Haptic Technology Free Essays

1. 1 What is *Haptics*? Haptics refers to sensing and manipulation through touch. The word comes from the Greek ‘haptesthai’, meaning ‘to touch’. We will write a custom essay sample on Haptic Technology or any similar topic only for you Order Now The history of the haptic interface dates back to the 1950s, when a master-slave system was proposed by Goertz (1952). Haptic interfaces were established out of the field of tele- operation, which was then employed in the remote manipulation of radioactive materials. The ultimate goal of the tele-operation system was â€Å"transparency†. That is, an user interacting with the master device in a master-slave pair should not be able to distinguish between using the master controller and manipulating the actual tool itself. Early haptic interface systems were therefore developed purely for telerobotic applications. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Fig. 2. 1Basic architecture for a virtual reality application incorporating visual, auditory, and haptic feedback. †¢ Simulation engine: †¢ Visual, auditory, and haptic rendering algorithms: Compute the virtual environment’s graphic, sound, and force responses toward the user. Transducers: Convert visual, audio, and force signals from the computer into a form the operator can perceive. The human operator typically holds or wears the haptic interface device and perceives audiovisual feedback from audio (computer speakers, headphones, and so on) and visual displays (a computer screen or head-mounted display, for example). 2. 2 System architecture for *haptic* rendering: {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:rect} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Fig 2. 2Haptic rendering divided into main three blocks S- contacts* occurring between an avatar at position X and objects in the virtual environment. Fd- *return* the ideal interaction force between avatar and virtual objects. Fr- Force to the user 1. Collision-detection algorithms detect collisions between objects and avatars in the virtual environment and yield information about where, when, and ideally to what extent collisions (penetrations, indentations, contact area, and so on) have occurred. 2. Force-response algorithms compute the interaction force between avatars and virtual objects when a collision is detected. This force approximates as closely as possible the contact forces that would normally arise during contact between real objects. Hardware limitations prevent haptic devices from applying the exact force computed by the force-response algorithms to the user. 3. Control algorithms command the haptic device in such a way that minimizes the error between ideal and applicable forces. The discrete-time nature of the haptic- rendering algorithms often makes this difficult. The force response algorithms’ return values are the actual force and torque vectors that will be commanded to the haptic device. Existing haptic rendering techniques are currently based upon two main principles: â€Å"point-interaction† or â€Å"ray-based†. In point interactions, a single point, usually the distal point of a probe, thimble or stylus employed for direct interaction with the user, is employed in the simulation of collisions. The point penetrates the virtual objects, and the depth of indentation is calculated between the current point and a point on the surface of the object. Forces are then generated according to physical models, such as spring stiffness or a spring-damper model. In ray-based rendering, the user interface mechanism, for example, a probe, is modeled in the virtual environment as a finite ray. Orientation is thus taken into account, and collisions are determined between the simulated probe and virtual objects. Collision detection algorithms return the intersection point between the ray and the surface of the simulated object. *2. 2. 1 Computing contact-response forces*: Humans perceive contact with real objects through sensors (mechanoreceptors) located in their skin, joints, tendons, and muscles. We make a simple distinction between the information these two types of sensors can acquire. 1. Tactile information refers to the information acquired through sensors in the skin with particular reference to the spatial distribution of pressure, or more generally, tractions, across the contact area. To handle flexible materials like fabric and paper, we sense the pressure variation across the fingertip. Tactile sensing is also the basis of complex perceptual tasks like medical palpation, where physicians locate hidden anatomical structures and evaluate tissue properties using their hands. 2. Kinesthetic information refers to the information acquired through the sensors in the joints. Interaction forces are normally perceived through a combination of these two. To provide a haptic simulation experience, systems are designed to recreate the contact forces a user would perceive when touching a real object. There are two types of forces: . Forces due to object geometry. 2. Forces due to object surface properties, such as texture and friction. The first type of force-rendering algorithms aspires to recreate the force interaction a user would feel when touching a frictionless and textureless object. Force-rendering algorithms are also grouped by the number of Degrees-of-freedom (DOF) necessary to describe the interaction force being rendered. 2. 2. 3 Surface property-dependent force-rende ring algorithms: All real surfaces contain tiny irregularities or indentations. Higher accuracy, however, sacrifices speed, a critical factor in real-time applications. Any choice of modeling technique must consider this tradeoff. Keeping this trade-off in mind, researchers have developed more accurate haptic-rendering algorithms for friction. In computer graphics, texture mapping adds realism to computer-generated scenes by projecting a bitmap image onto surfaces being rendered. The same can be done haptically. 2. 3 Controlling forces delivered through *haptic* interfaces: Once such forces have been computed, they must be applied to the user. Limitations of haptic device technology, however, have sometimes made applying the force’s exact value as computed by force-rendering algorithms impossible. They are as follows: †¢ Haptic interfaces can only exert forces with limited magnitude and not equally well in all directions †¢ Haptic devices aren’t ideal force transducers. An ideal haptic device would render zero impedance when simulating movement in free space, and any finite impedance when simulating contact with an object featuring such impedance characteristics. The friction, inertia, and backlash present in most haptic devices prevent them from meeting this ideal. †¢ A third issue is that haptic-rendering algorithms operate in discrete time whereas users operate in continuous time. {draw:frame} ?Finally, haptic device position sensors have finite resolution. Consequently, attempting to determine where and when contact occurs always results in a quantization error. It can create stability problems. All of these issues can limit a haptic application’s realism. High servo rates (or low servo rate periods) are a key issue for stable haptic interaction. There are two main types of haptic devices: †¢ Devices that allow users to touch and manipulate 3-dimentional virtual objects. †¢ Devices that allow users to â€Å"feel† textures of 2-dementional objects. 3. 1 LOGITECH WINGMAN FORCE FEEDBACK MOUSE {draw:frame} fig. 3. 1 logitech mouse Fig. 3. 1 shows a Logitech mouse which is attached to a base that replaces the mouse mat and contains the motors used to provide forces back to the user. {draw:frame} Fig. 3. 2 Phantom Used in surgical simulations and remote operation of robotics in hazardous environments {draw:frame} Fig3. 3 Cyber Glove Cyber Glove can sense the position and movement of the fingers and wrist. {draw:g} The basic Cyber Glove system includes one CyberGlove, its instrumentation unit, serial cable to connect to your host computer, and an executable version of VirtualHand graphic hand model display and calibration software. The firm introduced haptic technology for the X-by-Wire system and was showcased at the Alps Show 2005 in Tokyo. The system consisted of a â€Å"cockpit† with steering, a gearshift lever and pedals that embed haptic technology, and a remote-control car. Visitors could control a remote control car by operating the steering, gearshift lever and pedals in the cockpit seeing the screen in front of the cockpit, which is projected via a camera equipped on the remote control car. With many new haptic devices being sold to industrial companies, haptics will soon be a part of a person’s normal computer interaction. REFERENCES: http://www. sensable. com/products/datafiles/phantom_ghost/Salisbury_Haptics95. pdf http://www. wam. umd. edu/~prmartin/3degrees/HAPTIC%20TECHNOLOGY1. doc http://www. sensable. com http://www. logitech. com http://www. technologyreview. com How to cite Haptic Technology, Essay examples

Lefebvres View of the Work-Leisure Relationship- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theLefebvres View of the Work-Leisure Relationship. Answer: The movie Revolutionary Road as developed has significantly evolved to highlight the various valleys and mountains that the todays life is all about. At the start of the movie, a married couple whose life is ahead of them is introduced, and they are required to decide on critical matters. Lefebvre proposed that leisure time is the time spent away from work. The most important question is whether there exists any considerable relationship between leisure and work. The present work seeks to investigate whether such relationships do exist and what forms an obstacle towards reaching the most regarded life status. Therefore, one can agree with Lefebvre statement that We work to earn our leisure, and leisure has only one meaning: to get away from work. A vicious circle. The statement We work to earn our leisure, and leisure has only one meaning: to get away from work. A vicious circle true as brought out in the movie. The two seem to be blinded by love and have so much to ponder and achieve in their newly formed relationship. It is evident that the couples are driven by some hunger for something not understanding their middle age life. The couple wished to fulfill their fantasies little did they know their love was driven by yearnings. Lefebvre particular considers an individuals life is a totality of what happens throughout time. Though much is anticipated, one can start to think or imagine that, the couple seem to be losing track and ought to meet what they have been preparing for all their life. In the introduction, it can be noted that Frank secures an executive job where he works as a salesperson but April (a housewife and jobless) views her husbands job as meaningless - and working as an office machine. She jokes by saying that her husband may later become one of the office machines if he is not one. The question that arises is whether April and her husband are confused or dont know how to handle rhetorical life situations that fall into place without knocking. Through analysis of the key parts of the movie, the paper seeks to provide an answer or simply an explanation of their present actions (Ploger and Lefebvre 65). Lefebvre proposed that leisure is free time spend away from the business, education, domestic chores, and other activities. He points out that leisure and work are inseparable and life of any person is subject to the division of labor and in the social perception, this is reflected in leisure activities. everyday evidence always evidences the potential for transformation. He perceived every day as a critical totality of social life. His final work persuades the theme of everyday life by approaching it as a time-space that could be open to rhythm analysis (Lefebvre, 65). With diverse life dimensions, it is important not to consider ones life as one junk of a thing. The movie depicts April as one who is after personal interests and has fewer considerations into their current life with two kids and responsibilities to meet. Hence, a clear indication that the statement we work to earn our leisure, and leisure has only one meaning: to get away from work. A vicious circle is true. The essay is interested in investigating the relation between leisure and work as portrayed in the movie Revolutionary Road and also as depicted in Lefebvre essays. Kate Winslet, a mother of two, suggests to her husband to quit job not bearing in mind they now have responsibilities to meet as parents. The recklessness of the couple is shown by the fact that they both got together through pregnancy and seemed to take their children as a car that you cant think of if you are not driving it. Lefebvre rhythm analysis implies that the newlywed has their life happening in cyclically. This states by Lefebvre we work to earn our leisure, and leisure has only one meaning: to get away from work. A vicious circle credibility and validity ("Revolutionary Road (2008) Movie - Leonardo Dicaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald" 19:25). A rhetorical question that would arise is where the two are headed? One can see by the look of things; the two are headed to life dilemma. The movie reveals by coincidence that, the time Frank secures job promotion and a pay rise is the same time April is persistent about their move to Paris. As put forward by Lefebvre, the couple fails to confront the twists that seem to befall them and are headed to a big loss. It is frustrating for their son to come from a mental hospital just to meet the ugly insights at the Wheelers (McGuire, Vio and O'leary 251-257) (Zuzanek and Mannell 31-57). Dicaprio and Winslet predicted the romance heading in Titanic this simply implies just like the most regard ship did perish, the lives of the couple seem to be headed the same direction. At one point the movie portrays the couple with their children as living in Connecticut suburbs and being viewed as role models in the region, however, this seems to take a different direction due to Aprils selfishness. The couple seems to be in love with the world of entertainment and is moved by the photo of Beatnik listening to a record of modern jazz that was said to be cool. They seem to value leisure more than the ideal life and are too extravagant on luxuries (Townsend 442-456). April is portrayed as a villain. She thinks her man is busy doing a useless job which she related that of his father. The movie portrays our daily lives as composed of rhythms, and understanding this, is an inherent factor of everyday life. The rhythm is circular and inevitable on the road of ones revolution (Zuzanek and Mannell 31-57). At some point, Frank is brought out as having a love affair with a secretary (workmate). The theme of betrayal is well depicted when he spends a night with his workmate. This demonstrates immorality and bad use of leisure time. He does seem to understand himself and also betrays his wife April. Several immoral practices are therefore witnessed as both partners indulge in dancing and drinking in the cities. In the movie, Frank spends a night away from home without a substantial reason. Some session of the movie presents a series of emotionally laden memories and textual echoes that render the film cyclical (Lefebvre 65). The revolutionary road is a cyc lical narrative, a recapitulation of events that allow change of in an emotional perspective. Like any other man of the times (the 1950s), Frank fails tragically in reaching out his dream life being a man of substance, different from his father who worked in the same organization but led a miserable life (Revolutionary Road (2008) 44:05). Lefebvre brings out leisure as one term that can be understood by not only considering the free alternative of work but as broader relations. He points out that some practices that individuals assume may not be distinctively taken as leisure. Individuals and personalities can improve their productivity by getting involved in leisure activities (Aitchison 20). Productive labor is matched with the rhythm of life people look for active leisure activities while leisure machines like television sets and radios promote passive leisure (Shaw 271-286). The question that comes in here is whether Leisure is important to ones life. The likely answer to this question could be relaxation, entertainment, and pleasure. Leisure should not be spent in immoral behaviors. Thus, sexual practices, criminal actions, and other social vices should not be part of leisure activities (Choi and Yoo 140-155). The statement we work to earn our leisure, and leisure has only one meaning: to get away from work. A v icious circle as depicted by Lefebvre is true. In a nutshell, the Revolutionary Road movie leaves the audience in a situation that compels an individual to reflect on present-day life. Every day is represented by a variety of issues that couples need to absorb and have the right mentality towards handling these issues that led to disastrous life for the couple. It should be noted that falling for ferocious fights, and conflict is bound to happen. In Revolutionary Road movie, this seemed to be the case for Frank and April since both have failed to establish their passions and missions in their lives. Since life is quite unpredictable, and no one knows what tomorrow has in store for us, then it can be recommended that balance between leisure and work is quite paramount (Highmore 40-0216-40-0216). One can agree with Lefebvre statement that We work to earn our leisure, and leisure has only one meaning: to get away from work. A vicious circle. Works cited Aitchison, Cara. "Young Disabled People, Leisure and Everyday Life: Reviewing Conventional Definitions for Leisure Studies." Annals of Leisure Research 3.1 (2000): 1-20. Web. Arnold, Peter. "On The Relationship Between Education, Work and Leisure: Past, Present and Future." British Journal of Educational Studies 37.2 (1989): 136-146. Web. Choi, Suh-hee, and Ye-ji Yoo. "Leisure Attitude and Satisfaction with Leisure and Life: Proposing Leisure Prioritization and Justification." World Leisure Journal 59.2 (2016): 140-155. Web. Highmore, Ben. "Everyday Life and Cultural Theory: An Introduction." Choice Reviews Online 40.01 (2002): 40-0216-40-0216. Web. Janke, Megan C. et al. "The Role of Life Experiences On Perceptions of Leisure During Adulthood: A Longitudinal Analysis." Leisure Sciences 33.1 (2010): 52-69. Web. Kiely, E. "Young People, Risk and Leisure, Constructing Identities in Everyday Life." Community Development Journal 41.1 (2005): 116-119. Web. "Revolutionary Road (2008) Movie - Leonardo Dicaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald."YouTube. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 Oct. 2017. McGuire, Francis A., F. Dominic Dotta Vio, and Joseph T. O'leary. "The Relationship of Early Life Experiences to Later Life Leisure Involvement." Leisure Sciences 9.4 (1987): 251-257. Web. Ploger, John, and Henri Lefebvre. "Critique of Everyday Life." Geografiska Annaler. Series B, Human Geography 77.1 (1995): 65. Web. Shaw, Susan M. "Dereifying Family Leisure: An Examination of Women's and Men's Everyday Experiences and Perceptions of Family Time." Leisure Sciences 14.4 (1992): 271-286. Web. Townsend, Keith. "Leisure at Work, Who Can Resist? An Investigation into Workplace Resistance by Leisure Service Employees." Journal of Industrial Relations 45.4 (2003): 442-456. Web. Wei, Xiang et al. "Leisure Time, Leisure Activities, And Happiness in China: Evidence from A National Survey." Journal of Leisure Research 47.5 (2015): n. pag. Web. Zuzanek, Jiri, and Roger Mannell. "Leisure Behaviour and Experiences as Part of Everyday Life: The Weekly Rhythm." Loisir et Socit / Society and Leisure 16.1 (1993): 31-57. Web.

Philosophy - Mills Utilitarianism Essays - Utilitarianism

Philosophy - Mills Utilitarianism Mill's Utilitarianism: Sacrifice the innocent for the common good? When faced with a moral dilemma, utilitarianism identifies the appropriate considerations, but offers no realistic way to gather the necessary information to make the required calculations. This lack of information is a problem both in evaluating the welfare issues and in evaluating the consequentialist issues which utilitarianism requires be weighed when making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual decision with the rules of experience is suggested, and no relative weights are assigned to the various considerations. In deciding whether or not to torture a terrorist who has planted a bomb in New York City, a utilitarian must evaluate both the overall welfare of the people involved or effected by the action taken, and the consequences of the action taken. To calculate the welfare of the people involved in or effected by an action, utilitarianism requires that all individuals be considered equally. Quantitative utilitarians would weigh the pleasure and pain which would be caused by the bomb exploding against the pleasure and pain that would be caused by torturing the terrorist. Then, the amounts would be summed and compared. The problem with this method is that it is impossible to know beforehand how much pain would be caused by the bomb exploding or how much pain would be caused by the torture. Utilitarianism offers no practical way to make the interpersonal comparison of utility necessary to compare the pains. In the case of the bomb exploding, it at least seems highly probable that a greater amount of pain would be caused, at least in the present, by the bomb exploding. This probability suffices for a quantitative utilitarian, but it does not account for the consequences, which create an entirely different problem, which will be discussed below. The probability also does not hold for Mill's utilitarianism. Mill's Utilitarianism insists on qualitative utilitarianism, which requires that one consider not only the amount of pain or pleasure, but also the quality of such pain and pleasure. Mill suggests that to distinguish between different pains and pleasures we should ask people who have experienced both types which is more pleasurable or more painful. This solution does not work for the question of torture compared to death in an explosion. There is no one who has experienced both, therefore, there is no one who can be consulted. Even if we agree that the pain caused by the number of deaths in the explosion is greater than the pain of the terrorist being tortured, this assessment only accounts for the welfare half of the utilitarian's considerations. Furthermore, one has no way to measure how much more pain is caused by allowing the bomb to explode than by torturing the terrorist. After settling the issues surrounding the welfare, a utilitarian must also consider the consequences of an action. In weighing the consequences, there are two important considerations. The first, which is especially important to objectivist Utilitarianism, is which people will be killed. The second is the precedent which will be set by the action. Unfortunately for the decision maker, the information necessary to make either of these calculations is unavailable. There is no way to determine which people will be killed and weigh whether their deaths would be good for society. Utilitarianism requires that one compare the good that the people would do for society with the harm they would do society if they were not killed. For example, if a young Adolf Hitler were in the building, it might do more good for society to allow the building to explode. Unfortunately for an individual attempting to use utilitarianism to make for decisions, there is no way to know beforehand what a person will do. Furthermore, without even knowing which building the bomb is in, there is no way to predict which people will surely be in the building. A subjectivist utilitarian would dismiss this consideration and would examine only what a rational person would consider to be the consequence; however, even the subjectivist utilitarian must face the question of precedent setting. Utilitarianism considers justice and humane treatment to be good for

Job Design and Personal Contributions

Job Design and Personal Contributions Introduction Job design is defined as the arrangement or rearrangement of work activities where the main objective is to reduce job dissatisfaction among employees and also reduce employee alienation within the work place.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Job Design and Personal Contributions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Job design also refers to the organizing of responsibilities and work duties so as to make sure there is productivity amongst the employees of an organization. Job design addresses the content of jobs and how this content affects the performance of employees (Mathis Jackson, 2008). The identification of the major components of a job is an important part of job design and many companies today have conducted job design activities to ensure that their employees meet the organization’s goals and objectives. The three major reasons that have been used by companies the world over to conduct job design activities include improving the performance of the company where job design influences the performance of certain work duties especially those that require high employee motivation such as customer service and customer relations. Another reason is that job design affects the job satisfaction of employees as people are more satisfied with particular job configurations that they find to be suitable to their skills and knowledge. Employees who find themselves in non-demanding jobs while they have technical skills might experience job dissatisfaction as their technical knowledge and skills are not being utilized to the maximum (Mathis Jackson, 2008). Personal contribution with relation to job design involves the activities that an individual employee or worker in an organization performs to ensure that they achieve job satisfaction in the course of performing their duties. The personal contribution of an employee would be to change their behavior or attitude towards work where an employee who would report late to work or would record a high rate of abseentism might decide to be punctual for work and not miss any work days. Another personal contribution of an employee towards job design would be to create a set of activities related to the work tasks that would suit the individual needs of the employee.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For example, a secretary might decide to use a manual filing system rather than a digitized filing system because they are comfortable filing documents in the manual way. An accountant might decide to use online QuickBooks rather than the paper QuickBooks because they view them to be more efficient (Gibson et al, 2006) Classic Approaches to Job Design The most common approach in job design or re-design is the technique of simplifying the tasks and responsibilities of a job to be more manageable. This is referred to a s job simplification and it is mostly suitable for entry-level workers or graduate employees who have no prior experience with the job position. Job simplification is suitable for such types of employees to ensure that they are not overwhelmed by the tasks and responsibilities that come with the job. A major disadvantage of job simplification is that it removes the challenging aspects of a job making the tasks too easy to perform. Another disadvantage is that the job might become boring at some point and loose its appeal because of its simplistic nature (Gibson et al, 2006). There are several approaches that can be used by companies and business to ensure that job design and re-design has been conducted in a successful way. One of these approaches is job extension where the job design attempts to widen the span of the job by increasing the duties and tasks that come with the job. Job enlargement is usually performed on job positions that have limited tasks and duties and where the p erformance of the employee within the organization is limited as a result of the work tasks and responsibilities. Another approach that is used in job design is job enhancement that involves escalating the profundity of a job through incorporating activities such as the addition of organizing planning, and controlling responsibilities (Daft, 2008). Managers within a company might decide to conduct job enrichment activities by promoting work variety as well as providing employees with more managerial responsibilities to ensure that they grow personally within the organization. Managers might also decide to give their employees more freedom and authority to perform their work duties in a way they find most suitable to them. Increasing the employee’s accountability for the work they have performed within a business unit by reducing external control pressures especially from managers and supervisors might also lead to job enrichment within an organization.Advertising We w ill write a custom essay sample on Job Design and Personal Contributions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another way of achieving job enrichment within an organization would be to expand employee assignments to ensure that they are able to learn various strategies that they can use to perform new tasks. Providing employees with direct feedback would also ensure that they can be able to derive job enrichment from planning and organizing activities (Daft, 2008). Another approach that is used in conducting job design or redesign is referred to as job rotation where the monotonous cycle of work is broken by shifting an employee from one work position to another. A major advantage of job rotation is that it enhances the development of an employee’s ability to perform different jobs within an organization. This means that in the event a position within the organization becomes open, they can be able to fill in that position without going f or outside hires. A major disadvantage of job rotation is that it has a minimal effect on an employee’s work performance especially if they are shifted to a boring job (Daft, 2008). Managers need to liaise with their employees when they are choosing which job design approaches to use in the design process. This will involve assessing the personal contribution of the employee in selecting the most suitable job design approach. Managers and employees who want to change their attitude towards work might select the job enrichment approach where employees who have limited work duties are given more assignments to ensure that they have job satisfaction. Job enrichment might also be used when trying to achieve job satisfaction within an organization by increasing the motivation of employees (Gibson et al, 2006). Characteristics of Jobs in Job Design A good job design depends on the characteristics of a job that are relevant to a particular group of people within an organization. Som e common examples of job characteristics include skill variety which refers to the extent to which a job has several different activities that are needed to successfully complete the work duties. If the work duties require the involvement of more skills, the job will become more meaningful to the employee. The personal contribution of the employee in skill variety would be to acquire additional skills that would be used to perform the different activities of the job.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"Another example of a job characteristic is task identity which is the extent to which a job has an identifiable unit of work that can be able to produce a visible outcome† (Gibson et al, 2006). For example if a customer care officer possessed customer care skills as well as technical skills, they might be able to help customers set up technical equipment without having to refer them to the technical support team Another characteristic of a job is task significance which is defined as the impact that a job has on other people within and outside the organization. A job is said to be significant if it is important to other people for the same reason that it is significant to the person who is performing the work duties. For example a soldier might find their job to be more significant when they are defending their country from a real threat rather than when they are preparing to face threats that might arise in the future. Job autonomy is another important characteristic o f a job where autonomy refers to the extent to which an employee within an organization has the freedom and discretion to perform their work duties without any interference from managers or supervisors. Job autonomy is an important characteristic in job design as it ensures that employees have more personal responsibilities to perform their work in the workplace. Job autonomy ensures that the employee can be able to contribute to their performance within the company (Mathis Jackson, 2008). Conclusion The discussion has dealt with job design and personal contributions within the organization. Job design or redesign is an important activity for organizations as it ensures that employee productivity and performance within an organization has been improved. The research findings within the essay have revealed various approaches that can be used in performing job design activities which include job enrichment, job rotation, and job enlargement. The discussion has also focused on the var ious job characteristics that are needed to perform job design activities. The aspect of personal contributions within the essay has dealt with the activities that an individual employee can perform to affect their own job design. Personal contributions in job design are usually driven by the personal behavior and attitudes of individual employees. References Daft, R.L., (208). Organization theory and design. Ohio, US: Cengage Learning Gibson, J., Ivancevich, J., Donnelly, J., Konopaske, R., (2006). Organizations;  behavior, structure, processes, 12th Edition. Chicago: McGraw-Hill. Mathis, R.L., Jackson, J.H., (2008). Human resource management. Mason, Ohio: Thomson South-Western

Women's magazine Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Women's magazine - Research Paper Example Every page of the magazine is filled with products and articles which make the female readers think that only beautiful, young and thin women are appreciated and accepted by the society. Constant exposure to thin and flawless models has driven ‘normal’ women to believe that they are not worthy enough. The aim of this paper is to understand the psychology behind the graphic and verbal content of women’s magazines and how it affects the female readers. Under the influence of the advertisements and suggestions given in magazines, women are adopting artificial means to change the way they feel and the way they look. Women’s magazines have become a medium of plastic dreams as they are driving women to hate their natural bodies and love the bodies of female models, whose photographs are manipulated with the help of technology to make them look thin and beautiful. Harper’s Bazaar is a fashion magazine. The aim of the magazine is to discuss current trends and news from the fashion world. Its target readers are women of all ages. From the advertisements and the contents of the magazine, it is evident that current trend in the fashion industry is the magazine’s main focus. The magazine if filled with advertisements of beauty products, jewelry, accessories, apparels, fashion news and articles. The issue discussed in this paper is the October 2010 issue with Drew Barrymore on its cover. The cover of Harper’s Bazaar is adorned by Drew Barrymore, one of the leading actresses in Hollywood. Barrymore is a famous personality and has an image of an independent, successful, wealthy, and a strong person. She is well known for her roles in romantic movies. Her fame, independent lifestyle, her dressing sense, bubbly personality and feminine body makes her a right choice to adorn a cover of a fashion magazine. Any person will get attracted to a magazine which has Drew Barrymore on its cover. With

Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Motivation - Research Paper Example It is the leader’s job to ensure that they understand their fears to be unfounded. With the transition to a big corporate structure from a small organization kicks off, employees naturally respond by making the assumption that they will only be single employees in a company employing thousands of workers. Their belief in making an impact on the new organization’s goals could lead to a reduction in their earlier exemplary efforts (Pritchard & Ashwood, 2008). One of the major changes that the new acquisition brings involves reconfiguration of working spaces that will reduce privacy, which was one of the signature aspects of ZYX Company. For this reason, it will be the manager’s responsibility to ensure they realize the reason for the workspace reconfiguration and that they are set up to continue playing an essential part in the company’s future and retain their motivation. This paper will seek to create a comprehensive plan that will motivate them to coopera te and support the changes. Planning the Project In planning the project, there are various important levers that a manager can use, including coming up with communication, sponsorship, coaching, training, and resistance management plans. Managing the motivation of employees requires a holistic set of components that support the employees as the manner in which they work changes, for example, with the reconfiguration of working spaces (Green & Butkus, 2009). The communication component should recognize how communication will fit in the larger process of change. Used in this context, communication becomes more effective as it gives the employees information in the proper sequence to aid the employees in internalization of the change, while also improving their motivation. With regards to the sponsorship component, the manager should be the sponsor and plays the role of participant, coalition builder, and direct communication. A sponsorship roadmap will include what the sponsor will d o in conjunction with the senior managers, the project teams, and with front line employees, while also breaking down the project into initiation phase, design phase, implementation phase, and closeout phase (Green & Butkus, 2009). Sponsorship of the change is critical to the employees’ motivation to participate, while it also reinforces their belief that the change is there to stay. The planning will also require a coaching component that involves the direct supervisor and employees. The manager will have to play a critical role in communicating the change and ensuring the employees retain their intensity. The coaching plan will outline the steps required to improve skills in relation to change with both individual and group sessions in engaging front-line employees (Green & Butkus, 2009). However, proxies must not be used in coaching as it gives the feeling that the change might not last. Employees will always want to hear about the change from their manager. The managerâ⠂¬â„¢s change desire will have a direct influence on the desire from the employees. The training component will seek to improve capabilities and skills and should be focused on knowledge building. However, training should come with the implementation of sufficient desire and awareness for it to be effective (Green & Butkus,

Management Leadership and its Objectives Case Study

Management Leadership and its Objectives - Case Study Example The introduction and involvement of certain procedures ensure that the organization is up to par with all the standards required to give the organization, and all its stakeholders what they truly desire. This paper will review some of the techniques, and how they might affect the running of an organization. In an organization, it is possible for management to have adequate information that may enable the organization to achieve its success (DeCarlo, 2010). Communication RASCI is an acronym that is used to depict the communicative nature that should be used in each and every organization. The understanding of such methods and techniques are required so as to ensure the continued success of the organization. It is mainly advocated for since it helps management in ensuring that tasks and programs run as they should. Misunderstanding of all the techniques associated with RASCI can lead to the downfall of any organization (Grisham, 2011). Communication RASCI in an organization is the foundation of any organization. The communication of information is usually for the benefit of the organization. The RASCI technique indicates that a person should be assigned the task to communicate to all others. The importance of this is that there will be a constant asset that can be counted on to communicate information to all others. That is the responsibility that is represented by the R. The A is for the accountability required in communication. Being accountable is the most required asset that is needed to communicate to staff members. They are accountable for the communication of information that aids in the running of the organization (DeCarlo, 2010). If anything goes wrong with the communication process, the individuals in the organization are the ones accountable for the fault. If the communication process goes well, the individuals are also accountable for the positive outcome of the communication process. Doing the real work is what is represented by the S. It means  being supportive of all the communication processes that are required in the organization. If the process is flawed, it is impossible for normal procedures and processes to be conducted.