Case Study of a Person Experimenting with the Use of Alcohol

New Zealand is well-known as one of the best growers of grapes for world class wines. The topographic feature of the country, having a rich forest, hilly mountains and breath-taking coastlines, best suits the cultivation and growing of a variety of grape vines. The temperature of the land with good sunlight at day and cool sea breeze during the night nurtures the taste of grapes. This temperament makes the grapes ripe at slower pace enhancing the taste of wines to be made. This made New Zealand’s wine as one of the major agricultural products of the country.With this accessibility of wineries, alcoholic beverages in the country are of low cost and sold anywhere in the country. Even food cooked and served at home commonly uses wine for classic taste improvement. Many households experiments food dishes with the use of their grown wines to compliment their food. Like European dishes, New Zealand people use wines as spices for their foods.Use of wines in food or drinking alcohol b everages is common for New Zealand people. It is just a simple custom that they drink wines or any alcoholic beverages on their everyday meals. And the cold environmental climate especially the north part of the country would need such alcoholic drinks to warm up body preferably at night time.Because of those, being addicted or experimenting with the use of alcohol is not an issue for their society. Activity of people with alcohol is unnoticeable unless crimes are committed with its excessive usage.The Story of a Teenage BoyI had known a boy within the country about a year ago whose story of his life had been a misery because of the use of alcohol. His family problems rooted from alcohol addiction. He described alcoholism as a distinct vice that runs in their family.I could recall the day when he approached me and asked for help, I was then hanging out in one of the local bars where I spent a summer vacation. The boy was so sober and could not stand still. It just so happened that h is house was just a few blocks away from where I am staying. I offered him a cup of coffee to clear up his mind before we parted ways. He did not accept my offer but rather he asked favor to give him a ride home.On the next day, while I was doing a morning stroll around the neighborhood, it happens that I met him around the park. He was dressed with same screwed dirty clothes the night before. I came close to him and asked him to have breakfast with me. He agreed by then because he confessed that he had not yet eaten anything since that night.We had exchange of thoughts and became good friends for a while. I once asked him why he looked so disturbed and so much drunk the day I found him. He said he was distressed because of his family problems. I found out from him that his family descendants came from Maori race. His parents had been wed at early age. His father was already dead and his mother is suffering from an ailment. He had two brothers who are younger than him. They are supp osedly at secondary school but they are still in an intermediate level. They lack money to support a continuous education, even though they are studying in a state school. His father was a farm worker but all of his father’s earnings were spent for alcohol. Hisfather died from liver cirrhosis. Even though his father was diagnosed of the disease, he still drinks all the time until the last day of his life.During the burial of his father, James (not his true name) learned that his grandfather, on his father’s side, died of same ailment.James told me that his drinking problem started at a very early age, he was in his early teens when some of his school buddies were experimenting on wines and liquor. They are mixing drinks, measure how good it tasted and evaluate how strong the alcohol affects.   James told his friends activity to her mother. And he promised her that even though his peers were teasing him to try drinking alcohol; he will never taste a drop of it. That i s because of his father’s habit. Then one day, he went to school bruised and teary eyed. His friend made an inquiry of his appearance.He had said that his father had come home late a night before. And he was so drunk. James was awakened of the shouting and crushing noise from their kitchen. He went right to where he heard the noise and saw his father was beating his mother. He then intervened to stop his father and protect his battered mother. His father beat him instead. His two brothers saw what happened but were afraid to help him. By the end of his story, his friends sympathized with him and gave him shots of liquors to forget and relieve the pains.Every time things went wrong in their house, his friends made him drunk. James said that it is good that he can not be reminded of what was happening in his family. He began to like drinking and even tried smoking. He had been hooked with alcohol for years.   His characters changed. He became hot-tempered and irritable.He wor ked to earn money to provide food to his family when his father died. But half of it was spent his vice of alcohol. Once in his younger life, he  tried to quit drinking but when problems arises in his family, he started to engaged in drinking habits again.James also got in trouble oftentimes because of drinking, either in school premise or in his community. He had also been dismissed to his work because of being late due to hang-over caused by alcohol.In his school, he even got a suspension of attending classes being drunk. He never went back to school after experiencing a week-long suspension.His two brothers hated him with his habit. He was confronted by his brothers as often as he went home late at night, so much drunk. Their friends and classmates made excuses to avoid their company because of James’ character. And their mother tried to talk with him before she was sick. He knew the responsibilities that his father had left to him. But he can not contain how he will lea rn to stop drinking and be strong enough to resist the taste of liquors. He planned to start a new life after his father’s death to cure himself. But he can not afford to leave his family because of his concern for his sick mother.Analysis of James CaseDevelopmental Context:a) Bronfenbrenner’s Model describes how the environment settings, where a child spends time, with the influence of family, community and the society, affect child development. The child is the center of this model. Person, objects and symbols around him have pertinent influence in his growth and development.Above ecological model shows that positive experiences, so called proximal processes, understand the value of protective and preventive processes to avoid physical and psychological damages.Microsystem mainly consists of a family. It is the immediate environment where the child begins to learn. Parents have the major role in the child’s development because a child, at his early age, is lim ited to the home environment and interact with the members of his family especially to his mother who attended to his needs.Classroom, religious setting and peer groups are also considered microsystem. It is a small group where a child started to learn how to socialize and develop his abilities.In James’ case, his father had been an alcoholic. His grandfather was also a drinker. His father, being a constant drinker, introduced him the liquors.Another is his classroom environment, he had met his friends to chat and hang around in school.Mesosystem is the interactive relationship or connection of settings within his family, peers, religion or school. The model introduced in this level of influence that the number and quality of the connection between settings affects child development.Since early environment is limited at home, family relationships play a dominant role in determining the future pattern of a child’s attitude toward and behavior in relationship with others .At this level, transitions, made by child between settings, are also distinctly recognized. The child, after recognizing his environment, started to show maturity brought out by his experiences.Due to James’ family problems, he was forced to try and experiment with liquors with encouragement from his peer group. He had tasted alcoholic drinks and started to appreciate it until he was hooked.Not all experiences may give positive impact on individual. It either leads to better path or placed in a harder situation.Exosystem consists of community, school system, mass media and medical institution. This system pertains to an entire group of people and organizations having interest with every individual.In this level, there is no direct participation of an individual but his experiences are greatly influenced by this sytem.James was discouraged to pursue his education because of the school institution’s rules to suspend students who often gets in trouble and violates school ’s regulations. Although the rule serves to discipline students, James decided not to return after his suspension.Macro system shows the effect of cultural values, social conditions, national customs and economic patterns to child’s development. These settings dictates how people will live and act based on accepted norms of the society.James wanted to live alone to find himself and cure his alcoholism but he can not do so because of his concern for his mother. It is a Maori’s cultural value of being close with their family especially at the lowest point of their family member’s life.a.) Baltes’ Life Span Concept. As defined by Baltes, this concept deals with the study of individual development (ontogenesis) from conception into old age. The development of child is not yet complete as he reaches adulthood. It actually extends across the entire life course.Age-graded are influences based on chronology of age with correlation to life course. Biologica l or environmental factors or its interaction caused this influence. Environmental factors is categorized as family life cycle, education,  and occupational. Events occurring in this influence are commonly undergone by population majority at same life duration. Each culture or sub-culture has their own set of this influence.James’ addiction to alcohol happens in his puberty stage. This is the time when most young individuals have anti-attitude towards life or seems to loss some of good qualities previously developed.While influences related with historical time and cultural experiences is known as normative history-graded. Examples are wars and epidemics that may affect the whole community.James grew in present decade where liberation and individualism is a norm. He does engage with liquor that do not needs behavioral acceptance by his society.Non-normative influences pertain to significant events experienced by particular individual.   These are not part of an overall pa ttern in connection to the normal life cycle of an individual. Examples are like road accidents and conversion of religion.James’ father died of liver cancer. His death caused by his overindulgence to liquor.Social and Emotional Theory:Erickson’s psychosocial theory covers development from birth to old age. This theory describes how social interactions affect child’s sense of self. It has eight stages that completing of each stage successfully will result to a healthy personality therefore an individual can have better interaction with others.Below are the eight stages1. TRUST VS. MISTRUST This is a stage where an infant begins to know who to trust and mistrust strangers.   Commonly, trust is established by infant with their parents.– James trusted her mother so much that he even told her the things her friends are experimenting.2. AUTONOMY VS SHAME & DOUBT is the stage when a child projects his separation, he points out that he is an individual with di fferent ideas from his parents. He started to assert his own desires.– When James, help his mother against his father by the time he was so drunk, he showed that he believe that his mother do not deserve such treatment from his father.3. INITIATIVE VS GUILT is a continuation of the previous stage in which a child plans to obtain his objectives. Shame is felt when embarrassing experience is exposed publicly. While guilt is felt either somebody or nobody knows that you did something wrong. On this stage a child learns to internalize the values he learned. Child based his manner of action on how his society accepted it.– James felt guilty on how he was been addicted to alcohol. Because of this, he wishes to cure himself.4. INDUSTRY VS. INFEROIRITY .This is the stage when a child, upon entering elementary school is being praised for their efforts for the first time or looking for comparison to some external standard.– James felt inferior because of his familyâ€℠¢s ability to support them for their studies; he never wanted to return to school.5. IDENTITY VS. ROLE CONFUSION. This stage starts at adolescence period. An individual begins to explore with various possibilities for his career, peer groups and vested interests. Often, individual would try on different vices to gain experiences. Individuals find his own self and develop his own identity.– James, because of his family problems, tried drinking liquor to relieve his problems for some time. He has been confused of the things that are happening in their home.6. INTIMACY VS ISOLATION  This stage happens during young adulthood. A young adult compares his interests, goals and desires with other individual. Emotional aspects of individual, with respect to other not-related to his family, are developed.– James still have not found any intimate relationship with other individual, he focused on how he will be able to solve his problems. He then isolates himself with the company of liquors.7. GENERATIVITY VS STAGNATION. Middle adulthood usually faces this stage. This time an individual wish to impart his values and learning from his hard works and experiences to his child or next family generation.– James felt stagnant of being hooked on alcohol. He had not learned much on how his father been drinking for his whole life years.  8. INTEGRITY VS DESPAIR. This is the time when a person recalls his life and evaluates how he did things on his younger days. An individual becoming satisfied and happy with what had become of him now   tries to accept the fate of his death.James felt desperate because he did not successfully hold on his principle of not becoming like his father.Attachment theory is describes the pattern of human enduring relationships from birth to death. There are three stages of emotional reactions in this theory. Initially, protest, which child shows his dependency to parents. Despair is the second stage when a child outflows his emot ions becoming sad and passive. Last stage is detachment, which a child expresses his independence.James shows his protest when his father beat him. He went to school teary-eyed for the painful experience he had in the hands of his father. He detached himself from his family by attaching himself with liquors.Cognitive Theory:Cognitive theory focuses on the individual's thoughts as the determinate of his or her emotions and behaviors and therefore personality.   In other words, thoughts always come before any feeling and before any action.SOAR is a computational theory of human cognition. It takes the form of a general cognitive architecture. (Rosen bloom, Laird & Newell, 1992). Soar is characterized by a set of specific theoretical commitments shaped by satisfying the functional requirements for the support of human-level intelligence.Three functional constraints of the SOAR structures are:a)Flexible and goal-driven behavior. This shows how a child will behave upon the laid situati on.James goal is to treat his alcohol addiction to prevent him becoming like his father.b) Continuous learning from experience. Experiences give a major impact of learning ideas. Sometimes experiences helps a child learn in a hard or easy ways.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   – James learned that a taste of liquor drove him to addition.c) Real-time cognition. This shows a behavior within about a second of being in a situation.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  -James was attracted to experiment with liquors because of his curiosity and immediate need of relieving his tension and present problems.Evaluation:Developmental theory shows the important role of a family. The family, where a child is nurtured and its older members who become the role models to develop a child’s emotions and potentials, it is the most crucial environment in which a child’s experiences and actions are justified and rooted with how he is taken cared and be loved.The first significant fac t about development is that early foundations are critical. Attitudes, habits and pattern of behavior established during the early years determine to a large extent how successfully individuals will adjust to life as they grow older.Because early foundations are likely to be more persistent, it is important that they be of the kind that will lead to good personal and social adjustments as the individual grows older.Personality of an individual is described in the development theory. It indicates at what stage does a child needs careful attention and support. Personality is a dynamic concept of describing the growth and development of aperson’s whole psychological system. It is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others.An adult’s personality can be further understood through his developmental stages. It is made up of both hereditary and environmental factors, moderated by situational conditions.References:Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977) Toward an Experimental Ecology of Human Development. New York: Basic Books.Erikson, E. H. (1967) Identity and Life Cycle. New York: International University Press.Hurlock, Elizabeth. (1982). Developmental Psychology: A Life-Span Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.Leaky, R.E. (1991). The Making of Mankind. The Bumbridge Publishing Group.

Galileo Galilei Essay

Galileo Galilei is an Italian astronomer, physicist, philosopher, and mathematician. He ranks with Archimedes, Newton, and Einstein as one of the greatest scientists of all time. His discoveries, made with the crudest of equipment, were brilliant examples of scientific deduction. Galileo’s studies of natural laws laid the groundwork for the experimental scientists who followed him. Galileo was born at Pisa, the son of a musician who planned a medical career for him. He began studying medicine at the University of Pisa. According to legend, Galileo made his first major discovery at this time. He is said to have used his pulse to time the swinging of a suspended lamp in a cathedral; he found that, no matter how far the lamp swung, the timing has always the same (Drake, 2002). In later life Galileo established the fact that a free-swinging object, or pendulum, moves in uniform time intervals. Pendulum clocks are a common application of this principle. Thesis Statement: This paper scrutinizes the life and contributions of Galileo Galilei. II. Discussion Galileo constructed the first telescope used for astronomical observations; the observations he made supported Copernicus’ theory that the sun is the center of the solar system. In physics, Galileo discovered the principles of motion followed by swinging pendulums, falling bodies, and flying projectiles. Galileo used his heartbeat to time the period of a pendulum. He realized that a pendulum could be used as a standard of time for a clock (Rose 2004). Pendulum clocks are still sold today, more than three hundred years after their invention. Moreover, changing from the study of medicine to that mathematics and natural science, Galileo conducted experiments on gravity that brought him to public attention. In 1589, he became a lecturer on mathematics at the University of Pisa, and began his studies of falling bodies. According to legend, as mentioned earlier, he dropped objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to prove his theory that bodies fall at the same speed and with the same acceleration regardless of their weight and size. He also demonstrated that projectiles follow a parabolic path. These discoveries were contrary to the teachings of the ancient Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle, many of whose ideas had for centuries been accepted without question. Galileo aroused such opposition that in 1951 he was forced to resign from the university (Rose 2004). The next year Galileo obtained a professorship in mathematics at the University of Padua, where he remained for 18 years. This was a period of successful research, acclaim, and prosperity for Galileo. In 1609, Galileo received news of the invention, in Flanders, of a device that made a distant objects appear larger. He immediately set out to build such a device for himself. The final result was a 32-power refracting telescope, with which he made series of major discoveries (Poupard 2005). He found by observation that the moon shone only from reflected light; that the Milky Way was formed of a multitude of stars; and that the planet Jupiter was circled by several moons. His discoveries caused great excitement among astronomers; he was besieged with orders for telescopes. In 1610, Galileo left Padua for Florence to become official mathematician and philosopher to Grand Duke Cosimo II de’ Medici. By the end of the year his telescopic discoveries included the rings of Saturn, the phases of Venus, and sun spots. His observations clearly confirmed the theory of the Polish astronomer Copernicus that the earth and planets revolved around the sun. The church, however, had accepted as conforming the Bible the earlier idea of the planets and sun revolving around the stationary earth. When Galileo visited Rome in 1611 he was given a welcome by Church officials befitting one of the greatest astronomers of all time, as he was then acknowledged to be. This gave him the courage to announce his support of the Copernican theory of the solar system. Controversy flared. Although warned by the Church to avoid religious interpretation of his theory, Galileo attempted to prove it by quoting the Bible. He was told by the Church in 1616 to abandon the Copernican theory because it contradicted the Bible. In 1632, however, he published Dialogue on the Two Chief Systems of the World, in which he revived his argument in favor of the Copernican system. Galileo was then summoned to appear before the Inquisition and forced to renounce the view that the earth moves around the sun (Poupard, 2005). Although sentenced to imprisonment, he was permitted to retire to his home, where he continued his studies. III. Conclusion As a conclusion, Galileo Galilei made great contributions to our society through his invention and discoveries. His works are highly acclaimed and made significant impact in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, and in sciences. Reference: Drake, Stillman (2003). Cause, Experiment, and Science: a Galilean Dialogue (University of Chicago) Poupard, Paul (2005. Galileo at work: Toward a Resolution of 350 Years of Debate, 1633-1983 (Duquesne University). Rose, Sidney (2004). Galileo and the Magic Numbers (Little, Brown).

Media Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Media Journal - Essay Example New details were recently uncovered with relations to the phone hacking scandals that involved Rupert Murdoch’s papers. The revealed evidence contained names of those involved in the illegal acts plus the lawmakers behind hack. A panel consisting of British Parliamentary members recently stated that Mr. Murdoch was not the right person to steer an international media company. Investors who have been weary of his control over the company took the report as evidence that leadership change was imminent. The reports have led officials to start speculating on the effect of those remarks to corporations broadcast licensing. A team of reporters who accompanied Mr. Romney report the changes that have started taking place in preparations for the general elections. Some of the changes include the arrival of the secret service, waning of access and course, the buffer between them and the candidates have become common (Kleinfield & Peters 23-25). Judicial inquiry has been on the case of British newspapers over the recent past trying to get answers on questions between Murdoch and his son James. Besides the judicial, book reviews have covered the relations of Murdoch and his son in connection with the accusations of phone hacking (Burns 14-15). The immediate issue over the recent past has built around the revelation of the connection between Jeremy Hunt and a lobbyist for Mr. Rupert. Mr. Cameron now wants, according to the reports, the ties verified. A profession at the media limelight has now become victim of the same media. This are reports from China, where several consultations with the editors and media owners gave a hint of how propaganda has really gotten the best of its own machinery at a time of very high political tension (Parker 2-4). Seven people died, and scores wounded in Nigeria when a suicide bomber launched an attack in a newspaper office. The newspaper company named ‘This Day’ had its daily activities running normally when the

Why does King consider horror movies conservative and reactionary What Essay - 1

Why does King consider horror movies conservative and reactionary What do you believe the role of horror movies to be in our society - Essay Example People try to display this belief by reacting with horror at whatever gory happens in the horror movies. Hence, King says that horror movies are conservative as they help people to confirm to themselves and to the world that they are ‘normal’ people as they fear and loath things that horror movies show. According to him, horror movies limit their goriness and ugliness by showing only those things which can be digested by human mind. In doing so, horror movies conform to the social expectations and hence, they remain conservative. King also says that horror movies are reactionary as they help people to avoid social change. By that he means that people avoid the social change by refusing to accept their attraction towards the antisocial and gory aspects of their mind. The fact remains that despite of knowing that horror movies are about gory violence, evil spirits, sinister vengeance etc., people still choose to watch the movie. If they had really felt repulsive towards the ugly, gory, violent and disgusting things in life, they would have chosen not to watch the horror movies, which are full of these things. However, horror movies provide only that which can be accepted by the society. Hence, they avoid change. The very fact that people choose to see the horror movie shows that there is something in their psychological make up which makes horror appealing to them. However, people refuse to accept it and rather than dealing this face to face, they suppress it. It is stored in their subconscious mind and they try to fight it by presenting themselves as a people who hate violence. Watching the horror movies is nothing but an attempt to display to the world that they are ‘normal’ beings and are just like other human beings who hate the gory things in life. Hence, King says that horror movies are reactionary as they oppose social change and reinforces the attitude of ‘normality’ in people. People find an outlet to their suppressed

International Marketing Plan Part 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Marketing Plan Part 3 - Assignment Example The number of skating companies in the last couple of years has increased and it is expected that there will be new entrants in future as well (Bennett and Blythe, 2002). The biggest competitors in the skating industry are Rollerblade, Roces, Solomon and K2 and almost all of them make sure that they are available in all leading stores. International Skating will enter the market by supplying its products to the skate shops that sell the skates and its accessories in the specialty stores. Since its competitors are making sure that they are available in all the large chain stores which are the discount distributors as well. All the three products i.e. Skate Aids, Blade Boots and Skate Sails will be available in all the specialty stores. The reason for choosing the specialty stores is that the target market of Skate Aids is basically the premium market and they will go to these specialty stores to buy these exclusive products. Alongwith these skates, they will be able to buy other accessories as well and make huge amount of profit as well. Hence, this distribution policy will help the company in gaining the competitive edge. It is already mentioned in the marketing strategy that the company is focusing on the target market that is comprised of health and fitness, recreational and speed skaters. Since the company is targeting all the three sectors and has also developed in accordance with their requirements, it is expected that the company will be able to gain 80% of the market share. The competitive edge that the company has over its competitors is that it will offer product ranges within the reasonable price range so that the skaters can enjoy the most thrilling and exciting skating experience of their lives. The key target market can be said as the one that is trying to remain fit and health and for that they are looking for appropriate alternative to exercise. Since skating is one of the most exciting and thrilling sports, it is now the

Walgreens Annual Report 2011 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Walgreens Annual Report 2011 - Term Paper Example There is a comparison between the financial year 2011 and the preceding year 2010. The percentage increase for each of the mentioned entities is given. The third section is the company highlights. This section stipulates the company’s locations in terms of new locations, new acquisitions, closings, and the sales area. Also there is a breakdown of the product class sales in terms of prescription drugs, non prescription drugs and general merchandise. Extensive comparison of the financial year 2010 with preceding four years is given. The section is concluded with a graphical representation of the company’s fiscal year stock performance. The fourth section in the Walgreens report is the letter to shareholders. This section, signed by the Chairman of the Board and the President and Chief Executive Officer, delineates the company’s activities, achievements, drawbacks and how they were curbed among other issues from the perspective of the Chairman and the CEO. The fifth section is known as everyday. This section defines the core values, missions and objectives of Walgreen Company. One by one they give a vivid description of what the company does in people’s lives everyday. These include: providing integrated care, caring for patients, helping people live well, enhancing healthy living as well as getting closer to people. The section concludes with a group photo of the board of directors plus their names and ranks as well as a list of the company’s officers. The sixth section is the five-year summary of selected consolidated financial data.As the title suggests, this section encompasses a breakdown of a few selected entities including net sales, per common share, non current liabilities, assets and equity as well as location. An extensive analysis of these entities for the last five years is given. Seventhly, we have the management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition. In this section, ther e is an extensive and lengthy discussion and analysis of the company’s financial conditions and results of the company’s operations. It contains a series of statements which involve risks and uncertainties inter alia. The eighth section is the consolidated statements. This section comprise of consolidated statements of earnings, consolidated statements shareholder’s equity, consolidated statements balance sheets and statements of cash flow. It is followed by the notes to the consolidated financial statements. This section comprehends the accompanying information to the consolidated financial statements. It describes the major accounting policies, restructuring, leases, acquisitions, goodwill and other intangible assets, income taxes, short-term borrowings and long-term loans, financial instruments, fair measurements commitments and contingencies, capital stock, stock compensation plans, retirement benefits as well as supplementary financial information. Finally, there is the report of independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. This is the last section of the report which gives an audit feedback to the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Walgreen Company by the Delloitte and Touche LLP audit firm. There are many factors that influenced the Company’s financial performance during the financial year 2011 as delineated in the report. First and foremost is the establishment of new alliances with top health system. These include: John Hopkins Medical Center, Onchsner Health

How to back out drive way Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How to back out drive way - Essay Example Before the car reaches the end of the driveway, you should turn the steering wheel towards the opposite direction in which you want to move. You should ensure that the car turns completely, and is parallel to the road. Then, you should apply the brake and make sure the car comes to a stop. Now, you should put the car into drive, and turn the steering wheel opposite to the previous direction. Finally, when the wheels are aligned, i.e. the steering wheel has come back to its original position, you should shift your foot from the brake, and apply pressure to gas pedal. Explain why you are interested in becoming an investigator for CACI. One of the primary reasons for my interest in becoming an investigator for CACI is that it is in line with my professional objectives. My experience at the military, coupled with my college degree, make me very suitable for this job. By applying for the job of a Field Investigator at CACI, I want to start a lifelong professional commitment and journey.

Health Care Systems in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Care Systems in America - Essay Example The United States health care delivery has been described as a cottage industry for a long time which is characterized by fragmentation on the community, national, state, and practice level. No single state policy or entity is used to guide the health care system. Different states divide their responsibilities between different agencies. Also, health care providers who are caring for the same patients and practicing within the same community are working independently from each other. This poor deliver system is a leading cause for the overall poor performance in the system and directing it to the verge of collapsing. Families and patients are navigating unassisted across different healthcare settings and providers which results in frustrations and harmful patient experiences. Lack of clear accountability and poor communication among the multiple healthcare providers and patients is leading to numerous medical errors, duplication and waste (Kenney, 2010). Lack of quality improved infr astructure, clinical information system and peer accountability are some of the causes of the overall poor quality of healthcare. Also, intensive medical intervention and high cost are rewarded over higher-value primary care which includes management of chronic illness and preventive medicines. As far as healthcare is concerned, many nations are not getting what they deserve for their money. In the United States, an approximately 30 percent of the total health care expenditure is wasted through overuse, systematic underuse and misuse. All this happens even with increasing rate that is far exceeding the overall inflation. According to the world health organization, the United States health care system is ranked 37th in quality despite the medical cost being among the highest compared with other nations. A commonwealth fund study on the health care of the U.S. found that the country

Writing to Evaluate - Product Evaluation Research Paper

Writing to Evaluate - Product Evaluation - Research Paper Example s specification is always the driving force of innovation; this is because most of the manufactures want to comply with the prospective customers to realize more sales (Choulasco, 2012). In this regard, it should not escape our knowledge that satisfying the customers demand is not construed absolutely; this may compromise the need to check into other aspects like health etc. It is then important to know that in as much as the customers may be demanding certain specification in their evaluation, striking a balance with other aspects is equally important. In my product evaluation, I consider upright vacuum cleaners as more efficient and reliable in the cleaning that involves big carpets and other similar materials. The reasons behind this are the following: with the upright vacuum cleaner, it is possible to maintain the upright posture as you undertake the cleaning. This avoids the all tiresome posture of stooping while doing the cleaning (Choulasco, 2012). In this case, one is able to do the cleaning for a long time as well as doing much of the cleaning using the upright vacuum cleaner. Upright vacuums also have a larger vacuum cleaner bag that that of the canister ones (Choulasco, 2012). This is helpful in the sense that one needs not to frequently empty the bag, you can do cleaning in just one whole round without changing the vacuum bag. The other advantage of using the upright vacuum cleaner is that it is made in such a way that when using it, you do not lug the vacuum behind, this makes it appropriate for doing cleaning of large carpets and hallways (Aguirre, 2012). In addition to this, the upright vacuum cleaners are also much efficient and can clean a bigger space owing to their large cleaning path. The cleaners have a larger cleaning path than most of the cleaning vacuums and this makes them have an edge in cleaning materials such as carpets (Aguirre, 2012). Despite all the advantages accrued in the upright vacuums, they still retail at much accommodative

The learning transfer practices at Camair-Co Dissertation

The learning transfer practices at Camair-Co - Dissertation Example However, the behavioural as well as cognitive traits perceived by the learners should also be considered as vital in this context as these factors also have a substantial impact on the overall efficiency of the learning transfer process. Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank all the employees at Camair-Co who offered their cooperation, understanding and time when I was carrying out my research. I also extend my appreciation to my friends and family for being so supportive while I was completing this study. Finally, I offer my sincere thanks to God, for giving me the strength, perseverance and confidence to make all this possible. Table of Contents (INCLUDE WORD COUNT) Chapter 1 – Introduction 309 words (300) 1.1 Background Camair-Co is the national airline of the Republic of Cameroon that is based in Douala. The company offers passenger and cargo transportation to visiting friends and relatives, Government, NGOs and traders (History, 2011) Camair-Co employs 438 perso nnel comprising of both national and foreign expertise. Subedi (2004) suggests that a diverse workforce can raise significant challenges for the organisation in the execution of its learning or training transfer process (Subedi, 2004). Within today’s competitive business environment, strong talent is critical to the success of organisations. Consequently, management must ensure all employees are empowered through training to effectively transfer knowledge and skills back to the work place. 1.2 Statement of the problem Training activities at Camair-Co include on and off the job training. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the transfer of learning is... The paper tells that the notion behind the transfer of learning contributes significantly towards making the workforce effective. 10% of the overall staff salary at Camair-Co is spent on developing capabilities through training, learning and other development initiatives. In the writer’s experience, the most successful organisations have consistently invested a lot of money in training and developing their people however, evidence suggests the value derived from the training spend is not as encouraging. Only 10% and 34% of skills and knowledge gained from training is still applied by employees on-the-job a year later. Given the alarming statistics by researchers and the large amounts of money involved, monitoring and closing any gaps between what is invested and what is returned is critical. According to Cree & Macaulay, transfer of learning has been referred to the process of earlier learning which influences improved performance or learning. The transfer of learning is said to entail skills acquisition and knowledge gained in training that is transferred back to the job, as well as maintenance of the learned material over a period of time on-the-job. Broad & Newstrom describe it as ‘the effective and continuing application, by trainees to their jobs, of the knowledge and skills gained in training – both on and off the job’. This concept is of particular importance among organisations that seek to ensure peak performance amongst individuals and the organisation. Rothwell & Sredi assert that the transfer of learning also facilitates the organisations in the development of competitive advantage.

Feminism & Law Essay Example for Free

Feminism Law Essay Feminism simply refers to the thought that women and men should have similar and equal rights in all fronts, be it sexually, politics, economics or civil amongst others. Though feminism efforts can be traced back to the late 19th century, intense activism can be placed at the upper quarter of the 20th century where there arose feminist movements, philosophy, theories and literature supporting equality between the genders. Indeed these movements and efforts bore fruits and are credited with the revolution that would see a flurry of laws enacted and policies aimed at opening more opportunities implemented. The recent past years have seen this change and feminist movements have become dormant and almost irrelevant, many agree that this has been brought forth by the mere fact that their grievances were addressed. Indeed feminism had genuine grievances. A look at the traditional society, and also the prevailing circumstances up to the world war period, indicates that the society was highly patriarchal. Both the unwritten and the written rules were aimed at subjugating women while elevating the position of men in all aspects. Job opportunities, politics and economics were wholly dominated by men. Women leadership was looked down upon and women roles were only limited to household chores. The Declaration of Sentiments, a document detailing grievances of women as published in 1846 during the Seneca Falls Convention, has clearly outlined these concerns indicating how inequality raged in the male dominated society be it in the marriages, economics and also in the workplaces (Estelle, 2003). The key grievances ranged from the role of women in marriages and also the pursuit of equal opportunities in the workplaces. The first wave of feminism was concentrating its efforts in rooting out inequality aimed at property rights and universal voting rights. These were accorded by the law by the first quarter of the 20th century. The second wave of liberation was radical and was pursuing injustices meted out against women revolving around cultural and political inequalities. These grievances were touching on the very foundation of marriage and sought to ensure that a woman’s voice and rights in marriage were respected and ensured by the law. Consequently, legislations recognizing marital rape were enacted and women’s rights in regard to divorces were also put into place. Abortion was also a key concern and resulted to intensified activism demanding for women to be allowed to take control of their sexuality and also the fate of their pregnancies. The Roe v Wade landmark court ruling that outlawed abortion was seen as a major success for feminist movements. Political and social rights were advanced. The third wave of feminism became referred to as the Women’s Liberation and took place from the late 1970s to 1990s. This was aimed at rooting out sexism and all forms of discriminations especially in the workplaces. Women demanded laws aimed at tackling sex discrimination and abuse. This was a wave that was also aiming at rooting out the perception that feminist movements were pursuing the upper class women, it is for this reason that this movement began focusing at the issues that generally affected women such as gender based violence and the removal of gender based connotations and stereotypes (Estelle 2006). With the accomplishments of the ideals that feminism sought to achieve, there is now a general feeling that feminism has become irrelevant. As Anita (2004, 96) contends, â€Å"years and years ago this feminist thing was really big and people did fight for women’s rights, and that was good. But we are equal now, so there’s not that need. † This is indeed the prevailing situation; feminism has ceased to be relevance. Women have acquired rights and although still disadvantaged, have equal rights to men. The angry bra burning and men bashing activists are no longer around as their common objectives were met and the modern woman is unencumbered by the traditional feminist ties (Estelle 2006). The popular media is said to mirror the society bringing into perspective all the held perceptions and norms. A comparison of the movies that cropped up a couple of decades ago and today’s movies for example indicates a stark contrast. Whereas the 80s movies gave women subtle and supportive roles, modern movies are according men and women equal roles and are portraying women playing the roles that were regarded as the preserve of men. They are also no longer seen as sex toys and objects to provide comic relief in movies and magazines but are rather playing active roles. Today’s women are seen as assertive in their own right but not mere props to support men, they are holding executive roles and have plunged deep into the cutthroat executive and political affairs if the recent Hillary Clintons candidature is anything to go by. They possess charisma and enough magnetic pull to carry out demanding political tasks as their men counterparts. Though sexism is yet to be eradicated, the rigorous feminist movements no longer enjoy the huge membership like they used to in the 80s, today they have taken a more integrative approach. References Anita H. (2004). All about the girl: culture, power, and identity. Routledge. Estelle B. F. (2006) Feminism, sexuality, and politics: essays. UNC Press. Estelle B. F. (2003) No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women. Ballantine Books.

Personal Development in Human Relations

Personal Development in Human Relations Robert McGregor Section I Is Human Relations (HR) an art or a science? Personally, I believe that HR is a science that must be artfully managed to utilize lessons learned and best practices for improving the well-being and effectiveness of employees within the organization. As our planet becomes interconnected, via satellites and the internet, it is now just as easy to communicate with someone across the globe as it is someone across the street. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to gain a better understanding of the different people and different cultures that enrich our every shrinking planet. HR professionals have the very important task of gathering, training, and organizing the human assets who make the difference for an organizations success or failure. According to DeCenzo and Silhanek (2002) Human Relations is the composite of interactions that exist between people in all aspects of their personal and professional lives (p. 2). This broad and all-encompassing definition provides a general baseline for the study of HR and its guiding principles. However, it is necessary to dig deeper in order to understand the connections and relationships between the people and the organization. In doing so, it becomes possible to unlock the maximum effectiveness of both. The history of Human Relations, or Human Resources, can be traced back to England, where masons, carpenters, leather workers, and other craftspeople organized themselves into guilds They used their unity to improve their working conditions (Ivancevich, 2010, p. 5).ÂÂ   The industrial revolution brought about a significant change to the work environment and shifted the demand for the workforce. The introductions of machines in manufacturing propelled the need for workers, supervisors, and employers to build the complex new society. Time, efficiency, and productivity became the only metrics of concern in the workplace. As the population increased so did the demand for mass produced products which propelled the demand for the labor force. The people moved from rural and agricultural areas to fill jobs in the growing cities. The economic growth spurred the production requirements. As a result, in 1878, Fredrick Taylor, an engineer in Philadelphia began to study worker efficiency in an attempt to find the fastest and best way to do a job. His efforts summarized scientific management, the focus of job efficiencies (DeCenzo Shilhanek, 2002, p. 12) The manufacturing processes brought about bigger organizations which required increasing the number of workers. The workers, in turn, organized and formed unions to communicate their needs to the managers and owners for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. Ivancevich (2010) observed that in the 1920s, more firms began utilizing personnel departments to bridge the gap between management and workers. Researchers from Harvard, Elton Mayo, and Fritz Roelthisberger, started a series of experiments to research how physical working conditions affected worker productivity. Over the course of a decade, their observations led them to shift their focus to interpersonal relations among workers and management. Sundstrom et al. (2000) documented the Hawthorne studies research and found that employees needs and desires to belong to a group proved more influential than monetary incentives and good working conditions at improving employee productivity. This investigation into human factors and the work environment began human relations movement. Much like the advent of machines during the industrial revolution, todays technology pushes change to organizations and the labor force they employ.ÂÂ   The need for HR is vital now more than ever for firms that want to remain relevant in the global economy. Globalization has forced the business environment to evolve, thus strongly influencing the organizational behaviors of managers and workers of today. Laptops, iPads, and smartphones have mobilized the workplace. In addition, the immediate ability to connect has abolished the notion of managing locally. Firms now have offices around the globe and supervisors, are no longer limited to their geographic location. They must know and understand their new workforce who live in different countries, practice different religions, and come from vastly different cultures. The HR professional is key to bridging the new geographic, cultural, communication gap that now separates employer and employees. The valuable human relations information necessary to aid organizational communications both linguistically and culturally, flow is the responsibility of the HR team who must shape and develop the most valuable asset to the firm; people. Technology is forever advancing and pushing economic growth. Therefore, change will always be a part of the organizational structure. This means future workplace will be vastly different than what previous generations could have ever dreamed. Meister (2010) predicts that the next decade will usher in companies and business models that are unimaginable today, and will dramatically change how we live, work, learn, communicate and play. However, people will still be at the core of the company. HR will be needed to continue aiding in the interpersonal relationships necessary to make everything and everyone work together. Section II My coursework in Human Relations provided a solid foundation of the three primary areas of study. I found the organizational module particularly interesting and selected it as my literature area of emphasis. The organizational aspect of Human Relations provides a significant challenge to the HR professional. Large or small, simple or complex, the HR department must understand completely the company and its mission in order to recruit, train, and employ the best most efficient workforce needed. Ultimately, people make the organization and it is the job of the HR team to fit people into work an environment that will motivate them to work together harmoniously. As a field of study, there are many different facets to the organizational setting that must be considered. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has developed a competency model which details the knowledge requirements the HR professional needs to help meet the needs of the company (SHRM, 2016). The organizational behavior, structure, culture, strategy, diversity, and quality of life are just a few of the areas of competencies the HR team provides guidance on to the management team when they are strategically managing people as business resources. According to author Stephen Robbins (2014), the goal of studying organizational behavior is to understand and predict human behavior in organizations.ÂÂ   Several different specialties, such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, contribute to the comprehensive literature for human behavior. While they are not as concrete as the laws of physics or chemistry, understanding these disciplines allow the HR professional to generalize about human behavior and how it will impact the organization. The organizational structure is identified by Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskission (2015) as the formal reporting relationships, procedures, controls, authority, and decision-making process. The U.S. military has a very ridged and formal chain of command organizational structure; however, human behavior still drives the culture and customs. If change is to be made within the organization, it must begin with the people. HR is one of the central vehicles for creating culture change (Grundy and Brown, 2003, p. 171). Many organizations focus on changing the organizations culture in order to improve performance and becoming more competitive in the marketplace. This is best accomplished by aligning the HR strategy with the organizations overall strategy for the business culture. Edgar Schein (2010) defines culture as A pattern of shared basic assumptions learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, which has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. An organization determined to change their current culture will often release a large number of employees such as CSX laying off 1000 managers or Hershey terminating 2000 employees (Utermohlen, 2017, Wattles, 2017) These drastic changes should be made with the HR team in full understanding of the personnel requirements desired for moving forward. They must get the people part right; then the strategy and execution will happen. A diversity strategy is another important consideration for todays global organizations. As companies branch out into new developing countries, it is important to consider the idea of differentiation and integrations. Morgan (2006) refers to this as requisite variety; the internal regulatory mechanisms of a system must be as diverse as the environment in which it operates (p. 44). Basically, the employees of a multinational company should reflect the suppliers with whom they work and customers whose business they wish to attract. Humphrey and Stokes (2000) predicts that twenty-first-century caliber supervisors must understand the purpose of building a dynamic team is to enhance performance and to grow a successful organization of the future. Diversity is a complex and challenging strategy for the HR leader to manage. Some of the employees within the company will be unwilling to see the need to integrate as well as to see the discriminatory nature of their actions. HR must be proactive in protecting the organization from individuals who fail to understand Federal Employment Laws and potentially jeopardizing the company with potential litigation. Employers must be careful when they treat similarly situated employees differently because discriminatory intent can be proven by either direct or circumstantial evident (Muller, 2013, p. 152). Legal ramifications due to discriminatory practices can destroy an organization. The HR professional should be proactive in training all staff members on the importance of diversity, acceptance, and inclusion as well as the dangers of discrimination. Organizations often depend on human resource professionals to help maintain positive relations with employee (Noe et al., 2016, p. 10). I believe the art of human relations management relies on the knowledge, experience, and competence of the HR team and it is a major function of what makes a business work. A stable and appealing workplace with a content workforce are more likely to attract and retain the best employees, maintain loyal customers and adjust to the ever-changing marketplace. These concepts were very apparent in the organization I was fortunate to work for during my internship. The personnel were very well trained, the work environment provided a comfortable place to work with challenging tasks that made a difference on the world stage. The communication both up and down the chain was clear and effective without being condescending or overbearing. Workers were allowed to have meaningful input on assignments and feedback from supervisors was timely and on target. The training and skills I learned both through my classroom literature and my internship experience, prepared me very well for the international relations challenges that I will discuss in the next section. The HR professional must be prepared to utilize a wide array of skills, techniques, and competencies to meet the organizations needs for a stable work environment. They should also continually add to their toolbox by remaining current in new trends in the human relations field. However, they can never forget at the end of the day, it is all about the people. The human talent that makes the company great.ÂÂ   Authors Sartain and Finney (2003) noted that companies depend more than ever on the unique contributions, passion, commitment, and heart of every single individual within them (p. 104). I am excited about the HR community and its future. Section III This country recently completed a presidential election that will have social repercussions for years to come. The shift in our new government is having a tremendous social impact, both domestically and abroad. It reverberates around the globe as so-called enemies and allies work to determine exactly how to reestablish their relationship with America. During my internship, I experienced first-hand Americas political and social interactions with many other nations; learning how critical the human element is to the negotiation and agreement on issues important to the national security of our country and its allies. Understanding and relating social theory to actual social practice is critical when working with the delicate intricacies of human relationships in a highly charged political environment. This is perfectly illustrated by the situation faced by former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn. He ultimately resigned because he allegedly overstepped in his discussions Russian leaders, and his behavior potentially violated the Logan Act (Miller Rucker, 2017). This will be discussed later. Over my 26-year military career, I have held a wide range of positions; from Dental Assistant to Helicopter Pilot. However, my brief internship in the Foreign Affairs Office for the Commander of Naval Forces Europe has had a profound impact on my understanding of human relations. In my primary function as a pilot, I naturally held leadership positions that correlated with the rank that I held. My aviation units did not have HR departments to hire, train, and help manage workers. As leaders, we simply did it all. I grew accustomed to taking care of my people and for the most part always giving orders. When a new person reported on board, I reviewed their records and arranged for the training they needed. If they had pay or benefits problems, I sent them to our administrative department to get them fixed. All basic HR functions were handled in-house. Although we had general leadership training, we did not have formal training in human social relations. I gave orders and they were obeyed, if not then the offender was disciplined. Sounds a little draconian, but military units are focused on accomplishing a mission that often puts lives in danger, not for sensitivity groups wanting to get in touch with our feelings. So I grew accustomed to dealing with people in a certain way. This mentality would rapidly change as my internship progressed. Lacking a formal HR department, I chose to do my internship with the local Foreign Affairs Office. The Foreign Affairs Officer (FAO) is a specific career path in the U.S. Navy. The officers are specially trained to for a variety of diplomatic assignments around the world. Navy FAOs maintain knowledge of political-military affairs; familiarity with the political, cultural, social, economic, and geographic factors of the countries and regions in which they are stationed; and proficiency in one or more of the dominant languages in their regions of expertise. (Navy Personnel Command, 2017) These skills I would have to learn through on the job training. The function of the FAO office in Europe is to plan and execute operations, provide liaison with foreign militaries operating in coalitions with U.S. forces, conduct political-social-military activities, and execute military-diplomatic missions. This is known as Theater Security Cooperation. I was assigned to help in the Black Sea department of the FAO office during a unique time. Russia had recently annexed the Crimean Peninsula by force from the Ukraine. Many of our NATO allies were deeply concerned that President Putin would not stop there and continue to push his forces into other neighboring nations and eventually occupy the entire Black Sea region (Treisman, 2016). The FAO office was tasked with coordinating meetings and activities to reassure our allies of Americas commitment and support to NATO. In the beginning, my role was to coordinate simple maritime interactions with Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. I learned to work with our embassies in those countries to set up port visits by U.S. ships. Having our troops in their cities was a big boost of confidence to our partner nations. I also organized Passing Exercises (PASSEXs), these are maneuvering drills that the ships do together to render honors to each other as they pass. This seemingly simple activity required considerable coordination as numerous messages must be sent back and forth from our commanders to our embassy over to their embassy to their commanders. However, these engagements provide a sense of comradery. In my opinion, it is reflective of the findings from the Hawthorne studies mentioned in earlier which show the strong intrinsic desire for human beings to belong to a group. We continued to plan activities to reassure our allies. I took on the daunting task of arranging and organizing a Secretary of the Defense to visit Constanta, Romania. Another task that sounds simple, however, requires a tremendous amount of preparatory work to execute smoothly. The diplomatic coordination required was astounding to me. Especially in light of the recent Russian and Ukraine hostilities. The detailed attention to social protocols and customs were particularly challenging. The visit extremely well, projecting the desired effect of NATO unity. However, I was admonished by my supervisor for failing to delegate. Due to the sensitive nature of the information, all the details were reviewed by the senior officers before approval. Trying to do everything myself, and lacking formal diplomatic training, I happen to miss a few necessary items that could have impacted the trip. Fortunately, my supervisor caught my errors before they became an issue. Official diplomatic negotiations were another aspect of the FAO liaison duties I was able to observe. The United States and Romania agreed to build a U.S. military installation in Romania. The specific details required for construction had to be discussed at length in very formal diplomatic meetings. I was fortunate to attend two of these meetings. The process is long and drawn out with extensive cultural activities that must be considered and observed. Our European hosts enjoyed visiting and drinking coffee before a meeting started. It would be offensive if we did not partake in this ritual before getting down to business. This was a big part of the social theories that I had to put into practice. It was interesting that while a lot was said during the official meeting, the real agreements were worked out during the breaks when counterparts could talk offline and come to an understanding. However, as Mike Flynn learned, you have to be very careful what you discuss during these moments. The Logan Act basically forbids any citizen of the United States, from promising or influencing any foreign government or agent thereof, any disputes or controversies without proper authority (Legal Information Institute, 2017). Our partners always want more than we are able to give and it is imperative that we refute them without insulting them. Communicating skills are vital for building successful professional relationships. My final major event was planning, directing, and executing all aspects of the Eurasian Partnership Dive exercise (EP Dive).ÂÂ   EP Dive is a multilateral interoperability event, involving over 30 Officers and Sailors from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Romania, and Ukraine. The goal is to promote Theater Security Cooperation as well as increased maritime stability within the Black Sea Countries. This exercise demanded all of my leadership, communication, and human relations skills without being in a combat environment. I led a team of 4 junior officers. We obtained approval and funding, then planned the facility, the equipment, the translators, and the rooms. We enabled over 30 divers from different countries, with different languages, and different cultures, to conduct coordinated, military, deep sea dive exercises for a week without incident or injury. The EP Dive engagement exemplified the purpose of the Foreign Affairs Office; to build cooperation and interoperability while enhancing theater security. This is done by engaging the human element in the spirit of friendship and not battle. As an organization, the FAO office faces many challenges, however, through creative use of human relations skills, they work to resolve issues in the European community. Cooperating with diverse international staffs, U.S. Embassies, and U.S. State Department personnel, the organization meets the ever changing demands of our partner nations. It is difficult to be critical of this organization as I was completely impressed the FAO department. They are well suited to meet the needs of the international community with whom they work. The staff is exemplary, and they are managed and trained very well in the art and science of human relations.ÂÂ   It was a pleasure getting to know some of the smartest people I have ever met. I was immediately accepted as part of the team even though I lacked their formal training and language skills. My supervisor provided solid guidance while still allowing me to learn and operate independently. The demands of the job are never ending as the political climates around Europe change almost day to day. They must continually adapt to fluctuating needs of the partner nations. Therefore, my only recommendation would be for more exceptional personnel to help relieve the stress. Otherwise, they are successful at accomplishing a difficult mission. I truly enjoyed learning by doing. I made my fair share of mistakes, but I learned from them. Fortunately, the lessons I learned in Grad Studies, the techniques acquired in Stress Management, and the understanding I gained in Organizational behavior helped me adjust quickly to the international relations community. I interacted well with foreign counterparts and gained a breadth of experience in relating to a diverse community. I did not cause an international incident, so I would say this internship was a very successful venture. I can now see myself potentially working for the State Department in the future by using the human relations skills that I have learned in this program to make difference help our allies. The European Foreign Affairs Office for Commander of Naval Europe is an organization I would be happy to work for again and one that I would highly recommend as an internship opportunity to future Oklahoma University HR students. REFERENCES DeCenzo, D., Silhanek, B. (2002). Human Relations: Personal and Professional Development (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Grundy, T., Brown, L. (2003) Value-based Human Resource Strategy. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Hitt, M., Ireland, R., Hoskisson, R. (2015). Strategic Management: Competitive and Globalization Concepts. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Humphrey, B., Stokes, J. (2000). The 21st Century Supervisor: Essential Skills for Frontline Leaders. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Ivancevich, J. (2010). Human Resource Management (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Legal Information Institute. (2017) 18 U.S. Code ÂÂ § 953 Private correspondence with foreign governments. Cornell University Law School. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/953 Meister, J., Willyerd, K. (2010). The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrows Employees Today. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. Miller, G., Rucker, P. (2017, February 14). Michael Flynn resigns as national security adviser. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/michael-flynn-resigns-as-national-security-adviser/2017/02/13/0007c0a8-f26e-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html?utm_term=.64e02686f459 Morgan, G. (2006). Images of Organization. Thousand Oak, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. Muller, M. (2013). The Managers Guide to HR (2nd ed.). New York, NY: American Management Association. Navy Personnel Command (2017, February). Foreign Area Officer (PERS-473C). Retrieved from http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/officer/Detailing/FAO/Pages/default.aspx Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J., Gerhart, B., Wright, P. (2016). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Robbins, S., Judge, T. (2014). Essentials of Organizational Behavior (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Schein, E. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Sartain, L., Finney, M. (2003). HR from the Heart: Inspiring Stories and Strategies for Building the People Side of Great Business. New York, NY: AMACOM. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (2016). The SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge 2016. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/certification/about/ bodyofcompetencyknowledge/pages/default.aspx Sundstrom, E., McIntyre, M., Halfhill, T., Richards, H. (2000). Work groups: From the Hawthorne studies to work teams of the 1990s and beyond. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(1), 44-67. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/docview/614355706?accountid=129464 Treisman, D. (2016 May/June). Why Putin Took Crimea. The Gambler in the Kremlin. Retrieved from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2016-04-18/why-putin-took-crimea Utermohlen, K. (2017, February 21). CSX Corporation (CSX) Layoffs: Company to Cut 1,000 Management Jobs. Investor Place. Retrieved from http://investorplace.com/2017/02/csx-corporation-csx-layoffs/ Wattles, J. (2017, February 28). Hersheys bitter news: Cutting more than 2,000 jobs. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/28/news/companies/hershey-job-cuts/index.html

Leadership in Nursing Skills

Leadership in Nursing Skills Leadership is process of persuading others to work toward achieving the common desired outcomes (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2007). In healthcare settings, leadership and quality of care are interlinked. Nursing leadership plays vital role in organisational success as it is client oriented. It facilitates and ensures the delivery of best possible care to the clients (Zori Morrison, 2009) There are certain leadership characteristics that determine the effectiveness of a nurse leader. This essay critically discusses these attributes and also discusses the significance of these characteristics in context of nursing leadership. Furthermore, it briefly explains the effect of change and use of power in nursing to accommodate the change. A leader is anyone who influences his followers to do what he want them to do for attaining the organisational goals (Sullivan Decker, 2009). Leaders possess many leadership traits that make them different from their followers and enable them to lead the group effectively (Marquis and Huston, 2009). Key personal qualities of an effective nurse leader are self awareness, integrity, courage and perseverance. Development of an ability to think critically, to share common vision, to manage conflict, delegation and communicating skilfully are essential leadership behaviours that make a nurse leader effective (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2007). Identifying the one` leadership skills is very crucial as it enables the person to achieve the organisational goals. The leaders must set an example to influence their followers. They must have high emotional intelligence to understand themselves and others (Linda, 2005). A leader must be self aware. He should know his own strengths and weaknesses. If he recognises his strengths or weaknesses and likes or dislikes, it is much easier for him to identify othersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢. Then, they can work together neutralising their weaknesses (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2007). The focus of leadership should not be they, but, it must be the client. They should emphasize on improving the quality of care provided to their clients (Hiscock Shuldham, 2008). Leading an organisation or department is very challenging. The leaders confront many problematic issues everyday, resolving these issues is complex. Successful leaders are critical thinkers too. They must be able to critically analyse the situation using their expertise knowledge and skills. Critical thinking is one of the components of decision making. Using the critical thinking skills, a leader examines the situation, looks for different alternatives and becomes aware of all the risks that may prevent the success of decision being made. Therefore, the leader attempts to avoid such pitfalls and decide the best possible alternative. Critical thinking is not innate, however, it can be learnt during one`s own experiences (Sullivan and Decker, 2009). Ability to share a common vision should be part of an effective leader`s behaviour. Nursing leaders think à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"outside the boxà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ . They are capable to think about better future when the things are currently getting harder to deal with. They are open minded, ready to think laterally and search for different ways to tackle the problems (Morgan, 2010). They should be able to influence others to develop this vision and become involved in different strategies to initiate change (Grossman Valiga, 2009). Delegation is also a key attribute of nursing leadership which is learnt with practice. Delegation is reassigning the task to another person which you are supposed to do. Even though, you have delegated the task to anyone else, you are accountable for the task accomplishment. In healthcare settings, the nurse leader uses her professional judgement while delegating the nursing care to nurses depending upon their abilities and supervises their work too. By doing this, the nurses can gain more confidence and competence in their own performance. As the main focus of leadership is providing quality care to the client, supervision of work by leader nurse ensures that the patient receives standardised care. Hence, it brings them together as a team leading towards attaining the goal of providing safe and quality care to their clients (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2007). Communication plays a vital role in successful leadership. To be successful, leaders must develop excellent communication skills. Nurse leaders promote two-way communication. Effective leaders can successfully convey their messages to their followers by verbal and non-verbal communication and they are good listeners also. They encourage valuable suggestions from staff members that can help leaders for bringing about effective changes in organisation. Effective communication facilitates the constructive relationship between them (Marquis and Huston, 2009). Nowadays, nursing leadership is considered as very crucial factor in promoting health and catering for the unique health needs of the people by providing safe and quality care. It is very important for nurses to develop these leadership characteristics if they want to become a nurse leader (Davison, 2010). It focuses on evidence based practice. Being nurses, they are committed to provide best quality care to the clients. Nurses should believe and understand that their role impacts the clients and the outcomes. Therefore, they should make best use of their leadership skills to bring improvement in the client care (Hiscock and Shuldham, 2008). Nurse leaders model high emotional intelligence. It is very useful as it enables them to understand their own and clients` behaviour. Better understanding of client will assist them to recognise and fulfil unique health needs of client and achieve organisational goals. Nurse leaders use critical thinking skills everyday because they engage in making complex decisions related to client care. Critical thinking enables nurses to scrutinize particular situation and choose appropriate action using their sound professional knowledge. This can bring changes and achieve positive health outcomes (Hood, 2010). The nurse leaders have ability to see a changed reality. They also inspire others to see the change and persuade them to contribute towards achievement of the outcome. They must value the contributions of followers (Grossman Valiga, 2009). Nurse leaders should exhibit excellent communication skills. As they work as health team member, they need to communicate with all other members of health organisation with a common aim of achieving positive patient outcomes. They share their views and convey the messages clearly to the clients and subordinates. Besides this, nurse leaders are active listeners. They encourage active participation of clients in their own care. Nurse leaders maintain written records, which serves as evidence of care being given. These records can be used to track the delivery of health care. On the other hand, if nurses are unable to communicate effectively, it may lead to chaos as the clients will not receive appropriate care (Grossman Valiga, 2009). Delegation is an essential leadership trait. Nurse leaders delegate their work to their subordinates; however, they are accountable for their task. It acts as a tool as it facilitates development of skills of others. It also enables leader to carry out m ore tasks at the same time. Apart from these, it also develops teamwork (Sullivan Decker, 2009). Power can be defined as an ability to influence others to get work done. In healthcare organisations, the power is essential for the organisational effectiveness and workers` satisfaction. Nurses use power to influence clients and other health professionals. To use power effectively, nurses must be knowledgeable about different sources and types of power. All nurses exercise power in one or other way (Whitehead, Weiss Tappen, 2007). The nurses can use power to improve practice and achieve the goals of an organisation. When there is a change occurring, it is not taken as granted. The people may resist the change. In such situation, nurses can make effective use of their power to influence others and initiate change. Nurses aim to reduce the resistance by sharing the information, disconfirming currently held beliefs, providing psychological safety and dictating change (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2007). For instance, nurses can use informational power by sharing the information about the proposed change. They can influence clients by providing knowledge and sharing their vision about improvement of delivery of care (Huntington Gilmour, 2010). By using expert power, the nurse leaders can explain the reasons why the change is being brought in? They will ensure others that this change will improve their performance. They will appreciate suggestions from them and their concerns about it. Once, the nurse leaders successfully influenced others, they can implement change. There are many examples of use o f power by nurse leaders that brought changes in nursing practice. For instance, in Australia and New Zealand nurses used their power in form of legislative procedure and it enabled nurse practitioners to prescribe medicine (Huntington Gilmour, 2010). Nurses are obliged to protect the clients. When the clients need assistance to speak for them, the nurses act as their advocates. Using their power, nurses can present their views and suggestions and can demand for improving the quality of care being delivered to the clients. Nurse leaders should have understanding of clientsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ rights, ethical issues to protect clients from any harm. For example, when working in Intensive Care Unit, if a nurse recognizes that one of other staff member does not practice good hand hygiene practice as per the norms of the hospital despite of previous warnings given. At first glance, nurse might find it challenging to report this issue to their superiors. However, keeping the client care as focus she will address this problem. This is an effective use of her legitimate power. When the client is not receiving appropriate care and there is need to change the situation, nurses act as protectors. Nurses preserve the rights of clients, protect the clients and monitor the quality of client care (Hood, 2010). Nurse leaders can use their power effectively by empowering others. They should work together as a team rather than competing with their co-workers. It prevents conflicts and promotes harmony in the healthcare setting. The clients may feel powerlessness due to their diseased conditions. Nurses can empower clients by actively engaging them in their care i.e. by giving them informed choices about their treatment, seeking suggestions to promote their health. This will strengthen their relationship by building trust between nurse and client and will enable patients to become an active partner rather than a passive recipient (Hood, 2010). In conclusion, effective leadership is a key element in organisational success. Effective leaders along with their team members, work together in order to achieve organisational goals. Leaders develop certain leadership attributes that enable leaders to influence others to follow them. Nursing leadership is an indispensable part of health care system. It plays a vital role in promoting health and delivery of quality client care. Nursing leadership is client oriented as it works for the best interests of their clients. Nurse leaders exercise power to influence clients, their families and other healthcare professionals in order to achieve positive health outcomes. Change is inevitable in health care. New changes can be introduced successfully with the effective use of power. The focus of care remains clients. The nurse leaders should communicate the change with their colleagues and clients and persuade them to allow this change. The nurses are obliged to protect the rights of clients a nd ensure optimal delivery of health care services. The changes are made to improve the quality of care and client safety.

Cheating and Plagiarism - Avoiding Plagiarism :: Journalistic Essays

Avoiding Plagiarism For a number of years now, I have been concerned about the growing amount of plagiarism on the Internet. As self-publishing on the web becomes increasingly common, the incidences of theft of intellectual property, whether intentional or unintentional have grown astronomically. As a writer , I find this situation intolerable. Intellectual theft is still theft. It harms everyone involved, the original authors, the audience, and the plagiarizer. As members of a spiritual community, we believe that all our actions will be returned up us three fold, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Certainly intellectual theft, intentional or unintentional has its own return.   After so many attempts at trying to inform people of problems on their websites regarding the improper citation , I decided that perhaps the best approach is to document what constitutes plagiarism and to provide to people who are sincere in presenting information   in an intellectually and spiritually honest manner, with some guidelines for proper citation of sources.    First of all plagiarism is derived from the Latin word, plagi rius, meaning to kidnap (American Heritage ® Dictionary). This implies that plagiarism is in fact the kidnapping of ideas; an interesting concept since kidnapping implies that the idea could be seized and held for some kind of intellectual ransom. The dictionary is more explicit about its meaning:   1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own. 2. To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another). (American Heritage ® Dictionary) Plagiarizing is to give the impression that the words written or the ideas presented are in fact your own. The MLA Style Manual, the definitive guide for scholarly publishing used as a bible in colleges and graduate schools defines plagiarism as any not acknowledging another’s ideas and wording, either through direct buy undocumented quotes or through paraphrasing (151). They further reflect: Plagiarism is a moral and ethical offense rather than a legal one. Most instances of plagiarism fall outside the scope of copyright infringement, a legal offense.

stock market crash Essay -- essays research papers

The Stock Market crash of 1929 has been looked at as the greatest symbol of depression is our countries history. Although the Stock Market crashing had a huge effect on the beginning of the Great Depression, there are still factors to consider when looking for a source to blame. It’s hard to put responsibility on the stock market for something so huge and disheartening. The Great Depression is seen as a slippery road downward, not a sudden jolt into hopelessness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Stock Market in the 1920’s had consistently seen prices climb over the last few years. By the fall of 1929 the prices of stock were severely overpriced and unaffordable. When stockholders saw the severity in the prices they all panicked and began to sell all the stock that they owned. This is what caused the Stock Market to crash. Other causes for the Great Depression are there just not obvious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Tax system in the United States in this period was struggling. Income Tax on the middle class was way too high. The middle class would end up paying the vast majority of the tax. Rich and well off people, seemed to find loopholes in the system to get around paying the taxes that they should. This led to the rich getting richer and the poor got poorer. Unemployment rose to a high of 25%.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Due to the lack of money in the middle class Americans pocket, there was a great problem with overproduction. The products were being made, but...

Responces To Hunger :: essays research papers

Although hunger and starvation are prevalent in our nation, Americans have turned their backs to this problem. We have turned our backs because we have been conditioned and desensitized by the media, to the issue of hunger.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Classical conditioning is “the process by which a stimulus acquires the capacity to elicit a response through association with a stimulus that already elicits a similar or related response.'; Classical conditioning is like the famous case of Pavlov’s dogs that we learned about in Psychology 101: The dogs learn to associate the ringing of the bell with food, and, once conditioned, the dogs could not hear the bell without salivating.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese were masters at using classical conditioning with their solders. Early in World War II, Chinese prisoners were placed in a ditch on their knees with their hands bound behind them. And one by one, a select few Japanese soldiers would go into the ditch and bayonet “their'; prisoners to death. Up on the bank, countless other young soldiers would cheer them on in their violence. Comparatively few soldiers actually killed in these situations, but by making the others watch and cheer, the Japanese were able to use these kinds of atrocities to classically condition a very large audience to associate pleasure with human death and suffering. Immediately afterwards, the soldiers who had been spectators were treated to sake, the best meal they had in months, and so-called comfort girls. The result? They learned to associate committing violent acts with pleasure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are also some clear-cut examples of classical conditioning established by the media today. Our culture watches vivid pictures of human suffering and death, and we learn to associate it with our favorite soft drink and candy bar, or our girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s perfume/cologne. This occurs at the movies or even at home watching TV we laugh and cheer and keep right on eating popcorn and drinking pop while in front of us are images of death. We are in a generation where we have learned to associate the media with pleasure. So it is no surprise that when we view starving people in the world we are not startled, or very upset by the images displayed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Operant conditioning is the process by which a response becomes more or less likely to occur, depending on its consequence. Children, of course cry for many valid reasons; pain, discomfort, fear, illness, fatigue and their cries deserve an adult’s sympathy and attention.

Department of Homeland Security Essay

Returning from a vacation to Germany in February, freelance journalist Bill Hogan was selected for additional screening by customs officials at Dulles International Airport outside Washington. Agents searched his luggage, he said, â€Å"then they told me that they were impounding my laptop. † Shaken by the encounter, Hogan examined his bags and found the agents had also inspected the memory card from his camera. â€Å"It was fortunate that I didn’t use [the laptop] for work,† he said, â€Å"or I would have had to call up all my sources and tell them that the government had just seized their information. † When customs offered to return the computer nearly two weeks later, Hogan had it shipped to his lawyer. How common Hogan’s experience is remains unclear. But an April ruling by the U. S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Customs and Border Protection, does have full authority to search any electronic devices without suspicion in the same way that it can inspect briefcases. Now, businesses and other organizations are pushing back, Congress is investigating, and lawsuits have been filed challenging how the program selects travelers for inspection. The ninth circuit ruling was the result of more than 20 lawsuits involving electronics seized from travelers who were nearly all of Muslim, Middle Eastern, or South Asian descent. Citing the lawsuits, customs officials decline to say how many computers, storage drives, cellphones, and BlackBerrys they have confiscated or what happens to them afterward. Officials declined to testify at a recent Senate hearing, although they wrote in a prepared statement that officers â€Å"have the responsibility to check items such as laptops and other personal electronic devices to ensure that any item brought into the country complies with applicable law and is not a threat to the American public. † But congressional investigators say that copies of drives are sometimes made, meaning customs could be duplicating corporate secrets, legal and financial data, personal E-mails and photographs, along with stored passwords for accounts with companies ranging from Netflix to Bank of America. The practice of storing and duplicating material might be something that both opponents and supporters of seizure could agree to regulate, says Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, an otherwise staunch supporter of customs’ authority. Larry Cunningham, an assistant district attorney from New York, told the hearing: â€Å"I am aware of no authority that would permit the government, without probable cause to believe it contains contraband, to keep a person’s laptop or to copy the contents of its files. † Whatever the case, the controversial practice has prompted some businesses to change their policies about traveling with corporate information. Many now require employees to access data remotely to avoid confiscations. â€Å"[Seizure] immediately deprives an executive or company of the very data–and revenue–a business trip was intended to create,† says Susan Gurley, head of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, which is lobbying for greater transparency and government oversight of the confiscations. â€Å"As a businessperson returning to the U. S. , you may find yourself effectively locked out of your electronic office indefinitely. † Indeed, while Hogan’s computer was returned within two weeks, others say they have had theirs held for months. Customs insists that terrorism and child pornography are sufficient justification for electronics searches. And even civil libertarians agree it makes sense for customs to search luggage, which could pose immediate dangers to aircraft and passengers. But, says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, â€Å"customs officials do not go through briefcases to review and copy paper business records or personal diaries, which is apparently what they are now doing in digital form. These PDA’s don’t have bombs in them. † And then there are the precedents that critics say the program could set. Imagine, they say, if other nations began seizing the laptops of U. S. travelers. â€Å"We wouldn’t be in a position to strongly object,† Rotenberg says. Indeed, U. S. officials have advised visitors to this summer’s Olympics in Beijing that their laptops may be targeted for duplication or bugging by the Chinese. [Illustration] [Picture omitted]: Bill Hogan, who had his laptop seized at an airport, waits for a Senate subcommittee hearing. -CHARLIE ARCHAMBAULT FOR USN&WR

Film Reflection Good Bye, Lenin! Essay

I had mixed feelings about the movie Good Bye, Lenin! While I enjoyed watching Alex run into new challenges and come up with new solutions in scene after scene I felt the movie became too long and repetitive. I do however think the movie succeeded as a comedy, and as a glimpse into the history of Germany. I liked how the Becker used comedy to tell a sad story because it made it easier for the audience to watch. There were also many funny characters that accentuated people’s views of the political turmoil during that time. I noticed that the older generation shared a lingering nostalgia for the East Germany of the past while the younger generation saw a whole new world of opportunities and freedom opening up in front of them. The hurdles that Alex would go over for his mother made me really connect to him as a character. He was willing to do so much for this relationship and he believed so fully that what he was doing was right that you didn’t dare question him. In class we talked about how the director could have done more to give us a feeling of suspense and drama. Instead of leaving us hanging Becker actually sped up the scenes so we would get to the climax of if Alex’s scheme worked faster. I understand why people wanted that feeling of suspense but I believe that this was an artistic choice chosen to give the movie the feeling of things moving too fast. No matter how badly Alex wanted to stay suspended in the past the present and future were rushing towards him. By speeding up the scenes we were given that same feeling, the results were always coming quicker than we expected or often wanted. Something I wish Becker had done different was the end of the movie. When the movie finished I felt conflicted and betrayed. This was because Alex’s mother knew of Alex’s scheme at the end because she was told by his girlfriend. They then all pretended she still didn’t know for Alex’s sake. I don’t know why this bothered me but I felt angry at her for ruining all the work and then lying. It angered me the most because he was so close to succeeding. I believe Becker wanted us to feel this way at the end of the  movie to represent the strengths of relationships and the reality that Alex could only twist reality so far. His mother had become confused and in a way it was better for her to understand. I wish however the end had been different and that his mother could have truly passed on in his made up world.

How effective is Citibank at resolving and retaining its staff? Essay

To provide Citibank with a report that recommends improvement to recruitment and retention. Objectives 1) To assess the benefit, if any provided by Citibank for its employees. 2) To select appropriate performance criteria for the reasurement of staff performance. 3) Examine and analyse employee perception of the current training provision. 4) Examine and evaluate other factors that may influence staff morale. In order to manage the performance of staff managers I will be using performance criteria: This is a handy measuring tool, which is used as a method by which I will be assessing people’s performance and the satisfactions and dissatisfactions of their work. I will also be assessing the performance criteria of their absenteeism and the No of days staff are absent in a period of time. Also I will be checking on productivity and the number of staff measured against output. I will be monitoring the retention rates data and to see how long staffs have worked, whether they are temporary or permanent. Company History and Background to problem The company I am investigating is a subsidiary of Citigroup Inc, Citibank International plc. Specifically I will be looking at the Distribution Division of the Global Consumer Bank in the UK. In the year of 2001 Citigroup hailed its position as one of the most successful financial services in the world. It registered double-digit increases across many lines of business, and a 20% returns on equity. Their main objectives are to establish trusted relationships with consumers, corporations, institutions and governments. They operate for both sectors of businesses, private and personal banking. They have corporate banking and this is for business, which generates a lot of money. Citibank is a large corporation and is known as a public limited company, or PLC, meaning that its shares can be floated and then traded on the stock market. Any member of the general public can therefore become an owner of these organisations. I have analysed the annual report for Citigroup in 2001. The figures are very promising and show an increase of 8% in revenue over the previous year. What I am currently basing my project on is the Citibank branches situated in London. The branches are based at Oxford Circus, Strand, Monument and Canary Wharf. I shall be conducting this coursework with the help of Danny Childs, Assistant Vice President of Citibank; he is also in charge of the employees in the London branches. I shall be conducting research within the offices of Citibank to determine the quality of staff behaviour and how they go about customer services. I shall analyse my findings and from the information I discover, I will talk it over with Mr Childs and sort out ways to retain a positive atmosphere in his offices. Performance Indicators I am going to select the appropriate performance to evaluate Citibank’s effectiveness in training. There are two types of performance indicators: A) Qualitative: – In-depth research into the motivations behind the attitudes of the employees through the questionnaires that I have conducted. B) Quantitative: – Pre-set questions on a sample of 13 employees have in order to provide statistically valid data. I wrote this questionnaire and received anonymous and therefore unbiased answers that meet the research objectives. Performance management simply expressed is an approach to managing people, which helps to ensure that individual’s performance goals and capabilities are linked to the goals and plans of the business. When this occurs, business performance goals are met; people know what is expected of them and receive the support they need to develop their capabilities. Modern performance management is based on the principle of ‘objective cascade.’ This means that everyone sees a clear connection between: a) The goals of the entire business. b) The goals of the department. c) How the performance goals of teams and individuals relate to and support business goals. What is the overall approach to performance management in Citibank? Purpose Performance management provides a commitment and fair approach to managing performance of all people within Citibank. Aims: – Clarify performance expectations in relation to what people do and how they go about it. * Address and enhance performance through honest and constructive feedback. * Identify and deliver training and development to meet individual and team capability requirements. Performance indicators that can be used for Citibank can be: – Performance Indicator Purpose Profit Can be measured in quarterly times of the year to see how much money Citibank is bringing in. Staff turnover The amount of staff that has left Citibank can be measured with the staff from last year. Absenteeism Annually compared to provide the number of times employees have taken days off. Research Methodology For my research into Citibank, I will be conducting several different kinds of methods to gather my data. My research will include both primary and secondary data. Therefore, my answers will be accurate and reliable. Primary Research Primary information is the process of gathering information directly from people within your target market, as I will have shown by the time this project is completed. I shall be gathering data from the market by means of conducting an anonymous questionnaire. A questionnaire contains several advantages: – * + Through the questionnaire I can construct my questionnaire to suit the needs of fulfilling my research objectives. * + A questionnaire contains up-to-date answers from the employee’s. * + Through the questionnaire I can also understand the state of mind the worker is in and how he feels about working within Citibank. The questionnaire will be emailed to all of the staff employed by Danny Childs. They will then fill it in and return it back to me. I have decided to use this method because it is honest and will be unbiased. It is reliable and will be of present and true facts. It is also a good idea because it is anonymous and employees won’t feel pressured into giving answers that only are only said for the sake of Danny. I will be handing out questionnaires to 30 people in Danny’s workforce. Secondary Research I will also be using other sources of non-primary findings. They are called secondary research. Secondary research is the process of collecting data that is not new. It can be old evidence from magazines, the Internet or statistics. In this case when the secondary research is collected it will be analysed in accordance to the questionnaires. These sources will be coming from Danny Childs past findings and research data, which he has stored on his laptop. These findings inform me of staff turnover and retention rates of Citibank. I will only be gathering data that is from the past year and which I consider to be useful. Secondary research gives a background analysis of the primary research conducted and I will be able to notice any trends, if any, in the results. After I have had all the results in for both the primary and secondary, I will combine them together and have an accurate answer and accomplish my aim. I will be using a quantitative research method. This asks pre-set questions to the Staff of Citibank. This is called sampling as I am making sure my results are going to be typical of the whole Citibank workforce. My questionnaire will be unbiased and ensure that my objectives are met. I will also research into my answers to check how valid they are. Before starting off my main concerns to do with sampling was that how am I going to choose the correct people for interview (sampling method) and also deciding how large a number to interview (the sample size). There are 4 main sampling methods: Random sample, Quota sample, Stratified sample, and Cluster sample. Random Sample: This is when I would select employees within Citibank and ensure they are all treated equally in the questionnaire selecting process. A successful random sample is one which: 1) Picks names at random from a register process†¦e.g. every 50th name. 2) Send an interviewer to each worker within the offices of Citibank and question him. Quota Sample This is when you’re- selecting interviewees in proportion to their age within the offices. This allows the interviewer (which would be me) to question whoever he sees in the office room, as long as the correct quota is achieved. Stratified Sample Only those with certain characteristics are to be interviewed. Eg: I am going to only interview managers within Citibank worldwide. This means I am interviewing individuals at random. Cluster Sample This is sampling only within a certain area, such as university towns or certain business districts. It is usually used for students such as me who are doing projects on a large scale. Therefore I have decided that the sample that I will be conducting is Cluster Sampling. This is because my sample size was 13 employees and is only referring to the distribution division of Citibank, and not the rest of the company. Analysis Out of the thirty questionnaires that I handed out among the staff, only thirteen questionnaires were sent back to Danny Childs who then forwarded them back to me. The reason not all questionnaires were filled in was that half of them thought that it was Danny himself who had constructed the questionnaire and not me. After receiving the questionnaires I went about analysing each question and breaking them down in terms relating to the aim. All answers that were multiple choice, I ensured that I amalgamated the answers and I created pie charts to visually show my answers. Where questions have a ‘long hand’ answer I will be using ‘verbatims’. This is when I will be lifting relevant comments from the answers. The way I have done this is to pick out key messages and repeated statements within the answers and to then summarise it: – 1) How long have you been at Citibank? What employees wrote A=Less than a year 1 B=1-3 Years 8 C=3-5 years 4 D=More than 5 Years 0 Out of the thirteen who answered, the majority of employees (eight workers) said that they worked between one to three years. Only one employee who filled in the questionnaire has been with Citibank for longer than a year and also had the most negative comments to say about Citibank as an employer. I constructed a Pie Chart to represent the data above: – 2) How would you rate Citibank as an employer? What employees wrote A) Poor 0 B) Below Average 2 C) Average 4 D) Above Average 7 E) Excellent 0 Out of the thirteen that answered, the majority of workers currently employed at Citibank said in their questionnaire that as an employer, they rated Citibank as average. The reasons for this are explained in question three. I have constructed a pie chart to show the data above for question two. 3) Give a Brief reason for your answer to the previous question. Most of the employee’s answered that Citibank provided a â€Å"Good benefit package e.g.: salary, BUPA.† Two employees claimed that Citibank is â€Å"more enjoyable than previous employment.† Four employees were not happy with their employer’s and were not afraid to let it be known. One of those four even went far enough to leave the question unanswered which goes to show how much he values Citibank as an employer. Referring to page 2 of my appendix, an employee said, Managers don’t want to see customers, even if they are available to assist. The worker sees this as a bad thing, yet if he thinks about it he can use this to his advantage. The manager of the branch may believe in Maslow’s theory of management and develops a democratic approach towards his staff. By allowing the staff to think for themselves and make the correct decisions, Danny Childs will only be called in absolute urgency, and by shadowing him for a week I learned and watched the way the workforce was run. 4) When was the last time you attended a training course? The employees have answered this question vaguely and were not afraid to point out that ‘Citibank training is bad’ and that it is ‘so boring’. One employee even said that he ‘cant remember’ the last course he had attended. This goes to show that Citibank need to invest in making their training courses more innovative and enjoyable for their workers in order to keep them motivated. They could ensue team working in the courses meaning placing workers who haven’t worked together before or are not in the same social circle as that particular worker into a group, switching their tasks around and discussing ways of them working more effectively. Team working, managed effectively, can provide employees better quality and more innovative work at a lower cost and at a faster rate. To achieve such improvements in performance employees must be involved. They must have the ability to contribute and feel they are listened to. Greater participation can help a company like Citibank gain a competitive edge. Although this may be expensive, the outcome may be fruitful. The workers may leave the course happier and wanted and therefore work harder and produce more business for Citibank. 5) Overall, what do you think of the training provided at Citibank? What employees wrote A) Poor 2 B) Below Average 1 C) Average 6 D) Above Average 4 E) Excellent 0 Most of the employees at Citibank rated training as only average. I discussed this topic in more detail in question four and discussed the different approaches that could be taken. Even if changes were implemented correctly, I would hope that if I was to ask the same question to staff in six months, the majority might answer that training is Excellent. Below is a pie chart, which I created to show my results from question five: – 6) What keeps you motivated at Citibank? Nine out of the thirteen that answered said that the salary they are on is what keeps them motivated. There were no other factors involved in keeping the staff happy. Three workers said that they survive by motivating themselves and only one claimed that he was there only to do a job. Three things influence the motivation of staff in practice: * The company culture. * Its approach to managing its people * The financial reward systems. Company culture means the accepted set of attitudes and habits within an organisation-its ethos. Every business has its own culture, and Citibank is no different. Within an hour of sitting in the office with Mr Childs, jokes aside I set out to work hard throughout the week. What kept me motivated was that I was working at a top bank and I wanted to please Danny so as not to disappoint him. It was challenging, yet purposeful. Elton Mayo was a motivational theorist who pointed out that the difference in attitude was often to do with the unofficial leader or leaders of the staff concerned. For the majority of the workers, it is the financial reward system that keeps them motivated. Danny explained to me that each of his sales team has a PRP (performance-related pay) scheme to follow. It is a highly attractive system for encouraging staff to work towards the organisation’s objectives. The usual method is: 1) At the end of each month, the individual’s achievement is discussed against the targets set. 2) If they have reached a target or gone above it, they are rewarded with a pay rise, or are given a bonus scheme to work to. 7) Do you feel you get motivation from your managers? This question was answered with much criticism towards the managers. I designed this questionnaire to find out exactly what the staff is thinking and I got what I wanted. This question was answered in a way that it was being critical of the managers and mocking their intelligence. In two of the questionnaires, staff said that the managers give â€Å"support rather than motivation†. Support and motivation are two totally different things. Support is when the manager doesn’t literally do the work for an employee, but rather sets the framework for what is to happen. Motivation is when a manager would encourage his employee’s to do something by means of offering them incentives. For most of the answers given in this question it is plain to see that employee’s don’t feel they get the right motivation that they feel is deserved. Most managers assume they understand human motivation when in practice they have never studied it. As a result they may underestimate the potential within their own staff. Or unthinkingly cause resentments that fester. The process of managing people takes place in every part of every organisation. By contrast a few people would need to know the financial concept of gearing in their working lives. So lack of knowledge of motivational theory is particularly unfortunate and has exceptionally widespread effects. In this case, ignorance leads to managers to ignore motivation altogether. They tell themselves that control and organisation are their only concerns. Other managers may see motivation as important, but fail to understand its subtleties. For these reasons, I can state that there is a case for saying that the concepts of motivation are that of the important factors in running a business. 8) Do you feel you have career prospects at Citibank? Most of the employee’s answered this question with mixed answers. After reading each answer I realised that it was roughly a 50/50 outcome. Some of the employees saw themselves with a future at Citibank, while others thought that they deserved to be elsewhere. A lot of factors can depend on whether or not an employee has a future at Citibank. The outcome I have come to is that the reason the question was not answered properly was because I didn’t ask the question correctly. What I should have I asked was Where do you see yourself in two years time? That way, I will be getting a more detailed answer from the employee and he/she will give me a clear idea of what they think lays in their future. Here is a pie chart to represent the data: – As you can see from the graph, 54% of the staff saw themselves with a future and 46% saw themselves leaving Citibank. 9) Do you feel you are paid a fair wage for your job compared to the banking market place? Out of the thirteen employees, nine answered that they are happy with their salary compared to other banks. Citibank â€Å"on the whole, pays fair wages.† One worker said â€Å"there is always room for improvement† showing that although they are being paid well, more money is always better. Referring back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if the pay levels were increased, it can be used as an incentive to ensure that they remain at Citibank. Maslow believed everyone has the same needs- all of which can be organised as a hierarchy. When employees earn enough to satisfy these needs, however their motivating power slowly disappears. Maslow then referred to his ‘hierarchy of needs’ in order for them to remain motivated: Self-Actualisation Esteem needs Social needs Safety needs Physical Needs 10) Are you offered any financial incentives such as bonus schemes or awards? Out of the thirteen that answered this question, ten replied that they are offered decent incentives if they work hard enough to earn them. A workforce must be put in place, which provides departments such as operations and marketing with the correct number of appropriately skilled employees to accomplish their targets. For an employee to work well, he must first be able to have a good relationship with his employer. I created a pie chart to give a visual representation of the data I received: – 11) Do you feel Citibank has effective managers within branches? More employees said that managers are effective within the branches, although those that weren’t happy, had a lot to criticise. One worker said that managers â€Å"should be more hands on.† The question that came to my attention is What is an effective manager? There are several explanations to this question, and I am going to explain it by means of McGregor’s Theory X and Y. This comes from Douglas McGregor who identified two styles of management. Theory X managers tend to distrust their employees; they believe they don’t really enjoy their work and that they need to be controlled. In McGregor’s own words, many managers believe â€Å"The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can.† This theory is not about workers, but he is actually talking about the managers themselves. Theory X in other words is how managers view their workforce. On the other hand, Theory Y managers are more likely to involve employees in decisions and give them greater responsibility. The managerial assumptions identified by McGregor X and Y are: * â€Å"The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organisational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population.† * â€Å"The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility.† * â€Å"Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.† It is clear that Danny is a theory Y manager in some aspects as he is inclined to adopt a democratic leadership style. Their style is to delegate authority to meet specific objectives. Theory X style is to be self-fulfilling. Lazy people are obviously going to produce less output then a lively person. The way to make that lazy person lively is to offer him an incentive, which will motivate him to work harder. 12) Would you recommend your friends to work for Citibank? Eight employees said that they’d recommend friends to work for Citibank, one of them saying what I needed to read, â€Å"Higher starting salary compared to High Street Banks.† The answers show that it was mixed opinions and there could be several reasons. Workers may not want to mix business with pleasure and therefore for friends to be around them in the office, their performance can severely decrease. 13) What, in your view, could Citibank do to improve your working environment? The employees answered and voiced their opinions to make the working environment of Citibank better. The question was answered in detail and I was happy with the result. Appendices Below you will find that I have broken down my questionnaire into an easier way to understand. I completed this before I began my analysis and this appendix can be referred back to as a backup for my analysis at anytime: Question 1- How long have you been at Citibank? A) Less than a year B) 1-3 Years C) 3-5 Years D) More than 5 Years