Where You Going Where Have You Been Essay Example For Students

Where You Going Where Have You Been? Essay The Devils Favorite Sin: VanityIn Where are You Going, Where Have you Been? Joyce Carol Oates uses an allegorical figure of evil to illustrate the theme of temptation. Oates alludes to hell through the character Arnold Friend, as the devil, and his victim Connie, who invites him in by committing one of the devils favorites sins: vanity.The narrator implies that Arnold Friend is Satan by giving certain clues that the reader can easily deduce. The name that Oates gives to the character is one hint to the reader: Connie looked away from Friends smile to the car, which was painted so bright it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. She looked at the name, Arnold Friend. She looked at it for a while as if the words meant something to her that she did not yet know (583). The name friend was commonly used by the Protestants to refer to evil or the devil. We will write a custom essay on Where You Going Where Have You Been? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Moreover, Arnold Friends appearance also hints that he is Satan: There were two boys in the car and now she recognizes the driver: he had shaggy, shabby black hair that looked as a crazy wig(583). The narrator emphasizes the wig to make the reader think that he is wearing it for a purpose, which is hide his devils horns. Also, the fact that Arnold Friends eyes are covered is another stragedy use by Oates to confirm the assumption of the diabolic presence: He took off the sunglasses and she saw how pale the skin around his eyes was it, like holes that were not in shadow but instead in light. His eyes were chips of broken glass that catch the light in an amiable way (584). In this quote, Oates suggests that Arnold Friend is hiding something more than an evil look; he is hiding his own satanic appearance. Besides Arnold Friend physical appearance, which makes the reader assume that his character is not a human being, Oates gives him supernatural powers that a normal person could not have. One example of this is the power that he has over Connie; he knows everything that involves her: Just for a ride, Connie sweetheart. Arnold Friend says. I never said that my name was Connie, she said. And he replies: But I know what it is. I know your name and all about you, a lots of things, Arnold Friend said (584-585). The security of Arnold Friend words gives to reader the impression that he has been watching her closely and all the time without her knowing it or noticing it. This confirms the readers hypothesis that Friends is Satan. Moreover, when Connie tries to hide from him in her house, Arnold manipulates her into leaving the house simply by telling her what to do, like a puppeteer and his puppet: You wont want your family to get hurt. Now get up all by yourself. Now turn this way. Thats right. Come over here to me. Now come out through the kitchen to me honey and lets see a smile, try it, you are brave sweet little girl(591). Oates makes the reader infer that Satans only way to make her comes out is by using his demon powers, because the devil cannot get into your house unless you have invited him in. Therefore, he uses his power to hypnotize Connies and to make her do what he wants to, which is take her to the inferno with him. The last hint that Oates gives to the reader is the behavior of Connie and her family. Connie tempts the devil by committing the sin of vanity. The narrator shows how Connies vain is one of the main factors that influences the devils appearance: She was fifteen and she had a quick nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors, or checking other peoples faces to make sure her own was all right (579). .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 , .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .postImageUrl , .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 , .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9:hover , .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9:visited , .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9:active { border:0!important; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9:active , .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9 .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5dba6c60de9a89e8b69b05fdf67fb8d9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Overpopulation Essay This quote makes the reader visualize a girl that thinks only of her appearance. Oats begins this story with this quote to emphasize the main cause of the fatal end of Connies life. Also, the familys lack of religious: One Sunday Connie got up at

Financial Structures Domestic and Foreign

Financial Structures Domestic and Foreign Introduction While financing foreign and domestic projects, many options for financial structures may exist. A company would select a foreign investment project option based on the risks and costs that relate to the various available options. This short paper gives a synopsis of how financing a foreign project differs from financing a domestic project.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Structures: Domestic and Foreign specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It presents the various short-term and long-term financing sources that are available in the international financial markets. Lastly, it gives some of the risks that come with the various financing options. How foreign project differs from domestic project Organizations that wish to invest in foreign nations design financial structures of a foreign project with the chief intention of scrutinizing the mechanisms for capitalizing domestic and foreign funds, the equ ities of one market, the debt of another, and short-term and long-term financing options of their chosen project. Project financing relies on the projected cash flows of the project, as opposed to the sponsors’ balance sheets (Hoffman, 2007, p.35). It entails financing structures that involve various equity investors (sponsors) together with a couple of bank syndicates and other lending organizations that offer loans to facilitate the operation of the project (Worenklein, 2003, p.8). The difference between domestic and foreign project financing is that financial institutions granting loans can be both domestic and international for the case of domestic financing. In the case of foreign financing, many domestic financial institutions shun from granting loans to fund foreign-based projects. Short-term and long-term financial sources There are several short-term and long-term financial sources that are available in the international financial markets to finance projects. On long -term basis, financial resources can come from capital markets, mutual funds, foreign sources, and or specific financing institutions (Giddy, 2012, p.5). Capital markets involve borrowing from banks, foreign markets, issuing of bonds, shares and debentures, and or from any international financial institutions such as the World Bank. On short-terms basis, finances can come from debt insurance, hybrid financing, and equity financing.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the international financial markets, the most available means of acquiring finance is by borrowing from international financial institutions. Additionally, for the case of global companies, an organization can acquire finances through the issuance of bonds and shares in the international markets. Risks Associated with the Financing Options Although there are valid ways through which organization can obt ain finances in the international financial markets, each of the ways present some risks. Some of these risks are akin to the nature of the project finance in the international platforms. For instance, â€Å"project finance structures are exceedingly complex structures, which result in massive third-party upfront investments or deadweight costs in various legal processes, which are crucial for designing and preparing project ownership structure, loan documentation, and other contractual requirements† (Srivastava Kumar, 2010, p.9). Additionally, financial advisors who help in the process of financial structuring may charge fees ranging from 50 to 100 points (Brealey Myers, 2003, p.98). Since the organizations have to incur these costs during the process of project development, in case the projects turn out infeasible, they would not recover the costs. For this reason, some sources of project finances are unattractive. For instance, issuance of bonds and long-term loans from banks are risky in the sense that organization will have to pay any gains from loans and bonds after some specified period. Comparatively, raising finance from issuance of shares is less risky since organizations will have to pay constant dividends once the project becomes operational and or when there is an increase in the share value. Reference List Brealey, A., Myers, S. (2003). Principles of Corporate Finance. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Structures: Domestic and Foreign specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Giddy, I. (2012). Project Financing. Web. Hoffman, S. (2007). The Law and Business of International Project Finance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Srivastava, V., Kumar, A. (2010).Financing Infrastructure Projects in India from Corporate Finance to Project Finance. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 5 (5), 7-20. Worenklein, J. (2003). The Global Crisis in Power and Infrastructure: Lessons Learned and New Directions. The Journal of Structured and Project Finance, 3 (2), 7-11.

Identification of Possible Pathogens in an Office Environment Research Paper

Identification of Possible Pathogens in an Office Environment - Research Paper Example Is there a relationship between working efficiency and pathogenic presence in offices? The disease-causing pathogens lead to various illnesses that may lower the efficiency of personnel in the offices. Due to the reduction in efficiency, the research herein is of a great essentiality. We obtained the isolate by taking a sample of the used Petri plate with Nutrient agar (Ravichandra 37).Thereafter, exposing it to the air in a small office for approximately 1 hour. The Petri plate helped in the collection of a variety of microorganisms. The microorganisms were from surfaces, strictly chairs, desktops and computer mice. The primary purpose of the methodology was to help in identifying a single unknown culture of bacteria to prove whether it is pathogenic or not. The organism I identified via PCR is Dermacoccus nishinomiyaeusis and is non-pathogenic generally regarded as harmless saprophytes (Rose, Joan and Erin 14). It inhabits and contaminates the skin, mucosa, and the pharynx. A Gram-positive coccus locates in tetrads, irregular clusters and cubical agglomerates of eight. It is enzymatic positive and exhibits strictly aerobic metabolic. However, they can be opportunistic disease-causing organisms to the immune-compromised beings. They associated with various infections, including bacteremia, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis peritonitis, and infections related to ventricular shunts. They occur worldwide and are ubiquitous. They locate on the human skin, marine and fresh water, plants, dust, and air. Rocasermeno, Pablo. "Pressurizing with dust collectors: guidelines on how to apply a concept that is appropriate for mine and plant environments, where dust generated during crushing, screening and conveying must be controlled to protect workers, office spaces and sensitive equipment." E&MJ - Engineering & Mining Journal 2013: 92. General OneFile. Web. 11 Dec.

Numerical Problem Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Numerical Problem - Speech or Presentation Example Further, the firm has a higher debt-to-equity ratio which is also unfavorable indicating more risk because the firm depends more on external lenders. Average collection period indicates the number of days a firm requires converting its receivables into cash. The firm takes more days that the industry average implying that the premiums receivable of the firm are less liquid or are converted less quickly into cash. The firm is, therefore, less efficient in managing its premium receivables compared to the industry average. Days cash on hand shows the number of days of operating expenses that the firm could meet with its current cash available. The company is in a worse situation because it has a lower ratio than the industry average and should increase its fundraising or cut back its spending. Return on assets is a profitability ratio measuring how efficient a firm is in using its assets to generate revenue. The firm has a higher ratio than the industry average implying that it is more efficient in using its assets to generate revenue than the industry average. The firm has higher TIE ratio than the industry average. It, therefore, has higher ability to meet its interest payments on the debt. The firm has a lower fixed asset turnover ratio meaning it is not using the assets optimally. It is less efficient than the industry average in using assets to generate sales or

Written analysis of Enron Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Written analysis of Enron - Essay Example lves a recent decision by Fair Work Australia (FWA) that the termination of the employment of an employee who has served for long in a firm as a result of breach of the golden safety rules was not harsh, unjust and unreasonable. Karratha Gas Plant site conducted activities in potentially hazardous conditions and had a system to mitigate these risks which require permits as part of the Golden Rules of the company. Mr. Chadwick was employed for 15 years by Woodside Energy Limited at this plant and was working as a maintenance technician. The plant operated with a work permit which formed part of the Golden Safety Rules and Chadwick had been issued with work permit for 7 days to perform hot work which required him to liaise with the control panel before commencing work at any time to ensure that work was done safely. Hours before the expiry of the permit, Mr. Chadwick and another employee arrived at the site before the opening of the permit hut and without consulting the higher management or the panel operator as was the requirement of the permit. They knew the permit hut would open in two hours’ time and thus he obtained a further permit later that day. He claimed that he knew the condition of the relevant permit and he had worked on the same LNG tank on previous occasions and therefore felt that he could meet the conditions without exposing himself or other people to danger. His employment was terminated for breaching the Golden Rule and this action was contested by Chadwick as being harsh, unjust and unreasonable in all contexts. The Deputy President McCarthy held that the Golden Rule had been obtained from standards which had been developed in the oil and gas industry back in 1988 after the Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea that had led to the death of165 people. This disaster had involved an accumulation of management error and a failure of the permit to work that had not ensured good system of communication. In considering whether the termination was

Dairy Products: An Important Source of Calcium Essay -- Exploratory E

Dairy Products: An Important Source of Calcium Out of the sources of calcium available, dairy products most aptly provide the necessary calcium with the least amount of side effects. Using dairy products as a calcium source cuts out the need to research which type of calcium is being supplied because all dairy products contain elemental calcium (Got Calcium?). A benefit of elemental calcium is an increased ability to gauge how much calcium is being absorbed (Calcium Supplemental Guidelines). This is because the elemental calcium in dairy products is more easily absorbed (Got Calcium?) Dairy products’ calcium is also less susceptible to complications with other ingested substances such as food or medications (National Osteoporosis Foundation). Removing these possible complications also removes some of the concern of short-term health risks associated with calcium. Studies have also indicated that elemental calcium does not increase some long-term health risks as calcium citrate or calcium carbonate (which are both fo und in calcium supplement pills) might (Harvard School of Public Health). All of these benefits make dairy products a safe and reasonable choice for supplying calcium needs. There are many types of calcium available, and with all of them a certain amount should be ingested each day. Though calcium requirements vary by age and gender, the average person needs about 1000 mg of calcium a day (Nutrition). This helps to keep up with bone growth and repair, and keep up with the loss of calcium through shed materials (National Osteoporosis Foundation). Without continually resupplying the body with calcium severe health problems can ensue (National Osteoporosis Foundation). This resupplying can be done usi... ...without an abundance of time to carefully watch calcium intake and calcium safety, dairy provides the best option. It is a reliable source that can be easily attained without much variation and will dependably be ingested. Works Cited Calcium Supplement Guidelines http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1296.html Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Calcium http://ods.od.nih.gov Got Calcium? http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/foods/fn587.pdf. Harvard School of Public Health http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium.html National Osteoporosis Foundation http://www.nof.org/prevention/calcium_supplements.html Perchlorate Material Safety Data Sheet http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/msds/MSDSDOD/A264/M131746.htm#Section11 Tests on milk, lettuce find perchlorate is widespread http://www.sacbee.com/content/businass/story/1161626231p-1250598

The effect of performance management systems on employee engagement

Introduction Background Prior research has established the positive effects of employee engagement in the workplace, not only for the organisation in its entirety but also for the wellbeing and productivity of individual employees (Kahn, 1990). It is therefore of paramount importance that research correctly identifies the factors which give rise to increased employee engagement and investment in their job. Rich, Lepine and Crawford (2010) found in a study of 245 fire fighters that engagement, conceptualised as the investment of one’s complete self into a job role (the degree to which a job role is integrated into a personal construct) was a significant mediator in the relationship between value congruence, perceived organisational support, core self-evaluations and the dependent variable: job performance dimensions. Aside from the obvious benefits, including increased productivity and employee initiative, this also suggests that there are psychological perks for employees with higher rates of engagem ent. Increased self-efficacy, job satisfaction, self-esteem and morale have been found to be direct consequences of higher rates of employee engagement (Bakker and Schaufeli, 2008; Harter, Schmidt and Hayes, 2002). Employee wellbeing in the workplace is known to correlate with positive business outcomes (Harter, Schmidt and Keyes, 2003). Overall, engaged employees are more likely to view their job as meaningful, their management and leadership as above average, have better perceptions of their own ability to perform their duties and are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, leading to a greater work ethic and better performance (May, Gilson and Harter, 2004). The research question The research problem we are facing is to determine the antecedents of employee engagement in the workplace. The questions that will be used to investigate this will query the relationship between management policy and employee engagement. The objective of this study will be to determine whether performance management strategies used by companies affects in any capacity the tendency of employees to fully engage themselves in the workplace. The experimental hypothesis will be that increased use of performance management strategies in the workplace increases rates of employee engagement. Performance management is the independent variable and employee engagement will be the dependent variable. This will establish whether one significant facet of management policy affects employee engagement; an important factor in predicting effectiveness in the workplace. However there are other factors which could potentially influence the dependent variable (employee engagement) which are beyond the scope of this study. There may be many aspects of the individual and their chosen career which affect how engaged they are regardless of management policy. In addition, Saks (2006) found that multiple facets of how an organisation handles employees’ work ethic determines how engaged they are in the workplace, including how much training is provided and perceived effectiveness of procedural justice at work. Isolating performance management will be one step in building a framework to more fully predict employee engagement. If the anticipated effects are discovered, this would be valuable information for businesses wishing to enhance employee productivity and satisfaction using the medium of employee engagement. By establishing the antecedents of employee engagement it will be possible to fill in another gap in the overall model presented by research to predict positive business outcomes. It has been vehemently established that employee engagement can indirectly affect this outcome, but the influences resulting in greater engagement have received relatively little attention. Performance management in particular was chosen since it encapsulates something that is under the direct control of businesses, and will therefore potentially offer an immediate and practical means for businesses to affect employee engagement. Literature review This section will incorporate definitions of the variables involved and the theoretical context of employee engagement and its antecedents. It will also cover some of the research into other factors besides the independent variable for this study which could reasonably affect the independent variable. Employee engagement The definition of employee engagement is surprisingly ambiguous in the literature, which led Macey and Schneider (2008) to gather and categorise the various definitions found in research. They found that authors generally referred to engagement in one of three broad domains; psychological state engagement, behavioural engagement and trait engagement. The effect of management, leadership, company policy and any performance management strategies employed by the business are of course effective only at the behavioural and psychological state level; trait level engagement is innate and relatively constant in each individual, and arises from various psychometric variables. The conceptualisation we shall settle on for this study will therefore involve only the psychological state and behavioural levels, since the primary independent variables of interest involve factors the business can influence to increase employee engagement. Theoretical context for employee engagement Within a theoretical context, employee engagement fits well into the explanatory remit of self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985). This theory postulates that different forms of motivation exist; autonomous regulation refers to all volition which originates from genuine internal desires, as opposed to controlled regulation in which the source of the impetus to act is external. In terms of engagement at work, autonomous regulation is desirable, as it results in greater initiative and productivity at a task. According to Meyer and Gagne (2008), who explored the underlying psychological mechanisms of autonomous regulation in the workplace, the key lies in satisfying basic psychological needs for competency, autonomy and relatedness. Performance management systems are likely to be a part of building the work environment which successfully cultivates these feelings in employees; giving them a sense that their needs have been met. Although of course there is certainly more involved in determining the extent to which employees are personally involved in their work than need satisfaction. Intervening factors are likely to include employee personal circumstances and the current economic climate. Performance management For the purposes of this study, the definition of performance management shall be the degree to which intervention by the business occurs to ensure recognition of above average performance, and involvement with offering incentives for increased productivity and work ethic. All other variables listed above which have been identified as causal antecedents of engagement will be considered as confounding variables in this study, and will be controlled for as far as possible. According to Roberts (2001), performance management involves the setting of objectives, the use of appraisal systems, reward strategies, training and feedback. This is a definition that can be more easily operationalized as the components are clearly divided which will make development of measurement scales for each subset simpler. Therefore these are the components that shall be measured as the independent variable in this study to make up performance management. Theoretical context for performance management Performance management affects employee perceptions and attitudes, which subsequently affect performance (Hartog, Boselie and Paauwe, 2004). This fits in with the theoretical framework which places employee engagement as reflecting attitudes and the meaning ascribed to job roles. It is therefore logical to expect that higher levels of implementation of performance management strategies would be significantly related to employee engagement. Although this theoretical framework does not leave much room for the inclusion of the position individual employees ascribe to their jobs in their lives. It is relatively simplistic in terms of modelling the expected effects, and there are likely to be confounding variables. Intervening variables Research has uncovered some general factors which contribute in various magnitudes to the level of employee engagement. Job characteristics (van der Broeck, Vansteenkiste, de Witte and Lens, 2008) perceived organisational support (including leadership), procedural justice, learning and training opportunities and performance management strategies (including rewards and recognition management) are all important in predicting the level of engagement an employee is likely to exhibit (Saks, 2006). This study will address one aspect of the bigger research question then; the explanatory power of performance management over employee engagement will be established. The issue will require further research to account for other possible influences on engagement, and potential interaction effects between independent variables. The originality of this study then lies in the examination of a relatively newly recognised concept (employee engagement) and shedding light on the specific relationship it has with performance management strategies, independent of other influences. Methodology This section will describe the proposed method of examining the experimental hypothesis, including how data will be gathered, what will be measured, and how the data will be analysed. Design and procedure Since the sample is limited to one business many confounding variables such as differing job demands and organisational structure can be eliminated. The samples will be taken from historical data, from employees working within a business with relatively low levels of performance management compared to similar organisations. The business under study will have to be one which has at some point implemented a new, more involved performance management strategy; this is how the independent variable will be manipulated. Both levels of employee engagement and performance management will be measured before the implementation of the new performance management strategy to serve as the control data. After the new strategy has been imposed and levels of performance management have increased in the business, the independent and dependent variable will be measured again, and this data will serve as the experimental condition. To establish the persistence over time of any significant differences in the dependent variable found to result from the change in performance management strategy, three samples will be taken at six month intervals after the implementation of the new strategy. If there is any initial difference in employee engagement between the samples immediately before and after the new strategy comes into for ce, the subsequent samples taken after the strategy has been present for some time will tell us about the long term effects of increasing performance management, otherwise the possibility remains that any effects are merely short term and fade when employees become accustomed to the new system. This will therefore be a repeated measures design. The rates of employee engagement will be compared between temporally differing samples, which will determine if changing levels of performance management alone were sufficient to affect a change in engagement, and how any effects persist, weaken, or strengthen with time. Participants Data will be gathered from secondary sources extant in the literature. The ratings of employee engagement and performance management strategies will be gathered from employees and managers working within the same business. Model specification The model we have to test (based on prior research in the area) places employee engagement as dependent in part on performance management. An a priori power analysis will be conducted on previous studies examining employee engagement to determine the expected effect size. Operationalisation of variables Performance management will be defined as the number of rewards and punishments handed out by senior management, the amount of time employees spend in training, and how often employees are appraised. Employee engagement will be measured with subjective rating scales and peer ratings. Analysis Statistical analysis of this data would include one-way analysis of variance. First performance management would be measured in each group to ensure that in reality there was a change due to the implementation of the new strategy. Then the degree of variability in engagement can be examined between conditions. The relative impact of increasing performance management can be examined in the short and long term, which could help in our theoretical understanding of the psychological underpinnings of any effects observed; if the effects change over time, this will provide clues for future research to investigate, and give use evidence to speculate further on why the change took place. This method of statistical analysis will allow for simple comparisons between control and experimental groups, and for different levels of the experimental condition, in this case the amount of time elapsed after the implementation of the new strategy. Limitations Since the data will all be gathered from the same business, many confounding variables will remain constant between groups, however this means the findings may be less applicable to other business contexts. There is also the fact that a substantial time will have passed between conditions, meaning there may have been other changes other than the independent variable under study, which could confound the results. All other pertinent factors will be investigated and accounted for in the final report to ensure they remain as consistent as possible. It is also essential to recognise the fact that different individuals harbouring different internal traits and psychological dispositions will be motivated to engage in their workplace by different factors which are meaningful to them personally. This is especially true between individuals with radically differing job characteristics and duties since they are likely to have different expectations of their job, and view their relationship to their job role differently. However the influences on engagement cited here have been shown to be generally applicable despite differing job roles. Psychological factors of unique individuals may also play a role in shaping how well specific employees fit into their job role. May, Gilson and Harter (2004) found that perceived meaningfulness of job role, perceived safety at work (including co-worker relations and perceived job security) and availability of psychological resources relevant to job demands are all positively correlated with employee engagement. Such factors may be positively influenced directly by effective performance management but are otherwise outside the scope of this study. The fact that different employees are likely to have been used between conditions (due to the time elapsed) could also pose a problem due to their potential to have very different opinions, experiences and traits relevant to their work life which could influence employee engagement. Limitations include the fact that not all influences on the outcome variable have possibly been considered in the analysis, although there are good theoretical grounds for including the variables that are present. There is likely a myriad of intervening factors affecting how much employees engage at work, but focusing on ones that are immediately under the control of the business administrators and relatively logistically sound to implement makes the most sense as a starting point for this line of research. References Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2008) Positive organizational behavior: Engaged employees in flourishing organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(2), 147-154 Den Hartog, D. N., Boselie, P. and Paauwe, J. (2004) Performance management: a model and research agenda. Applied psychology, 53(4), 556-569 Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L. and Hayes, T. L. (2002) Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta-analysis. Journal of applied psychology, 87(2), 268 Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L. and Keyes, C. L. (2003) Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies. Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived, 2, 205-224 Kahn, W. A. (1990) Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of management journal, 33(4), 692-724 Macey, W. H. and Schneider, B. (2008) The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial and Organisational Psychology, 1, 3-30 May, D. R., Gilson, R. L. and Harter, L. M. (2004) The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(1), 11-37 Meyer, J. P. and Gagne, M. (2008) Employee engagement from a self-determination theory perspective. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 60-62 Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A. and Crawford, E. R. (2010) Job engagement: Antecedents and effects on job performance. Academic Management Journal, 53(3), 617-635 Roberts, I. (2001) Reward and performance management. Human resource management: A contemporary approach, 3, 506-558 Saks, A. M. (2006) Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement.Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600-619 Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H. and Lens, W. (2008) Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction. Work & Stress,22(3), 277-294