Mental Health Self Reflection Assignment Essay

Introduction Although theoretical preparation clearly is important, there is no substitute for the learning that takes place during clinical experiences. Clinical experience is acknowledged as being the core of nursing education. As nursing student without previews experience in mental health, I was reflecting the same attitude held by general public that mentally ill patient are dangerous, prone to violence, unpredictable, and to some degree responsible for their illnesses. Also, at the beginning of the semester, I felt unprepared, anxious and stressed before starting mental health clinical but the positive relationships with clinical staff gave me confidence and increased my satisfaction with the clinical experience. However, I found that over the course of the clinical experience and through observation and active participation that I started feeling less anxious and more comfortable interacting with the patients in the facility. Narrative The few first clinical days, I was fearful to be around patients suffering mental illness such as anxiety disorder, mood disorder, psychotic disorder, personality disorder and so on. I felt that one of those patient may smack me or hit me , especially that on the first day of clinical one of the patient in the facility was right on the back of one the student sniffing on her hair. After time in the facility, I start feeling a little more comfortable around the patient. Then a different fear start, which is how to pick the right words in the right situation .for instance, a hallucinating patient start making a story from the picture of the celebrities on the magazines on the table of the lunch room, at that time I felt that my theoretical learning would not help me on how to communicate with this patient. So, my only option was to keep listening to him, show interest in his stories and give little to no feedback by nodding my head as I did understand the subject of the conversation. Furthermore, many times I felt that I had become very emotional and had empathy toward young girls’  patients especially those who got physically or sexually assaulted by close family member. For example, a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted by her grandfather and what worsen the situation that her mother knows but she didn’t do anything to help her. Also, another situation where a young female women in her early twenties had made many attempt to commit suicide.As a result of absent family support after her mother passed away when she was 15 years old, her father have another family in Japan and she was sexually abused by her own brother. As a woman and a mother of two girls, I felt that I cannot stand those kinds of situations where I had to be very careful, patient and cautious all at one time. However as nurse student, I was trying hard to separate between my feeling and clinical setting and to keep acting and responding to patient in an appropriate professional way. Clinical setting was a great learning experience for me as I got to see how mentally ill patient in the real world instead of a bunch of descriptive words in the psychology book. For example Miss P diagnosis was psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. I was very impressed to see this patient bizarre behaviors during a ten minutes team meeting in which the patient flip from showing a strong personality at the beginning, to an angry person in a few minutes later, to be an actor ,then laugh then cry then laugh again in such a short period of time. Moreover, I felt that the nurses and staff provided to me and other students a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere by answering our questions, allowing us to join staff meeting and group therapy and counseling. In my opinion, the stuff attitude toward student is an important component in creating a positive clinical experience. Literature review These negative and stigmatizing attitudes seem to be more prevalent at the begening of the nursing program with more positive attitudes reported by students in their final year of training (McCann et al., 2010, p. 34) these attitudes appear to have a significant influence on nursing students’ career choices. However, orientation to the clinical areas should not only familiarize students to the physical environment and policies and procedures relevant to the clinical setting, but also must acknowledge students’ anxiety and offer students strategies to address this. The lack of experience contributes to student stress in clinical practice and can lead  to nursing students being confused about their roles (Grav, Juul, & Hellzen, 2010). AS a result, students often demonstrate a lack of confidence and a sense of inadequacy with their role of therapeutic interaction. Therefore, clinical staff and nurse educators need to be effective in anticipating and alleviating clinical stress for students. It is important that educators encourage students to advocate the people they are working with, but to do this, students need support. Emotional support is identified as being an important component of the role of both the clinical mentor/preceptor and the academic lecturer/instructor (Koskinen et al.,2011). However, with appropriate support nursing students will grow in skills, knowledge and confidence throughout their clinical experience. Conclusion Through the clinical experience, I have learned something new about myself. I have learned basic counseling skills by listening to the patient, identifying potential problems, empathizing with him and providing basic care to prevent further problem. I didn’t know that with just a few simple words of encouragement and empathy, it could please and calm a mentally ill patient. Communication can make the patient, feel relaxed and cheerful. For example Miss H end up in the facility as a result of an attempt to commit suicide. In addition to medication, one to one therapy and group therapy helped Miss H to look at the reasons and causes which led her to find life meaningless and thinking of death as an escape. Finally, I have learned that supporting recovery requires a cultural awareness embedded in the vision of values and trust (NHS, Scotland, 2011). Therefore, this working relationship to recovery is a very valuable process which puts the responsibility on promoting personal and professional growth and understanding. To conclude, I hope to improve further in my psychosocial and counseling skills as I continue my journey in nursing. References References Koskinen, L., Mikkonen, I., & Jokinen, P. (2011). Learning from the world of mental health care: nursing students’ narratives. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, 18(7), 622-628. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2850.2011.01711.x NHS Scotland, (2010) An Evaluation of the Impact of the Dissemination of Educational Resources to Support Values-Based and Recovery-Focused Recovery Learning Materials. McCann, T., Clark, E., & Lu, S. (2010). Bachelor of Nursing students career choices: A three year longitudinal study. Nurse Education Today, 30(1), 31-36. Grav, S., Juul, E. M. L., & Hellzen, O. (2010). Undergraduate nursing student experiences of their mental health clinical placement. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research & Clinical Studies / Và ¥rd i Norden, 30(1), 4-8.

The Epic of Gilgamesh: Values, & Serpents vs. Bible

The True Value of Life Sometimes, in order for you to change, it takes losing something so dear to you. This is proven in one of the oldest stories ever written, â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh†. Although the main plot is focused on Gilgamesh losing is closest friend and going on a journey of immortality, by studying Gilgamesh’s idea of avoiding death, we can see throughout the story that death is inevitable, lack of humility is an issue, and the symbol of the serpent. Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, is a mighty king that built magnificent temple towers and high walls that surrounded the city.However, he came about these building projects by forced labor. The gods heard the people of Uruk’s pleas, so the gods created Enkidu, who is just as magnificent as Gilgamesh, to challenge him. The gods’ plan took a different turn when the two became best of friends. Gilgamesh’s happy adventurous life soon takes a tragic turn when Enkidu falls ill and dies. Gilgamesh now fears for his own life. Heartbroken, Gilgamesh sets out on a journey to find the key to eternal life. His journey leads him to Utnapishtim, who he and his family’s lives were spared by Ea, the god of wisdom, from the flood.As a result of this, Enlil, the god of earth, rewards Utnapishtim with eternal life. Gilgamesh assumes Utnapishtim can grant him eternal life as well, so he puts him to a test. Gilgamesh has to stay awake for a week; this is a trick because immortals don’t ever sleep. Gilgamesh immediately fails. As a second chance Utnapishtim gives him a plant of youth. On his journey back home a snake steals the plant while Gilgamesh is in the pond. Gilgamesh returns to Uruk empty handed; however, he returns as a different man. The greatest lesson Gilgamesh learns is that death is inescapable.Siduri, the goddess of wine disguised as the tavern keeper, warns him of seeking immortality. â€Å"As for you, Gilgamesh, let your belly be full, make merry day and nigh t. Of each day make a feast of rejoicing. Day and night dance and play! Let your garments be sparkling fresh, your head be washed; bathe in water. Pay heed to a little one that holds on to your hand, let a spouse delight in your bosom† (Tablet X). This is her telling him it would be pointless and to just enjoy what he has in his life now. It was Enkidu’s fate to die as a consequence after him and Gilgamesh killed the Bull of Heaven.Gilgamesh realizes in the end that it is also man’s fate to die, as it is for humankind to live on. Death is inevitable and immortality is promised only to the gods. Life must be treasured. Life isn’t worth living if you don’t take what is has to offer, for death will come faster than you know. Gilgamesh may have started his quest as two-thirds god and one-third man, but he returned as a man, realizing his own inevitable mortality. From being two-thirds god and one-third man, Gilgamesh is destined for perfection. He is bl essed with the luxurious life and all the riches he could possibly want.Unfortunately his greatest flaw is his arrogance and lack of humility. Gilgamesh was created by the gods to be perfect in every way. However, the gods couldn’t prepare him for life, its challenges, and how to be a true king. Gilgamesh lived like a god amongst his people and was hated for it because he didn’t care about anyone but himself. The gods didn’t know what to do with Gilgamesh’s life so they sent Enkidu which gave him true friendship. Gilgamesh started in the story as a cruel king that used forced labor to build his kingdom and would rape women.He would do whatever he wanted to do and get who and whatever he wanted. He was loathed by his people. The first transition to his change was Enkidu. They both became heroes. When his journey ends he returns to his kingdom as a new selfless man who thinks no more than do right by his people. Serpents play similar but at the same time di fferent roles in Gilgamesh and the Bible. In the story of Gilgamesh the serpent changes Gilgamesh’s perception of life. After his long quest he is given an herb that restores his youth. He hasn’t yet used it when a snake steals it.Though the snake robs Gilgamesh of his chance to enjoy youth again, it restores Gilgamesh’s sanity. The snake is a benefit. Gilgamesh now carries back the gift of wisdom. He now focuses on what is in front of him and doesn’t take life for granted. In the Bible, the serpent is a source of evil that brought life-long punishment to humankind. The serpent tempts Adam and Eve to disobeying God into taking what rightfully belongs to God – knowledge. As punishment, God exiles Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and brands them as sinners.The serpent stole their innocence, so in a way the serpent brought both death and knowledge into the world. As descendent of Adam and Eve we also hold the name as a sinner. â€Å"This is the w all of Uruk, which no city on earth can equal. See how its ramparts gleam like copper in the sun. Climb the stone staircase, more ancient than the mind can imagine a temple that no king has equaled in size or beauty, walk on the wall of Uruk, follow its course around the city, inspect its mighty foundations examine its brickwork, how masterfully it is built, observe the land it encloses† (Book XI).Shortly before Gilgamesh’s eyes truly opened he was in despair because he lost his opportunity of immortality when he lost the plant of youth. In the end as he looked upon his kingdom he established wisdom. He realized that death cannot be avoided, and he became a humble king. If it wasn’t for the serpent he would still be the arrogant king he was and he wouldn’t have gain this knowledge. If the serpent didn’t bring along the idea of eating off the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve would still be in the Garden of Eden and wouldn’t have the knowledge o f the world.

Foundations of Organizational Structure Essay

TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 1 General Introduction 1. Ice-breaking session. 2. Self-introduction by tutor and students. 3. Briefing on course requirements. 4. Tutorial expectations and participation. 5. Briefing on Group Report & Oral Presentation (requirements and expectations). 6. Team formation for Group Report. (4 members per group) 7. Tutor assigns question and time for oral presentation & group report ** Oral presentation and group report submission will starts from Week 3 to 5** **Important note** Students are required to sit for one (1) online test on Week 3. Please make sure that you are registered under this course and be able to access to CEL to take the test. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 2 Topic 1 : Foundations of Organizational Structure Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) The ________ refers to the number of subordinates that a manager directs. A) span of control B) unity of command C) chain of command D) decentralization principle E) leadership web 2) A task that is subdivided into many separate jobs is considered to have ________. A) a high degree of departmentalization B) a low degree of decentralization C) a high degree of work specialization D) a low degree of structure E) a high degree of matrix structuring 3) Aeronautics Inc., a parts supplier, has departments for government aircraft and contracts, large commercial aircraft clients, and small personal aircraft clients. This is an example of ________ departmentalization. A) product B) function C) geography D) customer E) service 4) Stalsberry Company has employees in personnel, sales, and accounting. This division of an organization into groups according to work functions is an example of ________, the second element of structural organization. A) social clustering B) bureaucracy C) specialization D) centralization E) departmentalization 5) The unbroken line of authority that extends from the top of the organization to the lowest echelon and clarifies who reports to whom is termed ________. A) chain of command B) authority C) span of control. D) unity of command E) web of authority 6) Which one of the following is consistent with a simple structure? A) high centralization B) high horizontal differentiation C) high employee discretion D) standardization E) bureaucracy 7) Which of the following is a drawback of a narrow span of control? It ________. A) reduces effectiveness B) is more efficient C) encourages overly tight supervision and discourages employee autonomy D) empowers employees E) increases participatory decision-making 8) In an organization that has high centralization, ________. A) the corporate headquarters is located centrally to branch offices B) all top level officials are located within the same geographic area C) action can be taken more quickly to solve problems D) new employees have a great deal of legitimate authority E) top managers make all the decisions and lower level managers merely carry out directions TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 3 Topic 2 : Organizational Culture Part A: Discussion Question 1) Explain the primary methods of maintaining an organization’s culture. Once a culture is in place, there are practices within the organization that act to maintain it by giving employees a set of similar experiences. Three forces play a particularly important part in sustaining a culture: selection practices, the actions of top management, and socialization methods. a) First, the explicit goal of the selection process is to identify and hire individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the  jobs within the organization successfully. It would be naive to ignore that the final decision as to who is hired will be significantly influenced by the decision maker’s judgment of how well the candidates will fit into the organization. This attempt to ensure a proper match, whether purposely or inadvertently, results in the hiring of people who have values essentially consistent with those of the organization, or at least a good portion of those values. In addition, the selection process provides information to applicants about the organization.   Candidates learn about the organization and, if they perceive a conflict between their values and those of the organization, they can self-select themselves out of the applicant pool. b) In addition to selection, the actions of top management also have a major impact on the organization’s culture. Through what they say and how they behave, senior executives establish norms that filter down through the organization as to whether risk taking is desirable; how much freedom managers should give their employees; what is appropriate dress; what actions will pay off in terms of pay raises, promotions, and other rewards; and the like. c) Finally, no matter how good a job the organization does in recruiting and selection, new employees are not fully indoctrinated in the organization’s culture. Because they are unfamiliar with the organization’s culture, new employees are potentially likely to disturb the beliefs and customs that are in place. The organization will, therefore, want to help new employees adapt to its culture. This adaptation process is called socialization. This is when the organization seeks to mold the outsider into an employee â€Å"in good standing.† Employees who fail to learn the essential or pivotal role behaviors risk being labeled â€Å"nonconformists† or â€Å"rebels,† which often leads to expulsion. But the organization will be socializing every employee, though maybe not as explicitly, throughout his or her entire career in the organization. This further contributes to sustaining the culture. 2) Explain how an institutionalized culture can be a barrier to diversity. Describe how an organization could utilize the three forces at play in sustaining a culture to help create a diverse workforce. By limiting the range of acceptable values and styles, strong cultures put considerable pressure on employees to conform. In some instances, a strong culture that condones prejudice can even undermine formal corporate diversity policies. Strong cultures can also be liabilities when they support institutional bias or become insensitive to people who are different. Hiring new employees who differ from the majority in race, age, gender, disability, or other characteristics creates a paradox: management wants to demonstrate support for the differences these employees bring to the workplace, but newcomers who wish to fit in must accept the organization’s core cultural values. Because diverse behaviors and unique strengths are likely to diminish as people attempt to assimilate, strong cultures can become liabilities when they effectively eliminate these advantages. The explicit goal of the selection process is to identify and hire individuals with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully. Taking diversity into consideration at this phase does not have to be antagonistic to the culture. The final decision, because it’s significantly influenced by the decision maker’s judgment of how well the candidates will fit into the organization, identifies people whose values are essentially consistent with at least a good portion of the organization’s. Looking beyond surface level differences at the selection phase will help create a diverse workforce. Through words and behavior, senior executives establish norms that filter through the organization about, for instance, whether risk taking is desirable, how much freedom managers should give employees, what is appropriate dress, and what actions pay off in terms of pay raises, promotions, and other rewards. Management actions should be inclusive and non-prejudicial to create a diverse and functional culture. During the metamorphosis stage of socialization management should use institutional practices to encourage person–organization fit and high levels of commitment. 3) What are the three stages of socialization through which employees become indoctrinated into an organization’s culture? The three stages of socialization are prearrival, encounter, and metamorphosis. a) The prearrival stage recognizes that each individual arrives with a set of values, attitudes, and expectations. These cover both the work to be done and the organization. b) Upon entry into the organization, the new member enters the encounter stage. Here the individual confronts the possible dichotomy between her expectations and reality. c) Finally, the new member must work out any problems discovered during the encounter stage. This may mean going through changes – hence, this is called the metamorphosis stage. 4) Discuss the difference between strong and weak organizational cultures and discuss the effect that a strong culture can have on an acquisition or merger. Strong cultures have a greater impact on employee behavior and are more directly related to reduced turnover. In a strong culture, the organization’s core values are both intensely held and widely shared. The more members who accept the core values and the greater their commitment to those values is, the stronger the culture is. A strong culture will have a great influence on the behavior of its members because the high degree of sharedness and intensity creates an internal climate of high behavioral control. One specific result of a strong culture should be lower employee turnover. A strong culture demonstrates high agreement among members about what the organization stands for. Such unanimity of purpose builds cohesiveness, loyalty, and organizational commitment. These qualities, in turn, lessen employees’ propensity to leave the organization. In recent years, cultural compatibility has become the primary concern. All things being equal, whether the acquisition actually works seems to have more to do with how well the two organizations’ cultures match up. The primary cause of failure is conflicting organizational cultures, when people simply don’t match up. Therefore, when considering an acquisition or merger, management would need to carefully evaluate the cultures of each organization. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 4 Topic 3: Foundations of Group Behavior & Understanding Work Teams Part A: Discussion Question 1) List and briefly describe the stages in the five-stage model of group  development. The five-stage group development model characterizes groups as proceeding through five distinct stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. a) Forming is characterized by a great deal of uncertainty about the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership. Members are testing the waters to determine what types of behavior are acceptable. b) In the storming stage, members accept the existence of the group, but there is resistance to the constraints that the group imposes on individuality. There is conflict over who will control the group. c) The third stage is one in which close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness. There is now a strong sense of group identify and camaraderie. This norming stage is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations of what defines correct member behavior. d) The fourth stage is performing. The structure at this point is fully functional and accepted. Group energy has moved from getting to know and understand each other to performing the task at hand. e) In the adjourning stage, the group prepares for its disbandment. High task performance is no longer the group’s top priority. Instead, attention is directed toward wrapping up activities. 2) Design the most effective team to figure out ways to reduce the number of preparation hours for shipping products overseas for your company. Choose the type of team from one of the four principal team types. Describe your team’s context, composition, and process parameters. Answers will vary. A problem-solving team is probably the best type of team for this task. In a problem-solving team members share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods can be improved. The problem-solving team will offer ideas to management. Together they discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment. The team will need information on what products are being shipped and how  long each of them takes, as well as details on the current procedures. Adequate information is essential. A firm goal of reducing the hours spent must be established by a leader. The group should be comprised of workers and management with expertise in the shipping department procedures. The team should have five members, three management and two people from shipping and packaging. The process parameters should be clearly outlined, with goals of exactly how much time needs to be shaved off of packaging processes. 3) Explain the difference between groupthink and group shift. Give an example to support your answer. Groupthink is related to norms. It describes situations in which group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority, or unpopular views. Groupthink is a disease that attacks many groups and can dramatically hinder their performance. Group shift indicates that in discussing a given set of alternatives and arriving at a solution, group members tend to exaggerate the initial positions that they hold. In some situations, caution dominates, and there is a conservative shift. More often, however, the evidence indicates that groups tend toward a risky shift. Students answers may vary. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 5 Topic 4: Motivation Concepts Part A: Discussion Questions 1) Compare and contrast a manager that implements Theory Y and one that adheres to the expectancy theory. How would each choose to motivate their employees? Theory Y managers assume that employees can view work as being as natural as rest or play, and therefore the average person can learn to accept, even seek, responsibility. Theory Y assumes that higher-order needs dominate individuals. Theory Y managers would contend that ideas such as participative decision making, responsible and challenging jobs, and good group relations are approaches that would maximize an employee’s job  motivation. A Theory Y manager believes that the employee is inherently motivated as long as the conditions respect his intellect and character. A Theory Y manager would work hard to include the employee in decision making concerning his job, to satisfy work environment preferences, and to make sure the work is stimulating. Expectancy theory proposes that employees will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when they believe it will lead to a good performance appraisal; that a good appraisal will lead to organizational rewards such as bonuses, salary increases, or promotions; and that the rewards will satisfy the employees’ personal goals. An expectancy theory manager would focus much more on the reward expectations of the employee, versus the psychologic expectations. It would be important for the manager to understand the personal goals that the employee strives to achieve so that he can be appropriately rewarded and praised. 2) Describe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs including the types of needs and how they become dominant. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs hypothesized that within every human being there exists a hierarchy of five needs. a) The physiological needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs. b) Safety includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm. c) Social includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship. d) Esteem includes internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement; and external esteem factors such as status, recognition, and attention. e) Self-actualization is the drive to become what one is capable of becoming; includes growth, achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment. As each of these needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next need becomes dominant. So if you want to motivate someone, according to Maslow, you need to understand what level of the hierarchy that person is currently on and focus on satisfying those needs at or above that level 3) According to Two-Factor Theory, how might a manager motivate employees? According to Herzberg, the factors leading to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that lead to job dissatisfaction. Therefore, managers who seek to eliminate factors that can create job dissatisfaction may bring about peace but not necessarily result in motivation. Conditions surrounding the job such as quality of supervision, pay, company policies, physical working conditions, relations with others, and job security were characterized by Herzberg as hygiene factors. When they are adequate, people will not be dissatisfied; neither will they be satisfied. If we want to motivate people on their jobs, Herzberg suggested emphasizing factors associated with the work itself or to outcomes directly derived from it, such as promotional opportunities, opportunities for personal growth, recognition, responsibility, and achievement. These are the characteristics that people find intrinsically rewarding. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 6 Topic 5: Motivation: From Concepts to Applications Part A: Discussion Questions 1) List and describe THREE (3) different variable-pay programs. Be sure to include piece-rate plans, profit-sharing plans, and gainsharing. a) Piece-rate plans. In piece-rate pay plans, workers are paid a fixed sum for each unit of production completed. When an employee gets no base salary and is paid only for what he or she produces, this is a pure piece-rate plan. b) Merit-based pay. Merit-based pay plans also pay for individual performance. However, unlike piece-rate plans, which pay based on objective output, merit-based pay plans are based on performance appraisal ratings. c) Profit-sharing. Profit-sharing plans are organization-wide programs that distribute compensation based on some established formula designed around a company’s profitably. d) Bonuses. Bonuses can be paid exclusively to executives or to all employees. Many companies now routinely reward production employees with bonuses in the thousands of dollars when company profits improve. e) Skill-Based Pay. Skill-based pay (also called competency-based or knowledge-based pay) sets pay levels on the basis of how many skills employees have or how many jobs they can do. f) ESOPs. Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are company-established benefit plans in which employees acquire stock, often at below-market prices, as part of their benefits. g) Gainsharing. Gainsharing is a formula-based group incentive plan. Improvements in group productivity determine the total amount of money that is to be allocated. By focusing on productivity gains rather than profits, gainsharing rewards specific behaviors that are less influenced by external factors. Employees in a gainsharing plan can receive incentive awards even when the organization isn’t profitable. 2) Compare and contrast the benefits of intrinsic rewards such as recognition and extrinsic rewards such as pay as forms of motivation. Organizations are increasingly recognizing that both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are important. Rewards are intrinsic in the form of employee recognition programs and extrinsic in the form of compensation systems. Intrinsic rewards range from a spontaneous and private thank-you to widely publicized formal programs in which specific types of behavior are encouraged and the procedures for attaining recognition are clearly identified. Pay, an extrinsic reward, is not the primary factor driving job satisfaction, however, it does motivate people, and companies often underestimate its importance in keeping top talent. No matter how much recognition a top performer gets, he will be tempted to leave if the pay scale is much lower than the market and another offer arrives. Recent survey data indicate most employees don’t see a strong connection between pay and performance. Variable pay structures, such as bonuses are often the best production motivators. When pay is tied to performance, the employee’s earnings also recognize contribution rather  than being a form of entitlement. Over time, low performers’ pay stagnates, while high performers enjoy pay increases commensurate with their contributions. An obvious advantage of intrinsic rewards like recognition programs is that they are inexpensive since praise is free. However, they are highly susceptible to political manipulation by management. When applied to jobs for which performance factors are relatively objective, such as sales, recognition programs are likely to be perceived by employees as fair. However, in most jobs, the criteria for good performance aren’t self evident, which allows managers to manipulate the system and recognize their favorites. Abuse can undermine the value of recognition programs and demoralize employees. Research suggests financial incentives may be more motivating in the short term, but in the long run intrinsic incentives will retain good employees if the extrinsic incentives are competitive. 3) What is employee involvement and why is it important. Give two examples. Employee involvement is defined as a participative process that uses the entire capacity of employees and is designed to encourage increased commitment to the organization’s success. The underlying logic is that by involving workers in those decisions that affect them and by increasing their autonomy and control over their work lives, employees will become more motivated, more committed to the organization, more productive, and more satisfied with their jobs. Examples of employee involvement include a) Participative management. Participative management programs use joint decision making. Subordinates actually share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors. b) Representative participation. Representative participation refers to worker representation by a small group of employees who actually participate on the board. The goal is to redistribute power within an organization, putting labor on a more equal footing with the interests of management and stockholders. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 7 Topic 6: What do Managers Do & Leadership Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Which of the following is most likely to be a belief held by a successful manager? A) Technical knowledge is all that is needed for success. B) It is not essential to have sound interpersonal skills. C) Technical skills are necessary, but insufficient alone for success. D) Effectiveness is not impacted by human behavior. E) Technical skills do not influence efficiency. 2) Which of a manager’s primary functions requires the manager to define an organization’s goals, establish an overall strategy for achieving these goals and develop a comprehensive hierarchy of plans to integrate and coordinate activities? A) controlling B) planning C) staffing D) coordinating E) leading 3) As a manager, one of Joe’s duties is to present awards to outstanding employees within his department. Which Mintzberg managerial role is Joe acting in when he does this? A) leadership role B) liaison role C) monitor role D) figurehead role E) spokesperson role 4) Jill is valued by her colleagues for her ability to perform effective break-even analysis on upcoming ventures. In this case, her colleagues value her for competencies that fall within which essential management skills categories? A) technical B) communication C) human D) conceptual E) education 5) Leadership is best defined as ________. A) the ability to influence a group in goal achievement B) keeping order and consistency in the midst of change C) implementing the vision and strategy provided by management D) coordinating and staffing the organization and handling day-to-day problems E) not a relevant variable in modern organizations 6) The two dimensions of leadership behavior identified in the University of Michigan studies are ________. A) coercion and motivation B) emotional and rational C) employee-oriented and production-oriented D) initiating structure and consideration E) initiation and completion Part B: Discussion Questions 1) Describe the three essential management skills that differentiate effective managers from ineffective ones. Provide a workplace example of how these skills could be used when dealing with the challenge of a workplace recession. The three essential management skills identified by researchers are technical, human, and conceptual. Technical skills are defined by the ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. Human skills are defined by the ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people. Finally, conceptual skills are defined by the ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations. In a time of recession human skills are essential to motivate fearful employees and to create a positive work environment. They would also be necessary in the event of workplace staff reduction. Technical skills could be applied in the area of expertise to raise production and, combined with conceptual skills, can be used to look for small market niches and ways to analyze the industry to continue to make a profit until times are better. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 8 Topic 7: Leadership Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Hersey and Blanchard developed which of the following? A) situational leadership theory B) cognitive resource theory C) managerial grid model D) path-goal theory E) cognitive orientation model 2) Hersey and Blanchard’s leadership theory differs from other leadership theories primarily because it ________. A) explores the role of the expectations of the leader for the follower B) focuses on the followers C) holds that leadership style should be dependent on the situation D) is normative E) deals strictly and exclusively with contingencies 3) What is the main principle of path-goal theory? A) Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style. B) Stress is a form of situational unfavorableness and a leader’s reaction to it depends on his or her intelligence and experience. C) Effective group performance depends on the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader. D) Leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers because of time pressures. E) The leader is responsible for providing followers with the information, support, or other resources necessary for them to do their jobs. 4) Which of the following is not a key characteristic of a charismatic leader? A) sensitivity to follower needs B) unconventional behavior C) vision and articulation D) task orientation E) willingness to take risks 5) Researchers are conducting a study of a company called Acme Corp, which they believe to be led by a transformational leader. Which of the following, if true, would most support the conclusion that Acme’s leader is a transformational leader? A) Acme’s top managers often conflict over defining the organization’s goals. B) Acme’s goals tend to be very ambitious and to hold personal value for employees. C) Creativity is discouraged among Acme employees. D) Acme managers are cautious and rarely take risks. E) Acme’s compensation plans are designed to reward short-term results. 6) Leaders who clarify role and task requirements to accomplish established goals exhibit a _________ style of leadership. A) transformational B) transactional C) charismatic D) self-initiating E) situational 7) Richard is a transactional leader who has just assigned a series of tasks to a project team. Which of the following is most likely to be true about the team’s performance under Richard’s guidance? A) They will set new standards of productivity for the department, exceeding Richard’s expectations. B) They will meet the goals set for them but are unlikely to go beyond those goals. C) They will tend to be unclear about the roles assigned to each team member. D) They will be highly motivated by what they view as Richard’s heroic or extraordinary qualities. E) They will tend to put their individual self-interest above the interests of the company. Part B: Discussion Questions 1)Compare and contrast Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory with House’s path-goal theory. Hersey and Blanchard’s situation leadership theory is a contingency theory  that focuses on the followers. Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which Hersey and Blanchard argue is contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness. The emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leaders. The term readiness refers to the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. SLT says if a follower is unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give clear and specific directions; if followers are unable and willing, the leader needs to display high task orientation to compensate for the followers’ lack of ability and high relationship orientation to get the follower to â€Å"buy into† the leader’s desires; if followers are able and unwilling, the leader needs to use a supportive and partic ipative style; and if the employee is both able and willing, the leader doesn’t need to do much. Path-goal theory was developed by Robert House. The essence of the theory is that it’s the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization. The term path-goal is derived from the belief that effective leaders clarify the path to help their followers get from where they are to the  achievement of their work goals and make the journey along the path easier by reducing roadblocks. House identified four leadership behaviors. The directive leader lets followers know what is expected of them, schedules work to be done, and gives specific guidance as to how to accomplish tasks. The supportive leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers. The participative leader consults with followers and uses their suggestions before making a decision. The achievement-oriented leader sets challenging goals and expects followers to perform at their highest level. House assumes that leaders are flexible and that the same leader can display any or all of these behaviors depending on the situation. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 9 Topic 8: Communication Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Communication serves all of the following functions within a group or organization except ________. A) motivation B) planning C) emotional expression D) control E) conveying information 2) Alejandro is annoyed that the new recruit, Ben, is working faster than anyone else in the group, making the rest of the group look bad. In the company cafeteria Alejandro teases Ben and calls him the ‘super recruit’ and imitates his style of working so rapidly. Alejandro wants to intimidate Ben so that he will work slower. Which function of communication is Alejandro using by making fun of Ben? A) motivation B) control C) expression D) information E) formal 3) Helena and Laura were talking on the phone. Laura’s two year old son fell and started crying and Laura could no longer hear what Helena said. This is an example of ________. A) transmitting B) decoding C) noise D) understanding E) analysis 4) The communication used by managers to provide job instructions is ________ communication. A) downward B) lateral C) formal D) directional E) diagonal Part B: Discussion Questions 1)Describe the communication process. Include the communication process model and explain the eight parts of this model. Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed. It passes between a sender and a receiver. The message is encoded (converted to a symbolic form) and passed by way of some medium (channel) to the receiver, who retranslates (decodes) the message initiated by the sender. The result is a transfer of meaning from one person to another. The key parts of the communication process are 1) the sender 2) encoding 3) the message 4) the channel 5) decoding 6) the receiver 7) noise 8) feedback The source initiates a message by encoding a thought. The message is the actual physical product from the source encoding. The channel is the medium through which the message travels. The receiver is the object to whom the message is directed. The symbols must be translated into a form that can be understood by the receiver. This is the decoding. Noise represents communication barriers that distort the clarity of the message. The final link is a feedback loop. 2) Explain how the grapevine functions and why it exists in organizational communication. Describe the general direction of communication and the form of communication most commonly used in the grapevine. What can a manager do to limit the negative effects of the grapevine? The informal communication system is the grapevine. While it is informal it is still an important source of information. A survey found that 75 percent of employees hear about matters first through rumors on the grapevine. The grapevine has three main characteristics. First, it is not controlled by management. Second, most employees perceive it as more believable and reliable than formal communiquà ©s issued by top management. Finally, it is largely used to serve the interests of the people within it. Rumors emerge as a response to situations that are important to us, when there is ambiguity, and under conditions that arouse anxiety. The fact that work situations frequently contain these three elements explains why rumors flourish in organizations. The secrecy and competition that typically prevail in large organizations, encourage and sustain rumors on the grapevine. A rumor will persist either until the wants and expectations creating the uncertainty are fulfilled or the anxiety has been reduced. The grapevine generally follows lateral communication in which persons from the same hierarchical levels begin to relay messages. Very rarely does management participate in the grapevine. In fact, one study reported that management only relayed messages to the grapevine ten percent of the time. Generally oral communication is used to relay grapevine information, although written e-mail can be used as well, but is considered less safe for accountability reasons. Managers can not entirely eliminate rumors. What they should do is minimize the negative consequences of rumors by limiting their range and impact. The best way to reduce the negative consequences of rumors is to: 1) Provide information; 2) Explain actions and decisions that may appear inconsistent, unfair, or secretive; 3) Refrain from shooting the messenger; and 4) Maintain open communication channels. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 10 Topic 9: Conflict Management Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) The traditional view of conflict is the belief that conflict is ________. A) harmful B) natural C) necessary D) situationally-dependent E) neutral 2) Which of the following is not a cause of conflict, according to the traditionalist view? A) general poor communication between people B) lack of openness in the organization C) trust between people in the organization D) management failure to be responsive to employee needs E) management failure to be responsive to employee aspirations 3) The ________ view of conflict argues that conflict is necessary for a group to perform effectively. A) human relations B) interactionist C) traditional D) functional E) reactive 4) ________ conflicts are almost always dysfunctional. A) Task B) Job C) Relationship D) Process E) Functional 5) The first stage of the conflict process is termed ________. A) cognition and personalization B) behavioral manifestation C) potential opposition or incompatibility D) intention E) habituation 6) High job specialization can lead to ________ conflict. A) communication B) structural C) personal-variable D) job-related E) team 7) In which stage are conflict issues defined? A) potential opposition B) cognition and personalization C) intuitions D) behavior E) reaction and transference 8) The conflict-handling intention of collaborating is ________. A) assertive and uncooperative B) assertive and cooperative C) unassertive and uncooperative D) unassertive and cooperative E) affective and reflective 9) Angelina feels that her cubicle neighbor talks too loudly on the phone, but in other ways she is a great neighbor. Angelina gets annoyed every time her neighbor’s phone rings, but she has decided it’s simply not worth the trouble to talk to her neighbor. Angelina’s conflict intention is called ________. A) competing B) avoiding C) accommodating D) compromising E) collaborating 10) Which of the following is not a conflict-resolution technique? A) creating superordinate goals B) appointing a devil’s advocate C) avoiding the conflict D) exercising authoritative command E) generating additional resources 11) Stage II of the conflict process deals with conflict being ________. A) perceived and felt B) apparent and experienced C) expressed and perceived D) overt and covert E) internalized 12) Irma does not like a few of the standard operating procedures adapted for the new project. However, she discussed the items with the team and told them that she realized she was in the minority and that she would adapt the new procedures to maintain smooth operations within the team. This type of intention is called ________. A) sacrificing B) accommodating C) collaborating D) compromising E) competing TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 11 Topic 10: Power and Politics Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Power can be defined as ________. A) the ability to influence the behavior of others B) the actualization of the dependency of others C) congruence between the goals of the leader and those being led D) downward influence on one’s followers E) upward influence on one’s leaders 2) One reacts to ________ power out of fear of the negative ramifications that might result if one fails to comply. A) legitimate B) coercive C) punitive D) referent E) abusive 3) The power that the College Dean has been granted by the University over the faculty is termed ________ power. A) academic B) positional C) legitimate D) organizational E) balanced 4) Power tactics can be defined as ________. A) the only legitimate sources of power B) techniques for translating power bases into specific action C) strategies for gathering and maintain support D) organizational structural characteristics E) approaches for winning arguments 5) Vivian has not been handling one portion of her duties in a satisfactory manner. As a result, her manager threatens to withhold her promotion. Which power tactic is being used? A) exchange B) ingratiation C) pressure D) personal appeals E) inspirational appeals Part B: Discussion Questions 1) Contrast leadership and power. Power does not require goal compatibility, merely dependence. Leadership, on the other hand, requires some congruence between the goals of the leader and those being led. A second difference relates to the direction of influence. Leadership focuses on the downward influence on one’s followers. It minimizes the importance of lateral and upward influence patterns. Power does not. Still another difference deals with research emphasis. Leadership research, for the most part, emphasizes style. It seeks answers to such questions as: How supportive should a leader be? How much decision making should be shared with followers? The research on power encompasses a broader area and focus on tactics for gaining compliance. Power can be used by groups as well as by individuals to control other individuals or groups. 2) List and discuss the bases of personal power. Personal power comes from an individual’s unique characteristics. Two bases of personal power are expertise, the respect and admiration of others. a) Expert power is influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge. Expertise has become one of the most powerful sources of influence as the world has become more technologically oriented. b) Referent power is based on identification with a person who has desirable resources or personal traits. If I like, respect, and admire you, you can exercise power over me because I want to please you. 3) Distinguish between legitimate political behavior and illegitimate political behavior. Legitimate political behavior refers to normal everyday politics – complaining to your supervisor, bypassing the chain of command, forming coalitions, obstructing organizational policies or decisions through inaction or excessive adherence to rules, and developing contacts outside the organization through one’s professional activities. On the other hand, there are also illegitimate political behaviors that violate the implied rules of the game. Those who pursue such extreme activities are often described as individuals who â€Å"play hardball.† Illegitimate activities include sabotage, whistleblowing, and symbolic protests such as wearing unorthodox dress or protest buttons, and groups of employees simultaneously calling in sick. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 12 Topic 11: Human Resource Policies and Practices (Human Resource Planning& Forecasting, Recruitment) Part A: Discussion Questions 1) Define human resource planning. Describe the TWO (2) components in human resource planning. Human resource planning is the systematic process of matching the internal and external supply of people with job openings anticipated in the organization over a specific period of time. Human resource planning has 2 components: requirements and availability. A requirements forecast involves determining the number, skill, and location of employees the organization will need at future dates in order to meet its goals. The determination of whether the firm will be able to secure employees with the necessary skills, and from what sources, is called an availability forecast. 2) Describe human resource databases and how databases can assist in matching internal employees to positions. A human resource database contains employee information that permits management to make HR decisions. Information that might appear in such databases, includes, but is not limited to, the following: work history and experience, specific skills and knowledge, licenses or certifications held, organizational training completed, educational background, previous performance appraisal evaluations, assessment of strengths and weaknesses, development needs, promotion potential at present, and with further development, current job performance, field of specialization, job preferences, geographic preferences, career goals and aspirations, anticipated retirement date, and personal history, including psychological assessments. Databases are being used by organizations to enable human resources to match people with positions. 3) List TWO (2) methods are available to firms when either a shortage or surplus of workers is forecasted? Firms faced with a shortage of workers may use: 1) 2) 3) 4) innovative recruiting, compensation incentives, and training programs to fill positions. Lowering of employment standards Firms faced with a surplus of workers may use: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) layoffs,  restricted hours,  hiring freezes may be necessary, and  encourage early retirement and  the use of vacation time. TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 13 Topic 12: Human Resource Policies and Practices (Selection) Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Which of the following is the most common method of initial selection? A) written tests B) background check C) performance test D) application form E) work-sample test 2) More than ________ percent of employers conduct some type of background check on potential employees during some point in the hiring process, usually either in the initial phase or the contingent phase. A) 25 B) 50 C) 65 D) 80 E) 95 3) The best way for an employer to find out if a potential employee can do a job is by ________. A) using the interview process B) using a written test C) having them spend a day in the office D) administering an IQ test E) using a performance simulation test 4) Work sample tests are widely used in hiring ________. A) unskilled labor B) skilled workers C) professional workers D) managers E) knowledge workers 5) The results of which of the following tend to have a disproportionate amount of influence on employee selection decisions? A) interviews B) written tests C) performance simulation tests D) work sampling methods E) personality tests 6) The behavioral structured interview is built on the assumption that ________. A) past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior B) technical knowledge and skills are the best predictor of job performance C) personality is the best predictor of job performance D) personality and mood are highly correlated E) technical knowledge and mood are highly correlated Part B: TRUE /FALSE Questions 1) As a selection device, written tests have decreased in usage during the past 20 years. (TRUE /FALSE) 2) A test that measures factors such as dependability, carefulness, responsibility, and honesty is referred to as a performance factor test. (TRUE /FALSE) 3) Work samples yield validities almost consistently superior to written aptitude tests. (TRUE /FALSE) 4) In assessment centers, job candidates are evaluated as they go through several days of exercises that simulate real problems they would confront on the job. (TRUE /FALSE) TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN COLLEGE ABDM2083 ORGANIZATION & HUMAN RESOURCE TUTORIAL 14 Topic 13 & 14: Human Resource Policies and Practices (Performance Evaluation) Part A: Multiple Choice Questions 1) Performance evaluations today are generally based on which three types of behavior? A) task performance, productivity, tenure B) productivity, efficiency, absenteeism C) task performance, citizenship, counterproductivity D) citizenship, counterproductivity, personality E) leadership, training, efficiency 2) Performance evaluations are used as a mechanism for all of the following except ________. A) monitoring the success of marketing strategies B) determining promotions C) pinpointing employees skills D) identifying training and development needs E) providing feedback to employees 3) Which of the following is not a weakness of the 360-degree evaluation system? A) artificially inflated feedback from peers B) insufficient training for performance evaluators C) discrepancies between evaluating groups D) provides a wide performance perspective E) difficulties in reconciling differing evaluations 4) Performance evaluations are used to ________. A) improve group cohesiveness B) define departmental structure C) help management make HR decisions D) identify how jobs are completed E) decrease conformity within organizations 5) Which of the following is the least predictive set of criteria used to evaluate employees? A) traits B) task outcomes C) behaviors D) personality E) mood Part B: Discussion Questions 1) What are the three most popular sets of criteria for evaluating employee performance? The three most popular sets of criteria for evaluating employee performance are individual task outcomes, behaviors, and traits. a) If ends count, rather than means, then management should evaluate an employee’s task outcomes. In many cases, it’s difficult to identify specific outcomes that can be directly attributable to an employee’s actions. b) It’s not unusual for management to evaluate the employee’s behavior. c) The weakest set of criteria, yet one that is widely used by organizations is individual traits. They are weaker because they are farthest removed from the actual performance of the job itself. 2) Who should perform employee evaluations? With many of today’s organizations using self-managed teams, telecommuting, and other organizing devices that distance bosses from their employees, an employee’s immediate superior may not be the most reliable judge of that employee’s performance. Thus, in more and more cases, peers and even subordinates are being asked to participate in the performance evaluation process. Also, increasingly, employees are participating in their own performance evaluation. In most situations, in fact, it is highly advisable to use multiple sources of ratings. Any individual performance rating may say as much about the rater as about the person being evaluated. By averaging across raters, we can obtain a more reliable, unbiased, and accurate performance evaluation.

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Delay Retirement as Housing, Stock Swoon - Essay Example The housing bubble of 2008 caused many Americans to lose thousands of dollars in equity value. The housing market used to be so good that many Americans bought a second property for investment purposes. Those people that choose the route of investing in the house market for profits have taken a huge hit since the majority of properties in the United States have lost a lot of value. According to the article the housing market in the U.S lost over 10% in value in 2008. Along with a depleting housing market retirees have also seen their other investment instruments go down in value in a significant manner. One of the financial retirement instruments that people invest on the most is 401k plans. These plans often invest a lot of money in the stock market. The value of stocks or equity went down approximately 15.5% in 2008. The loss of value hurt the potential retirees the most because older people do not have the leisure of time like young people do. A young person can wait until the market picks up once again. Retirees depend on that equity money to help pay for their living expenses. The combined effect of the devaluation in the stock market and the depreciation of homes has force many senior citizens to continue working instead of retiring early. As of 2008 approximately 78 million baby boomers reached the age of 60. Many of these individual planned on retiring early, but a lot of them have found it extremely hard to make a commitment to retireme nt due to the fact that the value of their retirement savings has gone down. The senior citizens that are supposed to retire are holding on to jobs that younger people need. This has created market inefficiency in the labor markets. There are so many jobs to go around in the United States. The current situation is unfair to both young people and older people.

Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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What impact did the Crusades have in Europe with respect to the Essay

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English - Thesis Statement - Essay Example Of course, like any other human construct, online education has its weaknesses. However, merely citing the weaknesses of this alternative module as a way of forestalling its growth is to fail to grasp the very essence, purpose of education, IT technological development and globalization. The same approach also reeks of the absence of pragmatism since pragmatism may help to practically integrate desirable elements outside online learning modules. Body There are many who propose the disbandment of distance learning merely because of its alleged shortcomings. However, this approach is not only akin to throwing out the baby with the bathwater, but also fails to grasp the main purpose of distance learning, as shall be seen forthwith. First, it will be important to absolve high school and elementary level of education from the use of distance learning. This is mainly because elementary and high school going students are still too young to benefit from distance learning. The nature of dista nce learning on the other hand accords the subscriber a laissez faire condition in terms of time allocation, concentration and the degree of input. The corollary to this is that distance learning heavily relies on self-discipline on the side of the student. It is highly uncertain that high school students will have the degree of self-control to consistently steer clear of the allure of online social networks for instance. Likewise, it is very unlikely that high school students and elementary school goers have a strong grasp on foundational knowledge necessary for independently tolerating and grasping extensive and more complex distance learning discourse. The crux of the matter herein is that with concepts being taught without an actual instructor to give a blow-by- blow account or illustration of a concept, high school and elementary learners are likely to be left more confused than enlightened. On the other hand, students in tertiary level of learning are more intellectually matur e, disciplined and self-accountable. The intellectual maturity of this group is one that is readily manifested by the qualification for college or university entry. Self-discipline is high in this group, when compared to high school and elementary students. The degree of self-accountability among learners in tertiary level of education is underscored by this group being self-reliant. For instance, this group is the most economically responsible. In the same vein, the failure to concentrate in education is bound to bear directly on the group’s economic success, career or the prospects of getting or securing a decent job. Therefore, it is better and more meaningful to engage adults in tertiary level of learning. Secondly, in order to make ameliorations on distance learning, regulating operations of universities and colleges must be taken seriously. The gravity of the foregoing is that community colleges that wish to offer distance learning should be restricted to the issuance o f technical and trade certifications. All degree-issuing learning institutions that operate through distance learning must have a charter that belongs to a physical university, if they must issue these degrees. The gravity of this proposal is that no distance or online learning university operates on its own. The academic and nonacademic prerequisites that are to be used for admission must be uniform. The cutoff points that are being used to admit pupils into colleges or universities must also be applicable in distance

Child and Elder Abuse Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child and Elder Abuse - Case Study Example f-blame, nightmares, flashbacks, sleeplessness, fear of matters related to the abuse (comprising of objects, places, smells, and doctor's visits among others.). The effects of child sexual abuse also include self-esteem issues, chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, addiction, self-injury, suicidal ideation, depression, somatic complaints, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (Hoyano & Keenan, 2007). Elder Abuse Case Norman (77) lives at home with his wife in addition to his two sons, who are 47 and 46. Both sons are jobless and not concerned in seeking a job. The man has been beaten numerous occasions by his sons. "At times, I think, ‘Why does it occur to me?’" were Norman’s exact words. Norman was recorded at a police station. The man talked to a Chicago Police Department (CPD) superior services spokesperson (Yahnke, 2012). The spokesperson provided background information via commentary. Norman was, after his statements at the police station, assisted to recove r from a whipping at the hands of his own sons in 2012. He did not sign a complaint since he dreaded a more ruthless beating. He told the officers that, at the moment he enters the house, he is done flatly. The senior police spokesperson said that the initial time she came across Norman was in the emergency room (ER) of the hospital (Yahnke, 2012). Norman was battered by his son since he used his son’s towel to wipe himself. Stitch ups were needed to seal the wound (Twentyman & Plotkin, 2010). Norman says that he always considers that things one day might get better, but the a hospital counselor informed him that such acts go one for as long as it takes. Norman’s sons use his Social Security, as well as pension income, and the father has to work part-time just to have his own money for petty use. The... Â  Norman (77) lives at home with his wife in addition to his two sons, who are 47 and 46. Both sons are jobless and not concerned in seeking a job. The man has been beaten numerous occasions by his sons. "At times, I think, ‘Why does it occur to me?’" were Norman’s exact words. Norman was recorded at a police station. The man talked to a Chicago Police Department (CPD) superior services spokesperson (Yahnke, 2012). The spokesperson provided background information via commentary. Norman was, after his statements at the police station, assisted to recover from a whipping at the hands of his own sons in 2012. He did not sign a complaint since he dreaded a more ruthless beating. He told the officers that, at the moment he enters the house, he is done flatly. The senior police spokesperson said that the initial time she came across Norman was in the emergency room (ER) of the hospital (Yahnke, 2012). Norman was battered by his son since he used his son’s towel to wipe himself. Stitch ups were needed to seal the wound (Twentyman & Plotkin, 2010). Norman says that he always considers that things one day might get better, but the hospital counselor informed him that such acts go one for as long as it takes. Norman’s sons use his Social Security, as well as pension income, and the father has to work part-time just to have his own money for petty use. The counselor confirms that Norman finally decided to pressed charges. A court hearing date was finally set, and his two sons posted bond. Â  

Legal Decision Making Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Decision Making - Case Study Example Prosecution for crimes is always conducted in the name of the state; the case being styled as State versus the name of the defendant. The prosecutor has a duty of establishing the guilt of the accused beyond any reasonable doubt. A crime usually includes offences like rape, robbery, murder, theft etc where the penalty for these cases ranges from hanging to fine. On the other hand, civil law concerns the violation of private rights belonging to an individual in his capacity as an individual for example refusing to pay a loan or defaming someone. Unlike criminal cases, the proceedings in civil cases are instituted in the court of law by the plaintiff himself and the burden of proving his claim rests on him. If the plaintiff succeeds in a civil action, the defendant will be ordered by the court to compensate him by paying damages. 2 Although there are already written consequences a person who has been proved guilty is subjected to, the decision of cases varies on the argument of both the defendant and the plaintiff in case of civil case; and in case of a criminal case, and outcome of the case depends on the argument of the prosecutor and the accused. For this case, the judgement of each particular case depends on the uniqueness a particular case. It happens that cases that are similar in nature, t... A contract is usually defined as an agreement between two or more persons which is intended to create legally binding obligations. The word binding is used for there are some contracts which are valid but are not enforceable in a court of law. There are already predetermined consequences that follow suit in case on breaches a contract but it does not mean that all those who breach a law of contract will be subject to the same consequence. The outcome of the case will depend on the uniqueness of a particular case. 3 One of essentials of a valid contract is that a contract is created with an intention of creating a legal relation. Agreements of a purely domestic or social nature are generally not enforceable contracts. Whether or not the parties intended to create legal relations is a question of fact to be inferred from all the circumstances of a case. For example in a case between Balfour vs. Balfour held in 1919. In this case, the defendant was civil servant in Ceylon. While he and his wife were on leave in England, it became apparent that because of ill-health, the wife would not be able to return to Ceylon. The husband promised to pay her thirty pounds a month whilst forced to live apart. He failed to pay, and his wife sued on the contract. It was held that the husband was not liable because there was no necessary implication from the circumstances of the parties that they intended to make a legally binding contract. It was more like a domestic arrangement between husband and wife rather tha n a contract. (Penrose, 2005) On the other hand, if on examining the facts of a family agreement, the court reaches the conclusion that legal relations can be inferred, the contract will be enforced. For example, a case held between Simpkins vs. Pays in 1955. In this

Colin Powell Address the Nation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colin Powell Address the Nation - Essay Example He had often fought with the hawks in the administration, who were allegedly planning an Iraq invasion even before the September 11 attacks-an insight supported by evidence by former terrorism czar Richard Clarke in front of the 9/11 Commission. The main concession Powell wanted before he would offer his full support for the Iraq War was the participation of the international community in the attack, unlike the one-sided approach some of the hawks were championing. He was also thriving in convincing Bush to take the case of Iraq to the United Nations, and in moderating other initiatives. Powell was placed at the vanguard of this diplomatic campaign. Powell's main role was to gather international support for a multi-national alliance to increase the invasion. To this end, Powell addressed a plenary session of the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003 to bicker in favor of military action. Quoting "numerous" nameless Iraqi defectors, Powell declared that "We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more." (Cockburn, online) Powell also remarked that there was "no doubt in my mind" that Saddam was working to acquire key components to produce nuclear wea pons. There was a general rejection of the proof Powell offered that the regime of Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

The Idea of Happiness in “I Served the King of England” by Bohumil Hrabal Essay Example for Free

The Idea of Happiness in â€Å"I Served the King of England† by Bohumil Hrabal Essay I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal is a tragicomic novel, a first-person account by Dite, a teenage busboy starting his career in a rural hotel in Czechia. The plot progresses gradually as Dite becomes a waiter and than an owner of a hotel, eventually losing everything except wisdom. The book is structured as a series of picturesque episodes demonstrating people whom Dite meets and situations he gets into during the pre-war period, Nazi occupation of the country and eventually under the communist regime. In this paper I am going to concentrate on one psychological aspect of the novel, namely on the idea of happiness as Dite sees it. At first sight, Dite sees happiness in money and insists on his desire to become a millionaire, however, I will attempt to prove that the actual incentive for Dite’s conduct is desire of respect and recognition. He does not want the entire world to admire him, rather striving to respect of the people whom he himself respects. It is not easy to say whether Dite eventually achieved his purpose, but at the end he at least comes to reconciliation with the surrounding world. In order to prove this point I will refer to the particular parts of the texts as well as to the general plot and spirit of the book. Dite obviously suffers from inferiority complex. He is adulterate, poor and short, so, suffering from all the disadvantages of such situation, he decides to become rich and respected. However, his conduct is often impulsive and determined by his up-to-minute desires. The book can be viewed as a confession of an aged man who analyses his life journey. The language of the book progresses from a naà ¯ve story-telling by a young boy to a considered narrative depicted by older Dite. His priorities can be clearly indicated in every stage of his life. Dite hardly thinks of happiness as itself, for most of his life he rather strives to tread in the steps of the people he meets and whom he deems to be successful. He is â€Å"amazed at how rich people could sit around for the whole evening talking about how just outside the town was a footbridge and right beside the footbridge, thirty years back there was a popular tree and they they’d really get going†[1]. He starts to realize the need of happiness as such at the very late stage of his life, while all his previous existence is a mimicry. Dite’s love for money reveals already in the first scenes of the book. As a busboy he swindles money out of his customers and pretends to be an orphan to get more cash from compassionate passengers on the railroad station. At that he seems to be a cynical person with little moral principles. However, he also has no good example before his eyes, as he has to communicate with drunken customers, heartless master of the hotel and roguish colleagues. So, very early he comes to idea that money rules the world, and in order to be recognized one needs to be rich. He is therefore very proud of â€Å"having money of my own, a couple of hundred a month, and once I even got handed a thousand-crown note†[2]. In this period of Ditie’s life money is an opportunity of self-esteem for him. Very soon it can be observed that money as itself is not a purpose for Dite. He has little idea of how capitals are made and he is not interested in power given by money. What he wants is a luxurious life like that of which he hears from his older pals and like that he finds in Prague. The lavish and careless lifestyle of the pre-war Czech capital becomes his ideal, and he merely wants to enjoy this life in a company of the same playboys. He â€Å"wanted to be surrounded by millionaires†[3]. Being a rather fussy person, Dite becomes lofty when he has an opportunity to remind that â€Å"he is a waiter who served the King of England†. It was not actually the King of England, but an emperor of Ethiopia whom Dite served, but he does not lose an opportunity to brag a little, because this is a moment of his greatest glory. This moment is so important, that Hrabal used it as a name of the book. The narrative is told in the name of old and wise Dite, who, perhaps, realizes the meaninglessness of his claim, so the name is a sharp self-irony. On the other hand, Dite really has nothing more to boast, because serving the King was a point if his highest social recognition, which was so important for young Dite and which is so unimportant for older Dite. Whether consciously or not, Dite attempts to imitate the habits of his neighborhood, and works hard to make enough money to visit a local bordello, of which he hears so much. Further throughout the story relationship with women and sexual intercourses remain to be a strong incentive for him, although his marriage ends with tragedy and disgrace, bringing his to jail, social condemnation and exile. Women are a kind of fatal temptation for Dite, another tool for his self-affirmation and another source of his disappointment. Hrabal uses the story of Dite’s relationships with women as a notable symbol of hic character’s frustration. Dite has a strong desire for women, although this is also rather an attempt to be similar to someone, than his natural need. As an teenage boy he is kin on having at least some woman, yet intercourses with local prostitutes do not satisfy him. Later in Prague he seems to be close to the goal of his life as he marries Lise and makes plans to open his own hotel. This dream would be innocent, in case Lise was not a German activist, and the plot would not develop right before and right after the Munich treaty. German occupation is a turning point in Dite’s life. This is actually the period when his awakening begins. Humiliation by the German authorities, work in the Nazi research institute, and finally Lise’s death during the air raid makes Dite see an another kind of example in the people around him. He really never â€Å"finds the head†[4], and it is somehow his own head. Dite is in fact a â€Å"weathercock†. He hardly cares of the fact that he collaborates with the occupants of his homeland. For him the Germans are just those who are currently on top, and another opportunity to become successful under a new regime. And if he has to prove that he is a â€Å"pure Aryan breed†, and if he has to work on production of even better â€Å"Aryan breed†, and if he is able to make money by selling the precious things confiscated from murdered Jews, so why not? Further events are a sort of punishment for his vagrancies. He loses his wife, he loses hope for luxurious and easy-going life, and he loses even those crumbs of social recognition which he previously enjoyed[5]. Dite’s entire world is ruined, and there is no hope on rebirth. At the second part of the novel Dite becomes that what he was at the beginning – nothing. The illusions of happiness dispel bringing him to the beginning of a new way. Perhaps the entire story is Dite’s attempt of self-analysis. He revisits the situations of his life, trying to imagine how he would have acted in case he would have acted differently. There is no longer opportunity for changing those circumstances, and there is no way back, so the only resort he can afford is fatalistic wisdom in his new calm life in a frontier village, far from all what he previously so estimated. Eventually, he does become a millionaire, at least the name of the book’s last chapter hints this. Yet it is an another kind of richness. His material wealth at the end is a small house, a cat and a goat, but he feels himself richer than he could ever imagine. The unbelievable that came true stayed with me, and I believed in the unbelievable, in the star that had followed me through life, and with its gleam constantly before my eyes I began to believe in it more and more†¦Now that I had been brought to my knees, I realized that my star was brighter than ever, that only now would I be able to see its true brightness, because my eyes had been weakened by everything I had lived through, weakened so that they could see more and know more.[6] It is in this passage where the real nature of happiness in Dite’s view reveals. Having no idea of actual happiness he tries many surrogates, before all of them are ruined and he can smile ironically looking back at his life of a â€Å"person who served the King of England† and here he can just take compassion on that older Dite, who spared his life hunting for delusive mirages. He was just to eager to become successful, too eager to be rich, too eager to be pleased, while happiness was something different. Works Cited: 1. Hrabal, Bohumil. I Served the King of England. Vintage, 1990.

Definitions of Beauty Essay Example for Free

Definitions of Beauty Essay What makes a woman beautiful? Today our society has turned beauty into something that is unrealistic. Many are familiar with features that classify a woman as beautiful such as having a pretty face, flawless skin, skinny figure and sparkling eyes. However, each of us has our own perception of beauty. Everyone has different tastes. We have certain features that we like and dislike, which makes it difficult to define what beauty truly is. If we cannot agree on what traits define beauty, then how can a woman discover their own? The problem is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this is never more true than seen over time and between different cultures.   Over time, our concept of beauty seems to fluctuate. Sometimes favoring rather heavy individuals and at other times very skinny ones.The beauty concept on this way are often corresponding to the way looks correlate with wealth. For example, during eras when food was scarce, excess flesh was seen as a sign of wealth and therefore of beauty. However, today, with fattening food cheap and plentiful, being thin is a sign of someone who has the time to eat right and exercise, and therefore is a sign of wealth, with obesity looked upon as a sign of lower economic status. In different cultures, parts of the body may be purposefully exaggerated in the name of beauty, the effects of which might even seem strange to those of another culture. Western Eastern beauty concept†¦ In the West, we have a very fixed idea of what beauty comprises. To have a chance of being considered beautiful, women must be tan, tall, slim, and youthful, have large breasts small waists and have long hair. There is a Western influence felt today by civilizations. The entertainment and media industries in Europe and America have become experts in presenting and promoting a fixed definition of beauty to the world. For the Eastern, in many Southeast Asian countries, the fairness of skin is considered to be a definition of beauty. Unlike their European and American counterparts, who sometimes work hard to develop a tan, girls from these countries work to avoid any extra coloring. To them, dark skin suggests generations of agricultural work under a hot sun, which means a low or common status. Another mark of beauty in some areas of Asia is having large eyes. Because of this, and a desire to stand out, it is not uncommon for Asian women to undergo surgery to make their eyes appear larger and have Caucasian-looking eyelids.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee’s only novel to date is To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960 but set in the 1930s in America’s deep-south. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize and was quickly made into a successful film starring Gregory Peck. The popularity that the novel immediately attracted endures to modern times. The semi-autobiographical story concerns the trial of an innocent black man, Tom Robinson for the rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell and around this central drama the novelist has woven a tale which reveals the appalling nature of prejudice in many forms, not just that of colour, as her ‘mocking birds’ which must not be harmed because they do none, suffer from the cruelty and ignorance of those around them. The story is told through the eyes of the child narrator, Scout, who lives, along with her brother, Jem, with their father, Atticus, the town lawyer and destined to represent the ill-fated Tom Robinson, and their cook/housekeeper and friend, Calpurnia. In his attitude to Calpurnia, as to much in his life, Atticus challenges the contemporary view because though Calpurnia is black, she is treated as a member of the family, much to the annoyance of his sister, Alexandra. Atticus is in fact the means by which Lee examines much that is wrong with Maycomb society, from his lack of prejudice, to his defence of Mrs. Dubose and Boo Radley and his skilful means of challenging the education system which denies Scout the freedom to read by simply ignoring it. The motto by which he lives is that, ‘you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of viewuntil you climb into his skin and walk around in it’ and this he passes on to his children. However, Lee is keen to avoid making Atticus appear patently and self-consciously heroic, as in the mad-dog incident and, indeed, his defence of Tom Robinson, he only acts ‘heroically’ when he is compelled to do so. Lee treats the reader to a succession of humorous, sympathetic and engaging characters as the story develops, none more so than the pivotal and mysterious Boo Radley and the quaintly eccentric Dill (the latter is thought to have been based on the author Truman Capote, with whom Lee grew up). Boo is in a sense both the greatest victim and the ultimate hero in the book and in many ways Dill is the ‘comic-relief’ as well as being the representative of what we would now call a dysfunctional family as much as is Boo. By using the device of the child narrator, Lee invites both advantages and disadvantages. She gains the innocence and naivety of Scout together with her ingenuous curiosity and her ability to diffuse tense situations by her inherent innocence but she also has the commensurate disadvantage of having to get round the problems that necessarily attach to a child being the principal means by which a trial for rape is discussed. Lee solves this in the main by having Scout overhear conversations which she does not fully understand but which the reader, of course, does. This dual narrative relationship with the reader is one of the reasons why Lee’s narrative technique has been so highly praised. However, the main reason why the novel has achieved such a seminal place in the development of the American novel is that it was published at a time when racial tension was at its height in America and being challenged as never before by the Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. Thus, by showing the injustices which black Americans continued to suffer via a narrative set nearly thirty years before, Lee addresses a contemporary problem by means of the historical resonance with which the book is permeated. Emblematic of this is the trial of Tom Robinson which had a contemporary connective in a similar trial in the 1930s. Tom, one of Lee’s principal ‘mocking birds’, is manifestly innocent and proven to be physically incapable of having committed the crime by Atticus: ‘Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I dont pretend to understand’, he declares and the reader shares his lack of comprehension, making prejudice manifestly against reason. Â  The fact that this does not and cannot save Tom in an atmosphere which seethes with racial hatred adds to the imperative of the narrative; In the secret courts of mens hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. However, Lee is even-handed in her depiction of racial tension, since when Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to the church where the black residents of Maycomb worship, they are not universally welcomed and certainly Tom is not the only victim of prejudice in the story. Boo Radley, imprisoned by his well-meaning but misguided father after a teenage misdemeanour, has become the subject of much gossip and conjecture. Indeed, the children, Scout, Jem and Dill, make him the subject of their daily dramatics, supplanting the ‘Dracula’ stories with which they have become bored. Atticus stops this as soon as it starts and the irony is that a friendship blossoms secretly between Boo and the children, of which the culmination is Boo’s saving the lives of Scout and Jem when they are attacked by the vicious Bob Ewell. Scout reiterates the idea, slightly altered, that Atticus uttered early in the novel, that ‘you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them’ and by now the reader fully understands the meaning of those words, just as the child does. In conclusion, perhaps it is true to say that the enduring achievement of Harper Lee’s novel is to portray racial hatred and a multiplicity of tensions motivated by misapprehension and prejudice via the microcosm of small-town America which is Maycomb. Indeed, perhaps readers continue to respond to To Kill a Mockingbord precisely because of the prejudices which sadly remain. Bibliography: Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen S.Silber, Women in Literature: Reading through the Lens of Gender, (Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, 2003). Wayne Flynt, Poor but Proud: Alabamas Poor Whites, (University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, AL, 1989). Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockinbird, (Arrow, London, 1989). Claudia Durst Johnson, Understanding to Kill a Mockingbird: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historic Documents, (Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, 1994). Annie Kasper, ‘General Semantics in to Kill a Mockingbird’, ETC.: A Review of General Semantics, Vol. 63, 2006. Dean Shackelford, ‘The Female Voice in To Kill a Mockingbird: Narrative Strategies in Film and Novel’, The Mississippi Quarterly, Vol. 50, 1996. Renee Swanson, ‘The Living Dead: What the Dickens Are College Students Reading?’, Policy Review, No. 67, 1994.

Thesis on a Tale of Two Cities :: essays research papers

Charles Dickens’s voice varies from being sympathetic with the revolutionaries, to a feeling of discord with their method of revolting. A Tale of Two Cities revolves around the French revolution and the tension in England. Dickens gives the tale of a family caught in the conflict between the French aristocracy and radicals. In the course of the book, the family handles extreme difficulty and obscurity. Dickens’s neutrality, though sometimes wavering from side to side, is apparent throughout each book in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the book, Dickens portrays his objectivity between the classes through a series of graphic descriptions. For example, the horrid events that occur when the Marquis murders the child is a time when Dickens most definitely favors the rebels. Dickens’s attitude when Jacques kills the Marquis is that justice has been supplied. There is a definite tone of approval in his voice after these actions. On the other hand, Dickens’s attitude towards the mutineers is not always one of endorsement. When the activists nearly kill Gabelle and burn the Chateau, Dickens’s attitude changes from one of approval to one of disbelief. His disposition is almost one of sorrow for all the beauty being carelessly destroyed. As the reader can see, Dickens’s opinion varies greatly in accordance to the portion of the story the person is reading.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Possibly, to find the clearest image of Dickens’s neutrality, the reader needs to gain a larger view of the tale.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the reader sees a broader picture, a pattern emerges. Dickens, in each book, gives the tale in favor of the different parties, showing his indifference to the outcome of each party. Thus while the reader may form feelings towards the revolutionaries, Dickens stays unmoved by both causes and relates the story accordingly. This way of showing Dickens’s apathy once again proves that Dickens is only partial to either side in certain portions of the book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps the clearest illustration of Dickens’s neutrality is located in the very first sentence of the novel. He shows his neutrality through the description â€Å"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .(7).† This unusually comparative sentence single-handedly starts the book with a feeling of un-bias. In the final chapter of the book, six carriages carry â€Å"the days wine† (people) to La Guillotine to be be-headed (374). In this passage, Dickens shows his remorse for what is done. He gives hint that the common-folk were once a good people who are perverted by the aristocracy, and given the same conditions will be perverted again.