Alternative Mating Strategies of Animals

Alternative Mating Strategies of Animals Animal Behaviour Essay Reproductive success can be defined as a mechanism which allows the passing of genes from one generation to the next in such a way that the offspring will too successfully pass on these genes. When male reproductive success depends on male-male competition and aggression, as is usually the case in polygamous species, individuals who are at a competitive disadvantage sometimes adopt an entirely different constellation of reproductive behaviours. In most cases, individuals practice only a single reproduction option throughout their lifetime (Kelly R. Zamudio, 2000). However, when such alternative mating patterns are practiced as part of a developmental sequence, they can be considered parts of a single lifetime reproductive strategy (Kelly R. Zamudio, 2000). Alternative Mating strategies have long fascinated behavioural biologists. A system in which not all males are equal in physical attributes (phenotypes) and have therefore developed an alternative strategy in order to pass on indiv idual genes by producing offspring (Kelly R. Zamudio, 2000). We hear of sneakers, satellites, mate guarding and more. Alternative mating strategies shed light on fundamental evolutionary processes (Kelly R. Zamudio, 2000). How can sexual selection overcome the combined forces of natural selection on males and female who oppose it? Highly modified male phenotypes are well known to impose great survival costs upon the males that possess them (Kelly R. Zamudio, 2000). How is it that these extreme male variants, as well as the females that mate with or produce them, are not simply eliminated by natural selection outright (Kelly R. Zamudio, 2000). Alternative mating strategies invade a population when relatively few conventional individuals secure mates. There are two types of alternative strategies exist. First, phenotype differences through polymorphism and second, genetically determined alternative strategies (Kelly R. Zamudio, 2000). The side-blotched lizard, (Uta stansburianathe), is a small common territorial lizard that is widely distributed in North America. Males of this species are highly territorial and their mating system has been described as resource-defence polygyny, with large territory holders gaining access to females whose home ranges are included within their territory (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Some populations of this species in the coastal range of California exhibit a curious combination of alternative states that has been described as a rock paper scissors game (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Three alternative strategies interact in a system that has no single winner; instead each male has strengths that allow it to out- compete one other strategy, but weaknesses that leave it vulnerable to tactics of the third (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Orange-throated males are aggressive, have higher levels of testosterone, and vigorously defend large territories, which presumably affords them access to larger number of females (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Blue-throated males are also territorial but mate guarders and stay with their females after copulating. Mate guarding may prevent their female from copulating with other males, however this behaviour interferes with territorial defence, and potentially limiting access by blue males to additional mates (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Yellow-throated males are non- territorial of other mates and copulate with their females. In order to do this sneakers not only behave surreptitiously to avoid detection, but also rely on female mimicry, their throat and dorsal coloration are most similar to patterns found in females (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Each male has specific behavioural attributes that allow it to out compete only one of the other males orange-throated males are able to outcompete the blue-throated mate guarders through aggression (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). On the other hand mate-guarding of blue males allows them to out-compete yellow sneakers, effectively d eter sneakers from copulating. Yellow throated sneakers have been most successful at mating with the orange throated females in that territory (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). This is a genetically based system requires very specific evolutionary conditions (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Previous behavioural estimates of fitness found that the three males exist in an evolutionary stable state. Negative frequency-dependent selection maintains each phenotype in the population and all three males may have equal fitness (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Fitness of sneakers will be highest when orange males are present in large numbers, because this should offer sneakers ample opportunity to sneak copulation from within territories of these males (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Long term fitness of strategies must average the frequency-dependent fitness of each morph at all stages of cycle and across the entire population (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). This requires long term paternity data sets. Analysis for local frequency-dependent processes that underlie these patterns provides a more rapid assessment of the focus maintaining alternative strategies in this population (Stanley F. Fox, 2003 ). Demonstrating frequency-dependent selection provides a better estimate of the global stability of the system is maintained by negative frequency dependence in which rare morphs have a fitness advantage (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). The scale at which these behavioural interactions occur is the level of competing groups of neighbouring males, in that the exact composition of males within a neighbourhood is expected to determine the fitness of all males within that group. For example the success of any one male should depend on the number of the other two males that come in direct competition with him (Stanley F. Fox, 2003). Another species that exhibits alternative mating strategies within species is the fallow deer. Males of this species may adopt alternative mating strategies within single populations (Thirgood, 1990). There are several explanations for this; Thirgood declared that first, a particular strategy may be optimal under certain environmental or social conditions (Thirgood, 1990). Secondly the best strategy for an individual to adopt may depend upon the strategies adopted by other males in the population (Thirgood, 1990). Third, males may simply be making the best of a bad situation, because they are incapable of competing with other males to gain maximum access to females (Thirgood, 1990). Fallow deer follow three types of mating strategies the first of which is the pursuit of a non-territorial strategy. The second strategy is to defend one single territory which may or may not contain resources desired. The last strategy is to defend multiple or what are known as lek territories (Thirgood, 1990). Lek breeding is an uncommon mating system that has only been described in five ungulate species, including the Uganda and white-eared kob and the fallow deer (Thirgood, 1990). In lek breeding species males conjugate on small clustered mating territories, which females visit solely for the purpose of copulation (Thirgood, 1990). Males do not provide paternal investment other than gametes and their territories do not contain resources required by females other than the males themselves (Thirgood, 1990). Lekking rarely appears as a pure strategy within populations, but usually as an alternative to single territory defence. Most studies of lek breeding ungulates have suggested that males holding territories on the lek have much higher mating rates than those holding single territories away from the lek, and that these latter males are simply poor competitors (Thirgood, 1990). Fallow deer in the Blackensford region of the New Forest form part of a managed population of approximately 2000 animals inhabiting an area of mixed deciduous and coniferous woodland, heartland, bogs and grasslands (Thirgood, 1990). Mating is highly seasonal, taking place largely in the half of October, although occasional copulations have been recorded before and after that time. In the New Forest population, adult male and female fallow deer are spatially segregated for much of the year (Thirgood, 1990). A small lek of three to seven mature males would be situated on the boundary of two distinct woodland habitats. A lek was observed and copulations were recorded (Thirgood, 1990). Permanently defended single territories were established in areas close to the lek. These territories occurred in a single variety of woodland habitats ranging in resources from plentiful to absent, and are representative of the great variability of single territory defence in fallow deer (Thirgood, 1990). Non-territorial reproductive behaviour has been described previously from a number of wild and enclosed fallow populations (Thirgood, 1990). At Blackensford this consisted of males simply following groups of females, or behaving as satellites by intercepting female movement (Thirgood, 1990). The estimated mating success on a single territory was higher than that reported for other lekking populations of ungulates (Thirgood, 1990). Data suggests that within a given year successful lek males attain higher mating success than single territory males, who in turn get more mating than unsuccessful lek males (Thirgood, 1990). Males are not limited to one strategy, and are capable of switching strategies as mating opportunities dictate. It was concluded that because fighting is more common on the lek, lower costs of single territory defence may result in a longer reproductive life (Thirgood, 1990). Another species that displays alternative mating strategies is a type of Bee known as Centris Pallida. Dimorphism is common in the male mating behaviour, of a large anthophorid bee (John Alcock, 1977). Bees of this genus have been relatively little studied, although previous studies have found males of various species established territories primarily by orchids or around flowering trees in tropical, central and south America and in Jamaica males of C. Pallida dig up buried females and males, mating with the former (John Alcock, 1977). Mate-location, techniques, size variation, and the fitness of mates as well as the parental investments of their mothers are intimately related to one another (John Alcock, 1977). Males of this Bee fall into one of two classes when searching for females. They are either patrollers, cruising rapidly near the ground in areas in which females are emerging, or they are however, poised at aerial stations around shrubs and trees (John Alcock, 1977). Patrolle rs search for sites at which a buried virgin female is about to emerge, upon finding such a spot, the male is capable of digging through 1-2cm of soil to the hidden female, which is usually mated by the male that uncovers her (John Alcock, 1977). Patrollers often attempt to appropriate a digging spot that another male has discovered or to separate a male from a freshly captured female (John Alcock, 1977). The second group of males, known as the hoverers, wait at sites peripheral to open emergence areas, generally by plants, whether these are flowering or not (John Alcock, 1977). Alternatively they wait at flowering shrubs or trees located well away from major emergence sites. These bees hover in the air with their hind legs dangling and held higher than the abdomen (John Alcock, 1977). They dart off rapidly in pursuit of all passing insects about their size and then almost always quickly return to their hovering station, although they may drift rather slowly over an area 1-2m in dia meter (John Alcock, 1977). These individuals do chase neighbouring and intruding however commonly but they almost never make physical contact. As a general rule, 1m or so separates hovering males (John Alcock, 1977). It is difficult to say whether this spacing stems from aggressive interactions among males avoiding one another, seeking unoccupied scanning locations (John Alcock, 1977). Hoverers will pursue females that are collecting pollen but rarely grasp these individuals, which implies that they seek to secure only virgin females and can discriminate these from already mated bees. Hovering bees apparently are waiting for virgin females that have avoided capture by patroller-diggers (John Alcock, 1977). It has long been known that males in a wide variety of animal populations practice alternative mating strategies in order to maximize their reproductive fitness. This is especially common when there is male-male competition for access to mates. In cases where such alternative strategies are as successful at obtaining mates as the predominant strategy, a coexistence of different mating strategies will evolve. The importance of alternative mating strategies is widely underestimated and often misunderstood. Polymorphic mating phenotypes provide quantifiable examples of intense frequency dependant sexual selection and its rapid evolutionary consequences. in the case of the blotched- lizard it has been shown that frequency-dependent selection arising from local competition can promote conditions that favour each individual male, and thus preserve all three strategies of the rock-paper-scissors cycle in the long term. Condition-dependent behaviour in the context of mating may result from c hanges in resource availability and intra-sexual competition for mates. When competition decreases, the expression of alternative behaviours also decreases. Changes in mating behaviours, especially among alternative males, have been documented in insects, fish, and amphibians upon removal of dominant males. Additionally, the availability of mates and resources also affects the expression of alternative strategies within a sex. The gain or loss of territory has been shown to affect mating approaches among insect species, while the receptivity and spatial distribution of mate’s impacts tactics used among insects, fish, and mammals. Mating behaviours are also affected by an individual’s size and age, as smaller or younger individuals are more likely to attempt reproduction through alternative means, including mimicry or sneak tactics. As a result, the ability to choose a behaviour that maximizes fitness under certain circumstances evolves.

Public Relations and Strategic Marketing at BMW Essay -- Business Mark

Public Relations Opportunity Public Relations or PR for short can help launch a new products sells and promotions or destroy it before a company can move it from the shelf. New companies and consumers tend to mistake Public Relations as advertising when in fact they are polar opposites. When a company advertises they pay to promote the products on TV, radio, or some type of media support. Public Relations, however the company may reap the benefits of the PR but not have to pay for it. Public Relations is defined in the following ways: â€Å"A form of communication directed at gaining public understanding and acceptance† (Learnthat, 1998-2004). â€Å"A promotion intended to create goodwill for a person or institution† (Wordnet, 2010). With all this said a company that has a good Public Relations team or person has a good chance of its product reaching the targeted market. When conducting Public Relations the company needs to understand the consumer need and show how the product will meet their needs compared to its competitors, by doing this the PR must give selling points that show why the Jabber 7 is the car that will meet his or her needs. Base on the statistical data obtain through our market research, BMW has picked the most opportunistic time to launch the Jabber 7. With the United States gas, crunch people are looking for better way to help protect the environment and save money in the process. BMW going green will not only produce a better running car not depended on harmful pollutants but will also create new jobs for thousand American to build these cars. With BMW’s quality rating over the years consumer can expect a smoother riding vehicle that comes in the BMW 600 coupe style or the luxurious style of the BMW 545 providing up t... ...BMW dealers’ car lots. The second phase of the strategic marketing plan is promotion. The marketing team will use the four principle elements to promote the Jabber 7. Public relationship, word of mouth, advertising, and point of sale are the four elements the marketing team will use to promote the Jabber 7. The marketing team will celibately race car driver to promote the car at race tracks during race days. The celebrity will attract old and younger drivers to the Jabber 7. The company will also offer free test dives at the race track and BMW locations. Marketing team will have television commercial to promote the car during sports event like football games, and basketball games. The marketing team will offer interviews to some test drivers to receive information Jabber 7 driving performance. The interviews will be use for word of mouth promotion for the company. Public Relations and Strategic Marketing at BMW Essay -- Business Mark Public Relations Opportunity Public Relations or PR for short can help launch a new products sells and promotions or destroy it before a company can move it from the shelf. New companies and consumers tend to mistake Public Relations as advertising when in fact they are polar opposites. When a company advertises they pay to promote the products on TV, radio, or some type of media support. Public Relations, however the company may reap the benefits of the PR but not have to pay for it. Public Relations is defined in the following ways: â€Å"A form of communication directed at gaining public understanding and acceptance† (Learnthat, 1998-2004). â€Å"A promotion intended to create goodwill for a person or institution† (Wordnet, 2010). With all this said a company that has a good Public Relations team or person has a good chance of its product reaching the targeted market. When conducting Public Relations the company needs to understand the consumer need and show how the product will meet their needs compared to its competitors, by doing this the PR must give selling points that show why the Jabber 7 is the car that will meet his or her needs. Base on the statistical data obtain through our market research, BMW has picked the most opportunistic time to launch the Jabber 7. With the United States gas, crunch people are looking for better way to help protect the environment and save money in the process. BMW going green will not only produce a better running car not depended on harmful pollutants but will also create new jobs for thousand American to build these cars. With BMW’s quality rating over the years consumer can expect a smoother riding vehicle that comes in the BMW 600 coupe style or the luxurious style of the BMW 545 providing up t... ...BMW dealers’ car lots. The second phase of the strategic marketing plan is promotion. The marketing team will use the four principle elements to promote the Jabber 7. Public relationship, word of mouth, advertising, and point of sale are the four elements the marketing team will use to promote the Jabber 7. The marketing team will celibately race car driver to promote the car at race tracks during race days. The celebrity will attract old and younger drivers to the Jabber 7. The company will also offer free test dives at the race track and BMW locations. Marketing team will have television commercial to promote the car during sports event like football games, and basketball games. The marketing team will offer interviews to some test drivers to receive information Jabber 7 driving performance. The interviews will be use for word of mouth promotion for the company.

Nothing Gold Can Stay Essay

The poem â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay,† by Robert Frost, uses a abcb rhyme scheme to cleverly explain natures downfall, due to gold, in the world. The author begins by showing that nature’s true color is green, however, due to man’s greed they only see gold. Being that nature supplied the earth with gold, man should respect it and give back. Instead the author depicts that nature is stripped of her importance and sad therefore the dawn goes down to day meaning instead of the weather staying beautiful, like it does in the morning, it turns to the hot, muggy afternoon. On the last line the author says, â€Å"Nothing gold can stay† (914), because mans inability to let go of greed is destroying our planet. The author also uses figurative language to reveal the poem’s meaning. In the beginning of the poem he personifies nature into a female so that the audience better understands natures pain and suffering due to humans greedy ways. Also, he uses imagery to paint the picture of the garden of Eden sinking to grief meaning that nature is in duress and even the first garden known to man is on the verge of destruction unless we change our ways. Lastly the author uses a metaphor comparing green to gold by saying â€Å"Natures first green is gold† (914), explaining that green is the symbol of life and prosperity. For example money is green and when nature is described green typically comes to mind. But he says gold is the first green because all humans care about is gold and as a result they are giving it greater importance than nature, our source of life.

Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay Example

Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay Example Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay EFFECT OF LABOUR TURNOVER ON ORGANISATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY 1 INTRODUCTION The practice of human resource management (HRM) is concerned with all aspects of how people are employed and managed in an organisation (Armstrong, 2009). The strategic business function organ of the organisation sees to the inflow and outflow of employees in the organisaiton. The HRM function of directing the organisation system to ensure that human talents are used effectively to accomplish desired goals is very crucial, thereby not left ignored. Organisations zealous about growth would always intend to develop their respective current human capital and other potentials. But in this world of frequent upgrade and innovations in the business environment and the technological ways of doing things, organisations would commit themselves towards bringing their workforce to the task requiring intellectual and manual growth and development. The idea behind this would be to intensify the additional productivity generated by extra employee hired. All these put together would amount to organisations being cost conscious in making sure that employees with high human capital do not leave their organisations. But in order to be realistic, organizations cannot be everything to all people. No matter how great your company is, it is likely that some of your employees will eventually move on to other opportunities. That may be costing you a lot and affecting your well enjoyed stabilized organization productivity. Labour or worker or employee or staff turnover has it is often referred to, is the number of permanent employees leaving the company within the reported period versus the number of actual Active Permanent employees on the last day of the previous reported period (physical headcount). According to Business Dictionary (2011), the ratio of the number of employees that leave a company through attrition, dismissal, or resignation during a period to the number of employees on payroll during the same period makes up what is referred to as Labour Turnover. An employee leaving the organization either voluntarily or involuntarily is certain to have positive or negative effects on the organization. This as well would reflect on the productivity of the organization concerned. In other words, high turnover can be harmful to a companys productivity if skilled workers are often leaving and the worker population contains a high percentage of novice workers (Open Forum, 2011). This is especially the case if those leaving are either key to its success and continuity or do so because they think you have treated them unfairly, which could result in tribunal claims (Business Link, 2011). This means maintaining the satisfactory level of productivity might be threatened. Therefore curbing turnover to its optimal level for the organization is a major challenge. However, the research on the consequences of labour turnover is inconclusive, and provides little guidance on how much turnover, if any, is optimal (Siebert, 2006). It hereby leaves us wondering what optimal number is needed for the organization’s best productivity. As turnover even poses to be a major and widely studied organizational behavior phenomenon, it fosters why researchers are becoming interested in it more. It is a phenomenon that not just affects a company, occupation or industry, but an issue tackled by organizations all around the world. This is because at one employee’s voluntary or involuntary time they would have to leave the organization. (Abelson 1987; Campion 1991). 1. 2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM Labour turnover as noticed, if not looked into, could eat deep into the profitability and threaten the sustainability of any organization. As a global challenge as well mandatory confrontation of the technological and environmental diversities which organizations have to face, many brows are raised on its persistence. The Nigerian insurance sector has not been left out as labour turnover has been disrupting their services and relatively their organization productivity. The Human Resource Managers and the executives of these organizations have always been on their toes to proffer solutions to labour turnover. The consciousness of hiring, monetary and time cost recorded when highly frequent labour turnover occurs; thereby affecting productivity which makes this a problem that begs for answer. Organizations lose not just financially, or in productivity when they have an employee with huge human capital permanently departing from their organization. This could have been due to avoidable or unavoidable reasons. The technological and business demands of electronic dealings have also affected ways in which operations are carried out in the Nigerian insurance industry. Some new fresh ideas have been witnessed with the opportunities for new transfers and promotions, but those still have to be compared to the contributions or reductions which are now available. This study would look into how the effects of the voluntary or involuntary labour turnover have impacted on the productivity level of the organization observed. As well to what extent, the organizations need to plan in anticipating an optimal level of labour human capital that can yield the needed productivity in the Nigerian insurance sector which is becoming labour shortages. 1. 3 LITERATURE REVIEW Employee turnover has benefits and costs for organizational performance (Ableson Baysinger, 1984). But a study is not just being carried out to have the positive sides analysed. The human resource management literature has traditionally viewed labour turnover in a negative light. Human capital theories of labour turnover point to loss of firm-specific human and social capital (Dess and Shaw 2001). This negative view is supported by the results of several empirical studies. For example, Huselid (1995) finds high labour turnover negatively linked to labour productivity in his sample of 968 U. S. firms. Also Baron, Hannan and Burton (2001) find turnover to be â€Å"disruptive† in their study of hi-tech start-ups in California in the early 1990s. Many studies have concentrated on quits specifically, and have found a negative impact of quits on firm performance, as in Batt (2002) for U. S. call centres, McElroy, Morrow and Rude (2001) for branches of a U. S. financial company, etc. But some have since been reporting the optimistic side of the coin. Job matching theory (Jovanovic, 1979) predicts that workers less suitable for the organisation would result into leaving it earlier; hence, there is room for labour turnover to improve performance (productivity) by clearing the workforce of poor worker-job matches. In the same vain, McEvoy and Cascio’s (1987) meta-analysis of twenty-four reported correlations between performance and turnover concluded that ‘good performers are †¦ less likely to leave †¦ than are poor performers’, which supports the main prediction of job matching theory (p. 758). Williams and Livingstone’s (1994) further meta-study of turnover supported McEvoy and Cascio (1987) and proved an even stronger negative relationship between worker individual performance and voluntary turnover when pay is contingent on the organisation’s productivity. Ilmakunnas, Maliranta and Vainiomaki (2005) report a positive impact of turnover on total factor productivity growth in Finnish manufacturing. However, the Nigerian insurance sector may be faced with such ups and downs as regards to impact of labour turnover on organisation productivity. But relatively unlike most of the research on the topic, Bingley and Westergaard-Nielsen (2004) look at hires and quits simultaneously in their study of personnel policies and profit in a panel of 7,118 Danish organisations over 1992-95. In contrast to the popular result, they conclude that quits increase profit and hires reduce it. They argue, consistently with job matching theory that the least productive workers are more likely to leave. The finding on hires is interpreted in terms of turnover costs, since hires incur recruitment and training costs. Thus, reconciliation of job matching and human capital theories of labour turnover is assisted by distinguishing between quits and hires a path we will follow. Those were observed by W. Stanley Siebert, Nikolay Zubanov, Arnaud Chevalier, Tarja Viitanen (2006). The case of a firm in the Nigerian insurance sector on the impact of labour turnover on productivity may take along the practice of the HRM. Guthrie (2001) found a dichotomy in the impact of turnover on productivity depending on the type of human resource management (HRM) system in the organisation. Glebbeek and Bax (2004) using data from offices of a temporary employment agency in the Netherlands over 1995-98 indeed find an inverted U-shape relationship between worker turnover and productivity. The same relationship between labour turnover and productivity is reported in a study of 2,435 workplaces in Australia over 1995-97, by Harris, Tang and Tseng (2002). However, Shaw, Gupta and Delery (2005: 61) report the opposite result for U. S. and Canadian concrete plants and U. S. transportation companies, where they conclude that the relationship between voluntary turnover and workforce performance is ‘negative but becomes attenuated as turnover increases’. This particular study, however, would look into ups and downs earlier known to rock an organisation’s productivity if it has employee turnover. Particularly, an organisation in the Nigerian insurance industry being studied if the earlier affirmations can be upheld or restructured to show our society’s diversified business environment. 1. 4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study is to achieve the following: i. To affirm the relationship between labour turnover and organization productivity. ii. To investigate the impact of business diversities requirement like technology amounting to organization productivity on labour turnover. iii. To investigate how organisations can reduce unfavourable labour turnover on productivity. iv. To examine labour turnover impact on MBLA 1. 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following are the research questions developed for the course of this study. They are: i. Does Nigerian insurance sector witness labour turnover? ii. Is labour turnover a challenge to organization? iii. Is organization productivity disrupted when organization labour turnover takes place? iv. Does an organization have any positive productivity advantage when labour turnover occurs? v. Are there measures of curbing labour turnover when organization sees it could halt productivity? 1. 6 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESES The hypotheses to be used in validating this study project are stated as follows: H0: There is no significant relationship between the labour turnover and organization productivity of MBLA. H0: There is a significant relationship between labour turnover and organization productivity of MBLA. H0: There is no impact on labour turnover and organization productivity of MBLA H0 : There is an impact of labour turnover on organization productivity of MBLA. . 7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The significance of this study is tailored towards the evaluation, analysis and addition to the current existing body of knowledge. It would assist the human resource managers in capturing adverse labour turnover effect which could halt their organization’s effectiveness and efficiency. Knowing the costly effect of an unchecked labour turnover on the organization productivity, t his study would help HR managers on other logical steps to militate against employee turnover. The recommendations can be used in helping organizations not just in the Nigerian insurance sector but as well other sectors of the economy. By using this study different organization can reduce the rate of employee turnover and increase their productivity and profitability. 1. 8 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1. 8. 2 Population of the Study Due to the uneasy access to the entire population of this study, a sample would be drawn up. According to Levin and Rubin, (2002), a population is the whole collection of all elements that a research is studying and from which generalization will be drawn from. The study would make use of a branch of MBLA and a generalisation would be utilized. However the organisation has about 500 staff with about 15 of them taking charge of the executive functions of the company. Also the administrative functions are run by over 60 of their staff. Besides, the other population are either their marketers or ther junior workers. 1. 8. 3 Sampling and Sampling Techniques With application of a stratified sampling, the employees of the organisation would be unbiasedly picked. This would be enforced among both the senior and junior employees of the organisation. All these effort is to have a reasonable conclusion from which generalisation would be ascertained. 1. 8. 4 Strategy for the Collection of Data The primary data generation would be through dissemination of quesstionaires and some other additional interview briefs. The other earlier publications would be added to have a concrete information. These would be used in getting the necessary source of data in generating findings on the impact of labour turnover on organisation productivity in the Nigerian insurance sector. 1. 8. 5 Data Presentation The new advancement in statistical analysis, SPSS, would be utilized in presenting the data generated. The mean, median, mode, frequency and percentiles would be explored for a clearer data presentation 1. 8. 6 Test of the Conjuctural Statement With the use correlation, regression and t-test, the hypotheses of the study would be put to test. 1. 9 SYNOPSIS The outline of this five-study would wear the face of having the first chapter introducing the topic and its subject matter of labour turnover and its corresponding effect on organisation productivity. Also, the second chapter of the study would contain the prior knowledge and study done on this topic. From this some theories and standings of previous scholars would be incorporated into this particular present topic. Besides that, the third chapter would have the methodology to apply in carrying out this study. The instruments and sources of data that would be applied at MBLA in assuring that the right information are gathered within the confinement of the ethical stands, in other to have a good research work in the study. However, the fourth study would look at the data presented and analysed in the format that is generally acceptable. This would enhance the genuineness of this study. Also, the fifth chapter would see to the conclusion and recommendation of the project. This is where the findings and results of the study would be concluded and any recommendation suitable for MBLA and other organisations of its kind would be issued for their discretional adoption. REFERENCES businesslink. gov. uk/bdotg/action/detail? itemId=1074411249=RESOURCES penforum. com/idea-hub/topics/money/article/the-high-cost-of-employee-turnover-scott-allen Batt, R. 2002. Managing customer services: Human resource practices, quit rates, and sales growth. Academy of Management Journal, 45: 587–597. Batt, R. , Colvin, A. J. S. , Keefe, J. 2002. Employee voice, human resource practices, and quit rates: Evidence from the telecommunications industry. Industrial and Labour Relations Review, 55: 573–594. Becker, B. , Huselid, M. 2006. Strategic human resource management: Where do we go from here? Journal of Management, 32: 898–925. GHAURI, P. GRONHAUG, K. (2002),†Research Methods in Business Studies: a practical guide, London, Prentice Hall† GREEN, F. , FELSTEAD, A. , MAYHEW, K. PACK, A. (2000),†The impact of training on labour mobility: individual and firm-level evidence from Britain† British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38, 26 1-275. James K. Harter, Frank L. Schmidt, Theodore L. Hayes (2002),† Business-Unit- Level Relationship between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, and Business Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis†, Vol. 7, No. 2, 268–279 Judge, T. A. , Thoresen, C. J. , Bono, J. E. , Patton, G. K. (2001),† The job satisfaction–job performance relationship: A qualitative and quantitative review†, Psychological Bulletin, 127,376–407. K. Morrell, J. Loan-Clarke and A. Wilkinson (2001), â€Å"Unweaving Leaving: The Use of Models in the Management of Employee Turnover†, Business School Research Series, Loughborough University. M. Armstrong (2006), Human Resource Management, Kogan Page, United Kingdom

How To Get Approved for More Amazon Book Categories

How To Get Approved for More Amazon Book Categories How To Get Approved for More Amazon Book Categories When it comes to self-publishing your upcoming book, do not make light of selecting your book categories! Although it may appear to be a small detail, you must realize that your readers often resort to categories when looking for books on a specific topic. Therefore, selecting the best book categories for your upcoming bestseller is a critical decision as it will impact your book sales.Here are more notable reasons why your book should have best fitting categories:It can help you become a bestseller.Like the New York Times bestseller, Amazon can also tag your book with an orange badge that says â€Å"#1 Bestseller†. And with thousands of Amazon categories to compete and rank for, this means that there’s plenty of opportunity for you to become an Amazon bestseller!You can gain more exposure on Amazon. By appearing in different categories, your book can appeal to different audiences. Andif your book ranks in the top ten of any category listings, Amazon will include your b ook to its â€Å"Recommendations Engine† which will generate more publicity!But with plenty of book categories on Kindle Direct Publishing as well as the plethora of books competing for attention, how do you choose the right categories to make your book stand out to your reader?In this post, we will share our best strategies to help you pick the right categories for your book that will increase your sales rank and obtain maximum exposure through Amazon’s search engine.Hereare the three topics we will cover:How to Research Your CompetitionHow to Strategically Select Your CategoryHow to Acquire Additional CategoriesLet’s get started!1. How to Research Your CompetitionIf your goal is to appear on the first page of search results on Amazon, then you must take advantage of every window of opportunity to succeed. In order to do so, you first must research your competition.When you begin researching for book categories, you should start by scanning the bestselling book s on every first page results of your target category.The reason is simply due to the fact that the first page results are most likely what your readers are going to be looking for! Therefore, it’s important to identify the top selling books for each category you want to target.Next, go through each of the books on the first page results and study its category string links. For example, here are the category links for Taylor Pearson’sbook, The End of Jobs:Notice that for a book on Entrepreneurship, it’s ranked highest for â€Å"Labor Workforce† and â€Å"Economics†. This goes to show that by placing their book into such unique categories, the author completely understood their target audience which is why The End of Jobsappears on several first page results.So if you want to have a high ranking for your category, make it a priority to research your competitors’ categories and emulate their methods with your book.Action Plan: Research the fi rst page competitors in five categories of your choosing. Take note to any unique categories your competitors rank in, and apply them to your upcoming book.2. How to Strategically Select Your CategoryBecause the Amazon’s Kindle Store has thousands of categories to choose from as well as an overwhelming amount of books fighting for attention, the competition can be relentless and unfair to new writers. But there is one approach that will have you stand out: Select trending categories with little competition.What is considered a competitive rank?We find that any categories with books ranking higher than #2000 is considered very competitive and not a recommended category for new writers. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t place your book in a competitive ranking, but if you do, be sure to have a well planned book launchwith a sizable audience that can provide a lot of verified reviews. For new authors with a smaller following, we recommend aiming for certain categories with books that rank between #10,000-30,000.Once you’ve completed this research, you should have a list of thriving categories to place your book in that will outrank your competitors.Action Plan:With the five categories you’ve researched, take the time to review your competitors’ ranking that fall between #10,000-30,000. For even better results, we also recommend using the KDP Calculatorto calculate how many books you would need to sell in order increase your ranking.3. How to Acquire Additional CategoriesWhen you upload your book for the first time, Amazon will offer you a select list of categories to choose from. At a first glance, you will notice that the selection seems rather limited and is missing plenty of categories that you’ve seen other books rank for. Unfortunately, Amazon has done this intentionally so that they can place new books into their own kindle categories.Don’t let Amazon determine your categories! Theres th ousands of sub-categories you can rank for, and you can even include an additional eight sub-categoriesnot found in the usual channels.Here how you can acquire these categories:Use Amazon Keyword Selection. Include the name of your category as one of your â€Å"Amazon Keywords†. In order to obtain a particular category, you must include specific keywordsin the Kindle submission form. For more information on Keyword requirements, visit Amazons browse categorypage to learn more.Place your categories in strategic places.To convince Amazon that your book should be placed in specific category, strategically work the words of the categoryonto the title, subtitle or even the summary of your book page.Contact Amazon. You can contact Amazonand request your book to be placed in a particular category. Amazon will then assess your entire book and determine if it’s an appropriate fit for the specific browse category. If approved, These categories will appear in the â€Å"Look for similar items by category† at the bottom of the book page.Action Plan: Experiment with these strategies to acquire additional sub-categories for your book. Remember you can include eight additional keywords that can convince Amazon to place your book in the categories of your choosing.If you want a successful book launch, you must not overlook even the tiniest of details. By following these guidelines on how to select your book category, your first book will have maximum exposure and the best chance to appear in the Amazon bestseller list.Like what you read and want to learn more? We’re holding a FREE online workshop where Chandler is revealing the exact tactics and strategies he used to write and publish 6 bestselling books in a row†¦ and use them to build a 7-figure business in less than 2 years.Click here to save your spot now!

Valuation of Shopping Centers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Valuation of Shopping Centers - Research Paper Example rom the fact that investment behaviours in shopping centres have been changed due to dramatic progress in the retail industry of Germany and it can be explicitly understood from the fact that until 2011 Germans were dominating investors in the market. However, now German retail industry has largely attracted foreign investors accounting for 62% overall investment in the retail market. Due to the desired aim of maximizing profits, owners of retail properties hire professional companies to evaluate the properties accurately by taking different criteria into consideration. However this is a complex and difficult task, especially with high investments like shopping centres. The real estate crises has shown what impact wrong valuations can have. This is why it is important that the valuation process is done correctly and with caution. The aim of this paper is, next to an introduction of the shopping centre market, the general definition of shopping centres, the different classification types and the historic development, to answer the question what factors influence the market value of a property. In this context, the meaning of valuation will be discussed, followed by an analysis of different factors incluencing the value. In order to link the theoretcial approach with practical experience these factors will be anaylsed by means of project made during an internship at Jones Lang LaSalle in Frankfurt in summer 2012. Additionally, the project will be briefly described and the outcome of the valuation will be mentioned. Trends of shopping centres are continuously changing since the development of shopping centres’ phenomenon among masses. Researchers have suggested that with the passage of time and emerging technologies it has been noticed that trends of shopping and shopping centres are gaining much attention (Coleman, 2012, pp. 6-105). Business of shopping centres is successfully going with growing populations’ needs and increasing social awareness. Intellectuals

Abdul Qadeer Khan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Abdul Qadeer Khan - Essay Example The U.S government however, states that Khan remains a serious explosion risk to people. The appropriate judicial punishment of Abdul Qadeer Khan for his actions in arranging for the illegal sales of nuclear materials; he should be arrested, detained and his career ruined for being an embarrassment to the Pakistani government and the source of illegal bombs. According to Bernstein  (2009), through the sale of illegal nuclear materials, Khan posed as a security threat. The Pakistan government should charge Khan with espionage activities and criminal charges for these activities. They should also dismantle his network to eliminate sale of illegal weapon. The Pakistani government should agree to work with U.S. government to curb the sale of illegal weapons. This would control trafficking of illegal nuclear materials and security risks to people in countries such as Iraq and North Korea. They should also restrict his movements and he should not be allowed to meet his relatives and friend since the offence is one that affects nationals’ security. The people involved in the deals such as Bhutto and the president who also knew his deals deserve summoning for supporting Khan’s