritual. himself defined self-actualizers as people of great accomLooking at one’s life as to who he or she is in the universe is a good example. Once a person is able to come to terms plishment, such as former presidents, dignitaries and great discoverers. With that being said, it is very difficult to place with who they are, and they are ultimately satisfi ed with an emphasis on the concept of self-actualization.How sigthat, then they have truly reached the point of being able nificant is the concept of the self-actualizer? The only way to self-actualize. With this level of intuition comes a sense of peace, which that to answer that question is to say that all people are at in turn serves as a motivator to focus on more advanced different stages of development, and all of them are selftasks in life, such as supporting the moral and ethical stan- actualizers in some form. SELF-ACTUALIzATION Self-actualization is defined by Maslow as the single component of being within the hierarchy model.Being, in this sense, means not being a part of the deficit needs as they appear within the lower chain of the hierarchy. 1 This need is independent—there must be some accomplishment of all the other deficit needs, which are best defined as what we appear to be, according to the standards of society. Selfactualization is the internal dialogue t hat everyone establishes at some point in their lives. In order to do that, there must be some establishment or satisfaction of the prior needs. Once all of the previous needs have been met, an individual can direct his or her focus toward a true calling.Usually when a person is hungry, or they don’t feel safe, or they feel unloved, the focal point leans towards resolving those issues, therefore disrupting the focus on self-actualizing. With self-actualization, being able to pinpoint how one truly feels about something is often a little more challenging dards in life. There is a more in-depth focus on bettering oneself and expanding one’s knowledge and talents. The real definition to self-actualizing is getting to know oneself, while being okay and unconditionally accepting of whatever it is that he or she discovers.The question every individual must face is, do you like and accept who you are? Once that question is answered, then self-respect is gained. Once an indivi dual establishes that respect for his or herself, no one can take that away. In this context, Abraham Maslow is justified in establishing self-actualization in a category by itself that quantifies the need of being separately from the need of deficit. 352 | the surgical technologist | AUGUST 2009  © 2009 Association of Surgical Technologists For reprint permission: [email  protected] org verview When looking at Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid, an important concept to remember is that anyone at anytime can regress back to any point within the hierarchy structure that Maslow addresses. How does this impact human behavior? Looking back at the very basics of physiological needs for example, people need to feel good. It does not matter if a person is employed as a janitor or a top-notch cardiac surgeon, if he or she is diagnosed with a disease that impacts them physically, he or she is likely to regress back towards satisfying any physiological needs that may come about.The affecte d individual’s attitude towards the prognosis of this disease will likely contribute towards a shift in his or her priorities. Emotionally, the feelings of love and belonging may be impacted in the sense that they may want to ensure that their loved ones are safe when they pass. With regard to esteem, for some, there may be a great sense of loss, while others may come to terms with the fact. With that being said, there are circumstances that affect each individual with regard to where he or she stands in the hierarchy pyramid. Is everyone a self-actualizer? Yes. For each individual, this experience is different.It is experienced at different depths depending on individual life experiences. The more in touch one is with one’s inner self, the better he or she can control, and often master, one’s self-talk. It is also important to remember that all individuals are constantly impacted by the forces of life, some of which are far beyond personal control. When the opp ortunity arises to experience this hierarchy, and the needs of deficit are fully met, it allows the individual to make a closer connection with the concept of self-actualization. Also, when these deficit needs are met, self-actualization, in a sense, is likely to become even more enhanced.The bottom line is that everyone is effected emotionally at every level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If early life experiences as a child are positive, and needs are being met, that individual will excel in the area of self-confidence and self-esteem at much faster rate. It helps to establish a strong foundation for life. Later, the individual is able to establish a much stronger set of coping mechanisms when one of the deficit needs isn’t being met. Additionally, when adverse circumstances confront the individual, he or she is often better-equipped with the ability to problem solve and confront the challenge confidently.Conversely, if early life experiences as a child are negative , and needs are not met, that individual’s foundation isn’t as secure, and he or she is not as likely to excel in selfconfidence and self-esteem, rather, he or she is likely to get trapped a state of constantly seeking approval from peers. He or she may develop a fear of making mistakes. The majority falls somewhere in between what is positive in life and what is negative. Ultimately, individuals who develop a strong, well-established foundation are likely to be emotionally strong and can exercise a stronger sense of self control.Those whose foundation is shaky and not very stable will focus more on protecting it, therefore having less confidence in that foundation. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert A Poston, cst has been a surgical technologist since 1993. He began his work in education with Concorde Career College in North Hollywood, California in 1997. He has been a guest speaker with the California State Assembly of Surgical Technologists in 2001 and 2003. Robert Poston is c urrently the Program Chair for Surgical Technology at Everest College in Thornton, Colorado. He has also served as an item writer for the National Certification Exam for Surgical Technology.RefeRences 1. Boeree, George C. â€Å"Abraham Maslow, 1908-1970. † Personality Theories. 2006. Available at: http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/maslow. html. Accessed 4/9/2009. 2. BambooWeb Dictionary. â€Å"Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. † 2009. Available at: http://www. bambooweb. com/articles/m/a/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs. html. Accessed: 4/9/2009. 3. Applegate, Edith. The Anatomy and Physiology Learning System. 2000. p 214-215. 4. Drinnien, Beverly; Irwin, Donald; Simons, Janet. Psychology—The Search for Understanding. West Publishing Company. New York. 1987. Available at: http://honolulu. awaii. edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/ teachtip/maslow. htm. Accessed: 4/9/2009. 5. NetMBA Business Knowledge Center. â€Å"Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. † 2007. Available at: http://www. netmba. com/mgmt/ob/motivation/maslow/. Accessed: 4/9/2009. 6. Van Wagner, Kendra. â€Å"Self-Actualization and the Hierarchy of Needs. † 2009. Available at: http://psychology. about. com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/ hierarchyneeds_2. htm. Accessed: 4/9/2009.  © 2009 Association of Surgical Technologists For reprint permission: [email  protected] org AUGUST 2009 | the surgical technologist | 353

Critically review the situation at RestaurantCo Essay

This essay analyses the case of RestaurantCo, a large non-unionised restaurant company with over 300 branches across the UK, and more than 7000 employed staff members (Suter & Marchington 2011). According to Brad and Gold (2012, p.401) the term non-unionised is a ‘workplace, where managers have flexibility in designing work, selecting, promotion and training people, and determining rewards and other human resources (HR) practices.’ As briefly defined managers carry out many duties and responsibilities for the business. In order to have a better understanding of the role of line managers and employee relations at RestaurantCo it would be necessary to explore and outline the strengths and weaknesses of the company. To be more specific, this essay will explore and outline the main strengths and weaknesses in the working style of branch managers and the structural centralisation within the organisation, the formal and informal employee involvement and participation (EIP) practices, the working relationships between front line managers and employees, and the competitive effectiveness of the organisational HRM system and capability framework for branch managers. This case study of RestaurantCo focuses on the organisational problems that stems from the centralisation of corporate decision making and monitoring. The company regarded itself as a high quality restaurant business with a strong focus on positive employee relations thus reflected in their history of informal employment relations approach (Suter & Marchington 2011). However, since the change in ownership the company had to implement new business strategies and HR practices as well as make further enhancements to the restaurant environment. For instance, the changes in the restaurant environment included refurbishments, expanded food and drinks menus, and cost savings by integrating the supply chain with other  restaurants owned by the group (Suter & Marchington 2011). Consequently, some of these changes were seen as quite extensive and problematic for restaurant managers. For instance, some of these organisational changes were somewhat inefficient and costly in terms of deliveries and that mistakes were frequently made in the order and supply of ingredients (Suter & Marchington 2011). Managers were no longer able to order directly from suppliers but instead were instructed to direct their orders through the supply chain department, whose understanding of the needs of individual branches were seen as limited (Suter & Marchington 2011). There were also additional changes in improving customer service such as the introduction to the ‘Mystery Customer’ initiative (Suter & Marchington 2011, p.213). This program initiative was seen as a form of corporate centralised monitoring and control of service, which somewhat contradicts the supposed given autonomy to branch managers. This demonstrates senior management distrust in its branch managers’ abilities to meet or fulfil their duties and responsibilities. This form of control violates the ‘psychological contract’ between the branch managers and employers which is also known as a ‘two-way exchanged of perceived promises and obligations between employees and their employer’ (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 12). In this case, senior management had infringed on the trust between its branch managers by having a ‘centralised monitoring system’ in placed to gather customer information and business performance, thus in turn viol ating their psychological contract (Suter & Marchington 2011). Consequently, creating a negative ‘low-trust and low-commitment’ relationship compared to a ‘high-trust and high-commitment’ participatory relationship between senior management and branch managers (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 160). Nevertheless, control is seen as somewhat necessary by senior management, but ‘too much control might be counterproductive’ (Dant & Nasr, 1998, p. 7). Hence, ‘excessive levels of control’ should be carefully considered as it will ‘impact on business performance levels’ (Dant & Nasr, 1998, p. 7). As stated in Dant and Nasr (1998, p.7) tight control is generally not perceived well by managers who are driven by a strong desire for ‘independence and autonomy’, they may withheld ‘authentic and helpful information’ from senior management or employers in order to preserve some indirect form of control as they might believe that their input would not be valued or validated. In this particular case, tight control would lead to less cooperation between branch managers and senior management. Furthermore, feedback from mystery customers to senior management may not be as useful or informative compared to the managers’ vast degree of knowledge and experience regarding its local business restaurant market environment and business performance levels. Rather than just rewarding ‘performance related bonus’ to managers who receive an overall satisfactory rating from mystery customers there should also be incentives or reward schemes in placed for managers who actually provide ‘authentic and helpful information’ to senior management (Michael, 2002, p. 329). This sort of privileged information could further enhance the organisation’s productivity and performance. For instance, the organisation would have a greater competitive advantage through new strategic opportunities and awareness of new threats as mentioned by its’ branch managers (Michael, 2002, p. 329). This ‘upward’ flow of information decentralises the tight monitoring and control of senior management but more importantly strengthens the communication, commitment, trust and employee relations between senior management and its branch managers through reciprocal cooperation and reward schemes (Michael, 2002, p. 329). It is crucial in service industries that branch managers be given more autonomy to make operational decisions as their understanding of the business environment surrounding their individual branches is relatively more extensive compare to senior management and management support, who have limited understanding of the business environment. This process is referred to as ‘decentralisation’ (Dant & Nasr, 1998). According to Suter and Marchington (2011), each restaurant establishment was usually run by a branch manager and two assistants. The role of supervisory responsibilities was shared between the branch manager and assistant manager due to the long operating hours and the shift system, hence, the manager on duty would take on the role of supervising employees (Suter & Marchington 2011). The manager on duty dealt primarily with problems and issues in regards to employees, and that wider issues were assigned to the branch manager. The branch managers in addition carried out a number of HR functions such as employment appraisals, pay reviews, and personal development plans (Suter & Marchington 2011). These branch managers had described their work as being more intensified and that the HR policies had become more sophisticated and  formalised (Suter & Marchington 2011). Branch managers were supposedly allowed a fair degree of autonomy in how they could manage the restaurant. A key element of the capability framework enabled branch managers to take charge of their own delivery and performance. However, managers experienced great difficulty in making operational decisions regarding their restaurant. Some of the reasons were due to the fact that the management support team were not always readily available to branch managers but also that company-wide operational decisions were being implemented at branch levels, in turn conflicting with branch managers’ operational decisions (Suter & Marchington 2011). Branch managers should be provided with support throughout the restaurant operational hours from the management support office except, the restaurant support team operates on a 9-5 office-based workplace arrangement (Suter & Marchington 2011). This would lead to significant problems when the restaurant requires assistance after the support office ends operation, therefore causing an inconvenience when decision and support is needed. It might also affect the organisation’s reputation if issues are not promptly resolved. Without proper support and facilitation from the support management team, branch managers are unable to perform their role efficiently. Under the influence of senior management, branch managers were pressured into implementing formal relationship practices with their employees (Suter & Marchington 2011). However, one of the core components of a psychological contract is ‘workplace communication’ which will generally help to minimize the ‘false consensus effect,’ meaning that people assume that they share the same perceptions (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 433). For instance, branch managers perceived the restaurant and its employment relations as informal whereas head office had expressed the need for more professional management and more importantly had over-rated the formality of policy implementation at branch level (Suter & Marchington 2011). Notably, communication is a significant component of a psychological contrast as it is quite evident that branch managers and senior management had conflicting views on how the restaurant business needed to be operated. Alternatively, It would be beneficial for senior management and branch managers to effectively communicate their views across to one another in order to minimize the ‘false consensus effect’ (Bratton & Gold, 2012, p. 433). Again, to ensure that this can actually happen, senior management  would need to be more readily available to branch managers and vice versa in order to strengthen the psychological contract between them. According to the branch managers the organisational change brought about more job responsibilities, intensified workload and more expectations from senior management (Suter & Marchington 2011). Whilst handling their ‘supervisory responsibilities’, the day–to-day HR functions and operational responsibilities such as ordering and control of stock/supplies, forecasting labour budgets and marketing initiatives were devolved into the roles of branch managers (Suter & Marchington 2011). This devolvement of HR functions into the role of branch managers goes beyond the parameters of what is required of branch managers. Despite this, senior management have not provided their branch manager with further additional training in their new responsibilities and duties neither has it been outlined in their legal binding contract. Even though the assistant managers and branch managers shared the same responsibilities of supervising the employees, employees still reported directly to the branch managers (Suter & Marchington 2011). Instead of sharing this supervisory responsibility of employees, it would be more efficient and productive to delegate this responsibility to the assistant manager so that branch managers can focus more on the operational responsibilities and HR functions. Another obstacle branch managers had identified was their inability to make operational decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the branch due to the lack of coordination or collaboration in the senior management company-wide operational decision-making process (Suter & Marchington 2011). This in effect reinforces senior management distrust in its branch managers’ ability to fulfil their role and therefore, causing resentment and animosity towards senior management from its branch managers. According to Dant and Gundlach (1998, p.37) ‘excessive controls aimed at monitoring’ employees can be costly as it can generate ‘motivational and morale problems’ among employees. It is important from a management perspective to ‘balance the forces of dependence and autonomy’ within the business in order to maintain ‘the long run viability’ of the business organisation (Dant & Gundlach, 1998, p. 37). In terms of achieving overall effectiveness senior management need to contribute to a more productive relationship between branch managers and employees in their organisation. Another important aspect to consider is  that the company and branch units have ‘contrasting economic and managerial characteristics’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 276) whereby, the senior management of the company must meet two key management challenges: ‘maintaining uniformity and system-wide adaptability’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 277). With reference to RestaurantCo, units in a chain share a common identity by operating under the RestaurantCo trademark (Bradach, 1997, p. 277). There are five underlying categories of uniformity in an organisation and they are, ‘the line manager, organisational systems, learning culture, role and responsibility and HR department and professionalism’ (Harrison, 2011, p. 921). In order to ‘preserve the integrity and value’, the company must enforce uniformity across these five underlying categories through bureaucratic control and standardisation (Bradach, 1997, p. 277). Furthermore, in order to ensure the sustainability of the company, it must be able to adapt to the ‘opportunities and threats’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 282). In addition, senior managers must identify and implement system-wide adaptation processes and practices that will fit to some extent across all of the individual branches, except the main challenge of this is to ensure that all the branches move in the same direction. The ‘plural form’ model of management proposed by Bradach (1997) can be used to effectively a ddress the uniformity and system-wide adaptability problems. The ‘plural form’ consists of four processes which are as followed: ‘modelling process, ratcheting process, socialisation process and mutual learning process’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). Through these processes the company can pursue greater uniformity and improve system-wide adaptation across the restaurant chains (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). The modelling process is focused on the structural element of the management by increasing the use of common practices across the organisation and the restaurant chains (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). The ratcheting process is part of the control system of management which enables both branch managers and senior managers to influence each other as well as increase the level of uniformity and performance of the chain overall (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). The socialisation process reflects the career path aspect of management, which essentially helps to create a shared understanding of what is required to operate a restaurant, thus will increase the uniformity across the chain (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). Lastly, the mutual learning process is also referred to as the strategy making  process, which focuses on improving the system-wide adaptability by providing ‘performance data and demonstrating new ideas to help persuade branch managers to adopt the proposed system-wide adaptations’ (Bradach, 1997, p. 283). Overall the ‘plural form’ is used to overcome some of the control problems associated with managing restaurant branches and maintaining uniformity across the chain (Bradach, 1997). Another important key issue highlighted from this case study is how formal and informal employee involvement and participation (EIP) practices are implemented by management. According to the RestaurantCo capability framework which consisted of eight capabilities, four related specifically to informal EIP (Suter & Marchington 2011). EIP is influenced or shaped by four dimensional factors which are, the two type of ‘forms of EIP’ (formal and informal EIP), ‘degree of involvement of the employees’ (ranged from very little to a considerable amount), ‘different levels of EIP within the organisation’ (head office to branch level) and ‘scope of subject matter’ (long term plans that are central to the organisation and short term issues regarding the restaurant) (Marchington & Kynighou, 2012, p. 3338). RestaurantCo depend heavily on their employees’ interaction with customers, for this reason it is noticeably best to implement informa l EIP because their engagement with customers is instrumental to the organisational performance levels and profitability. By using informal EIP branch managers are able to gain employees’ affective commitment to the organisation (Rodrigues, 1994). Although, branch managers must take into consideration the contextual circumstances in relation to the restaurant and the four contingencies outlined above to assist in determining the appropriate EIP to implement for their given work situation (Rodrigues, 1994). More specifically, formal EIP was utilised in the larger and busier restaurant branches as branch managers had less time to involve employees informally and formal EIP was the most effective way of bringing staff members up to date with important information and news (Suter & Marchington 2011). On the other hand, informal EIP was utilised or practised more predominately in the smaller branch restaurants (Suter & Marchington 2011). However, effective co-existence of formal and informal EIP is essential for the organisation’s long term sustainability (Denton, 1994). Informality at RestaurantCo is an effective instrument of recognising and managing employee voice (Denton, 1994). The  role of informality is to give employees an open channel for informal communications with managers, so that they can address their concerns and to give informative feedback on work related issues (Beattie, 2006). The constant changeability and flexibility of the workplace environment, illustrates the need for informal day-to-day communications in comparison to official formalised meetings with employees, which can be more costly and time consuming. Above all, the flexibility and diversity of organisational arrangements in the service industry reinforces the need for the implementation of informal EIP practices (Beattie, 2006). In summary, the RestaurantCo case study illustrated some important strengths and weaknesses in the HR management practices and organisational frameworks. Overall, several weaknesses were identified such as the need for informal relations between line managers and employees, the importance of decentralisation to enable cooperation and collaboration between branch managers and senior management through the ‘plural form’ model. Furthermore, it was exemplified that there should be a co-existence and implementation of both formal and informal EIP in the workplace. Evidently, business performance levels can be improved by balancing the dependency and autonomy of branch managers, so that they can efficiently perform to their capabilities. In conclusion, this essay highlighted some positive and negative issues regarding operational responsibilities of senior management and branch managers. References Beattie, RS 2006, ‘Line Managers and Workplace Learning: Learning from the voluntary sector’,Human Resource Developmental International, vol.9, no.1, pp. 99-119, viewed 2 Setptember 2013, Ebsco database. Bradach, JL 1997, ‘Using the plural form in the management of restaurant chains’, Administrativ.e Science Quarterly, vol.42, no.2, pp. 276-303 viewed 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Bratton, J & Gold, J 2012 Human Resource Management: theory and practice, 5th edn, Palgrave Macmillan, London. Dant, RP & Gundlach, GT 1998, ‘Dependence in Franchised Channels of Distribution’, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 14, pp. 35-67 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Dant, RP & Nasr, NI 1998, ‘Control techniques and upward flow of information in franchising in distant  markets:conceptualisation and preliminary evidence’, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol.13, pp. 3-28 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Denton, DK 1994, â €˜Empowerment through Employee Involvement and Participation: Ford’s Development and Training Programs’, Empowerment in Organisations: An International Journal,vol. , no.2, pp. 22-28 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Harrison, P 2011, ‘Perspective on Practice: Learning culture, line managers and HR professional practice’,Journal of European Indutrial Training ,vol. 35, no.9, pp. 914-928 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Marchington, M & Kynighou, A 2012, ‘The dynamics of employee involvement and participation during turbulent times’, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol.23, no.16, pp. 3336-3354 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Michael, S C 2002, ‘Can a franchise chain coordinate?’, Journal of Business Venturing, Vol.17, pp. 325-341 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Rodrigues, CA 1994, ‘Employee Participation and Empowerment Programs: Problems of definition an d implementation’,Empowerment in Organisations,vol. 2, no.2, pp. 29-40 viewed on 2 September 2013, Ebsco database. Suter, J & Marchington, M 2011, ‘The role of line managers and employee voice in the restaurant industry’, in T Dundon and A Wilkinson (eds), Case studies in global management: Strategy, innovation and people management, Tilde Press, pp. 212-220

Is there any danger in relying on a system like SAIGA? Essay

1.In what manner does SAIGA act as an MIS and DSS? For DSS, which supports problem specific decision making, SAIGA acts in the same manner by doing the following: Provides useful charts that managers review to spot patterns and problems in scheduling and resources. Assists in management making effective decisions. Assists management with allocating resources. As far as MIS, which helps an organization â€Å"do things right†, SAIGA act in this manner by doing the following: Decline in flight delays More appropriate and timely assignment in resources Faster turnaround time for flights Faster through time for passengers Reduced Operating costs Directing passengers to parking stands and gates 2.Why is scheduling of this scale best left to information systems such as SAIGA rather than to human managers? With the ongoing list of tasks that are provided with the operations of an airport as listed in the Case 1 Studies, being able to deliver the efficient outcome of all of these resources is beyond the skills of any person, and unfortunately, to leave to a human manager leaves more room for human error. One could not successfully be obligated to do all of the following without sufficient flaws: Gates Parking Stands Fuel Trucks Check-In Counters Buses Luggage Conveyor Belts Variety of Ground Equipment Personnel Etc. With the assistance of SAIGA, this is all possible and it additionally provides a way to reduce stress and increase the overall Profit Net Margin while assisting with day to day operations. CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS 1. What other industries might benefit from an information like SAIGA? Other industries might benefit from an information system like SAIGA: Hospitals Nursing Homes Prisons/Jails School Systems City Buses / Transportation Offices Commercial Businesses Etc.

The Causes Of The Palestinian Israeli Conflict Essay

The Causes Of The Palestinian Israeli Conflict - Essay Example The conflict thus received considerable attention from scholars studying conflict and terrorism between the two countries (Caruso and Esteban 1; Ross 6). The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is mainly a dispute regarding the possession and control of territory referred to as the holy land, Palestine and Eretz Israel. Territory control evokes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with powerful passion that involves identity, propriety of cultural together with religious claims and honor (Kapitan 494). Elements in both sides of the conflict consider control of the region as a way of securing cultural identities as well as the human rights of their own individual members, their continuous presence in the land, room for cultural appreciation and development and survival of their people as a distinct population (Waxman 76). Both sides of the conflict seek autonomy and the fact that they seek it in the same territory results in the conflict, a struggle that often turns deadly killing even the unarm ed and innocent people (Allegra and Paolo 263). Majority of Israeli Jews together with their supporters are determined to create and uphold a Jewish state in Palestine with their dominant leaders endeavoring to extend the state to most of the territory. Therefore, after 1967, expansion into west bank ensured that either the Palestinian Arab population in the west bank moved to other parts or it was confined in isolated enclaves (Hallward 262). Violence in terms of overt physical assault, settlement building, expulsion, economic restrictions and structural violence of land confiscation have been the predominant ways of securing the Jewish end while Arab civilians are the principal victims (Kapitan 495). On the other hand, Palestinian Arabs retain deep desire to maintain or return to the territory where they were the predominant community in at least the past 1300 years. Therefore, Palestinian Arabs seek self-rule to protect their human rights and ensure they continue living in their land. After continuous diplomatic ideas and peaceful resistance failed to progress their quest, since they were the weak party, the Palestinians availed themselves to their strategies of violence in order to publicize their quest and enhance their community’s tenacity to resist (Yvroux and Jean-Paul 94). This brought the intervention of external parties making Israel to change its policies in the face of casualties among its civilians (Kapitan 495-6). The principle of self-determination has become a diplomatic stage for both Arabs and Jews who claim autonomy in Palestine. Zionists argue the 1917 Belfour declaration together with 1922 League of Nations permission for recognizing Palestine constitute appreciation of the Jewish right to autonomy in Palestine, a right which moreover grounds in historical and cultural links of Jews to the land. Arabs counter by arguing that those who actually owned and inhabited a territory for a long period have the right to self-determination in the land and in Palestine, thus this only means the Arab majority. Despite assurances before 1947 from Zionist leaders that Jews never had the intention of evicting Arabs out of their land and homes, Zionist political rhetoric in streets and exclusive policies regarding Jewish owned land brought to the surface other intentions. On the other hand, Palestinian Arabs requested for the establishment of democratically elected council and eventually establishment of an Arab state that emulated the successful countries across the borders (Kapitan 497). Expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians during the 1947-1949 war is a basis for

Frederick Reichheld - The Loyalty Effect (1990s) Essay

Frederick Reichheld - The Loyalty Effect (1990s) - Essay Example According to Frederick, loyalty is essential because it creates customer retention which is usually the best way to measure how the company creates value. Loyalty also creates value for customers and builds growths and profits.Loyalty is linked to value creation because it reliably measures superior value delivery. Loyalty also brings economic effects such as; As the cost reduces, the revenues will rise increasing the profits. This will provide resources for investing in the business which will bring more profits that will enable the employee to get more compensation and thus they are retained. Increased profits in a company increase the company value and provide incentives for employees, customers, and investors so as to remain loyal to the company. Customer retention involves maintaining the previous or the long-term customers into their business. Normally, the performance of the business in all areas will play a role in retaining customers. A company that makes profits will enable the business to go large scale taking advantage of the economies of large scale. This will enable the business to offer the goods at a low price. There will be good remuneration towards the employees and therefore they will be retained more. When a customer is retained, their value for the future relationship with the businesses also retained. Therefore, retaining customers means retaining that lifetime value in terms of spending and their influencing power to the other possible customers through referrals. (Matthwew, 2011) According to the recent studies, it is cheaper to retain the existing customers than to hire new employees.However, the effect of retention on profitability can be huge because rising the customer retention rates by 5% increases the profits from 25% to 95%.This is because the lifetime value of a given customer is realized and the impact of retention goes beyond retaining this lifetime value.

In the movie The Hurricane what was Ruben Hurricane Carter's Identity, Essay

In the movie The Hurricane what was Ruben Hurricane Carter's Identity, meaning and relationships with other chartecters - Essay Example Carter has personally authored the screenplay which is the reason why it fundamentally portrays the opinion of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. The film portrays Carter as a passerby who is innocent and is not involved in the act of murder. According to the story’s plot, Carter was driving with a friend of his named John Artis towards home. They were on their way back from a club in Paterson when the police made them stop and inquired them about the murder of three people in a bar. The police’s suspicion was flared up by the claim of Alfred Bello that Artis and Carter were the witnesses of the act of murder. The police arrested Artis and Carter due to the allegations imposed by Bello upon the two and later, Carter was sentenced for life thrice. Carter maintained his position saying that he was being humiliated because of his African American race and his active participation in the civil rights movement. Despite the fact that Arthur Bradley and Bello recanted their allegation in 1974, Artis and Carter faced reconviction. Carter’s case was reinvestigated in 1980s by the state of New Jersey upon the insistence of Lesra Martin, a Brooklyn teenager who was working with activists from Canada. The Federal District Court decided in 1985 that the conviction of Carter happened solely because of racism.

Data Collection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data Collection - Assignment Example of the sources used by victimologists in USA include the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and the National Crime Victimization (NCVS). This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each of these resources and gives the similarities and differences of each. It also explains how official statistics can be used to indicate trends and how victimologists can utilize data from these sources. The UCR is a national data resource that compiles crimes from local police departments on an annual basis (Karmen, 2010). According to Crime and Criminal Justice (n.d.), the UCR program collects statistics for the following crime statistics: Data available from the UCR program is thoroughly examined before publishing. It compiles vast information of published tables, which are used to track crime trends across the states (Crime and Criminal Justice, n.d.). UCR carefully studies deviations that may result in errors since accuracy is critical component for any reporting. Preliminary reports for the previous year are released in spring, and the Crime in the United States, which is a more comprehensive report, is released in the fall (Crime and Criminal Justice, n.d.). This report has data on number of crimes, trends, arrested people, cleared crimes, homicides and offender characteristics including the relationships and used weapons. This report is, therefore, readily available with all the necessary statistics one would require. The UCR program provides data at different levels (Crime and Criminal Justice, n.d.). Many law enforcement agencies participate including the state, municipality, county, tribal and also universities and colleges. The UCR reports crimes that are only known to the police. This is because most victims of crime do not document their experiences with the law enforcement agencies that participate in this program. There is, therefore, underestimation of both the prevalence and incidence of crime. This program

Different opinions about what is psychology Essay

Different opinions about what is psychology - Essay Example But psychologists do experiments and make observations which others can repeat; they obtain data, often in the form of quantitative measurements, which others can verify. This scientific approach is very different from forming opinions on the basis of individual experience or arguing from premises that no one can test. As a science psychology is systematic. But one of the major aspects of science that is measurement is not possible in most of the situations. Psychological studies cannot be measured directly by physical scales. Even then we can often design our experiments and arrange our observations so that we can use physical measures of space and time to tell us about psychological events. Thus, fundamental differences in viewpoints show up in the very definition of psychology and in ideas about what psychology should study and how. Such differences and the arguments as they spark can make psychology a lively field indeed. In the history of psychology, strong differences of opinion about what psychology should study and how it should do it were represented by schools of psychology-groups of like-minded psychologists, which formed around influential teachers who argued for one viewpoint or other. Psychology as a separate area of a study split away from philosophy around 100 years back is captured in William James famous textbook of 1890, the principles of psychology. James Wundt & the other psychologists of the time thought of psychology as the study of mind. In the decades of the twentieth century, psychologists came to hold quite different views about the nature of mind and the best ways to study it. About the same time, fundamental questions were raised about what should be studied in psychology: should psychology be the study of mind, should it study behavior or should both mind and behavior is included Different influential psychologists of the time held quite different views on the nature of mind and the proper subject matter for psychology. The prominent schools of psychology may be categorized as Structuralism, Gestalt, Functionalism, Behaviorism and Psychoanalysis. Structuralism: Around the ideas of mind, structuralisms thought as in chemistry, a first step in the study of the mind should be a description of the basic or elementary, units of sensation, image and emotion, which compose it. The main method used by the structuralists to discover these elementary units of mind was introspection. Subjects were trained to report as objectively as possible what they experienced in connection with a certain stimulus, disregarding the meanings they had come to associate with that stimulus. These experiments using introspections have given us a great deal of information about the kinds of sensations people have, but other psychologists of the challenged the idea that the mind could be understood by finding its elements and the rules for combining them. Still the others turned away from describing the structure of the mind to study how the mind functioned. Gestalt psychologists maintained that the mind should be thought of as resulting from the whole pattern of sensory activity and the relationships and organizations within this pattern. According to Gestalt psychologists, the mind is best understood in terms of the ways elements are organized. Functionalists did experiments on the ways in which learning, memory, problem solving and motivation help people and animals adapt to

Duke Ellington Biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Duke Ellington Biography - Essay Example However, he began to attend concerts and was enthralled by the work of ragtime pianists and from here he began working on his musical style. In 1917, Duke Ellington began his musical career by playing the piano at night. He formed a band, and the drummer of this band later felt it was necessary to move to New York City to join a local orchestra. Duke Ellington followed the drummer, moving to Harlem and becoming an influential figure here, perhaps more so than he had been at home in Washington D.C. In 1924, Duke Ellington made his first eight records, and in 1925 began contributing to the Chocolate Kiddies revue, which was designed to introduce people to African American music. From here, his career really began to bloom. Duke Ellington became very famous, playing a number of important jazz clubs and even being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. However, unfortunately, he died of lung cancer at the age of 75. Over 12,000 people attended his funeral, including his widow and Ella Fitzgerald, another influential jazz musician of the time. Since his death, Duke Ellington has continued to be recognized as one of the most important figures in 20th-century American music and continues to have an influence over jazz and popular music today.

World War II and the Holocaust Essay Example for Free

World War II and the Holocaust Essay History would attest that Adolf Hitler is arguably the most influential figure of modern history. Although his persona is filled with notoriety and his legacy is mixed with greatness and disgust, he remains to be an undeniable impetus for the shaping of the world that we know today. He had his dreams of eternal glory, yet his he ended in perpetual shame. The man that has sent the entire globe into a war that brought the world into seven years of hell would always be Hitler. He has enticed an entire nation through his oratory and his speeches and has renewed the human understanding of human atrocity and racial genocide. He has shaped most of the modern day political and international landscape, in terms of foreign policy, racial discrimination, and Zionism. The world that we know today is mainly a product of the scientific advances brought by the demands of the Second World War, the organized extermination of races, and the heroic actions of those who did not allow for evil to prevail (Bullock, 3-12). Having Alois Hitler and Klara Hitler as parents, Adolf was born on the 20th of April in the year 1889 in a small town in Austria called Branau. His early life was filled with poverty and hardships. He became a lowly painter, a military corporal, and even a peddler with a flophouse for shelter. This was a time when he harboured his deep hatred for the Jewish race. This racial dissent has made him infamous for materializing his ruthless intentions of planning an organized mechanism on the elimination of Jews in his entire sphere of influence, and eventually, the world (Bullock 3). Hitler has left an inedible imprint in the European History and even the Worlds Modern History. Despite the fact that Hitler has never been previously engaged in any government position, he became Germanys chancellor and rose to power at the age of 43 in the year 1933. He did not possess formal education on any kind of foreign language and neither did he read intensively nor travelled extensively. Despite this, he managed to create a set of ideas that concern issues regarding foreign policy that were incorporated with his perceptions towards local and domestic affairs (Weinberg 30). Hitler’s rise to power and his capacity for evil are both astonishing. Everything about him was not extraordinary. He had a poor physique and an unimpressive appearance. Even in his execution of salutations was regarded sloppy. He was an Austrian citizen by birth, not German, which should have made the German people regard him as inferior. He was not scholastically impressive and neither did his artistic aspirations flourish. Such an existence laid the seeds of his intolerance, and his hatred of Jews and the prosperous middle classes. He was basically a failure and he only sought comfort through his withdrawal into the surreal world of fanaticism (Warner 9). On the death of Hindenburg in August of 1934, Hitler became both President and Chancellor of Germany. This allowed him to gain full command of the country’s armed forces. This is very crucial in his plans towards another world war. Every serving officer and man now took an oath of allegiance to Hitler personally. Their loyalties no longer lie in the country alone, but to Hitler himself. They vowed to adore and worship their leader and to fight and die protecting him. When, later his actions demonstrated his lack of enough sanity, but their act of pledging their allegiance to Hitler kept them from resorting to actions that would depose Hitler. This is a tremendous factor in enabling the army to fight to their death, long after the war was lost, and Germany had been invaded and overrun. Officers and men had sworn an oath to Hitler as long as they live and would never cease to follow his order and fight for him (Warner 14). A tremendous part of the impact that Hitler had towards Germany, and therefore the world, is primarily due to his strong will and how it affected the German public. He was remarkably successful in impressing his concepts and his ideas on the events that transpired instead of simply allowing these events to alter his own ideas and perception. The realities of those times were not exactly in conformation to Hitlers own, and they have proven stronger than Hitlers fanatic will and intense energies. But the explosive events during the decade of the 1930’s were not a pure random coincidence. These were manipulated by the opportunist Adolf Hitler. This allowed Hitler to corrupt the German public to his Nazi ideologies that primarily concerned the indoctrination of racism, which provided a basis for Germanys hope to arise from her defeat from the previous world war. Germany was did not meet defeat due to inherent weakness, but due to her resilience to continue fighting for long periods with the world as her enemy. This is a deep reflection of the natural racial superiority among the Aryans (Weinberg 30-32). When he formulated his foreign policy, his concepts can be summarized into this statement: The German people were not defeated during the First World War, the Jewish people and their supporters instead stabbed Germany in the back. This racialist doctrine was very significant as it included a very crucial teaching; it rejected the biblical concept that man is separate from other creatures. This novel form of pagan belief implicated that there should be purity of race which can be achieved through breeding selectively. Through this, he exploited Darwinian concepts and took advantage on the then popular belief of the need for racial hegemony. This preached that such breeding method is essential for progress, to which Germanys foreign policy must be directed to. Eliminating the categorization of people could only be judged through standards of utility instead of morality. This is the basis of the perception that the allegedly alien racial stock, which primarily pertains to the Jews, the Sinti and the Roma, was a danger to the society due to their extensive dispersion and tremendous influence and to the expanse of the progress which their assimilation had made, most especially in terms of the German society. The nightmare of the massacre of approximately six million Jews and five millions others composed of Gypsies, freemasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals and other enemies of the state shook the world and have redefined the extent of human artistic cruelty (Weinberg 32-33). Hitler, as the leader of the Third Reich, was responsible for the outbreak of World War II. Had he not decided to materialize his plans of expanding the territories of Germany for the purpose of lebensraum, or providing space for the racially superior German people and take those lands that belong to racially inferior people, the world would not have met years of infamy and destruction. But this is just one of the reasons. The main objective of Nazi Germany was to dominate the world and to establish an Empire, comparative to that of the Romans, which would last for an entire Millennium (Bullock 625). Hitler promised the people of Germany to become all powerful, that there was a new hope for the German public that the dynamism of National Socialism could be harnessed to their own limited goals. Hitler was a very promising leader who could lead Germany back to strength. Although many opposed his rise to power, as they have recognized clearly the implications of his policies, especially in the field of foreign affairs, he overcame his critics. Before 1933, the millions who pushed Hitler forward and the small clique who installed him in office, by no means constituted the whole population. But there were vast reservoirs of support for the new leader to draw on, and for many years the support only grew stronger instead of waning. The national acceptance of the leadership principle implied the unconditional surrender of the country to the will of a leader who had explained for years what he would do with power when he secured it. Hitler fulfilled his intentions of the wars favoured by his supporters and has been much loyal to the ideologies he preached until the hour of his demise (Weinberg 53). Part of his â€Å"Final Solution to the Jewish Question,† Hitler tasked General Heydrich to meet with other German officials, political and military, in order to set guidelines as how to systematically exterminate the Jews. This is known as the Wannsee Conference. Through this, Hitler ordered the construction of concentration, labour, and extermination camps all over Europe. This is where the Schutzchaffel, the Gestapo, and the Eizantzgruppen disposed the Jews and forced them to be interned into unimaginable living conditions. The most notorious of the camps built during the Nazi occupation of Europe was the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Poland. It is the largest of its kind and is most known that once a prisoner enters it, he can never get out alive. This camp did not only send the Jews and other prisoners to their deaths through the gas chambers and intense labour, it experimented on the people in the camps for development of medical treatment. Dr. Mengeles exceptional interests on twins were highly evident as when the camp was liberated, most children that survived the holocaust were identical, physically and genetically. Dwarfs examinations and skeletal scrutiny were also some of the primary subjects of the studies done in these camps. Other forms of experiment included subjects into Siamese twins and even inseminating women with animal sperms. Other relevant experiments concerning warfare included high altitude tolerance, low temperature, and salinity tolerance. These are highly useful for the Lufwaffe, or the German Air Force. For matters concerning first aid, biological warfare, and even immunization, physicians in the camp deliberately injected diseases, exposed prisoners to surgical procedures never tested, and even experimented on wounds usually acquired in battle (Medical Experimentation). Such efforts made by Hitler are very significant in the modern world. It necessitated the world to discover new ways to fight a war, to seek better medical alternatives, and even inventing technologically advance devices. More powerful forms of armaments, tanks, and even aircrafts were primarily developed during the war era. The most notable among them is the dawn of a nuclear era with the race for the invention of the atomic bomb. Today, governments ensure that discrimination is an illegal act, that it would impose sanctions to those who would profile people for their cultural, religious, and even gender orientation. But most of all, because of the holocaust, the Western governments had strengthened their support for the Jews which have led to the establishment of an Israeli state within Palestine. This success of Zionism has impacted the contemporary political situation in West Asia, as this led to years of war between Israeli citizens and their neighbouring Arab nations. Although to other perspectives see that Zionism is providing a people without land with land without people, they cannot deny that it is already occupied by Palestinians who are now evicted from the land of their ancestors (Weinberg 319; Palumbo, Land without a People). The niche of Adolf Hitler in history is quite established and his reputation can possibly be never redeemed. He has waged a war against the world, with Mussolini as his only fully fledged ally, and has in turn sent over 50 million people to their deaths. Hitlers legacy is regarded no longer with admiration and glorification, as his name and the party he had built had become a synonym to the word evil. His doctrines and his actions are now condemned for posterity to remember and never forgive. Although some still hail his name and favour his advocacies and ideologies while other still despise the person that he was, it cannot be denied that he is pivotal for the events that transpired during the mid twentieth century. His role is that he is the driving force, the cause, and the perpetrator of the crimes against humanity that the world has never known (Weinberg 287-290; Adolf Hitler).

Transportation And Communication In Pakistan Economics Essay

Transportation And Communication In Pakistan Economics Essay In Pakistan there are 96 roads of inland freight and 92 of passenger traffic and undoubtedly the backbone of Pakistans economy. Current road network of Pakistan is about 2,60,000 km which caters services to 11 million vehicles of all type and also NHA roads network is around 12,000 km, which is merely 4% of the overall road network but takes 80% of Pakistans commercial traffic. In Pakistan NHA has completed 12 projects of flyovers, bridges, interchanges and road up gradation during the last one year at a cost of Rs. 19.6 billion. At present, 46 development projects having length of 2,985 km are ongoing at a cost Rs. 245 billion in different sections/packages. All the 46 development projects include construction of roads, river Bridger, tunnels, flyovers, interchanges. In Pakistan during the current financial year, NHA has launched/awarded 16 new development projects covering a length of above 500 km inclusive construction of a number of bridges, flyovers and interchanges costing Rs. 70,951 million. NHA is simultaneously constructing 12 Bridges across the rivers. These are; on rivers Chenab 4, on rivers Sutlej 2, on river swan 1 and 5 on river Indus. Heavy rains and floods severely damaged the transport and communication system during last 2 years and preliminary estimates indicate that road approximately 8,385 km and 190 km railway lines were damaged including bridges and allied structures. In Pakistan Telecommunication infrastructure includes damages to cellular sites, exchange centres, equipment, power system and supporting civil works is amounting to $1.9 million. Ministry of Railways has also adopted a Track Access Policy for private sector participation to operate freight and passenger trains on Pakistan infrastructure and they also created a Real Estate Development and Marketing Company as subsidiary of Ministry of Railways. There are six factories including Locomotive Factory Risalpur, Carriage Factory Islamabad, and four concrete Sleeper Factories in Kohat, khanewal, sukkur, are Kotri, are being corporatized for eventual privatization subject to approval of the government. Pakistan cabinet committee of restructuring has approved a restructuring framework for their Railways and also during the last financial year, 16 kms of track was rehabilitated on Pakistan Railways network besides doubling more than 15 kms of track. There are 52 new design passenger coaches were imported from China at a cost of Rs. 4.1 billion. Remaining 150 passengers coaches will be manufactured at Pakistan railways carriage factory Islamabad by June 30, 2013. 22 passengers coaches have been rehabilitated at Pakistan Railway Carriage Factory Islamabad during last year. There is a new dry port was set up at Prem Nagar near Raiwind industrial area, Lahore through public private partnership at a cost of Rs. 494.0 million. International Airlines Corporation of Pakistan earned increased revenue amounting to Rs. 116.02 billion in year 2011 as compared to 107 billion last year. A purchase agreement of 5 Boeings 777 has been signed. In Pakistan two new destinations have been introduced during the year 2011: Karachi Madina and Quetta Zahedan and also there are three new routes were introduced during the year 2011: Peshawar Kaula Lumpur, Sialkot-Riyadh and Sialkot-Dammam. In Pakistan Karachi port trust handled cargo 27.8 million tonnes during the first 9 months current fiscal year. In Pakistan consolidated revenues of PNSC group during July-March 2011-12 were Rs. 6,640 million as compared to Rs. 6772 million last year and also the corporation intends to acquire four vessels through commercial loan/joint venture basis. In Pakistan acquisition of two vessels in process, while two more vessels will be acquired in next financial year. In Pakistan the Total cargo handled on Gawadar port up till now is 4.1 million tones while Gawadar Portearned total revenue since its start of operation amounting to Rs. 53.4 million and also in the Port Qasim Authority handled a cargo volume 19.7 million tones during July-March 2011-12. The volume of cargo importduring July-March 2011-12 stood at 14.7 million tones, and alsoexports handled 4.9 million tones during July-March 2011-12. Pakistan Ministry of Communications has prepared a draft National Transport Policy which coversall modes of transport sectors i.e. (i) Roads, (ii) Railways, (iii) Ports Shipping and this policy also includes the National Transport Corridor Improvement Program(NTCIP). This programme has been launched in the country to revamp the whole transportsector including ports, roads, railway etc. and provides a frame work to developand improve the North South corridor. In Pakistan mobile penetration rose 64.9percent in 2011-12 against 60.4percent in 2010-11 whichshows an improvement of 4.3 percentage points in total teledensity. So due to mobile substitution in pakistan, Fixed Local Loop teledensity has been declining over the yearsand it stands now at 1.93 percent compared to 2.1 percent last year showing a decrease of 0.17%. There is the total mobile subscribers reached 118.3 million by the end of March 2012 as compared to 108.9 million last year in pakistan and subscribers of Local Loop (FLL + WLL) reached at 5.93 million, out of which 3.10 million belong to FLL and 2.83 million belong to WLLin these nation. The broadband subscribers reached 1.9 million at the end of February 2012 in pakistan because of that the revenues of the telecom sector during the 2011-12, standing at Rs. 363 billion compared to the last year 344.2 billion show an increase of 5.4 percent. In the last year 2011, telecom sector invested US$ 495.8 million with cellular mobile sector being the major contributor.and also telecom sector attracted over US$ 79 million Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country which is about 5 percent of the total FDI landed in Pakistan in 2011. In pakistan the Auction of 3G licenses is expected which will bring more FDI in the country. Telecommunication Authority and the State Bank of Pakistan have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) both the institutions have shown their interest and commitment in stimulating mobile banking services in the country. In pakistan cumulative investment of approximately US $ 2.5 billion in the electronic media industry. Because of cumulative invesment new jobs to more than 200,000 people of diversified skills and qualifications have been provided. In addition, over seven million people have been accommodated through indirect employment. In pakistan with the current growth rate of more than seven percent per annum, it is estimated that the cumulative investment in the electronicmedia industry will reach above $ 3.0 billion by the end of the current financial year. There is also a PBC External Services, broadcast programmes for 08 hrs daily in 11 foreign languagescovering Afghanistan, Iran, China, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka in pakistan. The total Central Production Units (CPU) produce music, drama, features, documentaries and programmes for special occasions. CPU has over 2 million minutes recording in itsarchives which are being digitized in the country. In these country the PBC News is putting on air 117 News bulletins daily.it includes National, Regional, External and Local News bulletins besides resume of National Assembly and Senate. These PBC news launched broadcast FATA News, special news bulletins from PBC Hyderabad onrain/ flood situation and ongoing rescue and relief activities in Urdu and Sindhi languages. These countrys Post provides services through a network of 12,035 (1,797 urban and 10,238 rural)post offices across the country. The total money orders of Benazir Income Support Programme amounting to Rs.16,642.0 millionhave been paid within prescribed period of time. There is also 55 Small and Smart Express Centres have been set up in the urban areas. In Pakistan during the period July-March 2011-12 an amount of Rs. 160,266.9 million has been Collected through National Savings Schemes and earned commission amounting to Rs. 801.3 million During this period. Energy In these country of pakistan the primary energy supply during current year is 64.52 million TOE compared to 63.09 million TOE last year thus showing an increase of 2.3 percent. The availability of energy per capita in 2011 remained 0.372 Tone Oil Equivalent TOE compared to 0.371 Tone Oil Equivalent (TOE) in 2010 posting a positive growth rate of 0.16%. In Pakistan the average crude oil production during July-March 2011-12 remained 66,032 barrels per day as against 65997 barrels per day during the corresponding period of last year, showing an increase of 0.05%. In Pakistan the industrial sector had shown positive growth of 24.2% in the consumption of petroleum products during July-March 2011-12 when compared with last year. The Transport sector in this country surprisingly showed a relative small growth of 3.5 percent in the consumption of petroleum products as consumption of petroleum product in transport sector remained 6,832.9 million tones during July-March 2011-12 compared to 6,599.1 million tones during corresponding period last year in Pakistan. The total consumption of petroleum products in the power sector was 8,139 million tons compared to 8,814 million tones last year which hampered the growth in this sector, thus posting negative growth of 5.2 percent in this sector in this country. In the gas sector of Pakistan supply increased by 4.9 percent in July-March 2011-12 as the average production of natural gas was 4236.06 million cubic feet per day during this period while it was 4,050.83 million cubic feet per day in corresponding period last year. In Pakistan the natural gas in the form of CNG posted a positive growth 10.8% during July-March 2011-12. There is a total contribution of Hydel in electricity generation increased to 33.6% in 2010-11 in this country. In Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) remained the main contributor to electricity generation with 48.7% coming from this source. Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation (KESC), Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Kot Addu Power Company (KAPCO) and the Hub Power Company (HUBCO) have 8.3, 3.6, 6.2 and 9.1%, respectively. In Pakistan the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have contributed almost 25%. Water and Power Development Authority is executing, on priority basis, the projects such as 969 MW-Neelum Jhelum, 1410 MW-Tarbela 4th Extension, 7100 MW-Bunji, 4320 MW-Dasu, 740-MW Munda Dam and most mentionable 4500 MW-Diamer Bhasha Dam projects, to cope with the increasing demand of power in this country. There is almost 96% work on the main dam at Mangla, spillway and allied facilities had been completed and resettlement work is in progress. Likewise 99.7 percent work on Satpara and 72.1% on Gomal Zam dam has been completed. In this country there is one of the beneficiaries of Tetra-partner power import project under the head of Central Asia-South Asia (CASA-1000) electricity trade. In Pakistan the household sector consumed 44% of the total electricity generated followed by industrial (26%), government (12.3%), agriculture (10.4%) and commercial (6.8%) during July-March 2011-12. In Pakistan the major users of coal are the cement sector and brick kilns; about 60% of total coal is consumed by cement while 39 percent is consumed by the brick kiln industry during current year as compared to 62% consumption of coal in cement industry and 37% in brick kiln industry last year. Safety In Pakistan Health situations at household level has registered an improvement, in terms of 66% of population using flush toilets compared to 63% in 2008-09, because of that it creates a good and healthy environment. In this country Benazir Income Support Program launched by the government with the primary objective of providing immediate relief to poor people. Benazir Income Support Program has made remarkable progress by providing much needed relief to over 4 million recipients including Internally Displaced Persons and bomb blast victims all over Pakistan. In this country Rs. 122 billion up to March, 2012 have been disbursed to its beneficiaries. Benazir Income Support Program has an allocation of Rs 50 billion for the financial year 2011-12. Benazir Income Support Program recipients are expected to be increased to 7 million once the on-going processing of data collection during the nation-wide poverty scorecard targeting survey is finished. Benazir Income Support Program has launched a number of programs of society safety including (i) Payment to Recipients, (ii) Graduation Initiatives, (iii) Waseela-e-Haq, (iv) Waseela-e-Rozgar, (v) Waseela-e-Sehat and (vi) Waseela-e-Taleem. This countrys poverty Alleviation Fund is dedicated for micro credit, enterprise growth, community based infrastructure and energy projects, maintenance enhancement and protection, social mobilization, and capacity building. The overall disbursements for core operations during the period of July- December 2012 are Rs. 8,490 million. Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal is making a important contribution in poverty decrease by providing support to destitute, Widows, Orphans, and other needy. Rs. 1777.50 million has been utilized up to Feb. 2012 on many schemes. Zakat funds have been utilized for assistance to the needy, indigent, poor, orphans, widows and handicapped. Up to March, 2012 Rs. 7800.27 million have been spread in bulk amongst the provinces. In this country Peoples Works program (PWP) I II are providing electricity, gas, farm to market roads and other services to the rural poor. PWP-I II incurred expenditures of Rs. 5 billion and Rs 21.30 billion during 2010-11 respectively whereas Rs 2.20 billion expenses have been incurred between July-December 2011-12 on Peoples Works program -I and Rs 2.90 billion expenditures on Peoples Works program -II. In Pakistan Employees Old Age Benefits Institution provided profits to the old age workers through Old Age Pension, Inaccuracy Pension, Stayers Pension and Old Age Grants and Rs. 7961.20 million has been developed during July- March 2011-12. In this country Workers Welfare Fund utilized Rs. 2539 million during July-March 2011-12 for housing services and Marriage Grant, Death Grant and Scholarships etc. for the industrial workers. In Pakistan Government has also taken various micro-finance initiatives in collaboration with all stakeholders to create employment occasions and to eliminate poverty. Environment In Pakistan a number of projects have been funded by the government to deal with growing environmental degradation and also there are number of projects funded by the donors in which the government is a partner. All these projects are being currently implemented to develop overall atmosphere in the country. In Pakistan climate change is a zone that has become progressively important in recent years. In this regard, the National Climate Change Policy 2011 provides a outline for addressing the issues that Pakistan faces or will face in future due to the changing climate. The goal of the National Climate Change Policy is to ensure that climate change is mainstreamed in the economically and socially helpless sectors of the economy and to steer Pakistan towards climate resilient development. In Pakistan Urban air pollution remains one of the most important environmental problems, facing the cities. In Pakistan extensive body of research exhibits that high attentions of suspended particulate matter adversely affect human health; prolong a wide range of respiratory infections and increased the probability of heart diseases. In this country the higher attention of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the air is a major issue. In Pakistan the main sources of suspended particulate matter are vehicular emission, industrial emissions, burning of Solid waste, pollens and natural dust. Motorcycles and rickshaws, due to their two stroke (2-strokes) engines, are the most ineffective in burning fuel and contribute most to productions. In this country the situation of access to drinking water is quite extraordinary. In this country according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics report (PBS) Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2010-11, access to drinking water to urban and rural population of Pakistan is 94 and 84%, with an average of 87 % in 2011. In Pakistan hygiene facilities are improving. However, much improvement is needed for rural areas hygiene facilities. According to Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2007-08,the garbage collection facilities to the population is only 14% done through municipalities, 7% through confidentially managed and remaining 79% have no system. In Pakistan according to a report released by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) 2012, 92% people had enlarged access to drinking water by 2010 while this ratio was 85% and 89% in 1990 and 2000 respectively. In Pakistan the MDG aim is to achieve the ratio of 93% by 2015. Moreover, 48% people have been using better sanitation by 2010 while this ratio was 27% and 37% in 1990 and 2000 respectively and also the MDG target for access to sanitation is 90% by 2015. In Pakistan damage and need assessment report jointly prepared by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank regarding overflows 2011, it has been pointed out that in addition to beginning loss of life, movement of millions, and huge losses to the economy, the floods in 2011 have also resulted in environmental harms, heightened environmental health risks and affected forests, swamps and other natural systems. In this country the Environmental damage caused by floods has been estimated at Rs. 2763 million (US $ 31.8 million) and Green reconstruction needs has been estimated at Rs. 2874 million (US $ 33.02 million). Flood Impact Assessment In this nation Simple monsoon rains triggered floods in Southern Pakistan at an extraordinary scale, both in terms of size and strength, swamping all 23 districts of Sindh Province and connecting areas of northern Baluchistan Province. In Pakistan Approximately, 9.6 million people were affected in Sindh and Baluchistan as a result of the floods; 520 people died and more than 1180 people were injured and also according to World Bank and Asian Development Bank report, 27,000 sq. km. area damaged in Sindh province out of the total 27,370 sq. km. There is also the flood caused total or partial damages to an estimated 998,376 housing units in Sindh and Baluchistan so that it causes the overall economy of the country. In Pakistan the highest cause occurred in the agriculture, livestock and fisheries sector, has been estimated at Rs.160 billion because of the flood and also the total damage caused by 2011 floods has been expected amounting to Rs.324.50 billion. In Pakistan the total cost of recovery and re-establishment needs has been estimated at Rs.239 billion.

Basic Structure Of A Computer System Computer Science Essay

Basic Structure Of A Computer System Computer Science Essay A computer is an electronic device capable of manipulating number and symbols, first taking input, processing it, storing and giving out output under a control of set instructions which is known as a program. A general purpose computer requires the following hardware components: memory, storage device (hard disk drive), input device (keyboard, mouse etc.), output device (screen, printer etc.) and central processing unit (CPU). Many other components are involved in addition to the listed components to work together efficiently. Computers can be classified by size and power as follows: Personal computer: Personal computers are small computers based on a microprocessor. A personal computer has a keyboard for inputting data, a monitor for output and a storage device for saving data. Workstation: workstations are usually powerful than a personal computer. It has more powerful microprocessor and a higher-quality monitor. Minicomputer: Mini computers are multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to hundreds of users simultaneously. Mainframe computer: Mainframe computers are powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously. Super computer: Super computers are extremely fast computers that can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second. MAIN REPORT COMPUTER SYSTEM A computer system can be represented using the following block diagram: CPU Bus Interface Timing and Control Address Bus ALU I/O RAM ROM Keyboard Mouse etc. Data Bus Control Bus Clock The CPU is can be expanded into three main parts: The ALU (Arithmetic and Logic Unit), The Bus interface Unit, and The Control Bus. The clock is an electronic circuit that gives regular pulses to the CPU. Faster clock speeds means more pulses to the CPU and the instructions are stepped through faster. The memory chip contains millions of separate memory stores and each of these locations has a unique number. This is known as memory address. The CPU stores data at any of these addresses and fetch the content back when required. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. These chips store the instructions for running the operating system and any computer application. This memory also stores all the data that is being worked on. RAM is a volatile memory which means that it only stores data while the computer remains switched on. When switched off, it loses all the stored data. ROM (Read Only Memory) on the other hand is a chip with program instructions permanently burned into it. The content is not lost even if the machine is switched off. The CPU can either fetch data from or write data when the appropriate memory location is accessed. Such data is transferred from the CPU to the memory location along the Data Bus. The control Bus is a set of tracks on the computers motherboard that run from the CPU to the devices and works under the direction of the CPU. LOGIC GATES Logic gates perform logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produce a single logic output. It processes signals which represent true or false. It is called Boolean logic and is most commonly used in digital circuits. Logic gates are identified by their function: NOT, AND, NAND, OR, NOR, EX-OR and EX-NOR and they are usually represented by capital letters. Logic Gate Symbols There are two series of symbols for logic gates: the traditional symbols which have distinctive shapes making them easy to recognise so they are widely used, and the International Electro technical Commission (IEC) symbols which are rectangles with a symbol inside to show the gate function. Traditional Symbols Source: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/gates.htm IEC Source: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/gates.htm Inputs and Outputs All Gates except a NOT gate have two or more inputs. A NOT gate has only one input and all gates have only one output. In the following figure, A and B are inputs and Q is the output. Source: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/gates.htm Other types of gate used are NOT gate, AND gate, NAND (NOT AND) gate, OR gate and NOR (NOT OR) gate. Truth tables A truth table is a good way to show the function of a logic gate. It shows the output states for every possible combination of input states. The symbols 0 (false) and 1 (true) are usually used in truth tables. The example truth table on the right shows the inputs and output of an AND gate. Input A Input B Output Q 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 Computer numbering system Humans speak to one another in a particular language and we use different words and letters. Although we type words and letters in the computer, the computer translates those words and letters into numbers. Computers talk and understand in numbers. Those number systems are: Decimal, Hexadecimal, and Binary. The Decimal Number System is the system is most frequently used in arithmetic and in everyday life. The decimal number system is also known as the base 10 number system as the position in the number represents an incremental number with a base of 10. Each position only contains a number between 0 and 9. The Hexadecimal number system is used to represent memory addresses or colours. It is also known as the base 16 number system, because each position in the number represents an incremental number with a base of 16. Since the number system is represented in 16s, there are only 10 numbers and 5 letters (A to F). The Binary number system is used by most machines and electrical devices to communicate. It is also known as the base 2 number system, because each position in the number represents an incremental number with a base of 2. Since it is represented it 2s, there are only 2 numbers that can be a value in each position 0 or 1. CPU COMPONENTS The CPU is the intelligence of the machine but it needs a pre-written program to create, use and modify the data. If the computer needs to compare two numbers, or add two numbers, this is carried out inside the CPU and the numbers have to be fetched into the CPU from the computers memory chip. The three main components of CPU are: Arithmetic logic Unit (ALU), Bus Interface unit, and the Control Bus. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) carries out all the calculations and decision making tasks. The ALU uses devices called gates that receive one or more inputs and based up what function they are designed to perform, outputs a result. The basic operations of an ALU include adding and subtracting binary values as well as performing logical operations such as AND, NOT, OR AND XOR. The Bus Interface Unit takes the data to and from the CPU which is held inside internal registers (small memory stores) along the external Data Bus to read and write memory and devices. The Data Bus carries information in both directions. The Bus Interface Unit also places the required location addresses on the Address Bus, so that the required devices can be accessed for reading or writing. The Control Bus is the physical connection that carries control information between the CPU and other devices within the computer. It decodes all program instructions and dictates all the CPUs control and timing mechanisms. It sends out the read and write signals on the Control Bus. COMPUTER MEMORY The computer has to temporarily store the program and data in an area where it can be used by the computers processor to work. This area is known as the computers memory. It consists of computer chips that are capable of storing information. These information could be: the operating system (e.g. DOS, windows etc.), the instruction of the program to run (e.g. a database or a drawing program), or the data that is used or created (e.g. letters from word-processing or records from a database). There are different types of memory used in a computer system. They are: Cache memory, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), and Virtual Memory. Cache memory is extremely fast memory that is built into a computers CPU (L1 cache) or in some cases located next to it on a separate chip (L2 cache). L1 cache is faster than L2 cache as it is built into the CPU. These days, newer computer come with L3 cache which is faster than RAM but slower than L1 and l2 cache. Cache memory is used to store instructions that are repeatedly required to run programs and helps to improve overall system speed. The reason it is so fast is that the CPU does not have to use the motherboards system bus for data transfer. Random Access Memory (RAM) is the memory chip that consists of a large number of cells, each cell having a fixed capacity for storing data and unique address. RAM is a volatile memory which means all the programs and data in the memory is lost when the machined is switched off. There are different types of RAM modules available such as SODIMM, SDRAM, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3. SODIMM are used for laptops whereas the rest are used for desktop computers. Read Only Memory (ROM) is a memory chip in which the program instructions are permanently burned into. It is non-volatile which means its content is not lost even when the machined is switched off. It is used to store some of the system programs that keep the computer running smoothly. For example computer BIOS (basic input out system) is stored on the ROM. There are different types of ROM available such as Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), and Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM). Virtual Memory is a part of most operating system. It is used when the amount of RAM is not enough to run all the programs. If the operating system, an email program, a web browser, a word processor, a Photoshop application are loaded into the RAM simultaneously, the RAM will not be able to handle all applications and thus the computer looks at RAM for areas that have not been used recently and copies them onto the hard drive. This frees up space in RAM to load new application. But because the read/write speed of a hard drive is much slower than that of RAM, the performance is not satisfactory. It is not recommended to use virtual memory as it is slow. The solution to this problem would be to upgrade the memory. SYSTEM SOFTWARE A computer system is not complete without system software. For a computer to perform any tasks, both software and hardware are equally important. System software gives life to hardware. System softwares are the files and programs that make up a computers operating system. It includes libraries of functions, system services, driver for hardwares, system preferences, and other configuration files. System software comprises of Assembler, Debugger, Compilers, Operating System, File management tools etc. The system software is installed on the computer when the operating system is installed. It can also be updated by running programs such as windows update. The system software is also called low-level software as it runs at the most basic level of the computer. It generates the user interface and allows the operating system to interact with the hardware; however system software is not meant to be run by the end user like application programs. Application programs such as web browser, or Microsoft word is often used by the end user whereas the end user does not use an assembler program unless he/she is a computer programmer. The system software runs in the background and thus the user does not have to worry about what the system software is doing. CONCLUSION In the report, the basic structure of a computer system was described with diagram. Different components such as CPU, memory, BUS, input/output devices that form a computer system were identified and explained. General ideas about Logic gates were given and different number systems used by computers to represent data were also described. As the CPU is the main part of a computer system, it was further looked into and Arithmetic Logic Unit, Control Bus and Bus interface Unit were discussed. Different types of memory and their uses were explained and the importance of the system software was discussed finally.