Descriptive Essay My Head - 1330 Words

Replaying the events in my head, I amble through the bustling hallways - a certain bleak feeling staining my morning. Well aware of the empty sensation seeping into me and beginning to settle uneasily in the pit of my stomach, I m left with no other choice but to continue the school day with a rain cloud of emotions hovering above me. It s difficult to sit through lectures, especially when my brain acquires the unpleasant habit of adding salt to my wound by bringing question and question to the surface. A smile doesn t find a home on my lips, but when it does grace me with its rejuvenating presence, a storm of melancholy crackles and sends my smile packing. If my aloof demeanor and plague of negative thoughts wasn t enough of a weight on my shoulders, then the constant urge to crawl into a hole and disappear was. However, I endured the struggles before deciding that I would try my hardest to overcome the negativity. With the day being far from over, I shifted my focus from I can t wait for the final bell ring to I can t wait until lunch; the shift, however small, lead me to believe that I would be able to tackle the day. Little by little. I needed an outlet for the pent emotions, so I sought out the reassuring presence of my friends, knowing that talking this out would lighten my mood. Although I didn t want to annoy them, I remembered that they had collectively mentioned that they would be there to listen when the time came to talk about personal issues.Show MoreRelatedDescriptive Essay : My Head1366 Words   |  6 PagesReplaying the events in my head, I ambled through the bustling hallways — a certain bleak feeling staining my morning. Well aware of the empty sensation seeping into me and settling uneasily in the pit of my stomach, I m left with no other choice but to continue the school day with a rain cloud of emotions hovering above me. It s difficult to sit through lectures, especially when my brain acquired the unpleasant habit of adding salt to my wound by bringing question after question to the surfaceRead MoreThe Beach Essay781 Words   |  4 PagesDescriptive Essay- Beach, Vacation The place where I feel most comfortable is a place where I am calm. A place that is peaceful in its own ways. It is the place to go to get away from all my troubles. It is the one place where I could sit forever, and never get tired of just staring into the deepest blue I have ever seen. It is the place where I can sit and think the best. A place where nothing matters but what is in that little moment. The one place capable of sending my senses into an overloadRead MoreReflection Of College Level Writing836 Words   |  4 Pages In the past years of my school journey from middle school now to high-school, I have struggled with writing papers. I was not an excellent writer or rather the best writer. I had trouble with expressing my main idea of my paper whenever I was given a topic. Even though my teachers would tell me to brainstorm before I started writing, I still somehow struggled because I was better at letting ideas flow through my head as I write. I was not an expert at developing sentence structure or details asRead MoreThe Task Of Composing A Descriptive Essay1310 Words   |  6 PagesRecently, my Composition I teacher assigned the class the task of composing a descriptive essay. This led me to the question, â€Å"what is a descriptive essay?† What topic could I possible write about for three whole pages? What have I done, seen, or experience that could fill these three long pages? My life thus far has been quite sheltered, so this has created quite the dilemma for me. Being that I am suppose d to be descriptive, I feel the need to describe the stress that this has created for me. My physicalRead MoreReflection Of Creative Writing811 Words   |  4 PagesWriting was a class I never imagined taking. In high school, I enjoyed the small section of English class that was set aside for creative writing. That was all it was; a small section of my class time dedicated to writing about whatever I wanted. Reading has been my favorite hobby for as long as I can remember. Sitting in my advisor’s office at the beginning of summer; I was hesitant about taking this class. I have never actually taken a class specifically for creative writing and was afraid it wasn’t aRead MoreCompare and Contrast of Quindlen and Lutz800 Words   |  4 PagesCompare and Contrast of Quindlen and Lutz Upon reading and examining two essays, â€Å"Life under the chief doublespeak officer† a narrative by William Lutz and â€Å"Homeless†, a descriptive by Anna Quindlen, I firmly believe that Quindlen provides the preferred essay due to the gravity of her subject, greater personal relevance, and that her material allows the reader to sympathize with the subject matter. William Lutz’s essay addresses the growing trend in Corporate America to disguise actions with wordsRead MoreComing Into English By Ray Bradbury875 Words   |  4 Pagesor what was expected of me. However, I have gained more knowledge from the course than I predicted. I was also challenged more than I thought I would be. I am glad that I have taken English, especially my freshman year. I am able to use all of my new writing strategies beyond this semester because my writing has improved after defeating a few writing challenges. I have developed and improved numerous amounts of writing skills. Some of those skills including being able to determine when to write formallyRead More To Go or Not To Go Essay1045 Words   |  5 PagesVietnam War was a very confrontational issue amongst numerous Americans during the 1960’s and 70’s. Many young Americans did not agree with fighting in the Vietnam War. In the essay â€Å"On the Rainy River,† by Tim O’Brien explains the struggle of a 21 year old American man who has been drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. The essay proposes the narrators predicament of not wanting to go to war and displays his reasons why. The narrator states that â€Å"American war in Vietnam seemed to [him as being] wrongRead MoreAuthority and American Usage1259 Words   |  6 PagesAuthority and American Usage: Part 1 â€Å"Authority and American Usage† written by David Foster Wallace, poses an argument about the English language, and the different beliefs of its usage. This essay was written in defense of Bryan A. Garner’s, A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. His argument in â€Å"Authority and American Usage† is the difference the between prescriptivism perception and the descriptivism perception (Linguistic terms that could easily be made into smaller, more understandable wordsRead MoreThe Most Memorable Piece Of Writing Essay1404 Words   |  6 Pageswriters purpose will allow you to see different aspects of an essay than the average person would. Many different aspects play into why someone writes what they write, and that’s what makes their essay memorable. Personally, the most memorable piece of writing that I’ve ever constructed was my college essay for the University of Central Florida, and these exact aspects; exigence, context, constraints, and au dience are what helped develop my essay.

How Is Discrimination Different from Prejudice and...

University of Phoenix Material Appendix C Part I Define the following terms: |Term |Definition | |Discrimination |The denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups because of prejudice | | |or for other arbitrary reasons | |Institutional discrimination |A denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals or groups, resulting from the | | |normal operations of a society†¦show more content†¦Stereotyping can be proved to be wrong, but with discrimination you can not prove it otherwise false, if your denied rights. †¢ What are the causes of discrimination? The causes of discrimination are having a certain preference for different groups of people. In example, preferring a man over a woman to be a president of a company, even though they are both qualified the same. Being misinformed also causes discrimination. Often, racism and prejudice cause discrimination. When an negative attitude is formed over a certain group of people, mainly the minority group. They face a social challenge, which leads to adding a denial of certain rights to a person. Although, discrimination is illegal, it happens often. Family type business, who can hire freely can cause a type of discrimination. They have the choice to hire family, verses someone who is an outsider. Often discrimination is from our ancestors. If they had a certain way of living, it is passed on through generation. Often, we feel like we are better than a certain group, or that a certain group may owe us something because of our ancestors. †¢ How is discrimination faced by one identity group (race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability) the same as discrimination faced by another? How are they different? DiscriminationShow MoreRelatedStereotyping : Can We Prevent Stereotypes?1557 Words   |  7 PagesStereotyping is one of the few activities that must be prevented at all costs, due to the fact that it brews rage and hatred amongst the people in our daily society. First things first, Stereotyping is basically a belief of a certain group of people, for example, all African-Americans are excellent in sport activities. Stereotype is similar, but not the same, to prejudice, the feeling of a person based off of their social status , and discrimination, the action of treating others different basedRead MoreA Social Psychological View Of The Help. The Movie, The1423 Words   |  6 Pagesillustrates how these women fought racism and prejudice by becoming unified with one another. This paper will address how prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, and inequality affect the characters and their relationships in the story. Prejudice Prejudice is defined as â€Å"negative feelings toward persons based on their membership in certain groups† (Kassin, Fein, Markus, 2014). There are several examples of racial prejudice within the movie, but the most interesting display of prejudice comes betweenRead MoreEth 125 Work Sheet Essay example633 Words   |  3 PagesMaterial Discrimination Worksheet Write a 100- to 200-word response to each of the following questions. Provide citations for all the sources you use. †¢ What is discrimination? How is discrimination different from prejudice and stereotyping? †¢ What are the causes of discrimination? †¢ How is discrimination faced by one identity group (race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability) the same as discrimination faced by another? How are theyRead MoreAppedix C673 Words   |  3 Pages|Definition | |Discrimination |The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, esp. on the| | |grounds of race, age, or sex. | |Institutional discrimination |Unfair prejudice against individuals as a result of the way an organization works or | | Read MoreDiscrimination And Prejudice And Discrimination1608 Words   |  7 PagesDiscrimination comes in all forms. There is age discrimination, employment or job discrimination, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, reverse discrimination, sexual discrimination, and then there is also positive discrimination such as a guy letting an attractive woman out in traffic; he is then positively discriminating against her. Prejudice is a negative attitude toward a socially defined group and toward any person perceived to be a member of that group. The purpose of my research isRead MoreDiscrimination And Prejudice And Discrimination1638 Words   |  7 PagesDiscrimination comes in a number of forms. We have age discrimination, employment or job discrimination, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, reverse discrimination, sexual discrimination, and others. Prejudice is a negative attitude toward a socially defined group and toward any person perceived to be a membe r of that group (Burgess, 2003). The purpose of her research was to talk about discrimination and prejudices and the affect they have on our day to day lives. She also defines prejudiceRead MoreEquality and Diversity Essay1577 Words   |  7 Pagesbe differences in religion, race, beliefs and so on. We all are different, there is no the same person in the world, so we should respect each other’s differences and cooperate. 2. Describe the community you live in. Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of: Interests Beliefs Ages Lifestyles Personal, social and cultural identities. We live in mixed community. All people are different. On our street lives three black families, few retired couples, someRead MoreStereotypes, Conformity, And Discrimination1742 Words   |  7 PagesPrejudices and Discrimination in American History X Abstract Stereotyping, prejudice, conformity, and discrimination are well portrayed in the movie American History X. The negative attitude held by Derek towards to black people is greatly influenced and learned from his father who was a racist. Derek also transfers these prejudice attitudes towards his younger brother Danny as he grows up seeing the racism practiced in his family and his brother. Although these attitudes are based on propagandaRead MoreImplicit Personality Theory and Stereotypes1650 Words   |  7 Pagesor she forms impressions on a stranger based on limited information. The way we form impressions and the different conclusions we make about other people based upon our individual impressions is also part of this theory. One of the first people to investigate how people form impressions was Solomon Asch in the 1940’s in his experiment ‘Forming Impressions of Personality he was interested in how people form impressions and if certain traits affected peoples impre ssions. A good example of Implicit personalityRead MorePrejudice And Stereotyping : A Social Psychological Perspective1160 Words   |  5 Pages Prejudice Stereotyping: A social psychological perspective The ability and desire to relate to someone or compete with others, is a fundamental norm and a common aspect in everyday life. The notion to discern ‘us’ from ‘them’ is a way we make inferences of the people we meet and engage with. These everyday inferences affect the way we think, use, and interpret information which guide us to behaviors and beliefs. We use prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination all too often and

Catalase on Hydrogen Peroxide free essay sample

The aim of this study was to test the rate of reactivity of the enzyme catalase on hydrogen peroxide while subject to different concentrations of an inhibitor. The hypothesis was that hydrogen peroxide will be broken down by catalase into hydrogen and oxygen, where a higher concentration of inhibitor will yield less oxygen, resultant of a lower rate of reaction. Crushed potato samples of equal weight were placed in hydrogen peroxide solutions of various temperatures. The results showed that less gas was produced as the concentration of the inhibitor rose. This Is because more enzymes were inhibited, and so less active sites were available for reaction. Reasearch and rationale Hypothesis: Catalase will break down hydrogen peroxide in water and hydrogen. A higher concentration of inhibitor will yield a slower rate of reaction, thus yielding less oxygen in a given time. Null hypothesis: Catalase will break down hydrogen peroxide in water and hydrogen. The concentration of the inhibitor will have no effect on the rate of this reaction. Supporting knowledge: Enzymes function as biological catalysts, increasing the rate of reactions that take place within organisms. Catalase is an enzyme found in the vast majority of organisms that are exposed to oxygen, making it very common. It catalyses the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide is a molecule that can attack sulphur atoms and metal ions in protein molecules, and with the aid of iron ions is potentionally mutagenic. Catalase is an extremely effective enzyme, and can break down millions of hydrogen peroxide molecules in a single second. As such, it can be seen how important and effective catalase is to oxygen-exposed organisms. As with the majority of enzymes, it has an optimum pH of approximately 7, though the optimum can vary by species. Haliotis discus discus, a type of shellfish, for example, has catalase which works at an optimum pH of 10. 5. There are a number of factors which affect the rate of reaction of catalase. As stated, pH is one. Concentration of both catalase and hydrogen peroxide, concentration of co-enzymes (Fe3+ in human catalase) and temperature are all variables that affect the rate of reaction. These can all be regarded as limiting factors, as they can only affect the rate of reaction to a certain point when alone. That is to say, the reaction will not work as best it can if all factors are not at an optimum standard. The poison cyanide acts as a competitive inhibitor, it strongly binds to the haem of catalase, stopping an enzyme-substrate complex from forming. Heavy metal ions, such as copper ions in copper (II) sulphate, act as non-competitive inhibitors on catalase. Competitive inhibitors act by binding to the actual active site of the enzyme, thus stopping an enzyme substrate complex from forming. Competitive inhibition, this can be reversed by increasing the concentration of the substrate. Non-competitive inhibitors bind to a site other than the active site, known as the allosteric site. As such, it is able to bind even to an enzyme-substrate complex. These inhibitors are usually reversible, but are not affected by concentration of the substrate in the way that competitive inhibitors are. Copper acts as a non-competitive inhibitor of catalase. Copper, as a heavy metal, reacts strongly with sulphydryl groups in proteins. This can cause the protein to precipitate, and thus change the shape of the active site. This type of inhibition is irreversible, as the protein becomes covalently modified. Inhibition affects the rate of enzymatic reactions differently than extremes of pH and temperature, which both affect the protein in a non-specific way. These factors reduce the rate of reaction by a process called irreversible enzyme inactivation. This is where the whole protein structure is destroyed, or denatured. Non-competitive inhibitors work by specifically altering the struc ture of the enzymes active site. Due to the decrease in available active sites, the rate of reaction will decrease. In this sense, it is similar to reducing the concentration of enzymes, as there are less active sites available. Planning I will be studying the rate of catalase activity on hydrogen peroxide while varying the amount of inhibition, which should influence the rate of the reaction, and thus the amount of oxygen, observed in a given time. The concentration of the inhibitor will therefore be the independent variable, while the amount of oxygen will be the dependent variable. There should a smaller volume of oxygen observed as the concentration of the enzyme increases. As I am comparing two variables to each other, it would be wise to calculate the correlation of the two variables. To calculate the correlation, I should use Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. To find a suitable correlation, I should use at least 8 samples. After plotting a scattergraph, I will proceed to find out the correlation if the correlation looks reasonable enough. Variables Temperature: Temperature is an extremely important variable to consider, as it can affect the rate of reaction in a number of ways. If the temperature of a system is increased, more molecules will reach the activation energy and the rate of reaction will increase. The number of collisions will also increase. As enzymes must collide with substrates, an increase in temperature and thus kinetic energy will result in more collisions occurring in a given time. Increasing the temperature will also increase the heat of the molecules. This will in turn increase the molecules’ internal energy. If the energy increase is too great, the weaker hydrogen bonds that determine the tertiary structure of the protein may break. This may change the structure of the active site, stopping any reaction between enzyme and substrate. Therefore beyond a certain temperature, the rate of reaction will decrease. To control the temperature, each system must be heated to the same temperature. For this experiment, I have chosen to keep each system at 30oC. This is because room temperature can vary in a lab, as some days can be warmer than others, and the room’s ventilation can also affect the temperature of the system. This is also to allow the reactions to happen at an efficient enough rates to collect results. pH: Any change in pH affects the ionic and hydrogen bonding in an enzyme and so alters it shape. Each enzyme has an optimum pH at which its active site best fits the substrate. Variation either side of this pH results in denaturation of the enzyme and a slower rate of reaction. The optimum pH for catalase in potatoes is generally 7, but can differ depending on the acidity of the soil it was grown in. In this experiment a pH 7 buffer was used. This is because the optimum pH of most types of catalase is 7, and so that the systems can all be kept constant. Concentration of solutions: the concentration both the enzyme and substrate have to be taken into consideration. The concentration of substrate for example will affect the rate of reaction in a positive way until all the active sites are occupied. The same applies to the concentration of the enzyme. An excess of either will not negatively affect the rate of reaction. Both concentrations will be kept constant for each experiment. I will ensure this by using catalase and hydrogen peroxide from the same batch in each experiment. Potato: Obtaining catalase from potato involves crushing the substance. This can be standardised by first cutting the potato into small cubes, then crushing. This can ensure that there are as little lumps of potato left as possible. If multiple potatoes are used, there is a risk of using catalase of different concentrations. This can be remedied by using a large enough potato. As each sample of potato is 5g, and twelve samples are taken 3 times each, then 180g worth of crushed potato are required. A large potato can easily weigh around 500g, so the problem then comes with different concentrations of catalase distributed within the potato. This can be controlled by evenly mixing the crushed potato. It is then safe to assume the catalase is randomly distributed throughout the potato. Lab air exposure: As the crushed potato would be left exposed to the air during the duration of the experiment, this could affect the enzymes ability to catalyse the reaction, and would yield misleading results. As such, any potato that is not in use should be covered in cling film to prevent exposure as much as possible, although not entirely. Preliminary Method My preliminary experiment involved testing only 5 different concentrations of inhibitor, to see whether the results show any reasonable difference. By this, I mean that the results should show a correlation above the critical level where p = 0. 05, n = 6. By doing a trial experiment, I can make sure my experiment will run safely and successfully, as well as determine any factors of my experiment I should change. Apparatus: -Potato -6% Hydrogen Peroxide solution 5cm -Copper (II) Sulphate solution (2%, 1%, 0. 75%, 0. 25%, 0. 1%) 10cm -Deionised water -Measuring cylinders -Weighing boat -Mass balance -Peeler -Scalpel -Pestle and mortar -Cling film -Test tubes -Test tube rack -Water bath -Thermometer -Bunsen burner Tripod -Gauze -Metal tongs -Delivery tube with bung attached -Gas syringe -Clamp stands, boss and clamp -Stopclock Method Peel and dice the potato in roughly 3x3cm cubes and mash them. Cover the crushed potato when not being used. Set up a gas syringe horizontally supported with stands and clamps, high enough to reach test tubes in a water bath. Attach a delivery tube to the syringe. Prepare a water bath of 30oC. Measure out 5cm3 of Hydrogen Peroxide into 6 test tubes. Add 10cm3 of the 2% Copper (II) Sulphate solution. Heat the solution to 30oC using a water bath. While heating, prepare a weighing boat with 5g of potato. When 30oC, place the potato in the solution, quickly attaching it to the delivery tube and starting the stopclock (a helper is advised here). Allow the catalase to react for 3 minutes, and note the gas collected. Repeat the same process for each concentration. Add 10cm3 of deionised water to the final test tube as a control. Health and Safety Pureed potato may irritate some people’s skin. Wash any potato splashes off skin immediately. Hydrogen peroxide is an irritant, and a powerful oxidising agent and bleach.

Two Accounts of The Battle of Pharsalus Essay Example

Two Accounts of The Battle of Pharsalus Essay The battle of Pharsalus, which took place on August 9th 48 BC, was the turning point in the Roman civil wars fought from 49-44 BC. These wars arose primarily from a struggle between the two powerful members of the First Triumvirate, Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. Pompeys defeat by Caesar at Pharsalus resulted directly in his own death and Caesars rise to unimpeachable power in the Roman Republic. The focus on individual leaders as the center of military and political power that was exemplified by the battle of Pharsalus became the overarching structure of governance in Rome, eventually bringing about the end of the Senate-led Republic and the beginning of imperial rule. Thefirst source describing the battle of Pharsalus is found in the seventh book of Lucans epic poem Pharsalia. Lucan was a Roman poet who began writing this poem in 61 AD. It was left unfinished upon his death in 65 AD., therefore the poem is only ten books long ending with Caesars arrival in Egypt in 48 BC. He b ecame successful under Neros reign in Rome, however, there seemed to be an increasing dispute growing between the two after the Pharsalia was published. Many critics assume the cause of the dispute to be based on Lucans anti-imperialistic views that he expresses throughout the poem. The second source describing the battle of Pharsalus is found in book 3.72-99 of Caesars Civil Wars. Caesar himself writes in 48 BC an account of his war against Pompey and the Senate. Book 3.72 begins after Caesars regroups his army in Thessaly because of his defeat at the battle of Dyrrhacium by Pompeys army. Caesar justifies his actions of fighting against Pompey and the senate based on his ultimate goal, which was that of restoring order to the Roman people by bringing an end to the civil wars that had plagued Rome for the past couple of years. In an indirect way h

Factors affecting health and well being essays

Factors affecting health and well being essays The health status of a particular group or community is dependant upon many factors. In the main, you can think of different communities as being of different social classes. A persons social status is almost directly related to that persons health and the social group that you belong to will have a potential affect on your health and life chances. The types of social groups in the community vary from the very top class to the lowest. If we take geographical location , for example, in Britain you would expect people with the highest income to be situated toward the south, south east area due to their being higher wages and more employment. The financial position of a group in a community will have an effect on peoples life chances. In the north of England, a place like Blackburn in some districts, can have lower social class communities made up of low skilled or unskilled people and therefore have high levels of poverty, deprivation with poor, damp housing e.g. old high rise flats with illness related to these damp conditions. On the other hand, other districts, with higher social class families will have a better standard of living with quality housing, parks and better access to leisure facilities and supermarkets which in turn will give them a better health status. Financial position will also affect the level of healt h care people receive. A wealthy person may adopt to paying for more intense, private care like BUPA hospital care for example. The location of groups in a community will render whether or not peoples quality and access to good health care service is available. In certain areas of the country, access to treatment and services may be more readily available compared to others. This boils down to the provision of services and allocation of funds by the government. The prioritisation of funding towards services in certain areas will mean that not everyone will receive the same standard ...

Social Class in the US Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Class in the US - Assignment Example However, as can be gleaned from the lessons and insights provided by the materials in Chapter 8, the belief that the US is the land of opportunity is all but a myth. For, while thousands of opportunities are available for everyone interested, factors like language, educational and cultural factors can severely impede immigrants’ success, including those with professional credentials which they earned from their own homelands. Sawhill, Isabel (2006) in a Policy Brief stated that while the US economy performed well, most of the benefits of such success were reaped by those at half top of the income distribution strata, especially those at the top one percent (or those with income of more than about $400,000 in 2006). Society, stressing that it takes at least five generations to totally free one from circumstances of birth or family background. Sawhill adds that as the gap widens among the income levels or groups, it has become harder for people to move up, as the topmost of the ladder becomes more and more solid and strong, accumulating more and more wealth. Immigrants, illegal or otherwise, represent cheap, reliable labor for the American businesses. The documented and legal immigrants mostly have no education or reached only high school level, which makes it harder for them to land on high-paying jobs. Even their children tend to not continue to go to school but instead engage in jobs to augment their families’ incomes. Education, they say, is the great leveler. However, the US does not provide equal access to quality education to its people. Majority of the immigrants’ kids go to public schools which are below par the other schools across the nation. Even the funding for Bilingual Education has been debated upon, most probably towards its abolition. It is therefore no wonder that recent trends had been that these immigrants are going back to their homes, primarily to seek better opportunities

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Resource - Essay Example Employee motivation is inducement or incentive which may be self-generated or from external forces, that promotes satisfaction and an urge towards improvement in performance. Productivity is defined as â€Å"the efficient as well as the effective use of resources to achieve outcomes† (Berman, Bowman, West & Van Wart 2005: 309). Productivity depends on the quality of human resources and their levels of performance. In contemporary organizations, there is growing emphasis on implementing high performance work practices based on all aspects of organizational operations. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to explain analytically how a firm’s Human Resource strategy could be its source of competitive advantage. HRM strategies implemented according to policies based on relevant theories on workforce motivation for achieving increased productivity outcomes will be examined. The HRM Strategy of Promoting Employee Motivation In studying employee motivation and human resource management strategies to improve motivation, the factors that affect how people behave at work should be taken into consideration. These factors encompass the fundamental characteristics of people which include: individual differences pertaining to competencies based on abilities, intelligence and skills; constructs or the conceptual framework of how people perceive their environment; expectations from own and others’ behaviours, values or what people believe to be important, and self-regulatory plans or goals and how they intended to achieve them (Armstrong 2006). Other important characteristics of people that impact employees’ behaviour at work are: their attitudes, their causes, manifestations and influences on behaviour; attribution theory or how other people are judged; orientation or approaches adopted to work; and roles played by employees to carry out their work (Armstrong 2006). Besides the employees’ personal characteristics, environmental var iables include the type of work that individuals carry out; the culture, climate and organizational style in the organization; the social group within which individuals work; and the reference groups that individuals use for comparative purposes such as comparing conditions of work between various categories of employees. There is an increasing trend for human resources to be considered as the main differentiating factors contributing to a company’s competitive advantage. This underscores the belief that the knowledge and skills of employees is much more difficult to imitate, as compared to other resources. Thus, HRM believes employees to be valued assets, with the potential to ensure competitive advantage based on their commitment, adaptability and high quality skills. A study conducted by Pathak, Budhwar, Singh and Hannas (2005) examined the relationship between the implementation of HR best practices and employees’ positive psychological contract, higher commitment and greater motivation. The evidence indicates that employees experiencing a high number of best practices were more motivated as compared to those who experienced few best practices. Thus, best human resource management practices led to increased employees’ performance resulting in high levels of the company’