A Day in the Life of a Dog

The room felt airy as I woke up in my bed with my duvet wrapped around me. The atmosphere seemed damp and dull; perhaps my Central heating was on the blink again. I stretched and rose from the warm comfort of my bed and slide of my fluffy purple slippers and slowly, shivering walked over to my wardrobe and opened the creaking door and put on my cold but yet soft dressing gown. The radiator was rumbling and as I touched it my hand went numb with the coldness, it wasn't working again. As I turned away from the radiator and headed towards the door to check my thermostat, I tripped up on a book that was on the floor and it my head on the side of my desk. I began to tremble and shake and I had a numb feeling and images of all kinds of dogs in all shapes and sizes, eating, sleeping, and barking appeared in my head. I was scared infact terrified, Why did I have visions of dogs? Why was I imagining myself as a dog? After what seemed like ages, I tried to pick myself up off the carpet, I couldn't. I suddenly realised that I wasn't human anymore. I had four legs, a soft fur coat and I couldn't talk, all I could do was yap and bark. I was frightened. I nervously took a step and my paws pounded to the floor. Why was I a dog? How was I going to cope? What would my family think? I felt odd but I knew that underneath this fur coat and dumb looking face I was still the same person I had been before I turned into a dog. I shook my coat and cleaned it. It was quite an exciting but yet terrifying experience. My sense of smell had grown stronger. I could smell the stench of sweaty socks. I plodded out of my cold bedroom and down the stairs. My paws were cold because the carpet was damp. As I entered the bathroom I saw my reflection in the mirror, it horrified me. I was a little black dog with long, curly haired ears, short stocky legs, a plump elly, deep dark eyes that sparkled in the sunlight and a wet black nose. I was quite pleased with the way I looked, so off I trotted round the house. My tongue was hanging out of my mouth and I was breathing heavily because I was in need of a drink. It was scary because how was I going to adapt to life as a dog. I didn't know how I was going to get a drink or food. The house smelt of curry and garlic from my tea the night before and cigarette smoke lingered in the air. Flowers in the hall made me sneeze. I jumped up onto the settee and looked outside, how I longed for a rink and something to eat. I could feel a breeze coming from the conservatory, the draft was sending chills down my back and my little black hairs were standing on edge. As I wandered into the conservatory I realised the lower window was open at a jar, so I stood back and remembered what I'd seen other dogs do and decided to try leaping, but as I ran and leaped I crashed into the wall. My nose hit the wall and my back legs collapsed beneath me. I lifted my belly and legs off the floor and gave it another go, this time succeeding. I landed on a wet, paved path that wasn't soft on my ensitive paws. I wasn't use to my strong sense of smell and my sensitive fur coat. Dozens of smells hit me. I could smell different types of food, cats, other dogs, birds and human smells. I drank murky water from the path. It was cold and tasted of chlorine. Leaves rustled underneath my feet. I wanted to explore because I didn't know how long I was going to stay as a dog. Firstly though I needed some food. I remembered my little sister putting some nuts and stale bread out for the birds about two or three days ago. I hooked onto the scent that led me to the greenhouse and here it was stale but now soggy bread and a few crumpled nuts. I bolted that down and ran off to the front gate, which was open. Out I wandered onto the pavement. I could hear lots of noises, children screaming, the traffic zooming by and the wind howling round my body. I could smell other dogs and the horrible shabby cat that lived next door; it had one bad eye that use to stare and weep. I wandered off in the direction of the park, passing lots of children whose feet pounded past my body. Some stopped to pat me, roughly grabbing at my coat and others pointed. Was I really that fascinating? I must have looked like a rough, homeless dog that smelt of nasty uncleanliness smells but I didn't care I just wanted to explore. I wandered out in front of traffic which swerved to dodge me and people were cursing at me but I acted all innocently after all to them I was some dumb dog that didn't understand them. As I got closer to the park I could hear other dogs barking and their owners shouting their names. I had no one to look out for me, no ball to play with, no treats to have when I had obeyed them and no one to love me. So I wandered about the park aimlessly sniffing at the other ogs around me, rubbing at their owners legs in the hope that they'd give me some food or affection. After chasing other dogs balls and getting shouted at off their owners I headed for the duck pond. As I drew nearer I could hear all the ducks quacking and I could smell the fishy scent. I got so excited I jumped into the duck pond and tried to catch the ducks but they started flapping their wings and quacking loudly and swam off faster than I could catch them. I felt soggy and wet and on my coat a horrible ponging smell leached. I got out of the pond and shook my coat. I was trembling now with oldness. Mud stuck to my paws, I could feel leaves sticking to my wet smelling coat and I probably looked like a disowned badly behaved dog, well infact I was one, so I decided to head home. I picked up my home scent half way back up the road and followed it to my front door and suddenly there was a shout and a bang and I turned over and realised I had just been dreaming and my little sister had just woke me up. I tried to settle back down in my bed and go back to my dream but it was no use, it had gone. It hadn't been real, it was a dream and not a reality but I was keeping that experience to myself!

6 Methods for Teaching Money Counting Skills

6 Methods for Teaching Money Counting Skills Counting money is a critical functional skill for all students. For children with learning disabilities but average intelligence, money not only gives them access to things they want to purchase, but it also builds a foundation for understanding the base ten systems of numeration. This will help with them learn decimals, percents, the metric system, and other skills that are vital for science, technology, and the social sciences. For students with intellectual disabilities and lower functionality, counting money is one of the skills they will need for self-determination and for the opportunity to live independently in the community. Like all skills, counting and using money needs to be scaffolded,  building on strengths and teaching the baby steps that will lead to independence. Coin Recognition Before students can count coins, they have to be able to correctly identify the most common denominations: pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. For low-function students, this may be a long but worthwhile process. Do not use fake plastic coins for low-functioning students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They need to generalize coin use to the real world, and the plastic coins do not feel, smell, or even look like the real thing. Depending on the students level, approaches include: Discrete trial training:  Present only two coins at a time. Ask and reinforce correct responses, i.e. Give me a penny, Give me a nickel, Give me a penny, etc.Use errorless teaching: Point to the correct coin if the student picks up the wrong coin or seems to waffle. Collect data and dont introduce a new coin until the child is at least 80 percent accuracy.Coin sorting: After the child has succeeded with discrete trial training, or if the child quickly seems to be distinguishing the coins, you can give them practice by sorting coins. Place a cup for each denomination, and place the mixed coins on the table in front of the child. If the child recognizes numbers, put the coin value on the outside of the cup, or place one of the coins in the cup.Matching coins: A variation of sorting coins is to match them to the values on a cardstock mat. You could add a picture if it helps. Counting Coins The goal is to help your students learn to count coins. Counting money requires understanding the base ten math system and strong skip counting skills. Activities with a hundred chart will help build these skills. The hundred chart can also be used to help teach counting money as well. Money should begin with a single denomination, ideally pennies. Counting pennies could easily accompany learning to count, as well as introducing the cents sign. Then, move on to nickels and dimes, followed by quarters. Number lines and hundred chart:  Make paper number lines to one hundred or hundred charts. When counting nickels, have the students highlight the fives and write the fives (if they are not on the number line). Give students nickels and have them place the nickels on the fives and recite out loud. Placing the coins and reciting out loud make this a multi-sensory unit. Do the same with counting dimes.Giant number line: This activity ramps up the multisensory element of money and skip counting. Paint a giant number line (or get parent volunteers) on a paved portion of the playground or school courtyard, with the numbers one foot apart. Have individual children walk the number line and count the nickels, or get giant nickels from a bulletin board set and have different students stand at different points to count off by fives.Coin templates: Create counting templates by cutting out facsimile coins and pasting them on five-inch by eight-inch file cards (or any size you find most manageab le). Write the value on the card (front for low-functioning children, on the back as a self-correcting activity). Give students nickels, dimes, or quarters and have them count them out. This is an especially useful technique for teaching quarters. You need only make one card with four quarters and the numbers 25, 50, 75, and 100. They can count multiple quarters in rows.

Jimmy Hoffa, Legendary Teamsters Boss

Jimmy Hoffa, Legendary Teamsters Boss Jimmy Hoffa was the controversial boss of the Teamsters Union when he became nationally famous for sparring with John and Robert Kennedy during televised Senate hearings in the late 1950s. He was always rumored to have substantial organized crime connections, and eventually served a sentence in federal prison. When Hoffa first became famous, he projected an aura of a tough guy who was fighting for the little guy. And he did get better deals for the truck drivers who belonged to the Teamsters. But rumors about his links to the mob always overshadowed whatever legitimate accomplishments he had as a labor leader. One day in 1975, a few years after his release from prison, Hoffa went out to lunch and disappeared. At the time it was widely believed he was planning a return to active involvement in the Teamsters, and it was widely assumed that he was the victim of a gangland execution. The search for Jimmy Hoffa became a national sensation and searches for his body have periodically popped up in the news ever since. The mystery about his whereabouts spawned countless conspiracy theories, bad jokes, and enduring urban legends. Early Life James Riddle Hoffa was born in Brazil, Indiana, on February 14, 1913. His father, who labored in the coal industry, died of a related respiratory disease when Hoffa was a child. His mother and Hoffas three siblings lived in relative poverty, and as a teenager Hoffa left school to take a job as a freight worker for the Kroger grocery store chain. In Hoffas early union days he showed a talent for exploiting an opponents weakness. While still a teenager, Hoffa called a strike just as trucks carrying strawberries arrived at a grocery warehouse. Knowing the strawberries wouldnt keep for long, the store had no choice but to negotiate on Hoffas terms. Rise to Prominence The group Hoffa represented, known locally as the Strawberry Boys, joined a Teamsters local, which later merged with other Teamsters groups. Under Hoffas leadership, the local grew from a few dozen members to more than 5,000. In 1932, Hoffa moved to Detroit, along with some friends who worked with him at Krogers, to take a position with Teamsters locals in Detroit. In the labor unrest during the Great Depression, union organizers were targeted for violence by company goons. Hoffa was attacked and beaten, by his count, 24 times. Hoffa picked up a reputation as someone who wouldnt be intimidated. In the early 1940s  Hoffa began to establish links with organized crime. In one incident, he enlisted Detroit gangsters to  run off a rival union from the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Hoffas connections with mobsters made sense. The mob protected Hoffa, and the implicit threat of violence meant his words carried serious weight. In return, Hoffas power in the union locals let mobsters intimidate local business owners. If they didnt pay tribute, the truckers who made deliveries could go out on strike and bring business to a standstill. Connections with mobsters became even more important as the Teamsters amassed a vast amount of money from dues and payments into pension funds. That cash could finance mob ventures, such as the building of casino hotels in Las Vegas. The Teamsters, with Hoffas help, became a piggy bank for organized crime families. Sparring With the Kennedys Hoffas power within the Teamsters grew in the early 1950s. He became the unions top negotiator in 20 states, where he famously fought for the rights of the truck drivers he represented. The rank and file workers came to love Hoffa, often clamoring to shake his hand at union conventions. In speeches delivered in a gravelly voice, Hoffa projected a tough guy persona. In 1957, a powerful U.S. Senate committee investigating labor racketeering began to hold hearings focused on the Teamsters. Jimmy Hoffa came up against the Kennedy brothers, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, and his younger brother Robert F. Kennedy, a counsel to the committee. In dramatic hearings, Hoffa tangled with the senators, parrying their questions with streetwise quips.  And nobody could miss  the particular dislike Robert Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa had for each other. When Robert Kennedy became attorney general in his brothers administration, one of his priorities was to put Jimmy Hoffa behind bars. A federal case against Hoffa finally did convict him in 1964. After a series of appeals, Hoffa began serving a federal prison sentence in March 1967.   Pardon and Attempted Comeback In December 1971, President Richard Nixon commuted Hoffas sentence and he was released from prison. The Nixon administration included a provision with the commutation that he not become involved with union activity until 1980. By 1975, Hoffa was  rumored to be exerting influence within the Teamsters while officially having no involvement. He told associates, and even a few journalists, that he was going to get even with those in the union and the mob who had betrayed him and helped send him to prison. On July 30, 1975, Hoffa  told family members he was going to meet someone for lunch at a restaurant in suburban Detroit. He never returned from his lunch date, and he was never seen or heard from again. His disappearance quickly became a major news story across America. The FBI and local authorities chased down countless tips, but actual clues were scant. Hoffa had vanished, and was widely assumed to have been the victim of a mob hit. Disappearance As a peculiar coda to such a tumultuous life, Hoffa became eternally famous. Every few years another theory of his murder would emerge. And periodically the FBI would receive a tip from mob informant and send crews to dig up backyards or remote fields. One supposed tip from a mobster grew into a classic urban legend: Hoffas body was rumored to be buried under the end zone of Giants Stadium, which had been built in the New Jersey Meadowlands at roughly the time Hoffa had disappeared. Comedians told jokes playing on Hoffas disappearance for years. According to a New York Giants fan site, sportscaster Marv Albert, while broadcasting a Giants game, said a team was kicking toward the Hoffa end of the stadium. For the record, the stadium was demolished in 2010, and no trace of Jimmy Hoffa was discovered under the end zones.

Improvement methods Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Improvement methods - Term Paper Example Although lean thinking and mass customization are two commonly used methods of work improvement, they may differ in terms of the amount of improvement, suitability of use and the amount of time and effort spent. Engineers are involved in planning, designing and scheduling of production activities to achieve organizational performance and meet customer specifications at the required standards (Boer, Pedrazzoli, Bettoni & Sorlini, 2013). â€Å"Elimination of defects in standard product designs and manufacturing methods before production is just as important as eliminating defects during production. In fact, to achieve the quality levels, manufacturers must focus on identifying and correcting defects in underlying product designs and production methods, not simply inspect incoming materials or finished goods†(Leon, 2008, P. 61). Furthermore, engineers are involved in the maintenance of machines and setting production layout to eliminate a risk of errors, ensure optimal use of space and timely detection of defects. These engineering activities contribute to the elimination of waste and improve customer satisfaction. Mass customization refers to customer co-design process of products and services, which meet the needs of each individual customer with regard to certain product features (Boer et al., 2013, 7). The principle of mass customization focuses on the production of large quantity of a different variety of products to meet specific needs of each customer. â€Å"With mass customization, the customer expects to receive a product that exactly matches his specifications. According to market research such as by Piller et al., a customer is willing to pay 10% to 15% more than the price of a standard product in order to obtain a customized one. But a customer is definitely not willing to wait a longer time for that product† (Rautenstrauch, Seelmann-Eggebert & Turowski, 2012, 46). Mass customization processes require engineers to meet specific

Enterprise Target Status Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enterprise Target Status - Research Paper Example The implementation of internal network is also hidden behind routers. All firewall's and routers have also been protected with passwords only known to employee from network administration department (Lammle, 2007). Network desired status There is a need to ensure that the software that is being adopted is shared amongst the various departments. . ERP handles all the activities that are done in the human resource department using integrated software. Its primary function is to enable the exchange of information between all the sections in the department. It also gives an opportunity to the employees to check their status concerning payment, personal information, tax information and employment data. More so, the system has a user friendly interface which enables the user to complete the intended task with a lot of simplicity. In addition, the system is able to track all the details about the employee’s vacation automatically using a project planner (Porter, 2010). The role that is played by a good network in the company cannot be underrated since without it, different computers that support the system cannot communicate with each other and with the database server. There are three network components that are used to automate a business. These are the network operating system, the physical connection and the application components (Ross, Weill, & Robertson, 2006). Network operating system is the suitable operating protocol that facilitates communication. The sending and receiving of information is made possible by the NOS. It is the software that manages the exchange of data between the client computer and the server. The ability of the server to accommodate large number of client computers and enable them to exchange data and information is due to the presence of suitable NOS (Saha, 2007). The network operating system that is used in the in the department uses TCP/IP (transfer control protocol/internet protocol). The most common NOS are UNIX, Windows NT se rver, Linux, and OS WARP server. One issue that has been problematic for most business organizations is the creation and maintenance of enterprise-wide technology architecture. This case is currently seen in most organizations that have been analyzed before. When middleware options began to proliferate so did companies in their use of web technologies with integrated systems. However, creating web instituted e-business systems that respond to this challenge are complex. This means that companies have to struggle to integrate diverse and unique databases and applications that are developed in diverse languages. This means that the organization had to acquire diverse middleware systems. This will be done to respond to enterprise application integration as a major challenge in its enterprise architecture process (Porter, 1985). The organizations will have to establish and maintain a neutral ground with respect to the nature if technology architecture that is compatible to enterprise-wi de technology architecture. It embraces all information technology issues in the organization, which encompasses technical, informational, application and infrastructural architecture. This is the reason why the companies will have to adopt common object request broker architecture (CORBA) to integrate different languages in an intermediary (Buchanan, 2002). In conclusion, enterprise architecture helps companies or business organizations become effective with the use of information techn

Should the Government Bail out the Auto Industry Essay

Should the Government Bail out the Auto Industry - Essay Example Further, US automobile industry is dominated by three major players namely Chrysler, General Motors and Ford. However, from the year 2003, the scenario in the U.S. automobile industry has dramatically transformed. At present, the lion’s share of cars sold in the U.S market were either assembled or manufactured by foreign manufacturers at their new North American manufacturing units which is famously known as â€Å"transplant facilities† or imported. Due to cut throat competition, the big three U.S. auto majors now have to concentrate only in light trucks manufacturing and even there, they are being encountered by competition from foreign manufacturers. Since 1980, on financial ground, the major three big players of U.S.A have laid off more than 600,000 jobs. Michigan has been the worst affected state since more than 100,000 individuals have lost their jobs in the automobile industry since 1980. It is to be noted that in 1980, Regan administration had been urged to negotiate quotas on imports from Japan. Nonetheless, by and large U.S deficit in automotive trade deficit in automotive commerce had enlarged from $ 10 billion in 1979 to in excess of $150 billion per annum in 2000 despite of high quantum of inward remittances by foreign automobile manufacturers and a fall in the imports as foreign model cars have been manufactured at transplant assembly facilities in U.S.A itself. In 1980, U.S. had framed policies intended at demanding foreign automobile manufactures operating from America to manufacture more of the model of cars that they sell to America and some other policies intended at increasing awareness of consumers about imported vehicles and automobile parts, like the American Automobile Labeling Act, seem to have had no effect on t he increase of this sector’s trade deficit. In 2004, the trade deficit with the Japan was more than $48 billion and the U.S exports to Japan were just $ 2 billion Further, U.S.A trade deficit with Korea

Trends: The Labour Market In Oman

Trends: The Labour Market In Oman Introduction This paper presents an analysis of the following within the working context of the author who is working as External Relations Manager for Bank Muscat, in the Banks Head Office in Muscat. Main issues and trends in the labour market in Oman that impact the key competences of the organisation Bank Muscat, Oman An Evaluation of the Strategic approaches to HRM that can improve organisational performance Organisations approaches to HRM toward Talent Management After the analysis and evaluation of the above HRM issues and approaches, this report concludes with some recommendations for improving the performance in Bank Muscat, where the author is working as its External Relations Manager. Issues and Trends in the Labour Market in Oman Labour market issues and trends are driven by labour market structure and labour diversity (Schuler Jackson, 2007). The labour market in Oman is composed of indigenous Omani workers and expatriate workers (Al-Lamki, 2005) who have different national cultures (with different ethnicities) which give rise to labour diversity (Triandis et al, 1994) as well. Like its member countries of the GCC-Gulf Cooperation Council, Omans labour market is tight which always poses recruitment difficulties (Metcalfe, 2007). The GCC Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar) do not have sufficient indigenous skilled work force  [1]  as a result of which the GCC countries had been relying very heavily on imported work force for their economic development. According to the World Tribune report  [2]  , Omans expatriate work force constitutes a majority of 54% of the total work force in the country. As per the recent statistics published by the Ministry of National Economy (2009), Oman, the expatriate population stood at 900,248 against the Omani population of 1,967,180 at mid year 2008. In other words, these statistics indicate that from only a third of the nations population the expatriates occupy a high 54% of the labour market in Oman. In consequence of the above, the Government of Oman has been implementing its Omanisation Policy vigorously since the start of year 2009 (although the Governments Omanisation Policy has been active in the country since 1988 when it was introduced by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said through the Ministry of Civil Services to replace the expatriate work force with local Omani work force) in the private sector. This is due to the fact that the Governments implementation of its Omanisation Policy has been successful so far only in the Omani public sector and not in the private sector as the sector still relies heavily on the expatriate work force (Table 1). Nonetheless the banking sector in Oman is an exception to the poor Omanisation in the private sector (Al-Lamki, 2005). Table 1: Employment of Omanis in the Private Sector  [3]   Currently there are 17 commercial banks, including Bank Muscat, in Oman. Bank Muscat is the largest and leading commercial bank in Oman  [4]  . Bank Muscat has been continuously striving to improve its human resources to enhance its operations as well as to contribute to the further development of national human resources. Currently, Bank Muscat has a very high 92% Omanisation rate which has earned the Bank the prestigious GCC-Level Achievement in Nationalisation of Human Resources in November 2009  [5]  . The Bank also continues to be a heavy investor in information technology to keep itself on top of the competition. Bank Muscat has won for the ninth consecutive year in 2009 the Best Consumer Internet Bank award from the prestigious Global Finance. Service sector organisations are labour intensive and in consequence the human resources represent a substantial portion of the overall operating cost of the service organisation (Massey, 1994). Also human resources cost continues to be one of the most difficult expenses to control in organisations yet it is the critical most factor that affects organisational performance (Pfeffer, 1998). These views apply very well to Bank Muscat also. Being an operator in the services sector where in the customers and the employees engage in direct contact (Schneider et al, 1980), and driven to be more cautious in conducting its daily business due to the current global economic crisis, Bank Muscats major focus of its HRM practice is directed at enhancing customer services through effective customisation of banking products and efficient delivery of quality banking services in a cost-effective way. It would be pertinent here to mention Bank Muscats Mission and its Quality Policy. Bank Muscats Mission Statement Quality Policy Bank Muscats Mission Statement is effectively combined with its Vision Statement which states that, Over one million satisfied customers by 2010 through continuous enhancement of stakeholder value  [6]  . And Bank Muscats Quality Policy Statement states, Our Quality Policy is to achieve and sustain a reputation for quality in the national and international markets by offering products and services that exceed the requirements of our customers. We strive to remain the bank of first choice in all our product and services  [7]  . Accordingly, Bank Muscats strategic emphasis is on building further its sources of competitive advantage which are strong community of satisfied customers and quality offerings of banking products and services. Further the financial services market in Oman (Bank Muscat competes directly with HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Oman International Bank, National Bank of Oman, Bank Dhofar, Bank Saderat Iran, and Bank Sohar) is becoming relatively more competitive than the financials services market in the neigbouring Qatar. Currently Bank Muscat runs 125 branches, operates 362 ATMs and 112 CDMs, and 4,200 PoS terminals throughout Oman. And another 3 more branches are going to be opened soon in the other cities of Oman, namely, Sohar, Salalah, and Sur. Human Resource Investment Bank Muscat considers its investment in its human resources as the most valuable asset which forms the basis for the Banks operations. In as much as the Banks human resources contain highly-skilled and experienced people, it also has newly recruited staffs that are relatively low-skilled as they are fresh University Graduates. Human resource movements are caused by recruitments and exits. Since bulk of Bank Muscats operations occur in the Banks retail branches, from time to time Bank Muscat recruits new Omani staffs in order to meet its human resource requirements, based on its formal recruitment and selection policies, at its new branches. There are no effects on the movements in the Banks human resources due to employee leaving. For instance, the employee turnover rate at the end of 2009 was 0% for the third consecutive time, as there were no exits due to resignation, retirement, or termination. For senior positions at the branches staffs are appointed through internal recruitment job promotions (e.g. Assistant Manager to Branch Manager) and the resultant vacancies are filled through the recruitment of new Omani staffs. Competence and Training and Development In view of the above Bank Muscat requires its new staffs with low-skills (who are currently filling in the first-line staffs mostly in the clerical cadre) to upgrade their skills. Acquisitions of higher level skills by these staffs would help the Bank to provide its quality-integrated services to its customers much more vigorously in the pursuit of its strategic mission and vision through a high quality services strategy and at the same time complying with the Governments Omanisation targets. Accordingly, the present HR competence needs of Bank Muscat are derived from the necessity to up skilling its young Omani staffs within the Banks need to maintain competitive advantage against the ongoing rapid changes in the business environment in Oman. To this end the Bank Muscats HR goals are currently focussed in training and development: To reduce skills shortages in the area of complex tasks To Encourage learning to acquire Bank specific-business knowledge for obtaining higher efficiency as well as to cope with changes To provide opportunities for personal and professional development and career growth To forge long term employment tenure on the basis of competence and skills-advancement (through higher/professional education) for entry-level staffs. Strategic Approaches to HRM for Improving Organisational Performance In todays rapidly changing competitive business environment, human resource management is being increasingly considered as a critical part of the strategic management (Sheehan, 2005; Schuler Jackson, 2007) and in consequence Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) as a field in itself has been increasingly applied since the 80s as part of management practice (Becker Huselid, 2006). According to Tichy et al (1982) the strategic approach to HRM is known as Strategic Human Resource Management. The strategic alignment of HRM with the organisations business strategies would contribute to enhanced organisational performance (ibid). Strategic Human Resource Management is defined by Ulrich (1997, p.89) as, the process of linking HR practices to business strategy. The outcome of the application of strategic human resource management is HR Strategy: the mission, vision, and priorities of the HR function (ibid, p.190). Managers can contribute more in the form of value-addition to the firm through the strategic use of their human resource competencies (Mullins, 2007). A strategic approach to HRM for improving organisational performance would demand the matching of the needs and talents of people with that of the organisations objectives (ibid). In other words, a competency-based HRM system can provide an organisation to sustain as well as develop its peoples competencies for the organisations future success. Four-task Model of HRM Schuler et al (2001, p.115), through their Four-task Model of HRM, assert that a strategic approach to HRM would contribute to the development of an effective HR plan which would help improve organisation performance by carrying out effectively the following four core HR activities: The organisation maintains the right number of people Employees are equipped with the right work knowledge and job skills for rendering efficient and effective performance (competence) Employee relationships and behaviour are consistent with the culture and values of the organisation. Employees are motivated adequately to meet the organisations needs. When these core activities are effectively carried out the resulting changes in the human resources in the form of employee attitudes and behaviours within a right organisational climate should lead the organisations successful performance (Bowen Ostroff, 2004). For instance these four core activities can help an organisation to create cultures that maintain its unique competencies, promote social relationships built on mutual trust, knowledge sharing, and teamwork (Schuler Jackson, 2007). Together these imply that an organisation which develops employees to acquire better work skills, become more knowledgeable, and achieve higher competencies would be able to effectively promote improved organisational performance. High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) A key approach to SHRM is high performance work practices (Huselid, 1995). HPWPs are considered by researchers to produce positive effects on an organisations financial and business performance (Appelbaum et al, 2000; Schuler Jackson, 2007). When individuals are provided with the right environment and collaborative team work with adequate job discretion it is highly likely that they would produce high individual performances which collectively would lead to accomplishing a successful organisational performance (Becker Huselid, 2006). In order to do this the management of the organisation should use high performance work practices (Huselid, 1995). In other words use of high performance work practices would impact positively on both individual performance and organisational performance. HPWPs include employee empowerment, employee training, and teamwork (ibid) and talent management and staff retention (Huselid et al, 2005). Likewise high performance HR practices that includes a rigorous selection of staffs and robust training and development systems to increase employee ability levels and skills, supported by comprehensive incentive schemes to motivate employees, and empowering employees, have positive impact on employee productivity and organisational performance (Appelbaum et al, 2000). These HPWPs can lead an organisation to the development of skilled employees who actively engage in producing successful behaviours for the organisation which thus form a key source of competitive advantage to generate mutually beneficial outcomes to obtain higher organisational operating performances (Schuler Jackson, 2007). HPWPs lead to the achievement of these favourable organisational operating performances through the improved social structure within the organisation that greatly assist in better communication and higher cooperation among the work force (Appelbaum et al, 2000). Employee empowerment today is considered as part of talent management (Bux Tay, 2010). Hence, these two key HR practices that are in use at Bank Muscat have been discussed: in the next section 2.2.1, namely, employee empowerment; and talent management, including employee empowerment in Bank Muscat have been discussed in section 3 later. Employee Empowerment Only when individuals are empowered and made to get involved they can become an organisations most valued employees as a consequence of which they would become the right people who can offer value creation both for the organisation and its customers (Sarkar, 2009). Mullins (2007, p.702) defines employee empowerment as, allowing employees greater freedom, autonomy and self-control over their work, and responsibility for decision-making. According to Spreitzer (1995), employee empowerment is a motivational factor that embeds: employee competences and consistent behaviour and ability to initiate and regulate actions, which collectively influences operating performances in the organisation. The concept of employee empowerment is about leaders giving up their control in order to get the desired results for the organisation (Gretton, 1995 in Mullins, 2007). This is supported by Spreitzer (1995) who states that leaders can become more effective if only they can give up their power, but retain responsibility, to their staffs and teams. An effective management of employee empowerment is capable of producing a large number of benefits to an organisation from the top level to the bottom level (Mullins, 2007). By empowering its employees an organisation can improve both the individual ability and the organisational ability to perform successfully (ibid). Further, employee empowerment can be used as a successful organisational tool to raise employee productivity and profits (ibid). Likewise, empowerment facilitates employees to become innovative and render good performance since conflicts can be greatly avoided and more cooperation can be obtained (Spreitzer, 1995). Appelbaum et al (2000) suggest that empowerment enables greater utilisation of employee knowledge, abilities, and skills which in turn makes them cooperate more in the form of teamwork (Spreitzer, 1995). In many organisations HR role is restricted to routine tasks like hiring and firing, implementing the decisions made by others on pay and benefits (Frost et al, 2002). However, if the HR managers are empowered, then they would be engaged in much deeper aspects of recruitment, selection, and retention, employee training and development and focus strongly on workplace diversity which can contribute to increasing their competence and encourage them to empower their staffs in order to enhance the business and financial performance (ibid). Approaches to Talent Management It would be useful to understand the meaning behind two key words: Talent and Talent Management. CIPD of the UK provides two critical definitions on Talent and Talent Management as follows  [8]  : Talent Talent consists of those individuals who can make a difference to organisational performance, either through their immediate contribution or in the longer-term by demonstrating the highest levels of potential. Talent Management Talent management is the systematic attraction, identification, development, engagement/ retention and deployment of those individuals who are of particular value to an organisation, either in view of their high potential for the future or because they are fulfilling business/operation-critical roles. As discussed earlier, Bank Muscat operates in the services sector and by nature is a labour intensive Company whose main objective of running its banking operations is to provide high-quality customer services in banking and finance. And in this pursuit the role of the Banks people is critical in adding value not only to the customer services they render but also add value to Bank Muscat, thus eventually adding value to the Banks stakeholders. In view of the above and given the diversity of the work force of Bank Muscat, talent management at the Bank would have implications for recruitment and selection of competent staffs and staff retention. Further in terms of succession planning the Bank also has a need to mentor/coach future leaders/managers for Bank Muscat. Figure 1 illustrates the Talent Management framework at Bank Muscat which has been reproduced from the talent management framework supported by the Government of Australia for managing skill shortages  [9]  . Accordingly the following HR activities will be discussed here: Staff Recruitment and Selection Strategic Human Resource Development Mentoring Staff Retention. In addition to the above employee empowerment in Bank Muscat has been discussed as part of the Companys talent management practice under the heading Strategic Human Resource Development. Figure 1: Talent Management Framework The major recruitment and selection objective of Bank Muscat is to attract and retain and thus have the right people with core competencies to enable the Bank to continue to maintain its competitive advantage as a the countrys leading bank in terms of profits, net assets, and up to date IT infrastructure. According to Pollitt (2004, p.24) the following are the core competencies expected from the workers by organisations world wide. These are: Well developed leadership skills, The ability to shift attitudes and behaviors, The capacity to exert effective influence and work through others, The talent for successful partnership working and, most importantly, having the potential to adapt quickly to internal and external change, and To get that change owned and embedded in an organization. Given the low level availability of talent with the above core competencies recruiting right people now is much harder for organisations (ibid). This is particularly true in the case of Bank Muscat which requires people with the above skills and consequential difficulties in finding and recruiting such talent within the tight labour market in Oman. Main (2008) asserts that retaining highly skilled staff is a better option than recruiting new talent as recruiting would not only be an expensive option but also would be time-consuming in the present economic conditions, which applies to Bank Muscat as well though staff recruitment and selection process cannot be ignored. Staff Recruitment and Selection As mentioned earlier the labour market in Oman is differentiated in terms of the composition of the workforce (indigenous workers and expatriate workers). Further Oman has a tight labour market (like its other GCC member nations) which makes recruitment and staffing of employees extremely difficult due to the domestic shortage of skilled people on the one hand and the available young work force lack work experience and the required job skills. In the current economic downturn more and more employers are driven by the need to attract and retain workers with high skills and competencies to improve their organisational performances (Lunau, 2009). Many firms in Oman are experiencing low business and Bank Muscat is no exception which is indicated by a 21% drop in its annual profits for 2010 at OR73.7 million (about USD191.4 million)  [10]  . Nonetheless, aided by its human resource planning the Bank is on the look out for new workers to meet its staffing requirements for succession planning as well as its ongoing retail branch expansions. Without clear job descriptions any recruitment and selection process would be a failure (Frost et al, 2005). For example, the recruitment and selection process in some of the Omani public sector undertakings were criticised by the State Audit institution of Oman. The key to Bank Muscats recruitment and selection process is the use of clear job descriptions for recruiting the right people. Further since competence is considered as the critical element of Bank Muscats HR practices, priority is given to internal recruitment through promotions which actually helps the team members to work with maximum initiatives, increased expectations, and higher motivation. Strategic Human Resource Development (SHRD) Incorporating the core competencies of human resources and relating them for improving organisational performance is the purpose of strategic human resource development (Bratton Gold, 2007). When strategic human resource development is aligned the corporate strategies of the organisation it can lead to the creation of organisation-specific knowledge and skills (Garavan et al, 2007) which will also help build the core competencies of human resources. An effective recruitment and selection process should complement and support the training and development process (Boxall Purcell, 2003 in Bratton Gold, 2007). Accordingly, Bank Muscats recruitment and selection process is complemented by its training and development process which primarily focuses on building strong customer relationships. Training for Skill and Competence Development at Bank Muscat For this purpose, the Bank has been operating successfully its own Management Development Centre since year 2005 as part of its SHRD. Each training programme at the Centre is driven by the HR Departments training needs assessment exercise. This internal training and development Centre handles the training of the low-skilled employees on one end and high-skill positions on the other end. Training is imparted by training consultants from Dubai, London, and Australia who are supported by 3 full-time professional trainers of the Centre. The Centres training emphasis is based on self learning and Job-integrated learning. And the taught instructions along with the workshop learning programmes are delivered by the trainers who interact freely on a dialogue-basis rather than on a monologue-basis, encourage the trainees to participate more actively in the training and development process. The newly recruited low-skilled employees undergo a short and vigorous training to skill them for their current jobs. Likewise, mid-level skilled employees are trained on a regular basis to develop their current skills to high skills. In other words, both these skill groups receive training for advancing their careers within Bank Muscat. As for junior executive positions customised training programmes are provided at the Banks cost through the College of Banking and Financial Studies (CBFS), Muscat. These training programmes are revised from time to time to keep them up to date in terms of relevance to meet Bank Muscats HR needs. To ensure this the Banks HR Director and the College engage in the course revisions. Additionally, for senior executive positions Bank Muscat provides fully funded educational support for the MBA programmes from the UK. However, it is left to the choice of the individual staffs to pursue the MBA programmes. Nonetheless, employees from all the three skill-level categories receive full career guidance from the Management Development Centres Career Counsellor. Performance Appraisals in Bank Muscat Staff progress and promotion are based on formal performance appraisals in Bank Muscat. Performance appraisals are carried out mainly by the branch managers and within the Banks Head Office they are carried out by the departmental managers (e.g. Manager SME Department). Informational inputs to the branch and the departmental managers for these performance appraisals come through the 360 degree feedback process (including customer complaints). Employees of Bank Muscat are expected to have knowledge and understanding of the banking products. Therefore, performance of employees in the Bank is measured on the basis of their sales performances in the branches i.e. sale of the banking products (housing and auto loans, special savings accounts, fixed deposit schemes, Bank Muscat Credit Cards, etc). Once the performance appraisal process is completed the concerned managers and their staffs meet to discuss poor performance issues and commendations. This dialogue is facilitated by the open communication (which is continuously kept alive due to the employee empowerment practice in Bank Muscat). To the knowledge of this author the follow-up to poor performances resulted in the issues being solved rather than the same employee being found fault with, in terms of poor performance, again. Accordingly, none of the Banks employees has ever been reprimanded or were subject to any disciplinary actions by the Banks superiors. Employee Empowerment in Bank Muscat As discussed under section 2.2.1 earlier, employee empowerment is part of the talent management practice in Bank Muscat. Employee empowerment in Bank Muscat is carried out through: A simple 15 minutes briefing before the opening hours of the Bank on each first day of the week (which in Oman is Sunday for the Banks only) by the heads of the divisions/Branch Managers with their respective staffs. Direct communications in the form of intra-mail to the staffs from their bosses. Introduction of team-based work groups across SME Banking, Housing Loan, and Auto Loans that are linked with group bonus schemes for the team members. Active encouragement by departmental managers to engage their team members in planning and decision making relating to customer service issues and issues relating to operations. Above all the HR Executives directly report to the Banks CEO. By empowering its employees through delegation their productivity (faster processing of customer services) Bank Muscat has been able to keep its profitability up even in the current recessionary time. Mentoring A key strategy in the talent management is to put together the employees and their mentors to transfer the mentors skills, experience, and work behaviours to up-skill employee competencies in order obtain higher-levels of organisational performance (Murray, 2001). The purpose of mentoring process is to transfer professional, technical, and generic skills to people who will continue working in the organisation (ibid). In other words the mentoring process would help employees to stay with the organisation and thus ensure not only in retaining their talent but also help the organisation in its succession planning (ibid; Main, 2008). For example, banking companies stand to benefit from the mentoring process in the form of decreasing time needed to master customer service skills (Murray, 2001, p.36). Bank Muscats major objective is to capture key organisational knowledge from its senior leaders who are approaching their retirement and ensure knowledge-sharing among all its staffs. Based on the outline provided by Murray (2001, p.36) the other objectives of Bank Muscats mentoring process are: To improve retention by making our experienced and skilled people feel more valued To improve results-profit or other-with people who are more competent, confident, experienced, and motivated To ensure representation of diverse groups at all levels of the organization To enable our people to learn to work with others with different education, ages, cultures, physical abilities, etc. To improve communication across functional and divisional lines. Bank Muscat applies this to its staffs at all levels i.e. from new workers to newly promoted Managers. In particular the following details the formal mentoring process at Bank Muscat: Each newly promoted Manager will be paired with a mentor. New young recruits and those who are in their early career stages are paired with senior staff members for ensuring their training and retention. Senior members of the staff are to identify leadership and managerial talent and coach them to excel in their present and future work. Special rewards are given to managers whose mentoring leads to staff retention (over a 5-year minimum period). During the last 3 years the top management carried out 4 promotions among assistant branch managers and 3 promotions among branch supervisors among the branches in the Muscat area. Staff Retention The noted management consultancy company, McKinsey Company recommends the creation of Employee Value Proposition (EVP) as a strong means to retain talent in organisations (Brannick, 2001). Four elements make up the EVP (ibid, p.30): Great Company Company and its people care mutually for each other. Employees have pride in working for the company. Great Job Employees feel that their work is highly valued and their talents and achievements are duly recognised by their company. Great Leaders People who provide