An Analysis Of Family Structure And Dynamics Social Work Essay Essay Example

An Analysis Of Family Structure And Dynamics Social Work Essay Paper The construct of household individuality can be defined as a household s subjective apprehension of world based on shared beliefs and experiences that determine how single members interact and associate to each other and the universe outside the household ( Bennett, Wolin, McAvity, 1988 ) . Throughout my childhood my household had two individualities: a public individuality that was shaped by social outlooks and norms, and a private individuality that was governed by the alone demands and issues that plagued our household life. From a public position we were a traditional in-between category household complete with a married twosome, three kids, and two Canis familiariss. We lived in a modest but nice place in a suburban community, my sisters and I attended private schools, and we were financially unafraid. However, few people were cognizant of the struggle, pandemonium, and maltreatment that occurred behind closed doors within our place. Our private individuality, characterized by d ysfunctional behaviours and interactions that occurred between assorted members of the household, told a really different narrative. We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis Of Family Structure And Dynamics Social Work Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis Of Family Structure And Dynamics Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis Of Family Structure And Dynamics Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The construction or organisation of my household based on forms of interactions, subsystems, and boundaries is of import in understanding the kineticss within my household of beginning ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . The genogram, or household diagram, provided in the appendix illustrates a multigenerational position of construction and relationships within my drawn-out household ( Bowen, 1978 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . However, for the intent of this paper I will concentrate on the construction of my household of beginning. My household consists of my male parent, Gerald, my female parent, Alma, and three kids: Michelle, the eldest, Jennifer, the in-between kid, and myself the youngest kid. Our household construction was governed by familial functions, regulations, and outlooks ( Nichols, 2011 ) . My male parent held the function of fiscal supplier within the household. His duty was to guarantee that the household had fiscal security. My female parent maintained the function of health professional and leader. She was the materfamilias of the household and was charged with the undertaking of keeping every facet of the place and household. My oldest sister was the whipping boy and defender within the household. Family issues were frequently projected onto her coercing her to take duty and incrimination for household disfunction ( Shulman, 2006 ) . She besides held the function of defender within the sibling subsystem, and often shielded my in-between sister and I from danger and injury within and outside the place. My in-between sister was the quiet member and theoretical account kid of the household. She is inactive and seldom expressed sentiments sing household issues, and ever made an effort to fulfill familial outlooks and demands ( Shulman, 2006 ) . As the youngest kid, I played the function of gatekeeper within the household. My end as the gatekeeper was to utilize my humor and wit to assist the household return to a province of homeostasis by easing tensene ss and reconstructing composure and peace within the household ( Shulman, 2006 ) . My household was besides governed by a set of explicit and implicit regulations and outlooks ( Nichols, 2011 ) . Explicit regulations and outlooks consisted of good behaviour, high academic accomplishment, and the completion of assorted jobs and responsibilities within the family. Implicit regulations helped strengthen household secrets and included maintaining household issues private, and prohibiting household members to discourse or admit the disfunction within the household. Additionally, my household operated as a closed system with stiff boundaries restricting input from outside beginnings ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . We were non unfastened or welcoming to outside influences and support ; instead, we internalized familial issues and jobs. My female parent s mental unwellness complicated household kineticss and contributed to the pathology within the place. My female parent has Borderline Personality Disorder which made her a polarising presence within our place due to her frequent tantrums of fury and unstable mental wellness ( Nichols, 2011 ) . Therefore, the household s attending and energy was chiefly focused on my female parent and her demands ( Nichols, 2011 ) . My female parent would often displace her choler and fury onto my sisters and I in the signifier of physical and emotional maltreatment. Her behaviour affected relationships, boundaries, and fond regard forms within the household as illustrated in the household genogram. My female parent exhibited an anxious-ambivalent fond regard to my male parent due to her at hand fright of forsaking ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . She urgently desired my male parent s love and attending, but would act in ways that created struggle and pandemonium within the matrimo nial subsystem ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . As a consequence, my male parent developed an anxious-avoidant fond regard to my female parent, which resulted in him making a stiff boundary within the matrimonial subsystem in order to protect and distance himself from my female parent s choler and attendant feelings of helpless and defeat ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My parents were involved in a cyclical pursuer-distancer form of interaction that resulted in my male parent s detachment within the matrimonial subsystem ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . The kineticss, boundaries, and fond regards between the parental and kid subsystems were every bit complicated. The relationship between my female parent and my oldest sister was filled with struggle and tenseness. My female parent was exceptionally opprobrious to my oldest sister which resulted in the constitution of disorganised fond regard ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My oldest sister perceived my female parent as terrorization ; yet, she urgently desired nurturance from my female parent and fluctuated between distancing herself from my female parent and urgently seeking comfort and security ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My oldest sister and my female parent were psychologically and emotionally entwined or fused with one another despite old ages of maltreatment ( Bowen, 1978 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My in-between sister established an anxious-avoidant fond regard with my female parent ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . As a kid, my in-between sister seldom sought aid, counse l, or comfort from my female parent as a consequence of the maltreatment she endured and my female parent s inability to adequately turn to her demands for safety and comfort ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . I established an anxious-ambivalent fond regard to my female parent in which I urgently depended on her for emotional support and encouragement despite her maltreatment, but seldom received equal comfort and nurturance ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My sisters and I have an anxious-avoidant fond regard with my male parent as a consequence of his inability to systematically supply us with comfort and safety in response to my female parent s maltreatment ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . The household kineticss, nevertheless, strengthened the sibling subsystem. My sisters and I have a secure fond regard and are able to trust on each other for support, comfort, and nurturance in the face of hardship ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . Culture and ethnicity besides played an built-in function in my household individuality and kineticss. My parents are first coevals Mexicanos and were raised in households that emphasized traditional Mexican cultural values and beliefs including a strong committedness to household, regard, trust, and faith ( Rothman, Gant, Hnat, 1985 ) . However, my parents raised my sisters and I in a bi-cultural environment that incorporated assorted facets of American and Mexican civilization and traditions. My parents emphasized trust, regard, and committedness within the household, but they besides introduced American linguistic communication, nutrient, jubilations, and values including a focal point on individualism, privateness, and accomplishment ( Rothman et al. , 1985 ; Beane, 2011 ) . Additionally, contrary to traditional Mexican civilization, there was a stronger accent on immediate instead than extended household ( Rothman et al. , 1985 ) . Religion was besides an of import cultural face t of our lives. My household is Catholic and placed a strong accent on spiritual beliefs and rites such as praying before repasts and go toing church together every Sunday. Family Crisis/Transition In June of 1992 my household, as we knew it, changed everlastingly. My male parent left our place without any anterior notice or treatment and filed for divorce from my female parent. His abrupt and unforeseen going from our place left every household member fighting with feelings of daze, confusion, contempt, choler, and anxiousness. The initial stage of the divorce procedure is identified as the most nerve-racking clip for a household due to the alterations in household construction as a consequence of the absence of a parent, and subsequent force per unit areas and demands for household members to take on new functions and duties ( Cooper, McLanahan, Meadows, Brooks-Gunn, 2009 ; Kelly A ; Emery, 2003 ) . Additionally, households frequently experience important alterations in socioeconomic, societal, and wellness resources as the consequence of a divorce that frequently increases the degree of emphasis within a household and complicates the header and version procedure ( Cooper et al. , 2009, p. 559 ; Kelly A ; Emery, 2003 ) . Harmonizing to the ABC-X Model of Family Crisis, a household s ability to set and get by with passages and crises is based on the interaction of the undermentioned variables: A-the state of affairs or stressor event, B-available resources, C-the household s perceptual experience of the event, and X-the grade of emphasis or crisis experienced by a household ( McKenry A ; Price, 1994 ) . Let us now apply the ABC-X Model of Family Crisis to analyse my household s initial response to the nerve-racking passage of my parents divorce. The stressor confronting my household was the separation, and subsequent divorce, of my parents which left the household in a province of hurt and significantly altered our household individuality, construction, kineticss, and operation. My male parent s absence resulted in important fiscal adversity for the household, which forced my female parent to come in the work force and take on the new and unfamiliar function of fiscal supplier. The duty and demands of this new function affected my female parent s ability to keep her health professional function within the household. As a consequence, my sisters and I had to take on many of her duties within the place. Initially, my oldest sister took on the function of health professional in my female parent s absence. However, my oldest sister left for college shortly after my male parent s going which resulted in important alterations to the sibling subsystem and farther complicated our household s ability to accommodate and get by. My in- between sister was forced to abandon her usual function as the quiet member, and presume the function of defender and health professional. This new function placed a great trade of force per unit area on my in-between sister and changed the moral force within the new sibling couple by increasing tenseness. Additionally, I was no longer able to successfully ease household tenseness and pandemonium as the gatekeeper, and assumed the new function of assisting my in-between sister maintain the family. The divorce besides affected household fond regard demands, boundaries, and relationships. After the divorce, my male parent was physically and emotionally cut-off from my female parent and the remainder of the household ( Bowen, 1978 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My sisters and I had no contact with my male parent for a twelvemonth following the divorce, which created a stiff boundary between him and the kid subsystem and contributed to our inability to accommodate our heartache and heal ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . Additionally, boundaries between the parental and kid subsystems, and within the sibling subsystem, became more diffuse as a consequence of the new functions and duties of each household member ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . The alterations in household construction forced my in-between sister to take on more of a parental function within the sibling subsystem. Additionally, my female parent was unable to pass as much clip within the place due to the demands of her n ew function as fiscal supplier, which created a distance and detachment between the parent and kid subsystems ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My female parent s relationship with my oldest sister was every bit affected as a consequence of the passage. After she left place, my oldest sister was able to emotionally divide or cut-off my female parent and the pandemonium within the place ( Bowen, 1978 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . However, my oldest sister continued to supply emotional support within the sibling subsystem. My female parent s mental unwellness complicated her ability to get by with the passage and adequately turn to the attachment demands of my sisters and I ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . Despite the complicated and helter-skelter relationship we each had with my female parent we urgently needed and wanted her comfort, counsel, and nurturance in response to the hurting, confusion, and anguish we were experiencing. However, my female parent s ain emotional instability rendered her unable to adequately turn to our demands for fond regard. My female parent was preoccupied with her ain demands for emotional comfort and responded in a cold and rejecting mode to our demand for comfort and security. Rather, my in-between sister and I were forced to supply comfort and consolation to my female parent and set our ain demands aside. This function reversal further complicated the interactions and boundaries between the parent and kid subsystems. Culture besides influenced my household s perceptual experience of the divorce and ability to get by with the passage. The disintegration of a matrimony and household is non good accepted within the Mexican civilization due to the strong accent on household connexion and committedness. In fact, households that experience divorce are frequently shamed and ostracized by drawn-out household as was the instance in our household system. My maternal grandparents expressed contempt and letdown in my female parent s inability to salve her matrimony and household, which created more tenseness within our household. Additionally, divorce was uncommon within our suburban community. We were the first household in our community to see a divorce and this contributed to my household s feelings of embarrassment and shame. The divorce besides altered our household s public individuality of the ideal in-between category household, and revealed some of the struggle and pandemonium within our place. Our household individuality now reflected matrimonial strife and a broken place. Our spiritual beliefs besides complicated our ability to accommodate after the divorce. Divorce is non supported or condoned within Catholicism which increased our feelings of embarrassment and shame in the Catholic community. My household had limited entree to resources following the divorce. As antecedently mentioned, our household operated as a closed system which complicated our ability to achieve equal fiscal, societal, and emotional support and aid from external systems ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . Our socioeconomic position, fiscal resources, and criterion of life were significantly minimized. We transitioned from being a financially unafraid in-between category household to populating below the poorness line in a affair of months. Our entree to societal support was besides limited as a consequence of the stiff boundaries dividing my household from external systems of support such as household friends and mental wellness professionals ( Minuchin, 1974 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . Rather, each member of the household sought single resources within and outside the household to assist relieve emotional hurt and achieve support. For illustration, my sisters and I sought support from external systems incl uding friends and instructors ( Nichols, 2011 ) . We besides relied on the unafraid fond regard we had with each other for emotional support and counsel ( Bowlby, 1988 ; Nichols, 2011 ) . My female parent sought emotional support from extended household, the kid subsystem, and her new colleagues. My parents divorce was an unexpected event that significantly increased the degree of emphasis within my household and contributed to alterations in household individuality, construction, functions, relationships, and resources. My household s opposition to seek and accept external resources and back up farther complicated our ability as a system to retrieve from our loss and adaptively header with the passage. Cultural influences besides contributed to a negative assessment of the state of affairs. My household s negative perceptual experience of the divorce resulted in feelings of hopelessness and desperation instead than an accent on problem-solving and growing ( McKenry A ; Price, 1994 ) . This negative perceptual experience significantly inhibited our ability to adaptively get by with the passage and associated stressors. My household was able to readapt construction and functions, but lacked coherence and stableness. The apogee of the event, the deficiency of sufficient resou rces, and the negative perceptual experience of the passage resulted in my household s assessment of the event as a crisis that disrupted equilibrium, increased force per unit area and emphasis within the household system, and negatively affected household operation ( McKenry A ; Price, 1994 ) .

Multiculturalism in America

Multiculturalism in America Immigrants from all around the world have been coming to America ever since the continent was discovered. The reasons that made people travel across the ocean were different, but all of them pursued the same desire for better life and happiness. Someone escaped the oppression in their motherland, someone ran from poverty and starvation, someone arrived as a refugee of war.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Multiculturalism in America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Between the middle of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century the country has received over twenty five million immigrants. Flows of people from Britain, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Poland, Italy and Greece moved to the United States. Besides, the natives from Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries also came to live there. Finally, great numbers of immigrants from South America moved to the U. S. Today, the United Stat es of America is one of the most multinational countries of the world. After millions of people of various backgrounds, religions and ethnicities have arrived and stayed in the U. S. multiple cultural clashes became inevitable. Some of the cultures and nations assimilated and adjusted, some mixed together with others. As a result, the appearance of a typical citizen of the United States is impossible to describe. Walking the streets of an American metropolis such as New York or Boston one will meet people of all kinds and backgrounds that were born and raised in the States. This country is often compared to a mixed salad or a stew, where the most diverse ingredients are cooked in one pot, creating a unique and original composition of flavors, making a dish that is unlike others. I certainly agree that the population of the United States has always been very multicultural, this country’s history and prosperity is based on the constant flows of immigration. For example, industr ialization in the U. S. was mainly pushed forward by millions of foreign arrivers that came to the American urban areas to work. Moving away from the food similes, I think that this country and its national diversity could be compared to a puzzle with a great number of pieces. All of the parts of this puzzle are different; sometimes it is hard to put them together because they do not seem to fit each other.Advertising Looking for critical writing on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Their colors and shapes vary, yet all of them belong together. Spending some effort, one will find a way to locate a couple of matching pieces and then attach more parts to the initial bit. More and more pieces put together allow the viewer see the bigger picture of the puzzle. It turns out that all of the parts that seemed so different are able to create quite a homogenous composition, and this is the strength of the final picture, its special feature. Even though the pieces seem so different, they are all interconnected, and each of them is a part of one enormous masterpiece. Of course, racial stereotypes and inequalities have created a lot of discomfort for the people of the U. S., but a lot of measures are taken by the country’s leaders to overcome discrimination based on ethnic background, and reduce the cultural clashes to the minimum. Most of the countries on our planet are shared by more than one nation; this is why the news programs are always filled with reports of cultural clashes between two neighboring ethnicities, just like the one happening at the moment between people of Russian and Ukrainian backgrounds on the territory of Ukraine. The special trait of the United States is that it managed to accumulate dozens of ethnicities, made them neighbors and empowered them to live in peace and work together for the prosperity of the whole nation.

Transport and Logistics and E-Commerce Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Transport and Logistics and E-Commerce - Article Example the bridging up of the gap of geographical locations, enabling the comparison of stocks of a product at various retailers without having to visit them personally etc. An entire e-commerce business can exist virtually except it logistics and transport operations that have their own physical existence. These operations are often spread over a large span of geographical locations especially in the case of internationally acclaimed e-commerce transactions. It is in such similar situations that logistics becomes one of the most complex areas in an e-business. It is often a preferable notion that e-commerce web portals sublet their logistics and transport related operation to third party vendors. These vendors are required to assist a business with its supply chain, warehousing of goods, and consolidation of shipments, order fulfillment and reverse logistics. A very good example of efficient and reliable third party vendors is MRL Logistics. MRL Logistics specializes in its area of logistics and transport. This is very convenient for e-commerce websites as the purpose of their business needs the most of their focus. Spending too much attention on transport and logistics may result in neglecting of basic operations. E-Commerce and Logistics are both separate ever-growing domains that need separate evolution and refurbishment on their own end. Its best suited that the people specializing for this task and fully updated in it be approached for it as they specialize in it. MRL Logistics proudly distinguishes itself as a provider of exemplary, impeccable and cost effective Transport and Logistic needs of your business. If you want your logistic needs to be fulfilled perfectly, with time efficiency and security of your freight than what else could be better than getting it done from MRL Logistics? Dr S.J.C.M. Weijers, Dr D. Rouwenhorst, P. Huijbregts, Dr Ing S. Rozemeijer. Virtual Certainties about E-commerce, Transport and Logistic. Transport Research Centre. [Online]

Speaking evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Speaking evaluation - Essay Example She does this by bringing in their life experiences, and effectively and clearly previews the major points within the introduction and transitions between them in a comprehendible format. Additionally, she re-states the thesis statement often and gives reasons as to why his husband should be re-elected and clearly reviews the major points in their concluding section, which brings the entire theme equally clear and presentable. The major points to address are presented discretely as she goes on with her speech, and she also explains on how her points build on the main thesis. Sufficient evidence is used to support the main thesis, and this helps her to draw a good and reasonable argument. In regards to the audience, she engages and inculcates good attention with the audience and delivers with a moderate pace that contributes to the meaning of the speech. Moreover, she applies gestures and speaks confidently with a commendable projection, and this shows that she delivers in a way that builds the clarity of the entire speech session. With regard to the content of the speech, Michelle offers clear and sufficient points to support her arguments. She presents a good structuring of her speech and delivers an excellent oral rendition to the audience. More so, she recorded an exemplary, excellent conversational rendition and it can be said that she successfully delivered the message in her speech. She is audible and emphasizes on her main points and this speech can be rated as

Policy and practice in the education of bilingual children Essay - 1

Policy and practice in the education of bilingual children - Essay Example The processing of cognition has consequences that come about due to bilingualism or multilingualism. Therefore, all perennial questions concerning bilingualism revolve around the relationship and connection between two different languages in the same mind. Most tutors tend to wonder whether if multilingualism has two forms of separate systems responsible for language processing or it is a single combined system. Ideally, issues regarding whether one language aids or interferes with the other are not clear but this paper will consider addressing this issue with relevance to cognition. The complexity of the system consisting of two languages may have either losses or benefits on some areas rather than mind. This means that monolinguals and bilinguals may think differently. Evaluation of the competitive views Studies concerning psychology reveal that the term â€Å"cognitive† is becoming a confusing element when discussing this topic. With reference to linguists, linguistics is an arm of cognitive psychology. This is because, it concerns human mind. However, you should be able to note that the faculty of language is entirely different from the rest of the faculties that concern human mind. This reveals that, the faculty of language is distinct from cognition. Furthermore, linguistics differentiates the abstract of knowledge commonly referred to as â€Å"competence† and the process of â€Å"cognition† that facilitates the actual comprehension and production of a speech often termed as the â€Å"performance†. Often, psychologists explore the aspects concerning the relationship between the rest of the human mind (cognition) and language. Interestingly, some models related to language competence such as the parameter setting tend to treat language as a separate kna ck of human mind. Further, these models seek to develop a difference wherein language competence becomes a distinct aspect from language performance (Harris, 2005:385). Fact-findings tell us that the manner in which an individual defines the relationship between cognitive processing and bilingualism depends on the approach and the ideology of the person asking the question. The common general manner in which people ask this question uses the normal approach whereby it is standard for people to be â€Å"monolinguals† (Heaton, Taylor, and Manly, 2003:185). Supposedly, this approach lies on the norm that human beings should only know one language but deviating from a single language comes with a cost. Contrary to this approach is the multilingualism view, which views that human beings have knowledge of more than one language (Lorentz, 2008:77). In this arena, the monolingual approach has deficiencies since it lacks the natural human heritage whereby people know more than a singl e language. What is unclear is the overall level of loss that monolinguals have for having knowledge of only one language as well as in their remaining mental processes (Hammers and Blanc, 2003:101). Evaluation of the competing views of the relationship between bilingualism or multilingualism and cognition show that people who know more than one language, possess deficiencies in knowledge and understand in their second language (Panton, 2003:39). Research findings make it clear that, perhaps, it is blindingly obvious in such cases that, people who use their second language are less efficient in it (Harris, 2005:388). While compared to monolinguals, monolinguals are more critical and efficient in their native languages since their

Literature Review of the Impact of Human Resource Management on Organisational performance

Literature Review of the Impact of Human Resource Management on Organisational performance Organisations worldwide are under pressure today to continually improve their performance. The major trends behind these competitive pressures are globalisation, advances in information technology, and increasing deregulation of global markets (Becker Gerhart, 1996; Dany, Guedri, and Hatt, 2008). These changes have a strong impact on a countrys ability to maintain its competitiveness (Laprade, 2005). Without an efficient workforce organisations lose their ability to compete, both locally and internationally, eventually leading to poor organisational performance and thus ending up with little or no economic success (Tomaka, 2001). Unlike in the past when natural resources, technology, and capital used to be the key factors to determine the competitive advantage of the firms of one nation over the other nations, human resources today in modern times have become the most important resource for the firms to obtain strategic advantage over the other firms (Dany et al, 2008). This is beca use managers in both the public and private sector organisations regard the human resources of their organisation as its major source of sustaining competitive advantage by having the best of the best Human resource systems in place for recruiting, selecting, motivating, and efficiently managing their people (Mesch, 2010). As a result of these changes in the global economic environment business strategy, the field of human resource management is rapidly changing more than ever today (Becker Gerhart, 1996). Furthermore, among all the organisation factors which contribute to organisational performance, the human resources are now regarded as the most fundamental factor (Mesch, 2010). Recent researches on HRM show strong and positive relationship between HRM practices and organisational performance (Carlson, Upton, and Seaman, 2006; Collins Smith, 2006). Therefore, it is vital for managers to have a better understanding of the role of HRM in order to create successful organisational performance. Accordingly this chapter presents a review of the literature, relevant to this research study, on the relationship between HRM practices and organisational performance. HRM and Organisational Performance Human Resource Management Armstrong (2006, p3) defines Human Resource Management as, a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets the people working there whom individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives. Human Resource Management is, the policies, practices and systems that influence employees behaviour, attitudes and performance (De Cieri, Kramar, Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright, 2008, p5). Delery and Doty (1996) assert that the HRM best practices, once identified and implemented would always produce improved organisational performance. Fox and McLeay (1992) found from their landmark empirical study of forty-nine companies, composed of companies mainly from the UK engineering and electronics sectors, strong supportive influence between six critical HRM practices in achieving successful above average sector performance relationship, over a 10 year period. These HRM practices are (ibid): Recruitment and Selection, Management Education, Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, Remuneration and Rewards, and Company-wide Career Planning. Organisational Performance A recent definition of Organisational Performance is given by Antony and Bhattacharyya (2010, p43). They define Organisational Performance as, a measure of how well organizations are managed and the value they deliver to customers and other stakeholders. According to Daft (2000) Organisational Performance is the organisations ability to achieve its objectives efficiently and effectively. Organisational Performance represents the value of the organisation in terms of the total contribution made by the efficient and effective management of its human resources (Neumann Segev, 1978). Chien (2004) strongly posits that organisational performance is composed of five major critical components. And these are (ibid, p290): Motivation Models, The Leadership, The Organizational Culture and Environment, The Work Design, and The Human Resource Management Policy. Relationship between HRM and Organisational Performance The traditional role of HRM in organisations was mainly to support the operations through managing people to win the employees organisational commitment to the goals of the organisation (McGunnigle Jameson, 2000). In consequence, HR managers had to strictly comply with the detailed procedures of personnel administration which drove the ways in which the organisations handled their human resource activities (Huselid, Jackson, and Schuler, 1997). The key HRM activities included in this regard are: recruitment, selection, performance measurement, training and development, and administration of compensation and rewards (Dany et al, 2008). In addition to performing these HRM activities HR managers have to create value for the organisations in which they work (Huselid et al, 1997). However, todays HRM focuses heavily on the organisations successful outcomes through the integration of the various HR functions (Dany et al, 2008). Ulrich (1996, p2) strongly suggests that human resources determine an organisations success in overcoming major challenges facing executives today: globalisation, value chain for business competitiveness and HR services, change, attracting and retaining intellectual capital. Together these major challenges require that HR practices create and add value that can be measured reliably (ibid). Todays top performing companies pay extraordinary attention to managing effectively the HR dimensions which affect employee behaviours: morale, motivation, attitude, commitment, etc (Cadle Yeates, 2008, p28). Each of these HR dimensions plays powerful part in determining organisational success (ibid). Modern HRM global best practices include Lawlers (1986) High-Involvement Work Systems (HIWS), Appelbaum and Batts (1994) High Performance Work Systems (HPWS), and Wood and Albaneses (1995) High Commitment Management. Research shows that these modern HRM practices have a strong and positive influence on organisational performance (Ramsay, Scholarios, and Harley, 2000). More and more researches strongly indicate that that there are positive links between HRM practices and organisational performance (Carlson et al, 2006; Collins Smith, 2006). For instance, Delery (1998, p289) asserts that, the methods used by an organization to manage its human resources can have a substantial impact on many organizationally relevant outcomes. Gerhart and Milkovich (1992) conducted studies to measure the impacts of compensation and rewards systems on the successful accomplishment of organisational goals and objectives. Likewise research study conducted by Terpstra and Rozell (1993) shows that five key HRM selection practices are linked to business profit. In his review of the key empirical studies on the relationship between HRM and organisational performance Ulrich (1997) writes that these studies investigated the impact of specific HR practices on specific successful organisational outcomes; for example, effective HR practices in training and compensation were related to business turnover, labour productivity, and organisational performance. Ulrichs (1997) review summarised that the empirical studies were based on the assumption that efficient use of human resources through best HR practices would lead to successful organisational performance. Empirical studies conducted by Huselid (1995, p635) to assess the relationship between a set of HRM practices (referred by Huselid as HPWS High Performance Work Systems, which included: extensive recruitment, selection, training procedures, formal information sharing, attitude assessment, and job design) and organisational performance of 968 large companies have shown that there is a positive relationship between HRM and successful organisational performance. The key organisational performance measures used to evaluate the high performance HRM practices in the empirical studies included: labour productivity, financial performance, and turnover (ibid). Delaney and Huselid (1996) investigated the effects of recruitment and selection, compensation, training and development, decision making, complaints and grievance procedures, promotion practices, and the combined synergetic impact of these HRM practices in 590 for-profit and not-for-profit companies. Overall, their study concluded that these progressive of HRM practices were positively associated with firm performance. Harel and Tzafrir (1999, p186), based on their extensive theoretical and empirical research as well as from the prior studies conducted by other researchers in the HR field, have identified six core components of strategic and universalistic HRM best practices that are strongly related to organisational performance. These 6 core components of HR best practices are (ibid): Recruitment; Selection; Compensation; Employee Participation; Internal Labor Market; and Training. Likewise Becker and Huselid (1999) strongly agree with the seven high performance HRM best practices put forward by Pfeffer (1998) as having strong links to organisational performance. These 7 high performance HR best practices are (Pfeffer, 1998, cited in Huselid Becker, 1999, p297): Employment Security Selective Hiring Teams and Decentralized Decision-making High Pay Extensive Training Reduced Status Distinctions Extensive Information Sharing. Each of these seven high performance HRM best practices offer options for the HR professionals to choose the appropriate ones for enhancing the organisational performance and at the same time one should remember that each of these HRM best practices form an integrated high performance HRM system (Huselid Becker, 1999, p298). Approaches to Examine HRM and Organisational Performance Relationship There are two major fundamental approaches to study the relationship between HRM and organisational performance. These are termed as: Best-Practice approach, and Best-Fit approach. Best-Practice Approach The best-practice approach claims that HRM practices are universalistic and thus any organisation can obtain enhanced organisational performance by adopting the HRM best practices for managing people in any organisational context (Boxall Purcell, 2000). Best-Fit Approach On the other hand the best-fit approach argues for a vertical fit whereby the HRM systems are integrated with the corporate strategy of the organisation for obtaining improved organisational performance within a specific organisational context (Boselie, Paauwe, and Richardson, 2003). Between these two approaches, the best-practice approach is considered to be superior by HRM professionals and researchers for examining the impact of HRM practices on organisational performance ((Hoque, 1999, p422). Cautions in Examining the HRM and Organisational Performance Relationship Although there is wide support to the idea that HRM practices lead to improved organisational performance yet there are some cautions that have to be observed. Huselid (1995), states that successful organisational performance has been obtained by high-performance firms since they were able to afford expensive HRM systems and practices and this may not be affordable to most other firms. Furthermore, leadership style could have a stronger impact over the deployment of HRM practices due to the different types of influences which the leaders can exert on their people (Becker Huselid, 2006). Organisational Performance in Public Sector Organisations The power and water sector in Oman is a not-for-profit sector. As stated earlier (in chapter 1) the power and water sector in Oman is striving for reducing its operating costs. Only those not-for-profit organisations which possess human capital resources that operate with increased professionalism and more advanced multi-tasking skills through enhanced productivity (and thus ensuring and effecting control over operating costs) can accomplish their mission successfully (Mesch, 2010). Furthermore, in the times to come, the not-for-profit sector has to inevitably pursue more efficiency and with more economies of scale in order to provide cost-effective services to their stakeholders and prove organisational effectiveness (ibid). Evaluating organisational performance in the public sector organisations is not easy and this is further compounded by the fact that measurement of organisational performance in the public sector has not been developed in the organisation theory literature (Waheed, Mansor, and Ismail, 2010). This primarily because of the following factors that are unique to public sector organisations (ibid, p330): Lack of well-defined objectives and large number of multiple objectives; Central administration; Absence of generally accepted performance indicators for measuring organisational performance; Diffused and largely fragmented responsibility because of the interdependency of the performance of the public sector organisations. As a result of which accountability is difficult to extract. Evidence from their review of the limited literature available on organisational performance in the public sector organisations show that the three most common major indicators (the other not common indicators are: relevance, and efficacy) of organisational performance used in the frameworks provided by the various researchers are (ibid, pp331-336): Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Innovation. Katou and Budhwar (2006) studied 178 manufacturing organisations in Greece to investigate the relationship between the HRM systems and policies and organisational performance. Their study used the following indicators of organisational performance from their literature review (ibid, p1226) which can also be applied to service organisations as well: Efficiency: usage of fewer resources to achieve organisational objectives; Effectiveness: achieving the organisational objectives successfully; Development: developing and building the capacity of the organisation for meeting the future challenges and opportunities; Satisfaction: satisfying all the key participants customers, stakeholders, and employees; Innovation: of products and the related processes; and Quality: enhanced higher quality of products (services). Summary This chapter reviewed the available literature relevant to this study on HRM practices that can improve organisational performance. The above review of HRM literature shows that HRM best practices is distinctly composed of recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and rewards system, information sharing, and employee participation. Organisational performance can be measured through the successful organisational outcomes in the form of efficiency and effectiveness, customer satisfaction, service quality, and labour productivity.

The Color Purple By Alice Walker :: essays research papers

The Color Purple by Alice Walker   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is a very intense book to read. By intense, I mean it is a book touching very difficult and hard aspects of life of a poor, black oppressed woman in the early twentieth century. Walker does social criticism in her novel, mostly criticizing the way black women were treated in the early twentieth century. Walker uses the life experiences of Celie to illustrate her social criticism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Color Purple is not written in the style of most novels. The author does not tell us everything about the characters, the setting, and why the characters behave the way they do. The novel is written in a series of letters, not dated. There are large gaps between some letters, but this is not revealed by the author; we have to figure it out ourselves. The letters are written in what Walker calls black folk language, which also reduces the easiness of the reading.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the novel opens, Celie is a young black girl living in Georgia in the early years of the twentieth century. She in an uneducated girl, and writes her letters in common language. Celie is entering her adolescence believing she was raped by her father and that he killed both of their children. She writes to God, because she has no one else to write to. She feels that what happened to her is so terrible that she can only talk about it to someone she feels loves her. She knows her sister Nettie loves her, but she is too young to understand. Celie believe only to God may she talk honestly and openly about her suffering. Celie is not, however, at this point, complaining to God, she is simply confiding in him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Celie was born into a poor family; her mother was sick most of the time, mentally and physically; there were too many children in the family; and Celie was abused by the man she believed was her father. Celie feels used and abused, but does not understand why. So many bad things have happened to Celie that she lacks self esteem and confidence. Celie does not even feel she is worth enough to sign her name at the end of the letters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slowly, Celie evolves into a mature woman with great confidence, but not before her sister Nettie is taken away from her, and she marries a cruel man who really wanted to marry Nettie. For a long time, Celie is almost a slave to her husband, until her husband's mistress comes to live with them to recuperate from The Color Purple By Alice Walker :: essays research papers The Color Purple by Alice Walker   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is a very intense book to read. By intense, I mean it is a book touching very difficult and hard aspects of life of a poor, black oppressed woman in the early twentieth century. Walker does social criticism in her novel, mostly criticizing the way black women were treated in the early twentieth century. Walker uses the life experiences of Celie to illustrate her social criticism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Color Purple is not written in the style of most novels. The author does not tell us everything about the characters, the setting, and why the characters behave the way they do. The novel is written in a series of letters, not dated. There are large gaps between some letters, but this is not revealed by the author; we have to figure it out ourselves. The letters are written in what Walker calls black folk language, which also reduces the easiness of the reading.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the novel opens, Celie is a young black girl living in Georgia in the early years of the twentieth century. She in an uneducated girl, and writes her letters in common language. Celie is entering her adolescence believing she was raped by her father and that he killed both of their children. She writes to God, because she has no one else to write to. She feels that what happened to her is so terrible that she can only talk about it to someone she feels loves her. She knows her sister Nettie loves her, but she is too young to understand. Celie believe only to God may she talk honestly and openly about her suffering. Celie is not, however, at this point, complaining to God, she is simply confiding in him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Celie was born into a poor family; her mother was sick most of the time, mentally and physically; there were too many children in the family; and Celie was abused by the man she believed was her father. Celie feels used and abused, but does not understand why. So many bad things have happened to Celie that she lacks self esteem and confidence. Celie does not even feel she is worth enough to sign her name at the end of the letters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slowly, Celie evolves into a mature woman with great confidence, but not before her sister Nettie is taken away from her, and she marries a cruel man who really wanted to marry Nettie. For a long time, Celie is almost a slave to her husband, until her husband's mistress comes to live with them to recuperate from

Miranda Warnings

Police officers give the Miranda warnings right after arresting criminal suspects. The warnings contain certain privilege to protect individual from self incrimination. Officers usually tell suspects the following statements: â€Å"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you, if you wish†. The purpose of Miranda is to stabilize the suspect’s psychological condition and make him reasonable when dealing with police. Usually police are required to give Miranda warnings to a suspect who is the focus of an investigation where he will be taken into custody and interrogated. Custody is a formal arrest that places a suspect in an intimidating environment and his freedom is restricted. The location where the suspect is questioned is an important factor for Miranda warnings since not all places are hostile or coercive. Some events that justify custody include questioning suspects at the police station (brought in handcuffed), in a police vehicle (locked up in the back seat with a screen), at the crime scene (when an officer is about to make an arrest), or even at his home (awakened in the wee hours of the morning or handcuffed). Furthermore, a home can be deemed custodial if police aggressively barged in to get or question the suspect. When subjected to interrogation, a suspect is given the Miranda warning since the nature of questioning is persuasive to obtain a confession or admission. There are two types of interrogations covered by Miranda: questions that can elicit an incriminating response like â€Å"Why did you kill him?† and direct questioning such as asking a suspect to write down what happened. As a general rule, however, if the suspect invokes his Miranda rights, all questioning must stop. Overall, Miranda warnings are required every time there is custodial interrogation. Reference Nolo: Your Legal Companion. (2007). Police Questioning: When Miranda Warnings Are Required. Criminal Law: Search, Seizure, and Interrogations. Retrieved February 12, 2007 Stuart, G. L. (2004). Miranda: The Story Of America's Right To Remain Silent. University of Arizona Press, Tucs

The History of Chemical Explosives

The History of Chemical Explosives An explosion can be defined as the rapid expansion of a material or device that exerts a sudden pressure on its surroundings. It can be caused by one of three things: a chemical reaction that occurs during conversion of elemental compounds, a mechanical or physical impact, or a nuclear reaction on the atomic/subatomic level. Gasoline exploding when ignited is a chemical explosion brought about by the sudden conversion of a hydrocarbon to carbon dioxide and water. The explosion that occurs when meteor strikes the earth is a mechanical explosion. And a nuclear warhead explosion is the result of the nucleus of a radioactive substance, like plutonium, suddenly splitting apart in an uncontrolled fashion. But it is chemical explosives that are the most common form of explosives in human history, used both for creative/commercial and destructive effect. The strength of a given explosive is measured that the rate of expansion it exhibits during detonation. Lets look briefly at some common chemical explosives. Black Powder It is unknown who invented the first explosive black powder. Black powder, also known as gunpowder, is a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulfur, and charcoal (carbon). It originated in China around in the ninth century and was in wide use throughout Asia and Europe by the end of the 13th century. It was commonly used in fireworks and signals, as well as in mining and building operations. Black powder is the oldest form of ballistic propellant and it was used with early muzzle-type firearms and other artillery uses. In 1831, William Bickford an English leather merchant invented the first safety fuse. Using a safety fuse made black powder explosives more practical and safer. But because black powder is messy explosive, by the end of the 18th century it was replaced by high explosives and by cleaner smokeless powder explosives, such as what is currently used in firearm ammunition. Black powder is categorized as a low explosive because it expands and subsonic speeds when it detonates. High explosives, by contract, expand as supersonic speeds, thereby creating much more force. Nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin is a chemical explosive that was discovered by Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero in 1846. It was the first explosive developed that was more powerful than black powder, Nitroglycerin is a mix of nitric acid, sulphuric acid, and glycerol, and it is highly volatile. Its inventor, Sobrero, warned against its potential dangers, but Alfred Nobel adopted it as a commercial explosive in 1864. Several serious accidents, however, caused pure liquid nitroglycerin to be widely banned, leading to Nobels eventual invention of dynamite. Nitrocellulose In 1846, Chemist Christian Schonbein discovered nitrocellulose, also called guncotton, when he accidentally spilled a mixture of potent nitric acid on a cotton apron and the apron exploded as it dried. Experiments by Schonbein and others quickly established a means of manufacturing guncotton safely, and because it had a clean, explosive power almost six times greater than black powder, it quickly was adopted for use as means for propelling projectiles in weapons.   TNT In 1863, TNT or Trinitrotoluene was invented by German chemist Joseph Wilbrand. Originally formulated as a yellow dye, its explosive properties were not immediately evident. Its stablity was such that it could be safely poured into shell casings, and in the early 20th century it came into standard usage for German and British military munitions. Considered a high explosive, TNT is still in common use by the U.S. military and by construction companies around the world.   Blasting Cap In 1865, Alfred Nobel invented the blasting cap. The blasting cap provided a safer and dependable means of detonating nitroglycerin. Dynamite In 1867, Alfred Nobel patented dynamite, a high explosive that consisted of a mixture of three parts nitroglycerine, one part diatomaceous earth (ground silica rock) as an absorbent, and a small amount of sodium carbonate antacid as a stabilizer. The resultant mixture was considerably safer than pure nitroglycerine, as well as being much more powerful than black powder. Other materials are now used as the absorbent and stabilizing agents, but dynamite remains the premier explosive for use in commercial mining and construction demolition. Smokeless Powders In 1888, Alfred Nobel invented a dense smokeless powder explosive called ballistite. In 1889, Sir James Dewar and Sir Frederick Abel invented another smokeless gunpowder called cordite. Cordite was made of  nitroglycerin, guncotton, and a petroleum substance gelatinized by addition of acetone. Later variations of these smokeless powders form the propellant for most modern firearms and artillery. Modern Explosives Since 1955, a variety of additional high explosives has been developed. Created mostly for military use, they also have commercial applications, such as in deep drilling operations.  Explosives such as nitrate-fuel oil mixtures or ANFO and ammonium nitrate-base water gels now account for seventy percent of the explosives market. These explosives come in various types including: HMXRDXHNIWONC

Ethical Dilemma Essays

Ethical Dilemma Essays Ethical Dilemma Essay Ethical Dilemma Essay Fowler, M. D. , Aroskar, M. A. (1997). Ethical Dilemmas Nursing Practice. (5th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Desjardins, J. (2009). An Introduction to Business Ethics. (3rd ed. ). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Ghillyer, A. (2010). Business Ethics: A Real World Approach. (2nd ed. ). Boston: Mcgraw-Hill Higher Education. Klein, E. R. (2003). People First! Professional and Business Ethics without Ethics. Oxford, UK: University Press Of America. MacNiven, D. (1993). Creative Morality. London, UK: Routledge. Narveson, J. (1998). Egoism and Altruism. In R. Chadwick, Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics (pp. 15-21). London, UK: Academic Press Limited. Preston, N. (1996). Understanding Ethics. Sydney, NSW, Australia: The Federation Press. Shaw, W. H. , Barry, V. , Sansbury, G. (2009). Moral issues in Business. (1st Asia-Pacific ed. ). South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.

Discuss the significance of cycle time to quality Essay

Discuss the significance of cycle time to quality - Essay Example This involves move time, wait time, processing time, execution time, inspection time and only the first which creates value. The result of cycle time increase comes along attributed to poor quality in the component parts, poor layout plan, and inadequate availability of resources and finally poor sequencing of activities. It is notable that there exist relationship between cycle time and quality of a process or a product. This relationship is focused in the context of management on customer process and the key major area of concern is to reduce cycle time to achieve good quality. From this companies and organizations achieve competitive advantage by reducing cycle time which maintaining high quality (Evans, 2010). Scope and overview of cycle time and quality It is notable that in competitive corporate markets there is increasing demand for more rapid response to clients and customers, shorter product and service and its cycle time. The fast response attributed to shorter cycle time i s one of core quality attribute. Reducing the cycle times and rapid response to customers usually results when processes, tasks, functions and job whereby all are designed to achieve high quality as well as response goals. To achieve the desired quality all the designs, activities, processes measuring the cycle time and responsiveness (Roman Gumzej, 2010). Response and cycle time improvements have been highly associated to improvements in quality which is a core component of gaining competitive advantage as well as improved productivity. Therefore it can be argued that managers need to consider response time, productivity and quality in all their strategic plans. Cycle time and quality Cycle time one of the core competitiveness factors in the context of quality that is mainly focused for improvement. It is notable that fast and reduced cycle time improves customer satisfaction as well as the internal management operations of a company or organization. Cycle time improvement is a cor e aspect of total quality management and the core major relationship is that a fast cycle time and improves quality mutually reinforces one another. In regard to customer satisfaction these include cost ownership, quality product features and on-time delivery. For internal management operations of an organization includes quality improvement in regard to time-to-market on products, improving product costs, employee morale and development expense (Roman Gumzej, 2010). Other competitive factors taken into account cycle time improvement are among those who are highly emphasized. It is notable that improving cycle time increases product and service quality. This brings in the assertion that faster cycle time and improved product and service quality are mutually reinforcing each other. This is attributed to the fact that faster and reduced cycle time reinforced with improved feedback loop for quality. This mainly results into a fast rate of service and product quality improvement. On the other hand higher quality usually improves the cycle time because less effort is used in executing work. Cycle time and quality improvement The cycle-time improvement factors should be consistent with the total quality guidance and procedures. These guidelines and procedures consist of various cycle time reduction tools. In the context of production and manufacturing industry, just-in-time strategy and simultaneous execution of operations is adopted. These

Research paper on at&t Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research paper on at&t - Essay Example Hence, both mobility and wireline services will continue to be the focal point of this company along with ISP services. The leadership at ATT is very active force that is trying to get this company ready for the future. As the concept of virtualization and cloud computing becomes more evident; the CEO of ATT is Randall Stephenson, who made great strides to position the company with his vision of Web 2.0. With the help of his CFO, John Stephens constantly collaborate with the FCC for compliance and earnings propagation. It is clear what his vision as he states, â€Å"We’re restructuring our network to shift from hardware- to software-based systems. These can be updated more quickly and cheaply, so we can stay ahead of our customers’ changing expectations† (â€Å"AT&T Support Center†). The company is a public company that is traded in New York Stock exchange as well. ATT has reported a revenue of around $32 million for their 1Q earnings (â€Å"AT&T Support Center†). ATT has been steadfast in reducing expenses by moving to equipment and assets that are not vendor specific. This has allowed the company to not rely on vendors and harness in-house development and techniques which are crucial for the long run of the company. One of the biggest vision of the company is to invest more in the 4G LTE network and slowly shutting their GSM services(an older technology). From a financial standpoint, it is clear that the organization will reap the benefits because it will be able to use its IP services for voice communications as well(â€Å"Femtocell Operator News and Opinons†) . ATT is famous for offering wireless and wireline services. The first and foremost is an effortless customer service. In the realm of effortless customer service, it is clear that ATT wants to take an initiative to provide effortless customer service via seamless integrations of tools and portals. Moreover, ATT has a grand scheme of vision that is known as 2020.  By 2020, the