Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

Reflection paper - Essay Example Specifically, the emotional intelligence (EI) skills I have learned in this semester shall enable me to understand my strengths and weaknesses as a public administrator, the effects of those qualities on my workmates and the public in general as well as my effectiveness in different capacities. The EI skills shall enable me to acknowledge the origin of tension and other risks that impede normal working relationships in public administration and identify emotional undercurrents that work best in every situation. As such, I will be more capable to manage my impulses and emotions as well as maintain knowledge of the social needs and interests of various stakeholders in public administration1. The capacity to identify and summon appropriate emotions within me and in others will definitely contribute towards my effectiveness as an administrator. By accurately assessing the feelings of my subordinates, for instance, I will use the outcomes to manage their emotions so as to achieve the overall goals of the organization. This is especially true considering that knowledge of the emotions will play a pivotal role in improving my decision making capacities in respect of their administration. And researchers have noted, owing to my massive EI skills, I will be able to make accurate assessments of emotions and thus make an effective judgment about those which are associated with opportunities or challenges, and thus make appropriate decisions based on their respective potential impacts2. In addition, the EI skills I have obtained already will enable me to develop the capacities to motivate subordinates by identifying their emotions and modeling their behavioral changes to the better. As a public administrator, I will be ready and better-placed to handle conflicting demands of administration policy requirements and public needs, for instance, by managing stress occasioned by the conflict by taking a middle-ground stance. A public

See description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

See description - Essay Example While offshore drilling is not the complete answer to our energy problems there are a few advantages and benefits that we will reap if this is pursued. On the other hand, careful examination of the possible consequences should be done to determine if the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. . One of the largest benefits of offshore drilling for oil and gas is the financial gains it would bring to the country. This type of production would result in the creation of hundreds of jobs which are well needed to lower the unemployment rate which has grown significantly since the economic recession. According to the American Energy Alliance (2009) offshore drilling would bring three phrases of development that would contribute significantly to the nation’s economy. The organization stated that industries would grow from the initial exploration and development of offshore facilities; the extraction of oil and gas resources; and refining crude oil into finished petroleum products. The report from the organization also predicted $2.2 trillion in total tax receipts; 1.2 million jobs annually across the country and $70 billion in additional wages each year. The United States currently imports two billion barrels of oil annually. The Energy department has announced that this year it is expected to import 2.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. A sustained flow of oil from a domestic source of energy would create sustained financial flow to the national treasury thus allowing the government to focus on many areas left unattended due to lack of proper funding. Another advantage of offshore drilling comes in the way of increased political power and authority. The dependence of the United States on oil and gas imports has lessened the power it has in influencing the price of oil. This power lies in the hands of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that have the power of manipulating oil production which can negatively

The English Subject Essay Example for Free

The English Subject Essay English has been a big factor to my being as an educated person and as a Lasallian student. I take pride that I go to a university which offers an outstanding quality of English education. During the third term of my freshman year in college, I took up ENGLCOM which was a subject that was divided into reading and writing class. At first, I found the two boring because I thought that I was already confident with my stock knowledge about English Communication, so I intentionally did not attend the first few meetings. I just relaxed and did other useless things to kill time for my scheduled class. After summing up my free cuts, I decided to go to class so I could catch up with the lessons. I surprisingly found myself lost. I did not have any clue about what was going on or what was being discussed. I started asking for help from my classmates. I tried studying about all the things I missed in class, and I saw that what was being tackled that time was not clear to me even if I had already graduated from high school. I quickly found myself very interested in what I was dealing with. I learned that academic reading and writing are fun and interesting. I was able to improve my vocabulary and the way I write essays since we were taught about words which were unfamiliar, and we were also consistently being asked to write essays about certain topics. There were even times when we were taught how to properly analyse commercial ads and how to correctly write certain types of letters. All of my first impressions disappeared; I found the subject very interesting and from then on, I regularly went to class. During our writing class, we were asked to compose four essays: an extended definition essay, an argumentative essay, an entry and an exit essay. I honestly had difficulty in writing. My thoughts were not complete, and I had a lack of supporting ideas. While we were writing the entry essay, I had somewhat an easy time writing using my stock knowledge. Same thing happened with the exit essay. When it came to the argumentative and extended definition essays, I found myself having a very hard time. It was kind of difficult for me to think of a topic that I could argue and add more definition to. I had a few mistakes at first, but I was able to correct them by improving my vocabulary and researching for more supporting ideas. I also applied the lessons and techniques that were taught to us until it also became a habit for me to keep updated with all the things around me. I became patient and specific with my writing. It was really surprising to me how much more I needed to know. As the term ends, I can say that ENGLCOM has helped me improve my writing and reading skills. I became more proficient in writing, analyzing, reporting and reading. I will try to compile all my works so I could set them as guides as I keep up with my life in college when I start with thesis papers and other things that involve reading and writing. I met my objectives because of everything this subject had to offer. It was indeed a very fun and interesting experience of learning more about English Communication.

Effect of SHRM on Mergers and Acquisitions

Effect of SHRM on Mergers and Acquisitions IS STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR MERGER AND ACQUISITION PROCESS, IN TERMS OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EFFICIENCY? Introduction First chapter of my dissertation will talk about the back ground of the proposed dissertation topic. This back ground discussion will lead our focus to the actual problem area. As the main actors of my discussion are human so the related topics back ground, like HRM, strategic HRM, and integration of SHRM with overall business strategy and the new role of SHRM especially in the process of mergers and acquisitions, will be focused. Later discussion will focus on aims and objectives of my research and will also explain the dissertation structure. Background Business world is so dynamic especially in current era when organizations face lot more complicated challenges and strict competitions. To cope with new challenges, organizations employee new management tools, methods and philosophies. These tools and philosophies help management in gaining competitive advantage to survive in the business world. Among these philosophies, strategic HRM is one, which helps businesses to survive and gain competitive advantage in current dynamic environments. To learn more about the role of Strategic HRM, first we need to know what strategic human resource management actually means, as we know till that point that this a management philosophy helping organizations in facing new challenges in ever changing environment. The concept of Human resource management is not new. It is on the business horizon from last 100 years discussed and debated in different forms, shapes and names but the actual human resource management can actually be traced back in 1960s when the importance of employer and employee relationship was more focused. Improved education and skills actually developed the concept of Human resource management over the years. This development took a new turn when in 1980s HRM became the integral part of business strategy and was named as strategic human resource management. That field of business management is actively involved in all business decision and plans related to relations of employee and organization. The involvement of SHRM in restructuring and developing organization can be seen in the shape of different tools and methods adopted by organization like decentralize decision making, flattened hierarchies, training etc. This involvement is much needed during Merger and acquisitions process where SHRM can help this process in terms of knowledge, skills and efficiency. To allocate resources accurately ,like employing right people with right skills and knowledge, organizations need to bring in the SHRM at the time of strategy development not at middle or later stages. Introducing SHRM at start of strategy making will help organizations to achieve their goals and objectives of proposed merger or acquisition. Organizations need to manage their human resources very systematically and strategically to gain competitive advantage. SHRM provides organizations an opportunity to align and integrate peoples resources with strategic management. This integration and alignment will ensure that right people, working on right places with right tool, implementing right policies to gain overall goals and objectives of the organization. The popularity of SHRM is growing day by day as an effective tool to do effective business. In this growing popularity human resources are treated as the available talents and energies of people who are available to an organization as potential contributors to the creation and realization of the organizations mission, vision, strategy, goals and objectives which helps organizations in order to improve the business performance. Jackson and Schuler (2000) My research dissertation will try to establish a link between SHRM being an effective tool in MAs process in terms of a knowledge, skills and efficiency contributor. This link can be seen in the statement given by Narasimha,S. (2000) as Strategic HRM take a different colour when we view them as contributing to organizational knowledge stocks. So it is apparent that SHRM is capable of doing much more than the traditional HR in achieving business goals and objectives. Reason to Choose This Dissertation Topic As my dissertation revolves around SHRM so the main reason of choosing this topic is to establish a link in between organizational development and the role of SHRM. My focus would be the areas where SHRM can play a critical role in developing organizations especially when organizations decide to acquire or merge with some other organizations for number of reasons like to increase the share holders value, expansions , strategic alliances, access to new markets, elimination of competition etc. Usually organizations face swerve problems when they go through these MAs processes, so my main aim is to focus on what should have been done in advance of this process, during and after the process to make such deals successful. Top management plans, middle level management execute the plans and general employees do what they asked to do, to ensure the success of business plans. In my dissertation I will focus on how SHRM approaches and models can be effectively implemented and executed and how these models maintain the consistency in achieving business goals and objective not only today but in future as well. Another area of my focus would be provision of knowledge and skills by SHRM to the organizations, efficiently. These are new tools and techniques that can have a great effect in the times of mergers and acquisitions and require active involvement of both sides to achieve set goals. Another field in which I would be looking into to establish my research is performance management. My research will try to identify the Importance and criticalness of implementation of this system into the organization as this implementation is not easy as claimed by Elaine, D. P. (2009, Pg.3) Performance management is known as the Achilles Heel of human capital management, and it is the most difficult HR system to implement in organization. This system is all about defining, assessing and refining the work outcomes and attitude of employees. This effective system of performance management should give organization a leading edge as compare to their rivals. There are other related issues which need to be addressed like maintaining quality of services with the help of emerging techniques and strategies. Quality in service can be attained by training and development of the employees. Besides that they need good salary and good designations, which can lead employees towards better performance. SHRM have capabilities to address this issue in very systematic way. Organizations always goes through different phases and some time they need to even face situations like redundancies, re-structuring and some time even closures of businesses. But on the other hand organizations establish strategic alliances and mergers to grow. In this situation HR mangers have to address issues like relocation, new designations, changing nature of job duties, obstacle is changing culture and arranging new training and development programmes. The most sensitive amongst is cultural change which can have really bad effects on business success if not addressed properly. To address this problem area, SHRM can provide solutions like recruiting right people with right talent, knowledge and skill. Actually it is HRMs strategic approach which can motivate employees for quality of work and development of company by designing most appropriate HR policies. If some one wants to know the working environment and culture of an organization then he should study it HR policies. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim and objective of my dissertation is to find out how strategic human resource management (SHRM) can play a vital role in terms of knowledge , skills and efficiency during and after mergers and acquisitions (MAs) process. How the integration of strategic management ( SM ) with human resource management (HRM) can improve and maintain the competitiveness of future preferences of the organizations, especially MAs. How useful it could be if we use SHRM as a tool in MAs process to benefit the knowledge, skills and efficiency much needed in this process. If we look at the dimensions of human resource management (HRM) , two type of dimensions are more apparent, Functional and strategic. Operational issues come under functional HRM and overall company progress and performance is linked with strategic HRM. Majority of Managers involved in MAs are always confused of understanding and implementing the strategy which has been developed over the time. SHRM will focus on the strategy and planning of human resource requirements which are needed on a certain period of time and will ease the difficulties of mangers especially in MAs. This approach will focus on the number of personnel needed along with the behaviour and attitude which can produce best results. This integration will eventually increase the effectiveness of organization in terms of knowledge, skills and efficiency. The study on this subject provides the information that 80 percent of acquisitions were not gone through well or total failure. How can this commonly practiced business strategy end in complete disaster? Can involvement of SHRM can provide sufficient knowledge, skills and efficiency that such disasters in MAs can be avoided. Even 80 percent of such deals end up in disasters; still such MAs are taking place everyday. There are many reasons of these failures, the most important amongst them is little or poor human side involvement especially strategic human resource management. When two firms merge or one big firm acquire the small one, actually the two different working cultures come side by side. The new culture may be the totally a new one or may be part from one firm and part from other merged firm. Bothe higher managements and middle level managements have different level of skills, knowledge and expertise. Most of the mergers fail when these two different cultures collide. My research will identify that can strategic human resource management provide such assistance which can manage the human side of MAs in most effective way that it can provide knowledge, skills and efficiency to the process. LITRATURE REVIEW Introduction To conduct my research I need to take a deep dip into the pool of related information. The information which will provide the base for my research and will give me a deep insight of the work already done on this or related problem area. The information which would be reviewed in this section of my research will come through books, articles, journals and critical reviews. Mergers and acquisitions are very common and favourite mode of restructuring and growth as stated by Andrew and Milledge ( 2006, pg.2 ) According to him, 1980s was the era when almost half of the U.S. businesses restructured themselves. In this wave of restructuring, more than 80,000 companies engaged in merger of acquisition. The extent of popularity of this practice can be imagined with this but most of the mergers and acquisitions were totally or partly flopped due to one or other reason. Why such a huge activity is not well planned, why most of the mergers and acquisitions ends up in disasters. Is there something wrong with the finance side or poor management is the cause of this failure or may be human side of involvement in the process has been neglected. My research will encompass that how an effective human side of involvement in the process can get better results in terms of knowledge, skills and efficiency. The basic aim of this research is to find out various views, ideas and concepts of mergers and acquisitions, causes of their failures especially when strategic human resource management is not actively involved in the process. Along with, the research will review all the SHRM models and their critics, their role in mergers and acquisitions process and how SHRM can provide knowledge, skills and efficiency in the process. As vast data is available on the issue so the research would be narrow down into few headings as below. What is merger and Acquisition? Need of mergers and acquisitions. Main causes of failure of MAs. What is Strategic human resource management? Different approaches and models of Strategic HRM How SHRM can be an effective tool in MAs process in terms of knowledge, skills and efficiency. What is merger and Acquisition? Most of the businesses are bound with one sold principle, either they have to grow or leave the market. Growth ensures returns to shareholders, generate profits and gets market share from competitors. On the other hand the businesses without growth lose their market share, lose customers and ultimately they disappear from the market leaving great losses for the shareholders. Mergers and acquisitions actually play a very significant role in strengthening the companies or in case of weak business or entrepreneurs, provide chance to avoid exclusion from the businesses as quickly swallowed by the strong business. MAs are very important for a balanced and healthy economy. Corporate history have seen different roles played by MAs, like greed is good role, when corporate businesses buying companies in hostile environment and destroying them and todays fresh trends in which MA take place for growth and competitive advantage. Since mid 2004 this activity is mostly based on macroeconomic needs of recovery. (Sherman, et al (2005 ) Merger When two companies or businesses combine in to one unit, its called merger in which only one company survive and the merged company comes to an end only to exist. The surviving company or business is called acquirer which gets all the assets along with all liabilities. Usually in this process large companies are always acquirer or buyers and smaller companies are target but some time businesses with same size and capabilities, both try to cease to exist and they form a new company. Though these mergers take place with mutual agreements, still merger statistics are treating large companies as buyer and smaller as target. (Gaughan, Patrick A. (2005) J. Reuvid (2007) describes merger as a transaction in which both companies agrees to combine and form a new business entity which will issue new shares and on the other hand cancelling all the old individually issued shares. Mergers usually give an impression of equal share of both parties involved in the merger but quite often one company actually enjoys dominance in term of equity and majority in board of directors. Usually big businesses are predator and smaller ones are known as victim in all most all transitions. Mergers can face three kinds of scenarios or situations which are beautifully explained by Weston, J.Fred (2001) in his book Mergers and Acquisitions. According to W.J.Fred the first category is synergy or efficiency in which the efficiency level with combined operation is greater than the sum of efficiencies produced by these two businesses individually. The second category points out the situation when bidders overpay due to Hubris and the value of business remain unchanged. Third category talks about the situation when total value of business is decreased due to mistakes made by mangers or agencies. All these three situations lead the business towards new directions. Acquisition Mergers and acquisitions are the terms usually used simultaneously. In mergers two companies join together to do business under single business entity but in acquisition, business purchases the other business entity as whole or part of it as explained by Sherman, Andrew J. et al (2005). They claim that companies do it for many reasons like in 2005 Proctor Gamble acquired Gillette company, Inc. to expand its access to consumer products and some companies acquire other businesses to get access to foreign markets. Usually acquisitions occur to obtain financial or strategic goals. Stanley F, Reed ( 2007 ) defines acquisition as a process by which assets or stocks or both of an organization or business are bought by other organization or business. After acquisitions the buyer becomes the owner of stocks and assets and the target or acquired company lose their ownership. Its kind of generic term which explains the transfer of ownership. Its more common then mergers as theres no occurrence of successive mergers. Need of Mergers and Acquisitions Why businesses engage in mergers and acquisitions, what are the main reasons, what are the forces working behind this activity which been very popular in last 2 decades? For almost all businesses the ultimate objective is maximizing profit. Keeping in mind this objective studies shows that traditionally there are two causes of why businesses go for mergers and acquisitions. First one is financial in which prime objective is increasing the share holders value and second one is based on managerial motive which focuses on knowledge, growth, sale, performance etc. Studies on this subject shows number of reason behind these MAs and the factors involved behind this activity, all will be analysed from various perspective. MAs are borderless as explained by Sturgess, B. ( 1989 ) in Booming International Mergers and acquisition . Sturgess describe that mergers and acquisitions can be of local nature or it can go across borders. He explains that local firms can go abroad to acquire foreign businesses or foreign businesses who merge or acquire domestic business. These MAs can provide short term finances to companies as described by Fluck and lynch (1999). If the firm is unable to finance profitable projects due to one or other reasons they go for MAs to acquire these funds required to finance the big project which will eventually increase shareholders value. The managerial motives under which mangers try to increase their powers or gains and address other issues like maximizing growth, increasing sale volume etc has been explained by Napier, N.K et al (1989) in Communication during mergers: the experience of two banks very elaborately. Apart from the traditional motives the academic, researchers and other people involved in this process has begun to think other reasons and causes of MAs brought in by the rapid changes in the business over the time. One of them is Angwin (2001) who states that the firms go for MAs to avoid the fear of being taken over or being destroyed by other large firms. To exist they simply want to be merged or acquired by other firms where they can remain operational and in the market. The other reason what he describes is as public motive in which companies merge or been acquired to increase the performance and shareholders value which allow them to gain all competitive advantages to remain active in the todays competitive markets. Some time companies reach to their maturity with becoming more bureaucratic, leaving fewer opportunities for the individuals. According to Lenvinson (1970) MA can help such companies by bringing new ideas, enriched working culture, attitude and fresh knowledge. If such companies will not address there obsolescence on time then they will lose their competitiveness and soon will vanish from the market. Vermeulen and Barkema (2001) also claim that MA can be very helpful in bringing up up-to-date knowledge and techniques in the businesses to survive in the market in long run. The new knowledge can be of in different field of operation in which company is not engaged yet but in near future this might be the key knowledge in surviving in business world. All the causes and reasons behind merger and acquisitions can be categorised into seven heads and are known as theories of mergers and acquisitions. These theories can be easily understandable with the help of a diagram as below and can explain the facts which are active behind almost all MAs. Efficiency theory explains mergers as the way of getting synergies into three main heads which are financial, managerial and operational. For example if we look into the financial head then we consider that the financial efficiency after merger should be greater than the sum of individual financial efficiencies. But this theory has been criticised by Montgomery and Sing ( 1984 ). They claims that in any efficient capital market such synergies like financial synergy cannot be achieved then how businesses can go for mergers only on this ground. According to monopoly theory the businesses go for mergers and acquisitions to improve and increase the competitiveness but this competitiveness may not be achieved as criticised by Revenscraft and Scherer (1987). He claims that the monopoly theory is comparatively weaker than efficiency theory due to the unfavourable results on businesses. According to Trautwein, F. ( 1990 ) Raider theory is basically a form of acquisition in which a takeover bid is made to gain the control of shares. Theoretically its not a complex theory as frequently cited in business literature claimed by Thomas Straub ( 2007 ) in Reasons for frequent failure in mergers and acquisitions. He states that this form of MAs is regarded as peoples outcome in which these peoples or raiders attempt to get some of the wealth of shareholders for which they have made bid. Next comes the valuation theory In which Trautwein, F. ( 1990 ) claims that mergers and acquisitions are carried out by top management, the people who have more accurate and true information about the real value of the business. This information is more authentic than the information taken from the investment or stock market. According to the empire building theory the managers are more concerned to maximize their use and thats the only aim in their mind and thats why they plan a merger or acquisition. The process theory try to explain mergers and acquisitions as the result of decision made by the management which may not be rational as management did not considered the alternatives and have not done any deep analysis. Without a deep and thorough analysis management cant reach on a decision of that critical nature. The economic disturbances like recent credit crunches actually modify and reshape the behaviours and expectations of individual, individual who made the decision of mergers ad acquisitions. So with the change of economic environment many firms go for alternatives and amongst these alternatives MAs is more popular thats why the business engage in this critical manoeuvre. Trautwein, F. ( 1990 ) Main causes of failure of MAs Most of the researches and reports shows that almost 60% MAs end up in disaster. There are plenty of reasons of these failures and some are explained by Robert F. Bruner ( 2009) in his books Deals from Hell: MA Lessons that Rise Above the Ashes. He summed up these reasons in six main heads. People involved in these deals were unable to take quick and prompt decisions and actions as they were unable to clearly understand whats happening. The reason of there confusion is that the deals are so complicated and shows a blurry picture. Problems of one department or area would travel to other parts of business as flexibility was at its lower level. Problems were not cordoned off and it effects the whole environment. Some weak decisions and choices were made by management which exposed the risks of the emerged firm. Te new firms cant avoid exposed risks which caused a failure. These choices or decisions were either deliberately or mistakenly made. The decision makers were prejudiced by the pasts successes, cost effectiveness, over optimism and pride which led them towards wrong choice or activity. Companies were not doing businesses as usual. Errors and problems were common and business environments were lacking of something of important nature. The operational teams collapsed or became ineffective. The reasons behind this collapse or ineffectiveness were existence of different working culture of acquirer and target, problem related to political issues and to much stress on operational team individuals. All these problems broke down the operational teams which resulted in failure. On the other hand Gerhard, P ( 2002 ) claims that the main factor of failure of MA transactions are overestimates of revenue , cost synergies and post-transaction integration efforts which are too slow and having low capacities and are not aggressive enough to address these areas effectively. He explains that these causes are the main problem with MAs which leads these transaction in disaster or some time in total failure. What is Strategic human resource management.(HRM) The concept of HRM was developed in USA in 1960s and 1970s with initial academic work done by different authors and then it spread around the world and been adopted by almost all organizations around the world. Brewster (1994, pg.1) The concept of Strategic human resource management or SHRM can be traced back in in1980s and has been distinguished from traditional personnel by virtue of the way in which the former ignored , but the later embraces strategy Guest (1993, Pg.213). This integration of strategy make it distinctive from all personnel management forms as concluded by Purcell ( 2001, Pg.59) In following words. The integration with strategy is central to all models of HRM and virtually all authors are agreed that this is the distinctive feature of HRM, compared with personnel. Under this concept the HR strategies are integrated with business strategies to achieve the organizational goals. Under this integration, the strategies developed and implemented, lead the organizations t o achieve the set goals and objectives very effectively. Its a conceptual approach, in which strategists find an ideal point where in long run human resources should be and how to get there. It also explains how a more strategic approach can be adopted by the members of HR on daily basis to monitor that the HR strategies are assisting overall business strategy and they are adding value in it. Armstrong, M ( 2008 ) Earlier concept of SHRM was developed from the two models presented by Harved Business School in 1980 in which business strategy has been integrated in HRM. These two models are known as Harved Matching Model and Harved Framework Model. This was the first time when Mission, Organisation Strategy and HRM were identified as the key player in the success of business. Later on these key players were integrated together to give the right tack to an organisation which leads towards success, effectiveness and competiveness. (Jain, P. (2005) The activities which directly or indirectly influence the individuals behaviour to formulate and implement strategically, what ever business needs. As it is a conceptual framework in which individuals are directed strategically to achieve the set goals in most effective way. Schuler R. S (1992) defines SHRM as all the activities affecting the individuals behaviour in an attempt to develop and put into the practice the strategic requirements of the organisation. This academic Schuler, R.S et al ( 2001 .pg 127 ) further explains that by strategic we mean that HR activities should be systematically designed and intentionally linked to an analysis of the business and its context. Its a combination of two concepts, HRM and strategy. HRM models are used by focusing on strategy and these models are integrated with businesss overall strategy as explained by Armstrong, M ( 2006 ) in his Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. This concept deals with the key philosophies of strategy like strategic intent, competitive advantage, strategic fit and strategic capability etc. He further explains that Strategic HRM is an approach which leads businesses to formulate and implement policies, programmes and practices related to employment relationship, resourcing, performance management, reward etc. These policies and decisions are made on the overall intentions and plans of organization. Some academic claims that HRM and strategic HRM are almost identical concepts as Mathis Jackson (1985 Pg.3-4 ) define HRM as the strategic planning and management of human resources for an organizationHRM is more broadly focused and strategic in nature. Four meanings of strategic HRM has been described by Hendry and Pettigrew (1986 ) as The use of planning , A rational way to the design and management of personnel systems which are based on an employment policy and human strategy along with philosophy. HRM activities are matched with overall organisational strategy. To achieve competitive advantage ,human resources are viewed as strategic resources The definitions and statements which explain SHRM, given by different authors and researchers, clearly shows the growing need and importance of strategic HRM in business world. Day by day businesses world is becoming more complex and competitive and strategic HRM can play a vital role in ensuring competitiveness as Jain, P ( 2005 ) claims that today the human resources are viewed as the potential contributors in the achievement of organizational goals with the help of available energies and talent these people have. These resources should have four qualities to maintain their competitiveness as suggested by Boxhall, (1996). These suggested qualities are That they must increase the value of activities. Rarity and uniqueness must be established. Hard to copy And hard to be replaced by other alternatives like technology. The people are the assets to the organizations and these assets should be used strategically to achieve competitive advantage and business goals and objectives in long run. Strategic HRM addresss some of the critical issues in organizations which deal with the change in culture, structure and knowledge management and how it can be used effectively. Theses changes can increase the organizational effectiveness and performance. It provides efficient way of matching activities and resources to the future requirement of the organization. It Guides how peoples skills and abilities can be developed over the time and how the change can be managed. Human capital requirements and development of process capabilities are focused under strategic HRM. Different approaches and models of Strategic HRM Human resources play a critical role in the successful achievement of goals and objectives of an organization. The vital importance of managing human resource and strategically deploying these resources can be well understood by the statement of the Managing Director of British Chrome and steel in 1998. He stated that There is no other source of competitive advantage! Others can copy our investment, technology and scale but NOT the quality of our people. Steve, B. ( 2000 ,pg 222 ) As the importance is apparent so these resources should be controlled effectively to get the maximum results. To find out how these resources can be used so effectively and strategically different gurus and academics of this subject have presented couple of theories, frame works and models. These Gurus and academics have also described how these approaches and models of strategic HRM can be developed and implemented though implementation of these HR strategies is not that easy as HR mangers need to realize the Strategic human resource requirements not only in numbers but also attitudes, behaviours and commitments. Alan, P. ( 2007, pg.271) These models and approaches can be categorised into two types: General and Particular approach to the practices of strategic HRM. Universality, Contingency and Configurational , are the thr

Free Essays - Holy Feast and Holy Fast and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

Forbidden Fruit in Holy Feast and Holy Fast and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight  Ã‚  Ã‚   The forbidden fruit, its properties, and its affects, has vast ramifications within the ethics of the women in Holy Feast and Holy Fast. as well as those of the characters portrayed in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 2. Perhaps the connection is less obvious with Gawain. It must be realized that this story contains multi-leveled metaphors which approach modern literature in their complexity. Argument will be made that Gawain betrays an isomorphism with Eden's tale. The author's attitude toward the fruit and perhaps toward fasting will become evident. Bynum's incisive argument has been extremely helpful in this analysis of Gawain; but, with respect to medieval women she has surprisingly little to say about Eve and the Tree. Although this neglect is regrettable, it is not fatal. This paper will tend to support the major theses of Holy Fast. The people described by these authors did not dwell inordinately on any essential weakness of women. It is hoped that this refocusing on the forbid den fruit will help us to see more clearly their perspectives. The isomorphism of Gawain with the story of Eden can be demonstrated only after the stage is set. It may be helpful to think of this isomorphism as a kind of image or reflection. This puts it squarely within the realm of neoplatonic forms. Medieval nobility, often well versed in neoplatonic thought, would be quick to point out that Arthur, the king is a lesser image of God and that his court is a reflection of the heavenly host. This assertion is not without textual support. Happiest of mortal kind King noblest famed of will You would now go far to find So hardy a host on a hill. (2) Presently, the Green Knight rides in. He mirrors Lucifer in God's court, and more; He is full of slander (7:315). He is described in titanic imagery (4:140, 9:390), which was commonly attributed to the anti-christ. The Round Table cannot abide this affront to the King so Gawain, with Guenevere's permission, steps in to intercede. Here Gawain is like Christ or Michael, going out to battle the dragon. He severs his head. Gawain is full of reversals and inversions. This is consistent with the neoplatonic model since Arthur's court is a lesser image. Later, we will present Bynum's views on this point.

Handling of information in social care settings Essay

1.1 Identify the legislation that relates to the recording, storage and sharing of information in social care. The Data Protection Act 1998 controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses and the government. Everyone responsible for using data or storing data has to follow strict rules called ‘Data protection principles’ these are as follows: Used fairly and lawfully used for specifically stated purposes kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary kept safe and secure Not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection For more sensitive information such as ethnic background, political opinions, religious beliefs, health, sexual health and criminal records there is stronger legal protection. The Freedom of information act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities. Public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about the activities and members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities. The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland. Information held by Scottish public authorities is covered by Scotland’s own Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Public Authorities include Government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and the police force. Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video  recordings. The Act does not give people access to their own personal data such as their health records or credit reference file. If a member of the public wants to see information that a public authority holds about them, they should make a subject access request under the Data Protection Act 1998. 1.2 Explain why it is important to have secure systems for recording and storing information in a social care setting. The various Acts of Parliament that relate to the handling, storing and sharing of information include amongst others The Data Protection Act 1998, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Human Rights Act 1998, Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. It is important to have secure system for recording and storing information in a health and social care setting as all information relating to clients must be kept confidential at all times except when we are legally required to disclose this information, for example, when a court warrant has been issued requesting certain information. Information on Care Home clients and in house information is valuable and critical to the business of the Home. We all rely on information to store and process information, so it is essential that we maintain Information Security, Insecure information can lead to: †¢ Violation of an individual’s human and civil rights; action or deliberate inaction that results in neglect and/or physical, sexual, emotional or financial harm. Abuse can be perpetrated by one or more people (either known or not known to the victim) or can take the form of institutional abuse within an organisation; it can be a single or a repeated act. †¢ The extent to which people are able to receive the information, services or care they need and are not discouraged from seeking help. Issues involved include distance of travel; physical access (e.g. premises suitable for wheelchairs); communication (e.g. information in Braille/large print and other formats); and the provision of culturally appropriate services. Outcome 2 know how to access support for handling information in social care settings. 2.1 Describe how to access guidance, information and advice about handling information. There are many ways to access guidance and information, and advice on handling information, the first people you would speak to are your managers, seniors, office staff and work colleges, they will know where information is kept, how to access that information and how to input information in the future. They will also be able to tell you what sort of information is confidential, what information can be shared and how to do this in a professional manner. You will also be able to find out all this by using the internet reading up in books and attending more training. 2.2 Explain what actions to take when there are concerns over the recording, storing or sharing of information. Information recorded in a patient’s records is confidential under both common law and the Data Protection Act 1998, and must be protected by health and social care staff. Systems for the safe storage of records must be in place, and no†one should have access to the records or the information contained therein unless they are directly involved in the care of the client, or the client has given permission. Under the Data Protection Act clients can have access to their records, subject to a situation where disclosure is likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health or condition of the client or any other person. If you find out any activities that are harmful to the client, staff or the home itself you must report these, some examples are. Illegal activities Miscarriages of justice Risks to health and safety Abuse of clients Misuse of public funds Fraud and corruption Damage to the environment Public Disclosure Act. The Public Interest Disclosure Act provides workers with protection from dismissal or other damage as a result of making a disclosure of information in the public interest about wrongdoing at work. Such disclosures are protected if they are done according to the Act’s provisions. Disclosures may be made to the employer, prescribed regulatory bodies or on a wider basis to the Police. The Act’s protection is strongest where workers raise matters with their employers.

Of Mice and Men: Compare ‘The American Dream’ with the real lives of the migrant workers Essay

Of Mice and Men (OMaM) was first published in 1937 and is written by John Steinbeck. It is based on America in the 1930’s. It is a story about the extraordinary friendship between two itinerant workers in the harsh American depression during the 1930’s. The title of the novel is named after a poem written by Burns. The title shows how many living things are often powerless to face greater forces than they are. The title is a constant reminder that failure is often inescapable and dreams are not fulfiled as we build up our hopes so high picturing these and when everything collapses, we have nothing to fall back on. This is shown with George in the novel as, with the death of Lennie, all of his original dreams fall away. The American dream is the notion that: â€Å"everyone is created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness†. The novel focuses on two workers called Lennie and George who are looking for work and find it in a typical American ranch full of fellow itinerant workers. The ‘American Dream’ is present in the story and at the time, it was felt, and promised by president Hoover, that a man or woman from anywhere could achieve anything, however, the weaknesses of the dream itself are highlighted in the novel. Despite this, there was still racial segregation in society and this is also demonstrated in the story with a character called Crooks. He is insulted constantly and is called â€Å"nigger† throughout by the other people on the ranch. During the Wall Street crash in 1929, the great depression swept all through America and Steinbeck highlights this throughout the novel. The lifestyle of the itinerants is an example of this as they just go to the â€Å"cathouse† and spend all of their earnings as soon as they have it. This symbolizes the lack of hope in the American dream from the ranch workers as, they just carelessly spend their money as soon as they receive this instead of saving it for the future. The novel starts with a detailed description of the surroundings. The writing suggests that Soledad is dream-like with very dry but lush conditions. â€Å"the water is lined with trees-willows fresh and green with every spring† Although this sounds very heavenly, the word Soledad means ‘loneliness’ in Spanish however this contrasts with the happiness of family life (â€Å"a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pools†) which would be characteristic of the â€Å"American dream’. When Lennie and George enter, it is obvious that they are both completely different and â€Å"opposite†. The reader has the impression that Lennie is quite animal-like as throughout the novel he is described with animal phases â€Å"the way a bear drags him paws† and with ‘clumsy’ language like â€Å"huge†, â€Å"flung† and â€Å"snorting†. Despite this clear contrast, the pair still share everything together, â€Å"bought out two spoons and passed one to Lennie† – referring to George which highlights the concept of the American dream and the search for happiness. From the beginning, the reader is aware of George and Lennie’s dream and living â€Å"off the fatta the lan'†. For the pair, the dream is still very much alive and is repeated over and over until, towards the end, it becomes very monotonous and it becomes a burden to George. George has his own dreams but the dream with Lennie is the only one which is truly idyllic because it’s impossible. The ranch owners manipulated desperate workers like George and Lennie so, like George and Lennie, quite a lot of ranch workers have dreams like Candy for example â€Å"I’d make a will an’ leave it with you guys†¦.† Unlike the other workers, who have got into a routine of earning their money then spending it straight away with no hope of achieving anything, Lennie and George dream of a better life as they don’t want to keep working on ranches until they die. It keeps George and Lennie going through the tough times and as they tell more people about it, it affects them and gives them hope – Candy and Crooks. At first Crooks rejects the dream and also links it to religion which, like the dream, has no foundation. He has never really experienced true happiness as he has never been shown it so he is unable to truly believe in the dream as it depends on happiness. Although the dream doesn’t last very long with him, Crooks shows some hope as he offers his services on the farm and says thing â€Å"dreamily†. Although, he returns to being defensive when the dream is squashed and becomes â€Å"scornful†. Crooks is oppressed, like his feelings. The powerlessness and loneliness of people like Crooks is shown in Chapter four because of their lack of involvement from socialising with the other workers. To him, there is no dream. He has no hope of ever achieving anything as he is badly discriminated against. Like I said above, all the other workers call him â€Å"nigger† quite casually and repetitively. Crooks lives in a separate compartment in the barn and is alone. For him, there is no hope of the dream as he is always isolated – being alone all the time from everyone and also, as he says in the text, there are no ‘black’ families near. Because of this, when he first meets Lennie he is hostile and torments him because thats how he has always been treated. He starts by calling Lennie â€Å"nuts† and â€Å"crazy as a wedge† but it is only when he begins to create situations with George that Lennie begins to get angry, fearing for George’s safety, that Crooks stops and talks less cynically again. This is also an indication of Lennie’s strength as, even though Crooks doesn’t know him, he stopped tormenting him when he began to get angry. â€Å"†Who hurt George?† he demanded. Crooks saw the danger as it approached him. He edged back on his bunk to get out of the way. â€Å"I was just supposin’,† he said. â€Å"George ain’t hurt. He’s all right. He’ll be back all right.† Lennie stood over him. â€Å"What you supposin’ for? Ain’t nobody goin’ to suppose no hurt to George. Crooks removed his glasses and wiped his eyes with his fingers. â€Å"Jus’t set down,† he said â€Å"George ain’t hurt†.† Also, the way that all his possessions and where he lives is separate from everyone else, as well as showing social segregation, shows that he is nothing like the other men. All the other men on the ranch have to share rooms and are very close to one and other whereas Crooks has his own room with his own things in it. Although this can be seen to be a good thing, it’s another dividing barrier between all of the workers and Crooks. Because it is his own, he looks after it and it shows that he is â€Å"a proud, aloof man† whose eyes seem â€Å"to glitter with intensity†. This signifies that his dreams might be completely different from all the other ranch men because he will not share the same beliefs as the other men. All of his possessions show what type of person he is; practical, active. This is show by â€Å"rubber boots† and â€Å"big alarm clock†. In the novel, it says how he has a â€Å"tattered dictionary† and a â€Å"mauled copy of the Californian Civil Code for 1905†. This shows that he reads quite a lot as the books are â€Å"mauled† and â€Å"tattered† which shows that he has a good mind. Also, the fact that he has lots of tools shows that he’s quite capable with his hands and that he’s very skilled. For example, when it says about him winning the horseshoe game. The dream for Crooks would therefore be well thought of and maybe slightly more realistic. Since Crooks has been a constant victim of prejudice, he is even more likely to realise that the dream will not be fulfilled. Crooks is also proved in the novel to be a survivor but the fact of the matter is that he has no real power on the ranch. Although hope is not truly apparent in the novel, Slim is the closest character who shows that way inclined. In the novel he is suggested to be quite majestic and quite â€Å"Godlike†. An example of this is the way that he is allowed into the boss’ shed without having to ask. As the workers there have no real family that they see very often, if at all. Slim is the closest person they have to a family member. He is seen by the ranch members as kind and comforting and is trusted. The way that he had the ‘final say’ in the decision with Candy’s dog is an indication of this. He also seems to be apparent at all of the key moments in the novel. As well as being there for Candy’s dog, he sorts everything out when Curley has his hand broken and he says that Lennie â€Å"I guess we gotta get ‘im.† His intelligence was also highlighted as he knew about Lennie’s death and was the only one to comfort him. The way that such a nice person is caught in such a harsh climate is there to highlight the dream and perhaps its failure. Unlike all of the other workers, he seems content with his current position in the ranch. It seems like he has taken in his current situation and has realised that fulfilling a dream would be very hard if not impossible. He offers security and kindness in such a harsh depression. Slim symbolises a dream that is different from the American dream; he offers a dream not based on basic desire or greed that so many people show. As it states in the text â€Å"the prince of the ranch†. The word â€Å"prince† automatically symbolises someone who has a lot of authority and is respected, like Slim. Also, Slim is the only person that Curley’s wife addresses by name. This is another indication of respect shown by everyone. Slim is also different from all the other men; not only because he believes in a different dream but also because of the way he is. We’re told, â€Å"his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.† No other person in the whole ranch perhaps the boss (but only because he is a position of power) has this type of authority and respect shown by all of the other workers on the ranch. There is a lack of hope throughout the whole novel but this is mostly identified by the meager surroundings. For instance, the room they stay in is bland and quite prison-like. â€Å"Inside, the walls were white washed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small square windows and in the fourth, a solid door with a wooden latch. Against the walls were eight bunks.† A dream incorporates freedom and rights but this doesn’t represent freedom. Everything is as cheap as it could be and there is no real individualism. The door is described as â€Å"solid† is symbolic of prison and conditions in captivity. Also, in Chapter 2, it highlights the lack of freedom as there are quite a lot of regulations involved in their work. For example â€Å"You got your work slips?† For George and Lennie, their dream is quite real, especially to Lennie, because they constantly repeat it and make it real. They go through it quite often and in great detail. â€Å"Some day- we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs an’ live of the fatta the lan'†. Because of the repetitiveness of their dream, it becomes real in their minds. However, if they were realistic and looked at how much they were earning and where they were, they would be able to see that obtaining this dream would be very difficult. When Candy over-hears their plans for the farm he wants to be included in the dream and offers his money and his services to help them achieve the dream. This is probably the most optimistic part of the book and the idea becomes more real as they agree to buy the farm when they have George and Lennie’s wages at the end of the month. All of them believe it’s a good idea and perhaps for the first time, George truly believes it as he can see a way out; its not just for Lennie. In the text Lennie is described as being like a bear â€Å"he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws†. Lennie can also identify with animals as he seems to befriend them before humans. He also loves cuddly animals to â€Å"pet† in his pocket. Therefore, the dream for Lennie will be animal based and quite simple, like his thinking, hence, the rabbits. Slim calls him â€Å"cukoo† and â€Å"crazy† as well as Curley’s wife calling him a â€Å"dum-dum†. Because of this, he wouldn’t last a week by himself without George and is reliant on him. Lennie is very kind and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Even after his fight with Curley he says that he â€Å"didn’t wanta hurt him†. This shows that although he is the most destructive person in the novel, he doesn’t mean it. Despite this, Lennie is still a killer and can be very violent and dangerous. In the novel, he attacks Curley, Culey’s wife, kills mice and throws his dead pup onto the barn floor in anger. However, he doesn’t do it maliciously but like George said â€Å"he don’t know no rules†. He doesn’t want to kill Curley’s wife, he was trying to get her to be quiet. In his dream, he wants to â€Å"look after† the rabbits and keep them safe which indicates his kindness but he probably wouldn’t be able to behave like that. When Lennie goes into Crooks’ room, the light that he sees could be a glimmer of hope for the future however, when Curley’s wife appears, the hope is extinguished. Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch and because of this, Lennie is dazzled by her glamour and beauty. She also says that she knows about men (â€Å"mutts†) and she knows all about their need for dreams. Lennie is also quite childlike and is very innocent. He asks quite a few innocent questions and even Slim can tell he â€Å"ain’t mean†. He takes orders from George like a child but he also obeys Slim as well. This shows that he doesn’t want to disobey anyone or do anything wrong. For Lennie the dream is very real and all the way through the novel it stays like that as when he is shot, he is looking into the distance and comes closer than anyone to obtaining the dream because he is truly happy. Owing to overall cycle of events in the novel, the dream never seems likely as life does not move on; it just repeats itself. For example, there is the death of the mouse, then the pup and finally Curley’s wife. This is partly because of Lennie and his obsession with petting and stroking, the death of Candy’s dog because of its age and the pain it was in and at the end of the novel, the death of Lennie also a mercy killing. At the beginning of the novel, we saw a water snake and at the end this is repeated however, at the end, a heron â€Å"swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically†. This shows a cycle with beginning and an end – the death of the snake representing an end. In George and Lennie’s relationship, George is very much in control. If Lennie wasn’t there, he would have few problems and he has no other ties, except for Lennie. It states that he is â€Å"small†, â€Å"quick† and â€Å"dark of face, with restless eyes, and sharp, strong features† and has â€Å"small strong hands† and â€Å"slender arms†. The fact that he is still with Lennie shows he is very loyal to Aunt Clara and has obviously developed a friendship with Lennie unlike any other. However, George also has quite strong mood swings. At the beginning, he was quite unhappy as he and Lennie had jus fled from Weed but once they sat down and he could go to sleep, he could relax and perhaps dream. Like George’s moods, his dreams will change as well. When George says â€Å"I got to thinking that maybe we would would† it shows that by killing Lennie, he extinguished all hopes of ever achieving the dream. Therefore, by killing Lennie, he commits himself to living the life of a single man and perhaps never being truly happy. The dream does this to quite a lot of people and as they begin to take in the circumstances and realise the truth, the dream disappears. In conclusion, it is clear that Steinbeck was very thoughtful in writing the novel and he brings into question the foundations of the American society, including the American dream and how if affected itinerant workers like George and Lennie. In the novel, nature is made to appear idyllic and beautiful. This is represented in the beginning of the book as where Lennie and George are staying there is no bunkhouse, no work, no decisions and no problems. The water is said to be â€Å"twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight†. This sounds wonderful however, George warns Lennie that the water is â€Å"scummy†. Also, the way the water snake is eaten by the heron, shows survival of the fittest. Also, Lennie says he will live in a cave however, he probably couldn’t survive in the wild if he was given the chance. Nature both starts and ends the novel; it starts by the pool with life and dreams and ends, by the pool, but with death and the collapse of dreams. The language in the novel isn’t very complicated however it shows how itinerant workers may sound â€Å"dumb† but they are actually quite clever. For example, Crooks reads a lawyer book but his language includes â€Å"I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to†. Like the novel, there is a background message that isn’t apparent without cross-examintaion.