Increase Motivation for Reading through Choice

Increase Motivation for Reading through Choice When the headlines report  that  the overall average reading score of 8th students in 2015 declined in comparison to the previous assessment in 2013, there was a chorus of educators who  most likely responded: But...they just dont want to read! The report released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is considered a benchmark on the academic progress of an estimated  60 million secondary students  attending private and public middle and high schools in the United States. The most recent statistics on these students indicate that there is a significant drop in reading proficiency levels in grades 7-12. For example, only 34 percent of 8th graders (2015) scored at or above proficient levels on the, the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment. This NAEP data also shows a disturbing trend, with reading scores of eighth graders across demographic groups declining from 2013 to 2015. The report confirms what secondary teachers have been saying anecdotally, that  both high and low achieving students are often unmotivated to read. This lack of motivation has been also explored as a cultural problem in David Denbys New Yorker article, Do Teens Read Seriously Anymore?  and illustrated in an  infographic created by Common Sense Media  (2014) titled  Children, Teens and Reading. Perhaps it is no surprise to researchers that the decline in reading proficiency coincides with a decline with student autonomy or choice in reading materials. That decline in choice is created by an increase in teacher control of reading materials at the higher grade levels.   TheyWere Once Readers In the elementary grades, students are given the opportunity to develop a sense of autonomy in reading choice; they are allowed and encouraged to independently select books to read. There is explicit instruction in making good choices in lessons that explain how to judge a   just right book using questions such as: Are there more than five words on a page you don’t know?Are you confused about what is happening in most of this book? This autonomy contributes to the growth of a reader. According to J.T.  Guthrie, et al, in the research brief Reading Motivation and Reading Comprehension Growth in the Later Elementary Years, (2007)  published in  Contemporary Educational Psychology: Children who valued choosing their own books subsequently developed elaborate strategies for selecting books and reported being more intrinsically motivated readers. By giving their students a choice of reading materials in the early grades, elementary teachers increase academic independence and motivation.   However, in most school systems, a students choice of reading material lessens as he or she moves up to the middle and high school grades. Assessment and Standards are Factors By the time a student moves into the middle grades, the  emphasis is on on discipline specific reading materials, as seen in the recommendation by the English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards in  Literacy  (Key Design Considerations) . This recommendation has resulted in an increase in the reading percentage of nonfiction or informational texts in all disciplines, not just ELA: By grade 8, reading materials should be 45% literary fiction and 55% informational texts;By the time students graduate, reading materials should be 30% literary fiction and 70% informational texts.   These same education researchers,  Guthrie et al, have also published an e-book (2012)  Motivation, achievement, and Classroom Contexts for Information Book Reading, to  document their pursuit of what motivates students to read and what classroom contexts best promote motivation. They note in their e-book that because schools are seeing an increase in educational accountability at different levels and there are a variety of  reading materials are assigned in all subject areas so that teachers can take formal and frequent evaluations of their students. Much of this reading material used for accountability, however, is dull: Middle school students overwhelmingly describe the information texts they read in science classes as boring, irrelevant, and difficult to understand- hardly a recipe for positive motivation to read this material. The researchers who argue for student autonomy agree that  student interest in reading independently (for fun) diminishes  when teachers overly control reading topics or materials. This is especially true for low achieving students. Researcher  Carol Gordon noted  that for this population of adolescents, student attitude is another factor. She explains: Since low-achievers typically do not read voluntarily outside of school, most of their reading is mandated. These students express anger and defiance, as indicated by survey data. In many cases, low achievers don’t really hate to read- they hate to be told what to read. Paradoxically, low-achieving students are the population that would benefit the most from an increase in voluntary reading. To counter the recent drops in reading proficiency, educators need to stop telling students, high and low-achieving, what to read so that students can develop develop ownership over their reading choices. Choice Motivates Students to Read One of the best ways to move beyond assigning all reading is for teachers to provide time in the academic day for voluntary reading of texts for extended periods of time. There may be objections to the use of already dedicated academic time, but the research indicates that time spent reading in school improves academic performance. This is true even for the light or fun reading of young adult literature.  Gordon explains that the  practice of free voluntary reading is not only conducive to reading motivation, [but] it actually works better than direct instruction. She cites Stephen Krashens work (2004) with 54 students, with 51 of those students who scored higher on reading tests than similar students given traditional skill-based reading instruction. Another compelling  argument for providing time in the school day to reading practice is the comparison  to the practice necessary one needs to do in order to become proficient at a sport; the increased number of practice hours increases performance. Even 10 minutes a day of reading can have dramatic effects by simply exposing students to multiple texts text. Researcher  M.J. Adams (2006) developed a data breakdown that illustrates how ten minutes of daily book reading in middle school will increase a student’s exposure to print by about 700,000 words each year. This exposure surpasses the amount of reading currently done by the same grade level students who are performing at the 70th percentile.   To facilitate student voluntary reading, students need access to reading materials that allow for their choice of reading materials. Independent reading libraries in classrooms can help students generate a sense of agency. Students can discover and share authors, explore topics in the  genres that appeal to them, and improve their reading habits. Create Independent Classroom Libraries The publisher Scholastic produced a report, Kids Family Reading Report (5th edition, 2014) As a publisher of children and young adult literature, Scholastic has a vested interest in increasing the number of readers across the country. In their research based on student polling, they found that in populations aged 12-17,  78% of frequent readers who read books for fun 5-7 times per week are provided time and choice in contrast to the 24% of the infrequent readers who are not provided time or choice. Scholastic also noted that choice for adolescents requires easy access to a wide range of interesting texts. One of their recommendations was that school districts must begin to put money into texts and   allocate funds for high-interest books. They recommend that independent reading libraries should be developed with student input as the critical resource for increasing reading proficiency. Another proponent for independent reading is   Penny Kittle,  an  English teacher and literacy coach at Kennett High School in North Conway, New Hampshire. She has written  Book Love.  a popular guide to helping secondary students read independently. In this guide,  Kittle offers strategies to help teachers, particularly English Language Arts teachers, to increase the volume of what students read and to deepen student thinking about what they read. She offers advice on how to build up those classroom libraries including  grant writing   or applications to  Donor’s Choose  or  The Book Love Foundation. Asking for multiple copies of texts from book clubs and going to warehouse, garage, and library sales are also great ways to grow the classroom libraries. Developing a good relationship with the school library is also important, and students should be encourages to recommend texts for purchase. Finally, teachers can look for the numerous options available wi th e-texts. Choice: ADesired Option The research concludes that there are millions of students who do not have the rudimentary reading skills that are needed to locate relevant information or make simple inferences. Without the necessary literacy skills for college or career, students may be retained in school or drop out of high school.   The consequences for underdeveloped literacy to the student and to the economic welfare of the country can mean the collective loss of billions of dollars in wages and earnings over a lifetime. Secondary educators need to guide students to associate reading with enjoyment and a worthwhile activity by offering choice. This association can result in making reading a desired option; to make students want to read. The benefits of allowing and encouraging students to make choices about reading will last beyond   school careers and throughout their lives.

Definition and Examples of Text Messaging

Definition and Examples of Text Messaging Texting is the process of sending and receiving brief written messages using a cellular (mobile) phone. Also called text messaging, mobile messaging, short mail, point-to-point short-message service, and Short Message Service (SMS). â€Å"Texting isn’t written language,†says linguist John McWhorter. It much more closely resembles the kind of language we’ve had for so many more years: spoken language (quoted by Michael C. Copeland in Wired, March 1, 2013).According to Heather Kelly of CNN, Six billion text messages are sent every day in the United States, ... and over 2.2 trillion are sent a year. Globally, 8.6 trillion text messages are sent each year, according to Portio Research. Example: When Birdy texted again, I was only a mile from Glades City, and the junkyard owned by Harris Spooner, so I was feeling tense and alone on this dark country road, until I read her message:On way home, no luck. Will call when reception better. Sorry!!! ☠ºI felt like saying Yippee! a word Ive never used, and my spirits, which had been low, rebounded. ... So I left a message, then replied to her text: Am near Glade City exit, how about glass of wine? Where U? As I hit Send, I noticed car lights behind me and was relieved when I saw that it was an eighteen-wheeler.(Randy Wayne White, Deceived. Penguin, 2013) Myths About Texting All the popular beliefs about texting are wrong, or at least debatable. Its graphic distinctiveness is not a totally new phenomenon. Nor is its use restricted to the young generation. There is increasing evidence that it helps rather than hinders literacy. And only a very tiny part of the language uses its distinctive orthography.   (David Crystal, Txtng: the Gr8 Db8. Oxford University Press, 2008) Texting and Instant Messaging [A]bbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons are less prevalent in American college student IM [Instant Messaging] conversations than suggested by the popular press. To move beyond media hyperbole regarding text messaging, we need corpus-based analyses of texting.Judging from our sample, American college-student text messaging and IM differed in several interesting ways. Text messages were consistently longer and contained more sentences, probably resulting from both cost factors and the tendency for IM conversations to be chunked into sequences of short messages. Text messages contained many more abbreviations than IMs, but even the number in texting was small.   (Naomi Baron, Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World. Oxford University Press, 2008) A Good Text A good text, a well-timed text, a text that expresses some bullet of revelation, some reminder of love, some thoughtful association or ball-busting paraphrase of what we agree on reconnects us when that is all we ever wantedconnectionin the midst of the chattering, indifferent cloud of humanity.(Tom Chiarella, Rule No. 991: It Is Entirely Possible to Write a Good Text Message. Esquire, May 2015)   Teenagers and Texting In the United States, 75% of teenagers text, sending an average of 60 texts a day. According to Pew Internet research, texting is teens most common form of communication, beating out phone conversations, social networks, and old-fashioned face-to-face conversations.   (Heather Kelly, OMG, the Text Message Turns 20. But Has SMS Peaked? CNN, December 3, 2012) For teenagers now, . . . texting has been largely superseded by instant messagingas Stephanie Lipman, a 17-year-old Londoner, explains. I did text for a while, but instant messaging is so much better like a constant stream-of-consciousness. You dont have to bother with Hello. How are you? or any of that. You just have this series of conversations with your friends which you can add on to when youre in the mood.   (James Delingpole, Texting Is So Last Year. Daily Telegraph, Jan. 17, 2010) [F]or young people, blogs are work, not play. A 2008 Pew research project found that while 85% of 12 to 17-year-olds engaged in electronic personal communication (including texting, email, instant messaging and commenting on social media), 60% didn’t consider these texts to be writing. Another study in 2013 revealed that teenagers still distinguish between the proper writing they do for school (which may be on blogs) and their informal, social communication.(Mel Campbell, Should We Mourn the End of Blogs? The Guardian, July 17, 2014) Textspeak in the 19th Century This S A, until U I CI pray U 2 X QsAnd do not burn in F E GMy young and wayward muse.Now fare U well, dear K T J,I trust that U R trueWhen this U C, then you can say,A S A I O U.(Final verses of Essay to Miss Catharine Jay in Gleanings From the Harvest-Fields of Literature, Science and Art: A Melange of Excerpta, Curious, Humorous, and Instructive, 2nd ed., collated by Charles Carroll Bombaugh. Baltimore: T. Newton Kurtz, 1860) Predictive Texting Predictive texting is a  program in many cellular (mobile) phones that predicts a complete  word  after a user has typed in just one or two  letters. [Predictive texting] significantly reduces the number of key-presses, but there are costs alongside benefits. An early study (2002) reported that only just over half the participants who had  predictive messaging  actually used it. The others did not use it for a variety of reasons. Some said it slowed them down. Some missed the option to use  abbreviations  (though one can code them in). Some said their system did not offer the right words and found the task of adding new words slow and annoying. (David Crystal,  Txtng: the Gr8 Db8. Oxford University Press, 2008)[W]hile Predictive texting  might be good for the nations  spelling, it is not always easily understood. Try typing he if is cycle, hell in to get his awake and come go to red of and see what happens when the right combination of buttons throws up the wrong words. . . . Researchers might find an intriguing answer for why a kiss often turns out to be on the lips. Are chefs aged? Is it boring to be coping? Is art apt? Is it always good to be home in the hood? Or has everyone gone? And if you try and do something asap why does it often turn out crap?  (I. Hollinghead, Whatever Happened to txt lngwj:)?  The Guardian, Jan. 7, 2006) -  Concern about the widespread infiltration of text messaging conventions into  written English  may ... be misplaced, as predictive texting becomes more common and sophisticated. ... While it seems certain that our accepted notions of standards in  language  will be influenced by electronic forms of  communication, it is very hard to predict in any detail and with any certainty what this impact might be. (A. Hewings and M. Hewings,  Grammar and Context. Routledge, 2005) Alternate Spellings: txting

Balancing Stakeholders Interests In Case Of A Conflict Essay - 2

Balancing Stakeholders Interests In Case Of A Conflict - Essay Example The CAW accepted a wage freeze that would last three years approximately. Vacations would have to go for lesser time and employees would have to contribute higher towards their benefit plans. From the abstract what is clear is that the bailout necessitated that employees do most of the heavy lifting. Suffering wage cuts, taking shorter vacations while the owners who happen to also be external stakeholders do not seem to suffer that much. How then can the interest of employees and shareholders be balanced in case a conflict arises? To answer this question I will use Edward Freeman’s stakeholder’s theory to delve in depth into this issue pitting both moral responsibilities and profit maximization objectives of the business unit. Stakeholder hypothesis is a theory of executive management and trade ethics that deals with principles and values in running an organization. In the conventional view of the firm, the investor view, they are the proprietors of the company and the corporation has a compulsory duty to put their needs first, to boost value for them. Stakeholder conjecture fights that there are added parties involved, including workers, clientele, providers, investors, society, legislative bodies, political lobby groups, trade links, and unions. Even rivals are sometimes counted as stakeholders - their position being consequent from their aptitude to affect the company and its stakeholders. The nature of what is a stakeholder is extremely contested The stakeholder view of policy integrates equally a resource and a market-based view and adding up a socio-political stage. This outlook of the corporation is used to describe the precise stakeholders of a firm (the normative presumption (Donaldson) of stakeholder identification) mutually examines the conditions beneath which these parties ought to be treated as stakeholders.

Recruitment and Staff Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Recruitment and Staff Selection - Essay Example Online advertising focuses on reaching to extended audience from different geographical locations and provide the candidates with detailed information on the application process, company information and site tours to generate interest among candidates to apply. Effective strategies applied in designing of recruitment ads include content layout that spells consistency in presentation, clarity in communication of job responsibilities, company information and desired candidate profile. For the purpose of illustrating the strategies for designing an effective job posting, the paper analyses two job postings for medical assistant (provided as annexure). The first ad posting is for a medical assistant in Park Specialty Clinic located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The advertisement provides the audience with a bold heading in blue stating the job position, location, name of clinic and the department for which the vacancy is posted. This provides the audience with the vital job information and those who are not interested in the given location, position or department do not have to waste time reading through the whole advertising. The body of the advertisement begins with an introduction to the healthcare organization and provides the job-seeker with the reasons why they should join this organization. This is followed by a description of medical assistant, associated job responsibilities and the qualifications the potential candidate must have in order to apply for the posi tion. The second advertisement follows a similar pattern however, the presentation is more effective since all the points are mentioned in distinct paragraphs and bullet points are used to focus the essential requirements. This posting provides the candidates with detailed information on the salary range and employee benefits. The primary difference between both the advertisements is the use of content and

Articles Of Confederation 4 :: essays research papers

After the Revolutionary War, the United States government was in a state of frenzied disillusion. In an attempt to solve the problem of a lack of a functioning government, the Articles of Confederation were formed. Often times called the “Articles of Confusion';, the Articles of Confederation paved the way to our modern system of government. Out of the unreliable and unstable Articles, the Constitution was formed. Though the Articles instilled a seemingly well functioning governmental establishment, the Articles were far from a flawless governing mechanism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early days of the new British-free America there was a great fear of the new system of government being of the same mold of their former, a monarchy, or even a dictatorship. There was one group of revolutionaries that supported a monarchy being formed. This faction was a section of the Continental Army called the Society of the Cincinnati. They urged the rise of George Washington, a veteran colonial general, as the country’s new king, but Washington refused. In an effort to subside the uproar of the common folk, and to prevent eventual isolation of sovereignty of national affairs unto one person, the Articles granted each state exclusive governing powers over it’s own political matters. By doing this, the Articles prevented the new-formed states from revolting against their own government, and they also gave the states absolute control over their own local and regional matters and political conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an effort to create a greater sense of unity and national pride in the States, the Articles forced most states with western land claims to forfeit their claims to the federal government, so that the smaller, less populated states would join the union . This did not make any of the states with western territorial expansion content. They felt that the government was starting to take too much authoritative control. With this in mind, the representatives in congress made the promise that when specified parcels of the lands had a population of sixty thousand or more, they would be eligible for statehood. The requirements that were used for birth into the union are the same that are used today. This helped to suffice the desire to extinguish the current government, and contributed to a greater feeling of pride and unification amongst the states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A piece of the Articles that was very popular with most of the public was the inability of the government, or congress, to enforce taxes on the general public, or individual states.

Motivations and Emotions VS Formal and Informal Power

Virtually all of our reading (Chapters 6, 7, and 8) has either a formal or informal power theme associated with them because in essence power is: intangible. Popular perspective is that power is considered a personal characteristic. Frequently people refer to power as the means to how one person exhibits domination or influence over another individual. In an organization, power is purely a structural characteristic required to mass control or procedurally influence the actions of the various employees or processes. It is vital to my analysis to reflect upon the motivations and emotions of the collective mind-frame and how informal and formal power in organization manipulates these psychological aspects in order to accomplish a goal.This comparative research paper shall initially focus on the conceptual understanding of power at an organizational level. When referring to an organization, people see organizations as bureaucratic entities created to fulfill a function using a variety of tools, hierarchical leadership, team ownership, process completion styles, and institutionalized rules or procedures. As organizations are often large and complex structures with large employee counts it is vital that a hierarchy be in place to organize tasks and indicate which employee needs to be assigned to which project.As a hierarchy is a formal process there are individuals aligned to various positions in the leadership chain. Power along this chain typically transfers downwards in order to assure that orders are carried out as requested. This authority along the vertical chain is accepted by people through an organization. Employees accept that top executives and project managers have the legitimate right to make key decisions required for a projects completion. Employees also accept that goals must be set by leadership in order to provide direction and procedures which everyone can follow and comprehend.This directing of activities enables workers to see that power througho ut the organizational structure helps control the decision making process itself. In addition, it clearly allows for ownership and helps manager become accountable for projects or processes. As orders can be accepted or denied in an organization there is always an underlying emotion associated with the actual outcome. In addition, as some tasks or processes are considered more important then others there is also a certain amount of access to greater tools or resources granted to individuals assigned to those organizational contributions. These individuals are usually considered Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and are crucial to the continued prosperity or success of a division, department, or process flow.Rationally and politically, organizations must focus on enhancing people relationships in order to obtain a desired level of success in projects. Formally an organization wields power by striving to pool individual strengths to produce a result. Logically, organizations need to be co nsidered a centralized power which lays out procedures, rules, and the foundation for which it upholds its mission, value system, and produces a product (whether it be physical or intellectual).Informally, an organization seeks to empower workers so they can participate in decision making roles. In general, an organization prefers to have satisfied employees versus disgruntled ones. In pursuit of this goal, organizations have taken to comprehending what motivates the every-day employee. Organizations have bestowed upon their management the responsibility of determining on an individual employee level the wants and needs of an employee which can motivate the employee. As there are many process theories associated with this motivation we shall be focusing on several aspects of this emotional and psychological requirements.Based upon Boons and Kurtz, the Motivation Theory can be categorized under 2 distinct approaches. The first approach is a holistic evaluation of factors within a per son’s personality or psychology which reinforces appropriate behavior or stops inappropriate behavior. The second approach focuses on how, why, and what the actual behavior itself needs to be sustained or stopped. The second approach is consisted more analytical then the first.Within the first approach lie’s Maslow’s 5 level need hierarchy, Alderder’s 3 level ERG Theory and Hierarchy, and Herzberg’s two factor theory known as hygiene and motivators. Included in the second approach is Vroom’s VIE Expectancy as a theory of personal choice, Adam’s Equity Theory which correlates individual choice as they compare work practices/environments,   and the goal-setting theory that emphasizes that conscious goals and intentions are considered the detriments of behavior; though I will include only a few of these theories in this paper.These two approaches informally play on motivating and emotional factors. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs , psychologists have established that motivated individuals are more likely to exhibit consistent satisfactory performance. Based upon this hierarchy the first rang of the hierarchy is the importance of the basic and psychological needs such as food, shelter, exercise, social interaction, and sleep. Psychologists have determined that it is human desire to have these basic needs fulfilled in order to be motivated to do a good job.These fulfillment needs are not true motivators though but necessities. Following this satisfaction, an employee needs to feel secure and protected from economic insecurities and protected from harm, violence, and disease exposure which enables them to be self-motivated and willing to accept self-management as the basic necessity is cared for. For instance, organizations must play a key role in securing dangerous materials which can potentially harm an employee. Often security and safety in the workforce goes hand-in hand and is considered a formal power tha t organization uses to control decisions. In terms of security, the most common ‘security’ is job security. If a project is nearing completion there is a level of apprehension from workers about their continued role in the company.Following this fulfilled need, is the comfort zone of social needs or requirements. These needs are vital in the informal organization as they include belonging, approval, and group membership. For instance, it is not uncommon for individuals who have been promoted to be concerned about ‘fitting-in’ with employees who were once on their own functional level. Thus, project managers should always build upon the team spirit and any opportunity for social activities to reinforce unity and emotional ties to the organization. Organizations sometimes become lost in the hierarchy of decision-making and must consider the emotional welfare of their employees.The last two needs based upon the Maslow’s hierarchy are esteem and self-act ualization, and these two needs differ based upon personality types as well. In the capacity of these two needs, recognition and self-confidence are important to any professional whose role requires creation of a project or product. Self-actualization is acquired when employees are performing projects which interest, intrigue, or challenge their skill-set.Managers can informally motivate by using self-actualization and esteem techniques to provide employees with opportunities for career growth, chance for promotion or raises, recognition in the team for well-done work, job security, plenty of open communication, opportunity for growth in technical expertise, challenging projects, and proper management control measures. This informal power wielded by managers incites employees to continue to produce good work while been stimulated by a good work environment.Similarly, Alderfer’s ERG theory contains a set of 3 needs: Existence, Relatedness, and Growth. Based upon this theory th e existence needs are Maslow’s first and second needs combined, the relatedness is Maslow’s third and fourth needs, and growth is Maslow’s fourth and fifth levels. Unlike Maslow who believed that each hierarchy skipped leads to more motivation, Alderfer insisted that each of these needs must be fulfilled at the organizational level and focusing on simply one need at a time does not sufficiently motivate the employee.In addition the ERG theory states that should the higher need remain fulfilled; the employee will regress to a lower level known as the frustration-regression theory. For example, if career growth or non-challenging work is provided coworkers might instead proceed to socializing with coworkers instead of working on projects. In addition, ample learning opportunities should be provided for employees to progress from one role to another if desired. Managers in this theory need to address each need separately and be aware that it differs from person to person.Interestingly Herberg’s Two-Factor Theory, also referred to as the dissatisfiers-satisfiers, are hygiene motivators or the extrinsic-intrinsic factors. The Extrinsic factors are job security, salary, working conditions, status, company procedures, quality of technical supervision, and quality of interpersonal relation. Intrinsic are achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, the work itself, and the possibility of growth. Though the theory of hygiene does not motivate employees it does negate any opportunity for dissatisfaction in the work environment and it empowers employers to seek good leadership, control, and leadership in the organization.These better conditions leave room for motivation for both project managers and employees to receive recognition, strive for achievement, advancement in roles, and further an interest in the project requiring completion. Project managers must adopt a positive attitude and provide each employee with the attention he o r she requires. This power that managers have can be shown as they give assignments that provide challenges, provide a good working environment complete with team spirit, define performance expectations clearly and consistently, and provide honest critic as well as give credit for job well done.In all tasks, people weigh the value of their input to what they obtain as an output. In Adam’s Equity Theory, employees have a need for evenhandedness and equality at work and they strive to ensure that this occurs. For instance, if an employee believe himself or herself underpaid then the quality of work produced goes down as does the quantity of work produced and the vice versa for overpaid feelings.Therefore, it is up to the manager to provide market rates or ranges for a role, and empower workers to research how much they can make in particular roles. This is an incentive and motivation to pursue growth in the company. This communication of rates invites employees to take time to learn, communicate professional expectations, and grow with the company.Formally, an organization exercises the opportunity for a great deal of power by using a variety of methods to influence behavior and promote motivation of employees. In action, organizations can motivate employees using performance driven pay increases, merit pay, team awards as an encouragement method, team recognition, goal-setting methods, continued education, and positive reinforcement.These methods are drivers for motivation and enable growth in a company. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that an organization is run by individuals and motivations and emotions will never become completed forgotten. It is up to management to exercise power and control to help employees remain satisfied that their needs are being met and considered at all levels of management.Reference:Robbins, Stephen P. and Judge, Timothy A. `Organizational Behavior.` 12th Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall. 2007

Hair Color Chemistry How Hair Coloring Works

Hair color is a matter of chemistry. The first safe commercial hair coloring product was created in 1909 by French chemist Eugene Schuller, using the chemical paraphenylenediamine. Hair coloring is very popular today, with over 75% of women coloring their hair and a growing percentage of men following suit. How does hair coloring work? Its the result of a series of chemical reactions between the molecules in hair and pigments, as well as peroxide and ammonia. What Is Hair? Hair is mainly keratin, the same protein found in skin and fingernails. The natural color of hair depends on the ratio and quantities of two other proteins—eumelanin and phaeomelanin. Eumelanin is responsible for brown to black hair shades while phaeomelanin is responsible for golden blond, ginger, and red shades. The absence of either type of melanin produces white/gray hair. Natural Hair Colorants People have been coloring their hair for thousands of years using plants and minerals. Some of these natural agents contain pigments (e.g., henna, black walnut shells) while others contain natural bleaching agents or cause reactions that change the color of hair (e.g., vinegar). Natural pigments generally work by coating the hair shaft with color. Some natural colorants last through several shampoos, but they arent necessarily safer or more gentle than modern formulations. Its difficult to get consistent results using natural colorants, and some people are allergic to the ingredients. Temporary Hair Color Temporary or semi-permanent hair colors may deposit acidic dyes onto the outside of the hair shaft or may consist of small pigment molecules that can slip inside the hair shaft, using a small amount of peroxide or none at all. In some cases, a collection of several colorant molecules enters the hair to form a larger complex inside the hair shaft. Shampooing will eventually dislodge temporary hair color. These products dont contain ammonia, meaning the hair shaft isnt opened up during processing and the hairs natural color is retained once the product washes out. Hair Lightening Bleach is used to lighten peoples hair. The bleach reacts with the melanin in the hair, removing the color through an irreversible chemical reaction. The bleach oxidizes the melanin molecule. The melanin is still present, but the oxidized molecule is colorless. However, bleached hair tends to have a pale yellow tint. The yellow color is the natural color of keratin, the structural protein in hair. Also, bleach reacts more readily with the dark eumelanin pigment than with the phaeomelanin, so some gold or red residual color may remain after lightening. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most common lightening agents. The peroxide is used in an alkaline solution, which opens the hair shaft to allow the peroxide to react with the melanin. Permanent Hair Color The outer layer of the hair shaft, its cuticle, must be opened before permanent color can be deposited into the hair. Once the cuticle is open, the dye reacts with the inner portion of the hair, the cortex, to deposit or remove the color. Most permanent hair coloring products use a two-step process (usually occurring simultaneously) which first removes the original color of the hair and then deposits a new color. Its essentially the same process as lightening except a colorant is then bonded to the hair shaft. Ammonia is the alkaline chemical that opens the cuticle and allows the hair color to penetrate the cortex of the hair. It also acts as a catalyst when the permanent hair color comes together with the peroxide. Peroxide is used as the developer or oxidizing agent. The developer removes pre-existing color. Peroxide breaks chemical bonds in the hair, releasing sulfur, which accounts for the characteristic odor of hair coloring products. As the melanin is decolorized, a new permane nt color is bonded to the hair cortex. Various types of alcohols and conditioners may also be present in hair coloring products. The conditioners close the cuticle after coloring to seal in and protect the new color.