Breakfast with a Genius

Breakfast with a Genius When I grow up, I want to be Suzan-Lori Parks. Only, you know, not. Suzan-Lori Parks is a playwright and novelist whose play Topdog/Underdog won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, making her the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. She was also a recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant in 2001, hence the reused genius crack above. Shes my favorite author; I even met her a few years ago at a discussion/book signing in Miami when she released her first novel, Getting Mothers Body. Its always great to meet and talk with someone who is not only successful in life, but confident in his or herself and happy with what he/she has done. Anyway, she gave a talk on Thursday night here at MIT in 10-250, which is one of our biggest lecture halls. (Many of the larger freshman classes are held in 10-250 I have both my 5.112 and my 18.02 classes in there.) I couldnt attend it, since I had rehearsal for the Musical Theatre Guild. I was in fact planning on going to both, though, because Im special: I run around making plans and getting excited about a million events that all happen to be occuring at the same time, usually not noticing the problem until about two hours beforehand. Go, me. Go. About two weeks ago, though, I got an email about her having another, smaller discussion over breakfast on Friday morning. It was at 8:30(!), but it was absolutely amazing. I wish I could write about it in more detail, but everything I try to say sounds like it isnt adequate enough of a description. Read her books. Check out speeches shes made, talks shes given, all that. Meet her if you can. Everyone should. You may be thinking, But wait, why was a writer speaking at MIT? Dont you go to a science and engineering school? and? Here at MIT, the humanities have a huge presence. Each student has to take a certain number of HASS Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences classes in order to graduate (if I recall correctly, its eight), and there definitely isnt any shortage of options. Back in May, when incoming freshmen received a mailing that included (among other things) a brochure detailing the classes included in the HASS-D lottery, there were between 50-100 classes to choose from in Anthropology, Music and Theater Arts, Writing, Political Science, Foreign Languages, and more. Mind you, the HASS-D lottery only involves a small portion of the HASS classes here, and these were the classes that didnt have any prerequisites. (For the record, Im taking 21M.611: Foundations of Theater Practice. We do some acting, but the main focus of the class is on directing and design.) We have the arts here. We write here. We can even major in them. Shocker! By the way, I havent forgotten your questions. Theyll be addressed in my next post. The upcoming week is a little scary two tests, a quiz, two psets, and a paper are all between Wednesday and Friday but the post, it will be made. Its all because I looooove youuuuu.

Ma Foi French Expression Explained

Expression: Ma foiPronunciation: [ma fwa]Meaning: frankly, long story short, indeedLiteral translation: my faithRegister: informal, datedNotes: Ma foi is more of a filler or exclamation than an expression, which makes figuring out its meaning a little tricky. Its a bit old-fashioned so you dont necessarily want to use it yourself, but its still important to understand what it means. Uses for Ma Foi 1) Ma foi can mean frankly or in all honesty:Ma foi, je nen sais rien.Frankly, I dont know anything about that.Ma foi, à §a mest à ©gal.In all honesty / To tell you the truth, I dont care.Synonyms: crois-moi, en toute bonne foi, en toute franchise, franchement2) Ma foi can emphasize whatever you say it with:Ma foi, jespà ¨re que non.Well, I (certainly) hope not.Ma foi, oui.Indeed, yes.Cest ma foi vrai.Its certainly true.Synonyms: ben, en effet, enfin3) In the South of France, ma foi is commonly used to sum up a long, tedious, or obvious answer:a) Its a long, boring story, so Ill spare you the details:-Ça va? -Ma foi, à §a va.-How are you? -Fine, for the most part.Meaning: Im actually suffering from several minor ailments, but you dont want to hear about that so Ill just say that Im fine.Synonyms: bref, dans lensemble, en quelque sorte, en rà ©sumà ©, plus ou moinsb) The answer to that is obvious:-Sais-tu que Michel va divorcer? -Ma foi.-Do you know that Michel is getting di vorced? -Obviously.Meaning: Hes my best friend, so of course I know. (Optional: what a stupid question!)Synonyms: bien sà »r, à ©videmmentMa foi in English?Some English dictionaries include the expression ma foi meaning indeed.

Oligopoly Versus Monopoly Competition Essay - 1475 Words

i. Module Code : FC006 ii. Group : D iii. Module Title : Economics in an International Context iv. Assessment Title : Essay v. Assignment Title : Differences between oligopoly and monopolistic competition market structures. vi. Tutor name : Hind Francesca vii. Student ID : 200893206 viii. Date of submission : 15/3/2012 ix. Word Count : 986 Differences Between Oligopoly and Monopolistic Competition Market Structures Market structure refers to the interconnected characteristics of a market, which include the number of firms, level and forms of competition and extent of product differentiation (Business Dictionary, 2012). Based on these parameters, several market structures are defined and this essay†¦show more content†¦In short run, the firms can set the price high to obtain supernormal profit (represented by shaded region in Figure 2A). As the abnormal profit they make in short run attracts many potential rivals, the firms must then set the price low to stay competitive in long run (Figure 2B). For example, in Canada, the price of personal computers was very expensive when they were first introduced into the market, but as the number of computer manufacturers increased, the price of personal computers has been declining over the past decade (Figure 3; Statistics Canada, 2011). B B A A Cost Cost Price Price Figure 2. (A) Profit maximisation in short run in monopolistic competition. (B) Normal profit making in long run in monopolistic competition (Bized, 2001). Figure 3. Change of computer price by different purchasers. (Statistics Canada, 2011). Mode of competition is also different between the firms in oligopoly and monopolistic competition. Oligopoly is characterized by imperfect competition, mainly due to high barriers for entry to market (Economics Online, 2012). This is due to various reasons including exclusive resources ownership, extensive relevant knowledge, patent and copyright, other government restrictions, managerial challenge and high start-up cost (Economics Online, 2012; Amos Web, 2012). Airline industry is a typicalShow MoreRelatedThe Market Structures Of A Market Structure962 Words   |  4 PagesTherefore, a comparison and contrast is necessary to distinguish each of these theories from one another. These market structures of the economy are perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly. These market structures will reveal the difference and similarities that each one has. Firstly, the perfection competition is a market structure that has four assumptions that define what it is to be in this market. 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Theory of Competition Competition in the economic sphere denotes the process of rivalry between firms for the patronage of customers. The European Commission defines competition as a situation in which firms or sellers â€Å"independently strive for buyers’ patronage in order to achieve aparticular business objective, for example, profits, sales, or marketshare†7. Richard Whish refers to competition in the commercial world as â€Å"a striving for the custom and business of people in the market place†8.Read MoreAn Examination of Pricing Strategy: the Lego Group, Ltd3347 Words   |  14 Pages | American Military University |We will examine the market structures of Monopoly, Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly, and Perfect Competition and there subsequent pricing | |strategies. Using this information we will examine in brief The LEGO Group as a Monopoly and now competing with Monopolistic Competition | |tendencies. 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Lamb The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 11 Free Essays

string(101) " he had it in hand, he dug inside and pulled out the dried newts he’d bought from the old hag\." Chapter 11 Since my escape attempt, I can’t get the angel to leave the room at all. Not even for his beloved Soap Opera Digest. (And yes, when he left to obtain the first one, it would have been a good time to make my escape, but I wasn’t thinking that way then, so back off. We will write a custom essay sample on Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 11 or any similar topic only for you Order Now ) Today I tried to get him to bring me a map. â€Å"Because no one is going to know the places I’m writing about, that’s why,† I told him. â€Å"You want me to write in this idiom so people will understand what I’m saying, then why use the names of places that have been gone for thousands of years? I need a map.† â€Å"No,† said the angel. â€Å"When I say the journey was two months by camel, what will that mean to these people who can cross an ocean in hours? I need to know modern distances.† â€Å"No,† said the angel. (Did you know that in a hotel they bolt the bedside lamp to the table, thereby making it an ineffective instrument of persuasion when trying to bring an obdurate angel around to your way of thinking? Thought you should know that. Pity too, it’s such a substantial lamp.) â€Å"But how will I recount the heroic acts of the archangel Raziel if I can’t tell the locations of his deeds? What, you want me to write, ‘Oh, then somewhere generally to the left of the Great Wall that rat-bastard Raziel showed up looking like hell considering he may have traveled a long distance or not?’ Is that what you want? Or should it read, ‘Then, only a mile out of the port of Ptolemais, we were once again graced with the shining magnificence of the archangel Raziel? Huh, which way do you want it?† (I know what you’re thinking, that the angel saved my life when Titus threw me off the ship and that I should be more forgiving toward him, right? That I shouldn’t try to manipulate a poor creature who was given an ego but no free will or capacity for creative thought, right? Okay, good point. But do please remember that the angel only intervened on my behalf because Joshua was praying for my rescue. And do please remember that he could have saved us a lot of difficulty over the years if he had helped us out more often. And please don’t forget that – despite the fact that he is perhaps the most handsome creature I’ve ever laid eyes on – Raziel is a stone doofus. Nevertheless, the ego stroke worked.) â€Å"I’ll get you a map.† And he did. Unfortunately the concierge was only able to find a map of the world provided by an airline that partners with the hotel. So who knows how accurate it is. On this map the next leg of our journey is six inches long and would cost thirty thousand Friendly Flyer Miles. I hope that clears things up. The trader’s name was Ahmad Mahadd Ubaidullaganji, but he said we could call him Master. We called him Ahmad. He led us through the city to a hillside where his caravan was camped. He owned a hundred camels which he drove along the Silk Road, along with a dozen men, two goats, three horses, and an astonishingly homely woman named Kanuni. He took us to his tent, which was larger than both the houses Joshua and I had grown up in. We sat on rich carpets and Kanuni served us stuffed dates and wine from a pitcher shaped like a dragon. â€Å"So, what does the Son of God want with my friend Balthasar?† Ahmad asked. Before we could answer he snorted and laughed until his shoulders shook and he almost spilled his wine. He had a round face with high cheekbones and narrow black eyes that crinkled at the corners from too much laughter and desert wind. â€Å"I’m sorry, my friends, but I’ve never been in the presence of the son of a god before. Which god is your father, by the way?† â€Å"Well, the God,† I said. â€Å"Yep,† said Joshua. â€Å"That’s the one.† â€Å"And what is your God’s name?† â€Å"Dad,† said Josh. â€Å"We’re not supposed to say his name.† â€Å"Dad!† said Ahmad. â€Å"I love it.† He started giggling again. â€Å"I knew you were Hebrews and weren’t allowed to say your God’s name, I just wanted to see if you would. Dad. That’s rich.† â€Å"I don’t mean to be rude,† I said, â€Å"and we are certainly enjoying the refreshments, but it’s getting late and you said you would take us to see Balthasar.† â€Å"And indeed I will. We leave in the morning.† â€Å"Leave for where?† Josh asked. â€Å"Kabul, the city where Balthasar lives now.† I had never heard of Kabul, and I sensed that was not a good thing. â€Å"And how far is Kabul?† â€Å"We should be there in less than two months by camel,† Ahmad said. If I knew then what I know now, I might have stood and exclaimed, â€Å"Tarnation, man, that’s over six inches and thirty thousand Friendly Flyer Miles!† But since I didn’t know that then, what I said was â€Å"Shit.† â€Å"I will take you to Kabul,† said Ahmad, â€Å"but what can you do to help pay your way?† â€Å"I know carpentry,† Joshua said. â€Å"My stepfather taught me how to fix a camel saddle.† â€Å"And you?† He looked at me. â€Å"What can you do?† I thought about my experience as a stonecutter, and immediately rejected it. And my training as a village idiot, which I thought I could always fall back on, wasn’t going to help either. I did have my newfound skill as a sex educator, but somehow I didn’t think there’d be call for that on a two-month trip with fourteen men and one homely woman. So what could I do, what skill had I to gentle the road to Kabul? â€Å"If someone in the caravan croaks I’m a great mourner,† I said. â€Å"Want to hear a dirge?† Ahmad laughed until he shook, then called for Kanuni to bring him his satchel. Once he had it in hand, he dug inside and pulled out the dried newts he’d bought from the old hag. You read "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 11" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"Here, you’ll be needing these,† he said. Camels bite. A camel will, for no reason, spit on you, stomp you, kick you, bellow, burp, and fart at you. They are stubborn at their best, and cranky beyond all belief at their worst. If you provoke them, they will bite. If you insert a dehydrated amphibian elbow-deep in a camel’s bum, he considers himself provoked, doubly so if the procedure was performed while he was sleeping. Camels are wise to stealth. They bite. â€Å"I can heal that,† Joshua said, looking at the huge tooth marks on my forehead. We were following Ahmad’s caravan along the Silk Road, which was neither a road nor made of silk. It was, in fact, a narrow path through the rocky inhospitable highland desert of what is now Syria into the low, inhospitable desert of what is now Iraq. â€Å"He said sixty days by camel. Doesn’t that mean that we should be riding, not walking?† â€Å"You’re missing your camel pals, aren’t you?† Josh grinned, that snotty, Son-o’-God grin of his. Maybe it was just a regular grin. â€Å"I’m just tired. I was up half the night sneaking up on these guys.† â€Å"I know,† said Joshua. â€Å"I had to get up at dawn to fix one of the saddles before we left. Ahmad’s tools leave something to be desired.† â€Å"You go ahead and be the martyr, Josh, just forget about what I was doing all night. I’m just saying that we should get to ride instead of walking.† â€Å"We will,† Josh said. â€Å"Just not now.† The men in the caravan were all riding, although several of them, as well as Kanuni, were on horses. The camels were loaded down with great packs of iron tools, powdered dyes, and sandalwood bound for the Orient. At the first highland oasis we crossed, Ahmad traded the horses for four more camels, and Joshua and I were allowed to ride. At night we ate with the rest of the men, sharing boiled grain or bread with sesame paste, the odd bit of cheese, mashed chickpeas and garlic, occasionally goat meat, and sometimes the dark hot drink we had discovered in Antioch (mixed with date sugar and topped with foaming goat’s milk and cinnamon at my suggestion). Ahmad dined alone in his tent, while the rest of us would dine under the open awning that we constructed to shelter us from the hottest part of the day. In the desert, the day gets warmer as it gets later, so the hottest part of the day will be in the late afternoon, just before sundown brings the hot winds to leach the last moistu re from your skin. None of Ahmad’s men spoke Aramaic or Hebrew, but they had enough functional Latin and Greek to tease Joshua and me about any number of subjects, their favorite, of course, being my job as chief camel deconstipator. The men hailed from a half-dozen different lands, many we had never heard of. Some were as black as Ethiopians, with high foreheads and long, graceful limbs, while others were squat and bowlegged, with powerful shoulders, high cheekbones, and long wispy mustaches like Ahmad’s. Not one of them was fat or weak or slow. Before we were a week out of Antioch we figured out that it only took a couple of men to care for and guide a caravan of camels, so we were perplexed at why someone as shrewd as Ahmad would bring along so many superfluous employees. â€Å"Bandits,† Ahmad said, adjusting his bulk to find a more comfortable position atop his camel. â€Å"I’d need no more than a couple of dolts like you two if it was just the animals that needed tending. They’re guards. Why did you think they were all carrying bows and lances?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, giving Joshua a dirty look, â€Å"didn’t you see the lances? They’re guards. Uh, Ahmad, shouldn’t Josh and I have lances – I mean, when we get to the bandit area?† â€Å"We’ve been followed by bandits for five days now,† Ahmad said. â€Å"We don’t need lances,† Joshua said. â€Å"I will not make a man sin by committing an act of thievery. If a man would have something of mine, he need only ask and I will give it to him.† â€Å"Give me the rest of your money,† I said. â€Å"Forget it,† said Joshua. â€Å"But you just said – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, but not to you.† Most nights Joshua and I slept in the open, outside Ahmad’s tent, or if the night was especially cold, among the camels, where we would endure their grunting and snorting to get out of the wind. The guards slept in two-man tents, except for two who stood guard all night. Many nights, long after the camp was quiet, Joshua and I would lie looking up at the stars and pondering the great questions of life. â€Å"Josh, do you think the bandits will rob us and kill us, or just rob us?† â€Å"Rob us, then kill us, I would think,† said Josh. â€Å"Just in case they missed something that we had hidden, they could torture its whereabouts out of us.† â€Å"Good point,† I said. â€Å"Do you think Ahmad has sex with Kanuni?† Joshua asked. â€Å"I know he does. He told me he does.† â€Å"What do you think it’s like? With them I mean? Him so fat and her so, you know?† â€Å"Frankly, Joshua, I’d rather not think about it. But thanks for putting that picture in my head.† â€Å"You mean you can imagine them together?† â€Å"Stop it, Joshua. I can’t tell you what sin is like. You’re going to have to do it yourself. What’s next? I’ll have to murder someone so I can explain what it’s like to kill?† â€Å"No, I don’t want to kill.† â€Å"Well, that might be one you have to do, Josh. I don’t think the Romans are going to go away because you ask them to.† â€Å"I’ll find a way. I just don’t know it yet.† â€Å"Wouldn’t it be funny if you weren’t the Messiah? I mean if you abstained from knowing a woman your whole life, only to find out that you were just a minor prophet?† â€Å"Yeah, that would be funny,† said Josh. He wasn’t smiling. â€Å"Kind of funny?† The journey seemed to go surprisingly fast once we knew we were being followed by bandits. It gave us something to talk about and our backs stayed limber, as we were always twisting in our saddles and checking the horizon. I was almost sad when they finally, after ten days on our trail, decided to attack. Ahmad, who was usually at the front of the caravan, fell back and rode beside us. â€Å"The bandits will ambush us inside that pass just ahead,† he said. The road snaked into a canyon with steep slopes on either side topped by rows of huge boulders and wind-eroded towers. â€Å"They’re hiding in those boulders on top of either ridge,† Ahmad said. â€Å"Don’t stare, you’ll give us away.† Joshua said, â€Å"If you know that they’re going to attack, why not pull up and defend ourselves?† â€Å"They will attack one way or another anyway. Better an ambush we know about than one we don’t. And they don’t know we know.† I noticed the squat guards with the mustaches take short bows from pouches behind their saddles, and as subtly as a man might brush a cobweb from his eyelash, they strung the bows. If you’d been watching them from a distance you’d have hardly seen them move. â€Å"What do you want us to do?† I asked Ahmad. â€Å"Try not to get killed. Especially you, Joshua. Balthasar will be very angry indeed if I show up with you dead.† â€Å"Wait,† said Joshua, â€Å"Balthasar knows we are coming?† â€Å"Why, yes,† laughed Ahmad. â€Å"He told me to look for you. What, you think I help every pair of runts that wander into the market at Antioch?† â€Å"Runts?† I had momentarily forgotten about the ambush. â€Å"How long ago did he tell you to look for us?† â€Å"I don’t know, right after he first left Antioch for Kabul, maybe ten years ago. It doesn’t matter now, I have to get back to Kanuni, bandits scare her.† â€Å"Let them get a good look at her,† I said. â€Å"We’ll see who scares who.† â€Å"Don’t look at the ridges,† Ahmad said as he rode away. The bandits came down the sides of the canyon like a synchronized avalanche, driving their camels to the edge of balance, pushing a river of rocks and sand before them. There were twenty-five, maybe thirty of them, all dressed in black, half of them on camels waving swords or clubs, the other half on foot with long spears for gutting a camel rider. When they were committed to the charge, all of them sliding down the hillsides, the guards broke our caravan in the middle, leaving an empty spot in the road where the bandits’ charge would culminate. Their momentum was so great that the bandits were unable to change direction. Three of their camels went down trying to pull back. Our guards moved into two groups, three in the front with the long lances, the bowmen just behind them. When the bowmen were set they let arrows fly into the bandits, and as each fell he took two or three of his cohorts down with him, until in seconds the charge had turned into an actual avalanche of rolling stones and men and camels. The camels bellowed and we could hear bones snapping and men screaming as they rolled into a bloody mass on the Silk Road. As each man rose and tried to charge our guards an arrow would drop him in his tracks. One bandit came up mounted on a camel and rode toward the back of the caravan, where the three lancers drove him from his mount in a spray of blood. Every movement in the canyon was met with an arrow. One bandit with a broken leg tried to crawl back up the canyon wall, and an arrow in the back of his skull cut him down. I heard a wailing behind me and before I could turn Joshua rode by me at full gallop, passing the bowmen and the lancers at our side of the caravan, bound for the mass of dead and dying bandits. He slung himself off his camel’s back and was running around the bodies like a madman, waving his arms and screaming until I could hear the rasp as his throat went raw. â€Å"Stop this! Stop this!† One bandit moved, trying to get to his feet, and our bowmen drew back to cut him down. Joshua threw his body on top of the bandit and pushed him back to the ground. I heard Ahmad give the command to hold. A cloud of dust floated out of the canyon on the gentle desert breeze. A camel with a broken leg bellowed and an arrow in the eye put the animal to rest. Ahmad snatched a lance out of one of the guard’s hands and rode to where Joshua was shielding the wounded bandit. â€Å"Move, Joshua,† Ahmad said, holding the lance at ready. â€Å"This must be finished.† Joshua looked around him. All of the bandits and all of their animals were dead. Blood ran in rivulets in the dust. Already flies were collecting to feast. Joshua walked through the field of dead bandits until his chest was pressed against the bronze point of Ahmad’s lance. Tears streamed down Joshua’s face. â€Å"This was wrong!† he screeched. â€Å"They were bandits. They would have killed us and stolen everything we had if we had not killed them. Does your own God, your father, not destroy those who sin? Now move aside, Joshua. Let this be finished.† â€Å"I am not my father, and neither are you. You will not kill this man.† Ahmad lowered the lance and shook his head balefully. â€Å"He will only die anyway, Joshua.† I could sense the guards fidgeting, not knowing what to do. â€Å"Give me your water skin,† Joshua said. Ahmad threw the water skin down to Joshua, then turned his camel and rode back to where the guards waited for him. Joshua took the water to the wounded bandit and held his head as he drank. An arrow protruded from the bandit’s stomach and his black tunic was shiny with blood. Joshua put his hand gently over the bandit’s eyes, as if he were telling him to go to sleep, then he yanked out the arrow and tossed it aside. The bandit didn’t even flinch. Joshua put his hand over the wound. From the time that Ahmad had ordered them to hold fire, none of the guards had moved. They watched. After a few minutes the bandit sat up and Joshua stepped away from him and smiled. In that instant an arrow sprouted from the bandit’s forehead and he fell back, dead. â€Å"No!† Joshua wheeled around to face Ahmad’s side of the caravan. The guard who had shot still held the bow, as if he might have to let fly another arrow to finish the job. Howling with rage, Joshua made a gesture as if he were striking the air with his open hand and the guard was lifted back off his camel and slammed into the ground. â€Å"No more!† Joshua screamed. When the guard sat up in the dirt his eyes were like silver moons in their sockets. He was blind. Later, when neither of us had spoken for two days, and Joshua and I were relegated to riding far behind the caravan because the guards were afraid of us, I took a drink from my water skin, then handed it to Joshua. He took a drink and handed it back. â€Å"Thank you,† Josh said. He smiled and I knew he’d be all right. â€Å"Hey Joshua, do me a favor.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Remind me not to piss you off, okay?† The city of Kabul was built on five rugged hillsides, with the streets laid out in terraces and the buildings built partly into the hills. There was no evidence of Roman or Greek influence in the architecture, but instead the larger buildings had tile roofs that turned up at the corners, a style that Joshua and I would see all over Asia before our journey was finished. The people were mostly rugged, wiry people who looked like Arabs without the glow in their skin that came from a diet rich in olive oil. Instead their faces seemed leaner, drawn by the cold, dry wind of the high desert. In the market there were merchants and traders from China, and more men who looked like Ahmad and his bowmen guards, a race whom the Chinese referred to simply as barbarians. â€Å"The Chinese are so afraid of my people that they have built a wall, as high as any palace, as wide as the widest boulevard in Rome, and stretching as far as the eye can see ten times over,† Ahmad said. â€Å"Uh-huh,† I said, thinking, you lying bag-o’-guts. Joshua hadn’t spoken to Ahmad since the bandit attack, but he smirked at Ahmad’s story of the great wall. â€Å"Just so,† said Ahmad. â€Å"We will stay at an inn tonight. Tomorrow I will take you to Balthasar. If we leave early we can be there by noon, then you’ll be the magician’s problem, not mine. Meet me in front at dawn.† That night the innkeeper and his wife served us a dinner of spiced lamb and rice, with some sort of beer made from rice, which washed two months of desert grit from our throats and put a pleasant haze over our minds. To save money, we paid for pallets under the wide curving eaves of the inn, and although it was some comfort to have a roof over my head for the first time in months, I found that I missed looking at the stars as I fell asleep. I lay awake, half drunk, for a long time. Joshua slept the sleep of the innocent. The next day Ahmad met us in front of the inn with two of his African guards and two extra camels in tow. â€Å"Come on, now. This may be the end of your journey, but it is merely a detour for me,† Ahmad said. He threw us each a crust of bread and a hunk of cheese, which I took to mean we were to eat our breakfast on the way. We rode out of Kabul and into the hills until we entered a labyrinth of canyons, which meandered through rugged mountains that looked as if they might have been shaped by God out of clay, then left to bake in the sun until the clay had turned to a deep golden color that reflected light in a spray that ate up shadows and destroyed shade. By noon I had no sense whatsoever of what direction we were traveling, nor could I have sworn that we weren’t retracing our path through the same canyons over and over, but Ahmad’s black guards seemed to know their way. Eventually they led us around a bend to a sheer canyon wall, two hundred feet tall, that stood out from the other canyon walls in that there were windows and balconies carved into it. It was a palace hewn out of solid rock. At the base stood an ironclad door that looked as if it would take twenty men to move. â€Å"Balthasar’s house,† Ahmad said, prodding his camel to kneel down so he might dismount. Joshua nudged me with his riding stick. â€Å"Hey, is this what you expected?† I shook my head. â€Å"I don’t know what I expected. Maybe something a little – I don’t know – smaller.† â€Å"Could you find your way back out of these canyons if you had to?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Nope. You?† â€Å"Not a chance.† Ahmad waddled over to the great door and pulled a cord that hung down from a hole in the wall. Somewhere inside we heard the ringing of some great bell. (Only later would we learn that it was the sound of a gong.) A smaller door within the door opened and a girl stuck her head out. â€Å"What?† She had the round face and high cheekbones of an Oriental, and there were great blue wings painted on her face above her eyes. â€Å"It’s Ahmad. Ahmad Mahadd Ubaidullaganji. I’ve brought Balthasar the boy he has been waiting for.† Ahmad gestured in our direction. The girl looked skeptical. â€Å"Scrawny. You sure that’s the one?† â€Å"That’s the one. Tell Balthasar he owes me.† â€Å"Who’s that with him?† â€Å"That’s his stupid friend. No extra charge for him.† â€Å"You bring the monkey’s paws?† the girl asked. â€Å"Yes, and the other herbs and minerals Balthasar asked for.† â€Å"Okay, wait here.† She closed the door, was gone only a second, then returned. â€Å"Send just the two of them in, alone. Balthasar must examine them, then he will deal with you.† â€Å"There’s no need to be mysterious, woman, I’ve been in Balthasar’s house a hundred times. Now quit dilly-dallying and open the door.† â€Å"Silence!† the girl shouted. â€Å"The great Balthasar will not be mocked. Send in the boys, alone.† Then she slammed the little door and we could hear her cackling echo out the windows above. Ahmad shook his head in disgust and waved us over to the door. â€Å"Just go. I don’t know what he’s up to, but just go.† Joshua and I dismounted, took our packs off the camels, and edged over to the huge door. Joshua looked at me as if wondering what to do, then reached for the cord to ring the bell, but as he did, the door creaked open just wide enough for one of us to enter if we turned sideways. It was pitch black inside except for a narrow stripe of light, which told us nothing. Joshua again looked at me and raised his eyebrows. â€Å"I’m just the stupid no-extra-charge friend,† I said, bowing. â€Å"After you.† Joshua moved though the door and I followed. When we were inside only a few feet, the huge door slammed with a sound like thunder and we stood there in complete darkness. I’m sure I could feel things scurrying around my feet in the dark. There was a bright flash and a great column of red smoke rose in front of us, illuminated by a light coming from the ceiling somewhere. It smelled of brimstone and stung my nose. Joshua coughed and we both backed against the door as a figure stepped out of the smoke. He – it – stood as tall as any two men, although he was thin. He wore a long purple robe, embroidered with strange symbols in gold and silver, hooded, so we saw no face, only glowing red eyes set back in a field of black. He held a bright lamp out as if to examine us by the light. â€Å"Satan,† I said under my breath to Joshua, pressing my back against the great iron door so hard that I could feel rust flakes imbedding in my skin through my tunic. â€Å"It’s not Satan,† Joshua said. â€Å"Who would disturb the sanctity of my fortress?† boomed the figure. I nearly wet myself at hearing his voice. â€Å"I’m Joshua of Nazareth,† Joshua said, trying to be casual, but his voice broke on Nazareth. â€Å"And this is Biff, also of Nazareth. We’re looking for Balthasar. He came to Bethlehem, where I was born, many years ago looking for me. I have to ask him some questions.† â€Å"Balthasar is no more of this world.† The dark figure reached into his robe and pulled out a glowing dagger, which he held high, then plunged into his own chest. There was an explosion, a flash, and an anguished roar, as if someone had killed a lion. Joshua and I turned and frantically scratched at the iron door, looking for a latch. We were both making an incoherent terrorized sound that I can only describe as the verbal version of running, sort of an extended rhythmic howl that paused only when the last of each lungful of air squeaked out of us. Then I heard the laughing and Joshua grabbed my arm. The laughing got louder. Joshua swung me around to face death in purple. As I turned the dark figure threw back his hood and I saw the grinning black face and shaved head of a man – a very tall man, but a man nonetheless. He threw open the robe and I could see that it was, indeed, a man. A man who had been standing on the shoulders of two young Asian women who had been hiding beneath the very long robe. â€Å"Just fuckin’ with you,† he said. Then he giggled. He leapt off of the women’s shoulders and took a deep breath before doubling over and hugging himself with laughter. Tears streamed out of his big chestnut eyes. â€Å"You should have seen the look on your faces. Girls, did you see that?† The women, who wore simple linen robes, didn’t seem as amused as the man. They looked embarrassed and a little impatient, as if they’d rather be anywhere else, doing anything but this. â€Å"Balthasar?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Yeah,† said Balthasar, who stood up now and was only a little taller than I was. â€Å"Sorry, I don’t get many visitors. So you’re Joshua?† â€Å"Yes,† Joshua said, an edge in his voice. â€Å"I didn’t recognize you without the swaddling clothes. And this is your servant?† â€Å"My friend, Biff.† â€Å"Same thing. Bring your friend. Come in. The girls will attend to Ahmad for the time being.† He stalked off down a corridor into the mountain, his long purple robe trailing behind him like the tail of a dragon. We stood there by the door, not moving, until we realized that once Balthasar turned a corner with his lamp we’d be in darkness again, so we took off after him. As we ran down the corridor, I thought of how far we had traveled, and what we had left behind, and I felt as if I was going to be sick to my stomach any second. â€Å"Wise man?† I said to Joshua. â€Å"My mother has never lied to me,† said Josh. â€Å"That you know of,† I said. How to cite Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 11, Essay examples

Performance Management Execution Assessment

Question: Discuss about thePerformance Managementfor Execution Assessment. Answer: The process of performance management happens to be continuous and flexible and the various components which are an integral part of performance management system in any setting include planning, execution assessment, overall review, renewal as well as reconstructing as one of the important prerequisites. Performance management is an important tool for the managers in order to ensure that the organization expands and succeeds in all the endeavors it takes. There are numerous tools and techniques through which performance of employees should be measured. (Mone, Eisinger and Guggenheim, 2011). The various methods of performance management and appraisal decide the amount of reward and recognition the employee will receive from the organization where he/she works. The rewards could be financial or non- financial, but irrespective of its type, it motivates and inspires the employees to try harder and achieve better results not only for him but also for the organization as whole. (Ates, Garengo, Cocca and Bitici, 2013).The ways of measurement are different for different organizations, but it is important to ensure that appropriate yardsticks and performance management tools are being used for performance measurement. If we refer to the case study of the library system in University of Ghana, there are many shortcomings with respect to proper evaluation of the components of performance management and its effective implementation. Out of the different components identified, according to me, the major shortcoming is regarding the behavioral attribute. One of the important aspects while doing performance management and appraisal is to make sure that the parameters kept for measuring any attribute should be measurable in nature. (Van Dooren, Bouckaert and Halligan, 2015). Here, the job description is not clear and the performance management is to be done on general behaviour. Various vague rating systems are prevalent at the Balme Library and the different employees belonging to different job descriptions and hierarchical level are all rated using the same ratings irrespective of any consideration. The choice of general behaviour as a measurable component without really clarifying the true meaning of general behaviour is definitely going to yield poor results. Whenever ratings are being done, it should be performed without slightest of ambiguity. There should not be any relative confusion with meaning or misconception in the meaning of any word or term. ( Walker, Damanpour and Devece, 2010).Just as every individual has specific fit and not every size fits everyone, it is definitely not a good idea to use a single form of rating for every employee as something suitable for one employee might not work for others. How to measure, or what are the characteristics to be looked for, who will do the appraisal regarding good behaviour is not mentioned. Another important aspect which has been left out is the criteria for deciding and discriminating between, good, bad and average behaviour and the attributes which should be indexed under general behaviour. In the absence of the same, it is extremely difficult to rate or provide appraisal for any person. The misalignment of components can have serious effects on the overall performance management system. In the present scenario, as the general behaviour as a yardstick is very ill defined with vague rating scales which do not have anything substantial, the morale, zeal and enthusiasm of the employees suffer to a significant extent thereby reducing the productivity. (Biron, Farndale and Pause, 2011).As the employees get an average score on their respective performances irrespective of their job role or description, there is no incentive to boost their morale and inspire them. The healthy competition and working in a time centric working environment cease to exist as employees just keep them occupied and do not really work hard to perform better. They dont have anything to look forward to, which will enhance their zeal to do a particular job in a way that it strengthens the organizational work ethics. In the absence of a proper performance management plan, the whole organization suffers as none of the employees are keen to improvise or work in an incentive based environment. They are fully aware that the rating of general behavior will always have some average values irrespective of how good or badly they behave, as this attribute completely lacks measurable yardsticks. So, in the long run the performance of the organization declines significantly and it might be difficult to sustain.(Pollitt, 2013) Discussions regarding what should be done in the organization for growth, what is expected out of him in terms of his attitudes, reactions and behaviour in the organization is very essential. As discussed above, if the general behaviour is not defined for a proper understanding, not only does it lead to the lack of zeal of the people but also results in the employees becoming complacent and laidback in the behavioural approach they have towards the organization. The organization would not be in a position to challenge them , if they behaved in an immoral way as they can very well claim it to be just according to their point of view and circumstances. Here the organization would not even be in the position to fall back on a general behaviour list that they unfortunately never made. It is seen that a lot of unwanted situations are to arise if the general behavior is not specified in an organization. (Fee, 2014). A major factor that plays a very important role in the motivation of the people working in an organization is proper communication; the communication is not only horizontal in nature i.e. with other colleagues but also vertical in nature thereby leading to the development of a fluid communication system between the line managers and the subordinates. Communication will help the managers in the Balme library to understand the employees better and help them to develop a cordial relation with them. Firstly, in order to improve the productivity of the individuals, the managers need to create a check list of good behavior. They need to specify a list of expectations that they have from the employees, specifying what the employees should do in the organization to fare well in the performance appraisal systems. (Gruman and Saks, 2011). Alongside the managers should also ensure that this is emphasized at and brought to everybodys notice. Having done this the organization can also publish the ratings, in terms of their behaviour, according to which the employees will be judged upon. If a list of dos and donts are created in the library, the employees will slowly start assessing their behaviour in terms of that list and will easily be able to judge themselves. Furthermore, in order to motivate the employees the managers should come up with some extra benefits that would be provided to them if they scored well in their general behaviour appraisal. For example. Those who did well could get a day off or some extra recreational time. (Bacal, 2011). On the other hand, those who could not score well could be asked to pay for everyones coffee or asked to leave last in the office. Such unconventional ideas could help in infusing a sense of healthy competition in the people to fare well in the appraisal. It is not only the employees that need to be motivated, but also the managers. The managers should be made aware about the importance of a good general behaviour form and its impact on the employees. In order to make it comprehensible the managers could be sent for a few training programs to increase their interest and enthusiasm. They should be taught the system of grading the categories of jobs depending on their responsibilities and specificities. The managers should be active in undertaking sudden rounds and scrutiny of the library as this would sharpen their ability of judgment. A good performance management is the key to motivated employees who convert the doable to deliverables leading in an organization. (Moynihan and Pandey, 2010).Thus the implementation of a good general behaviour form is necessary to build a healthy office environment and constantly motivate the employees towards the achievement of their set goals. References: Ates, A., Garengo, P., Cocca, P., Bititci, U. (2013). The development of SME managerial practice for effective performance management.Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development,20(1), 28-54. Bacal, R. (2011).Performance Management 2/E. McGraw Hill Professional. Biron, M., Farndale, E., Paauwe, J. (2011). Performance management effectiveness: lessons from world-leading firms.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,22(06), 1294-1311. Fee, M. C. (2014). Human resources management. Gruman, J. A., Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement.Human Resource Management Review,21(2), 123-136. Mone, E., Eisinger, C., Guggenheim, K., Price, B., Stine, C. (2011). Performance management at the wheel: Driving employee engagement in organizations.Journal of Business and Psychology,26(2), 205-212. Moynihan, D. P., Pandey, S. K. (2010). The big question for performance management: Why do managers use performance information?.Journal of public administration research and theory,20(4), 849-866. Pollitt, C. (2013). The logics of performance management.Evaluation,19(4), 346-363. Van Dooren, W., Bouckaert, G., Halligan, J. (2015).Performance management in the public sector. Routledge. Walker, R. M., Damanpour, F., Devece, C. A. (2010). Management innovation and organizational performance: The mediating effect of performance management.Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, muq043.

The Last Day of High School The First Day of the Rest of My Life Essay Example For Students

The Last Day of High School The First Day of the Rest of My Life Essay The last day of my high school career is fast approaching and I can only imagine how Ill be feeling when I step out of S.F. Austins grounds for the very last time. Throughout these four years, I have felt a lot of urgency about graduating high school. I didnt think that the time to graduate would come soon enough. But now, that time is finally nearing. I cannot believe that it has come this fast. I remember my first days of high school. I was just dying to experience all the new and exciting things that awaited me. From sports to girls to all the partying, I just wanted to know what everything was like. And now that Ive done all those things and many more, I am about to embark on a new adventure that will take me to many more new experiences. Some say that high school was the best time of my life, just like others say that high school was the worst time in their lives. To be honest, I am not sure which category I fall into. Ive had plenty of good times, as well as just as many bad times, in high school. The only thing I can say is that I learned. And the most important thing is that, not just that I learned through the books, but I learned about life and the road ahead of me. We will write a custom essay on The Last Day of High School The First Day of the Rest of My Life specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now From being an inexperienced freshman to a somewhat mature senior, things have really changed for me. I started high school as a brash and cocky athlete, dying to conquer the world, which I did not know much about. I will leave high school as a world-weary senior, knowing that there are many dangers to encounter in the real world. Realistically, I do not know what the world out there holds for me. All I can do is enter it with a guarded optimism and hope for the best.

Knowledge Management in Public Sector Organizations The WritePass Journal

Knowledge Management in Public Sector Organizations Knowledge Management in Public Sector Organizations Introduction Knowledge Management and the Education in the Agricultural Sector UK government increased ICT expenditure for the next three years Conclusion ReferencesRelated Introduction Knowledge itself is an abstract concept but its application can be seen in every walk of life. Knowledge and innovation go hand in hand and together they generate success for the development of any society. Knowledge accumulation creates value and it is this wealth which has transformed the agrarian societies into industrialized nations (Milner, 2000). Knowledge gives a competitive edge to companies as it is one of the most useful resources that they possess. However in this fast pace world one has to cope with the changing needs of the environment and utilize the knowledge in the most efficient manner in order to extract its full potential. Moreover the rapid pace of technology has facilitated this entire process and Internet has changed the landscape of business environments. Today’s economies are knowledge based economies (Emrich, 2005). Peter Drucker said, â€Å"The Purpose of management is the productivity of knowledge† (Kelly, 2004) There are various definitions of knowledge management, however to put it simple it is the management process within the organization that deals with the collection, organization and sharing of knowledge in the enterprise which is then integrated, evaluated and developed and distributed to all the other parts of the organization. Knowledge management has become an integral part of managerial activity as it helps to take right decisions at the right time with the real information in hand. This information is then provided to all the members of the organization (Gurrieri, 2008). In other words this knowledge is transferred to other products and services of the company which helps in value creation. This also helps in giving an enterprise a strategic edge over other firms. Knowledge management on the whole is not just confined to information technology only but it covers all the aspects such as the employees, the processes and the workflow, which means that knowledge management doesnâ₠¬â„¢t have to be limited to information technology though there is no doubt that technology plays an integral role in the KM but our focus of this paper is going to be on the aspect of technology and knowledge management in the public sector firms particularly our focus is going to be on the education sector here (Hetland et al, 2007). The distribution of tasks among the knowledge management dimensions Source: (Milner, 2000) Information technology and knowledge management in the Public Sector The way we access the information has now changed due to which the relevance of knowledge management has increased over the period of time. Therefore all the firms including the public sector organizations through the aid of knowledge workers are investing more in technology in order to make use of newer applications to increase productivity, accountability and transparency in order to increase the level of efficiency and to improvise the entire process of public sector reforms. Government sector organizations are knowledge based due to which this area of study is of so much importance to them. They need its application at the local regional and national level (Milner, 2000). When we talk about technology and management together, this means that data warehousing is an essential element of the KM. there are several software’s that are used to assimilate the information and distribute it among the various organs of the firm such as document management systems, e learning tools, objected oriented databases, artificial intelligence, real time access to a firms data base, enterprise information portals (ERP). These and several other IT programs tend to be effective tools for the management of the information without which work is not possible. The public sector organizations have also entered into this digital age of electronic means especially after the advent of policies like the ICT (Kelly, 2004).The public sector therefore fulfills its responsibility by recruiting the best people for the development of knowledge, growth and learning because it has to accomplish the following goals: Knowledge development and provide information unlike the private sector Promote knowledge for every one Quality Management efficiency The structure of the government matters in this context because as the government has to take care of the intellectual rights Knowledge Kiosks (Watts and Lloyd, 2004) The analytical knowledge management framework (Steyn and Kahn, 2008) The above diagram shows various elements of the knowledge management. It is an integration of people, processes, technology which together create value. In the government sector knowledge gets dispersed because governments are segmented by state and local level. Other than that as per the government policy the government keeps on changing due to which the current government gets to learn from the previous one, this gives an opportunity to the government to every time learn from its experiences and improve its system through good governance (Slabbert, 2004). Knowledge management in the government sector paves the way for incorporating the electronic means into the government sector. The ICT infrastructure helps the government to achieve its goals and to educate the citizens of the country to have access to quality information which they can utilize and also they themselves can bring value to the nation through knowledge sharing (Beal and Thomas, 2004). The public sector organizations depends more on people based approach but to do so they have to come up with an appropriate framework for knowledge management. Moreover it has been seen that the level of accountability is stricter in the public sector organizations as compared to the private sector but studies have shown that the public sector organizations have been slow in terms of adaptability relative to private sector (Alleman, 1992). This is owing to the lack of awareness, rigid policies, people are not willing to share because they don’t see much incentive in doing so and also people on the public sector are less resistant to change. The entire set up is based on bureaucracy and the goal is not profit maximization. People working in the domain of public sector are more inclined towards the national interest and they are not self centered as they put their personal interest secondary. The public sector organizations face constant competition from the private sector, NGOà ¢â‚¬â„¢s, the government of other countries, All these reasons justify as to why the models for the knowledge management are taken from the public sector unlike the private sector where the culture, the interest, perception and everything differs. However the traditional approach of the public sector sometimes becomes a hurdle in the development of knowledge (Burr and Girardi, 2003). Every firm has its own set of requirements and based on them they create their model of knowledge management and technology is always changing so the public sector firms also adopt different technological infrastructure based on their requirements. There are a collection of technologies that are used in the process which together constitute the software. The reason why these firms spend so much on this software’s is because they need up to date information for better decision making. Government sector tries to incorporate IT into their solutions for better performance. Knowledge Management and the Education in the Agricultural Sector Generally the concept of knowledge management can be applied in all government sectors such as education, transportation, health care and so on. However, this paper will be focusing mainly on the education sector which can be uplifted and further developed by the knowledge management strategies. Education is by all means one of the most significant sectors of a countries economy. It is the back bone of the nation which paves the way for the future growth and development. Therefore this sector is given utmost importance because its development is the nation’s development (Cook et al, 2004). We will take into consideration the education of the agricultural sector of the country through knowledge management systems. There are many ways to achieve this like research into innovative ways to develop the sector and the development of the learning programmes for the all the stakeholders for better yield and growth. This can be done in a number of ways as follows: The systems can be used to do an assessment of the human resource of the business. Human resource is the life blood of the business therefore their input plays a crucial role for the development of the sector. The management systems can be used to facilitate agricultural sector through the deployment of case studies and various tools relevant to the agricultural education. The sharing of the knowledge and the use of newer techniques and methods among the communities The private sector can also help the public sector in meeting their goals through the induction of their systems and technologies. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has facilitated all the sectors. Similarly it can be used to impart agricultural information to employ newer software’s and implementation of newer systems to navigate the progress and learning (Watts and Lloyd, 2004). Open and Distance learning is an effective tool which can be used by the agricultural sector to enhance their learning and can be used for the development of the professionals in the field. Knowledge sharing systems can also be used to manage the work and distribute the knowledge among the stakeholders (Vilma, 2008). Technology has advanced so much that it is on the sector and the expertise of the knowledge workers that are employed to make use of the variant opportunities and their knowledge to develop and upgrade systems which are able to meet the standards because there is no end to innovation and more and more learning tools and techniques can be employed with the passage of time for growth and development (Torgerson and Elbourne, 2002). UK government increased ICT expenditure for the next three years Those governments which have been valuing the concept of knowledge management will also reap benefits out of it. The UK government in the year 2008 increased their budget for the ICT to an amount of 2.9 billion pounds. The idea was to give a further boost to the education sector by utilizing the technology and improve governmental performance and strengthen the education sector of the country (Tearle, 2004).The main motives behind such a move were as follows: Better coordination with the parents through online facilities Newer learning methodologies for the improvement of the curriculum Enhance the resources available to the sector and increased participation This would also improve the performance of the educational sector through better monitoring and control However in both the cases that is agriculture and the education sector of UK, the government takes all these measures then it has to look into the training of the staff because people need to be equipped with newer software’s and technologies and they need to be well versed in that in order to use it effectively (Tearle, 2004). By doing so the government also raises the opportunities and market for the firms in the private sector because then firms such as Microsoft and open source firms try to get into the market by being the supplier of technology to the sector, hence it creates employment and development of both private and public sector (John, 2002). There are many specialized firms in the market which are willing to provide assistance to the government’s public sector initiatives through their advance systems. Companies such as Informa, it is specialized in providing advanced knowledge and services to the public sector. They have services such as data monitor, Informa Economics and Agra for the agricultural sector. The company has clients worldwide including governments and other corporate sector businesses such as Pfizer and EU and WTO. Hence the government has an opportunity to make use of external sources to improve their knowledge based systems in the sector (Paolo, 2010). Innovations in the education sector mean the achievement of high standard of education. These are the performance measures used by the government. The role of knowledge management is to look for newer ways to develop the different institutions of the sector. Education gives a competitive advantage to a nation. This is why all the organizations are systemically looking for newer ways to achieve excellence. Through the use of knowledge management the universities will be able to retain more students and it will also help them in the research process. Knowledge management helps in the strategic management process (Polkinghorn,1992). The government can make use of web based systems in which it can collect the grants from the donors. However those donors need information in order to make effective decisions and this is where knowledge management plays an important role as it helps the donors to decide and then function. It can be used to share information among grant makers. The organization can also make knowledge management systems and form a network in which they can share their problems and have person to person connections with one another for better understanding (John, ,2002). There can be issues in the knowledge management because The culture does not support knowledge management Lack of funds for knowledge management Lack of training Uncoordinated knowledge management roles Inability of senior management to incorporate newer measures and look for opportunities Lack of competence of the firm to measure financial benefits (Steyn and Kahn, 2008). Conclusion The concept of knowledge management is not new to the government. The government has significant opportunities it and the related informational technology opportunities associated with it. However it is on the ability of the government that how well they able to integrate this concept into the organizational culture of the firm and promote knowledge management which will further help them to grow and achieve competency (Emma et al, 2005). Private and public sector firms have some form of similarity in developing a framework for knowledge management but the public sector organization needs to be more careful as it has stricter regulatory practices. References Alleman, J. (1992), Empowerment of Employees Private Sector Models in Public Education, Labor Law Journal, 43 (8), p477. Beal, B.D. and Thomas, D.E. (2004), Strategic Options for Managing Intellectual Asset Flows in the Information Sector, Journal of Managerial Issues, 16 (4), p442-459. Burr, R. and Girardi, A. (2003), The influence of social context factors on perceptions of procedural justice in the public sector, Australian Journal of Psychology, 55, p117-117. Cook, S., Macaulay, S. and Coldicott, H. 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