Community of Practice

Network of Practice Presentation Man is a social being flourishing from human cooperation. People meet up to accomplish shared objectives and practices. These normal interests may incorporate enthusiasm, experience, dreams and wants. A gathering of artists and instrumentalists meet up in view of their enthusiasm to frame a band. Business people may meet up to frame an agreeable society or a company.Advertising We will compose a custom appraisal test on Community of Practice explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Wenger, (2006) depicts Community of training as a gathering of individuals who continually collaborate while sharing energy for what they do. These individuals share worry for what they are keen on and consistently discover methods of improving as they proceed onward. It ought to anyway be noticed that the portrayal of network of training doesn't matter to a gathering of individuals who are together a result of conditions. Individuals working in a similar organization or office a nd individuals living respectively in a bequest are alluded to as a network, yet not network of training. An association is organized and figured out how to accomplish an aggregate reason. The connection between exercises in the association relies upon the administration structure. Attributes of Community practice The depiction above presents three qualities of the network of training: Domain: Example of coworkers plainly demonstrates that network of training isn't a club or a system of individuals meeting up or gathered. Network practice is described by a space of intrigue that ties individuals from that network together based on explicit capabilities that recognize them. In any case, area ought not be mistaken for mastery. A reasonable model is a football trainer who is a piece of a group however doesn't play for the group, or a band director who oversees and recognizes himself with a band yet doesn't play in it. Network of training individuals appreciate values and gain from one another. The overall population considers them to be experts and makes the most of their expertise.Advertising Looking for evaluation on sociologies? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Communal being: As individuals from network of training participate in their area, they live as siblings and sisters. They take part in various exercises, help one another and consistently lead conversations. Consistent correspondence is fundamental to their reality. This correspondence is a key factor in holding gatherings. Network of training individuals relate warmly to one another and consistently have the chance to gain from different individuals from the network. Practice: The individuals from network of training have a ton to share. They share assets, instruments and repeating issues. They generally think of new thoughts. These new thoughts require shared assets. The people group set up assets in type of devices, cash understanding and infor mation. They work on utilizing these assets to accomplish their objectives. This training is generally reluctant. Nature of Community Practice Problem Solving: This nature empowers the gathering to cooperate by conceptualizing thoughts. Powerful correspondence assumes an extraordinary job in guaranteeing that difficulties are all around oversaw. Individuals counsel each other in the zones of trouble. Experience: Members of network of training see if one has involvement with dealing with a circumstance or a test. For instance, if business individuals have an agreeable society and might want to showcase it, a part with involvement with advertising will be named to the position. A part with open connection abilities is probably going to be designated as the open connection official. Resource reusing: Members of a local gathering will eliminate the costs by changing methods of taking care of the circumstance. The most ideal approach to deal with this is to put the assets of all individu als together. The benefits could be in type of HR that incorporate individuals they once served. Material resource comprises of what individuals groups, for example, PCs, property and vehicles. A part can give space in one of his structures to be an office of the network. Another can offer his vehicle to aid coordinations. The feeling of having a place is a driving component to this sort of course of action and participation.Advertising We will compose a custom evaluation test on Community of Practice explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Coordination: Community of training benefits from joined endeavors to accomplish more at an insignificant expense. They have a very much planned system which helps in accomplishing its objectives. Coordination enables the network of training individuals to get limits, for example, teachers can meet up to request for assets to purchase an enormous region of land to set up their own school. Purchasing a huge track of land in mass is less expensive in light of the fact that it is purchased at a limited rate. Advancement arranged: Community practice individuals are constantly occupied with conversations to investigate ways which can assist them with gaining ground in their undertakings. New thoughts are constantly welcomed on the table for conversations for individuals to conceptualize. All techniques are put down for investigation to assess whether the dangers included merit taking to assist the network. Appearance: Community of training is portrayed by appearance. Individuals visit each other all the time to counsel, get some consolation, or conceptualize about some issue and get a guidance. The appearance can be arranged or impromptu. Individuals consistently check with their journals to discover suitable time for gatherings. Systems administration: Members of network of training know the quality of every individual part. This quality is accentuated on to fill the missing holes. Individuals coordinate with dif ferent networks having similar philosophies and soul. How people group of training create Cambridge, Kaplan and Silter, 2005, expressed that that network of training has a real existence cycle. They rise, develop and form into an entire network. At first, network of training exists as just thoughts in people groups minds. These thoughts are in type of wishes, dreams, wants and objectives. The wants and objectives brief individuals to share; through this sharing, the thoughts are tried and a gathering is destined to actualize them. The improvement of network practice happens in stages. Each plan has a help and procedure which empower it to move to the following level. The existence pattern of a network practice is portrayed below:Advertising Searching for evaluation on sociologies? How about we check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Find out More Requests: The underlying period of network procedure is requests. Individuals have thoughts, dreams and continually ask about conversations, studies, meetings and appraisals to distinguish who has a place with the network. The requests uncover who the patrons and partners of the network are. This stage is significant in light of the fact that it distinguishes the objectives and the result of the gathering. Strategic vision articulations are structured at this stage. Assessments of cost are made. Enlistment is likewise done at this stage. Structure: This is the stage that characterizes exercises and all the empowering components that can make a network of training push ahead. It includes making exercises that will produce vitality for the gathering. The stage is significant as it characterizes and recognizes the undertakings that a network of training will complete. Dynamic correspondence, connection, learning and joint effort are very much characterized at this stage. Eye to eye gath erings are normal and cutoff times are constantly set to guarantee that the objectives are all around accomplished. Pilot stage. Having recognized the ways and methods of accomplishing the expressed objectives, network of training will do an experimental run program. This is finished by arranging momentary objectives that help the network to situate itself. At this stage, the network individuals sort out brand picture, space and method of activity. The objectives are intended to test the feasibility of the network. Models incorporate a recently framed band organizing, free shows at schools, houses of worship and nearby network, or a football crew holding agreeable matches with effectively settled groups. Dispatch: Once the model stage is finished, the gathering increases wide inclusion and certainty to arrive at a more extensive network. The stage is portrayed by the development and experience of individuals taking care of issues of the network. Experience picked up at the pilot sta ge is effectively used to improve the regions of shortcoming. Contracts are created at this stage and all individuals are effectively included. Missions, goals and understandings are plainly expressed as correspondence and advertising plans are very much planned. New individuals are welcomed ready and Calendar of occasions is distributed at this stage. Development: At this stage, the network of training is completely evolved. This is a period that includes dynamic cooperation of individuals to guarantee that the gathering arrives at its most extreme stage. Constant correspondence despite everything exists. Individuals are doled out to other sub gatherings to help the forthcoming exercises. Openings and sponsorship are very much characterized. Individuals are compensated for their commitments. Continue: It is the most elevated level in the life expectancy of the network of training. It is a phase which includes the creating procedures and strategies for harvesting the products of the network of training. Individuals recognize open doors for increasing new abilities and thoughts which can acquire new life a network. The gathering concocts better approaches for guaranteeing that the network of training is as yet significant. New items, aptitudes and learning forms are made to shape new systems for the network. This stage is typically portrayed by rebranding. Change of names is done at this phase for the network to stay applicable.

Social Media and Marketing

Resurrection And Christ Essay Example For Students

Revival And Christ Essay For a long time, craftsmen all through the world have expected to catch and depict a specific topic or subject in agreement to their strict convictions, individual impacts, and state of mind, or dependent on upon cultural impacts. The figure of Christ and the way where he has been delineated has differed monstrously throughout the years, which is exceptionally characteristic of changing social mentalities. Piero della Francescas Resurrection of 1463, and Julie Rraps Christ of 1984, have each delineated a Christ like figure in a manner that shows their own convictions and furthermore mirrors the publics position with respect to the portrayal of Christ at the time every fine art was finished. The two works of art are essentially extraordinary in style and portrayal, as every craftsman has chosen various media and altogether various methodologies and understandings. These huge contrasts are primarily because of the periods wherein every work of art was delivered. Francescas fresco is a great result of the Italian Renaissance time frame, while Rraps piece is demonstrative of our changing society and its strict qualities. Israel, 1997, p. 160. Francesca formed his piece during the Early Renaissance time frame toward the start of the fifteenth century, where confidence in the hypothetical establishments of workmanship was exceptionally positioned. During this time, numerous instances of Ancient workmanship were adored as both a wellspring of motivation and furthermore as a record of experimentation that had the capacity to uncover the achievement of the previous extraordinary specialists. Pioch, 1996, p. 1. About this time, there was as yet a set configuration of how specific Christian figures were seen to have showed up; henceforth Francesca has delineated the figure of Christ in the sound system composed discernment. However he has done as such in a way that completely represents the period he was in, and furthermore demonstrates his own advantage and accomplishment with the utilization of point of view. On the other hand, Rraps photomontage Christ has been ordered when female sound system types are being tested. The fine art challenges the male strength of past workmanship. Run of the mill of postmodern craftsmanship, this piece is a remarkable women's activist explanation, and is with regards to a significant number of her past fine arts. Israel, 1997, p. 160. The two works of art are perceptibly extraordinary promptly after survey, as Resurrection is a fresco and Christ is a photomontage. The fresco was aggregated with the utilization of color being applied to wet mortar, though the photomontage is basically an establishment game plan that has utilized a composition method with the utilization of photos. Rrap has utilized a bit of craftsmanship by Munch and laid out the figure it delineated, and afterward situated herself while semi-exposed inside the diagram. It is this position of herself inside the layout that has empowered her to sneak out of the generalization of the female Israel, 1997, p. 160. The picture was then separated and preoccupied, with the utilization of thick brush strokes out of sight, making a feeling of development. Revival anyway has been delivered in an unmistakably progressively straightforward way, with the arrangement involving Jesus remaining with one leg raised onto a tomb, while four Roman watchmen are resting by the tomb at his feet. Jesus, wrapped in red material, is holding a banner in a practically triumphant and disobedient signal. The closer view figures have all been put in context, yet the foundation shows up very strange related. Barely any hues have been utilized in Christ, yet the picked shades of yellow and dark entomb blended out of sight, red on blue for the cross, and the misrepresented yellow tissue tone in the photograph on the blue have all been utilized effectively. They each add to the general impact of the picture in a positive mode. On the other hand, Francescas fresco has enveloped the utilization of reasonable shading all through the whole picture. The hues have been utilized dexterously and made tone and profundity in all parts of the fresco, adding to the ideal reasonable portrayal of figures. Hopwood, 1996, p. 80B. Every craftsman has picked and utilized their shading in a methodology that is demonstrative and run of the mill of their period, Francesca specifically. .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 , .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .postImageUrl , .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .focused content territory { min-tallness: 80px; position: relative; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 , .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80:hover , .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80:visited , .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80:active { border:0!important; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 { show: square; progress: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-change: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; mistiness: 1; change: murkiness 250ms; webkit-progress: haziness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80:active , .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80:hover { obscurity: 1; progress: darkness 250ms; webkit-progress: haziness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .focused content zone { width: 100%; position: rela tive; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: intense; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content enrichment: underline; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; fringe sweep: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; text style weight: striking; line-stature: 26px; moz-outskirt range: 3px; content adjust: focus; content design: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/straightforward arrow.png)no-rehash; position: supreme; right: 0; top: 0; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .u207ae e0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80 .focused content { show: table; stature: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .u207aee0696616b555918a8659e9f3e80:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: Civil Disobedience EssayDespite the impressive position that Jesus has been set in inside Resurrection, his outward appearance alongside the general structure of figures and the scene makes a practically quiet and serene mind-set. The situating of each figure creates an amicable parity, which is commended by the variety of shading and space. The whole idea of the arrangement is normal for the Renaissance time, where the improvement of scientific use of workmanship standards was consistently being created alongside numerous other new aesthetic ideas in the entire resurrection time frame. Hopwood, 1996, p. 92. Much the same as Resurrection with respect to social impacts and condition, Christ has been finished so that it as well, is illustrative of its social condition. This is appeared in a few different ways, including the way that Rrap has shot herself exposed, aside from a white fabric falling beneath her stomach locale. She has not the slightest bit endeavored to cover her bosoms, which outlines societys developing acknowledgment of the practically bare female structure being utilized in current craftsmanship. It isn't the detail of showing up semi bare in any case, that is generally characteristic of todays social atmosphere. Or maybe, it is simply the arrangement in such a posture and portrayal of Jesus that gives the greatest understanding into the social climate of today. It is a striking women's activist proclamation that straightforwardly challenges the generalized job of ladies in craftsmanship all through earlier hundreds of years. Isreal, 1997, p. 161. Both Francescas Resurrection and Rraps Christ have been delivered in manners that adjust to their particular periods. Every craftsman has passed on their picked topic of Christ in such a way, that obviously appears and outlines the social condition of their time. This has been outlined through the general design and piece, emphasizd by components, for example, shading and variety. However the social atmosphere has been delineated most altogether through the manner by which the figure of Jesus has been depicted. At first as a male, at that point strikingly as a female, more than four centuries later. To numerous individuals, this is an indication of progress, yet according to similarly the same number of, it is additionally step in reverse.

To what extent can the Gothic genre be understood as reaction to Essay

Whatever degree can the Gothic kind be comprehended as response to Enlightenment beliefs of reason, amicability and social advancement - Essay Example The term in truth envelops Gothic creative mind, Gothic trademark and an absence of mindfulness for science and innovation. A future portrayed by Gothic type would be implied by a fiction delineating the dim future or an approaching dull age. Probably the most prevailing cases are the characters of Frankenstein and the Dracula. Remembering the fundamental Gothic parts, the paper gets three books, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and Castle of Otranto Walpole to comprehend the Gothic type as a test to the edification ideas of reason, social headway and congruity. Despite the fact that the Gothic kind professes to have started from the medieval conventions as alluded, yet it is really an eighteenth century creation and advancement and furthermore begins in â€Å"fake origins† on the grounds that it prompts a manufacture of roots and furthermore â€Å"Fabricating a fabrication† (Botting, 2). The tale The Castle of Otranto is regularly alluded a s the primary Gothic tale. A nearby perusing of Walpole’s work which later enlivened a short story, sonnet and even a film, will help distinguish otherworldly components like signs, prescience and dreams. It envelops a manor with its frequenting strange ways †â€Å"blasts of wind that shook the entryways she had passed, and which, grinding on the corroded pivots, were re-resounded through that long maze of darkness† (Walpole, 1766, p.23). The characters are honored with absence of reason and a greater amount of overpowering feelings. This upsets the concordance over and over with the screeches of ladies and emotional responses. The female characters are under male centric mastery of male oppression. The ladies had none to go to aside from God as they may be... Despite the fact that the Gothic sort professes to have started from the medieval customs as alluded, yet it is really an eighteenth-century creation and advancement and furthermore begins in â€Å"fake origins† in light of the fact that it prompts a manufacture of causes and furthermore â€Å"Fabricating a fabrication†. The tale The Castle of Otranto is frequently alluded as the primary Gothic tale. A nearby perusing of Walpole’s work which later propelled a short story, sonnet, and even a film, will help recognize heavenly components like signs, prediction, and dreams. It includes a palace with its frequenting puzzling ways †â€Å"blasts of the breeze that shook the entryways she had passed, and which, grinding on the corroded pivots, were re-reverberated through that long maze of darkness†. The characters are honored with the absence of reason and a greater amount of overpowering feelings. This upsets the amicability over and over with the screeche s of ladies and sensational responses. The female characters are under the male centric mastery of male oppression. The ladies had none to go to with the exception of God as they are under the impulses of men’s orders †â€Å"Words can't paint the awfulness of the Princess’s situation†¦She tended to herself to each holy person in paradise, and deep down begged their assistance†.

Managing a design project Essay Example

Dealing with a structure venture Essay Example Dealing with a plan venture Essay Dealing with a plan venture Essay Envision you are pull offing a plan undertaking that will make an interface for auto technicians. The interface would be utilized by the technicians to look into grouped openings and parts for any figure of makes or hypothetical records of vehicles that may get through their carport. Choose what ease of use steps would be most motivative while planing this interface and delineate the alone difficulties you would hold to be after for while planing an interface for a car fix store. Use back uping grounds to back up your reaction. First measure for any plan undertaking is collect the requests. As engineer and undertaking executives would non cognize what the terminal client requests and what their capable achievements are. it is fundamental to move up data on what the customer needs. I would accept that the interface must be each piece basic as could reasonably be expected. With the goal that the terminal client would hold no occupations looking for through the interface for various par ts and makes of automobiles. I can think about a repairman only taking a gander at the screen trying to ascertain out where is he at or what is he taking a gander at. So the rubric of the chase performed and the outcome ought to be intense and huge wellspring on top to ensure they comprehend what the data is. Other than to improve the activity of how to fix a specific activity or a bit in a vehicle. the interface can be connected to Auto Repair Reference Center. The new Auto Repair Reference Center interface accommodates an expanded aggregate of substance with dish to retouch data for more than 37. 000 vehicles. Top to bottom fix inclusion speaking to the most thorough accumulation of vehicle fix notice data in the market-is accommodated every vehicle. In add-on to retouch manual data. library regulars will happen capable assistance releases. review data. electrical wiring outlines. care interims. particulars and work times. Progressed do-it-yourselfers can exploit the nosologies data collection. which gives the capacity to investigate dependent on manifestations and OBDII codifications hypertext move convention:/www. ebscohost. com. This would smother the activity of the repairman non cognizing how to fix a specific activity. hypertext move convention:/www. ebscohost. com/newsroom/stories/auto-fix reference-focus reveals upgraded interface-and-substance Physical. psychological. perceptual. character. what's more, social contrasts present difficulties while planing generally useable stocks. Pick one nation from the rundown above and portray why it is the greatest test to show signs of improvement of when making generally useable structures. Bolster your reaction. The greatest test when making an all around useable product would be the design and the various organizations it would hold the data showed. As English is composed from left to right. there are numerous semantic interchanges the spell from optio n to go forward and surpass to base like Chinese and Nipponese. So it would raise an extraordinary exchange of hell for the designers to make interface that would react in any case fitting to the etymological correspondence in utilization. Early registering machines were just useable by specialists with solid capable insight. Dissect how synergistic frameworks have changed all through the mature ages to suit mean clients and delineate two focal points and two burdens related with these adjustments. PCs have come a long way since 80’s and 90’s. They were mainly utilized by Government and now every family has one. I recollect the main clasp I saw a figuring machine at my school it was a comodor 64. We would design creating fundamental plans and play the tennis or Ping pong game with two bars bridging the screen. Be that as it may, since so the interface has changed a bunch thus has the betting experience. Composing letters to family and sitting tight for answer for hebdomads if non months has changed to an illicit relationship of seconds. Web has made the universe a littler topographic point for us as we can make anybody promptly no undertaking what landmass they may be on. In any case, on the different manus it has made us powerless against a point that our most private discussions or data can be gotten to by anybody wherever. The other drawback is that it has made our lives busier. The point I am trying to do is that before the internet and figuring machines family units had more clasp for one another. there was cut for family unit supper. family unit film dim was each dull. Presently as the building has advanced. our lives have gotten progressively confused and busier.

Essay Topics to Research

Essay Topics to ResearchChild development essay topics are appropriate for a number of different developmental reasons. Many parents want to find out what developmental disorders are most common in their children. For instance, autism is becoming a growing concern in the developmentally years and has an excellent set of essay topics for research. A child who exhibits some aspects of autism may want to write about autism.For adult development essay topics, the information can be generalized as to whether a child is a graduate of high school, but, also with special attention to why that is important for students. For example, if a child struggles in school or if he or she has a disability, then the topic would be addressed. Or if there are extenuating circumstances as to why the student might be not performing to the degree they might have in high school, the topic could be used.For those seeking out more specific information about a child, one way to find them is through the internet. Websites such as Trymeteamstudy.com feature informative child development essays. This information is interesting, though some may consider that this is trying to push some agenda. However, the information can be helpful to parents who are looking for information on a child's development and the ability to look at their child's brain development as well as his or her ability to learn.As the internet has become popular, research has taken place for writing developmental disorder essay topics. One website offers advice on the effects of ADD/ADHD on the development of a child. Other sites focus on other disorders and provide information regarding ADHD. The advice for writing a developmental essay about ADHD is that it is important to discuss the characteristics of the disorder so that a child will know what to expect when the child goes back to school.When a child has an assessment disorder, then the usual concerns for ADHD and related disorders are explored. Most importantly, one sho uld research all of the options for medications.If a child has a developmental courses, then the themes are discussed to show the child how things work. When a child has ADHD, it is important to find out the characteristics of the disorder and if there are any symptoms that must be addressed before the child can go back to school.Having a professional there to help the child learn how to function is very important to the child. Teachers and instructors can help the child by going over the test and giving suggestions for solving the problems. Also, the child should be able to follow instructions that are given to him or her.Writing child development essays can be time consuming, but there are resources available that can make the work easier. Educators are there to help students succeed, but it is up to the student to figure out the correct answers.

How Khaled Hosseini uses literature and stories to demonstrate the power of words to harm and heal in times of injustice. - Literature Essay Samples

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner depicts the lives of two Afghan boys who grow up in the turmoil of invasion, heartbreak and war. Amir, the protagonist and narrator of the story, is Pashtun and Hassan, a Hazara boy, is Amir’s servant with a cleft lip. Despite being separated by different ethnic and social backgrounds, the boys share a close friendship. However, the afternoon of a kite-fighting tournament in 1975, leads to circumstances that neither boy can foresee, an event that traumatises their lives. Afterwards, Amir struggles to find his place in the world, filled with guilt and regret. When the Russians invade Amir and his father, Baba, have to flee from Afghanistan to America. Amir eventually realises he must return to a war-torn Afghanistan in redemption of his sins. But Afghanistan has changed and will never be the same. From a foreign perspective, The Kite Runner positions the reader to gain insight of the history and injustices of Afghanistan, from the downfa ll of the monarchy and the oppression of the Hazaras, to the invasion of the Russians and the assumed control of the Taliban. Many symbolic elements of the story reflect the history of Afghanistan. In particular, the element of storytelling is used by Hosseini to symbolise the oppression of the Hazaras, who are illiterate. The bond between Amir and Hassan is strengthened by their love of stories and literature. Amir reads to Hassan and together they create stories, including one where they are ‘Amir and Hassan: Sultans of Kabul.’ The juxtaposition between Amir and Hassan as characters is a technique used by Hosseini to construct the image of injustice in Afghanistan, and how the power of stories can bring both harm and healing in times of turmoil. In The Kite Runner, the power of the written word is used with prejudice by Amir against Hassan, but he eventually begins to amend for this by rescuing Sohrab, Hassan’s son, from the clutches of the Taliban. Powerful st ories can position people to understand how injustice occurs, how it can be carried out, and how it may be eventually resolved. Books and storytelling are integral aspects in the lives of Amir and Hassan; it serves as the bond between the two boys, but also affirms their differences. Amir, a Pashtun and son of Baba, a wealthy man with a renowned name, is literate; he can read, write and understand complex words. Hassan is a Hazara and son of Ali, both servants in Baba’s household. Unlike Amir, Hassan is illiterate, unable to read and write, a fate decided by being born Hazara. â€Å"That Hassan would grow up illiterate like Ali and most Hazaras had been decided the minute he had been born, perhaps even the moment he had been conceived in Sanaubars’s unwelcoming womb – after all, what use did a servant have for the written word?† (Hosseini 26) However, what Hassan lacks in literacy, he compensates for in natural intelligence, a gentle nature and courage, unlike Amir, who is not respectful in his position over Hassan and abuses his privileges as master. The crafting of stories betwee n Amir and Hassan does not seem to be harmful – imagining themselves as ‘Amir and Hassan: Sultans of Kabul’, Amir’s short story about tears turning into pearls, Hassan’s dream about the monster in the lake, and Amir reading to Hassan from the Shahnamah – but Amir often used the power of the written word against Hassan, ridiculing him for not understanding certain words. It is the power that Amir holds over Hassan that brings harm to their relationship and ultimately leads to Amir’s act of cowardice when he does not rescue Hassan from being sexually assaulted. â€Å"I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba. Was it a fair price? The answer floated to my conscious mind before I could thwart it: He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?† (Hosseini 73) Ami r’s jealousy over the care his father gave Hassan was the catalyst of his betrayal, and Amir came to believe that Hassan was a worthy sacrifice to gain his father’s love. Amir truly believed that Baba preferred Hassan to him as son. â€Å"Self-defence has nothing to do with meanness. You know what always happens when the neighbourhood boys tease him? Hassan steps in and fends them off. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. And when they come home, I say to him, ‘How did Hassan get that scrape on his face?’ And he says, ‘He fell down.’ I’m telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy If I hadn’t seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I’d never believe he’s my son.† (Hosseini 21 – 22) Amir is considered weak in the eyes of Baba, unlike Hassan who is honest in everything he does. Hassan’s integrity and courage are what Baba admires, and according to Amir, Baba does not love him because he is a coward. The Shanamah, described as a tenth-century epic of ancient Persian heroes, features the tale of ‘Rostam and Sohrab’. It is Amir and Hassan’s favourite story. It follows the tale of Rostam, a warrior, who mortally wounds his nemesis, Sohrab, in battle only to discover that Sohrab is his son. In The Kite Runner, the fates of Amir and Hassan symbolically reflect the tragedy of ‘Rostam and Sohrab’. After not rescuing Hassan from his attackers in the alley, establishing him as a thief and then discovering that they were brothers, Amir believes that his cowardice and actions against Hassan were what led to his death, not being shot in the back of the head by the Taliban, â€Å"I follow the barrel on its upward arc. I see that face behind the plume of smoke swirling from the muzzle. I am the man in the herringbone vest.† (Hosseini 221) An opportunity for redemption and healing presents itself to Amir though, rescuing Sohrab, Hassan’s son, from the clutches of the Taliban. Sohrab, a symbol of all the terrible things that happened to the characters and Afghanistan, creates a picture of hope. Thus, the power of stories ultimately brings harm to Hassan; Amir abusing his literacy skills over Hassan’s illiterate status and Amir’s jealous nature over Hassan’s sense of wisdom. Healing is brought to this injustice through Sohrab, whom Hassan named after the Persian tale of ‘Rostam and Sohrab’, when Amir rescues him to amend for his sins against Hassan. The use of language is crucial in any story; it develops tone and style and decides the narrative point of view. In The Kite Runner, Hosseini uses a first person narrative in order to develop the personal story of Amir, his tone attributable to his personal characteristics. The combined use of the English and Fari language allows the reader to connect on a more personal level with Amir, giving a sense of heritage to his character. â€Å"If the story had been about anyone else, it would have been dismissed as laaf, that Afghan tendency to exaggerate† (Hosseini 12) As a child Amir’s tone is lyrical, illustrating the naivety of youth, and develops a darker and morbid sense of self-evaluation as he becomes an adult, â€Å"sometimes my entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer day with Hassan, chasing each other between tangles of trees in my father’s yard, playing hide-and-seek, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians† (Hosseini 24) The sense of freedom A mir felt as a child with Hassan conveys the notion of innocence that both held. However, after Hassan is attacked, their innocence and sense of naivety is stolen. The style of the text is structured by the genre of bildungsroman – the development from childhood to adulthood of a character whose personality is shaped by an experience. The Kite Runner is formed using a three-part structure, beginning with Amir’s childhood, then his experience in America and his return to Afghanistan. As a narrator, Amir provides the reader with personal insight into different events and characters. However, he is limited in understanding and forms a biased perspective as a character, â€Å"and that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.† (Hosseini 51) In Amir’s opinion, Hassan is honest, but believes he uses it in a selfish manner with expectations of others. As an adult narrator, Amir becomes more mature but remains cowardly in his actions towards Hassan. His change in tone, less portentous and more considerate, gives his character a sense of growth from the time he was a child. â€Å"We had both sinned and betrayed. But Baba had found a way to create good out of his remorse.† (Hosseini 278) After rescuing Sohrab from the Taliban, Amir visualises more of his father in him than he did as a child, and discovers more about himself personally. Overall, Amir’s use of language and role as narrator illustrates that harrowing issues such as war cannot be appreciated until it is made personal. History can be woven into stories, and history may also inevitably become its own story. When reading The Kite Runner, this notion is acknowledged by the mention of Amir and Hassan’s mothers, who are respectively dead and estranged. Amir, who has a troubled relationship with Baba, has similar character traits to his mother who died in childbirth. He believes he killed his mother and that Baba blames him. Amir would often avoid his father by reading his mother’s books. â€Å"That was how I escaped my father’s aloofness, in my dead mother’s books.† (Hosseini 19) However, Amir’s love of literature and becoming a writer is what brings healing to his and Baba’s relationship, as Baba realises that writing stories helps Amir connect to people, particularly with Soraya whom he later marries, and he becomes proud. â€Å"’Liar.’ I lifted Baba’s blanket. ‘What’s this?’ I said, though as soon as I picked u p the leather-bound book, I knew ‘I can’t believe you can write like this,’ Soraya said. Baba dragged his head off the pillow. ‘I put her up to it. I hope you don’t mind.’ I gave the notebook back to Soraya and left the room. Baba hated it when I cried.† (Hosseini 159) When Amir discovers Baba has read one of his stories, he accepts that, despite his hardness in character, Baba finally appreciates and loves him for who he is. The mentions of Sanaubar, Hassan’s mother, are portrayed like folk-lore or fairytales, as if she had existed and then did not after she was condemned with a dishonourable reputation. â€Å"While my mother haemorrhaged to death during childbirth, Hassan lost his less than a week after he was born. Lost her to a fate most Afghans considered far worse than death: She ran off with a clan of travelling singers and dancers.† (Hosseini 6) The stories of Sanaubar create harm for Hassan, especially when he is b ombarded by soldiers who have claimed to have â€Å"taken her†. The misdeeds of Sanaubar are eventually exonerated by Hassan when she returns years later as an older woman seeking forgiveness and taking care of Sohrab. In The Kite Runner, the role and integrity of women is portrayed through stories of the past, including Soraya, Amir’s wife, who ran off with an Afghan man years before. Hosseini uses this as means to express the injustice of male dominance over women. Soraya expresses this injustice, â€Å"their sons go out to nightclubs looking for meat and get their girlfriends pregnant, they have kids out of wedlock and no one says a goddamn thing. Oh, they’re just men having nang and namoos [pride and honour], and I have to have my face rubbed in it for the rest of my life†. (Hosseini 164) Injustice for women in The Kite Runner is not completely resolved. Eventually, Soraya and Amir are married despite her past. Amir believes that he cannot judge her for her sins, â€Å"and in the end the question that always came back to me was this: How could I, of all people, chastise someone for their past? I suspected there were many ways in which Soraya Taheri was a better person than me. Courage was just one of them.† (Hosseini 151 – 152) Amir’s past experiences in Afghanistan ultimately cause him to admire Soraya rather than despise her; her honesty and courage of her situation ironically reflecting his cowardice in his actions towards Hassan. A feminist perspective of Soraya’s courage and honesty, over Amir’s cowardice, could be perceived as a sense of power for Afghan women. Her genuine attitude regarding her past, and marrying Amir because of his admiration for this, is healing for her. When Baba and Amir flee to America, it changes their lives and leaves Baba yearning for what was – his status as a wealthy man and honourable reputation in Afghanistan. â€Å"I glance at him across the table the smells of the gas station – dust, sweat and gasoline – on his clothes He missed the sugarcane fields of Jalalabad and the gardens of Paghman. He missed people milling in and out of his house, missed walking down the bustling aisles of Shor Bazaar and greeting people who knew him and his father, knew his grandfather, people who shared ancestors with him, whose pasts intertwined with his.† (Hosseini 119 – 120) Baba continues to feel a strong sense of cultural heritage and connection to Afghanistan; America stripped this past from him. However, America offers hope for Amir and a new beginning. Thus, stories of the past can create justice for some, but injustice for many. Even before the invasion of the Russians, Afghanistan was an oppressed country. The divide between the Pashtuns and Hazaras is evidenced in The Kite Runner by Amir and Hassan’s friendship, the brotherhood between Baba and Ali, and the abuse both Ali and Hassan receive in public. Hazaras have characteristic Mongolian features, and both Ali and Hassan receive abuse for this, particularly Ali. â€Å"They chased him on the street, and mocked him when he hobbled by. Some had taken to calling him Babalu, or Boogeyman. ‘Hey, Babalu, who did you eat today Who did you eat, you flat-nosed Babalu?’† (Hosseini 8) Ali had been a victim of polio at a young age, and walked with a stiff leg. People often create stories to provide answers to problems and ethical issues. In The Kite Runner, Hosseini addresses this issue through Amir’s guilt over Hassan’s fate, telling himself that Hassan was an appropriate sacrifice. When rescuing Sohrab from the Taliban, Amir is beaten up and ironically it is through this that he finds healing for what he did to Hassan. â€Å"Another rib snapped, this time lower. What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in the corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed.† (Hosseini 265) In today’s media, many stories and reports are addressed in response to the refugee crisis, wars and alienation. Hosseini constructs the character of Hassan to symbolise the injustices of Afghanistan; Hassan is raped by Assef, an older, wealthier boy and bully, and Afghanistan is ravaged by war, by both the Russians and the Taliban. Sohrab, Hassan’s son, is a symbol to express the troubled nature of the country. From a reader’s perspective, The Kite Runner is an allegory of the war in Afghanistan, a coming of age tale, with an ending filled with hope for a forgiving future. Within the novel there are several moments when Amir feels justified in his actions, but none as powerful as when he recues Sohrab and senses that Hassan has forgiven him for his injustice. â€Å"I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with a fanfare or epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.† (Hossei ni 329) The Kite Runner, as a story of harming and healing, positions the reader from Amir’s point of view to grow with him and experience the changes in his life. One element in the story, the cleft lip, comes full circle, with Hassan being born with the feature and Amir splitting his lip in the middle when he is beaten by Assef during his rescue of Sohrab. â€Å"The impact had cut your upper lip in two, he had said, clean down the middle. Clean down the middle. Like a harelip.† (Hosseini 273) This one element symbolises that Amir and Hassan’s fates were inevitably bound and that Amir would find healing in their troubled friendship. The power of stories and words can bring harm and healing in times of injustice. Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner expresses the injustices of war and how stories can create justice for some, but injustice for many. The friendship of Amir and Hassan suffers, jealousy and betrayal prevailing over their love for each other. The tragedy of their friendship, as symbolised by the tale of ‘Rostam and Sohrab’, reflects the tragedy of Afghanistan; their friendship was harmed by an act of impurity, and Afghanistan is ravaged by the act of war. Ultimately, Amirs rescue of Sohrab heals their relationship, symbolising the importance of doing what is right in the midst of conflict.

The Holy Land

The region generally encompassing territory from the River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and from the Euphrates River in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south, was considered the Holy Land by medieval Europeans. The city of Jerusalem was of especially sacred significance  and continues to be so, to Jews, Christians and Muslims. A Region of Sacred Significance For millennia, this territory had been considered the Jewish homeland, originally encompassing the joint kingdoms of Juda and Israel that had been founded by King David. In c. 1000 B.C.E., David conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital; he brought the Ark of the Covenant there, making it a religious center, as well. Davids son King Solomon had a fabulous temple built in the city, and for centuries Jerusalem flourished as a spiritual and cultural center. Through the long and tumultous history of the Jews, they never stopped considering Jerusalem to be the single most important and holiest of cities. The region has spiritual meaning for Christians because it was here that Jesus Christ lived, traveled, preached and died. Jerusalem is especially sacred because it was in this city that Jesus died on the cross and, Christians believe, rose from the dead. The sites that he visited, and especially the site believed to be his tomb, made Jerusalem the most important objective for medieval Christian pilgrimage. Muslims see religious value in the area because it is where monotheism originated, and they recognize Islams monotheistic heritage from Judaism. Jerusalem was originally the place toward which Muslims turned in prayer, until it was changed to Mecca in the 620s C.E. Even then, Jerusalem retained significance to Muslims because it was the site of Muhammads night journey and ascension. The History of Palestine This region was also sometimes known as Palestine, but the term is a difficult one to apply with any precision. The term Palestine derives from Philistia, which was what the Greeks called the land of the Philistines. In the 2nd century C.E. the Romans used the term Syria Palaestina to indicate the southern part of Syria, and from there the term made its way into Arabic. Palestine has post-medieval significance; but in the Middle Ages, it was rarely used by Europeans in connection with the land they considered sacred. The profound importance of the Holy Land to European Christians would lead Pope Urban II to make the call for the First Crusade, and thousands of devout Christians answered that call.

Death of a Salesman vs. Fifth Business, Feminist Perspective

Independent Study Unit ENG4U1 – Ms. Martin Bianca Mastroianni Comparative Essay Fifth Business by Roberson Davies and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Throughout most of history woman have faced an imbalance within their social class opposed to the male gender. They have had fewer rights and much fewer career opportunities, the stereotype that a women’s place is in the home is due to the most socially accepted and common career of wifehood and motherhood. Through the comparison of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Fifth Business by Robertson Davies the contrasts between both works are explored from the feminist perspective. The status of woman in the early and mid nineteen hundreds is reflected by the lifestyles of†¦show more content†¦Dempster the ropes left substantial scares within Dunstan as he matured, thus forming issues with commitment and intimacy. Dunstan’s mother because of her household tasks within the era of his childhood left her with the devotion mainly to her husband and later to Mrs. Dempster. In relation to Death of a Salesman Linda and Willy’s son Happy developed similar characteristics because he was hidden in the shadow of his brother Biff, Willy’s favored son. For the reasons of his rejection and neglect his trust, commitment, and intimacy were affected in regards to his relationships with woman. Linda protests to Willy her concern towards Happy’s manner towards woman â€Å"He’s to rough with the girls, Willy. All the mothers are afraid of him!† (Act 1) as well Happy justifies later in the text â€Å"You know how honest I am, but it’s like this girl, see. I hate myself for it. Because I don’t want the girl, and, still, I take it and – I love it!† (Act 1). These excerpts from the script highlight Happy’s desperation for attention as he uses woman as sexual objects. Because Linda’s attention was fixated among the male dominate within the household, that of which being Willy, she failed to give Happy an equal amount of care such as the type that Willy expresses for Biff. Linda i n this scenario is depicted as weak because she fails to argue or change Willy’s priorities of consideration between his sons and instead of taking theShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages.............................................................................. 299 CHAPTER 10 Deductive Reasoning .......................................................................................... 312 x Implying with Certainty vs. with Probability ................................................................................ 312 Distinguishing Deduction from Induction ..................................................................................... 319 Review of Major

Critique And New Directions For Theory - 1317 Words

Critique and new directions for theory Raewyn Connell’s concepts and theory have found wide use in areas such as education studies, criminology, the study of media representations of men and in organization studies (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005). With such a broad applicability, it also attracted a great deal of criticism. In their review of the concepts and of the critique, Connell and Messerschmidt sort the existing objections in five categories of critique, which I will present in the following section (ibid., 836-845). The first main argument is that the underlying concept of masculinity is flawed, that it creates a static typology and essentializes the character of men. The authors reject this critique and assert that ‘masculinity is not a fixed entity embedded in the body or personality traits of individuals’ (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005, 836). Moreover, they deem the conflating of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ with a certain type of men or confining it to certain â€Å"manly† characteristics as an inadequate use of the concept. As Levy argues, ‘hegemonic masculinity’ is an ideal-type, ‘the currently accepted male ideal within a particular culture at a particular time’ (2007, 254). In his research of the recent academic appropriation of ‘hegemonic masculinity’, Messerschmidt found out that 18% of the 128 articles using it as a core concept ‘equated hegemonic masculinity with certain â€Å"masculine† character traits (2012, 61). He exemplified with a study that tried to showShow MoreRelatedForeign Policy And The Current Syrian Conflict993 Words   |  4 PagesIn the study of International Relations there exists a number of different theories, each in which try to explain the role of America in foreign policy and world politics. This essay will work to explain the purpose of theories in foreign policy and the limits they have when they are applied to particular policies. President Barack Obama, for example, has come under sustained criticism regarding his foreign policy. Many have wondered whether Obama is a â€Å"realist† or â€Å"idealist† with his policy decisionsRead MoreAndragogy: The Cornerstone of Adult Education Essay743 Words   |  3 Pagesquestion was proposed and the research into the subject began so forth theories and findings began to come as well. Tests were ran much like testing older adults vs. younger adults and the result of this particular test was that in fact younger adults did learn better than the elder. This test came to be insufficient due to the older adults not attaining the same type of education as the younger adults. The gap in age difference and new material learned deemed the test irrelevant. The intelligence testsRead MoreIntermediate Macroeconomic Theory : Robert E. 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HRM for a XYZ Enterprise-Free-Sample for Students-Myassignment

Question: Disucss about the on Human Resource Management for a XYZ Enterprise. Answer: Introduction The report is a discussion on human resource management for a XYZ enterprise providing scientific service to a varied number of industries in Alberta. In recent times, the company is experiencing challenges that are affecting the revenue of the company. Therefore, there has been a need for human resources remedies for checking on the turnover issues of the company. Keeping in mind, the presence scenario, the report puts forward the new benefits program of the human resource. The report also mentions the importance of discipline policy and the complaints policy. Finally, the report also puts forward the methods for gauging the employee morale. Define the New Benefits Program of Human Resource The benefit programs of Human Resource department for XYZ include increasing the employee morale. The human resource department must also coach the employees for aligning their goals with the business objectives (Bratton Gold, 2012).. Through the benefit program the human resource department, every department ensures customer service as their utmost priority that will help in the company to gain competitive advantage. In addition to this, the human resource can undertake benefit programs related to disability, health, life insurance, accident insurance, retirement and flexible spending accounts and paid time off to the employees. Define the Discipline Policy of Human Resource Discipline defines the regulation and modulation of human activities for ensuring controlled performance (Salvendy, 2012). The implementation of Discipline Policy of Human Resource encourages the employees in conforming to the established job performance standards and behaves safely and sensibly at work. The Discipline Policy of human resource helps in promotion of orderly conduct, dedication and self-control amongst the employees. The promotion of orderly behavior amongst the employees helps them in attaining the organizational goals of XYZ. Define Complaints Policy including Company Obligations and Employee Rights Complaint Policy is a statement that outlines the steps undertaken by the employees for raising a concern that is contained in the handbook provided to the employees. The handbook provided to the new employees during their orientation (Guest Woodrow, 2012).This prime reason behind issuing this policy is to assure the employees that the organization they are working for is concerned with satisfaction of the employees. The contents of the complaint policy of the employee must have guidelines for every step of complaint and reporting. This is necessary because companies with open door policies might encourage the employees to feel that they have access to their immediate higher authorities in case they face any issues (Bratton Gold, 2012). Effective guidelines about the policy will help the employees to approach the right person in case of any problem. Complaints policy also helps the employees to approach the human resource department in case they are uncomfortable with any step taken by the company or they have complaints regarding the manager or supervisor. The policy also enables in the employee to participate in the process of investigation and provide as much details as possible. Methods used for Gauging Employee Morale Gauging the morale of the employee can help XYZ in defining the issues and concerns of the employee before they escalated to irresolvable problems that are irresolvable (Cantril, 2015). There are various methods used for measuring employee morale. This includes: By Encouraging the Employees to Discuss Any Matter: Through this method, the employees of XYZ are welcome to discuss any matter with the department of human resource. Ensuring an Annual Opinion Survey of the Employees: The annual opinion survey will help the human resource department of XYZ with information for determining the employee morale level and other opinions that employee might share anonymously Encouraging Employees for Making Comments and Suggestion for Improving Efficiency: This method applied by placing locked suggestion boxes around the workplace of XYZ. The suggestions collected presented to the company leadership during monthly meetings by the human resource department. Assessing the Turnover of the Organization through Exit Interviews: These interviews will enable the human resource department in determining or understanding the reasons for exit of the employees at XYZ Determining the Reasons for Involuntary Turnover: This will help in understanding the reasons involuntary dismissal of the employees at XYZ Making sure that Human Resource Department is Available for the Employees: This will help in measuring the job satisfaction and morale of the employees. Conclusion The report ends with a discussion on the methods for gauging the employee morale of XYZ enterprise. There is also discussion on the complaints policy and the discipline policy put forward by the human resource department for improving the status of the company. The report also discusses about the benefits program of the human resource department. References: Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2012).Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. Cantril, H. (2015).Gauging public opinion. Princeton University Press. Guest, D. E., Woodrow, C. (2012). Exploring the boundaries of human resource managers responsibilities.Journal of business ethics,111(1), 109-119. Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F., Swanson, R. A. (2014).The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Routledge Salvendy, G. (2012).Handbook of human factors and ergonomics. John Wiley Sons.

Performance Measurement free essay sample

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/0263-7472. htm Performance measurement in facilities management: driving innovation? Michael Pitt and Matthew Tucker School of the Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to examine the state of knowledge of performance measurement in facilities management, in particular regarding the concepts underlying benchmarking in relation to its ability to drive innovation in the industry. Design/methodology/approach – An evaluation of the key issues surrounding performance measurement and the effective application of benchmarking systems are examined, exploring the possibility of applying a benchmarking technique to measure facilities performance. Findings – The paper suggests that a fully developed performance measurement solution via effective benchmarking can deliver as a business tool in facilities management (FM), whilst acting as a driver in the innovation process. Practical implications – With the nature of performance measurement having changed over the past few decades, the paper acts as a catalyst to how performance measurement systems and techniques operate within FM and stimulate innovation. Originality/value – By adopting the notion of innovation to performance measurement, the paper highlights new areas of thought to facilities management and how performance measurement is strategically applied to the industry. Keywords Performance measures, Benchmarking, Facilities, Innovation Paper type Research paper Performance measurement in FM 241 Received October 2005 Revised August 2007 Accepted May 2008 Introduction Performance measurement is an area to which companies have paid much attention recently. Performance is regarded as a major competitive issue (Tran? eld and Akhaghi, 1995). In facilities management (FM), there is a wide range of choices in measuring FM performance, re? ecting the varied nature of the ? eld. The focus on FM skills and techniques should be in the areas that contribute to the overall management of a business, ? nancial and ersonal criteria (Barrett, 1992). This paper aims to review the state of knowledge of performance measurement in FM and seeks to explore how measuring service performance is linked to innovation processes within the organisation. Benchmarking is a key performance measurement tool that allows organisations to achieve added value and â€Å"superior performance† (Camp, 1989). The discussion focuses on the proposition of adopting benchmarking techniques in measuring facilities performance, driving a framework of an FM performance measurement solution. It is important to stress however that by researching such an approach, with the emphasis on benchmarking, it does not contend that benchmarking should be the only performance instrument implemented to organisational performance measurement Property Management Vol. 26 No. 4, 2008 pp. 241-254 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0263-7472 DOI 10. 1108/02637470810894885 PM 26,4 systems. It merely identi? es the importance of benchmarking as a stimulant to achieving innovation in performance measurement. Facilities management overview FM is a relatively new discipline. It has developed since around 1978 where the Herman Miller Corporation, the worlds leading furniture manufacturer, staged a conference on â€Å"Facilities Impact on Productivity†. This might be seen as the beginning of FM. FM as a discipline emerged out of practice, just as the great established professions. It emerged with the integration of three main strands of activity: property management, property operations and maintenance and of? ce administration (Kincaid, 1994). More signi? antly it established a focus on the management and delivery of the business â€Å"outputs† of both of these entities; namely the productive use of building assets as workplaces (Varcoe, 2000). The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) adopt the following de? nition, â€Å"the practise of coordinating the physical workplace with the people and work of th e organisation: it integrates the principles of business administration/architecture/behaviour/ engineering science† (US Library of Congress). FM can be de? ned as the integration and alignment of the non-core ervices, including those relating to premises, required to operate and maintain a business to fully support the core objectives of the organisation. Over the years, FM has been growing as a business ? eld and also as a scienti? c discipline, slowly ? nding and anchoring its position among organisations’ business processes. Nowadays, the dedication of FM organisations to new developments and continuous innovation processes seems to be the way to stay in business, constantly exceeding customers’ expectations and adding value to the core business of the client organisation (Mudrak et al. , 2004). Performance measurement principles and revolution The traditional view determined by Teague and Eilon (1973) of performance measurement is that it has three broad purposes: (1) to ensure the achievement of goals and objectives; (2) to evaluate, control and improve procedures and processes; and (3) to compare and assess the performance of different organisations, teams and individuals. An early attempt at developing ? nancial measures was made by Du Pont (Walters, 1997). Du Pont is widely acknowledged as being the founder of ? nancial performance measurement, by introducing a pyramid of ? ancial ratios as early as 1903. However, in the late 1970s and 1980s, numerous authors expressed a general dissatisfaction with traditional backward looking or lag accounting based performance measurement systems. In the 1990s, attention on performance measurement shifted to quality and consumer satisfaction. A broader conceptualisation of business performance emerged, as the emphasis on operational performance (i. e. non-? nancial performance) was added to indicators to measure business performance (Venkatraman and Ramanujam, 1986). 42 Traditionally the use of ? nancial indicators has determined the way in which businesses operate – if the cost is low, and the pro? t is high then they are happy. With the considerable in? uence of the changing business marketplace however, this philosophy is no longer sustainable, and the emergence of non-? nancial or qualitative indicators, speci? cally focused on process, structure and change, instead of traditional cost, pro? t, and output, has drastically changed the way in which businesses perceive performance. Drucker (1993) described traditional measures as not adequate for business evaluation and fail to meet new business needs as they are lagging indicators. By this, they mean that traditional indicators are not able to provide real time performance, they are always set on past periods. This was reiterated by Varcoe (1996) terming traditional indicators as being â€Å"past their sell by date†. Kaplan and Norton (1996) contended that â€Å"companies were in the midst of a revolutionary transformation† as they shifted from industrial age competition to information age competition. By this, they urged that it was no longer feasible to gain â€Å"competitive advantage† within business merely through the deployment of new technology (Kaplan and Norton, 1996). To this, a shift has occurred, as Kaplan and Norton (2001) claim that ? nancial measures are historical in nature, they report only on outcomes and the consequences of past actions. Amartunga and Baldry (2003) summarised the views advanced in the debate on traditional performance measurement as follows: . Criticism of traditional management control (Brown and Laverick, 1994; Stone, 1996; Letza, 1996; Rangone, 1997; Neely, 1998). Need to represent non-? nancial measures (Olve et al. , 1999; Ernst Young, 1998). . Lack of prescription on how to implement the measures (Olve et al. , 1999; McFadzean, 1995). . Lack of strategic focus (Hally, 1994). The debate and the criticism on traditional performance measurement show that ? nancial performance measures are not a solution to the measurement of business p erformance. Therefore the principles of performance measurement become revolution, as contemporary ideas and practices of how to strategically measure business performance change. For Nani et al. (1990) performance measurement systems were developed as a means of monitoring and maintaining organisational control: Organisational control may be de? ned as the process of ensuring that an organisation pursues strategies that lead to the achievement of overall goals and objectives. Performance measurement in FM 243 Hronec’s (1993) work emphasises this, de? ning performance measures as a vital sign of the organisation, showing how well activities within a process or the outputs of a process achieve a speci? c goal. According to Zairi (1994) performance measurement is the systematic assignment of a number of activities. Kanter (1995) claims that in today’s dynamic business environment the emphasis has shifted to the â€Å"three C’s† – concepts, competence, and connections, which drives from investments in innovation, education and collaboration. As cited in Wilson (2000), the roles of performance measurement have been intertwined with the premise that organisations achieve PM 26,4 244 success (meet their objectives) by delivering services with greater ef? ciency and effectiveness than their competitors (Ghobadian and Ashworth, 1994). Further themes emerging in contemporary academic literature that relate to adding value to performance measurement systems have been determined and analysed by Wilson (2000). The themes are: . Measurement for improvement, which states that measurement systems are service functions and only have the right to exist if they add value to the organisation (Van Schalkwyk, 1998). . The integration of broad measures, which see the challenge for performance measurement systems as being the ability to balance multiple measures (i. e. cost, quality and time) across multiple levels (i. e. he organisation, the process and the people) (Hronec, 1993). . Clear communication and dissemination, where, if information is poorly presented, it may be misunderstood, poorly assimilated or at the extreme completely ignored (Harvey, 1984). Research by Amartunga and Baldry (2003) described performance measurement as a process of assessing progress towards achieving pre-determined goals, including information o n the ef? ciency by which resources are transformed into goods and services, the quality of these outputs and outcomes, and the effectiveness of organisational objectives. Therefore, the basic foundations of performance measurement are the quali? cations of elements, which impact on organisational objectives, management control and evaluation. Fitzgerald et al. (1991) examined performance measurement in service businesses. They highlighted the complexity of measuring performance within the service sector, as opposed to that of the manufacturing sector, as services are intangible in nature. For example, Fitzgerald et al. (1991) talk about air travel where there are many intangible factors such as the helpfulness of the cabin crew, but also more tangible factors, such as the measure of luggage with passengers. Fitzgerald et al. (1991) contended therefore that â€Å"a range of measures† is required, which act as a â€Å"contingency theory† to the uniqueness of performance measurement within the service sector. Fitzgerald et al. (1991) stressed however that the selection of a range of performance measures should be made according to the strategic intentions of the organisation. What this means in essence is that measures should have a balance so that one dimension is not dominating the performance system and consequently skewing the strategic goals of the organisation. Facilities performance and innovation The objectives and roles of performance measurement to achieve organisation goals have been expounded as FM is growing and enhancing into this business. However, as business performance becomes revolution, the need for learning, growth, and innovation becomes crucial. There are as many de? nitions of innovation as there are of FM. Innovation can be de? ned as a continuous process of bringing new ideas into practical uses (Tidd et al. , 2001). A broad de? nition as cited in Mudrak et al. 2004) is that innovation is: a management process, involving multiple activities, performed by multiple actors from one or several organisations, during which new combinations of means and/or ends, which are new for creating and/or adopting a unit, are developed and/or produced and/or implemented and/or transferred to old and/or new market-partners. Performance measurement in FM 245 According to Tidd et al. (2001) the innovation processes in product and service de velopment are similar in principle; however, they vary in speci? routines and activities performed, by which the innovation processes are enabled. One of the more common debates concerning the de? nition of innovation asks whether innovation should be regarded as a process or a discrete event (Cooper, 1998). Either a process or discrete event, innovation is a synergised element to organisation growth and competition in the market. According to Cooper (1998) understanding of learning processes is a key requirement for the facilitation and optimisation of improvement and innovation in business processes. By understanding and optimising learning processes, managers in organisations will be able to achieve behavioural change leading to performance measurement. With respect to performance measurement and the innovation process in organisations’ it shows that performance measurement is the driver. Buckler (1998) explained the link between learning and performance improvement and stated that by understanding and optimising learning process, managers will be able to achieve behaviour change leading to performance improvement (Figure 1). Therefore the growth in performance measurement within the FM discipline seems to relate and directly impact on the organisations performance and actual innovation of that performance. Facilities performance measurement The focus of facilities management skills and techniques should be in the area that contributes to the overall management of a business by relating accommodation and support infrastructure issues to business, ? nancial and personal criteria (Barrett, 1992). Therefore the issue of measuring facility performance is a critical task to the facilities manager. However, why should FM organisations want to measure performance? From a classical management perspective there is a need to assess performance in order to guide management decision-making, and as FM is a subset of general management, performance measurement applies to management in the FM context (Amaratunga et al. , 2000). Further, performance measurement is a driver to an innovation process in an organisation. Alexander (1996) identi? es measurement of performance as one of the â€Å"three essential issues for the effective implementation of a facilities strategy†. Thus Figure 1. The link between learning and performance improvement PM 26,4 246 performance measurement has become increasingly important both for reasons of justi? cation to general management and to support management and practise within FM organisations. The measurement of facilities has three main components, namely, physical, functional, and ? nancial (Williams, 1996). Physical performance relates to the behaviour of the building fabric and embraces physical properties such as structural integrity, heating, lighting, energy ef? ciency, maintainability, and durability. Functional performance concerns the relationship of the building with its occupiers and embraces issues such as space, layout, ergonomics, image, ambience, communication, health and safety, and ? exibility. Finally, ? nancial performance arises from the physical and functional performances of the building and comprises capital and recurrent (life-cycle) expenditures, depreciation and ef? ciency of use etc. According to Amartunga and Baldry (2003), the contribution made by FM will be judged by organisations’ stakeholders over a wide range of performance criteria, including the hard metrics of ? ance and economics. FM is seen to be able to contribute to the performance of an organisation in many ways, including strategy, culture, control of resources, service delivery, supply chain management, and perhaps most importantly, the management of change. Quality, value and the management of risk also emerge as signi? cant factors. Thus it is important to have systems to measure the ef fect of the FM functions on an organisations core business, together with systems to measure FM’s own performance. There is a wide range of choices in measuring FM performance re? ecting the varied nature of the ? eld, and is regarded as a major competitive issue (Kincaid, 1994). Facilities managers must understand the nature and the business of the organisation and their work process in order to derive the effective and ef? cient measurement tools. Besides this, the facilities manager may also have to clarify the purposes of measurement before deciding on the technique to be applied for assessing facilities management performance. Measuring facilities performance: a practical insight The key determinant in achieving effective performance measurement is to view FM strategically, where FM is aligned to support the core objectives of the organisation. To exemplify how this may operate practically, let us take one element of FM, the reception service. The reception service is at the front-line of the business. Often it is the ? rst service that the customer comes in contact with, and consequently has a signi? cant impact on their initial perception of the organisation. One could assume therefore that the most ef? ient method to measure the performance of the reception service is through customer satisfaction indicators. However, is this comparable for all organisations? Here is where FM performance measurement must be viewed from a strategic context. This can be further exempli? ed by comparing three different organisations delivering a reception service. Firstly, the reception service within a telecommunications of? ce. Primarily, the core business objectives within the telecommunications industry are centred on the customer through the delivery of a product. All business operations must meet the needs of the customer in order to generate mass customer satisfaction and stimulate market sales. Hence, when measuring the ef? ciency of the reception service within a telecommunications of? ce, the primary indicators will be focussed on customer satisfaction, such as the helpfulness of staff, the ability of staff to deal with a query, and the comfort of the waiting area. Second, the reception service within an international bank. Again, primarily core objectives if an international bank are centred on the customer, in this case however through the delivery of ? ancial support and management. Here, the core business objectives differ slightly, as the bank is still primarily selling services to the customer and therefore needs to promote high levels of customer satisfaction, but also has an important security element involved due to the nature of the core business. When measuring the ef? ciency of the reception service within the bank, the indica tors will be different, focussed around two key factors – ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction, and ensuring security measures are in place when dealing with customers. This is likely to involve ensuring that standard identi? cation checks are taking place, such as cross-checking personal details within a database. Third, the reception service within a government security building. Here, the core business objectives differ dramatically to the previous two examples, as the primary focus is centred on security. In this instance, measuring the levels of customer satisfaction of the reception service fall much further down the list of priority indicators, and are overtaken with robust security measures ranging from ensuring that standard identi? ation checks are taking place, to more sophisticated measures involving rigorous scanning and checking of visitors entering and exiting the building. Through using the example of one element of FM, it illustrates the importance of how the practical application of performance measurement must be centred on the core business objectives of that organisation. FM performance measurement however is often too internall y focussed. Measures can therefore be benchmarked in order to understand how an organisation is performing compared to industry overall. However, the scope of benchmarking data depends heavily on the diversity and depth of the particular sector in which the organisation functions. From the examples above, benchmarking reception performance is much more accessible in the ? rst two examples. However, obtaining benchmarking data on high level security buildings is more dif? cult. The paper now seeks to understand how benchmarking can be used as a tool to measure facilities performance, and what impact this can have on driving innovation in FM performance measurement. Using benchmarking as a tool to measure facilities performance Benchmarking is essentially a cost reduction method (McDougall and Hinks, 2000). The principle of benchmarking evolved out of the total quality management movement and allows managers to place their performance measurement in context (Camp, 1989). It is the most powerful technique for gaining and maintaining competitive advantage (Codling, 1992). Sarkis (2001) outlines that from a managers perspective, benchmarking has been de? ed as a continuous, systematic process for evaluating the products, services and work processes of organisations that are recognised as representing best practices, for the purposes of the organisations’ improvement. For Camp (1989), benchmarking in the ? rst instance is about practices, not metrics. Many immediately consider benchmarking as a set of outputs, just like many confuse innovation as a one off invention instead of a process. Benchmarking is not as simple as gathering indicators t ogether so an organisation can evidence that they are measuring something. Because what are they measuring, and how relevant is it to their overall objectives? Hence, there must be a meaning before the measurement, a process Performance measurement in FM 247 PM 26,4 before the output, or in Camp’s case, a practice before the metric. To this, Camp de? nes benchmarking as follows: Benchmarking is the search for industry best practices that lead to superior performance. 248 In order to achieve this, Camp identi? es four basic steps that are fundamental to benchmarking success: (1) Know your operation – evaluate internal operation strengths and weaknesses. 2) Know the industry leaders or competitors – know the strengths and weaknesses of the competition. (3) Incorporate the best – emulate the strengths of the leaders in competition. (4) Gain superiority – go beyond the best practices installed and be the best of the best Hence, benchmarking techniques can signi? cantly help FM organisations to gain â€Å"superiority†, a nd can signi? cantly drive innovation in their performance measurement systems. Benchmarking within FM began to take shape in 1984, where the IFMA started to collect data on facilities trends and demographics. This was expanded in 1987 to include occupancy costs, which coincided with the initial interest in such data in the UK (Varcoe, 1996). In FM, benchmarking as a performance measurement technique is now well known however, and the application of benchmarking to FM performance criteria is now apparent within large organisations (McDougall and Hinks, 2000). It is the ideal tool for setting corporate goals and transforming them into tangibles which are delivered to the end customer and it is the tool that enables the senior manager to answer questions such as: where are we now? Where do we need to be? How do we get there? How could we remain there? The desired standards of performance are therefore to optimise process performance in order to deliver total quality and 100 per cent value to the end customer (Zairi, 1994). Gilleard and Yat-Lung (2004) stated that FM benchmarking issues are typically driven by ? nancial, organisational, change management, and customer-related needs. They may be either internally focussed or external driven. Therefore it has put pressure on FM teams that value customer-driven issues such as delivery of quality and timely services. It also fails to take into account how an organisation performs at a strategic level, whether from the worker or the workplace perspective. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI, 1993) produced an executive guide and point out the importance of benchmarking against: . The best you can ? nd whether within your industry or outside. . What is relevant to your customers view of what is important. . That thing that affects ? nancial performance. From an FM context, many people think that benchmarking is only about comparing cost levels. However Wauters (2005) revealed there are other aspects of FM that can be benchmarked. The most prominent of these aspects are: . Space use: Benchmarking the space use is a prime aspect as it drives all of the premises costs. The ? oor areas need to be known for the purpose of comparing costs of maintenance, cleaning etc; . . FM management: Benchmarking the effectiveness and cost of the facilities management operation on a strategic/tactical level; and Computer-aided FM systems: Benchmarking of the costs and effectiveness of the help desk. Performance measurement in FM 249 In addition, Hinks and McNay (1999) emphasise the need to measure performance gaps between service delivery and customer satisfaction. Hence, Hinks and McNay stress the need to rank benchmarking criteria, linking these to performance and service in such a way that their overall in? uence may be evaluated against business-driven imperatives. Further, Hinks and McNay suggest that the application of a manage-by-variance tool. The tool identi? es business and facility key performance indicators (KPI), helping to create a rank order among the benchmarking criteria. Further literature on benchmarking techniques focused within the FM discipline has come from Wauters (2005), Gilleard and Yat-Lung (2004), Loosemore and Hsin (2001), Massheder and Finch (1998), Akhlagi (1997) and Varcoe (1996). According to Wauters (2005) benchmarking is one of the techniques that has been used by many organisations and if applied correctly will lead to effective value management of facilities services. By this Wauters means that to use benchmarking effectively, you must identify the â€Å"ideal performance†, and hen emulate it. Benchmarking and service performance in FM Most services are provided through facilities (Brackertz and Kenley, 2002) and it has been suggested that the measurement of facilities should relate to the core business objectives such as customer satisfaction or service delivery (e. g. Walters, 1999; Tucker and Smith, 2008). As an integrated approach in managing the workplace, service is one of the key components facilities managers put for ward and seriously consider in achieving the set-up goals of the organisation. In service provision, FM is wide in scope, concerned with the major strategic decisions to the very detailed decisions such as posting the signs to the ladies’ toilet in a restaurant (Looy et al. , 2003). Therefore, in order to achieve organisational objectives, measuring service performance is crucial to the facilities manager. However, applied models that link facilities performance measurement to organisational strategy have to date, been limited (Brackertz and Kenley, 2002). It has been noted that in service ? ms, the importance of the physical setting depends on the nature of the job as well as the consumption experience. Consequently, she presented a typology of service environments or â€Å"servicescapes†, being those categories of a service based on who is performance in the servicescape (the customer, employees, or both) as well as the complexity of the servicescape. According to Looy et al. (2003), the customer perceives the servicescape holistically. They sug gest the environmental dimensions where customers value the service. Environmental dimensions comprise ambient conditions, spatial layout and process, and sign, symbols and artefacts (Figure 2). Ambient conditions refer largely to background characteristics such as noise, temperature and scent. In short, all the elements of our human environment affect the human ? ve senses. Spatial layout and process includes elements of the environment that are closely related to the core elements of service delivery. These dimensions refer to the way of arrangement and the physical and psychological effects on the customer. PM 26,4 250 Figure 2. Servicescape environment The other dimension relates to sign, symbols and artefacts. It is the item in the physical environment that serves as explicit or implicit communications to its users about the place. Tucker and Smith (2008) explored the importance of user perceptions within an organisational context, and how their perceptions can be evidenced and applied within FM. Tucker and Smith contended that there is a â€Å"logical customer performance ladder† (LCPL) that organisations should aspire to climb in order to achieve optimum levels of service delivery (Figure 3). The ladder acknowledges the importance of the initial user input to determine innovative ways of delivering what is important; to the internal business processes that will enable this delivery to be successful; to the strategic direction of the performance measures in line with their core business objectives; and to the consequent added value by increased customer satisfaction. Figure 3. Logical customer performance ladder Performance measurement is integral to the effective implementation of continuous improvement and added value within business (Tucker and Pitt, 2008a) and can act as a key driver for embedding innovation into the mindset. Tucker and Pitt (2008a) illustrate the importance of incorporating a performance-focused strategic concept in FM (Figure 4), emphasising that in order to achieve strategic FM, organisations should incorporate performance measurement through a balance of competitive service delivery and the application of best value principles, which will in turn feed directly into the core objectives of the organisation. Research in benchmarking and innovation in FM Generally the review of the literature has determined the area of proliferation in measuring FM performance. Measuring facilities performance contributes to the organisational successfulness to the innovation process. Benchmarking is among the accepted approaches involved in measuring â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† issues in facilities performance without denying the weaknesses of the technique itself. Hence, the innovation process of performance measurement systems, can be signi? cantly enhanced via the application of effective benchmarking techniques. Focusing on measuring service performance in a facilities context, benchmarking seems to be an approach to be considered. However, questions to be asked as an ngoing research project before applying a benchmarking technique are as follows: (1) How do customers value the service performance and how is it distinct from the service itself? (2) What are the mechanisms to measure the service performance and how is it measured? (3) How does one differentiate between the appreciation of service provided and the physical environment? Thes e questions and the general application of benchmarking and achieving customer satisfaction and added value within organisational performance measurement systems form the basis for the authors’ further research in this area. An example of this is through Tucker and Pitt (2008b) attempting to enhance the level of performance measurement sophistication in FM by ? lling the existing void of strategically applying customer satisfaction systems. Tucker and Pitt are implementing a strategic management approach to develop a customer performance measurement system (CPMS). The concept of the CPMS is to integrate generic industry benchmarks into a customised organisation framework in order to kick-start a gap Performance measurement in FM 251 Figure 4. Performance-focused strategic FM PM 26,4 nalysis process and stimulate continuous improvement. It is hoped that in turn this research will generate innovation within FM by applying performance measurement strategically. Conclusions Performance measurement is an established concept that has taken on renewed importance in varieties of organisations. In FM, performance measurement is important to contributing to organisational success in terms of effectiveness, ef? cie ncy-adding value. The review of the literature suggests that the key components that impact on FM implementation are the synergistic blend of â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† issues. The principle of benchmarking seems to be techniques that can be applied in measuring facilities service performance and a catalyst in generating innovation to the performance process. It is important to highlight that the characteristic of the services itself are very subjective to measure, and the acknowledgement that benchmarking should not be the only performance mechanism within an organisations overall system. However it does suggest that benchmarking techniques are sparse and can directly generate innovation processes to performance in FM. Hence, the questions put forward will be scrutinised in whole or in part through further extensive research. References Akhlaghi, F. 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(1996), â€Å"Cost-effective facilities management: a practical approach†, Facilities, Vol. 4 Nos 5/6, pp. 26-38. Wilson, A. (2000), â€Å"The use of performance information in the management of service delivery†, Marketing Intelligence Planning, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 127-34. Zairi, M. (1994), â€Å"Benchmarking: the best tool for measuring competitiveness†, Benchmarking for Quality Management Technology, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 11-24. Corresponding author Michael Pitt can be contacted at: m. r. [emailprotected] ac. uk To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [emailprotected] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints