Love Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Love - Assignment Example The main activities of the program that will be undertaken within Bonnie Brae Residential Facility include counseling, parental training, individual and group mentoring among others. Some of the key parties that this project will rely on are parents, clinical officers, law enforcers, mentors, local support agencies, residential staffs and members of the community. With the financial assistance from the federal government, the program is focused at attaining positive outcomes that include improved skills, behavior change, high self esteem, determination and increased income for the adolescent males. Proper planning, controlling, management and effective coordination are some of the major aspects that determine the success of a project. One of the duties of a project manager is to oversee proper use of financial resources that are given by federal government or grant making foundations. In addition, project managers must ensure that the objectives of their projects are in line with the needs of the target population. In this way, projects will enjoy the support of the members of the community as well as the government. Based on the wide range of activities that are undertaken to make a project successful, it is paramount for regular evaluation of the goals to avoid deviation and loss of resources. In the contemporary world juvenile delinquency has become a major security threat. In their efforts to curb the negativities associated with illegal behaviors by young people, various rehabilitation centers have been established. Although government authorities allocate adequate funds to oversee the running of the treatment centers, crime rate in many countries remain high. This means that there is a gap that exists in the process of transforming the young people to become responsible adult. This paper analyzes the major aspects that will be covered by a program that aims at improving

Into the World Essay Example for Free

Into the World Essay Into the world shows changes in an individual’s life through their personal experiences. One individual will go through many barriers and obstacles to achieve the change. The prescribed text, Educating Rita by Willy Russell and the related text, ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ by JC Burke explores different and similar pathways to how the characters in those texts change through their new experiences. In the prescribed text ‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russell is about a 26 years old woman, hairdresser Rita who starts seeks motivation in education to motivate her and move into a higher educated class leaving her working class behind. Russell uses extended metaphors and imageries throughout the play ‘window’ this symbolises as the physical barrier for the relationship between Rita and Frank and into the world. The colloquial language is a barrier for Rita at the start of the play when she enters Frank’s room ‘I’m comin’ in, aren’t I? which shows Rita’s education level isn’t that high. Also, Rita’s misunderstanding interpreted when Frank’s makes references to literature texts ‘Howard’s end’ Rita’s respond that it sounds ‘filthy’. Rita comes back from ‘summer’ break to the city of London; she becomes more mature as she meets her new flatmate Trish who gave her motivation to reach her goal to have a brighter future. In the related text ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ by JC Burke is about a family after a brutal car accident their life’s was like chaos and many things in the family fell apart. Tom Brennan adopts a new way of looking at life through the use of first person narrative and visual imagery â€Å"everything I thought I knew about who I was and who the Brennan’s were changed forever† implies Tom’s innocence to alter his feeling of grief towards his recklessness brother Daniel because of the trouble Daniel make in the town. His family decided to move into a different town, Coghill implies a change in community dynamics through the use of colloquial language.

The need for reward management and systems

The need for reward management and systems Reward management is not just about money. As shown in the above diagram, it is concerned with intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards and with non-financial as well as financial rewards. Intrinsic rewards arise from the nature the job itself. Decenzo and Robbins ( 2005, p.274) stated that intrinsic rewards are self initiated rewards like pride in ones work, a sense of accomplishment or being part of the job. Intrinsic rewards related to responsibility and achievement they are inherent in individuals and not imposed from outside. On the other hand, extrinsic rewards arise from the factors associated with the job context such as financial rewards, promotion and benefits. They are external to the job and come from outside source. All reward systems are based on the assumptions of attracting, retaining and motivating people. Rewards are of two type Financial and non-financial rewards. Many people view money as the sole motivator but many studies have found that among employees surveyed, other non financial reward also motivate them and influence the level of performance. A recent study of reward practice by CIPDs shows that higher proportion of employers have adopted a total reward approach, in which they try to align the financial and non-financial elements. Non financial rewards indirectly increase workers financial position. It differs from workers to workers. For example an employee may value office furniture and other may find it useless whereas financial rewards can be wages, bonuses, or indirectly paid sick leaves and paid vacation. They are mainly of three types such as profit sharing, job evaluation and merit rating. However, Decenzo and Robbins (2005) classified financial rewards as shown in the diagram above as performance based, implied membership based and explicit membership based. They mentioned that performance based use commissions, piecework pay plans, incentive system, group bonuses, merit or other node of payment for performance whereas membership based rewards include cost of living increases, benefits and salary increases attributable to the labour market conditions, seniority, qualifications, and specialised skill. Membership-based rewards may attract many employees on the whole when the extent of the reward increas es with seniority.   Though, there are drawbacks:   They discourage poor performers from leaving and people from leaving the organization, they indirectly motivate job performance. However, Seniority-based rewards lessen turnover because the cost of leaving raise with the employers duration of service. 2.3 REWARD MANAGEMENT LINKED TO THEORIES OF MOTIVATION Employees motivation depends on the perception of achieving the reward, i.e. their expectations. Motivation theory describes why people at work act in the way they do, and what organisations can do to persuade people to apply their efforts and abilities in ways that will help to achieve the organisations goals as well as satisfying their own needs. Everyone has their own needs and a different set of goals. Employees can motivate themselves in different ways that will guide them to expect that their goals will be achieved whereas management can motivate people through methods like pay, promotion and praise. Motivation is important because there is reward. People work because they get revenue to spend on their individual, family and society needs. Some needs are the basics of life, what individual needs to survive physiologically. Maslow defined the hierarchy of needs with essential physiological needs at the base and going up through safety, social needs and ends in the need for self-fulfillment. However, some critics say that there is little empirical evidence to support this model. Herzberg differentiated between firstly hygiene extrinsic factors such as pay and organisation strategy and measures that will cause dissatisfaction in the workplace if absent or insufficient. Secondly, motivators which are intrinsic factors such as the worth of the work, attainment, appreciation, responsibility and potential for growth which will positively motivate people. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and Herzbergs Two Factor Theory are a content theory of motivation. They both suggest that needs should be satisfied for the employee to be motivated but, Herzberg argue that only the higher levels of the Maslow Hierarchy (e.g. self-actualisation, esteem needs) act as a motivator. The remaining needs can only cause dissatisfaction if not explained clearly. Thus he stated that satisfaction and dissatisfaction were not necessary related. Taylor developed his theory of scientific management where he made three assumptions in his observation: Man is concerned with maximising money, People are considered as individuals and they can be treated like machines. Taylor had analyzed what motivated people at work which was money. He though workers should be paid for what they worked and pay should be associated to the amount produced Workers who work less would be paid less and Workers who did more than usual would be paid more. The main limitation in Taylors approach is that it overlook that each individual is unique Secondly, money is not an important motivation for everyone. Taylor ignored the fact that people work for reasons other than financial reward. Other theories of motivation have been developed as well which are believed to focus on cognitive or process theories that are how people consider their reward. Expectancy theory distinguishes two factors of value and probability. People value reward according to the level it satisfies their needs of security, community esteem, achievement and autonomy. Armstrong also agrees with the fact that Expectancy is the likelihood that reward depends on effort where there is more effort, the higher the reward but Marchington and Wilkinson (2006, p.325) argue that this is not a fixed and there may be other sets of expectation at different times. For that effort to be useful to the organisation, individuals need to have the correct ability and the right perception of their role. The theory implies that low motivation will be product of jobs where there is little worker control. (Marchington and Wilkinson 2006, p.326) Two other theories of motivation are significant to reflect on. Latham and Locke developed goal theory which describes that both performance and motivation are improved if people have challenging and monitored goals but accepted when there is feedback on performance. On the other hand, Equity Theory which advocates that people are more motivated when they are treated equitably and demotivated if they are treated inequitable while they deserved more than that. 2.4 STRATEGIC REWARDS Reward strategy is a declaration of intent that defines what the organization wants to do in the longer term to develop and implement reward policies, practices and processes that will further the achievement of its business goals and meet the needs of its stakeholders. (Armstrong 2006, p.643) Reward is more than compensation and benefits. Thus, a reward strategy must consider many aspects of the workplace in order to both attract and keep high value employees doing the correct things in the correct way so that they the organisation is successful. Reward policies provide guidelines for the implementation of reward strategies and the design and management of reward process. Basically, every employer must obey four major policies (White Druker 2000): internal alignment, external competitiveness, employee contributions, management of the pay system. Many research and studies on reward strategy has revealed that people are difficult and motivation is a complex process. What is obvious is that while financial reward is essential, for many people other factors are also, and can be more, important. Rewards are designed to promote behaviour that will contribute directly to the achievement of the organisations objective.Reward systems should be in line with the following: HR Strategy Business Strategy Organization Culture The elements of reward management and their interrelationship can be shown in the figure 1.2 Figure 2.2: Rewards management: elements and interrelationships Source: Michael Armstrong, 2006, A Handbook of Human Resources Management Practice, p.630 The elements of a rewards management system are: Job Evaluation Job evaluation is an organized method for defining the relative value or size of jobs within an organisation in order to institute internal relativities. It provides the basis for designing a fair grade and pay structure, grading jobs in the structure, managing job and pay relativities and guiding the success of equal pay for work of equal worth. However, there has been many criticism of job evaluation by some HR practitioners, in the late 1980s and early 1990s A numbers of major charges were made against it in many organisation. Critics argued that it was not only bureaucratic and rigid, but also time-consuming and unsuitable in todays organisations. 2.4.2 Grade and Pay Structure Pay grade is a system indicating rate and shows the rate at which an employee receives basic pay. It is also a means to compare ranks, which may have different names in the different services. Pay grades facilitate the employment method by providing a flat range of salary whereas Pay structure refers to the various levels of pay for jobs or groups of jobs by referring to their point as determined by job evaluation as compare to market rate surveys. it provides scope for pay increment in accordance with competence or contribution. Market Rate Analysis Market rate tell us the actual salary of some jobs. It is determined by the forces of demand and supply of the labour market. If an organisation pays below the market rate then it will probably have trouble in recruiting and retaining suitable staff. To know the market rate an organisation has to do pay surveys. It helps to obtain and keep high quality staff and response to market pressures. There are several ways in which a company can obtain data on market rates such as Local employment agencies, Job centres, Job adverts in national newspapers 2.4.4 Contingent Pay Contingent pay measures what do we value and what we are ready to pay for? It refers pay for individual that is related to performance, competence, contribution or service. Employee Benefits Benefits can be defined as all the indirect financial payments an employee receives for continuing his or her employment with the company. Benefits are generally available to all firms employees and includes such things as time off with pay, health and life insurance, and child care facilities. (Dessler 1997, p503) Today many organisations regard benefits to be an important approach in reward management in order to achieve a competitive advantage in labour markets. Both financial and non-financial benefits play an important function when it comes to attract, keep and motivate employees. As an addition to base pay financial benefits may improve an organisations ability to attract and retain employees, and non-financial benefits allows organisations to meet the specific needs of the employees. Allowances Allowances may be regarded as additional to base pay. Example of it may be meal allowances where some employees in any organsation are given a sum of money for a meal. Performance Management Performance Management refers to a process, which frequently measures work as it occurs. It is a way of obtaining better results by managing performance according to set of planned goals and competency achievements. It motivates people to do the right things by specifying their goal. Non-Financial Rewards It refers to rewards that are not related to pay but rather satisfaction arising from the job itself like recognition, success, responsibility, autonomy, and leadership skill. Total Remuneration Total remuneration refers to all the monetary reward and benefits than an employee received for working in the organisation. Total Rewards A total reward refers to all the rewards that exist like financial aspects of reward of basic pay, any bonuses and additional financial benefits with the non-financial benefits at the personal and organisational level. WorldatWork (2006) introduced a total rewards framework that proposed to advance the concept and help practitioners think and implement in new ways. Today, professionals primarily use the terms total rewards, total compensation or compensation and benefits to describe the joint strategies. There are five elements of total rewards, each of which includes programs, practices, elements and dimensions that together define an organizations strategy to attract, motivate and keep employees. These elements are: Compensation Benefits Work-Life Performance and Recognition Development and Career Opportunities 2.5 INDIVIDUAL REWARD SYSTEM Many sectors of employment use remuneration systems that contain direct relations to individual performance and results. On an individual basis this may be payment by results (PBR) for example bonus, piecework, commission, work-measured schemes and pre-determined motion time systems, measured day work (MDW), appraisal/performance related pay, market-based pay and competency and skills based pay. 2.5.1 Performance Related Pay Performance-related pay (PRP) is a method of remuneration that links pay progression to an assessment of individual performance. Performance pay may be defined as any remuneration practice in which part or all of remuneration is based directly and explicitly on employees assessed work behaviour and/or measured results (Shields 2007, p.348). Performance related pay is generally used where employee performance cannot be appropriately measured in terms of output produced or sales achieved. Like piece-rates and commission, performance related pay is a form of incentive pay. Individual performance is reviewed frequently (usually once per year) against agreed objectives is known as performance appraisal. Then employees are classified into performance groups which determine what the reward will be. The method of reward involves a cash bonus and/or increase in wage rate or salary. However performance related pay is not very understandable in the mind of researchers. Thorpe and Homan (2000) accounts both for research stating that one of the main advantages of performance related pay is that it attract and retain good employee while other research indicates that performance-related pay fails to motivate and that the employees generally regard the performance-related pay system as unfair in practice. Some drawbacks may be rewarding employees individually does very little to encourage teamwork and, such schemes also usually carried out only once a year assessment and payout, which may weaken any incentive effect. If a worker rated less than satisfactory receives no increase at all under an appraisal pay scheme their motivation and morale may be badly affected. Thus, it is important to focus appraisals on the assessment of performance, the identification of training needs and the setting of objectives, not on any dependent pay. 2.5.2 Individual Payment by Results (PBR) The aim of any PBR scheme is to provide a direct relationship between pay and productivity: the more effectively the employee works, the higher their pay. This direct link means that incentives are stronger than in other schemes. However, in recent years traditional bonus, piecework and work-measured schemes have decreased, as many employers have moved to 360-degree feedback, also known as multi-rater feedback that is employee development feedback that comes from all around the employee. Nevertheless, payment by result fails because material shortages or delays can affect production and Individual skills are not rewarded and indeed the most skilled may be put onto more complicated and potentially less rewarding work. 2.5.3 Piecework, Bonus Schemes and Commission Piecework is the easiest method of PBR workers are paid at a particular rate for each piece of output. This means the system is simple to operate and understand, although open to the shortcoming that it is often at the expense of quality. Pieceworkers must be paid at least the national minimum wage. Incentive bonus schemes is where for instance an extra payment is paid when production exceeds the established threshold, or where there is a raise in sales which surpasses given targets. Variable bonuses can also be paid in relation to performances achieved against pre-determined standards so that the higher the performance achieved, the greater the level of bonus produced. However, Armstrong (2006, p.635) mentioned that bonus payment are related to achievement of profit and or to other financial targets. Time rates are used when employees are paid for the quantity of time they spend at work. The common form of time rate is the weekly wage or monthly wage. Generally the time rate is fixed in relation to a standard working week (e.g. 40 hours per week). Time worked above this standard is known as overtime. Overtime is generally paid more than the standard time-rate. It reflects the extra contribution of the employee. The main advantages of time-rate pay are that they are appropriate for organisations that desire to employ workers to present general roles (e.g. financial management, administration, and maintenance) where employee performance is not easy to evaluate. Commission is a payment made to employees based on the value of sales achieved. For example, in sales jobs, the seller may be paid a percentage of the selling price or a flat amount of each unit sold (Werther Davis 1997 p.411). The rate of commission depends on the selling price and the amount of effort required in making the sale. Armstrong (2006, p.638) stated that commission provide a direct financial incentives and attract high performing sales staff. 2.5.4 Measured Day Work Measured day work (MDW) has been developed from both individual PBR and basic wage rate scheme. Salary is constant and does not vary in the short time provided that that the targeted performance is maintained. MDW systems need performance standards to be placed through some framework and undergo modifications as required. It involves full commitment of management, workers and trade unions. The pay structure is regularly formulated by job evaluation and with full employee agreement. MDW is now somewhat unusual. It suits organisations where a high, secure, expected level of performance is required, rather than highest potential individual performance. 2.5.5 Market-Based Pay Market-based pay refers to the salary level available in the market for the same type of work. Factors that help to consider the market rate are: the skills that are necessary are widely accessible, the unemployment level in general versus the employment rate and the jobs requirement for specialised skills. It is usually used in conjunction with other rewarding scheme like performance appraisal, but may be element of a reward strategy integrating several performance elements. 2.5.6 Competency and skills-based pay Competency and skills-based pay schemes are more common nowadays. There a direct relationship between the attainment, development and effective use of skills and competencies and the individuals pay. Competency and skills-based schemes measure what the employee is inputting to the job. Competency based systems have become more popular because many organisations use competencies in staffing and in performance appraisal for non-pay reason, such as training. There is an increasing trend for pay to be associated to the abilities of the individual. Competency based pay is used together with an existing individual performance related pay scheme and will reward them not on the basis of their performance but competencies. Leadership skill or team-working may be examples of competencies. Reward is given for the skills already gained and for the acquirement of new skills that would be helpful in other jobs in the same job band. This can promote multi-skilling and improved flexibility. 2.6 GROUP AND ORGANISATIONAL REWARD SYSTEMS Group pay schemes include those based on the performance of the team, plant or company. Team-based pay gained its importance with the increased interest in teamworking. It reflects the performance of the team. It is not easy to define the team, the goals, and the right reward. Peer group pressure can also be useful in increasing the performance of the whole team. Company based performance pay schemes are based on the whole organisation performance. The most common forms of this system tend to be based on overall profits (profit sharing), gainsharing systems. They are effective where communications and employment relations are good Share incentive plans involve the provision of shares to employees. In the journal of knowledge management, Milkovich and Wigdor, (1991) said: Team-based rewards may potentially result in a loss of motivation because of feelings of inequity due to a perceived free-riding of other team members and the use of an equality principle when allocating rewards rath er than an equity-based principle. (Milne 2007, p.33) 2.6.1 Gainsharing Gainsharing is a pay scheme that links workers pay to the success of organisational goals by rewarding performance above a pre-determined target. This is always led by measures of productivity, performance and quality. Gainsharing aims to develop these indicators by improving communications, staff involvement and promoting teamwork. It should be element of a full long-term strategy to maintain an effective system through involvement and sharing. It may thus be used as a substitute for bonus/piecework schemes, where quality is at times lost to quantity. The whole employees and management who have any association in the product of the organisation should be integrated in any gainshare plan. Marchington and Wilkinson (2006, p. 336) pointed out that such scheme have the merit that employees perceive their contribution to the total effort of the organisation and they do not consider themselves as individual units. They further mentioned that gainsharing plan will affect the role of trade union as their collective bargaining will become less important in determining wages or union will think employees will be more committed to the organiastion. 2.6.2 Profit Sharing Profit Sharing means rewarding employees a percentage of the companys profits. Singh (2006, p 385) defines profit sharing usually involves the determination of organizations profits at the end of the fiscal year and the distribution of a percentage of the profits to workers qualified to share in the earnings. Profit sharing helps employees to form part of oganisation success. However, Beardwell and Holden (1997, p.574) argued that there is little evidence that such schemes have any great consequence on the performance, motivation or attitudes of employees. 2.6.3 Share Ownership Schemes Businesses whose shares are traded on a stock exchange can offer shares to its promising employees. This compensation method can motivate employees to be committed to the business in the long run.There are different schemes available which companies can use to offer shares such as: 2.6.3.1 Share Incentive Schemes Under this scheme employer gives employees shares directly or ask them to buy. This motivates staff to be involved in the performance of the company. The Share Incentive Plan, previously known as the employee share ownership plan. For example, In the UK, a company using an ESOP can give employees shares worth up to  £3,000 each year. 2.6.3.2 Savings Related Share Option Schemes (SAYE) All employees and directors benefit from this scheme All scheme members get the right to buy a number of shares (normally at a lower price than their current price) after three, five or seven years. In this period of time, employee members save an expected amount to pay for the shares. If the shares increase in price, employees have a profit when they buy the shares. No income tax is paid on any gains made on these shares. 2.7 INFLUENCES ON PAY DETERMINATION According to Beardwell and Holden (1997 p.555) the pay system is affected by the following: 2.7.1 Beliefs about the Importance of the Job If a job is considered to be of high value, the salary scale of the job will be higher as compared to other jobs. 2.7.2 Personal Characteristics Individual characteristics like age, experience, education, skill affect the salary of a person. 2.7.3 Labour Market The demand and supply of labour affect pay determination. A business will have to match its pay with that of its competitors before setting its own pay structure. 2.7.4 The Strategies and Policies of the Company Each company has it own remuneration policy and strategy that determine the salary of its employees. 2.7.5 Government Rules and Regulation The government usually intervene for the welfare of employees like we have the equal opportunity Act, employment right Act 2008, and the employment relation Act 2008. Organisations have to consider all these Act before setting a fair compensation program. 2.7.6 Power of Bargaining Group Trade union action may affect the pay level. They can bargain for an increase in salary. 2.7.7 Cost of Living Due to high inflation rate, the cost of living tends to increase. Thus, this may affect the salary of employee.

Analysis of Arby’s Sports Illustrated Advertisement Essay -- Sexual Im

Sexual imagery has been used in advertising for a long time with a great deal of success. With the ever-increasing difficulty of advertisers to gain the attention of the media consumer, the use of both effective and ineffective sexual imagery has flourished in recent years. Some products such as perfume and clothing are relatively easy to sell with sexual imagery. Companies selling products such as fast food, however, must be more creative with their use of sexual imagery. Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant took such a creative approach with its full-page advertisement in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The ad featured two of Arby’s soon-to-be released Roastburger sandwiches covered by a model’s crossed arms. The burgers were positioned side-by-side in the upper third of the ad, with the model’s arms crossed at the wrists at about the center of the ad. The model’s hands were positioned in such a way that they covered a majority of the two burgers, but left some of the top and bottom of each burger visible. The model’s arms extended out of the print area of the ad and no other part of the model’s body was visible. In the lower quarter of the ad was a bright red text box that extended from the left edge of the ad across to the Arby’s logo at the right edge of the ad. The minimal amount of white text in the box contained the headline, â€Å"We’re about to reveal something you’ll really drool over,† (Rovell, 2009). The remaining copy text acknowledged that Arby’s was teasing the viewer with a glimps e of the burgers, but that the viewer would have to wait until it was released in March 2009 (Rovell, 2009) to see the whole thing. Although anything but a cursory glance at the ad shows nothing more than a pair of... ...eef Restaurant: http://www.arbys.com/about/values.php CNBC. (2010, January 28). The Business Behind the SI Swimsuit Issue. Retrieved January 31, 2010, from CNBC: http://www.cnbc.com/id/34828908?slide=2 Echo Media. (2005). Sports Illustrated Magazine. Retrieved January 28, 2010, from Echo Media: http://www.echo-media.com/mediadetail.asp?IDNumber=4489 Henthorne, T. L., & LaTour, M. S. (1995). A Model to Explore the Ethics of Erotic Stimuli in Print Advertising. Retrieved January 30, 2010, from Research Library: http://www.springerlink.com/index/10.1007/BF00871984 Rovell, D. (2009, February 11). Arby's Scores In Swimsuit Issue. Retrieved January 30, 2010 from CNBC: http://www.cnbc.com/id/29139052 Sports Illustrated. (2007). MRI National Spring 2007 Fact Sheet. Retrieved January 30, 2007 from Sports Illustrated: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/adinfo/si/mri2007.html

Ethics †Meaning of life Essay

1. The Meaning of Life Connect your ideas on the essential meaning of life to the views of at least one philosopher. This philosopher can be someone whom we studied or can come from an outside source. You might connect your ideas in a harmonious or contradictory way. Utilize the academic resources aligned with this course to find a philosopher that coincides with or contradicts your own ideas. Your initial post should be at least 150 words in length. Support your claims with examples from this week’s required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7. What gives human life meaning? I think Immanuel Kant said it best when he asked the three question that make up what it is to be human. â€Å"What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope? † (Ch. 5. 4, Mosser) I think that it is what we do with our lives that make them worth living. The people’s lives that we touch and help are what give our own lives meaning. How should one act in the world once one realizes this meaning? One should follow the consequentialist theory. Meaning that one should make the choices that will bring about the most benefits to everyone not just one’s self. How do you know? I know by the feeling that is left after I help others. This feeling is what drives us to give, to help to reach out and continue helping others. Most of us do not enjoy the thought of others suffering, so it would make sense that they would enjoy seeing others happy. As they say happiness is contagious. References: Mosser, K. (2010). Philosophy: A Concise Intro. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. After watching Relationship of Philosophy to Other Fields, reflect on the relationship of philosophy to your life in terms of your future education and career What value does philosophy have? I am getting my bachelors in health care administration, in laments terms I will be the lady to hand you forms and answer immediate question when you come into a hospital. Having philosophy in my life will actually help by enabling me to help patients when they come in, by being better able to answer their question. Example: A patients asks: Why is it taking so long? My response: I having taken philosophy can respond by giving them an answer that would eliminate all why questions and would help them feel a little more at ease with their wait. How can people benefit from thinking more philosophically? They can benefit by broadening their way of thinking, which in turns helps understand more and see things from a different point of view. How does philosophy affect ethical issues? Philosophy describes how humans should behave while ethics describes what is right and wrong and how we should respond to the situation. Unfortunately they do not always go hand in hand. What significance does thinking and reasoning critically play in society, and in human flourishing? Thinking’s is what brought about the wheel or electricity. It is those that stop and ask why not, these are the people that flourish in society. It is using your brain to understand things not just what you can see but also what you cannot.

Psychology of Spending: Where Does Belt-Tightening Begin?

The Psychology of Spending analyzes consumer’s ideals of the scarcity principle – in which, consumers are mentally forced to buy certain brands as they have before. The high costs of their choices make no difference even after their economic status is not as unique as it was once before. For example, the Water-Diamond scenario in which we will pay thousands of dollars for a diamond, but we will not pay thousands of dollars for a bottle of water. Our mental state of underestimating its value because it is a ‘need’ makes us consider it invaluable by numbers. Every consumer has encountered these kinds of thoughts pertaining to their buying habits in different perspectives. We could also address the issues of supply and demand. Luxury goods are in demand because of the advanced technology we are experiencing in our New Economy. We have found ourselves trapped in securing the newest trend because of the gadgets, computers, cell phones, and other accessories around us everyday. You can notice these triggering children to purchase their own cell phones because it is now a need – not a want. Cell phones have trampled into the same estate as water in the water-diamond scenario. We consider cell phones as invaluable goods for keeping in touch with our friends and family around the world. The ultimate ‘need’ comes from feeling inadequate or isolated without one so our demand increases to where we must purchase accessories as well. According to the article, the high-end wants are really needs now due to the vanity and exposure to as many choices as possible. Consumers have more than enough to consider when they want to buy products. Generic products are slowly, but surely losing the interests of these buyers. The marginal utility of large net worth has declined as more and more luxury goods are being produced. As aforementioned earlier, the demand for luxuries has increased and the suppliers are interested in increased sales – so they have given the strength of the ‘scarcity’ rule away to growth. For example, they could increase the price of their merchandise if every high-end retailer produces no more than 40,000 units of their product. The product’s marginal utility will remain at its best possible light to the consumer’s eye. A well-known factor, which was mentioned in The Psychology of Spending, is the wealthy household’s attempts to buy large amounts of land no matter what the economic status is. Other issues arise in comparison to their counterparts in the luxurious industries. Some indirect factors that corner the marginal utility of luxury goods is the quality of the resources used to produce the goods. If the quality of the resources is reduced, the probability of increased sells could remove the ‘high-end’ aspect of the products. We will be used to the products and then ‘anyone’ can get it so it will not be considered high quality or high-end anymore. Properties over the $10,000,000 are probable to a decline in net worth if more products are created with their same unique characteristics. More interest rates will appear viable to the consumers, but their efforts in securing the products will increase due to their ideal of ‘scarce’ resources available. A discontinuation of a certain production will and could, harness the power for its collectibles to cost more. According to the Psychology of Spending, the monetary means or sense of superiority means a lot to the public. We are more than anxious enough to buy the newest trends without a second thought. If the new trend costs more than our capabilities, we will have to worry about the possibility of not ‘being in style’. The article’s outline of the economy during 2000 would be changed in today’s time. Our nation is experiencing a new, inaccurate development in which prices are increased due to the war. We, as consumers, have changed our buying habits a little bit but not much compared to the purchases made in 2000. Newer, faster, and cheaper products have caught our attention and the internet’s flourishing marketplace has given all consumers – wealthy and lower income- the same opportunity to buy these goods. As a mechanism to the psychological attachment to more money means more power, we can conclude that all high-end products are being purchased about 2% from the higher-income families. A majority of these implications can trigger a more thorough understanding of why the lower-income families are attempting to buy these products as well. None the less, their ability to manufacture or overproduce these products has lost its initial marginal utility it once had. In today’s society, these products do not create a ‘high’ as they once did. The consumers know that anyone can buy it at any price. Discount retailers have placed some sophisticated names on the shelves to attract their income counterparts for more information. We can expect this to continue until many consumers decide that their labels mean nothing – naturally. Some of the best products are left to the generic manufacturers whom will need those materials for a competitive advantage. As remarkable as this change is to our society, the distinctive features of these high-end products are slowly leaving the market. Imitative strategies have stripped the meaning of ‘brand’ and consumers are still buying these products without regard to their tastes. More than enough companies are losing the whole perspective of re-establishing their economic strategy to remain at the top of their industry. We can only wish for our buying habits to sway into finding a more distinguished product to assist in our highs. Â  

Organizational Management Essay Example

Organizational Management Essay Example Organizational Management Essay Organizational Management Essay 1. Core premises of classical and neoclassical theories of organizational management There are several core premises each for both the classical and neoclassical perspectives of organizational management – with similarities and differences between the two schools of thought. The classical perspective is characterized by its key assumptions that a) Organizations’ purpose is to achieve output-related and financial goals, b) The scientific method is the means to discovering the best organizational structure for the aforementioned goals, c) Job specialization and division of labor maximize production, and d) Rational economic principles dictate how people and organizations act (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:28). The quintessential classical theorists include Max Weber, Henri Fayol, Fredrick Taylor, and Luther Gulick. Weber described bureaucracy as the ideal organizational structure for rationality and efficiency with the characteristics of clearly defined rules, impersonality, hierarchy/levels of authority, and training of employees (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:73-74). Fayol articulated general principles of management – characteristics under which the ideal organization operates which include division of labor, authority and responsibility, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest to general interest, and remuneration of personnel (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:48-52). Taylor (1915) championed what he called â€Å"scientific management†, a philosophy in which the scientific method applies to the management of an organization and the workers therein to increase productivity. So meticulous was Taylor in his concept of applying scientific evidence to factory jobs, that he conducted â€Å"time studies† in which a stopwatch was used to time a worker’s motions – the idea being there is one best method for performing any physical task. NetMBA 2002-2010) Perhaps less radically, Taylor also advocated for careful selection and training of workers by management, as well as the familiar classical principle of dividing work according to specialization. Gulick (1937) considered the merits of building an organization from the top-down and the bottom-up; and contributed his idea of organizing the executive according to his acronym â€Å"POSDCORB†: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting ( Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:86). Gulick described the functions of this acronym as ideally being subdividing among the executive – wherein the executive is not just the chief executive, but other offices and departments including the chief executive’s private secretary (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:86). The neoclassical theory of organizational management accepts the basic tenets of classical theory but adds several points to challenge and expand upon it. These points are a) The human factor in organizations: How people in the organization will cooperate with each other in an organization and how much they will be committed to organizational values and goals – particularly in the mechanistic, bureaucratic organizational model Weber constructed, b) The importance of internal-external organizational relations, and c) Decision-making processes (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:88). The human factor in organizations was explored by Barnard (1938), who emphasized the importance of motivating workers properly to work within a cooperative organizational system. Barnard articulated a method of incentives that gave more consideration to motivating factors such as opportunity for power, position, and prestige, beneficial social relationships at work, greater participation in decision-making, than to monetary compensation. Underlying assumptions about human nature of classical and neoclassical theory The classical school assumes that organizations are primarily concerned with tangible, economic rewards (profits), and that organizations should be constructed according to the general and/or scientific management principles outlined earlier in order to maximize organizational productivity and efficiency. People are motivated primarily by money; other motivating factors such as sense of accomplishment and relationships with coworkers are relatively unimportant. Classical theory assumes that each part of an organization (leadership/management and workers) must have clearly defined roles that must be adhered to, and cooperation between each of these segments is important in making sure the organizational goals are being reached. Neoclassical theory agrees with classical theory insofar that conomic/financial rewards are indeed a big motivator for organizations, their leaders, and their production workers – but exposes the classical theorists’ explanation (or lack thereof) of the importance of human relations and group dynamics in the organizational setting. Neoclassical theory considers to a degree the effects of organization on individuals – particularly worker cooperation and motivation, as well as coordination among leaders and administrative units. One such neoclassical theorist, Robert Merton (1957, 1985), argued that bureaucracies inhibit individual freedom and creativity and cites Thorstein Veblen’s idea of â€Å"trained incapacity†, John Dewey’s idea of â€Å"occupational psychosis†, and Daniel Warnotte’s theory of â€Å"professional deformation† to illustrate his point (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:104). Another point of disagreement between classical and neoclassical theorists comes from the concept of rules and procedures in organizations. This perceived ultimate supremacy of formal rules and procedures was challenged by Merton, who argued that formal rules and procedures lead to overconformity: Formalism, even ritualism, ensues with an unchallenged insistence upon punctilious adherence to formalized procedures. This may be exaggerated to the point where primary concern with conformity to the rules interferes with the achievement of the purposes of the organization An extreme product of this process of displacement of goals is the bureaucratic virtuoso, who never forgets a single rule binding his action and hence is unable to assist many of his clients. Merton via Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:106) Thus, neoclassical theory gives credence to human adaptability according to situation, warning that rules and procedures often disallow people in organizational settings from exercising their best judgment. To reinforce this point, this is in stark contrast to the classical view that rules, procedures, and roles in an organizatio n according to work specialization dictate, or at least constantly guide, the behaviors and interactions of people in the organization. In essence, neoclassical theory puts more faith in individual judgment and discretion than does classical theory, while placing less emphasis on the importance of rational goals like money to organizations and valuing more value-oriented organizational goals and actions. The same holds true for people: Classical theory implies that people are really only in it for the money while neoclassical theory says money is just one motivating factor – there are also incentives such as pride, social relationships at work, and augmented responsibility and decision-making power that are powerful motivators for working people. Accuracy of assumptions and adequacy in explaining contemporary organizational dynamics and effective management Both the classical theory and neoclassical theory are adequate in some respects while inadequate in others, and some of each is both shared and exclusive between the two respective viewpoints. The classical principles of division of work and specialization of labor as means to maximize productivity and efficiency were innovative at the time and still largely hold true today. Many companies today divide their workforce by skill/qualification into different roles/departments within the company. For example, nearly every vehicle manufacturing company today uses the assembly line manufacturing system, in which assembly workers each have a task or a specific set of tasks, and they are (both the workers and their tasks) are sequentially ordered. In the case of the typical automobile assembly line, the chassis is made first, then the body is added to the chassis, and then the interior is defined with seating, electronics, etc. Obviously, these are broad steps that contain smaller tasks within, and factory machinery helps efficiency a great deal (especially given how much technology has advanced over the past century), but separation of labor is still alive and well today. Taylor’s theory of scientific management was highly influential in its own time and still is today. In Taylor’s time, Henry Ford adopted scientific management as described by Taylor in his factories (the assembly line being the most notable manifestation of Taylor’s principles in action), and even families started to carry out their household chores based on the results of time and motion studies (NetMBA. com 2002-2010). Taylor’s principles can be seen in action today, particularly in the fast food service industry where achieving efficiency is vital to meet customer expectations. A glaring inadequacy of classical theory, in this case Taylor’s scientific management, is that it treats workers as tools instead of human beings. As stated before, there is a noticeable lack of consideration of employee morale and motivation beyond salary, and organizational culture as well as organizational goals and values beyond maximize efficiency and profits are neglected by much of classical organization theory. Another flaw of classical theory is one that neoclassical theorist Herbert Simon (1946) raised, which relates go the general principles of management as described by both Fayol and Gulick. Simon exposed flaws in the logic of several of the principles, arguing that they are confusing, conflicting, and unrealistic: The principle of unity of command is perhaps more defensible if narrowed down to the following: In case two authoritative commands conflict, there should be a single determinate person whom the subordinate is expected to obey; and the sanctions of authority should be applied against the subordinate only to enforce his obedience to that one person†¦ it [unity of command principle] also solves fewer problems†¦ it no longer requires, except for settling conflicts of authority, a single hierarchy of authority. Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:114) Neoclassical theory is more adequate than classical theory when applied to current organizations and effective ones because it takes more factors into account – namely the factors of individual motivation and Phillip Selznick’s (1949) notion of â€Å"cooptation†, which asserts that organizations introduce and absorb new elements from the outside into the organization in order to prevent those elements from â€Å"coming b ack to bite them†, so to speak (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:90). At the same time, the overarching classical view that rational goals such as productivity, quality, and efficiency are the most vital of all goals has never been wholly rejected by any other theory – neoclassical included – and many organizations today maintain a structure and culture in which these goals are valued most. Since neoclassical theory does not reject these values, but instead tweaks and adds some values of its own to them, it is more relevant to contemporary organizational dynamics and effective management. . The question of whether organizations should be hierarchical or whether they should offer employees broad autonomy/discretion is based largely on misunderstanding between the two supposed â€Å"sides†. I will dispel any notion that these principles are separate and exclusive from each other, and argue instead that both organizational hierarchy and employee discretion and the balance of the two principles offer a path for organizational success. First, what do the terms hierarchy, autonomy, and discretion mean? Hierarchy is a structure/system in which there is at least one dominant-subordinate relationship. Autonomy and discretion are synonymous, meaning the power to act according to one’s own judgment, or freedom of choice. Considering these definitions, they are seemingly complete opposites – and exclusive ones at that. After all, how can there be a dominate-subordinate relationship and employee power to work and act as he/she pleases? But upon further review of the terms and the literature, these principles actually are meant to be together and cooperate. Hierarchy and discretion can and should act as checks and balances towards each other. The hierarchical organization structure serves to control discretion but not eliminate it – just as discretion prevents the hierarchical structure from becoming overbearing and thus not giving the employee(s) the necessary flexibility and freedom to do the job the way it should be done. It is order and liberty: Ordered liberty if you will (though granted, the familiar concept of ordered liberty as applied to constitutional law has a very different meaning). Why is hierarchy desirable? Because it holds people accountable, by means of authority. In other words, employees are held accountable for the work they do and how they do it by their manager(s)/supervisor(s). If there were no managers to hold employees accountable, there would undoubtedly be a decrease in productivity and increases in delinquency and absenteeism in many organizations. In his article â€Å"In Praise of Hierarchy†, Elliot Jacques (1990) acknowledged the merits of the hierarchical structure: â€Å"The reason we have a hierarchical organization of work is not only that tasks occur in ower and higher degrees of complexity – which is obvious – but also that there are sharp discontinuities in complexity that separate tasks†¦ The same discontinuities occur with respect to mental work and to the breadth and duration of accountability. † (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:231). The organizational structure most often associated with hierarchy is and has been bureaucracy, but in r eality, hierarchy exists in almost every organizational model and in virtually every organization today. Businesses have chairmen, CEOs, and other top executives; governments include the President at the federal level (governors at the state level) and even charity organizations have their chief organizers and administrators. These are the top officials in these respective organizations; everybody else in the given organization is subordinate in terms of function and/or rank. Therefore, hierarchy exists in each of these examples. Perhaps more obviously, autonomy for employees is also desirable in organizations. There is evidence to suggest autonomy at work increases employee job satisfaction and commitment. According to the National Educational Longitudinal Study (1988-2000), job autonomy is a highly significant factor in five distinct areas of job satisfaction: Salary, fringe benefits, promotion prospects, job security, and relevance of work (Bradley, Nguyen, Taylor 2003). It is also a much more flexible and efficient policy of problem solving than would exist in a bureaucratic structure, where there would be stricter supervision as well as SOP’s. In the bureaucratic model, an employee tasked with solving a customer’s problem, the solution to which is not defined in any SOP or is not part of company norms, would require the employee to scale the chain of command for the appropriate superior who could solve the problem. This is because employees have narrow span of controls and are bound by defined rules and procedures in a bureaucratic structured organization. The bureaucracy is considered a mechanistic model of organization by Tom Burns and G. M. Stalker (1961) of the Tavistock Institute in London. Burns and Stalker divided organizations into two broad types: Mechanistic systems, and organic systems. They describe mechanistic systems as having layered hierarchy or a chain of command and formal rules of procedures, and organic systems as offering more participation, horizontal communication, and more autonomy and discretion to employees (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:194). As they explained it, the mechanistic system is more hierarchy-oriented, whereas the organic system is more autonomy-oriented, and they suggested that the mechanistic system is more suitable for a static, stable environment while an organic system is better for a dynamic, changing environment (Jang, Ott, Shafritz2005: 194). But where does the authority come from in the non-hierarchical, organic system? â€Å"The location of authority is settled by consensus†, explained Burns and Stalker (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:199). The idea of group consensus having authority in organizations seems beneficial, until it becomes denigrated into groupthink. Groupthink is, as Irving L. Janis defined it, â€Å"†¦ the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action† (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:186). Hierarchy, as inflexible as it can be, still protects against groupthink to a large degree. This supports the general idea that no system is perfect as well as Burns and Stalker’s assertion that the effectiveness of hierarchy and autonomy, respectively, depends on the organizational environment and situation. My opinion is that in many organizations, a balance or equilibrium between the two values (hierarchy and autonomy) is the most desirable, and Burns/Stalker acknowledge that this is possible: â€Å"Finally, the two forms of systems represent a polarity, not a dichotomy; there are, as we have tried to show, intermediate stages between the extremities empirically known to us. † (Jang, Ott, Shafritz 2005:199) So how can an employee have a manager who is dominant, – that is, higher up on the organizational ladder – yet also have the autonomy/discretion to do his/her job as he/she sees fit? How can this tension be resolved? The answer is guided discretion. I propose two forms of guided discretion that keeps both principles of hierarchy and autonomy. The first form of guided discretion I propose is what I call â€Å"complete guided discretion†. This form of guided discretion allows the subordinate employee complete freedom about how to do the job/assignment/task/etc. , on the one mitigating condition that the employee accomplishes it. The supervisor/manager of that employee’s job is simply to check on the employee to make sure the work is getting done, and to collect and/or verify it once the work is done. The manager may apply time-specific deadlines for the assignment to be completed if the nature of the position consists of time-oriented tasks, but if the job is more fluid and not based on specific projects/assignments, then the good manager would check on the underling employee periodically – not only to monitor job effectiveness but to address any questions, requests, or concerns that employee might have. Furthermore, if the subordinate employee has multiple options as far as task selection goes, he/she would have the discretion to choose which task(s) to do if only a certain number were required to be completed, and/or the order in which he/she wishes to do the assignments required ones notwithstanding. I akin this type of discretion to the relationships between students and professors at college; the student often has a wide range of options as far as how to do an assignment (although this is truer in the social sciences than in more technical fields of study), the only stipulations being that the assignment is completed and turned in on-time and no cheating/plagiarizing was involved. This is the type of conditional working relationship that would characterize guided discretion as I see it. The second type of guided discretion I offer limits employee discretion on the basis of fairness and ethics. This type I call â€Å"limited guided discretion†. To elaborate, an employee may do his/her job according to his/her own best judgment as long as he/she does not act in opposition to accepted company values and norms. Company values and norms are typically customer related, usually emphasizing putting the customer above all else and exemplified by the familiar business cliche â€Å"the customer is always right†. Nevertheless, if such action considered outside of company ideals and ethics were to occur, it would be the responsibility of his/her manager to discipline him/her, which may call for a punishment up to and including termination of employment. Depending on the severity and extent of the infraction(s) however, the more appropriate sanction could be to return the employee to the less desirable strict hierarchical relationship in which the employee is more closely supervised and standard operating procedures may apply. Certainly the manager of that offending employee would ensure that said employee would exercise company-sponsored values and ethics henceforth. Of course, the employee would be given fair counsel beforehand of the wisdom to essentially ask him/herself â€Å"Am I acting in agreement with company values? † Because the employee is a representative of the company, he/she should represent company values. I have argued that it is necessary and desirable for organizations to maintain a balance between organizational hierarchy and employee autonomy/discretion. I will add that organizations need not have an equal balance of hierarchy and autonomy; an organization can effectively be either more hierarchy-oriented or more autonomy-oriented (and many organizations fall into one of these two camps). But to have both principles in action in an organization is desirable because it minimizes the negative effects of either principle, while maximizing the positive ones. They check and balance each other; hierarchy provides better accountability and prevents groupthink, while autonomy gives the organization flexibility to handle a wide range of problems and contributes to employee motivation and job satisfaction. By considering my ideas of complete guided discretion or limited guided discretion, organizations have at least an interesting idea about a healthy balance between organizational hierarchy and employee autonomy could be achieved. References Bradley, Steve, Jim Taylor and Anh Ngoc Nguyen, 2003. Job autonomy and job satisfaction: new evidence, Working Papers 000192, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department. Accessed 14 November 2010. http://ideas. repec. org/p/lan/wpaper/000192. html Jang, Yong Suk, Steven J. Ott, and Jay M. Shafritz. 2005. Classics of Organization Theory: Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. NetMBA Business Knowledge Center. 2002-2010. â€Å"Frederick Taylor Scientific Management†. NetMBA . com, Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc. Accessed 12 November 2010. netmba. com/mgmt/scientific/

kindred spirits essays

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Rubics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Reflection Paper - Essay Example He compares the softness of the moving ship over the water surface to a soft and beautiful skin. However, other characters such as Ahab consider the ocean as deceptive because, under the smooth waters, there lain death in waiting. Ahab acknowledges the fact that the sea in reality is a tiger under the surface. The ocean is, therefore, more dangerous than the land. According to Ahab, the sea is a mirror of God, and it represents Him as hidden and terrible, whose nature is deadly. Starbuck looks at the ocean and God as a bride at her wedding. The professor got me thinking of the reason for Christmas was a new beginning, yet inverted. For instance, Ahab thinks of the sea as a revenge because that is what he was up to during the journey for religious quest. The sea is therefore a revenge, not healing as quoted in line 536 (Melville 450). â€Å"†¦..Loveliness unfathomable, as ever lover saw in his young bride’s eye!—Tell me not of thy teeth tiered sharks, and thy kidnapping cannibal ways. Let faith oust fact; let fancy oust memory; I look deep down and do believe.†(Melville 451). Ahab asserts that the sea is too ambiguous and vicious for coherent faith, with our attraction to it infinite and unexplored. There are two things I noted out of these words, first the fact that God is inexplicable and second that religion is a faithful expression. For this case, the people at sea are trading a religious journey in which everything is a duality. Death lingers in lives of individuals, which kept me thinking about the whiteness of the whale. After a reflection on the readings, I discovered that such a question would be a distinction between good and evil according to our perception. Why were the whales both white and black? Why use the sea and not land? The answer lies in the nature of duality of religion. Sometime before birth, in the beginning, there is always the light that is the blinding light representing the

Michael Bay, auteurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Michael Bay, auteurship - Essay Example y, there has been debate about filmmaking authorship, with industry experts believing that it is the screenwriter who should be applauded for a finished film product that meets with revenue success and manages to satisfy the intended target audiences (Kipen, 2006). More contemporary perspectives suggest that it is the director that should be applauded for a successful film that manages to outperform competitor films, bring high profitability and build audience satisfaction. Many directors, on many film projects, are given opportunities to express their own unique creative vision when producing a film, hence having the ability to transcend the original script and create a work of genius that is both personalised and aligned with individual director vision (Murray, 2014, p.1). In such a scenario, the director is considered a film auteur (the French word for author), in which the director’s creative voice becomes the framework by which a film is considered innovative, original an d inventive. There are some who prescribe to the Schreiber Theory proposed by David M. Kipen of the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts which suggests that true authorship accolades should be granted to the actual screenwriter rather than the director. Kipen (2006) argues that the notion of director as film auteur is distorted, with this professional stating that the script serves as the predictor of whether a film will be high quality. Hence, according to Kipen, a finished film product, when it achieves commendation and acclaim, should be attributed to the talents and expertise of the script writer. However, there appears to be substantial evidence that contemporary directors have the most influence on whether or not a finished film product will be successful and profitable. From a marketing perspective, such directors as Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton (as only two examples), have put their own unique thumbprint on many of their films that are distinguished from other competing

Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 11

Reflection Paper - Essay Example He compares the softness of the moving ship over the water surface to a soft and beautiful skin. However, other characters such as Ahab consider the ocean as deceptive because, under the smooth waters, there lain death in waiting. Ahab acknowledges the fact that the sea in reality is a tiger under the surface. The ocean is, therefore, more dangerous than the land. According to Ahab, the sea is a mirror of God, and it represents Him as hidden and terrible, whose nature is deadly. Starbuck looks at the ocean and God as a bride at her wedding. The professor got me thinking of the reason for Christmas was a new beginning, yet inverted. For instance, Ahab thinks of the sea as a revenge because that is what he was up to during the journey for religious quest. The sea is therefore a revenge, not healing as quoted in line 536 (Melville 450). â€Å"†¦..Loveliness unfathomable, as ever lover saw in his young bride’s eye!—Tell me not of thy teeth tiered sharks, and thy kidnapping cannibal ways. Let faith oust fact; let fancy oust memory; I look deep down and do believe.†(Melville 451). Ahab asserts that the sea is too ambiguous and vicious for coherent faith, with our attraction to it infinite and unexplored. There are two things I noted out of these words, first the fact that God is inexplicable and second that religion is a faithful expression. For this case, the people at sea are trading a religious journey in which everything is a duality. Death lingers in lives of individuals, which kept me thinking about the whiteness of the whale. After a reflection on the readings, I discovered that such a question would be a distinction between good and evil according to our perception. Why were the whales both white and black? Why use the sea and not land? The answer lies in the nature of duality of religion. Sometime before birth, in the beginning, there is always the light that is the blinding light representing the

Poverty and Deprivation Essay Example for Free

Poverty and Deprivation Essay The area a child grows up in has an effect, for example if a child is brought up on a council estate in poor housing they are more likely to have health problems. If parents are not working or have low income jobs they are likely to buy cheaper food and usually this means lower quality which can lead to health problems. Children and their families may have lower expectations. They might settle for the life that id mapped out. If a child lives in high rise flats or appartments they have less oppportunities to play. In poor quality housing there may not be a garden or safe playing area. This is reducing the childs opportunities to develop their physical gross motor skills. This of course is not always the case and there are many ways that we can tackle these issues and help to improve the chances and opportunities children have who live in poverty. However, if a lack of nourishing food is a problem due to severe poverty, this can severly damage a childs physical and mental well being. This can have a knock on effect in the sense that they become listless and withdrawn from having no energy, meaning they find it hard to take part in learning activities and wont have the benefit of developing their learning further. If there is a strained parental relationship due to money worries a child will undoubtedly be affect by this also. Poverty can affect children adversley in many ways and its important that they get what they are missing at home when they go to pre-school/nursery. History of abuse and neglect – Family environment and background – Behaviour of mother during pregnancy – †¢ During pregnancy, if a mother smokes, takes drugs, becomes ill or suffers from stress or anxiety this can result in premature birth and health problems for the baby such as -: low birth weight, undeveloped organs, problems with sight and hearing. These are all problems that could delay their development. Some children are born with conditions that could affect  their development such as a blood disorder. Personal choices – †¢If a child or young person as decided for what ever reason they do not want to be educated or leave school before they finish their education, this is their choice and we cannot always show them alternative choices for staying at school. Looked after/care status – †¢This again could have a huge influence as a lot of looked after children are moved around regularly. This will effect their education enormously. Separation and attachment issues are quite often the cause of many reasons not to want to be in school. This is constantly worked on by schools to find the best way to include these children in school and to be able to give them a good standard of education. Education – †¢If for example a child has not attended a nursery or play group in their early years this can often set them back from what development stage they should be at when attending school. This could be the lack of nursery places, not good enough teachers to the child having a learning disability that has not been identified yet. 2.3 Explain how theories of development and frameworks to support development influence current practice. Albert Bandura imitating/copying other.  Burrhus Skinner learning is affected by awars and punishments. Jean Piaget children actively involved in their learning. Shabhna Jerome active in own learning, develop different ways of thinking at different stages. Lev Vygotsky- Zone of Proximal Development/scaffolding, children actively learning through social interaction. How current theorist views influence practice today. Skinner reward charts and other positive reinforcement techniques.  Vygotsky developed a concept called proximal development which centres on the idea that adults help children to learn and that children help each other . Guiding children to look for answers by imitating what they see in others, listening to instructions and working as part of a group all provide opportunities for them to expand their current base of knowledge. Bruner- developed spiral curriculum which makes us believe that children learn through discovery with direct assistance by adults to encourage them to return to activities time and time again which would develop and extend their learning. His theory is used today as children have plenty of opportunity for free play and child initiated activities which form the majority of the day under the Foundation Phase Curriculum. Bandura developed the social learning theory which is basically learning through watching others. By setting a good example and modelling g ood behaviour children will learn how to behave appropriately.

Benefit-Cost Ratio in Healthcare Services

Benefit-Cost Ratio in Healthcare Services When you think of going to the hospital or calling an ambulance, it is difficult to not think about the costs included with those services. All of the money spent does in fact go to good use in the hospital because the cost to run and maintain the machinery and equipment is very high. It can be so great that supplies are scarce therefore equipment does not get to the ambulances. An important life saving device is an AED, or an Automated External Defibrillator. These can be found around hallways of the campus and exerts a shock to someone who had a heart attack and no longer has a heartbeat. AEDs are fairly expensive and highly inelastic so they are difficult to obtain or replicate. ÃÆ'-rebro University in Sweden analyzed the costs and benefits of carrying the AED for EMS (Emergency Medical Service) use. The most common cause of death is coronary heart disease in the world happening nowhere near a hospital bed (Sund). When someone goes into cardiac arrest, it is crucial the patient is resuscitated as soon as possible to increase the chance of survival. Defibrillation plays one of the most important parts during resuscitation and that is where the AED comes into account. Every minute that a person goes without a heartbeat, their chance of survival decreases dramatically. Their brain needs oxygen, the entire body needs blood, and without the heart flowing blood throughout the body, there is a higher chance of organ failure if they do survive. But before you go out and purchase thousands of AEDs, there are a few things that need to be looked over. Not only do the hospitals have to account for the cost of a single AED, but they have to train the different employees on how to use it, the hospitalization afterwards, and the supplies used during the ten-year lifespan such as the sticky pads that go on the person to send the shock and replacement batteries. The total costs of the defibrillators in the county of Stockholm accumulated to just over 8 million euros, or 8.45 million dollars (Sund). Assume the average cost is 8 million dollars per county in North Carolina. There are 100 counties in North Carolina, totaling 800 million dollars for installation of defibrillators in our state alone. There is no doubt the AEDs would have a high cost, but the benefits overcome that hurdle by saving many peoples life. For most 9-1-1 calls, the first responders are the police, fire department, and EMS with an ambulance for transport. By having the fire depot responding to medical calls, the chance of survival increases significantly. In the county of Stockholm, the average time for use of the AED decreased by one minute and the percentage of survival after one month increased by two percent (Sund). In just one county, those numbers represent how significant and useful an AED device can be. To put a monetary amount on the value of life, it would be 2.2 million euros to prevent premature death. This comes from a survey where people were asked how much they would be willing to pay to prevent death (Sund). In the end, the benefits of an AED device calculated to be 36 times higher than the costs, proving that a price cannot be put on a persons life. With a benefit-cost ratio of 36, meaning the benefit is 36 times more than the amount of the cost spent, it is easy to see that the people of Stockholm would be supportive of the program. The AEDs are a one in ten year purchase with an almost infinite use within the time frame. Once the AED devices are bought, that is the only cost, but every life saved is an additional benefit. It is easy to see that in one year, you can make the money back by three times as much. Currently, slightly over half of all EMS has an AED available. Maybe if the government read this article, they would understand the importance of it and how much it impacts survival during an emergency. Reference (APA) Sund, B., Svensson, L., Rosenqvist, M., Hollenberg, J. (2011). Favourable cost-benefit in an early defibrillation programme using dual dispatch of ambulance and fire services in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The European Journal of Health Economics: HEPAC, 13(6), 811-8. doi:http://0-dx.doi.org.bravecat.uncp.edu/10.1007/s10198-011-0338-7

Analyzing Spartacus Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay -- Post-trau

The character I have chosen to analyze having post traumatic stress disorder is Spartacus, who is played by Andy Whitfield on the hit series Spartacus Blood and Sand on Starz. Spartacus Blood and Sand is directed by Grady Hall and Rick Jacobson. Spartacus is a Thracian solider who was punished for his betrayal against the Roman Commander Legatus Claudius Glaber, played by Craig Parker. Spartacus was to be executed in the gladiatorial games and his wife Sura, played by Erin Cummings, was to be sold as a slave. However, Spartacus successfully defended his life by killing four-top notched gladiators in the arena. After his victory he was bought by Baticitus, played by John Hannah. Spartacus was to be a slave trained to be a gladiator in Baticitus’ ludus. When Spartacus began bringing great fortune from his winnings and social advancement to Baticitus’ ludus, he was promised to be reunited with his wife, Sura. After Spartacus became champion of Capua and being undef eated, he came to the realization that Baticitus was not going to keep his promise of reuniting him with his wife because too many victories had passed. Spartacus later found out in a recurrent flashback and current images that Baticitus had Spartacus’ wife Sura, killed. An analysis of Spartacus’ behavior of nightmares, insomnia, and haunting memories reveals that Spartacus has post traumatic stress disorder. The first behavior which proves Spartacus has post traumatic stress disorder is the nightmare of not being reunited with his wife. Most of his nightmares were of his wife being by his side during these trials and she would give him advice on how to survive and them being reunited again. His nightmares seemed to be prophesy or warnings of what would happen ... ... have a person feeling so overwhelmed, burnout, and overworked that they will â€Æ' PSTD treatments range from intricate psychobiologic features make therapy difficult. The three arms of treatment are patient education, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy (Cabaltica, 2000). Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy have been shown to alleviate the three clusters of PTSD symptoms: reexperiencing, avoidance and hypervigilance (Cabaltica, 2000). Works Cited Cabaltica, R, Lange C, Lange J. AAFP.org. American Academy of Family Physicians. September 1, 2000. Mayo Clinic Staff. Mayo Clinic.com. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. April 10, 2009. Myers David. Exploring Psychology 7th Edition. Worth, 2008. Print

Changes in Family Relationships between the Sixteenth and Nineteenth Ce

Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries there were several factors which affected family relationships. The most influential of these factors are geography, economic conditions, and religion. While geography and economic conditions certainly played a role in the dynamics of family relationships, many believe that religion had the greatest impact on family relationships. Religion controlled almost every aspect of family relationships from marriages to divorce to the treatment of women and children. In medieval times up until the eighteen hundreds, marriage was based on a variety of factors. Among these factors were economic gain, and for upper class families and nobility, building alliances. While these were the factors that helped decide who married who, religion determined if the couple was eligible to be married as well as other aspects of the marriage. Prior to the 1215, there were a lot of gray areas when it came to marriage and divorce. While some believed that all marriage required was an exchange of vows between a man and a woman, others believed that the exchanged must be followed by consummation, while still others believed that there must be witnesses present for the marriage to be valid. At this time the nobility were using marriage as a strategy to gain land, power, and alliances by marrying, divorcing, and remarrying. These marriages were often destructive and led to wars. In order to avoid so many wars the church stepped in and put regulations on marriages and divorces. In 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council constructed the criteria that must be met in order for a marriage to be valid. This criteria included a dowry, published wedding announcements, and for the wedding to take place in a church. Around ... ...ffection for children. Parents thought of their children as individuals and thus gave each new born its own name. At this time parents also began giving their children more freedoms than before. Also during this time the church began to relax its control over individual families and allowed them more privacy. This simple shift in religious doctrine caused the development of a new way of thinking in which children were appreciated and seen as different from adults. Although there were many factors that impacted family relationships between the fifteen hundreds and eighteen hundreds, none were as influential as religion. Any small shift in the interpretation of religious doctrine could result in massive changes in family life. From the development and rise of Protestantism to the Puritan view of children, religion often caused revolutions in family relationships.

Consider the presentation of Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship early in the play, in particular, how does Shakespeare make Act two Scene 3 entertaining for the audience? Essay

[Consider the presentation of Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship early in the play, in particular, how does Shakespeare make Act two Scene 3 entertaining for the audience?] â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† was written by William Shakespeare in the late 1500’s, and is set in Messina, Sicily. The play is a comedy, about love and deception, and in it we see a battle of the sexes and themes such as, love, hate, jealousy and friendship. The play centres around two relationships, one between sharp-witted Beatrice and light-hearted Benedick, and another between young lovers Hero and Claudio. To pass time, Don Pedro sets a â€Å"Lover’s Trap† for Benedick, a bachelor, and Beatrice, his favourite arguing partner. Meanwhile, the evil, Don John conspires to break up Hero’s and Claudio’s marriage by accusing Hero of having an affair. Shakespeare interweaves two plots in this story which in the end, as the title says all turns out to be ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ In the beginning of the play Shakespeare presents Benedick as a light-hearted character, he does this by showing the audience that Benedick is witty and has clever insults when he is mocking Beatrice, â€Å"I would that my horse had the speed, and so a good continuer.† Shakespeare is preparing the way for the audience to realise Benedick is perfectly matched with Beatrice way before he does, even when he teases her he uses metaphors and word play, this is a form of dramatic irony. Benedick is the entertainer; he uses witty hyperbole to express his feelings. Benedick vows he will not marry. He engages in a competition to outwit, Beatrice, but his friends Don Pedro, and Claudio, believe he has deeper feelings for Beatrice. Act 2 scene 3 ends with a soliloquy â€Å"if I do not take pity of her, I am a villain! If I do not love her, I am a Jew† [Lines 239-240].This line is from Benedicks’ soliloquy. It shows the audience a different side of Benedick and leaves them, wondering if he will really love Beatrice, or if he is doing it for himself, his pride and honour. By not having Benedick makes this clear Shakespeare builds tension because the audience left knows that something important has not been said this makes the audience feel involved and manipulates our sympathies. When Benedick hears Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato discussing Beatrice’s love for him, Benedick admits to being â€Å"horribly in love with her,† [Act 2 Scene 3 Line 215]. Beatrice is the niece of Leonato, and is close friends with her cousin Hero, Leonato’s daughter. Beatrice is feisty, witty, clever and sharp and Shakespeare portrays her as being almost like the female version of Benedick. Beatrice keeps a â€Å"merry war† of wits, with Benedick. The play suggests that she was once in love with Benedick but that he led her on and their relationship ended. In the comic there was a conversation between Don Pedro and Beatrice that suggests this, Don Pedro says â€Å"You have lost the heart of Signior Benedick.† Beatrice replies â€Å"Indeed, my lord, he lent it to me awhile, and I gave him used for it, a double heart for a single on. Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice: therefore your Grace may well say I lost it.† [Act 2 Scene 1 Lines 245] Similar to Benedick, Beatrice refuses to marry because she has not found the perfect, equal partner. Beatrice rages with fury at Claudio for mistreating her cousin, and rebels against the unequal status of women in Renaissance society. For example, in Act 4 scene 1 Line 309-310 she says, â€Å"O that I were a man for his sake! Or that I had any friend would be a man for my sake!† And in Act 4 Scene 1 Line 313-315 she passionately says: â€Å"I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This tells us that Beatrice is frustrated because in the Renaissance Society that she lives in women had no equal rights. It also shows the audience that Beatrice is very independent for her time. Early in the play Shakespeare presents Benedick and Beatrice as individuals that will never get married. Beatrice says â€Å"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 107-108]. Beatrice puts herself out of reach from Benedick and from all men. Benedick also says, â€Å"It is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted. And I would I could find it in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 101- 104], he describes himself to be a ‘ladies man’ every woman loves him apart from Beatrice. At this point both of them are sure they will never marry or fall in love. In Act 2 Scene 3, Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio work together to try and convince Benedick that Beatrice is in love with him. Benedick unknowingly finds himself caught in the position of being the one deceived. He thinks that he is eavesdropping on his friends, but, they deliberately speak louder so that he will hear them. In this scene Benedick realises that he is in love with Beatrice. In a soliloquy Benedick says that there is no shame in changing his mind about marriage, and declares, â€Å"I will be horribly in love with her†¦. the world must be peopled. When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married† [Act 2 scene 3 Lines 207-215]. This speech gives the audience an emotional glimpse into Benedick’s generous and compassionate heart. Although Beatrice comes across as being very sharp, she is vulnerable. Once she overhears Hero describing that Benedick is in love with her, she opens herself to the sensitiveness and weakness of love. Beatrice is overwhelmed by the fact that Benedick is in love with her, Benedick and Beatrice both change after the â€Å"trick†. No one can trick you into loving someone you either do or you don’t. One of the ways that Shakespeare makes Act 2 Scene 3 entertaining for the audience is by using hyperbole. In this scene Claudio describes Beatrice’s feelings for Benedick by saying she, â€Å"Weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses- ‘O sweet Benedick! God give me patience!† [Act 2 Scene 3 Lines 140]. This use of hyperbole serves two different purposes, firstly Claudio uses it to persuade and convince Benedick of the depth of Beatrice’s love for him and that what he is overhearing is the truth. Secondly, Shakespeare uses this hyperbole for the audience’s benefit; to entertain them and to create comedy. It shows Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato enjoying them at Benedick’s expense, exaggerating to show that Beatrice is a mess because she is torn between desperately keeping her feelings secret, and letting Benedick know about her love for him. Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato realise that they have to be very convincing and put on a good show to fool Benedick. Another way in which Shakespeare makes this scene entertaining for the audience is by having Benedick very quickly change his opinion about love. Part of the comedy in this scene is watching Benedick start off very clear about his life and his position about women, and see him at the start of Act 2 Scene 3 mocking men who laugh at other men for being in love but then fall in love themselves, and then by the end of Act 2 scene 3, Benedick has fallen in love himself. He is completely changed and has become very romantic, and he has no doubts about his feelings for Beatrice. Shakespeare makes this entertaining for the audience by having Benedick go through a complete change of mind. Shakespeare adds to the entertainment at the end of this scene by having Benedick interpret Beatrice’s action as evidence of her being in love with him, â€Å"You Take pleasure then in the message!† [Act 2 Scene 3 Lines 231] Beatrice who is innocent to all of the trickery dismisses him and teases him like she always does, â€Å" Yea, just so much as you may take upon a knife’s point, and choke a daw withal† [Act 2 Scene 3 Lines 232-323]. Beatrice is unaware of any change in Benedick. During the course of the play Shakespeare uses different types of wordplay to convey the characters thoughts and feelings; he also uses different types of themes such as jealousy, Hate, Love, and self deception. Shakespeare uses a lot of figurative language in his plays this helps to show the characters is feeling and it helps to convey emotional intensity. Beatrice and Benedick’s playful relationship is in contrast to the more romantic and serious relationship between Claudio and Hero. Hero and Claudio’s relationship provides the romantic plot line in the comedy, and they tend to speak in verse. However through the use of language, Shakespeare presents them as being more artificial and sentimental in the way they view love. Three quarters of the play is written in prose, similar in structure to the English spoken today. The use of prose in the play shows the down to earth approach of the verbal play fighting between Beatrice and Benedick. Beatrice and Benedick use a lot of prose and most of the plays comedy depends on this. An example of this is in Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 218, Benedick says, â€Å"If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat, and shoot me.† Here he is saying if he ever falls in love (with Beatrice) then Don Pedro should hang him in a wicker basket, which the Elizabethans’ used for target practice and kill him, like they would kill a cat. In ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ the use if imagery provides insight into the characters and stirs the audiences imagination. An example of it is when Claudio says, â€Å"O ay; stalk on, stalk on, the fowl sits.† [Act 2 Scene 3 Lines 90] Claudio says this to Don Pedro and Leonato, he is using a metaphor for hunting, and is saying move quietly, they prey does not suspect, and gives the impression that Benedick is their prey, and they are stalking him, getting ready to shoot. This also creates Dramatic Irony as the audience is given information that the characters on stage do not have which creates a sense of anticipation. When Shakespeare wrote ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, society’s values and traditions were different from what they are now. In Elizabethan times it was common for, parents and friends to act as matchmakers. They selected the husband, performed careful examination of his economic prospects, and they brought the couple together to find out if there were any strong feelings of dislike between them, in order to ensure that the couple would get along in marriage. In ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ this type of arranged relationship is shown between Hero and Claudio. In Elizabethan times parents did not advocate ‘forced’ marriages because they knew that the best marriages were the ones that were equally consensual and desired by both parties. In the play Hero was happy to marry Claudio, and she accepted the arrangement.