The Importance of Being Earnest Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Being Earnest Essay The Importance of Being Earnest, having being written in the late Victorian period, shows examples of the contemporary societys attitudes to and customs of marriage. These attitudes serve a very important role throughout the play. The problems and trials of marriage provide the basis for this play. Although this theme of the problem of marriage has featured in a number of English authors works, for example Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde adapted the theme in order for his contemporary audience to relate to it, and so the play is quite unique. Act 1 of the play opens with Algernon holding a brief conversation with his servant Lane regarding marriage. We immediately have an insight into Algernons life as a single man; Algernon is more concerned with money and the high life than he is with responsibility and sensibility. He sees that not having a first rate brand of wine, as it was mentioned was the case in marriage, as demoralising. It is not surprising that Algy, later on in Act 1, expresses such cynical views of marriage. Lane touches on the lower classs attitudes towards marriage briefly in this scene. Lane says that he has had very little experience of marriage he explains that he was only married once and that was a misunderstanding between himself and a young person. The humour in this line lies in the point that experience shouldnt normally be measured in the amount of times one is married but the number of years one has lived in a marriage. He also says that it was a misunderstanding, which is intended to be funny, as marriage is an understanding between two persons. We learn more about Algernons views on marriage in his conversation with Jack. Algernon believes that a proposal is business. This is typical of the Victorian gentlemans attitudes towards marriage. The typical view of marriage was that it was more a way to achieve or sustain social status rather than a way of expressing love. Algernon actually believes that marriage puts an end to all romance. He says that girls never marry the men they flirt with. This is an example of one of Oscar Wildes humorous epigrams, what is even more funny is when it is completely contradicted by what Algernon says shortly after: The amount of women in London who flirt with their husbands is perfectly scandalous.

P.K. Dick’s The Minority Report and Steven Spielberg’s The Minority Rep

P.K. Dick’s The Minority Report and Steven Spielberg’s The Minority Report Death can occur in four ways. A person can die from a physical illness, viruses and infections. A person can die from an accident. A person can commit suicide. Finally a person can be murdered by another person. What if murders could be prevented? In P.K. Dick’s story The Minority Report, and in Spielberg’s film The Minority Report, the future can be altered by using incredible technology. The success of Spielberg’s adaptation of Dick’s short story to film can be determined by the way each was presented. While giving a tour or precrime to Edward Witwer, the main character John Anderton finds the he is supposed to kill a person he never met Leopold Kaplan. When he tries to run and hide from precrime, Anderton is kidnapped by Kaplan. Kaplan is about to turn Anderton in to the police when Anderton is rescued by Fleming. Fleming gives Anderton money and a clue, which leads Anderton to conclude that he has an alternate future that will clear his name. He then goes to precrime to find his minority report and prove to the police that he will not commit murder. He is discovered by his wife, who he suspects is working against him, and they both leave precrime in a helicopter. On the helicopter, Anderton, his wife Lisa, and Fleming get into a fight and Anderton kills Fleming after discovering that Fleming is working for Kaplan in order to take precrime down and establish a military police state. Lisa and Anderton return to precrime where Witwer and they come up with a plan to save precr ime by proving the predictions of the precogs correct where Anderton will kill Kaplan. At a press conference, Kaplan is about the revel the failure of precrime t... ...ck only had helicopters and regular fossil fuel buses in his story, while Spielberg went farther and made vehicles which are futuristic and practical. He modernized precrime by giving them a hover jet ship which has its roots in technology which is being developed by the US Air Force today. The idea of having cars that use magnetism to travel as super speed and still be environmentally safe, is an idea which is more practically sound to exist in the future. Spielberg also took the story a dove deeper into the characters and into precrime’s history. He took a great story which was written in the mid twentieth century and really modernized it to become believable and extraordinary. Bibliography Dick, Philip K. The Minority Report and other classic stories. New York. 1987 Spielberg, Steven. The Minority Report. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp, USA

India and China: Are catch-up theories relevant? Essay

For many decades, Japan has been the dominant power in Asia. Since 1945, America with the help of its close ally, Japan has dominated Asia. The spectacular rise of China during the past two decades has the potential to change this status quo. During the past 6-7 years, with impressive economic growth, India also has emerged as a nation to reckon with. USA and Japan see a stronger India as a means to limit China’s freedom to maneuver in the region. In short, Asia is becoming an arena for balance of power politics. After more than a century of relative stagnation, the economies of India and China have been growing at remarkably high rates over the past 25 years. In 1820 the two countries contributed nearly half of the world’s income; starting from roughly equal levels of per capita real income in 1870, India forged ahead of China until the outbreak of the First World War. Though both experienced declines in their per capita incomes thereafter (China more so than India) by 1950, India’s per capita income was about 40% higher than that of China. During the same period, the industrialized West pulled away, India and China had a share of less than one-tenth of the world income. It took roughly the next three decades for China to catch up with India. Since 1980, China has forged much farther ahead. China and India were the star performers in aggregate GDP growth in the 1980s and 1990s. China’s average growth of 10. 6% per year during the 90s had slowed slightly since to 9. 4%. India on the other hand albeit much lower rate of 6% in the 90s has a slight improvement since to 6. 2% (see Exhibit 1). Today, India and China are in 154th and 121st positions in a listing of the 230-odd countries ranked by per capita GDP. But their share in world GDP is around 2% and 5% respectively thanks to their billion-plus populations . Two countries account for 37. 5 percent of world population and 6. 4 percent of the value of world output. India and China have sustainable growth rates 7% and 10% respectively whereas the developed countries (USA, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada) have only 2% even though they contribute nearly 66% of world GDP. Given the kind of dramatic growth relative to the rest of the world, it has become very fashionable to compare India and China and indulge in a bit of crystal ball gazing. The two countries with one third of the world’s population is not only dominating the world statistics but also attracting the due attention of everyone like policymakers, industrial corporate, and economists alike. Understandably, there is a great deal of interest in learning about what has enabled China and India to grow so rapidly while many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America have languished during the same period. Their growth already started showing its effect on global resources and if it continues as is expected for next two decades, it will have major implications on the world economy and hence for other countries. China’s economic reforms: During his tenure as China’s premier, Mao Zedong had encouraged social movements such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution which had had as their bases ideologies such as serving the people and maintaining the class struggle. However, two years after Mao’s death in 1976, Chinese leaders were searching for a solution to serious economic problems produced by these movements which left China in a state where agriculture is stagnant, industrial production was low, and the people’s living standards had not increased in twenty years. Communist Party leaders saw economic reform as a way to regain their and their party’s moral virtue and prestige which was eroded by the traumatic experience of the Cultural Revolution (Shirk, 1993). The initial reforms were not that radical in nature. The central government retained the dominant power in economic resource allocation and responsible local officials worked for the interest of the units under their control (Solinger, 1993). However, as time passed, some aspects of the old system were altered. In 1985, further reforms were introduced. The first part of Chinese economic reform involved implementing the household responsibility system in agriculture, by which farmers were able to retain surplus over individual plots of land rather than farming for the collective. Some commodities were freed from government controls so their prices could respond to market demand (Shirk, 1993). This allowed a great percentage of the populace to become involved in private enterprise and investment in family or group ventures. The conditions also allowed rural Chinese to leave the villages and become involved in industry in urban centers. The economy grew so quickly that inflation occurred and the government had to reinstitute price controls. China’s economy retains these characteristics of potential for growth–and inflation–to this day. Another important aspect of Chinese economic reform was the decision of China to join the world economy. Deng Xiaoping and his allies hoped to affect this 1979 resolution in two ways: by expanding foreign trade, and by encouraging foreign companies to invest in Chinese enterprises. The Open Policy, which designated limited areas in China â€Å"as places with preferential conditions for foreign investment and bases for the development of exports† (Nathan, 1990), was extremely successful in the areas where it was implemented. The implementation of the Open Policy was so successful that by 1988 the leaders of the CCP were encouraged to create a new program called the â€Å"coastal development strategy. † In this program, even more of the country was opened up to foreign investment-an area which, at the time, included nearly 200 million people. Moreover, by involving more overseas investors, â€Å"importing both capital and raw materials,† and â€Å"exporting China’s cheap excess labor power,† the new policy was one of â€Å"export-led growth or export-oriented industrialization†. It was explicitly modeled on the experiences of Taiwan and the other Asian ‘small dragons’ (Nathan, 1990). China took another step in the late 1990s and early 2000s, by the closing of unprofitable state-owned factories and the development of social security systems.

America’s Drug War Essay - 3563 Words

The War on Drugs, like the war on Terrorism, is a war that America may not be able to afford to win. For over forty years the United States has been fighting the War on Drugs and there is no end in sight. It has turned into a war that is about politics and economics rather than about drugs and criminals. The victims of this war are numerous; but perhaps they are not as numerous as those who benefit from the war itself. History of U.S Drug Policy: While laws prohibiting the use of drugs, in one form or another, can be traced back to the 1870s, it was not until 1968, when Richard M. Nixon was elected President, that our current drug war was conceived. In 1970 Congress passed the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act.(2) With an†¦show more content†¦Assistant to Egil Krogh was G. Gordon Liddy. Howard Hunt was a consultant on the drug problem to the president’s Domestic Council. Both of these men would gain fame a few years later as Watergate conspirators. Under these men, instead of being understood as a health and social problem, drug addiction was defined as a law and order problem. On July 1, 1973 the War on Drugs was solidified with the creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration.(15) The DEA, which was the result of merging the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs with various other law enforcement and intelligence gathering agencies, including the ODALE, was given the responsibility of enforcing the nation’s federal drug laws. It’s enormous sphere of influence is reflected in its Mission Statement which states among other things; â€Å"The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (15) The DEA was designed as an American agency with an international agenda. During the Ford and Carter administrations drug use began to rise. In 1979 illicit drug use in the United States peakedShow MoreRelatedAmericas War On Drugs1528 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica’s war on drugs has failed. After millions of dollars and untold man hours spent enforcing the prohibition of illegal drugs, there is little, if any, success to show for it. Illicit drugs are still available on most American street corners, drug usage rates have not decreased, and the scourge of drug related violence continues to spread like wildfire. Sadly, the war on drugs has also resulted in the incarceration of millions of Americans for petty possession offenses and has created a blackRead MoreEssay on Americas War on Drugs5842 Words   |  24 PagesRichard Nixon initiated the War on Drugs when American soldiers were coming home from the Vietnam War addicted to heroin. More than a decade later, President Ronald Reagan launches the South Florida Drug Task force, headed by then Vice-P resident George Bush, in response to the city of Miami’s demand for help. In 1981, Miami was the financial and import central for cocaine and marijuana, and the residents were fed up. Thanks to the task force, drug arrests went up by 27%, and drug seizures went up by 50%Read MoreWar on Drugs: Americas Fight against Drugs1278 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Americas War on Drugs: In the past 40 years, the American government has spent more than $2.5 trillion dollars on the war against drugs. The huge expenditure has been coupled by numerous the ad campaigns, clean-up on smuggling, and increase in illicit drug users and incarceration rates. Actually, the increase in illicit drug users currently stands at 19.9 million in the United States with huge supplies from Mexico. With the increase in both the expenditure and number of illegal drug users, thereRead MoreAmericas Unjust Drug War Essay1172 Words   |  5 PagesThe argument over drug reform and the current prohibition has been going on for years. It seems to be an argument between a wise parent and a young teenager, but as generations change more and more of the parents seem to switch sides. While prohibitionists say the mainstream drugs like cocaine, heroin, LSD, and marijuana are harmful and immoral, legalizers argue the opposite (Rachels 223). While they are both valid and interesting arguments the drugs named above still remain illegal. Many organizationsRead More America’s War on Drugs vs. Legalization Essay3396 Words   |  14 PagesAmerica’s War on Drugs vs. Legalization The United States has spent over 30 years fighting the war on drugs. Americans have paid a heavy price financially. The drug enforcement budget is now $40 billion. A lot of time, effort, and money go into America’s attempt in eliminating trafficking, dealing, and the use of illegal drugs. Many believe that this is a war worth fighting, while others feel that America will never conquer the war on drugs. The latter suggest legalization as an alternativeRead MoreAmerica’s Failing War on Drugs and the Culture of Incarceration2483 Words   |  10 PagesAmerica’s failing War on Drugs and the Culture of Incarceration Richard B. Carpenter Adams State College America’s failing War on Drugs and the Culture of Incarceration Richard B. Carpenter Adams State College Abstract For over a century, America has waged a failing war on drugs even as it feeds a cultural apathetic and underground acceptance of drug and alcohol use. The views of the dominate group have placed blame on society’s ills on the evilsRead MoreAmericas War on Drugs - The Prison Industrial Complex Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesAfter viewing the documentary: Americas War on Drugs - The Prison Industrial Complex, it is clear that the Criminal Justice System is in desperate need of reconstruction and repair with policies such as the mandatory minimum sentencing act which has proven to be unsuccessful and unjust in its efforts to deter criminals from committing illegal acts as seen with the increase of incarcerations of the American people and the devastating effect it has had on those in prison and the family members ofRead MoreThe Rockefeller Drug Laws: Americas War on Drugs: a War We Are Causing, a War We Can Solve1814 Words   |  8 Pagesthe Rockefeller Drug Laws were passed in 1973 under Governor Nelson Rockefeller, New York State has had the harshest sentencing for low-level, non-violent drug offenders of any other state in the nation. Under these laws, those convicted of drug offenses face the same penalties as those convicted of murder, and harsher penalties that those convicted of rape. (Sullum, 1) Though the laws were first enacted to curb the late-1960s-early-1970s psychedelic drug epidemic, New Yorks drug problem in factRead MoreDrugs and Alcohol in the Criminal Justice System1396 Words   |  6 PagesFrank Herton CJ411: Drugs and Alcohol in the Criminal Justice System Unit 2 Assignment May 1, 2012 Drug and alcohol abuse has been around as long as humans have been around. People have always had the desire to use substances to make them feel relaxed or stimulated. So because drugs and alcohol have always been existent, they have always been a part of our American culture through politics, media and advertising, and other American concepts. The time period of 1950-2000 was exceptionally activeRead MoreThe House I Live By Eugene Jarecki989 Words   |  4 Pagesa 1971 press conference, which the press immediately designates the â€Å"war on drugs†. The House I Live In is a superb film detailing Eugene Jarecki’s journey on an in-depth and all-encompassing view of the war on drugs, and the immense destruction left in its wake. It is necessary to gain a better understanding of how the war on drugs is significant to a 40-year class based destruction, failure of existing drug policies and drug elimination, and the ways fear plays a starring role in the genesis of

Divorce Within A Family Institution - 2205 Words

A social institution could be integrated of a variety of social norms brought together to practice a particular social value. The expectations of the different social institutions differ but they all try to persuade the behavior and expectations of individuals. Within some of the social institutions you can find a number of people that share common interests, and attitudes. Within a family institution you have a father, a mother, and a child or children that live within a same roof or can also be seen as the different sets of generations and ancestors found within this institution that has brought this particular group together. In this particular case this paper emphasizes on the concept of divorce within a Family Institution. The causes and effects of divorce, how this concept affects the family social institution and how it as well impacts and puts a big toll on society are the main ideas that will be discussed in this paper. It is unfortunate how much the numbers of divorce have increased in a family social institution and how bad in can affect those involved as well as society. Most of the criteria that a family institution consists of that impacts the divorce rates can include the authority, resources, and work distribution among families, the way each individual in specific the mother manages to balance the demands of work and family, and most importantly how domestic violence, and/or single parenting are results of a divorce within this family institution. ManyShow MoreRelatedHigh Divorce Rates1469 Words   |  6 PagesFamily Institution (High Divorce Rates) Have you ever been to a traditional wedding? They are the most beautiful breath taking experience that you have ever seen; many symbols like the exchange of rings, uniting candle, flowers, bride’s maids and best man, and the bride in a beautiful white dress. Also weddings are a lot of fun too. They are the start of a family institution. On the flip side they are expensive and stressful for the couple at hand and the odds of staying together are onlyRead MoreAnatomy of a Family Law Case1320 Words   |  5 PagesAnatomy of a Family Law Case Introduction The legal aspect of the law is a creation of the society that is meant to regulate and control the activities and relations of people. Law creates a guideline of how to do every activity without causing infringements to the other persons. Therefore, just as all other societal institutions, the family setting are incorporated in the law. What is a family? The family setting is one of the oldest institutions in the world. From the time of creation, to dateRead MoreThe And Structure Of Family1095 Words   |  5 Pagesstructure of family has significantly developed throughout the years, with liberal perspectives suggesting alternative family arrangements. In 1973, Michael Young and Peter Willmott conducted studies of family life within the London area and concluded that the development and changes within the structure of family life can be sorted into three categories of time. (Van Krieken et al. 2017, p. 107). The pre-industrial family (up until the early 19th century), the early industrial family (IndustrialRead MoreBis303 Week 7 Casestudy - Marriage and Family Essay748 Words   |  3 Pages1. What factors bind marriages and families together? How have these factors changed, and how has the divorce rate been affected? As stated in our text, various factors can bind married couples together, such as economic interdependencies, legal, social and moral constraints, relationship, and amongst other things. In the recent years some of these factors have diminished their strengths. The modern generation sees marriage in a different perspective altogether. Individuals today feel they areRead MoreHigh Divorce Rates1163 Words   |  5 PagesWhy is the Divorce Rate So High? Intro to Sociology April 25, 2006 A question that has been plaguing sociologists for years is the issue of high divorce rates. Since the 80s there has been an extremely high rate of divorce in our country. In statistics I found from 2004 the percentage of divorce was at 47(NCHS). This question has been studied vigorously, sociologist have looked in every direction for one solid reason that our divorce rate is so high, even compared to other developed countriesRead MoreThe Effects Of Parental Divorce On Children1604 Words   |  7 PagesDivorce is an event which presents a drastic change into anyone’s life, no matter what their age is. Witnessing love between parents deteriorate, having parents break a significant commitment, adapting to going back and forth between two different households, and living with only one parent, all create a challenging environment in which to grow up and live in. However, especially for young children, parental divorce is a turning point in their life. After a divorce, the lif e that follows is significantlyRead MoreThe Conventional Nuclear Family in Britain Today Essay755 Words   |  4 PagesThe Conventional Nuclear Family in Britain Today Since the Industrial revelation the nuclear family has been recognised as the norm of British society and although there have been recent changes in family life, is the norm of Britain today still the conventional nuclear family? The nuclear family has always been considered the norm in society ever since the industrial revolution but in society today the single parent family has had a dramatic increase from around 4%Read MoreTheoretical Analysis of Mrs Doubtfire999 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Mrs. Doubtfire Mrs. Doubtfire is a corky, light hearted movie that gives a glimpse into the lives of a family going through a divorce. The film sheds light on the rockiness of a marriage between two middle aged parents. However, analyzing the movie from a different perspective paints it in a much darker tone. The comedy of the film covers up underlying predispositions the Western culture has on sex and gender. There are many blatant as well as minute details of the film that point not only to biasesRead MoreHow The Age At Marriage Influences A Couple s Likelihood Of Getting A Divorce1573 Words   |  7 PagesRESEARCH OBJECTIVE I plan to study how the age at marriage influences a couple’s likelihood of getting a divorce among married individuals in Canada. This is an important topic to consider as families are a common social unit in society and they collectively influence many aspects of social society. I hypothesize that age is an important casual factor in the likelihood of divorce as it is commonly associated with other facets of and individuals life such as experience; income; attitudes toward marriage;Read MoreIs It Time For Move Away From Fault Based Divorce?1499 Words   |  6 PagesIS IT TIME TO MOVE AWAY FROM FAULT BASED DIVORCE? The Current Divorce law The Office of National Statistics reveals that in 2012 divorce rates in England and Wales fell from 119, 589 (2010) to 117,558 (2011). Under section 3 of The Matrimonial Causes Act (TMCA) 1973, a divorce petition cannot be given until a one year period (starting on the marriage date) has been completed. In any circumstances this rule cannot be waived. However a spouse can rely on incidents such as behavior (violence/severe

I’m Not a Witch… or a Communist! I Plead the 5th! Essay

During the 1950s, America was involved in the Cold War, and when United States Senator Joseph McCarthy announced that there were communist spies in America, it created mass hysteria among its citizens. This lead to the ruined lives of many innocent Americans. Similar events occurred during the Salem witch trials in 1692. During this time period, it was thought that witches were infiltrating the religious Puritan societies. The suspicion of witchcraft in Salem caused hysteria among the townspeople, which lead to the destruction of many good Christian people and their families. Arthur Miller, who was arrested during the McCarthy era, wrote The Crucible, a play about the 1692 Salem witch trials, to expose the absurdities of McCarthy’s â€Å"witch†¦show more content†¦Both were hypocrites. Not only did McCarthy and Abigail accuse the general public, but both accused those in a position of higher power. Abigail threatened the Salem judge Danforth with â€Å"Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits,† while McCarthy accused Shirley Temple, the Girl Scouts, the head of the United States army, and other highly respected names of being communist (Miller 1307). In both cases the people began to doubt Abigail and McCarthy’s credibility. While Miller intended Abigail Williams to represent Joseph McCarthy, other characters in The Crucible represent real life people who were involved in McCarthy’s witch hunts as well. Reverend Hale represents the general public of the McCarthy hearings. Due to the false accusations and the unwillingness of Danforth to see through the lies, Hale exclaims, â€Å"I denounce these proceedings. I quit this court!†(Miller 1315). The same thing happened when McCarthy began to stretch his lies and the House UnAmerican Activities Committee refused to admit they had been wrong in supporting McCarthy’s claims. It caused the general public to â€Å"quit the court† and not believe McCarthy’s accusations. Giles Corey symbolizes the Hollywood Ten, a group of ten actors, directors, and screenwriters who refused to answer questions during the hearings. When Giles Corey refuses to

Improving Employee Productivity Free Essays

As you may already know, improving the employee productivity is one of the most important goals In any business. But, In spite of this, a lot of human resources professionals do not consider this field very relevant. Even though most of the human resources professionals do admit that their job Is all about establlshlng schedules and rules concerning people management, only a few of them succeeds in bonding all these connections, in order to be able to increase productivity. We will write a custom essay sample on Improving Employee Productivity or any similar topic only for you Order Now John Sullivan (2011) refers in his article to several factors divided in a few categories, which are onsiderably influencing not only the individual productivity, but also the team productivity. Employee productivity is the main leading power behind a company’s profitability and Its growth. Momentarily, the demand for employee productivity Is Increasing more and more, making this a feature that Is actually missing In todays workforce and also leaving most of the managers wondering what they should do next and what the causes are. This is the result of all the distractions and all the separate activities happing in the work environment. Nowadays, it seems that mployees are too busy tweeting, updating their statuses or chatting on Facebook, or simply texting. Because of that, most employees are not taking their tasks to an end, they are not finishing their work and they miss their deadlines. Another key aspect of this problem concerns the employee training tools. unfortunately, this aspect receives too little attention. Most of the time, the provider with the lowest costs is often chosen, even though the most effective provider is recommended. As a result, the recruitment is also poor, because of having as a main goal to minimize costs as uch as possible, but without enough consideration of the quality and the capability of each employer. No matter how you think it, the drawn conclusion here Is that the human resources department, Instead of being more Interested In finding solutions for Increasing the productlvlty, they are actually less Interested In doing transactions and more interested in cutting off the expenses. In order to increase the employee productivity and the performance of the workforce, considering the help you can expect from the human resource department, you must know and understand the factors that are influencing this rocess. Overall, taking In consideration John Sullivan’s article, I have selected the most Important 16 factors from four main categories, which are going to be discussed next. As for the categories, the first one taken In consideration Is â€Å"Foundations of Productivity. According to John Sullivan (2011), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"High- performing and Innovative employees are the foundation of productivity. By working together, managers and human resources professionals can find, hire, grow and keep high performing employees. It was proved that the most important factor in orkforce and productivity is hiring and keeping employees with the best capabilities. Unfortunately, even the best people may sometimes need help. Without the head managers, much-needed resources and proper guidance, It’s very hard to achieve your goal. Another factor measured in this category, according to John pawns are the second most important productivity factor because they play a very important role in defining the roles and the goals of the workforce. More is the pity that many managers are the weak ring in the productivity chain, therefore most of the time not only the employees needs guidance and education, but also their eaders. The second category taken in sight is â€Å"Direction and Guidance†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first mentioned factor here is â€Å"A corporate strategy and plan that builds commitment†. Most of the time, a very good business strategy and planning will increase the chances of having a successful and committed organization. Moreover, if the strategy is very clear and very well communicated, your employees will be more focused and their motivation will considerably increase. Another factor measured in this category, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"A defined purpose for teams makes roles clear†. The managers need to develop a clear communicated purpose that has to be persuasive and also has the role to make their employees from their department to feel important. Employees sometimes can contribute even more to their work and tasks if they had a role in creating and understanding the main purpose. Still according to John Sullivan (201 1), next factor mentioned here is â€Å"Team and individual goals†. Defining some clear goals will let everyone know what is expected and what really has to be done. Also, giving some heads up on some perfect clear goals will also contribute for their employees to nderstand exactly what is and what is not important. Another factor measured by John Sullivan (2011) in this category is â€Å"Prioritization for impactful resource allocation†. Establishing some clear priorities will help to better assign resources and funds, in order to achieve more important objectives. Next factor mentioned by John Sullivan (2011) here is â€Å"Performance metrics for continuous improvement†. Measuring performance in a successful way strengthens both individual and group goals. This will provide more attention, better feedback and better results for an ongoing improvement. Last factor measured in this category, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Effective rewards drive performance†. When the rewards are more connected to one goal, you double the strength of the message related to the importance of the Job that needs to be done. The third category taken in consideration is â€Å"Support Factors†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"Team member support increases individual performance†. Only a few tasks can exclusively be done by an employee. If the employees are not working together with other people in a group as a team and if they are also not receiving all he necessary support from their managers, productivity will be lost. Next factor measured in this category by John Sullivan (2011) is â€Å"Best-practice sharing and collaboration improve productivity’. Productivity will considerably improve when the other people outside the team collaborate and brainstorm together. When the employees are using the â€Å"trial and error† method, all the growth of your business will slow down. Another factor mentioned here, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Support for innovation can dramatically increase productivity’. Having in mind as a oal to be on top of their business environment, companies struggle to achieve a double digit percentage improvement in their productivity (at least 10%, sometimes even goes to 25%) for every year. In order to reach this, a sustained level of sometimes not enough in order to provide a double digit rise. Because of this, the human resources department must develop training measures, good processes, and stimulants that help the innovation. Still according to John Sullivan (201 1), next factor measured in this category is â€Å"Control and authority can result in a better decision aking process†. When there is a certain balance between freedom and control, so that employees have the authority to take most of the operational decisions, at that point we can talk about maximum productivity. Another factor mentioned here by John Sullivan (2011) is â€Å"Non-monetary factors that can also excite employees†. In addition to the usual rewards (as money), the managers can also provide a few non- monetary rewards, such as: feedback on their Job, appreciation for their work and so on. This is one of human resources department’s most important responsibilities to e sure that the managers are using all of these methods in a right way, in order to increase the productivity process. The fourth category taken in sight is â€Å"Skills, Communication and Information Factors†. According to John Sullivan (201 1), a first factor mentioned here is â€Å"Employee skills and knowledge must be continually updated to maintain productivity’. Because of the changes brought by the high level global competition, the expectations of the employee’s skills are much higher. The main role of the human resources department is to develop a plan that helps in an ngoing increasing employee’s knowledge and training. Next factor measured by John Sullivan (2011) in this category is â€Å"Effective communications and feedback reduce errors and frustration†. As feedback is one of the most important strategies in the process of motivation, the failure of providing good feedback will lead to a poor work quality and maybe errors. You can best avoid this kind of situation if a company comes up with a well-organized internal communication channel (like an intranet). The last overall factor mentioned here, according to John Sullivan (201 1), is â€Å"Providing he right information improves decision-making†. In order to take the best decisions and to increase the productivity, the managers and the employees will have to use the right information and to process the data. How to cite Improving Employee Productivity, Papers