Saturday, August 31, 2019

Project Report on Career Mangement Essay

In recent years, however,  career  now refers to changes or modifications in employment during the foreseeable future Career Management Career Management  is the combination of structured  planning  and the active  management  choice of one’s own professional  career. It includes 1. Development of overall goals and objectives, 2. Development of a strategy (a general means to accomplish the selected goals/objectives), 3. Development of the specific means (policies, rules, procedures and activities) to implement the strategy, and 4. To understand the career management process †¢ To find out the role of individual in career management ; how an individual make this process better. †¢ To know the organizational role I the process of career management Today with intense competition everywhere, coupled with economic changes, companies are aggressively pursuing the strategies for downsizing, outsourcing, and synergy through alliances. Pursuing strategies that result in loss of jobs is a distressing experience – both for those who get the axe and the people who are still with the company. It is in context of this corporate reality that career management assume more significance Methodology and Research Design The study attempts to understand the organization ; individual role in managing the career stages through which an average individual passes. The research methodology, which I have chosen, is deductive in which primary data collected by Questionnaire which is composed have close ended and open ended questions ; secondary data is collect by means of net ; libraries. The Career Management process The process begins with the goal setting then further stages making is shape. Goals/objectives Development The career management process begins with setting goals/objectives. A relatively specific goal must be formulated. This task may be quite difficult when the individual lacks knowledge of career opportunities and/or is not fully aware of their talents and abilities. However, the entire career management process is based on the †¢ Short term goals (one or two years) are usually much more specific and limited in scope. Short terms goals are, of course, are easier to formulate. †¢ Intermediate goals (3 to 5 years) tend to be less specific and more open ended than short term goals. Long term goals are the most fluid of all. Lack of life experience and knowledge about potential opportunities make the formulation of long term goals difficult. †¢ Making  career  choices and decisions †¢ Managing the organizational career – concerns the career management tasks of individuals within the  workplace, such as decision-making, life-stage transitions, dealing with stress etc. Taking control of one’s personal development – as employers take less responsibility, employees need to take control of their own development in order to maintain and enhance their employability. Stages of career management Career formation starts during school years and ends at the retirement age five career stages regardless of occupation can be identified as, The exploration stage This stage en ds for most individuals as they make transition from formal education programs to work. The grueling pressure and competition have left youngsters unprogrammed, exhausted, cynical, and chronically anxious about their future instead of being most optimistic and hopeful. Educational psychologists tell us that they are seeing record number of teenagers who are overwhelmed by the pressure and paralyzed by the tremendous number of choices available to them The establishment stage The period begins with the search for work and includes getting the first job, being accepted by your peers, learning the job, and gaining the first tangible evidence of success and failure in the â€Å"real world†. It begins with uncertainties and anxieties, feeling of excitement and fear and is, indeed, dominated by two problems: finding a â€Å"niche† and â€Å"making your mark† Although the specific causes of early career disappointments vary from person to person, some general causes have been identified. Studies of the early career problems of young managers typically find that those who experience frustrations are victims of â€Å"reality shock† (Ivancevich, 2004). These young managers perceive a mismatch between what they thought the organization was and what it actually is. Young professionals enter an organization with technical knowledge but often without an understanding of the organization’s demands and expectations one reason for this could be that the new recruits are not provided with realistic job preview during the recruiting process. A realistic job preview provides the prospective employee with pertinent information about the job without exaggeration. Organization role during this period could be in the area of socializing, orienting and mentoring of new recruits. When we talk about socializing, and developing employees, referring to a process of helping new employees adapt to their new organization, to get them to become fully productive, thus helping them to develop their self-efficacy level. However in this stage individuals have yet to reach their peak productivity. The organizations role here would be to provide an array of services, like career guidance and training . Training involves change of skills, knowledge, attitudes or behavior to help individuals to improve their ability to perform the job effectively and efficiently. Training thus helps them to reduce the stress that arises due to personal inadequacy. Mid- Career stage This is a period when individuals continue their performance, or level off, or begin to deteriorate. The mid level executive experiences certain pressures, Haider & Supriya 187 which is unique because of the position he occupies in the organization The growing managers display a high need for self-actualization. They seek opportunities enabling them to use their skills and knowledge to reach their creative potential. A study of Indian Industries by Nanjanath et. al. 1980) has found that, of all the factors contributing to managerial effectiveness, the individual qualities of the managers top the list. The third option for mid-career deals with the employee whose performance begins to deteriorate. This stage for this kind of employee is characterized by loss of both interest and productivity at work Loss of productivity and managerial effectiveness has been reported to be a function of personal and environmental factors. Organizational roles play an important part in increasing the individual’s effectiveness in an organization. Increased decision-making enhances the meaningfulness; employees find in work and provide them greater sense of autonomy, responsibility, certainty, control and ownership. Continued growth and high performance are not the only successful outcomes at this stage. Maintenance is another possible outcome of the mid-career stage. The organizational role here would be providing sensitivity training exercises, by getting survey feedback from employees to identify discrepancies if any, or simply moving them to another position in the organization. This can work to boost morale and productivity. Decline Stage The decline or late stage in one’s career is difficult for just about everyone, but, ironically, is probably hardest on those who have had continued successes in the earlier stages. After decades of continued achievements and high level of performance, the time has come for retirement. These individual step out of the limelight and relinquish a major component of their identity. Educational workshops and seminars and counseling sessions are an invaluable way to help the pre-retirement persons make the transition from work to retirement. Organizational efforts must include programs to facilitate pursuing careers financial planning, promotion of individual retirement programs and a comprehensive educational programs Back (1969) has suggested that the more the retirement is looked upon as a change to new status, the better the transition will be accomplished. Career management largely an individual’s responsibility If on one hand competition and cost economics are spreading insecurity in jobs and on the other hand competition and evolution of new industries which were nonexistent a couple of decades ago are opening a plethora of pportunities for the individuals to choose from. New opportunities and accompanying threats make the job markets extremely unpredictable. In such an uncertain environment, it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual to decide and make choices to pursue a desired career. Personal ambitions coupled with emerging business trends are increasingly shaping the career choice of the pe ople. An organization can at best support an individual’s aspirations if in line with its business goals. With this view of careers in today’s environment, an individual needs to change the way jobs have traditionally been looked at. A job is not merely a means of earning money, it must be viewed by the individuals as an opportunity for learning, so that when you are doing a job to fulfill you responsibility for the company, you are also strengthening your skills required to develop your career. Career management thus is primarily an individual responsibility. It is a life long process for an individual, where he continuously learns about his purpose, personality, skills and interests. [pic] An individual must continuously review learning from his assignments and try to develop alternate perspectives of the job, which helps in enriching ones’ experience. Also a periodic relook at the job and the company along with the opportunities available outside will definitely help an individual in giving boost to his career advancement. Finally, one must take some time at some important milestones to assess his progress against the long term goals a review gives an opportunity for the individual to refine clarity on long term goals, which in turn will affect his further course of action. Following points will be of immense help for an individual: †¢ Taking a long term view of where one wants to be †¢ Accept short term trade offs for long term benefits (low pay offer or some lateral move, which are vital for career development and contact building) †¢ Judicious decision between specialized jobs and isolated jobs †¢ Building the right connections – both inside and outside the firm †¢ Assess oneself honestly †¢ Keep abreast of changes and capture first mover advantage †¢ Plan our exit (timing, convenience and dignity) [pic] Challenge for HR matching career aspirations with business needs Employee loyalty to the company is higher when the job fulfills intrinsic needs and personal goals of the employees. By assisting an individual in planning his career and providing opportunities for career development, an organization can ensure higher loyalty and productivity from employees. Challenge for HR professional is to match and support career expectation of performers with organizational requirements.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Motivational techniques used by infosys Essay

Staff surveys are usually very helpful in establishing whether staffs in your company are motivated and therefore performing to best effect. Aside from the information that questionnaires reveal, the process of involving and consulting with staff is hugely beneficial and motivational in its own right, (see the ‘Hawthorne Effect’). Whilst your survey will be unique to your company, your staff issues, your industry and culture, some useful generic guidelines apply to most situations. Although not exhaustive, the following ten points may help you cover the relevant subject areas and help towards establishing facts rather than making assumptions about motivation when designing your own questionnaires on employee motivation. Ten tips for questionnaires on employee motivation 1. What is the ‘primary aim’ of your company? Your employees may be more motivated if they understand the primary aim of your business. Ask questions to establish how clear they are about your company’s principles, priorities and mission. 2. What obstacles stop employees performing to best effect? Questionnaires on employee motivation should include questions about what employees are tolerating in their work and home lives. The company can eliminate practices that zap motivation. 3. What really motivates your staff? It is often assumed that all people are motivated by the same things. Actually we are motivated by a whole range of factors. Include questions to elicit what really motivates employees, including learning about their values. Are they motivated by financial rewards, status, praise and acknowledgment, competition, job security, public recognition, fear, perfectionism, results†¦ 4. Do employees feel empowered? Do your employees feel they have job descriptions that give them some autonomy and allow them to find their own solutions or are they given a list of tasks to perform and simply told what to do? 5. Are there any recent changes in the company that might have affected motivation? If your company has made redundancies, imposed a recruitment freeze or lost a number of key people this will have an effect on motivation. Collect information from  employees about their fears, thoughts and concerns relating to these events. Even if they are unfounded, treat them with respect and honesty. 6. What are the patterns of motivation in your company? Who is most motivated and why? What lessons can you learn from patches of high and low motivation in your company? 7. Are employee goals and company goals aligned? First, the company needs to establish how it wants individuals to spend their time based on what is most valuable. Secondly this needs to be compared with how individuals actually spend their time. You may find employees are highly motivated but about the â€Å"wrong† priorities. 8. How do employees feel about the company? Do they feel safe, loyal, valued and taken care of? Or do they feel taken advantage of, dispensable and invisible? Ask them what would improve their loyalty and commitment. 9. How involved are employees in company development? Do they feel listened to and heard? Are they consulted? And, if they are consulted, are their opinions taken seriously? Are there regular opportunities for them to give feedback? 10. Is the company’s internal image consistent with its external one? Your company may present itself to the world as the ‘caring airline’, ‘the forward thinking technology company’ or the ‘family hotel chain’. Your employees would have been influenced, and their expectations set, to this image when they joined your company. If you do not mirror this image within your company in the way you treat employees you may notice motivation problems. Find out what the disparity is between the employees image of the company from the outside and from the inside.  © Blaire Palmer 2004-12.  tips on structure, format and style of employee questionnaires Use the questionnaire guidelines above when creating content and subject matter for your employee motivation and satisfaction questionnaires and surveys. Here are some additional tips about questionnaires and surveys structure, format  and style: Create a clear, readable ‘inviting’ structure. Use ‘white-out’ boxes for answers, scores, and for check-boxes, which clearly show the parts which need completing. Use a clear 11 or 12 point (font) typeface. 10 point is difficult to read for some people. Avoid italics and fancy graphics – they just make the document more difficult and more time-consuming to read. Look at the writing tips and techniques for other useful pointers in creating good printed communications. Apply the same principles if your survey questionnaire form is online (ie., screen-based). Where possible try to use specific questions with multiple-choice answers, rather than general ‘open-ended’ questions. Specific questions improve clarity and consistency of understanding among respondents, and a multiple-choice format enables the answers to be converted into scores which can be loaded into a spreadsheet and very easily analysed. General or vague questions on the other hand tend to lead to varying interpretation (or confusion) among respondents; also, by inviting an open-ended answer you will generate lots of narrative-based and subjective opinions, which might be very interesting, but will be very time-consuming to read, and even more time-consuming to analyse, especially if you are surveying a large group of employees. Here is an example: Open-ended question: What do you think of the Performance Appraisal System? (This will produce varied narrative responses = difficult to analyse.) Multiple-choice question: Rate the effectiveness of the Performance Appraisal System in providing you with clear and agreed training and development: Good/Okay/Not Good/Poor (By asking respondents to check boxes or delete as necessary the multiple-choice answers will produce extremely clear answers to a specific question that can be converted into scores and very easily analysed) Use four options in multiple-choice questions rather than three or five. Three and five options typically offer a middle ‘don’t know’ or ‘average’ selection. Using four, with no middle cop-out will ensure that everybody decides one way or the other: satisfactory or not, which is what you need to know. Mid-way ‘average’ non-committal answers are not helpful, so avoid giving respondents that option. If you go to the trouble of creating, managing and analysing a huge staff survey surely it’s a good idea to produce as much meaningful data as possible. Certain questions are suitable for numerical or percentage scoring by respondents, in which case  use such a system (again ensure you avoid offering scores which equate to ‘average’ or ‘don’t know’). For example: Score-based question: Score the extent to which you enjoy your work: 1-5 = don’t enjoy, 6-10 = enjoy. (By providing a clear differentiation between do and don’t, this 1-10 scoring system gives a wide range of choices, and at the same time a clear result.) Check with a sample of respondents that they understand the draft questions in the way you intend, before you print and issue the questionnaire to all six hundred or however many staff. Designing questionnaires and communications in isolation can produce strange results – not just politicians get out of touch – so check you are actually on the same planet, in terms of your aims, language and meaning, as the people whose views you seek. Make sure you explain to all staff beforehand that you’ll be publishing the survey findings, and then afterwards ensure you do so. And then act on the findings. If your MD/CEO is not fully behind your initiative, then go work for a different company whose MD/CEO properly supports the concept of consulting the folk whose efforts underpin his success (not to mention his share options, second home and Porsche etc.) Allow people to complete the survey questionnaires anonymously. If helpful to you and you have a purpose for doing so, you can ask people to identify which department/region/office they belong to, assuming such information is genuinely useful to you and you can handle the analysis. KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. Break complex questions into digestible parts. Keep the survey to a sensible length – probably 20 minutes to complete it is a sensible limit of most people’s tolerance. You can always follow up later in the year with another survey, especially if people enjoy completing it, and they see that the feedback and analysis process is helpful to them as well as the employer (see the point about MD/CEO support above). By all means at the end of the questionnaire invite and allow space for ‘any other comments’, or better still try to guide respondents towards a particular question. On which point, wherever it is necessary to ask an open-ended question, use the words ‘what’ and ‘how’ rather than ‘why’, if you want to discover motives and reasons. What and How will focus respondents on the facts objectively, whereas ‘why’ tends to focus respondents on defending themselves. Examples: It’s okay to ask: What factors could be changed to help staff enjoy their work more in the XYZ depot? Whereas it’s not very clever to ask: Why is there such a crap attitude among staff at XYZ depot? The second example is daft of course, but you see the point. managing (just), or leading? In this excellent guide article by motivation expert Blaire Palmer, ten central points (for some, myths) of employee motivation are exposed and explained, many with real case study references and examples. employee motivation principles – a short case study – sounds familiar? When Michael started his own consultancy he employed top people; people he’d worked with in the past who had shown commitment, flair and loyalty and who seemed to share his values. But a few months down the line one of his team members started to struggle. Jo was putting in the hours but without enthusiasm. Her confidence was dropping; she was unfocused and not bringing in enough new business. Michael explained to Jo the seriousness of the situation. Without new business he would lose the company and that would mean her job. He showed her the books to illustrate his point. He again ran through her job description and the procedures she was expected to follow. He told her that he was sure she was up to the job but he really needed her to bring in the new business or they would all be out on their ear. Jo told Michael that she understood. She was doing her best but she’d try harder. But a month later nothing had changed. After an initial burst of energy, Jo was back to her old ways. No matter how experienced a leader you are, chances are at times you have struggled to motivate certain individuals. You’ve tried every trick in the book. You’ve sat down one-to-one with the individual concerned and explained the situation. You’ve outlined the big vision again in the hope of inspiring them. You’ve given them the bottom line: â€Å"Either you pull your finger out or your job is on the line†. You’ve dangled a carrot in front of them: â€Å"If you make your targets you’ll get a great bonus†. And sometimes it works. But not every time. And there have been casualties. Ultimately if someone can’t get the job done they have to go. The granddaddy of motivation theory, Frederick Herzberg, called traditional motivation strategies ‘KITA’ (something similar to Kick In The  Pants). He used the analogy of a dog. When the master wants his dog to move he either gives it a nudge from behind, in which case the dog moves because it doesn’t have much choice, or he offers it a treat as an inducement, in which case it is not so much motivated by wanting to move as by wanting choc drops! KITA does the job (though arguably not sustainably) but it’s hard work. It means every time you want the dog to move you have to kick it (metaphorically). Wouldn’t it be better if the dog wanted to move by itself? Transferring this principle back in to the workplace, most motivation strategies are ‘push’ or ‘pull’ based. They are about keeping people moving either with a kick from behind (threats, fear, tough targets, complicated systems to check people follow a procedure) or by offering choc drops (bonuses, grand presentations of the vision, conferences, campaigns, initiatives, etc). 10 management motivation examples to illustrate that there are better ways to motivate employees Blaire Palmer’s experience has enabled her to work with a wide range of individuals and groups from a variety of backgrounds. Some of these people are highly motivated themselves, but struggle to extend this state of mind to the people they manage. Other people are at the receiving end of KITA motivation strategies that (obviously) aren’t working on them. These people know they ‘should’ be more engaged with their work. Sometimes they fake it for a few months but it’s not sustainable. In this paper Blaire identifies some common assumptions about motivation and presents some new paradigms that can help motivate more effectively. By adding these coaching tools and motivation principles to your capabilities you should find the job of leading those around you, and/or helping others to do the same, more of a joyful and rewarding activity. Instead of spending all your time and energy pushing and cajoling (in the belief that your people’s motivation must come from you) you will be able to focus on leading your team, and enabling them to achieve their full potential – themselves. Ultimately, motivation must come from within each person. No leader is ever the single and continuing source of motivation for a person. While the leader’s encouragement, support, inspiration, and example will at times motivate followers, the  leader’s greatest role in motivating is to recognise people for who they are, and to help them find their own way forward by making best use of their own strengths and abilities. In this way, achievement, development, and recognition will all come quite naturally to the person, and it is these things which are the true fuels of personal motivation. By necessity these case studies initially include some negative references and examples, which I would urge you to see for what they are. How not to do things, and negative references, don’t normally represent a great platform for learning and development. In life it’s so important always to try to accentuate the positive – to encourage positive visualisation – so, see the negatives for what they are; silly daft old ways that fail, and focus on the the positives in each of these examples. There are very many. motivation example 1 – ‘everyone is like me’ One of the most common assumptions we make is that the individuals who work for us are motivated by the same factors as us. Perhaps you are motivated by loyalty to the company, enjoying a challenge, proving yourself to others or making money. One great pitfall is to try to motivate others by focusing on what motivates you. Marie, a director in her company, was being coached. She was a perfectionist. Every day she pushed herself to succeed and was rewarded with recognition from her peers. But she was unable to get the same standard of work from her team members. In the first few weeks of her coaching she would say, â€Å"If only people realised how important it was to put in 110% and how good it felt to get the acknowledgment, then they would start to feel more motivated†. But it wasn’t working. Instead people were starting to become resentful towards Marie’s approach. Acknowledgment was a prime motivator for Marie so to help her consider some other options, she was helped to brainstorm what else might motivate people in their work. Marie’s list grew: ‘learning new skills’, ‘accomplishing a goal as part of a team’, ‘creativity’, ‘achieving work-life balance’, ‘financial rewards’ and ‘the adrenaline rush of working to tight deadlines’. Marie began to see that perhaps her team were indeed motivated – it was simply that the team members were motivated in a different ways to her own. If the leader can tap into and support the team members’ own motivations then the leader begins to help people to realise their full potential. motivation example 2 – ‘no-one is like me’ Since the 1980’s, research has shown that although we know that we are motivated by meaningful and satisfying work (which is supported by Herzberg’s timeless theory on the subject, and virtually all sensible research ever since), we assume others are motivated mainly by financial rewards. Chip Heath, associate professor at Stanford University carried out research that found most people believe that others are motivated by ‘extrinsic rewards’, such as pay or job security, rather than ‘intrinsic motivators’, like a desire to learn new skills or to contribute to an organisation. Numerous surveys show that most people are motivated by intrinsic factors, and in this respect we are mostly all the same. Despite this, while many leaders recognise that their own motivation is driven by factors that have nothing to do with money, they make the mistake of assuming that their people are somehow different, and that money is central to their motivation. If leaders assume that their team members only care about their pay packet, or their car, or their monthly bonus, this inevitably produces a faulty and unsustainable motivational approach. Leaders must recognise that people are different only in so far as the different particular ‘intrinsic’ factor(s) which motivate each person, but in so far as we are all motivated by ‘intrinsic’ factors, we are all the same. motivation example 3 – ‘people don’t listen to me’ When some people talk, nearly everyone listens: certain politicians, business leaders, entertainers; people we regard as high achievers. You probably know people a little like this too. You may not agree with what they say, but they have a presence, a tone of voice and a confidence that is unmistakable. Fundamentally these people are great sales-people. They can make an unmitigated disaster sound like an unqualified victory. But do you need to be like this to motivate and lead? Certainly not. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the only people who can lead others to success and achieve true excellence, and are the high-profile, charismatic, ‘alpha-male/female’ types. This is not true. James was a relatively successful salesman but he was never at the top of his team’s league table.  In coaching sessions he would wonder whether he would ever be as good as his more flamboyant and aggressive colleagues. James saw himself as a sensitive person and was concerned that he was too sensitive for the job. James was encouraged to look at how he could use his sensitivity to make more sales and beat his teammates. He reworked his sales pitch and instead of focusing his approach on the product, he based his initial approach on building rapport and asking questions. He made no attempt to ‘sell’. Instead he listened to the challenges facing the people he called and asked them what kind of solution they were looking for. When he had earned their trust and established what they needed he would then describe his product. A character like James is also typically able to establish highly reliable and dependable processes for self-management, and for organising activities and resources, all of which are attributes that are extremely useful and valued in modern business. When he began to work according to his natural strengths, his sales figures went through the roof. Each of us has qualities that can be adapted to a leadership role and/or to achieve great success. Instead of acting the way we think others expect us to, we are more likely to get others behind us and to succeed if we tap in to our natural, authentic style of leadership and making things happen. The leader has a responsibility to facilitate this process. motivation example 4 – ‘some people can’t be motivated’ While it’s true that not everyone has the same motivational triggers, as already shown, the belief that some people cannot be motivated is what can lead to the unedifying ‘pep-talk and sack them’ cycle favoured by many X-Theory managers. Typically managers use conventional methods to inspire their teams, reminding them that they are ‘all in this together’ or that they are ‘working for the greater good’ or that the management has ‘complete faith in you’, but when all this fails to make an impact the manager simply sighs and hands the troublesome employee the termination letter. The reality is that motivating some individuals does involve an investment of time. When his manager left the company, Bob was asked by the site director, Frank, to take over some extra responsibility. As well as administrative work he would be more involved in people management and report directly to Frank. Frank saw this as a promotion for Bob and assumed  that he would be flattered and take to his new role with gusto. Instead Bob did little but complain. He felt he had too much to do, he didn’t trust the new administrator brought in to lighten his workload, and he felt resentful that his extra responsibility hadn’t come with extra pay. Frank was a good manager and told Bob that he simply had to be a little more organised, and that he (Frank) had complete belief in Bob to be able to handle this new challenge. But Bob remained sullen. So Frank took a different approach: He tried to see the situation from Bob’s point of view. Bob enjoyed his social life, but was no longer able to leave the office at 5pm. Bob was dedicated to doing a good job, but was not particularly ambitious, so promotion meant little to him. Bob was also expected to work more closely now with a colleague with whom he clashed. Then Frank looked at how Bob might perceive him as his boss. He realised Bob probably thought Frank’s hands-off management style meant he didn’t care. To Bob it might look as if Frank took no direct interest except when he found fault. Finally, Frank looked at the situation Bob was in to see if there was anything bringing out the worst in him. He realised two weeks of every month were effectively ‘down-time’ for Bob, followed by two weeks where he was overloaded with work. Having set aside his assumptions about Bob and armed with a more complete picture from Bob’s point of view, Frank arranged for the two of them to meet to discuss a way forward. Now the two were able to look at the real situation, and to find a workable way forward. While there is no guarantee that this approach will always work, ‘seeking to understand’, as Stephen Covey’s ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ puts it, is generally a better first step than ‘seeking to be understood’. It’s easier to help someone when you see things from their point of view. motivation example 5 – ‘but I am listening’ We are always told how valuable listening is as a leadership tool and encouraged to do more of it. So, when we remember, we listen really hard, trying to catch every detail of what is being said and maybe follow up with a question to show that we caught everything. This is certainly important. Checking your email, thinking about last night’s big game and planning your weekend certainly stop you from hearing what is being said. But there is another important aspect to listening and that is: Listening Without  Judgement. Often when an employee tells us why they are lacking motivation we are busy internally making notes about what is wrong with what they are saying. This is pre-judging. It is not listening properly. Really listening properly means shutting off the voice in your head that is already planning your counter-argument, so that you can actually hear, understand and interpret what you are being told. See the principles of empathy. This is not to say that ‘the employee is always right’, but only when you can really understand the other person’s perception of the situation are you be able to help them develop a strategy that works for them. Listening is about understanding how the other person feels – beyond merely the words that they say. motivation example 6 – ‘if they leave I’ve failed’ What happens if, at their meeting, Bob admits to Frank that he doesn’t see his future with that company? What if he says the main reason he is demotivated is that he isn’t really suited to the company culture, and would be happier elsewhere? Has Frank failed? Not necessarily. It’s becoming more widely accepted that the right and sustainable approach is to help individual employees to tap in to their true motivators and understand their core values. Katherine Benziger’s methodologies are rooted in this philosophy: Employees who ‘falsify type’ (ie., behave unnaturally in order to satisfy external rather than internal motives and drivers) are unhappy, stressed, and are unable to sustain good performance. Effort should be focused on helping people to align company goals with individual aspirations. Look at Adam’s Equity Theory to help understand the complexity of personal motivation and goals alignment. Motivation and goals cannot be imposed from outside by a boss – motivation and goals must be determined from within the person, mindful of internal needs, and external opportunities and rewards. Sometimes the person and the company are simply unsuited. In a different culture, industry, role or team that individual would be energised and dedicated, whereas in the present environment the same person doesn’t fit. Sometimes ‘success’ doesn’t look the way we expect it to. A successful outcome for an individual and for a company may be that a demotivated person, having identified what sort of work and environment would suit them better, leaves to find their ideal job elsewhere. You  succeed as a leader by helping and enabling people to reach their potential and to achieve fulfilment. If their needs and abilities could be of far greater value elsewhere, let them go; don’t force them to stay out of loyalty. Helping them identify and find a more fitting role elsewhere not only benefits you and them – it also enables you to find a replacement who is really suited and dedicated to the job. True leaders care about the other person’s interests – not just your own interests and the interests of your organization. motivation example 7 – ‘the same factors that demotivate, motivate’ When asked what brought about lack of motivation at work, the majority of people in research carried out by Herzberg blamed ‘hygiene factors’ such as working conditions, salary and company policy. When asked what motivated them they gave answers such as ‘the sense of achievement’, ‘recognition’, ‘the opportunity to grow and advance’ and ‘greater responsibility’. Herzberg’s findings about human motivation have been tested and proven time and gain. His theory, and others like it, tell us that the factors that demotivate do not necessarily motivate when reversed. The conventional solution to dissatisfaction over pay levels would be to increase pay in the belief that people would then work harder and be more motivated. However, this research shows that whilst increasing wages, improving job security and positive working relationships have a marginal impact, the main factors that characterise extreme satisfaction at work are: achievement, recognition, interesting work, responsibility, advancement and growth. So it follows that leaders who focus on these aspects – people’s true motivational needs and values – are the true leaders. Help people to enrich their work and you will truly motivate. motivation example 8 – ‘people will rise to tough challenges’ Many managers hope to motivate by setting their people challenging targets. They believe that raising the bar higher and higher is what motivates. Tracey was an effective and conscientious account manager. Her boss habitually set her increasingly tough objectives, which Tracey generally achieved. However, in achieving her targets last month Tracey worked several eighteen-hour days, travelled extensively overseas, and had not had a single weekend break. Sometimes Tracey would mention to her boss that the effort was taking its toll on her health and happiness. When Tracey handed in her latest monthly report, her boss said, ‘You see? It’s worth all the hard work. So, don’t complain about it again.’ Her boss’s belief was that Tracey would get a sense of satisfaction from completing an almost impossible workload. He was relying on her sense of duty – which she had in bucket-loads – to get the job done. But this is the KITA style of motivation. It doesn’t really acknowledge a dedication to the job or a sense of pride. Its leverage or ‘motivation’ is simply a lack of choice. Job enlargement is different to Job enhancement. Herzberg’s research shows that improving the ‘meaningfulness’ of a job (see also motivation example 7) has the motivational impact, not simply increasing the amount of pressure or volume of the tasks. Achievement for achievement’s sake is no basis for motivation – a person’s quality of life must benefit too. motivation example 9 – ‘I tried it and it didn’t work’ When you try new things – new motivational ideas, especially which affect relationships and feelings – it is normal for things initially to get a little worse. Change can be a little unsettling at first. But keep the faith. People are naturally sceptical of unconventional motivational approaches. They may wonder why you have suddenly taken such an interest in them. They may feel you are giving them too much responsibility or be concerned that changes in the way they work may lead to job losses. Herzberg’s research is among other evidence, and modern experience, that after an initial drop in performance, people quickly adjust and respond to more progressive management and motivational attitudes. Supporting and coaching people through this stage of early doubt is vital. Encourage and help people to grow and develop, and performance improvement is inevitable. motivation example 10 – ‘this type of motivation takes too much time’ If you’ve absorbed the ideas above, you might wonder where you would find the time to motivate people using these approaches. It is true that this style of leadership, sustainable motivation, commitment and focus is in the beginning more time consuming than ‘KITA’ methods; this is bound to be,  since KITA methods require far less thought. Engaging fully with your staff, understanding their wants, desires and values, getting to know them as individuals and developing strategies that achieve a continuous release of energy is more intensive and takes time to work. But consider the advantages. This investment of time means you will eventually have less to do. Instead of constantly urging your people along and having to solve all the problems yourself, you’ll be the leader of a group performing at a higher level of ability and productivity, giving you the chance to step back from fire-fighting and to consider the bigger picture. Herzberg was not alone in identifying that leaders need invest in the development of their teams, and also of their own successors. See leadership theories. Douglas McGregor’s X-Y Theory is central too. So is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, from the individual growth perspective. And see also Bruce Tuckman’s ‘Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing’ model. All of these renowned theories clearly demonstrate the need for teams, and the individuals within them, to be positively led and developed. Your responsibility as leader is to develop your team so that it can take on more and more of your own responsibility. A mature team should be virtully self-managing, leaving you free to concentrate on all the job-enhancing strategic aspects that you yourself need in order to keep motivated and developing. The technical content of this article was provided by UK-based expert in organizational development Blaire Palmer, which is gratefully acknowledged. Name:- Sunil Kumar Sharma EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This project is an attempt to give knowledge about Motivational technique of Tata steel company on their employees. It aims to make its reader well versed with each and every aspect of Kingfisher Airlines. It throws light on the following:- 1. In 1st Chapter you will find the objective of doing the project on Tata Steel 2. In 2nd Chapter of this report, you will find that the research methodology of the report is mentioned. 3. In 3rd chapter you will find an  overview of Tata Steel, in which you will find it’s the history of Tata Steel, current destination, departments, motivational technique, steps dose HR manager takes to manage employee of organization. In it you will also find about the Events, Awards, about the Management Team. 4. In 4th Chapter you will find conclusion and suggestion on the project on Motivational Technique of Tata Steel 5. In 5th Chapter you will find some of the limitations of project being face by me. 6. In 6th Chapter you will find the various sources I referred for gathering information. This project is overall an attempt to make you aware or to cover every possible aspect of Tata Steel in Delhi. OBJECTIVE 1. To understand the importance of employee motivation in Tata Steel 2. To analyze the monetary method of motivating employee 3. To analyze the non-monetary method of motivating employee 4. To understand the difficulties/challenges found in caring out the strategies 5. Finally, to recommend how Tata Steel can improve its motivational strategies LIMITATION 1. The data could be gathered from secondary source thus any error in the information would have also got replicated in this report 2. Time constraint was the major limitation faced by the researcher 3. Another problem was knowledge constraint and this report was an attempt to gather as much of relevant data as possible 4. Another constraint was the lack of information regarding proper route map by the organization due to which it could not be included in the project report 5. Difficult to meet right people at Tata Steel for project concern 6. Very expensive CONCLUSION AND SUGESTION After doing a study of this project representing on Motivation technique of leading company Tata Steel, I have come to a conclusion that Tata Steel is one of the largest and most widespread of the manufacturing company and well planned in motivational tools, Tata Steel have adopted various technique for all different level of management In all Tata Steel Organization, new approaches to motivation are being used. In many territories, the strategies  are manual but, as automated methods become more pervasive, those mechanisms that support its use will assume greater popularity Whatever the strategies selected for use, the objective is to motivate employees and make him more qualified, committed individuals into the organizations and ensure that the provision of Tata Steel to the their employee is timely and effective, that the goods are of consistent high quality and that the organizations achieve the objectives for which they have been established Tata Steel also manage their Monetary and non monetary methods of motivation system between all level of management according to their preference RECOMMENDATION 1. From the above research on motivational technique of Tata Steel they should be categorized their employee according to their motivational methods and make a research on it that which employee wants monetary method of motivation and which employee prefer non monetary method of motivational technique 2. Most probably all employee should be motivated by both method somehow that create a balance between employees thinking 3. There are many levels of management in Tata Steel organization I prefer him to take care of separate department 4. Tata Steel needs to undertake aggressive motivational technique at a time of emergency 5. New approaches should be identified and rewarded so that it serves as example for others Motivation Techniques at Microsoft Motivation Techniques at Microsoft With more than 4,000 of its 27,000 employees already millionaires, Microsoft faces the challenge of figuring out how to motivating its employees though means other than pay raises. While this problem is not unique to Microsoft, the circumstances under which this problem evolved however, are. As a company that must caters to the needs of the ‘professional’ worker, Microsoft’s motivational strategy should center around recognition of individual employee achievements, the work itself, responsibility, growth, and other characteristics that people find intrinsically rewarding. By simple virtue of its position as a high-tech company – where highly trained, highly skilled ‘professional’ workers account for the vast majority of its  employees – under normal circumstances money factors would play only limited role in actually motivating employees. As a company composed of ‘paper millionaires,’ Microsoft is in a unique position – while many Microsoft employees may be labeled ‘professional’ employees, the company’s financial position will play a special interest to many of its employees. As Microsoft stock-holders, the average Microsoft millionaire (the so called paper millionaire’) has a vested interest in helping the company succeed and advance its financial position. This is true because the stockholder will directly correlate the amount of money they earn with the perceived worth to the organization. Driven by the idea that their financial success or failures are directly related to the performance (as well as public image) of the company, these employees will work with great vigor to maintain the success of their company. Until their financial position no longer depends on the company’s stock performance – that is, until theses employees sell their stock and secure their fortunes – the Microsoft millionaires will likely view themselves as masters of their own destiny. Hard work, they are likely to reason, will translate into better company performance which in turn, will translate into steady (if not increasing) stock performance. Clearly, money plays an important role in motivating job performance. But as mentioned earlier, money has its limitations as a motivator, especially in the world of the ‘professional’ worker. In the work of management theorist Frederick Herzberg, a fair salary is considered a â€Å"hygiene† factor – something people need as an incentive to do the jobs they are hired to do. Hygiene factors include adequate workspace, light and heat, and the necessary tools such as a computer or telephone. Without any of these items, employees will be demotivated and unable to do their jobs. Having all of these items, however, will enable employees to do their jobs but will do nothing to help them do the best job possible. Getting people to do their best work is more a function of what Herzberg call â€Å"motivators.† These include praise and recognition, challenging work, and growth and development opportunities. As ‘professional’ workers Microsoft’s employees have, for the most part, meet their hygienic needs. Microsoft employees are largely skilled workers who derive satisfaction from their work itself. Such workers possess a strong sense of commitment to not only their field of expertise but also to their employer as well. As such, Microsoft’s employees will want to identify with the success of their profession and their organization. Since professionals often enjoy the challenge of problem solving, some of the rewards of their job will likely come from the work itself. This implies that managers should provide professionals with new assignments and challenging projects. Managers should give the professional autonomy to follow their interests and allow them to structure their work in ways they find productive. Professionals should be rewarded with recognition and educational opportunities that allow them to keep current in their fields. Recognition boosts employees’ esteem and performance. Recognition, on the other hand, is what you do above and beyond what people are paid to get the best effort from employees. Compensation is a right, but recognition, however, is a gift which validates the importance of their work.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009).

Introduction This book by Treverton (2009) is argued here to be a vitally important area of work that looks specifically at the way in which the use of intelligence has naturally had to change as a result of modern society. Interestingly, although there is a clear aim not to apportion blame specifically for the recent atrocities, the author indicates that he feels there is a link between the United States and their flawed approach to intelligence and the high profile terror attacks that have taken place in the US. Significantly, the author is very careful not to apportion blame or finger point and maintains a balanced and critical approach when trying to establish a link and to look at the role of intelligence. Main Arguments Presented In this book, the author actually goes on to break down the failures, in order to try to identify the impact that the specific shortcomings are having on the magnitude and nature of the target of the threats. He recognises in this analysis that, in many cases, the intelligence approaches are enshrined in the Cold War security approaches of looking at the organisation and the tactical decisions of the intelligence offerings, rather than focusing on the actual threats that are being faced in the current climate (Riley et al 2005). One of the main aspects of the book which provides added value to the information that is being presented is that, although the author spends time identifying the failings, he also spends some considerable time looking at the way in which the changes he suggests could be implemented, in practice. As a professional with experience in the field, this shows and adds considerable value to what would otherwise be a potentially academic discussion. In order to achieve this, the author takes a very pragmatic view, with the initial stage being to look at the nature of the risks that are looking at being targeted from intelligence operations. He states that recognising the threats is the first step towards then being able to r ecognise the way these should be handled. It is this pragmatic approach which looks at both the practical reality and the academic study that makes this book so informative in the area of intelligence being used in the terror context. The author follows themes and after identifying them he then goes on to look at how intelligence should be reformed to deal with the modern challenges. In order to identify the best way to deal with intelligence and to look at the reform of intelligence culture, there is a need first to consider the actual route of the threat and where it emanates from. One underlying argument and theme which is presented by the author here and which adds particular value to the discussion, in the opinion of the reviewer, is to look at the role of the nation state as being at the root of the changing dynamic. For example, during the Cold War, the focus of terror attacks was typically nation states and as such the intelligence gathering focussed on these entities. As ti me has passed, the nation states have become much more than simply target areas. Nation states can often offer a great deal of information that adds to the knowledge and understanding of the general issues of intelligence. Increasingly however in the modern context, the non-state actors play a vitally important role and it is argued by the author here that much of the role of the modern intelligence officer is to look at understanding the distinctions and various nuances that exist within these non-state actors, in such a way that their own motivation and actions can be better understood (p.141) Linked to this thread of discussion and again a vitally important aspect of the role of intelligence is that there are considerably more individuals, groups and entities that are involved in the area of intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism. With this increased number of people involved, the author places a great deal of focus on the idea that, whilst agencies may well have the technol ogy to share information, they do not necessarily have the appropriate policies in place and therefore the underlying policies need to be reviewed, if modern challenges are going to be dealt with. As an overall position, the author maintains that there needs to be a reasonable means of supplying information across all relevant actors and to ensure that the information which is being presented is relevant and measured, so that the correct people can react quickly and appropriately. By focusing on some of the practical difficulties faced in the current climate, it is argued here that the author gains a much higher degree of legitimacy than other academic analyses in this area may achieve; in particular, the author recognises that it is necessary to take a balance between the need to improve security, but also to provide privacy and security for individuals’ information (Snowden, 2002). He notes that paying attention to legality and legitimacy is in fact increasingly important t o the anti-terror efforts and that there then needs to be a total review of the policies associated with anti-terror activities as the main way of managing and combating such issues. He supports this by suggesting that factors such as encouraging intelligence authorities to create a method whereby they can share information with other entities in a constructive and balanced manner is as important, if not more so, than the actual intelligence itself. Conclusions On balance, it is argued that this book presents an interesting and well informed opinion on the modern challenges facing the intelligence industry. By being an author who has practical experience in this area, it is suggested that this allows the text to gain legitimacy and also to take a more rounded view of the challenges being faced. Finally, providing practical and well backed up suggestions for the future means that this text presents real value to the area of intelligence and counter terrorist activities. It is concluded, therefore, that this is a well-balanced and informative text that fills a gap within the current understanding of the intelligence industry. Reference Riley et al., (2005) State and Local Intelligence in the War on Terrorism, Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation Snowden, D (2002) Complex Acts of Knowing: Paradox and Descriptive Self-Awareness, Journal of Knowledge Management, Special Issue, September. Treverton, G. (2009). Intelligence for an Age of Terror. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Critical thinking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical thinking - Assignment Example This might be one of the reasons the company is not growing as Henry seems to be micromanaging which is in the process stifling the organization he is trying to build. The very management style that is employed by Henry, the very management style that was critical in taking the company off the ground which is evidently based on a zealous focus on tactical execution is evidently derailing the growth of the company down the line. In this case, Henry is lost in the heat of battle, and has evidently failed to adapt their management style to the rapidly evolving needs of their growing organizations. A quick look at the organization structure and going by Henry’s responses, one would easily reveal the problem instantly. Providing his personal review of invoices before they were sent to customers is part of the problem which like he says cuts into a lot of time. Compounding this problem is the fact that the office is open which does not give him a place where to concentrate on the type of

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Case study analysis - will upload case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analysis - will upload - Case Study Example (Yoffie, 2009, p. 1) This notion quite obviously reflects the strategic decisions, which the two companies often come up with to capture the different unexplored segments of the market. However the carbonated soft drinks industry in the United States of America suddenly declined as the annual consumption of carbonated soft drinks decreased in US, and in the year 2004 it reached a constant low. (Yoffie, 2009, p. 1) The two companies definitely got affected by the downward trend of the industry, but in different ways. This particular case study analyzes the strategic management decisions that the two separate companies adopted, in the segments of bottling, pricing and brand promoting, in order to sustain their growth in the declining beverage market of United States. The focus is on the various strategic approaches adopted by the two cola companies in order to attain a desired position in the market. The strategic changes adopted by the two players in the case study ensure that the com petition or the cold war between the two will continue for the years to come. The foundation of Coca-Cola, which is the older of the two companies, dates back to the year 1886. A pharmacist named John Pemberton was the first to discover the formula for the potion and in the year of 1891, Asa Candler obtained the formula and with a specific objective started a sales force to distribute the product under the brand name of Coca-Cola. (Yoffie, 2009, p. 5) The first bottling franchise for the particular company was opened in the year 1899, and the growth rate was so substantial that within a gap of eleven years the company acquired about three hundred and seventy franchises in USA. (Yoffie, 2009, p. 5) With growth and popularity there were also direct threat to the brand image of Coca-Cola as there were an eminent number of imitators in the industry who

Monday, August 26, 2019

There are 3 options and the writer can choose 1 to write on Essay

There are 3 options and the writer can choose 1 to write on - Essay Example In the event that social inclusion refers to the obligation of all members of the society to include individuals secluded by society based on bias or unjustified reasons, then preventing the birth of people with individuals via genetic intervention cannot be justified. The paper holds that preventing the birth of individuals with disabilities within the present social system is immoral and exclusive of people with disabilities. From Chance to Choice Introduction One of the dominant ways in which the human condition could be altered is through the enhancement of fundamental human capacities. If one of the partners carries a version of a gene that could prejudice the offspring to inherit conditions that they want to avert, then gene manipulation may appear a viable way to safeguard the undesired outcome. Disability represents a physical or mental condition that individuals have a powerful preference not to be, which in some sense can be considered as a â€Å"harmed condition.† T his elevates the significance of probing the normative questions raised by such prospects (Robertson,1996. Background In the article titled â€Å"from Chance to Choice,† Buchanan et al. ... The prediction on whether support will reduce as science reduces the occurrence of genetic diseases is much less reasonable today, than it would have been two decades ago. This disregards the possibility that those who may not be disabled can possess legitimate interests in minimizing the rate of disabilities (Buchanan, Brock, Daniels, & Wilker, 2000). The interest that individuals have in not having disabilities can be regarded as morally legitimate; however, in some instances, the interest may be irrelevant since the disability can be averted only by safeguarding the existence of the individual who might be born with the disability. The incidence of genetically based diseases may be minimized devoid of preventing the birth of individuals who might have disabilities. Hence, argument on the loss of support must be rejected as it fails to award any weight to the legitimate interests that individuals possess in averting disabilities. Buchanan et al. (2000) makes a distinction between b eing harmed and being wrongly harmed. Furthermore, the loss of support argument is exclusionary, which render it flawed since it considers only a section of legitimate interest at stake and award no weight to the legitimate interests that individuals have in not having disabilities (Sherlock & Morrey, 2002). Discussion I agree with the presented notion that utilizing germ line choice to eliminate disabilities is immoral and harmful. Overall, there exists an inherent ethical objection to the pursuit of altering genes of future generations given that such an action cannot be labelled as a â€Å"therapy† of a set future offspring, but rather relies on a â€Å"eugenic† judgement on the worthiness of

How does a study of popular culture help researchers understand how Essay

How does a study of popular culture help researchers understand how financial reporting information is valued by society - Essay Example Financial reports are then prepared to mirror the popular culture that prevails in monetary terms. Thus, ideally these reports should replicate the popular culture and should tell if that suits the well being of a country or not. Critical theory encompasses the idea of popular culture. It involves the examination and analysis of a society and its culture. Recently, Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions have been used to describe national or, better put, popular cultures. Hofstede’s ideas are based on a large scale research project to bridge cultural differences globally and to come up with a global popular culture! It uses data obtained from sixty-four countries. These studies identify five dimensions. These dimensions can be used to analyze how similar or different countries are. Based on these, their financial reports should mirror the popular trends that prevail and should compare the financial status of the countries in a considerable time period. The first dimension is of power distance, second one being individualism, third masculinity, fourth uncertainty avoidance and last one being long term orientation( Hofstede, Geert). Power distance index is used to measure the degree to which author ity is distributed lopsidedly within an association or an institution (and even in families). It also implies that a society’s degree of disparity is authorized by the supporters as much as by the leaders. The analysis of power distance shows significant differences amongst countries, Germany has a power distance index of 35 while Arab countries have a power index of 80. The second dimension of assessing the popular culture according to Hofstede is individualism. In this, it is compared whether the citizens prefer to look after themselves only, i.e. if they prefer individualism or if they prefer collectivism and like to help others. On the individualistic side, we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose. Everyone takes care of himself

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Othello - debating the rationale of why Iago betrayed him and try to Essay

Othello - debating the rationale of why Iago betrayed him and try to argue a justification for it - Essay Example Perhaps for this reason, the earlier play is generally viewed as one of the playwrights lesser achievements despite its successful debut and significant modern restagings. Thereafter, Shakespeares relative emphasis on the revenge formula gradually diminishes. To be sure, the warring families in Romeo and Juliet fit the revenge motif, as does Antonys rabble-rousing speech against the conspirators in Julius Caesar. But by Hamlet, the heros interest in revenge becomes reified into artistic ornaments like the play-within-the-play entitled The Mousetrap. Thus, I agree with Judge Posner that Hamlet is "not really about revenge," though I am less certain that the "theme of maturing" bears heavily on the plot (Law 67). (2) My point is that revenge becomes less and less insistent in Shakespearean tragedy until in Timon of Athens the hero does no bloodletting at all. Othello is among those mature tragedies transcending vengeance even while representing brutal retribution. Othello commits rash deeds that precipitate the tragedy in a way that the revenge formula cannot comprehend, however bloody the results--and they are indeed bloody (Othello). Therefore, Iago’s betrayal was not justifiable because in this play, it was necessary to explain how society works with corruption Some people like Iago believe people should not express what they feel for another person because he thought Othello’s judgment was clouded by him being in love. His way of thinking may stem from his hatred of women and would explain the murder he committed. This forced him to betray Othello so that he would focus on politics more than his personal relationship. Iago’s murder of Emilia could also stem from the general hatred of women that he displays. Some readers have suggested that Iago’s true, underlying motive for persecuting Othello is his homosexual love for the general. He certainly seems to take great pleasure in preventing Othello from enjoying marital happiness, and he

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Smoke Signals, I Stand Here Ironing Movie Review

Smoke Signals, I Stand Here Ironing - Movie Review Example logue from the perspective of a mother who, whilst ironing has her presence requested for meeting from a school administrator regarding her daughter Emily. It is upon this foundation that the mother begins to recall the childhood of her daughter who is now a nineteen year old woman. It is made abundantly clear that the mother I actuality has very little control over her daughter and feels underappreciated though she does still have strong feelings. It is only through a gradual process does the reader come to learn that her daughter had a childhood full of poverty where the narrator identifies that she was in fact nineteen years old when she gave birth toe Emily. Both the narrator and Emily suffer from abandonment issues owing to the husband/father abandoning the young pair. It is at this point that the narrator leaves the child with the husband’s family further presenting abandonment issues for Emily who ultimately was sent to a sanitarium. In the film â€Å"Smoke Signals† one finds a tale between two young men, Thomas and Victor who share the same father figure named Arnold. Victor is the actual son of Arnold and Thomas was saved by Arnold from a burning house which took the lives of his birth parents. It becomes apparent that Thomas idolizes Arnold as a savior and Victor views Arnold through a very critical lens. After Arnold dies the two men must travel across the country to retrieve his ashes and it is upon this foundation that the two men make begin to begin to vent their frustrations and come to grips with their true feelings regarding their father figure ultimately dealing with issues of abandonment, alcoholism and the true origin of the fire that took the life of Thomas’s parents (Arnold started the fire by accident with a fire cracker). The film culminates with Victor becoming more compassionate towards his father and his situation whereas Thomas reasserts his deep admiration of Arnold. From the outset the comparisons between the film and the short

Friday, August 23, 2019

Personal identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal identity - Essay Example Basically, the personality identity of a person is totally constituent to the relation of brute physicality and either different bodies or the systems that sustain life although this should be at different time. The body theory states that we usually use human body criterion to identify ourselves time and again. Schick and Vaughn believed that in the case of person changing his or her body with another, it don’t change but it remains to be the same person therefore it can be the person’s body that makes through the change. There are two distinctive simple views of personality identity which are basically that are non-reductive and view of wholly reductive (Schick and Vaughn 234). The bodily substance theory of personality identity has a major perception of the concept of continuous existence of the human body. However, there is an argument about the identification of the human body which will still be similar for a given period of time. The human body goes through sever al changes as it grows from young to old. During this particular time, human body transforms by gaining and losing body matter thus they would not have the type of matter they had in the past. Thus, it would be a problem to have continues persistence of the human body and personal identity for a long period of time in the existence of a person’s body. ... f the body especially the biological way of view of this account which looks similar with those of other approaches of biology but don’t have common stand concerning the issue of personality identity The person’s mind is said to constitute some immaterial substances. According to the mind concept of dualist, the materials are totally separated from the body. This concept thus states that incase a person is to be identified, then it should be with his or her mind but not his or her body. Ideally, if a person was to be identified using his or her mind which will be present over a given period of time in the absence of his or her body then personal identity can be based on the non-physical substance. On the other hand this will take into consideration the change in human body substance. However, the mind-body problem shows some concern with the given explanation and its relationship of the existence of minds and the process of mental in relation with the state or process o f the body (Schick and Vaughn 289). Personal identity is based on consciousness but not on the substance of body or the soul. This is assertion is strongly fostered by John Locke who believes that we are the same people provided that we remain concuss about our specific past and be conscious of the future and be in a position of acting the same as we are acting in the present. According to Locke, if consciousness is what goes hand in hand with the human substance that makes up the person, then personal identity can only be found on the basis of acting repeatedly in relation to the human consciousness. As a result it implies that personal identity cannot be found in the substance identity but in the identity of consciousness. Thus, personal identity is not grounded on the person’s soul but on a

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Things They Carried Essay Example for Free

The Things They Carried Essay Throughout his novel, the things The Carried, author Tim O’Brien uses a plethora of strategies to give the reader a deeper incite into the day to day life of an American ground soldier during the Vietnam War. O’ Brian shares with us his extensive knowledge and first hand experiences throughout the novel. Being a veteran of the Vietnam War helps O ‘Brian gives us a look into American’s longest war, not often given. Aside from recalling past events, he uses many unique techniques that we may be less used to. The first is the use of characters and objects as representations. This is one of the tactics most often used in the book. Another way that O ‘Brian uses rliterature to emphasize a point is the use of meta-fiction. This is basically telling the truth in a lie. Lastly, his knowledge and experiences add another dimension to this book that can really engage the reader. All of these components working together are what has mad the Things They Carried, such a critically acclaimed book. I have found that a good strategy to use when reading this book, is to remember that often times things are not what they seem. The book was filled with figurative language and representation the O ‘Brien uses to emphasizes and support his points. This strategy is used with both people and objects. In the book, there are characters that O ‘Brian tells us that he served with in the war, but in interviews told people that he fictionalized them to emphasize his point. An example of this would be Mark Fossie’s girlfriend Mary Ann Belle who visits the men in Vietnam. She is the classic example of the â€Å"American girl†. â€Å" A tall, big-boned blonde. AT best, Rat said, she was seventeen years old, fresh out of Cleveland Heights Senior High School. She had long, white legs and blue eyes and complexion like strawberry ice cream. Very friendly, too. She is a representation of what all them men left behind when the joined the war. The young, attractive, and vibrant girl is a dramatic contrast to the death and destruction that they are forced to endure everyday. As time goes on and Mary spends all of her time in a war zone surrounded by men, there is a dramatic change in her character and personality. She starts to embrace the death and carnage that the war zone is filled with. â€Å"Everything I want, is right here. † –Mary. Legend says that she disappeared into the black of the jungle, never to be heard from again. This experience shatters Mark Fossie’s erception of Mary as a harmless beauty, which was a thought he would use to escape from the horrors of war. Another example of this use of characters are more than a character to add to the plot is O ‘Brian’s daughter Kathleen. She, much like Mary, is young and naive. Although to the naked eye she would appear to be nothing more than a little girl, she actually represents how war has affected the soldiers. She may show Tim what he was, pre-war and how being sent to the front lines at such a young age can turn anyone to a little girl. Meta-fiction is one of my favorite literary devices. It is essentially the use of lies to tell the truth. This may sound contradictory but in certain cases, there is not factual information or, â€Å"truth† to support your point. An example of this from â€Å"the Things They Carried† would be the scene where Kiowa died. This event never actually never happened during O ‘Brian’s service despite the fact that he tells it this way. This is because as far as the message that the author is trying to tell us about the Vietnam War, Kiowa’s death represents more than just a soldier dying in battle. â€Å"Kiowa was gone. He was under the mud and water, folded in with the war. † He may have known many men that died in combat but none in a way that is this representative. The mud and water where he sunk into and eventually died represents the way that the war can bog someone down. Whether you die in combat or not, a piece of your is almost left on the battle field. This is the point that O ‘Brian is trying to make. Another example of meta-fiction was the entire chapter titled, â€Å"The Man I Killed†. In this chapter, the young Tim O ‘Brian shorts a man in the face. After, the kill, he goes over and inspects the dead body. He inspects it from head to toe, paying special attention to the star shaped bullet wound where the victim’s eye should have been. Again, while one may just assume that this is just the author talking about a man he killed, but in this situation, this never even happened. In fact, O ‘Brian tells us that he never even saw any of the men that he killed. He was to s cared to â€Å"see a life ended by his trigger†. He inserts this chapter because this is how he imagines seeing a man that you killed you feel, and look like. Even if he had looked at the man he had killed, the real experience may not have captured all the emotions that this fictionalized scenario would. This is a tactic used by writers because these cenarios that they create can capture emotions and powerful moments that may not have happened but still feel real. The more knowledge and author has on a given subject usually results in a better final product. O ‘Brian’s personal experiences in the Vietnam War assures us that the stories and information we are receiving is as first hand as it comes. Rather than just reciting dates and facts like a history textbook, he shares with us what it was actually like to be risking your life in the field. While some of the stories he tells are admittedly fictionalized, most are not. Even those that are often are based on some fact or true event. Tim O ‘ Brian’s personal experiences help him in achieving his goal of giving us a look into the day to day life of a foot soldier in Vietnam. All of these devises utilizes by O ‘Brian help make the Things They Carried one of the best war books that I have ever read. Symbolism, meta-fiction, and personal experience help give the reader a more personal look into America’s longest war. I believe that Tim O ‘Brian was very successful in accomplishing his goal of giving readers an in depth look into a war that is often not talked about for what happened on the battle field.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Soap Operas and the politics of everyday lives Essay Example for Free

Soap Operas and the politics of everyday lives Essay Language is use for communication and to convey our ideas. It can also be used as a social marker. It creates meanings and it is also considered as a source of power (Larson, :180). Power relations are also embedded in the langauge of soap operas. Soap operas are said to be reflections of reality, it mirrors the class struggle between the rich and the poor. It demonstrates how those who are in power easily manipulate the poor but later in the story the poor will be vindicated. This is the semantic dimension of language; solidarity and power assymetry of superior over inferior. Identification with both the hero and the heroine does not entail a cognitive choice, but draws upon a repertoire of unconscious process. Both is not a random object, but rather a particular commoditized human, routed through a system of signs with exchange value (Friedberg, 1990:109). To look at an object may mean various things in the subconscious mind, one is to grow like it by forcibly trying to imitate it. Working-class members are more inclined to identify with dramatic character, whereas people with higher cultural capital, including aesthetics, are more inclined to maintain a critical distance to the narrative. The ideological problematic of soap opera – the frame or field in which meanings are made, in which significance is constructed narratively – is that of ‘personal life’. More particular, personal life in its everyday realization through personal relationships. This can be understood to be constituted primarily through the representations of romances, families and attendant rituals – birth, engagements, marriages, divorce, and deaths. In Marxist terms this is the sphere of the individual outside waged labor. In feminist terms it is the sphere of women’s ‘intimate oppression’ (Brunsdon, 1997:58). The spectator is a person who experiences little, who feels that he [sic] is a â€Å"poor wretch to whom nothing of importance can happen,† who has long been obliged to damp down, or rather displace, his ambition to stand in his own at the hub of world affairs; he longs to feel and to act and to arrange things according to his desires†¦ And the playwright and the actor enable him to do this by allowing him to identify himself with a hero†¦ His enjoyment is based on an illusion. (Freud, 1990:89). By identifying with the person onscreen, the person is displacing oneself, which Freud suggests as â€Å"blowing off steam†. Identification with the actor serves the audience to make this an outlet for unfulfilled desires, by identifying with the performer, one would create a venue where the actor serves as a tool for the satisfaction of the viewer. The viewer puts himself in the actor’s place and relates with all the ups and downs that the actor experiences in his life. The actor’s success is also the fan’s success. Soap operas are usually criticized by the stereotypical and unrealistic manner in which they portray women, which confirms them more in their subordination in the society. According to Brunsdon, there was a feminist rejection of soaps which is in effect homologous with the traditional cultural contempt for soaps. This was followed by a certain reevaluation which coincides across the women’s movement of conventionally feminine skills such as embroidery and the admission of enjoyment in some of the pleasures of traditional femininity, like dressing up. ‘Heroine television’ is centrally about female characters living their lives, usually working both inside and outside the home, usually not in permanent relationships with men, sometimes with children, and trying to cope. Soap opera is not quite ‘heroine television’ but it was mainly attractive to feminists as an object of analysis because it was perceived to be both for and about women. The ‘personal is political’ is the most resonant and evocative claim of the 1970s western feminism. If the personal is political, if it is in the home, in relationships, in families, that women’s intimate oppression – or the oppression of women as women – is most consensually secured, then the media construction and representation of personal life becomes fascinating and an urgent object of study. If the traditional leftist critique of the media, with its structuring sense of class conflict, was drawn to the reporting of the public world – to industrial disputes, to the interactions of state and broadcasting institutions, to international patterns of ownership and control – emerging feminism scholarship had quite another focus. The theoretical impulse of feminism pushed scholars not to the exceptional but to the everyday. So the theoretical conviction that there was politics to everyday life and that women’s hidden labor in the home was essential to capitalism coincides with the actual generic distribution of women on television (Brunsdon, 1997:57). Television is very important in the struggle for meaning and representation, especially in the construction of daily life common sense. Television can fortify the existing cultural domination by presenting inequality as normal or contribute, in special cases, to subversion by providing discourses which present it as oppressive and illegitimate, or offering possibilities for alternative reading (Vink, 1988:124). In most soap operas, women are seen as commodities that are subordinate to men, yet women can kill in order to get the man she loves. The poor are manipulated to the rich man’s desires and are helpless to fight back. Women are subjected to physical violence or symbolic oppression. Thus, resonates male dominance in the society. Women as inferior entity while men are the superior ones (Larson, :185). In these lopsided relations, the poor are powerless against the people in power. This powerlessness further widens the gap between the rich and the poor. The use of language of a particular group can de attributed to their class position in the society. Social class can be a combinationof wealth, power and prestige. Likewise, it is also attached to individuals or group of individuals relationship to economic production. A persons class position is determined by their economic power (Labov, 1997:45). Because soap operas are viewed on primetime, which means that the whole family is able to watch since the children are back from school and the husband is back from work, soap operas have a bigger audience. They see on television acts rendered on the poor and females thus making the viewers docile and passive. Consequently, they refrain from doing things that are not supposed to be done by their class which is to assert their rights. Soap operas also justify violence and show that it is just part of normal occurrence. Thus it is accepted that women, poor and orphaned children may be maltreated, exploited or beaten up; men can beat up their wives and use alcohol as an excuse; and the privileged status of spoiled brats in convent uniforms give them a right to abuse household help. The treatment an authority imposes on everyday life seems to be so strong that people project it onto the speech of the characters and refer to them while placing themselves in a subordinate position in this fictive relationship (Fachel, 1985:216). Television, as a dominant cultural industry, plays a central role in imposing a view of this type of social world. The understanding of the power relations in society and of the categories necessary for them is the basis of political struggle which the powerful appropriate to themselves. Another effect of the television is that people can relate more to the celebrities than to their neighbors. Example of this is the death of Rico Yan which was given too much hype by the media. Most poor went out of their way to view his body as it lay in state. His death even surpassed that of National Artists who died almost the same week as the young actor. The people’s sympathy is even stronger for someone who they do not have ties with than with people form their own packages. Because a celebrity’s life is an open book, they know more about that person than their next-door-neighbors. In the Philippines, a person, an actor, can be voted in the highest position in the land. Because of extensive media mileage a person can get elected. An important factor is identification with the personality. In urban poor areas, people usually identify with someone they see on television as â€Å"one of them†. If the actor portrays roles as the hero of the masses, then this will be what people will remember off screen. They are voted because the people think that since they have already portrayed the role therefore they are presumed to have the background and experience regarding governance. Watching soap operas during prime time also contributes to the disintegration of families. These hours are the only time that members of the family are present in the households and should be the venue for family gathering during dinner. This should serve as the time to talk about what happen during the day, instead the members of the family are in front of the television watching soap operas. Instead of eating in the dining table, some members of the family eat in front of the television so that they would not miss a scene in the soap opera. The only time where they could talk and bond as a family is robbed by the viewing of telenovelas. Though soap operas can also contribute to the topics that are discussed, the things that happened in the soaps would be discussed to friends during the afternoons and not with the family members. After watching soap operas during prime time, it would be late in the evening that there is no more time to interact with one another. People can relate to the events in soap operas because somehow it is also what they are experiencing in their daily lives thus art reflects life. By watching telenovelas, they can pick up something that can somehow relieve the burden of their problems. But whether this can solve their problems is another story. Passivity and acceptance of their lot is the order of the day. It is precisely this confrontation between fiction and reality which can have a subversive effect: showing the viewer that reality can be different, that class and/or gender oppression are not natural but changeable. It is not only identification with telenovelas heroes or heroines, but also with the villains that can open the eyes of the viewers to the fact that life can be different. This can produce a suspension of the immediate attachment to the existing social world and is, as such, a first step in the process of emancipation, a precondition of collective action, based on a common identity (Vink, 1988:169). Soap opera viewers should be able to distinguish between reel and reality. Even if there are some celebrities with good credentials who can be elected for a public position, being an actor and the role that one portrays should not be the only factor why they are voted. Instead of portraying reality, media in this case shapes the perspective and view of people according what they media want to represent. Watching soap operas should also be limited because they create stereotypes and limit critical thinking among its viewers. Also, family disintegration would continue if members of the family would continue to ignore each other by watching television. The family is still the most important unit in a society. Instead of just identifying themselves with the actors and actresses in soap operas, the viewers should know that they can do better than just identify themselves with them. As individuals they also have the capacity to succeed on their own without just being satisfied by what their idol accomplishes because they can also do the same.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Overrepresentation Of Minority Students In Special Education Programs

Overrepresentation Of Minority Students In Special Education Programs Overrepresentation or disproportionality of minority students in special education programs is an ongoing problem that has plagued our nation for several decades. Overrepresentation can occur in many areas but is most prevalent when considering a students ethnicity. Disproportionality refers to the extent to which membership in a given à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ group affects the probability of being placed in a specific disability category (Oswald, Coutinho, Best, Singh, 1999, p. 198). For example, government reports have revealed that African American students constitute over 14% of the school-age population yet they represent 20% of the students placed in special education (Losen Orfield, 2002). Klinger et al., (2005) reported that African American students are twice as likely than White students to be labeled as mentally retarded, one time more likely to be labeled as learning disabled, and over one and half times as likely to have an emotional or behavioral disorder. Disproportionate representation of ethnic and racial minorities has historical connections to educational segregation and discrimination. Dunn (1968) first raised concerns about this issue in the sixties. He described the disproportionate number of minority students being labeled as mentally retarded and placed in self-contained classrooms which raised significant educational and civil right concerns. Ferri and Connor (2005) have also maintained that disproportionality has historical roots. After schools were integrated in 1954, following the Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the number of African American students placed in special education programs increased. Students were being grouped or placed according to their academic ability. This practice resulted in many African American students being grouped together in low ability tracks and many were subsequently referred for special education services. Hence, over referring African American students for special education became another way to resegregate students of color. Some people would argue that placing a student in special education would greatly benefit the student because he or she would receive more individualized attention to address their disability and other needs. However, disproportionality often presents negative implications for minority students. Once African American students are identified as having a disability, deemed eligible for special education services, and placed in a special education setting; they are more like to remain in special education classes throughout their years in school. They are more likely to receive a watered down curriculum that is not as rigorous as the curriculum that the students in general education receives. These students are segregated from their general education peers when placed in more restrictive settings. Disabled students are often stigmatized and treated differently by other students in their schools. Lastly, to further exacerbate the problem, overrepresentation may also cause some students t o be misclassified or inappropriately identified as having a disability. Disproportionality is a complex problem that has been linked to multiple factors depending on the school and/or school district. Probable causes of disproportionality include psychometric test bias, socio-demographic factors, unequal opportunity in general education, and cultural mismatch between teacher and student (Skiba, et. al, 2008). Research has also suggested that bias at the prereferral stage of the special education eligibility process is a cause for disparity of African American students being placed in special education (Darley Gross, 1983). As a former special education teacher, I have participated in several meetings with a purpose of deciding which placement is appropriate for a student previously identified as having a disability. On several occasions, I have asked the referring general education teacher his or her reasons for referring the student for special education services and was surprised to receive such vague and potentially bias explanations. For example, on e teacher told me that she referred a student for behavioral issues because at times, he was stubborn and refused to do his work. Another teacher told me that she referred a student because he presented challenging behaviors such as talking out without permission and he often contradicted the teachers answers or explanations to the class which infuriated the teacher. When questioned further about the interventions used before referral, the teachers response were more ambiguous and peppered with a lack of knowledge of appropriate intervention strategies. The purpose of this study is to determine the personal characteristics of the general education teachers that have the greatest influence on their decision to refer minority students for special education. The study will address the following research questions through a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research: To what extent if any, does a general education teachers years of experience, teaching level, training in classroom management and intervention strategies, education level, ethnicity, age, and gender impact disparity at the prereferral stage of the special education eligibility process? What impact does a general education teachers efficacy and perceptions of minority student characteristics bias their referral of minority students for special education services? What is the placement rate of the students being referred for special education services by the general education teachers? This study will focus on the students being referred for academic and/or behavioral issues because these are the main reasons why minority students are referred for special education services. As a result of this study, I hope to be able to extend the available literature on potential teacher bias during the prereferral stage of the special education process. My ultimate goal is to decrease the numbers of African American students being referred for special education services when the referral is not warranted or questionable. Conceptual Framework Disproportionality is a widespread problem that continues to affect minority students. Patterns of consistent disproportionality are evident and have been studied extensively for years. Oswald et al. (1999) examined the magnitude of overrepresentation by analyzing extant data from the 1992 Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Compliance Report to describe the extent of disproportionate representation of African American students labeled as seriously emotionally disturbed (SED) and mildly mentally retarded (MMR). They also wanted to determine the extent to which economic, demographic, and educational variables at the district level were associated with disproportional identification for this ethnic group. Zhang and Katsiyannis (2002) used data extracted from three federal government publications to find out whether or not there have been any recent improvements or changes in overrepresentation of minorities in special education. Although, there has been some debate concerning how disproportionality should be measured and the extent of the problem, overrepresentation continues to occur with no definitive causes. Researchers have also been unsuccessful in ident ifying real solutions to eradicate this phenomenon. Previous studies have examined many aspects of disproportionality including bias in problem solving and the social process of student study teams and teacher efficacy and student problem as factors in special education referral. Yet, research is somewhat limited and has mainly focused on the magnitude and possible causes of disproportionality. There appears to be a gap in the literature when examining personal factors that affect the general education teachers decision to refer a student for special educations services. This study will fill this gap by examining factors that influence referral and subsequently results in disparity. An in-depth analysis of teachers efficacy and perceptions of minority students will also be examined to determine if these factors impact disproportionality. The cognitive theory of social learning coined by Alfred Bandura will inform my approach to understanding the phenomena of disproportionality with regards to teacher efficacy. Teacher efficacy will be analyzing to determine its role in the prereferral stage of the special education process. I will examine the general education teachers belief that he or she may or may not be capable of bringing about desired changes in their students. Teacher efficacy will take account of two dimensions, judgments and personal beliefs. Disproportionality will also be approached from an ecological perspective framework to understand how special education referrals are influenced by personal characteristics of the referring teacher. The teacher factors that will be explored will also note the influence of ascriptive characteristics, characteristics that cannot be changed such as age, gender, ethnicity, etc., on disparity.