Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Language and Arthur Millers skills as a dramatist Essay Example for Free

Language and Arthur Millers skills as a dramatist Essay A view from the bridge is a two-act tragic play by Arthur Miller in the mid 50s. This play puts light on the working American-Sicilian population, in particular the Carbone family, the head of which is Eddie Carbone. In this essay I will be analysing Eddie Carbones character whilst occasionally making comments on the language and Arthur Millers skills as a dramatist. Eddie is a simple, straight forward man that lives with his beloved wife and niece. Alfieri describes Eddie as a long shore man. He is very protective over his orphaned niece, Catherine. Arthur Miller uses informal language to show Eddies social class. It is worthy to note that Arthur Miller was skilfully able to come down to the status of long shore man and was able to produce speech successfully in their tone and language. Eddie is portrayed as generous, but at the same time selfish and self-protective. This is since, although he is generous to offer his home to two of his wifes cousins, Marco and Rodolfo, he believes he is Superior. This is shown as he reminds Beatrice not to offer them his bed and he is very jealous of anyone that gets too close to Catherine. This jealousy also adds to his hardship in accepting Rodolfo and Catherines relationship, another reason to this envy is his over-protective nature. He has brought up Catherine as his own daughter and feels afraid to let her grow up, so he cannot face her having any relation to other men. Eddies wife, Beatrices is unhappy with Eddies attitude towards Catherine, which soon starts to create a rift between the couple. Its been many days and nights since you havent slept with me; shows that Eddie has been so caught up in Catherine and making sure she does not fall for Rodolpho, that he begins to forget about his duties as a husband. Further into the play, Eddie begins to feel another emotion towards Catherine: sexual attraction. This is shown by many things which happen throughout the play. He quickly begins to feel extremely jealous of the immediate impression Rodolfo makes on Catherine. The stage directions state at a point, He looks at [Catherine] like a lost boy, when she reveals her feeling for Rodolfo to him, but he is unable to admit it to everybody else. Furthermore, Eddie becomes so obsessed with Catherine, that he has no control over his emotions; for example Catherine begins to like Rodolpho, Eddie cannot control himself and has to find a way to vent his anger, so He decides to hurt Rodolpho, by using an exercise of teaching him to box,:you ever do any boxing? Eddie, at this point, feels so remorseless, that even when Rodolpho refuses to hit him, I dont want to hit you Eddie, he stills feels like the need to hit him, showing how obsessed he is. Moreover, Eddie becomes too interested into the relationship between Catherine and Rodolpho, that he involves the Immigration Bureau, this is because he could not spilt the true love apart. In the eyes of the audience and the other characters, it causes Eddies remaining honours to be thrown in the dirt. As in any community, even though there may be accused, the government should not be called in, otherwise the one, who spread the word, shall not be respected by all others and therefore, he becomes an out-cast. His redemption occurs towards the end of the play. His honour is restored with his own death. This is as he fights with Marco and ultimately dies, but he accepts his fate, and therefore restoring his respect and honour. In this part of the play, he also shows how he had planned the fight and was so obsessed that he brought a knife and fought like a coward. This brought his redeemed respect again to an all time low. Society respects a man, who acts like a man, and Eddie in this part, fights like a coward, which is unacceptable in the society. In conclusion, Eddie, although being a real man at the start, ends his life in a shameful and cowardly way. In my analysis, I have shown how Arthur Miller portrays this in an effective and skilful way, which shows his brilliant ability as a writer. I feel that A View from the Bridge is a very high-quality book with a interesting and deep story, giving it full marks in my view.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Total And Viable Counts Of Microorganisms Biology Essay

Total And Viable Counts Of Microorganisms Biology Essay The term microorganisms also called microbes refer to small tiny single celled organisms usually not visible to the naked eye. Microorganisms require magnification for proper visualization and resolution of their structure. These involve use of microscopes or magnifying lens with appropriate level of magnification (Tortora, Funke and Case 1995). Microorganisms are found in all living things all over the world i.e. plants and animals. They exist in a variety of habitats. They can live in air, on land or in water both fresh and salty. The three main classes of microorganisms are bacteria, fungi and viruses. Different microorganisms have different effects. Some are harmful while others are beneficial. Pathogenic and spoilage microbes cause diseases and food spoilage respectively thus referred to as harmful microorganisms. We also have others that are needed by living things to survive and they are termed as beneficial microbes (Tortora, Funke and Case 1995). Microbes are classified either by placing them in prokaryote or eukaryote group or by classifying them according to the temperature in their surrounding environment where they are classified as thermophilic microbes (thermophiles), mesophilic microbes (mesophiles) or psychrophilic microbes (psychrophiles). Thermophilic microbes are those microbes that grow well in high temperatures above the human body temperature. Mesophilic microbes are those that grow well in temperatures equal to that of human body while psychrophililic microbes are those that grow well in low temperatures below that of human body (Jaggi 1985). Like any other living organism, microbes reproduce for enhancement of their species. They reproduce by means of either sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction occurs by mating of a male and a female while asexual reproduction is by cell division either by mitosis, meiosis or binary fission. 3. Counting of microorganisms. Micro-organisms can be counted. They need to be detected first before being counted. There are several techniques involved when counting microbes. One or more of the following techniques may be used when counting microbes. Direct counting techniques can be used. The oldest of these is microscopy which involves magnification of individual cells to become visible to the naked eye. Direct counting techniques do not rely on cell population growth. A more recent of the direct counting techniques involves use of immunofluorescence and epifluorescence adaptations of cell labeling used in conjunction with cytometry. In both technologies, the trigger for a count is derived from single cells (Diaper et al. 1992). We also have culture techniques that rely on growth of microbes to a level where they are visible. This is done under specific conditions of temperature, oxygen, time and nutrients among others. The last technique employed is that of reporter assays which asses the population of microbes through their metabolic activities. The population does not necessarily have to be growing. Examples of such techniques include conductance, colorimetry, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and turbidometry (Bowden 1977). Counting of microorganisms can be done by different methods. In most cases the sample to be counted is first diluted to avoid overwhelming the whole counting procedure. However in some cases, the sample may be too dilute to give the required minimum count to be able to estimate the microbial population of that sample. In such cases, concentration of the sample is carried out. Counting can be done by use of a slide and a cover slip. A drop of the diluted sample is put on the slide with a suitable agent for proper visualization of the sample. It is then covered wit a cover slip and put under a microscope and observed at a suitable magnification. The centre area can be dimensioned with etched grids. The number of microbes in the grids is multiplied by the dilution factor to get the number in the original sample (Black 1996). The Petri dish count is where the sample is diluted to a point where the colonies will be statistically significant to be counted but not so many to overgrow each other. This method takes time for the individual cells to grow into colonies. The colonies counted are multiplied by the dilution factor to get the number in the original sample. The results here are expressed in colony forming units per milliliter i.e. CFU/ML. The time taken for the cells to grow into individual colonies is called the incubation period. Counting of microbes is important as it enables us estimate the microbial population in a variety of products (Breeuwer et al. 1994). 4. Total count. Total count is also termed as standard plate count or colony count. It gives the total number of microbes both viable and non-viable. All cells are counted. These include bacteria, yeasts and moulds. It is usually done by pour plate method. Total count generally requires employment of a microscope. For instance, when determining total microbial count in water by pour plate, a known volume of water is mixed with molten yeast-malt extract agar and given time to solidify. This is done on several plates. One set of plates are incubated at 37Â °C for about 24 hours and the other set of plates are incubated at 20-22Â °C for 3 days. You will find that most bacteria capable of growth in water do so well at 22Â °C than at higher temperatures. While the microbes that grow well at 37Â °C will not grow very well in water. This means that the two types of microorganisms need to be counted differently since they differ in their growth pattern. In this case, carrying out of total count on water is beneficial in several ways (Paulse, Jackson and Khan 2007). It helps to evaluate the efficiency of certain water treatment processes like coagulation, flocculation and disinfection. It also gives an indication of the level of cleanliness of the water distribution system. It can also be used it d etermine the suitability of water supply to firms where food and drinks are prepared on large scale. Total count is achieved either by use of direct or indirect counts. One method of direct count is the use of a haemocytometer. A haemocytometer is a specialized microscope slide important in cell counting. The central part of this slide has etched grids with precisely spaced lines to enable accurate counting. In order to get an accurate count in this method, the cell number should range between 40 to 70 cells in a one mm square. If this requirement is not met, necessary adjustments by either dilution or concentration are done as necessary (Rapposch, Zangerl and Ginzinger 2000). In indirect counts, one method is by use of a colorimeter. As the microorganisms grow with time, they make the agar more and more turbid. This turbidity can be measured by use of a colorimeter where optical density is measured. The greater the optical density the greater the number of microbes (Breeuwer et al. 1995). There is also a measure of dry weight. This method involves centrifugation followed by weighing to get the dry weight. The limitation of this method is that cells are destroyed The other indirect count method involves the use of a coulter counter. A coulter counter is a probe which measures variation in conductivity of a solution as a bacteria passes through a narrow gap (Daley 1979). The advantage of direct and indirect counts is that the process can be automated but the disadvantage is that they can not differentiate dead cells from living ones. 5. Viable count. Viable cont involves counting of colonies produced by only viable cells under favorable growth conditions. This can be accomplished by techniques like pour plating, spread plating and most probable number with an assumption that each and every viable cell gives rise to a pure colony. (Black 1996). In pour plating, the liquid media and the diluted sample are poured together in Petri dishes while still in liquid form and left to solidify. After solidifying, the Petri dishes are incubated at appropriate temperature for the required period of time during which the growth is realized. The plates are then removed and distinct colonies counted and expressed in colony forming units per ml. In spread plating, the media is prepared separately and poured in Petri dishes while still in liquid form. It is then left to solidify. After solidifying, a small known volume from the diluted sample is put to each Petri dish and with the help of a sterilized spreading rod, the sample is evenly spread over the media. The plates are then incubated at an appropriate temperature for a given period during which growth is realized. The plates are then taken for counting of colonies using magnifying lens (Black 1996). Colonies grown in Petri dishes by various methods excluding streaking method may be used to estimate the count of viable microbes since plate counts assume that every colony is founded by a single cell and that the cell must have been alive to grow and form that colony. Problems with plate counts are several. They require a long time of incubation to be able to visualize the colonies. Clumping of cells can lead to undercounting of viable cells. Cases of too many or too few colonies on a plate to accurately estimate viable count are common. Serial dilution is often required to prevent cases of overcrowding of cells. Too few cells require concentration by either centrifugation or filtration. In a case where too few colonies are present then the original culture must be concentrated before determining the plate count. Filtration is a method used to concentrate microorganisms by sieving microbes out of the medium. Centrifugation is also a separation method based on the density. This helps separate the microbes from the medium since both have different densities (Pettipher, Mansell, McKinnon and Cousins 1980). . In serial dilution, increments are made in 1000, 100, or 10. The number of dilutions to be done depends on the concentration of the original solution and the required concentration. The volume of the solution needed is also vital. If small quantities of solutions are needed then greater numbers of dilutions are necessary. Serial dilution allows small aliquots to be diluted instead of unnecessary big volumes of materials. When carrying out serial dilution, a small amount of original sample is removed to another container and its volume adjusted to original volume using a suitable buffer or distilled water e.g. if 1ml of the original solution is taken and 10Â µL removed and put in 990Â µL of media or water then we will have made a 1:100 dilution. If the original solution contained 5 x 106 cells/mL then we now have a concentration of 5 x 104cells/mL because we have divided the concentration by 100 (Pettipher, Mansell, McKinnon and Cousins 1980). Another method of determining approximate viable count is by use of most probable number. This method involves diluting the growth cultures and then growing the dilution cultures in broth tubes. This method is useful where it is beneficial to use broth other than solid media especially for highly motile organisms which are poor in forming colonies. The most probable number method is mostly used when the organism in question is not able to grow on solid agar or in situations where the microorganisms are too few to give reliable measure of population size by the standard plate count method (Black 1996). The advantage of viable count is that the method can be made very sensitive and that one can be able to count subsets of population. However the disadvantage is that sometimes the colony forming units may underestimate the number of cells because of clumping or chains of cells. It is also time consuming as the counts require at least few hours or overnight for incubation (Bowden 1977). Viable count of microbes is mostly applicable in food processing industries mostly dairy and meat processing plants where microbiology is most applicable. It helps in estimation of shelf life of processed food products as well as evaluation of sanitary conditions under which the products were manufactured. The efficiency of certain treatment processes like pasteurization, sterilization and cold storage done during production is also evaluated by viable microbial count. 6. Conclusion. Total and viable counts of microorganisms are important practices in microbiology applicable in fields of medicine, food among others. The main difference between the two is that total count determines the count of all cells both dead and alive while viable count estimate the number of viable or live cells only capable of growing into distinct colonies.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Essay --

Humans have known how to use the color from plant, animal and mineral around them and utilized in everyday since antiquity. We can see image on the walls caves, they known how to use to decorate container or jewelry body of tribes various. When human prosperous, they known how to use apparel and can use color from natural tinted or decorate for beauty increase Colors derived from plants such as blue from indigo. Red from Sappan core or orange color from annatto seed, color from animals such as red color from lac. Which is still used today (hongthongdang and Srimakajorn, 2006). The popularity on natural dyes are decreased when they have the chemical synthesis because of the chemicals dyes is easy to use, convenient, highly stable, The quantity and type of colors more sufficient for increasing demand in the production of industrial. but at present we found that the chemical dyes some kinds have carcinogen that harmful to affect the dyer, user and environment. Until some countries discourage fabrics dyed with chemical colors and they will popularity turn to natural colors increase. Most farmers like to dye silk from chemical color or synthesis because the color is fresh color, cheap, convenient and fast and decolorization Dyeing silk a very important role because it can add beauty to silk to use more. at the present, consumers have begun to focus on the use of natural materials is the factors in living. Including silk's consumer both Thailand and overseas is turn to like using fabric dye from natural more. Because the color from natural a light color more than chemical color and does not cause irritation to the skin. It also using a local diversity materials are useful and do not cause pollution to the environment. However, farmer... ...% to 5.5%. The feature extraction process does not properties the loss of natural dye type. However normally usually powder color to be dispersed. The user may be inhaled into the body and the resulting harm. So to keep the dye color is used to compress the powder into a pigment. Which can be easily used. Not be dispersed. Storage facilities just keep in opaque plastic bags or amber bottles in this way, it is keep materials of natural scarce is used to dye natural color all year round In this research, we have make developed a powder colors of natural materials has a variety of colors, consistency of color and stable decolorizing. Farmers can use throughout the year, convenient and simple. To replace the use of chemical colors or synthetic dyes. Reduced the purchases of foreign coloring, added value of the product, unique of silk and respond requirement of consumers

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Young Offenders Act In Canada :: essays research papers fc

Young Offenders Act in Canada   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The subject of young offenders in our troubled society has been one that has generated many hours of thought and meditation for concerned members. It is felt by many that the change needed in the area of delinquency within the First Nations culture is to overcome the effects of colonization and this must begin with the youth. It is with the youth that the future of the culture lies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There has been extensive research done in this area and although much of the material is not directed at one specific culture in society, the facts remain that it is a problem that is growing in epidemic proportions. Many of the programs that exist in society today do not address the problems associated with young offenders of specific cultures. Although the trend is moving in a direction that addresses programs for specific cultural groups much more emphasis must be put on these programs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For First Nations youth that are locked into the juvenile system, there must be alternative treatment programs made available that deal with the problems associated with the colonization process that generations of First Nations people have been subjected to. The process of decolonization will only be achieved through education, understanding, and perseverance, and this can only be achieved by First Nations people working with First Nations people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As indicated earlier much research has been done on the problems associated with young offenders and the current treatment programs. In the following research some of the most recent and important pieces have been used and to eliminate repetition much has been deemed unnecessary. Bibliography Cooke, David J., Baldwin, Pamela J., Howison, Jacqueline. (1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychology in Prisons. London: Routledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the second chapter of this book the authors explain in detail the psychology of criminal behavior and how it develops at a young age. Early environment of the adolescent, along with socio-economic status of the young offenders are but a few of the possibilities explored in this book. The authors explore the many influences that can shape the lives of young people, the influences of feelings and thoughts, others behavior, and surroundings, are all thought to shape the minds of the young offender. This publication will be primarily used to explore the history and causes of the subject of young offenders. Davidson II, William S., Rednor, Robin,. (1990). Alternative Treatments for Troubled Youth: The Case of Diversion From The Justice System. New York: Plenum Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This publication presents the findings of a research study done on alternative interventions with delinquent youth. The authors goal in writing this book was to describe an alternative intervention model and to examine its

Powerful Theme and Allusions to Sex in Andersons Womanhood :: Anderson Womanhood Essays

Powerful Theme and Allusions to Sex in Anderson's Womanhood    Catherine Anderson's poem "Womanhood" tells about a young girl and her transition to womanhood.   In this intricately woven poem the reader will learn very little about the girl.   Neither she nor her mother are ever named, and no information is given about them or their family life.   What the reader does discover is what lies ahead for her as she begins her first day sewing rugs.   The poem begins a few moments before she enters the gates of the sweatshop that symbolizes her entry into womanhood.   Anderson uses metaphor within this poem to dramatize the difference in what lies ahead for her.   She should be looking forward to a bright and cheerful future, instead, she is faced with the drudgery of a life working in a sweatshop sewing rugs.   Anderson has woven this poem together so there is a link created between the first and second stanzas of the poem.   Each line in the first stanza, describing the carefree attitude of the young girl correlates with a line in th e second stanza illustrating how her life will be far different after she enters the gates of the factory and womanhood.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within this poem there are many references or allusions to sex.   Most women are considered to have entered womanhood when they have their first sexual experience with a man.   Anderson plays up this aspect of becoming a woman in the poem to symbolize the girl's losing her innocence and youth to work in the sweatshop.   In essence, she is losing her virginity to that same sweatshop.   The first of these allusions to sex is in the opening lines of the poem; "she slides over/the hot upholstery" (1,2).   The young girl is described as sliding over hot upholstery, like girls sometimes do to snuggle up next to their boyfriends when driving a car.   This verse can also be seen as a metaphor for the hot young skin of a beautiful young girl.   Another example of these references is when Anderson describes the girl   as "loves humming & swaying to the music" (5).   This can be seen as the act of sexual intercourse itself.   The rhythmic swaying of bodies can be seen as little else especially when paired with line 25, "rocking back and forth"(25).   This is further emphasized by Anderson by her use of the ampersand signs (&) which she only uses in these two lines.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Ego and Super Ego in Dante’s Inferno

Catherine Craven GHUM200, Tu/Th 12:25 October 23rd, 2012 Compare the relationship between Virgil and Dante in Inferno with Sigmund Freud’s discussion of the conscience or super-ego in Civilization and Its Discontents. How does Freud explain and characterize the relationship between super-ego and ego in the individual? Cite examples of the interaction between Virgil and Dante and compare closely with Freud’s discussion of the psychical agencies, super-ego and ego: To what extent does the dynamic between Virgil and Dante illustrate the same pattern or features? Freud meets Dante: Ego and Super-Ego in InfernoIn his book Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud offers an explanation for why, as individuals, we tend to punish ourselves with guilt, often times in response to menial things. This explanation has led to the ideas of the ego, and the super-ego. According to Freud, one is responsible for our actions and how the world views us, while the other acts as a â₠¬Å"watchdog,† or an authority, in times of wrongdoing. An example of these two concepts is the relationship shared between the characters Dante and Virgil throughout Dante’s poem, The Divine Comedy Volume 1: Inferno.This relationship consists of an authoritative guide and a sinful follower, and therefore Dante and Virgil represent the relationship between the ego and the super-ego. In Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud asserts that one of the primary and most important functions of a civilized society is to control the individual’s natural impulses towards aggressive behavior. These impulses, according to Freud, are caused by the ego, which is the element within an individual that is responsible for their actions, decisions, ideas, rationalizations, and logical thought.Therefore, the ego thinks things through, and eventually comes to decisions and actions, regardless of whether or not the things decided upon or thought about are deemed as â€Å"badà ¢â‚¬  by society. Furthermore, the ego seeks to avoid any kind of pain or suffering, and instead seeks out ways to gain personal happiness. However, According to Freud, the super-ego exists as a way to level out the ego, and, in a way, keep it in check. Therefore, the super-ego is responsible for an individual’s conscience, or, their ability to feel guilt.Freud continues his explanation of these concepts by asserting the idea that the super-ego calls our attention to our own failures and misconducts, and attempts to assist us in learning from them in order to avoid making similar mistakes in the future. Furthermore, the conscience is the form in which the super-ego controls our actions and thoughts, and creates guilt within us. Therefore, the ego is the decision-making, acting part of an individual, while the super-ego acts as the ego’s voice of authority and control (Freud).Moreover, the relationship between the characters of Dante and Virgil in Dante’s Infern o stands as an excellent example of the relationship between the ego and the super-ego. In the opening of the poem, the character of Dante finds himself lost in a place he does not know, surrounded by terrifying beasts. In this dark moment, Virgil, a ghost from an earlier time, comes forwards and reveals to Dante that, because sin has obstructed his path to God, he must journey through hell and purgatory in order to return to life, as he once knew it. This journey, according to Virgil, would allow Dante to overcome his sin and, at last, find God’s love.However, Dante does not believe he can complete the journey alone, at which point Virgil assures Dante that he will guide him throughout the entire voyage. Virgil takes on the role of Dante’s guide very naturally, and starts him on his trip through hell. Throughout the journey, Virgil makes sure that Dante is witness to the all of the horrible punishments that evil receives in hell, and what will be his fate if he does n ot return to the path of God. However, Virgil does not only physically guide Dante through the circles of hell, but also reinforces the moral lessons that he must learn from all of the things he sees.Furthermore, Virgil acts as a protector over Dante, keeping him safe from evil creatures, such as demons and monsters, although he does allow Dante to make decisions and learn lessons the hard way often. Furthermore, the relationship between Dante and Virgil can easily be compared, and made almost parallel to the relationship between the ego and the super-ego. Without a doubt, the ego in this situation is Dante. This can be seen in the way that Dante’s actions before his journey led him to stray from his path to God. As the ego, Dante’s sinful thoughts eventually led to sinful actions, which in turn led to Virgil’s intervention.Also, Dante chooses to complete the journey through hell because he wants more than anything to rid himself of his sins and start over with God’s love. This embodies the ego because it seeks out happiness, and attempts to avoid any kind of suffering. Moreover, Virgil represents the super-ego, and fully epitomizes the â€Å"watchdog† label that Freud gave to the term. For instance, the super-ego forces the ego to recognize failures, which causes guilt. In turn, the ego is given a better understanding of what it has done wrong, and is more easily able to correct fault.Virgil plays this role in the way that he confronts Dante about the sinful life he has led, and then takes him through hell, thus allowing him to see what he may become, and motivate change within him. Another example of the two characters representing the ego and super-ego is the way that Dante sympathizes with some of the sinners in hell, and Virgil’s reaction to it. As Dante interacts with the sinners and shows them compassion, Virgil does not stop him. However, Virgil is extremely impatient with Dante, and even more disapproving towa rds him.In these situations, Virgil plays the part of the super-ego by allowing Dante to make his own decisions and act on them, while simultaneously trying to moralize him by causing incredibly guilt. Eventually, Virgil’s actions work in his favor, and Dante realizes that he is not helping the sinners, but merely wasting his pity on them. This is a perfect example of the super-ego using guilt to force changes it feels are necessary on the ego. In conclusion, Freud’s ego and super-ego are clearly embodied by the characters of Dante and Virgil in Dante’s Inferno.The character of Dante begins the story as a sinful man who is not only in need of guidance, but that also very much desires to find God’s love and create a happier life for himself. The character Virgil then seeks him out in order to help and guide Dante through a journey of moral lessons and reality checks, using the power of conscience and guilt, as opposed to force. Therefore, the relationship between the ego and the super-ego is clearly illustrated in the relationship and journey of the characters Dante and Virgil in The Divine Comedy Volume 1: Inferno.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Impact of Hrm Practices

ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 Impact of HR Practices on Employee Job Satisfaction in Public Sector Organizations of Pakistan Muhammad Javed Faculty of Administrative Sciences Air University Islamabad, Pakistan Muhammad Rafiq (Corresponding Author) Faculty of Administrative Sciences Air University Islamabad, Pakistan Islamabad, 44000, Federal, Pakistan.Maqsood Ahmed Faculty of Administrative Sciences Air University Islamabad, Pakistan Mustajab Khan MS Scholar Muhammad Ali Jinnah University Islamabad, Pakistan Abstract A lot of research has been done on the relationship of HR Practices and employee job satisfaction but the main focus and theme behind those research studies has been the developed countries. The purpose of this study is to observe the relationship between three HR Practices i. e. (Training and Development, Rewards, Recognition) and the employee job satisfaction in the public sector organizations of a developing country, Pakistan.Data has been collected from the employees of various public sector organizations and then regression and correlation have been applied to check the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Recognition and training and development are a key source of employee job satisfaction in Public sector organizations of Pakistan but rewards do not have any significant impact upon employee job satisfaction. Key Words: Training and development; Rewards; Recognition; Job satisfaction; Pakistan Introduction A lot of researchers have found that HR Practices are positively linked with employee job satisfaction (Wright et al. 2003; Spector, 1997; Huselid 1995); Petrescu & Simmons, 2008). The aim and main focus of these studies have been developed countries. The eyes did not COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 348 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 turn towards developing countries like Pakistan in a great deal. (Aycan et al. 2000) found that so far very little research has been conducted in the field of HR Practices i. e. Training and development, Rewards and Recognition in Pakistan which shows that this particular field still has a lot of space for further research.The main theme of this particular research is to observe the relationship between HR Practices (Training and development, Rewards, Recognition) and Employee Job Satisfaction in public sector organizations of Pakistan. These HR Practices are also known as key drivers of employee performance. Training and development is one of the key elements of employee job satisfaction because it reduces the discrepancies in job tasks and enhances the job skills which in result motivates the employees and lead towards job satisfaction.Employees get extremely motivated through rewards and recognition and these two factors lead towards employee motivation and research shows that highly motivated employees are the most satisfied employees and also the high performers. This study is extremely significant as it is a big insight for the public sector organizations of Pakistan. Normally managers don’t focus upon the relationship of rewards and job satisfaction, recognition and job satisfaction or training and development and job satisfaction.So this study will enable them to make a better strategy in terms of employee job satisfaction and to focus upon those HR practices which actually are the source of job satisfaction for employees. Every individual employee wants satisfaction at job but organization is wasting its resources by focusing on wrong HR practices for employee job satisfaction. This study could be an eye opener for many organizations and may well prove to be a very productive one. Pakistan is one of those countries where people working in the public sector organizations are often not sure about the job satisfaction level.The unsatisfied employees of public sector organizations, when switch to private sector i. e. MNE's, they have been observed to be much COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 349 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 more satisfied, therefore it is very important for the managers to know which HR Practices keep them satisfied and how much important role rewards, recognition and training and development have regarding employee job satisfaction.This study can be very fruitful for HR Managers of Public sector organizations in Pakistan as they would get a very clear idea about the relationship of three important HR Practices and employee job satisfaction and as a result can have much more productive employees and a decreased turn over rate in their organizations. Literature Review HR Practices HR Practices are linked with the management of human resources, activities necessary for staffing the organization and sustaining high employee performance (Mahmood, 2004).The most common HR Practices are recruitment, selection, training and development, compensation, rewards and recognition (Yeganeh & Su, 2008). Six HR practices selective hiring, compensation policy, rewards, recognition, training and development and information sharing have been studied with relation to employee job satisfaction (Dessler, 2007). The present study examines the relationship between three HR Practices i. e training and development, rewards, recognition and employee job satisfaction. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction means what are the feelings of different employees about the different dimensions of their jobs (Robbins, 2003).The level of satisfaction and dissatisfaction is another aspect which is related to employee job satisfaction (Spector, 1997). Job satisfaction may be the general behavior emerged due to different happenings at the work place; it may be supervisor’s behavior, relationship with peers or the work envi ronment (Janet, 1987) . Various factors such as an employee needs and desires, social relationships, job design, compensation, developmental opportunities and aspects of work-life balance are 350 COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 considered to be some of the key factors of job satisfaction (Byars & Rue, 1997; Moorhead & Griffin, 1999). According to (Robbins 1999), a satisfied workforce can increase organizational productivity through less distraction caused by absenteeism or turnover, few incidences of destructive behavior, and low medical costs. Training and Development Training is focusing on fixing a specific issue (Doyle, 1997). Training often answers the question â€Å"what happens if† Development on the other hand takes a more global approach.Training is related with current performance and progress of an employee while development is r elated with the future performance and progress (Miller, 2006). Training is anything offering learning experience (Paul & Anantharaman, 2003) Training helps employees is more specific with their job and organization and as a result increases employee job satisfaction and makes them work better. H1: Training and development is significantly and positively related with employee job satisfaction. Recognition Recognition is appreciation of employee’s performance in formal or an informal way.Recognition is one of the driving force towards motivating employees, it also highlights how much an employee’s performance is appreciated in an organization for the amount of work he/she has put in (Miller & Lawson, 1999). Recognition maintains a strong bond between motivation and performance and as a result the level of motivation of employee’s stays very high almost all the time (Flynn, 1998). Recognition increases level of job satisfaction and satisfied employees are a valuab le asset for any organization (Entwistle, 1997). Recognition is often considered to be of two major types, cash and non-cash awards.Different sectors need different ways of recognition to be applied, some sectors or segments of population may like cash and prizes to be a easy and better way of motivation while others may like non-cash COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 351 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 awards because they feel that if cash is to be given as recognition than they already have salaries and other bonuses which get consumed very quickly (Holmes, 1994) . H2: Recognition is significantly and positively related with employee job satisfaction.Rewards Rewards are usually referred to as intangible returns including cash compensation and benefits. Reward system is set of mechanisms for distributing both tangible and intangible returns as part of an employment relationship (Rue & Byars, 1992). Rewards are also termed as the need of an employee because when reward will be linked with the employee’s desire it will motivate him/her to a very high level (Kalleberg, 1977). It certainly shows that what an employee wants after performing a certain task. It has been revealed in the past researches that rewards are very strongly correlated with job satisfaction.Rewards are positively linked to employee job satisfaction (Gerald & Dorothee, 2004). Their research extracted one important element that employees are more satisfied with those rewards that they actually perceive. (Clifford, 1985) argues that employee Job satisfaction may be determined through job rewards. There are a lot of differences between different authors related to the dimensions of rewards and employee job satisfaction but one thing upon which almost all agree upon is the element of rewards that are perceived by employees (Kalleberg, 1997). H3: Rewards are significantly and positively r elated to employee job satisfaction.COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 352 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS Theoretical Model of the Study VOL 4, NO 1 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDANT VARIABLE Training and Development Recognition Employee Job Satisfaction Rewards Methodology The population for this study was public sector organizations of Pakistan, (ZTBL, NDC, SME Bank ltd). 180 questionnaires were distributed to get response of employees while 140 useful responses were received back (77%). Convenient sampling had been used to gather data.The scale used for this research is highly reliable as it has been related to scales of many past researches. This questionnaire checks the impact of HR Practices (Training and development, rewards, recognition) on employee’s job satisfaction. Relationship of HR Practices and job satisfaction has been tested on a 17 items scale. All the items of scale h ave been taken from renowned past researche studies (Clifford, 1985) job satisfaction, (Rogg, Schmidt, Shull & Schmitt, 2001) training and development (beer, 1987) recognition, (Spector, 1995) rewards. COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 53 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 Job satisfaction has been measured through a 3 item scale, training and development has been measured through 6 items scale, and 4 items have measured recognition while another 4 items have measured rewards. Questionnaires were filled under our personal supervision. The statistical tests were applied upon the data through statistical software SPSS. Degree of association was measured by using Pearson coefficient. Causal relationship between HR Practices and job satisfaction was estimated by using Regression analysis.According to the data collected the respondent’s average age for 25 or below segment is 31. 4 , for 26-35 is 26. 4, for 36-45 is 30. 0 and 46 or above segment is 12. 1; 55. 7% of the respondents are male while 44. 3% are female. The detail description of demographics is given in table 1. Table: 1 Demographic profile of respondents Sr # No 1 Age Indicators Categories 25 or below 26-35 36-45 46 or above 2 Gender Male Female 3 Nature of Job Permanent Temporary Contract 4 Income level 25,000 or below 26,000-35,000 36,000-45,000 46,000 or above Frequency 44 61 17 18 78 62 68 63 09 44 37 42 17 Percentage 31. 43. 6 12. 1 12. 9 55. 7 44. 3 48. 6 45. 0 6. 40 31. 4 26. 4 30. 0 12. 1 COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 354 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS Data Analysis and Results Reliability Analysis VOL 4, NO 1 Cronbach alpha is the tool used to check the reliability of any scale. According to the statistical analysis the value of cronbach alpha ranges between 0. 698-0. 847. Normally 0. 6 is the minimum acceptable range for cronbach alpha. The overall reliability of scale items is found to be 0. 92. the detailed description of the value of cronbach alpha is given in table 2. Table: 2 Cronbach Alpha of Scale Items Construct/variable Job satisfaction Training and development Recognition Rewards Number of items 3 6 4 4 Cronbach alpha 0. 698 0. 824 0. 760 0. 847 Correlation Correlation analysis has been carried out to check the extent to which two quantitative variables vary together, including the strength and direction of their relationship. The strength of the relationship refers to the extent, to which one variable predicts the other; it can be observed in table 3.Table: 3 Correlations Satisfaction Job Satisfaction Training & dev Recognition Reward Correlation Correlation Correlation Correlation 1 . 469(**) . 650(**) . 684(**) 1 . 550(**) . 615(**) 1 . 952(**) 1 Training Recognition Reward As shown in the above table, training and development, recognition and rewards all a re found to be positively correlated with dependent variable job satisfaction. The value (r= . 469) suggests that training and development is positively correlated with job satisfaction, (r= . 650) COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 355 ijcrb. webs. comMAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 shows that recognition is also positively correlated with job satisfaction and (r= . 684) shows that rewards are also positively correlated with job satisfaction. Correlation analysis showed that there is positive relationship between job satisfaction and independent variables. Table: 4 Regression Analyses Model 1 R . 710(a) R Square . 504 Adjusted R Square . 493 Std. Error of the Estimate . 26238 Table: 5 Coefficients (a) Standardized Variables Unstandardized Coefficients B (Constant) Training Recognition Reward . 25 . 266 . 088 . 443 Std. Error . 343 . 085 . 205 . 206 . 243 . 086 . 453 Coefficients Beta 2. 696 3. 14 5 . 430 2. 147 . 008 . 002 . 668 . 034 t Sig. As shown in the above table of coefficients (a), training and development is positively affecting the dependent variable job satisfaction as the beta value is (. 266). It is shown in the table that recognition also has a positive effect on the job satisfaction, represented by beta value (. 088) and rewards also have positive effect on the job satisfaction, represented by beta value (. 443).Independent variables, training and development and rewards are having a positive and significant relationship with the dependent variable but recognition is not having a significant relationship. The value of R square is . 504 which means that 50. 4% variation in dependent variable can be explained by independent variables. On the basis of above analysis, hypotheses 1 and 3 are accepted but hypothesis 2 has been rejected. Previous researches had shown the same results. COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 356 ijcrb. we bs. com MAY 2012INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS Table: 6 Hypotheses Testing Hypotheses H1: Training and development is significantly and positively related with employee job satisfaction. H2: Recognition is significantly and positively related with employee job satisfaction. VOL 4, NO 1 Result Accepted Rejected H3: Rewards are significantly and positively related to employee job satisfaction Accepted Conclusion and Future Recommendations The findings of this research can be implemented in different ways in public sector organizations of Pakistan.First of all training and development has a weak correlation with employee job satisfaction which clearly indicates that training and development is not a strong driver of job satisfaction in public sector organizations of Pakistan. Therefore serious amount of consideration should be given to this aspect. Before allocating any sort of training activities to employees training need analysis should be conducted s o that managers should exactly know that which kind of training should be given to employee.If employee will feel training to be interesting and is according to the need of an employee than employees will actively participate in trainings and that training will be much more productive and source of satisfaction for employees. Employees will not only learn more but they will also exhibit the learned skills at the workplace as well which will enhance the employee performance and that will lead towards enhancement of organizational performance and then organizations will have satisfied employees.Rewards and recognition are both strongly correlated with employee job satisfaction which is an indication that how important employees perceive rewards and recognition for them in the public sector organizations of Pakistan. Rewards and recognition are both very useful and recognized tool of employee job satisfaction but both these variables act other way around if COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institu te of Interdisciplinary Business Research 357 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS VOL 4, NO 1 here is no equity. So it is very important for managers in public sector organizations to eliminate discrimination while giving rewards or recognition. Pakistan is a developing country and employees of public sector organizations love to get rewards as compared to recognition, monitory rewards are of great importance because past researches show that monitory benefits for employees of public sector organizations of developing countries have great significance towards job satisfaction and this study also supports this particular argument.This is why the analysis of data shows that rewards are extremely significant but recognition is not. Future researchers need to study the relationship of job satisfaction and other HR practices in relation with public sector organizations of Pakistan. When other HR practices will also be investigated that will provide a very clear and broader picture to managers and it will be very easy for them to decide that which factors lead towards job satisfaction and which do not in public sector organizations of Pakistan.The in-depth analysis of compensation, promotion and performance evaluation practices can be very fruitful for the managers of public sector organizations and those studies will certainly increase the profitability and level of job satisfaction of employees. COPY RIGHT  © 2012 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 358 ijcrb. webs. com MAY 2012 INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS References: VOL 4, NO 1 Ahmad , I. , Khalil , M. I. , (2007). 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