Lost Minds A Study Of Alzheimers Disease Essays -

Lost Minds: A Study Of Alzheimer's Disease Lost Minds: A Study of Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer's Disease is one of the most common diseases among elderly people today. Alzheimer's creates emotional and financial catastrophe for many American families every year. It affects nearly 4 million people in the United States. Alzheimer's Disease is the fourth leading cause of adult death in the United States, and nearly 90 billion dollars go towards Alzheimer's research each year, most of this money is funded largely by Medicare and Medicaid, but the government funds some (Medical?). Many elderly people are thought to be crazy, people think the strain of their lives has been too much for their minds, when in fact the real problem may be a serious condition called Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's Disease is a degenerative brain disease. It is caused by a slow break down of the brain cells. Alois Alzheimer, a German physician, first discovered Alzheimer's Disease in 1906. The first recorded case of Alzheimer's Disease was a 55-year-old woman. She was admitted to the mental asylum where Alzheimer worked when she was 51 and slowly deteriorated over her 4 years there. After her death, Alzheimer performed an autopsy in which he found a small, shrunken brain. This was the start of Alzheimer's research. Since it's discovery, Alzheimer's Disease hasn't evolved much. It's much more common now and the symptoms are slightly enhanced, but the disease is relatively the same. The number of people with Alzheimer's Disease is expected to increase dramatically as the baby boomers age (Davis). Some scientists believe that Alzheimer's Disease may be caused by a mutation of a gene on chromosome 14, this mutation is related to about 8% of all Alzheimer's cases (Alzheimer's). Alzheimer's patients also have an excess of aluminum in their brain tissues, which is linked to the disease and they lack hootropic agents, the chemicals that protect the brain cells. The early stages of the disease are often viewed as the consequences of aging, so Alzheimer's often goes unrecognized. There are several stages to Alzheimer's Disease. In the early stages people forget recent events, but they clearly remember things that happened many years ago. In the later stages of the disease, people can no longer remember past events and often do not recognize their family members. Some victims do not even recognize themselves. Alzheimer's victims often suffer from impaired judgement. They may touch a hot stove burner not remembering that it can burn them. There have been cases where people with Alzheimer's Disease nearly starve because they forget to eat for days. When my Great Grandma, who had Alzheimer's, was left alone, she would drive from her home in Meade to Hugoton or Satanta trying to find Liberal. The disease can also cause people to be very tired. Patients may also have trouble with place and time. They may not recognize their own home of many years, and they may confuse morning with afternoon. Some patients with Alzheimer's Disease will revert back to an almost child-like state. Some of the victims are very angry and aggressive while others are very calm and quiet. How fast the disease advances varies from person to person. Eventually, most people with Alzheimer's disease become unable to care for themselves. Alzheimer's Disease is not the direct cause of the victim's deaths. The disease renders the patients bedridden and in their weakened condition they catch viruses such as pneumonia. Alzheimer's attacks few people after age 60, but occurs in 20% of people who live to age 85 (Gillick). Alzheimer's does not occur more in men or woman, but the disease is more prone to Caucasian people. Out of all the cases of Alzheimer's in the United States, about three-fourths or three million of them are white people. Scientists do not know why this is, because black people's brain cells are the same as those of white people (Gillick). Some scientists say that Alzheimer's Disease is genetic, and it may be. Scientists say that if the disease is genetic, then it only occurs in every 4th or 5th generation, but that the disease must be ?turned on? by some outside factor. Doctors can't seem to figure out what the outside factor is. Some scientists even believe that

drugs and alcohol in college essays

drugs and alcohol in college essays Drugs and Alcohol are a major problem on college campuses all over the world. Many college students participate in drugs and alcohol on a weekly basis and even daily basis. What goes through their heads when they participate in these substances? Why do they choose to take part in substance abuse? Is it because they want to get away from reality or is it just because it is the thing to do? Could it have to do with the way a person is brought up? Students have high levels of stress and anxiety dealing with class work, daily struggles, and social stress. It maybe that a major cause in the consumption of alcohol and drugs is because of the major stress factors. But on the other hand it could be a result of psychological problems. In my personal opinion, there are a lot of different reasons for drug and alcohol use and it depends on the individuals situation. Alcohol and drug use is increasing among young adults in the US. With this more and more university students engage in drugs and alcohol. A survey was taken from random students from ten universities. The survey method was used. The questionnaire was based on alcohol, marijuana, and other drug consumption. They included questions on smoking, drinking alcohol, and use of other drugs. The hospital anxiety depression (had) scale was used to measure anxiety and depression. Its main finding was that many university students are drinking above sensible limits and taking marijuana and experimenting with other illegal drugs. The same trend has been observed among young people in the United States. The survey also found that their sample of university students also had high levels of anxiety, which did not relate to drinking or drug taking. When asked why they drank alcohol, the commonly reported reasons were pleasure, habit, to increase confidence, anxiety/stress, and social pleasu re. It shows that it really depends on the person for which the reason to drink was. Whe...

Organizational Srtucture Shapes Corporate Culture and Influences Essay

Organizational Srtucture Shapes Corporate Culture and Influences Organizational Change - Essay Example For example, formal, even bureaucratic as opposed to liberal or lenient relations. Structure also includes the allocation of power in an organisation, whether concentrated in the hands of a few people or there is sharing of power and decision making at all levels. Organisational culture can be understood as a â€Å"the shared set of assumptions, beliefs, values and behavioural patterns of a group, that guide that group’s perceptions, judgments, and actions† (Levin 2000, p.83). Its significance is related to its ability to influence the activities of members and the functioning of the organization without particular control measures (Awal, Rongione, Klinger et al 2006). Poole and Van de Ven (2004, p.xi) define organizational change as a â€Å"difference in form, quality, or state over time in an organizational entity† which may differ from an individual’s job, a work group, an organisational subunit, or the overall organisation. Change may be planned, unpla nned, incremental, radical, recurrent, or unprecedented. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss the extent to which an organisation’s structure shapes its culture, and impacts its ability to transform itself. Different Management Styles: Effects on Organisational Performance Over recent years, the role of present-day managers has become increasingly empowered, with a more networking, consensus-seeking approach (Reigle 2001). Different management styles have their distinctive effects on organisational performance, and the effectiveness of organisations. Management style pertains to â€Å"how the leader approaches opportunities, what he or she chooses to emphasize, to defer and to delegate to others† (Krause 2007, p.19), based on managers’ traits. Research evidence indicates transformational style as the most beneficial for driving safety and for creating a high performance culture. According to Early and Davenport (2010, p.59), †Å"transformational leadership and transactional leadership are very different styles of leadership, but they are not mutually exclusive and can be complementary if employed correctly†. Additionally, an individual can have and develop skills required to be both a transactional and transformational leader. Transformational managers invoke colleagues and followers to view their work from new perspectives; they generate awareness of the mission or vision of the team and organization; managers guide employees to achieve their highest levels of potential; motivate colleagues to work for the larger interest of the group and the organization. This leadership style attempts to engage the employees’ creativity and loyalty, thus achieving a higher level of commitment and effort from employees. Tranformational behaviors include idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and inspirational motivation. Idealized influence is the leaders’ sharin g of vision and sense of mission with employees, and the proposal of radical, innovative solutions to critical problems (Early & Davenport 2010). Transactional leadership occurs when a leader â€Å"rewards or disciplines a follower depending on the adequacy of the follower’s performance† (Early & Davenport 2010, p.59). Transactional leadership is closely associated with traditional models and strategies employed in leadership theory. In

Financial Report Analysis of Goodrington Plc Essay

Financial Report Analysis of Goodrington Plc - Essay Example INTRODUCTION Company Background Goodrington group plc belong to fashion retailing industry in the United Kingdom. It comprises three popular brands of retailing in the country that are Goodrington, Newton, and Churston. These three bands provide several retail products to different target groups of the consumers in United Kingdom. Activities Goodrington caters to customers ranging from the young-to-middle aged consumers by providing different items such fashion clothing, footwear and home ware. Newton has its own target market catering to the female consumers aged 45 and over by selling clothing items to them. Churston caters to the consumers with an instinct for fine fragrances and perfumes. It attracts its target consumers with the help of brightly lit and decorated store interior that is highly appealing to the people with artistic sense. Significant Changes The most significant change concerning the company's operations as reflected in the company's annual report is the acquisition of subsidiary costing the company 4,350,000 in the year 2005. ANALYSIS Profitability 2005 2004 Gross Profit Ratio 20.25% 20.56% Net Profit Ratio 5.99% 6.61% Gross Profit Ratio The Gross Profit ratio analyses the company's profit margin before accounting for various operating costs (Mcmenamin Jim, 1999). The gross profit ratio for Goodrington plc shows that the company is earning about 20% out of the total sales revenue after having accounted for the cost of sales. This also shows that the company loses almost 80% of the total sales revenue on production and distribution expenses. The company's gross profit ratio has been stable over the last two years. Net Profit Ratio The net profit ratio analyses a...This paper utilises only books for the purpose of formulas and interpretation of the given ratios. Goodrington group plc belong to fashion retailing industry in the United Kingdom. It comprises three popular brands of retailing in the country that are Goodrington, Newton, and Churston. These three bands provide several retail products to different target groups of the consumers in United Kingdom. Churston caters to the consumers with an instinct for fine fragrances and perfumes. It attracts its target consumers with the help of brightly lit and decorated store interior that is highly appealing to the people with artistic sense. The Gross Profit ratio analyses the company's profit margin before accounting for various operating costs (Mcmenamin Jim, 1999). The gross profit ratio for Goodrington plc shows that the company is earning about 20% out of the total sales revenue after having accounted for the cost of sales. This also shows that the company loses almost 80% of the total sales revenue on production and distribution expenses. The company's gross profit ratio has been stable over the last two years. The net profit ratio analyses a company's profitability after taking into account all the operating costs and interest expense etc (Mcmenamin Jim, 1999)

U.S. history between the end of the World War II (1945) and the Assignment

U.S. history between the end of the World War II (1945) and the present - Assignment Example McCann contends that the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 showed that American citizens were no longer secure and safe1. According to McCann, assaults on the US amounted to thirty-seven between the end of the Cold War and 2006. Critics have argued that Clinton and Bush’s administrations failed blatantly to confront the attacks from terrorists2. It has been perceived that the intelligence agents in the United States expressed a lot of laxity in preventing US from terrorism since 19453. Nations have an international obligation to prevent terrorism within and outside their boundaries4. The international community has established crime law to endeavor to deal with the conduct of the non-state terrorist actors5. In this respect, states should not breach their primary obligation to punish, as well as, prevent acts of terrorism. Evidently, the video shows that the impact of the terrorist attacks was tremendous and resulted in death of many people. In essence, terrorism is an issue that has tormented the United States since 1945 to the

Effect of Motivation on Employee Training Effectiveness

Effect of Motivation on Employee Training Effectiveness Training is an integral part of workforce development and creation of new competencies within the workforce to ensure that the organization keeps up with the changing needs of the times. Training is related to performance in two ways. Effective training has a direct impact on the performance output and any gap in an individuals performance can sometimes be filled with training. For employees, lack of training also causes a lack of self-satisfaction and productivity. Training is seen as a major cost center in most organizations in India even though its necessity is widely accepted. This negative view can mostly be attributed because of the apparent lack of direct linkage between training and the bottom-line of the company. In todays world, where the HR department needs to justify its expenses, especially in the wake of recession and lay-offs, it is essential that the trainings rendered are of optimum efficiency in achieving the set target and also that it be done at the least possible cost. Hence it is important to understand whether the methods of training employed are yielding the desired results or alternatively if the same results can be attained in more cost effective ways. One major factor influencing the training effectiveness is training motivation, as we have explained in the literature review below. But the attitude of employees towards formal training is another factor which will decide whether it is justified to spend so much money on formal training modules if the same end result can be obtained by informal on the job training if it is preferred by the employees. Hence we explore the links between these constructs. Theoretical Review and Hypothesis: Training Attitude: Development activities like training are significantly affected by attitudes and perceptual variables (Noe and Wilk, 1993).Eagly Chaiken (1998) defined attitude as the psychological tendency to evaluate an entity with a certain degree of favor or disfavor. These attitudes are good predictors of behavior (Ajzen, 1991).We can extend this line of reason to say that a person with a positive attitude to certain entity will show favorable behavioral response towards it and a person with a negative attitude to it will show an unfavorable behavioral response. Training attitude applies the definition of attitude to training. A persons attitude towards training is a measure or reflection of his or her attitude towards the formal process of knowledge and skill acquisition. Thus we can say that training attitude is indirectly a measure of liking an individual has for the formal process of training as opposed to say learning something on-the-job informally. It logically follows that those who ha ve a positive attitude towards training will be more likely to attend the training programs willingly and gain from it as compared to someone who has a negative attitude towards training which is to say, that training attitude determines the motivation with which a person attends training programs, especially in an organizational scenario where training programs are mandatory. Also this very attitude can be linked to how much learning happens in the training. The scale for measuring the training attitude construct was developed by Anupama Narayan and Debra Steele Johnson (2007) for their research. This was a 20 item scale addressing participants evaluation of 2 issues: How relevant and useful they perceived training programs to be. How much they desired to practice acquired skills on job. This scale with 7 point likert type response pattern had a high level of internal consistency (alpha =0.92) However some items were redundant and for the purpose of this research were omitted. The resulting 9 item scale was again tested for internal consistency and displayed a Cronbachs Alpha= 0.91 which is fairly high. The response to the 7 point likert scale was interpreted as a summated score which indicated the degree of positive attitude towards training among the respondents. Training Motivation: Quinones (1997) aptly described motivation to be an individuals choice to dedicate more energy to one set of behavior over others. In the training context, Blanchard Thacker (2004) explain motivation as an inspiration which is directed by trainees personal needs and decision processes they use to satisfy those needs. Or, as Colquitt (2007) puts it , training motivation is the persistence and intensity of learning -directed behavior in the context of training. Training motivation is affected by a diverse set of internal and external factors as suggested by various research papers. Work environment, organizational climate, supervisory support etc are a few of the external factors researched upon whereas the internal factors hypothesized to affect training motivation include self efficacy, personal mental ability and personality (Colquitt et al, 2000). One of the most popular theories to explain motivation is the expectancy theory of how people are motivated by the results of their behavior (Bandura, 1997). We can also view Vrooms expectancy theory as a theoretical framework for examining training motivation. Vrooms model suggests that expectation of an act being followed by a certain outcome often shapes the motivation for doing that act. To extend this to the context of training motivation, if a trainee expects that the effort he puts into attending training programs will yield valued outcomes to him then he will be motivated to attend the same. Hence this research attempts to understand the valence -instrumentality link associated with training. We measure what the trainee values and whether he perceives those things to be outcome of training programs. A 14 item scale, with 7 items each for valence and instrumentality of factors associated with training, was adapted from the research paper by Phyllis Tharenou (2001).The factors of valence included in the scale are Reaching career goals, Pay increase, Job security, Change to workplace, Promotion or advancement, Opportunities for different career paths, Supervisor praise. The responses for these questions were taken on a 7 point likert scale and scores were summated to arrive at the level of training motivation of the respondent. A higher score symbolizes that the respondent values the inherent factors highly and also perceives that training will help him achieve the same. Training Effectiveness: Training effectiveness is essentially a measure of how effective the training imparted was. Many researchers including Ford (1997), Noe (1986), and Tannenbaum (1992) have recognized training effectiveness as a crucial issue for organizations. Employee performance and productivity can be measurably improved if trainings are effective and organizations will be able to avoid wasteful spending on ineffective trainings. Most organizations would want to have a good return on their training investment. According to London (1989) and Noe (1999) training interventions in organizations are going to increase hence the training effectiveness is going to be an important feature in the organizations. Kirkpatricks (1976) four level approach is one of the most extensively used methods for evaluating training effectiveness (Alliger Janak, 1989). This four level approach measures training effectiveness vis-Ã  -vis the trainees reactions to a training program, the extent to which trainees can execute desired behaviors related to the training, the acquisition of skills and knowledge by the trainee and resulting change in the job behaviors of the trainee. It has been a common assumption among researchers that these 4 levels linked in a linear fashion hierarchically. Hamblin (1947) illustrated the cause and effect chain as training leading to reactions which in turn leads to learning and that leads to change in job behavior. But this empirical evidence for this proposed link has been inconclusive. This led Alliger Janak (1989) to conduct a Meta analysis and conclude that the four factors are not necessarily linearly linked. There are several factors like training motivation attitude, context of training and other influences which attenuate the link between trainees reaction and other criterion measures. A four item shortened version of the Kirkpatrick scale was used for measuring the training effectiveness. The measured effectiveness was the perceived effectiveness of the last im parted training program. Sample items in the scale included questions like Did I enjoy the course. The response was obtained on a 7 point likert scale varying from strongly disagree to strongly agree and the summated score of each item response was used as the measure of the training effectiveness and higher the score higher was the perceived effectiveness of the training. Training Attitude and Training Motivation: Individuals disposition or attitude towards formal training programs has been shown to have a direct influence on his training motivation (Ford Noe, 1987). Training attitude also displays his motivation to learn (Tannenbaum Yukl, 1992) and his motivation to attend training (Facteau et al, 1995) as distinct from training motivation. What the above mentioned research suggests is that there is a logical and empirical link between a person liking a training program and being motivated to attend the same. However the extant literature mentions this relationship in a very general and broad format. We would like to hypothesis a more specific relationship. Going back to our definition of training motivation , we have said that it is the perceived valence the trainee associates with certain outcomes and how instrumental he feels attending a training is in order to acquire them .We listed these outcomes as career development, superior praise, promotion or development, pay increase , job secu rity etc. Research suggests that there is very strong link between training attitude and training motivation .Carlson et al.(2000) found a high correlation between training attitude scores and training motivation scores in their research.Now most employees may find that there is a perceived strong connection between attending trainings and achieving these outcomes and hence may attend trainings when they are mandatory rather than volunteer for it. But otherwise, based on his experience he might feel that training programs are a waste of time over all and he learns more on his job. Especially in the context of Indian manufacturing industry where trainings are mandatory, employees might not be predisposed to attending trainings, but will attend them anyways due to perceived benefits. Hence in this research we are testing whether having a positive attitude towards training increases the individuals training motivation and how much is it correlated. Hence, Training Attitude of an individual positively impacts his Training Motivation: Training Motivation and Training Effectiveness: Based on our understanding of motivation, an individual is more likely to expend more energy for a task he is motivated to do and hence is more probable to do that task more effectively than other tasks. Extending this logic forward if a person is motivated to attend training then he is more likely to enjoy the training, learn most from it and apply it on to his job. In other words the effectiveness of the training imparted will be high if the trainees entering the training program are highly motivated for the same. In the organizational context it is imperative that different individuals enter the training with different levels of motivation. These differences in the level of motivation may be an outcome of various factors like personal characteristics and work environments. After studying these effects, Salas et al.1(1992) hypothesized that individuals motivated to do well in training will be the ones who end up learning the content of the program better than their lesser motivated counterparts. Training effectiveness is measured in terms of 4 parameters derived from the Kirkpatricks model. These parameters are namely, Learning, Behavior, Reaction and Applications of skills. Several studies put forth empirical support indicating a link between trainees motivation and learning (Rails Klien, 1991; Clark 1990; Hicks Klimoski 1987; Baldwin et al., 1991).The attention levels and openness to new ideas is increased by pre-training motivation. Hence theoretically trainees who are more motivated should be more ready or primed to learn and apply their learnings. Also a person motivated to attend the training will be more likely to enjoy it thus displaying a positive reaction. Whereas a person who is unmotivated to attend training will not learn much from the training even if he ends up enjoying the experience (Mathieu et al., 1992). Consequently we also hypothesize a direct relation between how much the trainee learns and how much he is motivated about the training to how much of the learned skills he will apply in his job. Thus training motivation can be hypothesized to bring about change in behavior of the trainee as well. Based on the above reasoning we state out second hypothesis as, Training motivation positively impacts training effectiveness Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. Hicks and Klimoski (1987) attempted to study the effect of choice of attending the training program with effectiveness of the training program. They hypothesized that if trainee had a choice of attending a training program then he will be more satisfied by it than otherwise. Ryman and Biersner (1975) also studied the effect of choice on training outcome. They found that giving a choice to attend the training program resulted in lesser dropouts from the program and greater training success. In a slight variation of this experiment, Baldwin, Magjuka and Lober (1991) reported that when trainees received their top choice from the available training programs they reported higher pre training motivation and. They also learned more as compared to other trainees who did not get their top pick. Tannebaum et al. (1992) showed by way of their research that individuals who nominate themselves for training actually attach a greater instrumentality to the program and report higher training motivat ion than others. This in turn leads to greater training effectiveness. The same was researched upon and confirmed by Gormley, Collins et al. (2009) on their study on Medical students undergoing E-learning programs. In our research we would like to extend the above findings to the context of training attitude. Training attitude can be seen as the pre disposition of the individual towards attending training. If the individual has a positive attitude towards training then he will choose to attend the same whereas if he has a negative attitude towards training he will not attend it or attend it grudgingly if forced to the same. Hence incorporating Tannenbaums findings, we can say that people who attend training against their choice will not undergo an optimally effective training. Hence we hypothesize that only people who choose to attend the training by way of their positive attitude towards it will be more motivated about the training and hence consequently the training imparted to them will be effective. No previous research has aimed to study this mediating effect of training motivation on the relationship between Training attitude and training effectiveness and this is the gap we propose to fi ll by means of our research. We hypothesize that Training effectiveness is impacted by Training Attitude of the individual via the mediating variable of training motivation. Training attitude positively affects training effectiveness. Training Motivation acts as the mediating variable on the relationship between Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. Moderating Effect of Prior Work Experience: Goldstein (2002) stated in his research that training transfer happens more effectively if tasks in the training environment are congruent with those in the actual work environment. Typically the young Indian professional fresh out of college will prefer the formal training programs as he is not exposed to any other way of learning. However as we have talked about training attitude it is important to study the effect of previous trainings on the individuals attitude. Employees who have undergone much training and have worked for enough years in the organization may have seen other methods of learning their job or skill apart from formal training programs to form different attitudes about training than those who have very little work experience. Learning On -the-job takes place within the workplace while the employee is doing actual work in the actual work environment under normal working conditions. This is important because it ensures that skills taught in such informal training can be readily transferred to the job (Kleiner Read, 1996). Work based learning focuses on reviewing and learning from experience and is cantered on learning from action rather than simply developing competencies (Dymock Gerber, 2002). Since the employee is trained in normal working condition, there is a high sense of relevance and validity to the employee (Clifford Thorpe, 2007) and is a tool to increase the productivity (Jain, 1999). Learning on the job happens on an individual level and the greatest advantage of this is that it enables each participant to determine the speed with which learning can proceed, at the same time providing a high level of feedback and trainee involvement (Kleiner Read, 1996). Other advantages are that the employee is being productive during training, and thus the associated costs may be less (Kleiner Read, 1996); this training may be given to more people than it is possible at a training institution (Jain,1999). Thus we can see that on the job learning may be perceived to be more effective than formal trainings by employees with greater years of work experience behind them. This could also possibly affect their attitude towards formal training programs and its utility. Hence the effect of training attitude on training effectiveness may be moderated by the prior work experience of the individual. We hypothesize that more is the prior work experience of an individual the more likely he has understood how to perform on his job and how to acquire skills on the job and hence the more it is likely that he will not have a favourable attitude towards formal training programs. Thereby the effectiveness of training programs on such individuals will be subdued. Thus, in this research we will aim to study the moderating effect of Prior work experience on the relationship between Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. The prior work experience of individual has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. We would also like to study whether the Mediating Effect of Training Motivation on the relationship between Training attitude and Training effectiveness is valid for different groups of people with varied work experience. For this purpose we propose to study the said relationship by dividing the data set into groups of people with differing work experience. According to our theoretical study we expect to observe a more significant mediated relationship between training attitude and effectiveness for people with lower work experience than those with higher work experience. For people with lower work experience the relationship between training attitude and training effectiveness mediated by training motivation is more significant. Methods: Sample: Around 200 participants from various manufacturing organizations were contacted in person and via e-mail and the questionnaire was administered. Out of the 200 people contacted 122 (61%) people chose to participate. Most of the participants were chosen from the technical background who have undergone some sort of training at their work place. To maintain anonymity the questionnaire did not contain any identifiers. The researchers themselves administered the questionnaire and they themselves collected the responses. Measures: All the scale used to measure the various constructs were measured using a 7 point Likert scale ranging from 1(Very Strongly Disagree, Very Strongly Unlikely) to 7(Very Strongly Agree, Very Strongly Likely). Training Attitude: Training attitude was measured using a 9 item scale developed by Anupama Narayanan and Debra Steele-Johnson (2007). A sample item is I enjoy participating in training programs offered at work. Training Motivation: Training motivation was measured using a 14 item scale developed by Phyllis Tharenou (2001) which was adopted from Noe and Wilk (1993) 17 item scale. This scale was based on the valence instrumentality expectancy theory and had 7 items each for valence and instrumentality. A sample item for instrumentality is How likely you will obtain a pay increase from KSA from TD. A sample item for valence is How important is obtaining pay increase to you. Training Effectiveness: The training effectiveness was measured through a 4 item scale. This scale was a shortened version of the Kirkpatricks scale and was developed by Alan Chapman. The training effectiveness was measured on different parameters namely reaction, learning, behavior and productivity. Prior Work experience: The prior work experience was measured using a single question to the participants asking them of the number of years of prior years of work experience. Analysis: The study was intended to find the mediation effect of training motivation between training attitude and training effectiveness. The procedure followed to study the mediation effect was adopted from the study by Baron and Kenny (1986). Further the researchers also studied the moderation effect of years of prior work experience on the direct relation between training attitude and training effectiveness. This was done through a 2 model approach using the standardized multiplied values for training attitude and years of prior work experience. All the analysis was done using SPSS software. Further the entire sample of respondents was divided into 2 classes based on the work experience, one having work experience more than the median and one having less than the median. The median value was ignored and the mediation analysis was carried out using the Baron and Kenny model (1986). Results: The means, standard deviations and correlations .All the variables were found to be significantly correlated with each another. It can be easily seen from the table 1 that the correlation among all the variables is very high. To test the internal consistency of the scales measuring the constructs, the Cronbachs Alpha Coefficient was calculated and it was found that all the scales were reliable as the Cronbachs Coefficient was greater than 0.7. The results of the measures of internal consistency. Again it can be seen that the Cronbachs Alpha Coefficient is very high indicating that the internal consistency of the scales is very high. Mean, Standard Deviation and Correlations: Measures of internal consistency Cronbachs Alpha Coefficient: In this research we have primarily hypothesized the relationship between training attitude and training effectiveness with training motivation as the mediating variable. Apart from the mediation effect, the moderation effect of number of years of prior work experience on the direct effect of training attitude on training effectiveness has been studied. The results of the mediation effect of training motivation on the relationship between training attitude and training effectiveness. The mediation effect was studied using the 4 step Baron and Kenny model of regression analysis. In the first step, the independent variable training attitude was shown to affect the outcome variable i.e. training effectiveness significantly. In the next step, the independent variable was shown to affect the mediator variable i.e. training motivation significantly. In the third step, the mediator variable was shown to have a significant effect on the dependent variable. These steps showed that the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness was mediated by training motivation. In the 4th step, the mediation effect was calculated through a regression analysis in which the mediator and the independent variable were the predictors and the criterion variable was the dependent variable. Regression results to study mediation effect: The mediation is significant and the mediation effect was calculated to be 0.923 standard deviations. Also in the fourth step, since the effect of training attitude on training effectiveness becomes insignificant we can safely infer that full mediation is present. The step I shows the regression results when training effectiveness was taken as the criterion variable and the training attitude was taken as the independent variable. From this step we saw that training attitude was significantly related to the training effectiveness. Here the value of R2 was found to be 0.796 with F = 468.143 at p The step II shows the regression results when training motivation was taken as the dependent variable with training attitude as the predictor variable. In this step it was seen that training attitude was significantly related to training effectiveness. The R2 value was found to be 0.883 with F = 904.66 at p The step III shows the regression results when training effectiveness was taken as the dependent variable with training motivation being the predictor variable. In this step it was found that the training motivation is significantly related to training effectiveness. The R2 value was found to be 0.909 at p The step IV shows the regression results when training effectiveness was taken as the criterion variable with both training motivation and training attitude as the predictor variables. From this step we could conclude that training motivation was significantly related to training effectiveness and also we see that training attitude loses the significance of its effect that it had on training effectiveness in step I. The R2 value was found to be 0.909 at p The above 4 steps show that the mediation effect of training motivation between training attitude and training effectiveness is a full mediation effect as the independent, variable training attitude, becomes insignificantly related to the criterion variable (Baron and Kenny, 1986). The steps I, II and III are used to test the first 3 hypothesis. In step I it was shown that training attitude was significantly related to training effectiveness hence H3 is accepted. Similarly in the step II it was shown that training attitude was significantly related to training motivation and hence H1 is accepted. In the third step, it was found that training motivation was significantly related to training effectiveness and hence H2 is accepted. Training attitude was significantly related to training effectiveness in the first step and to training motivation in the second step but it was non-significantly related to training effectiveness in the fourth step. From this we could infer that training motivation fully mediates the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness. Thus H4 is supported. The Sobels test was used to just verify the mediation effect. The test showed that the mediation effect is statistically significant (Mediation effect = 0.923; Z-score = 8.68; p In addition to the above mediation analysis, we also tried to understand the role of work experience on the mediation analysis. Hence 2 more mediation analysis were carried out in which the entire data set was broken down in 2 sets, one with respondents having 2 or more years of work experience, second with respondents having less than 2 years of work experience. This was so done because the median work experience of the sample studied was 2 yrs. Impact of years of work experience on the mediating role of training motivation on training effectiveness was studied. First we take the case of respondents having less than 2 years of work experience. The same steps as stated above according to the Baron and Kenny Model were repeated and the results. Regression results to study mediation effect on respondents with work experience of less than 2 years: Again as we can see that training motivation fully mediates the relation between the training attitude and training effectiveness. In the first step we used training effectiveness as the criterion variable with training attitude as the predictor variable. The relation was found to be significant and positively related with R2 = 0.468; p In the next step, training motivation taken as the criterion variable and training attitude was taken as the independent variable. This relation was again found significant and positively related with R2 = 0.639; p In the third step, training motivation was now taken as the predictor variable and training effectiveness was taken as the dependent variable. It was found that this relation was significant with R2 = 0.660; p In the last step, both training attitude and training motivation were taken as the predictor variables and training effectiveness was taken as the dependent variable. In this step, the relation between training attitude on training effectiveness became insignificant hence it was proved that training motivation fully mediates the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness. The mediated effect was found to be 0.592 and the overall mediation was found to be significant using the Sobels test. Using the Sobels Test the Z score was found to be 4.7498. Thus showing that the mediation effect of training motivation on the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness is significant. Another mediation analysis was done to test the mediation effect of training motivation on the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness for respondents having more than 2 years of work experience. This was again a 4 step analysis as per the Baron and Kenny model and the results. As we can see in the table 5, in the first step it was found that training attitude significantly affect training effectiveness. In the second step it was found that training attitude significantly affects training motivation. In the third step, it was found that training motivation significantly affects training effectiveness. And in the fourth it was found that training motivation significantly affects effectiveness but impact of training attitude on effectiveness becomes insignificant. This showed that training motivation mediates the relation between attitude and effectiveness. Regression results to study mediation effect on respondents with work experience of more than 2 years: From the fourth step we can see that training motivation mediates the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness fully. The overall significance of the mediation was checked using the Sobels test. Effect of Motivation on Employee Training Effectiveness Effect of Motivation on Employee Training Effectiveness Training is an integral part of workforce development and creation of new competencies within the workforce to ensure that the organization keeps up with the changing needs of the times. Training is related to performance in two ways. Effective training has a direct impact on the performance output and any gap in an individuals performance can sometimes be filled with training. For employees, lack of training also causes a lack of self-satisfaction and productivity. Training is seen as a major cost center in most organizations in India even though its necessity is widely accepted. This negative view can mostly be attributed because of the apparent lack of direct linkage between training and the bottom-line of the company. In todays world, where the HR department needs to justify its expenses, especially in the wake of recession and lay-offs, it is essential that the trainings rendered are of optimum efficiency in achieving the set target and also that it be done at the least possible cost. Hence it is important to understand whether the methods of training employed are yielding the desired results or alternatively if the same results can be attained in more cost effective ways. One major factor influencing the training effectiveness is training motivation, as we have explained in the literature review below. But the attitude of employees towards formal training is another factor which will decide whether it is justified to spend so much money on formal training modules if the same end result can be obtained by informal on the job training if it is preferred by the employees. Hence we explore the links between these constructs. Theoretical Review and Hypothesis: Training Attitude: Development activities like training are significantly affected by attitudes and perceptual variables (Noe and Wilk, 1993).Eagly Chaiken (1998) defined attitude as the psychological tendency to evaluate an entity with a certain degree of favor or disfavor. These attitudes are good predictors of behavior (Ajzen, 1991).We can extend this line of reason to say that a person with a positive attitude to certain entity will show favorable behavioral response towards it and a person with a negative attitude to it will show an unfavorable behavioral response. Training attitude applies the definition of attitude to training. A persons attitude towards training is a measure or reflection of his or her attitude towards the formal process of knowledge and skill acquisition. Thus we can say that training attitude is indirectly a measure of liking an individual has for the formal process of training as opposed to say learning something on-the-job informally. It logically follows that those who ha ve a positive attitude towards training will be more likely to attend the training programs willingly and gain from it as compared to someone who has a negative attitude towards training which is to say, that training attitude determines the motivation with which a person attends training programs, especially in an organizational scenario where training programs are mandatory. Also this very attitude can be linked to how much learning happens in the training. The scale for measuring the training attitude construct was developed by Anupama Narayan and Debra Steele Johnson (2007) for their research. This was a 20 item scale addressing participants evaluation of 2 issues: How relevant and useful they perceived training programs to be. How much they desired to practice acquired skills on job. This scale with 7 point likert type response pattern had a high level of internal consistency (alpha =0.92) However some items were redundant and for the purpose of this research were omitted. The resulting 9 item scale was again tested for internal consistency and displayed a Cronbachs Alpha= 0.91 which is fairly high. The response to the 7 point likert scale was interpreted as a summated score which indicated the degree of positive attitude towards training among the respondents. Training Motivation: Quinones (1997) aptly described motivation to be an individuals choice to dedicate more energy to one set of behavior over others. In the training context, Blanchard Thacker (2004) explain motivation as an inspiration which is directed by trainees personal needs and decision processes they use to satisfy those needs. Or, as Colquitt (2007) puts it , training motivation is the persistence and intensity of learning -directed behavior in the context of training. Training motivation is affected by a diverse set of internal and external factors as suggested by various research papers. Work environment, organizational climate, supervisory support etc are a few of the external factors researched upon whereas the internal factors hypothesized to affect training motivation include self efficacy, personal mental ability and personality (Colquitt et al, 2000). One of the most popular theories to explain motivation is the expectancy theory of how people are motivated by the results of their behavior (Bandura, 1997). We can also view Vrooms expectancy theory as a theoretical framework for examining training motivation. Vrooms model suggests that expectation of an act being followed by a certain outcome often shapes the motivation for doing that act. To extend this to the context of training motivation, if a trainee expects that the effort he puts into attending training programs will yield valued outcomes to him then he will be motivated to attend the same. Hence this research attempts to understand the valence -instrumentality link associated with training. We measure what the trainee values and whether he perceives those things to be outcome of training programs. A 14 item scale, with 7 items each for valence and instrumentality of factors associated with training, was adapted from the research paper by Phyllis Tharenou (2001).The factors of valence included in the scale are Reaching career goals, Pay increase, Job security, Change to workplace, Promotion or advancement, Opportunities for different career paths, Supervisor praise. The responses for these questions were taken on a 7 point likert scale and scores were summated to arrive at the level of training motivation of the respondent. A higher score symbolizes that the respondent values the inherent factors highly and also perceives that training will help him achieve the same. Training Effectiveness: Training effectiveness is essentially a measure of how effective the training imparted was. Many researchers including Ford (1997), Noe (1986), and Tannenbaum (1992) have recognized training effectiveness as a crucial issue for organizations. Employee performance and productivity can be measurably improved if trainings are effective and organizations will be able to avoid wasteful spending on ineffective trainings. Most organizations would want to have a good return on their training investment. According to London (1989) and Noe (1999) training interventions in organizations are going to increase hence the training effectiveness is going to be an important feature in the organizations. Kirkpatricks (1976) four level approach is one of the most extensively used methods for evaluating training effectiveness (Alliger Janak, 1989). This four level approach measures training effectiveness vis-Ã  -vis the trainees reactions to a training program, the extent to which trainees can execute desired behaviors related to the training, the acquisition of skills and knowledge by the trainee and resulting change in the job behaviors of the trainee. It has been a common assumption among researchers that these 4 levels linked in a linear fashion hierarchically. Hamblin (1947) illustrated the cause and effect chain as training leading to reactions which in turn leads to learning and that leads to change in job behavior. But this empirical evidence for this proposed link has been inconclusive. This led Alliger Janak (1989) to conduct a Meta analysis and conclude that the four factors are not necessarily linearly linked. There are several factors like training motivation attitude, context of training and other influences which attenuate the link between trainees reaction and other criterion measures. A four item shortened version of the Kirkpatrick scale was used for measuring the training effectiveness. The measured effectiveness was the perceived effectiveness of the last im parted training program. Sample items in the scale included questions like Did I enjoy the course. The response was obtained on a 7 point likert scale varying from strongly disagree to strongly agree and the summated score of each item response was used as the measure of the training effectiveness and higher the score higher was the perceived effectiveness of the training. Training Attitude and Training Motivation: Individuals disposition or attitude towards formal training programs has been shown to have a direct influence on his training motivation (Ford Noe, 1987). Training attitude also displays his motivation to learn (Tannenbaum Yukl, 1992) and his motivation to attend training (Facteau et al, 1995) as distinct from training motivation. What the above mentioned research suggests is that there is a logical and empirical link between a person liking a training program and being motivated to attend the same. However the extant literature mentions this relationship in a very general and broad format. We would like to hypothesis a more specific relationship. Going back to our definition of training motivation , we have said that it is the perceived valence the trainee associates with certain outcomes and how instrumental he feels attending a training is in order to acquire them .We listed these outcomes as career development, superior praise, promotion or development, pay increase , job secu rity etc. Research suggests that there is very strong link between training attitude and training motivation .Carlson et al.(2000) found a high correlation between training attitude scores and training motivation scores in their research.Now most employees may find that there is a perceived strong connection between attending trainings and achieving these outcomes and hence may attend trainings when they are mandatory rather than volunteer for it. But otherwise, based on his experience he might feel that training programs are a waste of time over all and he learns more on his job. Especially in the context of Indian manufacturing industry where trainings are mandatory, employees might not be predisposed to attending trainings, but will attend them anyways due to perceived benefits. Hence in this research we are testing whether having a positive attitude towards training increases the individuals training motivation and how much is it correlated. Hence, Training Attitude of an individual positively impacts his Training Motivation: Training Motivation and Training Effectiveness: Based on our understanding of motivation, an individual is more likely to expend more energy for a task he is motivated to do and hence is more probable to do that task more effectively than other tasks. Extending this logic forward if a person is motivated to attend training then he is more likely to enjoy the training, learn most from it and apply it on to his job. In other words the effectiveness of the training imparted will be high if the trainees entering the training program are highly motivated for the same. In the organizational context it is imperative that different individuals enter the training with different levels of motivation. These differences in the level of motivation may be an outcome of various factors like personal characteristics and work environments. After studying these effects, Salas et al.1(1992) hypothesized that individuals motivated to do well in training will be the ones who end up learning the content of the program better than their lesser motivated counterparts. Training effectiveness is measured in terms of 4 parameters derived from the Kirkpatricks model. These parameters are namely, Learning, Behavior, Reaction and Applications of skills. Several studies put forth empirical support indicating a link between trainees motivation and learning (Rails Klien, 1991; Clark 1990; Hicks Klimoski 1987; Baldwin et al., 1991).The attention levels and openness to new ideas is increased by pre-training motivation. Hence theoretically trainees who are more motivated should be more ready or primed to learn and apply their learnings. Also a person motivated to attend the training will be more likely to enjoy it thus displaying a positive reaction. Whereas a person who is unmotivated to attend training will not learn much from the training even if he ends up enjoying the experience (Mathieu et al., 1992). Consequently we also hypothesize a direct relation between how much the trainee learns and how much he is motivated about the training to how much of the learned skills he will apply in his job. Thus training motivation can be hypothesized to bring about change in behavior of the trainee as well. Based on the above reasoning we state out second hypothesis as, Training motivation positively impacts training effectiveness Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. Hicks and Klimoski (1987) attempted to study the effect of choice of attending the training program with effectiveness of the training program. They hypothesized that if trainee had a choice of attending a training program then he will be more satisfied by it than otherwise. Ryman and Biersner (1975) also studied the effect of choice on training outcome. They found that giving a choice to attend the training program resulted in lesser dropouts from the program and greater training success. In a slight variation of this experiment, Baldwin, Magjuka and Lober (1991) reported that when trainees received their top choice from the available training programs they reported higher pre training motivation and. They also learned more as compared to other trainees who did not get their top pick. Tannebaum et al. (1992) showed by way of their research that individuals who nominate themselves for training actually attach a greater instrumentality to the program and report higher training motivat ion than others. This in turn leads to greater training effectiveness. The same was researched upon and confirmed by Gormley, Collins et al. (2009) on their study on Medical students undergoing E-learning programs. In our research we would like to extend the above findings to the context of training attitude. Training attitude can be seen as the pre disposition of the individual towards attending training. If the individual has a positive attitude towards training then he will choose to attend the same whereas if he has a negative attitude towards training he will not attend it or attend it grudgingly if forced to the same. Hence incorporating Tannenbaums findings, we can say that people who attend training against their choice will not undergo an optimally effective training. Hence we hypothesize that only people who choose to attend the training by way of their positive attitude towards it will be more motivated about the training and hence consequently the training imparted to them will be effective. No previous research has aimed to study this mediating effect of training motivation on the relationship between Training attitude and training effectiveness and this is the gap we propose to fi ll by means of our research. We hypothesize that Training effectiveness is impacted by Training Attitude of the individual via the mediating variable of training motivation. Training attitude positively affects training effectiveness. Training Motivation acts as the mediating variable on the relationship between Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. Moderating Effect of Prior Work Experience: Goldstein (2002) stated in his research that training transfer happens more effectively if tasks in the training environment are congruent with those in the actual work environment. Typically the young Indian professional fresh out of college will prefer the formal training programs as he is not exposed to any other way of learning. However as we have talked about training attitude it is important to study the effect of previous trainings on the individuals attitude. Employees who have undergone much training and have worked for enough years in the organization may have seen other methods of learning their job or skill apart from formal training programs to form different attitudes about training than those who have very little work experience. Learning On -the-job takes place within the workplace while the employee is doing actual work in the actual work environment under normal working conditions. This is important because it ensures that skills taught in such informal training can be readily transferred to the job (Kleiner Read, 1996). Work based learning focuses on reviewing and learning from experience and is cantered on learning from action rather than simply developing competencies (Dymock Gerber, 2002). Since the employee is trained in normal working condition, there is a high sense of relevance and validity to the employee (Clifford Thorpe, 2007) and is a tool to increase the productivity (Jain, 1999). Learning on the job happens on an individual level and the greatest advantage of this is that it enables each participant to determine the speed with which learning can proceed, at the same time providing a high level of feedback and trainee involvement (Kleiner Read, 1996). Other advantages are that the employee is being productive during training, and thus the associated costs may be less (Kleiner Read, 1996); this training may be given to more people than it is possible at a training institution (Jain,1999). Thus we can see that on the job learning may be perceived to be more effective than formal trainings by employees with greater years of work experience behind them. This could also possibly affect their attitude towards formal training programs and its utility. Hence the effect of training attitude on training effectiveness may be moderated by the prior work experience of the individual. We hypothesize that more is the prior work experience of an individual the more likely he has understood how to perform on his job and how to acquire skills on the job and hence the more it is likely that he will not have a favourable attitude towards formal training programs. Thereby the effectiveness of training programs on such individuals will be subdued. Thus, in this research we will aim to study the moderating effect of Prior work experience on the relationship between Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. The prior work experience of individual has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between Training Attitude and Training Effectiveness. We would also like to study whether the Mediating Effect of Training Motivation on the relationship between Training attitude and Training effectiveness is valid for different groups of people with varied work experience. For this purpose we propose to study the said relationship by dividing the data set into groups of people with differing work experience. According to our theoretical study we expect to observe a more significant mediated relationship between training attitude and effectiveness for people with lower work experience than those with higher work experience. For people with lower work experience the relationship between training attitude and training effectiveness mediated by training motivation is more significant. Methods: Sample: Around 200 participants from various manufacturing organizations were contacted in person and via e-mail and the questionnaire was administered. Out of the 200 people contacted 122 (61%) people chose to participate. Most of the participants were chosen from the technical background who have undergone some sort of training at their work place. To maintain anonymity the questionnaire did not contain any identifiers. The researchers themselves administered the questionnaire and they themselves collected the responses. Measures: All the scale used to measure the various constructs were measured using a 7 point Likert scale ranging from 1(Very Strongly Disagree, Very Strongly Unlikely) to 7(Very Strongly Agree, Very Strongly Likely). Training Attitude: Training attitude was measured using a 9 item scale developed by Anupama Narayanan and Debra Steele-Johnson (2007). A sample item is I enjoy participating in training programs offered at work. Training Motivation: Training motivation was measured using a 14 item scale developed by Phyllis Tharenou (2001) which was adopted from Noe and Wilk (1993) 17 item scale. This scale was based on the valence instrumentality expectancy theory and had 7 items each for valence and instrumentality. A sample item for instrumentality is How likely you will obtain a pay increase from KSA from TD. A sample item for valence is How important is obtaining pay increase to you. Training Effectiveness: The training effectiveness was measured through a 4 item scale. This scale was a shortened version of the Kirkpatricks scale and was developed by Alan Chapman. The training effectiveness was measured on different parameters namely reaction, learning, behavior and productivity. Prior Work experience: The prior work experience was measured using a single question to the participants asking them of the number of years of prior years of work experience. Analysis: The study was intended to find the mediation effect of training motivation between training attitude and training effectiveness. The procedure followed to study the mediation effect was adopted from the study by Baron and Kenny (1986). Further the researchers also studied the moderation effect of years of prior work experience on the direct relation between training attitude and training effectiveness. This was done through a 2 model approach using the standardized multiplied values for training attitude and years of prior work experience. All the analysis was done using SPSS software. Further the entire sample of respondents was divided into 2 classes based on the work experience, one having work experience more than the median and one having less than the median. The median value was ignored and the mediation analysis was carried out using the Baron and Kenny model (1986). Results: The means, standard deviations and correlations .All the variables were found to be significantly correlated with each another. It can be easily seen from the table 1 that the correlation among all the variables is very high. To test the internal consistency of the scales measuring the constructs, the Cronbachs Alpha Coefficient was calculated and it was found that all the scales were reliable as the Cronbachs Coefficient was greater than 0.7. The results of the measures of internal consistency. Again it can be seen that the Cronbachs Alpha Coefficient is very high indicating that the internal consistency of the scales is very high. Mean, Standard Deviation and Correlations: Measures of internal consistency Cronbachs Alpha Coefficient: In this research we have primarily hypothesized the relationship between training attitude and training effectiveness with training motivation as the mediating variable. Apart from the mediation effect, the moderation effect of number of years of prior work experience on the direct effect of training attitude on training effectiveness has been studied. The results of the mediation effect of training motivation on the relationship between training attitude and training effectiveness. The mediation effect was studied using the 4 step Baron and Kenny model of regression analysis. In the first step, the independent variable training attitude was shown to affect the outcome variable i.e. training effectiveness significantly. In the next step, the independent variable was shown to affect the mediator variable i.e. training motivation significantly. In the third step, the mediator variable was shown to have a significant effect on the dependent variable. These steps showed that the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness was mediated by training motivation. In the 4th step, the mediation effect was calculated through a regression analysis in which the mediator and the independent variable were the predictors and the criterion variable was the dependent variable. Regression results to study mediation effect: The mediation is significant and the mediation effect was calculated to be 0.923 standard deviations. Also in the fourth step, since the effect of training attitude on training effectiveness becomes insignificant we can safely infer that full mediation is present. The step I shows the regression results when training effectiveness was taken as the criterion variable and the training attitude was taken as the independent variable. From this step we saw that training attitude was significantly related to the training effectiveness. Here the value of R2 was found to be 0.796 with F = 468.143 at p The step II shows the regression results when training motivation was taken as the dependent variable with training attitude as the predictor variable. In this step it was seen that training attitude was significantly related to training effectiveness. The R2 value was found to be 0.883 with F = 904.66 at p The step III shows the regression results when training effectiveness was taken as the dependent variable with training motivation being the predictor variable. In this step it was found that the training motivation is significantly related to training effectiveness. The R2 value was found to be 0.909 at p The step IV shows the regression results when training effectiveness was taken as the criterion variable with both training motivation and training attitude as the predictor variables. From this step we could conclude that training motivation was significantly related to training effectiveness and also we see that training attitude loses the significance of its effect that it had on training effectiveness in step I. The R2 value was found to be 0.909 at p The above 4 steps show that the mediation effect of training motivation between training attitude and training effectiveness is a full mediation effect as the independent, variable training attitude, becomes insignificantly related to the criterion variable (Baron and Kenny, 1986). The steps I, II and III are used to test the first 3 hypothesis. In step I it was shown that training attitude was significantly related to training effectiveness hence H3 is accepted. Similarly in the step II it was shown that training attitude was significantly related to training motivation and hence H1 is accepted. In the third step, it was found that training motivation was significantly related to training effectiveness and hence H2 is accepted. Training attitude was significantly related to training effectiveness in the first step and to training motivation in the second step but it was non-significantly related to training effectiveness in the fourth step. From this we could infer that training motivation fully mediates the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness. Thus H4 is supported. The Sobels test was used to just verify the mediation effect. The test showed that the mediation effect is statistically significant (Mediation effect = 0.923; Z-score = 8.68; p In addition to the above mediation analysis, we also tried to understand the role of work experience on the mediation analysis. Hence 2 more mediation analysis were carried out in which the entire data set was broken down in 2 sets, one with respondents having 2 or more years of work experience, second with respondents having less than 2 years of work experience. This was so done because the median work experience of the sample studied was 2 yrs. Impact of years of work experience on the mediating role of training motivation on training effectiveness was studied. First we take the case of respondents having less than 2 years of work experience. The same steps as stated above according to the Baron and Kenny Model were repeated and the results. Regression results to study mediation effect on respondents with work experience of less than 2 years: Again as we can see that training motivation fully mediates the relation between the training attitude and training effectiveness. In the first step we used training effectiveness as the criterion variable with training attitude as the predictor variable. The relation was found to be significant and positively related with R2 = 0.468; p In the next step, training motivation taken as the criterion variable and training attitude was taken as the independent variable. This relation was again found significant and positively related with R2 = 0.639; p In the third step, training motivation was now taken as the predictor variable and training effectiveness was taken as the dependent variable. It was found that this relation was significant with R2 = 0.660; p In the last step, both training attitude and training motivation were taken as the predictor variables and training effectiveness was taken as the dependent variable. In this step, the relation between training attitude on training effectiveness became insignificant hence it was proved that training motivation fully mediates the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness. The mediated effect was found to be 0.592 and the overall mediation was found to be significant using the Sobels test. Using the Sobels Test the Z score was found to be 4.7498. Thus showing that the mediation effect of training motivation on the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness is significant. Another mediation analysis was done to test the mediation effect of training motivation on the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness for respondents having more than 2 years of work experience. This was again a 4 step analysis as per the Baron and Kenny model and the results. As we can see in the table 5, in the first step it was found that training attitude significantly affect training effectiveness. In the second step it was found that training attitude significantly affects training motivation. In the third step, it was found that training motivation significantly affects training effectiveness. And in the fourth it was found that training motivation significantly affects effectiveness but impact of training attitude on effectiveness becomes insignificant. This showed that training motivation mediates the relation between attitude and effectiveness. Regression results to study mediation effect on respondents with work experience of more than 2 years: From the fourth step we can see that training motivation mediates the relation between training attitude and training effectiveness fully. The overall significance of the mediation was checked using the Sobels test.

Literary Analysis: The Omnivore’s Dilemma Essay

In Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivores Dilemma everything we eat is somehow derived from corn. Dating back to the day of the Mayans when they were sometimes referred to as â€Å"the corn people† (Pollan 19). Pollan takes us back to the â€Å"beginning† of the industrial food chain. In The Omnivores Dilemma historical context, ideology, and setting do not do the reader justice in opening their eyes to the harsh reality that without the corn industry eating as we know it today would cease to exist. The use of historical context in The Omnivores Dilemma insufficiently details the actual origin of corn. Per Pollan’s writing he explains that â€Å"Squanto taught the Pilgrims to plant maize in 1621†¦.. † (Pollan 25), but the existence of corn dates way back much further than 1621. In a 1948 excavation of Bat Cave, New Mexico by then student of anthropology at Harvard University, Herbert W. Dick found small cobs of corn at the bottom of Bat Caves floor which were estimated to contain maize that had their beginning no later than 2000 B. C. (Mangelsdorf 148). Many different types of test have been used to determine how old the corn plant is, but only with solid evidence provided by archeologists has there been any real way to argue the actual evolution of corn. It is more than evident having conducted my own research about the origin and historical context of corn that Pollan merely â€Å"touched† on the subject matter of, where corn came from. In this day and age with many households having both the husband and wife, or single parent households, or just because of mere laziness, society as a whole doesn’t put as much thought into what we consume as they use to. For the most part what we consume is what is most convenient at the time we are hungry, but little do most of us know what it really is that we are eating†¦.. corn. As Pollan so bluntly states, â€Å"†¦. At the end of the food chain (which is to say at the beginning), I invariably found myself in almost exactly the same place: a farm field in the American corn belt† (Pollan 18) Practically everything we eat has corn in it or has been fed corn, and has been chemically altered before it reaches us. Everything from yogurt, chicken mcnuggets, and even beef contain corn of some form. Per one article, â€Å"Pollan wants us to know what it is we’re eating, where it came from, and how it got to our table†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The Wall Street Journal), only that even after having read The Omnivores Dilemma I still had questions, questions Pollan failed to address in his book. The only remotely interesting part of Pollan’s book is the setting; various corn farms. Though interesting it still insufficiently addressed many facts. In my opinion it would have been appropriate to add that in the U. S. alone there are over 400,000 corn farms and that the U. S. s the largest corn producer in the world, producing 32 percent of the world’s corn in the year 2010 ( www. ncga. com www. epa. gov). According to the National Corn Growers Association a good 80 percent of corn grown is eaten by both domestic and overseas livestock, poultry, and even fish. Also according to the NCGA Americans eat 25 pounds of corn a year. (www. ncga. com). Pollan details how corn travels â€Å"About a fifth of the corn river flowing out from the elevators at the Iowa Farmer’s Cooperative travels to a milling plant†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pollan 86), but epically fails of informing us of the â€Å"bigger picture†. In conclusion, I found that by simply doing a little research on my own in the library or by searching online, not only could I find a wide range of actually interesting information on the ever so popular corn industry, but I wouldn’t fall asleep doing so as I did on more than one occasion trying to read The Omnivores Dilemma. The Omnivores Dilemma is not a book I personally would ever read again. Nor would I recommend it.

Communication Facilities for Disaster Management Essay

Ham Radio Ham Radio is also know as Amateur radio.It is a community of people that use radio transmitters and receivers to communicate with other Amateur radio operators. If you were to ask a dozen different amateurs what ham radio meant to them chances are you would get 12 different answers. Amateur radio operators are often called ham radio operators or simply â€Å"hams† and frequently the public is more familiar with this term than with the legal term Radio Amateur. The source of this nickname is for all practical purposes lost from the beginning. read more Communication is a major bottleneck in case of any major disaster particularly when the traditional network system already in force brake down. In order to strengthen communications, it has been decided that police network (POLNET) will also be used for disaster management. For this purpose POLNET communication facility will be extended to District Magistrates, Sub Divisional Magistrates as well as the Control Rooms. For emergency communication, mobile satellite based units which can be transported to the site of the disaster are being procured. A group was constituted to draw a comprehensive communication plan for disaster management and the report has since been received. This provides for a dedicated communication system for disaster management with built in redundancies. Besides the satellite, communication and education can play a proactive role in mitigation through awareness about the types of disaster and as to how prevention measures can be taken up. There is also a Satellite based communication system called the Cyclone Warning Dissemination Systems (CWDS) for transmission of warnings. There are 250 such cyclone-warning sets installed in the cylone prone areas of east and west coast. The general public, the coastal residents and fishermen, are also warned through the Government mechinery and broadcast of warnings through AIR and Television. What agencies need to be involved ? Police Fire Ambulance Hospitals Clinics Doctors Red Cross Blood Banks Marine operations (are there bodies of water?) Coast guard Department of transportation Departments of environment (if there is clean-up involved) Airlines Rail companies Local transit companies Bus companies (in case of evacuation) Border services – if applicable The use of satellite, computers, electronics, better communication facilities are going to make significant difference in disaster management. The data processing and computers are providing a useful tool in decision making in disaster. When the disaster strikes, power goes out, all modes of communication (Telephone etc.) becomes inoperable, lifts stop functioning, when drinking water becomes contaminated, when normal modes of transportation suddenly becomes impossible, when casualties start coming in groups that is not the time for planning but that is the time of acting. SOME OF THE MAJOR DISASTER EVENTS IN INDIA Year Place Of Disasters in India Casualties Reported 1737 Earthquake Calcutta, India 3,00,000 1961 Floods India 1,000 1977 Cyclone Andhra Pradesh, India 10,000 1979 Flash Flood Gujrat, India 2,500 1984 Chemical Disaster Bhopal, India 2,500 1988 Train Accident Quilon, India (Injured) 300(500) 1988 Air Crash Ahmedabad, India 135 1993 13 Bomb Blasts In Mumbai, India. 250 1998 Train Accident Khanna, Pusa, India. 211 2001 Earthquake Bhuj Gujrat, India. 10,000 2003 Frontier Mail Fire Ludhiyana, Punjab, India 36 (14) 2003 2 Bomb Blasts In Mumbai, India. 45 2003 Cloud Burst Himanchal Pradesh, India. 41 2003 Stampede At Kumbh, Nasik, India. 35 (75) 2002 Terrorist’s Attack Kaluchak, Jammu. 23 2003 Terrorist’s Attack on Railway Station, Jammu 20 2004 Terrorist’s Attack on Railway Station, Jammu. 08 Communication facilities for disaster management system is most important act as it convey at the right time communication in disaster, it may handle disaster and helping to decrease it. Two type of information needs in disaster management Pre disaster information: Question arise that how to get pre disaster information? It is getting from the research and analysis department of the geography in the country. Post disaster information: After the disaster, our first job is to find out where and where it was occurs. What is the next step to help people? Now a days Satellite communication play a major role in disaster management communication. Communication facilities can be set up for rescue and relief operation purposes. That type of early warning system developed at the different area’s by itself. Here are the disaster communication facilities: DCWDS Digital Cyclone Warning Dissemination System set at Delhi and other coast area. It is for the pre disaster information. The WLL – VSAT system is in terms of handsets which can be easily taken inside of the affected areas and sends information by direct audio communication. The MSS Type C reporting terminal developed for the sending short messages directly through satellite in remote area. AES-SNG is a system which can send video pictures of the affected area for online review from the control center. Tele medicine: It is one more step for the disaster management communication. In this system, on line help can be provided from the hospital and super specialty doctors. Only connect up link to laptop or PC and get the online information about cure. Set up of a communications centre – who needs access and how would it operate (generators, supplies in case people need to staymore than 12 hours, etc). Resources : Ham Radio.pdf Satellite communication.pdf Disaster Management.pdf Disaster Management Satellite System Development.pdf Pocket Guide on First Aid http://www.icbse.com/projects/communication-facilities-disaster-management

American Strategic Culture

American Strategic Culture Introduction There is a strong notion among historians that every nation’s strategic culture has a connection with its society. The Strategy of any nation stems from its resources and features as well as its experience with history. It also depends on the society and the political structure and organization of the system. Past experiences of a nation give rise to a slowly conceived and evolved approach that finally defines the strategic culture.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on American Strategic Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considering the above factors that influence strategic culture, different nations have different strategic cultural policies. For instance the UK has historically favored the use of the navy in its military operations. Israel, considering its geographical size and history of hostility towards it, it has perfected the use of offensive operations, preemptive military strikes and t echnology in war. This paper will concentrate on the strategic culture of the US and how it applied in some of the major wars that the US has been involved in. By virtue of its being a super power, the US is prone to many challenges and threats that leave with no choice but have a strategic culture that is aimed at protecting its territory and people as well as ensuring survival of the nation for generations to come. According to Mahnken (2006, p. 4), American strategic culture has been shaped by free security that is underscored by exceptionalism. He adds that the country’s strategic cultures lays emphasis on open-minded idealism and believe wars as the downfall of policies. The strategic culture of the US is closely linked to the military culture that stresses on employment of direct strategies, an industrial approach to war as well as technology and firepower use in combat. In the American context therefore strategic culture is defined as the modes of thought and action in respect to force that is as a result of historical experiences of the nation and aspirations for self characterization (Mahnken, 2006, p. 4). There is often debate as to who are the drivers and keeper of a nation’s strategic interest. However, many scholars agree that the state and the military do play the crucial roles in implementing the strategies that are defined by the nation’s strategic culture. In the US the values of the nation in regard to the use of force represents the first level at which strategic culture is determined and kept.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The military’s engagement in armed conflicts presents the other level that strategic culture is kept and enforced. In the US both the first and second levels have been active in promoting the US strategic interest. The most important reasons have been either for the preservation of sove reignty, eliminating security threats and securing resources for the nation. In light of the above US strategic culture can be summed up as containing three biases that guide the use of military force. They include technology, avoidance of causalities and legal pragmatism (Theo, 2005, p.9) American strategic policy and major wars The American strategic culture developed greatly through a time when the world was involved in major wars like World War I World War II and the civil war. These were however disruptins to an otherwise peaceful American nation and period. The geographical location between two oceans, protection from the Royal forces and weak neighbors ensured limited American involvement in major conflicts (Toje, 2008, p.102). The situations conditioned American and their leadership that engaging in war is a deviation from the norm. Similarly American strategic culture grew to reject the European approach of actively engaging in power politics. The founding father of the US considered themselves and the nation exceptional and that ideal has been the basis of the US approach in its dealings to other nations. To that effect, the US considers its responsibility to actively engage even militarily in situation where aggressors through the use of force threaten universally agreed principles of the world like democracy. The strategy demand that the aggressor has no choice but surrender and it its place a democratic authority is installed. According to Mahnken (2006, p. 7), the rejection of power politics and the view that war is tantamount to discontinuation of policy has bred a dichotomy is ASC. Generally put, American strategic culture emphasizes on peace but if need arises, its morally upright to mobiles resources for the attainment of unlimited political gains and aims. For instance, President Lincoln and his generals fought to defeat the confederacy in the Civil War with the belief that their defeat was necessary for the good of the union.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on American Strategic Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The American Revolution is described as a conflict between the thirteen colonies and Britain’s that was a result of perceived mistreatment from the colonial master led by King George. The war ended in 1783 with the signing of the Paris treaty with the colonies declared independent. Both Americans and Englishmen held contrasting opinions of the ways the colonies and Britain should treat each other. The introduction of many acts that raised taxation and lack of representation of the colonies angered many leaders of the colonies and many felt they did not enjoy full rights as Englishmen. Though the thirteen colonies had not yet become the US, the common cause they fought for can translated to mean the British were the aggressors. Equal treatment is what they demanded, therefore the aggressor in this case Britain had to give in to there demand to independence which can be equated to regime change. The declaration of independence can be equated to victory for observance of world wide agreed norms like liberty and democracy which define American strategic culture. Territorial integrity and the right for sovereignty may have influenced the US to engage war with Mexico. Texas was originally Mexican territory. The admission of the state to the Union did not go down well with Mexican authorities. The attacks on American troops by Mexican forces compelled Americans to declare war on Mexico. Clearly there were a lot of strategic interests that Americans had to protect. There were unlimited political aims in the armed engagement with Mexico. The US was able to gain land that forms a large part of the current US territory. Conclusion It’s apparent that the twenty first century has presented numerous challenges to the American nation. The rise of new super powers, dwindling world resources and rising consumption, and the rise in global terrorism and religious extremism have influenced the modification of American Strategic Culture. It’s clear that there is a shift in the culture to include en explicit use of force to perpetuate the American empire through sowing American ideals and the control of resources. There are strong indications that the strategic culture of the US is moving towards the establishment of an empire and the original ideal of not dealing with other nations as partners, allies or enemies is fast waning.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Mahnken, G.T. (2006). American Strategic Culture: Defense Threat Reduction Agency Advanced Systems and Concepts Office. Retrieved from: www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/dtra/mahnken_strat_culture.pdf Theo, F. (2005).Strategic Culture and American Empire. SAIS Review, Volume 25, Number 2, Summer-Fall 2005, pp. 3-18. Retrieved from: muse.jhu.edu/journals/sais_review/v025/25.2farrell.html Toje, A. (2008). America, the EU and strategic culture: renegotiating the transatlantic bargain. New York: Routledge.

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Essay Example

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Essay Example Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Paper Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Paper One day sheikh Zayed asked by the journalist: â€Å" when you building this country, why did you give your people free education, health care and free services† Sheikh Zayed answered him: â€Å"I gave them free education, accommodation, health care and free services because they are my children. How you cut off from your own children’s expenses?† Sheikh Zayed was not only a president; he was a father, an adviser and a leader. He was close to his people; he sat among his people and listened to their needs, chatting and laughing with them. He didn’t put any barrier between him and his people. He could be termed as humble. Body The humble nature of this icon as well as his love for his people inspired him to bring change not only to his country but also to other citizens in other countries. He could be likened to a super hero who was always ready and willing to listen to the plight of the less fortunate and consequently do whatever was within his power to help these people. Thus, under his leadership a lot of charitable organizations were created that aimed at helping in one way or the other. One such example was the fact that he adopted as many orphans as possible not only in the EAU but also in other continents around the world. Other than his humanitarian efforts, the sheikh was a champion of environmental conservation efforts. For this, he received the champions of the earth award from the United Nations (NaÌ„diÌ„ TuraÌ„th al-ImaÌ„raÌ„t. et.al, 2001). His ability to combine wisdom with leadership was evidenced when he advocated that both the father and mother in a family set-up should share activity that would be parenthood. This opened up the doors for women to actively seek employment. He stated that Women have the right to work everywhere, he reasoned that Islam gives women their rightful status, and encourages them to work in all sectors, as long as they are afforded the appropriate respect. The basic role of women is the upbringing of children, but over and above that, we have to support and encourage any woman who chooses to perform other functions. making him not only a shrewd leader but also a great parent to his people. His wisdom extended to the policies that he created that were always in the best interest of his people. He shared the revenue brought in by oil to develop his people. These developments could be accessed by all his citizens and at no cost at all. He was not afraid of sharing the lands resources with his people (Morris, 1974). Furthermore his wisdom was responsible for the creation of peace without having to resort to bloodshed as was the case in the treaty of Jeddah. His role as an insightful advisor played an important role in negotiations that he always made whether to benefit his own people or other countries in the world. His ability to provide solutions for even the toughest problem was impeccable. One such success was his key contribution in the formation of the EAU. Conclusion Sheikh Zayed was a leader like no other. He never looked down at people because of their station, gender, religion, ethnicity or even race. To him, humanity was what mattered in the long run. While the whole world benefited in one way or the other through this leaders virtuous personality, the people of EAU were the luckiest to have been under his leadership. Thank you everyone for listening References Morris, C. (1974). The desert falcon: The story of H. H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahiyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. London: Morris International. NaÌ„diÌ„ TuraÌ„th al-ImaÌ„raÌ„t., Markaz ZaÌ„yid lil-TuraÌ„th wa-al-TaÌ„riÌ„kh. (2001). Zayed, a photographic journey: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Abu Dhabi: Emirates Heritage Club, and Zayid Center for Heritage and History.

Pancreatic cancer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pancreatic cancer - Research Paper Example Pancreatic cancer is known to be a lethal cancer which accounts for the fourth most renowned cancer which causes death in the United States of America. It starts with lesions in the epitheliums and may later on go to become invasive enough to cause death. This research essay would further revolve around the epidemiology, etiology and pathogenesis of the pancreatic cancer. Pancreas is a complex gland having both exocrine and endocrine functions. The organ has a very important role to play in the digestion of substances in the body but as the pancreas has a retroperitoneal location it does not show the progression of diseases in the initial stages. Thus it is very hard to detect diseases of pancreas in the initial stages. The exocrine part of the gland secretes digestive enzymes which help in digesting food particles whereas the endocrine portion secretes only a limited number of enzymes such as insulin and glucagon. The major abnormalities caused by the non-functioning of the endocrine portion of the pancreas are diabetes mellitus and neoplasms. And the major diseases caused by the exocrine portion are related to the inflammation of the pancreas itself (Catalano et al 2009). With latest researches being carried out much has become known about many cancers but the exact cause of pancreatic cancer is yet to be found. Most of the individuals suffering from pancreatic cancer are adults who are above 60 (Gold & Goldin 1998). Many factors have been studied in relation to the pancreatic cancer and it has been found that smoking is one of the foremost external influence which can trigger the cancer (Gold & Goldin 1998). Similarly inflammation of pancreas is also known to be an important factor that may cause the cancer (Lowenfels et al 1997). However some individuals do argue that it is because of the pancreatic cancer that the inflammation of pancreas occurs. As all cancers are related to genetics, pancreatic cancer is also known to be associated with the relative