Oppose National Identification Cards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oppose National Identification Cards - Essay Example Ultimately, the Act was intended to prevent terrorism by creating rigorous and consistent standards with regard to state-issued IDs for all the states to follow. States are commissioned to renovate the drivers’ licenses and non-drivers’ identification cards such that uniform security features could be included in them across the whole country (PFAW Capitol Hill). The law repealed Section 7212 under Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, a regulation targeting the issue of national standards for drivers’ licenses and personal identification cards where minimum standards were set and certain information were disclosed in the identification cards left to each of the states’ discretion, thus sacrificing the consistency of the categories and criteria on who are eligible to obtain the drivers’ licenses across the whole country. The new law as such reformed this by replacing each of all the states standards with a specific national one ( Hann). Technically, states are not mandated to accept these federal standards. But, refusing to do so would mean that their residents would be refused employment, then denied having social security or disallowed air travel. In a sense, instead of imposing a direct order on the states, the federal government is threatening them into complying underhandedly. Combating terrorism is the primary reason behind all these. But, proponents of these are actually forgetting that the criminals do not care about laws, not so much as to breaking them anyway. A terrorist would not so much bat an eyelash when he is not going to be dutifully able to obtain a federal ID card. People who disregarded the nation’s immigration laws would not care so much if they were to disrespect these ID requirements, especially when any card can be forged and any regulating agency could

The Development of Investment Banking in Hong Kong Research Paper

The Development of Investment Banking in Hong Kong - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that investment banking is a type of financial service dealings with the creation of capital for other companies and co-operation. Investment banks underwrite new debts and equity securities for corporations.   They also offer guidance to issuers of security and placement of stock. In addition, they foresee sales of securities in some cases. Investment banks also take part in the mergers, acquisitions, reorganization and broker trades for firms and private investors.   A distinction feature between investment banking and commercial banking is that investment banks do not deal in cash deposits. Corporate finance is the fundamental aspect of investment banking; it also entails helping customers raise funds in capital markets. The banks also provide their customers with supplementary services such as market making, trading of derivatives, commodities as well as fixed income instruments. However, there are some instances where the bank exis ts as a part of a commercial bank but as a chief commercial banker. There are two categories or classes of investment banks based on their mode of operation. This is more relevantly defined as branches of operation in investment banking. The first is simply referred to as the ‘Sell Side’; it carries out functions such as trading securities for an exchange of cash or other securities. Under this section, the bank facilitates transactions and promotes securities and market making services. The other category is the â€Å"Buy Side†. It is concerned with the provision of guidance and advice. It deals with purchasing of investment services. Some of the organizations that deal with this category include unit trusts, insurance companies, private equity funds and mutual funds. The banking system can also be split into private and public functions. This comes to play when there is information barrier which makes the two sections separate since there is no information cros sing to either side of the system. The private section deals with private insider information; under no circumstance should this kind of information be disclosed to the public. The public section, on the other hand, deals with public information such as analysis of the stock, which is suitable for public consumption. The origin of investment banks in Hong Kong can be traced back to 1865 when major financial activities were carried out by HSBC. This was a name derived from Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, who were the founding members of the modern group. The bank was owned by business communities of China cost in 1869. During this period financial trade in the region was not yet developed and most banking activities were still handled by Europeans or Hongs, instead of professional bankers. However, people began to venture in entrepreneurship raising the demand of larger and more sophisticated banking facilities and services. The citizens in Hong  Kong particularly neede d a specialized banking system, which was preferably owned and managed locally. After being colonized the British the colony has rapidly become a regional hub for trade in South Asia. Also due to its strategic location in a gateway of China Hong Kong has become the most important financial center in the world and attracting a huge number of investors from all over the world in its investment banking system. The industry has been modernized and conditions set that would see investment banking flourishing. This is due to the low tax rates and also considerable economic rise are key factors that have to lead to the modernization of investment banking in Hong Kong. Hong Kong harbors the best investment banks in the region which have developed over the historic period of banking evolution. It provides regional leaders, with dedicated teams of professionals serving a wide range of clients.

Programmable Logic Controller Essay Example for Free

Programmable Logic Controller Essay To respond to these phenomenal changes, we introduce the second edition of Programmable Controllers: Theory and Implementation. This second edition, like the first, provides a comprehensive theoretical, yet practical, look at all aspects of PLCs and their associated devices and systems. However, this version goes one step further with new chapters on advanced PLC topics, such as I/O bus networks, fuzzy logic, the IEC 1131-3 programming standard, process control, and PID algorithms. This new edition also presents revised, up-to-date information about existing topics, with expanded graphics and new, hands-on examples. Furthermore, the new layout of the book—with features like two-tone graphics, key terms lists, well-defined headings and sections, callout icons, and a revised, expanded glossary— makes the information presented even easier to understand. This new edition has been a labor-intensive learning experience for all those involved. As with any task so large, we could never have done it alone. Luis Bryan holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree, both from the University of Tennessee. His major areas of expertise are digital systems, electronics, and computer engineering. During his graduate studies, Luis was involved in several projects with national and international governmental agencies. Luis has extensive experience in the field of programmable controllers. He was involved in international marketing activities, as well as PLC applications development, for a major programmable controller manufacturer. He also worked for a consulting firm, providing market studies and companyspecific consultations about PLCs. Furthermore, Luis has given lectures and seminars in Canada, Mexico, and South America about the uses of programmable controllers. He continues to teach seminars to industry and government entities, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Luis is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the IEEE’s instrument and computer societies. He is a senior member of the Instrument Society of America, as well as a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Eta Kappa Nu electrical engineering honor society. Luis has coauthored several other books about programmable controllers. E RIC B RYAN Eric Bryan graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering degree, concentrating in digital design and computer architecture. He received a Master of Science in Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he participated in a special computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) program. Eric’s specialties are industrial automation methods, flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), and artificial intelligence. He is an advocate of artificial intelligence implementation and its application in industrial automation. Eric worked for a leading automatic laser inspection systems company, as well as a programmable controller consulting firm. His industrial experience includes designing and implementing large inspection systems, along with developing PLC-based systems. Eric has coauthored other publications about PLCs and is a member of several professional and technical societies.

Conventional Wisdom Society

Conventional Wisdom Society Introduction The term conventional wisdom is one that has raised a flurry of social indecisions in the past and the present. John Kenneth Galbraith coined it the year 1958. It refers to the belief that is now being propagated amongst the society until it is now believed to be true by the society or around certain domains. This term refers to beliefs, rumors that have for a long time been propagated around the society. This term is referred to as outdated because the issues being raised are not validated by any method be it scientific, mathematical or any other way that may prove that they are true or are of any significance to society as a whole. This is true until now because as we can see it today, reports that are being flouted it the public domain about certain individuals or certain issues that affect the society stay on so long that that people tend to believe more in the rumors than concentrate on the issues that affect the society. Therefore it means that the rumors can change as time goe s by depending on the keepers of the outdated information. However, because of the impact conventional wisdom has had on the society at large, and now that it has found its way in to the academic and professional fields, it is fare that it is pinned in the annals of history as a topic that can be used to accredit things that have taken place in the past (around 1838) and be able to make appropriate studies today. This term might be true or not true, but regardless of the real meaning of the story, one may be mesmerized by the kind of reception that the information is given by the society. The big question that begs is, â€Å"how does conventional wisdom make its way in our society?† The conventional wisdoms are deposed, phased out by new ideas, and the new conventional wisdom is treated in the same breadth in place of the preceding one, there may yet be some remaining connection to the previous system. Impact of conventional theory in the society Conventional theory has instigated high controversies especially in professions and academic circlers. It is a great barrier to formation of new theories and hypotheses. This is because it provides a view that is outdated and yet society seems to have embraced it. However in other circles like the religious and social circles, it acts as a pillar that is leaned on to enhance interactions between persons that share similar beliefs and values. Debate is still high on whether to embrace the concept of conventional wisdom amongst us as a people. Reasons why conventional wisdom still exists People have heard of one issue or another as being told since they were born. Many stories have been told, for example the story on Robinson hood and his excellence as a hero who promotes heroic stunts that are against the law but still manage to survive. The society in which a person lives Because people tend to remain innovative and creative, one may fin an assessment of a certain topic to be almost the same as other issues that are real in the natural world. Because of such kind of an assessment, the individual tends to believe more in this finding and influence other people closer to him to create sense out of the issues that this individual is trying to portray to them. There is also the issue of role models. Nowadays any person that is successful in our society is regard as a role model for the younger generation without regard for the details about the person. This people find easy targets in the people who look up to them because they can easily spread conventional wisdom on the issues that may be of great interest in their opinion Media and public creative arts performances People may also try to stick to some kind of belief because it was presented in the media or some kind of broadcast that has been trusted by society as informative. This is a very strong force to reckon with especially in the 21st century. The modern world relies on the media for almost most information that they need to know. For this reason, the media has been granted the ‘god status, as all information is taken in without criticism. The cinema halls are joining in, because most people now enjoy their leisure time in the cinemas. The cinema has been know as a mode of passing educative information to the public. It means if the cinema has some information that is not true, m some individuals may sanction it as holy and carry it as the truth. Examples of conventional wisdom Conventional Wisdom about Religion and Politics Religion acts as course if inspirational source for the public. People frequent the places of worship to find messages that can uplift their way of life starting from the spiritual life, to politics and other issues in the society. The religious leaders take these opportunities to assert some this that they believe should be the way society has to be shaped towards thus creating the effect that will soon are felt all across the society. The preachers educate the large audiences in the worship centers and mobilize the crowds towards certain premeditated directions. Today in the churches, there are several politically sensitive messages that are delivered in sermons all frequently and in broader terms that could not be thought of by the normal person. It is in view of the majority of religious individuals that these kinds of message are meant to solve social injustices and social values that change humanity. However, this fact has led to the dissemination of certain information to the public domain that is continually affecting the political scene all over the world. The church today is made up of an open loop of people who are bound by very strong beliefs also influenced by the frequent interactions that they have within the church fraternity (Carter, I. J.). These groups of people form a unit of persons with motivation driven by common values and perceptions about different issues that take place in the society today. Churches are the highest centers where conventional wisdom are passed most (White 1968). The conventional wisdoms are deposed, phased out by new ideas, and the new conventional wisdom is treated in the same breadth in place of the preceding one, there may yet be some remaining connection to the previous system. Conventional wisdom on education According to Thomas Jefferson, the process of schooling today was based on the principle of use of force. In this case students are forced to go to school, take assignments, and sit for exams and in worse scenarios, the admittance of students to schools through coercion (Koller, N. B. 2005). In defying this conventional wisdom he provides a seven step plan of action which would guide the education system in the state of Massachusetts. According to Jefferson, a school going child has only three years to fully grasp the general concepts of life that would enable him to make judgments, do arithmetic problems and accumulate enough history to enable the to be able to be better judges of their actions and those of the people that are around them. Conventional wisdom on economics Forecasting is always the norm in the economics. Forecasting in economics is an important concept that may be used in realizing new developments than are likely to occur in the market to prevent against unforeseen complications. In depth research has been made on the kind of research that is being conducted by the scientists be it formal or informal. Scientist who carry out the forecasting of economic trends often insist that they can make consistent and true predictions fore the market as long as the trends in the market continue in a similar manner. Conventional wisdom has always been that the forecasters are the only persons who can deduce the trends of the market. However, contrary to this outdated notion is that the trends in the market depend on a number of factors that are natural and cannot be based on numerical values par se. They have difficulty in identifying the changes in the market trends. The idea is to forecast how trends will change and more important is the time, economy scientists have failed at achieving this forecast (Cocker et al. 81). There is the conventional wisdom that the human population is growing highly and they might just overwhelm the resources that are available on earth. Furthermore these claims were complemented by the fact that the human race may be consuming this resource to their death. This notion tries to send the message that the world is locked with a static amount of resources that might just be used up so nothing remains of it There are several errors in this argument, since it has not been proven. However the human population has continued to believe in this notion.  This argument is erroneous because of the assumption that the population in the world continues growing while the resources remain static. Nevertheless the continued growth of the human population results into more knowledge and more provision of labor in the market. We are also thinkers, creators, and producers.   When there are more people, there are new ideas and overall productivity/efficiency increases.   With more people we can do things more efficiently, using fewer resources in the process. In addition, there is the process of substitution.   When there is shortage of certain resources in the market in creates avenues for price rises, creating an inducement to alternate a cheaper resource in the market. Entrepreneurs find substitutes and use them to cover the shortage. The important factor is that the purpose of the product is not lost at any cost by the scarcity of the other.  In the sixties the industries and experts said that the world was running out of copper wires. There was an increase on the prices of the copper. Research was the initiated into alternative ways of transmitting information. It can also be noted that the plastics replaced the use of metal when there was worries that the metal could run out.  Many examples exist and will continue reoccurring in new forms that cannot be predicted for now (Dixoon Research). Advantage of the existence of conventional wisdom It has created legend acting as a subject identified to them. It is use to gauge normative characteristics in individuals within the context of professionals. It provides an opportunity for bonding and interaction within the society and in professional fields. Disadvantages It propagates a culture which induces lack of growth since in acts as a hindrance to development. Their existence only provides an opportunity for more new conventional theories It reduces the opportunity for innovation and creating since the inventions tend to be pegged on these conventional wisdoms. Conclusions and recommendations The world today is different smaller units which are connected by social interactions and collaborations. There are also many issues that affect the world today ranging from politics, religion, environment and health. It is in the best interest of humanity and the world as a whole to focus on these issues and provide solutions to them. By perpetuating conventional theories in certain sectors hinder the progress for provision of solutions. In some sectors there is observation of high interactions and collaborations. Therefore the human population should be able to distinguish when and where to entertain these conventional theories for the betterment of the world as a whole. Works cited Carter, I. J. Applicant study and professional sociology: Transposition and transformation depictions of daily life. Existing Viewpoints in Social Theory 5:71-100. 1984. Cocker et al. Unconventional perspectives of political conduct: Churches, neighborhoods, and individuals. Journal of Politics 25(3): 81. 1993. Dixoon Research. The Effectiveness of conventional wisdom: objective approach 2000. 28 july.2008. http://www. dixoonresearch.co.uk Koller, N. B. 2005. 28 july.2008. http://www.currentsocietalview.gov.uk/legislation/equal_op_act.htm

Self Against Fate Essay -- essays research papers

In the epic poem, Beowulf, we discover a new way of looking at life. The poem, which was written by an unknown author, depicts life as a journey that is set out for you by God, one that is unchangeable and indefinite. Beowulf as a character is a marvelous person, however, not even he with all his power and might can change his destiny. We as people today base our lives around the same thoughts and ideas. No one knows when our last day will be to step foot on earth. Every second of every minute could be our last. We are sent to Earth by God with a purpose, and only we as individuals can determine that purpose after we have truly, fully lived. In the epic poem, Beowulf, Beowulf himself acts as the epic hero in defeating all evil to uphold the glory and safety of his people as fate would allow him with each struggle. Throughout the play, we find Beowulf constantly having to defend himself in the fight not only against three horrid monsters, but the fight against fate. Beowulf starts out the poem as a young man, full of pride and honor. As he ages, his wisdom and capabilities excel while his final destiny draws nearer. The slaughter he takes not only brutalizes him physically, but takes a mental toll on his life in terms of time. â€Å"Physical and moral evil can be challenged and overcome, but the ultimate evil (perhaps at its extremity, age and death) cannot be avoided. Beowulf slays his antagonist and transcends his own death. By dying as he lived, he is a model for triumph in th...

Code Switching in Language Acquisition Essay -- English Language Essay

Code Switching in Language Acquisition The acquisition of English as a non-native language proves quite problematic for some individuals. Because English was developed using modifications and borrowed words from scores of fundamentally different languages, it would seem to be a language which most peoples of the world could easily acquire. There should always be something about the language and structure that reflects an individual’s native tongue – whether it be phonology, syntax, or semantics. However, the very fact that English incorporates an international lexicon with the respective varied syntactical applications makes English a fairly difficult language to acquire. Research by Cummins (1987) focuses on the length of time needed to acquire English. To achieve the Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) level, a learner must study English from one to two years. However, to acquire the higher Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), it takes five to seven years. In the acquisition of English, a normal linguistic behavior is the embedding of words or phrases from the native language into spoken English. This is called code switching. â€Å"Baker (1993) lists 10 purposes for code switches: (1) to emphasize a point, (2) because a word is unknown in one of the languages, (3) for ease and efficiency of expression, (4) as a repetition to clarify, (5) to express group identity and status and/or to be accepted by a group, (6) to quote someone, (7) to interject in a conversation, (8) to exclude someone, (9) to cross social or ethnic boundaries, and (10) to ease tension in a conversation† (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 2002). It is my opinion that the frequency of the use of code switching as well as the purposes for... ...er the changing form of the English language over time. As new cultures and languages converged through the millennia to develop into the English with which we are familiar today, how much impact did code switching have on the eventual integration of words from other sources? How much time and how large a population of different languages would be needed to change a lexicon? In how short a time could such a change occur? The opportunity to ponder these questions might not have occurred without the benefit of having taken this course, History of the English Language. Works Cited: Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49 (2), 222-251. Diaz-Rico, L. T. & Weed, K. Z. (2002). The cross-cultural, language, and academic development handbook. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Employee Empowerment Essay

The empowered employee is said to respond more quickly to customer service requests, act to rectify complaints and be more engaged in service encounters. A more reflective approach suggests there are different managerial perceptions of empowerment, resulting in empowerment being introduced in different service organisations in different ways, and presenting different benefits to managers and working experiences for the empowered. This paper suggests that a framework of analysis needs to be developed which goes beyond the more simplistic claims which tend to discuss empowerment as that which is labelled empowerment. The success or failure of an initiative which claims to be empowering will be determined by the experience of being empowered. Employee empowerment in services 169 Introduction Employee empowerment has been hailed as a management technique which can be applied universally across all organisations as a means of dealing with the needs of modern global business (Barry, 1993: Johnson, 1993; Foy, 1994), and across all industrial sectors. However, the service sector is said to involve a unique cluster of tension which managers, employees and customers have to address (Heskett et al. 1990), and the empowerment of employees is an approach which has been advocated for service sector management (Sternberg, 1992; Lockwood, 1996). Investigation of the use of empowerment in service sector organisations reveals a number of different forms of empowerment being applied in practice. These different approaches evidence a range of managerial meanings being applied which are based on different perceptions of business problems, motives for introducing empowerment and perceived benefits to be gained from empowerment. The fact that empowerment can be used as a term to describe different initiatives provides a convenient rhetoric which suggests that empowerment is â€Å"in principle a good thing† and produces a â€Å"win-win† situation for employees and managers. In part these different perceptions of the service need and the appropriate match with the management of employees, is a consequence of the different service offers being made to customers. Some service offers require employees to exercise discretion in detecting and delivering customer service needs. In other cases, the service offer is highly standardised and require employees to practise service delivery in â€Å"the one best Personnel Review, Vol. 28 No. 3, 1999, pp. 169-191. # MCB University Press, 0048-3486 Personnel Review 28,3 170 way†. Reflection on both the specific applications entitled â€Å"empowerment† and on variations in the characteristics of the service offer, question the somewhat simplistic claims for the universality of empowerment, and the supposed benefits which ensue. This paper is based on a cluster of research projects which have investigated different approaches to empowerment in similar service businesses: Harvester Restaurants, TGI Fridays and McDonald’s Restaurants Limited operate branded restaurant chains. All are to some extent â€Å"McDonaldized† (Ritzer, 1993), they use highly standardised menus, â€Å"one best way† production techniques which assist in the delivery of consistency and predictability to customers. That said, these organisations differ in the service offer to customers, particularly in the extent that employees exercise discretion to meet customer service needs. The approach outlined in the paper is informed by these cases studies, though the key concern of the paper is to establish a framework for understanding empowerment in the service sector which questions the universalistic and evangelical claims of some of the advocates of empowerment. This framework of analysis suggests that there is a need to approach the study of empowerment in a systematic manner which goes beyond the label. According to Conger and Kanungo (1988) empowerment describes working arrangements which engage the empowered at an emotional level. They istinguish between concepts of empowerment which are relational and motivational. As a relational concept empowerment is concerned with issues to do with management style and employee participation. As a motivational construct empowerment is individual and personal, it is about discretion, autonomy, power and control. This motivational aspect to empowerment becomes the defining feature of the initiative. The empowered must feel a sense of personal worth, with the ability to effect outcomes and having the power to make a difference (van Oudtshoorn and Thomas, 1993; Johnson, 1993). Advocates of empowerment claim that employee empowerment helps firms to enthuse and enable employees to take responsibility for the service encounter (Barbee and Bott, 1991). The paper identifies four different types, or managerial intentions, for empowering employees, which in turn impact on the precise form the arrangements take. Following from this, and so as to better understand the detailed changes in working arrangements which claim to be empowering, the paper provides a five dimensional framework of analysis. By contrasting and comparing the detail of the changes to what the newly empowered employee can now do, it is possible to establish the boundaries and limits which are placed on empowerment in any particular context. Given the need to engage employees at an emotional level and to generate the appropriate feelings about the service encounter, the impact of each initiative on the employee is a crucial ingredient in meeting the objectives set. This paper suggests that there are likely to be a number of factors which generate positive or negative feelings about a particular initiative. At root this will be concerned with the empowered employee’s perception of the state rather Employee than the form of empowerment. Investigation into empowerment must, empowerment in therefore, incorporate an analysis of how individuals feel about the result of services being empowered. Finally this paper suggests that beneath the rhetoric of empowerment, service firms are in different positions in relation to their customers and markets, and 171 this will impact on how managers perceive and interpret empowerment. Factors such as the degree of customisation/standardisation and the relative importance of tangibles/intangibles in customer satisfaction are likely to be influential in determining the locus of control of employee performance. Empowerment in the service sector Interest in employee empowerment in service industry firms has been associated with many of the key issues related to employment practices in general, namely in gaining competitive advantage through improved service quality. Paradoxically, however, attempts to gain competitive advantage through service quality can present some major problems for service operators. In the first instance, there are difficulties in defining the successful service encounter, particularly in the intangible sources of customer satisfaction. Customers vary considerably in their expectations of service quality (Rust and Oliver, 1994). Indeed individual customers may define and re-define their needs from service deliverers as their circumstances, experiences and expectations change. In turn, customer evaluation of a successful service encounter, and thereby repeat visits, will be a product of the extent to which their experience matches their expectations (Foulkes, 1994). Whilst there are these difficulties in defining successful encounters, many writers agree that â€Å"front line staff† (Johnston, 1989; Horovirz and Cudenne-Poon, 1990; Barbee and Bott, 1991) play a crucial role in the service encounter. There are in fact, some base level customer expectations of employee performance, positive interpersonal contacts, service deliverer attitudes, courtesy and helpfulness that are all closely related to customer evaluations of service quality (Adelmann et al. 1994). Hence human resources management and the strategies needed to engage employees emotionally in the objective of customer service take on a new and urgent meaning. This leads to the second difficulty for service deliverers. Unlike other resources used within an organisation there is a problem in predicting the levels of output, efficiency and general effectiveness which will be the outcome of a given level of labour employed. Human resources can be uniquely unstable. Under certain circumstances they physically leave the organisation, they may collectively resist management instructions or individually just not give â€Å"a fair days work for a fair days pay†. Clearly, these are problems shared by all employers but given the pivotal role of service delivery employees these issues are of particular concern to service sector employers. The response of many employers in the sector has been to look to manufacturing industry for models of control which minimised the significance Personnel Review 28,3 172 of individual idiosyncrasies. What Levitt called the â€Å"production-line approach to service† (1972) or the â€Å"industrialisation of service† (1976). Based on essentially Taylorist (1947) views of job design, they establish standardised procedures and one best way of doing each task. In many cases this extended to scripting the interaction with clients and left little to the discretion of the individual service deliverers. The consequence of this has been the rapid growth of organisations specialising in high volume, mass produced, standardised services which minimised the significance of labour inputs (Bowen and Lawler, 1992) in the delivery of predictable tangible and intangible product attributes to customers. Ritzer’s (1993) somewhat overblown comments about the â€Å"McDonaldization of Society† are little more than observations about the application of manufacturing techniques to the production of mass services, which are themselves but one of a number of service offers (Wood, 1997). Whilst this strategy was tremendously successful over the two decades preceding 1990, many of these operators now see the limits of standardisation and control. A point largely ignored by Ritzer. Apart from high labour turnover which has been endemic in many of these firms, any attempt to compete on service quality cuts across the rigidities of the production line approach. Firstly, even the most standardised operation encounters occasions when customer service needs are difficult to predict and a quick response is needed at the point of the service encounter. A small child in a family group at a McDonald’s is getting restive and the quick intervention of a crew member with a balloon or a hat calms the child. A customer knocks over his coffee in a Welcome Break and the service operative replaces it without charge. Whilst these responses may well be prescribed in operational manuals, they still require employees to act with initiative and discretion. The intangible element of the service encounter requires some form employee of participation, even in highly standardised and Tayloristic situations. The second problem is in the quality of the service encounter itself. Hochschild’s (1983) work with air stewardesses reveals much in common with â€Å"the commercialisation of feelings† across the service sector in general. She makes the point that seeming to love the job becomes part of the job; and managing the appropriate feelings of enjoyment of the customer helps the worker in this effort. Fineman (1993) also comments on the interplay between feelings and performance in service interactions. Enabling employees to sense their own power and the significance of their role in the service drama may help employees manage the emotions required of their performance. It is here that empowerment of employees seems to offer the prize of generating feelings of commitment to the service encounter (Barbee and Bott, 1991) with the appropriate amount of power and the freedom to use that power (van Oudtshoorn and Thomas, 1993) to meet customer needs as they arise. The extract below is from a series of advertisements by Marriott Hotels which make play of the benefits of empowered employees. It highlights the aspirations for empowerment. Here the night porter’s feelings of commitment to â€Å"delighting the customer† perfectly match the organisation’s commitment to its clients. The Employee advertisement also confirms that empowerment, service quality and empowerment in organisational attempts to gain competitive advantage through improved services service quality are entwined in some operations. It was more than considerate of the Marriott night porter to trace my lost wallet  ± it meant he had to re-trace my entire journey through Vienna. All I could remember was that I’d been travelling on a Southern District streetcar. Miraculously, from this tiny piece of information, the night porter from the Marriott hotel managed to trace the route I’d travelled, the particular streetcar I was on, and my wallet. I was astonished that he went out of his way so much to help me. But, as I now know, everyone at Marriott works this way. personally assuming responsibility for the needs of every guest. It’s called Empowerment. And thankfully, they never seem to find anything too much trouble. (Always in the Right Place at the Right Time, Marriott). 173 For the advocates of empowerment, empowered employees willingly take responsibility for the service encounter, they respond more quickly to customer needs, complaints and changes in customer tastes (Barbee and Bott, 1991). The organisation will experience lower labour turnover (Cook, 1994), there will be high staff morale and employees will take responsibility for their own performance and its improvement (Barry, 1993). Employees’ inherent skills and talents will be put to work for the organisation (Ripley and Ripley, 1993) so as to produce more satisfied customers (Johns, 1993) and greater profits (Plunkett and Fournier, 1991). Research methods The observations reflected in this paper are based on case studies of three organisations who make different service offers to their customers, and who manage their employees in different ways. Each is attempting to empower employees to take responsibility for the service encounter, though each expects employees to exercise discretion in different ways. The case studies provide a valuable context through which to explore employment practice in context (Hartley, 1994), though these are published in detail in other publications (Lashley, 1995; Ashness and Lashley, 1995; Lashley, 1997). This paper reflects on the findings from the case studies to build the framework for analysing empowerment. In each case, the study involved semi-structured interviews with senior managers to explore their perceptions of empowerment, intentions for the initiative and the perceived benefits ensuing from the changes. Interviews were also conducted with the immediate line managers of the empowered. Again the intention was to explore the detail of the changes on the ground, and most importantly the practical responses from both middle managers and those line managers whose role might have been changed by the introduction of empowerment. Finally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the â€Å"empowered†, that is the subjects of the initiative. In particular, the study explored their perceptions of the changes, the boundaries in which they had to operate and the extent to which employees developed a sense of personal efficacy. Personnel Review 28,3 174 The semi-structured interviews identified key themes which needed to be explored with each respondent. For managers and those responsible for introducing and managing the initiative (the empowering), the questioning explored the background to the change in the way the organisation was to be managed  ± perceived problems and views as to what contribution empowerment ould make to overcoming the problems. Having established the managerial intentions for empowerment, interviewees were asked to describe the form of empowerment and the changes in working arrangements which ensued. They were then asked to comment on the success and weakness of the changes, and comment on any plans for the future development of the approach. For the supposedly empowered, questioning followed similar broad themes but from their perspective. In other words, to what extent did they share managerial views of problems and benefits of empowerment? They were asked to comment on how the nature of their work had changed and how they felt about it. Fundamentally did they feel empowered? Flowing from this, the interviews explored changes in work behaviour and their perceptions of the benefits and limitations of the initiative. Table I shows the total number of interviews in each of the three case study organisations. The table indicates the number of interviews that were conducted with â€Å"empowering† and the â€Å"empowered† in each organisation. The case studies which inform this paper were founded on an approach which suggests that empowerment needs to be based on the systematic exploration of each aspect of empowerment. The more evangelical claims suggest that empowerment of employees will result in an almost automatic improvement in organisational performance (Foy, 1994; Stewart, 1994). These models are simplistic and do not take into account, different managerial intentions, different forms introduced, differences in what employees can now do, different needs of employees to feel empowered and different impacts on the resulting performance exercised by employees. It is more likely that a multistage model is needed to analyse initiatives and outcomes. Figure 1 suggests a model for studying empowerment which assumes that the organisational benefits will not be a simple and direct trade-off. Managerial perceptions of what empowerment is and the benefits it is supposed to deliver will shape the form that is introduced (quality circles, autonomous groups, etc. ), which in turn will shape what employees can now do that they did not do before the change. This in turn has an impact on the feelings of those empowered, do they Number of interviews with â€Å"empowering† 11 8 11 Number of interviews with â€Å"empowered† 28 38 25 Organisation Table I. Numbers of interviews in three case study organisations Harvester Restaurants McDonald’s Restaurants TGI Friday Restaurants Managerial intentions Forms of empowerment Change in working arrangements The state of empowerment Change in work behaviour Organisation objectives: – improved service quality – increased service productivity – reduced labour turnover Employee empowerment in services 175 Figure 1. The form, state and outcomes of empowerment experience the state of empowerment, and if they do, does the state of empowerment result in improved work performance which then results in the desired organisational objective? Managerial intentions for empowerment Once we move away from the generalised claims for empowerment it is possible to see that the term itself is being used to describe a wide variety of practice in service delivery. In the Accor group of hotels, for example, empowerment has been used to describe the use of quality circles (Barbee and Bott, 1991); in McDonald’s Restaurants, suggestion schemes (Bowen and Lawler, 1992); â€Å"Whatever it Takes† employee training programmes in Scott’s Hotels (Hubrecht and Teare, 1993); employee involvement in devising departmental service standards in Hilton International Hotels (Hirst, 1991); autonomous work groups and removal of levels of management in Harvester Restaurants (Pickard, 1993); and the delegation of greater authority to service managers in British Telecom (Foy, 1994). Investigation of these specific initiatives reveals that there is considerable overlap between employee empowerment, employee participation, employee involvement and even employee commitment. Often these terms are used interchangeably (Collins, 1994; Cotton, 1993; Denton, 1994; Plunkett and Fournier, 1991). Thus quality circles, autonomous work groups, suggestion schemes and various employee share ownership programmes are frequently discussed under these different headings without defining the boundaries between them. Clearly, these initiatives do have similar antecedents in that they aim to meet, in varying ways, the individual employee’s psychological needs (Watson, 1986). In addition there is similarity in the intended outcomes. Marchington et al. (1992) say that employee involvement is used to describe initiatives which are largely designed and initiated by management and intended to improve communication with employees, generate greater commitment and enhance employee contributions to the organisation. This Personnel Review 28,3 176 might equally be said of the intentions for employee empowerment (Sewell and Wilkinson, 1992). Indeed empowerment is an integral feature of the â€Å"soft† version of human resource management (Legge, 1995). Watson (1986) suggests that employment strategy tends to wax and wane between managerial concern for control over employee performance and concern for employee commitment. Whilst this is a useful metaphor which does indeed suggest that employment strategy is both dynamic and political, it does suggest that a shift towards employee commitment results in less organisational control. A view frequently expressed by line mangers is that empowerment of subordinates will result in a loss of control. In reality empowerment as an employment strategy is concerned with both commitment and control of employees. It is more a shift in the locus of control (Friedman, 1977). Figure 2 provides a model which suggests that different employment strategies might shift the locus of control along a continuum between externally imposed control of the individual to internally generated self control. In effect employee empowerment, â€Å"increases [top management’s] control whilst creating the impression of lessening it† (Robbins, 1983, p. 67). Under this model, production line approaches to service delivery rely largely on imposed external controls in which employee commitment is less significant for effective performance, it is typical of Edwards’ (1979) â€Å"technological control†. Employee empowerment, in its more participative form, is more reliant on internalised self-control, where the employee works to the desired standard and controls their own performance accordingly (Salaman, 1979). Personal commitment to these standards then becomes a crucial ingredient. The empowered employee has much in common with Friedman’s (1977) employee with â€Å"responsible autonomy†. Having said that, it is possible to detect variations in the locus of control implied within different definitions of empowerment. Bowen and Lawler (1991), suggest that empowerment is defined as â€Å"management strategies for sharing decision making power† (p. 49). Others (Barbee and Bott, 1991) define empowerment as being â€Å"the act of vesting substantial responsibility in the people nearest the problem† (p. 28). These two different phrases reflect more than mere semantic differences. They reflect different assumptions about the nature of empowerment and the power of the empowered. The first implies a shift in authority whilst the second is concerned with a shift in responsibility. Traditional Technological Social Self Organisation Structure and Procedures Technology Leadership/ Management Style Work Groups Empowerment Professionalism Figure 2. Employment strategies and the locus of control External Control Internal Control My own investigation in the hospitality sector suggests that there are probably Employee four distinct but overlapping managerial intentions for empowerment (Lashley, empowerment in 1994). These are summarised in Table II. In principle they reflect the variations services in the assumptions discussed above, but there do appear a range of managerial intentions which have their roots in other initiatives mentioned earlier. For this reason the four categories are labelled with terms which reflect their 177 antecedents. There are three types of managerial intentions for empowerment of operatives. Empowering through participation is closely related to the Bowen and Lawler definition because they are chiefly concerned with empowering employees with decision making authority in some aspect of the work which had been formerly the domain of management. Harvester Restaurant’s use of semi-autonomous work teams (Ashness and Lashley, 1995) provides a good example. Employees not only dealt with and rectified customer complaints, they also were involved in receiving goods, securing the building and â€Å"cashing up the tills†. Empowerment through involvement is chiefly concerned with gaining from the experiences and expertise of service deliverers through consultation and joint problem solving. Managers continue to make the decision but with inputs from employees. The study of TGI Fridays (Lashley, 1997), confirms that pre-service team briefing sessions are used to both provide employees with immediate information about the operation and company objectives, but are also used to test out ideas with employees and gain suggestions. Employees have little authority to make decisions, even complaint handling is the responsibility of managers. Attempts at empowerment through commitment overlap and interrelate with both these other categories because it is hoped that improved employee commitment will result from the changed arrangements. However, some initiatives are distinctly aimed at winning Managerial meaning Empowerment through participation Initiatives used Autonomous work groups â€Å"Whatever it takes† training Job enrichment Works councils Employee directors Quality circles Team briefings Suggestion schemes Employee share ownership Profit-sharing and bonus schemes Quality of working life programmes (job rotation, job enlargement) Job redesign Re-training Autonomous work groups Job enrichment Profit-sharing and bonus schemes Empowerment through involvement Empowerment through commitment Empowerment through delayering Table II. Managerial meanings of empowerment Personnel Review 28,3 178 greater commitment to organisational service quality objectives. As with Barbee and Bott’s definition, these initiatives are ultimately about employees taking more responsibility for the service encounter through a variety of training programmes and appeals to both extrinsic and intrinsic sources of job satisfaction. McDonald’s crew training includes a customer care programme which aims to sensitise employees to customer service objectives. Crew are encouraged to intervene in the service situation, as in the example given above. They can give away some low cost gifts to children. The limits and boundaries of what they are empowered to do are narrow and restricted. Whilst the three foregoing intentions are typically concerned with employees, particularly front line personnel, some initiatives empower managers within the management hierarchy. These I have called empowerment through delayering. The restructuring of the McDonald’s MCOPCO organisation (Lashley, 1995), and the removal of layers of management in the external management of Harvester Restaurants (Pickard, 1993), or empowerment of hotel managers (Jones and Davies, 1991) are examples. Here the intention is greater managerial focus on the source of organisational profits  ± the units, greater responsiveness to customer needs, reduced management costs and the encouragement of entrepreneurialism. In the McDonald’s case, two levels of management were removed and the unit managers were â€Å"empowered†. In reality it meant that they were allowed to operate with reduced contact with their Area Supervisors. In this case, empowerment of the unit managers meant they were not as closely supervised by their superordinates and were â€Å"left to get on with it†. In suggesting these four features of managerial intentions I do not wish to imply that these are mutually exclusive. Whilst managers in some organisations may well be more concerned with one meaning more than others, it is more likely that managerial actions will be driven by a mixture of motives, and hence will encompass more than one, or all, of these. However, it is useful to suggest that managerial intentions are different and there are different managerial perceptions about empowerment and the benefits it will deliver. The form of empowerment Whatever the intentions of managers, initiatives which claim to be empowering will be translated into concrete practical arrangements which set the limits and boundaries within which the empowered operate (Ripley and Ripley, 1993; Potter, 1994). Somewhere, these arrangements will clarify just what the empowered have the authority to do and for what they will be responsible. It is here within the practical objective limits set by management that tensions between the perceptions and needs of management are likely to be set against the perceptions and needs of the empowered (Conger and Kanungo, 1988). Ultimately, the success of a particular initiative will be dependent in the first instance on the empowered being given the authority and freedom to make decisions which they themselves consider to be valuable, significant and important. Whilst this will clearly be subjectively assessed by individuals, who ill differ in their evaluation of these arrangements, it is important to arrive at Employee an objective analysis of the changes which have been introduced. empowerment in Our research has identified a number of dimensions of empowerment which services provide a means of describing, analysing and locating the form of empowerment being introduced in a particular company (Lashley and McGoldrick, 1994). These dimensions are listed in Table III. Essentially they 179 provide a mechanism for identifying the boundaries and contexts set for the form of empowerment being introduced. Consideration of these themes creates a framework for understanding the likely meanings of a particular form of empowerment within a given context. Each of the five dimensions is based on a bi-polar model which assumes a traditional â€Å"production line†, â€Å"top-down† approach at one extreme and a more empowered approach at the other. The task dimension considers the discretion which is allowed to the empowered in performing the task for which they were employed. To what extent are the empowered allowed to interpret the tangible and intangible aspects of the organisation’s services so as to satisfy customers. To what extent are the brand attributes, prices, product sizes, etc. , fixed, or to what extent can they be customised? To what extent does the need to control these issues set limits on the ability of an organisation to empower its members? In the cases we have studied there are frequently limits put on the employee because of the brand attributes being marketed. Hence employees in McDonald’s Restaurants and Harvester Restaurants were not allowed to alter menus or provide dishes off the menu, not even unit managers were allowed to make these decisions. In TGI Fridays employees could get a non-menu item produced if it involved ingredients which were stocked. In most cases, and to varying degrees, employees had some discretion over the service encounter. As stated earlier, McDonald’s had scripted the service in the past, but had dropped this in recent years as part of a strategy to improve service quality. Harvesters and TGI Fridays both relied on training and service values to guide the employee in their interactions with customers. An employee of TGI Fridays reported an incident that seemed typical. A customer had asked for a cigar, the company do Employee involvement in production line organisation (High volume, standardised, short time period, simple technology, theory X organisations) Low discretion Seeks permission Limited to task Calculative Control-oriented Employee involvement in empowered organisation (Personalised service, long time period, complex technology, unpredicatable, theory Y organisations) High discretion Responsible autonomy Influences the direction of policy Moral Trust-oriented Dimensions Task Task allocation Power Commitment Culture Table III. Five dimensions of empowerment Personnel Review 28,3 180 not stock cigars, so the employee went next door to the tobacconist and bought one. The guest was very pleased and wrote a letter to the company congratulating it on its excellent service. The task allocation dimension considers the amount of responsible autonomy an individual employee or group of employees have in carrying out their tasks. To what extent are they directed, or need to ask permission to complete their tasks? To what extent do company policies and procedures lay down what has to be done and then let them get on with it? To what extent are there tensions between responsible utonomy and the objectives for effective performance set by senior managers. In McDonald’s Restaurants, a â€Å"one best way† approach involves a narrow span of control and close supervision of both â€Å"crew† and managers. TGI Fridays, was also tightly controlled in the tangibles, again one best way procedures and close supervision of standards meant that employee performance was directly controlled. However, food and drinks service staff are encouraged to use their initiative in finding ways to customise the service interaction. Having said that, staff are not generally allowed to provide discounts or free meals to customers who complain. In Harvester Restaurants staff exercised more responsible autonomy, they were empowered to deal with complaints, to give free drinks, etc. , without reference to a â€Å"team manager† where they felt it would resolve a situation to the guest’s satisfaction. In some situations staff were able to decide on staffing levels, order stock and decide on how best to meet sales targets without the immediate involvement of the team manager. The power dimension is concerned with the feelings of personal power which individuals experience as the result of being empowered. What is it that the empowered are empowered to do? To what extent is their power limited to tasks? To what extent does it involve issues of policy at a more senior level (Marchington et al. , 1992)? To what extent do management efforts to share power foster feelings of empowerment in employees? What tensions are there between strategic objectives and limits on individual power? In all the cases included in these studies, arrangements were limited to what has been described as being â€Å"task participation† (Geary, 1994). In other words the empowered employee was not able to influence the policies which influence them. Thus at Harvester Restaurants, food service staff were able to decide as a team how best to achieve a sales target which required employees to sell one extra side order per table (Pickard,1993), but had no influence over this as an objective. The commitment dimension explores the assumptions about the source of employee commitment and organisational compliance in a particular form of empowerment. To what extent do they follow patterns in traditional organisations which assume that commitment is calculative and based on material extrinsic rewards (Etzioni, 1961). To what extent does the initiative assume a moral commitment, as the individual takes a personal sense of ownership in their activities and work? To what extent is there recognition that individuals may differ in their attachments and needs from work? How, if at all do the changes address needs for a sense of equity and fairness in the benefits from empowerment? Interviews with employees at Harvester Restaurants Employee revealed that employees working in autonomous work teams liked the empowerment in experience. Many reported that they â€Å"liked the extra responsibility† (Ashness services and Lashley, 1995, p. 27) and some that this was the first time they had been given responsibility. In TGI Fridays, employees reported that they enjoyed the â€Å"atmosphere† and that â€Å"you could have a good laugh†, but many also reported 181 that â€Å"they were working here because the money is good†. Employees are guaranteed a low basic pay, but can substantially add to this through a bonus on food sales and tips. Employees and managers both stated employees could earn over ? 0,000 per annum, some even as much as ? 30,000. The culture dimension examines the extent to which organisational culture fosters feelings of empowerment. To what extent can it be typified as being oriented towards openness, learning, and employee contributions (ChristensenHughes, 1992) and creating a climate of trust (Sternberg, 1992)? To what extent can the culture be described as bureaucratic, role, task or control oriented? To what extent is the initiative to empower a part of a broad organisational culture, or just â€Å"bolted on†? The research with the â€Å"delayered† McDonald’s organisation revealed that â€Å"empowered† General Area Supervisors in the pilot group experienced tensions with senior management because senior managers wanted to retain control over the recruitment of Restaurant Managers, and to get involved when problems occurred (Lashley, 1995). Using this five dimension model it is possible to locate the different forms which empowerment takes in practical organisational arrangements against the managerial intentions and the form empowerment takes  ± quality circles  ± autonomous work groups  ± â€Å"whatever it takes training†, etc. As stated earlier, managerial intentions may not be mono-dimensional, and particular initiatives may be driven by a range of intentions. However, each form of empowerment is likely to represent different sources of satisfaction to employees and represent different benefits to employers. Thus quality circles are usually representative, and may provide intrinsic satisfactions for those immediately involved (Kelly and Kelly, 1990), but they represent a more indirect source of satisfaction for the staff who do not take part. Managers gain suggestions and involvement in problem solving for those closest to the problem, but managers retain the decision making power. Autonomous work groups do give employees more direct involvement, all employees take part. They can provide sources of satisfaction which meet belonging and control needs. They can involve some task dimensions, but in the main, autonomous work groups are about improving work organisation. Frequently they are used in situations where the immediate organisational needs are difficult to predict, but the people directly involved are best placed to respond to changed circumstances. Several employees at Harvester Restaurants reported that when the operation was quiet the team would, â€Å"jointly agree for one member to go home for the rest of the shift, so that the team’s labour costs would be kept under control† (Ashness and Lashley, 1995, p. 27). â€Å"Whatever it takes† is again a direct form of involvement, particularly for service personnel, training is aimed at â€Å"giving Personnel Review 28,3 182 staff confidence to make decisions large or small, that impact on a guest’s stay† (Hubrecht and Teare, 1993). Typically these arrangements are focused at the task and interpreting customer requirements. For employees a sense of ownership, pride in the service encounter and the potential tip are sources of employee satisfaction. For the organisation, employees are encouraged to be responsive to customer needs and a greater level of customer satisfaction is likely to follow. Each of these examples, claim to empower employees, yet the brief discussion above shows that each represents different sources of satisfaction for employees. The arrangements are themselves different and appear to meet varied managerial needs. Certainly it is possible to identify alternative ways of managing and motivating employees which involve different amounts of discretion, autonomy, power, sources of commitment and cultural contexts, all claiming to be empowering. By considering the detail of the changes against the five dimensions it is possible to develop a much closer picture of the form of empowerment, the consistency of the arrangements and the limits placed upon them. My research with hospitality operators provides some useful vehicles for the analysis of forms of empowerment. For example, it is possible to describe Harvester Restaurants as empowering front line personnel through participation. In this case it takes the form of autonomous work groups where employees have virtually no discretion in the tangible aspects of their task, though they have some limited discretion in the intangible elements of the task. There is a high degree of responsible autonomy in task allocation. Power is limited, however, to the task level with little opportunity to influence objectives outside the immediate job. Commitment is in part calculative though, for some individuals, arrangements do meet psychological needs within a culture which is best typified as being control oriented. The state of empowerment The feelings of the empowered are fundamental to understanding the concept of empowerment and variations in form and application. Most definitions of the state rather than the form of empowerment stress the need for the individual to feel in control (Conger, 1989), have a sense of personal power together with the freedom to use that power (van Oudtshoorn and Thomas, 1993) and a sense of personal efficacy and self determination (Alpander, 1991). Similarly, Thomas and Velthouse (1990) suggest a four dimensional model of employee motivation based on a cognitive assessment of the competence, impact, meaningfulness and choice associated with a set of changes. In other words the state of empowerment is likely to be a consequence of the individual’s assessment of their ability to be effective, that they could make a difference, in a task which they feel is worthwhile and they have some degree of freedom to act as they see fit within a given context. Attempts to empower service workers will be tested against the experience of being empowered and the sense of personal efficacy which is created. Empowerment, therefore, involves both the objective facts of what a person is mpowered to do and the subjective feelings which the individual experiences Employee as a result. In these circumstances individual differences, orientations to work empowerment in and needs are likely to be important factors in the way an individual interprets services and responds to a particular change (Alpander, 1991). Managerial initiatives to empower employees are introduced to meet commercial objectives. In the case of service workers, the objectives may be to improve service quality or service 183 worker productivity, or improve job satisfaction and reduce labour turnover. Managerial evaluations of empowerment will therefore turn on the extent that these initiatives result in worker behaviour which meets the desired objectives. Whilst there is some research, on service workers which identifies factors likely to result in outcomes of empowerment as measured by pay satisfaction, promotion satisfaction and intentions to leave (Sparrowe, 1994), few studies draw the links between these feelings of empowerment and increased productivity or improvements in service quality.