W5 BPO GROUP PPP OM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

W5 BPO GROUP PPP OM - Essay Example Below is how the two tools can be applied to the case points. On the case of time spent by the CSRs on the phone for calls that they handled versus calls that they sent to the BAs, this can be classified as one of the seven wastes under the lean production (Abdullah, 2004). Specifically waste for waiting. Instead of spending that much time on calls to and from the BAs, alternatives that focus on reducing the waiting on phone for response can be used. For example text messages and emails could be used, which will require less time in waiting for response to be given. Since emails and text messages are less interactive between communicating parties, it could save much time and guarantee efficiency at work. On the case point of CSRs giving priority to new incoming calls over callbacks, this can be said to be misplaced priority that undermines the process capabilities of the workplace. Once there is such undermining of process capabilities also, effectiveness becomes affected (Meredith and Shafer, 2014). Clearly, new calls come with much enquiry which require a lot of attention, explanations and feedback. Callbacks on the other hand have solutions to problems. As recommended earlier, there can be other forum for new inquiries, for example through the use of emails and text messages so that after finding appropriate responses, those who made the enquiries can be contacted by the CSRs. On the third case point about BAs giving priority to Database Update sub-process over researching calls escalated by the CSRs, it is important to note that such limited priority to calls escalated by the CSRs can bring about deviation from targets, which is against the principle of the six sigma (Labovitz and Rosansky, 2007). It is said that this situation would lead to deviation from targets because once there is escalation of calls from the CSRs, the time to be

U.S. intellectual history since 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.S. intellectual history since 1877 - Essay Example Reinhold Niebuhr suggests there is a persistent flaw in modern American thought that underestimates the power of evil and predatory self-interest. In this way he finds that American liberalism is limited. Dr. Martin Luther King and Allen Ginsburg show how American liberal and progressive thought was challenged, renewed, and expanded as understood through the insights of Reinhold Niebuhr. Yet Malcolm X was almost defeated by the human flaws of which Niebuhr writes, and the writers of the Port Huron Declaration went too far in accepting methods of the children of the darkness as explained by Niebuhr. In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail which he wrote April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King rooted his thoughts to a tradition of philosophers and theologians, including Niebuhr. King expressed how difficult it was to get privileged groups to change. He wrote, â€Å". . . as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.†Niebuhr felt that liberalis m essentially lied to itself. Dr. King could see this. Bourgeoisie society, in the south had advanced because of those lies. Niebuhr identifies the ugly powers of self-interest as pulling the chords of individuals outside any real beliefs in community. The morality that the racist South put forward was a cynical one. It was one that could not stand true from the way it dealt with black people. But the point is that this was not merely a feature of the South. As long as the segregation policies existed it was also a feature of the entire country. Hence, from Niebuhr's view, democracy did not have any adequate cultural base. It had one that was built on a house of hate. This is why Dr. King's letter was important. Building on a principle of progressive liberalism in action, King's letter extended the cultural base of the country with some honest truths. One of these truths reflects the human flaw that Niebuhr saw in man. In this letter Dr. King noted this as the inner conflict of man. He explained that he had been disappointed with his Christian and Jewish brothers. He pointed out how they allowed a "negative peace" to exist in the absence of justice. In a way this is similar to Niebuhr's thought of 'the children of light' who, in this case, were somehow led to believe that the progress of black people, according to Southern standards, was okay. Drawing further from Niebuhr, it is possible to say that Southern racism reflected an order that was cynical on the top, and laid upon Niebuhr's "perils of chaos". Dr. King pointed to this chaos. He pointed to it in the white church and its leadership. He made some exceptions. But what stood out were the members of the white religious establishment that opposed the civil rights movement Dr. King led. Dr. King was actually forging the cultural revolution that exemplified an expression of Niebuhr's ideas. It was a revolution that pursued unity while expressing a freedom and participation of formally denied people into a sy stem of democracy. In the active outplay of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King led black and white forces to demonstrate how it was possible for America to reflect a real culture of community. That was what King sought and what, while he was living, did. Dr. King stood as the leader who influenced thought and action. There is also a way in which an artist, who has freed his or herself from the limiting confines of human prejudice and self-interest, may also illustrate some of the themes of Niebuhr. Allen Ginsberg is one of these artists. Allen Ginsberg was one of the main poets during the beat generation. He was also a public homosexual during the 1950s when homosexuality was illegal. Ginsberg was at the extreme end of the poets in that he criticized a lot about American society that Niebuhr criticized. Niebuhr, being a Christian, would probably not accept Ginsberg extreme view of homosexuality. But maybe he could have. The important thing is that Ginsberg in his poetry, especially 'Howl', attempted to turn America upside down and look into her. In order to do this all the

Hemingway’s fiction is not his suicide note Essay Example for Free

Hemingway’s fiction is not his suicide note Essay Earnest Hemingway, the literary genius of the late 1800s produced volumes upon volumes of both poetry and fiction. After a short and very fruitful life Hemingway committed suicide but failed to succeed in initial attempts. Later, he finally succumbed to the great equalizer – death. Some people have surmised that Hemingway left clues to his unlikely demise in his fiction, however, â€Å"suicide cut the strings before they were painfully drawn out; Hemingway attempted to suck life dry of anything and everything he could fathom† (Gunsberg, 1995) This basically means that Hemingway believed that it was necessary to experience everything, even death, to enrich his art and craft. Although Hemingway committed suicide, and although many of his work focuses on death and suicide, it would be grossly unfair to conclude that he foretold his suicide in his fiction because this would be underestimating the power of the writer and his genius. A brilliant writer like Hemingway used his fiction as a form of exploration of the human condition and not as a reflection of his own condition. It would be very presumptuous to suppose that Hemingway used his fiction to foretell his suicide as many writers and literaturists would agree that although literature is a means of exposing internal emotions, it is also a means of release; hence, Hemingway’s fiction is more of an illustration of his literary genius than they are, as most would suppose, cries of help of a man in pain. Therefore, Hemingway’s fiction could not be considered his suicide notes. For instance, in the story ‘Indian Camp’ (Hemingway), the author does narrate an instance where the Indian Father commits suicide, (Hemingway) but this is simply used as a platform for the issue of emancipation from pain as illustrated by the contrasting incident of the Indian Mother who is professionally attended to by Dr. Adams who stops her pain and successfully delivers her baby. (Hemingway) In this particular story, it is not so much the suicide that is the issue but the prospect of hope and new beginnings that takes center stage. Another story where suicide is tackled is ‘A Clean and Well Lighted Place’ (Hemingway) where Hemingway portrays the pain of old age suffered by a deaf old man (Hemingway). In this particular story, there is an incident where the old man attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself, but the noose is cut by his niece and foils his attempt. (Hemingway) The story, albeit tackling suicide in one of its details does not necessary give much value to this issue, it even illustrates how one cannot escape the pains that accompanies life; that not even death can release us humans from what we have to deal with in life. So, if carefully considered, this particular story does not actually vindicate Hemingway’s own suicide, in fact it even serves to sissify his own attempt by indirectly implying that if the author believed that suicide was not a means of ending the suffering of existence as shown in his fiction, then he would have been a great coward to commit what he was writing against. Hemingway did not use his stories as a platform for the justification of his own suicide; he had his own reason’s for his suicide, and those reasons are not in any way connected to his stories. Finally, in ‘Hills like White Elephants’ (Hemingway) the author tackles the issue of abortion with a couple arguing over whether to have it (the baby) or not; the man insisting of having an abortion and the woman, subtlely indicating that she would like to have the baby. (Hemingway) Although there is no reference to suicide in this particular Hemingway story, what is obvious is the argument between two people regarding the issue of ending a life, which, by the way, is not really an argument that you would normally hear from ordinary chat. In this story, Hemingway, again, although, very discreetly, makes references to why life should be valued and why it should be considered with utmost respect, even going to the extent of contrasting childbirth with happiness. (Hemingway) Easily, from this story it is immediately evident that the author was against any form of taking away life intentionally, and so totally debunks the assumption that his fiction was an indirect indication of his consequent suicide. If such is the case, then it can be easily concluded that Hemingway committed suicide for a higher reason; this being related to the progress of his art and craft. Like many other writers who had grappled with the peculiarities of life, Hemingway was no different; and like many other creative writers then and now, it has to be considered that art, in any form, is already a means of airing out recluse emotions; it is a release that is even perhaps more effective than death itself. Hemingway, like many other artists during his time, had peculiarities of his own, and what most of these writers had in common was the ability to use the human condition as a platform in their work. While many of Hemingway’s stories talked about suicide, it has first to be understood that the author is not necessarily the ‘I’ in any of his/her work, and so it would be terribly unfair to affine subject matters in Hemingway’s stories to his actual existence. The relationship of the author to his story ends with his by-line; all the other things in the written work should be set apart from the author. It is very elementary to assume that the author only writes about his/her own personal life because, then, creativity would not have as big a role in literature as it is supposed to have. What could be more accurate, however, is the fact that the literary genius of Hemingway was enough for people who read his work to assume that he was foretelling his own suicide. While this assumption is blatantly misdirected, it simply shows how a writer is able to twist and distort the minds of his readers to think that there is much more to his fiction than meets the eye (or mind). If such is the case, then every reader might as well apply for a position at the Vatican interpreting the ancient Dead Sea scrolls. Works Cited Gunsberg, Ben. Earnest Hemingway: Would Be King. Earnest Hemingway. 18 Dec. 1995. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www. users. muohio. edu/shermalw/honors_2001_fall/honors_papers_2000/gunsberg. html. Hemingway, Earnest . A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. Earnest Hemingway. 1999. 16 Apr. 2009. Hemingway, Earnest . Hills Like White Elephants. Earnest Hemingway. 1999. 16 Apr. 2009 http://www. moonstar. com/~acpjr/Blackboard/Common/Stories/WhiteElephants. html. Hemingway, Earnest . Indian Camp. Earnest Hemingway. 1999. 16 Apr. 2009 http://amb. cult. bg/american/4/hemingway/camp. htm.

Freuds Theory of Unconscious in Inter Group Relations

Freuds Theory of Unconscious in Inter Group Relations Freud’s contributions to inter group relations Freud’s theories on unconsciousness provided an important perspective that was relevant to the study of inter group relations. Freud believed that groups were composed of the unconscious life of each member. He thought a group couldn’t be understood without exploring the unconscious aspects of the individual member. He also was of the opinion that the individual couldn’t be separated from the group. In order to understand the mind, Freud believed that attention had to be paid to how the mind of an individual interacts with others (Caper 1999). The basis of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is that all behaviour is both instinctual and biological. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is composed of the ego which works to find a balance between the id and the superego. The superego would be classified as the demands our society places on the individual for acceptable behaviour, and the id comprises instincts, such as sex and aggression (Schultz Schultz 2005). T his aspect of Freud’s theory plays an important role in inter group relations. It addresses the unconscious nature of each person in a group environment, as well as the unconscious nature of the entire group (Wrogemann 2003). Unconscious influences at work in inter group relations are experienced in different ways. One example is when a group is experiencing a failure and in order to protect their ego they engage in defence mechanisms by blaming other groups for their failure. They look outside of themselves for excuses as to why their effort failed, instead of realizing as Freud did, that the anxiety each member experienced was cause by low self-esteem and insecurities (Bodenhausen, Mussweiler, Gabriel, Moreno 2001; Wrogemann 2003). Freud’s theory of the unconscious and ego protection sheds light on how to improve inter group relations and increase success. If a group stopped deflecting from their own shortcomings by looking outside of their own organization they could more effectively correct their problems. If they would attempt to find the roots of their own behaviour they could get to the source of their failure. They would find it didn’t come from an outside group, but from within the mselves (Wrogemann 2003). Freud’s theories, in part, are the basis for Terror Management Theory (TMT), which deals with managing thoughts of death and is important to inter group relations (Navarette, Kirkpatrick, Kurzban Fessler 2004). Looking inwardly is a concept that originated with Freud. McCormick and White (2000) reported that this self-analyzing method was an important aspect of psychoanalytic theory. Other scientists picked up on it and applied it to the study of groups (as cited in Wrogemann 2003). Cilliers and Koortzen (1998) report that Freud’s theories of psychodynamics contributed to the concept that groups have a life of their own. Not only does a group have a collective consciousness, it also is composed of the collective unconscious nuances of each individual (as cited in Wrogemann 2003). Each member of a group brings to it their own unconscious desires and unmet needs. Their inner conflicts and tensions are played out in the group setting, such as at work. In the work environment, as each person unconsciously attempts to solve their issues, they are met with frustration and disappointment. The work environment cannot meet those needs leading the individual to become aggressive and exhibit ot her negative behaviours. The end result is that of strained relationships with others. As with other groups experiencing failure, workers have a tendency to blame their frustrations on someone else. They blame others for their lack of success or their disappointment while at the same time attempting to find security in those very relationships (Wrogemann 2003). Freud’s theory of regression was important to understanding inter group relations. Freud believed that depersonalization took place in the group causing a shift in inter group relations. The shift occurred when the individual member of a group loses his individuality and those unique qualities that set him apart from others. The process is an unconscious one where the group member takes on the role of child and the leader that of the parent. The result is a type of dependence on the leader that leads to thoughts that the group is not composed of individuals (Freud 1921). The lines become blurred. Bion (1961) had a more positive outlook on the dynamics of inter group relations. He claimed that when individuals came together in a group that they surrender their individuality to the leader and group in order to experience wholeness, oneness, and security. In order for the group to continue to exist it takes on something bigger that is outside of themselves. Freud’s contributions to the study of inter group relations was significant. By focusing on the unconscious he brought attention to the elements of group dynamics that involved unmet needs, unfulfilled desires, and other drives that are hidden, yet influencing factors in group interaction. His theory of the id, ego, and superego help to explain what happens in the mind of the individual and then collectively when part of a group. On his views regarding the importance of the individual in the context of a group, Freud wrote: only rarely and under certain exceptional conditions is individual  psychology in a position to disregard the relations of this individual  to others. In the individuals mental life someone else is invariably  involved, as a model, as an object, as a helper or as an opponent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (quoted in Caper 1999, pg. 1). Some of Freud’s theories have not been supported by subsequent testing by others, but a number of them have been shown to be valid. Freud’s theories on the unconscious and its relation to a person’s behaviour, thoughts, and emotions were accurate. Research that was conducted long after the Freud era ended demonstrated that his theory on the role of the unconscious was more extensive than anyone thought possible. Freud had no idea just how far-reaching his theory on the unconscious was (Schultz Schultz 2005). Research into inter group relations is based partly on the contributions of Sigmund Freud and the benefits derived are substantial. References Bion, W. 1961, Experience in Groups. New York, Basic Books. Bodenhausen, G., Mussweiler, T., Gabriel, S. Moreno, K. 2001, Affective Influences  On Stereotyping and Intergroup Relations. In Handbook of Affect and Social   Cognition, ed. J.P. Forgas, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Mahwah, NJ,  pp. 319-338. Caper, R. 1999, ‘Group Psychology and the Psychoanalytic Group’, [Online],  International Psychoanalytic Organization, pg. 1. Available from:  http://eseries.ipa.org.uk/prev/CIRC/Caper-m1.htm> [3 January 2006]. Freud, S. 1921, ‘Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego’, London,  International Psychological Press. Navarette, C. , Kirkpatrick, L., Kurzban, R. Fessler, D. 2004, Group Processes and   Intergroup Relations, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 370-397. Schultz, D. Schultz, S. 2004, A History of Modern Psychology (8th ed.). Belmont,  CA, Thompson/Wadsworth. Wrogemann, G. 2003, ‘Intergroup Relations in Organisations’, 6th Annual Conference of   The Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology, Available from:  http://www.siopsa.org.za, [3 January 2006].

The History of Cake Essay examples -- Food and Drink

The history of cake is a very long and complicated history and the origins of it are not known by many people. How did all of the traditions related to cake start? Why is cake round? What were the first cakes made of? Cakes have been discovered and recorded throughout history. To find the true ancestors of the cake as we know it, one would have to look back to before modern civilization to when people were still mostly traveling nomads. Their main source of sustenance had always been meat. However, people could not rely on meat alone to keep them alive since that depended upon always being surrounded by animals. When farming was started man began growing many different types of produce, one of which was wheat and grains. The most primitive people in the world began making cake shortly after learning how to make flour. In fact, the remains of their cakes have been found in the ruins of Neolithic villages. â€Å"The cakes found there were extremely simple and consisted of crushed grains that were moistened, compacted, and probably cooked on a hot stone.† (Stradley, 1) The cakes then were closer to crackers though than the cakes we know of now, but they were definitely the beginning of the id ea. The word cake is said to have been used as early as the 13th century and is derived from the word â€Å"kaka†, an old Norse word for a baked flour confection sweetened with sugar or honey. According to food historians, the first people to show modern baking skills were the Egyptians, who started the concept of filling their breads with nuts and fruits. (the History of Birthday Cake, 1) After the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans both started their concept of cake, which will be discussed later. After them the English and their neighbors began... ...chy and can never be known for certain due to their long history but they have definitely helped with many celebrations throughout the years. Works Cited "History of Birthday Cake." Birthday Gifts,Anniversary Gifts,Send Flowers to India,Rakhi Gifts, Diwali Gifts,Send Gifts to India. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. . Lynne, Oliver. "Cake History Notes." Food Timeline: Food History & Vintage Recipes. Foodtimeline. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. . Stradley, Linda. "Cakes-History of Cakes." What's Cooking America, Cooking Recipes, Food History, Dinner Party Menus and Recipes, Health and Beauty Articles, Culinary Dictionary, Baking Hints, Cooking Tips. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. . Krondl, Michael. "Let Them Eat Cake!" Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review, 2011. Print.

Greek Influence on Western Literature Essay

Slide One: The plays performed at the Festival of Dionysus represented a completely new performance genre: drama. Plays like Oedipus Rex, Medea, and Antigone laid the groundwork for the great plays to make up the western canon, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Slide Two: This era also saw the birth and development of a new literary genre: tragedy. In plays like Oedipus Rex, the basic tragic structure in which a character experiences a change from happiness to suffering was codified and refined. In the hands of writers like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, it became a vehicle for the exploration of some of humanity’s fundamental fears and questions about existence. You can see the same questions being explored in works by Shakespeare, for example, hundreds of years later. Today, more than 2,000 years later, these plays are still studied by modern tragic playwrights. Slide Three: Finally, the Athenian tragedies were important because they put humans at the center of the story. In the Iliad, for example, the gods are closely involved in the action — they take sides, they intervene on behalf of their heroes, and so on. While gods do appear in these plays, it is the very human protagonists such as Oedipus or Medea who take center stage, and whose actions determine the plot. This change signaled a shift in focus from the supernatural to the human in literature, which would have a profound influence on the Western tradition, particularly after the Middle Ages.

Today’s Unions

Over the years unions have been forced to change with the times. Looking at some of these changes and discussing how the unions have evolved over time will be discussed in this paper. Also the philosophy and how the unions accommodate its members have changes so this to will be discussed. After looking at all of this a couple of proposals will be discussed to help unions broaden their appeal. Unions all over the world are considered to be failing because of their low numbers. The influence and power unions had over management in companies when it came to policies has faded due to the huge decline in total number of members. (Troy, 2001). Troy stated in his research that the unionism which is experiencing a huge membership demand and the market share in past is now lagging far behind from the expected objective in this regard (Troy, 2001). According to facts from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), countries that are impacted by unions are facing challenges in terms of the diminishing ratio of the workers associated with the union. Kumar & Murray, 2002). Looking at the evaluations from the past years concerning union history, one can analyze that the real challenge that the companies have is to change the organization so that the threat of losing competent union members will be null. Unions should evaluate their history so that they can use the data to formulate a strategy to keep control over the influence of management. Befo re unions were born the people were born into poor families and had to work in organizations from the age of six, where the average day consisted of 18 hours. During this time such things as a day off, overtime compensation, and minimum daily wages were only a thing of dreams. â€Å"There exist no rules and regulations related to the job security, social security, job insurance, security against layoffs and several other serious issues† (Slupik, 2005, pg 22). Introducing unions into organizations help change the conditions for the employees. These drastic changes made the difference and started a movement in favor of the employees. Individuals could express their individual interest which was previously hampered by the company. Human resource departments and unions help influence power over the management and obtained authority to stand against the policies of company. If it did not seem to be in the best interest of the worker’s the union would flex its authority to make changes. The unions establish policies and rules that are pro employee and push for fair wages, a fair work schedule, overtime compensation, and job security to name a few. This helped give the employees a piece of mind and helped not only the welfare of the employee but the employer. Unions over time changed their focus from individual concerns to the organization and the collective concerns of all industries. Unions are now looking at the bigger picture and instead of focusing on the employees of a particular company they are looking at the welfare of all that work in similar industries. This means that the unions are working for and on the behalf of the employee’s and their rights. The unions focus is safeguarding the security of the employees and these interests seem to align with the human resource department. In the late 20s unions started losing its influence in the industries and due to aggressive attacks from rich and efficient organizations which eventually wiped out unions and created a system of non-union semi-slave labor areas in some other countries. This enabled them to continue to sell their product and services at same or higher prices in the market. By these measure organizations succeeded in reducing the union represented jobs, which was 36% in 1954 to a now lower 16 %. Slupik, 2005) The unions have to implement new philosophies that consider the largest population and broaden its scope of operation to other workplace environments. First union’s must concentrate on diversity and look past their initial focus of manufacturing and broaden its scope to all businesses. With today’s changing economy the manufacturing side of business has diminished so the unions must change in hopes to keep their members. Secondly unions must focus on changing policies within organiz ations and focus their efforts on those that go against the interest of the people. This can prove to be a stressful process since policy is constantly changing these days to keep up with government laws. Unions must form partnerships with the companies to keep up with all of these changes. Constant change seems to be the only norm within companies and this causes difficulties for the unions. Looking at some of these changes unions have made and how their philosophies have changed two proposals were briefly discussed to help in this transition. The bottom line is the only way for the unions to keep up with the every changing company is to become fluid and stay one step ahead of them.