Thursday, August 22, 2019
Civil Right Act of 1964 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Civil Right Act of 1964 - Essay Example The country has literally shed blood of innocent civilians to fight for few basic rights that are God-given. Racism and prejudice are clearly present through Terkel’s narration of Ellis as he projects his emotional level of prejudice, his self-justification, and his displaced aggression. In order to combat this racism, the Civil Rights act has become a hallmark to combat this disease and to propagate for reform. The Civil War serves as a crucial testament towards the self-proclaimed status of America, a nation in which freedom and liberty can be celebrated. Nonetheless, the nation has struggled to grant the idea of equality throughout history. What was ironic was the fact that the efforts of black soldiers during the World War II is taken for granted. All enlisted men ninety-first division were Negroes and that became controversial for many factors. First and foremost was the fact that all the men enlisted in this division were poor black individuals, who were illiterate and l abor workers. They possessed no official military training and were up against an army which had prior experience. The division possessed around 600 military black officers, most of them which came from the Southern states. The 92nd Division comprised of 12,000 officers, in which 200 of them were white and 600 black officers. A major flaw that plagued this division was the fact that racial and prejudice haunted the infantry. The whole experience for these black men was bitter sweet as no chance of error was given to these men. Any training mistakes would be overblown by the media as the reports went back across the nation initiating a scream of hatred and racism. In essence, there was no respect for these brave warriors who were putting their lives in the front lines for their country. Without a doubt, it was unfortunate that these same men were living under the Jim Crow laws. One of the main concepts of prejudice and racism that is outlined in Ellis’s narration is his level of prejudice that is prevalent throughout his life. Vincent Parillo, author of Causes of Prejudices questions the whole essence of social categories of racism, which is then depicted in Terkel’s work. When people are nurtured in an environment where they are biased culturally against a group of individuals; they naturally assume that those views are correct. This can be no doubt detrimental as these perspectives are embraced and become the foundation for hatred. Prejudicial attitudes are prevalent amongst many groups and are a key catalyst towards conducing hatred. The Jim Crow laws that plagued the United States of America during the 1890’s was the clear illustration of the unfortunate reality that degraded the citizenship rights of African Americans. The racial segregation that was dominant in southern states was due to factual legislation that the state government imposed. The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, which clearly gave a mandate of â€Å"separ ate but equal facilities†added more gasoline to the fire. It undoubtedly hindered growth for adequate economic opportunity and give rise to hatred groups such as the KKK. Without a doubt, legislative achievements
Psychology and Family Law Essay Example for Free
Psychology and Family Law Essay Introduction: The Rise in Divorce Rates.            Rasul began his paper on the economics of child custody with an observation and analysis of the American family. For him, the last thirty years had been witness to dramatic transformations involving the American family (Rasul, 2006, 1).            This dramatic change since the 1970s consists in the composition of American families. Where thirty years ago, more than half of the American families consisted of a father, mother, and child or children, today such composition only forms one in five families (Rasul, 2006, 1).            Such significant change is attributed to one factor alone, which is divorce. Rasul observes that the instances of divorce have risen dramatically over the years, such that it affects more than one million children every year (Rasul, 2006, 1). In the United Kingdom, another industrialized region, forty-one percent of marriages end up in divorce within fourteen years (Lamb, Sternberg, Thompson, 1997, 394).            While divorce rates also increased in industrialized countries other than the United States, and the divorce rates in the United States already reached a plateau, the fact remains that the United States Bureau of Census estimated in 1992 that more than forty percent of first marriages in the country is bound to end in divorce. Moreover, the relative decline in divorce rates is accompanied by an equivalent effect, which is the number of people cohabiting without marriage and nonmarital child bearing. These other arrangements cause the decline in divorce, but end in the same situation of a broken family. (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 22).            The increase in divorce rates can also be attributed to the certain developments since the 1970s, which include the growing tolerance of society for divorce. Moreover, society is no longer strictly insistent on the maintenance of stereotypical family arrangements (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 104). Changes in Family Law.            As a consequence of these dramatic changes, changes in the field of family law also occur. These changes can be found both in substantive and procedural law (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 104-105).            Substantive law has changed due to observations of the effects of restrictive and punitive laws on divorce. Thus, many jurisdictions already steered away from the rule that one of the spouses must have committed some transgression before they can be granted divorce. Now, the prevalent rule in most jurisdictions is in accordance with the â€Å"no-fault†doctrine. This doctrine allows married couples to file for divorce on the simple ground of â€Å"irreconcilable differences (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 104).†           Another change in substantive law and policy can be found in the gender-neutral stance taken by courts in cases of divorce. The past decades illustrated a bias, manifested in the assumption that mothers have more inherent capability to take care of their children. Today, such an assumption is no longer strongly held. Rather, courts are now showing neutrality in gender and the determination of a family law case now hinges on the consideration of the â€Å"best interests of the child (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 104-105).†           Another change in substantial law and policy is manifested in the observation that there is a growing predilection over self-determined divorce and child custody arrangements. This trend of change is largely attributable to the belief that divorce is a private matter that must be left amongst them to be resolved. This belief is a break away from the previous prevailing thought about the states interest in protecting the sanctity of marriage through the regulation of its dissolution (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 104).            These changes in substantive law on divorce and family law necessarily caused changes in the procedural aspect of the law. Thus, the increased ease by which couples could seek divorce and the option of individualizing post divorce arrangements heavily increased the dockets of courts with divorce cases. This led the courts to encourage divorcing couples to find other alternative means of resolving their issues (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 105).            There are also other factors that make alternative means of resolving family disputes and divorce issues more appealing. The lack of necessity for proving fault in a divorce action removed the need to adjudicate family issues. Moreover, the removal of the presumption in favor of the mothers capability to care for the child involved courts into making a determination about vague issues, such as love and care, which could be difficult to measure in a court setting. These factors all contributed to the growing popularity of other modes of dispute resolution, such as mediation (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 105). Divorce Mediation.            One such alternative mode of dispute resolution recently applied in family law is mediation. Thus, divorce mediation, under which process a neutral third party intervenes to help the couple settle their differences through negotiation, receives the most attention lately (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 105) especially among parents who wish to get divorced (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 22).            When applied to help couples arrive at self-determined arrangements on matters of divorce and child custody, mediation is believed to cause four benefits, namely, â€Å"(a) more satisfaction with the terms of agreements, (b) greater compliance with agreements, (c) less postdivorce conflict between ex-spouses, and (d) better postdivorce emotional adjustment (DErrico Elwork, 1991, 105).†           Indeed, mediation posed itself as a solution to the ever-increasing rates of divorce in the Untied States, as well as an alternative to ineffective and traditional methods of dispute settlement, such as litigation (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 22). Mediation is becoming the alternative method of dispute resolution of choice since it provides professional help to divorces, which have a high probability of getting acrimonious. Thus, there are only few couples that could manage to suffer a divorce in amicable terms. In a survey of two California counties, it was found that 24 percent of divorces therein required professional intervention, while 25 percent involved intense conflict (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 23).            Mediation is also popular among couples seeking divorce because unlike court action or litigation, it has the ability to facilitate administration of justice and reduce cost, specifically in terms of money and time. Moreover, adversary settlement procedures are now believed to cause problems involving post separation family relationships, arising from parental conflict and divorce. (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 23). Comparison of Divorce Mediation and Adversary Settlement.          It is not uncommon for mediation to get compared from other forms of dispute settlement, such as adversary settlement. In a study conducted by Emery, Sbarra and Grover, a comparison was made between mediation and adversary settlement through random assignment (2005, 25). They randomly approached families that were interested in contested custody hearing and offered them a mediation program as an eleventh hour settlement attempt (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 25).          This study yielded positive results with respect to the time of settlement of issues. Thus, the authors found that cases assigned to mediation were settled in half the time that settlement using adversary settlement occurred. On the other hand, there are other studies that conclude that mediation is better over adversary settlement in terms of cost, because the former is less expensive than the latter. In addition, it was observed that there is a â€Å"trend for greater compliance with child support orders among nonresidential parents who mediated†(Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 27).          They also observed that there are more families coming from mediation that go back in order to update or change their existing arrangements. The authors view this in a positive light, saying that parenting plans should be viewed as living agreements that must be changed in accordance with corresponding changes in the stakeholders lives. Such changes are best made by going back to the mediation process (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 27).          In addition, Emery, Sbarra and Grover noticed in the follow-up sessions to their study that most of their subjects who belonged to the mediation group were more open to the idea or suggestion of changing their original agreements. They are also the ones who actually adjusted their arrangements more often than those subjects who belonged to the adversary system (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 28).          The authors noted that the willingness of the subjects to modify their original arrangements, coupled with the actual facts of modification, is a positive finding. Aside from the fact that the changes had been far from chaotic, they prove that parents who underwent mediation had become more flexible in accommodating changes that are important in the lives of their children and their own (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 28).          The authors also looked into another factor to compare mediation with the adversary process. This factor is party satisfaction. They noted that each kind of method of dispute settlement has certain strengths. For example, the adversary systems known strength is that it ensures that the rights of both parties are protected. On the other hand, mediation is known for being more understanding of the feelings of the parties involved (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 28).          However, this main difference, which had looked so glaring before study, disappeared in view of the results that showed that mediation consistently got high rates of party satisfaction over the adversary system, even if the assessment was based on the criterion that is known for being the strength of such system. More importantly, the authors observed that such high rate of party satisfaction remains relatively unchanged among different time durations. Thus, a party may be satisfied with mediation six weeks after mediation, but surprisingly, parties remain satisfied even after a period of more than a year (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 28). Important Elements of Mediation.          Mediation remains on the top of the list of effective methods of dispute settlement, especially in divorce rates, because it boasts of certain elements that ensure the process’ success. One such element is its capability of enlisting the cooperation of parents in order to take the long view, and consider the best interests of their children in the future (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 32).          Considering that divorce cases often involve high conflict, open hostility, and tension, it is difficult to call upon parents to cooperate with each other. However, mediation allows parents to take a look at the future of their relationship, maybe not as a couple, but as permanent parents (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 32).          Mediation is also effective in educating divorcing parents and couples about emotions. These emotions involve not only those felt by the couple involved, but more importantly, those of their child or children. There are several techniques by which the goal of emotional education can be achieved, but one effective way is through the mediator’s reflection of a child’s possible emotional reactions to the crisis situation using his self as a medium. For example, the mediator could say how uncomfortable and scary an experience becomes when the couple starts fighting each other. Thus, mediation allows parents to realize that their bickering actually affects the emotions of people around them, and thereby stop thinking about themselves. It is apparent therefore that mediation does not necessarily provide therapy for the emotional problems of the parties, but it allows them to understand the feelings and emotions involved in order to help them control such emotions in the best possible way and, in the process, achieve a good plan for the family (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 33).          Finally, mediation is an effective process because it helps parties avoid treating each other as adversaries. A business-like approach such as the one commonly used in mediation allows the parties to approach issues in a distant and less emotional state. Moreover, not treating each other as adversaries avoids the road to strained relationships that only cause the wounds of the divorce to get worse (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 34). Effects of Divorce on Children            The trend in favor of divorce and single parenthood in industrialized countries has raised concerns about the effects of such family arrangements to children involved. Unfortunately for children, divorce often leads to negative immediate effects, such as serious emotional and psychological disturbance. Considering that psychological symptoms such as emotional disturbance, loneliness, depression, anger, helplessness, and many others are common among the parents or couples involved, it should be expected that such negative effects would be experienced more severely by the children trapped inside the crisis (Lamb, Sternberg, Thompson, 1997, 394).            It is worth noting that the difficulty of children in dealing with their parents’ divorce is aggravated by the fact that the parents involved in the crisis are often too preoccupied with their personal emotions such that they fail to give much-needed support to their children. Worse, these parents often fall in the temptation to make too much demand that worsen the situation for their children (Lamb, Sternberg, Thompson, 1997, 395).            Another problem common to children in divorce situations is the economic problem brought about by the need to maintain two separate residences, and the common situation of mothers who are more economically-challenged than the fathers. However, such situation is avoided or minimized in cases where the parents resolve their conflicts and work out a way of providing for the educational, emotional, and economic needs of their children (Lamb, Sternberg, Thompson, 1997, 395-396). Conclusion.            Divorce and single parenting is increasingly becoming common in industrialized regions such as the United States and the United Kingdom. This trend is caused by several factors and, in turn, causes several issues, practices, and concerns in many different levels, such as the family, children, substantive and procedural law, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (Rasul, 2006, 1; DErrico Elwork, 1991, 104).            Divorce causes deleterious effects on the parties. However, the negative impact of divorce is more squarely felt by the affected children who, in their tender age, are forced into adjusting and coping with the emotional stress and burden necessitated by divorce proceedings (Lamb, Sternberg, Thompson, 1997, 394).            Such hardships could be minimized by different factors, such as cooperation between parents in providing emotional, economic and educational support to their children. Parents also have the option of minimizing or totally avoiding antagonism and hostility in the divorce proceedings by choosing to undergo mediation rather than court litigation. Indeed, mediation provides many advantages and avoids the stress involved in court action (Emery, Sbarra Grover, 2005, 22). References DErrico, M. G. Elwork, A. (1991). Are Self-Determined Divorce and Child Custody   Agreements Really Better? Family and Conciliation Courts Review 29(2), 104-  113. Emery, R. E., Sbarra, D. Grover, T. (2005). Divorce Mediation: Research and Reflections. Family Court Review 43(1), 22-37. Lamb, M. E., Sternberg, K. J., Thompson, R. A. (1997). The Effects of Divorce and  Custody Arrangements on Childrens Behavior, Development, and Adjustment.     Family and Conciliation Courts Review 35(4), 393-404. Rasul, I. (2006). The Economics of Child Custody. Economica 73, 1-25.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Talent Management At Standard Chartered Bank Display SHRM
Talent Management At Standard Chartered Bank Display SHRM By focusing heavily on its talent management program it can be clearly be seen that Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) is making the practice of SHRM as one of its key priorities. As can be seen from the article, the way SCB adopts its appraisal methodology is of a very strategic angle. By making it a global standard to conduct face-to-face performance appraisals every 6 months goes to show that SCB is reviewing its own performance management objectives to make sure that those objectives stay relevant and achievable, and that is a feature of SHRM. Being sensitive to different cultures by employing different appraisal methods also shows that SCB understands the importance of managers and staff identifying and dealing with real, actual problems in a way that is most familiar and effective to them. That is also another facet of SHRM as through such means, SCB is able to monitor its own competitiveness in the market. Through appraisals, SCB also classifies their employees into 5 categories ranging from high-potentials, to critical resources, then to core contributors, followed by underachievers and finally, underperformers. By doing so they are able to identify areas in which they are lacking and act upon it. Interestingly, as Geraldine Haley explains the classifications, it can be seen that SCB is already identifying the likely flow of talent in the bank and are taking actions to manage the flow. For example, when classifying certain employees as underperformers, Haley goes on to mention that this group of people do not fit the job requirements and they should be transferred to another role or be managed out. Clearly, whether the bank decides to place this group of employees in another role (which fits the idea of SHRM because by placing people where they perform best clearly benefits any company), or by managing them out (thereby reducing unnecessary manpower costs or replacement with a more pr oductive candidate), the intent behind both actions is clearly strategic in nature. The employee classification also allows the bank to understand the their potential and manpower mix which is critical because, the HR department would be able to plan in advance for staff mobility or develop different programs to help develop potential of their talents to another level. So far we are able to see that SCB does indeed view its employees as a strategic key asset in churning out profits for the bank. Yet another SHRM feature being displayed is the secrecy of employee classifications. As mentioned in the article, SCBs stance is that while they do not want certain employees to feel de-motivated and others to boast about their own performances, the whole point of the classification system is to inform managers that there might be actions required on their part to improve the situation. It is true that in SHRM, managers should not cause their staff to feel like they are being constantly monitored for poor performance because this will affect the staffs willingness to contribute towards the company. Again, either way, we see that the actions taken are closely linked to helping the organisation achieve its strategic corporate objectives. The classification system is also being used a guide for regional offices to strategically benchmark against one another to see where they stand. Ever since SCB has been experiencing a high staff turnover rate among newly recruited employees, a solution in the form of a global induction program named Right Start was implemented to curb this problem and they successfully brought down the rate of employees leaving by 5% (http://www.standardchartered.com/annual-report-07/en/business_review/people.html, 2008). SCB has also gone on to groom talents into leaders by means of providing coaching and self-help tools through various medias such as podcasts, videos and workshops. Another key concept is to allow talents to play to their strengths rather than on focusing on managing their weakness. As Hayley explains the strategic rationale on focusing on coaching talents with global roles in the bank, it is because a small 5% improvement from these top managers is enough to cause a huge positive impact on the banks earnings. Under the Best practice view in SHRM, there are 18 Key practices of which SCB can safely said to have achieved at least 50% or more: Realistic job previews; Use of psychometric tests for selection; Well-developed induction training; Provision of extensive training for experienced employees; Regular appraisal; Regular feedback on performance from many sources; Individual performance-related pay; Profit-related bonuses; Flexible job descriptions; Multi-skilling; Presence of work-improvement teams; Presence of problem solving groups; Information provided on firms business plan; Information provided on the firms performance targets; No compulsory redundancies; Avoidance of voluntary redundancies; Commitment to single status; Harmonised holiday entitlement (Source: University of Sunderland). It can be concluded that SCB is investing so much resources towards its human talent management program simply because it views it employees as human capital for the organisation and understands the wisdom in developing and managing its employees in close relation to the values and objectives of the company so that an effective workforce can be grown, and groomed to achieve the strategic objectives of the bank. Word count (865) 1.2 Comment on the relevance of this approach in the light of the recent banking crisis? Answer: The banking crisis of 2008 was largely due to the fall of banking giant, Lehman Brothers (LB). If LB had adopted SCBs view of employees as human capital in the organisation, it could have at least minimised the loss to a certain extent. For one, discussions between employers and staff would have been more open and problem issues could have been brought up and identified at an earlier stage. Inefficiencies in the organisation would have been uncovered if there were a global compilation of performance like in SCB, where CEOs were able to benchmark their performances against regional offices. In a way, having a certain amount of centralised control through talent management would also enable the monitoring of LB companies globally. It is interesting to note that when a German subsidiary of LB requested that top management in the USA forgo multi-million bonuses as a sign of taking responsibility for poor performance, the request was immediately struck off at the first instance. It seems that top management either did not know or did not bother to care what was going on in its other global offices. Therefore it is important for companies to have a solid leadership and to achieve that, organisations must start to take the first step in acknowledging its employees as key assets towards enabling the company to achieve it strategic goals and objectives. Thereafter that, the companys HR policies should be dawn to include short and long term strategies that are inline with the companys corporate objectives. Companies should also consider which view the company would adopt in relation to SHRM. For example, does the company suit the Best Practice view, Bes Fit view, Best Fit Integration view or Resource based approach? Each has its own strengths and weaknesses but the company has to decide which is the most compatible and allow the company to achieve its goals. Perhaps the culture of a company should also be set as culture can deeply affect a employees willingness to contribute positively to the company. Every organisation aims to communicate its own objectives and goals to its employees so a to align the values and attitudes of the employees towards commitment in performance for the company, and in this respect, having an appropriate culture will greatly enable the employee to settle comfortably into the company and be motivated to perform well. Retaining talent is crucial in a companys route of progress and much effort should be put into talent management where employees will feel like that are an important part of a company that cherishes their contributions and seeks to develop and groom them for further growth in their career. With SHRM as the key basic guiding principle, companys should therefore seek to create a pool of talent that will steer it in the right direction, both in good times and bad. Word Count (473) 1.3 Why is it important to measure the impact of SHRM? What might be included in a evaluation strategy to measure the impact of SHRM in an organization to achieve strategic integration? Answer: It is important to measure the impact of SHRM because, firstly, strategies that are formulated into HR policies are closely linked to the strategic objectives of its organisation. The reason why this is so is because the company understands that attitudes and performances of its employees makes a significant difference towards achieving organisational goals. Therefore when an organisation decides to employ the HR unit as a strategically, resources are being invested to make sure the HR unit contributes towards the attainment of those objectives. In measuring the impact of SHRM in a company, there are 18 Key practices of SHRM might be used to ascertain the degree of SHRM present in the company: Realistic job previews; Use of psychometric tests for selection; Well-developed induction training; Provision of extensive training for experienced employees; Regular appraisal; Regular feedback on performance from many sources; Individual performance-related pay; Profit-related bonuses; Flexible job descriptions; Multi-skilling; Presence of work-improvement teams; Presence of problem solving groups; Information provided on firms business plan; Information provided on the firms performance targets; No compulsory redundancies; Avoidance of voluntary redundancies; Commitment to single status; Harmonised holiday entitlement (Source: University of Sunderland). Other possible measurements could be in the form of appraisals where performance management objectives are being reviewed. Through the appraisals the organisation would be able to know how it is faring against the achievement of its own targets relative to the overall performance of the employees. Word count (287) Section B, Question 4 4. What are the main features of a Performance Management system? In what ways can organizations ensure that such systems fulfil strategically useful outcomes (30 marks) Answer: 4.1 Main Features of a PMS The main features of PMS are: PMS consists of business-led outcomes that may be assessed against definite business objectives; PMS is integrated with interlocking procedures and flows of information; There is a mix of quantitative and qualitative objectives; There is a focus on both system design and manner of implementation. Because PMS are sensitive to process and culture, it is hence flexible; PMS rely on a participative approach by mangers and staff alike, which can align with other organisational processes, for example, employee religions, communications and decision-making processes; Lastly PMS have a distinctive and adaptable quality of being people and systems-oriented (Source: University of Sunderland). There are 6 other features of PMS that links it to the overall business strategy of a company which might also guide organisations in ensuring strategic outcomes are met: Objective setting; Ongoing review of objectives; The development of personal improvement plans linked to training and development; Formal appraisal and feedback; Pay review; A competence-based organisational capability review (Source: University of Sunderland). 4.2 Ensuring PMS Fulfils Strategically Useful Outcomes The best way to ensure that PMS is able to fulfil strategically useful outcomes is for the organisation to be involved in the setting of performance objectives and thereafter measure those objectives. When setting clearly defined performance management objectives organisations can gear the scope and nature of the objectives to reflect the organisations own corporate goals. These performance objectives should also be linked closely to the individual employees as well as the organisations capability resources. When setting objectives, coverage should include competence and skill development, ability in meeting operational targets, and creating a suitable corporate culture. Objectives are generally defined into 3 categories: productivity and output related, job-related and person-related. For productivity and output related objectives, these are a measure of quantifiable output targets like: Cost reduction Achieving sales quota Meeting production volumes. For job related targets, these involve meeting the main objectives of the job laid down in its description according to the specified level of competence: Achieving main responsibilities and accountability. Meeting tasks as described in the job description. Meeting the obligations and service relationships to internal and external customers. For person related objectives, these affect the behavioural outcomes of the person performing his job, such as sharing knowledge an ideas with co-workers. Organisations recognise the importance of linking organisational culture with person-related objectives as it can help to bring about a positive change in the organisations culture. For instance, an organisation that wants to have a culture that is collaborative in nature will set objectives on employees and measure an employees research report on the number of references made to other employees work or the number contributions made by the employees colleagues in the report. This type of objective will change a person behaviourally so that he or she is able to meet the performance objectives. As organisations are beginning to shift away from individualistic performance objectives such financial goals and moving towards objectives which links the workforce to the corporate objectives or wider environment such as quality and effectiveness of business processes, other measurements are being introduced to maximise the potential and skill of the workforce through a commitment-oriented strategy. Thus, organisations have also realised that to engage the wider environment, they have to identify the relationship between the 3 key stakeholders an the organisation: Investors who require return on their investment through dividends; Customers who require quality and service for which they pay; And employees who require a healthy and rewarding working environment that provides job security (Source: University of Sunderland). Now that the inter-relationship has been identified, organisations are better able to communicate expected levels of competence from employees and will also be able to appropriately empower staff to deal with activities as a result of their integration. Lynch and Cross (1995), created a model that shows this relationship (see Figure 4.A). This model also identifies the broad measures and integration of objectives at each individual level. Figure 4.A shows The Performance Pyramid from Lynch RS and Cross (1995) (Source: University of Sunderland) 4.2.1 Appraisal Systems As the link between objectives and organisational resources are important, it must therefore be integrated with appraisal systems. Appraisals do the job of reviewing the performance management objectives, and it traditionally occurs annually between the manager and staff. However, as the need for objectives to stay relevant and achievable all the time, reviews of the objectives are beginning to occur more regularly. Hence it can be said that regular reviews also encourages the building of relationship and the occurrence of coaching through such regular discussions. In the design of appraisal schemes, there are 2 types of orientation schemes that emerge: the control orientation and the developmental orientation. In the control orientation approach, it is always assumed in a negative light that a senior entity in the organisation decides the goals, targets, objectives and rewards for the employees to achieve. This results in employees feeling insecure as they feel that they are being constantly monitored and may lead to a breakdown in commitment. Often, when adjustments are introduced to ease such worries, the appraisal scheme becomes ineffective as manager do not address real issues which may cause a loss in motivation or damage in relations between the manager and employee. Standardised controls are put in place so as to maintain consistency and equal treatment for all, however it sacrifices flexibility in the process. The level of impact is low on performance with the exception of a few existing high performers. Thus, this approach is effective when targets are clear and staff are used to it. The emphasis is not so much on enhancing performance through feedback and motivation but more on t he managements authority over the employees. In the case of the developmental approach, the manager is not in control whereas employees are the ones who take the initiative to address uncertainties in wanting to know how to improve themselves. Employees want to be helped and supported through problems and they learn through failures and success. The strengths in this approach include less resistance between the manger and staff, and being able to handle problems in an open way. Problems can also be dealt with on a more objective basis without souring relationships. Employees are also given high trust in their integrity. However, the weaknesses with this approach include less visible outcomes being produced and the manager has to take on a more consultative or counsellor role that they might not be able to perform well in. 4.2.2 Types of Appraisals There are a few types of appraisals which organisations may choose to adopt including the, self-appraisal, top-down appraisal, peer appraisal and multi-directional appraisal. Top-down appraisals are traditional and feedback is gathered from the staff while objectives come only from the top. The weaknesses of this type of appraisal are that too much emphasis is being placed on traditional organisational hierarchies. Favouritism might also be prevalent and employees might not have full knowledge in structures where managers posses a wide span of control. Self-appraisal methods are hardly used. It gives the employees more ownership and a much higher degree of participation in the appraisal scheme. Managers adopt a more supportive and advisory role where they engage in discussions with the staff on setting of objectives. In the upward appraisal model feedback is given from the bottom to top. Employees are often asked to provide such feedback anonymously. Organisations that use this method recognise the need to provide more effective working systems for employees to work more efficiently. In the peer appraisal model, members of the same team are being asked to appraise one another. There may be sensitivities involved when using this method as members might show favouritism to particular members or dislike towards certain members might be the reason for poor rating given. In contrast to the peer appraisal method, multi-directional appraisals sets up to obtain feedback from the outside of the team and it often also includes gathering feedback externally from customers. Its key strength is its being able to overcome the lack of knowledge from a single appraiser as it gathers feedback from many sources. However its biggest weakness lies in the lack of control over hostile ratings being given. Thus appraisals are also a tool to ensure that performance objectives meet strategically useful outcomes. Word count (1409) Section B, Question 5 5. Why are reward management systems critical to SHRM? How can organizations develop reward systems strategically? (30 marks) Answer: 5.1 Why Reward Management Systems are Critical to SHRM In strategic human resource management (SHRM), strategies that are being implemented into a companys human resource policies are closely connected with a companys main adopted strategy in order for it to aid in achieving company objectives. SHRM does so by means of recruiting, developing, maintaining and retaining an efficient, productive workforce. As employees make up a companys workforce, they should then be regarded as key assets in a company. Reward management systems are therefore critical to SHRM because they are used to reward and compensate employees in manners that impact employees positively for the company. For example, well-developed reward management systems uses rewards to motivate employees to grow and develop their potential, thereby increasing the quality of efforts contributed towards the company. Rewards and compensation systems are also critically used in aligning the culture, objectives and philosophies of the company with efforts of the employees, this allows employees to identify themselves as part of the company and thus strengthen their loyalty and commitment towards the company and its objectives (Sherman et al., 1998). In todays competitive environment where companies compete for talent and expertise, rewards play an important role in both the recruitment of talent and retention of long serving employees who have difficult-to-source tacit knowledge in their field of expertise. Having a flexible reward management system also means that a company is able harness other forms employment, for example, hiring of part-timers with relevant experience to temporarily fill in during short-term projects. 5.2 Developing a Reward System Strategically Rewards systems in companies practicing SHRM must obviously be strategic in nature. According to Lawler (1984), there are nine points to consider when making strategic decisions in developing reward systems in companies. The nine points are termed as follows: Base of rewards. Performance and Incentivisation scope for progression. Market position. Internal versus External comparison. Centralised versus de-centralised reward. Degree of pay hierarchy. Reward Mix. Process issues. Reward systems consequences/integration. 5.2.1 Base of Rewards Salaries can be based on 3 options: The type of job a person undertakes. The persons contribution in the job. The knowledge and skill level people possess within the job. The 1st option is to pay based on the growth and development an individual undertaking a job. This is typically done through internally comparing a particular job with other jobs within the company using a job evaluation which measures the tasks that the job is required to perform. External comparisons could be used, whereby companies compare the wages offered by other companies against their own. Job based rewards are typically found in larger organisations where job and pay equity is predominant; an example would be jobs in the public service sector where job grading is used. The 2nd option is to pay based on the individuals performance within his or her job and is commonly implemented in cases where the jobs are small in number or job scopes that are distinct and pay has to be individual. Performance based pay is used to balance job demands and contributions made in order to motivate the individual to enhance performance. The 3rd option is to pay based on the need to acquire new s kills and knowledge so as to enable organisations to meet the new market challenges. 5.2.2 Performance and Incentivisation scope for progression. This point considers the many types and ways of using incentives, whether as a part of an individuals salary or an additional portion. However, the main dilemma lies in reconciling strategic objectives with the use of suitable incentives to motivate and enhance employee performance and commitment to the company. Companies will have to decide the forms in which incentives will take and how it will be distributed as well as the positive and negative repercussions it might bring to the company or its employees. For example, substituting commission for a fixed bonus payout to sales employees might cause low-performers to be happy, while high-performers might become disgruntled they could have earned more on a commission scheme. 5.2.3 Market Position As labour markets are vulnerable to the economy, market trends and political influences, radical changes may happen anytime within the labour market. For example, if there is a labour shortage in certain industries, organisations would be forced to pay a higher wage to acquire the labour needed. As such, organisations are finding it difficult to sustain an internal sense of fairness that comes from a formal measurement of job equity within internal wage structures. Therefore, reward strategies need to be formulated to answer to such external uncertainties, and also be flexible (if it is not already so) enough to accommodate different wage schemes and levels when required. 5.2.4 Internal versus External comparison As reward systems are key to hiring, retaining and developing employees, it is important for a company to benchmark its reward policies against the external and internal environment. Hence, it is important for companies to understand the logic behind market rates of pay and benefit and to know where and how to collect data required to conduct pay and benefits surveys. These surveys are often conducted so that companies are able to rely on the information to make adjustments to current pay and benefit rates, thus staying competitive in their pay and benefit policies. Companies should also be able to present data in a meaningful manner so that proper analysis can take place. Job evaluaton (JE) is defined as a systematic procress by which relative worth of jobs are determined so as to establish which jobs will be paid more over others in the organisation (Sherman et al., 1998). The key features of JE are: A process which compares the relationships between jobs based on demand placed on employees. A process of judgement made by understanding of job descriptions and roles required to perform the job. A process of analysis after generating point factors from judgements, to enable job ranking. A process of structuring whereby job descriptions are formulated, problem solving, identifying key factors equivalent to job knowledge, and more. Score formulation also takes place to establish ranking, building wage structures and create job-grading systems. The important decisions to make in a JE are the selection of appropriate factors and their levels, as well as how value of factors will be expressed. 5.2.5 Centralised versus de-centralised reward Organisations often have to struggle to decide if reward systems should be managed in a centralised or de-centralised manner. Centralised controlling is tight and usually means a standardised rate of wage increment. This may cause employees to be less motivated and innovative in their contribution which becomes unhealthy for the company, this holds true for employees who belong to a business unit selling a varied number of products and services. In this case, it might be better having a de-centralised control of rewards system and empower managers with discretionary authority to reward employees accordingly, hence boosting morale. 5.2.6 Degree of Pay Hierarchy Pay hierarchies exists in organisations and reward systems are dependent on them to a large extent. Pay hierarchies show the distinct difference in power and often reflect career progression. However, organisations are gradually moving away from such distinct hierarchies in pay systems by formulating wage structures that encourages wage overlap and opportunities for increment. Graded wage structures are commonly used and though not all are exactly the same, they share common features such as: A salary grade allocated to a job based on an individuals contribution, the labour market and the degree of complexity present in a job. Salary bands or grade in which employees belong to and have to gain promotion in order to progress on to a higher salary band. Each band consists of at least minimum entry point, market or mid-point and a maximum point that employees can achieve. Salary bands are associated with each other; usually the maximum point of a starting salary band is the commencement of the next salary band. The degree of overlap will have to be determined by the organisation. As employees move up along the band, organisations will have to decide if employees move up to fixed points along the bands or should employees be allowed to skip certain points and progress at a faster rate instead. 5.2.7 Reward Mix Although pay is often identified to be the key ingredient in a reward mix, other benefits such as free annual health screening, pension schemes, certified-skill upgrades, use of company vehicles, etc, are just as useful in rewarding employees. When creating a reward mix, the challenge for companies is to identify the strategic reasons for having each benefit in the reward mix and their costs to the company. 5.2.8 Process Issues In the discussion of process issues, the 1st strategic issue to be considered is communication and transparency. As communicating pay objectives to employees clearly is important in achieving positive human resource results, the existing culture of companies usually decides how open the dialogs are. Traditional companies adopt a closed system and keep salary ranges unknown for purposes of pay review. Other companies with open systems often publicise the salary structure and criteria for which salary increment can occur. Open systems tend to instil confidence and fairness into employees as decision-making becomes more transparent and criteria are made known. The 2nd strategic issue concerns with employees degree of involvement in pay decisions. A company aiming to achieve a team-based operating culture and high employee involvement in all aspect of human resource management should consider allowing employees to be involved in determination of job salaries too. Companies adopting close -based systems usually applies HR policies onto its employees and ultimately, companies have to decide whether leveraging highly on employees trust and commitment or otherwise, is more suited to the companys culture. 5.2.9 Reward Systems consequences/integration As HR objectives change over time, so should reward objectives because rewards should be integrated into HR systems. And if the objectives are inline, then the integration between rewards and HR systems will serve well to make a positive impact on employees who in turn stays committed to churn out more positive contributions for the compan
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Death in Beowulf, Henry IV, and Paradise Lost :: Beowulf
Death in Beowulf, Henry IV, and Paradise Lost Characters in Death view their lives in retrospect and, very often, for these characters hindsight is twenty twenty. This statement holds true for any incidence of retrospect, however. When an event has passed you take yourself out of that situation emotionally and therefore lose the emotion-controlling factor which can cloud one's perspective. Assuming an after-life does exist, one may argue that the perspective you get on your life is clear because you are no longer concerned with your human emotions. This also assumes that personal enlightenment is the issue, and no divine enlightenment intervenes. Chaucer's Palinode to Troilus and Criseyde does depict Troilus as being instilled with divine enlightenment, however, and one wonders if Troilus's epiphany manifests due to divine intervention, or merely because he is now emotionally separated from his situation. In Beowulf, the protagonist represents the perfect hero. Beowulf does everything in his power to uphold this image. He fights the three monsters for his own gratification. He traveled to another land because he was considered the only man on the planet capable of killing Grendel and he wanted to prove it. Beowulf managed himself in this manner past his prime and even then wanted to prove himself in a fight against a dragon. Although he defeats the dragon, he also meets his own demise. His death is the first time that he met defeat in any form, even though he did defeat the dragon. This defeat is the first incident that would prompt Beowulf to reconsider the importance of upholding his image. At this point any change that he may consider is much too late, proving that death is a very cruel disciplinarian. Shakespeare firmly believes that death is the great equalizer. In most of his plays at least one character realizes that after death he will become "food for worms." King and peasant, prince and pauper--no matter what your social status is you will eventually come to the same fate. Henry IV is no exception. Shakespeare's characters always reach the same conclusion about death, usually in a very sobering way. This allows his aristocratic characters to undergo a change of perspective and therefore detach themselves from the situation that they are considering. In Milton's Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve experience a similar perspective change after The Fall. When the serpent leads Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, she is both tempted and curious as to what she is missing.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Nightmare Essay -- India Indian Politics Essays
The Nightmare Dreams are often visions of the conscience that hold the most truth. In the novel, Cracking India, by Bapsi Sidhwa, the narrator Lenny, has a reoccurring nightmare that contains much truth about the state of India. In Lenny’s nightmare, Children lie in a warehouse. Mother and Ayah move about solicitously. The atmosphere is businesslike and relaxed. Godmother sits by my bed smiling indulgently as men in uniforms quietly slice off a child’s arm here, a leg there. She strokes my head as they dismember me. I feel no pain. Only an abysmal sense of loss- and a chilling horror that no one is concerned by what’s happening (Sidhwa 31). Lenny’s childhood nightmare is symbolic of the condition of India prior to and during the time of Partition. The future of India is being dismembered by British rule while Indians remain passive and impartial to the destruction of their country. This portrayal of India is comparable to Gandhi’s view that the British have not taken India; India has have given their country to them. In Hind Swaraj, Gandhi suggests that India is in a state of unrest and that it will take some time for an actual awakening. Lenny’s vision of children lying in a warehouse with their guardians remaining indifferent to the suffering taking place is representative of India’s state of unrest. This suggestive state of unrest also refers to India’s tolerance of British rule. In Cracking India, the Ice-candy Man is adamant about Indians awakening from this restive state. He says, â€Å"If we want India back we must take pride in our customs, our clothes, our languages†¦And not go mouthing the got-pit-sot-pit of the English!†(Sidhwa 38) Similarly, Gandhi suggests that in order to take back India from ... ...orm (Gandhi 206). According to Gandhi, the discontent that these tortured children in Lenny’s nightmare experience will force India as a nation to awaken and provide reform to stop the cries of their youth. If the leaders of India (Ayah and Godmother) can put an end to their passive behavior and answer the insistent cries of the future of their nation (Lenny), then there is hope that despite its dismembered limbs and deep cracks, India will be able to thrive once again. Sadly enough, a nightmare is only revealed in the slumber of the conscience and once the mind awakens it is readily forgotten. Works Cited Gandhi, Mahatma. â€Å"Hind Swaraj, Modern Civilization, and Moral Progress.†The Moral and Political Writings of Mahatma Gandhi. Vol. 1. London: Oxford University Press, 1986. Sidhwa, Bapsi. Cracking India. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 1991.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Plot Line Revealed in Act 1 of Shakespeare’s As You Like It :: Shakespeare As You Like It Essays
The opening scene of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, in which there is nothing light – hearted, is completely expository and contrived but fulfilling its function of revealing the plot line to the audience. The fact that Shakespeare uses this kind of dramatic technique in the first scene twice shows that he wants to make the wickedness of Oliver perfectly clear. The action starts when Orlando, the younger brother decides to rebel against the oppression of his older brother, who is treating him like a common pheasant. He tells Oliver: ‘The spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this servitude. I will no longer endure it, yet I know no wise remedy how to avoid it.’ Orlando’s complaints are completely justified, as Oliver is mean spirited and malicious in the treatment of Orlando, which the audience can clearly see from this opening scene. Oliver appears cold and distant when he speaks with Orlando: ‘Now, sir, what make you here?’ -And this contrasts greatly with the ‘sisterly bond’ between Rosalind and Celia. Orlando approaches Oliver with defiance and a confrontational attitude, arousing the audiences interest at this quarrel, and establishing his character: assertive, honest and bold, a character that every audience will like and take an interest in. Oliver also shows that he is adept in the wordplay matches the play holds. Orlando and Oliver exchange much verbal sparring in the first scene, including when Orlando seizes his brother by the throat, Oliver exclaims, ‘Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?’ Orlando picks up the root meaning of these words, that he is a person of ignorable birth and replies, ‘I am no villain: I am the younger son of Sir Rowland de Boys; he was my father, and is thrice a villain that says such a father begot villains.’ Shakespeare uses an artful device to portray information to the audience by using the two quarrelling brothers. In Oliver’s soliloquy we can almost anticipate that he is planning something against Orlando: ‘I hope I shall see an end of him’ The opening scene begins with conflict and tension, which arouses interest in the audience. It also presents us with strong character interactions and strong feelings: jealousy, hatred and wickedness, all of which are appealing for anyone watching the play. The theme of injustice also entices the audience and the fact that Oliver is planning against his younger brother is particularly interesting.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Amendments
There are Ten Amendments ratified to the United States Constitution. These amendments are called and known as the â€Å"Bill of Rights†. The first amendment in the Bill of Rights talks about how the freedom of establish of religion, freedom of press, freedom of assembly right to petition, freedom of speech. They all have to do with people talking free in the United States and doing what they can with this amendment. The first part talks about the freedom of religion. In these case the freedom of religion lets you be in any kind of religion you want to be in the United States. In the contrary some other countries you could not be any different from others because you can be considered an outsider or an enemy to the people of that country. In addition, freedom of religion is known to be a human right. The first amendment rights to freedom of the press guarantees me the right to read any news paper, read any magazine, or right about any story, or watch any movie without having any fear that my government would censor my right to do these things. For example, if I want to release a video on the internet containing any nudity or foul language, I have the right to do so without any censorship. The government can only regulate by putting some sort of warning label on it but can not prohibit me from doing so. Also, the freedom to assemble allows us the people to gather up for harmonious and legal purposes. Implicit within this right is the right to association and belief. In other words this amendment protects us from what we believe. For example, people can organize a parade for immigration rights, and the government would be ok with it because it falls down in legal purposes to assemble. Furthermore, people can also gather up to celebrate a â€Å"Quinsenera†without any problems because this would fall down under the peacefully assemble. Now the government may also prohibit people from associating in groups that engage and promote illegal activities. The right to petition the government for justice of grievances guarantees people the right to ask the government to provide a second chance of relief to change something wrong to a right. This petition is made my court or by any other governmental action. For example, a person gets a ticket for speeding , but he or she is more than sure that he wasn’t. That person is going to try to appeal that ticket by going to court and standing in front of a judge to try to dismiss that ticket. The right to freedom of speech allows an individual to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government. This amendment gives us the right to express what we feel. We have the symbolic and the uttered way on expressing ourselves. We don’t necessarily have to speak in order to show our emotions; we could use the symbolic method to do so. We can express it by wearing clothing that symbolizes what we feel. In the other hand we also have the most common way, which is uttered. Most people express themselves by making a speech. However, our right is also limited because the government prohibits some speech that may cause a breach of peace or may cause violence. For example, someone might make a judgment that they hate someone. But just because they hate them doesn’t mean they have to kill them.
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