Sociological Imagination and Social Issues - 1251 Words

Sociological Imagination and Social Issues People are more likely to use psychological arguments to explain why things are they way they are rather than look at the sociological aspect of them. They think that problems happening in their lives are personal and overlook that they may be caused by society (Ferris amp; Stein 13). Sociological imagination challenges people to look at the â€Å"intersection between biography and history† and see the role we each play in society (Mills 1959 and Ferris amp; Stein 13). We must look at how larger social issues are intertwined in with each individual’s life and how society shapes a person. There are many benefits with using the sociological perspective on life and one of the most important ones is†¦show more content†¦10/25/2012. Lecture). Rebels are people that reject the cultural definitions of success and therefore are not obedient to the social norm to be successful making them deviant. Since they â€Å"rebel† to the social norm it advocates radical alternatives to the social order that society lives in today (Ferris amp; Stein 158). Kerckhoff and Back stated that â€Å"the belief in a tangible threat makes it possible to explain and justify one’s sense of discomfort† and this is why imprisonment and capital punishment is created (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Between the years of 1980 and 2006, the amount of incarcerated Americans went up nearly five times accumulating over two million prisoners. With less the 5% of the world’s population, we have created social acts that should be punishable by prison and have 23.4% of the world’s prisoners (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Sociologists and other groups have studied so in depth to crime and punishment that there are many subcategories within society that reasons with why people are incarcerated such as gender, race, age, and class as well as specified crime groups for violent, property, and white collar cri mes (Ferris amp; Stein 172, 173). Sociological imagination forces us to look at how we are asked to act and society and how we actually act. Most of the things we do in our daily lives we may think is by choice, however, it is how societyShow MoreRelatedThe Sociological Imagination And The Social Issue Of Child Abuse1492 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The Sociological Perspective was a concept argued by C. Wright Mills was and still is a valuable tool to help people look at, understand and interpret their everyday lives and social world around them (in which they live). The argued perspective will be discussed through the use of the Sociological Imagination with the Personal Problem of Depression and the Social Issue of Child Abuse with what can be done to solve both of these ‘Dilemmas of Youth’. 2. 1. Sociological Imagination The SociologicalRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination and Understanding Personal Troubles as Social Issues1259 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sociological Imagination and understanding personal troubles as social issues: The Sociological Imagination allows us to question â€Å"things† or issues which are common and familiar to us and to find its deeper meaning. With the Sociological Imagination way of thinking, we find reasoning and uncover why many things in society are the way they are. The Sociological Imagination does not attempt to understand the individual and his or her problems alone, but focuses on issues and problems as itRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills969 Words   |  4 Pages C. Wright Mills defined sociological imagination as the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society. Understanding and being able to exercise the sociological imagination helps us understand the relationship between the individual and society. Mills focuses on the distinction between personal troubles and public issues. Having sociological imagination is critical for individual people and societies at large to understand. It is important that people areRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination And Me Essay1343 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sociological Imagination and Me Charles Wright Mills was a writer, a researcher, a teacher, a scholar and a well known sociologist. He was the author of the 1959 book, The Sociological Imagination. This book was poorly received by the sociological community at first, but it is one of the most widely read sociological texts today. The Sociological Imagination and Mills’ other works have had an immense impact on sociology, as he influenced many other scholars and the â€Å"New Left† movement of theRead MoreThe Concepts Following Sociological Imagination675 Words   |  3 Pages In this essay I’ll be talking about Sociological Imagination and the concepts following it and more especially the importance of it. Sociological Imagination is one of the core concepts of Sociology whereas Sociology is all about studying people within the society and what they do. Sociological imagination is all about using one’s mind to see how people are affected by tangible and intangible things around them. So ciological imagination is affected by social forces which are forces that influenceRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination Essay1065 Words   |  5 PagesPaper Grade: 75 / C The Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is an idea or a way of thinking that interlocks an individual in a society with the society as a whole. Most people refer to sociology as the study of how people or individuals interact with each other. In order to fully understand sociology and the concept of the sociological imagination as proposed by C. Wright Mills, one has to be able to envision the individual and the society working together to better understandRead MoreSociology Imagination833 Words   |  4 Pagesdefined sociological imagination as the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another: from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world; from the theological school to the military establishment; from considerations of an oil industry to studies of contemporary poetry.[1] Sociological Imagination:Read MoreEssay on The Sociological Imagination859 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination is when an individual views his society as the potential cause for his daily successes and failures. Individuals often tend to view their personal issues as social problems and try to connect their individual experiences with the workings of society. Mills believes that this is the way for individuals to gain an understanding of their personal dilemmas. The sociological imagination helps people connect their own problems with public problemsRead MoreSociological Imagination1017 Words   |  5 PagesThe concept of â€Å"sociological imagination† is one that can be explained many different ways. A simple way to think of the sociological imagination is to see it as a way a person thinks, where they know that what they do from day to day in their private lives (like the choices they make), are sometimes influenced by the larg er environment in which they live (Mills 1959, 1). What C.W. Mills meant by this concept is that it is the ability to â€Å"understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaningRead MoreAnalysis Of Dalton Conley s You May Ask Yourself 1267 Words   |  6 Pages You May Ask Yourself, defines sociological imagination as, â€Å"The ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual’s life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces† (Conley 2015, pg. A-11). Sociological Imagination is the idea of being able to step outside of the box, and evaluate society from an alternative point of view. Symbolic Interactionism, norms, socialization, and the idea of understanding yourself vs. understanding the social aspect of society, are some of

The Safety And Health Of The Public Essay - 1870 Words

The paramount idea I am advocating is this; the safety and health of the public are put at risk if the same kind of people keeps political power in the future. Consequently what I mean is a person with no engineering background or similar trades in positions of power chose not to act in the best interest of the public when their careers are on the line. [4] The world is changing at a blinding pace; the challenges of global warming, population growth, and rapidly advancing technology, are behemoth problems the general public needs help to tackle, and engineers to rise to their public duty. [6] Moreover I believe the threats to humanity will overwhelm the political structure we currently have unless engineers are at the helm to meet them and dislodge those in power. What made me believe this somewhat radical idea is there are several human-made disasters we have covered in the class discussion, caused by people with little to no engineering experience making engineering decisions and c atastrophe and appealing resulting from those decisions. [7] Moreover, a feature of these cases is only a few people are directly affected; while it’s a tragedy for people to lose their lives to the sizes of the disasters in these cases are small in scale. The disaster I wish to bring your attention to is on an enormous scale in which an entire city suffered. [4] The event in question is dubbed the Flint Water Crisis; it is a case where thousands of innocent men, women and children are subjectedShow MoreRelatedThe Safety And Health Of The Public2047 Words   |  9 Pagesis this; the safety and health of the public will are put at risk if the same kinds of people keep political power in the future. What I want to covey is people with no engineering background or similar trade don’t have or chose not to act in the best interest of the public when their careers are on the line. On top of that the world is changing at a blinding pace: the challenges of global warming, population growth, and rapidly advancing technology, are problems the general public needs help toRead MoreThe Safety And Health Of The Public1939 Words   |  8 Pagesproposing is this; the safety and health of the public will be put at risk if the same kinds of people keep political power in the future. What I mean by this is people with no engineering background or similar trade don’t have or chose not to act in the best interest of the public when their careers are on the line. On top of that the world is changing at a blinding pace: the challenges of global warming, population growth, and rapidly advancing technology, are problems the general public is ill equippedRead MoreThe Plan For Public Health And Safety1733 Words   |  7 PagesThe next component of the General Plan is the plan for public health and safety which addresses issues of: Geology and Seismicity, Flooding and Drainage, Noise, Air Installation Land Use Compatibility, Hazardous Materials, Crime Prevention and Protection Services, Fire Prevention and Suppression Servic es, Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Medical Facilities. The issue of geology and seismicity is important to the Lancaster area at large due to its location being less than ten miles south of the SanRead MoreThe Environment, Public Health And Safety1205 Words   |  5 PagesEnterprises should protect the environment within the framework of environment laws in the countries in which they operate. They should not pollute the environment, public health and safety. In particular, enterprises should collect all the information about the environment where they operate and analysis the environment, safety and health impart due to their activity of operate. They need to make specific plan about how to improve the local environment performance and recycle the nature resources.Read MorePublic Health, Safety, And The Environment750 Words   |  3 Pagestaking up such a large percentage of land, there is less land for farmers, housing, and other resources. Landfills also give off multiple dan gerous chemicals. For example, landfills give off greenhouse gases, dioxins, furans, and mercury (â€Å"Public Health, Safety, and the Environment†). Landfills are also a severe cause of deforestation. Also, landfills take away land that could produce resources needed to feed the steadily growing population and assist in eliminating the Global Food Crisis. Not onlyRead MoreEthics, Public Health, And Environmental Safety3018 Words   |  13 Pagesengineering and the adoption of transgenic crops, a new set of questions regarding ethics, public health, and environmental safety has grown from a theoretical concern to one that must be considered as genetic engineering plays an increasingly large role in our everyday lives. As genetically modified (GM) food has entered the marketplace, these ethical questions have fallen not just to scientists but to the public at large, and the issue has grown into a massive, polarized debate with no signs of resolutionRead MoreThe United States Health Care Public Safety Essay1069 Words   |  5 PagesBackground The United States health care public safety net system largely provides healthcare services to the uninsured and the under insured. However, this vulnerable population still cannot access adequate care and compared to the privately insured population, the uninsured receive less preventative and specialty health care services. The need for safety net providers to improve the delivery and access to care has led to increased funding through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care ActRead MoreThe Code Of Ethics And The Law Of The Public Health, Safety, And Welfare981 Words   |  4 Pagestheir clients, society, and themselves. According to the National Society of Professional Engineers, â€Å" the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare† (NSPE, 2015). This means that engineers need to work towards providing all customers, including society as a whole, the best work and proficient product they possibly can. To ensure that each project they work on is workingRead MoreWhy Vaccination Is Necessary For Our Public Health And Public Safety ( Plotkin 1-15 )1323 Words   |  6 Pagessociety in preventing diseases. They believe that making vaccinations a requirement will be beneficial for our public health and public safety (Plotkin 1-15). The question mainly asked is if vaccines should be given and/or required of all children. The National Vaccine Information Center, also known as (NVIC) is a non-profitable charity to help prevent vaccine injuries. They help inform the public about the risks involved in the use of vaccines. NVIC goes on to say, â€Å"like prescription drugs, vaccines areRead MoreA Number Of Public Health And Safety Concerns Arise From Injection Drug Use944 Words   |  4 PagesA number of public health and safety concerns arise from injection drug use, including: HIV transmission (Mathers et al., 2008), hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission (Alter, 1997; Lake and Kennedy, 2016), overdose (Lake and Kennedy, 2016; Sherman et al., 2007), abscesses and infections (Binswanger et al., 2000; Salmon et al., 2009), and improperly discarded syringes (Buchanan et al., 2003). Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) —also called drug consumption rooms (DCRs), safe injection sites (SISs)

Workplace Bullying and Employee Outcomes †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Workplace Bullying and Employee Outcomes. Answer: Introduction Bullying is an act of demonstrating an unwanted or aggressive behaviour towards another person as a result of real or perceived power imbalance. In an organisational setting, bullying is defined as an unwanted or aggressive behaviour that an employee demonstrates towards another employee working in the same workplace. Bullying at workplace is a problem that has become very common in the past few decades and is creating an alarming situation because of the emotional and physical harm that it causes to the employees (McCabe, Sheehan, Garavan, 2018). Bullying at workplace can be done using a number of tactics, such as verbal or non-verbal, physical, psychological abuse and humiliation in extreme cases. NSW Ambulance service is an organisation that offers emergency services to the victims stuck in natural or man-made disasters. Like many other of the emergency responding organisations, NSW too has been facing a number of problems related to workplace bullying, which has been having a huge impact on the personal lives of the employees working in the company. Over the past few years, the local media has published regular articles that have been pointing out the ongoing bullying issues in the company. In one of the extreme cases, an employee reported that he received negligible counselling from his seniors in his 28-year service period, in which he worked as a single crew ambulance officer. The situation became so worse for Mr. Wallace that he attempted suicide later on. Even after that, a manager told him to cowboy up and passed comments like its all in your mind. Even though Mr. Wallace filed a complained against the manager, the management took no action and the manager was promoted instead. Similarly, when another employee John McCornack was dealing with a post-traumatic stress situation, his seniors kept on calling him and asking him to join back his duty instead of understanding his situation. His seniors kept on pressurising his doctors to sign off on his leave, which was an immense torture for him. The situation in the company has worsen to such an extent that some of the female employees have described the organisation as a boys club that paid no heed to aggressive employee behaviour, humiliating pranks or misogynistic behaviour. According to human resource managers, such bullying behaviour show by employees, in an organisation, can be very destructive for the organisational as a whole as the employees lose their morale and become dissatisfied with their jobs, which results in high employee turnover rates and a spoiled reputation as an employer. Even though multiple queries, related to the issue of bullying, have been coming in from the government, the company has done nothing more than making false promises. Since a new human resource manager has been hired by the organisation, the human resource director of the company now wants the human resource manager to conduct a review of the companys bullying policies and review the performance of the organisation. Therefore, this report is aimed at gaining a deeper insight into the issue of bullying prevailing in NSW Ambulance Services and come up with certain strategies that could help the management in dealing with these issues. Identifying bullying issues in the organisation Workplace bullying is a problem that is hitting the entire globe. According to Dr. Gray Namie, Director of the Workaplce Bullying Institute, more than 54 million people got bullied in U.S. workplaces in 2012 (OBrien, 2012). Such facts create and urgency to understand the issues in business organisations that promote bullying and should be dealt with by formulating strict workplace bullying policies. Certain issues that can be identified in the case of NSW Ambulance service are discussed below: First of all, one of the biggest issues in the organisation, that has to such extreme bullying conditions has been the absence of proper human resource management systems. The present day human resource management systems provide a great deal of importance to the well-being of their employees and consider it is an important duty to keep a check on them. An employee who experiences workplace bullying, it is impossible for him or her to not to show certain signs. Employees being bullied will always show poor performance levels, increased absenteeism, a greater tendency to quit their companies, lack of job satisfaction, etc. which can be a sign to the human resource managers if they are capable enough to recognize them. It becomes an important duty of the human resource managers to keep a check on the behaviour of employees and identify irregularities (Barrow, 2012). If such irregularities are identified in case of any employee, human resource managers can conduct counselling sessions w here the employee can be asked to discuss his or her problems related to the workplace. Furthermore, human resource management departments should consider workplace bullying as a serious issue and should avoid escaping from it. If there was an effective human resource management department at place in NSW Ambulance service, the human resource managers would not have failed the bullied employees and would have taken the situation seriously, which would have prevented the situation from worsening. Lack of support from the human resource managers not only motivates workplace bullies but also increases the feeling of being victimised amongst the employees being bullied (Moneywatch, 2007). Thus, the lack of an effective human resource department at NSW Ambulance service has been one of the main issues that has worsen the situation of workplace bullying. Secondly, an important issue that can be seen in the organisation is the lack of an ethical work culture. Culture, in simple words, is defined as a set of values, ethics, morals, cuisines, language, etc. that governs the social behaviour of a group of people. In an organisational setting, work culture refers to the morals, ethics and values, which governs the behaviour of the employees towards each other and the stakeholders in the business. The behaviour that the employees at NSW Ambulance service have been demonstrating demonstrates the lack of an ethical work culture. The employees at NSW Ambulance service do not understand the importance of workplace relations and have a tendency to demonstrate their power over others using unethical ways. The culture of pulling each others leg is a huge problem in the company, as some senior level employees of the company have been being rude to employees who have been experiencing post-traumatic stress. Some employees have also gone to such an extent that they have tried to influence certain doctors to write-off holiday applications of those employees who have been experiencing high stress levels, just in order to get them back to the workplace (Allan, 2017). Further, it can also be observed that the managers at NSW Ambulance service have not being taking complaints against workplace bullying and harassment seriously and have neglected such complaints by terming them as interpersonal work conflicts. The lack of a workplace culture that takes bullying and harassment into account and treat it as a serious offence has spoiled the workplace culture at NSW Ambulance service, which makes powerful employees feel that they have complete authority over the others and can behave in whatever way that feels right to them (Glanville, 2017). Thirdly, lack of performance management and a feedback system has also been one of the prime reasons that has been making it tough for the organisation to keep a check on bullies. Performance management and feedback systems can help in identifying issues that are prevailing in the organisation as the employees feel comfortable in talking about their issues when they are asked for anonymous feedback. The management at the company turned a deaf ear to bullying allegations and in-turn, the management blamed the employees who were being bullied by the senior level managers (Workplacebullying, n.d.). Further, the management also made no efforts to ensure its employee well-being, which is one of the most important tasks for human resource managers working in such companies where the employees have to provide emergency services to people who are badly affected or are hurt. Treating people, who are at their worst, can obviously be disturbing for employees who are responsible for providing em ergency services and it becomes really important to ensure well-being of such employees as they are doing good for the society. Acting against bullying at workplace Bullying at workplace can be very harmful to the environment of an organisation and can have long lasting impact on the workforce. Given the nature of work at NSW Ambulance service, it is imperative for the management to deal with bullying issues as soon as possible because it cannot afford to lose its talented workforce, which works day and night to offer emergency service to people stuck in great difficulties. Bullying not only has its impact on the employees, but can also have certain long lasting impact on the organisation itself. Some important effects of bullying are discussed below: First of all, bullying can have long lasting psychological and emotional impact on the employees on the receiving end. Bullying can increase the stress levels amongst employees, who become alcoholic and use drugs to counter the stress caused due to humiliation or disrespect, which can cause serious health related issues amongst them, such as stress, anxiety, panic attacks, higher blood pressures, etc. Secondly, employees who are bullied by their co-workers are often found to lack job satisfaction and are not able to perform well because of the psychological effect that bullying has on them. Employees can experience loss of self-esteem, lower productivity, lack of concentration, etc., which can have an impact on the overall performance of an organisation (Gordon, 2018). Thirdly, an environment in the workplace, where bullying is a normal thing, the employees who are subjected to bullying have a tendency to show greater absenteeism, which ultimately leads to quitting jobs. As a result, companies can experience a very high employee turnover ratio if bullying is not taken as a serious issue. Fourthly, bullying is actually an illegal activity and can cause a lot of legal trouble for the employees who bully others as well as for the company, in case a company fails to take an action against such people (Namie Namie, 2004). Lastly, bullying is perceived as a very negative workplace habit and an organisation that turns a blind eye will definitely lose its reputation in the market as an employer, which will make it impossible for it to retain and attract talented employees. Thus, it is very important for organisations like NSW Ambulance Services to keep a constant check on bullying. Formulating a policy against bullying Bullying is illegal throughout the globe and business organisations are supposed to form policies and take necessary actions to prevent their employees from being bullied by their co-workers. Certain policies that can help NSW Ambulance Services to act against bullying in the workplace are discussed below: First of all, the company needs to accept the fact that its employees are being subjected to bullying, which is actually having a negative impact on their mental condition. The management at NSW Ambulance services needs to start considering all the complaints that have been made in regard to bullying in the past and should start gathering feedback from its staff as the very first step (Einarsen, Hoel, Cooper, Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: International Perspectives in research and practice, 2003). Secondly, the organisations need to form a team comprising of employees from different hierarchical levels. This team will handle all claims related to bullying and will be responsible for keeping a check on any bullying activity that takes place in the organisation. The newly formed team will also take necessary steps to spread information amongst the employees that bullying will no longer be acceptable in the workplace and any employee found bullying another employee will be terminated from the job, if proven, and could also be legally challenged by the organisation (Bully Zero Australia Foundation , n.d.). Thirdly, the management at NSW Ambulance Services should make arrangements for training and development programs that will be aimed at increasing awareness amongst its employees in relation to bullying, its harmful effects and how it can be dealt with (Florentine, 2015). The employees of the organisation should be informed about the illegal aspects of bullying and what action can they take in case they feel that a co-worker is trying to bully them and the management fails to respond to their claims (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, Cooper, 2010). This will not only instil a fear in the minds of employees who possess a tendency to bully others but will also promote the establishment of a workplace environment where bullying is considered as a serious offence, which can involve legal action and termination. Fourthly, the management of the organisation should start taking feedbacks from the employees at regular intervals, where questions related to the workplace environment and cultures should be asked. In certain places, the management can include questions related to bullying at workplace and can even make the feedback anonymous, in order to maximise the effectiveness of the survey feedback (Salin, 2008). Further, the management should conduct interviews, where outgoing employees should be questioned about their work experience with the organisation and instances where they have experienced bullying in the workplace. This would not only help the management in dealing with issues related to bullying, but will also help in discovering many other issues that might have been having an impact on the workforce. Lastly, checking the tendency of an employee to bully his or her co-workers should be considered right from the recruitment and selection process. The management at NSW Ambulance Services should strengthen its human resource management department and should make it compulsory for them to test the tendency of candidates, who appear in the recruitment programs, to bully others. Some importance questions that can be included in the screening process can be: Do shortcomings of other people frustrate you? Are you concerned about the impact that your words can have on your co-workers? Do you normally yell at work? Is losing an argument acceptable to you? Do you think appreciating other peoples work and efforts is necessary at work? Likewise, there is a huge list of questions that can be smartly included in the questionnaires to identify people with bullying tendencies. Further, human resource managers can also make use of verbal as well as non-verbal cues given by candidates during the recruitment process to identify their tendency to bully others (Zundel, 2017). Conclusion NSW Ambulance Services is an organisation that operates in an environment where emotional and psychological well-being of the workforce is extremely important for achieving the desired performance levels. Bullying in such organisations can cause a lot of serious issues for the employees as well as for the employers. The prevailing conditions at NSW Ambulance Services has been having a great impact on the emotional and psychological wellness of its employees. The impact of bullying on employees has increased to such an extent that some of the employees have attempted suicides while some have resigned from their jobs. Those who are in a state of trauma, are still being bullied by their seniors in some way or the other while the employees who have left the organisation are spoiling the reputation of the company as an employer. If the management still fails to consider the situation as an alarm, it will become difficult for the organisation to retain and attract new employees, which woul d ultimately result in the closure of the company. As a result, it is important for the management at NSW Ambulance Services to formulate strict policies against bullying and to treat bullying at workplace as a serious offence. Bibliography Allan, L. (2017, September 22). NSW Ambulance has huge problem: bullying inquiry told . Retrieved April 19, 2018, from www.theherald.com.au: https://www.theherald.com.au/story/4942776/nsw-ambulance-has-huge-problem-bullying-inquiry-told/ Barrow, D. L. (2012, January 30). Workplace Bullying and the Role of Human Resource Management . Retrieved April 18, 2018, from peopletalkonline.ca: https://peopletalkonline.ca/workplace-bullying-and-the-role-of-human-resource-management/ Bully Zero Australia Foundation . (n.d.). Workplace bullying . Retrieved April 19, 2018, from bzaf.org.au: https://bzaf.org.au/workplace-bullying/ Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Cooper, C. (2003). Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: International Perspectives in research and practice. Crc Press. Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., Cooper, C. (2010). Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Developments in Theory, Research, and Practice. Crc Press. Florentine, S. (2015, January 13). How to Prevent Workplace Bullying . Retrieved April 19, 2018, from www.cio.com: https://www.cio.com/article/2867980/careers-staffing/how-to-prevent-workplace-bullying.html Glanville, B. (2017, July 27). Bullying 'prevalent in emergency services' and NSW Parliament wants answers . Retrieved April 19, 2018, from www.abc.net.au: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-27/emergency-services-inquiry-ambulance-worker-bullied/8745754 Gordon, S. (2018, February 12). What Are the Effects of Workplace Bullying? . Retrieved April 19, 2018, from www.verywellmind.com: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-the-effects-of-workplace-bullying-460628 McCabe, T. J., Sheehan, M., Garavan, T. N. (2018). Workplace bullying and employee outcomes: a moderated mediated model . International Journal of Human Resource Management. Moneywatch. (2007, November 13). Understanding the Reasons for Workplace Bullying . Retrieved April 18, 2018, from www.cbsnews.com: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/understanding-the-reasons-for-workplace-bullying/ Namie, G., Namie, R. (2004). Workplace Bullying: How to Address America's Silent Epidemic . Retrieved April 19, 2018, from heinonline.org: https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/emplrght8div=15id=page= OBrien, G. (2012, May 3). Workplace Bullying: More Common and Damaging Than You Think . Retrieved April 17, 2018, from business-ethics.com: https://business-ethics.com/2012/05/03/9649-workplace-bullies-more-common-and-damaging-than-you-think/ Salin, D. (2008, September). The prevention of workplace bullying as a question of human resource management: Measures adopted and underlying organizational factors . Scandinavian Journal of Management , 24(3), 221-231. Workplacebullying. (n.d.). www.workplacebullying.org. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from https://www.workplacebullying.org/individuals/problem/how-bullying-happens/: How Bullying Happens Zundel, C. M. (2017, September 17). 14 Signs You Might Be Perceived as a Workplace Bully . Retrieved April 19, 2018, from www.kcarecruiting.com: https://www.kcarecruiting.com/2017/09/14-signs-you-might-be-perceived-as-a-workplace-bully/

Waleed Allohabi Essay Example For Students

Waleed Allohabi Essay 8 May 2017Germany in the U.S.AThe popularity of Germany and the German church in the United States was actually very popular at one point. Many Americans are the descendants of the German immigrants that settled in the United States from Germany. The largest flow ofGerman immigration that occurred in America occurred between 1820 until World War I and even until World war ll. Approximately six millionGermanimmigrants arrived in the United States from 1840 to 1880. The Germans were the largest group ofimmigrants to ever enter the United States. Not only that, but the Germans were very known and had a lot of influence on the country. The Germans were the first non-English speaking immigrant group to arrive in the United States in large amounts. Also, Germans participated in major roles in American economic development, U.S. military forces, the abolitionist movement, and other important objectives. German immigrants continued to make important contributions to the United States during the twentieth century. We will write a custom essay on Waleed Allohabi specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Missouri has a lot of German history and experience. Specifically, St. Louis is the main city in Missouri that had all the German immigrants. A lot of the St.Louisansof today come from German decent.From the mid-1830s untiltheWorld Wars, Germans flooded into St. Louis. There were many forms of transportation centered in St. Louis so many Germans liked that. SomeGermansonly passed through on their way to other Missouri citiesor other states. Butsinceso many stayedin St. Louis,thepopulation in St. Louis grew more than triplefrom 4,977 in 1830 to 16,469 by 1840. GermanProtestants founded the first German church in St. Louis in 1834. German Catholics and German Lutherans also formed churches in St. Louis, and a small amountof German Jews also came to St. Louis during this time. In 1850, more than half of the nearly 78,000 St.Louisanswere of German descent. Manyof themjoined Union supporters in the Civil War, helping keep Missouri fromseparatingfrom the country.Thefastarrivalof immigrants into St. Louis led to overcrowding,housing shortage,diseases, and the death of many people. However,itadditionallyresulted in opportunities for both thecapable and the incapable. A lotGerman immigrants had some educationand often arrived trained in tradeskills. They quickly established themselves and contributed to St. Louiss growthand success.German immigrants today originally established many of the industries in St. Louis. As you can see,the popularity of the Germany and the German church in the United States was very popular in the history of the United States and specifically Missouri.GermanProtestants, German Catholics, German Lutherans, and German Jews all chose St. Louis to be there home, making St. Louis one of the biggest German areas in the country. Many Americans are the descendants of the German immigrants that settled in the United States that came from Germany. Germany is very important in the United States history and without the influence and arrival of all the German people the country may not be the way it is today. German influence and the German Church may not be a big topic anymore but the impact Germany has on United States from the original German culture and all the German roots that U.S. and Missouri has today is remarkable.

Law Enforcement Issues free essay sample

When a citizens property was stolen, one would pay a certain fee to have the police recover the goods and arrest the perpetrator-I This fee-for-service system was not continued because police arrive was seen as a public entitlement. Restricting police service to only those who could afford to pay would create a social injustice. The thought in a democracy is that public services should be equally available to all. (www. Accelerometer. Org/articles/ Andrews. As) Are police officers unethical to accept gifts like free coffee and dinners?What I saw as a wrong act was taken by others, as a right. Gratuity is something given willingly or beyond compulsion generally for some service. The concern becomes cloudy as to whether the receiving of free coffee and free or cut-rate meals is in fact, by definition, gratuity. Even if the receiving of free or cut-rate items is not taken formally as a gratuity, does this mean that its acceptance is Justly sound? Some police officers have departmental policies that affirm that officers can accept gratuities as long as they do not ask for them. We will write a custom essay sample on Law Enforcement: Issues or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Other officers describe difference between what is an permitted gratuity. Could ethical opinion of receiving gratuities be a matter of belief, or are the taking of granulates a community social act that should persist as an association between the community and the police? Different pinions are present among officers, as well as in different books and studies. Distinction between gratuities and corruption Is not a clear perception. Within the a large number of any police authority, the practice of taking gifts, switching services, and widen professional courtesies is acknowledged by all citizens.It is a common part of business affairs for a salesman to offer a deal to a sound customer or for a firm to obtain constructive advertising space on a publication or tabloid by paying extra. Staff on communal payrolls also accepts gifts for professional services endured. The compensation of free coffee and discounted meals or services from businesses to police officers Is a prevalent, long-established practice In many authorities. Free coffee is possibly the most frequently accepted gratuity.Additional services that businessmen anticipate in return for giving a gratuity may include such instant acts as extra protection during business hours and after closing, police attend to banks, and regular patrol of the business locality. While officers offer extra services to personal businesses in return for a free cup of 1 OFF Anton be supposed as going to the main bidder; choice must be based on need. Most officers consent that presenting free goods and services as an right and basing efforts in handling a complaint on what the complainant has given the officer is immoral.But, according to the most of the officers a huge gray area is present, particularly in the receiving of f ree coffee to raise officer being there. Observation is significant; exchanging a complimentary cup of coffee may be harmless. Yet, the publics opinion is vital in the favor and view that the community has for their law enforcement agency. In one of the cases an officer recommended that a new restaurant opened in her town and the owners gave free meals to police officers.Subsequently, the city put into practice a policy that began to charge businesses after the police department reacted to a limited number of false alarms. The new business expected a bill because of its number of false alarms, but the owners declined to pay based on the long list of free meals given to the police department. The media published the story, which revealed badly on the department. Many hold a view that the coffee is low-cost and that owners are screening gratitude y offering a cup and enjoying the fact that officers spend time in their shops. Consequently, what is the harm?On the other hand, what happens in unrestricted issues where officers stop the owner or an employee for speeding? They may base their Judgment whether to cite on the fact that they received free coffee. Should the free coffee aspect in the officers assessment? Some law enforcement officers think that if the gratuity is not given, the opinion of reprisal may become an issue if the officer was put into the point of enforcement against the store owner or employee. What makes a gift a gratuity is the rationale it is given, what makes it dishonesty is the basis it is taken.The officer also think that on a unrestricted call the option remains that the officer may come to a decision in favor of the violator based on the offering of gratuities, but this has not occurred in his department. Recommendations Clearly, no general agreement subsists on the receiving of gratuities or even what represent a gratuity. As a superintendent, the rational move would be to no t allow officers to allow free coffee and discounted or free meals. Reviewing gratuities can dead to surplus view by the public and bring the agencys caution into question. Though, a Christmas gift given by a personal business to a department may be customary as a token of a working affiliation. Furthermore, agencies should feel free to accept assistance from fraternal group that donate to programs that help the general community. But, when an officer receives items on a custom basis, a harmful connection may develop or be apparent as such. To eradicate uncertainty, agencies should put into practice a policy against the reception of free or discounted items by individual officers.Law enforcement officers frequently face the problem of receiving gratuities. Some officers hold the opinion that the acceptance of free coffee and free or discounted meals as a right, while others views it as an immoral act. Police officers should regard as the opinion of the public, as well as business owners, when receiving gratuities. Departmental policies on gratuities differ between agencies, and officers may question precisely what add up to a gratuity. To eradicate perplexity, departments should make sure that their policies clearly differentiate what is acceptable.

Dubonnet essays

Dubonnet essays I have recently been looking at one of Cassandres poster designs called Dubonnet (below) that was designed in 1934 advertising wine. I think this poster is unusual because the poster has three parts to it but all represents the same theme. At the first stage of the design there is a man sitting at a table staring at the glass he is holding what appears to be filled with wine, as the man holds up the glass part of his arm and face becomes highlighted in a dark shade. Also, in the same stage the word DUBO stands out which is read like Du Beau, that means something beautiful. In the second stage the lettering gradually changes to DUBON (something good), and at the same time the man now tastes the wine, again the mans body is shaded more this time moving down towards his stomach. Eventually in the last stage of the design the full brand name of the wine, DUBONNET, is revealed and the man has finished his glass of wine and helps himself to a second serving with a fully highlighted body. To me, this design is very clever because of the way Cassandre has divided the poster into three stages to make it like a cartoon strip. I think the message that its trying to get across is that the more you drink, the more energy you fill up with. Another thing I noticed about this poster is that in each stage of the design he signs parts of his name just like the word DUBONNET and in the last stage he signs his name fully as A.M Cassandre, and also the background of the poster changes shades of yellow and the mans body fills in. I imagine that Cassandre had thought about this design really hard to produce such an unusual advertisement for wine. ...

Fact sheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Fact sheet - Essay Example The leaves are also dark green in color which is shiny on the paler underneath and at the top with its petiole section being red and long in size. In the fall, the leaves with smooth margins will usually turn yellow. Habitat: Bigleaf maple grows in moist soils and areas that are shingle and rough in nature. There is a high likelihood of the trees surviving in areas which are next to the lake, river and stream edges compared to other wet regions such as the seepage areas. [1]. The species mostly occurs in mixed group of trees with black, red alder, Douglas –fir, cottonwood, western hemlock and Western red Cedar. Mice, grosbeaks and squirrels usually eat on the seeds of this species while the elk and deer often feed on its twigs. Use: The tree can be used in making of hooks for clothes, dishes and pipes. [1]. They are also used in making of paddles; occasionally, the inner back can be used in making ropes, baskets and whisks which are used for whipping soopolallie berries [1]. Notes: In fact, the Maple flowers are one kind of food that can be eaten with salad together. It is quite sweet. For the bark of the Bigleaf maple trees, it is rich in calcium and moisture because the trees are usually in wet rainforest plant community. It should be noted that the flower of Bigleaf maple just like other Maple is one of the delicious meals that can be eaten together with salad. The bark of the tree on the other hand is rich in moisture and calcium given that they are found within the community of

Econometrix Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Econometrix - Assignment Example Test for Significance of Coefficient In order to test the significance of the coefficient, the following hypotheses have been drawn. Ho: The coefficient is equal to zero H1: The coefficient is greater than zero Test Statistics In order to test the significance of the coefficient of Age, t statistic is needed to be calculated. Formula In the given case, the estimated coefficient may be referred as ?Age = 0.043 while the Standard error for ?Age = 0.003. Therefore, Now for the given data set the t tabulated value had been found using the degree of freedom in the given case is 21600 – 3= 21597. The significance level for the test is 1%. The t critical value for the given data is found to be 2.326 (Allison, 1991). Decision Rule The Null hypothesis is rejected if t calculated is greater than t tabulated. Conclusion Since the t calculated value is greater than the t tabulated value i.e. 14.3333>2.326, hence the criteria suggests rejecting the null hypothesis. So it can be concluded t hat the coefficient value is not equal to zero. 1b. The equation required for the desired calculation is In the given case, Age= 30 years Size= 100 employees Therefore, the earnings calculated for the given age and size is equal to 7.337 pounds (Belsley, Kuh & Welsch, 2005). 1c) It depends as it sounds logical that a person with higher education would be earning greater than the one who has less education. Therefore, assuming that bigger organizations hire more educated people, it may be assumed that on average there is less probability that an organization employees older people. Omitting education in case if it is related to age was necessary to rule out the chances of error caused due to the correlation existing between age and education as an increase in age is termed to be negatively associated with education. Thus the model would have implied the issue of multicollinearity. When variables are extremely correlated, the variability explained exclusively by the single variables c an be minor despite the fact that the variation explicated by the variables brought together is great. (Wooldridge, 2012). d. Model 2 (2.430) (0.053) (0.285) The sample size is 83, while R2 is 0.036 1d) By and large, with an increase in sample size, the estimated values tend to be better predictor of the population parameters. Therefore, with each additional observation that is admitted in the sample, the amount of information increases and that additional information usually aids in providing better statistics. Thus if the model provides a better estimating results, the standard errors will be reduced. The model 1 has been framed using an extensively large size of sample while model 2 has eliminated the general public and has enlisted only a specified fragment of the whole population resulting in a decreased size of sample. This ultimately targets the standard errors as they are increased due to the declined size of the sample. This contemplates the information that larger samples will bring forth more accurate estimates of the coefficients’ in a regression analysis (Aiken & West, 1991). e) Hypothesis testing for model 1 Where k=3, N= 21600 while R2=0.025 (Aiken & West, 1991) Calculating the F statistic Let the level of significance be 0.05, the F critical value in that case will be 2.6. Since the F calculated value is less than the F critical, hence,

Comparative Politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Comparative Politics - Research Paper Example Federalism is antagonistic to separatism and the federalists believe in achieving a common good by running the affairs of the government by sharing power and at the same time a reasonable degree of autonomy is granted to the units of federation. Federalism is currently being practiced in many countries of the world which include United States, Canada, India, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and is found to be very useful for sharing power between a central government and the provinces and states. In most of the federal democracies, important issues like currency, foreign policy, energy and defense are governed by the central government whereas the issues related to public welfare and social service such as health, food, education and infrastructure development etc are dealt by the provincial government (Pennington). The division of power in federalism is explicitly stated in the constitution of the federation and thus the right of government of the central government and the states is safeguarded by the constitution and a rational autonomy is granted to the states and provinces forming the federation. Keeping foreign policy, national security and currency with the central government is imperative for creating a strong federation and thus in most of the federations these powers rest with the central government. The remaining powers are divided between the central government and the provinces as per the political and geostrategic scenario of the federation and thus the power sharing pattern differs from one federation to the other. For example in the federation countries like United States and Germany the powers about which the constitution is silent and are not explicitly stated to rest with central or the provincial/state government are retained by the state governments whereas in India, Canada and Argentina such powers are retained by the central government. Federalist system of government provides a

Looking At Laboratory Information Systems Information Technology Essay

Looking At Laboratory Information Systems Information Technology Essay INTRODUCTION Healthcare is always a top priority within any collection of individuals, whether it is the workforce, schools, churches, communities, states, countries etc. This is because mortality rates are directly affected by the level of healthcare available, and effective productivity is dependent on good health and high mortality rates. Developed nations tend to invest large sums of money into healthcare, in order to prevent most ailments before they become epidemics, however, due to lack of emphasis on the importance of healthcare, African nations suffer from low mortality rates caused by lack of proper laboratory procedures and equipment, to test and accurately diagnose problems ahead of time. Even though we are now in a highly advanced technological era, Nigerian hospitals still conduct tests, data collection, and calculations manually, leaving a huge opening for errors which could lead to wrong diagnosis and in turn, wrong treatment. As we humans become ever increasingly dependent on computer technology in our daily lives, it then would be appropriate to utilize technological solutions to problems conventional methods prove inefficient at. These problems can be solved with the use of a properly configured software system to manage all administrative tasks in the laboratories. The most effective use of technology to solve to these issues would be carried out using open source software popularly known as a Laboratory Information System (L.I.M.S). The model of this work seeks to provide an application which will enable vital functionalities such as proper documentation and storage of patient information, patient specimen/sample tracking, and most important, patient test results. In the light of the above, the proposed system applies the web application development approach in its information architecture and processing, however this system will run on a local machine as opposed to running on a remote server over the internet. Consequently at completion of this work, the end product should be a Laboratory information management system which handles activities in the lab from the entry of a patient to the laboratory to the generating of a test result or Laboratory report. BACKGROUND OF STUDY The study for the development of the laboratory information management system uses a medical laboratory facility: Bakor Medical laboratory as its case study. Investigations indicate that the following steps or procedures are undertaken in the process of getting tested in the medical laboratory. On entry into the laboratory a document known as the Patient Investigation form. This form holds information such as the Patients name, age sex, on filling this form the patient is then billed. The patient Investigation form is then transferred to a second laboratory attendant who then uses the information retrieved from the aforementioned form to fill the laboratory request book. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM In recent times, due to increase in population, there is constant pressure on providers of various services to provide innovative methods of dispensing a sizable amount of services to great amount of people in the shortest possible time. Consequently, organizations are constantly resorting to technological solutions to meet up with the ever increasing demand for quality and speedy service delivery and with virtually everything in our day to day lives being technologically driven, should there not be a scenario where paper documentation is completely annihilated from medical laboratories?, where a system is adopted in which patient records and data are properly stored such as to enable features such as patient/visitor history tracker, where a returning patients history can aid the laboratory in deducing what type of test a visitor would request for, statistical reports generation where useful statistical information is inferred based on test results e.g whether or not there is an incr ease or decrease of new HIV infections, should there not be a software/application where other stakeholders in the health-care delivery processes such as doctors and pharmacists have access to laboratory generated information to aid in their health-care administration?, should the retrieval of patient test records be slow and cumbersome?, why must results be entered directly on the result document, therefore a backup copy is unavailable. Questions such as these will serve as a guide to the development of a robust system than manages various tasks in the medical laboratory. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS Based on the statement of the problems above the research question for this study are: How will the development of a laboratory information management System greatly increase the laboratorys efficiency? OBJECTIVE OF STUDY To design a robust Laboratory information System that will efficiently aid in the running of the laboratory facility To hold and provide timely information about each visitor to the laboratory To reduce the need to hire staff through the proper application of technological solutions therefore cutting cost. With a proper functioning and comprehensively designed application, Laboratory tasks such the following can be achieved: SAMPLES MANAGEMENT A LIMS can automate the management of samples. An organization can configure its analytical parameters and calculations into the LIMS before implementing the software in the laboratory. After sample registration, the system can print barcodes which it can scan at the end of the analysis when loading results into the LIMS. The system can check the completed results, automatically validating those which comply with specifications; and reporting (but not validating) out-of-specification results. A LIMS may release or retain lots and batches, according to a laboratorys specifications and calculations. Once results come available for the labs clients or owners, they can extract them in  PDF, XML  or spreadsheet files from the LIMS interface. (Note that moving insufficient data to a spreadsheet may lose the traceability of changes). LABORATORY USERS One may configure a LIMS for use by an unlimited  number of users. Each user owns an interface, protected by security mechanisms such as a login and a password. Users may have customized interfaces. A laboratory manager might have full access to all of a LIMS functions, whereas technicians might have access only to functionality needed for their individual work-tasks. ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS AUTOMATION As of 2009  LIMS implementations can manage laboratory sampling, consumables sampling schedule and financial (invoices). SCOPE OF STUDY Bakor Medical centre has various departments and sections based on the issue at hand to be dealt with; however this study focuses mainly on the lab processes, including data collection and management. This study takes the patient from the moment of entry into the medical centre, filling forms, up till the moment the test is taken, from that point onwards the study will focus on the methods used by the laboratory attendant to collect and store data, through recording of findings and submission of results This study will also concentrate on data backup and retrieval methods and will highlight potential errors and problems that could be encountered if the entire process was carried out manually instead of using a well configured computer application. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY The Computer based Laboratory information management System is quite desirable as it will benefit the laboratory in the area of repetitive task automation. It will serve as an assistant to the medical laboratory scientist. It will also benefit patients as they will be able to retrieve record from previous visits to the laboratory. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY The limitations of this study include: Inability to obtain actual test result document, as this goes against medical ethics for a third party to view Laboratory specimen or test results. Unavailability of qualified laboratory scientist at the study locations to properly explain terms and laboratory procedures. LITERATURE REVIEW From tasting urine to microscopy to molecular testing, the sophistication of diagnostic techniques has come a long way and continues to develop at breakneck speed. The history of the laboratory is the story of medicines evolution from empirical to experimental techniques and proves that the clinical lab is the true source of medical authority. Three distinct periods in the history of medicine are associated with three different places and therefore different methods of determining diagnosis: From the middle ages to the 18th century, bedside medicine was prevalent; then between 1794 and 1848 came hospital medicine; and from that time forward, laboratory medicine has served as medicines lodestar. The laboratorys contribution to modern medicine has only recently been recognized by historians as something more than the addition of another resource to medical science and is now being appreciated as the seat of medicine, where clinicians account for what they observe in their patients. The first medical diagnoses made by humans were based on what ancient physicians could observe with their eyes and ears, which sometimes also included the examination of human specimens. The ancient Greeks attributed all disease to disorders of bodily fluids called humors, and during the late medieval period, doctors routinely performed uroscopy. Later, the microscope revealed not only the cellular structure of human tissue, but also the organisms that cause disease. More sophisticated diagnostic tools and techniques such as the thermometer for measuring temperature and the stethoscope for measuring heart rate were not in widespread use until the end of the 19th century. The clinical laboratory would not become a standard fixture of medicine until the beginning of the 20th century. Ancient diagnostic methods In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the earliest physicians made diagnoses and recommended treatments based primarily on observation of clinical symptoms. Palpation and auscultation were also used. Physicians were able to describe dysfunctions of the digestive tract, heart and circulation, the liver and spleen, and menstrual disturbances; unfortunately, this empiric medicine was reserved for royalty and the wealthy. Other less-than-scientific methods of diagnosis used in treating the middle and lower classes included divination through ritual sacrifice to predict the outcome of illness. Usually a sheep would be killed before the statue of a god. Its liver was examined for malformations or peculiarities; the shape of the lobes and the orientation of the common duct were then used to predict the fate of the patient. Ancient physicians also began the practice of examining patient specimens. The oldest known test on body fluids was done on urine in ancient times (before 400 BC). Urine was poured on the ground and observed to see whether it attracted insects. If it did, patients were diagnosed with boils. The ancient Greeks also saw the value in examining body fluids to predict disease. At around 300 BC, Hippocrates promoted the use of the mind and senses as diagnostic tools, a principle that played a large part in his reputation as the Father of Medicine. The central Hippocratic doctrine of humoral pathology attributed all disease to disorders of fluids of the body. To obtain a clear picture of disease, Hippocrates advocated a diagnostic protocol that included tasting the patients urine, listening to the lungs, and observing skin color and other outward appearances. Beyond that, the physician was to understand the patient as an individual. Hippocrates related the appearance of bubbles on the surface of urine specimens to kidney disease and chronic illness. He also related certain urine sediments and blood and pus in urine to disease. The first description of hematuria or the presence of blood in urine, by Rufus of Ephesus surfaced at around AD 50 and was attributed to the failure of kidneys to function properly in filtering the blood. Later (c. AD 180), Galen (AD 131-201), who is recognized as the founder of experimental physiology, created a system of pathology that combined Hippocrates humoral theories with the Pythagorean theory, which held that the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water), corresponded to various combinations of the physiologic qualifies of dry, cold, hot, and moist. These combinations of physiologic characteristics corresponded roughly to the four humors of the human body: hot moist = blood; hot dry = yellow bile; cold moist = phlegm; and cold dry = black bile. Galen was known for explaining everything in light of his theory and for having an explanation for everything. He also described diabetes as diarrhea of urine and noted the normal relationship between fluid intake and urine volume. His unwavering belief in his own infallibility appealed to complacency and reverence for authority. That dogmatism essentially brought innovation and discovery in European medicine to a standstill for nea rly 14 centuries. Anything relating to anatomy, physiology, and disease was simply referred back to Galen as the final authority from whom there could be no appeal. Middle Ages In medieval Europe, early Christians believed that disease was either punishment for sin or the result of witchcraft or possession. Diagnosis was superfluous. The basic therapy was prayer, penitence, and invocation of saints. Lay medicine based diagnosis on symptoms, examination, pulse, palpitation, percussion, and inspection of excreta and sometimes semen. Diagnosis by water casting (uroscopy) was practiced, and the urine flask became the emblem of medieval medicine. By AD 900, Isaac Judaeus, a Jewish physician and philosopher, had devised guidelines for the use of urine as a diagnostic aid; and under the Jerusalem Code of 1090, failure to examine the urine exposed a physician to public beatings. Patients carried their urine to physicians in decorative flasks cradled in wicker baskets, and because urine could be shipped, diagnosis at long distance was common. The first book detailing the color, density, quality, and sediment found in urine was written around this time, as well. By a round AD 1300, uroscopy became so widespread that it was at the point of near universality in European medicine. Consequently, the clinical laboratory became a standard fixture of medicine at the beginning of the 20th century; it is now an integral part of the health-care delivery process and is seen as the basis for medical diagnosis. In recent times a medical laboratory scientist (MLS), formerly known as a medical technologist (MT) or clinical laboratory scientist (CLS), functions as a medical detective, performing laboratory tests that provide physicians with information that assists them in preventing, diagnosing and treating diseases and maintaining patient wellness.   The medical laboratory scientist performs a wide variety of laboratory tests, ranging from simple dipstick urine tests to complex DNA tests that help physicians assess risk of diseases. Using test results, physicians can uncover diabetes, cancer, heart attacks, infections and many other diseases.   Medical laboratory scientists interact with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other members of the healthcare team to provide timely, accurate information so the patient can receive the correct medical treatment.   Medical laboratory scientists use sophisticated biomedical instruments and technology, microscopes, complex electronic equipment, computers, and methods requiring manual dexterity to perform tests on blood, body fluids, and tissue specimens. Clinical laboratory testing sections include clinical chemistry, hematology, Immunohematology (Blood Bank), immunology, microbiology and molecular diagnostics. EFFECTS OF MEDICAL LABORATORIES Medical Laboratories have played a pivotal role over the years. As stated above, in ancient times, physicians relied on various inaccurate means of disease diagnosis such as urine tasting, listening to the lungs etc. However with the advent and subsequent evolution of modern medical laboratory facilities, plus the discovery of the cellular nature of human tissue and the invention of the microscope, medical diagnosis made a tremendous leap from a 50-50 accuracy ratio to an 80% accuracy rating for laboratory based medical diagnosis. Therefore the use of medical laboratories has greatly increased the accuracy of diagnosis; hence the physician can administer the proper kind of treatment. The use of laboratories has also led to various discoveries, such as new strands of Viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. It also acts as a monitor for new strands of drug resistant bacteria. CHALLENGES FACED BY MEDICAL LABORATORIES The main challenges and bottle-necks encountered by medical laboratories over the years include. Inability to preserve patient samples or specimens such as blood, sputum, stool, over a long period of time for reference purposes hence making patient to specimen matching and tracking, Efficient information sharing and retrieval between the laboratory scientist and those administering treatment has been a problem. MEDICAL LABORATORIES: IMPROVEMENTS AND THE FUTURE For the efficient functioning of the diagnosis system, health-care delivery, scientific research into bacteriology and disease causing organisms, technology should be applied to automate administrative tasks, such as the visitor registration and result documentation. By making judicious use of computer software to automate and manage tasks in the laboratory there will be a dramatic increase in its efficiency. Consequently this will greatly reduce the need to recruit and pay personnel to carry out administrative duties therefore such resources can be channeled towards more important needs of the laboratory. TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM/PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE TO BE USED IN STUDY The technologies to be used in the development of this Laboratory Information Management system is an open source programming language known as PHP, together with a MYSQL driven database, a solid browser based application will be developed. PHP: PHP also known as Hypertext Pre-processor, it belongs to a class of languages known as middleware (Needham, 2006). These languages work closely with the web server to interpret the request made from the web, processes these request, interact with other programs on the server to fulfill the request and then indicates to the web server exactly what to serve to the clients browser. It is the leading web programming language for design of web applications. It possesses a language similar to C, Java or Pearl. Its uses include: retrieving user input and saving it in a database, retrieving information from a database and general data manipulation processes. THE CLIENT: Simply refers to end users of an application that connect to a remote server to carry out computational processes THE SERVER: An application known as a web server listens for requests a client makes, responds to those requests and serves out the appropriate response (Greenspan, 2002) MYSQL: Refers to an open source relational database management system with a set of programs that access and manipulate these records. (Descartes, 2003). It is a  relational database management system (RDBMS)  that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. APACHE WEB SERVER: Apache is a web server notable for playing an important role in the initial growth of the world-wide web. It is responsible for accepting Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request from web client (web browsers) and serving the HTTP responses along with optional data content which usually are HTML pages. These platforms are used in this research work because: There are open source meaning there are free to use and develop with without having to purchase licenses or fulfill any legal obligation to the owners of the technology. It is easy to deploy on a local machine Its hardware requirements are minimal therefore making its installation and usage less cumbersome. Developer tools and support services for the platform/technology are readily available at absolutely no cost. DATA COLLECTED FOR LABORATORY TEST Lab Investigation Form: This form is used for general patient registration and data collection. Data collected on this form include Patient Name Patient age Hospital Number Specimen Blood Specimen Sputum Stool Urea Various Swap Investigation Record Clinic Details Name of Doctor Lab Request Book: Used to record Patients data for that day. Name Lab Investigation Done Amount Time in Data Collected for lab tests Lab result book (Used for recording patients results) Patients Name Date of birth Gender Test Results Date Hospital registration Number Extra Comments SUMMARY The use of technological solutions greatly reduces costs, increase profits, save human effort and provide better services to customers/clients The use of an LIS (Laboratory information System) in the running of a medical laboratory facility greatly improves the documentation process; makes patients records retrieval a lot easier and faster, records are not lost and are kept safe via regular backup of the available data. With the use of a Laboratory information system, various kinds of data deductions, surveys and reports can be easily generated for statistical purposes such as the average percentage of persons with a certain kind of disease, Genotype or blood type etc. CONCLUSION A properly developed Medical Laboratory information system will greatly increase productivity, increase the quality of services delivered by the facility and greatly reduce the amount of man hours put into the delivering the laboratory services

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich :: Ancient Rome Roman History

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich The Nazi party affected many people around the world through both the Holocaust and World War II. Hitler had a plan to exterminate all the Jews, and propelled this idea through the Holocaust putting Jews in concentration camps and killing them. Hitler's evil plan caused one of the world's biggest tragedies, World War II. Adolf Hitler, who was the leader of the Nazis, was born in Austria just across the border from German Bavaria. Hitler would begin to read his fathers history books about Native Americans and how they were slaughtered along with reading about battles between the Germans and Russians. This would make him familiar to racism at an early age. Hitler did not get along with his father when he was young because his father wanted him to get into politics and he like drawing instead, but he still got into art and the reason he started to hate Jews is because he could not sell his artwork but the Jews did (Shirer 3-14). Hitler still did business with Jewish shop owners in selling his paintings, however, the seeds of hate were planted and would be nurtured by events soon to come, laying the foundation for one of the greatest tragedies in all of human history. Adolf became a drifter for several years after both his parents passed away. Hitler volunteered for the German Army and in his first engagement against the British and Belgians near Pyres, 2,500of the 3,000 men in Hitler's regiment were killed, wounded or missing. This war experience gave Hitler what he needed to one day be a successful military leader. Adolf Hitler joined the committee of the German Workers' Party and entered politics. In the summer of 1920 Hitler chose the swastika for the National Socialist German Workers' Party, for short Nazi. At what is known as The Beer Hall Putsch a man by the name Kahr was giving a speech in front of some 3,000 supporters of the Bavarian government. Hitler shot his pistol in the middle of Kahr's speech and shouted, "The national revolution has begun." The "revolution" began when Hitler lied to the people saying the Bavarian Trumimvirate (Kahr, Lossow, and Seisser) had joined forces with him. When the people applauded the Bavarian Truimvirate joined him (Shirer 35). By the summer of 1923, the Nazi party had grown to 150,000 members.

Literary Analysis †Importance of Being Earnest Essay

PICKERING: [rising and standing over him gravely] Come, Higgins! You know what I mean. If I’m to be in this business I shall feel responsible for that girl. I hope it’s understood that no advantage is to be taken of her position. HIGGINS. What! That thing! Sacred, I assure you. [Rising to explain] You see, she’ll be a pupil; and teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred. I’ve taught scores of American millionairesses how to speak English: the best looking women in the world. I’m seasoned. They might as well be blocks of wood. I might as well be a block of wood. It’s- (38). I’m very curious about how Henry Higgins, in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, feels about his profession and how this translates to his interpretation of society. Higgins, a professor of phonetics, ultimately enters into a bet in which he is assigned the task of teaching a poor, uneducated yet determined girl from the streets proper grammar, with the hope of transforming her into a duchess in a few months time. It’s clear from the beginning that Higgins, a man full of contradictions and no filter, is the protagonist. At first, Higgins is clearly opposed to the idea of teaching Eliza; this is evident through his blatant insults and sarcastic taunts. He makes fun of her poor grammar and the fact that she is clearly uneducated. Higgins infers that Eliza’s success will help her move up the social hierarchy and even though Eliza’s transformation is unequivocal, Higgins initial perception of her never changes – his general attitude towards her is c onsistent throughout the play. In contrast, when Higgins first meets Pickering, an educated scholar, his demeanor is quite the opposite. The difference between his demeanors leads me to believe that language does affect Higgins’ perception of society. This is shown further due to his rude indifference of Eliza’s drastic transformation. I intend to prove that Higgins’ views language as a tool for social advancement and this understanding is what ultimately causes him to treat people more as objects than human beings. Higgins considers teaching Eliza as more of a social service due to her economic and social disadvantage. Higgins asserts that, â€Å"teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred† (38). At first glance I presumed that sacred meant holy or special, yet he assigns another meaning to the word. Higgins regards the English language as an exclusive privilege; speech should be regarded with reverence and entitlement. He associates proper language with societal and spiritual implications and holds that it is what separates class from class and soul from soul. This suggests that Higgins believes the English language should be respected. In addition, he asserts that education and the ability to effectively communicate is paramount to the functionality of society; it’s important because without language, society would crumble. Therefore, in teaching Eliza proper grammar, Higgins gains a sense of power due to the belief he is changing her for the better, and ultimately into a different human being. Although its obvious that Higgins thoroughly enjoys the subject of language and is seemingly enthusiastic about his profession, he tends to brag about his accomplishments and often belittles other people’s intellectual abilities. He treats people, Eliza in particular, with a rude indifference and no regard for feelings or emotions. It’s clear that Pickering is trying to look out for Eliza’s best interest when he argues, â€Å"If I’m to be in this business I shall feel responsible for that girl. I hope it’s understood that no advantage is to be taken of her position† (38.) Higgins bluntly responds â€Å"What! That thing!† and the difference in demeanor is candid. In comparison to Pickering, it’s clear that Higgins lacks decent manners. His cockiness is further exemplified through his boasting; â€Å"I’ve taught scores of American millionairesses how to speak English: the best looking women in the world. I’m seasone d† (38). Finally, Higgins displays a sort of ambivalence towards language. He treats this knowledge of language is powerful and serves as a tool for social advancement. In addition, he believes that language is and should be a suitable subject for scientific studies. His ultimate view is that language should be utilized as a medium for artistic expression. Furthermore, it’s apparent that Higgins views his pupils as objects rather than human beings when he concedes, â€Å"They might as well be blocks of wood† (38). This exemplifies how language could be seen as artistic. Theoretically, a block of wood could be interpreted as a blank canvas – it symbolizes how he utilizes language to shape and transform his students into something else, something more. Higgins seems to be unsure of his own identity as well because he suggests, â€Å"I too might as well be a block of wood† (38). Ultimately, Higgins shows that proper speech should be regarded as a fundamental necessity of society; the inability to communicate prohibits success. This assertion is exemplified through how he treats those around him and how he views those that he teaches. He clearly believes that language is of paramount importance especially in discerning social class. His assertion that he too â€Å"might as well be a block of wood,† is a fundamental example of his belief in the power of language as a tool for social advancement. â€Å"The writing in this essay is my own work. If I have used outside sources, I have acknowledged them through correct documentation.† eading Pygmalion, we come to learn that communication is about more than words, and everything from clothing to accents to physical bearing can affect the way people interact with each other. Higgins considers his teaching to be a kind of social work – the inability to communicate he suggests is at the bottom of mans social issue Not only has Higgins come to view his clients as objects rather than human beings, he even seems to have lost something of his own identity in the process. There is another interesting interpretation howver. A block of wood, like a canvas is a medium for artistic expression. He of course, is [aid to shape his clients but this suggests that he himself could aslo be subject to the same process In claiming he cant change his own nature, Higgins complicates his own claims about change and transformation: if he cant change his nature, we have to wonder how he can really under stand to change someone else’s Even the things we do to establish a connection with unfamiliar people and things – like using slang or nicknames – can end up causing confusion and cases of mistaken identity Higgins. About you, not about me. If you come back I shall treat you just as I have always treated you. I cant change my nature; and I don’t intend to change my manners. My manners are exactly the same as colonel pickering’s. Liza. That’s not true. He treats a flower girl as if she was a duchess. Higgins. And I treat a duchess as if she was a flower girl. Liza. I see. [She turns away composedly, and sits on the ottoman, facing the window]. The same to everybody. Higgins. Just so. Liza. Like father. Higgins. [grinning, a little taken down] without accepting the comparison at all points, eliza, its quite true that your father is not a snob, and that he will be quite at home in any station of life to which his eccentric destiny my call him. [Seriously] The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls: in short, behaving as if you were in Heaven, where there are no third-class carriages, and one soul is as good as another.† (99) In this excerpt from George Bernard Shaw’s play, Pygmalion, I am not sure (what Shaw is trying to convey through Higgins’ justification of his unruly behavior). if Higgins is attempting to justify his unruly behavior or if (Shaw is using him to voice his criticism of class distinctions) he is simply preaching about his concept of class distinctions (im not sure what exactly Higgins belives or is trying to convey? He does, however, have a penchant for talking about the soul of man, about the importance of language, and social equality). Higgins, a professor of phonetics, ultimately enters into a bet in which he is assigned the task of transforming a poor, uneducated yet determined girl from the streets, into a duchess in a few months time. It’s clear from the beginning that Higgins, a man full of contradictions and no filter, is the protagonist. It’s ironic that throughout eliza’s transformation, she is the one who is blatantly manipulated and mistreated, meanwhile the other characters seem to receive less cynicism. On the other hand, Higgins’ actions and mannerisms never change – his general attitude is consistent throughout the play. His rude indifference to her drastic transformation leads me to believe that Higgins doesn’t believe in class distinctions. That said, (Higgins embodies the theme of I believe that Shaw uses Higgins as a patsy for his criticism of class distinctions – all classes should be treated the same. Shaw develops Higgins’ belief in equality very clearly: â€Å"If you come back I shall treat you just as I have always treated you. I can’t change my nature; and I don’t intend to change my manners.† That said, it’s very clear that Higgins perception of those around him, and society in general, are concrete. Throughout the play, Higgins character never evolves Higgins life revolves around Eliza for practically the whole play. All his time is spent transforming her and inventing a new Eliza meanwhile he seems to forget that she’s a human being with feelings. His unchanging perception and treatment of those around him is further reiterated when eliza claims colonel pickering â€Å"treats a flower girl as if she was a duchess† and Higgins simply retorts â€Å"And I treat a duchess as if she was a flower girl.†

black vs white essays

black vs white essays Ting in life that we do not understand is that even though we are different on the outside we are the same on the inside, and even more to that point it is what is on the inside that counts more than anything else. For if there were nothing on the inside then we would be nothing. But yet still in the world we are living in, we are finding ourselves resulting back to the racism and slavery minds of our past generations of stupidity. How is it we prize England for settling in Australian and causing devastation to the Aboriginals, is it because they did them a favor, i mean after all it was white man's burden. Bullshit we feed eachother that lie to justify what we did and don't seem so proud of ourselves to admit, but do things ever change. Look at the common black man living in america in the ghetto streets. He has only that education and yet we persucute them for not knowing better, while our government officals have enough money to play with and do with as they seem fit. We are alway s saying lets work together but how many of us are willing to actually put their money where there mouth is. Today the head of the most powerful nation america is George W BUsh and look what a leader he is, you can't tell me america didn't at least in part deserve what they got. of course the loss of innocence is a devastating consequence but where was the care when we did the same to them. Look at the native of coutries who have suffered so much loss, not just lives but culture belonging and right and then tell me if it wasn't inleast revenge for crimes done to them. ...

French and Spanish Influance essays

French and Spanish Influance essays The French and Spanish responded differently to the culture and economy of the Native Americans. Even though both countries traveled to the New World for riches, their ways of obtaining the riches could not have been more different. The Spanish decided to conquer and enslave the Indians. The French traded peacefully with the Indians and changed both the Indian culture and their own culture to gain confidence with the Indians. The type of Spaniard, which arrived on the New World before 1750, was either a monk or a conquistador. The job of the conquistadors was to capture Indian cities and then loot them of all their riches. After the capturing and looting of cities, the conquistadors would usually enslave all the surviving Indian people to earn money for the conquistador. The Spanish government did not mind this because they got one fifth of all the profits of these settlements known as The Royal Fifth. Because of the lack of Spanish women, the conquistadors intermarried with the Indians creating a new race called Mestizos. In Spain, being a Mestizo or having Native American blood in your veins was looked down upon. The social hierarchy consisted of pure blood Spanish being at the top and pure Native Americans being at the bottom. This created a natural block against any people with Native American blood holding a high position in Spain, which was probably one of the main reasons Indian slavery was never put into question by the Spaniards. The monks of Spain were no better then the conquistadors. The monks only goal was to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism. These servants of God destroyed the Indian temples and built churches where they once lay. No part of Indian culture was allowed to be retained by the Native Americans. The effect of this was the Indians did not accept Catholicism but they also lost ties to their own culture. The French had a more peaceful approach to the Indians. The f...

What is the advantages of having green building and LEEDS certificate Essay

What is the advantages of having green building and LEEDS certificate - Essay Example Besides large windows the space is comfortable and remember the mantra happy employees lead to happy customers. Public Image is positive. Every stakeholder from the shareholder to the customer will be happy to be associated with such accompany or an organization. This will also build a brand for the business and you never know it might lead to more business for the organization. Lower operating cost are brought about this is because this building tend to have renewable source of energy such as solar and with this equipment’s installed can bring the cost of power lower therefore being able to save on some expenses in the organization. The future of business goes to those who minimize cost and maximize on sales. Community benefits such as ensure that there is water efficiency which can be used in other ways like planting of flowers and watering of flowers in the organization. They can also install water fountains which can be used in beautification of the

Compare three recent fictional movies (from the 1990s or 2000s) about Essay

Compare three recent fictional movies (from the 1990s or 2000s) about prison - Essay Example Moreover, the aspect that led to the selection of the films is that they were setting is almost entirely within a prison facility. This means that the films can be described as prison films. The mentioned films will be analysed critiquing the topic of the death penalty, intertwining this with the architectural and visual outlook of prisons. These films exist in the following frames: (1) Guilty victim that is reformed to build empathy as demonstrated in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) (2) The fight to save an innocent victim as evident in The Green Mile (1999) and (3) Critique of capital punishment in the subtext Against the Wall (1994). In all films, the theme of retribution is seen when all main characters are sent to prison for their ill doings. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne was convicted for murdering his wife and lover in cold blood. In The Green Mile, retribution is evident at the start of the film when John Coffey is accused of murdering two girls (Magistrale & Palgrave Connect (Online service), 2008). In the movie Against the Wall, the theme of retribution is evident when Michael Smith is seen at the beginning of the movie. This implies that he performed a criminal act to get in prison initially. The justice restored version of The Shawshank Redemption shows that it will not be every day that prisoners will lose, sometimes they win. This is evident when Andy and Red achieved redemption in the film. The technique The Green Mile uses is admission of guilt, establishing individual responsibility as well as redemption. This is evident when Paul Edgecomb comes to realise that John Coffery is innocent, and he also possess divine healing powers. This highlights the theme of the possibility of ending the life of an innocent being (Wilson & OSullivan, 2004). The Shawshank Redemption portrays a prison as a place which harbours individuals. This addresses the themes of rehabilitation and reintegration. The theme of reintegration is seen

If language structures thought, would the language of the aliens allow Research Paper

If language structures thought, would the language of the aliens allow for the development of sophisticated technology - Research Paper Example In his work, â€Å"Writing is a Technology that Restructures Thought,† Walter Ong says that literacy is not an innate human understanding; but a learned process which has developed along with technology as humanity progressed. He argues that many people do not make the distinction between having an idea, and putting it down on paper; a thought is only legitimate if it is written down. In this this essay I relate his argument on language to â€Å"Darmok†, an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and argue whether or not the alien species as depicted would have been able to achieve advanced technological capabilities. It is quite evident in the episode that the factor that act as an obstacle between the two parties is the language barrier In the Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Federation meetings with the Tamarians have all the time been challenging because the universal translator could not translate the languages. The Tamarian captain and Picard, Dathon, try to converse from their corresponding ships, but the translator can only give ambiguous expressions like "Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra," which does not make sense to the crew. As Picard attempts to clarify that Starfleet wishes peaceful relations, Dathon lifts his hands clutching two daggers, then he and Picard are beamed from their ships to the surface of the planet below. Meanwhile Riker and the crew realize that the Tamarians have put up a field in the planets ionosphere to avert a beam out, Dathon offers Picard a dagger, of which Picard declines because he thinks the Tamarian, wants to fight him. At night, Dathon lites a fire, and then flings Picard a flaming log so that he cannot sleep cold. Dathon keeps repeating the phrase, â€Å"Shaka, when the walls fell " and Darmok and â€Å"Jalad at Tenagra," which does not make sense to Picard. In the morning, Picard and Dathon are pursued by a large alien while the Enterprise sends a shuttlecraft on a saving

Managing Change in Organisations - Improved HR onboarding process Essay Example for Free

Managing Change in Organisations Improved HR onboarding process Essay The main goal of this change initiative is to improve the financial results of the company by improving the engagement and performance of the new HR employees at Mars, Inc. It’s aimed to be achieved by introducing a new, globally aligned, best-in-class 1-year-long induction process with supporting tools and learning events. The target group of new HR associates1 includes those who joined HR at Mars less than 12 month ago, either from externally (from other company) or internally (from other department). As Mars,Inc. is a large family-owned business with over 100 years of history and globally well known brands. It has unique and mature company culture which is driven by its 5 principles: Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Effectiveness and Freedom. These principles drive the behaviour of the employees at all level of the hierarchy and have been shaping the characteristics of the organisation. Mars, Inc. fits well to ‘elaboration of structure phase’ (Granier 1972) of the organisational life-cycle: the company is led by a team of professional managers and is very much decentralised with a small headquarter. The business units of the countries therefore enjoy a lot of freedom and responsibility to drive the local business effectively. This approach reflects also in the way they shape the processes within the company: the global process standards are mainly just broadly defined with limited (if any) written documentation about them, which lets the local teams shape it and use it as best fits to their needs. As it has the advantage to allow tailor-made solutions to best assist local business objectives, it also has disadvantages. It is not uncommon that extra local resources are needed to shape the process, and when the process has changed too much, it becomes difficult to compare the practices and results of different units. It also often happens that local units come up with very similar best practices after investing significant resources locally in process development, which resources could have been reduced if globally – or at least regionally – someone would have co-ordinated these development initiatives. As part of the company culture, Mars, Inc. refers to employees as associates, therefore in my paper I will use both terms to reflect the same concept. Realising the potential of this kind of centralisation led the business leaders to setting up global functional centres of expertise, like the Mars University (Mars U) is for learning and development within Mars, Inc. The Mars U is responsible for designing and deploying world-class learning programs, which enable the competency building of employees, so they can achieve their full potential in contributing to the business to achieve its goals. It has matrix structure and its smaller teams are set up by functions (named â€Å"Colleges† of HR, finance, supply, etc.), regions (they coordinate the deployment of functional development programs in a region) and special learning and development related areas (like learning technology). Mars U therefore faces the challenge of balancing between centralisation and decentralisation by providing centrally defined and globally aligned learning solutions in a matrix organisation with decentralised leadership. That is the same challenge in case of the new induction process initiative. In the near past an introductory training program existed for new HR employees, which was similar in all the regions, but inconsistent in content, so it gave a lot of space for local solutions to flower. Moving from this decentralised approach to a more centralised one may cause push backs from the associates in these local units, thus careful change management is essential. Nature of change By assessing the nature of change based on the description above, this change can be categorised with the terms of Ackerman (1997) as ‘transitional’ as the intention is to â€Å"achieve () a desired state† by setting up a globally aligned world-class induction process for new HR associates, which is a significant difference from the current decentralised approach. One can argue whether it is not defined as ‘transformational change’ as it can result a difference in an organisational process and change in the culture, but as it won’t change fundamentally neither areas, the definition of ‘transitional change’ fits better in this case. To give a full picture about the nature of change, it need to be emphasised that after finishing this particular change project, the change itself will not stop, it will continue as ‘developmental change’ by continuously improving the set up induction process. From another perspective, using the categories of Mintzberg and Waters (1985) this change initiative can be identified as ‘determined’ or planned change as the goal, that need to be achieved, is clearly set, as well as the process how to get there. It does not mean though, that ‘emergent’ changes will not come up during the project, as it may happen that a locally designed induction process which works well will have an improving effect on the globally designed process and tools to ensure the implementation of the best possible practices. Drivers of the change This change initiative has mainly internal triggers. First and foremost, improve the productivity of every new HR associates by providing them all the essential knowledge, competencies and network they need in their new role. Improving their engagement level is also an important trigger, as engaged associates have usually better performance and they less likely to leave the business (Buckingham and Coffman, 2005). In case of HR department, better performance of associates, among other things, could lead to better internal and external customer satisfaction or decrease of costs by effective ways of working, while improved retention cut the costs and time invested in recruitment and training of a new employee. Although the internal triggers are more relevant in this case, the external drivers also need to be mentioned. Mars, Inc. had several acquisitions in the last few years which led to an incoherent culture in the different business segments. To enable exchangeability of human resources and best practices, setting up centrally aligned processes is a key. Also, considering that Mars, Inc. operates in a quickly changing market (FMCG), being innovative and best-in-class in its processes could ensure competitive advantage and retention of employees. Nonetheless, the change needs to be done in a global environment fitting to the expectations of different cultures in different regions. Key Stakeholders As in case of most major changes in an organisation, winning the support of top level management is essential. In this case the management means the Global HR Leadership Team of Mars, Inc. who also plays the role of sponsor of the project and expected to play a key role by being role model in using the new induction process. Their influence is very high as they could stop or change this initiative any time. Their attitude toward the change to be expected very positive, still, contracting with them is critical as many priority projects are currently going on in the business so need to ensure proper focus. Driving the change process requires change agents to ensure smooth implementation: the Mars U associates in the regions and other (local) learning or talent development specialists. As the project aligns well with their general purpose of their roles – to improve associates capabilities, – their attitude is expected to be positive. As they will play the role of connecting the project leaders with associates in their regions or units, their influence is also very high, but mainly only in their area of responsibility. The communication and deployment of the change will focus mainly on the HR managers as they will be the most affected by the change, as they need to change their ways of working the most. Thus, 5 their attitude can be either positive or negative depending how valuable the new process seems to them. Their influence can be high in the area of their responsibility – so the more senior the manager is the higher is the influence. Also important stakeholders, but less influential, are the new HR associates. The new process is all about them, but from change management perspective they play a smaller role, as their attitude to be expected very positive. In any case, careful communication toward them needs to be planned to ensure their full involvement in the process and gain feedback from them to identify potential areas for improvements. There are also some other key stakeholders, like the trainers of the courses, whose contribution to the success can be very important, but as they are interchangeable in the roles, their influence on the process can be categorised as moderate. Furthermore, there are some other subject matter experts (e.g. learning technology or global communication specialists), who will be involved during the design and communication phases, but their influence is rather small and their attitude is expected to be supportive. Management objectives To summarise the main objective, the goal is to implement in all business segments and units of Mars, Inc. a newly designed, globally aligned, efficient and engaging functional induction process with its supporting tools (guides and learning modules) for every new HR employees, which supports their development in the first 12 months after joining in their new role and covers the essential Mars specific knowledge and provides network needed for achieving high performance. The new process and tools should be used by mid of 2013 in all business units. Task 2 For a successful change project it’s not only important to see where we would like to go, but to be able to define how we will get there, we need a careful and detailed analysis on where we are at the moment. Besides a general process overview in the organisation (e.g. by the support of models like ‘McKinsey 7S’ (Waterman et al. 1980) or ‘Burke-Litwin Causal model’ (Burke Litwin, 1992)), we also need to understand why do we have the problem in our organisation. For this we may use problem analysis models, like the ‘Fishbone diagram’ or the ‘5 Whys?’ (Taiichi 1988) model. Input-Transformation-Output model To better understand the functional induction process, by the ‘Input-Transformation-Output model’ (RDI, 2012a) the main elements can be summarised visually: This model can support the planning process in several ways. It is easier for the change leaders to identify the key stakeholders (see the detailed stakeholder analysis above), to keep objectives always in mind and focus on the processes which need to be changed in order to be able to achieve the desired output. Furthermore, it gives a great overview about who shall be involved in reviewing and developing the process by providing feedback before, during and after the change. Nonetheless, it is essential to be clear on both the transformed and transforming resources required for the whole process to avoid disturbance due to the lack of them. Cause-and-Effect Analysis After having a broader overview of the issue, before taking any actions, a thorough problem analysis is a must. Even though having an initial idea about what can improve the current situation, in a complex organisation with a huge overall impact of the topic, the change leader need to ensure addressing the right issues and providing the right solutions based on that. In defining all the relevant causes of a problem can help the Cause-and-Effect Analysis (Ishikawa, 1968) or Fishbone diagram. In case of our described example, the model looks like this: After defining the list of important causes, the major ones to be selected by the analysing team then the potential actions can be planned. When it’s presented to the management team, their duty is then to decide on which topics to focus on the actions. In this example case, a globally aligned process with supporting tools and metrics are very much missing. When it’s designed and ready to be deployed, then these should be available to all HR managers to be able to drive the induction processes locally and measure their own efficiency. Plan the change After the green light of the management team concerning the project initiative, can start the proper, detailed planning: the development of the change strategy, in which the desired outcome, key actions, milestones, action owners and resources needs are defined. Winning the commitment of the key stakeholders also need to be carefully planned with a supporting communication plan. As unexpected situations are likely to disturb the planned flow of actions, to minimise the potential disturbance, a risk analysis in advance of doing actions can help the project management team to prepare for these scenarios or totally avoid them. Also, a continuous review of the change project is highly recommended to ensure the project execution is on track to achieve the project goal (see the 8 potential feedback sources in the Input-Output model) – this also can be part of the change strategy plan. The next step is then to execute the plan. When unexpected situations happen, continuous adjustments of the plan may be required to ensure proper improvement and keep the progress to achieve the final goal. After all planned actions are executed, the project leader should control that the project goal has been achieved as defined. If no, the project still continues. If yes, the project shall be formally closed with the involvement of the project sponsors and the success should be feed back to the key stakeholders. Task 3 Business Process Transformation Although Mars, Inc. in this situation chose to go on with a change project concentrating on only one function (HR) to improve its induction process, using the Business Process Transformation (BPT), i.e. Business Process Re-engineering model could have led to better results. By talking generally about the BPT model, one can say that improving the customer engagement and cutting the operational costs by improving and simplifying processes (cross-functional) within the company, is in the heart of this approach (Hammer 1990). Let use the definition of re-engineering by Hammer and Champy (1993) to show the key characteristics of this model: the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary modern measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed. This approach is one of the favourites currently in change management, as it promises â€Å"dramatic improvements† in business performance and customer satisfaction, even though it has its own challenges. The most important is that it requires a holistic view from the business leaders to face the issues within an organisation. It needs broad perspective to be able to come out of functional silos and to view the process as a whole, from the very beginning till the very end. If the change project happens only within a single function, there is high probability of missing some important opportunities of improvement. By using the example of Mars, a cross-functional approach could lead to a different, although very thorough solution – like implementing a standardised, world-class induction experience in every part of the company, during which the new employees can learn the most important functional and business knowledge to best support the customer focused processes. Based on its holistic view, the BPT approach requires more complexity from change management perspective as well as total alignment and drive from the top management team. The process improvement strategy should be aligned with the vision, mission and business strategy of the company, while the desired behaviours and key performance indicators should be also clearly defined and communicated to support the process and the measure of success (RDI 2012b). The process improvement initiative should start with a company-wide analysis of the current situation, keeping in mind not only how the processes can be simplified, but also what could be the benefits for the customers by the change initiative. The analysis then will be followed by the definition of the detailed plan: to where and how the company would like to get. To achieve great improvement in company results, increasing the amount of invested efforts and resources and high risk taking is unavoidable – although most probably in mid- and long-term the investment of these extra resources will pay. All these mentioned characteristics of the model lead to the fact that this model can’t be used without a heavy top down and centralised approach due to its holistic nature and complexity. Starting a process improvement initiative from any other level of the organisation without the full support and involvement of the company top leaders can lead to only a temporary and restricted (to a region or function) solution. Managing the implementation of the change at Mars, Inc. Although the change project defined by Mars also intends to improve the measures mentioned in the re-engineering definition, the main difference lies in the adjectives used by the authors: dramatic, fundamental and radical. So in this case we can’t really talk about BPT approach, as it would rather mean taking the whole on-boarding and induction process in all functions of the company and use that to work on, even though it could be very beneficial for the company. Also, without winning the top management support for a holistic change approach, the project leader of this initiative better use a general Change management (RDI 2012c), or preferably, the Total Quality Management (TQM) 2 methodology with using some holistic OD models – like the ‘Burke-Litwin model’ (Burke Litwin 1992) or the ‘McKinsey 7S model’ (Waterman et al. 1980) – for analysing the potential areas of change interventions. Definition of TQM by Kanji (1990): â€Å"TQM is the way of life of an organization committed to customer satisfaction through continuous improvement. This way of life varies from organisation to organisation and from one country to another but has certain principles which can be implemented to secure market share, increase profits and reduce costs.† The principles of the TQM approach fits well to the culture of Mars, Inc. by focusing on continuous improvement opportunities, on customer needs and motivating employees at all level of the organisation to take part of this and drive innovations. It also reflects in all of the 5 principles of the company3. The management style also resonates well with the principles of TQM, as it engages the collaborative company culture with empowering and motivating the employees to drive continuous improvement for achieving better quality in everything within the business. Although a lot of things fit well to use this model for the change case at Mars, to fully benefit of the TQM methodology, the project leader and the participants shall be skilled to use all its principles to achieve the best possible result, which is currently not yet the case. Task 4 Measure of Success – Processes There are certain elements of the change process, which we can check and measure during and after the project to evaluate the success. Firstly, it is inevitable to set with involvement and communicate to the key stakeholders a clear vision, a well defined ‘S.M.A.R.T. objective’ (Doran, 1981) and some key performance indicators regarding the desired end result of the change initiative. Additionally, it is also important element of the second success factor, which is the level of commitment to the change of the key stakeholders. During the implementation phase, the success of the process can be measured at the key milestones: whether they were achieved on time by providing good quality results within the allocated resource limits. In this phase, the ability of flexible to any disturbance and opportunities through the process is also essential, to keep or even improve the result quality of the change, or to use less resources to achieve the original goal. It may be measured by reaction the quickness of the response or the amount of extra resources needed to keep the good progress. In connection to this, reviewing the key challenges and capturing the lessons learnt for the future also shows the efficiency of the process. Last, but not least, a clear project closure can also indicate how well the project went. Measure of Success – Outcomes If we have a closer look on the change initiative of Mars, Inc., the desired outcome which we wish to measure lies in the main objective4. The company’s main goal is to improve the efficiency and Quality, Mutuality, Responsibility, Effectiveness and Freedom For details see the Management Objective paragraph performance of the new HR employees. As HR is a support department with less direct impact on financial results and the quality of end products than other areas in the business, measuring these goals may be difficult, especially if we need to focus on only the new employee. So it’s advised to define other measures, like the individual performance or future career potential of the new employee, which can be measured by the company globally standardized performance evaluation system. Although the improved employee performance is difficult to be described with exact figures, we can also use historical data to compare the past and the present, and measure factors which can influence performance (e.g. the Line Manager’s evaluation of the performance or the engagement level of the new associate). Besides the employee performance, the efficiency of the new process shall be measured as well (e.g. could we involve everybody we intended to use the new process). Furthermore, as in case of all change projects, defining the return on investment can show the level of success. For example the cost of resource investment of the change project may be compared with the amount of money were saved by better retention of the new associates. By measuring the outcome of a new process we also need to investigate the resource needs of sustaining the process efficiently on long term. 1References: Ackerman, L., 1997, Development, transition or transformation: the question of change in organisations. In: Van Eynde, D., Hoy, J and Van Eynde, D (eds) Organisation Development Classics. San Francisco, Jossey Bass. Buckingham, M. and Coffman, C., 2005. First, Break All The Rules: What the Worlds Great Managers Do Differently. Simon Schuster. Burke, W. W. and Litwin, G. H., 1992. A causal model of organizational performance and change. Journal of Management, 18 (3), 523-545. Doran, G. T., 1981. Theres a S.M.A.R.T. way to write managements goals and objectives. Management Review, Volume 70, Issue 11, pp. 35-36.