Research Methodologies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Methodologies - Assignment Example des the people who are categorized in elderly group, the increasing and widening gap, the people with disabilities and also dismantling the welfare of the public sector. The main purpose and aim of the study is to determine the organizational development of the human services in the multicultural organizational development and also determining the barriers or the obstacles towards the successful change in the organizational development. In the research paper it highlights and focuses that racial and color biasness is the main problem and obstacle that is faced in the organizations because the organizations generally prefer to hire and provide the position of the management to the people who have fair and good complexion which is creating a racial discrimination in the organization and it has been observed through an qualitative survey and study and the research was conducted in the metropolitan area of England (Gummerson, 2000). The process that is included in the above figure assist and helps the organization in overcoming the barrier in the organizational development and this framework can be adopted for integrating the cultural variety in the organizations. The literature review of the article on multicultural development in the human services have emphasized and focused on the various aspects such as the socio political environment which explains that the organizations mainly faces the threat and the problems from the unstable economy and the broader environment and the barrier towards the multicultural development in the sociopolitical environment are privatization, downsizing and fiscal cutbacks that is mainly dominated and surpassed the human services, the other challenge that is faced towards the organizational development is the issues or the problems that is related to the workload and in this perspective it has been observed that the weak leadership is considered as the main reason for the failure for the promotion in the multicultural work

Compare Two Deontological Theories Essay Example for Free

Compare Two Deontological Theories Essay Deon means duty in ancient Greek and a deontological theory is concerned with the morality of an act rather than its consequences (or the motive/intention behind the act). Kants theory of categorical imperatives (I ought to do X rather than a hypothetical; if I want to achieve X then I should do Y) consists of three main principles. The first of these is the universal law which states that you must only act on the maxim (principle) when you can at the same time will it to become a universal law. This means that you must be content that if everybody took the same action as you chose in similar situations, it would remain a moral action. The second of his principles asks you to act in a way that treats others as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end. This relates to Jesus teaching to Do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12) and says humans should not use other humans to gain something for themselves, as we would not like to be treated in this way. The final categorical imperative is the Kingdom of Morals which says that we should always act as though we were the legislators for the kingdom of morals we are in charge of what is fair and just. Kant placed great faith on human beings as being able to work rationally to such a conclusion and act according to principles. This contrasts with the Natural Moral Law theory which claims that we must find the purpose God has set for us and follow this path accordingly; our own personal beliefs are irrelevant. Natural Moral Law was coined by Thomas Aquinas (influenced by Aristotles idea of the final cause) and the theory states that every action must work to fulfil its purpose; every action against it is immoral. According to the theory natural law is accessible through the natural order of the world and is unchanging. It is arguable that part of the theory is teleological as it is concerned with our end by trying to fulfil our God-given purpose. Both Aquinas and Kant agree that our morals are absolute, a priori truths, however Kant believes that our reason will lead us to these truths whilst Aquinas has set primary and secondary precepts which he believes humans should follow. His primary precepts are to self-preserve and preserve the innocent, reproduce, learn, order society and worship God. These are absolutist as he believes all societies should share these values. He believes that these are universal and so he is fulfilling Kants first imperative. However the theories, when applied work very differently. An example of this is the case of abortion, a girl that is thirteen years old gets raped and becomes pregnant; she cannot care for the child and feels like she would be wrong in keeping it. According to Kants theory she would not be able to abort as she could not will every woman who became pregnant to abort their child, if they did then the human race would not survive, making this a contradiction of the Laws of Nature. Kant also argued that all humans have intrinsic worth and therefore by aborting so that she has an easier life the girl is treating the foetus as a means to an end. As for natural law, abortion goes against two of Aquinas primary precepts, largely the precept of reproduction. But also preservation of the innocent suggests that issues such as euthanasia and abortion would not be permitted. The only acceptance to abortion in the natural law theory would be if the mothers womb had to be removed to save her life consequently aborting the foetus (this is the doctrine of the double effect). Both Aquinas and Kant assume God, Kant says that we must presuppose God, immortality and freedom in order for his theory to function whilst Aquinas believes that God gave us the ability to reason to find our morals which God set. Whilst on surface level they appear similar theories, both being absolutist and deontological, when applied to ethical decisions they usually counteract each other with the viewpoint given. Assess the strengths weaknesses of one of these theories (9 Marks) An obvious problem for the natural moral law theory is that it provides us with legalistic morality, because it is absolutist it means that it does not accommodate for individual circumstances. An example of this is a homosexual couple. According to the theory, the purpose of all sexual acts is to reproduce; any sexual act which does not fulfil this purpose is immoral. We can see that we are biologically set up to reproduce in this way, and so Aquinas believes that masturbation, contraception and homosexual intercourse are all immoral because they do not perform the function that they are destined for. However the fact that it is an absolutist theory also has its advantages it is a source of clear values and moral certainty, it would be very easy to follow, without considering the complexity of circumstances or consequences. Its focus on reason and universalism also helps the simplicity of the theory and can help it to transcend over a variety of cultures and religions. The only problem with it being a religious theory rather than a secular one is that the primary precept of worshipping God will not come naturally to those who do not believe in the Christian God, or to atheists/agnostics. The fact that Aquinas maintains that the absolute laws come from God and that we ought to obey them may lead him into the trap of the naturalistic fallacy obeying God is a value judgement and therefore he is turning and is into an ought. However an advantage is that the theorys emphasis on the purpose of humanity gives people a structure and meaning in their lives, it is humanistic in its assertion that we all have intrinsic worth. Overall I believe that the weaknesses outweigh the strengths of this theory it fails in its precepts which determine how people should live people do not all hold the same values and therefore it is presumptuous to say that our morals were given by God and we all share them. It is also interesting that Aquinas himself went against his primary precept of reproduction by being a celibate priest.

The Special Relationship UK and US

The Special Relationship UK and US The term ‘special relationship is used to describe the Anglo-American relations soon after the Second World War when Britain and the United States developed a close working relationship and co-operated extensively in terms of military alliance, intelligence, diplomacy, nuclear affairs and also in cultural and intellectual life. The relationship between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill established the beginning of an extraordinary relationship in political history. The term ‘special relationship was coined by Winston Churchill in his Sinews of Peace Address (commonly called the Iron Curtain speech) at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, on 5 March 1946. Arguably, a period in which both Britain and the United States had a lot to gain from profound cooperation was the late 1940s.Britain had been weakened by the effects of the War and required financial assistance to restore its industries and rebuild its cities. The United States on the other hand was facing Soviet threat and was restricted by isolationist tendencies and domestic dissent on the domestic political front. Gallagher (2004:110) states that this period was a time when London and Washington recognized the need to maintain the kind of unity that had been so important during the fight against Japan and Nazi Germany. The Anglo-American relationship had several distinctive features. In the axis of intelligence, the United States and Britain shared a wide range of information than either does among its other allies; especially during the Second World War and thereafter restored under the 1948 UKUSA agreements of which Dickie (1994:260) describes as â€Å"the most fruitful joint venture of the Anglo-American partnership, with extraordinary dividends for both sides†. This agreement set up the signals intelligence (SIGINT) apparatus of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the same vein, British intelligence operatives worked with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and functioned from the US embassy in London (Dumbrell, 2001). Britain and the United States also shared numerous bilateral defence links left over from the Second World War. Colman (2004) states that In December 1941, the cooperation between the British and American governments reached its peak with the signing of the Anglo-American Alliance and the creation of the combined chief of staff which is a collaborated British and American military command which presides over all Anglo-American operations. The NATO alliance, focused on the defence of Western Europe had Britain and the United States as its leading members. The formation of NATO in 1949 had the British Army of the Rhine (BOAR) as the Britains land force contribution with over 50,000 troops stationed in Germany in 1962 (Colman, 2004). The special relationship resulted in the Atlantic Charter of 1941, which is a set of guiding principles at the coming of peace targeted to govern relations between states. The Anglo-American relationship was furthered strengthened by economic connections, atomic and nuclear matters, and considering the fact that both countries share a common heritage and a common language. It is also pertinent to note the personal relationships that existed between some American Presidents and British Prime Ministers, significantly Churchill (whose mother was American) and Roosevelt and years later between Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. The extent of the unity of purpose and cooperation which existed between the British and American governments during the Second World War remains one of the most phenomenal aspects of that period. However, the special relationship was intensely strained during the Suez crisis of 1956 and raised questions as to how special the relationship really was in reality. This essay seeks to address how the Suez crisis impaired the UK, USA special relationship and to decipher if the relationship was really that special. The Suez crisis of 1956 greatly strained the relationship between Britain and America; the crisis exposed their differences to colonialism, communism and their contrasting stakes in the Middle East. Also, the Anglo-American Alliance and Britains position as a great power was in ruins during this period. The Suez Canal was a sea route of vast strategic importance to Britain. As the main significance of the British Empire; it connected Britain with India and the pacific. The major figures involved were Anthony Eden, Britains Prime Minister, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower, his secretary of state, John Foster Dulles and the Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nasser. The Suez Canal was the focal point of Britains military presence in the Eastern Mediterranean especially since Britain domination of Egypt since the 1880s (Dimbleby and Reynolds, 1988). Eden, who was Churchills successor as prime Minister argued that the Canal was Britains great imperial lifeline, particularly for oil (The Economist, 27 July 2006). For the Egyptians on the other hand, the Canal Zone was a constant reminder of the despised British occupation and efforts to terminate Britains presence in the Canal Zone were escalated especially after the military coup of 1952 which ousted the luxurious king Farouk. It became somewhat difficult to operate the canal as Egyptians boycotted British employment and attacked British personnel. (Dimbleby and Reynolds, 1988) The British government came to a decision in 1954 to evacuate the Canal Zone by June 1956. Eden hoped that this decision would foster a new relationship with Egypt and also since the American and British government agreed to financially support Nasser with a loan of $70 Million towards the procurement of the Aswan High Dam to provide better irrigation and electric power to Egypt. (Dimbleby and Reynolds, 1988) However, despite the loan offered by Britain and America, Nasser was not forthcoming, he undermined the Baghdad pact, a regional defence organization which was British-led and rejected the Anglo-American peace treaty plans with Israel. His ambition was to politically resurrect the whole Arab world against colonialism and opposition of great powers exploitation of the Middle East. Dimbleby and Reynolds (1988) state that while accepting the loan from the Anglo-American government, Nasser ordered arms from the Soviet Union through Czechoslovakia. By March 1956, the Anglo-American governments could no longer put up with Nasser; Eden condemned and compared Nasser with Mussolini and Hitler of the 1930s, adding that the Egyptian leaders objective was to become a ‘Caesar from the Gulf to the Atlantic, and to kick us out of it all (Shuckburgh, 1987:327). Dulles the US secretary of state announced on 19 July 1956 that the Aswan loan offered to Egypt had been cancelled. Nasser retaliated on 26 July 1956 by declaring to an amazed world the nationalization of the Suez Canal, stressing that Egypt would be in charge of the canal and proceeds used to finance the Aswan dam. Britain placed economic and political sanctions on Egypt as the British interest was in severe jeopardy, the British government was ready to use force to bring Nasser down. Eden tried to convince Eisenhower on the removal of the Nasser government for a regime friendlier to the West. However, Eisenhower was as unreceptive to Britain, just as Britain had been to America at the peak of the Dien Bien Phu crisis in Vietnam in 1954 (Louis and Owen, 1989) America did not have much at stake in respect to the nationalization of the Suez Canal as Britain did and as such believed that diplomacy was the best option, Dulles on 2nd October told a news conference that under the North Atlantic Treaty, Suez was not a part of Americas obligations to her Allies. (Dimbleby and Reynolds, 1988) Britain sort alliance with France as co-owners of the canal. Israel was encouraged to escalate the border raids in Sinai and invade Egypt signalling another Arab-Israeli War thereby posing a threat to the Suez Canal. Britain and France would exploit the opportunity as a pretext to intervene and secure the Suez Canal (The Economist, 27 July 2006). The American government was completely kept in the dark concerning these preparations for action. Eden concluded that although the Americans were in principle not happy with Britains use of force against Egypt to recover the canal, they would not completely oppose Britain. Outright American antagonism was least expected and that is exactly what Britain was faced with. A twelve hours ultimatum was issued by London and Paris for Israel and Egypt to retreat from the canal which was to be taken over by British and French forces. Israel accepted this ultimatum while Egypt rejected it and on the 31st of October 1956, the British and French destroyed Egyptian airfields. Eisenhower was infuriated by the obvious deception of his closest ally and Britains unwillingness to revert to diplomacy. Eisenhower, who was completely kept in the dark, felt utterly betrayed by his erstwhile allies, he told his aides â€Å"Ive just never seen great powers make such a complete mess and botch of things† (Dimbleby and Reynolds, 1988:214). He was determined to bring the whole enterprise to a stop. The timing of Britains actions was further unfortunate for Eisenhower who was up for re-election on 6 November 1956 of which his intention was to win as the incumbent ‘peace president, and it was pertinent he showed his capability of controlling global diplomatic and military conflicts. As such, Eisenhower could not afford to get caught up in a foreign complicated situation of no direct interest to America. America proved adept working via the United Nations and introduced a resolution calling for a ceasefire and desists from the use of force by all UN members. This resolution was passed by a majority of 64 to five votes, Russia voting with the US (Dumbrell, 2001). Britain on the other hand was severely criticised from all around the world instigated by the Americans. Apart from publicly criticising Britain and giving her a cold shoulder, Rachman (2001) highlights that the Americans further used the diminishing value of the pound sterling as a weapon to evict Britain from Egypt. A run on the pound ensued under US pressure as foreign holders of the sterling began to back out their holdings. America attacked the fragile economy of Britain and prohibited the IMF to offer emergency loans to Britain until the invasion was called off. The British Treasury envisaged an imminent financial collapse and on 7th November, Britain declared a ceasefire, stopped the operation and gave in to America demands. The French though furious were obliged to agree as their troops were under British authority, many of Britains illusions about the special relationship was destroyed and undermined by the Suez crisis of 1956. This is not the first time the Anglo-American relationship was severely strained and certainly not the last; the Indo-China crisis and the difference of opinions over Formosa are some examples. In reference to the ‘special relationship in the Middle East, Ashton (1996:113) argues as to the reason why the Middle East proved to be ‘such a fertile ground for conflict between the two powers was simply that their interests here often failed to coincide. Indeed, the US Cold War aims of containing the Soviet Union clashed with Britains tendency towards the Middle East in terms of the protection of its imperial interest. This difference in Anglo-American relations produced conflicts following the nationalisation of the Anglo-Iranian oil company in 1951 by the Iranian Premier Mohammad Mossadeq. The Anglo-American opposition further resurfaced in 1955 when Britain adhered to the Baghdad pact. Dulles, discussing the pact with Eisenhower asserted that â€Å"the British have taken it over and run it as an instrument of British policy that has drawn down upon it a tremendous amount of criticism† (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1991). The Anglo-American dispute as a result of failure of interest to coincide was also apparent over the tension in the South-Eastern Arabia territory of Buraimi. Anthony Eden, in January 1957 the eve of his resignation as Prime Minister remarked â€Å"It may be that the United States attitude to us in the Middle East dates from our refusal to give up Buraimi† (Smith, 2008). As highlighted by Petersen (2000), Hoover the Assistant secretary of State responded to the Anglo-American crack over Suez by stating that â€Å"this cleavage had gone a great deal deeper than people imagined. It had Started a long time ago even before Suez and as far back as the Buraimi incident† (Petersen, 2000:72). Petersen further argued that the Buraimi crisis â€Å"presented Anglo-American diplomats with a conflict of interest which †¦ eventually contributed to the rupture of the Atlantic Alliance during the Suez crisis of 1956† (Petersen, 1992:72) The British was hurt the most by the Suez crisis, which resulted in a break down in relations between Britain and America, a near crippling of the Pound sterling and in the resignation of Eden the conservative Prime Minister, as his health wrecked. According to Freiberger (1992), the crisis further exploded the lingering imperial pretensions of Britain and quickened the independence of its colonies e.g. Ghana and Nigeria. Britain learnt from the Suez crisis that it would never be able to take actions independently of America again as British politicians are contented to play second fiddle to America. If there is a special relationship between Britain and America, then it is a one way street with Britain hanging on to the coat-tails of the United States. Suez showed the French that perfide Albion could not be relied on as Britain always places its â€Å"special† relationship with America above its European interests. Conclusion History shows that international relations vary with the strength and character of respective leaders and that applies to the relationship between the United States and Great Britain. In the aftermath of Suez, Britains position became somewhat untenable to act like a superpower, her position as a world power began to decline with the rise of America. The Suez crisis made it very clear to the US that it has to take more prominence in crisis of the Middle East. One could easily wonder if the United States actively developed a strategy to replace Britain as a dominant power in the Middle East or if the US sacrificed its allies with the ambition of gaining total domination of the region. However, there have been recent controversies regarding the existence of the special relationship. According to a recent report by the Commons foreign affairs committee, Americas relationship with Britain is not more special than its relationship with its other main allies, and the term ‘special relationship does not portray the ‘modern Anglo-American relationship. (Times online, 28th March 2010) In this report, a committee of influential MPs state that â€Å"Britains special relationship with the US—forged by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt in the Second World War—no longer exists† (Times online, 28th March 2010). Does this mean that the relationship is dead? Relying on the traditional model of bilateral partnership will certainly doom this relationship to obscurity. Strengthening Britains leadership within the EU and a renewed partnership within multilateral institutions are essential for a strong and vital special relationship in the 21st century. Burwell (2010) echoed that the fundamental element of the special relationship in the 21st century must be partnerships that surpass the bilateral UK-US relationships. The Anglo-American special relationship should work towards a partnership with multilateral institutions to take on global challenges through diplomacy and political influence.

Aspects of Probation Essay -- essays research papers fc

There are times when almost everyone wonders exactly what the purpose of probation is, what kinds of conditions can be imposed if someone is put on probation, and what roles the probation officer and the court systems play in the scheme of things. If you know someone that is on probation it may not hurt to know a little bit about the way it works and that is exactly what we will be talking about here. Probation is one of the least restrictive penalties among the alternatives confronting a sentencing judge. Probation is the conditional release of an individual by the court after he has been found guilty of the crime charged. In the case of probation then, the individual has not been sentenced to prison, although he may, in fact, have been incarcerated in jail following his arrest and awaiting trial. Probation is in fact a charge and not a dismissal of charges, as many people believe. Many people believe that putting a person on probation is just a â€Å"slap on the wrist† and that it will not stop the person from committing further crimes but the term of probation is supervision and if it is broken punishment will follow for the probationer. Probation is a basic tool of rehabilitation for first time offenders and very few if any person who has more than one offense will receive probation. These offenders are more likely to receive jail or prison time for their offenses. Even first time offenders revert to crime during probation, which in turn embarrasses the court that gave that person probation rather than a jail or prison sentence. One helpful aspect of probation is the indication of a certain trust and confidence placed in the offender by the judicial order or probation officer. Another helpful aspect of probation is that there is actual supervision and guidance by a probation officer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Probation is an extension of powers of the court over the future behavior and destiny of the convicted person by showing them ways to keep themselves out of trouble later and hope that they will learn their lesson the first time. It helps to avoid the shattering effect upon the individual’s personality which so frequently follows imprisonment. Probation manages to keep the person in his old moorings: it makes no sudden and violent wrench in his daily habits; it does not destroy his family relations, his contact... ...the probationer has not broken his probation. After researching probation to a fairly good extent in my opinion, I believe that it really is an easy way out of being in trouble. This is especially true if the convicted person’s offense was not something that was done intentionally. I feel that probation is also a better way to handle people who are mentally unstable or people that have a drug or alcohol problem rather than just throwing them into the frying pan for a mistake.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bibliography Weston, Paul B. 1977. Administration of Justice. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. xiv. 337 pages Pursley, Robert D. 1977. Introduction to Criminal Justice. Encino, California: Glencoe Press. vi. 553 pages Rubin, Sol. 1963. The Law of Criminal Correction. St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Company. xxv. 728 pages United States, Wickersham Commission. 1968. No. 9 Report on Penal Institutions, Probation, and Parole. Montclair, New Jersey: Patterson Smith Publishing Corporation. United States Sentencing Commission. 1990. Policy Statements for Violations of Probation and Supervised Release. Washington, D.C.: The Commission. i. 40 pages

Mystery Man of Stonehenge

Archeologists were finishing excavating in Amesbury (planned development of housing) in spring, 2002. It is necessary to admit that Amesbury is situated in the southwest of England. During excavation the small Roman cemetery was uncovered by archeologists and thus that finding was considered fairly common. Nevertheless, two skeletons were discovered and one of them was important as it was interred in grave made up of timber. The position of a mystery skeleton was rather common for burials in Bronze Age – skeleton’s legs were in a fetal position. Furthermore, skeleton had a hole in a jawbone proving that he had an abscess. The mystery man also sustained an injury as he had heavy limp as well as bone infection. That mystery skeleton was Amesbury Archer. Mystery man appeared to be a wealthy dweller of cool region in Central Europe having relation to vanguard. (Stone 2005) Firstly, it is necessary to claim that a mystery man was rather wealthy archer. According to archeologists he was between 35-45 years old and was buried â€Å"with a black stone wrist guard on his forearm of the kind used to protect archers from the snap of a bowstring†.   (Stone 2005) Sixteen flint arrowheads were scattered across his body and it was assumed that mystery man had certain relation to Stonehenge. The evidence was that massive stone monument was near the burial place. Furthermore, it was apparent that archer was wealthy, because the grave was filled with wrist guards, arrowheads, copper knives, a cache of flint tools as well as metalworking tools. Additionally the grave was arranged with stone shaped like a sofa serving as an anvil. The next evidence of wealth was a pair of gold ornaments, clay pot. Indeed the archer died rich.(Rubinstein 2005) Secondly, archer was born in a cool region in Central Europe. This fact was revealed due to archers’ mouth. Archeologists stated that tooth enamel of a person was the best way to point out his place of birth. Tooth enamel consists of oxygen, calcium and phosphorous and other elements. Actually â€Å"the composition of the oxygen molecules in apatite depends on the water a person drank as a child, and that, in turn, can reveal a great deal about where he grew up—from the temperature of rain or snow to the distance from a coast and the area’s altitude†.   (Stone 2005) The makeup of the oxygen found in archer’s teeth was scanned and thus it was determined by geoscientist Chenery (British Geological Survey) that archer was born in a cool region in Central Europe. Possibly, the archer encountered â€Å"a rural setting of round timber houses with conical thatched roofs†. (Stone 2005) Thirdly it was stated that the archer had certain relations to trade and metalworking. In those times metalworking was the most important skill. And in about 2300 B.C metal implements completely replaced stone weapons and tools which defined the era of Stone Age. The Bronze Age started in the southwest of Europe in about the 4th century B.C. as it was mentioned the grave was filled with different copper knives being used as a weapon and for eating. Cushion stone proved that archer knew how to use and why to use metal instruments. There were some suggestions that the archer belonged to the vanguard of the flashy trade producing metal items used in different shows. (Rubinstein 2005) According to archeologists the metal tool found had to be buried only with his owner. Therefore archer was skillful to move from one community to another having his knowledge in his head. It is possible to suggest that he had unique and exceptional skill for those times, because archer was similar to magician. It was revealed that the arrival of the archer completely coincided with the arrival of the metal implements to the British Isles. Thus the archer is likely to be a pioneer in the new Bronze Age. In conclusion it is necessary to outline that the mystery men was considered to be the archer who lived in the Central Europe and was busy with producing metal tools and instruments for shows. Furthermore, the time of his arrival was the beginning of the Bronze Age.   (Archaeologists Figure out Mystery 2005) References Archaeologists Figure out Mystery of Stonehenge Bluestones. (2005, June 24). Western Mail, 16. Stone, Richard. (2005, August). The Mystery Man of Stonehenge. Retrieved October, 26, 2006, from http://www.kidscastle.si.edu/issues/2005/august/stonehenge.htm Rubinstein, William. (2005, November). Mystery Identities. History Today, 55, 11, 28-34.      

Differences between .edu, .org, .com, and .gov Websites

A generic top-level domain (gTLD) is the last part of a domain name that usually consists of three or more letters. There were originally six gTLD namely . edu . org . com . gov . net and . mil. Among these, . com is the most widely used. This can be attributed to the timing when . com use became unrestricted and when the internet gained popularity. The use of . com was primarily intended for commercial units or bodies. The . edu gTLD on the other hand was implemented for the use of any educational institutions.Presently, the .edu gTLD is now restricted to post secondary institutions only. A gTLD was also implemented for organizations that are not covered by other gTLDs. Back then the . org gTLD was restricted, but now anybody can freely register a . org domain. Lastly, the . gov gTLD was put into operation for the exclusive use of the US government. This gTLD is regulated and operated by the US General Services Administration. Today, any institution around the world that has proper authorization can use a particular gTLD in conjunction with a country code top-level domain (ccTLD).ccTLDs are only two letters long and specific to a certain country. It is now common to see domain names ending with . edu. uk, . gov. jp and . com. tw. Knowing the background of four of the most popular gTLDs, one can now expect what a website offers based only on its domain name. For example, the site www. mit. edu will probably offer information about a certain educational institution with an acronym of MIT. Upon visiting this site, one will find information about one of the best if not the best engineering school worldwide, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.www. fbi. gov will probably be the site of a particular department or bureau of the government. Looking it up on the internet, fbi. gov is actually the official site of the United State’s main investigation bureau. At first, the site unicef. org will probably be a site of a certain organization. Entering this sit e, one will be enlightened to see that unicef. org is about UNICEF, the arm of the United Nations that looks after the welfare of children worldwide.

Age Essays - Learning, Education, Behavior Modification, Teaching

Age Essays - Learning, Education, Behavior Modification, Teaching Age: Preschool Subject: Science Topic : Four Seasons Time + Pacing Central Focus of Lesson: At the end of the lesson, students should recognize at there are four different seasons and give characteristics of each of the seasons. Students will be able to make observations about the seasons based on their own experiences. Part 2: Content Objectives Differentiate between the four seasons. Give characteristics of the four seasons. Give examples of events/activities that happen in the four seasons. Students will use previous experiences to come up with these examples. Key Vocabulary Season Winter Spring Summer Fall Prior Academic Learning and Prerequisite Skills: Students will be using examples from their own life to come up with a working definition for winter, spring, summer and fall. They will be using previous experiences to share activities that happen in the four seasons. Using examples from what they already know and see in the world helps them to build schema. Students should also have a prior knowledge of how to use markers/crayons/colored pencils, and put art supplies away. Materials Needed Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils Paper with 4 categories (one for each child) Board Changing Seasons By: Sian Smith Projector Computer If this book is not available other books on this topic may be used to help children continue to learn about the seasons. Part 3: Lesson Introduction Begin by gathering students and listing the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall) on the board. Ask them questions about each of the seasons. Examples of questions to ask: "How many different seasons are there?" "Does anyone know what season we are in now?" "What is the weather like in winter/spring/summer/fall?" "What are some things that you do in winter/spring/summer/fall?" "How are these different from each other?" Come up with a working definition for each of the seasons. These definitions can be written as bullet points of characteristics of each season. 5-10 min Introduction of New Information Show video: Seasons Song for Children | Learn Four Seasons | Preschool, Kindergarten, Learn English ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBLFMXU8FLI) Ask comprehension questions about the video EX: "What season do the flowers bloom in?" "What season is really hot?" "What do the leaves do in fall?" "Is winter col d or hot?" After this go around the room and each student wi ll share their favorite season. This will allow children to use their previous experiences in each of the seasons to make their decision. Read Changing Seasons by Sian Smith. Ask comprehension questions and add to or take away things from the working definition of the four seasons. Make sure the children are the ones that are saying whether to add to or take away the characteristics/activities. This book discusses the typical weather of each season and also includes activities that are common for each season. This will give children more ideas for activities for the next portion of the lesson. 15-20 mins Learning Activities Children will receive a piece of paper with four categories: winter, spring, summer and fall. They will also receive markers/crayons/colored pencils. Children will be asked to draw one activity that they do in each season or something that happens in each season. EXAMPLES: Swimming in Summer Snowballs in Winter Falling leaves in Fall Rain in Spring 20 min (more time can be added if necessary) Closure (Presentation/Recap): Use this time to make any concepts more clear or answer any questions. Each child will be given the opportunity to share their artwork, but sharing will not be required at this time. 5-10 min Necessity of Art Components This art project will help students to visualize the four seasons. If the students can connect their ideas of activities that they do in each season or something that happens in each season it may help them to remember more information about this topic and differentiate between the four seasons. Informal Assessments The teacher will go around while each student is working on their artwork and listen to the conversations between students. The teacher will take this time to help any struggling students and give them prompts, but not any specific ideas. The teacher will be able to address misconceptions and steer students in the right direction if needed. Students will be given the opportunity to share their artwork with the class. Each student will not be required to talk, but this will give the teacher an idea of which students are more comfortable with this subject and then also which students may need

BINOM.DIST in Excel

BINOM.DIST in Excel Calculations with the binomial distribution formula can quite tedious and difficult. The reason for this is due to the number and types of terms in the formula.  As with many calculations in probability, Excel can be utilized to expedite the process. Background on the Binomial Distribution The binomial distribution is a discrete probability distribution. In order to use this distribution, we need to make sure that the following conditions are met: There are a total of n independent trials.  Each of these trials can be classified as a success or failure.The probability of success is a constant p. The probability that exactly k of our n trials are successes is given by the formula: C( n, k) pk (1 - p)n – k. In the above formula, the expression C( n, k) denotes the binomial coefficient. This is the number of ways to form a combination of k elements from a total of n. This coefficient involves the use of the factorial, and so C(n, k) n!/[k!(n – k)! ]. COMBIN Function The first function in Excel related to the binomial distribution is COMBIN. This function calculates the binomial coefficient C( n, k), also known as the number of combinations of k elements from a set of n. The two arguments for the function are the number n of trials and k the number of successes. Excel defines the function in terms of the following: COMBIN(number, number chosen) Thus if there are 10 trials and 3 successes, there are a total of C(10, 3) 10!/(7!3!) 120 ways for this to occur. Entering COMBIN(10,3) into a cell in a spreadsheet will return the value 120. BINOM.DIST Function The other function that is important to know about in Excel is BINOM.DIST. There are a total of four arguments for this function in the following order: Number_s is the number of successes. This is what we have been describing as k.Trials are the total number of trials or n.Probability_s is the probability of a success, which we have been denoting as p.Cumulative uses an input either of true or false to calculate a cumulative distribution. If this argument is false or 0, then the function returns the probability that we have exactly k successes. If the argument is true or 1, then the function returns the probability that we have k successes or less. For example, the probability that exactly three coins out of 10 coin flips are heads is given by BINOM.DIST(3, 10, .5, 0). The value returned here is 0.11788. The probability that from flipping 10 coins at most three are heads is given by BINOM.DIST(3, 10, .5, 1). Entering this into a cell will return the value 0.171875. This is where we can see the ease of using the BINOM.DIST function. If we did not use software, we would add together the probabilities that we have no heads, exactly one head, exactly two heads or exactly three heads. This would mean that we would need to calculate four different binomial probabilities and add these together. BINOMDIST Older versions of Excel use a slightly different function for calculations with the binomial distribution. Excel 2007 and earlier use the BINOMDIST function. Newer versions of Excel are backward compatible with this function and so BINOMDIST is an alternate way to calculate with these older versions.

Analytical Report on Business Organization Essay Example for Free

Analytical Report on Business Organization Essay Diamond  Stars  Group  of  companies      From:      CEO   Myanmar  Imperial  Clinic  (MIC)      Date:      Subject:                                                      04th  April,  2013   Analytical  Report  on  Business  Organization    Executive  Summary   In  early  2009,  Myanmar  Imperial  Clinic  was  set  up  by  Myanmar  Medics  Co. ,  Ltd. Because  of  its   extensive   range   of   medical   services   and   accurate   diagnostic   tests   by   international   recognized   specialists  and  outstanding  clinical  staff,  it  was  famous  and  generated  profits  at  that  time. But  along   with   the   competition   of   high   investing   clinic,   lack   of   control   of   the   specialists   and   insecure   environment   of   the   staff,   the   organiza tion’s   performance   has   declined   in   2012. Therefore   the   reputation  of  the  clinic  gradually  goes  down. So  that  in  2013,  Myanmar  Medics  Co. ,Ltd. was  being   acquisition   by   Diamond   Stars   Group   of   companies   which   is   operating   in   various   industries   in   Myanmar. The  organization  will  be  reformed  by  the  encouragement  of  our  chairman. Profile   Name  Ã‚      Location         –  Myanmar  Imperial  Clinic  (MIC)     Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Hledan,  Kamaryut  Township   –  8520  sqft   –  6  stories  building     Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  40  bedded  general  health  care  centre   ? 166  employees Compound  Size  Ã‚   Building  Ã‚   Type      Size Fifth  Floor Fourth  Floor Third  Floor Second  Floor First  Floor Ground  Floor Building  Information Ground  Floor   –  Reception,  Emergency,  Pharmacy,  Lab,   Cashier First  Floor  Ã‚   –  15  Outpatient  Rooms,  Waiting  Area,   Store Second  Floor  Ã‚   –  1  Operation  Theatre,  1  Labour  Room,   10  Inpatient  Rooms  for  OG Third  Floor  Ã‚   –  20  Inpatient  Rooms  for  Medicine  &   Child Fourth  Floor  Ã‚   –  1  Operation  Theatre,  10  Surgical   Inpatient  Rooms Fifth  Floor   – Clinical  Office    Proposal  for  the  Restructure  of  the  Organization   (1)  Long  Term  Plan/Strategy      Vision:  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being   a   provider   of   health   care   service   renown   for   compassion,   sympathy   and   respect   on   human  being  in  pursuit  of  own  healthy  and  well  being  state  by  applying  high  quality  tools   and   skilful   professional   in   ensuring   long   term   effectiveness,   MIC   stands   for   saving   your   money,  time  and  lives. Mission:   With   knowledge,   skill   and   passion,   we   all   do   value   and   respect   our   patients   and   clients’   desires. We  value  our  patients  as  the  way  we  value  our  professional. We  care  our  patients  as  the  way  we  do  to  our  family. We  practice  our  best  knowledge  in  our  work. Objectives:   To  increases  overall  satisfaction  rates  of  patients,  employees,  doctors  and  visitors. To  ensure  patients  receive  the  ultimate  care  and  medical  attention  to  bring  about  a  speedy   recovery. To  increase  range  of  services  for  customer  needs  and  demands. To  maintain  safe  and  hygienic  environment. To  achieve  99%  of  patient  Ã‚  feedback   To  provide  early  diagnosis  and  affective  treatment  to  all  clients  with  different  diseases. To  be  recognized  our  clinic  as  a  trusted  obstetrical  clinic  within  the  first  three  years. To  expand  our  service  in  diagnostic  and  treatment  year  by  year. To  improve  and  maintain  our  treatment  procedures  and  emergency  services (1. 1) ? (1. 2) ? ? ? ? (1. 3) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 4   (2)Fundamental  Characteristics  of  Organization  Ã‚   (2. 1)  Old  Organization  Structure  versus  New  Organization  Structure   Our  organization  structure  allows  for  its  efficient  management. Here  is  the  l evel  s  of  management   and  the  activities  of  specific  departments  within  each  level. Old  Organization  Structure New  Organization  Structure 5   (2. 2)  Work  Specialization   To  achieve  competency  of  each  and  every  staff,  a  proper  and  distinctive  job  descriptions  is  vital. (2. 2. 1)  Marketing  Department  Ã‚   ? ? ? Survey  the  market  situation  and  changes  Ã‚   Analyse  the  customers’  feedback   Develop  Ã‚  marketing  strategies  and  mix (2. 2. 2)  Finance  Department   ? ? ? Manage  and  oversee  budgeting  Ã‚   Report   income   statement,   statement   of   financial   report   and   statement   of   cash   flow   to   executive  level   Manage  income  and  expenditure. (2. 2. 3)  Administrative  Department   ? ? ? ? Support  and  coordinate  the  operation  of  the  individual  department   Establish  hospital  policies  and  procedures   Perform  Ã‚  public  relations   Supervise   maintenance   service,   information   service,   housekeeping   and   transportation   services (2. 2. 4)  Human  Resources  Department   ? ? ? ? ? Perform  job  analysis,  job  description,  job  specification,  job  allocation  and  j ob  rotation   Recruitment   Training  and  development  Ã‚   Create  safety  and  pleasant  environment  Ã‚   Negotiate  with  the  visiting  specialists   HR  Planning (2. 2. 5)  Medical  Service  Department   ? ? ? ?             For   doctors   ? to   diagnose   problems,   prescribe   medicines,   be   ready   to   on   call,   to   make   regular  rounding  and  monitoring  patients   For  nurses  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  to  emphasize  on  nursing  care  Ã‚   For  lab  technicians  ? to  support  with  accurate  diagnosis  and  to  maintain  medical  laboratory  Ã‚   equipment For  Pharmacist  ? to  monitor  the  storage  and  quality  of  drug 6   (2. )  Chain  of  Command   â€Å"An  unbroken  line  of  authority  that  links  all  the  persons  in  an  organization  and  shows  who  reports   to   whom†Ã‚  (Myanmar  Imperial  College  2013,  Pre? Master  Course  of  Business  Administration,  p? 60)   In   a   clinic,   a   proper   and   clarified   chain   of   command   is   the   fundamental   requirement   to   maintain   and  precede  medical  procedures. Within  the  clinical  departments,  all  the  junior  medical  doctors  must  report  information  concerning   with   patient   to   senior   medical   doctors. These   senior   medical   doctors   have   to   report   only   the   necessary  complaints  and  patient’s  conditions  to  the  principal  medical  doctors. Master  Course  of  Business  Administration,  p. 62)   On   the   clinic   side,   the   span   of   management   of   manager   ranges   from   10   to   20   while   the   administrative  side  the  span  of  management  is  less  than  10. Our  organization  require  less  supervision  because  of   ? ? ? Daily  work  procedures  of  medical  staff  are  quite  stable,  routine  and  repetitive  (eg. History   taking  and  clinical  examination  and  monitoring,  injection)   Staffs  are  concentrated  in  single  location  (e. g. If  the  staff  suits  with  his  current  position  and   if  he  does  not  want  to  shift,  we  will  maintain  his  place) Analytical Report on Business Organization. (2018, Nov 04).

Comparing Teacher Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing Teacher Standards - Essay Example Accesses students thinking and experiences as a basis for instructional activities by, for example, encouraging discussion, listening and responding to group interaction, and eliciting samples of student thinking orally and in writing. obtained advanced certification defined as a professional or permanent certificate, and if assigned to middle and secondary grades the teacher has completed at least 30 semester hours distributed across academic subject matter knowledge, teaching skills, and state academic content standards related to the teaching assignment; OR achieved 100 points on the Ohio Highly Qualified Teacher Rubric (The rubric credits a combination of teaching experience, coursework, professional development, professional activities, and awards. This rubric is still under development); OR Assesses individual and group performance in order to design instruction that meets learners current needs in each domain (cognitive, social, emotional, moral, and physical) and that leads to the next level of development. Understands and can identify differences in approaches to learning and performance, including different learning styles, multiple intelligences, and performance modes, and can design instruction that helps use students strengths as the basis for growth. Values on-going assessment as essential to the instructional process and recognizes that many different assessment strategies, accurately and systematically used, are necessary for monitoring and promoting student learning. Appropriately uses a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques (e.g. observation, portfolios of student work, teacher-made tests, performance tasks, projects, student self-assessments, peer assessment, and standardized tests) to enhance his or her knowledge of learners, evaluate students progress and performances, and modify teaching and learning strategies. 1. Have an individual professional development plan approved by the local

Pubic health pharmacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pubic health pharmacy - Essay Example Each ethnicity has different barriers that they must overcome to help them prevent, manage, or cure a certain health issue. During the behavioral diagnosis, each student was responsible for interviewing two African Americans and understanding their view of health problems. Diabetes and high cholesterol were the other two major health concerns among the African American society along with hypertension. Many of the people that were interviewed had one of these diseases themselves or someone in their immediate family were suffering from these diseases. The disease according to the interviewers was more common for people that were busy with uptight schedules. From our perspectives and understanding many of the interviewers didn’t seem to take their health as significantly as they should be. From such observations, we concluded perhaps they are not as aware of the risks and prognosis of such a potent disease. The SPSS data helped us confirm the major health concerns among the Afric an-American population. Hypertension was the highest risk among the society with 35% followed by high cholesterol with approximately 20% and diabetes with 17%. The percentage is equal to the amount of people that were aware of their health conditions in each of the different disease states. Arthritis, Anemia and liver disease were not as common in the population as much as the other three stated above. Based on our interpretation of these data and our behavioral diagnosis we concluded hypertension as the most common risk among African-Americans. In the environmental diagnosis each one of the group members focused on a specific part of New York City that had a majority of African-Americans. To make it city wide we chose throughout the different boroughs. Comparing our results together we found a few things in common. All the areas had relatively many fast foods and a very few healthy food stores such as

An event from the Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

An event from the Holocaust - Essay Example This research paper attempts to study the political, social and cultural environment which led to the holocaust. We will also briefly explore the Nazi policies of exclusion. Finally, we will look at the atrocities meted out to the prisoners in the concentration camps. Long before Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, eugenic scientists were conducting experiments to prove the inequality of humans. These research were not restricted to Germany but were worldwide. Tests conducted in the United States "proved" that class, race and ethnic differences "reflected intelligence.2 These research results were not only accepted by the scientific community but also influenced the policy makers. In United States, "inferior races and ethnic groupswere prohibited from entering the country."3 Solution to the "problem" of the "feebleminded individuals who already resided in the United States" ranged from putting them in "permanent custodial care" to sterilization.4 Eugenics eventually lost acceptance in the United States but in Germany, following the coming to power of the Nazi party, eugenic scientists began to enjoy political support. Hitler wanted to build a utopian German society. Such a society would be "racially homogenous, physically hardy and mentally healthy".5 To achieve this utopia, Germany followed a policy of exclusion and the killing operations were the final stage of this policy. Eugenics introduced the idea of human inequality and the Nazi policies institutionalized it. The groups excluded included the physically handicapped, intellectually retarded, mentally disturbed and, eventually, the racially alien people. By 1939, Hitler abandoned his policy of exclusion and started discussing "implementation of what he called euthanasia".6 Nazi Policies The National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) better known as the Nazi party was founded on January 5 1919. Hitler joined the NSDAP on September 16 1919.7 His inspirational leadership and oratorical skills saw him become the chairman of the party by July 1921. Germany's defeat in the World War I and signing of the Treaty of Versailles which put the sole responsibility of the "war guilt" on the Germans was humiliating for the defeated nation. This along with the depression of 1929 and the inability of Germans to come to terms with the resulting hardships saw the Nazi party get 37 percent of the votes in 1932 elections.8 Thus on January 30, 1933, Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany. On February 27 1933, a mysterious fire in the Reichstag building destroyed the German "Parliament". The next day the German President, Paul von Hindenburg declared emergency. The emergency, along with the "Enabling Act, or Law for the Removal of the Distress of the People and Reich, would allow H itler torule Germany as a dictator."9 Between 1933 and 1935, the German government enacted various laws to remove Jews from public life and to revoke their citizenship.10 From April 1, 1933, the Nazi Government started a countrywide boycott of Jewish businesses. This and other policies between 1933 and 1938 were aimed at forcing the German Jews to emigrate from Germany. However, the policies failed due to reluctance of many German Jews to leave their

Characteristics or habits of an effective political leader Essay

Characteristics or habits of an effective political leader - Essay Example This debate has been going on, ever since different forms of governance and political representation evolved. What Sima Qian, a second century BC historian, Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor of the second century AD, and Niccolo Machiavelli, a fifteenth century political philosopher have in common is their observations on the leadership qualities that a political leader ought to have. And the most interesting part of this comparison is that all these three political historians, in spite of them being very remote to each other in history, many times do prescribe the same qualities for a political leader. Aurelius has focused on the eternal and philosophical virtues that a leader needs to have. He has also advised an emperor to have a clear thought process, a good sense of reason, a composed mind and control over one’s emotions, especially, anger (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks). He has commanded, â€Å"look always at the whole. What is it that has made this impression on your senses ? Analyze it by breaking it down into cause, matter, purpose, and duration† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 139). Aurelius (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks) has also stressed that â€Å"the character of reason and justice is one and the same† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 123). ... Aurelius (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks) has reminded this by saying, â€Å"purge your mind of all aimless and idle thoughts, especially those that pry into the affairs of others or wish them ill† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 34). Instead it is declared that â€Å"enjoyment is meant to be found in work too and that those who enjoy their work become totally absorbed in it, often forgetting to eat and drink and seek other forms of enjoyment† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks,53). Controlling anger has been a recurring theme in Sima Quin, Aurelius and Machiavelli. It is suggested that a leader can become a success only when he/she has â€Å"unshakable composure, even in the midst of acute pain† (Aurelius, Hicks and Hicks, 20). But Quin has revealed that his emperor, the first emperor of China, had a habit of getting angry for small reasons and acting upon it (78). But still he had been a success because he had his own effective means to make people fear or love him irrespective of his anger. His character is reflected in what Aurelius said almost 4 centuries after: Be like a rocky promontory against which the restless surf continually pounds; it stands fast while the churning sea is lulled to sleep at its feet. I hear you say, â€Å"How unlucky that this should happen to me!† Not at all! Say instead, â€Å"How lucky that I am not broken by what has happened (51). A prince should be able to win people over to his side (Machiavelli, 60). But he (Machiavelli) has also prescribed to rule by evoking fear rather than love because he believes that â€Å"men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared† (90). Sima Quin has also expressed faith in the effectiveness of fear and elaborated upon how the

Literatrure Review Research Paper on Teen Pregnancy in the UK Case Study

Literatrure Review Research Paper on Teen Pregnancy in the UK - Case Study Example These contraceptives have been found to be used only after the individuals have become sexually active, and this has created a situation where unwanted pregnancies are barely prevented in this state. It has further been found that of all the pregnancies that take place in the United Kingdom, nearly half of them are unplanned and of these, almost a quarter are terminated, while thirty eight percent end up being unwanted children (DiCenso, Guyatt, Willan & Griffith 2002, p.1426). The abortion rate in the United Kingdom is among the highest in the developed world, only being surpassed by Canada and the United States; a fact which can be said to be serious indeed. Despite the fact that Britain takes for granted its progress in maternal health, because of its substantial improvement over the years, it still has the challenge of teenage pregnancies to consider. Teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom can be considered an area that is a very serious public health problem that has to be effe ctively tackled if prevention is to be achieved. The detrimental social and health results that tend to accompany unplanned teenage pregnancy have over the years come to be realised in the United Kingdom. Despite the fact that birth rates amongst teenagers have dropped considerably in many areas of Europe, the opposite has been taking place in Britain, whose rates are considered the highest in Europe. ... It has therefore become necessary to make a study of the causes and effects of teenage pregnancies in the United Kingdom since it is an ideal environment where such a study can be conducted in the developed world. Literature Review The growing problem of teenage pregnancies, most of them unwanted, in the United Kingdom, has come to raise a lot of concern to such an extent where plenty of literature is being written about. Most of the new literature about this phenomenon not only focuses on the development of statistics, but they also focus on the causes, effects, as well as the possible solutions that can be developed to curb this problem. In previous years, the literature written concerning teen pregnancies often ignored the psychosocial problems that these cases often cause for those teenage mothers involved. Among the psychosocial problems that often plague teenage mothers are the following; the interruption of their education, the limitation of their job opportunities, the separa tion that develops between the teenage mother and her child’s father, and finally, the increased risk of repeat pregnancies (Silles 2011, p.766). It has been recognised that the causes of teenage pregnancies are quite diverse and complex in a number of ways which include pressure from older partners, a lack of sex education, a delay of the use of contraceptives, as well as the failure of contraceptives after they have been used (Chevalier & Viitanen 2003, p.325). In Britain, it has been found that there is extensive geographical disparity, with the highest rate of teenage pregnancies being among girls in Barnsley, Doncaster, and southeast London. This case can be distinguished from that in eastern Surrey, which has for the most part, low

An event from the Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

An event from the Holocaust - Essay Example This research paper attempts to study the political, social and cultural environment which led to the holocaust. We will also briefly explore the Nazi policies of exclusion. Finally, we will look at the atrocities meted out to the prisoners in the concentration camps. Long before Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, eugenic scientists were conducting experiments to prove the inequality of humans. These research were not restricted to Germany but were worldwide. Tests conducted in the United States "proved" that class, race and ethnic differences "reflected intelligence.2 These research results were not only accepted by the scientific community but also influenced the policy makers. In United States, "inferior races and ethnic groupswere prohibited from entering the country."3 Solution to the "problem" of the "feebleminded individuals who already resided in the United States" ranged from putting them in "permanent custodial care" to sterilization.4 Eugenics eventually lost acceptance in the United States but in Germany, following the coming to power of the Nazi party, eugenic scientists began to enjoy political support. Hitler wanted to build a utopian German society. Such a society would be "racially homogenous, physically hardy and mentally healthy".5 To achieve this utopia, Germany followed a policy of exclusion and the killing operations were the final stage of this policy. Eugenics introduced the idea of human inequality and the Nazi policies institutionalized it. The groups excluded included the physically handicapped, intellectually retarded, mentally disturbed and, eventually, the racially alien people. By 1939, Hitler abandoned his policy of exclusion and started discussing "implementation of what he called euthanasia".6 Nazi Policies The National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) better known as the Nazi party was founded on January 5 1919. Hitler joined the NSDAP on September 16 1919.7 His inspirational leadership and oratorical skills saw him become the chairman of the party by July 1921. Germany's defeat in the World War I and signing of the Treaty of Versailles which put the sole responsibility of the "war guilt" on the Germans was humiliating for the defeated nation. This along with the depression of 1929 and the inability of Germans to come to terms with the resulting hardships saw the Nazi party get 37 percent of the votes in 1932 elections.8 Thus on January 30, 1933, Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany. On February 27 1933, a mysterious fire in the Reichstag building destroyed the German "Parliament". The next day the German President, Paul von Hindenburg declared emergency. The emergency, along with the "Enabling Act, or Law for the Removal of the Distress of the People and Reich, would allow H itler torule Germany as a dictator."9 Between 1933 and 1935, the German government enacted various laws to remove Jews from public life and to revoke their citizenship.10 From April 1, 1933, the Nazi Government started a countrywide boycott of Jewish businesses. This and other policies between 1933 and 1938 were aimed at forcing the German Jews to emigrate from Germany. However, the policies failed due to reluctance of many German Jews to leave their

Literatrure Review Research Paper on Teen Pregnancy in the UK Case Study

Literatrure Review Research Paper on Teen Pregnancy in the UK - Case Study Example These contraceptives have been found to be used only after the individuals have become sexually active, and this has created a situation where unwanted pregnancies are barely prevented in this state. It has further been found that of all the pregnancies that take place in the United Kingdom, nearly half of them are unplanned and of these, almost a quarter are terminated, while thirty eight percent end up being unwanted children (DiCenso, Guyatt, Willan & Griffith 2002, p.1426). The abortion rate in the United Kingdom is among the highest in the developed world, only being surpassed by Canada and the United States; a fact which can be said to be serious indeed. Despite the fact that Britain takes for granted its progress in maternal health, because of its substantial improvement over the years, it still has the challenge of teenage pregnancies to consider. Teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom can be considered an area that is a very serious public health problem that has to be effe ctively tackled if prevention is to be achieved. The detrimental social and health results that tend to accompany unplanned teenage pregnancy have over the years come to be realised in the United Kingdom. Despite the fact that birth rates amongst teenagers have dropped considerably in many areas of Europe, the opposite has been taking place in Britain, whose rates are considered the highest in Europe. ... It has therefore become necessary to make a study of the causes and effects of teenage pregnancies in the United Kingdom since it is an ideal environment where such a study can be conducted in the developed world. Literature Review The growing problem of teenage pregnancies, most of them unwanted, in the United Kingdom, has come to raise a lot of concern to such an extent where plenty of literature is being written about. Most of the new literature about this phenomenon not only focuses on the development of statistics, but they also focus on the causes, effects, as well as the possible solutions that can be developed to curb this problem. In previous years, the literature written concerning teen pregnancies often ignored the psychosocial problems that these cases often cause for those teenage mothers involved. Among the psychosocial problems that often plague teenage mothers are the following; the interruption of their education, the limitation of their job opportunities, the separa tion that develops between the teenage mother and her child’s father, and finally, the increased risk of repeat pregnancies (Silles 2011, p.766). It has been recognised that the causes of teenage pregnancies are quite diverse and complex in a number of ways which include pressure from older partners, a lack of sex education, a delay of the use of contraceptives, as well as the failure of contraceptives after they have been used (Chevalier & Viitanen 2003, p.325). In Britain, it has been found that there is extensive geographical disparity, with the highest rate of teenage pregnancies being among girls in Barnsley, Doncaster, and southeast London. This case can be distinguished from that in eastern Surrey, which has for the most part, low

Child Rearing in the Us and Colombia Essay Example for Free

Child Rearing in the Us and Colombia Essay Early care-giving is a major factor for a child to feel secure to explore the world around them (Carbonell, Alzate, Bustamente Quiceno , 2002). How different is this early care-giving between two cultures such as the United States and Colombia? This is a look at the differences and similiaries of raising girls, both born in 1988, in Colombia and the United States. Both girls were raised in nuclear families, with one older sibling, close enough in age to be a major part of each girls daily life. One was raised in Colombia, although she moved to the United States at the age of eleven, while the other was raised completely in the United States. Both parents of each girl were interviewed as well as the girl herself. The basic stepping stones, the times that parents love to videotape, the babys first moments all seem to happen relatively similarly in both girls. Self-reported by Paulina, was that she walked around the age of ten months. Similarly, Jane walked at the age of ten months. Both were somewhat delayed in speech, enough so to be taken to doctors. In each case, the parents were told that the child would speak if the family stopped following the non-verbal directions from the child. Paulinas first words were eso, Spanish for that, and Ma. Janes first word was Ah-yah which was meant to be Alex, her brothers name. Paulina stood alone at the age of eight months (personal communication with subject), as did Jane (personal communication with subject). Punishment is something all parents must figure out. Hispanics tend to mollify children and be more lenient (Figueroa-Moseley, Ramey, Keltner Lanzi, 2006). Hispanic parents tend to try to calm their child rather than work towards developmental goals, which tend to be more valued in the United States. Neither girl was punished in the form of grounding, but both were warned with simple looks from their parents, such as glaring and both girls were yelled at as well. Corporal punishment was used for each girl as well. Paulina was smacked, and Jane was occasionally spanked. Jane would be sent to her room or made to sit in a chair as in a Time Out, however Paulina never experienced a Time Out and recollects that such a thing was not common in Colombia. Both girls were raised to speak their mind, and not wait to be spoken to, as long as what was said was respectful. Questions were welcomed by both families, but the girls were expected to know the time and place in which to ask questions. Each girl was also allowed to pick out her own clothes, which has been shown to be good for children, as children see it is important for them to make some of their own decisions, and identify with the choices (Ardila-Rey, Killen, 2001). Paulinas mother tried to teach her what matched, but eventually gave up trying when it, although Colombian mothers tend to worry about the outward appearance of their children (Carbonell et al, 2002). When asked what Jane would choose to wear, Janes mother replied, Anything that didnt match, although she, too, tried to teach her daughter matching. No major restrictions were set upon either girl, except to be respectful. Respect was emphasized in both situations. As respect was emphasized from child to adult, so was it shown from adult to child. Both children were kept informed of what was happening in the family. Children were expected to be a part of dinner conversation and were allowed to participate in the adults lives. Also, both children were given reasoning behind decisions and had things explained? because I said so was used only when the situation would be later explained, and the consequences of an action were described rather than a mere dont do it. Chores were a part of each girls life as well. Both were expected to do what was asked of them to help around the house dusting, vacuuming, clearing the table, etc. Jane was expected to help with dinner, which included getting food from the refrigerator, carrying things to the table, loading the dishwasher, setting the table, and occasionally stirring. Jane was given an allowance of approximately five dollars a week, but this was never in exchange for doing her chores. Paulina, too, was not paid for doing her chores. She states, I was part of the family and therefore I was expected to work in the house without any sort of reward (personal communication, April 10, 2007). Colombia tends to be a collective society that looks to the benefit of the group, rather than the individual (Pilgrim, Reuda-Riedle, 2002), which applies to this situation in that Paulina was expected to help keep the house in order, without ? payment because it was for the greater good of the family, being part of the group is an important aspects of a collective culture. Family relationships and interdependence? a common bond between family members, working together for the benefit of the family? tend to be much more emphasized in Hispanic cultures (Carbonell et al, 2002). A major part of any culture is food and dining, and children are a part of that. Children often lose some of their appetite between ages two and six, and because parents worry, bad food habits are put into place. Sugary foods are offered if a child finishes a meal, and many foods have vitamins and nutrients added. However iron, zinc, and calcium are seen to be deficient because juices and sodas are replacing milk, and cereals and processed foods replace fresh fruits and vegetables (Berger, 2006). It is also hard to maintain good eating habits during this age, because children often need meals to be just right. Children have very determined ideas for what should be eaten, how it should be eaten, and the entire situation surrounding the meal. Often times the food required is not healthy food, but rather sugary or similar to fast-food, like chicken nuggets or French fries. Paulina ate dinner together with her family every night, generally at eight oclock, as is customary in Colombia. Her mother did most of the cooking, and after dinner, either her mom would not clean up, or her mother would, but with the help of her daughters, while her father did other household things. On weekends, most meals were eaten together. Breakfast was generally around ten oclock in the morning and lunch was around three oclock in the afternoon. Very few times, her father would cook, although he cooks more now that they live in the United States. Food was as healthy and fresh as possible. Snacks were fresh fruits, and there were never packaged foods in the house. Jane would eat dinner with her family as well, often around seven oclock in the evening, when her father came home. She would eat breakfast and lunch with her brother until this was no longer possible because of school. Janes mother did most of the cooking, and the children were expected to help. Snacks were often dry cereal like Cheerios, apples, crackers, or cheese. Paulina started learning numbers and how to read and write at the age of four, when she went to preschool. The debate of how children should be taught to read can be broken into two sides; phonetics and whole language (Berger, 2006). Phonetics looks at each sound of each letter, while whole language, encouraged by Piaget, says that concentrating on the goal of fluency and communication is more important than individual words (Berger, 2006). Jane also attended a preschool at the age of four, but it was not as much structured, formal schooling. Both were taken to a part-day day-care or nursery school for the opportunity to socialize with other children. While at nursery school, Paulina was mostly made to play with toys. Jane attended a Co-op nursery school at a Unitarian Universalist church. In a Co-op nursery school parents take turns coming into the school to help supervise stations and participate in the nursery school experience. Stations were set up, such as a Reading Corner, Snacks, and a daily feature, such as tracing bodies on large sheets of paper or crafts. Co-op nursery schools are not typical in the United States, but Janes parents thought it was important to be involved with their children when possible and for their children to have the socialization experience. Both were read to everyday. Jane was read to a two to three times a day, for about fifteen minutes each time, but also had labels, signs, and anything printed read to her during everyday life. Jane was occasionally, but not often spoken to in Baby Talk, while Paulina was never spoken to in Baby Talk, as her parents thought speaking to her regularly would help her learn to understand. Both parents acknowledge that their children were not raised in a way that is typical to their individual cultures, and that is evident looking at the two girls in adolescence and early adulthood. Both girls realize that because their parents were stricter when they were young, that as the girls grew older; their parents didnt need to be as strict. Each girl knew what was expected of her and was therefore given more freedom as she matured. Many times this appeared to friends as though the girl could do what she pleased, although this was not the case. The girls knew the limits of what they could do without being told. Both sets of parents relied more on their trust in their daughter than blatantly telling her what she could or could not do. Obviously, there are some differences and some similarities between raising children in Colombia versus the United States. Developmentally, the children seem to be similar, and most of the parenting is more alike than different. References Ardila-Rey, A. Killen, M. (2001). Middle class Colombian childrens evaluations of personal, moral, and social-conventional interactions in the classroom. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 25 (3), 246-255 Berger, K. (2006). The Developing Person: Through Childhood and Adolescence (7th ed. ). New York: Worth Publishers. Figueroa, C. , Ramey, C. , Keltner, B. , Lanzi, R. (2006). Variations in Latino Parenting Practices and Their Effects on Child Cognitive Developmental Outcomes. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 28, 102-114. Pilgram, C. Rueda-Riedle, A. (2002). The importance of social context in cross-cultural comparisions: First graders in Colombia and the United States. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 163 (3), 283- 296. Posada, G. , Jacobs, A. , Richmond, M. , Carbonell, O. , Alzate, G. , Bustamante, M. , Quiceno, J. (2002). Maternal Caregiving and Infant Security in Two Cultures. Developmental Psychology, 38 (1), 67-78.

Talent Management At Standard Chartered Bank Display SHRM

Talent Management At Standard Chartered Bank Display SHRM By focusing heavily on its talent management program it can be clearly be seen that Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) is making the practice of SHRM as one of its key priorities. As can be seen from the article, the way SCB adopts its appraisal methodology is of a very strategic angle. By making it a global standard to conduct face-to-face performance appraisals every 6 months goes to show that SCB is reviewing its own performance management objectives to make sure that those objectives stay relevant and achievable, and that is a feature of SHRM. Being sensitive to different cultures by employing different appraisal methods also shows that SCB understands the importance of managers and staff identifying and dealing with real, actual problems in a way that is most familiar and effective to them. That is also another facet of SHRM as through such means, SCB is able to monitor its own competitiveness in the market. Through appraisals, SCB also classifies their employees into 5 categories ranging from high-potentials, to critical resources, then to core contributors, followed by underachievers and finally, underperformers. By doing so they are able to identify areas in which they are lacking and act upon it. Interestingly, as Geraldine Haley explains the classifications, it can be seen that SCB is already identifying the likely flow of talent in the bank and are taking actions to manage the flow. For example, when classifying certain employees as underperformers, Haley goes on to mention that this group of people do not fit the job requirements and they should be transferred to another role or be managed out. Clearly, whether the bank decides to place this group of employees in another role (which fits the idea of SHRM because by placing people where they perform best clearly benefits any company), or by managing them out (thereby reducing unnecessary manpower costs or replacement with a more pr oductive candidate), the intent behind both actions is clearly strategic in nature. The employee classification also allows the bank to understand the their potential and manpower mix which is critical because, the HR department would be able to plan in advance for staff mobility or develop different programs to help develop potential of their talents to another level. So far we are able to see that SCB does indeed view its employees as a strategic key asset in churning out profits for the bank. Yet another SHRM feature being displayed is the secrecy of employee classifications. As mentioned in the article, SCBs stance is that while they do not want certain employees to feel de-motivated and others to boast about their own performances, the whole point of the classification system is to inform managers that there might be actions required on their part to improve the situation. It is true that in SHRM, managers should not cause their staff to feel like they are being constantly monitored for poor performance because this will affect the staffs willingness to contribute towards the company. Again, either way, we see that the actions taken are closely linked to helping the organisation achieve its strategic corporate objectives. The classification system is also being used a guide for regional offices to strategically benchmark against one another to see where they stand. Ever since SCB has been experiencing a high staff turnover rate among newly recruited employees, a solution in the form of a global induction program named Right Start was implemented to curb this problem and they successfully brought down the rate of employees leaving by 5% (http://www.standardchartered.com/annual-report-07/en/business_review/people.html, 2008). SCB has also gone on to groom talents into leaders by means of providing coaching and self-help tools through various medias such as podcasts, videos and workshops. Another key concept is to allow talents to play to their strengths rather than on focusing on managing their weakness. As Hayley explains the strategic rationale on focusing on coaching talents with global roles in the bank, it is because a small 5% improvement from these top managers is enough to cause a huge positive impact on the banks earnings. Under the Best practice view in SHRM, there are 18 Key practices of which SCB can safely said to have achieved at least 50% or more: Realistic job previews; Use of psychometric tests for selection; Well-developed induction training; Provision of extensive training for experienced employees; Regular appraisal; Regular feedback on performance from many sources; Individual performance-related pay; Profit-related bonuses; Flexible job descriptions; Multi-skilling; Presence of work-improvement teams; Presence of problem solving groups; Information provided on firms business plan; Information provided on the firms performance targets; No compulsory redundancies; Avoidance of voluntary redundancies; Commitment to single status; Harmonised holiday entitlement (Source: University of Sunderland). It can be concluded that SCB is investing so much resources towards its human talent management program simply because it views it employees as human capital for the organisation and understands the wisdom in developing and managing its employees in close relation to the values and objectives of the company so that an effective workforce can be grown, and groomed to achieve the strategic objectives of the bank. Word count (865) 1.2 Comment on the relevance of this approach in the light of the recent banking crisis? Answer: The banking crisis of 2008 was largely due to the fall of banking giant, Lehman Brothers (LB). If LB had adopted SCBs view of employees as human capital in the organisation, it could have at least minimised the loss to a certain extent. For one, discussions between employers and staff would have been more open and problem issues could have been brought up and identified at an earlier stage. Inefficiencies in the organisation would have been uncovered if there were a global compilation of performance like in SCB, where CEOs were able to benchmark their performances against regional offices. In a way, having a certain amount of centralised control through talent management would also enable the monitoring of LB companies globally. It is interesting to note that when a German subsidiary of LB requested that top management in the USA forgo multi-million bonuses as a sign of taking responsibility for poor performance, the request was immediately struck off at the first instance. It seems that top management either did not know or did not bother to care what was going on in its other global offices. Therefore it is important for companies to have a solid leadership and to achieve that, organisations must start to take the first step in acknowledging its employees as key assets towards enabling the company to achieve it strategic goals and objectives. Thereafter that, the companys HR policies should be dawn to include short and long term strategies that are inline with the companys corporate objectives. Companies should also consider which view the company would adopt in relation to SHRM. For example, does the company suit the Best Practice view, Bes Fit view, Best Fit Integration view or Resource based approach? Each has its own strengths and weaknesses but the company has to decide which is the most compatible and allow the company to achieve its goals. Perhaps the culture of a company should also be set as culture can deeply affect a employees willingness to contribute positively to the company. Every organisation aims to communicate its own objectives and goals to its employees so a to align the values and attitudes of the employees towards commitment in performance for the company, and in this respect, having an appropriate culture will greatly enable the employee to settle comfortably into the company and be motivated to perform well. Retaining talent is crucial in a companys route of progress and much effort should be put into talent management where employees will feel like that are an important part of a company that cherishes their contributions and seeks to develop and groom them for further growth in their career. With SHRM as the key basic guiding principle, companys should therefore seek to create a pool of talent that will steer it in the right direction, both in good times and bad. Word Count (473) 1.3 Why is it important to measure the impact of SHRM? What might be included in a evaluation strategy to measure the impact of SHRM in an organization to achieve strategic integration? Answer: It is important to measure the impact of SHRM because, firstly, strategies that are formulated into HR policies are closely linked to the strategic objectives of its organisation. The reason why this is so is because the company understands that attitudes and performances of its employees makes a significant difference towards achieving organisational goals. Therefore when an organisation decides to employ the HR unit as a strategically, resources are being invested to make sure the HR unit contributes towards the attainment of those objectives. In measuring the impact of SHRM in a company, there are 18 Key practices of SHRM might be used to ascertain the degree of SHRM present in the company: Realistic job previews; Use of psychometric tests for selection; Well-developed induction training; Provision of extensive training for experienced employees; Regular appraisal; Regular feedback on performance from many sources; Individual performance-related pay; Profit-related bonuses; Flexible job descriptions; Multi-skilling; Presence of work-improvement teams; Presence of problem solving groups; Information provided on firms business plan; Information provided on the firms performance targets; No compulsory redundancies; Avoidance of voluntary redundancies; Commitment to single status; Harmonised holiday entitlement (Source: University of Sunderland). Other possible measurements could be in the form of appraisals where performance management objectives are being reviewed. Through the appraisals the organisation would be able to know how it is faring against the achievement of its own targets relative to the overall performance of the employees. Word count (287) Section B, Question 4 4. What are the main features of a Performance Management system? In what ways can organizations ensure that such systems fulfil strategically useful outcomes (30 marks) Answer: 4.1 Main Features of a PMS The main features of PMS are: PMS consists of business-led outcomes that may be assessed against definite business objectives; PMS is integrated with interlocking procedures and flows of information; There is a mix of quantitative and qualitative objectives; There is a focus on both system design and manner of implementation. Because PMS are sensitive to process and culture, it is hence flexible; PMS rely on a participative approach by mangers and staff alike, which can align with other organisational processes, for example, employee religions, communications and decision-making processes; Lastly PMS have a distinctive and adaptable quality of being people and systems-oriented (Source: University of Sunderland). There are 6 other features of PMS that links it to the overall business strategy of a company which might also guide organisations in ensuring strategic outcomes are met: Objective setting; Ongoing review of objectives; The development of personal improvement plans linked to training and development; Formal appraisal and feedback; Pay review; A competence-based organisational capability review (Source: University of Sunderland). 4.2 Ensuring PMS Fulfils Strategically Useful Outcomes The best way to ensure that PMS is able to fulfil strategically useful outcomes is for the organisation to be involved in the setting of performance objectives and thereafter measure those objectives. When setting clearly defined performance management objectives organisations can gear the scope and nature of the objectives to reflect the organisations own corporate goals. These performance objectives should also be linked closely to the individual employees as well as the organisations capability resources. When setting objectives, coverage should include competence and skill development, ability in meeting operational targets, and creating a suitable corporate culture. Objectives are generally defined into 3 categories: productivity and output related, job-related and person-related. For productivity and output related objectives, these are a measure of quantifiable output targets like: Cost reduction Achieving sales quota Meeting production volumes. For job related targets, these involve meeting the main objectives of the job laid down in its description according to the specified level of competence: Achieving main responsibilities and accountability. Meeting tasks as described in the job description. Meeting the obligations and service relationships to internal and external customers. For person related objectives, these affect the behavioural outcomes of the person performing his job, such as sharing knowledge an ideas with co-workers. Organisations recognise the importance of linking organisational culture with person-related objectives as it can help to bring about a positive change in the organisations culture. For instance, an organisation that wants to have a culture that is collaborative in nature will set objectives on employees and measure an employees research report on the number of references made to other employees work or the number contributions made by the employees colleagues in the report. This type of objective will change a person behaviourally so that he or she is able to meet the performance objectives. As organisations are beginning to shift away from individualistic performance objectives such financial goals and moving towards objectives which links the workforce to the corporate objectives or wider environment such as quality and effectiveness of business processes, other measurements are being introduced to maximise the potential and skill of the workforce through a commitment-oriented strategy. Thus, organisations have also realised that to engage the wider environment, they have to identify the relationship between the 3 key stakeholders an the organisation: Investors who require return on their investment through dividends; Customers who require quality and service for which they pay; And employees who require a healthy and rewarding working environment that provides job security (Source: University of Sunderland). Now that the inter-relationship has been identified, organisations are better able to communicate expected levels of competence from employees and will also be able to appropriately empower staff to deal with activities as a result of their integration. Lynch and Cross (1995), created a model that shows this relationship (see Figure 4.A). This model also identifies the broad measures and integration of objectives at each individual level. Figure 4.A shows The Performance Pyramid from Lynch RS and Cross (1995) (Source: University of Sunderland) 4.2.1 Appraisal Systems As the link between objectives and organisational resources are important, it must therefore be integrated with appraisal systems. Appraisals do the job of reviewing the performance management objectives, and it traditionally occurs annually between the manager and staff. However, as the need for objectives to stay relevant and achievable all the time, reviews of the objectives are beginning to occur more regularly. Hence it can be said that regular reviews also encourages the building of relationship and the occurrence of coaching through such regular discussions. In the design of appraisal schemes, there are 2 types of orientation schemes that emerge: the control orientation and the developmental orientation. In the control orientation approach, it is always assumed in a negative light that a senior entity in the organisation decides the goals, targets, objectives and rewards for the employees to achieve. This results in employees feeling insecure as they feel that they are being constantly monitored and may lead to a breakdown in commitment. Often, when adjustments are introduced to ease such worries, the appraisal scheme becomes ineffective as manager do not address real issues which may cause a loss in motivation or damage in relations between the manager and employee. Standardised controls are put in place so as to maintain consistency and equal treatment for all, however it sacrifices flexibility in the process. The level of impact is low on performance with the exception of a few existing high performers. Thus, this approach is effective when targets are clear and staff are used to it. The emphasis is not so much on enhancing performance through feedback and motivation but more on t he managements authority over the employees. In the case of the developmental approach, the manager is not in control whereas employees are the ones who take the initiative to address uncertainties in wanting to know how to improve themselves. Employees want to be helped and supported through problems and they learn through failures and success. The strengths in this approach include less resistance between the manger and staff, and being able to handle problems in an open way. Problems can also be dealt with on a more objective basis without souring relationships. Employees are also given high trust in their integrity. However, the weaknesses with this approach include less visible outcomes being produced and the manager has to take on a more consultative or counsellor role that they might not be able to perform well in. 4.2.2 Types of Appraisals There are a few types of appraisals which organisations may choose to adopt including the, self-appraisal, top-down appraisal, peer appraisal and multi-directional appraisal. Top-down appraisals are traditional and feedback is gathered from the staff while objectives come only from the top. The weaknesses of this type of appraisal are that too much emphasis is being placed on traditional organisational hierarchies. Favouritism might also be prevalent and employees might not have full knowledge in structures where managers posses a wide span of control. Self-appraisal methods are hardly used. It gives the employees more ownership and a much higher degree of participation in the appraisal scheme. Managers adopt a more supportive and advisory role where they engage in discussions with the staff on setting of objectives. In the upward appraisal model feedback is given from the bottom to top. Employees are often asked to provide such feedback anonymously. Organisations that use this method recognise the need to provide more effective working systems for employees to work more efficiently. In the peer appraisal model, members of the same team are being asked to appraise one another. There may be sensitivities involved when using this method as members might show favouritism to particular members or dislike towards certain members might be the reason for poor rating given. In contrast to the peer appraisal method, multi-directional appraisals sets up to obtain feedback from the outside of the team and it often also includes gathering feedback externally from customers. Its key strength is its being able to overcome the lack of knowledge from a single appraiser as it gathers feedback from many sources. However its biggest weakness lies in the lack of control over hostile ratings being given. Thus appraisals are also a tool to ensure that performance objectives meet strategically useful outcomes. Word count (1409) Section B, Question 5 5. Why are reward management systems critical to SHRM? How can organizations develop reward systems strategically? (30 marks) Answer: 5.1 Why Reward Management Systems are Critical to SHRM In strategic human resource management (SHRM), strategies that are being implemented into a companys human resource policies are closely connected with a companys main adopted strategy in order for it to aid in achieving company objectives. SHRM does so by means of recruiting, developing, maintaining and retaining an efficient, productive workforce. As employees make up a companys workforce, they should then be regarded as key assets in a company. Reward management systems are therefore critical to SHRM because they are used to reward and compensate employees in manners that impact employees positively for the company. For example, well-developed reward management systems uses rewards to motivate employees to grow and develop their potential, thereby increasing the quality of efforts contributed towards the company. Rewards and compensation systems are also critically used in aligning the culture, objectives and philosophies of the company with efforts of the employees, this allows employees to identify themselves as part of the company and thus strengthen their loyalty and commitment towards the company and its objectives (Sherman et al., 1998). In todays competitive environment where companies compete for talent and expertise, rewards play an important role in both the recruitment of talent and retention of long serving employees who have difficult-to-source tacit knowledge in their field of expertise. Having a flexible reward management system also means that a company is able harness other forms employment, for example, hiring of part-timers with relevant experience to temporarily fill in during short-term projects. 5.2 Developing a Reward System Strategically Rewards systems in companies practicing SHRM must obviously be strategic in nature. According to Lawler (1984), there are nine points to consider when making strategic decisions in developing reward systems in companies. The nine points are termed as follows: Base of rewards. Performance and Incentivisation scope for progression. Market position. Internal versus External comparison. Centralised versus de-centralised reward. Degree of pay hierarchy. Reward Mix. Process issues. Reward systems consequences/integration. 5.2.1 Base of Rewards Salaries can be based on 3 options: The type of job a person undertakes. The persons contribution in the job. The knowledge and skill level people possess within the job. The 1st option is to pay based on the growth and development an individual undertaking a job. This is typically done through internally comparing a particular job with other jobs within the company using a job evaluation which measures the tasks that the job is required to perform. External comparisons could be used, whereby companies compare the wages offered by other companies against their own. Job based rewards are typically found in larger organisations where job and pay equity is predominant; an example would be jobs in the public service sector where job grading is used. The 2nd option is to pay based on the individuals performance within his or her job and is commonly implemented in cases where the jobs are small in number or job scopes that are distinct and pay has to be individual. Performance based pay is used to balance job demands and contributions made in order to motivate the individual to enhance performance. The 3rd option is to pay based on the need to acquire new s kills and knowledge so as to enable organisations to meet the new market challenges. 5.2.2 Performance and Incentivisation scope for progression. This point considers the many types and ways of using incentives, whether as a part of an individuals salary or an additional portion. However, the main dilemma lies in reconciling strategic objectives with the use of suitable incentives to motivate and enhance employee performance and commitment to the company. Companies will have to decide the forms in which incentives will take and how it will be distributed as well as the positive and negative repercussions it might bring to the company or its employees. For example, substituting commission for a fixed bonus payout to sales employees might cause low-performers to be happy, while high-performers might become disgruntled they could have earned more on a commission scheme. 5.2.3 Market Position As labour markets are vulnerable to the economy, market trends and political influences, radical changes may happen anytime within the labour market. For example, if there is a labour shortage in certain industries, organisations would be forced to pay a higher wage to acquire the labour needed. As such, organisations are finding it difficult to sustain an internal sense of fairness that comes from a formal measurement of job equity within internal wage structures. Therefore, reward strategies need to be formulated to answer to such external uncertainties, and also be flexible (if it is not already so) enough to accommodate different wage schemes and levels when required. 5.2.4 Internal versus External comparison As reward systems are key to hiring, retaining and developing employees, it is important for a company to benchmark its reward policies against the external and internal environment. Hence, it is important for companies to understand the logic behind market rates of pay and benefit and to know where and how to collect data required to conduct pay and benefits surveys. These surveys are often conducted so that companies are able to rely on the information to make adjustments to current pay and benefit rates, thus staying competitive in their pay and benefit policies. Companies should also be able to present data in a meaningful manner so that proper analysis can take place. Job evaluaton (JE) is defined as a systematic procress by which relative worth of jobs are determined so as to establish which jobs will be paid more over others in the organisation (Sherman et al., 1998). The key features of JE are: A process which compares the relationships between jobs based on demand placed on employees. A process of judgement made by understanding of job descriptions and roles required to perform the job. A process of analysis after generating point factors from judgements, to enable job ranking. A process of structuring whereby job descriptions are formulated, problem solving, identifying key factors equivalent to job knowledge, and more. Score formulation also takes place to establish ranking, building wage structures and create job-grading systems. The important decisions to make in a JE are the selection of appropriate factors and their levels, as well as how value of factors will be expressed. 5.2.5 Centralised versus de-centralised reward Organisations often have to struggle to decide if reward systems should be managed in a centralised or de-centralised manner. Centralised controlling is tight and usually means a standardised rate of wage increment. This may cause employees to be less motivated and innovative in their contribution which becomes unhealthy for the company, this holds true for employees who belong to a business unit selling a varied number of products and services. In this case, it might be better having a de-centralised control of rewards system and empower managers with discretionary authority to reward employees accordingly, hence boosting morale. 5.2.6 Degree of Pay Hierarchy Pay hierarchies exists in organisations and reward systems are dependent on them to a large extent. Pay hierarchies show the distinct difference in power and often reflect career progression. However, organisations are gradually moving away from such distinct hierarchies in pay systems by formulating wage structures that encourages wage overlap and opportunities for increment. Graded wage structures are commonly used and though not all are exactly the same, they share common features such as: A salary grade allocated to a job based on an individuals contribution, the labour market and the degree of complexity present in a job. Salary bands or grade in which employees belong to and have to gain promotion in order to progress on to a higher salary band. Each band consists of at least minimum entry point, market or mid-point and a maximum point that employees can achieve. Salary bands are associated with each other; usually the maximum point of a starting salary band is the commencement of the next salary band. The degree of overlap will have to be determined by the organisation. As employees move up along the band, organisations will have to decide if employees move up to fixed points along the bands or should employees be allowed to skip certain points and progress at a faster rate instead. 5.2.7 Reward Mix Although pay is often identified to be the key ingredient in a reward mix, other benefits such as free annual health screening, pension schemes, certified-skill upgrades, use of company vehicles, etc, are just as useful in rewarding employees. When creating a reward mix, the challenge for companies is to identify the strategic reasons for having each benefit in the reward mix and their costs to the company. 5.2.8 Process Issues In the discussion of process issues, the 1st strategic issue to be considered is communication and transparency. As communicating pay objectives to employees clearly is important in achieving positive human resource results, the existing culture of companies usually decides how open the dialogs are. Traditional companies adopt a closed system and keep salary ranges unknown for purposes of pay review. Other companies with open systems often publicise the salary structure and criteria for which salary increment can occur. Open systems tend to instil confidence and fairness into employees as decision-making becomes more transparent and criteria are made known. The 2nd strategic issue concerns with employees degree of involvement in pay decisions. A company aiming to achieve a team-based operating culture and high employee involvement in all aspect of human resource management should consider allowing employees to be involved in determination of job salaries too. Companies adopting close -based systems usually applies HR policies onto its employees and ultimately, companies have to decide whether leveraging highly on employees trust and commitment or otherwise, is more suited to the companys culture. 5.2.9 Reward Systems consequences/integration As HR objectives change over time, so should reward objectives because rewards should be integrated into HR systems. And if the objectives are inline, then the integration between rewards and HR systems will serve well to make a positive impact on employees who in turn stays committed to churn out more positive contributions for the compan