Case Grading Rubric

MAN 3301 Human Resource Management Dr. Jerry Schoenfeld A Model For Analyzing Cases In Human Resource Management Purpose of Cases A case is a written description of events and activities that have taken place in an organization. Cases allow you to experience a different kind of learning – learning by doing. They are intended to give you an opportunity to actively experience the reality and complexity of the issues facing practicing mangers and human resource executives.While other disciplines like physical science allow you to test theories in a laboratory, performing a case analysis allows you to apply human resource management theories to specific organizational problems. Completing a case analysis will help you develop your analytical and problem-solving skills. Cases enable you to analyze organization problems and to generate solutions based on your understanding of theories and models of effective human resource management (HRM). Both a â€Å"decision-maker† and an â€Å"evaluator† approach are used in cases.In the decision-maker approach, the primary goal is to sort out information given and to propose a viable solution to the problems(s) identified. In the evaluator approach, the human resource management decisions have already been implemented, and the primary goal is to evaluate outcomes and consequences and to propose alternative solutions. For this case assignment you will be in the decision-maker role. Student Preparation of Written Cases There are any number of possible approaches to analyzing a case. The most important point to remember is that case analysis involves decision making.There is no absolutely right or wrong solution to a case problem. Your major task as a decision maker is to present a coherent and defensible analysis of the situation based on human resource management concepts and theories. Just as managers in the â€Å"real world† must persuade their colleagues and superiors that their proposals are sound , so must you persuade your fellow students and your instructor that your analysis of the case and proposed solution are the best. You should follow a few preliminary steps before preparing your written analysis. First, give the case a general reading to get an overall sense of the situation.Put it aside for a while, then read it a second time and make notes on the critical facts. Case facts provide information and data on attitudes and values, relative power and influence, the nature and quality of relationships, the organization’s objectives and human resource management policies/functions, and other pertinent aspects of the organization. Keep two key questions in mind as you review the facts of the case: First, are there discernible patterns in the facts? Second, what can be inferred about human resource management practices in this organization from the facts presented?You should attempt to classify, sort, and evaluate the information you have identified in this prelimina ry step. Once you have a clear understanding of the critical facts in the case, you can prepare your written analysis using the five-step model that follows. Written Case Analysis Model Please follow these five steps in your written case analysis. Please have a separate section heading for each of these five steps along with a brief introduction and conclusion. Your completed case should be no longer then 10 double-spaced pages using 12-point font. It should be well written and free of grammatical errors.Step 1. Problem Identification. The first step in your written analysis is to explicitly identify the major problem(s) in the case in one or two clear and precise sentences. For example, â€Å"The major problem in this case is a 15 percent increase in employee turnover compared to last year’s rate. † Herbert Simon, who received a Nobel Prize for his work on management decision-making, has defined a problem as â€Å"a deviation from a standard. † In other words, one way to identify a problem is to compare some desired state or objective with the actual situation. A problem or series of problems may revent the organization from reaching its objectives or goals. A key point here is that in order to define a problem, there must be some type of standard for comparison. Possible standards include the organization’s stated objectives or goals, objectives or goals of competing organizations, or standards based on normative prescriptions from human resource management theory. Note: While you may be able to identify more then one problem in the assigned case. State clearly what is the main problem and complete subsequent steps in relation to this problem. Step 2. Identify the Causes of the Problem.Before proposing alternative solutions, the decision maker must have a clear understanding of the underlying causes of the problem. HRM problems are usually embedded in a larger context. This means the decision maker must examine internal and extern al environmental factors over time to isolate causal factors. Causes of problems tend to be historical in nature. To formulate a solid understanding of the specific causes, you should search for root causes and use relevant course concepts and theories to better define them. The â€Å"question syndrome† approach may be beneficial here: Why did the problem occur? When did it begin?Where does it occur? Where doesn’t it occur? What effective HRM practices should the organization be using? What has the organization failed to do? What are the antecedents of the problem? Posing these questions will help you to probe beyond the symptoms to the root cause of the problem. The process of identifying the cause of a problem is very much like hypothesis testing. You should set forth possible causes and then test them against the facts in the case. In writing this section, it is important to present a plausible discussion of the causes so as to convince the reader that your analysis is correct. Step 3. Alternative Solutions.This step involves developing alternative solutions and evaluating their contributions to resolving the problem(s) identified. Proposed alternatives should be consistent with the problems(s) and cause(s) identified. You should develop at least three possible alternatives in addition to those offered within the case. You may propose more than three. List each of your alternatives and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each. Keep the following criteria in mind as you evaluate your alternatives: time constraints, feasibility, cost, contribution to meeting the organization’s objectives, and possible negative side effects.Developing a list of good alternatives involves creativity and avoiding preconceived attitudes and assumptions. It may be useful to brainstorm possible solutions before weighing their advantages and disadvantages. Note: Your alternatives should cover the entire domain of human resource management functional activities. However, it is important that you do not combine various activities into one alternative. For example, you should recommend that the hospital pay more, offer more benefits, overhaul their selection process, and provide more training all within one alternative.Step 4. Select the Best Alternative. Indicate the one alternative you have chosen that â€Å"best† solves the problem. It is important here to justify why you chose a particular solution and why it will best resolve the problem(s). Again, I recognize that doing more then one alternative would be better. But if you have to choose just one alternative (and you must choose just one), which one offers the greatest potential benefits toward addressing the problem(s). Step 5. Implementation Steps. Now that you have a solution, you must develop appropriate action plans to implement it.In this section of your written analysis, you want to specify, as much as possible, what should be done, by whom, when, where, and i n what sequence. For example: Who should implement the decision? To whom should it be communicated? What actions need to be taken now? What actions need to be taken later? If you recommend that the organization revise its performance appraisal process, give as much detail as possible on the content of the revisions. Finally, in this section you should also indicate follow-up procedures to monitor the implementation of your solution to ensure that the intended actions are taken and that the roblem is corrected. While these steps have been presented in linear fashion, case analysis does not involve linear thinking. You will probably find yourself thinking about all of the parts of the analysis simultaneously. This is perfectly normal and underscores the complexity of decision-making. To present a clear written analysis, however, it is important to write up your report in the analytical form just described. As you gain experience with the case method, you will end the course with a bet ter understanding of both your problem-solving ability and effective human resource management practices.Pitfalls in Analysis Amateurs at case analysis often encounter the pitfall of jumping to a conclusion, which in effect bypasses analysis. For example, a student may readily observe some overt behavior, quickly identify it as objectionable and, therefore, assume it is a basic problem. Later, with some dismay, the student may discover that the prescribed action had no effect on the â€Å"problem† and that the objectionable behavior was only a symptom and not the actual problem.Another common mistake is for students to reject a case because they think there is insufficient information. All desirable or useful information is seldom available for analyzing and resolving actual problems in real organizations. Consequently, managers must do the best they can with the information available to them. Furthermore, the main issue in solving the problems of many organizations is to det ermine what additional and relevant information is available or can be obtained before adequate analysis can be made and appropriate action taken.If additional information is available, the manager must decide whether it is worth getting, whether it is meaningful and relevant, and whether it can be secured in time to be useful. Thus, an apparent lack of information in cases is actually a reflection of the reality that students must learn to accept and overcome. Students occasionally search for the â€Å"right† answer or solutions to cases and sometimes they ask their instructor what actually happened in a case. Although some answers or solutions are better than others, there are no â€Å"right† answers or solutions.What actually happened in a case is usually irrelevant – the focus of case study should be on the process of analysis, the diagnosis of problems, and the prescription of remedial action rather than on the discovery of answers or end results. Many of t he cases were in the process of being studied and resolved at the time the pieces were written. Consequently, the real life outcomes are not always available. Although some of the cases do include what happened, no case is intended to illustrate either right or wrong, effective or ineffective solutions to human resource management problems.

Course Project Essay

The purpose of this course project is to address the ongoing issues surrounding my companies, REI (Recreation Equipment Inc.,) inventory management issue and to see if we can find a software program better suited to the companies needs. The goal is to find products quickly and efficiently. Customer satisfaction is key to driving sales and profit in any company. As a result a software upgrade is certainly needed in order to compete with other companies in the same industry. Name of the Company REI is a privately held corporation that is run by it’s members. In fact it is considered to be one of the largest consumer co-op’s in the United States. It rely’s on the members to drive profits each year and allows them the chance to both vote and serve on the board of directors. REI does not report to shareholders and since it’s founding in 1938 has never done so. Sale’s exceed $1 billion dollars each year and due to that ongoing success the company can pay dividends to the members of the company each march. Also, contributing to the success of the company. Inventory management is extremely important as you can imagine in order to keep the members happy. REI makes it a point to track down items even if that means calling other stores around the country. The reason for this is pricing and member loyalty. â€Å"While the Anderson’s(original founders of REI) originally established the co-op structure in order to secure reduced prices for its members, REI today models itself instead as a full-service retailer, with a web site, including order-on-the-web and free delivery to a nearby store, rather than as a low-price retailer. â€Å"(wikipedia) Business Problem Statement The issue that I would like to address based on the retail business of REI is that of inventory management. Time is of the essence and having accurate counts is crucial to securing an item for the customer so that they do not leave your business and go elsewhere. REI’s current inventory management system is good but could be better. As it stands now the inventory system is automated through the POS system. This means that when something is sold through a particular store it is automatically uploaded through the companies database so that all stores across the nation are up to date on whats available at that store. However, the issue is that if a customer in our store wants a product that we do not have available, instead of being able to look into the system and see who has that product and order it directly, we have to physically has the customer to fill out a standard name, address and if a member their member number. Then we call the store have them locate the item, give th e customers payment information and place the order for the item(s). As you can imagine this takes a lot of time in some cases and can turn a customer away. Especially, if they waited several minutes for the person on the other end to locate the product and then come back and say they cannot find it. This goes on until the item is located at a particular store. Time and resources wasted, as well as money lost. This current system does not work. It does not improve efficiency and costs the company a good percentage of sales in some instances. My proposal is to find an inventory management system that would provide accurate inventory and allow products to be ordered directly from the pos system without having to call store to store and place the order manually. Much like how we can order directly from our distribution center, that is how we would order on a store to store basis. General Benefits for Company/Audience By taking this approach I believe that not only will the company itself benefit from the changes but the customers and employees as well. From the company side of things, they would see a higher profit margin from customers who would consider placing more orders. They would also see a drop in cost’s as far as employee payroll is concerned and telephone cost’s. Customers benefit by now having less time spent waiting for an item to be located, instead being readily available. When this occurs they are more inclined to come back and make similar purchases instead of going elsewhere because turnaround time is much quicker with less hassle and uncertainty on their part. Employees would be able to focus more on customer’s in their store and less time on phone lines or tracking down product’s. This eliminates customer dissatisfaction in stores and allows sales to grown since more customers would stay and shop as oppose to leaving angry for lack of help.

Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine

Elegance and a luxurious hymn exhaled through the lungs of Florence Welch for the second time. Only days old, the new debut album â€Å"Ceremonials† hit the store shelves the beginning of Novembers month. Following up the album of two years, â€Å"Lungs†, Florence + the Machine added yet another kaleidoscopic collection of songs. The lyrics, benign and malevolent, delivered with such serenity and spite give the same notion of harmonized and rebellious feelings. Falling nowhere short of â€Å"Dog Days Are Over†, new single â€Å"Shake It Out† has taken over iPods in the United States, Ireland, and the UK Florence claims â€Å"Shake it Out† was written it to be the ultimate cure for hangovers to help her shake it out of herself. And then, as she advanced into writing the song, it became more about shaking out whatever was lurking in the back of ones mind, and shaking away the mistakes. â€Å"Ceremonials† reached the #1 album spot in the UK, the bands second consecutive number-one album, and #6 spot in the United States within the first week it was released. Just as Florence had said she wanted it to be, it is just a second, better version of â€Å"Lungs† with a darker and heavier sound. The recording of this album of sixteen songs was initially intended to take place in Los Angeles; however, Florence decided it better to record in the UK in Abbey Road Studios. Ranging her writing and singing into one appeal, Florence carries with her an art that brings listeners demanding for more of her eloquent style, and melodious music.

Company Law and Companies Act Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Company Law and Companies Act - Case Study Example Alistair Darling, the Secretary of State of the department of trade and industry in the UK had stated that the act would be implemented before the year 2009. However by the end of 2007, most of the provisions had have been put into effect. Therefore, the Company Act 2006 is being implemented step by step. One of the important provisions that are being implemented in the Company Act 2006 is Derivative Claims. Derivative claims allow the shareholders to act against the board of directors on behalf of the company. This has been a bold step by the Parliament of the United Kingdom since it was not possible for the shareholders to have this level of control the company. The objective of the Parliament is therefore to make the legislation pertaining to the company law which is more flexible and more modern1. Thus the shareholder can bring forward a legal claim against the director of the company, if the shareholder has a valid reason to do so. Generally, the reason behind shareholders actio n against director is a wrong committed by the director against the company. The sections of the Companies Act 2006 are sections 260 to sections 264. ... These sections make it necessary for the shareholders to ask permission from the court for continuing their action against the directors. The shareholders require basing their action against the director on grounds such as proposed or actual action or action by a director which includes breach of trust or a breach of duty against the company, or default and negligence towards the expected duties of a director. The proceedings are usually brought not in the name of the shareholder but in the name of the company. Furthermore, the claim can be brought not only against the director, but also against the shadow director or a former director of the company. Geoffrey Morse(2007, p.5) states 'Part11 identifies a procedure whereby a member of the company may seek to institute a derivative claim ( in England and Wales or northern Ireland) or derivative proceedings(In Scotland), and actions seeking relief on behalf of the company in respect to a wrong done to it. Henceforward, derivative actions may be brought only under this part or as a result of a court order under the unfair prejudice provisions of the Act. However, not all wrongs done to the company may be the subject of a derivative action under Part 11. Only acts or omissions by directors may give rise to derivative actions and where those acts or omissions involve negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust.' Derivative Claims Derivative claims is a process which can be divided into two broad stages. First of all, the shareholders need to show they are acting on behalf of the company and don't have vested interests. Additionally, courts need to ensure that are conforming to the guidelines or the provisions laid down by the Companies Act

Global communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global communication - Essay Example As a result of this, Bellsouth Corporation had to cut its operating costs and on capital spending. Since IT and back office services constitute about 20% of the company's operating costs, outsourcing the same to countries where services are cheap was an ideal way of cutting costs for Bellsouth. Bellsouth tied up with Accenture in 1998 as its IT outsourcing strategy partner to help it achieve improved service levels, on budget performance and on time delivery. To cutthe rising costs of ongoing maintenance and enhancement of IT applications and to maximise profits in order to utilize the same for future capital expenditure, Bellsouth began strategically evaluating its offshoring capabilities to further reduce IT costs and Project Horizon was born. Project Horizon's business objectives include offshoring resources to reduce maintenance and development costs of IT applications while maintaing the same workload and service levels and taking advantage of the differential cost savings. Results of application - The cost-savings initiative will enable Bellsouth to reduce IT expenses and save 45 - 70 % in outsourcing costs, which translates into an estimated savings of $ 275 million over five years

Sponsorship Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sponsorship Proposal - Essay Example The forthcoming three years extends an opportunity to the R+D division of our regional business, as the national company ramps up to accelerate market share. Our innovative staff knows Oz, and nowhere on this planet might photographers find a better aquatic venue for employing our new NIKONOS series cameras than our Great Barrier Reef. To this end, we request consideration of our request for AUS $ 3 million to support our efforts toward introduction of our new NIKONOS SoPA (South Pacific) model, and to enhance our potential to exceed expectations in terms of consumer impact in the sports camera market. The initiation of the NIKONOS SoPa is Nikon Australia's latest regional product. Unique to our national expansion in underwater photography, the new South Pacific model debuts here in Australia, with global extension of the complete underwater camera equipment line by 2014. Roll out of the SoPa is scheduled to proceed in the South Pacific region by 2012. Marketed through new and traditional media, events, press and tourism, the camera is slated to hit the Australian market in September of 2010, the commencement of our Summer season. Research and development is looking for new ways to enhance the quality of the lens in the product, as new instruments are tested, and risk assessment applied to development and manufacturing of forthcoming models. The NIKONOS SoPa series camera is prefaced forty years of underwater photographic use. The popularity of the camera's versatility is shown to us year after year, as customers communicate the durability and performance of Nikon's technology in bad weather conditions, and exposure to water spray. Our customers are sports people. One only has to look to the creativity of Japanese sports fans utilizing the NIKONOS at beer-pouring parties in celebration of the professional baseball championships to understand the effectiveness of our product. The NIKONOS goes where single-lens reflex cameras cannot. As we move toward the latter half of 2010, we are proud to maintain that our efforts to provide globe with technology that has not rival have succeeded. Unparalleled in market segment, our NIKONOS series cameras are not to be beat by competitors. The reality is that our underwater cameras are a synergy of distinctive technological factors. At Nikon, all of our products are crafted with the highest degree of engineering expertise. From research, design and development to careful manufacturing, the Nikon brand bears the mark of distinction and quality. The waterproof capability of the NIKONOS series cameras is the result of a composition of integrated lenses, Speedlight, and a seamless systemic compatibility with the product's line of underwater sports technology accessories. Discontinuation of the NIKONOS in the 1990s has allowed us much time to consider this vintage product's potential and its legacy. In the field of underwater photography, the method for taking pictures involves 'a land-use single-lens reflex camera enclosed in water pressure-resistant casing, or housing' (Nikon 2010). Steady evolution of this process drove professionals to newer options in aquatic imaging. However, in response to much demand by fans of the former, discontinued NIKONOS camera series, Nikon has decided to reintroduce the product,

Biography Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Biography Assignment - Essay Example d as a Prime Minister for two different periods including the 11 year period starting from 1966 and ending in 1977 and then she held the office of Prime Minister for a 4 year period ranging from 1980 to 1984. She was still holding the office when she was removed from the face of the earth through murder and she successfully became the only female Prime Minister in the history of India. This writing will focus on the leadership autobiography of Indira Gandhi and will reflect upon why she is one of the major examples of a successful leader. The way a leader leads is referred to his/her personal philosophy of leadership. Different leaders follow a different philosophy of leadership. Leaders follow the dictatorial, participative, delegative philosophies of leadership. Indira Gandhi and her actions reveal that she followed an autocratic form of leadership philosophy. A leader who follows this philosophy tends to communicate clear expectations that he/she may have from her followers. They do not only inform the followers about what needs to be done, they even tell them how operations are to be carried out. These leaders try to alienate themselves from the followers and create clear distinction between the two in the eyes of others. They themselves make the decisions and do not allow the followers to participate and expect the followers to follow those decisions obediently. One of the reasons due to which it is believed that Indira Gandhi was an autocratic leader is that she was held responsible for conducting acts of corru ption and even after she was found to be guilty, she did not give up her position and instead instated emergency after 19752. This shows that Indira Gandhi thought of herself as someone who is above all and has a higher status as compared to others. She did not only declare emergency. She even disallowed the press to report freely and she even went a step further by detaining members of opposition’s political parties. This shows that Indira Gandhi

A history of multicultural America. Questions and answers Essay

A history of multicultural America. Questions and answers - Essay Example The original servants in the Virginia Colony were indentured African servants and indentured White servants who came to the colony intentionally for earning money. However, the African servants that came to the colony were war captives or from enemy tribes (Takaki). Question 2: What is the difference between being an indentured servant and being a slave? Indentured servants were quite different from slaves as they were paid for their work and they worked as free workers bound under some agreement between them and the company for an agreed time period. The slaves were deprived of any rights and salary that were approved for indentured servants (Takaki). Question 3: What angered black American soldiers about the roles that were assigned to them during WWII? During WWII, the Black American soldiers were assigned different roles as compared to White American soldiers, which angered them. The roles were related to labor and non-combating positions. They were regarded unfit for combating due to which, they were assigned labor roles and other odd jobs to perform. Considering discrimination and inequality, they were angered. Even after the war, their testimonies were not collected as they were recorded from White soldiers (Takaki). Question 4: What was the major result of Bacon's Rebellion for blacks? The major result of Bacon’s Rebellion for blacks was increase in black slavery as the farm owners in fear of another rebellion and its aftereffects, started investing in acquiring slaves in place of indentured servants to get rid of any similar issue at all. They turned to Africa for slaves who became their primary source of labor (Takaki). Question 5: What was Thomas Jefferson's attitude toward slavery? How did he treat his own slaves? W hat did he believe should happen to blacks if they were freed from slavery? Jefferson’s attitude towards slavery was incongruous as condemned slavery openly and also had hundreds of slaves working on his plantation. He became the richest person on his land based on the expansion of his cultivated land, buying, and selling of slaves. He had appointed overseers for observing the slaves, their work, and these overseers were allowed to make use of physical violence for making them work. His treatment was cruel that can be noticed in his treatment of Hubbard, his slave who tried to escape. According to Jefferson, black slaves would not be able to feed themselves and take care of themselves if they were freed. He also proposed of deporting the blacks back to Africa after freeing them from slavery considering them inappropriate as free citizens in a White man’s society. Jefferson regarded blacks inferior to white population (Takaki). Question 6: Who was Phillis Wheatley, and what were the arguments that she put forward about blacks and slavery? Phillis Wheatley was a female poet and she was a slave brought from Africa. She had her own experience of ‘slave trade’, ‘forced separation from parents’ and ‘bondage in America’. She regarded slavery as a tyrannical institution depriving blacks of their rights and lives. She emphasized equality of blacks and informed that blacks were religiously equal to whites (Takaki). Question 7: Who was Benjamin Banneker? What stereotype about blacks did he work to dispel? What were his arguments? Benjamin Banneker was a black mathematician. He was also a slave like Wheatley. He dismissed Jefferson’s views about inferiority of intellect in blacks. He dispelled the stereotype about blacks that they were intellectually inferior to whites. He regarded Jefferson as a hypocrite. Banneker explained liberty as a ‘natural right’ for blacks. He talked about abolition of slave ry. He rejected the very notion of black inferiority (Takaki). Question 8: What were some of the ways slaves were managed by their masters? Overseers were appointed for black slaves that supervised them for work and threatened people for working by

Critical Review and Suggested Improvement for the Alternative Air Dissertation

Critical Review and Suggested Improvement for the Alternative Air Cooling - Dissertation Example New buildings should use alternative methods for air quality too. This research will show how and why. 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT There are many buildings in Hong Kong that were built before alternative methods for cooling and cleaning the air inside were financially profitable. Now the prices have dropped down, so it makes sense to install these alternative methods that save energy and some which also have a lower carbon balance quotient. These also save money in the long term, as the energy bills will be much lower. 1.2 AIMS AND BROAD OBJECTIVES The aim of this project is to study alternative methods for cleaning and cooling air in Hong Kong buildings and identify the best ones for each kind of building. The technology will be analysed for its ability to replace old systems in old buildings and make the air better for less money and energy consumption. The cost of using these in new buildings will be calculated so the ROI can be computed. It is hoped that these alternative metho ds will not cost much more than the traditional methods. This makes them good to use in new buildings. The costs and savings for old buildings will also be calculated. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Methodology of Literature Review A review of the literature in peer reviewed databases was done the same search of available books on the subject. However, since the lag time for books in print is nearly a year, newer technology and more information is available in digital formats. In addition to the peer reviewed databases, common websites in the building trade, and among suppliers for the building trade, were searched for information. Finally, specialized digital databases which include technological information and sites of various authorities on the subject were also searched and sites for rating buildings, such as BREEAM, Energy Star and Green were included. The alternatives found are examined and discussed here. This project will look at all alternatives and rate them for cost, p roblems, and ROI. Even if the cost is a little bit more, the pay back time is short. If a building is expected to last fifty to a hundred years, then it pays to make it work the best possible Langston, C., & Shen, L. (2007). 2.2 Technology Modern Building Services, and many other building sites like it, has no less than five alternatives to traditional air conditioning (Energy efficient systems - modern building services ). There are many alternatives. Green water walls are beautiful, peaceful and they clean the air while cooling it too ( ). These can be use with passive solar cooling and efficient window design to keep air cool and fresh (Greenwall Australia ). Regular air conditioners drink power like hungry dinosaurs. They make a lot of noise, they do not clean the air, and they often spread mould into the building. Hong Kong buildings are some of the most inefficient in the world, since the winters are not cold. Builders did not consider that air conditioning would become a majo r expense and a major problem. Even in buildings where the temperature is comfortable. The air may not be clean. Builders can do both with simpler technology and pay less (Dauncey, 2004). Many companies even consider these

'Discipline & Punish (Foucault, 1975) is not just a history of the Essay

'Discipline & Punish (Foucault, 1975) is not just a history of the emergence of the prison but a history of the emergence of a - Essay Example Thus, Discipline and Punish could be deemed as Foucault’s critique not only on the effectiveness of prison in attaining its key objective—the disciplining of the prisoner by subjecting him to conditions that are marked by extreme surveillance and control—but also on the true reason for the emergence of various social structures today such as the government, school, and other institutions (Mc Gaha, 2000). Precisely, it is Foucault’s belief that such systems had only been created to cater the elite group (which I shall explore in more detail in the next part of the paper) that bolstered his onslaught on the basic foundations of human civilization. Specifically, by recognizing the essence of prison and other social institutions as merely ‘instruments’ used by the elite to maintain and enhance their power in society, Foucault was able to question essentially the possibility of attaining human freedom in modern-day society. In a deeper regard, I co uld surmise that Foucault’s attacks on social structures could be attributed to his anarchistic mindset (though not explicitly revealed in any of the texts) as he clearly disregarded the need for such systems. Therefore, human freedom must be seen as the act of ‘letting one be’ and not ‘following what and how one must be’. His precise bastardization of naturals or ideals (as will be discussed later on) could clearly provide an ideological nexus between his anarchistic mindset and his post-modern orientation. If seen in this context, Foucault’s take on the human essence (for the lack of a better term) is slightly existentialist. In this paper, I like to delve further into Foucault’s Discipline and Punish by dividing the discussion into four parts. The first part shall emphasize on the short history of the penal system, which could be traced back to 17th century. Through this part, I aim to highlight on the fact that the development of th e penal system had shifted the punishment from physical to mental. The second part will be dedicated to reinforcing the concepts of power and control as the main thrust for the creation of modern social institutions. This will infuse the significant role of the elite in the formation of such institutions. The third part shall zero in on Foucault’s conceptualization of human freedom as hardly attainable given the flaws in modern day systems today. By having this part, I am to provide a reasoning that encapsulates Foucault’s socio-political ideologies Evolution of Punishment and the Rise of the Penal System Following the flow of discussion in Discipline and Punish, Foucault opted to start (in a more detailed light) with a detailed discussion on public tortures and executions that transpired during the17th and 18th centuries. Presenting explicitly the execution of the Damiens, Foucault (1976) narrated, â€Å"after these tearings with the pincers, Damiens, who cried out p rofusely, though without swearing, raised his head and looked at himself; the same

Changing patterns in marriage Essay Example for Free

Changing patterns in marriage Essay Using information from the items and elsewhere, examine the reasons for changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation and childbearing in the last 40 years (24 marks) According to the Office for National Statistics, the highest number of couples in 1972 was 480,000 and was due to the baby boom generation of the 1950’s reaching marriageable age and the fact that people chose to marry at a younger age compared to pervious generations. However the annual number of marriages in England and Wales then went into decline and reached an all-time low in 2005 when only 244,710 couples got married. This decline in the total number of marriages has been paralleled by a decline in marriage rates. In 1994, the marriage rate was 11.4 but has decline to 10.3 by 2004. The male rate declined from 36.3 in 1994 to 27.8 in 2004 whilst the female rate declined from 30.6 to 24.6. Fears about what marriage statistics reveal are exaggerated for four reasons: People are delaying marriage rather than rejecting it. Most people will marry at some point in their lives, but people are now marrying later in life, probably after a period of cohabitation. Women may delay marriage because they want to develop their careers and enjoy a period of independence. The BSAS indicates that most people, whether single, divorced or cohabiting, still see marriage as a desirable life-goal. People also generally believe that having children is best done in the context of marriage and few people believe that the freedom associate with living alone is better than being married to someone. Two fifths of all marriages are remarriages. Evidently these people are committed to the institution of marriage despite their previous negative experience of it. Despite the decrease in the overall number of people marrying, married couples are still the main types of partnership for men and women in the UK. Wilkinson notes that female attitudes towards marriage and family life have undergone a radical change or ‘genderquake’. She argues that young females no longer prioritize marriage and children. Educational opportunities and the feminization of the economy have resulted in young women weighing up the costs of marriage and having children against the benefits of a career and economic independence. Therefore the result of this is that many females, particularly middle-class, are postponing marriage and family life until their careers are established. Other feminist sociologists are sceptical about the value of marriage. Smith argues that marriage creates unrealistic expectation  about monogamy and faithfulness in a world characterized by sexual freedom. She argues that at different points in people’s life cycles, people need different things that often can only be gained from a new partner. Campbell, however, suggests that marriage benefits men more than it does women. A constant source of concern to the New Right has been the significant rise in the number of couples cohabiting. The proportion of non-married people cohabiting has risen sharply in the last 20 years from 11% of men and 13% of women in 1986 to 24% and 25% respectively. In 2007, the ONS suggested that cohabiting couples are the fastest growing family type in the UK. Around 2.2 million families are cohabiting couples with or without children. This family type has grown by 65% since 1997. However, New Right commentators claim that cohabitation is less stable than marriage. A report by the Institute for the Study of Civil Society claimed that cohabiting couples were less happy and less fulfilled than married couples, and more likely to be abusive, unfaithful, stressed and depressed. Although surveys indicate that few people see cohabitation as an alternative to marriage, the fact that cohabiting couples are much younger than married couples suggests cohabitation is seen my many participants as a test of compatibility and an introduction to marriage. Other research suggests that cohabitation is a temporary phase lasting on average for about 5 years. Approximately 60% of cohabiting couples eventually marry. Although cohabitation marks a dramatic change in adult living arrangements – as recently as the 1960’s, it was regarded immoral – cohabiting couples with and without children only accounted for 10% of households in 2006. Reasons for increase in divorce rates: Thornes and Collard: women value friendship and emotional gratification more than men do. If the husband fails to live up to these expectations, women may feel the need to look elsewhere. Hart: divorce may be reaction to the frustration that many working wives may feel if they are responsible for the bulk of housework and childcare. Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (1995): rising divorce rates are the product of a rapidly changing world in which traditional rules, rituals and traditions of love, romance and relationships no longer apply. In 1938, 6,000 divorces were granted in the UK. This figure had increased tenfold by 1970, and in 1993, numbers packed at 180,000. By  2000, this figure had fallen to 154,600 although the years 2001-2004 have seen a gradual rise to 167,100. Flouri and Buchanan’s (2002) study of 17,000 children from families that had experienced separation and divorce found that in families, their fathers were still involved in their children so the children were more successful in gaining educational qualifications and continued to seek out educational opportunities in adult life. In conclusion, the reasons for changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation and childbearing in the last 40 years are due to the fact that conjugal roles within marriages have differed and the ability to change marriage beliefs in an instant. Men and women, especially the middle-class, may fear the need to put their careers before starting a family, which therefore causes problems within marriage.

540 Week 5 Questions Essay Example for Free

540 Week 5 Questions Essay How does labeling cause deviance? What is the difference between primary and secondary deviance?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the labeling theory that was developed and popularized by Howard S. Becker in conjunction with Frank Tannenbaum, the behavior of society to categorize persons into specific groups based on society’s perceptions about such people leads to deviance. As per this theory, society invents, selects, and manipulates the convictions that negatively view certain behaviors before placing the supposedly deviant people into such categories. The deviant person is thus regarded as being ethically inferior. Afterwards, deviants internalize such society-ascribed identities before ultimately beginning to act as per a certain label (Stark, 2007). Deviants then assume unexpected behaviors in a bid to obey the rules of the assigned label.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Primary deviance is evident when deviance demonstrates itself before society categorizes such behavior as constituting deviance. In addition, it is the deviance that is placed onto an individual via the acts of reporting or confession. Conversely, secondary deviance exhibits itself after one has committed a societal wrong, has attracted societal reaction by being categorized as a deviant, and has internalized the deviance. The deviant then adopts the behavior that made them to be classified as deviants. What are some examples of master status not in the text? What are traits associated with them? How do those assumed traits affect our perceptions of people with that status?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some illustrations of master statuses include being unemployed, ethnicity, religion, and education. These master statuses have certain traits that are usually associated with them (Macionis, 2005). For instance, the unemployed master status has the common traits of always being in need of money, demonstrating anxiety, and being unhappy. Conversely, the ethnicity orientation master status is characterized by a shared heritage, common language, shared culture, as well as a shared ancestry. On the other hand, the education master status has the characteristics of being knowledgeable, having critical and analytical skills, and being free of common biases found among uneducated persons. In contrast, the religion master status has the traits of common beliefs, common deities, as well as shared religious practices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The aforementioned traits lead society into having specific views about people depicting such statuses. For example, the characteristic of being knowledgeable among people with the education master status makes society to have respect for such people. Conversely, the needy trait among those exhibiting the master status of being unemployed makes society to view such people as being more likely to trouble society while begging for alms. What are decision-making types used by rational choice theory? How do these decisions apply to crime?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Two of the major decision-making types in rational choice theory include indifference and strict preference. These preference types have relationships with crime, whereby criminals apply them with regard to whether or not to engage in criminal behavior (Fernandez-Huerga, 2008). For example, in relation to strict preference, whereby a person demonstrates a preference for B to A, a criminal has the absolute choice of either committing a crime or not. The offender thus makes a clear choice to either commit an offense or desist from doing so. On the other hand, regarding the indifference type of preference, a criminal engages in unacceptable behavior not out of their own free and unbridled will, but rather as a result of prevailing circumstances. Since the offender does not demonstrate a clear inclination towards a certain action (of either enraging in lawbreaking acts or refraining from such an action), they do not prefer like one option or t he other. References Fernandez-Huerga (2008.) The economic behavior of human beings: The institutionalist post-Keynesian model. Journal of Economic Issues, 42, 3: 23-8. Macionis, J. J. (2005). Sociology, 10th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Stark, R. (2007).  Sociology: Biological theories of deviance (Tenth edition). Belmont, CA. Thomson Wadsworth.

Devolving Responsibility Of Human Resource To Managers Management Essay

Devolving Responsibility Of Human Resource To Managers Management Essay By devolving responsibility of Human Resource to managers, organizations are expecting to create a closer relationship between managers and employees which will be achieved by quick decision making and effective problem solving at workplace. Some organizations however have both the HR specialists and the managers who work together by bringing in expertise from their own areas. This report identifies the context, enablers and inhibitors of the involvement of management in HR function. In conclusion, the report identifies that adequate training and expert knowledge support must be provided to managers if they are expected to integrate HR responsibilities within their managerial function. Human Resource Management (HRM) refers to a collection of policies used to organise work in the employment relationship and centres on the management of work and the management of people who undertake this work (Claydon 2010). (Storey, 2007) states that HRM plays a pivotal role in strategically deploying highly capable and committed workforce by using human resources expertise to achieve competitive advantage. A strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging peoples capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practices. (Gold 2007) Human Resource Management ensures the productive use of people in an organisation to achieve the organisations strategic business objectives. Human resource management also involves maintaining a healthy employer-employee relationship and the satisfaction of the individual employer needs (Stone 2007) Human resource policies and the business policies have been integrated together with the management function rather than a separate entity to achieve the organisations objectives more efficiently. Discussion of the context (Wilkinson M. M., 2002), states that many criticisms concerning the lack of contribution by HR specialists to organisational performance have come from line managers. The four main criticisms are first, personnel practitioners are regarded as out of touch of commercial realities and unable to comprehend much about the nature of the business, its customers, or its corporate goals. The allegation is that HR professionals base their decisions upon a set of principles and ideas, such as welfare and employee rights which have little relevance for competitive prospects. Second, HR is often thought to constrain the autonomy of managers to make decisions that they feel are in the best interest of the business. These are mainly the legal constraints of equal opportunities or individual rights and the involvement of union representatives. The third criticism is that HR managers are slow to act, always wanting to check the options thoroughly (Cunningham and Hayman, (1999). Finally HR practition ers are criticised for promulgating policies that may be fine in theory but hard to put in effect or unsuitable to their particular requirements. Legge (1995) argues that HRM is caught in a vicious circle because senior management do not involve them in the business decision making and planning as people issues are not considered at this stage of decision making. But in due course problems arise due to non involvement of HR such as poor recruits, inadequate training of staff or work disruption. When such problems are brought to HRs attention they have insufficient time to resolve the issue which in effect results in short term solutions with detrimental long term effects. HR function gets the blame for inefficient problem handling and continues to be excluded from decision making, thus completing the vicious circle. As line managers work closely with the people they manage, the problem solving can be immediate and relevant rather than having to wait for the HR department to get back to them. The solutions provided by these managers are also likely to be in congruence with the organisations goals and business requirements. Ulrich (1998) hence recommended that HR should be reconfigured so as to highlight what it delivers rather than what it does. The four recommendations for HR are, to become a partner with business and line managers for strategy formulation, to become an expert in the way work is organised and executed to reduce cost and to increase efficiency, to become a champion for employees by acting as a medium between the employees and the senior management to increase employee contribution and finally to become an agent of continuous transformation by shaping processes for successful implementation of change. The CIPD research on employee well-being and the psychological contract (Guest and Conway, 2005) established that too many managers are failing to motivate and improve the performance of people they manage. Due to the devolution of HR function to managers, their responsibilities have increased and their role in the organization has become more important. HR initiates policies and practices but it is the management which is responsible for implementing them. HR proposes but the line disposes (Armstrong 2006). It is hence important that the policies are well communicated to the manager who will implement it if it is perceived to be in the interest of the business. If managers are unaware of any laws requiring the implementation of those policies then it is up to the HR to educate the managers about this. (J.Purcell 2003) noted that well conceived HR policies and practices didnt automatically result in organisational performance improvement but the difference was made by the way in which those polices were implemented by the managers. If they used discretion in implementing HR policies then some policies will just be a set of useless ideas (Armstrong 2006) (H.H.Larsen 2003), pointed out the five main reasons why organisations want to integrate these functions; Pressure on firm costs to integrate HR function in line management role To provide a more comprehensive HRM which is achieved through this integration of line management and HR functions The growing influence of service industries where line managers are responsible for customer management HR specialists may take too long to resolve HR issues Devolution may be considered as an alternative to outsourcing the entire HR function resulting from changes in philosophy and organisational structure. Enablers for integrating management and HR functions Managers play an important role in implementing the HR policies (Gold 2007). Research has revealed that line manager behaviour has a significant impact on employee commitment, which in turn has an impact on customer commitment, which has an impact on business performance (Lazenby quoted in Purcell 2003). The enrichment of line manager roles within the organisations and their greater involvement in HR decision-making has arisen due to the increase in customer service demands and the resulting time pressure in decision making. Increasing performance requirements, transparency, flexibility and accountability has increased the importance of this dual role. Involving line mangers in HR functions can be seen as a strategic approach to managing people. (Renwick 2003), has listed the main benefits that organisations can derive from such integration; HR problems are solved at source saving vital organisation resources Better change management is achieved through manager participation in policy implementation Closely working managers can make decisions at increased speed Greater scope for HR managers to focus on strategic importance of HRM HR issues get a business focus before they are implemented hence those policies will no more be created in isolation from organisational goals Since managers are aware of HR issues they cant ignore them hence leading to a better employee manager relationship Managers are more likely to be committed to their own HR decisions rather than having to implement due to compulsion from HR department Promotes local management accountability and responsibility for HR issues Reduces costs due to integration of functions Promotes the case that HRM cant always be transferred to specialists Line managers occupy an important position in the organizational hierarchy and they can directly affect the level of service delivered. Entrusting line managers with HR responsibilities will add to their existing pressures, increase workload and the need to deliver on short-term priorities. Formal administrative approaches within the departments would require line managers to display a high level of HR competence. This signifies the need for high-quality training programs for line managers to ensure that they feel confident in discharging their new HR responsibilities. Money invested in training management personnel can result in saving company from expensive litigation and in maintaining a god corporate reputation. Providing line managers with such training is very important as they are not naturally trained to deliver HR duties, which are quite different to making business decisions. Inhibitors for integrating management and HR functions (Renwick 2003), has given the following inhibitors to HR and management integration; Increased pressure to train and/or re-skill managers in HRM A need for strict HR auditing Problems and maintaining consistency in decision making Risk of falling standards or abuse of position through discrimination Problems in maintaining balance of power between management and HR specialists Potential for the HR/ER management role to be marginalised Low line capability/commitment when doing HR work Little time for managers to perform HR duties well due to operational demands on them Risks of job overload/stress as manager workloads are increased Harrison (2009) supports the argument in favour of management staff by saying that, line management is mostly faced with situations pressurising them to achieve objectives resulting in the increase in profitability or in the reduction of costs resulting in less dedication to support human resource development apart from the basic tasks. If line managers are faced with a decision to prioritize between making a key business decision or to formulate policies and procedures to improve the working conditions of employees, the priority would normally be the business decision as that would be considered as their primary responsibility and also more business focussed. Brewster and Soderstrom (1994) say that before delegating tasks or entrusting people with more responsibility in different areas, it must consider the level of knowledge possessed by the individual and the willingness of such individual to train to learn new competences, since they could already be overburdened with their current tasks making it uncomfortable for them to absorb more responsibilities. In order for the line managers to deliver their HR tasks they need to maintain a good relationship with HR specialists which could be complex at times. According to (Thomas N Garavan 2006) while the line manager is a key stakeholder in the training and development process, their relationship with the function and/or the specialist can often be negative. This could result in issues arising from lack of good communication and understanding between the departments. According to Grace and Straub (1991) training specialists often exclude line managers from training the reason for which is mainly the threat of being substituted. Some such instances as noticed by them are; Excluding line managers from the needs assessment process/program; Unwillingness to consider line managers as subject matter experts; Unwillingness to utilize line managers as instructors for training duties. This could also be due to the resistance on part of the line mangers to take initiative to train as this could entail more responsibilities for them. As (Thomas N Garavan 2006) continues the argument by saying that the issue is due to the lack of trust between the line managers and the training and development specialists. Line managers refuse to co-operate with the training specialists who makes an attempt to offer advice to improve work operations because they consider training specialists as staff as providing a service in accordance with line manager requirements and expectations. Efforts to change this role are often perceived by the line managers as an attempt to thwart line authority with the generation of better ideas. Sometimes HR professionals were even seen as policing line managers. This perception leads to inflexibility and negative responses aimed at demolishing the strengths and foundations of the training specialist. Also Storey (1992) points out that lack of training and education of line managers hinder the smooth delivery of new HR practices. Those line managers simply underestimate the need for investment in the training of their subordinates. Developing and implementing HR initiatives can become a difficult task for the managers to incorporate in their regular management function. Suggestions to improve managers as people managers (J.Purcell 2003), have suggested that managers can improve their people management skills, to deliver their HR responsibilities, in following ways; Senior management must understand the prioritisation issues that managers may face when both management and HR issues arise at the same time. Pressurising from the top will not help in such circumstances Managers must be selected considering the behavioural requirements and competencies expected from them as they would be doing HR function as well Managers need to have a clear understanding of the organisational values, goals and culture for efficient people management. A good working relationship needs to exist between staff and their manager Managers must be provided with the necessary training to enable them to deliver their HR functions such as performance management, grievance and complaints handling Although line managers can be trained to an extent to carry out the HR function, there are several key competencies possessed by HR professionals that might be difficult to incorporate in a line manager function as per (Armstrong 2006). There has been a significant change to the way in which organisations manage their business in the recent years and hence there has been changes in the way different departments operates within it. Changes to work demands have made it difficult for the HR department to find people with required talents for the organisation. HR department is required to keep up to date with the HR requirement of the departments and ensures the human resource is able to meet new challenges and demands (Wright, 2003) A human resource manager must consider the nature of external and internal influences before selecting a particular course of action. Internal environmental influences involve the factors that are found within the organisation such as the organisational strategies, organisational culture, organisational structure and organisational systems. Several external factors influence the formulation and requirements of HRM policies. Some of the external factors facing organisations are changing nature work force, technological changes, globalisation and labour force demographics. (Stone 2007) CIPD has presented a list of core functions delivered by HR professionals as below; Business and cultural awareness: understand the business environment and the competitive pressures in the market facing the organisation, the key business activities, culture and the impact of HR policies on the business performance Strategic capability: seeks involvement in business strategy function, develops coherent HR strategies which are aligned with business strategy, understand the importance of human capital measurement to ensure efficient utilisation Organisational effectiveness: contributes to the analysis of people issues and proposes practical solutions, develops resource capability by ensuring that the organisation has the workforce with required skills, process redesigning for better utilisation of staff, contributes in the development of knowledge management processes Internal consultancy: proposes practical solutions by providing expert advice and coaches management on dealing with their department specific problems Service delivery: delivers appropriate services promptly and efficiently to requests for HR services and advice and provides guidance in HR decisions as required Continuous professional development: continuous development of skills and knowledge, to deliver the HR duties to high standards by updating the new HR concepts, practices and techniques As discussed above HR function is far more specialised in its core activities and many of its functions need specialist expert knowledge which is difficult for management to keep up to date with. HR Outsourcing has become more common in the recent years as the companies are relying on them for HR related matters. A good human resource outsourcing deal is to ensure that nearly all your transactional and basic advisory services are outsourced and that the jobs of the HR teams are redesigned so that they no longer focus on the operational level decisions but the focus would be on more complex business challenges and strategic needs. (Hunter 2007). But many organisations may choose to rather incorporate the HR function within their management functions rather than outsourcing. Conclusion HR can be seen as an integral part of a managerial post, as a manager is responsible for the performance and job satisfaction of his staff. There have been several factors over a period of time that has had an impact on the role of HR managers and practitioners. If an employee in a management positions accepts to deliver HR duties it is possible to achieve a higher level of efficiency. However, the success of any change process involving line manager HR participation will ultimately depend on striking a balance between factors favouring devolvement and those inhibiting HR involvement. While making line managers more responsible for HR may bring about a speedier resolution to workplace conflicts, clear structures need to be implemented to allow line managers seek guidance and advice, but also allow employees to repeal decisions made. In this regard, HR specialists need to proactively engage with line managers and bring about partnership HR approaches to managing employees. There are however certain boundaries to such a devolution. All of them lie either in line managers lack of specific knowledge and expertise or in their conflict with HR specialists. As devolution of HR responsibilities are taken for granted it is suggested that it is HR specialists who need to re-consider their role within organisations, while line managers are to be given an appropriate training.

Suffering In Shakespeares Plays Essay -- essays research papers

Suffering In Shakespeare's Plays How does suffering affect one's actions? Do different types of suffering affect one in different ways? This paper seeks to determine how William Shakespeare's character's respond to various types of suffering. Suffering can be defined in two ways; physical suffering, in which the character is inflicted with physical pain and trauma, and emotional suffering, where the character suffers an emotional trauma or loss. In The Tempest, the physically traumatized characters, are Trinculo and Stephano. They are chased by dogs but their physical trauma has not induced any sign of remorse or guilt. Ferdinand, on the other hand, is overcome by emotional suffering at the "loss" of his son. In King Lear, Lear is plagued emotionally. He feels that he has lost the love of his favorite daughter Cordelia, and he feels the harsh hatred of his two evil daughters. At the conclusion of the play, his sanity is restored but he has suffered tremendously in an emotional manner at the hands of Regan and Goneril. In Othello, Brabantio goes through emotional suffering when he must succumb to his daughter's wishes. Desdemona also goes through emotional suffering when she is accused by Othello of cheating on him when he is convinced of this by Iago. In The Tempest, the theme of purification through suffering can clearly be seen. Prospero, in his long exile from Milan, has more than attoned for whatever mistake he might have made while he ruled. Ferdinand must suffer through Prospero's hardships and laborious tests before he can win Miranda's hand. Most significantly, Alonso must undergo the suffering that Prospero has designed for him before he is forgiven. Prospero, who is the real Duke of Milan was overthrown 12 years earlier by his younger brother Antonio. Prospero was driven out of the island along with his daughter Miranda; the two were cast out to sea. His suffering has occured in a physical and a non-physical way, he is deeply hurt from losing his kingdom and from being cast out to die. Despite this, he is generous in forgiving. He is not only in control of those around him but he punishes the guilty and demands repentance. When Ferdinand meets Miranda, they instantly fall in love with each other. "I might call him...a thing divine; for nothing natural...I ever saw so noble." ( Tempest, I, ii, 417-419). He is perfect for h... ...ello and Iago agree that Desdemona should be put to death. Out of rage, Othello smothers Desdemona in bed and kills her. "She must die, else she'll betray more men." (Othello, V, ii, 6). In conclusion, there is evidence that Shakespeare designed his characters to be affected by different types of suffering in different ways. The characters who underwent emotional suffering, usually ended up purified or at least in a better state of mind. On the other hand, those who only underwent physical suffering did not change from their past behaviors and did not repent. Evidence of this can be seen in the following ways: Ferdinand in The Tempest, is struck by emotional pain. Because of this, he is purified through his trial and he repents. In Othello, the main character is caught in an emotional battle- who is he to believe- his loyal servant or his new bride? Unfortunately, Othello does not realize the truth until it is too late and has already killed Desdemona. In King Lear, Lear becomes temporarily insane from the pain and turmoil he endures from his daughters. He does not come to terms about his mistake until, like Othello, it is too late and Cordelia has already been killed.

My Personal Philosophy of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Education

Education is not a group of classes containing a series of facts to be used on a test and then forgotten. Education is a series of tools that students use every day in the classroom and in the real world. The English language is the primary language of the United States and people use it to communicate throughout the world. Yet, many students have difficulty using the language properly. As an educator, I would like to make a difference and help students write better and use proper grammar and punctuation. All students are capable of learning and learning about language does not mean students simply learn a series of rules. Using the language is the key to understanding it. Like many teachers, I prefer an eclectic approach. I see rows and columns of seats, filled with students. The rows would be changed into small circles for group work, which would be a part of my approach to teaching. Signs on the wall address the rules for the classroom and the consequences for those that break the rules. I would use a combination of essentialism and progressivism in the classroom, as defined by Teachers, Schools, and Society, written by Myra Pollack Sadker and David Miller Sadker. Lectures, textbooks, and written assignments would be part of my teaching style. Certain subjects lend themselves to progressive assignments, but English should be taught so that students learn the rules of the language and how to apply them. This would be essentialism in action. Writing is undervalued in many English classes. Instead of writing a report about a short story, students could write a short research paper on a topic that interests them. By using proper grammar, they would be learning to use the rules of the language and become stronger writers. A... ...y during the summer of 2014 and I observed in Education 210 and 305 during the fall of 2014, so not much has changed about my methods or my expectations. I still believe an eclectic approach is best in the classroom because different students require different approaches to material. A wonderful observation I did gain during my experiences teaching lessons was the light bulb flicking on in students’ minds when they understand material and the joy of experiencing this. My observations affirmed my decision to go back to college and become a teacher and I sawmodels of instruction put into practice by my supervising teachers. It is good reinforcement when students can experience what books teach in a real classroom. My philosophy may yet change and evolve and if so, that is good. A philosophy that does not change means the person who wrote it has not experienced growth.

How does Intelligence help the Joint Force Commander Essay -- Militar

Intelligence is a critical component of joint planning and execution. Through the prism of Phase 0 (zero) Shaping, intelligence relates the realities of the operational environment before hostilities including an assessment of current economic, political, and cultural dynamics. Yet, throughout the subsequent phases of operational planning, analysts can also develop concise estimates on friendly and enemy centers of gravity (COG), thereby introducing not only the triggers of adversarial activity but at what point friendly forces can maneuver with maximum decisiveness. All the while, intelligence professionals systematically prepare real-time and near real-time intelligence to maintain the informational edge during execution. Intelligence enables the Joint Force Commander to visualize the operational environment, evaluate operational effects, and sustain information superiority throughout the duration of joint operations, thereby offering increased integration, synchronization and direction of involved joint elements. Understanding the complex operational environment of today and tomorrow is elemental when integrating diverse forces to achieve a favorable outcome. Intelligence professionals have a wide array of systems to draw from when preparing intelligence to facilitate a broad understanding. This array includes combat support agencies as well as national intelligence agencies which work in an ever increasingly collaborative environment. This aids the intelligence professional as they collect raw information as well as already produced actionable intelligence gained throughout all levels of war and throughout the full scope of military operations. This effort is critical in establishing priorities of effort which will ... ...s to collect information, evaluate problems, and reach the most plausible solutions. However, the varying requirements of operational and tactical warfare merit differing approaches to planning and execution. The design of the JOPP process is for campaign contingencies which fall into the scope of operational level, while the MDMP process is best suited for the tactical level. Moreover, JOPP takes into account that a joint commander may not be as thoroughly knowledgeable of all assigned forces as the tactical commander would be. Wisely, JOPP asks the joint staff and commander to evaluate friendly, as well as enemy, COGs so to evaluate capabilities of either force. The tactical commander, not wanting to take anything for granted, would already know the true combat potential of the force, as speed and decisiveness are certainly critical in the tactical realm.

Conflict Management Essay

Conflict management refers to the long-term management of intractable conflicts. It is the label for the variety of ways by which people handle grievances — standing up for what they consider to be right and against what they consider to be wrong. Those ways include such diverse phenomena as gossip, ridicule, lynching, terrorism, warfare, feuding, genocide, law, mediation, and avoidance. Which forms of conflict management will be used in any given situation can be somewhat predicted and explained by the social structure — or social geometry — of the case. Conflict management is often considered to be distinct from conflict resolution. In order for actual conflict to occurr, there should be an expression of exclusive patterns, and tell why the conflict was expressed the way it was. Conflict is not just about simple inaptness, but is often connected to a previous issue. The latter refers to resolving the dispute to the approval of one or both parties, whereas the former concerns an ongoing process that may never have a resolution. Neither is it considered the same as conflict transformation, which seeks to reframe the positions of the conflict parties. Scientific studies Scientific study of conflict management (also known as social control) owes its foundations to Donald Black, who typologized its elementary forms and used his strategy of pure sociology to explain several aspects of its variation. Research and theory on conflict management has been further developed by Allan Horwitz, Calvin Morill, James Tucker, Mark Cooney, M.P. Baumgartner, Roberta Senechal de la Roche, Marian Borg, Ellis Godard, Scott Phillips, and Bradley Campbell. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach and avoiding semantic discussions, we could also state that the father of conflict management is Thomas C. Schelling, an American economist and Nobel Prize winner, who authored the Strategy of Conflict in 1960. Schelling’s main goal was to lay the foundation for a theory of conflict that would include the fields of economics, psychology, sociology and the law. Conflict is an omnipresent trait of human societies since it is almost impossible to find two parties with entirely overlapping interests, thus a general theory for bargaining and negotiation to address conflict is useful not only in the field of international politics or business management, but also at the personal and intimate level. Counseling When personal conflict leads to frustration and loss of efficiency, counseling may prove to be a helpful antidote. Although few organizations can afford the luxury of having professional counselors on the staff, given some training, managers may be able to perform this function. Nondirective counseling, or â€Å"listening with understanding†, is little more than being a good listener — something every manager should be. [1] Sometimes the simple process of being able to vent one’s feelings — that is, to express them to a concerned and understanding listener, is enough to relieve frustration and make it possible for the frustrated individual to advance to a problem-solving frame of mind, better able to cope with a personal difficulty that is affecting his work adversely. The nondirective approach is one effective way for managers to deal with frustrated subordinates and co-workers.[2] There are other more direct and more diagnostic ways that might be used in appropriate circumstances. The great strength of the nondirective approach (nondirective counseling is based on the client-centered therapy of Carl Rogers), however, lies in its simplicity, its effectiveness, and the fact that it deliberately avoids the manager-counselor’s diagnosing and interpreting emotional problems, which would call for special psychological training. No one has ever been harmed by being listened to sympathetically and understandingly. On the contrary, this approach has helped many people to cope with problems that were interfering with their effectiveness on the job.[2] References 1. ^ Henry P Knowles; Bà ¶rje O Saxberg (1971). Personality and leadership behavior. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.. Chapter 8. OCLC 118832. 2. ^ a b Richard Arvid Johnson (1976). Management, systems, and society : an introduction. Pacific Palisades, Calif.: Goodyear Pub. Co.. pp. 148–142. ISBN 0876205406 9780876205402. OCLC 2299496. Kellett, Peter M. Conflict Dialogue. London: Sage Publications, 2007 External links †¢ Conflict Management Articles – A collection of Conflict Management Articles †¢ Peace Forge -A wiki dedicated to best practices in peace and conflict resolution †¢ Search For Common Ground – One of the world’s largest non-government organisations dedicated to conflict resolution †¢ CUNY Dispute Resolution Consortium- The Dispute Resolution Headquarters in New York City. See also †¢ Conflict resolution †¢ Conflict atlas †¢ Conflict style inventory You can’t avoid conflict in your life, at home, at work, and even at play. Wherever people interact, there is a potential for conflict. That’s not bad news because good things can arise, and relationships can improve through conflict, provided conflict is managed with thought and attention. The bad news is that most of us are fairly limited in how we manage and resolve conflict situations, often throwing gasoline on the fire. It doesn’t have to be that way. We’ve gathered together the best and most useful free online resources and tools to help you manage and cope with conflict more effectively. Whether you want to learn about conflict at work, between siblings, within the family, or any other context, you’ll be sure to find help on these pages. Originally created for our own research purposes, we decided to publish the directory so others could use it. New conflict material is added weekly, so make sure to subscribe to our update newsletter. Customer Service (75) new A major part of providing good customer service involves dealing effectively with angry, dissatisfied, or just plan difficult customers. Here you’ll find suggestions about how to deal with those tough customer service, and customer conflict situations. (Call Centers) (Suggested Books) Difficult People (53) new Difficult people can drive you nuts, and if you’re difficult, you may be driving others nuts. Learn more about what makes difficult people tick, and how to deal with different kinds of difficult people behaviors. (Discussion Lists) (Suggested Books) Diversity and Multicultural Issues (73) Learn about diversity and culture, how to create diverse organizations, and increase your understanding of the links between diversity, culture and conflict. Practical suggestions about resolution of conflict that is linked to culture. (Suggested Books) (Doing Business Abroad) Emotional Intelligence (37) Free articles and papers related to Emotional Intelligence, Goleman, and others. Facilitation (21) new Articles about the faciliating process in groups and dyads and about facilitators Family Conflict – Parents and Children (35) new Parents and children often come into conflict over large and small issues, regardless of age of the children. Learn more about dealing with conflicts between parents and children from these resources. Family Conflict – Sibling Disagreements (20) new Conflict with brothers and sisters is a natural process, and occurs in every family. Learn more about conflict between siblings and sibling rivalry and how to deal with it. Fighting Fair (16) Sometimes it’s not whether you win or lose an argument but how you act during an argument that dictates a positive or negative outcome. Learn to â€Å"fight fair† during disagreements and conflict. Labor Law (23)

Food Security in India

Food slew protection is access code to sufficiency forage by solely hatful at all sentence for an bustling and heartynessy life. In the past con pennyimerated efforts were made to achieve provender guarantor by increasing diet atom production. Thanks to the impact of green revolution though, it was limited to same crops and too in limited states. To reassure easy access to nutrient at base level, disposal monopolizes particle management and support feed gains. Paradoxically, India detected national sustenance ego-reliance 35 years ago save ab extinct 35% of its population form f atomic subroutine 18 insecure.Low in numerates and high up diet legal injurys prevent individual intellectual nourishment credential. early(a) aspect of Indian fodder security constitution situation is that afterwards over triple decades of operation, public dispersion system meets less(prenominal) than 10% of ingestion of PDS grains rice and straw by the abject . At the global level, piteous harvest coupled with rising convey has led to and overall increase in nourishment prices. Unfavorable weather conditions in parts of Europe and North Africa, in concert with worst ever drought in Australia put old-hats of major food crops, peculiarly chaff, at embark low levels. mean supply pushed up the prices of stubble to strange heights, signifi whoremongertly affecting food splashiness across the globe including India. Surging food grain prices and worsening global supplies atomic number 18 now bringing the domestic food crisis to the boil. The crisis has been building up for sometime. The food grains yields of India farmers atomic number 18 non going up. Grain turnout has been stagnating for over a decade and on that point is a growing gap in the midst of supply and demand. Attaining long-term food security bears the raising of incomes and making food affordable.To ensure food security for the vulnerable divide of the society a multiple pronged stately is to be evolved. To begin with all the existing social safety interlock programmes soak up aim amalgamation and should focus on vulnerable and underprivileged regions and groups. The existing anti- meagreness programmes may be made more liquid with better disposal that minimizes leakages and benefits from such(prenominal) programmes. Simultaneously, enter sports to be clean uped by improving incentives, incentives, increasing in vestment etcetera So that production of traditional and high-value commodities bath be increase.Unfortunately agriculture is in the grip of measly performance. Traditional sources of augmenting income be ceresin. Production environment is changing it is non dominated by small holders. With the shrinkage come holdings, their sustainability and viability can non assert solely on production of food grains. To augment their income, small holders need to metamorphose their production and crops. Ten years after the dismantling of the universal public diffusion system systems, the statistical jugglery of the targeted food distri justion system in truthly excludes millions of poor in both the BPL and APL categories.Targeting is linked to neoli9beral policies that seek to limit, if non eliminate, the brasss welf ar responsibilities. The abnegation of the beneficial to food for a bad section of the Indian population reflected in increased malnourishment strutted growth, ill health and loss of energy and thitherfore productiveness is an issue that deserves more national attention. If countries mark gain to be graded in legal injury of provision of food security to their citizens, India would caste along with Ethiopia at the humiliate end.The unite Nations childrens fund storey that line out of every tow children in India in malnourished confirms the lopsided priorities of straight governments at the centre that seek to speciate fiscal deficits by reducing food subsidies. Until 19 96, India has universal PDS. There it introduced the targeted system with the chimerical notion that the infirmities of the PDS should be curbed and that it would enable subsidized grain to reach those who actually required it. India now has 10 years of sire of the targeted (into APL and BPL ouseholds with access to foodgrain at different prices) and get along targeted (into BPL and Antyo twenty- quaternity hour perioda households) system. Last year, the planning commission did an evolutions of the PDS and prove that 57% of the poor hand been actually excluded from the BPL system. Earlier the Abhijit Sen committee had in like manner come up with similar findings, pointing to the utter disaster of the targeted system, and suggested a return to the universal PDS. For these schemes is a major puzzle. If unaccompanied those who be officially identified as poor can give birth access to food, then understandably the method has ensured accuracy.The prevailing method of realiz ation is entirely unsatisfactory. There be dickens influences of estimates. The estimate that is linked to allocations of foodgrain is made by the planning commission. According to a action replay addicted in parliament, the present supposition of the impoverishment line is based on the per capita consumption expenditure needed to attain a minimal come up of kilocalorie intake out of food consumption along with a minimum amount of not-food expenditure in order to meet the requirements of clothing, shelter and transport, among other things.This is based on the methodology suggested by the Lakdawala committee in 1993 and the population projections of the registrar-general of India as of march 12000. Shockingly, harmonize to the current assessments, it works out to virtually Rs. 11 an adult a day clearly this is not a poverty line but a privation line. Earlier foodgrain allocations were not linked to poverty line assessments but were open-ended depending on past utilization by the states. The linkages came along with the targeted system. This creates another anomaly.The outlandish development ministry has set of programmes for BPL families. According to current estimates, 6 crore households in India come under the BPL category. That such a large number of citizenry are earning less than Rs 330 a month is dread enough. save what is cruel is that anyvirtuoso earning above this deficient monthly income is classified as APL and excluded from the right to subsidized foodgrain. The very words preceding(prenominal) Poverty Line misleading because they take on a vast section of poor who commence been denied their entitlements by means of statistical duplicity and jugglery to serve a neoliberal agenda.The need for subsidized food grains for a wider section of people is also reflected in increased off take. While the off take in the Antyodaya system is around 90%, showing the desperate need of people for cheap foodgrain, the off take for BPL has three -fold in the past a couple of(prenominal) 73. 67 hundred thousand tones to 228. 45 lakh tones in 2005-06 out of an allocation of 273. 20 lakh tones which constitutes 83%- of the allocation. As far as APL is concerned, the off take is very much depress not because people do not need the grain but because for several(prenominal) years in that location was not much difference in the APL price and the food market price.The central issue price for shuck is Rs 7. 50 a kg. For rice the price range is from Rs 10 in Gujarat and Maharashtra for a kg to Rs 9 in Andhra Pradesh and westside Bengal. As current market prices of foodgrain have shot up, the demand for APL foodgrain will decidedly increase but the poor offtake of the grain in the demand for APL foodgrain will definitely increase but the poor off take of the grains in the past few years is being cited by the government to love allocations, precisely when people require it more.Since rise procurance is reportedly up by aro und 28 lakh tones, it is possible for the central government to transpose stalk allocations will rise at least for the time being in consultation with the states. Instead of taking such a step, the Centre is proposing a cut in allocation. The demand for a adjustment of poverty assessment also needed. Secondly, the fail of foodgrain production consequent to the new untaught policys emphasis on export-oriented cash crops is a major indicate for current shortfalls in wheat production. The trinity Issue is that of procurement of wheat.Wheat deficits to the consequence of 29 lakh tones below the caramel stock norms leading to imports for the first time in decades are a contribute of the deliberate policy of the government to cut down procurement on the one hand and encourage esoteric trade on the other. Big farmers who could hold on to their stocks would have benefited from the higher price offered later, but the bulk of the peasantry sold their produce to traders at price bel ow the Rs 700 offered three hebdomad too late by the government, the FCI had been given the same leeway as private trade, then the present dismal record of low procurement could have been avoided.Shockingly, the government offered the Indian farmer al near Rs one hundred less than what it paid foreign trades. The concerning of the stock by private trade has permitted wheat hoarding, which has pushed market prices up by Rs 5-6 a kg. Decades of building a food security system can be wiped out by such neoliberal ideologies that disobey the principal of self-reliance. Besides, it reflects a naive dogma that international prices will remain unmoving whereas clearing international trades are hold to maximize profits by wheat imports as higher, price to India.Further, a redoubted concession by way of baleful of phytosanitary standards in the quality of wheat is also being planned- This mustiness be hostile strongly. India can spend thousands of crores to protect itself through nu clear might but can render itself completely vulnerable by losing its greatest achievement, the subscribebone of sovereignty food self-sufficiency. With this approach, the situation on the rice summit could follow a similar disgraceful pattern in the future. It also raises the school principal of whether it is appropriate to combine the Agriculture Ministry with the food and Public diffusion Ministry.Fourthly, the FCI is being emasculated systematically. The employment schemes of Government, which offer part of the recompense in food grains. Play an key part in the provision of food security, through inadequate. The move to cut back on this component will also cut down on the real wages of the worker. With the current high prices of wheat and other essential commodities, What the worker grains in cash is less than what he/she has to cede for his/her foodgrain needs in the market. What needs to be done is improve the system whether of procurement agencies, the fair price sh ops or the methods of distribution but not to destroy them.But that is what the Food and Public statistical distribution surgical incision seems to be proposing. People centered reform requires a return to the universal PDS. During periods of high inflation in food prices, governments must provide a basic minimum quantity of food grain and other food items at low prices through public distribution systems to low-income, food-insecure, and vulnerable populations. In India, the ostensible purpose of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was to take food to the poor in practice, it has resulted in the large shield elimination of the poor and food-insecure from the public food system.Recent evidence from a report titled Public Distribution system and other Sources of Household Consumption 2004-5 (GOI. 2007), which presents selective schooling from the 61st Round of the National analyze bailiwick (NSS), establishes that targeting has led to high rates of exclusion of nee dy household from the Public Distribution System (PDS) and cleared deterioration of reportage in States like Kerala where the universal PDS was most effective. Let me illustrate with evidence from artless India. The recent report of the National Sample Survey gives us an insight into the order of magnitude and nature of this exclusion from the PDS.At the all-India level, 70. 5 per cent of rural households either have no mentality or held an APL card. Since household with APL card are effectively excluded from the PDS, the majority of rural households in India are excluded from the PDS. The NSS root also allows us to classify-by caste, occupation, land self-control and consumer expenditure category-the household that are excluded from the PDS. The NSS maintains louvre types of rural households, based on information on source of income self-employed (agriculture), self employed (non-agriculture), inelegant repel, other labor and other households.We focus on hoidenish labour , since manual inelegant labour households are undoubtedly among those most in need of access to the PDS. The all India average indicates that 52 per centum of agricultural households either had no card or an APL card. The corresponding attribute was 96 per cent in Manipur, 68 per cent in Rajasthan and Assam, 71 per cent in Bihar and 73 percent in Uttar Pradesh. Can 70 per cent of agricultural labour households be considered as ineligible for the PDS?There were only four States in which cardinal thirds or more of agricultural labour households were not excluded from the PDS (that is, held a BPL or Antyodaya ration card). These States were Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Tripura. Secondly, we examine the social back-ground of households, focusing on schedule grade and Scheduled Treble households. We have selected only those States where the rural Scheduled club population is more than 10 percent of the total population. In rural areas, there is known to be subst antial story of overlap between the Scheduled class status, blandness and poverty.The NSS data shows that 70 per cent or more of Scheduled coterie households had no card or an APL card in rural area of Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and let loose Pradesh. Among these states, only Punjab is a cereal-surplus State. At the all-India level, 60 per cent of the plan Caste households in rural areas were effectively excluded from the PDS. States with a lower degree of exclusion of Scheduled Caste households were Karnataka (27 per cent excluded), Andhra Pradesh (31 per cent), and Kerala (38 per cent).A large number of households belonging to the Scheduled Tribes, Again, do not have access to the PDS to illustrate, 90 per cent of rural Scheduled Tribe households in Assam, 79 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh and 68 per cent in Chhattisgarh were excluded from the PDS. Surprisingly, the North eastern Sates did not perform too well on this count (though aga in there may be a problem of data quality). There were only four states Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat and Maharashtra-where more than 50 per cent of rural Scheduled Tribe Households had received a BPL or Antyodaya card.The NSS report classifies households by the design of land they possessed. It is not noted that land possessed refers to all types of land and includes agricultural land, homestead land and non-agricultural land. It is not surprising, then, that a very small proportion of households are reported as landless. I have therefore grouped together the two categories of landless. Again, the conclusion is that a very high proportion of landless and near landless household did not possess BPL or Antyodaya cards (86 per cent in Sikkim, 80 percent Goa, 79 per in Uttar Pradesh. 6 per cent in Haryana, 75 per cent in Jharkhand, and 74 per cent in Uttaranchal, for example) and were thus effectively excluded from the PDS. In form for efficiency by means of peg down targeting ho useholds that should be entitled to basic food security through the PDS have been go forth out. The data from the 61st round of the NSS make it rather clear that a high proportion of agricultural labour and other labour households, of households belonging to Scheduled Caste and the scheduled Tribes, of households with little or no land and households in the lowest expenditure classes, are effectively excluded from the PDS today.