Thursday, October 31, 2019
Impacts Of Conversion Of Tropical Forests To Small-Scale Agriculture Essay
Impacts Of Conversion Of Tropical Forests To Small-Scale Agriculture - Essay Example From a biologist perspective, tropical forests are the richest and most exciting areas on earth sheltering a diverse wildlife. Tropical forests are differentiated from another type of forests due to their gigantic trees amazingly diverse fauna of colorful birds, millions of brightly hued insects, and a variety of fascinating mammals. It is widely accepted that tropical lowland forests are the most species-rich type of terrestrial ecosystem, for example, a hectare of Malaysian tropical rainforest may contain 180 kinds of trees. Tropical rainforests are generally concentrated near the equator in Asia, Africa, South America, Central America, and on many of the Pacific Islands. According to WWF’s biome classification, tropical rain forests are considered a type of tropical wet forest and may also be referred to as lowland equatorial evergreen rain forests. All five layers of tropical rainforests i.e. emergent layer, canopy layer, understory layer, shrub layer, and forest floor are enriched with different plants and animals. Tropical deforestation, desertification, decreasing biodiversity, climate change and the scarcity of fresh water are issues of recent global conflict. This paper makes a conclusion that tropical forests are the richest and most exciting areas on earth sheltering a diverse wildlife. Small-scale agricultural practices, though considered safe by many scientists and ecologists, have been proved to be having detrimental effects on the health of tropical forests. These agricultural practices are facing the burden of huge population growth and unhealthy practices.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Financial analysis - Essay Example The current ratios of Merck & Co are ideal, being generally slightly greater than 1. The quick ratio measures whether the firm has enough liquid resources to meet its current liabilities by excluding stock from the current assets in the current ratio (Wood, 1994, p. 418). In this regard, Johnson & Johnson is performing better than its competitors. Its quick ratios for the recent 4 years are slightly greater than 1 while those for its competitors are generally below 1. The debt/equity ratio shows the proportion of long term debt to internal financing. The debt/equity ratios of Johnson & Johnson are at ideally low levels of between 0.05 to 0.11, which are lower than that of the industry average at 0.23. The debt/equity ratios of Procter & Gamble are quite high, ranging from 0.59 to 0.81. However, they are lower than the industry average of 1.01. The debt/equity ratios for Merck & Co., though not as good as those for Johnson & Johnson are reasonable at between 0.27 and 0.33. The leverage ratio shows the amount of assets that a dollar of equity finances. The leverage ratio of Johnson & Johnson at 1.5 to 1.8 are ideal being lower than the industry average of 2.1 and also those of its competitors that range from around 2 to 3. The interest coverage from continuing operations shows the extent to which profit may fall before the firm will not be able to meet its interest charges. When this happens the firm faces being taken over or being wound up. Again, the interest coverage from continuing operations for Johnson & Johnson is excellent. It shoots up from 59 in 2002 to an extremely ideal figure of 253.8 in 2005, especially in light that the industry average is only 27.4. The interest coverage from continuing operations for Procter & Gamble is not as good as that of Johnson & Johnson. It ranges from 12.1 to 14.4 and the data exhibits a downward trend. The interest coverage from continuing operations for Merck & Co also not as good
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Friday, October 25, 2019
Sports In The Law :: essays research papers
May 6, 2001 -- He was surrounded by his teammates, but yet Larry Johnson felt alone. Not part of the group. Not part of the struggle to advance deeper into the playoffs. And now, with the season over and done with, Johnson is extremely worried that he may never be a part of it ever again. "Man, I just don't know," Johnson said yesterday on his way out the door of Purchase College. Johnson's career might be finished. He missed the final six games of the regular season and the entire five-game playoff series loss to the Raptors. The only way Johnson was able to dull the pain in his back was with medication, which he stopped taking during the season because he feared possible side effects would be damaging to his health later in life. Next week, Johnson says he will meet with doctors to discuss his options. There is a real chance he will be forced to retire at the age of 32. "Having the ability to play? I'm concerned about it all," Johnson admitted. "This was the playoffs, and I didn't play one minute." In his 10th NBA season and completing his fifth with the Knicks, Johnson averaged a career-low 9.9 points a game, shot a career-worst .411 and played in only 65 games. He continued to operate out of position as an undersized power forward and despite his diminished production, his big-shot potential was missed by the Knicks in their playoff ouster at the hands of the Raptors. "I'm really worried about LJ," said Kurt Thomas, who filled in admirably for Johnson. "Obviously Larry's health is a huge issue," added Jeff Van Gundy. "Larry over time has really meant a lot to this team. I'm just hopeful he's able to resume his career and be healthy, but for me to guess about that would be irresponsible. We have to wait and see and let time take its natural course.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Physiological Psychology and Ocd Essay
Physiological Psychology is as described by Kalat (1998) as the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behaviour and experience. It is devoted to the study of brain functioning, how Neurons and Glia convey messages to one another and other parts of the body for it to function and work accordingly. Future studies of physiological psychology will help predict behavioural patterns in society and how brain functions can be â€Å"rewritten†through cognitive therapies .e.g. alcoholism, drug addictions. Kalat (1998) further goes onto explain that a Biological psychologist (physiological psychologist) try to answer four types of questions about any given behaviour, how it relates to the physiology of the brain (what parts of the brain are active) and other organs, how it develops within the individual, how did the capacity for this behaviour evolve and why did this behaviour evolve. Without the physiological understanding of how brain process work in relation to behaviour it is difficult to correctly diagnose a behaviour pattern and its cause. Kalat (1998) describes that â€Å"having a little anxiety can be useful†, however OCD is a condition in which there is excessive anxiety. OCD can be explained to a patient in simple physiological terms explaining the behaviour of the brain, for example: OCD patients often have a broken mechanism (being a synapse interaction) in their brain that would usually stop a thought once you have it. In an OCD patient it does not (stop the thought) – so the thought is allowed to revolve. This seems in description that it would sound more like a broken record than OCD really does, but that isn’t what really happens. OCD can be genetic but is most certainly physiological in nature. Without an understanding of brain functioning and how these neurons interact, how can psychologists work to alleviate the symptoms of the disorder? Research into the biological causes and effects of OCD has revealed a link between OCD and insufficient levels of the brain chemical, serotonin. Serotonin is one of the brain’s chemical messengers that transmit signals between brain cells. Serotonin plays a role in the regulation of mood, aggression, impulse control, sleep, appetite, body temperature and pain. For example persons with unregulated serotonin lead to destructive antisocial behaviour patterns, which society commonly experiences on a growing scale. All of the medicines used to treat OCD raise the levels of serotonin available to transmit messages. Without physiological psychological research into the effects that these medicines have on the brain society would lack the knowledge and understanding of how to diagnose and appropriately treat disorders such as OCD. Modern brain imaging techniques have allowed researchers to study the activity of specific areas of the brain. Such studies have shown that people with OCD have more than usual activity in three areas of the brain. These are: The caudate nucleus, specific brain cells in the basal ganglia, located deep in the centre of the brain this area of the brain acts as a filter for thoughts coming in from other areas. The caudate nucleus is also considered to be important in managing habitual and repetitive behaviours. When OCD is successfully treated with drugs or therapy, the activity in this area of the brain usually decreases. This shows that both drugs and a change in â€Å"thinking†can alter the physical functioning of the brain. The prefrontal orbital cortex, located in the front area of the brain the level of activity in the prefrontal orbital cortex is believed to affect appropriate social behaviour. Lowered activity or damage in this region is linked to feeling uninhibited, making bad judgments and feeling a lack of guilt. More activity may therefore cause more worry about social concerns. Such concerns include: being meticulous, neat and preoccupied with cleanliness, and being afraid of acting inappropriately. All of these concerns are symptoms of OCD. The cingulate gyrus, in the centre of the brain the cingulate gyrus is believed to contribute the emotional response to obsessive thoughts. This area of the brain tells you to perform compulsions to relieve anxiety. This region is highly interconnected to the prefrontal orbital cortex and the basal ganglia via a number of brain cell pathways. The basal ganglia, the prefrontal orbital cortex and the cingulate gyrus all have many brain cells affected by serotonin. Researchers believe that medicines that raise the levels of serotonin available to transmit messages may change the level of activity in these areas of the brain. Kalat (1998) offers the idea that drugs intended to control anxiety alter activity at amygdale synapses. â€Å"One of the amygdala’s main excitatory neuromodulators is CCK (cholecystokinin), which increases anxiety, and the main inhibitory transmitter is GABA, which inhibits anxiety.†Without physiological research into the how and why of brain function, people with disorders such as OCD would not be able to function â€Å"normally†within society. However this type of research and study is not limited just too diagnosing disorders in those with suspected behavioural problems but also allows insight into society as a whole and its interaction socially, emotionally and habitually. New and innovative studies through physiological research have shown that cognitive behavioural therapy can change activity in certain areas of the brain. The discovery could have important clinical implications on how talk therapies improve brain function and advance mental health. Researchers discovered significant changes in activity in certain regions of the brain can be produced with as little as four weeks of daily therapy in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder as published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. â€Å"The study is exciting because it tells us more about how cognitive-behavioural therapy works for OCD and shows that both robust clinical improvements and changes in brain activity occur after only four weeks of intensive treatment,†said Saxena. Past studies using functional brain imaging studies of patients with OCD have demonstrated that elevated activity along the frontal-sub cortical circuits of the brain decreases in response to treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) medications or cognitive-behavioural therapy. However, clinical improvement of OCD symptoms was expected to require up to 12 weeks of behavioural therapy or medication treatment, the standard treatments for OCD. Only a handful of studies have looked at how therapy affects brain function, and all previous studies had examined changes over several months of treatment. Continual studies into physiological psychology will enhance clinical practises and provide a platform for more effective treatment of the symptoms related to this disorder. Saxena and colleagues at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA made two novel discoveries in their study of 10 OCD patients and 12 control subjects. â€Å"First of all, we discovered significant changes in brain activity solely as the result of four weeks of intensive cognitive-behavioural therapy,†said Saxena. â€Å"Secondly, these changes were different than those seen in past studies after a standard 12-week therapeutic approach using SRI medications or weekly behavioural therapy.†The researchers obtained positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the ten OCD patients both before and after they received four weeks of a therapy known as â€Å"exposure and response prevention,†which gradually desensitizes patients to things that provoke obsession fears or worries. However, the PET scans in this study also showed a significant increase in activity in an area of the brain called the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, a region involved in reappraisal and suppression of negative emotions. Increasing activity in this region corresponded to the OCD patients’ improvement in clinical symptoms after the four-week course of intensive therapy. It is possible to see the huge amount of information that physiological research has bought forth to society through just these examples alone. Physiological psychology is the study of the physiological basis of how we think, connecting the physical operation of the brain with what we actually say and do. It is thus concerned with brain cells, brain structures and components, brain chemistry, and how all this leads to speech and action. Further research as to how growing debilitating disorders such as OCD could be eliminated or drastically reduced in severity has weight in its importance. The research however does not stop with OCD diagnosis but has relevant importance to understand how we take in information in general from our five senses. Future studies based on OCD research could be more relevant than we think to other major issues facing society such as depression, drug addiction and mental health. It is imperative for governing bodies to fund education and research into the study of physiological psychology for this very reason. References: Kalat 1998 Biological Psychology Molecular Psychiatry Molecular Psychiatry 14, 197-205 (February 2009) | doi:10.1038/sj.mp.400213
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Naturalism
Naturalism is a type of literature that â€Å"exposed the dark harshness of life . . . were often very pessimistic and . . . blunt .†(Wikipedia).  Naturalistic writers do not moralize about the nature of human beings in their works, but view them with cold impartiality.    To them, nature is an indifferent force that adopts a hands-off policy vis-à -vis human beings and the calamities that befall them. Naturalistic works often depict an individual’s struggle to survive against the forces of nature. At times, the conflict may be that of man against himself as he strives to maintain his humanity, to tame â€Å"the brute within†in the face of contending passions.   Characters in such works usually belong to the lower middle class or the lower classes.   (Campbell).Jack London’s The Law of Life depicts the indifference of nature to the impending death of an old man.   Abandoned in the snow by his tr ibe, nearly blind and lame, old Koskoosh lies beside a fire with only a handful of twigs to keep himself from freezing. He is aware of his imminent end, but calmly accepts the fact that â€Å"all men must die†.   In the few remaining hours of his life, he reflects on the never ending cycle of life and death, on how even the most vigorous animal would fall prey to old age and its predators.  In all this, he concluded that â€Å"nature did not care.  To life, she set one task, gave one law. To perpetuate was the task of life, its law was death.†Koskoosh recalled how the Great Famine ravaged his tribe, against which they were all helpless.      Here, London brings into focus an indifferent nature, heedless of the wailings of the villagers until nearly all of them starved to death.  Koskoosh also remembered how the times of plenty awakened the blood lust in his people until they revived ancient quarrels and wage d war on their enemies.  In this case, the â€Å"brute within†, another frequent theme of the naturalistic work, is awakened and unleashed.Occupying the old man’s thoughts in his final moments was his memory of a moose that fought off wolves until it was overpowered and fell on the bloody snow.   That recollection foreshadowed his own death: wolves were closing in on him as his fire dwindled.   But unlike the moose which fought to the very end, Koskoosh gave up when he realized the futility of it. â€Å"What did it matter after all?†he asked. â€Å"Was it not the law of life?†An indifferent, hostile nature pervades The Open Boat by Stephen Crane. Four men, one of them injured, sat on a dingy after their ship went down.      An angry surf separated them from the safety of the beach; they could not take the boat to shore lest she capsize.    Desperate and afraid, sleepless and hungry, the corre spondent ponders the indifference of nature to their plight.   The men spend the night at the sea, alternately rowing and keeping the boat afloat.The appearance of vacationers on the beach waving gaily to the men in the boat thus giving them hopes of immediate rescue is probably Crane’s way of emphasizing the nonchalance of nature in the face of human suffering, made more bitter by the realization that no rescue was forthcoming after all.   The cook’s â€Å"house of refuge†, deserted and lifeless, seemed to mock the men: â€Å"There was the shore of the populous land, and it was bitter and bitter to them that from it came no sign.†(4).Crane focuses on the inner despair of the men as they wait and toil at the oars, aware that their tiny dingy might be swamped at the next wave, drowning them, or that they might be taken out to sea when the on-shore wind died.     In the face of this uncertainty, Crane voices out, thr ough the correspondent, the pathetic rebellion of the ordinary mortal who could not believe, and yet could not overcome, the indifference of nature to his plight:Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management of men`s fortunes.  . . If she has decided to drown me, why did she not do it  in the beginning and save me all this trouble? . . . But, no, she cannot mean  to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work. . . Just you drown me, now, and then hear what I call you! (4).The correspondent in The Open Boat saw the â€Å"abominable injustice†of being drowned after so much hardship.  The idea of fairness and justice is deeply ingrained in him that he finds it would be â€Å"a crime most unnatural†.   He imagined nature’s indifference similar to his own and that of his school-fellows who during childhood were taught a poem about a soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers: he did not care about him but now, faced with his own death, he felt sorry for the soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers (6).The tall wind-tower is also an apt symbol of nature’s indifference.  â€Å"This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants.  It represented . . . the serenity of nature amid the struggles of the individual. . . She did not seem cruel to him, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise.  But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent.†(7).The characters in The Open Boat are just â€Å"ordinary†persons but in their mortal peril each of them performed heroically in their battle against the sea: the wounded captain, vigilantly keeping watch, clinging with one hand to the keel of the dingy after it had swamped; Billie the oiler, mast erfully steering the craft, dying before he reached the safety of the beach; the cook and the correspondent, fighting desperately against the churning surf.Like Koskoosh, the correspondent in The Open Boat considered death a proper release from one’s pains, the former from his futile struggle with the wolves, and the latter from his struggle with the waves.   He thought that â€Å"when one gets properly wearied, drowning must really be a comfortable arrangement, a cessation of hostilities accompanied by a large degree of relief, and he was glad of it . . .†(7).A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris tells about the plight of Sam Lewiston and his wife and thousands of other wheat farmers who were driven to bankruptcy due to the trickery of wheat dealers who gambled with the prices of grain, oblivious of the untold suffering caused by their machinations.     Sam and his wife and the people who lined up at night at the bread line belonged to the lower c lasses of society: â€Å"workmen, long since out of work, forced into idleness by long-continued ‘hard times,’ by ill luck, by sickness.†The â€Å"interminable line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely still . . .waiting in the vast deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word .. . . under the slow-moving mists of rain†,  is as naturalistic as Crane’s and London’s stories set in a hostile sea and an abandoned camp in the snow:There was something ominous and gravely impressive in this interminable line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely still; a close-packed, silent file, waiting, waiting in the vast deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word, without a movement, there under the night and under the slow-moving mists of rain.From this line of hungry men there arose â€Å"a shudder of despair, an unformed, inarticulate sense of calamity†caused by the abrupt notice that the bread line was being discontinued owing to the increase in the price of grain.  This particular scene imparts to the reader Sam Lewiston’s and the crowd’s pathetic plight, their helplessness against the market forces that conspired to bring about their ruin.   The â€Å"white-aproned undercook†who posted the notice and disappeared within the bakery symbolizes an indifferent nature, perhaps an indifferent society, not caring whether or not the hundreds of people that have silently, patiently stood outside in the cold would go to bed hungry that night and for nights to come.These three stories represent the naturalistic genre: The Law of Life by Jack London showing the endless cycle of life and death as viewed in the last reflections of an old man, who resigns to accept his own violent death from hungry wolves; The Open Boat by Stephen Crane depicting the struggles of four men in a dingy to reach the safety of land; and A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris, which brings into focus the grim silent suffering of people at a bread line.   In all these works the writers attempt to portray the lives of common persons as they grapple with the forces of nature and endure calamity caused by the manipulation of other human beings.   Through these works, the writers drive home to our consciousness a world of harsh and cold reality: of ordinary human beings forced to contend with an uncaring, indifferent nature, yet bringing to the fore something heroic and extra-ordinary within them.WORKS CITEDCampbell, Donna M. â€Å"Naturalism in American Literature.†Literary Movements.   2 February 2007. Accessed 2 March 2007..Crane, Stephen. â€Å"The Open Boat†. 2 March 2007.London, Jack. â€Å"The Law of Life†. 2 March 2007.Norris, Frank. â€Å"A Deal in Wheat†. 5 March 2007. â€Å"Naturalism†. 20 February 2007.  Accessed 2 March 2007. Naturalism Naturalism is a type of literature that â€Å"exposed the dark harshness of life . . . were often very pessimistic and . . . blunt .†(Wikipedia).  Naturalistic writers do not moralize about the nature of human beings in their works, but view them with cold impartiality.    To them, nature is an indifferent force that adopts a hands-off policy vis-à -vis human beings and the calamities that befall them. Naturalistic works often depict an individual’s struggle to survive against the forces of nature. At times, the conflict may be that of man against himself as he strives to maintain his humanity, to tame â€Å"the brute within†in the face of contending passions.   Characters in such works usually belong to the lower middle class or the lower classes.   (Campbell).Jack London’s The Law of Life depicts the indifference of nature to the impending death of an old man.   Abandoned in the snow by his tr ibe, nearly blind and lame, old Koskoosh lies beside a fire with only a handful of twigs to keep himself from freezing. He is aware of his imminent end, but calmly accepts the fact that â€Å"all men must die†.   In the few remaining hours of his life, he reflects on the never ending cycle of life and death, on how even the most vigorous animal would fall prey to old age and its predators.  In all this, he concluded that â€Å"nature did not care.  To life, she set one task, gave one law. To perpetuate was the task of life, its law was death.†Koskoosh recalled how the Great Famine ravaged his tribe, against which they were all helpless.      Here, London brings into focus an indifferent nature, heedless of the wailings of the villagers until nearly all of them starved to death.  Koskoosh also remembered how the times of plenty awakened the blood lust in his people until they revived ancient quarrels and wage d war on their enemies.  In this case, the â€Å"brute within†, another frequent theme of the naturalistic work, is awakened and unleashed.Occupying the old man’s thoughts in his final moments was his memory of a moose that fought off wolves until it was overpowered and fell on the bloody snow.   That recollection foreshadowed his own death: wolves were closing in on him as his fire dwindled.   But unlike the moose which fought to the very end, Koskoosh gave up when he realized the futility of it. â€Å"What did it matter after all?†he asked. â€Å"Was it not the law of life?†An indifferent, hostile nature pervades The Open Boat by Stephen Crane. Four men, one of them injured, sat on a dingy after their ship went down.      An angry surf separated them from the safety of the beach; they could not take the boat to shore lest she capsize. Desperate and afraid, sleepless and hungry, the correspondent pon ders the indifference of nature to their plight.   The men spend the night at the sea, alternately rowing and keeping the boat afloat.The appearance of vacationers on the beach waving gaily to the men in the boat thus giving them hopes of immediate rescue is probably Crane’s way of emphasizing the nonchalance of nature in the face of human suffering, made more bitter by the realization that no rescue was forthcoming after all.   The cook’s â€Å"house of refuge†, deserted and lifeless, seemed to mock the men: â€Å"There was the shore of          the populous land, and it was bitter and bitter to them that from it came no sign.†(4).Crane focuses on the inner despair of the men as they wait and toil at the oars, aware that their tiny dingy might be swamped at the next wave, drowning them, or that they might be taken out to sea when the on-shore wind died.     In the face of this uncertain ty, Crane voices out, through the correspondent, the pathetic rebellion of the ordinary mortal who could not believe, and yet could not overcome, the indifference of nature to his plight:Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to  nibble the sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management  of men`s fortunes.  . . If she has decided to drown me, why did she not do it  in the beginning and save me all this trouble? . . . But, no, she cannot mean                 to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all  this work. . . Just you drown me, now, and then hear what I call you! (4).The correspondent in The Open Boat saw the â€Å"abominable injustice†of being drowned after so much hardship.  The idea of fairness and justice is deeply ingrained in him that he finds it would be â€Å"a crime most unnatural†.   He imagined nature’s indifference similar to his own and that of his school-fellows who during childhood were taught a poem about a soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers: he did not care about him but now, faced with his own death, he felt sorry for the soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers (6). The tall wind-tower is also an apt symbol of nature’s indifference.  â€Å"This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants.  It represented . . . the serenity of nature amid the struggles of the individual. . . She did not seem cruel to him, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise.  But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent.†(7).The characters in The Open Boat are just â€Å"ordinary†persons but in their mortal peril each of them performed heroically in their battle against the sea: the wounded captain, vigilantly k eeping watch, clinging with one hand to the keel of the dingy after it had swamped; Billie the oiler, masterfully steering the craft, dying before he reached the safety of the beach; the cook and the correspondent, fighting desperately against the churning surf.Like Koskoosh, the correspondent in The Open Boat considered death a proper release from one’s pains, the former from his futile struggle with the wolves, and the latter from his struggle with the waves.   He thought that â€Å"when one gets properly wearied, drowning must really be a comfortable arrangement, a cessation of hostilities accompanied by a large degree of relief, and he was glad of it . . .†(7).A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris tells about the plight of Sam Lewiston and his wife and thousands of other wheat farmers who were driven to bankruptcy due to the trickery of wheat dealers who gambled with the prices of grain, oblivious of the untold suffering caused by their machinations.     Sam and his wife and the people who lined up at night at the bread line belonged to the lower classes of society: â€Å"workmen, long since out of work, forced into idleness by long-continued ‘hard times,’ by ill luck, by sickness.†The â€Å"interminable line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely still . . .waiting in the vast deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word .. . . under the slow-moving mists of rain†,  is as naturalistic as Crane’s and London’s stories set in a hostile sea and an abandoned camp in the snow:There was something ominous and gravely impressive in this interminable line of dark figures, close-pressed, soundless; a crowd, yet absolutely still; a close-packed, silent file, waiting, waiting in the vast deserted night-ridden street; waiting without a word, without a movement, there under the night and under the slow-moving mists of rain.From this line of hungry men there arose â€Å"a shudder of despair, an unformed, inarticulate sense of calamity†caused by the abrupt notice that the bread line was being discontinued owing to the increase in the price of grain.  This particular scene imparts to the reader Sam Lewiston’s and the crowd’s pathetic plight, their helplessness against the market forces that conspired to bring about their ruin.   The â€Å"white-aproned undercook†who posted the notice and disappeared within the bakery symbolizes an indifferent nature, perhaps an indifferent society, not caring whether or not the hundreds of people that have silently, patiently stood outside in the cold would go to bed hungry that night and for nights to come.These three stories represent the naturalistic genre: The Law of Life by Jack London showing the endless cycle of life and death as viewed in the last reflections of an old man, who resigns to accept his own violent death from hungry wolves; The Open Boat by Stephen Crane depicting the struggles of four men in a dingy to reach the safety of land; and A Deal in Wheat by Frank Norris, which brings into focus the grim silent suffering of people at a bread line.In all these works the writers attempt to portray the lives of common persons as they grapple with the forces of nature and endure calamity caused by the manipulation of other human beings.   Through these works, the writers drive home to our consciousness a world of harsh and cold reality: of ordinary human beings forced to contend with an uncaring, indifferent nature, yet bringing to the fore something heroic and extra-ordinary within them.WORKS CITEDCampbell, Donna M. â€Å"Naturalism in American Literature.†Literary Movements.  2 February 2007. Accessed 2 March 2007..Crane, Stephen. â€Å"The Open Boat†. 2 March 2007.  London, Jack. â€Å"The Law of Life†. 2 March 2007. Norris, Frank. â€Å"A Deal in Wheat†. 5 March 2007.â€Å"Naturalism†. 20 February 2007.  Accessed 2 March 2007.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Participative Management Essays
Participative Management Essays Participative Management Paper Participative Management Paper 1. Introduction to Participative Management: Participative Management refers to as an open form of management where employees are actively involved in the organization’s decision making process. Participative Management can also be termed as ‘Industrial Democracy’, ‘Co-determination’, ‘Employee Involvement’ as well as ‘Participative Decision Making’. The concept is applied by the managers who understand the importance to human intellect and seek a strong relationship with their employees. They understand that the employees are the facilitators who deal directly with the customers and satisfy their needs. Involvement of employees and other stakeholders who will be influenced by management decisions in helping to make those decisions. Participative management can increase employee commitment to an organizations goals at the same time it offers fresh insights into how the organization can become more effective. The idea behind employee involvement at every stage of decision making is absolutely straight. Open and honest communication always produces good results both for organization as well as workers. Freedom and transparency in company’s operations take it to the next level and strengthens the basis of the organization. On the other hand, there are several companies that straightway rule out the possibility of participative decision making process. According to them, employees misuse their freedom of expression and participation in decision making as it provides higher status to employees and empowers them. However, there are many companies who have embraced this particular style of management and are now getting positive results. Toyota is the best example. The company has been following suggestion schemes and employee involvement procedures for over a decade now. The management receives almost 2,000,000 suggestions and ideas every year and around 95 percent of these are implemented by the company. Who is not aware of Toyota’s success rate? Around five thousand improvements per year have made Toyota one of the fastest growing organizations globally. The need is to develop and implement a comprehensive company policy and everything works well. Employee participation at each level of decision making process is not at all harmful if managed efficiently. The whole process can be well coordinated and controlled by the sincere and honest efforts of human resource managers. 2. Concepts of Participative Management: The traditional logic of organizing is to give simple work to employees at the bottom of the pyramid who then report through a supervisor up a hierarchical chain of command to senior executives who provide direction, coordination, and control. This does not work well for organizations managing knowledge intensive tasks. As the number and visibility of high knowledge-based organizations increases, the need for a â€Å"new logic†of management has gained currency among both academics and managers (Lawler 1996; Beer et al. 1990; Case 1998). Lawler (1996:22) summarizes some of the principles of this new logic, as shown in Table 1 Old Logic Principle| New Logic Principle| Organization is a secondary source of competitive advantage|  ¦ Organization can be the ultimate competitive advantage|  ¦ Bureaucracy is the most effective source of control|  ¦ Involvement is the most effective source of control|  ¦ Top management and technical experts should add most of the value|  ¦ All employees must add significant value|  ¦ Hierarchical processes are the key to organizational effectiveness|  ¦ Lateral processes are the key to organizational effectiveness|  ¦ Organizations should be designed around functions|  ¦ Organizations should be designed around products and customers|  ¦ Effective managers are the key to organizational effectiveness|  ¦ Effective leadership is the key to organizational effectiveness| There are five different perspectives and rationale for workers participation in organizations: A) The Managerial Approach: which is inspired by productivity and efficiency goals (participation is organized at a lower level in order to relieve worker dissatisfaction and morale problems). This approach reflects the emerging viewpoint that organizational design and management effectiveness can provide a significant competitive advantage. It gives considerable attention to issues of organizational design and organizational change, on the basis that entirely new work structures and ways of organizing work can lead to substantial gains in effectiveness (Lawler et al. 2001). A key issue in this approach is the extent to which management delegates or retains the power to initiate, frame, an d terminate participative processes. It also reflects management’s view that the direct participation of workers undermines union power. B) The Humanist Psychology Approach: which is inspired by human growth and development goals, (participation as a way to enhance the well-being of the individual by promoting individual creativity, self-esteem, and ego strength). This approach reflects a much more positive view of human nature and emphasizes the need to retrain managers to develop their participative leadership skills and unlearn authoritarian behaviors. C) The Industrial Relations Approach: which is inspired by democratic goals (participation is not only a means to an end in itself but also a way to create a strongly democratic society, characterized by active participative citizens). This approach reflects the importance of the external environment to the organization (not highly recognized in bureaucratic, hierarchical organization design, but more widely recognized in organic, open-system designs). Participation in the workplace is seen as contributing to an effective and just society. D) The Political Approach: which is inspired by revolutionary goals (participation as a means to change the overall structure of ownership to a collective base and to educate workers to class consciousness). E) The Psycho-Sociological or Anthropological Approach: which is inspired by synthetic, multidimensional goals (participation as a way of acculturation, of pushing workers to internalize the economic norms of the organization) and emphasizes the fundamental aspects of human nature and how to get the best out of workers. It emphasizes the fundamental social interactions in the workplace and the role of participation in addressing issues of resistance, motivation, and engagement. 3. Scope of Participative Management The scope of participative style of management certainly depends on the organization, its nature, functions and processes. Though associating employees at every stage of decision-making is not possible still regular exchange of information, ideas, consultations, thoughts, decisions and negotiations between employer and the employees definitely is a boon to the organization The scope of workers’ involvement in managerial decision-making may extend to social, economic and personnel decision making depending upon the requirements of the organization. But there is a difference of opinion about the extent to which employees can participate in managerial decision-making process. Should they be equal partners and make joint decisions or should workers be given opportunities through their seniors to come up with the ideas. The first school of thoughts favors the actual participation of workers while the second school of thoughts suggests the consultation of workers in managerial decision making. It is up to the management to decide which style it prefers and till what extent it requires involvement of employees. However, if we talk about the scope of workers’ participation in social, economic and personnel decision-making, it may have a direct impact on some of the most crucial activities of the organization. Employees can participate in the following decision making areas: * Social Decision-Making: It refers to employee involvement in decision making regarding hours of work, rules and regulations at workplace, welfare measures, workers’ safety, employee welfare and health. In this category, employees have a say in decisions in these areas. They may take an advantage of their liberty and sometimes, can dominate the management. * Economic/Financial Decision-Making: It includes involvement of employees on various financial or economic aspects such as the methods of manufacturing, cost cutting, automation, shut-down, mergers and acquisition and lay-offs. Inviting ideas from employees on various issues like how to cut down the operating cost can work wonders. * Personnel Decision-Making: The employees’ participation in personnel decision-making refers to their involvement in various management processes including recruitment and selection, work distribution, promotions, demotions and transfers, grievance handling, settlements, voluntary retirement schemes and so on. Participation of employees in these processes can safeguard their interests and motivate them to work hard for the betterment of self as well as the organization. Employee participation in decision-making process although is beneficial. However, there may be some limits on it to ensure that they do not take advantage of their liberty and right of participation. There are several ways through which employees can participate in the whole process. Some of them are financial participation, participation through collective bargaining, participation at the board level, participation through ownership, participation through work councils and committees and participation through suggestion schemes. Anyone of these ways or processes can be adopted by the management to ensure participation from workers. 4. Objectives of Participative Management: Participative management acts as a force to motivate employees to meet specific organizational goals. The main idea behind this style of management is not only using physical capital but also making optimum utilization of intellectual and emotional human capital. This is the process of involving people in decision making process to ensure that everyone’s psychological needs are met. It, in turn, increases the job satisfaction among employees and improves the quality of their work life. There are few main objectives to introduce participative style of management: * To Make Best Use of Human Capital: Participative management does not restrict organizations to exploit only physical capital of employees. Rather it makes the best use of human intellectual and emotional capital. It gives employees an opportunity to contribute their ideas and suggestions to improve business processes and create a better working environment. * To Meet the Psychological Needs of Employees: When employees have a say in decision making process, it gives them a psychological satisfaction. It is a simple force that drives them to improve their performance, create a proper channel of communication and find practical solutions to design better organizational processes. * To Retain the Best Talent: Participatory management is one of the most effective strategies to retain the best talent in the industry. It gives employees a sense of pride to have a say in organizational decision making process. Once they are valued by their seniors, they stick to the organization and become management’s partners in meeting specific goals and achieving success. * To Increase Industrial Productivity: In today’s competitive world, motivation, job security and high pay packages are not enough to increase industrial productivity. Leadership, flexibility, delegation of authority, industrial democracy and employee say in decision making are important to increase annual turnover of any organization. * To Maintain a Proper Flow of Communication: Two-way communication plays an important role in the success of any organization. Employee participation in decision making ensures proper flow of communication in the organization. Everyone contributes their best and tries to strengthen the organization by contributing their best to improve business processes. Participative management is beneficial to organization as well as employees. It gives employees a higher degree of enjoyment at work place that drives them to work harder. It is equally rewarding for the management as it ensures tremendous improvement in work culture within the organization as well as increase in its productivity. 5. Features of Participative Management: Employees have always been bossed around their managers and told what they are supposed to do. They never had the authority to decide things in the company. Gradually, times are changing and employees are encouraged to participate in organization’s decision making process. Management motivates them to come up with ideas and suggestions that can make organizational processes far more efficient. The main idea behind adopting participatory form of management is to work together, achieve targeted goals in minimum possible time and stay ahead of competition. Some of the features of participative management are given below: * Ethical Dimensions: Participatory management has ethical dimensions and based on morals, principles and values. In this form of management, everyone is treated equally when it comes to organizational decision making. It is based on employee empowerment, responsibility sharing and delegation of authority. Proper Channel of Communication: Participative form of management encourages two-way communication. It is not only management that decides what employees need to do but it also encourages employees to participate in decision making and give ideas and suggestions to make organizational processes better and more efficient. They are allowe d to share their problems, views, ideas and feedback with their managers. * Empowers Employees: Participative style of management gives employees a chance to participate in management processes. They are encouraged to come up with their views. This provides a higher status to employees as they also have a say in decision making. Recognition of Human Dignity: In this form of management, all employees are treated equally irrespective of their designations when it comes to giving ideas and suggestions for organizational decision making process. Employees are no more the servants of managers but are the most important assets of an organization. * Psychological Satisfaction to Employees: Most of our lives are spent at workplace. It is important for everyone to have psychological satisfaction as far as our employment is concerned. Commitment from the organization, respecting the dignity of individuals and co-determining the company policies are some of the features of participative manage ment that provide psychological satisfaction to employees. Participative Management is a universally recognized concept but still most organizations hesitate to adopt it. Through this style of management, both the parties, employer and employees, are satisfied. It brings management and employees closer and thus, should be adopted open heartedly. 6. Pre-requisites of Participative Management: Participative management can best be described as a style of decision making that ensures that involvement of stakeholders at all levels. This operates at three levels, Problem analysis, strategy formulation and final implementation of the solution. There are certain prerequisites to be met before participative management can be put to work. Participative management requires following pre-requisites: Willingness from the managers to give up some charge to the workers: Managers must share some level of their authority with the workers and they must in turn be in a position such that the successful participation of all is ensured. It cannot be successful i n any organization unless is carefully planned, timed and well thought upon. * Change in the employee’s idea: The change must come in the organization culture and certain other style of decision making to participative style. * Attitude of the top and middle management: Top management needs to approach employee involvement with a receptive and open mindset. This encourages participation. They must be open to new ideas and innovations. Since decision making is based on inputs of one and all, therefore its success also depends on the degree of participation of employees. In certain organizations despite obvious proofs, the employees decide not to participate or make contribution. In yet another organizations the employees are not skilled enough to make meaningful contributions to the final decision making process. This can be overcome by imparting the right kind of training and by the manager himself by ascertaining the individual strengths of his team members and asking for relevant contributions based upon the same. 7. Preparation for Participative Management: Participative management in itself does not ensure success and should not be seen as tool to create magic within no time. There is certain ground preparation required before an organization can decide for implementation of the management style. The following things need to be taken care of: * Clearly defined objectives: Each party mainly the management and the employees must have clearly defined objectives. Operationally there should be no clash between the objectives of the two. * Clear Communication: There should be clear and timely communication between the management and the workers or the employees. This helps in building trust between the two parties. Workers also gain a sense of responsibility increasing their stake in their work and in the organization as a whole. * Choosing the Representative: It is important for the workers to choose their representative from among themselves and not any person from outside the labor union. This is important for two reasons. First, the person is able to better understand the problems of his colleagues and report the same to the management. Second, the management is keener to talk and listen from a person who works within the organization. * Training the Workers: Training and awareness regarding the usefulness of participative management is required to make it more effective. Further training is required to ensure that every person at every level knows his what contribution he/she has to make. * Confidence: Both parties workers and the management need a trust to develop between the two. Participation should not be perceived as intimidation to the position of any. If workers think that their status will be adversely affected, they refuse to participate. Similarly, if managers suspect that they will lose their authority, they will decline to participate. * Increasing Workers Participation: Workers participation needs to be increased at each level in order to encourage them to contribute meaningfully. Further, their suggestions and recommendations need to be treated with dignity and respect. Nothing can be more motivating than seeing your recommendation being put to practice. * Ensuring ROI: Participation should not be at the cost of the values of the organization. It has to be carefully planned; employees should devote a certain time for participation and the rest upon their own specific area of work. Participative management may be a solution for each and every type of organization. It is a big challenge in big organizations with big employee size. The implementation needs to be carefully planned and implemented gradually. 8. Importance of Participation: The greatest and widely accepted benefit of participation is the increased work ownership of employee. An employee is better able to relate himself/herself with his or her work and this improves performance and efficiency at work. Concepts by John Newstrom and Keith Davis worked extensively upon the subject. They identified three variables that lead to increased performance. These variables are a part of participative management. According to them, the three variables that collectively enhance performance are: * Removing conditions of Powerlessness: This implies empowering the employees to take decisions on their own, be enterprising and take more risks. This requires a wholesome change in the entire organizational structure and culture. Then leadership becomes a crucial aspect. The choice of a leader who can inspire, motivate and delegate with equal efficacy assumes importance. The reward system needs a revamp. Psychologically empowerment connotes increased responsibilities in the mind of an employee, a hike is required. Finally, participation should result in either job enrichment or job enlargement. Job enlargement means expanding the job responsibilities adding task elements horizontally. Job enrichment on the other hand means that the job becomes more rewarding monetarily and otherwise. * Enhance Job Related Self Efficacy: Increase in responsibilities also demands increased efficiency at work. This is achieved by providing training helping an employee achieve job mastery. Laying down benchmarks for a certain set of responsibilities by the use of role models (those who have already accomplished tasks in similar capacities under similar workload) also benefits. * Perception of Empowerment: Employees often misunderstand the idea of participation. There may be a certain group of employees who participate aggressively and in the process their own work gets affected. These perceptions need to be taken care of otherwise they may be well the undoing of all the good work. Empowerment means more competence and value addition to work. It means that individual accepts the responsibilities with humility and fulfills them with grace and efficacy. It calls for increased use of talent. It is in wake of this that the concept of talent management is fast evolving. 9. Benefits of Participative Management: There are few benefits that have been associated with participative management and these are follows: * Innovation and increased efficiency: The problem solving process and openness to new ideas can result in innovation. Apart from this as mentioned above there is also knowledge sharing amongst the workers and the managers. This means that those who are part of a certain process at the ground level give inputs for improved efficiency of the same. This has dual implications, helping improve the quality of product and curtailing the cost of manufacture. Timeliness: There is improved communication between the managers and the workers and between workers across different units. A loophole or flaw is reported in time. * Employee satisfaction and Motivation: Empowering the employees increases their ownership or stake in their work. This increases efficiency and productivit y. Consequently there is decreased absenteeism and less employee turnover. This also works in attracting more people towards the organization and the job. * Product quality: A say in decision making means that workers can immediately pin point and suggest remedial measures for improving the efficiency of the process they are a part of. This means that quality control in product or service is exercised for the lowest level. Less supervision required: There is greater focus on management of self with due emphasis of widening one’s skill set. One of the major benefits of this is that there is a lesser need of supervision and support staff. * Better grievance handling: Increased communication paves way for reduced number of grievances and quick and effective resolution of dispute (often on the spot). * Flexibility: Flexibility is increased as a result of cross training. Increased coordination among team members also offers a comfort zone for the newly hired. Participative managem ent thus results in overall increase of the ownership of work of an employee. This empowerment can lead to increased efficiency, better productivity, improved morale and job satisfaction. But the fact the participative management requires an overall change in the organizational culture, the implementation of the same, especially when there is a bureaucratic style of decision making in place, can be a major challenge. 10. Limitations of Participative Management: Participative management is undoubtedly one of the better approaches to management. But like any other style of decision making there are certain limitations. These limitations arise either externally or internally. The following are certain limitations of participative management: * The employee’s right of not participating: An employee has the right to not participate. Certain people do not believe in the usefulness of participation and therefore opt out of the same. Some labor unions for example question the usefulness of participation reasoning that participation offers the management deep insights into the workers and they may then use it against the latter. * Manipulation: Managers may sometimes use participation to manipulate employees. This may be both conscious and subconscious. Similarly, representatives of the labor unions may also exploit the workers in the name of participation. * Workers Psychology: An existent psyche amongst the employees, that they are the workers and their primary purpose is to serve their masters (management) prevents them from participating. It is therefore of little interest to such people. General Bias: Resistance to change inside the organization as mentioned earlier is the biggest hurdle to participative management. Managers decline to share power or to delegate apprehending that they may lose authority by doing so. Workers similarly show disinterest in the participation presuming everything to be well in ord er. * Trade Unions: Trade unions are integral to the success of participative management; they may be equally detrimental to the success of the same. Most of the trade unions engage in politics and are little bothered about participation. Add to it, the approach of representatives or individuals is also not very favorable. Workers join trade unions for personal rather than organizational reasons. 11. Ways of participation of employees in decision making: Participation of workers in decision-making process has resulted in successful value creation in many organizations. Though the extent to which employees should participate in organizational decision making is still a matter of debate. Some say that workers’ union should participate with management as equal partners while some believe in restricted or bounded participation, that is, participation of employees or workers to a limited extent. However, there are a number of ways through which employees can participate in decision-making process of any organization. Participation at the Board Level: Representation of employees at the board level is known as industrial democracy. This can play an important role in protecting the interests of employees. The representative can put all the problems and issues of the employees in front of management and guide the board members to invest in employee benefit schemes. * Participation through Ownership: The other way of ensuring workers’ participation in organizational decision making is making them shareholders of the company. Inducing them to buy equity shares, advancing loans, giving financial assistance to enable them to buy equity shares are some of the ways to keep them involved in decision-making. Participation through Collective Bargaining: This refers to the participation of workers through collective agreements and by deciding and following certain rules and regulations. This is considered as an ideal way to ensure employee participation in managerial processes. * Participation through Suggestion Schemes: Encouraging your employees to come up with unique ideas can work wonders especially on matters such as cost cutting, waste management, safety measures, reward system, etc. Developing a full-fledged procedure can add value to the organizational functions and create a h ealthy environment and work culture. * Participation through Complete Control: This is called the system of self management where workers union acts as management. Through elected boards, they acquire full control of the management. In this style, workers directly deal with all aspects of management or industrial issues through their representatives. * Participation through Job Enrichment: Expanding the job content and adding additional motivators and rewards to the existing job profile is a fine way to keep workers involved in managerial decision-making. Job enrichment offers freedom to employees to exploit their wisdom and use their judgment while handling day-to-day business problems. * Participation through Quality Circles: A quality circle is a group of five to ten people who are experts in a particular work area. They meet regularly to identify, analyze and solve the problems arising in their area of operation. Anyone, from the organization, who is an expert of that articular field, can become its member. It is an ideal way to identify the problem areas and work upon them to improve working conditions of the organization. Employees can participate in organizational decision making through various processes mentioned above. However, there are other ways such as financial participation, Total Quality Management, participation through empowered teams and joint committees and councils through which they can contribute their share in making the organizations a better place to work. 12. Advantages and Disadvantages of Participative Management: There exist both advantages of and disadvantages of participative management. 12. 1 Advantages: Increase in Productivity: An increased say in decision making means that there is a strong feeling of association now. The employee now assumes responsibility and takes charges. There is lesser new or delegation or supervision from the manager. Working hours may get stretched on their own without any compulsion or force from the management. All this leads to increased productivity. * Job Satisfaction: In lots or organizations that employ participative management, most of the employees are satisfied with their jobs and the level of satisfaction id very high . This is especially when people see their suggestions and recommendations being implemented or put to practice. Psychologically, this tells the individual employee that, ‘he too has a say in decision making and that he too is an integral component of the organization and not a mere worker’. * Motivation: Increased productivity and job satisfaction cannot exist unless there is a high level of motivation in the employee. The vice versa also holds true! Decentralized decision making means that everyone has a say and everyone is important. * Improved Quality: Since the inputs or feedback comes from people who are part of the processes at the lowest or execution level. This means that even the minutest details are taken care of and reported. No flaw or loophole goes unreported. Quality control is thus begins and is ensured at the lowest level. Reduced Costs: There is a lesser need of supervision and more emphasis is laid on widening of skills, self management. This and quality control means that the costs are controlled automatically. 12. 2 Disadvantages: * Costs: Participative managem ent increases cost. If workers are to take important management roles, then they must be trained on many complex issues. Many workers may feel dissatisfied, since the promises of democratic management are often not connected to results; hours are longer, debates can get fierce, and the workplace can become divided. * Time: If the very long workday is to be avoided, then council meetings would have to take place during work time. This means lost labor hours, lost productivity and endless distraction. Many managers would not want to constantly referee debates over firm issues when the council members are debating. * Union Objections: Independent labor union representatives are concerned that organizations will use employee participation or involvement programs to deter employees from using the independent union representation. The law should continue to prohibit companies from setting up company dominated labor organizations. * Decision making slows down: Participative management stands for increased participation and when there are many people involved in decision making, the process definitely slows down. Inputs and feedback start pouring from each side. It takes time to verify the accuracy of measurements which means that decision making will be slowed down. * Security Issue: The security issue in participative management also arises from the fact that since early stages too many people have been known to lots of facts and information. This information may transform into critical information in the later stages. There is thus a greater apprehension of information being leaked out. 13. Conclusion: Participative management is an effective decision making tool. It is often the managers who implement it the wrong way. Participative management calls for a change and this change can not come overnight. You require patience and consistency before employees realize the usefulness of the management style. Participative Management is a universally recognized concept but still most organizations hesitate to adopt it. Through this style of management, both the parties, employer and employees, are satisfied. It brings management and employees closer and thus, should be adopted open heartedly. There are other problems that often arise with the managers. The problems may arise because of the following: Managers often view it as the ends and not as a tool. There is confusion if whether participative management means democratization. Managers sometimes manipulate the process for their own advantage. Finally it can be said that there are positives and negatives of participative management, but the company should allow some kind of participation from its employees in the decision making process. References: 1) http://business. yourdictionary. com/participative-management 2) academia. edu/467403/Why_should_Employees_participate_in_management_decisions_The_advantages_of_participative_management 3) ehow. com/info_8526128_disadvantages-participative-management. html 4) Lawler III. , Edward E. 1996. From the Ground Up: Six Principles for Building the New Logic Corporation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. P. 22. 5) managementstudyguide. com/participative-management. htm
Monday, October 21, 2019
Social policy and youth studies- Written personal statement, The WritePass Journal
Social policy and youth studies- Written personal statement, Introduction and Aims Social policy and youth studies- Written personal statement, Introduction and AimsWork Experience BackgroundSkills, Attributes and Values Gained During Work Experience Personal Skills and Attributes for Employability Next Steps and Career Development ReferencesRelated Introduction and Aims Having completed a period of work experience within a childcare environment, I have gained a wide variety of experience and developed my own personal attributes, which I feel will ultimately enable me to become a valuable and responsible member of a childcare team, focusing on youth studies and social policy (Farrell Travers, 2005). This personal statement aims to chart the journey which I have undergone in the last year, including looking at those attributes and skills that I have either developed or improved, as a result of applying the learning which I have obtained during my time operating within a work experience environment. Crucially, I also had the opportunity to speak with far more experienced individuals than myself and this gave me an insight into how my career was likely to develop, from this point onwards. I am currently coming to the end of my second year of studies and therefore, whilst I gained considerable knowledge during this work experience, there are still certain aspects of my own personal development which I need to focus on and further areas of development that will enable me to become even more efficient, in the future (Sanderson Percy-Smith, 1995). Work Experience Background My work experience took place within a childcare environment, dealing with eight year old children. I worked alongside several different professionals, including those who dealt with the day-to-day care of the younger children, as well as those involved more in the policy development of new skills among the older children, such as preparing them for formal education and supporting those who were already in formal education (Callender, 2000). I worked primarily alongside the lead individuals dealing with children of school age, i.e. those who were six to eight years old and this involved looking at the types of activities and work they were undertaking during the school day, in order to ensure that childcare activities outside of the school day, at the very least, did not contradict the work being undertaken within the school environment. A greater emphasis was also placed on social and emotional skills which were seen to be developing at a rapid rate during this age category, particu larly when children entered formal education for the first time (Pettit et al 1999). Skills, Attributes and Values Gained During Work Experience During my work experience within a childcare environment several skills attributes and values were gained. Many of these were gained as a result of shadowing a very experienced member of the team, as it enables me to identify ways in which I could potentially operate, in the future. The main skills which I gained during this work experience included the ability to think in a much more rounded way about situations being presented to me. During my first year of education, a large proportion of the activities were based on developing the ability to complete worksheets that would be appropriate for the children in my care, as well as much of the administrative activity that I perceived to be central to the childcare environment (Training and Employment Agency 1999). Whilst it remained important to follow educational policies, particularly with those children who were already of compulsory school age, I became much more aware of my need to adapt and to be flexible to the needs of the chil dren, rather than simply shoehorning the day-to-day activities within the childcare environment into my chosen plan or policy. I also gained a much greater value when it came to the discussions with children and recognising the importance of social interaction and giving children the opportunity to express themselves (UEA, 2002). My own ability to identify potential social and psychological problems, as well as identifying children who were possibly having issues outside the immediate childcare environment increased dramatically, as a result of shadowing my mentor and spending time simply observing activities within the childcare environment (Smith Barker, 2000). Personal Skills and Attributes for Employability Many of the skills and attributes which I developed in myself were those that I identified in the more experienced member of the staff and I felt would be good as transferable skills within my future studies. However, although the focus here was on children between the ages of six and eight, these skills could potentially be applied across a broad range of different ages and this is therefore something that will be useful for me in my future work experience and employment. The ability to identify key policy issues and then apply them in a wide variety of different situations is incredibly useful and a central aspect of my studies. Understanding underlying social policies is also critical, as anyone involved in a childcare environment needs to be able to look at the broader social implications, so that the day-to-day work that is undertaken with the children supports these social policies (Munton, et al 2001). I also feel that I have developed additional skills in terms of identifying the various different needs of children, depending on their demographic situation. This type of understanding, again, will be useful in a wide variety of different situations. Moreover, the ability to apply policies and practices in a sensitive and appropriate manner will provide useful opportunities for me, in the future, particularly when it comes to leading change within a childcare environment (SQW and NOP, 2002). Next Steps and Career Development Following on from this period of work experience and when combined with the skills and knowledge which I achieved during my first two years at university, I feel that I am now ready to look towards applying these skills in a practical sense (Alderson, 1995). Furthermore, I am looking for opportunities to work within an environment that will enable me to lead change and develop new working approaches that were potentially allow the childcare environment to adapt to different situations, rather than following strict lesson plans or care plans. By placing a heavy emphasis on dealing with general social policies, I feel that I shall be much better placed for establishing ways of working which are not currently being used and this is where I intend to focus my work, in the future. References Alderson, P, (1995), Listening to Children: Children, Ethics and Social Research London: Barnardos Callender, C, (2000), The Barriers to Childcare Provision Department for Education and Employment Research Report 231 London: Stationery Office Farrell, P., Travers, T. (2005). A healthy start: Mental health promotion in early childhood settings.Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 4(2), 1–10. Munton, A, McCullum, B, Rivers, K, (2001), Childcare Quality Improvement and Assurance Practices Department for Education and Employment, Research Report 266 Pettit, G, Bates, J, Dodge, K, Meece, D, (1999), ‘The Impact of After School Peer Contact on Early Adolescent Externalising Problems in Moderated by parental Monitoring, Perceived Neighbourhood Safety and Prior Adjustment’, Child Development, 70, p768-778 Sanderson, I, Percy-Smith, J, (1995), The Out of School Childcare Grant Initiative: An Interim Evaluation Department for Education and Employment, Research Series no 44 Smith, F, Barker, J, (2000), The Childcare Revolution: A Decade of Kids Clubs London: Kids Clubs Network SQW and NOP, (2002) The 2001 Childcare Workforce Surveys Department for Education and Skills Training and Employment Agency (1999), An Evaluation of Playcare Report by Policy Research Institute for Training and Employment Agency, Belfast UEA, (2002), A National Evaluation of Breakfast Clubs Department of Health
Sunday, October 20, 2019
8 Misused Words on Your Resume That Make You Look Bad
8 Misused Words on Your Resume That Make You Look Bad English can be a difficult language to use, and whether making out a resume and cover letter or speaking to a hiring manager, using the wrong word can leave a negative impression. By using words that are not as familiar, it can be easy to make a mistake. Because hiring managers carefully look at your resume, you want to be sure you don’t make any of the following common errors. 1. Compliment or ComplementAlthough most people may realize that compliment means to say something nice to someone, it can get confused with the word complement. The word complement means that it improves something or completes it, such as â€Å"This app complements the others you need to get the job done.†2. Further or FartherAlthough both words have something to do with distance, further represents a degree of distance while farther represents an actual distance. The easiest way to remember the difference between the two is whether you can substitute the word more. If you can, the proper word i s further. An example is â€Å"I traveled farther today, but the area needs further investigation.†3. Accept or ExceptTwo words that can be confused because they sound so similar are accept and except. To accept something means to receive it. Except means to exclude something. An example is, â€Å"I accept your kind words, except for the comment that I should try harder.†4. Insure or EnsureThese two commonly misused words are simple to sort out. Insure always alludes to insurance. Ensure means to make something occur or be sure. An example is, â€Å"I insure my property, to ensure that it is protected.†5. Comprise or ComposeComprise and compose are two words misused commonly in English. Comprise is an inclusive word that refers to the whole. Compose refers to parts. â€Å"When this writer composes a play, he comprises it of three acts.†6. Fewer or LessThese two confused words also refer to a whole or parts of a whole. The word fewer is used when talking a bout definite numbers as a whole. Less is used when the number is indefinite. An example might be â€Å"Fewer people attended the concert but paid less money because of the discount.†7. They’re or ThereSome similar words such as they’re and there are commonly misused. They’re is a contraction that means they are. There refers to a place. An example is â€Å"They’re going to the theater over there.†8. It’s or ItsIt’s is a contraction that only means it is, while its is a possessive. A simple way to tell the difference is to write out the words for the contraction. You would not say â€Å"It’s blue blanket†because it would read â€Å"It is blue blanket†when written out.Knowing the correct words to use when writing a resume or cover letter can help get you an interview for a position as you apply to different job sites. TheJobNetwork can help by scouting out jobs for you. All you do is fill out your qualific ations and the type of job you want, and we do the rest by combing through job openings and searching for new ones as they arise. You will be notified by email when jobs matching your description are available. Sign up for job match alert to find your dream job.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
To read a story and write about it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
To read a story and write about it - Essay Example To him, life became unbearable when his he even decided to attend new meetings to improve on the knowledge he had, as the unemployment benefits were running were almost ending, the cost of living was rising up in Washington. It was after searching from town to town of Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky among others, in different companies that one call came from a headhunter and said it would be a perfect job for him, only to be asked why he never wrote about his bachelor’s degree. The author said that he never did one, and was told it is one requirement that would have made him prefect. At that moment, it came clear why the writer got rejections and at times no responses from his resumes. He realized he was not self-sufficient and was living a lie. To him, he had known that he had all what it takes in terms of knowledge and skills to get the jobs, but his thinking was shattered. It then clicked in his mind that he needed to put things right, by first looking for ways to improve himself, by furthering his education, changing his thinking process and ideas on education. He decided to tie it all together after following some adverts he once saw on TV and the internet about Phoenix university, and went back to continue his education. Over the learning period, the writer discovered three things that people say, never fear failure, and honesty is the best policy. They term it so because they believe that failure gives room for learning opportunities for growth. He quotes, â€Å"Thomas Edison failed thousand times to create the filament for light bulbs.†He later succeeded after not giving up. To be a failure means giving up and accepting that one cannot succeed. But the â€Å"I say†part of the writer is that he believes that if he wakes up in the morning, people can make a difference in the world in way or another. He says that people’s perception of failure is taken to be, that failure is bad, people look at what was done and what was left undone. But where they
Friday, October 18, 2019
Contemporary issues in development finance Essay - 1
Contemporary issues in development finance - Essay Example Income inequality is described as the uneven distribution of individual or household income/earnings across the several participants in the economy. It is the sign of how the material resources are generally distributed across the society. High degree of earnings/income inequality is considered as undesirable. Measures of the earnings inequality relies on the data of disposable income of the household. The key indicator of earnings distribution is employed in ‘Gini coefficient’. The values of Gini coefficient scope between 0 (in perfect equality case) and 1 (in perfect inequality case). Poorer countries generally have elevated level of income inequality (Oecd, 2011). The main purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the connection between the financial growth and the income inequality by taking the example of Vietnam from the period 2000-2008. In the previous two decades, country like Vietnam has applied various economic and social reforms in order to encourage economic growth. The entrance of Vietnam into ‘World Trade Organisation’ in the year 2006 has concerned large inflows of foreign capital under the projects of foreign direct investment. Free trade and market-oriented financial system helped in releasing the capabilities and potentials of enterprises and individuals. Due to this, the economy achieved efficiency, higher productivity, and economic growth (C.M. Hoi and L.Q. Hoi, 2012). The connection between financial progress and the income inequality is a searched topic lately. Till now, two strings of notion, of which one pursue linear hypothesis and other follows non-linear hypothesis, are under exploration for the empirical evidence. Linear hypothesis: An overlapping model has been offered by Galor and Zeira (1993), who concentrated on the significance of the investment of human capital. They believe that there exist two sectors in
What is Technology Green Architecture and Green Electricity Essay
What is Technology Green Architecture and Green Electricity - Essay Example Wheel is considered to be the basis of technological advancement and is still considered to be one of the most influential technological development that mankind has seen. It was during 1760 to 1850 that there was a spurt of developments in technology (Ashton, 1969). This period is often referred to as industrial revolution (Ashton, 1969). Technology was introduced initially in the agriculture industry to facilitate food production. This intensified food production and food processing. However, these technological innovations brought forth massive changes in the life styles and life processes of people. The operational pattern of textile, metal, transportation and some of the other industries were the first ones to get influenced by technology(Ashton, 1969). Later technology was introduces in all spheres of life and was exported across nations. However, technological advancements also resulted in the inappropriate and over exploitation of resources. For example, technological advance ments in oil mining have resulted in overexploitation of fossil fuels. Technology in aviation and transportation in general has caused emissions causing detrimental effects in climate and environment.This indiscriminate advancement of technology has made the scientific fraternity think about technologies like Green Architecture and Green Electricity. Green Architecture Green Architecture refers to a school of thought in the field of architecture which involves minimal use of non-renewable resources and also results in minimal pollution of the environment Vohra S (2007). The facilities created by green architects will ensure optimal utilization of resources like energy, water etc. A sustainable approach is followed in the technologies employed in green architecture. It has been reported that the first green office was built in 1985 in the US (McDonough, 2006). Examples of technologies which go into a green building are water recycling units, traditional roof tops using indigenous mat erials ensuring absorption of heat, indoor greenery, natural light management using sunlight oriented construction, weather proof building skin, solar power, social spaces and waste management technologies(McDonough, 2006). Corporate companies are ensuring that their offices are constructed using green technologies. Green Electricity Green electricity is another technology developed by the industry which is oriented on a sustainability approach. This includes processes to harness energy with least environmental pollution. Some examples of green electricity are wind power, solar energy, geothermal power, anaerobic digestion, biomass power, tidal power and some forms of nuclear power (McDonough, 2006). As many of the technologies which produce green electricity depend on decomposition of waste, this has a mutually beneficial effect. The Benefits The primary benefit of green architecture is that it provides low cost housing. The various green technologies incorporated in a green buildi ng will ensure considerable reduction in green gas emissions (Sunday, O, Suneetha S & , Ademola B K ,2010). It must be noted here that buildings, especially urban architecture is a major contributor to green gas emissions (Sunday, O, Suneetha S & , Ademola B K ,2010). An example to this is the air conditioners, which produces a large quantum of carbon emissions. Green building technologies incorporates changes in roofing which absorbs heat. Moreover Green Technology has come up with evaporative cooling systems which reduce emission (Vohra ,2007). Along with it, it has been reported that a large quantum of energy consumption is caused by buildings. Thus Green Architecture will help in the reduction of global energy consumption. The case of
Environmental issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Environmental issue - Essay Example These inventions have resulted to overexploitation of the environment leading it to degrade at a great speed, posing environmental discomfort. One of the most common issues of the environment include those which are related to climatic changes which are experienced by different people within their different environment. Climatic changes have contributed to unnecessary stress on the environment while people seek to establish themselves in their areas of residence. In view of this, governments have been forced to look for means and ways to minimise environmental degradation and in the USA and other developed nations this dates back to 1970 when environmental states were created (Pisupati, 2008 p12). In analysing the problem of the environment, there are several perspectives that can be used and in our case, we will use the administrative rationalism versus market based perspectives. When the economy is left to be controlled by the free forces of the market it is bound to collapse as wi th the great depression that lasted from 1929 to 1943, and with the market environmental degradation is bound to happen since environment is viewed as a common good hence the idea of â€Å"tragedy of the commons†come along (Robb, & Colorado General Assembly, 2009). Administrative rationalism
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Cable Companies as a Monopoly Research Proposal
Cable Companies as a Monopoly - Research Proposal Example The paper will draw on previously published reports that address the topic. These reports and articles will help define what a monopoly is as well as determining the present status of the cable companies. The paper will define the various forms of monopoly and report on current trends and legislation that affect the cable television industry. It will, when appropriate, put the issue into a historical context to determine if the industry is moving towards a greater or lesser monopolistic hold. The paper will be written with the premise that a monopoly does not exist in the cable television market. It will present evidence of this point of view, while remaining open for the presentation of opposing viewpoints. It will conclude by presenting a synopsis of the data and drawing a conclusion. In the face of rising cable bills and falling levels of service it is tempting to seek out a culprit and point to the cable company that has a seeming monopoly on the delivery of television viewing and broadband delivery. It is reasonable to believe that since we have one cable coming into the house and only have the choice of one content provider that a monopoly exists and we are left without any consumer selection. However, that anecdotal information alone would not necessarily qualify the cable company as a monopoly. There is the bidding process that takes place that determines the provider to consider. There are also suitable substitutes available that may limit the use of the word 'monopoly' when applied to television and broadband. The cable television companies no longer have a monopolistic hold on television delivery, as they have been subjected to competition from new technologies and deregulation. When we speak of a monopoly, the classic vision is the company that has a total market share and there are no competitors and no substitute products. The word is often used in a negative context as monopolies have historically had the ability to raise prices above the point that a competitive market would allow. As an example, private railroads in the past were able to act with monopolistic characteristics, as there was no competition from other transportation means. However, monopolies may also be the result of the economics of scale. If the fixed costs or startup costs are of a value that prevents others from entry, it may form a natural monopoly, where one company is able to produce and sell the service at a lower cost that having two or more companies competing for the same market share. A monopoly may also exist if there are simply no competitors that wish to enter the market, but the company does not act like a monopoly in the distribution of its services or the pricing of its goods. In addition, there is a difference between a regulated industry and a monopoly. According to Bollick (1984), "because of structural conditions that exist in certain industries, competition between firms cannot endure; and whenever these conditions exist, it is inevitable that only one firm will survive. Thus, regulation is necessary to dilute the ill-effects of the monopoly". For the purposes of this paper, a company will be considered to be a monopoly when it willfully acts to eliminate competition through its business practices and practices monopolistic pricing policies. Cable
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Mid-term history exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Mid-term history exam - Essay Example He questioned Pope’s authority also, by saying that, â€Å"pope †¦cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons (Luther, 5). With these words and similar arguments in his theses, Luther was questioning the concept of merit â€Å"held by Catholic Church†and was protesting against â€Å" those preachers of indulgences†¦ who say that by the pope’s indulgences a man is free from every penalty, and saved†(Luther, 21). Though probably Martin Luther had no idea as to what he had started, his criticism and revolt against the indulgences were sharp and focused. Historians have observed that though Martin Luther had expected â€Å"his theses to provoke scholarly debate, †¦(he) could not have anticipated the dramatic public response†(McNeese, 5). The Roman Catholic Church was in those days, literally â€Å"selling indulgences†, which were â€Å"traditionally gran ted to someone when he or she confessed a sin†(McNeese, 4). It was when the sinner was performing a penance â€Å"to receive forgiveness†, that the Church had to issue an indulgence (McNeese, 4). This is explained as â€Å"an act of piety, to help provide complete forgiveness and to prove that the sinner was, indeed, sorry for having done wrong†(McNeese, 4). But â€Å"by the Middle Ages, the doctrine of indulgences allowed people to pay money (to the church) rather than a pious act†(McNeese, 4). Martin Luther was primarily revolting against this sale of indulgences. Secondly, by the 15th century, Pope Sixtus IV claimed to have the power to release the souls of the dead from the penance they were experiencing in Purgatory†(McNeese, 4). This prompted people to â€Å"buy an indulgence to help expedite a deceased loved one’s release from Purgatory†(McNeese, 4). It was against this â€Å"profiteering†of the church from the indul gences that Martin Luther mainly published his 95 Theses. When it was published, the church wanted him to â€Å"confess his wrong†doing, he did not yield to that, and the pope excommunicated him (McNeese, 5). Soon after these developments, Luther developed his own theology and it stood for â€Å"salvation through faith in God rather than through ceremonies and good works†(McNeese, 6). He negated priesthood also (McNeese, 6). Luther also criticized the Popes who were indulging in â€Å"extravagance and luxury†(McNeese, 4). Luther believed religion to be a personal thing for each and every individual when he said, â€Å"every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon†(Luther, 36). Gradually, the 95 theses of Martin Luther became the spark that initiated the fire of protestant reformation (McNeese, 6). At a culmination point of this religious movement, Lutheranism became the official reli gion for some German states and Sweden (McNeese, 7). Calvin developed Luther’s ideas and spread them to Switzerland, France, Scotland and England (McNeese, 7). England, embraced Protestantism, wholeheartedly. Later in England, a counter-reformation was led by Catholic Church, which was only partially successful (McNeese, 9). But Luther regretted his preaching, when reformation turned into a peasants’ revolution in Germany (McNeese, 7). More bloodshed and hostilities followed throughout the reformation and the
Cable Companies as a Monopoly Research Proposal
Cable Companies as a Monopoly - Research Proposal Example The paper will draw on previously published reports that address the topic. These reports and articles will help define what a monopoly is as well as determining the present status of the cable companies. The paper will define the various forms of monopoly and report on current trends and legislation that affect the cable television industry. It will, when appropriate, put the issue into a historical context to determine if the industry is moving towards a greater or lesser monopolistic hold. The paper will be written with the premise that a monopoly does not exist in the cable television market. It will present evidence of this point of view, while remaining open for the presentation of opposing viewpoints. It will conclude by presenting a synopsis of the data and drawing a conclusion. In the face of rising cable bills and falling levels of service it is tempting to seek out a culprit and point to the cable company that has a seeming monopoly on the delivery of television viewing and broadband delivery. It is reasonable to believe that since we have one cable coming into the house and only have the choice of one content provider that a monopoly exists and we are left without any consumer selection. However, that anecdotal information alone would not necessarily qualify the cable company as a monopoly. There is the bidding process that takes place that determines the provider to consider. There are also suitable substitutes available that may limit the use of the word 'monopoly' when applied to television and broadband. The cable television companies no longer have a monopolistic hold on television delivery, as they have been subjected to competition from new technologies and deregulation. When we speak of a monopoly, the classic vision is the company that has a total market share and there are no competitors and no substitute products. The word is often used in a negative context as monopolies have historically had the ability to raise prices above the point that a competitive market would allow. As an example, private railroads in the past were able to act with monopolistic characteristics, as there was no competition from other transportation means. However, monopolies may also be the result of the economics of scale. If the fixed costs or startup costs are of a value that prevents others from entry, it may form a natural monopoly, where one company is able to produce and sell the service at a lower cost that having two or more companies competing for the same market share. A monopoly may also exist if there are simply no competitors that wish to enter the market, but the company does not act like a monopoly in the distribution of its services or the pricing of its goods. In addition, there is a difference between a regulated industry and a monopoly. According to Bollick (1984), "because of structural conditions that exist in certain industries, competition between firms cannot endure; and whenever these conditions exist, it is inevitable that only one firm will survive. Thus, regulation is necessary to dilute the ill-effects of the monopoly". For the purposes of this paper, a company will be considered to be a monopoly when it willfully acts to eliminate competition through its business practices and practices monopolistic pricing policies. Cable
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)