Systems of Association Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Systems of Association - Assignment Example The company’s failure is believed to have been caused by the continued reliance on glory achieved during its years of success and the way in which the company responded to the new competition (Sull 352). Sull argues that failure to respond effectively to the new technology and competition caused the company’s failure. Firestone began experiencing rivalry in the mid 1960s, whereby its competitors had an ambition to restructure the tire market industry. They joined the market by introducing radial tires and achieved positive response. Statistics show that one million units were sold each year for almost five years (Olson and Levi 391). Their accomplishment is attributed to their mode of advertising whereby they ensured the right information reached their target markets. Their marketing policy involved promotions and presenting that the innovated tires had a longer life, improved safety and were considerably cheap. On the other hand, Firestone decided to restructure their tires into radial ones (Sull 360). Their decision was based on that complete transfer to the new technology would result to enormous investment. This decision resulted to accelerating activities in their past success. According to Professor Sull, the history of success acquired in the late 1960s turned out to be its greatest enemy, hence, its downfall. The article â€Å"Battles in the Seattle† aimed at clarifying the important nature of political expression that creates success in trans-nationalization of social movements. It also verified that protests do not always bring forth the expected results. In fact, strikes can provoke contradicting measures. According to the article, workers in Seattle have demonstrated thrice striking in 1919, 1934, and 1999. In 1919, a strike in the Seattle city caused a five-day shutdown of the city (Olson and Levi 389). In 1934, a group of protesters caused the closure of several cities among them Seattle and Tacoma (Olson and Levi 392). These battles had similar objectives, which revolved around better conditions for workers in the Seattle region. It is essential to note that the workers involved in the 1999 strike meant for a peaceful demonstration. However, intervention from an unknown group of people caused the government to turn the Seattle streets into police war grounds. The police demanded peace by using teargas, rubber bullets, pepper sprays and other items like grenades (Olson and Levi 399). In all the battles, a group of people demonstrated against the World Trade Organizations. Nevertheless, the strike was considered a failure and a waste of time since the workers did not achieve their goals. The strike ended without recognition of their demands that included bargains for salaries, improved work conditions, and benefits. According to a number of critics, the strike planners and leaders lacked an objective and an identifiable program for the five-day strikes. The leaders in all the strikes embarked on using sim ilar ways as used in the previous ones. Just like the failure experienced by the Firestone Company, the workers strike failed. Their failure can be attributed to the dependence of already used strategies. Firestone had experienced continued success with their methods of marketing and were not willing to adapt new ones. In my opinion, remaining with the already successful

The Corporate Culture of Google and the Core Principles That Drive Essay

The Corporate Culture of Google and the Core Principles That Drive Them - Essay Example From its few employees, Google has now leapt to a gargantuan organization of 20,000 plus employees (Google). The company however strove to avoid the culture of being big and always actively maintain that â€Å"small feel company†. Google as a company always strove to ward-off conservatism that can be seen as companies mature. â€Å"We are actively trying to prevent middle-agedom,† explains Eric Schmidt, Google’s current chief executive (The Economist). And this youthfulness which had brought in innovative products such as Google Maps is best reflected in its corporate culture to reinforce the mindset that made it what it is today. Google’s distinct, perhaps unorthodox culture can be readily observed in its headquarters in Mountain View, California which Google calls its campus as Googleplex-a combination of the words â€Å"Google† and â€Å"complex† (Google). It actively creates an environment of interaction among its employees where it offer s its employees to eat free in its coffee stations to have conversations. It also creates diversity just like its products and services with its game rooms that has pool tables, video games and ping-pong, and yes, it even has a baby piano. It also promotes a culture of openness with very few solo offices where Googlers shares cubes, yurts and huddle rooms (Google). Dogs, massage chairs and large inflatable balls are also okay. The list on how distinct its offices maintain a youthful ambience can go on and on. Google’s youthfulness and innovative culture is not only limited on how its offices are set up. What appears to be play is in fact a continuous search for perfection beginning in its hiring process where it favors ability more than experience. Moreso when hired, because Googlers, a Google employee is often called, is not strapped with a single repetitive function but wears several hats. This actually grows with how things are set up with Google offices and those free caf es have their purpose. It provides an avenue for cultivating ideas that may become the next big innovative product. This is further reinforced with the openness of its leadership which it also actively promotes a cultivating environment. In a Google environment, â€Å"no one, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in our weekly all-hands (â€Å"TGIF†) meetings – or spike a volleyball across the net at a corporate officer â€Å" (Google). Perhaps to better understand its seemingly age proof and unorthodox corporate culture, it would be insightful to examine closely its core values that drives its action and the company’s culture. Google’s core principles that drives it corporate culture can be summed up as follows (Google); 1. Focus on the user and all else will follow – before doing anything, Googlers think about the end users welfare first. 2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well – even as it embark s on other products such as Gmail and Google Maps, Google knows what it does best – to search. And knows how to do it well and better. 3. Fast is better than slow – perhaps the best representational product of this core value is its internet browser Chrome. Chrome beat all its competitors for its speed and is the preferred internet browser of almost everyone due to its speed. This core value is always considered every time a new product is being developed. 4.

Budget Control Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Budget Control Methodology - Essay Example Control Centers To build a budgetary control hub together with your business clusters. Usually, responsibility centers are classified into four; investment, revenue, profits and expense. Conventionally, these are characterized by income and cash flow account. Together, these statements have ordinary interconnections, which can be scrutinized with time to achieve equilibrium. The working capital formula derived from the value of current assets minus current liabilities qualifies as a general assessment tool for investors while judging company's basic operational competence. Capital values affixed to any inventory, also known as current assets or money owed to the firm by clients, which is the current liabilities, may not be utilized to settle up a firm’s financial liability. When the flow of working capital is delayed between different cycles, then inefficiency is said to have occurred (Brownell 1985). Forecasting Forecasting is the most decisive element in a budgetary techniqu e. This entails the capacity to chart out a well planned strategy for future prospects. Simply, forecasting is deliberating on potential aspect that may arise in coming days. Every manager is obliged to organize specific drafts, showing objectives and capital requirements. These needs should be assessed against the larger outlook to guarantee compatibility with business standards. A lot of emphasis should be directed towards setting up a responsive budget, which presents proportions of general accounts for relevant sectors. Budgeting should be considered as a device in addition to a control measure (Little et al. 2002). 2. Costing methodologies: While examining costing methods, several methods may be applied to establish expenditure proportionate to administrative obligations. These applications may be classified as follows: Absorption costing: this denotes the guarantee of expenses after they are incurred according to the structure - both fixed and unpredictable costs are apportion ed to cost units while the sum total of overheads is taken up by real activity levels. Absorption costing is defined as total costing owing to the fact that total costs are final amounts assigned to costs. This is also submitted as a standard or time based costing. Still, due to the reality that costs are certified after they have been acquired, and large time-gaps subsist from the point of expenditure to the time of cost citation, it is evident that it does not mitigate cost control. Marginal costing: this system illustrates the theory whereby variable expenses are levied to expenditure units, whereas fixed costs associated with the related duration is settled up wholly versus the input in the given timeframe. The contribution noted marks the variation between sales and the subsidiary cost of sale. Marginal costing can be described as a straight or variable costing.   The technique is a vital tool to the management while deliberating on crucial guidelines, which include pricing, product preference and final choice. Standard costing: this strategy employs standard for costs and returns with a view to management through a variance investigation. Values are set up according to each cost factor on a systematic basis for nonstop future prospects, while actual expenses are weighed up against the same standards. Discrepancies accrued from standards are investigated; logical causes are formed and remedial measures put in place to deter a repeat of wasteful business practices. Differential costing: the technique is mainly concerned with

Application of Nursing Theory comment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Application of Nursing Theory comment - Essay Example Notably, it is essential to acknowledge that caring is the backbone of nursing. Though the post does not give a detailed proposition of the theory, it gives a rational application of the theory to nursing setting. This post demonstrates how the theory offers a structure that nurse leaders can use to reinstate the profession’s vision of care that permits care to flow from the nurse leader to other nurses and eventually to the patients (Burtson & Stichler, 2010). The post also demonstrates how nurse leaders can use the theory to be compassionate and care towards the nurses and how this can yield positive effects on the quality of care offered to patients and the patient satisfaction scores. Notably, the post demonstrates how acting human can assist the fellow nurse workers to develop sensitivity to self and others by feeling their feelings. It can be interpreted that these compassionate encounters with the nurses promotes motivation and inspiration among the nurses and in turn results to high-quality care delivery and outstanding patient satisfaction score s. However, it would be significant to identify whether an improvement in the quality of care directly results to improved patient satisfaction

Finance - Stocks, Yields and Portfolios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Finance - Stocks, Yields and Portfolios - Essay Example It majors in computer software development. Mattson Technology Inc. is in the field of designing, developing, and manufacturing equipment for the manufacture of semiconductors and other products. It is also a significant player in the NASDAQ daily operations, and has a big presence across America. Advanced Management Strategies Group majors in logistics, program management, business consulting, engineering support, product lifecycle management (PLM), PLM IT tools, and IT services management. That therefore implies that the stock analysis carried out comprises one software, one hardware, and one consultancy firm. Discretely compounded return rate measures the rate of changes in the value of asset over a period assuming countable compounding periods while continuously compounded rate of return measures the rate of change in the asset value associated with a holding period under the assumption of continuous compounding. (Analyst Notes par 1). They are calculated as follows: The arithmetic mean return is a computation of the average returns for a specified period of time. It involves summing up all the returns for the specific period, then dividing the total by the individual number of sub-periods. The geometric mean return calculates the average rate per period on an investment that is compounded over multiple periods (Finance Formulas par1). c) Positively correlated stocks point to a high likelihood of similar trend in movement over the determined length of time. The stocks may be having a common factor that makes them tend to behave this way, for example for companies producing closely related goods, or those producing complementary goods such as cars and petroleum companies. It is advisable that potential clients shun positively correlated stocks, because if they suffer a slump, it will result in a double loss to the investor. Among the stocks featured in this report, MSFT and MTSN have the highest positive correlation, at 0.41730442. They

Linguistics and Children Essay Example for Free

Linguistics and Children Essay The power of language to reflect culture and influence thinking was first proposed by an American linguist and anthropologist, Edward Sapir (1884–1939), and his student, Benjamin Whorf (1897–1941). The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis stated that the way we think and view the world is determined by our language (Anderson Lightfoot, 2002; Crystal, 1987; Hayes, Ornstein, Gage, 1987). Instances of cultural language differences are evidenced in that some languages have specific words for concepts whereas other languages use several words to represent a specific concept. For example, the Arabic language includes many specific words for designating a certain type of horse or camel (Crystal, 1987). To make such distinctions in English, where specific words do not exist, adjectives would be used preceding the concept label, such as quarter horse or dray horse. Cultural differences have also been noted in the ways in which language is used pragmatically. In our American culture, new skills are typically taught and learned through verbal instruction (Slobin, 1979). In some cultures, new skills are learned through nonverbal observation. A distinction has also been made between cultures that encourage independent learning and those that encourage cooperative learning (McLeod, 1994). Differences in the social roles of adults and children also influence how language is used. Home and school contexts may represent different cultures, subcultures, or both and may influence language acquisition in noticeable ways. Nonverbal cues (e. g. , facial expression) and contextual cues (e. g. , shared experience) have different communicative roles in different cultures (Kaiser Rasminsky, 2003). In some cultures, prelinguistic children (who are not yet verbalizing) are spoken about rather than spoken to (Heath, 1983). Children may be expected, and thus taught, to speak only when an adult addresses them. They are not encouraged to initiate conversations with adults or to join spontaneously in ongoing adult conversations. Additionally, in some cultures, children who enthusiastically volunteer answers at school are considered show-offs (Peregoy Boyle, 1993). In some cultural settings, children are not asked recitational questions. Instead, they are asked only questions of clarification or for new information. Thus, when these children experience recitational questions in a school setting, they may be confused as to the purpose of the questioning and the expected response. Further cultural differences in how language is used in educational settings have been documented by Tharp (1994). These differences include variations in how stories are told, the wait time given by teachers to students during questioning sequences, the rhythmic patterns of the verbal interactions, and the patterns of conversational turn-taking. During the 1970s and 1980s, educators and linguists researched and debated the verbal-deficit perspective. This perspective contended that anyone who did not use standard English did not have a valid language and thus was verbally deficient. Although the verbal-deficit perspective has now been proven invalid, it is important to understand the research that was conducted to either support or discredit that perspective. Bernstein (1971), Bereiter and Englemann (1966), and Labov (1979) were among the researchers who studied language differences between different social groups, including middle- and lower-income groups and ethnic groups. This body of research identified specific differences in the way children from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds used language in school and out-of-school settings. Implications of this research have been widely discussed and interpreted in a variety of ways. Basil Bernstein (1971) documented the different linguistic codes used by children from lower- and middle-income families in England. Lower-income children were described as using a â€Å"restricted code† or highly contextualized language, while children from middle-income families used an â€Å"elaborated code,† or decontextualized language. His research also documented differences in school achievement for these two groups of children. Interpretations of Bernstein’s work concluded a cause–effect relation between language use and school success, supporting a â€Å"verbal deficit† perspective: the working-class environment of the low-income children created a verbal deficiency responsible for subsequent low educational achievement (Winch, 1990). Here in the United States, Bereiter and Englemann (1966) conducted further research from the verbal-deficit perspective. They focused on the language of preschool African American children in Urbana, Illinois. Bereiter and Engleman concluded that the language used by African American children was not a valid language and thus recommended that these children needed to be taught English in the school setting (Winch, 1990). Academically oriented preschool curricula were developed (e. g. , Blank, Rose, Berlin, 1978) to provide the needed English language training for verbally deficient children. William Labov (1979; Winch, 1990) explored social dialects of lower income African American children in urban settings. He studied the differences in children’s in-school and out-of-school (e. g. , playground) language competencies. His data directly challenged the verbal-deficit theory because it documented the elaborated and systematic linguistic properties of Black English. His research supported the idea that Black English was a separate language system with its own grammar and rules. Labov described dialects as having â€Å"slightly different versions of the same rules, extending and modifying the grammatical processes which are common to all dialects of English† (Labov, 1995, p.54). Labov’s research supported the idea that verbal differences are not verbal deficits. Because Labov’s research focused on language used in academic and nonschool settings, he also created a greater awareness of the role of context and dialect in communication. Tough (1977) conducted a longitudinal study of children from advantaged (college-educated, professional parents) and disadvantaged (parents who were in unskilled or semiskilled occupations) homes. The study began when the children were 3 years old, with follow-up at 5 1? 2 and 7 1? 2 years. At age 3, the disadvantaged children and the advantaged children showed significant differences in the ways they used language. Specifically, the disadvantaged children did not use language to recall and give details of prior experiences, anticipate upcoming events and possible outcomes, reason about current and remembered events, problem solve using language for planning and considering alternatives, reach solutions, create and sustain dramatic play events, and understand others’ experiences and feelings. When these children were studied again at 5 1? 2 and 7 1? 2 years, the disadvantaged children produced shorter, less complex responses. This research contributed to our understanding that children from different cultural environments may be learning to use language differently and may experience difficulty in participating in the language environment in classrooms. Further awareness of the role of cultural environments in the acquisition of language was influenced in the 1980s by ethnographic research techniques that were used by language researchers. Ethnographic studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of linguistic diversity. Ethnography uses participant observation in real-life settings and focuses on individuals within their social and cultural contexts. In her ethnographic study, Heath (1983) explored children’s acquisition of language at home and school in two communities in the southeastern United States. She found differences in communication in working-class black and white families as well as among middle-class townspeople of both ethnic groups. Heath also described differences in story structures, language, and sense of â€Å"truth† (fiction vs. nonfiction) that children learned at home that were different from those expected at school. To be successful at school, these children had to be able â€Å"to recognize when a story is expected to be true, when to stick to the facts, and when to use their imaginations† (Heath, 1983, p. 294). Heath’s research also documented valid and authentic differences in the ways language is used and in the ways in which children in those respective communities become competent language users. Heath concluded that the contrasts she found in language were not based on race, but on complex cultural influences in each community. The importance of family context in language acquisition was more recently described by Hart and Risley (1995, 1999). Findings from their longitudinal study document the significance of â€Å"talkativeness† in families in influencing language acquisition rather than the family’s socioeconomic status or ethnic group identity. Differences in language use were attributed to the complex family culture—not simply due to socioeconomic status or ethnic group identity. Among the families that were studied, the most important difference was in the amount of talking. Children in families where there was more talking developed higher levels of language in the areas of vocabulary growth and vocabulary use. These differences were strongly linked to school performance at age 9. Among these families, Hart and Risley (1995) identified five quality features in parents’ language interactions with their children: 1. Language diversity: the variation and amount of nouns and modifiers used by the parents 2. Feedback tone: the positive feedback given to children’s participation in the interaction 3. Symbolic emphasis: the emphasis placed on focusing on names and associated relations of the concepts and the recall of those symbols 4. Guidance style: parental interaction that used asking rather than demanding in eliciting specific behavior from the child 5. Responsiveness: parental responsiveness to requests or questions initiated by children Hart and Risley (1995) speculated that these categories may be â€Å"important for the language-based analytic and symbolic competencies upon which advanced education and a global economy depend† (p. 193). A current hypothesis on why children from diverse linguistic backgrounds experience difficulty in school is the socialization mismatch hypothesis. This hypothesis â€Å"predicts that children are more likely to succeed in school when the home language and literacy socialization patterns are similar to those that are used and valued in school† (Faltis, 1998, p. 23). This hypothesis has been applied to children who speak a nonstandard English dialect as well as to children who are learning a second language. Home language socialization patterns may differ from those favored in the school classroom in the following ways (Faltis, 1998): 1. The amount of talk directed to preschool children 2. The participation of young children as conversation partners with adults 3. Opportunities children have to explain or give a personal interpretation of events 4. The types of questions asked of children during storybook sharing 5. The forms of narrative that are used (e. g. , fiction, nonfiction, or ongoing narratives) In addition, the social interaction patterns used in the classroom may vary from the home culture’s with respect to expectations for competitive versus collaborative or cooperative activities as well as the â€Å"courtesies and conventions of conversations† (Tharp, 1994, p. 140).

The role of technology in human resource development

The role of technology in human resource development What is the role of technology in Human Resource Development? Identify some key forms of e-learning and critically evaluate their advantages and disadvantages, providing appropriate examples from organisations. This essay will identify and discuss the role of technology in Human Resource Development. It will define what Human Resource Development is and why it needs technology. Also it will discuss what electronic learning (e-learning) is, and will explain some key forms of e-learning and why we need to use e-learning. It will give a brief indication as to what technology actually is, and also the progression of technology. The essay will critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using e-learning in Human Resource Development. There will be appropriate examples used to show how different organisations use e-learning within their company/organisation. Finally it will offer conclusions as to why I think technology should or should not be a part of Human Resource Development. Technology Technology is used in nearly all organisations these days including schools, companies and universities as examples. What people may not know is what it actually means. Technology is a branch of knowledge that can deal with the creation and the use of technical means and their interrelation with life, the environment and society. Technology draws upon subjects such as industrial arts, applied science, engineering and there are many more. Technology can be seen as a process or an invention of something. (Technology, N.D) Progressive Technology Technology is always progressing and this is very good for companies who need or even sell technology. If we look at how a few years back within companies the secretary would need to file documents manually and this could take a long time, also apart from the time issue there were more serious problems like documents going missing or being damaged. This is where technology began to progress because there was a new technology progressing and this was the database and this could hold all the documents you needed safely onto the computer and that way it would be a lot faster and more secure for the secretary to file the documents. This is just one example there are many more ways in which technology has helped to progress companies. The example given here is just to show that technology is progressing and it will keep progressing much further in the future years to come. Human Resource Development Human Resource Development is all about learning, training, developing and education the employees in the workplace. There is a difference between these four concepts but there all correlated. If for example we looked at learning; this can be learnt anywhere and you can be learning yourself the new skills, but on the other hand if you looked at education you are being taught something but in a formal way but the two are linked because from both of these you are learning new skills and then you can go on to training and developing them skills. HRD was not always known as this, there was a shift from welfare officers to HRD. HRD was initially set up for training and development and this was to help the employers in crafts such as electricians, or engineers as an example and from this they would be learning from their masters and will be developing their skills to be able to perform in the workplace. HRD created an integration of people management and development and this could become CIPD which stands for the chartered institute of personnel and development. HRD likes to be strategic and is more for the organisation than the employees; it is also a long term method to help to build the company. HRD does like to implement change into their methods and this is why e-learning will be very convenient to help within organisations because it is constantly changing and this change would help employees improve on their learning and training and will be able to implement new skills within the workplace. E-learning What is e-learning? Firstly before I go into detail about how e-learning helps HRD perform you will need to know what e-learning actually is. E-learning used to be known as computer-based learning, this is basically what it still is, it is a way of learning but on a computer or even these days there is even m-learning which is through the mobile. We need e-learning in everyday life to be able to adapt the required skills in education, employment, even at home. It can be defined as any learning activity supported by information and communication technologies which is known as ICTs. There are arguments out there concerning the labels, an example of this is whether ICT-based learning is the same as e-learning, we can gather information from the world wide web channel and this would be our online materials, but we can also get materials from this intranet would could be confused as being from the world wide web but instead this material is delivered through an internal network of personal computers. E-learn ing is in fact taken to mean any form of electronic technology which can support learning this can be opposed to the chalk and blackboard technology which used to be the main form of learning. E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. To implement the learning process the information and communication systems will serve as a specific media. It is essentially the computer and network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. The applications and processes will include web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom opportunities and also digital collaboration. The contents can be delivered via the Internet or even from an audio or video tape. E-learning can be self-taught or even instructor-led, this can be done in groups or even individually, it can include media in the form of text, image animation, video streaming and audio. (e-learning, 2010) What is the purpose of e-learning? The purpose of e-learning is to advance and develop people ¿Ã‚ ½s skills. This is why it is so important to HRD because the aim of HRD is to learn, train, develop and educate people; this is exactly what e-learning does for people. Without e-learning I think people would be under developed with skills and this may not help them progress into a work place. E-learning can help to increase teacher effectiveness and will also improve the learning of the subject matter. With HRD I think trying to teach people new subjects can be quite tedious and this could be off putting for them involved and this can decrease their knowledge levels and even cause them to lose a job because they haven ¿Ã‚ ½t got the right skills needed for the job, this is where e-learning comes in with HRD because it makes the learning more relevant for them involved and helps them to become more interactive. E-learning now changes the way that people were taught new subjects because before people were being taught on a  ¿Ã‚ ½I will write out the subject and you will go away and learn it ¿Ã‚ ½ basis, but now computers are involved and people can teach themselves and this is the whole purpose of e-learning and it helps HRD to perform better. (Churchill, 2010) Have you used e-learning? What was your experience? I have used e-learning before, I am actually using a tool of e-learning now and that is Microsoft Word. I am constantly using this to complete assignments for my university work and I can develop my skills using this because there are so many different options within word for me to be able to expand my learning; an example of this would be to add a page number instead of doing this manually I can select an option to do it automatically. Another tool of e-learning that I use regularly is Facebook, I use this to keep in touch with friends and family and there are also applications on their which can help me towards education or my occupation. I am always very happy using e-learning and a lot of the time I actually prefer to use e-learning because I find it more interactive and detailed and when I learn this way I find that I actually want to learn because I don ¿Ã‚ ½t get bored and uninterested in the subject. Different forms of e-learning There are a number of different ways which e-learning can be presented. The main two forms of e-learning are; traditional e-learning which is based on highly produced web courses and there is rapid e-learning which is based on the name rapid because this is quickly produced web courses. In addition to this there are also two types of Rapid e-learning which are asynchronous and synchronous. Asynchronous is mainly student directed and at a self-paced learning which can come under the learning concept for human resource development. Synchronous is at a set time which could happen in an internet classroom session as an example and this could again come under the education concept for human resource development because education can be taught within a classroom for example. With these two forms of e-learning there are not specific types of companies that should choose between traditional e-learning and rapid e-learning. It just simply means that some projects are best suited for either on e of them. Traditional e-learning  ¿Ã‚ ½ the content of this is more fixed and it rarely changes, it is also generic and has a long shelf life. However it does need a large budget in order for it to be put into action. Rapid e-learning  ¿Ã‚ ½ the content is rapidly changing and is updated quite frequently, also it may not be generic or have a short shelf life. The budget for this way of learning is limited or non-existent. The information is very hot topic and is just in time. (Readygo, unknown) In order to use traditional or rapid e-learning correctly you will need to use different tools which are available. Traditional e-learning developers will use  ¿Ã‚ ½Power User ¿Ã‚ ½ tools. These are specifically designed for graphics artist, web designers, programmers, and instructional design experts, and this will be useful for any persons working in these sectors and will help to develop human resource development. Rapid e-learning which is typically used in small or medium enterprises will need tools that can produce interesting multi level courses but do not require a graphic or design background. This easiest tool which can be used is Power Point. (Readygo, unknown2) Different types of e-learning: As well as different forms of e-learning there are also a number of different types. I think depending on the workplace and the HRD set up within the workplace it does not matter what types of e-learning you use, it will be the type of e-learning which is best suited for the organisation. Below I will just list a couple of examples of e-learning:  ¿Ã‚ ½ You tube  ¿Ã‚ ½ Facebook  ¿Ã‚ ½ Google search  ¿Ã‚ ½ Wikipedia  ¿Ã‚ ½ Power Point  ¿Ã‚ ½ Microsoft Office  ¿Ã‚ ½ Firefox  ¿Ã‚ ½ Pb wikis This is just a small example just to show that there are a number of different kinds of e-learning, and also to show that they vary also. There are number of different applications from Microsoft office to Firefox. Each of these applications however does play an important role for human resource development, and will help to implement skills for people. (Hart, 2010) Bangor University An example of an institute using e-learning to develop HRD is Bangor University. Bangor University implement a lot of e-learning to help their students develop their skills. The main type of e-learning which is used by the university is Blackboard. This is has been brought into the mainstream of teaching and learning activities within the university. It is one of the most central systems which are not only used by the students but also the lecturers also. Within blackboard the lecturers are able to integrate presentations which contain both audio and video content onto the online courses. This will then go on to develop online questions and test provisions which will simultaneously drive learning activity and reduce marking workloads. Also included with Blackboard is the use of online discussion forums in supporting the development of learners and understanding and this can become useful for HRD because students can be educated by other students or even lecturers by submitting questi ons onto the forum as an example. Another example of e-learning which the university use is webmail. This is the emailing tool of e-learning in which students, lecturers, support staff or whoever is involved with the institute can communicate with one another or even with people outside of the university. (Bangor University, unknown) Tesco Tesco is an example of a company which also use forms of e-learning within the workplace. Tesco was looking into developing an Online Academy which was going to be a new learning portal which hopefully in the end would eventually serve the learning needs of over 400,000 staff across the global businesses. Their aim was to develop a cost-effective solution, Tesco would be partnered with Kineo to design and also deploy learning based on Moodle. During 2009 Tesco piloted its Academy Online portal as a proof of concept for a learning management solution and portal for their staff across this business. Tesco wanted explore alternatives with open source technologies, with doing so they saw a potential to make highly customised solutions with a strong focus on the user experience. Tesco chose Kineo to design and develop the portal solution based on the experience they had at combing user experience and web design. This was to make it easier for their staff to understand how to use the porta l easily and in a way in which they were able to extend their skills when working for Tesco, also it was to help them to manage and update the software easily. (Kineo, 2009) Critical evaluation Advantages There are many advantages towards e-learning. The advantages are as follows:  ¿Ã‚ ½ The work can be scheduled around personal and professional work.  ¿Ã‚ ½ It can be cost effective because it can reduce the need to travel.  ¿Ã‚ ½ It gives the users the option of selecting the learning materials which will meet their level of knowledge and interest.  ¿Ã‚ ½ If an organisation wanted to organise a study session it can be studied wherever they have access to a computer and Internet.  ¿Ã‚ ½ E-learning is self-paced which will allow learners to work at their own pace  ¿Ã‚ ½ There are a number of different learning styles which are addressed and facilitation of learning occurs through varied activities.  ¿Ã‚ ½ An important advantage is that e-learning can build self-knowledge and self-confidence and can also encourage the learner to take responsibility for their learning.  ¿Ã‚ ½ E-learning is very good for communication because with online portals such as Black Board the users can contact their tutors or even students very easily.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Interaction can also be an advantage for e-learning because some people may feel less confident talking face-to-face, but with e-learning there are some aspects where you can interact with someone without being face-to-face.  ¿Ã‚ ½ E-learning can be time flexible; learners are able to access everything they need in one place at any time so long as they have the Internet.  ¿Ã‚ ½ More people are able to afford to use e-learning, this can then go on to gain them a place at universities as an example because they can save money from expenses such as travelling, accommodation and even high fees for tutors. There are many advantages that come with e-learning, and all these advantages will play a role in human resource development. Also it will help to play a part in a user ¿Ã‚ ½s everyday life and will help them to progress their learning, training, development and education. (writing, 2006, unknown, 2008) Disadvantages As well as advantages there are a number of disadvantages which come with e-learning. Below I will list a number of disadvantages:  ¿Ã‚ ½ There can be some learners who are unmotivated can because of this their poor study habits may fall behind.  ¿Ã‚ ½ E-learning is very different from any other kind of learning and this may affect the learners knowledge due to lack of familiar structure, also the will then make the routine longer to get used to.  ¿Ã‚ ½ E-learning can be a lonely way of learning which could leave the learner to feel isolated or even miss social interaction.  ¿Ã‚ ½ If you required further instructions the instructor for the course may not always be available on demand.  ¿Ã‚ ½ A lot of e-learning can be carried out online, however this may be useful for some but for others the can be frustrating due to slow or unreliable Internet connections.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Face-to-face communication can be vital to how someone learns and because of the lack of this there can be a lack of understanding between the learner and the instructor.  ¿Ã‚ ½ There is a limited amount of time for e-learning if you were using video conferencing as an example, and this could lead to the teaching being rushed and the learner not being able to learn enough. As you can see from the above there are some disadvantages, however there are fewer disadvantages than there are advantages. The disadvantages can however help human resource development because they can learn from this and try and avoid the disadvantages and use this to their advantages. (Writing, 2006, unknown, 2008) Conclusion In my opinion I believe that the role of technology in Human Resource Development is very much needed. I believe that along with technology the main form of this is e-learning and with my own personal use I think that this is very much need in order for us to be able to develop HRD. With e-learning you can learn so many new skills which can help you too improve in the workplace. However there are a couple of disadvantages like the lack of face-to-face communication which can affect how e-learning is used.