10 Silicon Facts (Element Number 14 or Si)

Silicon is element number 14 on the periodic table, with the element symbol Si. Here is a collection of facts about this interesting and useful element: Silicon Fact Sheet Credit for discovering silicon is given to  Swedish chemist Jà ¶ns Jakob Berzelius, who reacted potassium fluorosilicate with potassium to produce amorphous silicon, which he named silicium, a name first proposed by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808. The name derives from the Latin words silex or silicis, which mean flint. Its probable English scientist Humphry Davy may have isolated impure silicon in 1808 and  French chemists Joseph L. Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thà ©nard may have produced impure amorphous silicon in 1811. Berzelius is credited for the elements discovery because his sample was purified by repeatedly washing it, while earlier samples were impure.Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson named the element silicon in 1831, keeping part of the name Berzelius had given, but changing the ending of the name to -on because the element showed more similarities to boron and carbon than to the metals that had -ium names.Silicon is a metalloid, which means it has properties of both metals and nonmetals. Like other metalloids, silicon has different forms or allotropes. Amorphous silicon is usually seen as a gray powder, while crystalline silicon is a gray solid with a shiny, metallic appearance. Silicon conducts electricity better than nonmetals, yet not as well as metals. In other words, its a semiconductor. Silicon has a high thermal conductivity and conducts heat well.  Unlike metals, its brittle, and not malleable or ductile. Like carbon, it usually has a valence of 4 (tetravalent), but unlike carbon, silicon can also form five or six bonds.  Silicon is the second most abundant element on Earth by mass, making up over 27% of the crust. Its commonly encountered in silicate minerals, such as quartz and sand, but only rarely occurs as a free element. Its the 8th most abundant element in the universe, found at levels of about 650 parts per million. Its the principal element in a type of meteorite called aerolites.Silicon is needed for plant and animal life. Some aquatic organisms, such as diatoms, use the element to construct their skeletons. Humans need silicon for healthy skin, hair, nails, and bones, and to synthesize the proteins collagen and elastin. Dietary supplementation with silicon may increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.Most silicon is used to produce the alloy ferrosilicon. Its used to produce steel. The element is purified to make semiconductors and other electronics. The compound silicon carbide is an important abrasive. Silicon dioxide is used to make glass. Because silicate minerals are common, silicon oxides form rocks and are used to make glass and ceramics.Like water (and unlike most chemicals), silicon has a higher density as a liquid than as a solid.Natural silicon consists of three stable isotopes: silicon-28, silicon-29, and silicon-30. Silicon-28 is the most abundant, accounting for 92.23% of the natural element. At least twenty radioisotopes are also known, with the most stable being silicon-32 , which has a half-life of 170 years.Miners, stone cutters, and people who live in sandy regions may inhale large quantities of silicon compounds and develop a lung disease called silicosis. Exposure to silicon may occur by inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, and eye contact. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the legal limit for workplace exposure to silicon to  15  mg/m3  total exposure and 5  mg/m3  respiratory exposure for an 8-hour workday.Silicon is available at extremely high purity. Molten salt electrolysis of silica (silicon dioxide) or other silicon compounds can be used to obtain the element at 99.9% purity for use in semiconductors. The Siemens process is another method used to produce high purity silicon. This is a form of chemical vapor deposition where gaseous trichlorosilane is blown across a pure silicon rod to grow polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) with a purity of 99.9999%.   Silicon Atomic Data Element Name: Silicon Element Symbol: Si Atomic Number: 14 Classification: metalloid (semimetal) Appearance: Hard gray  solid with a silver metallic luster. Atomic Weight: 28.0855 Melting Point:  1414  oC, 1687 K Boiling Point:  3265  oC, 3538 K Electron Configuration:  1s2  2s2  2p6  3s2  3p2 Density: 2.33  g/cm3 (as a solid near room temperature); 2.57 g/cm3 (as a liquid at the melting point) Oxidation States: 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2, -3, -4 Electronegativity: 1.90 on the Pauling scale Atomic Radius: 111 pm Crystal Structure: face-centered diamond cubic Heat of Fusion: 50.21 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 383 kJ/mol Reference Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

Tropical Cyclone Characteristics

Tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes, and typhoons are all examples of tropical cyclones; organized systems of clouds and thunderstorms that form over warm waters and rotate around a low-pressure center. A Generic Term composed of a system of thunderstorms that shows a cyclonic rotation around a central core or eye. A tropical cyclone is a generic term for a storm with an organized system of thunderstorms that are not based on a frontal system. To learn more about what tropical cyclones are called depending on their winds blow, read What TCs are called from birth to dissipation. Tropical cyclones are not only called certain things here in the U.S. depending on how strong they are, but theyre also known by different names depending on where you are in the world.  In the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific, tropical cyclones are known as hurricanes. In the Western Pacific Ocean, tropical cyclones are known as typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, a tropical cyclone is simply called a cyclone. Must-Have Ingredients for a Tropical Cyclone Each individual tropical cyclone differs, but several characteristics are common to most tropical cyclones, including: A central low-pressure zone and high wind speeds of at least 34 knots. At this point, the storms are given a pre-determined storm name. Most storms are accompanied by a lot of rain and storm surges near the shore. Often, once the storms make landfall, the tropical cyclone can cause tornadoes. A tropical cyclone needs warm ocean temperatures in order to form. Temperatures in the ocean need to be at least 82 F in order to form. Heat is drawn up from the oceans creating what is popularly called a heat engine. Tall convective towers of clouds are formed within the storm as warm ocean water evaporates. As the air rises higher it cools and condenses releasing latent heat which causes even more clouds to form and feed the storm. Tropical cyclones can form any time these conditions are met, but they are most prone to form from during the warm season months (May to November in the Northern Hemisphere). Rotation and Forward Speed Like ordinary low-pressure systems, tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere are counter-clockwise due to the Coriolis Effect. The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere. The forward speed of a tropical cyclone can be a factor in determining the amount of damage the storm will cause. If a storm remains over one area for a long period of time, torrential rains, high winds, and flooding can severely impact an area. The average forward speed of a tropical cyclone is dependent on the latitude where the storm is currently. Generally, at less than 30 degrees of latitude, the storms will move at about 20 mph on average. The closer the storm is located the equator, the slower the movement. Some storms will even stall out over an area for an extended period of time. After about 35 degrees North latitude, the storms start to pick up speed. Storms can also become entangled with one another in a process known as the Fujiwhara Effect where tropical cyclones can interact with each other. Specific storm names in each of the ocean basins vary based on conventional naming practices. For instance, in the Atlantic Ocean, storms are given names based on an alphabetical pre-determined list of Atlantic hurricane names. Severe hurricanes names are often retired.

Sample of Sales Report

The purpose of the sales report is to document the significant changes within the companys external market sales and reveal the trends of the further trade operations. A sample of sales report can provide the great opportunity to analyze and extract system changes which appear due to the market issues. In general, sales report shows how the company increases or decreases its income through a certain time period. In terms of financial aspect, the primary meaning has the analytical nature of such account. For example, managers in companies use the method of sales reports in order to detect market opportunities and areas where a certain company can tailor marketing approach in a better way. Overall, it allows to analyze the tendency of sales and extract the necessary information for the manager. The year of 2015 has attained key significance for the market success of Apple inc. The sales in that period overcame the sales activity of the same period in 2014. Overall, Apple inc. has shown very efficient tendency through the years and its administrative line continues to report about increasing profits. However, the available market reports state that further sales appeared not as successful as it was predicted by the company’s analytics. Recently, Apple has announced financial results for the last quarter of 2015. The report shows that for the last quarter of 2015, which ended on the twenty-sixth of September, its reported sales revenue reached $51,5 billion. The sales results are compared to the same period of 2014 when total revenue was estimated as $42,1 billion. Moreover, gross margin was established at the point of 39.9 percent, compared to 2014, when it composed 38 percent. The main reason for such growth is covered not only in new product lines but in the expanding to the new markets. Thus, the fourth quarter is highlighted with iPhone record sales, availability of Apple Watch, and record Mac sales report. It is stated that the fiscal 2015 year is the most successful year for Apple with income improvement up to 28 percent. It resulted in $234 billion profit. In addition, the shares of Apple inc. grew by 38 percent and this allowed Apple to boost their capital return program, returning $143 billion from total $ 200 billion to the investors. Furthermore, the first quarter of 2016 resulted in income between $75.5 billion and $77.5 billion. The gross margin rose up to 40 percent. Operating expenses resulted in $6.4 billion. The tax rate was stated at the point of 26.2 percent. However, in the second quarter of 2016 company sales sharply decreased for first time in the last thirteen years. In fact, the company revealed sales of about $50.6 billion which mean a decline of 13 percent. Sales of the iPhone which create two-thirds of the company’s revenue have firstly fallen from the time it was released in 2007. This fall is estimated to be from 61 million in 2015 to 51 million in 2016. Moreover, the sales of the iPad and Mac were reported to have a drop by 23 percent compared to the last year. Overall, it is clear that Apple inc. experiences not the best times. The smartphone market has firstly gone flat in its history, the tablet market has been already flat for several years, and the computer market has become too specific and narrow for the audience to create excessive sales. Apparently, the company has to tailor the new marketing approach or introduce new products in order to attract more customers. In case the company will not do something, the sales fall will continue to increase from year to year. References Apple Forecasts Second Sales Drop as iPhone Woes Deepen. (2016, April 26). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-26/apple-forecasts-another-sales-decline-as-iphone-demand-cools Apple product unit sales by category 2012-2016 | Statistic. (2016). Retrieved May 26, 2016, from http://www.statista.com/statistics/382302/unit-sales-of-apple-by-product-category/ Gallo, C. (2012). The Apple experience: Secrets to building insanely great customer loyalty. New York: McGraw-Hill. Ingram, T. N. (2004). Sales management: Analysis and decision making. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western. J. Titcomb (2016, April 26). IPhone sales decline for first time ever as Apple revenue falls. Retrieved May 26, 2016, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/04/26/iphone-sales-decline-for-first-time-ever-as-apple-revenue-falls/ Press Info Apple Reports Record Fourth Quarter Results. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2015/10/27Apple-Reports-Record-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html

Finding Meaning and Purpose in Mitch Albom’s, The Five...

â€Å"The Five People You Meet In Heaven† written by Mitch Albom tells about a man named Eddie and his experiences in life and in heaven. During his journey in heaven he meet five people. He learns how he has impacted the five lives while on earth. Eddie finds that his life did have true meaning and purpose. Prior to meeting the five people that he meets in heaven, he feels as if his life is worthless and has no meaning. Physically he is not in good shape, â€Å"His left knee, wounded in the war, was ruined by arthritis. He used a cane to get around†(2, paragraph 1). He feels stuck at a place with a job that he absolutely hates, â€Å"He cursed his father for dying and for trapping him in the very life he’d been trying to escape: a life that, as†¦show more content†¦Eddie sees the friend run off and his father chasing after him ready to kill. His father catches up to his friend with raging anger but His friend is drowning. Eddie’s father saves his friend but dies shortly afterward. â€Å"His body been weakened, the ocean had left him vulnerable, pneumonia took hold of him, and in time, he died†(138, paragraph 4). A side of Eddie’s father that Eddie has never seen is suddenly revealed. Eddie uses this unknown side of his father to help amend al l of his hateful feelings towards him. It takes Eddie his whole life and time in heaven to begin to find the meaning and purpose of his life. The last one of the five people Eddie meets in heaven is a little girl named Tala. She is a little girl that Eddie burned alive in a fire. This is not an intentional death. He sets the fire to burn the place he had been held captive, it’s also the a fellow soldier had died in while at war in the Philippines. As this fire was started he thinks he sees a shadow and trys to get it out of the burning barn. His captain and fellow soldiers shoot him in the leg and pull him away thinking he is hallucinating and going to kill himself for something he â€Å"thinks† he sees. Even in heaven, Tala’s skin still appears burned very badly. Eddie is very distraught about her death. â€Å"FORGIVE ME, OH, GOD†¦What have I done†¦WHAT

The Lasting Legacy Of The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The Lasting Legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Passed down from generation to generation, African Americans have recounted the horror stories concerning the humiliation and abuse endured from the American medical community. The institution of systematic racism and discrimination leads Blacks further into a culture of untrusting those who have taken the sacred Hippocratic Oath. In the book Medical Apartheid author Harriet Washington (2006) uses the term â€Å"Black iatrophobia† to define the African American culture of being fearful of medicine; this fear is attributed to an extensive history of inhumane experimentation against the Black race in the United States from the days of colonial slavery to the era of modern medicine. â€Å"Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group† (Purnell, 2013, p. 6). Despite these horrific ordeals faced by Blacks, disparities in healthcare are progressing and the gaps in healthcare equality are closing between Whites. Contemporary nursing continues to evolve wherefore the patient’s care is from a holistic standpoint, establishing that in order to provide excellent health care the person’s culture and care practices need to be considered. The plight of the participants in the Tuskegee Syphilis study were not in vain; social policy and legislation has since been put in place to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. One of theShow MoreRelatedethical decision making16006 Words   |  65 Pagessituations. The philosophical discipline of ethics is the study of how we should behave, or how to determine the right thing to do in our interactions with others. Bioethics is the common name for the study of ethics as it relates to health and the moral problems that arise as a result of advances in health technologies and our increasing ability to do more to treat illness and prolong life. The theories resulting from ethical study provide a guide to examining ethical situations and to articulating

Sheds Critical Light on Human Resource Management

Question: Discuss about the Sheds Critical Light on Human Resource Management. Answer: Introduction Human resource management is one of the key elements in an organization. Labour force is viewed as an indispensable part of an organization. Thus, management of the human resources is viewed as one of the critical areas in an organization (Weinstein 2014). Organizations channelize a major and significant portion of their energy and strategies in managing human resources. Thus, it becomes a critical area of concern regarding the management of human resources. However, the current age has seen various issues and loopholes in human resource management. The incidents of conflicts, strikes, lockouts, growing trend of dissatisfaction among employees highlight the issues in the human resource management avenue (Warr and Inceoglu 2012). Qatar petroleum is a petroleum company that is owned by the state in Qatar. The activities undertaken by the company includes exploration, transportation, storing, refining, and production of oil and gas. The human resource management is systematic and integr ated in the company. The company is ranked third as the largest oil company in the company. Human Resource Management issues in Qatar Petroleum Company Management of labour and skills of labour is seen to be a major role of the human resource management of a company. In Qatar Petroleum Company, human resource management is viewed as a major area in the management of the company. The company has integrated and systematic method of management of human resource. According to reports and current findings, it has been seen that there are certain issues that are noticed in the human resource management issues. Motivating and retaining employees is seen to be a major issue in the human resource management issues in the company (Afioun, Rul and Schuler 2014). It is seen that the company faces major shortcomings and issues in increasing the motivation among employees and retaining the employees. This is the human resource management issues that have risen in the company in the last few years. Motivation and retention are two sides of the same coin. The two elements go hand in hand. Retention is not possible without motivation. It is seen tha t employees leave organization because they lack the motivation and the level of morale that is needed for the employees to continue in the organization. It is a major cause of concern for the human resource management team. The human resource team of the company has witnessed major shortcomings and loopholes in increasing the motivation level among employees. One of the facts that are visible in this case is that motivation is influenced by both external as well as internal factors. The work environment, interpersonal relationship and the nature of the job profile is seen to be contributing factors of internal job motivation factors (Anthony and Hong 2014). The human resource management team has not been able to motivate the employees and increase their morale. The retention ration has decreased and the company has witnessed a major increase in the labour turnover ratio and absenteeism among employees. The human resource managers of the company believe in the notion that the employ ees would have the feeling of motivation within themselves. However, it is not true and it can be seen that motivation is about inducing people to discharge their responsibilities and duties to the best of their abilities. Effect of the issue on Qatar Petroleum Company The increasing rate of labour turnover has resulted in the shortage and scarcity of labour. The increasing rate of absenteeism and labour turnover has resulted in the sharp decline of the productivity and performance of the company. There have been growing incidents and episodes of conflicts and resistance from the end of the workers (Al Maita et al. 2015). It is a major cause of concern for the employees since it is seen that such conflicts would hamper the image and the productivity of the employees. The increasing labour turnover issue is an evil that stunts the growth of the company and acts as a major hindrance to the productivity issue of the company. Thus, it is a growing concern in Qatar Petroleum Company regarding these human resource management issues in the company. Various negative inferences of labour turnover can be seen. It has affected the financial performance of the company and it has escalated the expenditure level of the company. It can be seen that the cost of tr aining and development of the new employees and the company has to compromise with its financial functioning that is noticed in the company. The lack of efficiency of the new employees has resulted in the company losing out on chances and opportunities to increase the productivity of the company. The financial performance of the company has received a major setback in terms of low profitability of the company. Thus, labour turnover and lack of motivation among employees and the inability of the company to retain employees have severe adverse effect on the financial performance of the company. The quantity and the rate of production according to a given amount of time is defined and described as productivity. Qatar Petroleum Company has boasted of skilled and efficient employees and it has been seen that the inability of the company to retain employees and motivate employees has resulted in high labour turnover ratio in the last few years of the company. Thus, the productivity and performance of the company has suffered from major shortcomings (Bakker, Demerouti and Sanz-Vergel 2014). The induction of new and fresh employees has resulted in major drop in the level of performance of the company. This has a direct correlation with the competencies and skills of the workers. It has been seen that the company has a pool of new and fresh employees that has major shortcomings in the skills and competencies. Employees with shorter duration of work experience have issues in achieving production goals. The efficiency can also be linked with the evils of low employee retention in Qa tar Petroleum Company. The lack of experience and competencies of the employees have turned to be a major issue for the company. As a result, the company has lower level of efficiency in the performance and productivity (Carpentier and Mageau 2014). Another issue that high labour turnover and low retention of employees that exists is that it has given a negative image of the company to the public and as a result, it impacts the customer satisfaction aspect as well. The lack of experienced employees and the increase in fresh talent in the organization has given way to the inability of the company to meet the standards of the industry. High labour turnover causes experienced employees to shift from the company to different companies in search for better scope of growth and expansion of career. It can be seen that the company suffers from shortcomings in such aspects and as a result, the increase in inexperience employees has caused the company to suffer from inability to sustain the standards of quality that has been set according to the industry standards (Cherian and Jacob 2013). Thus, one can say that it has majorly impacted the goodwill of the company. Another effect of labour turnover issues is that it makes the company relatively and comparatively incompetent to sustain the competition in the industry. One thing that can be seen is that the low retention and low motivation quotient among experienced employees lead to low retention of such employees. In the light of these events it can be seen that the productivity and the ability of the company to sustain the competition depends on the experience and competency of the employees (Jerome 2013). Fresh and new employees might take a considerable amount of time to improve and harness the skill and to increase their level of competency and skills. The gestation period might make the company instable and incompetent to sustain the level of competition and it stunts the scope of growth and expansion of the company (Ealias and George 2012). In addition to this, it has jeopardized the existence and the profitability of the company. Figure: Qatar Crude oil exports 1986-2013 (Source: Afiouni, Rul and Schuler 2014) Cause of the issue There is a cause and effect relationship between everything. One thing that needs to be kept in mind is that one needs to finds the roots of this evil. In other words, one needs to decipher the cause behind the low, motivation and low retention rate in Qatar Petroleum Company. There are various points that contribute to this issue. A significant fact that has to be assessed is that there are significant changes in the oil and gas companies. These changes have paved the way for the rising human resource management issues in the company. On carefully evaluating the changes in the industry, one can view that there are various external factor that are instrumental in creating such issues. Firstly, the increase in the competition can be viewed as a major issue in the rise of human resource management issues (Dedousis and Rutter 2015). Initially, there were not many companies that belonged to the oil and gas industry. Thus, it can be said that there was a dearth in the competition in this industry. However, there was an initiative from the government to increase the production level in the country. This would require the setting up of many more companies in this industry that could contribute to the increased production, which on the other hand could increase the profitability of the government and could contribute to the positive economic growth. The consequence of this initiative could be viewed from this angle that this move has led to an increase in the number of local oil and gas companies in addition to international oil and gas companies. The numbers of ancillary and relative companies have also increased in the Qatar Market. One startling aspect of this change was the presence of cut throat competition in the industry. The escalation of the level of competition led to many employees terminating their service with national oil and gas companies and government organization in the quest of joining these companies in the oil and gas industry (Cerasoli, Nicklin an d Ford 2014). The rationale of these employees of making this move was regarding the pay scale and the remuneration. The pay scales of the government companies were limited and not attractive in comparison to the new private an international companies. The incentives schemes, work life balance and the scope of growth and expansion appeared limited in comparison to these companies. Thus, the experienced employees of Qatar Petroleum Company started leaving the company for greener pastures due to the low motivation level among them. This low motivation level contributed to the high labour turnover in the company. Secondly, another fact that could be evaluated as a cause for this issue is that, the increase in the number of private and public companies meant that the increase in the number of companies in the Qatar market would correlate to the issue of scarcity of labour (Faisal Ahammad et al. 2015). The shortage of labour and the growing scale of companies in the industries made this problem extremely critical. The scarcity of labour is not only pertaining to the Qatar market but it is a global phenomenon. Thirdly, one issue that could be spotted is that the expenditure of hiring and recruiting a local Qatar employee would be half compared to the cost of hiring and recruiting an employee from a different of country. The import and mobilization of labour could be costly for the oil and gas companies in the Qatar market (Kirat 2015). This has led to an increase in the demand of local Qatar employees. Consequently, the pay scales of the new private and international companies were higher and more efficient compared to the Qatar Petroleum Company. It created resentment and low morale level among the employees of Qatar Petroleum Company and it contribute to one of the major issue of Human Resource Management in the company (Kossowska et al. 2014) The inability of the company to compete with new private and international companies in terms of pay scale and incentive s chemes and the demand of local labour could be viewed as the reasons and the root cause for employees of Qatar Petroleum Company leaving their employer and this led to the issue of low motivation and low retention of employees in the company, which made the human resource management ponder over this critical issue. Effects of organizational change on employee motivation Organizational change is one of the means of giving direction to the business, which is implemented for the organization to sustain growth and expansion in the longer run. The purpose of implementing organizational change is to cast a positive impact on the organization (Federici and Skaalvi 2012). However, it can be seen that managing such changes is a challenging task. The same was seen in the case of Qatar Petroleum Company. A starting fact that was seen was that organizational change in the company had a significant impact on the performance of task by the employees due to the perception of these changes by the workers (Fernandez and Ali 2015). The effect of organizational change in Qatar Petroleum Company led to a rise in the level of doubts and stress among the workforce of the company. The labour force viewed these changes as a threat and a major challenge and it led to growing discontentment, tension and resistance to change among the employees. A major example of these changes was the increase in the number of strikes and retaliations from the employees. There were different kinds of change within the organization. One of them was the total quality management change in the organization. This was implemented with the intention that the company wanted to change the quality aspect of its operation, which could enable to survive the growing competition (Fernandez and Ali 2015). However, the company faced resistance and challenges due to the growing incompetency within them. This increased the low motivation index among the employees. Figure: Employees Importance (Source: Pinder 2014) One of the common and conspicuous inferences among the employees regarding organization change was the increase in mental stress. The changes that were implemented by the management across the organization were viewed by the employees as a threat to their job profile and their tenure of work in the organization (De Baerdemaeker and Bruggeman 2015). Some of the factors for this stress level were due to the perception of the changes as unfair move and as means to exploit the workforce of the organizations. The lack of communication by the management and the apprehension of similar changes in the future led to the growing discontentment among the employees (Pinder 2014). The organizational change that was implemented in Qatar Petroleum Company led to the decrease in the loyalty of workers towards the company. This was the product of low motivation among employees. The quality management change by the company had an adverse effect of the motivation and morale level of the employees. They viewed this as a means and the strategy to manipulate with their salaries and incentives (Miner 2015). This loss of loyalty resulted in many employees shifting to different companies with a better scope of growth and expansion. The employees that continued in the company had low motivation and loyalty towards the company, which in itself was an adverse condition that the company had to face. It had a severe impact on their performance and productivity, which consequently impacted on the performance of the company (Kim and Scullion 2013). Another significant impact of organizational change on motivation of employees was absenteeism and avoiding work. One inference that was majorly noticed was that those who resisted the organizational change started spending excess time away from work, which contributed to the extra incident of absenteeism at work. This was a major condition that could not be avoided. The low morale and low motivation among the employees and the implementation of organizational change resulted in a situation that was critical for the company. The growing incident of absenteeism at work was a major inference and impact of organizational change at work. The employees simply avoided the change and the work that was given to them. Thus, it can be seen that organizational change severely and majorly hampered the motivation level of employees and in case of low motivation among employees it severely aggravated the situation leading to resistance and conflict. It led to increased tension, stress among the employees and it cause loss of loyalty, which resulted in labour turnover and consequently the human resource management had to deal with low retention issue and mismanagement and miscommunication among the employees were seen. The performance and productivity of the employees were severely hampered by the organizational changes in Qatar Petroleum Company (Kumar, Hossain and Nasrin 2015). Presently, the feedbacks of the employees are being evaluated to bring about positive change and more training sessions are being conducted to communicate and explain the reason of change to the employees and in the process reduce their grievances and dissatisfaction. Figure: Factors of employee motivations (Source: Parker 2014) Impact of Work Culture on employee motivation Work culture is another aspect that needs to be analysed and evaluated to develop a comprehensive idea of the issue of low motivation and low morale among employees. Every organization is unique in its own way. This unique feature of the organization paves the way for the definition of the term work culture. The term work culture refers to a system of value and norms that is shared within the organization and it contributes to the governance of the company. This has a strong and deep impact on the psychology of an employee and in the process affects the motivation of the employees. In the case of Qatar Petroleum Company, the organizational culture was based on achieving outcome and an aggressive culture in the organization to fight the competition in the industry. In the current years it is seen that the work culture of the company has been viewed to be tentative and vulnerable to the extent that it caused negative energy and feelings among the employees. In the bid to sustain the increasing the competition in the oil and gas industry, it has been viewed that the company had increased its working hours and the level of performance to ensure quality performance (Parker 2014). This had a negative effect on the employees leading to growing resentment and frustration among employees. This led to a decrease in the motivation level of employees. It reduced the employee participation in strategic operations and decision making of the employees. This was characterized by resentment and conflict from the employees, in order to change the organizational culture. This led to decease in the motivation and morale of the employees of the organization. It adversely affected the performance of the employees leading a decline in the standard of perform of the employees. The work culture had a detrimental effect on the motivation of the employees and made them incapable of achieving their goals, which in turn made the organization incapable of achieving its goals (Mowday, Porter and Steers 2013). The increasing mental stress and resentment among the employees due to work culture led to decrease in the quality of the performance of the employees and subsequent increase in the productivity of the employees. The effect of work culture of Qatar Petroleum Company was that it led to emotional pressure on the employees. The aggressive work culture led to feeling of fear, apprehension and resentment among employees, which all led to the decrease in the motivation and morale of the employees. The work culture along with organizational changes in the company threatened the workers of the security of tenure and the revised nature of work. All of this led to high rate of labour turnover within the organization. The nature of work of the company was highly resisted by the employees and this led to the result of low productivity and low performance. It resulted in reduced potential of the employees since they did not believe that work would enhance their future prospective and identity. It has been seen that the work culture in certain instances have led to positive changes in the organization, in terms of increasing the competency and skill of the employee. It did provide purpose and vision to ach ieve the goals. Mission and vision of the organization plays a major role in the work culture, which in turn has a major role on the motivation level of the employee (Sheikh, Newman and Al Azzeh, 2013). The dissatisfaction of the employees regarding their purpose of work and the lack of the intrinsic motivation played a major role in reducing the motivation of the employees, which consequently led to labour turnover in the company. The lack of scope of growth and expansion also led the employees to shift to different companies for better career growth and expansion and in the process improve and expand their career. The increasing competition in the oil and gas industry led to an aggressive work culture in the company, which led to the growing dissatisfaction and low motivation among employees (Skudiene and Auruskeviciene 2012). Currently, the company is taking certain steps and measures to modify the work culture in the organization and shed more light and equal treatment of employees so that it increases their motivation and their loyalty towards the company. Assessment of different ideologies and goals of the company is made to induce a favourable work culture that would bring about a positive change in the organization (Sheikh, Newman and Al Azzeh 2013). Impact on conflict on employee motivation Emergence of conflicts is one of the most severe issues in an organization and it can significantly impact the behaviour and motivation of the employees. In general, conflicts in organizations led to lower productivity, decrease in the quality of performance and increase in the stress level of employees, which results in lower motivation and morale of the employees working in an organization. It reduces the belief and faith in the organization, resulting high labour turnover and low retention of employees in the organization. It is seen that there were growing incidents of conflicts in Qatar petroleum Company. It resulted in strikes and hindrances in the operations of the company. These incidents compounded the current issue of low motivation among employees in the organization and resulting in low retention of employees due to high labour turnover ratio. The conflicts were a result of disagreements with regards to interests and ideologies. The growing incompatibility of ideologies between workers and management led to reduction in the productivity and performance of the workers and the motivation of the employees continued to decrease (Medina 2016). The aggressive work culture and the growing competition in the industry led to an environment of resentment and frustration since the competitive ideology of the company resulted in negative conflicts in the workplace. However, more efforts are being made to induce healthy competition in the organization to give rise to positive. This could and to an extent h as increased the productivity of a small section of employees (Parker 2014). The increasing level of conflicts within the organization has caused an increase in the level of labour turnover within the organization. The growing level of conflicts has resulted in dissatisfaction and low employee motivation (Scurry, Rodriguez and Bailouni 2013). The increase in the incidents of conflicts has led to a decrease in the productivity and performance of the employee, which consequently has a detrimental effect on the motivation of the employees. The interpersonal relationship between employees and management deteriorated, resulting in poor communication (www.emeraldinsight.com 2016). This hampered and dampened the morale of the employees. There have been positive aspects of conflicts within the organization since it induced creativity among human resource team to solve issues and formulate new policies that could be viewed as positive change in the organization backed by alignment of organiz ational goals and goals of the employees. However, generally it has majorly caused low motivation among employees and high rate of dissatisfaction among employees (Soutschek et al. 2014). Currently, Qatar Petroleum Company is viewing these conflicts as the means to incorporate creative solutions to combat conflicts. The human resource team are taking measures to listen to the grievances and the point of debate from various members to induce amiable environment in the organization and facilitate better team work (Vaara et al. 2013). Recommendations There are certain recommendations that are made to improve the human resource issue in Qatar Petroleum Company. Some of these are: Attractive Remuneration and incentives One of the most important ways of improving motivation among employees is by rewarding the employees for the work they do. Paying quality incentives and remuneration increases the motivation of the employees. Paying bonuses based on the performances improves the motivation among employees. This would help to retain experience and quality employees and limit the rate of employee turnover in the organization. Better work-Life Balance Another way of improving the motivation among employees is by creating healthy work-life balance for the employees. This tends to increase the morale and motivation among the employees and in turn, increases the productivity and performance of the employees. Better training programs Better training programs need to be conducted to improve the skill and development of the employees. These training programs can be used to communicate about the rationales of organizations change and the evolving work culture of the organization. Training and development increases the motivation and morale of the employees. Better communication Better communication in the organization tends to bring about positive change in the organization. It results in better resolutions of conflicts and grievances in the organizations. At the same time it can be used to increase employee participation, which could increase the employee motivation and morale. Conclusions It can be viewed that low employee motivation and low employee retention is the human management issue in Qatar Petroleum Company. Low employee motivation, low employee retention and labour turnover are interrelated issues that exist in the company. It can be seen that increase in the competition in the oil and gas industry has contributed to the human resource issues in the company. In addition to this, scarcity of labour is also seen to be a cause of this evil. The current issue has resulted in low productivity, sub-standard performance and reduced profitability of the company. It has also resulted in the incompetency of the company to sustain the competition. The current organizational change, corporate culture and conflicts have resulted in negative impacts on employee motivation. The overall implications and conclusions that can be drawn is that there is a growing discontentment, low motivation among employees that have contributed to low employee retention and increasing labour turnover in the company. Reference List Afiouni, F., Rul, H. and Schuler, R., 2014. HRM in the Middle East: toward a greater understanding.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,25(2), pp.133-143. Al Maita, L., Fakhoury, N., Jarrad, S. and Caputo, A., 2015. Conflict management styles, religious motivation and nepotism: evidences from Jordan. Anthony Wong, I. and Hong Gao, J., 2014. Exploring the direct and indirect effects of CSR on organizational commitment: the mediating role of corporate culture.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,26(4), pp.500-525. Bakker, A.B., Demerouti, E. and Sanz-Vergel, A.I., 2014. Burnout and work engagement: The JDR approach.Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav.,1(1), pp.389-411. 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Decision Making and Problem Solving

Question: Discuss about the Decision Making and Problem Solving. Answer: Introduction According to Marwala (2014), decision making and problem solving is a very usefully approach which when employed, it brings harmony within an organization. Most companies have realized the massive damage due to bad choices have caused on their companies reputation (Fox, 2014). On the contrast, Wesfarmers limited have been on its forefront to embrace a proper mechanism to curb this unethical vice. The senior partners come to a conclusion to make a major reshuffle on its leadership managerial team. Wesfarmers limited is among the top ten most performing companies in Australia. The company has its headquarters in Perth Western Australia. The firm focuses mostly on retailing fertilizers, chemicals and safety industrials items. It has various branches within the country thus prompting them to hire more employees (Proctor, 2014). Research Questions The decision making and problem solving in an institution is intended to provide answers to management decisions by tackling the following questions: What are some of the current challenges surrounding effectiveness of decision making in a firm? How can the management in this firm employ effective decision making in their daily operations? What approaches are effective in leadership and decision making? Managerial Performance With the rise on people working in this organization, Wesfarmers decided to track down those lazy managers who were dragging the company behind. Those managers who were not sticking with the companys policies, vision and mission were cut off from continuing providing their services to this firm. This was done by Wesfarmers top managerial team to avoid losing money unknowingly due to poor leadership. Furthermore, the company empowered its workers and encourage them to always raise alarm whenever they feel oppressed by their supervisors. Decision making has impacted both positively and negatively on both minor firms and also mega multi-international companies (Carmichael, 2013). Wesfarmers are hiring its supervisors based on their performance under which they are put on three months probation, before being fully hired for the task. This is done to avoid choosing wrong candidates, who always at the end tarnish the companys image. The company is providing a friendlier environment for all of its employee to work in. This had been a success due to the use of managerial grid theory formulated by Blake to fully analyze the leadership of the managers. Ideally, an effective leader is that who makes effective decision making. This can be well realized in an organization if the executive fully engages their workforce in daily operation of the firm. It is important to underscore that a team leader would have an easier time in carrying out their activities as the employees feel fully integrated due to the approach that has been employed by the management to harness harmony and mutuality. Use of Both Secondary and Primary Sources (Methodology) It is important to underscore that both secondary and primary sources were used to source for this relevant information in determining how decision making influences managerial activities in the firm. The secondary sources include the publications such as journal, magazines and books that has information about Wesfarmers limited. Moreover, it other relevant information would be sourced from the companys sites and its financial records to determine how their decision impacts to the success or failure of the company. Some of the primary sources that was explicitly used to source for information are use of questionnaire and interviews. Three managers of Wesfarmers were interviewed to give their view on how they employ decision in the firm and the impact it results to the company. Approximately 40 employees were given questionnaire to fill so as to fully give their opening on the effectiveness of decision making in the firm in which they operate. Managers have a significant impact on the growth of any organization (Li, 2014). They are usually at the top of those adding to an organizations wellbeing. That is why managers must at all times, whether at work place or in public areas, adorned to showing good ethical behavior. Leaders at Wesfarmers are being urged to deal with any problem in a critical and confidential manner to avoid negative retaliation from those affected. This method has helped the company a lot by avoiding unnecessary commotion within the companys premises. Wesfarmers limited is involving its stakeholders in decision making before implementing new changes. This has shown a rise in employees trust with the managerial staff. Employees feel appreciated and cared for. Workers are now working in harmony with their supervisor thus increasing productivity (Aldag, 2014). The firm has come up with a system of teaching every staff to observe respect onto one another. Notably, this approach is geared towards making the employees work in harmony for the firm to realize its core objectives. This system has proven to work very effective. Because from the time it commences up to now it has positively impacted on how workers interact and do a given task as a team. Analysis of the Findings The information sources from both the primary and secondary sources is explicitly examined to establish the impact of decisions making in Wesfarmers Company. It was evident from the three mangers who were interviewed that the type of leadership too influenced the decisions making in the firm. Similarly, different managers employed different managerial strategy and this was taken differently by the employees. From the sources, it was evident that employees do prefer those managers who engage them in their daily operation for efficacy of operation and in order to harness good cordial relationship. Moreover, it became apparent that when the decision that has been arrived at favors all the parties, there would be simpler and easier time to conduct the companys operations. However, if there was lack of cooperation and involvements in decision reached, the employees may go-slow or rather fail to religiously provide their services since they feel distanced from the firm. For the company to achieve its millennium goal, it must make sure that all its policies are followed to the latter. When managers are imposing this rule, wisdom is the key principle to be applied. Without wisdom in implementing a rule, those subjected to it may misinterpret thus causing state of anarchy. Researches have shown that those leaders who show respect to their juniors have a higher chance of having collaboration with other workers (Migdalas, 2013). Moreover, they have easier time governing the workers whom respect has been shown to. Those leaders who ignore this important element of respect tend to have a rough time at their working station. Good ethical behavior is considered a powerful tool which can influence negative plans against the company to be defeated (Roberto Roberto, 2014). Wesfarmers limited had been reciprocating this approach for a long time so as to win its employees trust. To avoid negative cases being experienced due to unprofessionalism, Wesfarmers limited are hiring people based on their positive records and those who possess a valid academic credentials (Chitpin Evers, 2014). They end up getting the right people who are very passionate about their job thus giving maximum performance as well as adding new innovative ideas which has seen a rapid profit margin. Furthermore, less confrontation between the employer and the employees have been significantly reduced. Laborers are now comfortable when doing their assigned duties. Potential clients always interacting first with the receptionist before proceeding to other departments. When the receptionists have bad communication with their managers, they will definitely react to a rude customer, thus creating bad image which could have been avoided, and the case sorted out in a humble manner (Proctor, 2013). In most organization, managers are the ones who make most of the decisions (Hatfield, 2012).Those decisions sometimes end up being received in an awkward manner, due to the nature of which it is delivered. Wesfarmers is solving this issue of misunderstanding by respecting the decisions made by its partners and stake holders. Those decisions when reached, managers responsibility is to make sure they are adhered to by all employees. The company is striving to make sure all of its employees welfare is catered for. Managers who take their time to analyze a problem, will ultimately come to a mature solution, on the best way to tackle that issue. Overrating to unconfirmed allegations, just worsen the issue, presented to the manager. Knowing who, when and who to consult when faced with a difficult adversaries will help a lot. Consequences of dodging a problem are immense. Communication barrier is the root cause of most conflicts experienced by organizations. How employees interact with the authority and also how they communicate within themselves have a great impact on how problems will be addressed (Innocenti Sirigu, 2012). For managers to have smooth leadership skills, they must embrace clear channel of communication from the junior subordinate staff up to the managerial team.The companys production varies depending on the environment at which their workers work under. Workers who work in unconducive environment will produce less compared to their counterparts who are given a clean and hygienic surrounding to work in (Xu Zeng, 2014). Wesfarmers limited has provided safety gears for those whose work with machines and equipment which emits harmful substances. All workers must be equipped with proper tools needed to accomplish a given task in an effective way. Wesfarmers firm do encourage its staff to work in groups as one family. This bond has raised morale for those who seemed to be weaker in specific fields. Workers are working under minimum supervision (Bolland, Fletcher, D'antonio Eldridge, 2012). According to Pant, Deep, Nagar Bansal (2014)motivating employees make them have a sense of belonging. Research has shown that employees who are motivated do develop emotional connection with an organization. Wesfarmers firm gives rewards to those who excel in their department. The company also grant leave from work to its employees with paid leave allowance. In addition to that, the Wesfarmers workers are being provided with health care membership card payable by the company to them and their family. This health benefits has led to many employees to continue working with Wesfarmers limited. Less job shift to other company is minimal (Rao, 2013). Employee usually have many problems ranging from straining at work to meet the set target to family pressure and financial burden. Wesfarmers had come up with a mechanism in which workers receive guiding and counseling. They are also being advised to save their earning and invest in projects which will benefit them and their families (Lu, Jain Zhang, 2012). Wesfarmers is motivating its employees by giving them regular training on new machines and equipment purchased. This is very useful in that cases of accidents being reported have been reduced. Those accidents are not taking place because employees are more trained and conversant with the new technology which they use in their daily tasks at the industry (Guntenspergen, 2014). Conclusion Proper first aid training from certified trainer must be administered to all employees to avoid frequent occurrence of accidents. When hiring employees, companies should give first priority to those with adequate skills and who shows interest and passion for the job and who have valid academic credentials from recognized institutions. This will avoid chances of recruiting a wrong person who just forget the academic credentials. Leaders should think critically when handling crisis in an organization. When poor decisions are made the company losses millions of money trying to resolve issues arising. 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