Very easy no essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Very easy no essay - Assignment Example y-four year olds owning their own businesses: "The trend may dilute corporate pools of promotable junior managers but provide a needed infrastructure for corporate outsourcing" (Keaveney 102-103). Which paraphrase is acceptable? A necessary infrastructure for corporate outsourcing is provided even though the trend of members of the younger generation owning their own businesses is weakening the availability of potential executives (Keaveney 102-103). Increasingly, members of the younger generation are becoming entrepreneurs rather than making themselves available to work their way up the management scale for an individual company; the difficulties this may cause for companies is offset by the services as subcontractors they can provide as outsourcing becomes more necessary and more common (Keaveney 102-103). The current fashion of members of the younger generation owning their own businesses might water down the numbers of available potential low-ranking administrators; however, it might also supply a necessary means at a basic level for business to subcontract (Keaveney 102-103). The original quotation from Bob Simpson on a website reads "Although some people believe the Lamborgotti Fasterossa is the fastest car in the world, others name the Ferrari as the fastest." Which is an unfair and misleading use of this quotation? You are using material from a newspaper article. There is no author given, but the title of the article is "Was Emerson lying to his constituents?," published in the  Edmonton Journal  on Feb. 14, 2006, on p. A2. Which is the proper parenthetical citation for this

First Trip to Mosque in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

First Trip to Mosque in America - Essay Example The carpet must be kept in a neat condition since Muslims should try to offer their prayers in the Mosque. In the middle of the Mosque, a large chandelier was suspended that is only opened during special occasions. Some pictures of the Makah and Medina (holy cities in Islam) are displayed in the front wall along with a digital clock. The microphone that is used by the Imam, a person appointed to lead the prayers, is situated underneath the clock. To the left, people can refer to a timetable of prayers on a bulletin board. Towards the end of the prayer hall, a partition is situated because sometimes women like to come and offer their prayers in the Mosque. Since, Islam strictly prohibits the mingling of both sexes; a partition is used to divide the men and women. The primary purpose of the Mosque is to allow Muslims to offer their prayers, or Salah. Salah is an Arabic term that is defined as connection. During Salah, Muslims get an opportunity to connect to God, thank him for his merc ies, and fulfill their mandatory duty as believers of Allah. Salah is held five times a day, whole year round, and as usual lead by the Imam. The Imam is the leader of Salah, and people are lined behind him rows upon rows. Most of the Imams are hafiz, a person who has memorized the holy Quran. Imams are required to dress in a religious code along with keeping a beard. Most Imams also specialize in reciting the Quran in their own unique voice. Since Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day, it is very beneficial for them to attend the prayers in the Mosque because they get rewarded twenty-seven times more. Muslim men should try to attend Mosques frequently, Friday, is a day that is reserved for all Muslim men to come and offer their prayers. When I visited during Friday, a great scholar from Pakistan came and delivered a great speech or sermon. His sermon was about Hajj, the holy pilgrimage Muslims are required to do if financially stable, and his words were both powerful and mov ing. The Friday ritual began around late afternoon with the services held at 1:30P.M. When Muslim men enter the mosque, they greet each other with an â€Å"Assalamu-Alaikum,† that translates to be â€Å"peace is upon you.† After greeting each other, they go to perform wudhu, which consists of washing the hands, feet, and mouth. Wudhu is an obligation on every Muslim because it is an act of purification, and is required before praying. After they are done performing wudhu, the men go in the main prayer hall and wait for the Imam to come. In the span of thirty minutes the day I visited, the Mosque was full with people waiting outside to get in.   The experience was profound because the scholar talked about the aspects of Hajj, and how it can bring all Muslims closer to Allah. He reminded the crowd that this life is short, and no one has any guarantee whether he can live the next day, so it is advisable to perform Hajj as soon as possible. In addition, he understood the fact that people get caught up in the worldly affairs, so he told his audience to take some time out for Islam. Furthermore, he read some verses from the Quran that talked about the fulfillments of Hajj. His concern was that most Muslims underestimate to requirement to perform Hajj, even though Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. If a Muslim can not perform it due to financial circumstances, than he would not be held accountable for it. However, in recent years people have found reasons to excuse themselves from this

EC Policy on VAT Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

EC Policy on VAT Assessment - Essay Example Nonetheless, the players in the financial services sector have emerged in recent years as among the largest groups of companies in the world and, despite this fragmentation, financial service companies as a group have become by far the most profitable in the world. For example, the UK-based financial services conglomerate HSBC and Barclays are among the world's largest corporations. For this reason, the European Commission in the 1990s took up a plan to include financial services and insurances in the value added tax (VAT) system for all member states, with the primary purpose of making the markets for financial services efficient. The plan was embodied in the Sixth VAT Directive of EC, part of the Financial Services Action Plan which was issued in 1977. Under the EC Treaty, all member states are obliged to adopt EC Directives into their own statutes although they can choose the forms or methods by which to implement them1. The 1977 VAT directive, however, was met with hostility by m ember states, which were reluctant to implement the tax measure. This paper tracks the difficulty of modernizing the VAT system for financial and insurance services for EU that would be acceptable to all and would advance the EC policy of promoting integration and competition in this industry for Europe's future growth in prosperity and employment. A critical evaluation of the compromise measure proposed by EC is in order as a way of contributing to the consultation process being conducted by the Commission to craft a more realistic and more acceptable VAT system for financial and insurance services. Thus, the paper attempts to present an opinion on whether the new VAT system proposed by EC will be more successful than the first. Problems & Issues Financial markets have developed in such a way that even interpretation of classic terms like credit gives rise to difficulties. The Commission services have been confronted with an increasing number of cases where economic operators and member states had problems in interpreting the definitions of exempt services under the Sixth VAT Directive. These cases often reflect the complexity of financial and insurance products, extending to questions such as whether there is a taxable supply and where the place of supply is located. The most serious objections to the imposition of VAT on financial services and insurance firms were the absence of a readily identifable mechanism for efficiently implementing the tax proposal, and the increase in consumer credit that it is expected to generate. Another issue raised against the imposition of VAT on customers of financial and insurance services was the way it offends political sensibilities2. The financial services industry, being engaged in the management of money, involves public interest because a bank run, for example, can harm a national economy. Thus, governments of EU member states carefully regulate the operation of these companies, such that in UK, the Financial Services Authority has been clothed with greater powers to go after financial services firms that mishandle their affairs and funds3. The difficulty for EC consisted mainly in the impossibility of establishing taxable amounts and the amounts of deductible VAT without

Very easy no essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Very easy no essay - Assignment Example y-four year olds owning their own businesses: "The trend may dilute corporate pools of promotable junior managers but provide a needed infrastructure for corporate outsourcing" (Keaveney 102-103). Which paraphrase is acceptable? A necessary infrastructure for corporate outsourcing is provided even though the trend of members of the younger generation owning their own businesses is weakening the availability of potential executives (Keaveney 102-103). Increasingly, members of the younger generation are becoming entrepreneurs rather than making themselves available to work their way up the management scale for an individual company; the difficulties this may cause for companies is offset by the services as subcontractors they can provide as outsourcing becomes more necessary and more common (Keaveney 102-103). The current fashion of members of the younger generation owning their own businesses might water down the numbers of available potential low-ranking administrators; however, it might also supply a necessary means at a basic level for business to subcontract (Keaveney 102-103). The original quotation from Bob Simpson on a website reads "Although some people believe the Lamborgotti Fasterossa is the fastest car in the world, others name the Ferrari as the fastest." Which is an unfair and misleading use of this quotation? You are using material from a newspaper article. There is no author given, but the title of the article is "Was Emerson lying to his constituents?," published in the  Edmonton Journal  on Feb. 14, 2006, on p. A2. Which is the proper parenthetical citation for this

EC Policy on VAT Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

EC Policy on VAT Assessment - Essay Example Nonetheless, the players in the financial services sector have emerged in recent years as among the largest groups of companies in the world and, despite this fragmentation, financial service companies as a group have become by far the most profitable in the world. For example, the UK-based financial services conglomerate HSBC and Barclays are among the world's largest corporations. For this reason, the European Commission in the 1990s took up a plan to include financial services and insurances in the value added tax (VAT) system for all member states, with the primary purpose of making the markets for financial services efficient. The plan was embodied in the Sixth VAT Directive of EC, part of the Financial Services Action Plan which was issued in 1977. Under the EC Treaty, all member states are obliged to adopt EC Directives into their own statutes although they can choose the forms or methods by which to implement them1. The 1977 VAT directive, however, was met with hostility by m ember states, which were reluctant to implement the tax measure. This paper tracks the difficulty of modernizing the VAT system for financial and insurance services for EU that would be acceptable to all and would advance the EC policy of promoting integration and competition in this industry for Europe's future growth in prosperity and employment. A critical evaluation of the compromise measure proposed by EC is in order as a way of contributing to the consultation process being conducted by the Commission to craft a more realistic and more acceptable VAT system for financial and insurance services. Thus, the paper attempts to present an opinion on whether the new VAT system proposed by EC will be more successful than the first. Problems & Issues Financial markets have developed in such a way that even interpretation of classic terms like credit gives rise to difficulties. The Commission services have been confronted with an increasing number of cases where economic operators and member states had problems in interpreting the definitions of exempt services under the Sixth VAT Directive. These cases often reflect the complexity of financial and insurance products, extending to questions such as whether there is a taxable supply and where the place of supply is located. The most serious objections to the imposition of VAT on financial services and insurance firms were the absence of a readily identifable mechanism for efficiently implementing the tax proposal, and the increase in consumer credit that it is expected to generate. Another issue raised against the imposition of VAT on customers of financial and insurance services was the way it offends political sensibilities2. The financial services industry, being engaged in the management of money, involves public interest because a bank run, for example, can harm a national economy. Thus, governments of EU member states carefully regulate the operation of these companies, such that in UK, the Financial Services Authority has been clothed with greater powers to go after financial services firms that mishandle their affairs and funds3. The difficulty for EC consisted mainly in the impossibility of establishing taxable amounts and the amounts of deductible VAT without

Why the South Lost the War Essay Example for Free

Why the South Lost the War Essay â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. † These words, spoken by Abraham Lincoln during his campaign to be a senator from Illinois, ring eerily true with the truth about the country’s uncertain future. Only three short years after Lincoln gave this speech, civil war would break out between the northern and southern states, and it would end four years later with the South running away with its tail between its legs. Why did the South lose the war? The South entered into the Civil War unprepared to fight and, ultimately, was starting a fight it was destined to lose. In the end, there were five factors that led to the defeat of the South: The fundamental economic superiority of the North, a basic lack of sound military strategy strategy in the way the South fought the war, the inept Southern performance in foreign affairs, lack of a dominating civilian leader in the South, and President Abraham Lincoln (Hersch, 2002). The first contributing factor to the South’s loss of the war is the fact that the North had a fundamentally sturdier and superior economy. Economically, the Civil War was not a contest between equals. The South had no factories to produce guns or ammunition, and its railroads were small and not interconnected, meaning that it was hard for the South to move food, weapons, and men quickly over long distances. In addition, though agriculture thrived in the South, planters focused on cash crops like tobacco and cotton and did not produce enough food crops to feed the southern population (â€Å"Economy† 2004). The North, on the other hand, had enough food and enough factories to make weapons for all of its soldiers. It also had an extensive rail network that could transport men and weapons rapidly and cheaply. At first, this superiority of the North didnt seem to make much of a difference. Like many wars in history, those involved thought it would be over quickly. However, northern logistical capabilities would prove crucial as the war dragged on (â€Å"Economy† 2004). The second reason for Southern defeat was the fact that the South simply lacked any sort of coherent strategy, military of otherwise. Inferior strategies employed by the South included: the defense of Richmond, the defense of the coastal areas, gaining the Border States into the Confederacy, the offensive defense of taking the war into Maryland and Pennsylvania, blockade running and privateers, as well as efforts to gain diplomatic recognition (or assistance) from Britain and/or France (Resch, 2005). The South utilized the few resources it had effectively, but the Southern railroads could not keep up to the demands placed on it, unlike the Northern railroads, which grew during the war. These several problems hindered the South greatly in winning the war. One might stop and wonder why the South was not more proactive in finding solutions to these problems, but the answer is obvious: the South simply did not have the centralized power structure and decision makers necessary to remedy its struggling economy (Resch, 2005). Thirdly, the South struggled greatly in the area of foreign affairs. The South constantly attempted to become recognized by other nations as its own independent power, but over the course of the war not a single foreign nation would formally recognize the Confederacy. One such country was Britain. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was officially neutral throughout the American Civil War, 1861-65 (Harrison, 2005). The Confederate strategy for securing independence was largely based on British and French military intervention, which never happened; however intervention would have meant war with the United States. A serious conflict between Britain and the United States erupted over the Trent Affair in 1861; it was resolved in a few months (Harrison, 2005). The quandary of the South in the area of foreign affairs was caused by the fact that Jefferson Davis believed that the British dependence on textiles would force the British into an alliance with the South due to its abundant cotton resources. As president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, left foreign policy to others in government and, rather than developing an aggressive diplomatic effort, tended to expect events to accomplish diplomatic objectives (Harrison, 2005). The new president was committed to the notion that cotton would secure recognition and legitimacy from the powers of Europe. The men Davis selected as secretary of state and emissaries to Europe were chosen for political and personal reasons – not for their diplomatic potential (Hersch, 2002). This was due, in part, to the belief that the demand for cotton could accomplish the Confederate objectives with little help from Confederate diplomats. One positive in the Confederacy’s foreign affairs was its ability to employ the British shipyard (John Laird nd Sons) to build two warships for the Confederacy, including the CSS Alabama, causing vehement protests from the United States (Harrison, 2005). The controversy continued after the Civil War in the form of the Alabama Claims, in which the United States finally was given $15. 5 million in arbitration by an international tribunal for damages caused by British-built warships (Harrison, 2005). The British built and operated most of the blockade runners, spending hundreds of millions of pounds on them; but that was legal and not the cause of serious tension. In the end, these instances of British involvement neither shifted the outcome of the war nor provoked the U. S. into declaring war against Britain. The United States diplomatic mission headed by Minister Charles Francis Adams, Sr. proved much more successful than the Confederate missions, which were never officially recognized (Harrison, 2005). Fourthly, is the fact that the South did not possess a dominating civilian leader. The Confederacy was also not as unified as is commonly thought. Parts of the Confederacy were extremely loyal while others such as East Tennessee were hotbeds of Unionist activity (Resch, 2005). These citizens resisted Confederate drafts, and refused to pay Confederate taxes. Many of these Unionists formed groups of activists to resist the Confederate government. Confederate loyalists persecuted unionists in East Tennessee and in other areas (Resch, 2005). Nevertheless, internal opposition to the Confederacy hurt the stability of a region as well as undermined the war effort. These shortcomings in civilian leadership lead to the downfall of the Confederacy, because without the people supporting the cause or stepping up to participate in the war effort, there could be no hope of ever winning the war (Resch, 2005). Finally, the success of the South was ultimately doomed as soon as Abraham Lincoln took office as President. With the election of Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln on November 6, 1860, South Carolina, followed by six other states, seceded from the Union (Kelly, 2009). Even though his views about slavery were considered moderate during the nomination and election, South Carolina had warned it would secede if he won. This attitude was encouraged by the confederate leaders in the South, and it was this bigoted resentment that was a contributing factor to the start of the Civil War (Kelly, 2009). Lincoln agreed with the majority of the Republican Party that the South was becoming too powerful, and made it part of their platform that slavery would not be extended to any new territories or states added to the union. One could imagine how this would anger the South and cause them to feel threatened by the North. Here was a republican President from the North taking the side of the North in not allowing the South to expand its lucrative business of slavery. Lincoln perhaps single handedly started and ended the Civil War, whether implicitly or not. However, Lincoln was not the only reason the war started, he was only the final push the South needed to break away from the Union. More clear, however, is the fact that he did indeed the end the Civil War through his well-founded and composed politics and strategies. There were two major moves made by Lincoln that heavily influenced the outcome of the war, these were the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation (Kelly, 2009). The first was a moving and decided blow against the image of the South. Part of the address is as follows: â€Å"†¦Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate we cannot consecrate we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth† (as stated in The Gettysburg Address 1863), The people could not ignore the words of President Lincoln, and the South could not refute them with any sort of fact. Truth be told, what Lincoln uttered in his address was the truth itself, and not even Jefferson Davis could argue that. And secondly was the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in states of the Union; although this did not free every slave in the Continental U. S. it was a start and a colossal blow to the morale of the Confederate army as well as its citizens. The Union proved at that time that it was far more organized and unified in its cause because of the great leader it had in Abraham Lincoln (Kelly 2009). The fact that the South lost the Civil War has been a highly debated issue throughout the history of the United States and the reasons for this loss continue to be tossed around and discussed even to this day, however these five pervious factors consistently reemerge as reasons as to the defeat of the Confederate Army and their reentrance into the Union. The words that would best describe this are the words Lincoln used three years prior to the Civil War, â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. † He was correct, it could not and would not stand divided; in the end the United States was one country and always would be.

Examining Cross Cultural Motivation in Employees

Examining Cross Cultural Motivation in Employees Motivation of employees is the essence for high performance in companies, which in turn ensures the competitively of a company, in todays world where global competition is fierce especially with Chinas growth. The poor performance of the European American countries on the other hand, makes it more difficult for them to compete with China. These are probably the consequences of extremely powerful labor unions that ensure employment protection of employees. Employment protection legislation, which is the set of rules on how to fire or hire an employee (Zientara, 2006), has often been the focus of studies explaining that its effect is high unemployment. However, no studies have been done on the effects of employment protection legislation on the attitudes and behavior of employees. On the other hand, Lebanon representing the Middle East is rarely concerned with employment protection and labor unions have very minimal influence in companies. So the purpose of my paper is to determine whether employees in a country where employment protection legislation are more motivated than a country with lenient regulations on employment protection. In order to achieve this study, I have conducted some in-depth interviews and prepared a questionnaire for companies of Lebanon Italy. In the end, the results of my study show that in fact employees that are highly protected by employment protection legislation are less motivated than employees where employment protection legislation is more lenient. Employees are the most important asset a company has, therefore motivating them is the best way to ensure high performance of a company and in turn increase the companies competitivity. Yet, Western Europe is facing a period of crisis where productivity is low and competitivity is decreasing. This is why, it is essential to ensure that all employees are motivated, which will ensure an increase in productivity. Indeed, between 1980 and 1995, Europe had an average labor productivity growth of 2.33% and in 1995 to 2001, it fell 1.37% (Evans, 2004). This causes delocalization of many companies to cheaper and more flexible countries or major labor cuts increasing the already heavy unemployment rate which is at 7.8% in Europe, against 4.6% in the US and 4.2 in Japan, according to the European statistical agency. This crisis also affects on employee motivation at work, where work loads increase to avoid employing new workers and therefore, avoiding all the complications of regulations. The actual situation in Europe is the consequence of powerful unions and very strict employment protection legislation. On the other hand, in the Middle East, the labors have very low employment protection legislation and labor unions have very miniature influence. While the Middle East differs from Western Europe regarding labors conditions; it also faces problems regarding employees behavior. Performance isnt at its highest rate either and often companies face the problem of employees working a minimum throughout the day. Both regions need to find a way to motivate employees in order to increase productivity. Yet, since companies in Europe accept and adapt to the employment legislation protection, the best way of ensuring productivity and therefore competitivity is by motivating employees to perform at the optimum level. A Cross-cultural study is necessary in order to understand better the causes and effects of low motivation. Therefore, I chose a region that could be considered quite different from the Western Europe (Italy): The Middle East. Indeed, as depicted by Hofstedes 5 cultural dimensions, the 2 regions have different values. However, few studies have been done on the rate of motivation and workers condition in the Middle East. One study entitled Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance in a Lebanese Banking Staff (Abou Zaki Crosssman, 2003), analyzed job satisfaction of employees in a Lebanese bank, but it didnt include an analysis of employee motivation. However, studying whether or not employees in the Middle East are motivated and how to increase their motivation is crucial in order to understand how to increase performance. According to Nicoleth (2000), Italy, which is the Western European country I will be studying, has been rated as the third strictest country in terms of employment protection legislation. Like other countries in Western Europe, Italys problem today is that it is losing its competitivity because laws of employment are too strict and wages are high. Since companies in Europe cannot change laws and cannot decrease wages, their only way of ensuring competitivity is by increasing productivity to a maximum. However, because employees in Western Europe are extensively protected, they perform just enough to guarantee that employer has no legal reason to lay them off. Therefore, productivity isnt at a level high enough to ensure competitivity. The only solution to encourage employees to be more productive would be to motivate them at work. On the other hand, Lebanon is the center for the Middle East with an opening to the Mediterranean. Being a modern country with both local and international companies, it is interesting to study this country. Furthermore, even though there are a few employment protection regulations, protection is applied and respected to a minimum level in Lebanon. Within this context, it is normal that employees, especially part timers, arent motivated to perform at their best, knowing that they could be fired at any moment. The actual motivation level of employees in both countries will be studied by using the Herzbergs Hygiene Theory. This theory will help me first of all to determine if employees at work are satisfied or dissatisfied, from these results I will determine if employees need intrinsic or rather extrinsic motivation. I am expecting to find that Italians arent dissatisfied but are not satisfied either. Therefore, they have a neutral attitude toward their jobs, whereas Lebanese employees experience dissatisfaction. According to these expectations, it is probable that Italian, lack intrinsic motivation whereas Lebanese lack both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The logic behind these conclusions will be discussed furthermore in my paper. H1: Italians need to be intrinsically motivated. H2: Lebanese need to be extrinsically motivated. The Job Design Theory will help me determine how jobs in each of the 2 countries should be designed in order to motivate employees. In order to do so, I will rank some characteristics that should be present in a job, according to the most motivating to the least motivating. The ranking will be based on the different intensity of motivation felt towards the different job characteristics. The final part of my paper will include recommendations on the best way a job should be designed in Lebanon and Italy, in order to ensure motivation. It is important to add that I am considering only these 2 theories because they respond best to the needs of my paper. Indeed, Maslows theory is not valid in theory and the ERG theory, is more valid than Maslows hierarchy, yet it also focuses on the needs of the employees only. The Goal Setting theory includes the motivational aspect of needs, yet is doesnt focus on the characteristics of the job. Herzbergs theory and the Job Design Theory best respond to the needs of this paper because both of these theories focus on characteristics within the job itself that can lead to motivation of employees. Jumping to the definition of employment protection legislation, according to Zientara (2006), it is the set of rules on how to hire and/or fire rising from both the labor legislation and the collective bargaining agreements. Its aim is to ensure a secure job for employees. Zientara explains that as employment protection legislation is stricter, firing an employee becomes more costly and therefore it damages the labor market performance. Therefore, the Italian legislation is very detailed in the 3 components of the employment protection legislation as the employer has limited power in withdrawing from the contract. Contrary to the Italian legislation, the Lebanese legislation is very vague and minimal as there are written laws concerning the protection of regular employees against dismissal and against collective dismissal. Yet there are no regulations concerning temporary employment, which already reduces the strictness of employment protection legislation. The only condition for an employer to dismiss an employee in Lebanon, is to give a compensation which is determined according to the nature of the work, the employees age, tenure, family and health conditions. When comparing the conditions imposed to employers for individual and collective dismissal and for conditions of temporary workers, it is clear that Italy is much stricter than Lebanon. It is important to add that: in Italy, appeal to the court is likely to see the judiciary take such a favorable view of the employees social or family problems that dismissal is commonly judge to be practically impossible. (Emerson, 1988, p.787). Whereas, in Lebanon, court costs a lot and labor unions power and effectiveness are so low that chances for an employee to win a case are little. The fact that strict employment protection legislation is still extensively applied in Italy, means that it does present several benefits. Society benefits because it avoids the payment of unemployment benefits (Zientara, 2006). In addition, it encourages employees loyalty and dedication toward the organization (Akerloff, 1984). Not to forget, it encourages companies to invest on training and upgrading the productivity of labors and furthermore, accepts technological changes and internal job mobility (Piore, 1989). On the other hand, strict employment protection legislation also presents some downfalls, which could explain the ongoing debate about it. First of all, strict employment protection legislation causes high unemployment rate since it discourages employers to easily dismiss employees and leaving the door open to prospective employees (Zientara, 2006). Furthermore, Italy cannot adapt to the changes of economic conditions (Emerson, 1988) which today present flexibility of employees and competitivity in the spotlight. Additionally, the low probability of being dismissed may have an adverse effect on employees whose effort and cooperation with others in the company will reduce (Emerson, 1988). No matter what the reasons of absenteeism are, the problems are that it causes reduction of productivity and that firing is too difficult because of strict employment protection legislation. This is why; the only solution to reduce effects of employment protection legislation on organizations product ivity is by increasing motivation. The economic climates of the past decades have cause d an increase in de-motivation at work. Indeed, downsizing and the rationalization of policies causes de-motivation (Gee Burke, 2001). All in all, change, uncertainty, lack of control and high work load are all causes for the increase in stress and therefore, the decrease in motivation. Yet motivation is the key for employees to exert 100% effort, which means performing as well as possible all the time (Gee Burke, 2001), this explains how motivation is related to performance. According to Robbins (2004), motivation is defined as a psychological process which consists of the persons intensity in terms of how hard he/she tries, the quality and intensity of the effort which is directed to the benefit of the organization and the persistence of the person in question. Motivation can be of two kinds: it can be extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is a tangible reward for a given performance (Adonis, 2007). Although it is very p owerful at first, extrinsic motivation quickly becomes an expectation and loses its effects. Indeed it motivates in the short run but doesnt consider the internal needs of the employee (Adonis, 2007). On the other hand, intrinsic motivation is triggered from inside the person by considering the needs of recognition and self-fulfillment of each individual through a sense of achievement, responsibilities, job satisfaction, involvement and empowerment (Adonis, 2007). In fact, intrinsic motivation is long term and aims at improving the morale of employees which in turn will increase the productivity by lowering absenteeism and increasing retention (Adonis, 2007). The Hygiene-Motivator Theory shows the factors that lead to dissatisfaction in a job and satisfaction. Factors that cause dissatisfaction which are called hygiene factors are extrinsic; these include working conditions, pay, policiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Robbins, 2004) On the other hand, factors that are leading to job satisfaction are recognition, responsibilities, task achievement and other factors that are intrinsic. These factors are long term motivators (Gee Burke, 2001)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Removing dissatisfying factors will not create a satisfactory job, but rather a neutral feeling towards the job. Indeed, factors that create satisfaction at work are different and separate from those causing dissatisfaction (Robbins, 2004). This is why, to cancel dissatisfaction at work, organizations must ensure hygiene factors that follow employees needs. To develop satisfaction at work, organizations must design jobs that include intrinsic motivators. The JDT, which I will now explain, provide compa nies towards the design of jobs, including the motivator factors stated in the motivation- hygiene theory. The Job Design Theory, developed by Oldham Hackman, shows 5 core dimensions that either increase or decrease motivation (Robbins, 2004) and they are the following: Skill Variety, Task Variety, Task Significance, Autonomy, and Feedback. According to JDT, motivation of employees through the 5 dimensions can be summarized as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ internal rewards are obtained by individuals when they learn (knowledge of results) that they personally (experience responsibilities) have performed well on a task that they care about (experience meaningfulness). (Robbins, 2004, p.184) As the presence of these 3 psychological states increase so does motivation, performance and satisfaction. First, to motivate employee through autonomy, the organization must ensure a flexible job in terms of schedule, work sharing, and telecommunicating and it can be promoted through ideas and challenges (Garg Rastogi, 2005). In addition, to motivate employees, the HR department has the role of making the employees feel as the most valued asset of the organization (Garg Rabstogi, 2005, p.579). Further adding, to ensure motivation, employees must be recruited according to their knowledge, skills and abilities (Garg Rastogi, 2005). After conducting in-depth interviews, and surveys in both the Lebanese Italian market, it is time to show the results of my research. According to the results from the survey, Italian employees have a different feeling concerning intrinsic and extrinsic factors of motivation. The Italian rated intrinsic factors of motivation at an average of 4.97 over 7, this means that Italians dont feel dissatisfied. On the other hand, intrinsic motivation was graded as 3.94 over 7, which means that Italians are not satisfied at work. These numbers support hypothesis which states that Italian employees arent dissatisfied at work but are not satisfied either. The results extracted from the Lebanese sample shows a slight difference between extrinsic and intrinsic satisfaction. Extrinsic satisfaction for the Lebanese Is rated as 5.39 which show that Lebanese are not dissatisfied. Furthermore, intrinsic factors were graded at 5.21, which also show that Lebanese are satisfied at work. In other words, e mployees are not dissatisfied and even satisfied at work. These results contradict hypothesis 2, which expected Lebanese employees to be not satisfied and even dissatisfied at work. In fact, it can be seen clearly, that Lebanese feel much less dissatisfaction than Italians. Yet the major difference stands in the intrinsic level of motivation as there is gap between Lebanese who seem satisfied and Italians who are not. In terms of Turn-Over, Italians do not consider leaving their jobs, since the average turnover was 3.34 over 7 while Lebanese were graded as 3.52à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ so the intention of leaving their place at work is at the same level for both Italians and Lebanese, there are no flagrant differences. The feelings towards the different motivational characteristics of a job were all considered as interesting and motivating. Yet, small differences in averages enable us to determine preferences. As the table shows, the overall results are similar in Lebanon and Italy, yet two main ranking of characteristics vary. The first differences are in the first most motivating factors. Italians consider Task Significance as being the most motivating and then followed by the Task Identity. On the other hand, the Lebanese have a reversed feeling where Task Identity comes first before Task Significance. The second difference is in Task and Skill Variety. The results of the first part of the questionnaire enable me to lead to several conclusions which help me understand how employees in Lebanon and in Italy feel about their jobs. Furthermore, the results from the second part of the questionnaire can be a guide for designing jobs that will increase motivation. Yet, the results were affected by limitation during the research. The results extracted from the questionnaire seem to lead to the conclusion that in general, Lebanese workers are more satisfied than Italian workers with their jobs. Indeed, whether when analyzing the extrinsic or the intrinsic factors, Lebanese gave a higher average of motivation. Although Italians are not dissatisfied at work, they still remain at the verge of the neutrality since they rated extrinsic factors of motivation at 4.97 against Lebanese who gave a 5.39 average, which leads to a confident extrinsic satisfaction. Under the same tone, results show that Italians arent dissatisfied at work in terms of extrinsic motivation but yet again, it is a very minimal average of 3.97 which is very close to neutrality. Therefore, overall it can be concluded that Italians lack intrinsic motivation, which support H1. This further illustrates the fact that regardless of how strict employment protection legislation in a country, it doesnt ensure motivation of employees. On the other hand, L ebanese do not support H2 because the results show that they are satisfied both intrinsically and extrinsically. This could mean that on the contrary maybe employees are more motivated when employment protection legislation is more lenient. Results show that Italians and Lebanese dont consider quitting their jobs. In fact, the results are very close for both countries. Besides, they are both very close to the neutral point which demonstrates that the intention of remaining in the same company isnt a 100% there. Besides a very important contradiction is that Italians arent satisfied with their jobs but still they dont consider quitting their job more than Lebanese who are satisfied do. The results obtained from the second part of the questionnaire, although in general very similar between both countries, show a nuance of cultural differences in needs between Italians and Lebanese. Actually, it seems that Lebanese hold more importance to task identity which comes first before task significance. This means, that Lebanese would feel more motivated if they could put a name to their work. On the other hand, Task significance comes before task identity for the Italians, therefore, Italians are more motivated by the impact their job has on others whether inside or outside the companies. This is why, it can conclude that Lebanese are more self-centered regarding their jobs, whereas Italians are more centered towards others. Another difference can be observed concerning task and skill variety. In fact, results show that Italians would be more motivated by developing different skills than undertaking different tasks within their jobs. This means that Italians are more attracted to learning new techniques and methods of work and using them. On the other hand, Lebanese seem to care, more about using different tasks at work than about using different skills. This illustrates that Lebanese are more motivated by doing a number of different activities in order to complete their job. The rest of the characteristics are all ranked at the same level of importance for both countries. It is interesting to see that Italians and Lebanese consider knowledge characteristics as the least motivating. Therefore, they arent very concerned about learning and development. A very interesting point in relation to the Motivation Potential Score is that to motivate employees in Italy, the equation must be high in Task Significanc e more importantly in order to complete meaningfulness of the job. Task identity can also be added in order to enhance this psychological state. Autonomy and feedback must also be considered since they come in 3rd and 4th and they must complete the equation to ensure the motivation of employees. The Motivation Potential score equation for the Lebanese employees should be high in Task identity for meaningfulness of the job. Still under meaningfulness, task significance can be added but not as a priority. Of course, autonomy and feedback must be high in order to ensure motivation. The conclusions obtained enable us to understand the different needs of each country in order to motivate employees. According to the results, Italians seem to lack satisfaction at work. Therefore, managers in Italy should concentrate on intrinsic factors of motivation. In other words, employees must feel a sense of achievement, responsibility and furthermore, employees must feel recognition when they achieve something. Responsibilities can be developed through delegation and even more empowerment of employees who are given the possibility of participating in decision making concerning the company. Empowerment is more than delegation, it is the opportunity to take responsibility for a particular task and see it through its completion. (Hopkins, 1995, p.2) Achievements can be developed within the enterprise by listening to innovative ideas of employees and providing the means to put the idea to life when they have a potential of benefiting the enterprise. Another way of encouraging achievement is by supporting employees in completing their work. In order to complete the motivating aspect of achievem ents and responsibilities, recognition must be addressed. Indeed, recognition is a motivating factor that can be presented in the form of a simple thank you or more formally an award in front of the entire company with reasons for such a gesture (Hopkins, 1995). Managers in Italy can also use the results of this paper in order to design jobs that will increase motivation and performance of employees. Focusing on the conclusion obtained from the Motivation Potential Score equation of Italians, it can be understood that jobs in Italy should be high in Task Significance as a priority, high in autonomy and feedback. Therefore, a motivating job in Italy should include characteristics that show the significance of the job for others. Adding to this, employees should participate in important actions or events of the organization in order to feel that they count. This can be done through the participation in decision making, proposition of new ideas and state problems in the company. Anything, which shows how important the employees input, is for the company is a good way of grading high in Task Significance. Yet, Task Significance also includes impact employees have on the world outside the company. This can be done through the image of the organiz ation within the society such as social responsibilities and good reputation. In other words, employees must realize that their quality of work and performance helps in enhancing the reputation of the company. A program in the name of the company could also be developed where employees can participate in helping the society such as a cleaning the beach day. Another important motivational characteristic that could be present within a job is autonomy which can be developed by increasing freedom of employees in three aspects of the job: Work Scheduling through flexible schedules and flexible times of break, choice of part time jobs or shared jobs and even telecommunicating jobs when possible. Work Methodology, through the choice on how best to complete the job. Indeed, employees are those who perform that same job everyday, so they become specialized and very knowledgeable about it and this is why they are well placed to know the best way of conducting the task. Decision Making, concerning their part of the job. This can be through suggestion boxes or regular meetings where employees can share their concern or problems regarding their jobs and propose a plausible solution. The 3rd characteristic that should be included in the design of a job that will increase motivation is Feedback. Feedback can very simply be assured within a job. Programs such as annual or monthly evaluation of employee performance are a good way of developing feedback in a company. Yet, just listing a number or a grade to an employee isnt enough. In addition, managers should explain why weak evaluations results were obtained and give advices on how to perform better. Since the results show that Lebanese are satisfied at work, the only recommendation that can be given is in the Job Design. As mentioned before, autonomy and feedback are important characteristics that should be present in jobs in Lebanon and to respect the Motivation Potential Score equation which therefore increases motivation. Here, Task Identity plays a very important role for motivating the Lebanese. To include Task Identity in their jobs, The Lebanese managers must ensure that employees can complete an entire piece of work with which they can identify with. An example of task identity is a factory of radios where each employee can put his name on the back of the piece they produced. Task Identity is enhanced when employees feel responsible and are given responsibility for their work. It also increases the pride employees have for the work they perform. Of course, motivation can further be enhanced by including task significance characteristics which is graded as second in motiv ating Lebanese employees. Due to the limitations that this research can provide (lack of large number of responses in Lebanon, cultural tendency, anonymity, lack of commitment of companies), it would be interesting to re-proceed with this research with a larger sample in Lebanon, which is crucial for the specificity of the results. This same research, comparing to other countries would also be very interesting. Finally, this research focusing on the service sector is another interesting scope.