A basic science of public health Essay

According to Friis, epidemiology has to do with the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations. It is considered a basic science of public health, because its studies are applied to the control of the various health problems in the population. Also, its methods are applied to various health-related fields such as health care administration and health education. Because its focus is on the amount of health and disease in the population, it is at times referred to as population medicine. There are various uses and applications of epidemiology. Some specific applications of epidemiology that Friis did not specifically mention in lesson 1are genetic epidemiology, environmental epidemiology, and occupational epidemiology. Genetic epidemiology puts an emphasis on hereditary factors that may play a role in various human diseases in families and in populations. Research in this area is focused on the risk factors and traits of the genetic basis of diseases. Members of a Psychiatry department in Virginia completed a meta-analysis on the genetic epidemiology of major depression using relevant data from previous primary studies. They concluded that major depression is as a result of genetic influence, not alone, but along with environmental influence. This conclusion was made on the basis of a review of family, adoption, and twin studies that met specific criteria for the primary studies. Environmental epidemiology studies the environmental exposures that are related to various diseases, illnesses, developmental conditions, disabilities, and deaths in populations. Some examples of these environmental exposures are air pollution, radiation through air, water, or food contamination, second-hand smoke, and hazardous waste. Health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive problems are some of the effects of these environmental exposures. A local example of this is the pollution from the refineries here in Corpus Christi. People who reside near the refineries have a 17% higher cancer rate than the rest of the city. There are apparently many consistently sick residents in the area. They are called the ‘Black Thumb’ neighborhood, because the soil in the area is poisoned and contaminated by the pollu tion from the refineries. The application of epidemiologic methods to populations of workers is occupational epidemiology. Studies on this topic involve various work-related patterns of disease and illness. They look at workers exposed to various risk factors such as heavy metals or chemicals and determine if these exposures result in adverse health outcomes. There is also a focus on biological and physical health effects as well. Occupational Epidemiologists attempt to study how often workers are injured on the job, what groups are most affected, and the reasons for these injuries. The results from these studies are used to find ways to prevent or reduce the risks of injuries and illnesses on the job. In conclusion, the various epidemiologic methods and studies are applied to the control of health problems in populations. Three specific applications of epidemiology are genetic epidemiology, environmental epidemiology, and occupational epidemiology. Genetic epidemiology is concerned with the role of genetic factors in determining health and disease in families and in populations. Environmental epidemiology is concerned with the relationship between exposures from the environment and adverse health outcomes in populations. Occupational epidemiology studies work-related patterns of disease and illnesses. The existence of these various epidemiologic applications help to identify and prevent the causes of health and disease in our communities. Epidemiology provides us with necessary and beneficial information we need to live a healthy life. References Corpus Christi’s Refinery Row. (n.d.). Retreived from www.txpeer.org/toxictour/corpus_christi.html Friis, R. (2010). Epidemiology 101. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Kendler, K.S., Neale, M.C., Sullivan, P.F. (2010) Genetic epidemiology of major depression: review and meta-anyalysis. Am J Psychiatry. 157(10): 1552-62 Occupational Epidemiology. (n.d.). Heartland Center for Occupational Health & Safety. Retrieved from www.public-health.uiowa.edu/heartland/academic-programs/occ-epi.html

History of Chines Opera and its effect on World Music Essay

The search for creativity and originality is deeply rooted in human nature such that it represents an inescapable and defining requirement of the human being. Since in man’s creative restlessness beats and pulsates what is most deeply human- the search for knowledge. A major issue in the history of china is its opera Extolling the great the importance of opera, it could be said that the Chinese by nature desire opera. Thus, making opera their delight and links it with their quest for survival. Opera can therefore be said to be ontological to them or the existentialist parlance, it is part of their existentiality since man for them is condemned to creative works and performance. To Elucidate more on the History of Chinese opera and its effect on world music is why I considered the topic â€Å"An analytical exposition on the history of Chinese opera and its effect on world music† very pertinent as an effort in enriching our human culture and our existence. My goal in this study is not to probe into the nature of Chinese opera but, to evolve and analytical exposition on its history and how it has imparted an effect on world music. The Concept of Opera: An opera is a staged dramatic work that is entirely sung. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. There are operas in which the actors sing in between spoken dialogue, and others that are semi-staged. Some operas are constructed with action scenes called recitative. Personal commentary or scenes involving inner thoughts and emotions are called arias. An aria is a song in which a character may share his or her feelings with the audience and fellow characters. Occasionally this is done in an ensemble with two or more singers and then the aria becomes a duet, trio, quartet, etc. epending on the number of singers involved. Composers used recitative to advance the story while arias, duets, trios, and quartets often were comments on the action. In most modern opera, composers no longer use the structure of recitative and aria, but blend the two styles together to create a more realistic picture of continuous drama. Characters in opera are developed by the composer and given certain voices to best illustrate their personality and role. Opera is thought to be the single greatest art form because it combines many artistic disciplines into one. The Nature of Chinese Opera; a Historical Survey: Chinese traditional opera is a comprehensive performing art which combines singing, music, dialogue, acrobatics, martial arts, and pantomime. It represents the culmination and distillation of two thousand years of Chinese civilization. A traditional form of stage entertainment, weaving together elements of mime, dance, song, dialogue, swordplay, and acrobatics into one fluid continuous flow. Gestures, movements and expressions incorporated within each performer’s script come together to bring forth an impressive performance. In contrast to Western stage entertainment, which is subdivided into different categories such as opera, drama and sketches, Chinese opera has remained faithful to its original format over the centuries. By doing away with three-dimensional stage props and complicated backdrops found in Western opera, Chinese opera conveys the idea of time and space to the audience through the acting of performers. This simple and flexible technique is called â€Å"imagined time and space† in Chinese operatic terminology. The acting, however, is not mere imitation of movements in daily life. Instead, it has been perfected to bring out just their essentials, making them highly-stylize and rhythmic dancing movements. Such acting is described in Chinese stage language as â€Å"stylized formula†. In addition, Chinese opera has specific costumes, facial make-ups, musical motifs and recitations to represent each character in the series of characters known as Xingtous. All this, plus imagined time and space and stylized acting, has enabled the story to rise above real life and create a strong dramatic atmosphere with distinct operatic effects. The history of Chinese opera dates as far back as the third century, simple plays were performed as part of court entertainment. In the twelfth century, during the Southern Song Dynasty (1271-1368). The Yuan zaju is a landmark in the development of traditional drama. It took social life as its main subject matter and was very popular at that time. Guan Hanqing is considered the greatest Yuan dramatist. One of his plays, The Wrongs Suffered by Dou E, is still appreciated by today’s audiences. In the later years of the Yuan Dynasty, Yuan zaju was gradually replaced by nanxi, a kind of southern opera. By the middle Ming Dynasty, a combination of Yuan zaju and nanxi, known as poetic drama, appeared. The Romance of drama, was written by Tang Xianzu who is considered the â€Å"Chinese Shakespeare During the late Qing Dynasty, a new type of traditional drama-Beijing Opera-came into being. In 1790, some troupes of Auhui Opera went to the Imperial Palace in Beijing to offer birthday congratulations to the emperor and other members of the royal family. They remained in Beijing and performed for the ordinary citizens. Because of their efforts to learn artistic techniques from other local operas and to the taste of the Based on Anhui Opera, Beijing Opera, Beijing Opera took shape as an independent opera form between 1840 and 1860. Having incorporated the merits of many other local dramas, Beijing Opera not only appeals to Chinese audiences but is warmly received by people all over the world. In the course of the development of the development of Chinese traditional opera, mutual borrowing has taken place among various types of local opera and new forms throughout have appeared continually. Recent surveys show there are 368 different forms of opera the country. Each variety takes its name from the place where it originated and is popular. The use of local dialects and unique melodies distinguish the different types of opera. Among the best known forms are Beijing Opera (actually a national form), Pingju (popular in the north), Shaoxing opera (popular in Zhejing Province and Shanghai), Yuju (a kind of Henan Opera), Kunqu (Kunshan Opera, popular mainly in Jiangsu Province), Qinqiang (Shaanxi Opera), Chuanju (Sichuan Opera), Hanju (Hubei Opera), and Yueju (Guangzhou Opera). Features of Chinese Opera and World Music;   A Synthesis:  China is the home of one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and is also home to the earliest musical scale in recorded human history. For ages, Chinese music has been seeking a type of spiritual release, a doorway to vitality. It is like looking for spirituality with a unique dignity of its own. Now, we are starting to see the religious sounds heard from the pious and faithful people throughout Tibet slowly being infused into the beautiful music we hear everyday, bringing us a quiet, serene peace of mind, as it does not strive to be real in its physical presentation, since it is more to instruct than to amuse.

Financial Ratio Analysis for BAE Systems Plc Case Study

Financial Ratio Analysis for BAE Systems Plc - Case Study Example After the September 11 tragedy which shocked the global business environment becomes a grim reminder for nations to improve their defense systems. BAE Systems Plc (BAE) traces its origin to the 7.7 billion merger of Marconi Electronic Systems which is the defense electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company Plc and British Aerospace which specializes in the manufacture of aircraft, ammunition, and naval systems. Out of these prestigious business organizations, its establishment in 1999 equipped with a unique competitive advantage which enables it to position itself as the third largest global defence company and sixth largest US defense company employing 97, 500 highly skilled people. Financial ratio analysis is a very essential tool in assessing the financial health of a business entity. It enables a financial analyst to spot trends in a business and to compare it with the performance of similar business enterprises within the same industry. This tool is currently utilized by business managers, investors, creditors, suppliers, and other decision makers in order to determine the financial performance and well being of a business organisation. ... These are profitability ratios, financial leverage ratios, liquidity/solvency ratios, and efficiency ratios. In order to get a deeper insight of BAE's financial performance, its computed financial ratios will be benchmarked with its competitor's Cobham Plc. The rationale of choosing these two business organizations is simple. It should be noted that both of them are regarded as important players in the global pharmaceutical industry. Being in the same line of business and the same industry, it is right to assume that BAE and Cobham Plc both face the same challenges and opportunities in the sector under consideration. This assumption justifies the comparability of their financial performance during the fiscal years. 2.1. Profitability Ratios Profitability ratios measure the ability of the company to generate income from its investments less the costs incurred (Fraser & Ormiston 2004). The ratios computed for this category are return on capital employed, sales profit margin, and return on equity. Return on capital employed is a variant of return on investment which measures how well the company is utilizing its capital. The computed sales profit margin, which is the ratio of operating income to sales measures as a percentage of sales, show the excess revenue from sales over cost of normal operation excluding financing. On the other hand, return on equity measures how much wealth is created for the company's stockholders for every shares that they have on hand (Fraser and Ormiston 2006). Logically, higher performance ratios indicate a healthier financial condition. Table 1. Profitability Ratios Comparison Table 1 shows the comparative profitability

Business Research & Analysis Plan For Market Readiness for Electric Paper

Business & Analysis Plan For Market Readiness for Electric Pick-up Truck for Ford Motor Company - Research Paper Example Hence, to be on the safe side, a company ought to become dynamic by ensuring that it moves alongside the changes as they come (LaPlaca & Frank, 2011). Ford is one of the most recognized companies when it comes to the issue of automobile production. The company has been in existence for decades; hence, it has a global recognition since its brand quite reputable. However, the emergences of new automobile companies such as Nissan, Toyota and Chevrolet have been quite a challenge since they have resulted to stiff competition. For instance, Nissan was the first company to come up with the idea of inventing electric vehicles. Ever since, the automobile business has been a buzz whereby each company is striving to come up with the best electric vehicle in a move to attract more clients (Sandalow, 2009). Due to the stiff competition, Ford Company is also competing to retain its lost glory. The company is in preparation of unveiling its first electric version of the F-150 truck (Goreham, 2014). Although this is a good move for the company, there are a number of factors worth considering before the company unveils the electric version of F-150 truck. The company should first perform a market analysis in a move to determine whether the product will receive more sales or not. Although the company usually makes a number of sales on its products, this will not be the case if the company produces an electric vehicle before considering some vital aspects such as the market challenges. Studies show that the electric vehicles are still not as popular as those that depend rely of gas (Bigman, 2012). This is because to date, it is easier to locate a gas station than it is to find an electric charging station. It is therefore evident that most people will not purchase the electric vehicle since they will have problems when it comes to recharging. It is therefore essential that before the company unveils its new product, it should ensure that it first addresses

Abacus in the world Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abacus in the world - Research Paper Example mechanical frame containing several rods on which are mounted wooden beads which can be slid manually into different positions and combinations to represent numbers† (188). Materials used to make early abacuses in different regions varied. For example, among the Maya and Aztec people of Mesoamerica, maize kernels threaded on strings were used instead of beads, while the Inca people who lived in Peru centuries ago had an abacus that was made up of a â€Å"tray with compartments that were arranged in rows in which counters were moved in order to make calculations† (Keoke and Porterfield 1). The abacus originated from the Middle East thousands of years ago. Jain asserts that its evolution took place in 3000 B.C. (7). Darling points out that â€Å"the word appears to come from the Hebrew á ºÅ¡bá ºÅ¡q (dust) or the Phoenician abak (sand) via the Greek abax, which refers to a small tray covered with sand to hold the pebbles steady† (3). Over the centuries, there have been different types of abacuses. The first type was called suanpan and was used in China in 1300 (Barnes-Svarney and Svarney 349). There is no agreement regarding who invented this type of abacus but it is that believed it was the Chinese, Japanese or Koreans. Barnes-Svarney and Svarney affirm that â€Å"although merchants used this type of abacus for standard addition and subtraction operations, it could also be used to determine square and cube roots of numbers† (349). The other type of abacus was the soroban or the Japanese abacus. Apart from the fact that it lacked a bead in the upper and lower deck of every column, it was very similar to the Chinese abacus. The Roman abacus also had one bead lacking from the upper and lower deck of every column making it very similar to the Japanese abacus. According to Barnes-Svarney and Svarney, â€Å"the Russians also have their own version of an abacus; it uses ten beads on each wire, and a single deck† (349). To separate the two wires, a wire with fewer beads is

Human Resource Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resource Management - Assignment Example This is manifested due to lack of funds and management will to implement these strategies (Sippola & Smale, 2007). The first process in designing a global cross-cultural policy for Lenovo Company is to learn the different laws, cultures, and policies of different local environments (Magala, 2005). Although the increasing diversity among employees makes it difficult, it is essential to learn them to ensure the creation of a design that caters to all cultures (Mor Barak, 2005). Secondly, it would be excellent to include employees in the creation of this policy to ensure there is no resistance (Summers, 2006). Finally, the management should consider taking advantage of the diverse cultures to enhance overall performance (Law, 2007). In designing a cross-cultural policy using the above facts, the management will be able to design a policy that accommodates the increasing diversity of employees (Fontaine, 2007). In order for Lenovo to attract employees from other cultures, they should consider performing corporate social responsibility in other societies apart from the Chinese society (Bhattacharya, Sen & Korschun, 2008). Secondly, they should campaign for quality improvement in their products in both the society and the company (Morgan, Pritchard, Pride & Morgan, 2011). In this case, the international human resources department should formulate measures that enhance all these strategies among the employees.

Consumer Buying Behavior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Consumer Buying Behavior - Assignment Example This involves a detailed study of how buyers think and behave during purchase situations, and what factors may influence their tastes and preference towards certain brands. Consumer buying behaviour is, therefore, the study of the ways of buying and disposing of goods, services, ideas or experiences by individuals, groups, and organizations in order to satisfy their needs and wants (Kotler & Hibbard, 2014). Alternatively, consumer buying behaviour â€Å"refers to the buying behaviour of final consumers, both individuals and households, who buy goods and services for personal consumption† (Hibbard, 2014,). This occurs when the consumer is immensely involved in the purchase process, and there are notable contrasts amongst the brands to acquire. This implies that the consumer has to conduct research about the product/service and the marketers must, therefore, supply all-inclusive information with regards to product/service characteristics. A medical example, in this case, is when a hospital wants to acquire medical equipment such as x-ray machines for the hospital. The hospital’s procurement officer (consumer) is highly involved because of th e significant financial involvement (high risk) in the acquisition, and the unfamiliarity with the commodity. There are many brands according to manufacturers (about 75 suppliers) and they are used for different purposes. This compounded with the fact that they have different price tags makes the consumer very sceptical. He must, therefore, conduct thorough research to eliminate brands that do not suit the hospital’s need requirements and fit his budget plan respectively. Here, consumer participation, while acquiring the product/service, is low, and there are noteworthy contrasts between the brands. The consumers attempt to find variations in products or services. Thus, the marketers must rally the market to buy their commodities through means such as promotions, publicity and advertising. A medical example, in this case, includes medical cosmetics for products like toothpaste.

English Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English - Research Paper Example This means that if anything goes wrong, he or she carries the blame. Therefore, the HRM with the help of other managers can employ various methods as a way of optimizing the organization’s profit. Such methods include; yield management and revenue optimizing strategies (Grabski, 2012). For instance, yield optimization in is a practice that uses models as a means of analyzing data and information to forecast the best output of the organization. Hence, the organization should be able to meet all its demands while optimizing its revenue. Second, optimization is an attempt of taking any information on the organization’s operating hiccups, the market demands and also the factors influencing them as a method of getting the optimal selling prices and the optimal production of the organization goods. Last strategy is revenue optimization whereby this is a process of finding the highest possible revenue that the organization can give (Andriole, 2006). Therefore, this paper has d iscussed the mentioned methods and their contribution towards the rise of poor performing organizations. Grabski, S. V. (2012). Transfer pricing in complex organizations: a review and integration of recent empirical and analytical research. In Readings in Accounting for Management Control (pp. 453-495). Springer

Organic electronic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organic electronic - Essay Example Traditional electronics, involving the use of inorganic conductors, including copper and silicon, presents a use of materials that are heavier and more expensive than conductive polymers and organic semiconductors include dielectrics, conductors and light emitters that have many and varied applications in the field of electronics (Sun, 2008, Chapter 5) and (Wikipedia, 2010, â€Å"Organic Electronics†). Already, organic electronics based displays using organic light emitting diodes have found their way into car radios, etc., with rapid improvements expected in organic field effect transistors. According to published reports, the market for organic materials will be worth US$ 4.9 billion on 2012, and this will surge to US$15.8 billion in the year 2015 (Allen, 2008, Pp. 6). The previously mentioned author states that new kinds of semiconductor materials, including rubrene, hybrid materials and formulations made of carbon nanotubes will continue to spur the market to grow to US$4.9 billion by the year 2015, with the organic electronic substrate business growing to US$ 6.9 billion. According to NanoMarkets (2007, "Organic Harvest: Opportunities in Organic Electronic Materials"), eighty percent of organic electronic materials will be sold into the RFID, display backplanes and Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) lighting and displays applications. However, according to the previously mentioned report, if organic electronics is to continue on the road to success, it will have to emulate the traditional semiconductor industry and invent an organic version of CMOS with its own sta ble material sets. Thus, firms specialising in materials for electronics and organic electronic materials must offer commercial quantities of n-type semiconductors and organic dielectrics. In addition, the previously mentioned report suggests that for

New Paradigm for HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

New Paradigm for HR - Essay Example Most of the organizations are using human resources as an important source of competitive advantage, however Losey, Meisinger, & Ulrich (2005) have presented different challenges and dilemmas in this regard. COMPELLING ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED BY AUTHOR: Some of the main issues highlighted by the author are as follow: 1. Increased Diversity among the workforce: owing to increasing globalization and free trade there have been different cross cultural issues in the multinational organizations. The employees belong to different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and as a result makes it difficult for the management to control and manage the human resource. 2. New Logic for Human Resource: Losey, Meisinger, & Ulrich (2005) have presented new logic for human resource in order to avoid cross cultural and diversity issues. This includes the three Rs paradigm i.e. recognize, respect, and reconciliation. 3. The war for Talent: should there be fresh hiring or the old employees should be retained 4. Iss ues in Selection and Recruitment: old abilities versus new talent and potential EVALUATION OF THE AUTHORS POSITION: The authors are of the idea that the organizations should implement the principle of ‘think globally and act locally’. The organizations should strive to capture the international markets but at the same time should adapt to the local culture and preferences. The human resource personnel faces different issues and challenges while deciding for important human resource decisions. There is difference in the view points of people from different cultures and backgrounds. According to the authors, the HR managers and decision makers should focus on the three Rs framework i.e. recognize, respect, and reconciliation. The decision makers at first place should recognize the explicit and implicit differences in the approaches, ideas, and values. Secondly, they should respect the differences and viewpoints of other people. And finally, there should be reconciliation in all different views and opinions which in turn will eliminate all tensions and issues related to HR policies. SUPPORTING DATA: These difference in opinions because of diversity is not only restricted to the HR functions and decisions of the organization but is also faced by other functions like marketing. Trompennars and Wooliams (2004), in their article ‘A new paradigm for Marketing Across Cultures’ have presented the same three Rs framework i.e. recognize, respect, and reconciliation in HR. According to them in order to come up with effective and efficient marketing strategies and decisions for different cultures and nations, the marketing professionals should learn to recognize, respect, and reconcile different opinions and cultural viewpoints. Apart from this different researchers have presented the idea of managing the diversity among the organization by bringing a harmony among different views and opinions. OPPOSING VIEW POINT: There have been different researc hes in order to come up with effective and efficient strategies in order to combat with diversity management. There have been different viewpoints in this regard. According to the Roberge and Dick (2010), diversity among the workforce results in increasing the overall productivity and performance of the organization. The view presented by Roberge and Dick (2010), is different from that of Losey, Mesinger, and Ulrich (2005). The formers are of the view that the different opinio

Welcome Address Essay Example for Free

Welcome Address Essay A warm and pleasant evening to all those who are present here. If there are no stars,there won’t be any beauty in the sky. If there is no difference of opinions there won’t be any creative and innovative ideas. Similarly if there is no Annual Function in our school, there won’t be any chance for our young and dynamic children to uphold the pride of the institute, to catalogue the challenges we face, the endeavors we made andthe success we achieved and to show what we were, what we are and what we will be. Here am I hence, much privileged to stand before you, to extend profound wishes andgreetings from the bottom of my heart, to bring the warmth of our affection, throughthe stream of love, to welcome each and every one of you.It is time for yet another day of the year to exhibit the talents of all our children, to bring to your kind notice their academic excellence, and the medals they bagged intheir outstanding performance in spots, and the grades they achieved in extracurricular activities, and in everything they speak and perform today as the cultural feastunfolds.We are extremely happy to have you with us today, to share in our joy and delightfulmoments of the day, and to be part of what we are. Wishing you all once again ahappy and memorable stay, I remain.Thank you. INTRODUCING THE CHIEF GUEST I am profuse elated to take an opportunity to introduce our chief guest of the day Rev.Dr. N. Ravichandran, the director of the IIM Indore. He is graduated from IIMMadras in 1980 with specialization in Applied Probability. He joined IIM Ahemdabadas faculty in Production and Quantitative Method Area in 1980.His teaching and research interest include Applied Probability, Business ProcessReengineering, Competitive Strategy, IT for Competitive Advantage, Logistics andSupply Chain Management, Operation Strategy, Quantitative Methods inManagement, Simulation and Stochastic Modeling.He had held several short term visiting positions in many European Universities. Hehas edited and co-authored 6 books, presented 80 research papers in national andinternational conference, 70 research publications in peer reviewed journals andauthored 40 management cases. He has designed 8 new  executive courses at IIMAhemdabad and introduced 7 electives in the PGA program of IIM Ahemdabad.Several companies in India and in abroad as well have sought his expertise, to evolve,tailor made executive programme, in the areas of general management, business process reengineering, information technology as a source of advantage, competitivestrategy, supply chain management, logistics, operation management and strategicsourcing.Since Nov. 2008, he is the director of the IIM Indore

The Theory Of Mcdonaldization Commerce Essay

The Theory Of Mcdonaldization Commerce Essay McDonaldization is the process by which the principles of the fast food industry have come to dominate an increasing number of organizations in modern society. This concept is the central thesis of The McDonaldization of Society 5, a book by George Ritzer. George Ritzer is a highly revered sociologist famous for his works exploring the effect of McDonalization on society. While the effects of McDonaldization can be seen all around us, people disagree on whether they are good or bad. Although McDonaldization has pros and cons, I believe that the positive effects that it has had on society outweigh the negative effects. The theory of Mcdonaldization identifies four primary principles which govern the actions of McDonaldized organizations; efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. Efficiency refers to an organizations ability to perform its various functions as quickly, and for the lowest cost, as possible. Some examples of organizations attempts to increase efficiency include ATMs, self-checkout stands at the grocery store, and fast food drive-thru windows. Although efficiency is often advertised as a benefit to the consumer, and sometimes is, it can lead to several drawbacks. ATMs and self-checkout stands can take longer than traditional systems and force customers to perform work that was originally performed for them. Calculability refers to the element of McDonaldization by which everything in an organization is quantifiable. This often leads to quantity as a replacement for quality. This can be seen in fast food commercials which focus on the large size and small cost of hamburgers instead of the taste. It also has ties to efficiency (it is easier to identify efficient or inefficient processes if they are quantifiable) and predictability. Predictability is the process by which organizations eliminate any unexpected or unwanted outcomes, as well as any surprise or variability at all, in products and services. An example of this is that any mall in a given geographical region generally has the same shops and a similar layout as compared with any other mall in the given region. The final principle of McDonaldized organizations is control. This largely refers to the control of humans through nonhuman technologies. Nonhuman technologies are technologies, such as barcode scanners, computers, or even rules and regulations, which remove human variability from processes and control people. Obviously this has a strong connection to predictability as well (Ritzer, 2008). What different perspectives can we use to analyze McDonaldization? In the book Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, the authors, Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal, suggest using frames to analyze the effects of socological phenomenons, such as McDonaldization, on society. Frames are essentially different perspectives which individuals can use to interpret situations, make judgements, analyze organizations, ect. The author suggests four frames: the structutal frame, human resource frame, symbolic frame, and the political frame. I feel that the structural, human resource, and symbolic frame are useful in analyzing McDonaldization. The structural frame is highly goal-oriented and systematic. It focuses on tasks, facts, and logic.This is definitely the most pervasive frame used by leaders such as Ray Kroc and those at other McDonaldized institutions. The four cornerstones of McDonaldization, efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control, are a major result of this almost purely structural perspective of the organization. After all, the primary metaphor for organizations under the structural frame is that of a machine or factory. One could argue that the characteristics valued in machines or factories are the very same characteristics that culminate in the four cornerstones of McDonaldization. Furthermore, the structural perspective is heavily concerned with rules, policies and technology, another striking similarity to McDonaldization which uses stringent rules and procedures and relies on nonhuman technology to achieve its goals of predictability and efficiency (Bolman Deal, 2008). Another characteristic of McDonaldization and leaders in McDonaldized organizations which occurred to me while researching Ritzers theory is their equivalence to systemizers. Systemizers see organizations through a structural frame and rely on numbers and calculations to analyze organizations. They do not focus on the human aspect of organizations (Leavitt, 2007). I feel that McDonaldized organizations share the same perspective as systemizers and encourage the development of systemizers within themselves. Not only are employs treated in a theory X, systemizing manner but so are customers. Customers are herded in, processed, and shipped out like cattle in a slaughter house. At this point I would like to briefly discuss the selection of the term McDonaldization to explain this societal phenomenon. I understand that McDonaldization is just a term used to describe the spread of characteristics valued by many modern organizations, and I will admit it is a creative one, however McDonalds was far from the first organization to implement this very structural system focusing on factors such as efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. Earlier figures, such as Fredrick Taylor and Henry Ford, implemented these characteristics long before Ray Kroc and McDonalds. Perhaps the title of Ritzers central concept should have been Taylorization or Fordization. The human resource frame suggests that organizations exist to fulfill the human needs of consumers and employees alike. I feel that the human resource frame by far has the weakest representation within McDonaldized organizations and the limited implementation of it which we do see is very superficial. The human resource frame sees organizations as an extended family that is concerned with people, relationships, skills, and empowerment (Bolman Deal, 2008). These elements clash with the principles of efficiency, predictability, control, and calculability so they have been all but eliminated. This is part of the reason that McDonalds tends to higher teenagers or young, uneducated people. These people are easier to control and more willingly accept the mind-numbing, repetitive tasks associated with McDonaldized jobs. If McDonalds truly did care about people we would see them treat their employees differently. There is a strong theory X approach to management in McDonaldized organizations. The principles of McDonaldized organizations lend themselves to this type of approach. I do not think that the problem is with their ultimate goals, which I would argue are efficiency and predictability, I think the problem is with their means to achieving these goals, calculability and control. Because McDonalds treats their employees in a theory X manner they must rely on calculability and control to achieve their goals (Bolman Deal, 2008). I think it is important that McDonaldized organizations reframe in order to bring some humanity back to their workplace. One suggestion I would make to help reframe these organizations is to abandon the theory X approach and move to a theory Y approach of management (Bolman Deal, 2008). By empowering employees, cultivating their skills, and using positive motivational techniques they can reach their goals without relying so heavily on control and calculability. Reductions in the amount of control and calculability would allow for more autonomy within the workplace and increased humanization. The symbolic frame looks at the importance and significance of symbols, practices, rituals, and customs of a particular organization. McDonaldized organizations have begun exploiting the symbolic frame in an attempt to persuade society that they truly are compassionate organizations. Using McDonalds as an example we can see a multitude of cultural transmitters. The Ronald McDonald House charity, Happy Meal toys, the Happy Meals themselves, Playgrounds, the Im loving it slogan, Ronald McDonald (and other characters), the golden arches, etc. can all be seen as cultural transmitters. These transmitters are designed to portray the underlying meaning and values which McDonalds wants the public to believe it embraces (Bolman Deal, 2008). The playgrounds and Ronald McDonald House charity, for instance, are meant to portray McDonalds as a carrying organization which values the wellness of your family and the communities they operate in. I believe that McDonalds exploitation of the symbolic frame goes back to their very weak application of the human resource frame. Because the ideals of the human resource frame clash so greatly with the principle of McDonaldized organizations they must portray an atmosphere of caring and compassion through alternative means. This is why they dedicate so much time to developing cultural transmitters and exploiting the symbolic frame. This poses a very serious ethical dilemma. The practice of organizations portraying values and beliefs that they do not actually hold is deceptive and dishonest. In the end it may do more damage to the organization than it does good (Bolman Deal, 2008). Although I am not going to focus on Bolman and Deals political frame, I feel that it is important to briefly mention here. People have begun realizing that McDonaldized organizations are portraying false images and the organizations have received bad press. In response, they began using political techniques to build coalitions and gain support within society. Also, I feel that McDonaldized organizations view the market place as a jungle and are fighting for their share of the scarce resources or money (Bolman Deal, 2008). Advantages and Disadvantages of McDonaldization Much of the literature on McDonaldization exclusively focuses on the negative aspects of the phenomenon and does not make a strong distinction between employees and consumer in McDonaldized systems. Authors tell the terrors of a McDonaldized death, McDonaldized systems ravaging the environment, the mind-numbing tasks involved with McDonaldized jobs, and the frustrations of attending a McDonaldized educational institution.Admittedly, even I have focused primarily on the negative aspects of McDonaldization up to this point, but what are the advantages of McDonaldization and from whose perspective? In my opinion, Ritzer and others do a very lack luster job of clearly identifying the advantages associated with McDonaldization for consumers. I am not disputing that there are disadvantages associated with McDonaldization or even saying that advantages outweigh disadvantages or vice versa. I simply feel that in order to analyze any situation effectively we must consider the pros and cons fr om all perspectives and through all frames or perspectives. Two primary advantages of McDonaldization are convience and afforadability. Modern US society is an on-the-go, fast paced environment which values convenience. I am no exception to this phenomenon. When I go to Wal-Mart I just want to get my toothpaste, or whatever item I came for, and go. I am not looking to create personal relationships with the people that serve me my food or ring up my groceries. Between my coworkers, peers at school, bosses, professors, family, friends, and my boyfriend I already feel as though I am downing in personal relationships. The ability to conveniently and quickly complete daily tasks affords me more time to do the things I care about. For instance I can even manage my own bank account or check my email in the middle of the night. This would probably not be possible without some degree of McDonaldization. Affordability is another major advantage of McDonaldization. McDonaldization has allowed regular, middle class people to afford luxuries that even the richest men could not have dreamed of many years ago. While sitting in the Coffee Bean not long ago I saw a homeless man surfing the web and playing a DVD on his portable computer. McDonaldized systems have made this possible. Many products which were once very expensive are now accessible to almost everyone in developed nations. The wealth of information offered by the internet, as well as many products and services that were likely made possible by McDonaldization, cannot be over looked or downplayed when analyzing the effects of McDonaldization on society. How can we deal with McDonaldization? Some people have described McDonaldization as a cage. The image of an iron cage represents society as a whole surrounded by a rationalization system (Ritzer, 2003). Perhaps it is because I am a product of a McDonaldized society, but I certainly would not use the metaphor of a cage to describe McDonaldization. Although the cage-like image may fit to a certain degree, it is certainly not an iron cage because escape remains an easy option for most people (Ritzer, 2003). McDonaldization only dominates our lives to the extent which we allow it to dominate our lives. I exploit McDonaldization to obtain the advantages discussed in this paper and in no way does McDonaldization take advantage of me. For this reason, I think describing McDonaldization as a cage is a narrow-minded, deceptive portrayal. That being said, I feel there are several simple steps that those who do not prefer McDonaldized systems can take to deal with McDonaldization. Consumers, especially, have a great deal of freedom with the way they handle McDonaldization. After all, the ultimate choice is theirs. If they have a high level of distain for McDonaldized organizations they can simply desist from patronizing them. In my personal opinion, the most important step is to avoid the invasion of McDonaldization into ones personal life. My own family has done things such as avoiding McDonaldized meals and outings. I think this has helped us to cultivate strong, healthy relationships in our personal lives. Employees of McDonaldized systems, on the other hand, have a very limited amount of freedom when it comes to dealing with McDonaldization. Those in managerial position can subtly resist by doing things such as employing Maslows hierarchy of needs and a theory Y management approach (Bolman Deal, 2008). Of Course this only works to the extent that their bosses allowing it to go on. Im afraid that lower level employees are only afforded one option for dealing with McDonaldization (but it is probably the best option), Education. McDonaldized organizations, and their mind-numbing, mundane jobs, are here to stay. For many the last line of defense is education. I myself am going to school for this specific reason. Unfortunately, those employed in McDonaldized jobs are armed with little more than their creativity and critical thinking skills to survive in the meantime. Conclusion McDonaldization is the processes through which the principles of the fast food industry, efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control, have come to dominate an increasing number of organizations in modern society (Ritzer, 2008). McDonaldization can lead to several disadvantages, such as dehumanized jobs and services, and several advantages, such as convenience and affordability. These advantages and disadvantages are proliferated primarily through a stringent application of Bolman and Deals (2008) structural frame and use of the systemizer perspective (Leavitt, 2007). Although McDonaldized organizations use the symbolic frame to create the perception that they care about their employees, communities, and clientele, it is largely superficial. For example, McDonalds uses symbols such as the Ronald McDonald House charity, playgrounds, and friendly characters (such as Ronald McDonald) to give the illusion that they truly care about people. If they truly did care about people we would see a stronger implementation of the human resource frame within their organization. One possible approach to this problem would be for them to use a theory Y approach to achieve their goals of efficiency and predictability and reduce their dependence on calculability and control (Bolman Deal, 2008). Consumers who do not like McDonaldization can simply avoid patronizing McDonaldized organizations as much as possible. Employees of McDonaldized organizations, on the other hand, will likely have to rely on education to help them obtain better, less McDonalized jobs. Most likely McDonaldized organization will be around for many years to come. McDonaldization has invaded nearly every aspect of society. Even George Ritzers book, The McDonaldization of Society 5, which denounces the evils of McDonaldization is itself McDonaldized. It is highly structured, repetitive, and predictable at times. He even includes a instructors CD ROM with suggested essay questions for educators, thus aiding in McDonaldizing the educational process. People should stop fighting McDonaldization and learn to exploit it. In the end, McDonaldization can only dominate our lives to the extent that we allow it to. As a busy college student, I feel that Mcdonaldization is a great thing, if you use it cautiously. Coll ege students often run short on time especially because they have so many things going on. Online classes, Internet databases, and collaborative websites such as Google Docs, all of which were made possible at least partially due to McDonaldization, make the college experience more accessible and manageable. Instead of letting McDonaldization take advantage of us we must use McDonaldization to our own advantage.

Effective Performance Appraisal System

Effective Performance Appraisal System This paper aims to critically assess an effective appraisal system in relation to employee and employer. One of the major key importances of this study is the satisfaction and acceptance of organisational appraisal system by both employee and the employers, while emphasizing the need of an effective performance appraisal system to function well in terms of satisfying all stakeholders needs including the employees. Some employees and employers view performance appraisal negatively, suggesting that its only a waste of time, resources and energy. A literature review capturing various understanding of knowledgeable aspects of these study shall be undertaken and various views shall be put into consideration. This study intends to shed light on the performance management and its relation with performance appraisal; guiding us through the reasons for some major rifts in performance appraisal systems continuously affecting employees and employers, while also highlighting some accepted purpos e of performance appraisal and its system. This study would give a theoretical background of what organisations should consider in creating an effective performance appraisal system; including understanding the appraisal purpose, description and specification for the appraiser i.e. appropriate and adequate training should disbursed to employee and the employer, and the design and implementation of an effective performance appraisal take employee involvement to consideration. This study draws its conclusion from Hunt N. (2007), who argues that an effective performance appraisal should take the satisfaction of its employees and employers (organization) as a great concern; as a satisfied employee works more efficiently and a profitable company also makes employers or organizational managers happier. Performance Management A suitable analysis of performance appraisal without stating its origin in performance management would not give a true and fair view of performance appraisal in theory. Performance management and performance appraisal are two related aspects that should not be seen identically. In simple terms, we can describe performance management to be a strategic part of human resource management; which is an all-inclusive process that aims to bring together various aspects including performance appraisal. Performance management is viewed as a wider strategic aspects that focus on organizational, team or individual focus rather than performance appraisal which operationally focused on individuals performance and development. Noticeably, an important aspect of performance appraisal is enhancing performance, which is a key element of organizational life and performance management (CIPD 2005, a Performance management and performance appraisal). Research has identified a gap amongst the managers and employees by research between their perception about performance management theory and its actual practice (Bratton J. and Gold J. 1999). Nevertheless, the general acknowledgment that performance management is a tool used to promote employee understanding of its contribution to organisations strategic goals; while also ensuring that the right talent and skills are centered on the things of importance. Even though in practice, it has been regarded as just a documentation phase that is used to fulfill basic organizational and statutory requirements (CIPD Performance mgt in action). Performance appraisal is a large and vital process of performance management. INTRODUCTION/the Concept of Performance Appraisal For decades, performance appraisal has been a significant issue and topic of importance. It has been given considerable attention in various literatures, from both researchers and practitioners alike (Roslyn 1996). Past and recent scholars have regarded performance appraisals are often regarded as a strategic and integral part of the organization (Goff 1992 and U.S Dept of Interior 2004). In acceptance of these suggestions, it can be inferred that the management of human capital is an important aspect of organization that has an intense effect in all the activities of the organization. Pettijohn L. (2001) cites performance appraisal from Longenecker (1997), describing performance appraisal as two simple terms that provoke and propel strong responses, sentiments, opinions and judgment in the organizational context of formal appraisal procedure when mutually used together. He further argue that most organizations of the world according to irrespective of its size, type and product distinction employ the use of performance appraisal; but with different level of accomplishment as an instrument used to drive a mixture of human resource management purpose. However, further literatures suggests performance appraisal existed based on several rationales such as a basis for making provision for selection decisions, a yardstick for salary increment, a medium for providing feed-back among managers and employees and facilitation of employee development. Recently, research are been focused toward establishing systems for improving the psychometric properties of performance ratin gs (Mount 1984, Fombrun and Laud 1983). Nevertheless, Tom Redman (2006) attributes development changes in recent performance appraisal to large scale organisations rather than advances in theory. Numerous definitions as been given to performance appraisal by numerous scholars, researchers and practitioners. According to Flippo (1984), performance appraisal is the systematic, periodic and an impartial rating of an employees excellence in the matters pertaining to his present job and his potential for a better job. Flippo described performance appraisal as a systematic way of evaluating and appraising the performance of an employee/subordinate within a specified period of time, while also planning his future career. However, a short and concise definition of performance appraisal by CIPD (2010) was referred as an operational short to medium term tool used to assess individual performance and development. In summary, Performance appraisal is a dominant tool to evaluate, assess and compensate the performance of employee/subordinate. It should help create goal congruence between the organization and it employees. Past and recent scholars have argued that the lack of a generally acceptable purpose served by performance appraisal system process has raised questions for the degree to which its various function conflicts with the employee and employer (Beer, 1981). This may suggest that a key generally acceptable purpose of an effective performance appraisal process is still a major rift in research. Purpose Hunt N. (2007) in his book Conducting Staff Appraisal cited past scholars in his literature arguing that organizations purpose they claim is not appraisal inclined but rather to make money and generate profit or in the case of public corporations, provide social amenities i.e. good service. He argued that the view that appraisal does not have a direct connection with production is a fallacious statement and suggested that the purpose of a well structure appraisal system should be promoting satisfaction for both employee and employers (organization), as employees become satisfied knowing that employers or its organization are after its needs and not just the profit objective. However, research by some major proponents suggests that performance appraisals in practice surface to be aimed at four purposes, which are: making distinctions among employees, differentiation of a persons strength from its weakness, execute and assess organizations human resource systems, and the documentation of personnel assessment (Cleveland, Mohammed, Skattebo, Sin, 2003; Cleveland, Murphy, Williams, 1989). Nevertheless, further aims and purpose of performance appraisals may in due course arise and enhance performance at the employee and, subsequently, the employer or organizational level (see DeNisi Gonzalez, 2000; Meyer, Kay, French, 1965). Traditional Performance appraisal Past approach to performance appraisal referred to as traditional, viewed performance appraisal as a method for justification employee salaries, rewarding and punishing employee for organizational performance. Traditional approach seems to be a judgmental process rather than a developmental process that focus only on historical performance of employees as a basis of their appraisal (http://appraisals.naukrihub.com/performance-appraisal-approaches.html). Performance appraisal methods rate employees using the quantitative tools and employ numerical or scalar ratings orientation. The combination of these methods with logical decision will provide sufficient procedure of performance; nevertheless as the complexity of employment increase, the orientation to figures makes it more challenging because the reduction of individual contributions complexity and competency to a figure results from a mix of inadequate reasons (Murphy T. and Margulies J. 2004). Modern Performance appraisal A more collaborative technique approach to an effective performance appraisal is the modern performance appraisal, which has developed the appraisal system of organizations over the years to a more formal and structured system. This appraisal approach is viewed as a tool for identifying performing employee; identifying training needs of employees; developing employee career paths; promoting rewards, bonus and promotion amongst other development aims. (http://appraisals.naukrihub.com/performance-appraisal-approaches.html). Modern appraisal approach includes; management-by-objectives (MBO), work planning and review, 360Â ° appraisals, peer review, etc. (Murphy T. and Margulies J. 2004). Here, the promotion of employee and employer relationship in the organization is strengthened; while communication is also improved through its feedback process. This approach is developmental in nature and future oriented, identifying employees as individuals. Theoretically, the formal appraisal process merits are numerous and striking to any organization allowing for their use. However in practice, various shortcomings associated with the formal performance appraisal systems design and implementation are well known and continue to raise issues with both practitioners and academics (Goff 1992 and Bernardin Klatt 1985). According to Nick (1996), the formal role of performance appraisal process has been given common concentration in the recent years and a make believe that an organizations effective design and well structured implementation appraisal system will provide the employee, the supervisor and the employee/organization with multiple of positive benefits. Objectives of Performance appraisal Major objectives of an effective performance appraisal can be perceived from two approaches: the traditional and the system approach. The traditional approach was concerned with attributing guiding values to individuals; the primary goal of this approach was aimed at providing control and documenting employee historical performance. The appraisal was performed occasionally and the leadership practices were estimated and directional in nature. This approach emphasized an individual orientation reward practice with high degree of formality process. On the other hand, the system approach is primarily aimed at developing and creating a problem solving environment for employees; and promotes a leadership style that is facilitative and tutoring in nature. The objective of this system has its guiding value attributed to the performance appraisal system, and employs a more frequent (periodic and continuous activity) appraisal system for employees. This system has a low degree of formality an d practice a group or team orientation reward practice. The result of this system approach promotes HR decisions such as reward, promotions, training and development, transfers and demotions. However, the system approach might have emerged from the lapse or the gaps posed by the traditional approach. Bratton and Gold (1999) however, concluded that the tension between the judgemental (Traditional) and developmental (Modern system) process of appraisal systems has never been resolved and is likely to continue in its nearest future. Drawing from a past literature for performance appraisals, it was suggested that an effective appraisal system should enhance employee motivation and efficiency; ensure concrete basis for wage and salary management; help discuss employee concerns for growth and development; provide adequate information for management decisions; and provision of useful communication tool to carry out employee goal setting and performance planning for managers (Morhman, Resnick-west and Lawler 1989). Appraisal System Landahl (2010) suggests that an effective performance appraisal is a significant vehicle for improving performance and productivity by organizations to improve the performance of its employees and organizations well designed and implemented appraisal system, which helps to improve company operations. In support of these, Journal of Applied Psychology argues that a, poorly designed or implemented performance appraisals may lead to employee frustration, resentment and withdrawal. Different performance appraisal instrument is been employed by a number organizations with conflicting mixture of goals and objective, and this have frequently resulted in stemming up confusion has to what the accurate meaning of performance appraisal systems. Notwithstanding, Wiese and Buckley (1998) highlighted that the core of performance appraisal process enables an organization to appraise and assess an individual employees activities and performance over a scheduled point in time. In addition, Coutts and Schneider (2004) described performance appraisal as a fundamental factor of a more refined position of human resource practices; viewing it has machinery for assessing the level of employees performance on a daily basis in line with the organizational set goals and objectives. Review of Literature Hunt N. (2007) argues that most employers or large organisations do have performance appraisal policies in existence but the practical implementation of these policies are inefficient and ineffective in reality and this has lead most employees not to take the performance appraisal as a serious tool but a managerial procedure. One of the most common fear or worries of performance appraisal by employees is the raters subjectivity. The human bias nature and favouritism is a loom affecting employee acceptance of performance appraisal system and its outcome. Many scholars have also ascribed the shortcoming of performance appraisal system to the unwarranted focus on alleviating signs of reduced performance rather than emphasizing the cause of the problem in itself. A major problem of performance appraisal system is the criteria for its implementation. A bad designed system would not generate a good performance appraisal objective, most recent appraisal focus more on the formal application rather than the substance satisfying objective. Perspectives Effective performance appraisal has so far been considered in different perspectives. The exploration of significant areas such as results of effectiveness of performance appraisal and recognition of negative factors that can affect the effectiveness of performance appraisal in both the perspective of employee and employer. The highlighted gap in the perspective of performance appraisal is what this paper is set to discuss. For one thing, WPR interviews are strictly man-to-man in character, rather than having a father-and-son flavor, as did so many of the traditional performance appraisals. This seems to be due to the fact that it is much more natural under the WPR program for the subordinate to take the initiative when his performance on past goals is being reviewed. Thus, in listening to the subordinates review of performance, problems and failings, the manager is automatically cast in the role of counselor. This role for the manager, in turn, results naturally in a problem-solving discussion. In the traditional performance appraisal interview, on the other hand, the manager is automatically cast in the role of judge. The subordinates natural reaction is to assume a defensive posture, and thus all the necessary ingredients for an argument are present. Performance appraisal effectiveness refers to the accuracy of performance observations and ratings as well as the ability of the performance appraisal process to improve the ratees future performance (Lee C. 1985). EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYERS PERSPECTIVE As highlighted above, that the word performance appraisals evoke immediate and sometimes negative response from the managers and employees in the appraisal process of organizational life (Longenecker 1997). Yet, every manager recognizes that, like it or not, performance appraisals are here to stay. Longenecker (1989) argues that politics has its stake in an organizations performance appraisal process and that it takes only the deliberate effort of the manager and those partaking in training employees on appraisal techniques to make the performance appraisal process free from what he called Mired political game. Politics has been indicated as a critical determinant in organizations for reward distribution and this however still remains an untapped research (Sogra et al 2009). For decades, employee evaluations have been used for a variety of different organizational purposes. Previously, the appraisal process was generally considered to be one of the more difficult and yet routine and narrow management practices. In contrast, it is now widely recognized as a significant vehicle for improving performance and productivity of both employees and organizations. To this end, many organizations and managers are currently reexamining their appraisal procedures and practices. Why performance evaluation currently is viewed in such an expanded light after its rather difficult and humble past? Discrepancies with performance appraisal in relation to employee and employer Consequently the review of the literature drawing from Crook and Crossman (2004) and Mounts (1984) research on an effective performance appraisal system, it was discovered that major difference exist in the perception of appraisal system between employees and managers. These differences were however attributed to the roles employees and managers perform during the appraisal process; Managers are givers of information and feedbacks, whereas employees are mere receivers. Bretz et al. (1992) suggests that major discrepancies arising from performance appraisal system may be traced to the lack of adequate training given to people for their role as an appraisee. The author argues that training to make adequate assessments and oversee an effective performance appraisal system is been given to managers and other principal, while training for analyzing and acting on constructive performance evaluations are not given to the appraisees. He further suggests that those without any appraisal role within the organization do not often receive training in the performance appraisal system, both in efficient utilization of its output and its method of working (Crook and Crossman 2004). CROOK AND CROSSMAN (2004) based on his findings, asked a fundamental question in solving these discrepancies is a difference in satisfaction with a PAS linked to a persons role in an organization a desirable outcome? He argued that it is advantageous for participants of appraisal alone to be more pleased with the performance appraisal system rather than participants who act both as appraisee and appraisers. The authors further argue participants that fill both roles will encounter problems from both perspectives and therefore ensure a fairly and time-framed appraisal considering their experience. Organizational managers should identify the significance of employee involvement in establishing performance values at the launch of the appraisal phase and provide performance feedback through the appraisal phase (Inderrieden et al. 1988). AN EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM In order to build up an effective performance appraisal system, two major criteria and goal need to be accomplished. Firstly, the relevance and its applicability of performance appraisal to everyday work practice in organizations (both large corporation and small business enterprise) and secondly, the satisfaction and acceptability of the performance appraisal system by employees and employers appraisers and workers (Duraisingham V. And Skinner N. 2005). Past and recent research have argued that a firms objective should be able to focus on how their employee will improve its knowledge and skills in order to have high increase productivity, sustained competitive improvement. Both employee and employers require adequate training in order to participate fairly in the performance appraisal system in ensuring that realistic expectations and feedbacks are received and acted on. An effective work plan (goal setting) for managers was also considered suitable and the consideration of employees via discussing their career plans in the appraisal process, which enhance goal congruence between the employee and employer (Crook and Crossman 2004, Mount 1984 and Inderrieden et al. 1988). Bretz et al (1992) also advocated the need for training to be an ongoing process in order to attain utmost efficiency and effectiveness. Crook and Crossman (2004) states that an effective appraisal system can be achieved by increasing interactional justice by promoting employee involvement in the appraisal system. The joint involvement of both the employee and employer in the performance appraisal system will effectively ensure a more conducive working environment and targeted agreement between both parties; through the use of feedback, training, frequent reviews for development and many more. Systems that focus only on examining performance without any personal benefit would not attract employees (Hunt N. 2007). An effective performance appraisal system should be as simple as possible without been over-bureaucratic. The operation of the performance appraisal system would however not be effective without the fairness and consistentency in operation by the participants. This will lead to enhanced satisfaction for both employees and employers (Crook and Crossman 2004 and Hunt N. 2007). Hunt N. (2007) suggests that employers and organizations should also eliminate political mentally in order to have a successful and effective performance appraisal as this promotes unfairness and would tamper productivity in the long run The present paper suggests that utilizing performance appraisal formats and designing training programs without considering the nature of the task may explain unsuccessful attempts in devising more accurate and efficient performance appraisal systems. Appraising performance according to the nature of the task, matching task nature with performance appraisal format, and designing training programs to increase observational accuracy may improve performance appraisal systems as well as contribute to successful organizational placement and promotion decisions. Future research should examine other factors that may contribute to performance appraisal effectiveness (Lee C. 1985). Whatever system is used, a good measure of success is how those appraised and compensated perceive the accuracy and fairness of the program. A program that is seen as fair and personalized, regardless of sophistication, will likely be motivational. A good first step in deciding whether changes are needed in a performance appraisal system may be a survey of management and employee attitudes about appraisal practices and compensation. Biased and malicious deliberate appraisers should be eliminated in constructing an effective performance appraisal system. However, it is not feasible for employee employer relationship to remain good all the time, but the system must be designed in a way that it does not ensure systematic partiality; which might warrant the use of external appraiser (even though this can also lead to rifts). In establishing an effective and efficient performance appraisal system, it would be imperative put into consideration not only the employee but also the employers, who will act as the appraiser rather than the appraised. Employers and managers would also have anxieties and apprehension about the appraisal systems effectiveness, whether training would be adequate for employees, whether employees are aware of the opportunities for training and development available within the organization. In order to have an effective performance appraisal, both participants of the process should be sort during the designing process of the system to the implementation stage. BENEFITS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL conclusion Performance appraisal is a formal exercise carried out for all executives and workers/ staff with respect to their contributions made towards the growth of the organization. The benefits of a successful appraisal system can be summed up as follows. a. For the Appraisal 1. Better understanding of this role in the organization. What is expected and what needs to be done in meet those expectations. 2. Clear understanding of his strengths and weakness so as to develop himself into a better performer in future. b. For the Management 1. Identification of performer non-performers and their development towards better performance. 2. Identification of training development needs. 3. Generation of ideas for improvement. c. For the Organization 1. Improved performance throughout the organization. 2. Creation of culture of continuous improvement and success. Conclusion There are many benefits to implementing a regular and systematic performance appraisal system within an AOD organisation. In order to gain the most benefit from performance appraisals it is recommended that a system is developed in consultation with workers and managers, and clear links are established between appraisals and valued rewards and outcomes (Duraisingham V. And Skinner N. 2005). Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/351690_introduction-to-performance-appraisal#ixzz15gqd81Gd Hunt N. (2007) Conducting Staff Appraisals; How to Books Ltd, United Kingdom. Chapter 1 11. Redman T. and Wilkinson A. (2006); Contemporary Human Resource Management (Text and Cases): Performance Appraisal: Chapter 6 pg 153 187; Pearson Education Limited: England. Bratton J. and Gold J. (1999): Human Resource Management (Theory and Practice): Performance Appraisal: Chapter 8 pg 214 236: Palgrave publishers Ltd: Houndmills Fletcher, C. (1994). Performance appraisal in context: Organizational changes and their impact on practice. In N. Anderson P. Herriot (Eds.), Assessment and selection in organizations: Methods and practice for recruitment and appraisal (pp. 41-56). Chichester, England: John Wiley Sons. Duraisingham V. And Skinner N. (2005): Workforce development TIPS Theory in Practices strategies resource kits: performance Appraisal: Chapter 8: www.nceta.flinders.edu.au (Cleveland, Mohammed, Skattebo, Sin, 2003; Cleveland, Murphy, Williams, 1989) DeNisi Gonzalez, 2000; Meyer, Kay, French, 1965).

Essay --

Reproductive System The reproductive system is a group of organs that work together to make a new life. Most organs of the reproductive system are the external genitalia and the internal organs, including gonads that produce gamete. The external genitalia are found in the pelvis and vulva and gonads are testicles and ovaries. The female reproductive organs are found inside of the pelvis and most of the male reproductive organs are found outside the body. Most of the organ of a male reproductive system is the penis and a female is the vagina. The breasts are one of many parts of the reproductive system. The breasts are organs that have mammary glands, milk ducts, and adipose tissue. In the middle of each breast is a nipple that releases milk when production for a new life has begun. The areola is a thick piece of skin that surrounds the nipple and protects the tissues under when your breastfeeding. There are many types’ problems that have to do with the breast like breast cancer. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast, usually starts in the inside the milk ducts or lobules. A malignant tumor is a cancer cells that can grow into in tissues or spread to different parts of the body. Doctors say one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the mostly diagnosed in women, and the second leading cause of death for them. Even though breast cancers are mostly found in women men can get it to but it’s very rare. Doctors are not really sure what the exact cause of breast cancer. Doctors say some of the causes can be, the older you get your chances rise, starting periods before the age twelve or going through menopause before the age fifty-five. Risk of b... ... cells, or by placing radioactive material inside your body; side effects can include fatigue, sun burn rash or tissue may seem swollen. There are different types of stages of breast cancer. Staging tells how far the cancer has spread within the body, staging is determined after breast cancer has been diagnosed and stages from 0 to 4 depending on how far its spread. Stage 0 cancer cells are only found in one location, Stage I cancer cells have left the milk ducts but haven’t reached the lymph nodes, Stage II cancer increases in size and has reached the armpit lymph nodes, Stage III cancer has spread to the cervical lymph nodes or tissue around the breast, Stage IV cancer has spread to other organs. Treatments are Herceptin witch cause cells to die, Kadcyla a cell killing drug let into the cancer cells, Tykerb and Perjeta. All these treatments have side effects.

Pearl Harbor :: essays research papers

Pearl Harbor was one of the most vicious attacks on American soil. The surprise attack by Japan took place on Sunday morning December 7, 1941. Japan wanted to immobilize U.S.’s Pacific fleet and destroy any chance of a counter strike in from the Pacific. The United States responded by creating Japanese-American Internment Camps, which uprooted tens of thousands of Japanese-American families. And later America decided to use atomic weapons to end the war with Japan. Tension between Japan and the United States started in 1931. Japan had taken over Manchuria, which was then a part of China. In 1937 Japan had started a campaign to conquer the rest of China that was long lasting and didn’t work. In 1940 Japan signed the Axis Alliance with Germany and occupied all of Indochina the next year. The U.S. was worried by Japan’s movements because of economic interests that the United States had in East Asia. The U.S. strengthened military aid to China and increased financial aid. They also built up the military in the Pacific. The U.S. also cut off shipments of oil and raw materials to Japan. Japanese government saw this move as a threat to Japan’s survival because Japan doesn’t have many natural resources. Japan’s next plan was to take control of the territories of South East Asia that have good amounts of natural resources, even though it would start a war with the United States. (Lord,Walter. Day of Infamy ) (www.histo ry.navy.mil) (http://campus.northpark.edu) The only thing that stood in the way of this plan was the threat posed by the U.S. Pacific fleet stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the leader of the Japanese fleet, was the mastermind behind the plan to cripple the U.S. fleet. Yamamoto wanted to disable the U.S. Pacific fleet by destroying enough ships, airfields, runways, planes, support facilities, and 4.5 billion gallons of fuel so that there was no chance for a counter attack. As Yamamoto put it he wanted to destroy the â€Å"dagger pointed at our throat†. (Beck, Roger. Black, Linda. Krieger, Larry. Naylor, Phillip. Ibo Shabaka, Dahia. â€Å"World History† pg.827 – 830) Yamamoto devised a clever plan that would have the attacking Japanese follow a storm front and keep strict radio silence to avoid being detected by American radar. The Japanese attack was led by Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo and consisted of 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, and 2 cruisers.

Comparing Anxiety and Drug Use in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Sign

Anxiety and Drug Use in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Sign of the Four The life experiences and writings of the Victorians are peppered with anxiety.   External influences such as sweeping change or fear of change can produce unease, as seen in the their anxious attitude toward Darwinism and colonialization, which greatly influenced the political, spiritual, and psychological landscape of nineteenth century England.   However, for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll, anxiety springs from an internal source: the human mind and its many urges.   For Jekyll, the anxiety is fueled by a desire to set free his evil urges; for Holmes, the catalyst is his proclaimed "boredom" with everyday life.   Jekyll and Holmes struggle with their separate anxieties and reach similar solutions.   Both the doctor and the detective choose a drug to alleviate their anxiety.   The unsuccessful outcomes that these chosen drugs produce speaks to the Victorian notion that anxiety could not be conquered.   The people who li ved and died under Queen Victoria not only dealt with anxiety in their own lives, but also fortified their literature with it.   Doyle's The Sign of Four and Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde explore two distinct anxieties and the consequences of using drugs to alleviate them. For both Holmes and Jekyll, an internal anxiety plagues their actions and thoughts.   An aversion to "boredom" troubles Holmes, while Jekyll struggles to come to terms with "man's dual nature" (Stevenson, 42).   Holmes defends his drug use by declaring: My mind... rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am... ...fer from constitute an inability to deal with internal factors, while the Victorians suffered from an inability to deal with external factors.   For Victorians, anxiety over entertaining the impossible stemmed from Darwinism and colonialization, which was the catalyst for the dreaded fear of the "other."   If Holmes and Jekyll turned to drugs in the face of anxiety, what did the Victorians turn to?   Perhaps the rampant use of laudanum and opium was an attempt at easing the anxieties of a nervous culture.   One could turn to science, religion, or technology for comfort, but most likely these areas would simply cause more anxiety.   No matter what the answer is, it is clear that the anxiety of the Victorians carried over into their literature.   Without this cultural trait the world may never have been introduced to the insane Dr. Jekyll or the brooding Sherlock Holmes.

Malcomes final speech Essay

In Malcomes final speech he describes Lady Macbeth as a fiend like â€Å"queen†. Explain how far you think this description of her is justified Lady Macbeth is a very essential character to the play. She is singly responsible for the most tragedy and destruction throughout the play. She is very responsible because she is the one who talks to and persuades Macbeth. But she cannot be purely seen as an evil influence for she is a much more complex character then many would think. We first see Lady Macbeth in act one, scene five when she is reading the letter that Macbeth sent her. When reading the letter, she reads it in an innocent ladylike voice that we will not see much of until later on in the script. As she calmly reads the letter you can see her slowly spiralling towards the more evil sinister way. The letter is read as if he was writing it to his â€Å"Dearest partner of greatness†. He treats her with a lot of respect as if she is an equal. This would seem to be very awkward to an audience in the Shakespearean era for women were seen to be inferior to men. She decides on Macbeth’s behalf that they are to kill the King Duncan, without Macbeths approval. The only problem is that she thinks that Macbeth is â€Å"too full of th’ milk of human kindness† to commit such an evil task. She then thinks that she had the power to alter Macbeth’s mind like an evil conscience. This makes her more evil than seen so far for she is seen as an evil presence. Lady Macbeth feels that in order to commit the murderous task herself she will need to look for help of evil ghosts and spirits to take her body and do the dirty deeds for her. She suggests strong sentences to â€Å"unsex her † and turn her evil. â€Å"Come to my women’s breasts And take my milk for gall.† In Shakespeare’s time the average person in the audience still believed in witches, evil sprits, potions and evil presences, so they would be scared as if it were real. The audience will also look at her in a very strange, different way for she is willing to give up all her femininity for a natural evil. She continues to make obscene comments to hell. â€Å"Come thick night and pull the In the dunnest smokes of hell.† She says this because she wants not to be discovered for it will cost her life if she was discovered. For a stage production I would start with her sitting in darkness on a chair alone with the spot light on her. She would wear a white dress to promote her innocence. The background music would be slow, low and quiet in a solitary tune. As she starts to ponder evil thoughts, I would slowly creep up in tempo and make all the notes more sinister. She would get up and keep her head down as she wanders around the stage reading the letter. As soon as she finishes reading the letter she will raise her head and start to whisper her lines to the audience making eye contact. The lights would be dim as she goes from side to side on the stage. She will get louder and louder until the servant walks in and after he leaves she will continue walking from side to side getting louder and louder until her husband enters and a red light will fade in as she explains the plot to Macbeth. The second time we see her is when she is at dinner acting sweet and innocent when at heart she is completely evil and filled with hate and gall. Duncan ironically and innocently speaks of sweet and good air which has a ironic relationship to Lady Macbeths earlier quote â€Å"The dunnest smokes of hell† in the last scene. In Act 1, Scene 7 we see Lady Macbeth for the third time. She is alone in the bedroom with Macbeth discussing their hidden sinister plan to kill king Duncan and steal his throne. In this scene we can see again how much influence on Macbeth, Lady Macbeth has. Macbeth decides that he wishes not to conduct in this evil scheme any further, but once again Lady Macbeth bends and twists Macbeths mind to see the opportinity the way she does. An audience would again be surprised to see a women taking more or less complete control over Macbeth. Her character would seem very masculine and the power over Macbeth would seem to be some sort of witch’s spell, again making her seem more evil than she really is. It would not be surprising to see lady Macbeth fall to even lower levels of murder and in justice for all her goodness and innocence has been completely corrupted by greed, therefore making her nothing more than a victim to her inner evil. Macbeth stands for shining goodness in that moment that he refuses to commit this disruption of the hierarchy for it would not only be a murderous crime, it would also mean that he has turned his back on his God, for the king was seen to be God’s representative on earth. Lady Macbeth uses blackmail to get him to obey her. She starts to accuse him of not loving her and not acting like a real man treats his wife. This is ironic, for she does not treat him as a real husband, but none the less she gets her way through these obscene accusations of him being a coward â€Å"And live a coward in thine own esteem† The last time we see Lady Macbeth is in Act 5 Scene 1, after all planned has successfully happened. In this scene we can see how the aftermath of the killings has actually affected lady Macbeth. The scene begins with lady Macbeth being analysed by a doctor and his decision is that she is suffering mentally. Lady Macbeth is mentally scared and is sleepwalking in anguish. Lady Macbeth is constantantly rubbing and washing this certain spot in her palm because she (and only she) can see a red â€Å"damned spot† of blood. She is conveying images of the murder and she is speaking of the killing of an old man ( King Duncan ). â€Å"Who would have thought the old man had so much blood in him† Through sleep walking and being nervous we can see that Lady Macbeth does have a conscious and is liable to greed instead of being this evil monster which the audience has all seen before. The audience for the first time would start to understand and see that all the evil within her was â€Å"evil spirits† and the greed assigned to every human being. In this last scene with her, as she fall apart we can see all her greed and wickedness being stripped from her just leaving her an image of pure, innocent child like women. As Lady Macbeth becomes mentality ill and losses all her influence and greed it is as if Macbeth and his wife have swooped feelings and brains. Her obsession with a â€Å"damned spot† of blood which she cannot remove from her hand contrasts with her attitude to the blood after Duncan’s murder, when she says: â€Å"A little water cleans us of this deed† The way an actress would perform this scene would be very different from the way she would act in Act 1 Scene. Her face would be pale and without make-up, and she would wear a white nightdress to suggest return to a vulnerable childlike state. Her voice would be frail and trembling, and some lines, such as â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife† would be spoken like child reciting a nursery rhyme. Referring back to the title question, I think that Lady Macbeth cannot be fully justified as a â€Å"Fiend† for she is a normal women who is corrupted by greed and I am sure that many people in the same situation would be very tempted to do something similar.

Positives and Negatives

All people in this world are different. They feel differently and have different skills. Even though they have different skills, strengths and weaknesses, there will be some ones common amongst the people. Likewise, some of my strengths and weaknesses might be similar to that of my friends, parents, relatives, people around the world and some not. That is how we are made. Although, strengths and weaknesses isn’t a permanent thing. It can be worked on and can be improved and polished.I am a very cheerful, caring and loving person who never fails to smile everyday. I tend to remain happy most of the time and believe smile is one of the greatest gift given to us. When we give a smile, it might blossom the rest of the day of another person. Moreover, I am an optimistic person who likes to work hard and always believes if we work hard enough, nothing is impossible to achieve. I like to be confident and think of myself as a quick learner. Without confidence, achieving our goals, tar gets is very difficult.I am a frank, unselfish, team player with the driving power and willingness to learn and face challenges. These are some of the strengths I believe I have in me. Talking about some of my weaknesses, I sometimes get very emotional which affects my day to day life. Also, I feel that I am sensitive to my criticisms. When this happens, I sometimes become short-tempered. My another weakness is that in some cases, I tend to underestimate myself which is one of my biggest weakness I believe so far.Although I have my strengths and weakness, there are some strengths I believe I would like to polish and some weaknesses I would like to improve. First of all, I am confident but in some cases, I might tend to be nervous. I would very much like to improve that and remain confident all of the time, though never be overconfident. I work hard but sometimes, I get distracted and affects my work. I would like to improve that and be more focused. Regarding my weaknesses, the firs t thing I would like to improve would be to never underestimate myself.I should always make myself believe that I have it in me to do a particular work. Also, sometimes, I get short tempered which might hurt a lot of people. So, i need to keep myself calm and never act bitterly. I believe I have expressed myself . These are some of the strengths and weaknesses I believe I have in me. Some strengths needs to be polished and some weaknesses needs to be improved. There is no doubt that it can be achieved because these are not permanent. All this is what makes me and I am proud of who I am.

The Tattooed Soldier

October 29, 2012 The Tattooed Soldier This book showed us many injustices in the United States and in Guatemala. We see many things happening in each country that let us see how daily life is in these countries. In Guatemala we see the army killing innocent people. No one is safe in Guatemala especially in the capital. We see that those who are fighting against the army to gain justice are targeted. These people are fighting for the rights they deserve and instead of being heard they are getting killed.Most try to run away to be safe but they are soon found and killed. We see this happening to Antonio and Elena in the story. They move to San Cristobal to be safe but soon they are found and Elena is killed along with her son. In the United States we see different injustices happening in Los Angeles. We find out that the LA riots are about to begin. They inform us briefly the unfair beating of Rodney King. The police are no longer respected and many gangs are shooting random people inc luding children.These gangs are marking their territory by tagging and anyone who tries to take over is killed. We see how unfair life is to the homeless and more specifically with immigrants. The government does not protect homeless people and they are left alone to die. Since undocumented people can’t get welfare they are forced to find other ways to get money. Undocumented people cannot get help from the government either so when they get robbed, raped, or beat they cannot go to the authorities. Along with these injustices there many others that are unfair to people.

Psy

Predict success In achieving your goals based on your past positive experiences, your Individual personality (as determined by the trait approach discussed In chapter six), and your major field of study. This assignment must be approximately four pages in length (not Including the title and reference pages), double spaced, written in Times New Roman 12-point font, and submitted as a Microsoft Word document using the Assignment Submission button. For additional help, please see Sample Week Four Paper. Support your work with citations from two scholarly sources.One can be from Adult Development and Learning; however, the other source must be from the Gifford university Library. The video, Finding Scholarly Sources, is a helpful guide to locating appropriate sources from the library. The paper must be properly formatted according to PAP style as outlined in the Gifford Writing Center and include a separate title and reference page. The Gifford Writing Center (CAW) has two kinds of tutor ing available to you. I have often thought of my dream Job and what I would like to do as a career or job if I could solely focus on what would make me happy instead of would would make me he most money.Physical setting and environment in which you would like to spend your working hours. In regards to my dream Job and where I would like for it to take place. My dream Job would be owner of my own party planning company. The great part of being a party planner is that my physical setting would change providing me a change of scenery should I need It. I would have the option of working from home when need It. A office space to meet with clients and the enjoyment of meeting clients at different venues on the actual day of the events and In the different phases of planning.Types of activities and responsibilities you would Like to spend your time performing I love helping people and planning parties and events it's something that allows me to be creative. My responsibilities would includ e meeting with clients and making sure that I make sure that there special occasion request are fulfilled in addition I will spend time traveling to different venues and networking with people who are in efficiently. Kinds of people like you like working with. I have spend the last 20 years working in customer service. I have met people from all walks of life. I am truly a people person.I love working with all people. One of the reasons that I chose being a party planner as my dream Job is due to the fact that I like working with people and being a party planner will give me the chance to meet and help a lot of people that I probably other wise would not get a chance to know. Personal goals an accomplishment you would like to achieve as part of your work. I like helping people in addition it has always been my goal to own run and operate a successful company. Nothing is more rewarding than helping people while doing something you enjoy and of course making money at the same time.As long as I use the skills that I have learned so far in this course in regards to accomplishing short term and long term goals I am confident that I can one day own and operate my own business. 1 . What steps does your textbooks author recommend for achieving your short term goals? The author has a lot of good advice in regard to achieving your short term goals. But the two steps that he has to get you to your goal are. To identify the appropriate goals and then devise an effective plan and strategy to achieve your goals.The author then goes into detail on how to do this such as identifying your worth term goals and then ranking them in order and then selecting what is most important or urgent. 2. What steps does your textbooks author recommend for achieving your long term goals? The author explains that setting long term goals can be a bit complex and long term goals can often change as you change or grow older. The author also explains that you need to identify the most appropriate long term goal for yourself in addition you need to have an understanding of yourself and find things that interest your or bring you satisfaction. . Describe an important decision n your academic or personal life that you will have to make in the near future. In the near future I will have a very important decision to make that will effect my academic as well as my personal life. I am thinking long and hard about relocating to a different state. If I do that will mean a new school as well as relocating my son and moving him away from friends and family. It will be hard but when I look at the pros and cons I believe that the move will be hard but in the best interest of me and my son in the long term. 4.Explain the reasons for your decision and conclude with your est. possible choice (reference the five step decision making approach described in Chapter 1, pages 21 – 24) A decision to move to another state cannot be taken lightly especially when you have others who will be e ffected by your decision In using the method for decision making as described in the text book I have clearly thought out by thoughts about moving to another state, what I would do when I got there could I achieve my goals without moving and if indeed moving is the right thing to do at this time. In mapping it out it is clear that I need to put a lot more thought and