The Federal Program for Labor Management

Employment has changed in the past decades because the world has changed. We've entered a new era, an era where the work ethic of employees, and more often the thinking and ethics of employers are many times questioned. The Federal Program for Labor Management has started as a way to provide for employees' representation through chosen representatives, in collective bargaining with respect to personnel policies, practices and matters affecting working conditions. Also, it was created to ensure that employees who want to exercise this right and take an active part in this process have the chance to do so. The contemporary challenges in labor relations and human resources management include the care for employee rights, disciplinary policies and procedures, alternative dispute-resolution procedures, organizational ethics in employee relations or governmental regulation of labor relations. Not less important issues regard the labor relations process, structures, functions, and leadership of labor unions, the bargaining process and trends in collective bargaining, the labor agreement and administration of the labor agreement. All these form a complex discipline with the sole aim to make work relations more efficient and satisfactory for both parts. Labor relations are an important topic of human resources management. The labor agreement is a contract between a organization's management structures and the its labor force, represented by unions, concerning aspects like wages, benefits and working conditions. Is comes in the form of written policies and procedures. The goal of this document is to create equitable work relations, in order to assure the workers' social protection, preventing or diminishing the conflicts of interests and avoiding strikes. All aspects of the labor-management relationship are dynamic. The agreement has the role to bridge the gap between the interests of both sides. The terms of the contract are enforced by the steward (a representative of the union), acting like a policeman, constantly on the lookout. The labor agreements can be conceived at different levels: a single plant, a branch, a company or even nationally, each with its own pro's and con's. A master agreement is conceived for an entire company or branch, covering multiple site locations. There are several stages of a labor agreement to be discussed. First of all, the contract has to be negotiated. This is usually done once a year. Once a settlement has been made, the document has to be well understood by both parties. These requires detailed analysis of the clauses on both sides. The next step is administration. This is also the process of getting ready to renegotiate. The management must do everything in its powers to assure a reasonable and accurate administration of the contract, showing flexibility at the same time. Last but not least is the evaluation process, upon any renewal of the terms. Since most people are routine-oriented and tend to do in the future the same things they have been doing in the past, it is particularly important to look backward. Learning from history, in other words. This may guarantee successful planning of future actions. In the following, I will analyze each stage, individualizing the for and against arguments to having a master labor contract. The agreement is the written image of a give-and-take relationship. Within a company, the management faces the workers in a confrontation for the most benefits. The management has to satisfy diverse needs of the various audiences it must serve: the executive branch, the shareholders, the labor force, the public at large etc. The union's major interest is to represent the employees. There are also dissimilarities between management goals and management structure and the aims and methods adopted by the unions, resulting in labor-management differences. Management usually wants to provide for a flexible work force that can respond quickly to mission needs. Labor, on the other hand, wants stability, security, and job protection for the worker. Management strives to stimulate competition among the workers and to identify the most efficient workers while the union works for the adoption of common work rules and methods of compensation or reward which tend to eliminate competition. What is, in this case, the better choice – to have separate union contracts for different plants or to have one master labor agreement? The negotiation table for a labor agreement resembles a battle field. Each participant fights for his own interest, throwing in all the weapons. Each side needs as much power as it can get. From a manager's point of view it would be more advantageous to negotiate separate union contracts, as it faces a less powerful opponent. Power is determined by a number of factors. In the case on unions, size is the most important (size determined by the number of members). This is why with separate contracts the management may have an upper hand. But, on the other side of the coin lies a great expense of resources. Time and money are wasted when it comes to separate negotiations. However, the purpose is to maintain â€Å"industrial peace†, meaning that whatever the results of the negotiations, they must meet both sides' exigencies. At the very heart of it, the labor agreement represents written policies and procedures created to ensure functionality and satisfaction. This is why negotiations are problem-centered; more time is spent on day-to-day problems than on defining abstract principles. Given the fact that current problems are usually very specific to a certain situation, it means that separated labor contract would have the advantage of dealing adequately with issues every time. A master agreement is in certain circumstances too general and irrelevant, leading to a variance between contract and practice. Although trying to cover all grounds in a written document is a lost cause, the contract has to be the foundation of the labor-management relationship, thus variances should be minimized. The aspects that escape the consideration of the negotiators have to be as few as possible. Another situation that may be encountered is a request for an increase of the wage at one of the plants. In the case of a master labor contract this would be resolved at a central level resulting in a waste of financial resources. But if the contracts were negotiated separately then the request could be met at an individual level. This would save money to the company. There are also other points to consider when deciding for a level of negotiation. Separate plants are located in different areas, characterized by different socio-economical factors. The area's degree of development may influence the discussions, providing an extra set of arguments to one of the sides. The high unemployment rate, for example, turns the scale in favor of the employer, while a low one represents a vantage point for the union. Environment, the degree of education, the minimum wage, as well as other issues, add extra weight to one side of the balance. An investigation is required (such as an environmental analysis), in each particular situation, in order to determine the better choice. Regarding the administration of the contract there are a few aspects worth to be taken into consideration at this point. Separate contracts allow the management to deal with problems one at a time, whereas a centralization of the process reduces the degree of mobility and may even result in financial losses or crisis situations. It is true, no doubt about it, that it is easier to conduct one labor contract agreement for a number of plant locations. However, it is possible for the union to strike, closing down all the plants. As opposed to this undesirable situation, if you have separate contracts, the union can only strike one plant at a time, giving the management the time required to resolve the situation. Management must not take a unilateral action without first considering whether it has an obligation to discuss the action with the union. Matters of legitimate concern for the employees include: personnel policies, practices and working conditions. In these cases the management must provide the union an opportunity to negotiate. So, whenever the company wants to bring change into any one of these fields it has to consult the union and it the chance to express its position. In this case it is somewhat difficult to negotiate separate contracts. Bringing union representatives from each plant to the same negotiation table would require great synchronization and it would be a logistic nightmare. Also, to ease a smooth relationship with the employees, the management must inform them even concerning the changes that don't have to be negotiated (retained management rights not subjected to negotiation). Another way management can help assure union understanding and, thus, facilitate efforts to properly administer the agreement, is to distribute brief explanations of at least the key parts of the agreement in order to avoid misunderstandings. Jointly prepared articles can be included in the installation bulletin and union paper. Similarly, labor and management can work together in the preparation of special bulletins explaining the contract as the situation demands. All these actions are easier to perform and less demanding in the case of a master labor agreement. Worker representation and participation in management, through the union, could plausibly increase productivity in one or both of two ways. In the first place, it could serve as a no pecuniary incentive for workers by reducing the monotony of work and enhancing the individual worker's dignity and self-esteem. As a result, job satisfaction would be increased, and increased job satisfaction is allegedly conducive to higher productivity and lower unit costs. These would be even more true in the care of separate labor contracts. When the employees are represented by people they know or have a chance to meet and work with they will feel personally involved – an underlying bias in favor of â€Å"insiders†. This is also a way to increase employee loyalty. The evaluation process helps creating a better contract. In order to evaluate, the management has to communicate with the union members. Failure to â€Å"talk to the troops† is a problem that has been encountered with increasing regularity in the recent past in labor-management relations. Communications should take place regarding all actions affecting the work force. The management's task is to make sure that the communications process works for, not against, management. There are two different aspects to be taken into consideration: the functional ones and the psychological ones. On a functional level, the communication process would be easier to sustain in the case of a master agreement, due to the fact that the management would deal with only a few union representatives. However, in the case of separate labor agreements, the communication would be more efficient because it would be more personal. The companies tend to be organized from the top down while unions tend to be organized from the bottom up. This is why the functional and the efficiency aspects of communication do not coincide in the two perspectives.

Classification of Epithelial Tissue

Classification of Epithelial Tissue Location of Epithelium The four basic tissue types in the body are the epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissue. These tissues exist and function in close association with one another. The epithelial tissue, or epithelium, consists of sheets of cells that cover the external surfaces of the body, line the internal cavities, form various organs and glands, and line their ducts. Epithelial cells are in contact with each other, either in a single layer or multiple layers. The structure of lining epithelium, however, differs from organ to organ, depending on its location and function.For example, epithelium that covers the outer surfaces of the body and serves as a protective layer differs from the epithelium that lines the internal organs. The overview illustration shows different types of epithelia in selected organs. Classification of Epithelium Epithelium is classified according to the number of cell layers and the morphology or structur e of the surface cells. A basement membrane is a thin, noncellular region that separates the epithelium from the underlying connective tissue. This membrane is easily seen with a light microscope.An epithelium with a single layer of cells is simple, and that with numerous cell layers is stratified. A pseudostratified epithelium consists of a single layer of cells that attach to a basement membrane, but not all cells reach the surface. An epithelium with flat surface cells is called squamous. When the surface cells are round, or as tall as they are wide, the epithelium is cuboidal. When the cells are taller than they are wide, the epithelium is called columnar. Epithelium is nonvascular, that is, it does not have blood vessels.Oxygen, nutrients, and metabolites diffuse from the blood vessels located in the underlying connective tissue to the epithelium. Special Surface Modifications on Epithelial Cells Epithelial cells in different organs exhibit special cell membrane modifications o n their apical orupper surfaces. These modifications are cilia, stereocilia, or microvilli. Cilia are motile structures found on certain cells in the uterine tubes, uterus, and conducting tubes of the respiratory system. Microvilli are small, nonmotile projections that cover ll absorptive cells in the small intestine and proximal convoluted tubules in the kidney. Stereocilia are long, nonmotile, branched microvilli that cover the cells in the epididymis and vas deferens. The function of microvilli and stereocilia is absorption. Types of Epithelia Simple Epithelium Simple squamous epithelium that covers the external surfaces of the digestive organs, lungs, and heart is called mesothelium. Simple squamous epithelium that covers the lumina of the heart chambers, blood vessles, and lymphatic vessels is called endothelium.

Critical Analysis of Here by Philip Larkin

‘Here’ is a sprawling, moving and often majestic poem that takes the reader on a strikingly visual journey through the countryside and the town, before finally ending up on the coast. Larkin uses long, flowing sentences which add a sense of continual movement; these sentences are full of rich imagery and description which fully immerse the reader in the poem. The poem is titled ‘Here’, yet in the first three stanzas the poem takes in various locations and never stands still; the reader questions where ‘Here’ is, whether or not it is actually a specific, physical location. In ‘Here’, Larkin appears to be critical of the urban population, finding more beauty and appeal in the natural world than the human world, demonstrated by the fact that human presence in the poem is only temporary, fading away after the third stanza. The first word of the poem, ‘Swerving’, lends an immediate sense of physical movement to the poem. However, it is not the traditional, vehicular sort of movement; trains and cars do not swerve. The movement in ‘Here’ is immediately free and unrestrained, as the ‘rich industrial shadows’ are left behind. This freedom of movement however, immediately contrasts with the ‘traffic all night north’, which momentarily stops the poem in its tracks, made clear by the following semi-colon which breaks up the line. However, the poem immediately starts up again, with the repetition of the word ‘swerving’ which reinforces the sense of free movement. Now, Larkin takes us through the ‘fields/too think and thistled to be called meadows’, before the poem is again interrupted by the influence of the human world- the poem halts for the ‘Workmen at dawn’. Larkin then repeats ‘Swerving’ for a third time. On three different occasions the word is used; each time to the same effect. By the end of the first stanza the reader can be in no doubt that Larkin is taking them on a journey. In the first stanza, and indeed in the whole poem, there is a clear theme of the industrialized world interrupting the natural, rural world. Larkin presents a series of images; ‘skies and scarecrows, haystacks, hare and pheasants’ along with the meadows and ‘widening river’. These images are marred somewhat by the traffic and workmen, and ultimately the town which emerges in the second stanza. These nterruptions are summed up by Larkin as ‘harsh-named halts’. The contrast between country and city, between rural and urban, is another key theme in the poem. The freedom of ‘swerving’ through the countryside in the first stanza is replaced by the claustrophobic cluster of ‘domes and statues, spires and cranes’ which fill the large town. Even the water, which in the first stanza takes the form of a peaceful river, is ‘barge-crowded’ in the second stanza, again demonstrating the often negative influence of man. To add to the contrast, Larkin lists elements of the town (domes and statues†¦ in exactly the same manner as he lists elements of the countryside (skies and scarecrows†¦ ). Here, the ‘piled gold clouds’ have been replaced with the less appealing ‘grain-scattered streets’. Notably, the town is the first thing in the poem that is described as ‘Here’, perhaps hinting at the location of the poem’s title. Another contrast between the rural and urban settings of the poem is the differing types of movement. In the first stanza, the poem moves freely, ‘swerving’. In the second stanza, everything is more rigid; the journey of the city-dwellers from the ‘raw estates’ is described as ‘dead straight’. At this stage, Larkin is clearly critical not only of the urban population, but of their consumerist culture. They are described negatively as a ‘cut-price crowd’ only interested in their superficial ‘desires’. Larkin presents us with another selection of images; this time of unneeded consumer goods. ‘Electric mixers, toasters, washers, driers-’. The hyphen at the end of this list indicates the extreme quantity of these goods, something which Larkin quietly despises. The first stanza contains definite elements of hope; it is dawn, the journey is taking us away from the negatively described ‘industrial shadows’. Also, the stanza ends on a positive note; ‘the piled gold clouds’ and ‘shining gull-marked mud’ are beautiful descriptions of natural scenes untouched by human influence. However, the second stanza retains none of this positivity; the reader is trapped behind the ‘plate-glass swing doors’ of consumerism. Throughout the poem Larkin’s descriptions tend to rely less on descriptive adjectives, which appear infrequently, and more on series of images relating to the place being described. When descriptive adjectives are used, they are used to brilliant effect; the ‘luminously-peopled air’ and the ‘piled- gold louds’, but the lists of different images are more frequent and leave more of an impression. In the third stanza, Larkin presents an almost entirely negative list of images that he associates with the town; in fact, each list is almost a spontaneous word-association game for Larkin. When Larkin looks at the town as a whole, the description is not too unfavourable, mainly focusing on the buildings, however when he goes further down and looks at the town on a more personal level, the description is rather more cutting. The ‘fishy-smelling’ town is full of ‘tattoo-shops’ and consulates, and is only visited by ‘salesmen and relations’. With the latter point, Larkin may well be pointing out that living in a city, surrounded by houses and shops and people doesn’t guarantee fulfilment and fitting in; you can still be isolated whilst living in a town. Another point is that the edges of the town are described as ‘half-built edges’- the building is still in progress and the town is clearly expanding, possibly indefinitely. Larkin touches on the idea of loneliness again between the third and fourth stanzas. Here he describes how out in the countryside, beyond the realm of the city, the wheat-fields ‘Isolate villages, where removed lives/Loneliness clarifies. This full stop is the first in the poem; the three stanza sentence ends here, out in the isolated countryside. However, it is clear that the loneliness experienced in the isolated villages is not the same as that experienced in the towns. In the countryside, Larkin suggests that the loneliness and the isolation ‘clarifies’ your l ife; perhaps he means that, free from the consumerist ‘desires’ and ‘tattoo-shops’ life is less cluttered and busy, and somewhat perversely, less lonely, in spite of the physical isolation. The ending of the first sentence suggests that the poem’s journey is over, that we have finally arrived at Larkin’s location, ‘Here’. Here, there are no people; human influence is entirely absent from the final stanza. Instead, Larkin presents an image of intense natural beauty, where ‘Hidden weeds flower, neglected waters quicken/Luminously-peopled air ascends. ’ It’s an interesting idea that beauty is present where we aren’t looking, that it can be right in front of us and still go unnoticed. The poem comes to a rather sudden halt when the land suddenly ends at the ‘beach of shapes and shingle’. Larkin then states ‘Here is unfenced existence’. It is possible that he is referring to the beach, the coast and the sea, that freedom can only truly be found there, but by this point in the poem it appears more likely that ‘Here’ is less a physical location and more a state of mind. Once you arrive at the perfect mental state (‘Here’), ‘unfenced existence’ is finally possible.

Anazlyzing Middle Passage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anazlyzing Middle Passage - Essay Example However, in the absence of this art of fictionalizing history, Middle Passage would represent a mere narrative about a sea journey rather than a philosophical narrative about the African-American’s journey through history. Rutherford Calhoun, a recently freed slave in 1830 with a somewhat checkered past stows away aboard the Republic, a ship docked in New Orleans. Calhoun’s goal is two-fold. He hopes to secure employment aboard the Republic as a cook and also hopes to avoid creditors as well as a forced marriage. Ironically he ends up running into problems that far surprise the unpleasant matters associated with outstanding debts and undesirable marriages. Unknown to Calhoun the Republic is en route to Africa to collect a cargo of slaves. Moreover, the journey is characterized by a mixed bag of characters and disturbing storms and misadventures. Calhoun’s observation is very clearly out of historical context as it raises a twenty-first century concern. It was not until this period that physics was applied to examining the link between religion and science. This anachronistic observation serves a symbolic purpose as does the journey on board the Republic. Somewhere at the nexus between consciousness and experience a person forms an identity. Through Calhoun’s experiences as narrated the modern reader follows Calhoun’s evolution from a thoughtless rogue-like character to a man of awareness that permits him to embrace the â€Å"countless seas of suffering.†(Johnson, p. 209) This is a contrast to the young man who at the onset of the novel whose observations were lacking in consciousness. He said: Calhoun’s evolution is certainly out of time. His rejection of stereotypes and indoctrination represents the black consciousness of the twenty-first century. Johnson however uses the Middle Passage as a means of bringing the modern reader to the realization that it was primarily the black experience that gave rise to this latter-day

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UPS - Assignment Example UPS had set a record for collecting approximately $57.4 million for its philanthropic cause, exceeding its record in 2004. The company also donated a staggering $52.2 million in 2001 (Pasiuk, 2006, p. 141). The company is ranked higher than FedEx, as it designed more programs that benefit the society. In addition, UPS came up with more ingenious means of helping the community compared to FedEx. The company also aims to boost its profit as well as ensure the welfare of the community. On September 19, 2008, it launched a cargo finance, which is driven to help small clients that need funds (Matthew 2008). FedEx encourages its employees to remain â€Å"absolutely, positively† concentrated on the safety--the highest professional and ethical standards, and to the needs of clients and the communities. It consistently ranked as one of the most trusted and admired employers worldwide. However, it lags behind in its effort to poster the welfare of the society in comparison with UPS (Lawrence, Drzeniek, & Moavendeh,

Research to introduce telemedicine (eICU) to the hospital Annotated Bibliography

Research to introduce telemedicine (eICU) to the hospital - Annotated Bibliography Example The software also involve immediate access to all progress about patient plans of care, x-ray as well as notes that are useful to the patient. This helps hospitals in management because they minimize on costs since one intensivist is used in more that one hospital to offer the same service. The authors brings out the positive effects that telemedicine has in the intensive care unit. This is because this system has an audio-video patient monitoring and management system that has a design best suitable for intensive care unit and hence only few experts manage many hospitals. This source has a goal of ensuring that hospitals minimize costs for intensive care unit to increase financial gain of the hospital. This source is helpful because it brings out the financial benefits, which a hospital is likely to gain by adopting a system since experts can monitor it from a centralized location while dealing with patients who are in the ICU. This research paper is about a proposal of introducing telemedicine to hospitals. It contains annotated bibliography of nine references that relate to this proposal. Breslow, M., et al (2004): Effect of a multiple-site intensive care unit telemedicine program on clinical and economic outcomes: an alternative paradigm for intensivist staffing. Crit Care Med , 32:31–38 [1]. In this journal, the authors examine telemedicine in hospitals by looking at whether a corresponding remote intensive care unit, for care programs adopted by an integrated care delivery network though a commercial telemedicine and ICT (information communication technology), would enhance clinical and economical performance in ICUs. The authors have been able to carry out an important study, and have presented vital results to the study of telemedicine implementation in ICUs. In deed, this journal greatly helps in understanding this

Competitive Advantage And Human Resource Strategy Essay

Competitive Advantage And Human Resource Strategy - Essay Example Human resource strategies are a set of practices and processes that are applied by the human resource management in coordination with other departmental managers in order to develop solutions to human resource related problems. Competitive advantage on the other hand refers to an organization’s potential to gain the benefits of its economic ventures in a competitive environment. It defines an organizations capacity to withstand and overcome competition in its market. This paper seeks to discuss the concept of environmental factors affecting human resource and performance, and concepts of competitive advantage and human resource strategy. The paper will explore the elements and develop a relationship between them. Human resource management competencies towards competitive advantage Competency refers to the ability to undertake a task satisfactorily. Its scope defines success and efficiency in processes and activities. Human resource management competency therefore relates to initiatives taken in the process of human resource management to ensure that the objectives of the management are efficiently achieved. Grobler and Warner defines competency as a set of â€Å"behaviour, knowledge, skill, or capability† that forecast an outcome of a process (Grobler and Warner, 2005, p. 482). Establishment of such elements of competency in an organization is a benchmark for desired success. Human resource competency can therefore be understood as a set of knowledge possessed by the human resource management personnel or personal traits of a manager and can be applied either at individual level or at organizational level (Grobler and Warner, 2005). The definition and scope of human resource competency has identified its essence towards improved performance through huma n resource management. Some of the benefits that relates to human resource competency includes good communication skills and effective training techniques towards higher performance as well as measurement, monitoring and evaluation of human resource performance for comparison with set targets. Human resource competency is therefore based on an ultimate target of an efficient performance of human resource and associated processes (Storey, 2008). Rogers defines competitive advantage as an organization’s potential to embrace and endure competition in its environment. Some of the elements that defines competitive advantage includes development of products that are â€Å"unique, superior to competition, sustainable, applicable to multiple businesses or situations and is hard to copy† (Rogers, 2009). These features establish an organization above others and maintains the organization’s distinction. Khosrowpour also defines competitive advantage as the state at which a n organization is able to â€Å"operate in a more efficient or higher quality manner† (Khosrowpour, 2007). The scope of human resource competency and competitive advantage therefore establishes a strong relationship between the two elements of an organization’s human resources management with enhanced performance as an underlying factor (Rogers, 2009). One of the competencies that human resource managers need in order to make a strategic contribution to competitive advantage is sufficient knowledge and ideas in business. Business knowledge refers to a comprehensive understanding of the business environment. A manager with sufficient business knowledge is for instance informed of the components of the organization’s environment, both internal and extern, the organization’s objectives, how the goals are to be attained as well as the

Week 1_development of US intelligence organizations and missions from Assignment

Week 1_development of US intelligence organizations and missions from the revolution to WWI - Assignment Example His intelligence was so superior that it assisted in the surrender of General Lee. His intelligence was obtained through a secret agent’s network. Following the assassination of President Lincoln, reward money was placed for the heads of those who conducted the act. The culprit was then caught by the Lafayette Baker’s National Detective Bureau; this led to the promotion of the Bureau (Andrew 1995, 22). The aim out of which BMI was created was to support and provide proper and adequate intelligence to armed forces. Following the need of the Civil War, the first intelligence agency was created and was named as Secret Service of the Treasury Department and during the Pacific War; the first intelligence agency to support the army as well as the navy came into being. During the session of 1882, the President Arthur promoted the thought of reforming US naval forces and this led to the establishment of ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) (Andrew 1995, 26). The aim behind the creation of ONI was to lead the Western Hemisphere of the world and project a powerful image of US and it did so by gaining victory during the war in Spain . After the three years of the creation of ONI another intelligence organization which was similar to ONI was created for the army and was named as Military Intelligence Division with the objective of obtaining intelligence at the local and the international level to support the department of war and army. Later the President Roosevelt used intelligence in the most active manner, he first used intelligence with the aim of inciting a revolution with the region of Panama and then intelligence was used to figure out the development of military of Japan. The start of the 20th century witnessed the use of intelligence by US for domestic purposes as during the era of 1908, Bureau of Investigation of the Justice Department was established as it was believed that the agents of the Secret Service were

Nucor Corp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nucor Corp - Essay Example The invisible competition is potential in large companies vertically integrating into steel production. This is the competitor environment in which Nucor Corp. strives to maintain an advantageous market position. Facing three categories of competitive tension, Nucor must formulate goals, objectives and strategies accordingly. Nucor Corp. can mitigate some of the competitive tension by acquiring other steel manufacturing companies. In that case the organizational culture of the company must be ready for the social-demographic tension resulting from unionization in the foreign companies. However acquisitions enable the company to get a technological edge as it integrates the operations of the acquired companies into its own operational framework. This is one of the key success factors of operating in the steel industry since the technology is constantly evolving while Nucor is not investing in R&D. Therefore acquisitions provide an effective means of maintaining the company’s te chnological base at the latest standards. There is economic tension in the form of plummeting prices of steel, scrap metal and iron ore. Increased environmental regulation is also adding to the cost of operations. Political regulations such as tariff withdrawal by the World Trade Organization have increased the competitive tension as the industry has been more exposed to foreign competition. The uncertain economic environment is a favorable factor in terms of enabling Nucor to acquire competitors who do not have the resource capabilities to sustain the economic difficulties. The result of acquisitions is further consolidation of the industry leading to reduced competitive pressure. The weak dollar also makes the company more competitive internationally. The marketplace is highly competitive. The competitive tension is increased by the economic uncertainty having repercussions on pricing, demand and access to capital. The companies operating in this environment can address the reperc ussions by achieving economies of scale. However all companies have similar capacities, thereby enhancing the competitive tension. The tension also results from the three buckets of competitors: immediate, impending and invisible. This competitive environment is the result of a highly fragmented industry. The highly fragmented global steel market place leads to an unattractive industry structure. Porter’s 5 forces analysis shows that the industry has high buyer power and competitive rivalry. The supplier power is medium. The high buyer power results from a commodity market in which the suppliers are price takers. Therefore buyers are able to pit suppliers against each other as they are price takers. Companies operating in the commodity market are unable to differentiate their products. As a result industry rivalry is high. It is also important to consider supplier power since the decreasing availability of scrap metal raises their price. As a result the suppliers are gaining greater bargaining power. Suppliers also present invisible competition since they have the ability to vertically integrate into steel manufacturing. Taking these factors into consideration, Nucor Corp. has to formulate strategies which are customized to an industry which has high buyer power and rivalry and medium supplier power. These are the three most important factors to be taken into consideration in determining the attractiveness of the steel industry environment.

Banking and Finance Law Essay Example for Free

Banking and Finance Law Essay Joint account holders, case: Arden v Bank of New South Wales (1956) VLR 569 Combination of account, the bank’s right to combine accounts is dependant on the accounts being the same or closely similar. The right to combine accounts without express agreement: accounts must be held by customer in the same capacity, must not be an agreement or course of dealing with the customer which has negated the bank’s right to combine accounts, customer’s indebtedness must have been incurred to the bank as an banker and not in relation to other business carried on by the bank eg travel business. The main case of this rule is: Garnett v McKewan 1872. Knowing Receipt: Case: Thomson v Clydesdale Bank Ltd (1893) AC 282 APPLICATION Fantastic Landscapes is a customer of the Red Bank because it has accounts in this bank which are overdraft account with has a borrowing limit of $100000 accepted by Red Bank and another account has $20000 (Account No 2) Applying to the content of the contact, Fantastic Landscapes has signed an agreement form that is an express terms made between Red Bank and Fantastic Landscapes. The general terms and conditions included the following clause 12: upon receipt of each monthly overdraft account statement, the account holder shall read the statement and notify the bank of any errors contained in the statement within 15 days. Failure to notify the bank of any errors within that time will be treated as a breach of contract by the account holder entitling the bank to its remedies at law. Applying to the bank’s duty of confidentiality, the Red Bank recorded transactions between it and its customer (Fantastic Landscapes) and reported to its customer every 15 days as written in the general term. However, Red Bank did not complete its duty to question valid mandate because the cheques drawn by Minnie (one of the director of Fantastic Landscapes) within a period of 3 months are unusual drawn on Fantastic Landscapes’ overdraft account. When according to joint account holders, Ben actually is an innocent joint account holder, so he has a right to sue the Red Bank for the breach of contract. However, applying to the duty of customer in section duty to organize business, following cases: Lewes Sanitary Steam Laundry Co Ltd v Barclay Co Ltd (1906) 95 LT 444; and (6. 1) National Bank of New Zealand Ltd v Walpole and Patterson Ltd (1975) 2NZLR 7. The Red bank has an absolute advantage in this case because of the express term written in the contract Another director of Fantastic Landscapes, Ben has failed when sue Red Bank to recredit account which Minnie has stolen because he did not check overdraft account during 3 months, and in the contract with Red Bank has asked he to rea d and notify the bank of any errors contained in the statement within 15 days. Therefore, Ben or Fantastic Landscapes could not claim back $50000. When apply to combination of account, the Fantastic Landscapes has won in this lawsuit. The Red Bank has combined overdraft account and Account No 2 without any notice because they hear that this company has just lot a large landscaping contract and not working any more. Moreover, Red Bank has agreed Fantastic Landscapes to borrow maximum $100000, so they can not combine account without any notice to this company even though its overdraft account has reached to $100000. Therefore, Red Bank has to pay $10000 penalty fee for Fantastic Landscapes to the finance company. According to duty of the banker, the BLB (Big Lender Bank) does not have any duty to Fantastic Landscapes because in this case, its customer Minnie just is its client. Therefore, BLB do not have any duty to her company although she is a director in that company and she has committed fraud. Moreover, BLB do not care about how Minnie paid off her debt because Minnie did not withdraw money in the trust account. In addition, according to Thomson v Clydesdale Bank Ltd (1893) AC 282. BLB does not need to care about its customer detail particularly. Hence, the chances for Fantastic Landscapes win in this case in not to high than the case it won before when against Red Bank to reclaim $10000 penalty fee for finance company. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the Fantastic Landscapes has won in the case against Red Bank for compensation for $10000 penalty fee when they applied their case to combination of account. They won because Red Bank has committed the rule when combine two accounts without any notice to its customer. On the other hand, although the main fault belong to Minnie, the Fantastic Landscapes has failed in the case to recredit, its account when apply express term between it and the Red Bank. After all, the BLB do not have any duty to Fantastic Landscapes for compensation because when apply knowing receipt rule via Thomson case.

Definition And Conditions Of Decision Making Tourism Essay

Definition And Conditions Of Decision Making Tourism Essay As managers and entrepreneurs, we should have confidence in our decisions, but can we? Discuss with regard to your ability as a decision maker and the tools and methods available to assist decision making. Entrepreneur and managers are no longer able to have confidence in their decision. Because even good managers make mistakes in their decision making process. Therefore, there are many of the business organisations trying to find out the best method of decision making process. Nevertheless, many of them experience end in failure or sink in the business world. Because, decision making of organisation, as it operates with in the organisation, implies that increasing unexpected complexity in environment uncertainty. And this uncertainty means that decision makers do not have sufficient information about environmental factors, and they have a difficult time predicting internal or external changes. So, uncertainty increases the risk of failure for organisational responses and makes it difficult to compute costs and probabilities associated with decision alternatives. Therefore, any organisations want to success in their business, it is essential to use suitable decision making tools and me thods. To understand this essay better, defining the term of decision making is necessary. According to Fitzgerald, decision making involves the choice of an alternative from among a series of competing alternatives (2002, p. 8). And theories of decision making are concerned with how such choices are made. This essay will explain nature of decision making, tools and methods of decision making process and steps in decision making to assist decision makers. Finally, availability of those tools and methods by managers and entrepreneurs will be discussed to assist their decision making process. First of all, nature of decision making should be identified before it discusses about its tools and methods. The definition of decision making is explained in introduction. However, decision making conditions are should be concerned before the actual decisions have been made because the decisions are not always made under same amount of available information (Rue Byars, 2007, p. 76). The conditions which give influence to decision making process are: certainty, risk and uncertainty. Situation of certainty means that decision maker knows every alternative outcome from the decision so he/she can make decision precisely. For example, if manager have to make decision on which transport service he/she will use between by air or by train to deliver their product or service, it is obvious that air will take relatively shorter time but higher cost than train, and train will take longer time but lower cost than airplane. Unfortunately, each alternative brings different outcomes and this is not always known in advance. Therefore, decision makers are only able to estimate their relative probabilities of outcomes. According to Williams, perception of risk means the amount of uncertainty or lack of predictability concerning the outcome of a decision (2002, p. 86). This is called a situation of risk. Generally, exact prediction about probabilities of various outcomes is impossible. Thus, managers may make their decision based on past experience and historical data. However, Russo and Schoemarker said people do not learn easily from experience because is requires pro-found skills (1990, p. 174). Although, risk can never be eliminated from decision making process, decision makers can attempt to minimize its impact on their outcome with technique of learning from experience and forecasting from historical data. When there is very little or no reliable information to estimate the variety of possible outcomes fro decision maker, this is called situation of uncertainty. Moreover, this means that the decision maker does not have any knowledge that concerns the possibilities related with different outcomes. In this circumstance, decision maker may take one of several approaches. First approach is the maximax approach. Rue Byars selecting the alternative whose best possible outcomes is the best of all possible outcomes for all alternatives (2007, p. 77). In the second approach, the maximin approach refers comparing the worst possible outcomes for each alternative and selecting the one that is least undesirable (Rue Byars, 2007, p. 77). And the last approach is the risk-averting approach. This approach can be resulted in more effective planning because it is chosen by the alternative with the least fluctuation among its possible outcomes (2007, p. 78). The conditions for decision making occupy important position in decision making process by guiding decision makers which decision making model they should use. Therefore, decision makers should keep in mind those conditions before they make actual decision for organisations. Decision making tools and methods in decision process support decision makers to understand complex phenomena in managerial activities. Those tools and methods are able to maximise managerial options within decision making process specifically and describe its situations clearly. The tools are for fostering making creative decision. And the methods have rational and intuitive methods for effective decision making. By using these tools and methods, the triple bottom line and managers corporate social responsibility should be concerned together. According to Williams, creative problem solving is not easy and applying the tools requires time, resources, and effort (2002, p. 149). However, to improve the quality of organisations important decision making process, creative decision making techniques are essential. These techniques are such as brainstorming, Gordon technique, nominal group technique, and synectics. Brainstorming can be explained as producing a large quantity of solution on a problem to find out its solution among them. By using this tool, there is initially no criticism and question of idea should be allowed. Then combinations of solutions can be used as decision making tool for improvement of organisation. Gordon technique is similar with brainstorming but it can be differ from that group leader knows the exact nature of the real problem under consideration (Rue Byars, 2007, p. 84). Nominal group technique is involving few steps as highly structured technique. The order of steps is listening recording voting-discussion final voting. This technique minimizes personal interactions to maximize their activity and reduce pressure from conformity with group decision. The synectics is a relatively new technique used in creative decision making process. This technique uses metaphorical thinking to make the familiar strange and the strange familiar (Rue Byars, 2007, p. 85). None of those techniques is a perfect tool for assisting decision makers activity. Each technique should be considered as a just tool that can facilitate proper decision making process by decision makers. Rational decision making method is the most pervasive and influential and to use rational decision making effectively, this includes the following steps: recognising and defining the situation, developing alternatives, evaluating alternatives, selecting the best alternative, implementation, and follow-up and evaluation (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2006, p. 208-212). First, when problem exist, it is necessary to find out what kind of problem it is including organisations current situation. The gap between the current situation and existing problem can be identified in this step. Second, developing alternatives is for finding a cause of problem in the situation and gathering information concerning the current state of affairs. Third, evaluating alternatives has a role for helping decision maker to evaluate a solution from among the available alternatives. Forth, selecting the best alternatives is choosing the best option from among the evaluated alternatives. Fifth, implementati on refers that decision maker is putting the decision he/she chosen into actual organisational activities. Sixth, the last step is evaluating the effectiveness of the implemented decision by decision maker. These steps assist decision maker to optimize organisations outcome. Fitzgerald believes that embedded within the rational model is the belief that managers actually optimize their decision making behaviour by deliberately choosing and implementing the best alternatives (2002, p.13). On the other hand there are similar but slightly different approach is included in rational method. That is satisficing approach. The difference between optimizing approach and satisficing approach in rational method is satisficing is selecting the first alternative that meets the decision makers minimum standard of satisfaction instead of selecting the best possible alternative from among every possible alternative (Rue Byars, 2007, p. 74). Intuitive decision making method is used when decision maker decide organisational decision bases on hunches and intuition (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter, 2006, p. 216). Moreover, Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, Coulter defined intuitive decision making as a subconscious process of making decisions on basis of experience and accumulated judgement (2006, p. 216). That means an emotional decision is put into action by decision maker from their mind in decision making process. The emotional attachment can lead manager to poor decisions or can be very real especially who are living in the past. However, the key is manager should not ignore when the available information exist. Intuition plays an important role in decision making process. Consequently, it can be said managers experience and judgement is important when he/she faces the decision making situation. Learning from the past is not easy but once it has become your knowledge, it can be important resource for decision making as a dec ision maker (Williams, 2002, p. 153). In conclusion, this essay discussed about definition and conditions of decision making. The different conditions such as certainty, risk and uncertainty give different influence on decision making process. And the tools and methods have been identified as that can promote improvement of organisation by decision making and several steps in decision making methods to assist decision managers and entrepreneurs. The tools in decision making process allow improving the quality of organisations important decision. Then the methods in decision making are more related to assist decision makers to put one of the possible alternatives on actual action. Decision making process can be improved by recognising conditions of decision making and applying appropriate tools and methods to problems decision maker is faced. To be effective and efficient in decision making process, managers need to be open to new information and others opinion. If managers and entrepreneurs apply creative and sufficient decision making skills in their decision making process, there are various solutions to achieve their goal or overcome their problem will be allowed without failure in decision making.

To What Extent Can Psychology Be Considered a Science?

To What Extent Can Psychology Be Considered a Science? Examine to what extent Psychology can be considered a Science Rebecca Harris Introduction The question can: ‘Psychology be considered a Science?’ It is important to understand what a Science is in relation to Psychology. Psychology is deemed as the scientific study of behaviour. Science is ‘a branch of knowledge conducted on objective principles involving the systematised observation of an experiment with phenomena.’ So can Psychology be a Science? Throughout this essay, deeper understanding of Psychological Methods and the aims of Science and how these link, will be looked at and investigated further. There are four basic principles of Science; truth, objectivity, realism and rationality. For psychology to be perceived as a science certain scientific methodology would be needed, these are: objective observation, evidence to back up an argument, an investigation to test the hypothesis, an induction which draws conclusions from facts or examples, repetition, critical analysis and verification and testing of the study. Empiricism, a scientific approach founded by philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), turned into a scientific method of enquiry that used both observation and experiments to gather facts and evidence that may have been needed. Scientific enquiry can be based upon two phrases: 1. Too do with theory and the foundation of hypotheses. 2. Empirical method, thus being experiments and observations. The main method of scientific enquiry would be the use of experiments. Using examinations make research more scientific. Important key features for an experiment are control over variables, in this case they would either be: Independent, dependent and extraneous. This particular approach would be a strength towards Psychology as a Science as cause and effect can be established due to the control over the experiments. A form of Empiricism is Logical Positivism. This theory suggests that sensory experience is our main and only source of information about the world we live in. There are two main claims for this theory: Knowledge Empiricism- The theory that the knowledge of the world is gained through evidence from our sensory experiences. The theory states that the meaning of a statement is determined by verifiability. Verification must be through observation. This is an advantage of Psychology as a Science as behaviour is looked at through observation and so therefore this means that verification can happen. Rationalism compared to Empiricism is that senses cannot be completely relied upon to provide knowledge needed. Knowledge can be gained by inductive reasoning, as long as it’s applied correctly. Rationalists look at the world we live in and see deeper meaning behind everything they see, implying that the world is not real. Empiricists see the world we’re living in as the true world and that everything we see does not have a deeper meaning. Idealism and realism are two philosophical terms that deal with our minds relationship with the world in which we live. Idealism: knowledge that the mind interprets what we see. The knowledge that constructs the mind and does not necessarily correspond to the on goings of the outside world. What we see is not really real. Realism: the idea that knowledge reveals the reality of the outside world. Thus meaning that, it is what it is, you see what you see. This is a disadvantage for Psychology as a Science as it can’t be proven or disproven that whether the world we live in is real or not. Locke took on the nature-nurture debate, the first part to the theory of behaviourism and came up with the idea that the human mind is a ‘tabula rasa’ meaning ‘blank slate’. In 1913 Watson gained the support that Wundt had lost and formed behaviourism. Wundt concentrated on introspection, however, Watson believed that this couldn’t be proved or disproved so decided to concentrate on the study of behavior. Behaviourism as a theory of Psychology was finally created. The overall meaning of behaviourism is to study the idea of the relationship between people’s environment and their behaviour, without application to hypothetical events happening within one’s head. The use of behaviour today can be seen as Scientific, helping mentally ill patients with behaviour modification and therapy to treat mental disorders. Modern behaviour now looks at mental processes like; imagery and attention, considered to be proper subject matter for scientific in vestigation. Positivism a form of behaviourism that uses experimental methods, as well as quantitative data. Conclusions are not derived from a subjective approach. The conscious can’t be objectively observed. It rejects emotions, feelings and mental processes and qualitative data is not used, so evidence that is collected is limited. Therefore not Scientific and disagrees with psychology as a Science. Social Constructionist: a social situation which we face, our behavior dependent upon the social situation so it’s not scientific. If people behave in a certain way then this leads to personality bias. Rather than looking at the behaviour in a social setting, research should be on the relative social construction. This looks at social cognition: what we think other people are thinking. This is a disadvantage to why psychology is a science as it’s difficult to apply research as the focus would be on subjective constructions. Critical Realism looks at experience, culture and history when conducting observations and theories. It applies scientific practice to multiple methods of data collection. We are aware of a situation and act critical about what we’re doing. It gives us ideas on how to research and it uses multiple approaches, so the comparison of results can take place. This is an advantage to why Psychology is a Science due to the multiple research methods used rigorously: including experimental method. A hypothetico-deductive method is a technique which involves observation of a participant. In order for the hypotheses to be classified scientific the researcher must generate a testable and realistic hypothesis, it must be falsifiable by recognized scientific methods. It can never be confirmed fully. Some predictions must be made, these are to be proved or disproved. The predictions must be directly testable for the hypothetico-deductive method to be valid. Trying to test the hypothesis that God exists would be difficult because there is no way to scientifically evaluate it. This is an advantage of why psychology is a science as observation, the gathering and collecting of data is used. Kuhn 1922-1996 was a historian and had a great impact on revolutionary psychology in the field of paradigms. The idea was to unite all thoughts and opinions on the subject. With the success of this came Psychologies biggest and most feared alienation: the inability for a universal paradigm. This is the greatest criticism to Psychologies claim to be Scientific. Kuhn himself gave psychology a name: Pseudo-Science. The fact that a universal paradigm can’t be formed means that this is a disadvantage towards Psychology as a Science, as all scientific methods should have paradigms. Popper 1902-1994 a philosopher with strong opinions towards whether Psychology is a Science. He believed that for a theory to be scientific it doesn’t have to be true. Facts can show theories to be wrong. He had two major concerns, the first was defending and maintaining the idea that Science does progress. This concern was built in the positivist account that facts can and do verify theories. Popper believed that this part of the society was being put at risk due to ‘pseudo-scientific’ theories that were not open to rejection, thus in particular: Freud and his idea of Psychoanalysis. Poppers view of falsification was a disadvantage of why Psychology is a Science as Freud and psychoanalysis led to the argument that psychological theories are not falsifiable. According to Kuhn; the lack of ecological validity is a disadvantage to why Psychology has a lack of acknowledgement within scientific communities. If a study was based on Behaviourism, a key theory of Psychology, then there are some key ideologies that the investigation should have: generalization, reinforcement and behaviour shaping. This in turn explains vast behaviours from language acquisition through too moral development. In Science, conclusions always remain true, however, in Psychology, this is not the case. When a piece of research is conducted in an artificial environment, the participants are aware of the study and may act and behave differently. This being demand characteristics, it affects the overall result, as there are no form of applications to everyday life. It can also be argued that; it’s low on the idea of application to real life due to the participants behaviour i.e. demand characteristics. This was showed in Piaget study of Conservation. In 1974 McGarrigle and Donaldson challenged Piaget. The children within the Piaget study were not in a natural setting and behaved socially correct and responded to demand characteristics. If a study is low in ecological validity then it isn’t really measuring how people behave in everyday life. The main problem for this is how to study characteristics of people who are aware of what they are doing. This is a disadvantage to Psychology being a science as participants are aware of the study and the unnatural setting. In conclusion to the question: Is Psychology a Science? There is no easy answer. Some of the approaches and studies do meet the guidelines that are required for Psychology to be a Science, however, others don’t. Psychology has merely progressed as a discipline as it models itself on the natural sciences. Although there are enough disadvantages and advantages to say whether Psychology is a Science, it will be an ongoing debate to which no-one will know the answer, you simply have an opinion that’s neither right nor wrong. REFERENCES Gross, R. (2010). Psychology The Science of Mind and Behaviour. 6th ed. London: Hatchett . McLeod, S. (2008). Psychology as a Science. Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/science-psychology.html. [Last Accessed 07/10/2014]. Bainbridge, A. Bradshaw, P. Latham, S. Lintern, F. (2008). OCR Psychology. 1st ed. Essex: Heinemann. Carlson, R. N. (1993). Psychology The Science of Behaviour. 4th ed. MA, USA: Allyn Bacon. Brysbaert, M. Rastle, K. (2012). Historical and conceptual issues in psychology. 2nd ed. London: Pearson . The Science Council. (2009). What is Science? Available at: http://www.sciencecouncil.org/definition. [Last Accessed 21/10/2014]. Group decision making: Communication theories Group decision making: Communication theories Functional Perspective On Group Decision Making Introduction Purpose The purpose of this report is introducing a theory and corresponding theorists of communication. Whereas also in this report I will be writing about the theorists, their theory and how I believe it relates to todays world. One other purpose of writing this report is to report what I think about how the theory could be useful in the Information Technology. Scope The extent of my research was the usage of the Library and internet surfing. Hours and hours were spent in the library searching for information on my topic and there was hardly any book with information on my theory but had information of related topics to my theory. So as on the internet the information given Limitations While preparing this report there were some limitations in the preparation of this report which includes the amount of time given to write this report because there was other assignments that I had to spend time on as well which was due a few days before this report is to be handed in. The limited time that I am able to access the computer here in school as I house Im living in do not have any computers. Other than that there was a lack of information got from the sources of information that I have searched on such as books from the library and books and articles from the internet and library databases. There was a lack of information available. Research Methods The few methods that I have used to obtain information were books from the library. This included my textbook. My textbook was the only book in the library that had information about my theory and some other books that I have read through had information that was related to my theory. I also obtained information from the internet although it provided some information on my theory but not so much or not enough. Lastly is I have contact with some of the ex-whitireia students who took IT, I contacted each one I know asking if they had come across my theory and if they could their knowledge of my theory with me. Structure Of The Report This report has six main parts and each part was organised according to the normal layout of a report. Besides the cover page this report started with an abstract which spots out the key ideas of what the whole report is going to be about, lead by the table of content which shows the number of pages for each content. Starting with the introduction which has six sub-headings, following is the findings or the main body of the report which has seven parts and following up is always the conclusion which has two parts and lastly the glossary of terms and references / bibliography. Literature Review Groups make high-quality decisions when members fulfil four requisite functions: (1) problem analysis, (2) goal setting, (3) identification of alternatives, and (4) evaluation of positive and negative consequences. Most group communication disrupts progress toward accomplishing these functional tasks, but counteractive communication can bring people back to rational inquiry. Randy, H., Dennis, G. (2009). Functional perspective on group decision making. Group and Public communication – Group decision making. Chp. 17, 7th Ed The purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate that group decision-making performance is contingent on the effective or ineffective satisfaction of important decisional functions. The investigation involved three related studies. In the first study, an attempt was made to confirm the existence of systematic relationships between the quality of group decisions and the satisfaction of four functional requirements. The results supported the existence of significant positive relationships between group decision-making performance and the satisfaction of these decisional functions. In the second study, an attempt was made to establish the independent main effects of each of those four functions. Using a three-dimensional interaction coding scheme, it was found that variations in group decision quality can be independently accounted for by the quality of interaction in regards to three functions—problem analysis, evaluation of positive qualities, and evaluation of negative qua lities. In the third study, an attempt was made to demonstrate that the quality of group decisions can be traced to the effective or ineffective satisfaction of decisional functions. The results provide conclusive evidence (at least at the level of primary reasoning), that the quality of a groups decision is a direct result of the groups ability (or inability) to perform important decisional functions. Taken as a whole, the studies thus offer continued support for the functional perspective Randy, H. (1998). Group Communication and Decision-Making Performance A Continued Test of the Functional Perspective. Human Communication Research, Vol. 14, p487 – 515, No. 4 Two Articles From The Library Databases The article focuses on a study, which evaluated the comparative effectiveness of several methods for decisions making of task groups. Despite the widespread use of task groups and the dissatisfaction that many experience in seemingly endless rounds of task-group meetings, relatively little effort has been made within social work to examine the functioning of task groups empirically. And although there have been some efforts to improve social workers skills in leading task groups, it has been suggested that the study of task groups has been largely abandoned by social work. When examining the efficacy of task groups, it is important to recognize that groups have many different functions in social service agencies. Among their most important functions are helping staff members feel involved in the work of the agency or organization, sharing information, developing new and creative ideas, monitoring programs, solving problems and making decisions. Although many of these functions overla p, a group that has accomplished one function quite well may not be effective at accomplishing another function. Toseland, RonaldW., Rivas, Robert F., Chapman D. (1984). An evaluation of decision making methods task groups. EBSCO host – Social work, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p339-346, 8p Title: Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alienation Relationships between teachers perceptions concerning their status in decision making and feelings of work alienation were investigated. A two part questionnaire was administered to 311 teachers from kindergarten through grade 12 in urban and suburban schools. One part asked about current and ideal levels of influence in 12 decisional areas. The second part consisted of a four-item alienation scale. Significant positive zeroder correlations were found between alienation and deprivation in technical and managerial domains for urban teachers, and with deprivation in managerial decision making for suburban teachers. Significant negative zero-order correlations were found for both groups of teachers. Partial correlations of alienation and deprivation in decision making were not significant. Partial correlations of alienation with perceived influence in technical decision making were significant for both groups. Partials with managerial influence were significant for urban teachers. Benson, N., Malone, P. (1987), Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alienation. EBSCO host – Education, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p244, 8p, 6 charts Friends Background Of My Theorists The knowledge and interest in small group communication and decision making effectiveness, of two Communication professors Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran was combined to create this theory. Dennis S. Gouran Gouran is a Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, Labor Studies and Employment Relations and Graduate Officer and his research areas is small group decision. During his life of education he received his B.S., Illinois State University, 1963, M.S., Illinois State University, 1965, Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1968 He is specialized in small group communication with particular emphasis in decision-making. His research has included theoretical, experimental, and critical studies of small group interaction. The focus of Gourans research interest is the ways in which communication functions in the service of task requirements in problem-solving and decisions-making groups. Randy Y. Hirokawa Hirokawa received his B.A from the University of Hawaii at Moana, and his M.A and Ph.D from the University of Washington. He was inducted into the University Of Washington Department Of Hall of Fame. He is known for his expertise in area of small group communication and decision-making effectiveness. Hirokawas scholarship has contributed to the development of a theory called the â€Å"Functional perspective.† Outline Of My Theory Situation Of How The Theory Came About This theory came about as a four departmental search committees appointed to select final candidates for positions in rhetoric, theatre, journalism and broadcast producing. The whole department each group to come up with top-notch candidates and reliable with a discipline that values sensible and reasonable communication or discussion, it was likely supposed that they would make their high quality decisions after systematic and reasoned discussion. Given was the mix of communication interests, academic knowledge and professional prejudices that committee members bought to the table were not their final choices likely to be made on political rather than rational grounds. But even if they were objective, it was a fear that their free-for-all debate over candidates would so cloud their judgement that they would end up making second-rate choices. Theorists Point Of Views Of The Situation And Their Contribution To Building The Theory Hirokawa and Gouran believe that these negative and gloomy views are not necessary. They assume that group members caring about the issue are; reasonably intelligent, face a challenging task that calls for more facts and has new ideas, or a clear thinking. They are also persuaded that group communication has positive effect on the final decision. Hirokawa Randy speaks of the quality solutions and developed the core principles of the theory during his graduate studies, today his research tests refines this theory. Gouran Dennis refers to decisions that are appropriate and he has laid ground work for the theory with his early writing on the group decision making. Four Functions For Effective Decision Making By observing group decision making Hirokawa and Gouran see that there are task requirements and conditions that group members needs to accomplished to reach high-quality solutions and they refer to these conditions as â€Å"requisite functions of effective decision making.† Along with other pioneers research Hirokawa and Gouran drew an analogy between small groups and biological systems and saw thats just the same conditions that an organism must go through for survival in an ever changing environment as group members must go through functions or have conditions during group decision makings for success in the choice they make. So then four functions were then created for effective decision making as followed. Analysis Of The Problem It is very important for group members to be realistic when looking at the current conditions of any situation that is facing a problem and if there is any misunderstanding of the situation be likely to be complex when each member makes their final decision. The situation here is that the search committee are facing difficulties in selecting candidates which is a problem. They could barely make up their mind. In such cases the group members needs to examine or investigate what the problem really is, then find ways to work out this problem. Analysing of the problem could also have steps to follow or some conditions that must be required. For example from the theory in one of the departments searches for a rhetorician, a theatre director etc presented no obvious difficulties, in this case a job description was drafted and advertised throughout the company and through relationship management , searched for parties whom may be interested. Goal Setting Decision making needs to be clear and concise, therefore there must be some form of criteria for a proposed solution. Hirokawa and Gouran mention that failure to comply with criteria will drive the decision to be governed by politics rather than reason. An example portrayed by the two authors is the recruiting of faculty – criteria were: Doctorate Teaching Experience (Minimum 5 Years) Scholar Publisher And to narrow the search, candidates must be able to engage / build rapport with students and who is able to pursue knowledge from a liberal arts point of view. In having criterias during decision making, this gives the group a short list of candidates and more confidence in their decision. Identifications Of Alternatives To minimise risk in making a decision, Hirokawa and Gouran stressed the significance of having alternative solutions, so that the group can always resort to plan B or plan C. In the case of finding a candidate for a Broadcast production role, the criteria was industry experience, hold a doctorate / masters, radio and broadcast experience. The search for the candidate was limited as not many had an advanced degree no-one had a background in video production. After many brainstorming sessions, this was given to a search committee to do more thorough research for the perfect candidate. As a result of continuous emails and networking – the search committee generated relevant alternatives and discovered two candidates whom they will chose one to fulfil the role. Evaluation Of Positive And Negative Characteristics The next step in decision making is weighing the alternatives. It is very important to look at the pro and cons of each option against the criteria given. The authors mention that decision making often muddles up, and in need of at least one member to remind each other of the positive and negative features of one option. Prioritizing These Functions In order to make decisions one must prioritize the four main functions for effective decision making. Hirokawa and Gouran mentioned that all four functions need to be accomplished to maximise the probability of a high quality decision. They also mention that as long as members use all four functions, what ever the order they like, they will come to a successful decision making. However, groups that resolve particularly difficult situation often take a similar route to come to their final solution. The Role Of Communication In Fulfilling The Functions Communication is the key factor for quality group decision making. Verbal discussion within a group makes it possible to disseminate information, identify errors and also to influence each other. Hirokawa believes that communication plays a vital role in shaping high quality decisions. They also believe that communication through discussion can also make the group wander in different directions and at the same time pull them back onto the directed path. The authors outline three types of communication in decision making groups: 1) Promotive –When the group moves along the same path and calling upon the four main decision functions. 2) Disruptive – Discussions that divert the group members away from the four main decision functions. 3) Counteractive- The interaction that the group use to get each other back on track. The three types of communication above are then aligned with the four functions to create the â€Å"Function-Oriented Interaction Coding System: (FOICS) Checklist. This register is used to analyse communication within a group by matching each column and each row like the diagram below: From The Tiny Pond To The Big Ocean The above metaphor is Hirokawas way of portraying the review of his functional perspective in decision making , the risks that take place within his laboratory during his research and whether it was strong enough to withstand the multiple opposing forces from the ‘real world and other researchers. Hirokawa concludes this metaphor by saying that there are times when following the prescriptions of decision making does not always lead to a decision that works. He then challenges researchers not to look at the outcome but look at what functional conditions work and what does not work. Practical Advice For Amateurs And Professionals The authors give us advice on how to use functional prospective to come up with better decision making. They suggest the following: For groups to use their own opinions. For groups to not have a close minded attitude. Groups to take proactive measures and reflective thinking. The authors acknowledge their intellectual their philosopher) John Dewey. Dewey advocated a six step process of â€Å"reflective thinking† (equivalent to Hirokawa and Gourans four requisite function) to the approach of treating a patient. His steps were as follows: 1) Recognise the illness 2) Diagnose the cause of the illness 3) Establish options for cure 4) Consider possible remedies 5) Test which solution will work 6) Implement the best solution Deweys process above is very similar to Hirokawa and Gourans four requisite functions in decision making. Both of these lists recommend that group members discuss ways that promotes problem analysis, goal setting, finding alternatives and the evaluation of these options. Applications Of The Theory This theory can be applied to everyday situations, whether its at work, home, IT industry or anywhere of any situation where group members take part. Every time group member gather to make decision on some issues they will always be facing problem. Because each group member has different opinions of each situation or there would only be two or three members agreeing on the same situation. So therefore Hirokawa and Gouran have developed four functions to follow for effective group decision making. Not only that these two theorists has also written the roles to fulfilling these functions. This theory can be applied to the IT Industry because there is a situation that needs to be discussed as a group for whats good to be used in the IT industries. Evaluation Of The Theory From the chapter three of Griffin (Weighing the Words) I have applied the appropriate evaluative standards to your theory which is Scientific Standard 2: Prediction of Future Events. This standard states a good objective theory predicts what will happen and it is only possible when we are dealing with our five senses. Applying this to my theory is that each of these group members sees the situation and they hear what is being talked about in the group discussion to whether to agree or disagree is based on how they feel about the situation and think of the situation. This is to prevent problems that may happen in the future because it isnt prevented same problem will occur in the future. Conclusion Summary Of My Points Of Information Hirokawa and Gouran saw the situation and thought of ways to maintain it. They saw that just the same way that an organism must go through for survival in an ever changing environment is just the same way that group members must go through functions or have conditions during group decision makings for success in the choice they make. They then developed the four functions which are; Analysis of the problem, goal setting, identification of alternatives and evaluation of Positive and Negative characteristics. They also state the importance or prioritizing these functions and its roles to fulfilling these functions. They also stated a metaphor â€Å" From tiny pond to the big ocean†. A Critique Of My Theory (Weight Of Argument For And Against) This theory accounts for group decision-making performance in terms of the role that group communication plays in facilitating or impeding the groups efforts to perform cognitive and interpersonal decision-making functions. This theory has been identified as one of the three most influential theories of small group communication. The functional perspective that has been described in this theory illustrates the wisdom of the joint interaction. As the Hebrew proverb suggests, â€Å"Without counsel plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.† Decision making can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Every decision making process produces a final the output can be an action or an opinion of choice The next step in decision making is weighing the alternatives. It is very important to look at the pro and cons of each option against the criteria given. The authors mention that decision making often muddles up, and in need of at least one member to remind each other of the positive and negative features of one option. Glossary Of Terms Perspective Position: a way of regarding situations or topics or the appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer Functional Designed for or capable of a particular function or use Evaluation Act of ascertaining or fixing the value Requisite Necessity: anything indispensable or needed Promotive Interaction that moves the group along the goal path by calling attention to one of the four requisite Disruptive Interaction that diverts, retards, or frustrates group members ability to achieve the four task functions Counteractive Interaction that members use to get the group back on track Amateurs An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without formal training or pay Decision Making Can be regarded as an outcome of mental processes leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Group decision Is decision making in groups consisting of multiple members/entities. The challenge of group decision is deciding what action a group should take. There are various systems designed to solve this problem References / Bibliography â€Å"A Critical Summary of Research on the Role of Argument in Decision-Making Groups.† In Argument and Social Practice: Proceedings of the Fourth SCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation. J. Robert Cox, Malcolm O. Sillars, and Gregg B. Walker (Eds.). Annandale, Virginia: Speech Communication Association, 1985. 14 pp. (Revised and reprinted in Readings in Argumentation. William L. Benoit, Dale Hample, and Pamela J. Benoit (Eds.). San Francisco: Foris, 1992. 17 pp.) Benson, N., Malone, P. (1987), Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alientation. EBSCO host – Education, Vol. 107 Issue 3, p244, 8p, 6 charts Griffin, E. (2009). A first look at communication theory. (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill Randy, H., Dennis, G. (2009). Functional perspective on group decision making. (7th ed.). Group and Public communication – Group decision making. Chp. 17 Randy, H. (1998). Group Communication and Decision-Making Performance A Continued Test of the Functional Perspective. Human Communication Research, Vol. 14, p487 – 515, No. 4 â€Å"The Role of Communication in Decision-Making Groups: A Functional Perspective.† In Communications in Transition. Mary S. Mander (Ed.). New York: Praeger, 1983. 21 pp. With Randy Y. Hirokawa. (First Author) Toseland, RonaldW., Rivas, Robert F., Chapman D. (1984). An evaluation of decision making methods task groups. EBSCO host – Social work, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p339-346, 8p Internet Sources Benson, N., Malone, P., Teachers beliefs about shared decision making and work alientation. Retrieved on July 28, 2009 , from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1hid=108sid=c11c7b30-a902-46f1-96a5-9d484e1b62b8%40sessionmgr110bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5hAN=5271089 Toseland, RonaldW., Rivas, Robert F., Chapman D. ,An evaluation of decision making methods task groups. Retrieved on August 1, 2009, From http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1hid=12sid=cc76eb43-f251-4f74-870f-20d856b51553%40sessionmgr4bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5hAN=4708464 Randy, H., Dennis, G. (2009). Functional perspective on group decision making. Group and Public communication, Retrieved on July 19, 2009, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119457900/abstract?CRETRY=1SRETRY=0 Randy, H. (1998). Group Communication and Decision-Making Performance A Continued Test of the Functional Perspective, Retrieved on July 10, 2009, from http://www.afirstlook.com/main.cfm/theory_resources/Functional_Perspective_on_Group_Decision_Making

Joan of Arc Essay -- Essays Papers

Joan of Arc In the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City the painting â€Å"Joan of Arc† by Jules Bastien-Lepage hangs in the B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Gallery. This Piece is rather large and was done with oil paint on canvas, its dimensions being approximately eight feet tall with a width of ten feet. When walking toward Bastien-Lapage’s painting, it’s size and realism grabs one’s attention, and then holds it while this scene of Joan of Arc seems to take place right before one’s eyes. The corridor where the painting is displayed is part of the museums permanent collection. The gallery is composed of many sculptures with paintings placed between them; almost all of the work is French and done sometime in the 1800’s. This long and wide corridor has Ionic styled pillars at each end, and all together the subtle architecture goes nicely with all the different art work displayed. Bastien-Lepage’s painting is placed third from the end of this corridor and fits there nicely, although one might expect it to see it somewhere else for the amount of attention it receives. To the right of the painting is the wall sign that states the artist’s life span, which was 1848 to 1884, along with the following brief history: â€Å"After the Province of Lorraine was lost to Germany following the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the French saw in Joan of Arc a new and powerful symbol. In 1875 Bastien-Lepage, a native of Lorraine, began to make studies for a picture of her. In the present Painting, exhibited in the salon of 1880, Joan is shown receiving her revelation in her parents’ garden. Behind her are Saint Michael, Margaret, and Catherine.† Joan appears to be the focus of the painting as she stands in the foreground and to the right. Her image is almost life size, and, along with an enormous amount of detail that has been used, she appears very lifelike. Joan stands with her head and shoulder leaning slightly against a tree and her eyes looking upward. Her left arm is stretched out away from her body and holding the end branch of a young flexible tree, while her right arm is at her side with her hand cupped against her dress. The smoothness in the contours of her skin and the ways the textures are represented on her clothing, with the folding and shadowing, are all done well. The use of the different shades of color for the skin tones, clothing, and their... ...ts position in the museum seems to have been well thought out. Unfortunately, this painting loses some of its grandeur when one gets up close. The only real detail work that is put into this piece that looks great up close is ironically the one element that can not be seen from a distance, which is a group of men at the bottom bathing in the waters. While this piece can be positioned on this wall so that it receives its first attention from afar, a piece like Bastien-Lepage’s would not be completely at home in this location. When passing by Joan in her present location, at about a distance of 6 feet as the flow of the room so works, the feeling of being right there with her is exemplified. Then as one moves away to the wall opposite the painting at a distance of about fifteen feet, the furthest distance that the room allows, the beauty of the whole painting is taken in with nothing being lost. After taking in every detail up close and then stepping back to let the painting consume the viewer on a whole, Jules Bastien-Lepage’s painting of Joan of Arc shows the artist’s fine tuned skills in capturing the essence of realism while also conveying a deep humanistic compassion.

Looking at a Growing City :: essays papers

Looking at a Growing City In her lecture, Ms. Gretchen Schneider gave an in depth study of the changing uses of space in the development of the city of Boston. Her study involved a look at the history and land of the city and how they informed the decisions made regarding development and change in the city. In Jack Ahern’s lecture, he discussed landscape scenarios, which included a look at the different spatial concepts of landscape planning. Both lectures included information that could be extracted and applied when analyzing the development of any city. In this paper, I will be applying the ideas they presented in my own brief analysis of the development of my hometown, Nashua, NH. Nashua, New Hampshire is a small city of 175,000 people that lies on the border of Massachusetts. It began as an Indian fishing village along the Nashua River and with time and the construction of the Daniel Webster (Main) street, it grew to be a small factory town. Around the civil war times, Main Street became the main retail district as it was close to the textile factories that ran along the river. Small neighborhoods developed at either end of Main Street along with a railroad station west of the center of town. At this stage of Nashua’s development, it most closely resembled a contained interdigitation. The community and buildings were located in the central part of town, with a few neighborhoods that ran outside the boundaries. By about 1900, the city had begun to expand in all four directions, still fairly contained by the wilderness and the outskirts still resembled the interdigitation. BY the 1940, main other main roads were built, stemming from Main Street, and there was a great expansion, and the fingers of the interdigitation grew long, stretching into more of the wild land. Owners of the farms near town sold their land and moved to these areas on the western part of town, cleared the woods and built them selves huge farms and orchards. The neighborhoods north and south of the town got larger and expanded to east some. The growth of the city was becoming fast and town officials decided to begin claiming public grounds and building parks. It was at this time that Greeley Park was built that contained about a square quarter mile of land and Holman stadium was built at the northern part of town.

Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy is a therapeutic approach in psychology that helped foster the humanistic theories of the 1950s and 1960s and that was, in turn, influenced by them. In Gestalt philosophy, the patient is seen as having better insight into himself or herself than the therapist does. Thus, the therapist guides the person on a self-directed path to awareness and refrains from interpreting the patient’s behaviors. Awareness comprises recognition of one’s responsibility for choices, self-knowledge, and ability to solve problems. Its originators, Frederick S. (Fritz) Perls (1893–1970) and Laura Perls (born Lore Posner, 1905–1990), were born in Germany and studied psychology there. They fled Germany during the Nazi regime, moving to South Africa and then to New York City. They were both initially influenced by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic approaches and by Wilhelm Reich’s Orgonomic psychotherapy. Their later ideas on Gestalt therapy broke with the psychoanalytic tradition, moving toward existentialism and, ultimately, humanism. In New York City the Perls founded the Gestalt Therapy Institute in 1952. Their novel technique in therapy was to face the patient, in contrast to the typical Freudian technique of sitting behind a reclining person. The face-to-face positioning permitted the therapist to direct the patient’s attention to movements, gestures, and postures so the patient could strive to gain a fuller awareness of his or her immediate behaviors and environment. Another well-known approach introduced in Gestalt therapy is the so-called â€Å"empty chair technique,† in which a person sits across from and talks to an empty chair, envisioning a significant person (or object) associated with psychological tensions. By using these techniques, the Perls believed, the patient would be able to gain insight into how thoughts and behaviors are used to deflect attention from important psychological issues and would learn to recognize the presence of issues from the past that affect current behavior. The aim was for the patient to experience feelings, not to gain insight into the reasons for them, as psychoanalysts favored. In the evolution of their therapy, Laura and Fritz Perls differed in some of their approaches. Laura emphasized more direct, physical contact and movement than Fritz did, and the contact favored by Fritz Perls was more symbolic than physical. Gestalt therapy took its name from the school of academic psychology called Gestalt psychology. Perls asserted that Gestalt psychology had influenced the development of his ideas, but the Gestaltists laimed that there was no connection between the two. Later scholars suggested a common substrate linking the academic Gestalt psychology of Max Wertheimer (1880–1943), Wolfgang Kohler (1887–1967), and Kurt Koffka (1886–1941) and the Gestalt therapy of the Perls and their collaborators Ralph Hefferline (1910–1974) and Paul Goodman (1911–1972). This commonality involved appreciation of the who le rather than a reductionistic approach to understanding psychological phenomena and behavior. Gestalt therapy took form in the 1950s and 1960s, when humanism first flourished. The optimistic theory promulgated by the Perls was quite compatible with the ideas of other humanistically oriented psychologists such as Carl Rogers (1902–1987). Its influence has waned since the 1980s, although current therapies have been influenced by the humanistic and optimistic outlook of the theory and by some of the interactive techniques developed by the Perls and their followers. Gestalt theory, a major school of psychology during the first half of the twentieth century, was an influential counterpoint to the other mostly atomistic psychological systems of the time: structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism. While its controversies with these other systems during the â€Å"age of schools† in psychology have receded into history, its major tenets once again became salient toward the end of the twentieth century in such fields as social psychology, cognition, personality psychology, and visual neuroscience. Gestalt psychology proposed a radical revision of the atomistic view that had prevailed for centuries in Western science and social science. Natural wholes, according to the Gestalt view, are not simply the sum total of their constituent parts. Rather, characteristics of the whole determine the nature of its parts, prescribing the place, role, and function of each part in the unified whole. The Gestalt principle of Pragnanz, furthermore, asserts that the organization of any whole will be as â€Å"good† (i. e. , balanced, simple, integrated) as the prevailing conditions allow. This insistence on holistic processes applies equally to all integrated wholes, from physical systems such as electrical fields, magnetic fields, and soap films to psychological systems such as cognitive processes, the organization of perception, personality, and social phenomena. The Gestalt movement is generally viewed (Ash 1995; King and Wertheimer 2005) as having been launched by a series of experiments by Max Wertheimer (1880–1943) on apparent movement published in 1912, although clear indications of a Gestalt perspective were already evident in two earlier publications of Wertheimer on musical structures (1910) and on aboriginal thinking about numerical issues (1912). Two of Wertheimer’s colleagues who served as observers in these experiments, Wolfgang Kohler (1887–1967) and Kurt Koffka (1886–1941), became his collaborators during the next decades in promulgating the new Gestalt approach (Kohler 1929; Koffka 1935). A typical experiment in Wertheimer’s series involved, for example, exposure of a short vertical line in the visual field, followed after a brief interval by exposure of a second similar vertical line a short distance away from where the first one had been exposed. If the time and distance relations are appropriate, observers see a single line moving from one location to the other. The experience is indistinguishable from watching an actual short vertical line move from one location to the other; in both cases, the perception of motion is immediate and compelling. The prevailing alternate theoretical orientations, maintaining that percepts always correspond with their correlated physical stimuli, could not explain the perceived motion when the actual stimuli are two stationary lines successively exposed. The whole, the experience of motion as a Gestalt, cannot be derived from a combination of the â€Å"component sensations† of the two stationary stimuli. The Gestalt school became prominent in European and American psychology. Its principles of perceptual organization have been summarized in almost every introductory psychology textbook; Wertheimer’s book Productive Thinking. (1945) challenged the computer models of the late twentieth century to try to account for the ubiquitous cognitive processes of insight and understanding.