Dancing in the Night

It was a long, frigid night. The air was crisp and there was fog building up on the windows, as she sat and waited in the car for the night to end and daybreak to arrive. She had been fighting with her boyfriend of several years. As always, the fight ended with a loud WHACK†¦ Her face red with shame and damp with tears she shed. She did not know why she shed them- more for the pain or for the embarrassment. She sat in the car, her cries for pain dancing in the cold air, her breath becoming shorter on the intake. She wanted to break free. She wanted to break the chains over this abuse! Oh how she wanted to drive, drive anywhere and start her life over again. But again, as always, she had an excuse. She had reasoning for this crazy life, this notion of love. Thoughts swirling in her head. And then her breathing would dance in the frigid air once again. It was two o'clock in the morning. She had little clothing on to keep her warm. The only protection from the cold, besides the thin sheath of a jacket on her arms and an old scarf, was the array of goose pimples. She cupped her icy hands over her mouth and withdrew a hearty, deep breath. That still was not enough. She ran the scenario through her mind, trying to figure out where she went wrong, where she wronged the man whom she loved so dearly. All she could think of was how the thrashing of their bodies collided together, the pain she felt everytime he wanted to. She would tell him to stop, but he would stop at nothing. He always got what he wanted. These thoughts running through her mind were making her cry uncontrollably. She brought her hands to her face, gently cupping her rosy, tear stricken face. Pondering once again about her life, she could not understand one thing. She could not understand how this man, the man whom she has been with for so long, could be such an ass at times. He would man handle her, like she was one of the guys, when in reality she was frail, weak, a porcelain doll. He treated her in such a way that a savage young boy would do to a quaint dollhouse with glass dolls inside. She wiped a tear from her frozen left cheek. Rubbing her nose with the sleeve of the sheath, she gently blew. All of this crying left her nose terribly stuffed up, like traffic on a freeway during rush hour. He had broad shoulders with bulging veins, high cheekbones, a strong trunk, chiseled legs. Why would he force her? Why would he strike her? She could not think. She was almost frozen. Shaking once again from the cold night, she decided to try and get the heater to go on in her old Oldsmobile. Turning the key clockwise, pumping the break†¦ A load croak and moan spoke from within the car. Her luck- the car was dead. She knew nothing about cars. She was miles from home and from civilization. Her life was very complicated. This man spoke words of poetry about getting married and starting a family. Why would he strike her? He did not mean to though. He always bought her tulips after their fights. Pink and red ones. She loved the tulips he bought. They brought her back to her childhood. Her father was the same way. That is why she loved him so much. They are so much alike. She always fixed the same drink when they came home from a long day- Jack on the rocks. Then they would ask her to sit on their knee. Sometimes she would. When she would not, they would grab her pencil- like arm and force her down on their knee. They would never ask though. They would never ask if they could. They would just throw her frail body on the bed and pin her down. She would fight back, but after exuding so much energy, she would give in. And then the pain would begin. She never liked it. She never wanted her daddy to do this, her boyfriend to use that. After it was all over, she would sit and cry in the bathroom, blood oozing from her. Thinking about this made her flush once again and the heavens flowed from her angelic eyes. Six o'clock. Almost time for the rooster to crow. She made her way from the broken car to the side of the road. She saw some truckers pass by this secluded road during the night. She wondered if any of them had heat. What she would do for warmth right about now†¦ Then she spotted it- a large tractor-trailer coming her way. She withdrew her chaffed thumb from her pocket, shaking violently from the rough night of tears and lack of warmth. She still managed to shake her hip and open one more button on her jacket. She slightly exposed her sequin top from work the day before. She hid her tips in the hole of the right sleeve. All she needed was warmth and a place to lay her head. The tractor-trailer slowly grooved its way to a stop, like a train stopping on the tracks. The window disappeared into the door and the rough smile of this man was comforting to her. She opened up one more button and managed to say amidst the shaking, â€Å"Could ya give me a ride to the motel a few miles up? I seem to be havin' some car trouble. In return, I could give you some company- and anything else you might need, want, hafta have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A half smile crept on her face. The driver had a sly smirk, as provocative thoughts ran through his head. He agreed to give her the ride. She agreed to his wishes. After all, that is how she met her boyfriend nearly three years earlier, running away from her daddy.

Free Essays on Parent And Ed.

Today’s world is a busy place. Most households consist of both parents working or single parents, leading to many kids to come home to an empty house. With everybody running around busy, do parents still have time to be involved with their children’s education? Parental involvement can be crucial to children’s success in schools. As a future teacher I think that it is important for parents to be invovled in their child’s education. Are schools responsible for making sure that parents are involved in their child’s education? Research indicates that for parent involvement to flourish it must be meaningful and integrated with schools programs. This way they can get stuff out of it too. Joyce Epstein feels that there are six types f programs schools may use to help parent involvement. A few examples are: Schools assist families worth parenting and child-rearing skills. This helps parents become better, more involved parents leading better students. Another example of ways schools can help involve parents beyond the basic parent teacher conference or PTA meetings is by working to improve recruitment training and schedules to involve families in school activities at home. Some schools are trying to make their schools the center of community life by providing health facilities, continuing education classes, weekend activities, and providing other services on site. I personally feel that parental involvement is very important. First of all it shows that your parents care. School is a huge part of your life and if your parents show no interest in your education it seems like they don’t care as much as parents who do get involved. Parental involvement is especially important in their younger years. I volunteered in a first grade class my senior year in high school. I did a lot of one on one with the kids, I could always tell the kids whose parents didn’t take the time to work with their kids at home. They often st... Free Essays on Parent And Ed. Free Essays on Parent And Ed. Today’s world is a busy place. Most households consist of both parents working or single parents, leading to many kids to come home to an empty house. With everybody running around busy, do parents still have time to be involved with their children’s education? Parental involvement can be crucial to children’s success in schools. As a future teacher I think that it is important for parents to be invovled in their child’s education. Are schools responsible for making sure that parents are involved in their child’s education? Research indicates that for parent involvement to flourish it must be meaningful and integrated with schools programs. This way they can get stuff out of it too. Joyce Epstein feels that there are six types f programs schools may use to help parent involvement. A few examples are: Schools assist families worth parenting and child-rearing skills. This helps parents become better, more involved parents leading better students. Another example of ways schools can help involve parents beyond the basic parent teacher conference or PTA meetings is by working to improve recruitment training and schedules to involve families in school activities at home. Some schools are trying to make their schools the center of community life by providing health facilities, continuing education classes, weekend activities, and providing other services on site. I personally feel that parental involvement is very important. First of all it shows that your parents care. School is a huge part of your life and if your parents show no interest in your education it seems like they don’t care as much as parents who do get involved. Parental involvement is especially important in their younger years. I volunteered in a first grade class my senior year in high school. I did a lot of one on one with the kids, I could always tell the kids whose parents didn’t take the time to work with their kids at home. They often st...

President James Buchanan and the Secession Crisis

President James Buchanan and the Secession Crisis The election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860 triggered a crisis which had been simmering for at least a decade. Outraged by the election of a candidate who was known to be opposed to the spread of slavery into new states and territories, leaders of the southern states began to take action to split from the United States. In Washington, President James Buchanan, who had been miserable during his term in the White House and couldn’t wait to leave office, was thrown into a horrendous situation. In the 1800s, newly elected presidents were not sworn into office until March 4 of the following year. And that meant Buchanan had to spend four months presiding over a nation which was coming apart. The state of South Carolina, which had been asserting its right to secede from the Union for decades, back to the time of the Nullification Crisis, was a hotbed of secessionist sentiment. One of its senators, James Chesnut, resigned from the U.S. Senate on November 10, 1860, only four days after Lincoln’s election. His states other senator resigned the next day. Buchanans Message to Congress Did Nothing to Hold the Union Together As talk in the South about secession was quite serious, it was expected that the president would do something to reduce tensions. In that era, presidents did not visit Capitol Hill to deliver a State of the Union Address in January but instead provided the report required by the Constitution in written form in early December. President Buchanan wrote a message to Congress which was delivered on December 3, 1860. In his message, Buchanan said that he believed secession was illegal. Yet Buchanan also said he did not believe the federal government had any right to prevent states from seceding. So Buchanan’s message pleased nobody. Southerners were offended by Buchanan’s belief that secession was illegal. And Northerners were perplexed by the president’s belief that the federal government couldn’t act to prevent states from seceding. His Own Cabinet Reflected the National Crisis Buchanan’s message to Congress also angered members of his own cabinet. On December 8, 1860, Howell Cobb, the secretary of the treasury, a native of Georgia, told Buchanan he could no longer work for him. A week later, Buchanan’s Secretary of State, Lewis Cass, a native of Michigan, also resigned, but for a very different reason. Cass felt that Buchanan was not doing enough to prevent the secession of southern states. South Carolina Seceded on December 20 As the year drew to a close, the state of South Carolina held a convention at which the state’s leaders decided to secede from the Union. The official ordinance of secession was voted on and passed on December 20, 1860. A delegation of South Carolinians traveled to Washington to meet with Buchanan, who saw them at the White House on December 28, 1860. Buchanan told the South Carolina commissioners that he was considering them to be private citizens, not representatives of some new government. But, he was willing to listen to their various complaints, which tended to focus on the situation surrounding the federal garrison which had just moved from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Senators Tried to Hold the Union Together With President Buchanan unable to prevent the nation from splitting, prominent senators, including Stephen Douglas of Illinois and William Seward of New York, attempted various strategies to placate the southern states. But action in the U.S. Senate seemed to offer little hope. Speeches by Douglas and Seward on the Senate floor in early January 1861 only seemed to make things worse. An attempt to prevent secession then came from an unlikely source, the state of Virginia. As many Virginians felt their state would suffer greatly from the outbreak of war, the states governor and other officials proposed a peace convention to be held in Washington. The Peace Convention Was Held in February 1861 On February 4, 1861, the Peace Convention began at the Willard Hotel in Washington. Delegates from 21 of the nations 33 states attended, and former president John Tyler, a native of Virginia, was elected its presiding officer. The Peace Convention held sessions until mid-February when it delivered a set of proposals to Congress. The compromises hammered out at the convention would have taken the form of new amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The proposals from the Peace Convention quickly died in Congress, and the gathering in Washington proved to be a pointless exercise. The Crittenden Compromise A final attempt to forge a compromise that would avoid outright war was proposed by a respected senator from Kentucky, John J. Crittenden. The Crittenden Compromise would have required significant changes to the United States Constitution. And it would have made slavery permanent, which meant legislators from the anti-slavery Republican Party would likely have never agreed to it. Despite the obvious obstacles, Crittenden introduced a bill in the Senate in December 1860. The proposed legislation had six articles, which Crittenden hoped to get through the Senate and the House of Representatives with two-thirds votes so they might become six new amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Given the splits in Congress and the ineffectiveness of President Buchanan, Crittendens bill did not have much chance of passage. Not dissuaded, Crittenden proposed bypassing Congress and seeking to change the Constitution with direct referendums in the states. President-Elect Lincoln, still at home in Illinois, let it be known that he did not approve of Crittendens plan. And Republicans on Capitol Hill were able to use stalling tactics to make sure the proposed Crittenden Compromise would languish and die in Congress. With Lincolns Inauguration, Buchanan Happily Left Office By the time Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, on March 4, 1861, seven slave states had already passed ordinances of secession, thus declaring themselves no longer part of the Union. Following Lincolns inauguration, four more states would secede. As Lincoln rode to the Capitol in a carriage beside James Buchanan, the outgoing president reportedly said to him, If you are as happy entering the presidency as I am leaving it, then you are a very happy man. Within weeks of Lincoln taking office, the Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter, and the Civil War began.

The Salem Witch Trials - How Did it Lead to a Less Religious Society Research Paper

The Salem Witch Trials - How Did it Lead to a Less Religious Society - Research Paper Example During the year of 1692, the Massachusetts Bay colony was deemed as an isolated but emerging puritan community in the wilderness of North America. The population in the area was significantly scattered. People inhibiting the isolated communities of the Salem village, were efficiently threatened due to the wild animals present there, and also the frequent attacks by the Native Americans. The most essential and interesting scenario of the Salem community was the spiritual beliefs and aspects of the members of the community. The vulnerable nature of the puritans inhibiting in the Salem village was deeply due to their religious beliefs, methods, and practices. The fundamentals of the puritans stressed on the fact that everything was in the hand of the almighty (Wilson, 7). It is god who determines the good fortune and prosperous health of a human being. Salvation was a gift from god. The puritan’s practice of worship included worship services, devotion, prayer, and self examinatio n to achieve the blessings of the almighty. The puritans also effectively believed in the fact that god permitted Satan to cause temptation and torment the ones who deviated from the path of righteousness and acted immorally or those whose faith the almighty wanted to test (Wilson, 7). It was believed that the people who failed to follow the path of righteousness was subjected to misfortune, sickness, and endured with a prominent period of grief. It is also to be notified that the puritans had the belief that a Satan might also enter a person’s life in the form of a witch. This was very much prominent in the era of Salem’s witch trial, which was also a significant cause of the evolution of the American civil society (Wilson, 7-8) The thesis acknowledges the fact, â€Å"Salem Witch Trials was a significant factor of the evolution of American civil society. Separation of Church & State, and a breakdown of the strict puritan codes led to a less religious society, improvi ng the justice system which later allowed for fair trials.† It is essentially problematic to actually ascertain the fact about what had occurred in Salem during the year of 1962, but a majority of historian and scholarly sources suggest that the Salem’s witch trial originated due to a particular incident. A group girls from the Salem village was diagnosed with unpredictable fits, followed by hysterical reactions, laughter and crying which was not intentionally provoked, incoherent babbling, attempts to fly, and also in some cases a hypnotic trance. The thing that preceded these incidents of bizarre fits were presumably a secret enchanting session with a woman named Tituba, a salve of the Indian origin from the Caribbean What preceded these bizarre fits apparently were secret enchanting, during which the woman Tituba, accompanied by several girls from the village practiced folk magic in order to predict the nature and identity of their husband before they are married. Wh en the girls were diagnosed by the local doctor, no effective physical cause was found for such bizarre behavior. Due to the attitude and beliefs of that era, it was concluded as no logical explanation could be concluded, then there has to be a disturbing influence of the Satan. Due to the fact that two of them were from the house of a local minister, reverend Parris, he subsequently called the ministers from

Photographs of the Lillis. Basic Elements of Photography and Essay

Photographs of the Lillis. Basic Elements of Photography and Representation versus Reality - Essay Example Even the elevators, which often, in school buildings, are run down, this was not the case in this building. The elevator, too, looked modern – it was chrome, and like the rest of the building, was clean. That was probably the word that I would most use to describe this experience and the space - it was clean and uncluttered. I also liked the open-air feeling of the atrium, and the large windows gave the degree of natural light that was very relaxing for this experience. I can see why this would be a popular place for students, because the entire space gives an air of some place where people can relax, socialize and study. And this was the theme that was presented in this building – it is obvious that the architects of this space had a relaxing and clean aesthetic in mind. There was nothing about this building that was industrial or garish or harsh. The walls were not painted in bright or dark colors, and there was very little wood that was exposed, either. No real indus trial look, like exposed pipes or something like that. From the tiled floors to the large meeting rooms, to the large atrium meeting hall, that was the aesthetic that was felt in this space. This was what so appealing about this space. As for what was unappealing about the space, I felt that perhaps the hallways, which were captured as part of these photographic sequences, seemed a little claustrophobic. They could have been widened a little to give even more of an impression of detail and relaxation. My photographing of this space was both intuitive and rational. That is, I gravitated towards certain parts of the building, just naturally – this was something that I used to determine which photographs to take, which was the places where I felt most comfortable and relaxed. That said, there also was a rational approach to the picture taking. The rational approach was that I knew that I had to diversify in taking the pictures – I couldn’t just take shots of the be auty of the building, without also taking shots of the mundane. Therefore, I felt the need to make sure that things like the chrome elevators were featured in this spread, as well as other things such as metal boxes and drinking fountains and other things that are important to a building, but may not be the main draw. I felt, consciously, that I needed to completely represent the building, as opposed to highlighting the high points. I did feel that the digital camera would give me a slightly different result than a traditional camera. That is because I would be able to see, in real time, how the photographs looked, and this is what I based my portfolio on. The real time photographs. I was able to note that I was hitting the points that I wanted to hit. If I was taking pictures with a traditional camera, this would not be available as much. I chose two photographs. The one photograph that I chose was the one of the students in their tables, with the open air windows in the background . The other photograph that I chose was the photograph of the metal boxes that were lined against one wall. The reason why I chose these two photographs, in particular, was that these represented opposite ends of the spectrum, in terms of aesthetics. I felt that, by choosing these two photographs, I represented the building the best. In other words, the building was not just about the beauty, but also about the mundane things that makes a building what it is. I felt that this was the best use of my photographer’

Coach or Mentoring Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coach or Mentoring Reflection - Essay Example This research begins with the statement that mentoring, or coaching, refers to the training of an individual or a group of people. A single or a corporate entity, with the aim of developing positive outcomes in a mentee, may undertake it. The teachers’ responses to the pre-established questions on the characteristics and types of support offered by a mentor or a coach corresponded with slight differences in the mentor’s approach to the mentoring process. The teachers, for example, agreed that a mentor must be a person of integrity who is honest and ethical in the mentoring process. They both cited advantages of honesty and morality in the process towards effectiveness. While honesty develops the mentee’s trust and facilitates freedom between the two parties, the mentor’s morality induces the mentee’s confidence. These allow the mentee to express strengths and weaknesses, comfortably, for an effective mentoring process. The teachers also stressed tha t integrity is core to every mentorship relationship. They also shared a common opinion on the mentor’s passion in the process and they argued that the passion is likely to motivate the mentored party who may associate it with his or her already developed qualities. One teacher, however, suggested that such passion should be moderately expressed while the other argued for total expression of the mentor’s passion. There was however, a conflicting opinion on whether the mentor should be willing to learn more from the process.   One teacher expressed the opinion that the mentor is a trainer and should learn outside, and before mentoring process. He identified research on effective mentoring skills as an approach towards learning about the mentoring process and pointed out that learning from the process my adversely affect the mentee’s confidence, and the overall effectiveness of the learning process. The other teacher however supported an open approach that allow s a mentor to learn from each process. She identified differences among mentored subjects as an avenue towards learning and argued that published mentoring skills are mere guidelines. Awareness of each mentee and the mentoring environment should therefore be allowed for development of appropriate mentoring techniques. There was however an agreement between the respondents that a mentor be enthusiastic and committed to any assignment that may arise from the process. This, they argued, facilitates the same characteristics in the mentored parties and promotes effectiveness of mentoring processes (Zachary, 2000). A mentor should further be focused on solving problems and empowering others to capacity by delegating work. A transformational form of influence should however follow this to ensure effective transfer of skills and potentials to the mentee. There were however, conflicting opinion on a mentor’s need to understand reformation and transformational processes. While one teacher argued that effective mentorship is about influence and empowerment that is attainable through demonstrations, the other teacher insisted on the significance of transformation and reformation processes in molding a mentee to a desired level of potential. They however agreed that a mentor should be a catalyst to motivate development of the mentee’s potentials. They also agreed that a mentor should desire to grow and should be able to identify other people’s interest and to facilitate development of such interests. He or she should therefore strife for personal excellence while interacting with other people to understand their abilities. A good mentor should also have good communication skills to facilitate understanding in the mentoring process. This is because the skills enable the mentor to communicate objectives to a mentee

High Performance Work System

High Performance Work System Exploring the Performance Impact of High Performance Work Systems in Professional Service Firms: A practices-Resources-Uses Approach ABSTRACT. In the present study, we develop a practices-resources-uses approach to systematically explain the indirect effect of high performance work systems (HPWS) on firm performance in professional service context. We argue that HPWS result in the creation of human capital, social capital and organizational capital resources. These resources in turn create value for firms when they are effectively explored and exploited. Our analysis of the indirect impact of HPWS on firm performance contributes to the understanding of how and why HPWS affect firm performance by identifying valuable resources and finding out the way to effectively use them in professional service firms (PSFs). We also provide theoretical support for the arguments of the resource-based view of firm (Barney, 1991), the knowledge-based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b) and the dynamic capabilities (Teece, Pisano Shuen, 1997) perspectives. Key words: High Performance Work System; Professional Service Firms; Resource-Based View of Firm INTRODUCTION Researchers on strategic human resource management (SHRM) argue for a focus on the bundle of HR practices rather than individual practices, as a primary unit of analysis when examining the impact of HR systems on individual and organizational performance (Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995). For example, high performance work systems (HPWS) (Datta, Guthrie, Wright, 2005) have been found to positively relate to firms outcomes especially in manufacturing firms, such as financial performance (Guthrie, 2001; Huselid, 1995), employee turnover (Richard Johnson, 2001), firm productivity (Guthrie, 2001), efficiency and flexibility (Evans Davis, 2005), and organizational commitment (Youndt, Snell, Dean Jr, Lepak, 1996). However, the relationship between HPWS and firm performance is indirect and many scholars call for deeper and more theoretical approaches to understand how and why high performance work systems (HPWS) affect firm performance (Bowen Ostroff, 2004; Combs, Liu, Hall, Ketchen, 2006; Delery Shaw, 2001), especially in service organizations (Combs et al., 2006). Based on the existing research, we argue that HPWS results in the creation of human capital (Wright, Dunford, Snell, 2001), social capital (Leana Van Buren III, 1999) and organizational capital resources (Koch McGrath, 1996). Only when these resources are effectively managed and utilized, firms can generate superior profit above that which returns to competitors in perfectly competitive environment (Schultz, 1961), achieve sustainable competitive advantage and create value (Barney Arikan, 2001; Sirmon, Hitt, Ireland, 2007). The causal chain between resource endowment and firm performance is unclear and is in need of theoreti cal explication and empirical investigation (Leana Van Buren III, 1999). Thus, we pursue two research questions: (1) How do HPWS affect firm performance in the professional services context? (2) What are valuable resources and how are they utilized by firms? Guided by the contingency theory, the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) (Barney, 1991), the knowledge-based theory (Anand, Gardner, Morris, 2007; Grant, 1996a, 1996b; Teece, 2003; Winch Schneider, 1993) and dynamic capabilities theory (Teece et al., 1997; Eisenhardt Martin, 2000), we propose a ‘practices-resources-uses performance approach to add insight to our understanding of the value creation-exploitation process in the professional service firm (PSF). The paper is structured as follows. First, we briefly introduce the literature on PSFs and explain why we chose these organisations to conduct our research. We then propose a model that highlights how HPWS affect firm performance. We argue that HPWS affect firm performance through two steps. First, HPWS create firm resources, i.e., human capital, social capital, and organizational capital. And then these resources are exploited to improve firm performance in the short run or are explored to improve firm performance in the longer run. Within the HPWS and firm performance relationship research, our model draws on the â€Å"practices-resources-uses† perspective, and provides important theoretical foundations for understanding how and why HR practices affect firm performance. We then discuss the further implications of the study for practitioners and explore the potential areas for future research. CONTEXT Professional Service Firms (PSFs) are those whose primary assets are a highly educated (professional) workforce and whose outputs are intangible services encoded with complex knowledge (Greenwood, Li, Prakash, Deephouse, 2005). Examples of professional services include accounting, engineering consulting, management consulting and legal services (De Brentani Ragot, 1996). PSFs are knowledge-intensive (Morris, 2001; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010) with knowledge encoded in services as outputs (Empson, 2007; Morris Empson, 1998; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010). PSFs are different from traditional firms. They primarily exploit intangible assets to produce customized solution for clients (Greenwood et al., 2005; Hitt, Shimizu, Uhlenbruck, Bierman, 2006; Là ¸wendahl, 2005; von Nordenflycht, 2007, 2010). Their human resources constitute the critical asset of the PSFs because they embody expertise and create firm-specific knowledge which can be translated into client solutions. Indeed clien ts may often follow professionals if they change firms (Groysberg Lee, 2009). Because PSFs differ from other firms, to apply theories from other forms of organizations is â€Å"not only inapplicable †¦ but may be dangerously wrong† (Maister, 1993: xvi). Our analysis will represent a good site to examine SHRM because human resources constitute the critical asset and therefore a strong test of the practices-uses-resources model which is what we need to justify. THERETICAL BACKGROUND AND PROPOSITONS Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is defined as â€Å"the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals† (Wright, McMahan, McWilliams, 1994: 298). Because firm performance stands out as a major organizational goal, many studies have been conducted that examine the linkage between human resources management practices and firm performance (Arthur, 1994; Becker Gerhart, 1996; Datta et al., 2005; Delery Doty, 1996; Guthrie, Flood, Liu, MacCurtain, 2009; Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995; Richard Johnson, 2001; Terpstra Rozell, 1993; Youndt et al., 1996). The researchers in this field argue that the bundle of HR practices rather than individual practices should be focused as a primary unit of analysis when examining the impact of HR systems on individual and organizational performance (Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1995). Following the above argument, researchers have been encouraged to take a system perspective in examining the performance impact of HRM on relevant organizational outcomes (Wright Boswell, 2002). For example, the study by Youndt et al. (1996) demonstrated that human capital-enhancing HR system was directly related to multiple dimensions of operational performance, i.e., employee productivity, machine efficiency, and customer alignment; the results of Collins and Clark (2003) indicates that the network-building HR practices positively related to the organizational performance, i.e., growth in sales and stock return; the research by Huselid (1995) illustrates a positive relationship between high performance work practices and organizational turnover, productivity and financial performance; the research on high performance work systems (HPWS) conducted by Datta et al. (2005), Guthrie et al. (2009) and Combs et al. (2006) finds that HPWS positively affected firms labour productivity, employee absenteeism and turnover. HPWS include HR practices that are designed to enhance employees skills, commitment, and productivity (Datta et al., 2005). Most previous literature on the relationship between HRM practices and firm performance has looked at the direct relationship. However, many scholars agree that there are probably mediating variables through which HRM practices affect firm performance. As Wright and Gardner (2000:4) write, â€Å"One of the first issues that must be settled in the effort to understand how HR practices impact performance is to theorize the means through which this relationship occurs, in essence specifying the intervening variables between the measure of HR practices and the measure of firm performance.† In the existing research, some scholars found human capital as one of mediators between SHRM and firm performance. Human capital refers to the stock of skills and knowledge embodied in individuals (Becker, 1964; OSullivan Sheffrin, 1998). Guest (1997) argues that SHRM improve employees quality, i.e., skills and abilities. Snell and Dean (1992) also argue that HRM should ideally work to enhance the firms competitive position by creating superior human capital skills, experience and knowledge that contribute to firm economic value. Wright et al. (2001) assert that HPWS might have resulted in the creation of a high quality human capital pool that cannot be easily imitated because of time compression diseconomies (e.g., Mercks RD capability). Becker and Huselid (1996) state that human resource activities are thought to lead to the development of a skilled workforce and one that engages in functional behavior for the firm, thus forming a source of competitive advantage. This results in h igher operating performance, which translates into increased profitability, and consequently results in higher stock prices (or market values). There are also some scholars found that many human resource management practices have a significant role to play in creating social capital. Social capital is a resource which is embedded in the relationship among individuals (Loury, 1977; Coleman, 1988, 1990; Bourdieu; 1985; Burt, 1992; Putnam, 1993; Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Lin, 2001). For example, Wright et al. (2001) argue that HPWS may promote and maintain socially complex relationships characterized by trust, knowledge sharing, and teamwork (e.g., Southwest Airlines unique culture). Youndt, Subramaniam and Snell (2004) state that thoughtful selection of people who ‘fit with the organizations culture, or intensive training programmes that not only socialize incoming employees but also indoctrinate common values among existing employees, may have a strong impact on the social capital of organizations. Leana and van Buren III (1999) introduce the construct of organizational social capital and develop a model that describes i ts components and consequences. They suggest that employment practices strongly affect the level of organizational social capital within a firm. They also describe the potential benefits and costs of organizational social capital for the firm and noted the contingent nature of organizational social capitals relationship with performance. In other words, organizational social capital mediates the HR practices and organizational performance relationship. Evans and Davis (2005) provide a theoretical framework illustrating how the internal social structure of the organization can mediate the relationship between HPWS and organizational performance. The third mediator between SHRM and firm performance is found as organizational capital. Subramaniam and Youndt (2005) and Youndt et al. (2004) define organizational capital as the institutionalized knowledge and codified experience residing within and utilized through databases, patents, manuals, structures, systems, and processes. Wright et al. (2001) argue that HPWS might play a role in creating cultures or mindsets that enable the maintenance of unique competencies. They mention that HR is not limited to its direct effects on employee skills and behavior. HRs effects are more encompassing in that they help weave those skills and behaviors within the broader fabric of organizational processes, systems and, ultimately, competencies. Other strategists who embrace the RBV point out that competitive advantage (vis core competence) comes from aligning skills, motives, and so forth with organizational systems, structures, and processes that achieve capabilities at the organizational lev el (Hamel Prahalad, 1994; Peteraf, 1993; Teece et al., 1997). Koch and McGrath (1996) take a similar logic in their study of the relationship between HR planning, recruitment, and staffing practices and labor productivity. They argue that â€Å"†¦ a highly productive workforce is likely to have attributes that make it a particularly valuable strategic asset,† (p. 335). They suggest firms that develop effective routines for acquiring human assets develop a stock of talent that cannot be easily imitated. The human capital, social capital and organizational capital are defined as three components of intellectual capital. One systematic research conducted by Youndt et al. (2004) find that a relatively small group of superior performing organizations exhibit high levels of human, social, and organizational capital. Most firms, however, tend to focus primarily on only one form of intellectual capital, and a small group of underperforming organizations have very low levels of all three types of intellectual capital. Another research by Subramaniam and Youndt (2005) suggest that an organizations efforts at hiring, training, work design, and other human resource management activities may need to focus not only on shoring up their employees functional or specific technological skills/expertise, but also on developing their abilities to network, collaborate, and share information and knowledge. To summarize, although the relationship between SHRM and firm performance has been found positive, it is indirect. Efficient SHRM could improve employees knowledge, skills, strength the relationships between employees, and also create superior databases, processes and then help firms achieve higher performance. In the following section, we analyse how HPWS create firm resources in PSFs. HPWS and Firm Resources There is a positive relationship between HPWS and firm performance. But how HPWS affect firm performance remains to be understood. The resource-based view of firm (RBV) argues that a firms competitive advantages lie primarily on the application of valuable resources, skills and capabilities that the firm already control (Barney, 1991; Penrose, 1959; Wernerfelt, 1984). The knowledge based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b) considers knowledge as the most strategically significant resource of the firm. This knowledge is embedded and carried through multiple entities including individuals, relationships and organizational culture, identity, routines, documents, systems. Guided by the resource-based view of firm (Barney, 1991) and the knowledge-based theory of firm (Grant, 1996a, 1996b), we argue that HPWS affect firm performance by creating valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, and non-substitutable resources (Barney, 1991), i.e., human capital, social capital, and organizational capital. And these resources can also be understood as the places where knowledge is embedded. Human capital. In PSFs, the human capital is defined as the knowledge and skills of their professionals that can be used to produce high quality professional services (Hitt, Bierman, Shimizu, Kochhar, 2001; Hitt et al., 2006; Pennings, Lee, Van Witteloostuijn, 1998). Human capital plays a strong role as the PSFs key resource in solving client problems (Morris Snell, 2008). Professionals possessing large amounts of experience, education, and training should be able to effectively create ideas on their own in response to the complexities of unique client needs. Their localized experience helps them to understand the needs of local clients and markets, which allows them to develop solutions that are unique to each contextual environment and hence heterogeneous across the firm. Professionals who draw the most upon human capital tend to rely on the experimentation, inspiration, and experience of individuals to solve a problem (Morris Snell, 2008). To build high human capital, PSFs nee d to identify, attract and retain superior professionals, which can be achieved through HR practices such as selection, recruitment and training. HRM should ideally work to enhance the firms competitive position by creating superior human capital skills, experience and knowledge that contribute to firm economic value (Guest, 1997). Thus we propose that HPWS result in the creation of a high quality human capital pool that cannot be easily imitated because of time compression diseconomies, e.g., Mercks RD capability (Wright et al., 2001). For example, the professionals in PSFs gain explicit knowledge through their formal education and tacit knowledge through learning on the job. HR practices are thought to lead to the development of a skilled workforce and one that results in functional behavior for the firm, thus potentially forming a source of competitive advantage (Becker Huselid, 1998). These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1a: The PSFs human capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. Although human capital has many positive benefits, it represents costs to firms as well. For example, PSFs usually try to recruit the best graduates from top institutions. To attract them, firms need to provide compensation which is more than their marginal productivity early in their careers (Hitt et al., 2001). Furthermore, professionals new skills must be developed since they gain tacit knowledge through learning on the job (Bierman Gely, 1994). Although they are learning new skills, they may be less effective at the beginning. The cost for them may exceed their capital (Hitt et al., 2001). These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1b: There is a curvilinear relationship between the PSFs human capital and firm performance. The relationship is negative early in the professionals tenure but becomes positive. Social capital. Social capital is a resource which is embedded in the relationships among individuals (Loury, 1977; Coleman, 1988; Bourdieu; 1985; Burt, 1992; Putnam, 1993; Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Lin, 2001). It is different from human capital. Social capital is embedded within, available through, and derived from the network of relationships possessed by an individual or social unit (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998) while human capital is embedded in individuals head (Becker, 1964; OSullivan Sheffrin, 2003). Social capital plays an important role in PSFs. The firms ability to attract and retain clients depends not only on its competence to provide high quality services produced by the professionals human capital but also on their connections to potential clients (Maister, 1993; Smigel, 1969). Pennings et al. (1998) analysed firm-level and individual-level social capital in PSFs. The firm-level social capital can help PSFs attract potential clients because the potential clients will choose a firm as a service provider on the basis of previous interpersonal relationship with the firms professionals when other things are equal. Within PSFs, the fact is that a set of clients are handled or looked after by an individual professional who is the key person. Their results show that social capital of owners (partners) contributed more to firm survival than those of employees (associates). Pennings et al. (1998)s study produced major evidence for the contention that a firms human and social capital have important implications for performance. The service delivered by PSFs suffers from an â€Å"opaque quality† because of PSFs knowledge intensity (von Nordenflycht, 2010). This refers to situations where the quality of an experts output is hard for non-experts (i.e., customers) to evaluate, even after the output is produced and delivered (Broschak, 2004; Empson, 2001; Levin Tadelis, 2005; Là ¸wendahl, 2000; cited in von Nordenflycht, 2010). In this situation, personal relationships and ambiguity reduction through personal contact take on extra significance. As clients and customers often have problems estimating the value of the product/service offered, establishing close social links between the PSFs and the customer/ client becomes vital (Alvesson, 2001). Other things equal, the potential clients will choose a firm as a service provider on the basis of previous interpersonal relationship with the firms professionals (Pennings et al., 1998). In addition, PSFs typically make investments in relationships with clients and make efforts to generate social attachment (Fichman Levinthal, 1991). Some research also demonstrates that social capital mediates the HR practices and firm performance relationship. For example, Youndt et al. (2004) state that thoughtful selection of people who ‘fit with the organizations culture, or intensive training programmes that not only socialize incoming employees but also indoctrinate common values among existing employees, may have a strong impact on the social capital of organizations. Collins and Smith (2006)s found that commitment-based HR practices were indirectly related to firm financial performance through their effects on organizational social climate and knowledge exchange and combination; Thus, HPWS improve the internal social structure within organizations, that facilitates communication and cooperation among employees (Evans Davis, 2005) which in turn has been found to be linked to organizational performance. These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1c: The PSFs social capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. Organizational capital. Organizational capital is defined as the institutionalized knowledge and codified experience residing within an organization and utilized through databases, patents, manuals, structures, systems, and processes (Youndt et al., 2004; Subramaniam Youndt 2005). The organizational routines and processes which embody organizational knowledge are a source of organizational competitive advantage (Teece, 2000) In PSFs, organizational process of the typical professional service firm (PSF) is highly institutionalized because of the knowledge-based nature of the work and ultimately, in the historical evolution of relatively autonomous professions (Freidson, 1986; Greenwood, Hinings, Brown, 1990; cited in Morris, Gardner, Anand, 2007). The organizational routine of PSF is informal work understandings and practices built up by colleagues as they collaborate over time, like an accumulated short hand of work (Morris, 2000: 822). Morris and Snell (2008) emphasize the importance of organizational capital for PSFs. They state that organizations tend to draw on organizational capital for many aspects of learning, including knowledge creation, sharing, and integration, but this resource may provide more value for specific types of learning. Based on the basis of previous literature and their own experience with PSFs, organizational capital is most likely to create more value when individuals in the organization are trying to integrate knowledge. In terms of integration, then, organizational capital helps to create value through the implementation and reuse of knowledge across affiliates, which allows professionals to deliver solutions more efficiently to clients. Besides facilitating knowledge integration, organizational capital also shapes professionals image and identity (Empson, 2001) which plays an important role in attracting new clients. Many scholars have found that SHRM improve organizational capital. For example, Wright et al. (2001) argued that HPWS might play a role in creating cultures or mindsets that enable the maintenance of unique competencies (e.g., the safety record of DuPont). The HR is not limited to its direct effects on employee skills and behavior. HRs effects are more encompassing in that they help weave those skills and behaviors within the broader fabric of organizational processes, systems and, ultimately, competencies. Other strategists who embrace the RBV point out that competitive advantage (vis core competence) comes from aligning skills, motives, and so forth with organizational systems, structures, and processes that achieve capabilities at the organizational level (Hamel Prahalad, 1994; Peteraf, 1993; Teece et al., 1997). Koch and McGrath (1996) took a similar logic in their study of the relationship between HR planning, recruitment, and staffing practices and labor productivity. They arg ued that â€Å"†¦ a highly productive workforce is likely to have attributes that make it a particularly valuable strategic asset,† (p. 335). They suggested that firms which developed effective routines for acquiring human assets develop a stock of talent that cannot be easily imitated. They also found that these HR practices were related to labor productivity in a sample of business units, and that this relationship was stronger in capital intensive organizations. These arguments lead to the following proposition. Proposition 1d: The PSFs organizational capital mediates the relationship between HPWS and firm performance. The Uses of Firm Resources The resource-based view of firm (RBV) and knowledge-based theory of firm contribute to identifying the existing resources that have the potential to constitute a source of sustainable competitive advantage (Hitt et al., 2006). However, merely possessing such resources does not guarantee the development of competitive advantages or the creation of value (Barney Arikan, 2001; Priem Butler, 2001; cited in Sirmon et al., 2007). These valuable resources must be effectively managed and utilized to achieve superior profit (Schultz, 1961) and a competitive advantage (Barney Arikan, 2001; Sirmon et al., 2007). The emphasis on the use of resources is consistent with the dynamic capabilities perspective (Teece et al., 1997) which includes considerations such as how resources are developed, how they are integrated within the firm and how they are released. Using these resources is the same as using the knowledge which is embedded in the individuals, the relationships and the organizational processes, routines, databases, and systems. There are two streams or approaches of research on using these knowledge or resources (Hargadon Fanelli, 2002). One focuses on how to reuse or replicate existing knowledge, i.e., exploitation (Levitt March, 1988). The other one focuses on how to generate new knowledge, i.e., exploration (March, 1991; Kogut Zander, 1992). The effective use of resources may help a PSF balance the effective exploitation of existing resources with exploration of knowledge to create new capabilities. The following matrix shows how PSFs create value by exploiting and exploring existing resources. The matrix shows that the exploration of resources in PSFs is to deliver new products or service to new clients and to deliver new products or service to old clients. It also shows that the exploitation of resources in PSFs is to deliver existing services or products to the existing clients or new clients as there is no new knowledge/capability required. The exploration process needs to explore the human capital to invent new products or services and the social capital to attract new clients and new business and the organic organizational capital (Kang Snell, 2009) that facilitate this delivery. The exploitation process needs to reuse or refine the existing products or services and existing clients, which requires the standardized organizational capital (Kang Snell, 2009) to facilitate this delivery. To illustrate exploration and exploitation more detail, four capabilities of PSFs are identified to effectively exploit existing resources with exploration of knowledge to create new capabilities. They are managing teams, leveraging knowledge, combining and exchanging knowledge, and sensing the changes in the external environment capabilities. Managing teams. In professional service firms, most of work is project or program-oriented, serving the needs of the external customers. It requires several professionals work together, and frequently involves client contact, often through co-location at a clients place of business. Then team forms the basic unit of work in the professional service firm. Generally, a team consists of partners and associates. The dynamic global economic environment accelerates PSFs work speed. Usually the customers assignments are much more compressed in term of time (Morris, Gardner, Anand, 2007). Therefore, to successful serving clients, the team management is vital. Teece (2003) provides a lot emphasis on the coordinating tasks, managing conflict, communicating and cooperating within the team in team management. As with the traditional firm, coordination must be achieved, and conflict must be managed. In the professional services context, raw conflict can lead to mass defections and the destruction of enterprise value, even more assuredly than in an industrial company setting. So conflict management is likely to be especially significant with an expert services context because experts are likely to not only have strong preferences, but are also likely to be self-confident, possibly egotistical, and possibly lacking in good business sense while already having some degree of established financial success (Teece, 2003: 897). The most critical communication in a professional service context is frequently peer-to-peer. Partners (senior talent) frequently need to access other senior talent in order to meet client needs (Teece, 2003: 903). Leveraging knowledge. Leveraging knowledge, that is the transfer of know-how from seniors to juniors in client assignments, sustains the basic division of labor in the professional firm and also underpins its profitability (Hitt et al., 2001; Malos Campion, 2000). All professional firms compete by leveraging knowledge and partners reputation (Greenwood et al., 2005). In PSFs, partners own the most human capital and social capital in a firm. To meet clients demands, partners need to select other professionals to form a team to possess the appropriate skills, experience and training. In this way, the partners knowledge and capabilities are leveraged. Meanwhile, the junior professionals, or associates also acquire intangible knowledge during the long apprenticeship they serve with their senior colleagues before being assessed for a partnership position. Leverage ratios are measured by total number of associates divided by the total number of partners (Hitt, et al., 2001; Phillips, 2001). High leverage ratios are commensurate with highly codified knowledge packages and standardized tools and methodologies which can routinely be applied by junior associates. Lower leverage is associated with experience or expertise models in which knowledge is less routinized and the firm seeks more complex projects in which there is a premium on the experience or special expertise of more senior staff (Maister 1993; Hansen, Nohria, Tierney, 1999). Effective leveraging creates dynamic capabilities whereby the firm is able to renew, augment, and adapt its current capabilities to serve continuously changing and new client needs (Teece et al.. 1997; Tripsas, 1997; cited in Hitt et al., 2001). Hitt et al. (2001) also find the empirical support for the positive relationship between leveraging and firm performance in professional service context. Combining and exchanging knowledge capability