Apple Motivates All Its Employees Commerce Essay

Apple Motivates All Its Employees Commerce Essay Apple is regarded as the most innovative and esteemed company in the world (Fortune 2009). According to Armstrong (2007) and Legge (2009) firms should bring into action a total reward system that puts together both financial and non-financial benefits. This is exactly what Apple has done to date and given its success, this approach has proven to be useful. Apples employees might even be motivated by Steve Jobs autocratic leadership style (Thomke, et al, 2009), as the positive aspects of working for the company outweigh the negative aspects of being threatened. Apple desires to have a workplace that encourages creativity from the top most management to the lower most workers. Apple puts together both outer and inner motivational methods to enable their employees to be innovative. There are various methods that Apple Inc. uses to motivate its workers. Once, the executives of Apple were rewarded by giving the recognition bonus of 3-5% of their basic salary. This recognition took place d espite the fact that Apple recently missed their goal/target for a particular project (ZDNet 2003). This shows that Apple comprehends groups efforts. New Recruit People who get selected to work for one of the most prestigious organization in the world get very excited well before their first day at work. But, Apple makes sure that their first day is highly motivational from the time they step into the office. Apple does this by issuing a memo to every new employee on the very first day explaining them as to how they should see their efforts and contribution at the company. There has been a leak of this memo in the recent past, many people say its not the legitimate one but majority believes it is. It goes something like this: Theres work and theres your lifes work. The kind of work that has your fingerprints all over it. The kind of work that youll never compromise on. That youd sacrifice a weekend for. You can do that kind of work at Apple. People dont come here to play it safe. They come here to swim in the deep end. They want their work to add up to something. Something big, something that couldnt happen anywhere else. Welcome to Apple. Th is really boosts the energy level of the new joiners and gives them high motivation to show off their skills and talent. Benefits Incentives As we all know benefits package depend upon position, location, and years with the company. Same is followed by Apple as well, but they provide plenty of flexibility within the organization for employees and their family. Some of the Incentives that Apple provides are :- Health and Life insurance. Long term care insurance. Employee stock purchase plan. Financial education seminars. Flexible spending accounts. Short and Long-term disability coverage. Tuition assistance. Paid vacations and Holidays. Onsite fitness center. Computer Programs. 401(k) Plan with company match. Apple also motivates all its employees by giving them discount on the products which is very beneficial for most of them. Apple allows them to use this incentive only once every three years, but it could come into very handy when it comes to Mac or IPods. Employees who work at the management or corporate level can receive free IPod shuffle or IPhone. Many employees at Apple are simply motivated to see the outcome of their efforts on a particular product instead of money can sometimes be very encouraging for the employees to learn more and perform better. It also proves to be good for the company as giving product is cheaper than giving them a raise. Due to high sales in the recent past for Apple, they have provided the employees with more vacation days which again add up to the motivational benefits from the managements point of view. While few workers have complained regarding the salary provided, many Apple employees praised the benefits provided to them even if they only worked part-time. At present, Apple provides workers who work 20 or more hours a week with 401k and health benefits. Most jobs are available both for full-time and part-time, besides the managerial positions. Apple takes in many employees on seasonal basis, especially during back-to-school period or Christmas holidays starting from Thanksgiving. Although they are offered these benefits, but many workers say that these plans are costlier than their full-time counterparts. The above clearly indicates that there is difference in benefits and incentives provided to the full-time employee when compared to part-time employees. This is mainly because the amount of work the full-time employee does under such an immense pressure, whereas, part-time employee not necessarily work the entire week because their schedule is changed on every week basis. Other reason could possibly be that part-time workers dont really require the rest of the benefits as they are there only for a limited time period. Job Satisfaction The new CEO of Apple Tim Cook has been leaving his mark in the company very firmly. Recently in Wall Street Journal, it was reported that Cook is expanding the corporate benefits, such as to take some time off and the freedom to work on personal projects. Although Apple still provides fewer perks compared to some other big companies like Google, Microsoft, etc. Cooks approach in the recent past has been the differentiating factor between him and Steve Jobs. When Wall Street Journal interviewed certain Apple engineers last year they had many good things to share or say about Cook rather than Steve Jobs. They gave examples like Cook is willing to eat with the lower level of employees at the cafeteria, much keener to publicly recognize the work done by his employees, him starting charitable matching program at Apple last year. They concluded by saying that he is way more approachable than Steve Jobs was. All this recent activities done by Cook will lead to better job satisfaction than w hat Apple had earlier. Steve Jobs wasnt that much interested in the motivational sector, although he did a lot for the employees during the entire period that he served at Apple as a CEO. But, Cook has shown much more concern and interest towards employee welfare by adopting new techniques and making himself more accessible to the employees. This definitely gives the employees much better satisfaction as they now have growing incentives and making them feel what they do is known to the world through their name. Money as motivator? One of the process theories which are the goal-setting theory applies to the firm, focuses on the motivational properties of task goals. Employees within the company are highly motivated to attain task goals, which provide direction to employees in their work. The proper framework management of goals within Apple helps clear out performance expectations in the organization. They provide a base for behavioral self-management, which helps employees to improve their performance and be motivated on their job. Apple applies to the reinforcement theory of motivation because it focuses on the external environment and the consequences it holds for the individual. The organization mostly applies to the positive reinforcement strategy which strengthens or increases the frequency of desirable behavior by making a pleasant consequence contingent on it occurrence. Examples of positive reinforcement at Apple include the rewards given by Jobs as mentioned above (opening champagne, vacations, company parties). All employees are motivated to do their best work to accomplish goals because of the rewards they can receive. Incentive compensation system is another method that Apple uses to motivate employees. This includes bonus pay, which provides payments on accomplishing the targets or goals given to specific employee during a particular period. They also have an employee stock ownership plan as mentioned earlier. The performance incentive and ownerships share of ones employment is directly linked to each other. Employees who hold stock of the company are self-motivated to work hard and perform better to raise the market value of the organization. Apple Inc. tries to keep a balance between both financial and non-financial motivators. Although many a times its clearly indicated that Apple uses monetary terms more for the welfare of the employee mainly because, then the employee can use it the way he likes it. The organization also uses non-monetary means to keep their employees pumped up on a frequent basis but Apple obviously prefers to use financial incentive. This could be in wages/salary form, bonus (executives paid 3-5% of their base salary), paid leave, to be able to buy stocks at a cheaper value, different insurance policies, etc. All put in a nutshell, Apple is definitely doing a lot for its employees as present, whether at corporate level or for the workers, be it for full time employees or part time workers. Before people did have complaints regarding the motivation, salary, incentives, bonus, working hours, etc. but as time is passing by Apple is learning the tricks and trade of it and also is making sure that it brings into action the most suitable and the right motivational strategy for its employees to perform better and make sure Apple stays real strong in the market. The backbone for any company is its employees and so is for Apple. After the death of Steve Jobs, people talked within themselves whether Cook will be able to fit in Steve Jobs shoes or not? And all the critics were onto it in a flash. Keeping all this in mind and the fact that many people believed that Apple may see a downfall due to Jobs death, but from the time Cook has taken charge Apple hasnt looked back. In fact Tim Cook has 97% of Approval rating in comparison to Steve Jobs 95% of Approval rating. Here are some of the famous quotes by Steve Jobs: Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. Be a yardstick of quality, some people arent used to an environment where excellence is expected. The only way to do a great work is to love what you do. The people, who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

The Importance of Staff Development in Nursing

The purpose of this paper is to identify the educational need for and selection of an educational program. Specifically this paper will focus on defining the goals and outcomes for the educational program and describe the learning objectives as well as the design model and learner characteristics. The paper will also review the instructional methods to adopt for delivery and provide examples of resources to be used in the classroom. Lastly the paper will review methods for evaluating the learning of the audience. Based on the evaluations conducted during weeks two and three, there is a clear need for an educational program that focuses on communication training and relationship building within the critical care nursing force. Communication and collaboration are among the most essential work skills necessary for success in the healthcare arena. Without adequate communication, errors are likely to result and inefficient delivery of health care services are likely. More and more health care organizations are requiring members of their workforce to collaborate together to deliver patient care and function as a unit (Caspi & Reid, 2002). Thus it is vital that educational programs focus on enhancing incumbents skills in these areas to ensure problem solving, decision making and collaboration are effective and beneficial in the healthcare environment. As Gerber & McGuire (1999) noted it is vital that nurses learn the communications and collaborations skills necessary to enhance communication in the workplace, which will ultimately improve the efficacy of work functions and delivery of service in the health care setting. The educational program will also focus on enhancing nurses technology skills so they are more capable of working in the modern nursing or critical care unit where technological innovations are increasingly being used out of necessity (Zalumas, 1995). In a critical care nursing environment, without communication nurses cannot work efficiently with other critical care providers to ensure the best interests of the patient are carried out. The goals and outcomes of the educational intervention selected include: (1) enhancing communication within the critical care nursing unit (2) promoting greater collaboration among work teams by teaching the importance of relationship building and (3) improving critical care teams working knowledge of technological innovations including their understanding of the contributions technology makes to the nursing work environment. The educational intervention or program designed will work to improve staff members comfort level working in a team environment and encourage members of the team to problem solve together in an efficient and productive manner. Learning Objectives and Design Model For purposes of this curriculum a task oriented or centered design model will be adopted to facilitate learning among critical care nurses. This model offers steps and strategies for teaching incumbents â€Å"how to do† things within the work environment and outlines a series of activities and steps that can occur to enable individuals to attain learning and work objectives (Caspi & Reid, 2002). This model was originally developed to help promote educational supervision, but can be easily modified to accommodate the needs of critical care workers. The model assumes field instruction is vital to the success and ability of students to transfer skills from the classroom to the work environment, part of the reason this model makes sense for critical care workers (Caspi & Reid, 2002). The task orient model contains three distinct phases; the beginning phase where workers first meet and outline their goals and the tasks they will engage in, as well as negotiate â€Å"potential obstacles†; the middle phase and the end phases, where the incumbents review and prioritize goals, select tasks necessary to achieve them, and review the results (Caspi & Reid, 2002). During these latter stages students may adapt their goals and objectives or course of action to facilitate better progress or enhance their outcomes if necessary. The learning objectives for the educational model selected include enhancing students ability to interact and communicate effectively with diverse staff and patient populations, as well as improving students ability to work with technologically advanced programs. The educational program will also work to improve collaboration between work teams and reduce stress and anxiety among workers associated with using technologies that students may not be familiar with initially. Strategies for overcoming barriers to communication and collaboration within the work environment will also be discussed and highlighted as part of the learning objectives for this educational program. Learner characteristics that will be evaluated as part of the educational program are diverse and varied. They include personal characteristics including participants age, gender, experiences and educational goals as well as environmental characteristics. For the educational aims and objectives of this program to be met it is vital the teaching strategies adopted consider each student's learning characteristics individually. As pointed out previously, students in a nursing setting often look to teachers and instructors for direct guidance and support, viewing them as authority figures in an educational context. For this reason a direct learning approach is necessary as is one that promotes self direction among students. This will encourage students not only to adopt the methods and ideals suggested by instructors but also encourage students to rely more on their intrinsic ability to identify the programs and procedures most likely to facilitate higher learning and education in the classroom environment. It is likely that as students become more comfortable with the educational program developed and methods of collaboration proposed by the program, their learning characteristics may change. Thus it will be vital that instructors consider learner development at each stage of the learning process, adapting the educational program as necessary to meet student's evolving needs. The instructional methods adopted should include direct teaching approaches combined with career or work based education that facilitates a more multi dimensional â€Å"educational experiences† more intent on preparing incumbents for â€Å"career success in a full range of occupations† (Ciaccio et al. 2002, p. 300). The instructional model will also include teaching in a community based setting where critical care nurses are encouraged to interact with members of the community and communicate with community leaders and representatives (Lough, 1999). Lough (1999) supports the importance of establishing academic and community partnerships where educational institutions work with academic instructors to help identify gaps in service and help enhance the efficacy of learning programs. A work based education will involve teaching students on the job or providing on the job training. This will require evaluation of student's communication and collaboration building activities in the workplace. To facilitate this, a supervisor will be appointed or mentor that will routinely evaluate a student's communication efforts and technological ability on the job and off. The instructional model adopted will allow in house or classroom teachers to adapt their curriculum based on knowledge gathered from the work environment. Students will also be provided the opportunity to compare experiences they gain on the job with those they gain off the job and fill in the gaps in their education where necessary. No educational program is effective or complete without learner evaluation. Learner evaluation like educational instruction should be multi faceted to be effective and beneficial for all parties participating. At the end of instructional sessions, teachers should evaluate students to assess whether curriculum materials were delivered efficiently and in a manner that achieves the goals and objectives of the program. To achieve learner evaluation, teachers should survey students and ask them to self report on how well they perceive the design of the educational program to be. Students should also provide recommendations for adapting the educational curriculum in the future to better service their needs and help match their needs based on their independent learner characteristics. Learner evaluation will also come in the way of work performance reviews, which will help instructors identify whether students are achieving their goals from a work perspective.

Learning through Print and Film Essay

History is expressed in different ways and through different mediums. This is also the case for the history of Martin Guerre which was a prominent personality in French history. He has numerous contributions in the building of the French world of which includes, but not exclusive to, philosophy, law, sociology and history. Martin Guerre became the subject of various historical learning materials from print to film. This paper will be using two primary sources for the comparative analysis of the two different mediums for learning history specifically the book written by Janet Lewis and the film directed by Daniel Vigne. Before continuing the discussion of the topic of this paper, it is important to note that there are different interpretations of history that is dependent on the individuals who interpret them. Another is that the differences regarding historical accounts are also affected by the point of view. These two concepts are also present in the creation of learning materials regarding history where the gap between the written work and the visual work can be considered to be growing depending on the individuals who create them. The difference between Print and Film based mediums of instruction Written and Film based learning materials are two very different mediums of learning history. Written forms of learning usually require more time and effort to both understand and appreciate since the times have already changed to create a society which is dominantly instant as well as visual though more information is readily available to those who take the time to learn them. Film based learning on the other hand may lose much of their meaning since creators essentially have control over the film. The primary constraint of films are their time limitations where most films can only present information that they have evaluate to be important and leave those that they have deemed unimportant unpresented. Provided the limitation, the nature of the film industry produces material that can be easily remembered and understood as it stimulates the mind of the individual where almost all information have already been processed. The only thing that individuals who watch these movies need to do is to absorb the knowledge being presented. These ideas will be explained in more detail in the succeeding discussions of the paper where the conclusion is an assessment as to which the writer prefers is a better medium for instruction in the historical field. Pros and Cons of Printed medium of instruction There are numerous pros to be considered when using printed materials for learning. One of them is the amount of data that can be present in printed mediums. There are usually more information that is present in printed versions of history which gives readers a more in depth understanding of the subject matter that they want to be learning. Writers of these materials provide as much information as they can in this medium of instruction. Usually, only factual information are included in these kinds of materials which can be considered as credible and â€Å"true†. Books, journals and other written forms of communication are also more strictly scrutinized since the purpose of such material is usually for learning thus provides the individuals a more credible source of information. Another advantage of this kind of medium is that readers are encouraged to think more in order to understand the matter that is being presented. They will be using their minds to imagine and interpret the matter which is said to develop mental capacity as well as its capabilities. Disadvantages of using the printed versions of history is that it is time consuming wherein a student would usually require large amounts of time, depending on the reader’s ability to read and absorb information that is presented in them. Also, printed materials are considered boring and more difficult to understand. This is one of the greatest obstacles to learning since students find it more difficult to be involved in the study of the subject matter if it does not spark their interest. Printed materials also usually impose a greater mental toll in the minds of readers which makes the use of books particularly more difficult to use. Another disadvantage with the use of books is its affordability. There are many books there and many of them cost a lot of money. Books considered better than others cost more than those whose credibility are not scrutinized. This way, buyers are ensured of credibility but at the cost of making it more difficult to acquire especially for students (though libraries can be used). Pros and Cons of Film Based learning Mediums Film based learning materials also have their own pros and cons. First to be explored is its advantages. Films are a great source of information especially if the person who made it is able to determine which information is more important than the others. Since not all information will be able to be presented using this medium of instruction, creators are already tasked with interpreting and analyzing the collection of data for those who will watch them. In other words, films already present their own interpretation of the data available to them which leaves the individuals who will watch an already digested version. Another advantage of using films as mediums of instruction is that they usually only take up a definite duration of time usually ranging from one and a half to two hours which allows time for other activities. This means that an individual could easily understand the film during that time and if not they can easily replay the film or parts of the film that they missed or did not understand. Films also provide its readers with a more exciting and enjoyable learning experience as films are especially made to stimulate its watchers to make messages easier to convey. Moving and dynamic characters that are viewed appeal to many more individuals since films are able to easily capture the attention of viewers, thus making them more perceptive to the lessons and messages of the film. The visual element of films also aid in the memory of students since they would be able to better remember events that had an impact to them. The disadvantages of film based medium of instruction on the other hand are also numerous. One is that since the presented information in these films are already interpreted and analyzed, it provides students with a limited perspective of the events that had happened during those times. Films provide those who watch it a pretty distinct and straight forward interpretation of the events showcased in the film which does little for other interpretations. Also, since not all information are able to be presented in the film, there is a high chance that some important information may not be included. The nature of films is primarily based on entertainment which means that some elements of the lessons and messages may not be given that much importance since it could be easily covered up with artistic elements. There is also a very high chance that the presentation of characters and events may be different from what had actually happened especially since films are highly subjective based on the views of their creators. The Presentation of Preference and Justification Being presented with the pros and cons of each medium, when given a chance to choose between the two to be used for academic study, two views will be taken into account. One is in the point of view of introductory courses, those who are taking the subject as an elective or those who do not plan on taking the subject as seriously. The other point of view is regarding those who plan on taking the subject matter seriously as the focus of their education. Those who take the subject matter only as an introductory course or only as a requirement and not as a serious topic for their course will be better served by using film based medium of instruction since the purpose of which is to encourage and spark their interest for them to decide for a more serious study. When they do decide for a more serious study, films are no longer seen as an effective tool for study since it would not be able to give them comprehensive knowledge about history. The serious study of history would require its student’s awareness of even small or minor events of a certain subject in order to facilitate better and deeper understanding. Overall, it is preferred that the serious study of history is to be conducted using printed material. This is simply a more effective way to develop academicians in this field since it develops the necessary academic discipline and different analytical skills. Also there are more sources that are created each year than the number of movies that are being produced in line with this matter. Also, films are more focused on the artistic value of the film rather than providing a source of credible and accurate depiction of historical events which makes it unfit for being a serious resource for the academe. The amount of information are only limited and there is very big risk of the interpretation by the film makers being wrong which would also mean that the impression and messages that they push out to the individuals may also be wrong or at the very least, inaccurate. Though, film resources are very convenient, they do not constitute nor facilitate actual academic learning and development of the necessary skills in order in the field. Comments Changing times usually also mean changing methods of learning. There are pros and cons in each of these mediums but the best mediums are those that provide its students with quality and credible information. As of the moment, printed materials are still the ones who are able to satisfy this requirement of the academe though other sources could still be used as supplementary tools for learning. Reading printed materials is still considered the best way to learn in the academe despite its crude mediums and limitations. There is no shortcut for knowledge and information can only be truly acquired through effort, persistence and determination to learn about the subject matter. Shortcuts would also only provide limited information which is not advisable in the academe. Perhaps in the future another medium would emerge and again provide individuals who wish to study history another kind of learning experience but until the time that they are able to reproduce the same accuracy and credibility that books provide, they would not be able to rival that of the books. Books or written accounts have been used since humans were able to formulate their own writing system. The method is still the most effective means to learn even until today perhaps because there is yet to be a method that can be used to rival it.

How to Conjugate Raser (to Shave)

The French verb raser means to shave, but it specifically refers to shaving someone else. To say youre shaving yourself, youd use the reflexive se raser. How to Conjugate Raser Raser is a regular -er verb, which makes learning to conjugate it very simple. Remove the infinitive ending from the verb to determine the stem, which in this case is ras-. You complete the conjugation by adding the ending appropriate of the subject pronoun and the tense in use. See the tables below for simple conjugations of raser. Present Future Imperfect Present participle je rase raserai rasais rasant tu rases raseras rasais il rase rasera rasait nous rasons raserons rasions vous rasez raserez rasiez ils rasent raseront rasaient Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je rase raserais rasai rasasse tu rases raserais rasas rasasses il rase raserait rasa rast nous rasions raserions rasmes rasassions vous rasiez raseriez rastes rasassiez ils rasent raseraient rasrent rasassent Imperative (tu) rase (nous) rasons (vous) rasez How to Use Raser in the Past Tense The most common way to use a verb in the past tense is to use the passà © composà ©. This compound tense requires an auxiliary verb and a past participle to form the conjugation. Raser requires the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle rasà ©. However, when using the reflexive se raser, the auxiliary verb is à ªtre (all reflexive verbs use à ªtre when forming the passà © composà ©). For example: Linfirmià ¨re lui a rasà ©.The nurse shaved him. Il sest rasà © avant le diner.He shaved before dinner.