Human Resources Essays - Human Resource Management, Employment

Human Resources With today's workforce becoming increasingly diverse and organizations doing more to maximize the benefits of the differences in employees, Human Resource managers are evolving from the "old school" sideline player to the front-line fighters. Organizations are relying on managers to get the people who get the job done, and of course, make the company money. People have always been central to organizations, but their strategic importance is growing in today's knowledge-based business world like never before. An organization's success increasingly depends on the knowledge, skills, and abilities of its employees, particularly as they help establish a set of core competencies which distinguish one organization from its competitors. When employees' talents are valuable, rare, difficult to imitate and organize, an organization can achieve a sustained competitive advantage. In order to "compete through people", an organization has to be able to do a good job of managing their human capital: the knowledge, skills, and capabilities that add value to the organizations. Managers must develop strategies for identifying, recruiting, and hiring the best talent available. Develop these individuals in ways that are specific to the needs of their individual firms, encourage them to generate new ideas while familiarizing them with the company strategies, invite information sharing, and rewarding collaboration and team work. The basis on which compensation payments are determined, and the way they are administered, can significantly affect employee productivity and the achievement of organizational goals. Establishing compensation programs require both large and small organizations to consider specific goals. Employee retenti on, compensation distribution and adherence to the budget must be carefully weighted against the overall organizational goals and expectations. Compensation must reward employees for past performance while serving as a motivation tool for future performances. Internal and external equity of the pay program will affect employees' concepts of fairness. Organizations must balance each of the concerns while still remaining competitive. For internal equity an organization can use one of the basic job evaluation techniques to determine relative worth of job. The most common are the ranking and classification methods. The job ranking system arranges jobs in numerical order on the basis of the importance of the job's duties and responsibilities to the organization. Job classification slots jobs into preestablished grades with higher rated grades requiring more responsibilities, working conditions, and job duties. External equity can be determined by a wage survey. Data obtained from the surveys will facilitate establishing the organization's wage policy while ensuring that the employer does not pay more, or less, than needed for jobs in the relevant labor market. Base salary is only one aspect of a retention plan for important employees. Benefits and incentive plans are valuable perks in recruiting and retaining essential employees. Benefits are an established and integral part of the total compensation package. In ord er to have a sound benefits package there are certain basic considerations. It is essential that a program be based on specific objectives that are compatible with the organizational philosophy and policies as well as affordable to the company. By utilizing a flexible benefits package, employees are able to choose those benefits that are best suited to their individual needs. Incentive pay plans can be advantageous to both the employer as well as the employee. The success of an incentive pay plan depends on the organizational climate in which it must operate, employee confidence in it, and its suitability to employee and organizational needs. Importantly, employees must view the incentive plan to be equitable and related to their performance. Performance measures should be quantifiable, easily understood, and bear a demonstrated relationship to organizational performance. Performance appraisal programs serve many purposes, but in general those purposes can be clustered into two categories: administrative and developmental. The administrative purposes include decisions about who will be promoted, transferred, or laid-off. They can also include compensation decisions and the like. Developmental decisions include those related to improving and enhancing an individual's capabilities. These include identifying a person's strength and weaknesses, eliminating external performance obstacles, and establishing training needs. Within many organizations, performance appraisals are seen as a necessary evil. Managers frequently avoid conducting appraisals because they dislike playing the role of judge. As a result appraisals are conduct annually, for good or evil, and

Frock Rock Essays - African-American Music, Music, Free Essays

Frock Rock Essays - African-American Music, Music, Free Essays Frock Rock FROCK ROCK is a Melbourne-based jazz ensemble focusing on original compositions and improvisation. The group promotes a high standard of performance and professionalism gained through the years of experience and learning of its individual members. All of its members have studied music and improvisation at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). Two of the members in FROCK have returned to lecture there, while the remaining members are educators at tertiary and secondary school level around the state of Victoria. The VCA brings together the finest musicians in Australia, both as teachers and students, and is representitive of the ethnic culture in Australia. It is from this cross-cultural melting pot that the ensemble has been born. Drawing on a wide range of influences, and using a typical jazz instrumentation, the group creates a sound that combines styles in the jazz music of the new and the old and sets a trend for the future. Traditional acoustic instruments meet their modern electric counterparts, classical European folk forms get a modern jazz treatment, A unique sound experience. Band Members Craig Beard Vibraphone, Marimba Tuned and untuned percussion Craig has been a performer and educator for fifteen years. He studied with Dave Samuels and has recorded for the ABC with Doug de Vries and Edward York. Craig teaches at the VCA and aT Box Hill TAFE. He performs regularly as a sideman with people such as Joe Camillieri and the New Guinea Bharatam Dance Troupe. Craig writes a column for the national magazine DRUMSCENE. Anthony Schulz Piano Accordian and piano For the past thirteen years Anthony has performed as an accordianist and pianist throughout Australia. He has worked in all genres from folk to funk and back to jazz. Anthony teaches at the VCA and is a full-time lecturer at Box Hill TAFE. Adam Starr Guitar and vocals Adam studied improvisation at the VCA, graduating with Anthony in 1995. A prolific composer, he plays in many different groups for which his music is the centrepiece. Adam is the MD of pop band BURST, top covers band JACOBS DREAM, and is active in soundtrack and television composition. He teaches contemporary and classical guitar. Simon Starr Acoustic Bass Since completing his studies at the VCA in 1993, Simon has worked constantly as a freelance musician and in ensembles of his owns, which feature his compositions. He augmented his studies in New York, learning from Dave Holland, which has held him in good stead for his gigs with such jazz identities as James Morrison, renowned American jazz educator Mark Levine, Barney McAll and Tony Gould. One of the rising stars of the Australian music scene. Dave is in high demand as a first-call session player, theatre pit musician and jazz ensemble member. Dave is the youngest drummer to have an international endorsement with Premier drums and Zildjian cymbals (USA) and plays their equipment on 'In Melbourne Tonight' (channel 9), and with stars such as Randy Crawford, Venetta Fields, Alan Zavod, Kerrie Biddel, Christine Sullivan, Jane Rutter and the MSO, Don Burrows and Tony Gould.

Health Management Systems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health Management Systems - Case Study Example Taking HMS as a perfect sample, this paper seeks to answer critical questions regarding the company, among them concerning the management structure, management strategies, use of technology and the company’s viability. The Organizational Structure of Health Management System (HMS) Like most successful companies, HMS has a solid management structure. The management is arranged in a hierarchy. There are different departments that are interrelated although they provide different services. Currently, the company is headed by Steve Starkey as the president. Down the hierarch are vice presidents of key departments. Some of these departments include; Sales, accounts, product development, human resource and finance. Each department has its own cluster of employees who see the smooth running of each department. For example, in the accounts department, there are other sub-departments like document management system, contract management systems and patient statements and e-payment soluti ons. The company has subordinate members of staff who are in charge of various auxiliary services. The staff mainly works for the well being of other employees. They carry out services like preparing meals, cleaning and driving. Ownership of the company HMS is arguably a big company, judged by the number of employees, space and the scope of the market it serves the company has embraced partnership with different organization in efforts to realize its mission. The major partners of the company include IBM premium business partner, Vision solutions, 3M, Capsule Technologies, Passport Health Communications, and Wolters Kluwer. All these partners are software producing companies. The partners hold a considerable amount of shares in the company. However, the board of executives consists of members with shares in the company. Management The organization’s administration is a core pride of the company. For managers to carry out their stipulated duties, they understand their stipulat ed roles properly. A role is defined as an expected set of activities resulting from a job (DuBrin J. A. 2008). The company is headed by high caliber members of the board of executives. This leadership stretches to various departments each headed by a manager. In most departments, there is a president and a vice president. Marketing Strategy The company tactfully implements its marketing strategy via a well established partnership between marketing and sales departments. These are some of the strategies that the company employs: 1. Use of research analysts These analysts are specially trained to carry out market analysis and determine the viability of a market. The analysts carry out interviews in different community hospitals and determine the kind of technology used in carrying out their activities, information systems and patient documents systems. 2. Seminars and Trade Shows The same department promotes its products through seminars and trade shows to potential community hospita l owners and health practitioners. 3. Education Education is one of the best ways to mobilize, inform and market a company’s products. HMS has effectively used this tool as a marketing strategy. The company has an Education Administrative Assistant working in partnership with the marketing department to carry out the duty of advertising the courses offered by the company. This platform opens an opportunity for the company to sell not only its computer related products

Information Technology Project Management System thinking Essay

Information Technology Project Management System thinking - Essay Example Although Smith says that their 6000-plus health care workers participated in the system's development and implementation, I have found no details on just how this came about. Baker describes the need for the staff to have an ID and password before they could treat hospital patients. Improvement in services, especially pharmacy, is also mentioned, as well as a faster time to get test results in other departments such as X-ray. What isn't mentioned are the obstacles met and resolved during implementation of the new technology. Baker does say that, according to Smith, other systems, not referred to by name, were studied and found to be lacking, and the reason for one failure was because staff usage was voluntary, and not enough people signed up to use it. This is the only reference to an obstacle. Baker says that Smith attributes the success of Epic at ENH to the commitment of management to make it a priority. In fact, most of the credit is given to management, even though cooperation o f staff appeared to be very much a contributing factor. Although Baker did describe the system set up with staff to make the system work, none of the pros or cons faced by them was covered. Comments: In past years, especially before the year 2000, patient record keeping in health institutions focused far more on the financial records of the institution, with computer usage mostly in accounting. Patient tracking did not always exist as a complete package, combining physician, laboratory, hospital, and information records. Because of layoffs in the health field, in clerical as well as medical areas, filing was not always up to date, and records were sometimes missing. This led to medical errors. The computer as an interconnected unit collecting all information on a single patient was not being utilized. As the millennium drew near, the need for updated systems of communication through information technology became evident, and a concerted effort was made to prevent data loss with the advent of Y2K. Even though the anticipated problems never really materialized, the use of electronics became the system of choice for record keeping and intercommunication. The institution of new pro grams and increased computer usage meant setting up training programs for workers who often had no previous computer knowledge. One factor not addressed in Baker's article is whether management explored assistive technology to aid disabled people in an age in which the emphasis is on equal access and function. According to a recent article on access for the disabled, "at the systems (or public technology) level, technology provides access that enhances community integration and equal opportunity. ("Technology for Access and Function," par. 3). In looking to the future of information technology in health care, the events that followed Hurricane Katrina and Rita in Louisiana were unprecedented, and that state finds itself rebuilding its health care system. The Rand Corporation set up an institute for a

Ecosystems and Trophic Levels. Tropical Rainforest Assignment

Ecosystems and Trophic Levels. Tropical Rainforest - Assignment Example There is an estimate that approximately 20 to 86 species of trees exist per acre of these forests. Trees lies in several vertical layers named as Emergent layer, Canopy layer, under story layer, shrub layer and ground layer (Davis, 2007). So scientists consider this area as species-richest biomes on this planet that is very unique due to its complex ecosystems. Food Chain: In tropical rainforest there are hundreds of interlinked food chains those when combined result in a complex and huge food web. Tropical rainforests food chain has four levels First level is dominated by plants, fruits, leaves, planktons etc Second level is made up by the herbivores (animals which eat plants) such as insects, small reptiles, nectar eating birds and some large animals such as monkeys, apes etc. Small carnivorous animals (meat eating animals) make the third level and these include rodents, and some small reptiles. Large carnivorous animals such as snakes make the fourth level. Last and fifth level is dominated by the large dangerous carnivores such as pythons, alligators tigers etc. Symbiotic Relationships and energy transfer within various levels: Life in tropical rainforest is difficult and there is a strong competition between different species. Hundreds of species have developed symbiotic relationship with other species in order to survive in such a highly competitive environment. In a symbiotic relationship both species are mutually benefited. ... Primary producers also named as autotrophs are the only living being which use the sunlight energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates (Pipe, 2008). Then comes primary consumers, which consume autotrophs and utilize their energy for their living. In this way energy is transferred from one level to next level. In energy pyramid third and fourth level is occupied by secondary and tertiary consumers. Secondary consumer depends on plants as well as on primary consumers for their energy requirement whereas secondary consumers (carnivore) feed on secondary consumers (Davis, 2007). As energy is transferred from one level to another, it becomes lesser in amount as some energy is lost as heat energy. Indeed only 1.2% of energy is transmitted to the next higher level in this energy pyramid. Decomposers or detritivores form the last level of energy pyramid. Detritivore include bacteria, fungi and virus. And these are the organisms which nourish on dead plants and animals and derive energy by decomposing these dead bodies. In this way they change the complex organic substances of the dead bodies into their simpler form that is further utilized by the plants to synthesize their food. In this way decomposers serve as a link between autotrophs and consumers. Decomposers also serve to clean the environment (Pipe, 2008). Human interference: This valuable resource of earth is under threat due to human activities. Extension in human settlements, need for the more and more agricultural land, construction of roads and need of wood have resulted in quick deforestation of this tropical rainforest. As a result of this deforestation large area has lost its vegetative cover as well hundreds of thousands of other species that inhabited or

American History: The 1960s

American History: The 1960s Looking back through the annals of history, the 1960s stands out as a highly important decade in American History. During this decade, the United States was rocked by political scandal in the form of the Bay of Pigs incident and widespread terror and fear in the form of the Cuban Missile Crisis that followed in its wake. In addition, the African-American Civil Rights Movement hit its stride, becoming one of the most powerful and most frequently covered events in the media as African-Americans spoke out and protested against the racial inequalities and segregation that they had been forced to endure for so long. This was also a decade of great loss, and many prominent figureheads, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and John and Robert Kennedy in the Modern Civil Rights Movement were the targets of assassin s bullets and taken from this world. The 1960s was a tumultuous but undeniably important decade in American history and is easily one of the most important times in the development of our nation. The Bay of Pigs invasion was an attempt made by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on behalf of the United States government to lead trained Cuban exiles in a plan to invade Cuba and overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. This plan was a colossal failure on the part of the United States government which led to public embarrassment for the United States on the global stage. Relations between the two governments had already been quite strained after Fidel Castro came into power in 1959 but the Bay of Pigs incident strained relations between the two nations to their breaking point. In retrospect, it is amazing that the Bay of Pigs invasion was given approval by the President but some historical scholars have likened this problem to a lack of proper communication between the office of the President and the CIA. The Cuban Missile Crisis was an international incident that occurred when United States military intelligence discovered the existence of several nuclear missiles in various spots throughout Cuba that had apparently been supplied by the Soviet Union. The United States immediately began to try to convince Cuba to disarm and dispose of the missiles. This led to a period of short-lived but widespread fear that Cuba was prepared to launch these missiles at the United States and of a possible invasion. Faced with the wide range of overt political and economic maneuvers against the Castro regime, it was not unreasonable for Cuban and Soviet leaders to be concerned in 1962 over intensified U.S. hostile action against Cuba, including the possibility of an invasion (Steinberg). Once the missiles were discovered, the United States was in a very difficult political position in that it must be decided to either take offensive action against Cuba or do something less proactive while still achieving the same goal of Cuba s disarmament and disposal of the missiles. The only way in which domestic politics have been generally thought to have affected the U.S.s behavior was by providing a generalized incitement to the Kennedy administration to do something about Cuba and the Soviet missiles (McKeown). At this point, there was immense pressure on the President to act which resulted in what is considered to be poor decision making. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a very important event in American history to look back and reflect upon not only because of the event itself but because of the impact it had on American politics as a whole. This is the closest the United States has ever come to thermonuclear war and resulted in numerous changes to American foreign policy and other relations with foreign nations. In the 1960s, the modern Civil Rights Movement hit its stride in which several prominent figures rose into the spotlight and several nonviolent protests were acted out to secure the basic civil rights that African-Americans had been denied for so long. Led by many prominent and well respected leaders, these rights were hard won and required a great deal of effort from the African-American community as a whole. One of the earliest and most prominent protests of the 1960s was undertaken by African Americans taking rides on interstate busses heading into southern states, where the buses had yet to be integrated. The Montgomery Bus Boycott of the 1950s likely laid much of the groundwork needed for these Freedom Rides to be organized and carried out. Most of these rides were sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and were instrumental in integrating and de-segregating both seating on the busses themselves and the interstate bus terminals. These rides were highly dangerous for African-Americans at the time and many of the residents of those southern states did not take well to blacks attempting to circumvent the Jim Crow Laws which were the norm of southern states at the time. Despite being backed by recent federal rulings that it was unconstitutional to segregate bus riders, the Freedom Riders met with obstinate resistance as in Birmingham and Montgomery, where white supremacists attacked bus depots themselves (Gross). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are widely regarded as two of the most prominent African-American figures during the Modern Civil Rights Movement but, as prominent as the two men were; their views on how the Civil Rights Movement should be carried out were vastly dissimilar. Dr. King was very outspoken in his fight against the injustices suffered at the hands of African-Americans at the time but despite the violence that African-Americans were typically met with in their protests, he asserted a policy of nonviolent resistance. In his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, King asserts that Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored (King). This speaks to his position of advocacy of nonviolent resistance that sends a powerful and unavoidable message. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. s Letter from Birmingham Jail is widely considered to be one of the single most important pieces of protest literature to be written during the modern Civil Rights Movement and one of Dr. King s biggest achievements. In this letter, Dr. King reasserted his stance on the use of nonviolent means of protest as the means of advancing the interests of the African-American people while appealing to his fellow members of the Alabama clergy. This letter was instrumental in the fight towards black civil rights and is widely regarded to be one of the most important pieces of such writing in history. Malcolm X on the other hand preached a very different policy in regards to the methodology that should be used by African-Americans in securing their civil rights. In his By Any Means Necessary speech, he asserts that We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary (Malcolm X). In saying this, Malcolm X is clearly asserting that African-Americans should fight for their rights and attain them at all costs, even if they must resort to violence. He also asserts during a speech at the Ford Auditorium. So I dont believe in violence thats why I want to stop it. And you cant stop it with love, not love of those things down there, no. So, we only mean vigorous action in self-defense and that vigorous action we feel were justified in initiating by any means necessary (Ali). During the mid and late 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement lost two of its most prominent figures. In 1965, Malcolm X, who had until then been a very outspoken figurehead of Black Nationalism, was assassinated in New York City as he was trying to deliver a speech. Malcolm X was largely considered to be a political and ideological leader of the Civil Rights Movement and his death was one that greatly impacted the movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. s assassination occurred much later in the decade, on April 4, 1968. While standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. King was fatally shot. News of his assassination led to rioting in dozens of cities across America. However, the outcome of his assassination could largely be attributed as marking the end of the modern Civil Rights Movement. The United States government was essentially forced into abolishing the segregationist policies that existed at the time. The assassinations of these two individuals both had different effects on the modern Civil Rights Movement as a whole. The assassination of Malcolm X led to a different sort of impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Due to Malcolm X s highly publicized departure from the Nation of Islam, his assassination was largely attributed to members of the Nation of Islam, creating tension between black Islamic and Muslim groups. In addition, two other prominent figures in the fight for African-American civil rights were assassinated as well, and these two people were both brothers, John and Robert Kennedy. John F. Kennedy hadn t been a very vocal civil rights activist in his time as President and preceding his death but despite that, he was instrumental in passing key civil rights legislation and took a stand against racial segregation in many instances. For example, when former Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in front of the University of Alabama doors, barring two black students from registering for classes, President Kennedy intervened. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach called President Kennedy and alerted him to what Wallace was doing; President Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard to help with the crisis. Ultimately, Wallace stepped aside and the two students were allowed to register for classes (Elliott). Robert Kennedy was a very outspoken figure in the fight for African-American civil rights and spoke publicly against segregationist policies and the racism that permeated many aspects of American culture and institutions. Robert Kennedy was a prime candidate for election in the 1968 Presidential election and built much of his campaign on the platform of African-American Civil Rights and believed that the foundations of American integrity should be based on equality for all American citizens. On April 4, 1968, after he had learned of Dr. King s assassination, Robert Kennedy delivered an impromptu speech in Indianapolis, Indiana which is largely said to be a prime contributor to the fact that, despite the riots that had broken out in dozens of cities across America when news of Dr. King s death spread, Indianapolis remained calm in the wake of such news. Unfortunately, on June 6, 1968, Robert Kennedy was assassinated by a man named Sirhan Sirhan. It is clear that the 1960s has had a great impact on American society and culture as a whole. From the United States teetering on the brink of nuclear war with both Cuba and the Soviet Union as a result of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in the Cuban Missile Crisis to the massive growth and successes of the Modern Civil Rights Movement to the loss of such key public figures that arose out of and around that movement, there were massive shifts in American politics. This was indeed a very tumultuous time in American history but it was also a time of great sociocultural and political growth for the United States and is unquestionably one of the most important decades in our history and study of this decade is highly important to further growth and prosperity. Journalism: Then and now Journalism: Then and now Is the divide between the British Tabloid and the serious, quality press narrowing? If so why? There are many debates concerned about the state of British newspapers today. Most recently, traditional news values have seen to become more reformed and revolutionized. The dominance of celebrity and social news, the blurring of the boundary between news and reality shows and other popular culture; and the advent of citizen journalism may all suggest that the nature of news and news values are evolving; and that traditional models of the news process are now only partially relevant. Replaced, are new sorts of values called the tabloid news values. Tabloid news values, in the press, are a question of both the angle and interpretive framework of the journalist. (Colin Sparks, 2000) News wins over that appeal to broad sectors of the public, scandals, crime, sports and pop culture will be given very high priority relative to items about politics and public affairs (Sparks, 2000). Equally, the stories will be highly personified and they will impart sensations and emotions. The presence of the tabloid news values in the British papers today is due to several factors such as advertisements and media ownership; which results a hierarchy in the profession involved in the making of newspapers journalism. However, it can be argued that the divide between tabloid newspapers and broadsheets are/are not narrowing, considering the dramatically changed features they include. In this assignment, I aim to distinguish if broadsheets are looking similarly like tabloids and if the quality press is focusing only on public interests. I intend to use relevant examples to assist my points of arguments, besides using academic sources which will finalize my findings towards this topic. It has been said that Broadsheets newspapers went through a process labelled tabloidization. Tabloidization is the term used to express tabloid style papers. It is, as stated by Pete du Pont a shift by the media away from government and foreign affairs to a more entertainment-style of journalism that focuses on lifestyle, celebrity, entertainment and crime/scandal (du Pont, 1998). Ken Sanes (1997) in his article, The News Medias Effort to Hide from Significant Truth (Transparency website) identifies a possible argument which explains the cause of tabloidization. He states that the people who own the newspapers are responsible for the happening of this process. du Pont agrees with Sanes and claims that owners of the newspapers themselves are primarily to blame and that he sees this as the corporate ownership theory. (du Pont, 1998) The newspapers are owned by well-known people such as Rupert Murdock, Scott Trust, Tony OReilly and it is thought that the news journalists follow orders t hat are sent directly from these owners in order to shape the news (du Pont, 1998) accordingly. The result is a news media, which manipulates informationto push the political agendas (du Pont, 1998) of the newspapers. The problem lies in the fact that the agendas of these newspapers are based on marketing themselves and their products, or more simply put on money. Covering up the news that may be detrimental to the economic health and/or reputation of the company (Sanes, 1997) can also be seen a part of this marketing. This is where tabloidization is seen to come in play. In order for the owners to push their own interests or to draw the attention away from the news that may prove to disadvantage them, the newspapers have created a news media that concentrates on attracting audiences through stories about sex, scandal and Hollywood (Pete du Pont, 1998). In 1995 the editor of the Guardian invented the word broadloid to describe a broadsheet newspaper with a tabloid editorial approach. (Peak and Fisher cited in Bromley, 1998). Bob Franklin (1997) determines to prove that both tabloid and broadsheet newspapers are impossible to differentiates and thus compares them to achieve his hypothesis. Franklin found that Broadsheets have degraded by the significant tabloid values they introduced to their paper. He defines a broadsheet as a large format newspaper, written and distributed for a national audience on the basis of a national news agenda. Franklin also believes that Broadsheet news values traditionally favour a mix of politics-plus-diplomacy-plus-war with sport on the back page; broadsheets aim at in-depth and comprehensive coverage; and are written using moderate and emotionally controlled language (assumedly) typical of the middle classes. Broadsheets tend to lead on the issue, or the substantive consequences, of a story rather than first-hand human interest approach more typical of tabloids; they tend to be print heavy rather than the more pictorial tabloids; and are less inclined to use more ethically dubious reporting practices, such as doorstepping or paying sources for stories. (Franklin, 1997) His statement reflects an appreciated view on Broadsheet newspapers as he claims that it is valuable newspaper which, by far, determines a persons status in society. Through his argument, it can be said that he does not accept the reason that Broadsheets would possibly merge into tabloids-style papers. Further, Colin Sparks (2000) believes that newspapers carry responsibilities towards the public interest. Their responsibilities are primarily to warn and protect the public. They are held through the media, where economy and political information are published to the public. The quality press provides this kind of information in abundance. (Sparks, 2000) This is crucial to Sparks that newspapers use this strategy, as the public are expected to exercise informed choices about how, and by whom, their society is being governed.(Sparks, 2000) In other words, Sparks informs us that it is crucial that the public discover the norms and values of their society. The media portrays this to them in order to help them live a less complex lifestyle, with an easier decision to make when following, perhaps economic and/or political ideas. On the other hand, Franklin believes that the quality press has transformed into the popular press through the four ways he states. First, broadsheets now contain less news, especially foreign news, parliamentary news and investigative stories, preferring photographs to these expensive reporting formats. Second, views have increasingly replaced news, with broadsheets choosing to fill the pages emptied of international and investigative reporting with engaging opinion from columnists. Third, he suggests that broadsheets are increasingly allocating a high news priority to stories which until recently would have been dismissed and disdained as merely tabloid stories. Fourth, broadsheets are increasingly likely to include many editorial features which previously were the exclusive preserve of the tabloids (Franklin, 1997). To conclude the meanings of Franklins ideas, he is clearly stating that quality papers do focus on public interest but carry no political or foreign news as they switched to tabloids formats. Through his claim, it can be said that he sees Broadsheets as virtually tabloid paper. Richard Addis, the former Daily Express editor suggests broadsheets are a master class in daily journalism delivered in a thoroughly post-modern or post-ironic way (Addis, cited from the Guardian, 2008). Dominic Ponsford, editor of Press Gazette agrees with Addis and comments that broadsheets are a tidy, spacey, pacey and coherent package a paper positioned upmarket from the tabloids (Ponsford, cited from the Guardian, 2008). Broadsheets tended to have better written articles; with much less scandal and gossip, much less sensational headlines and people depended upon them for getting their quota of what could now be called serious news. However, when talking of tabloids newspaper; the term tabloid refers both to a specific type of newspaper, and to a specific paper size. Newspapers introduced the term when they started halving the broadsheet size. News tabloids are originally presented highly compressed and compacted news, as opposed to the more detailed and lengthy news in broadsheets. Tabloid newspapers were best known for a lower type of journalism that dealt with sleaze, corruption, sex scandals, celebrity gossip and sports. Nevertheless, the lines between the types of newspapers have blurred. Anthony Sampson, a member of the Scott Trust who owns the Guardian said: the frontier between qualities and popular papers has virtually disappeared (Bromley, 1998) Furthermore, Ian Connell follows to argue both Franklin and Sparks views. He declares that Broadsheets have not dumbed down. Connell says Franklins study was not a complete comparison between the poplar and the quality press. The misrepresentations have arisen, I think, because neither has compared like with like.(Connell, 1998) Connells quote shows he has a different perspective and interpretation into the debate of tabloidization. Connell compares both papers to see if Franklins views are somewhat arguably acceptable. He believes that there are substantial amounts of quality news in both broadsheets and tabloids (Connell, 1998) This quote is a directly opposing Franklins idea that international news has, yet, disappeared in the quality press. Connell also argues that Sparks ideology to tabloid papers, it that they reject any sort of international news. However, in his study, Connell claims that tabloids have much public interest stories and that some international news, still virtu ally exist. The Financial Times and the Economist. Together they contributed 36.4% of the international items. (Connell, 1998) Connell may agree with Franklin about sensational and gossipy news which appears in tabloids but does not see this present in broadsheets. Following to this, Connell states that broadsheets are not becoming broadloids and disagrees with Franklin as oppose to his argument that more broadsheet items were published without illustration, as broadsheets have began to use more pictures (Franklin, 1998) His statement here contradicts what he later claims that politics was the most frequently occurring main topic in the UK press. (Franklin, 1998) As known, broadsheets contain more political and foreign news while tabloids tend to mention politics through human interest stories. Connells observations explain that a traditional content is carried by broadsheets, yet they may use tabloid style to twist those traditionally written articles. In contrast, Franklin declares that the style and formats of broadsheets are changing (Franklin, 1998) but he appears to note only on the use of tabloid style language in the headlines of the quality papers. A comparison in the change of some British newspapers may help to conclude wither broadsheet have become broadloid. Martin Conboy states that newspapers which use the tabloid size but do not use its language, such asThe Independent and The Timesdemonstrate that it is the language which is more important in the make-up of a tabloid than the format itself. (Conboy, 2006) However Sanes defences and believes that tabloids have not come close to providing the range of material now regularly offered by the broadsheets. (Sanes, 1997) In 2003 The Independent started concurrent production of both broadsheet and tabloid compact editions, carrying exactly the same content. This paper is seen the most colourful paper among the other broadsheets. Articles include international and political news, but a great quantity of human interest subjects are varied in the news section. However, there is often some clearly identical language and format to tabloid style, with the use of pictures, pun headline and speech bubbles, which all indicate a tabloid style paper. The Sunday Times did likewise, but with less apparent success, with readers vocally opposing the change (Sanes, 1997). The format is big in size but the inside includes many adverts, which is seen to be the great values of a tabloid. They contain illustrations and big attractive picture nearly in every page but do not include much of the human interest topics. Yet most of the human interest stories and celebrity gossip are seen to be found in the news review, which makes this paper, indeed, broadloid. When the Independent launched its new tabloid format, it was a shock for the Guardians creative team, renowned for its strong design ethos and forward-thinking approach. Plans for its own reformat were thought about intensively. Wed always been the British paper that took design most seriously, claims Mark Porter, the Guardians creative director. Weve always had a reputation for that and I suppose we always liked to think we were the most innovative British paper. The Guardian had regained its laurels. Within two years, it was back on top with a new design and format: the Berliner format à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ midway size paper between a broadsheet and a tabloid. As the pressure to follow the crowd increased, Mark Porter spent a long period of time experimenting with a tabloid Guardian, but it soon became clear that it wasnt possible to convert a broadsheet newspaper to tabloid without radically changing both the journalism and the design. The idea that you could was absurd, he says. It wasnt going to be that straightforward and the editor, in particular, was very concerned that if we went down that route we would be forced, even if we didnt want to, to change the journalism and the way we presented the stories. Harcup and ONeil (2001) suggest that celebrity has become a major factor in determining whether a news story is selected for inclusion in a newspaper, and thus is the result of defining if a broadsheet becomes broadloid. They also conclude that The UK press seems obsessed with celebrities such as TV soap stars, sports stars, film stars, and, of course, royalty, (Harcup and ONeil, 2001) which may well predict the upcoming future of broadsheets. However, Porter was looking to create a newspaper where the pictures worked just as hard as the text, offering an alternative way for time-pressed readers to engage with the paper. The main motivation cited for the shifts in the analyzed papers above are that owners use human interest topics and illustrations to make the paper appealing to the readers, (Sanes, 1997) The Independent only needs to transform the language in order to become a tabloid paper. Conboy would probably disagree because the language shows a distant style to tabloids. Bromley believes that owners bring in tabloid values to the quality to attract more readers (Bromley, 1998). I would disagree as there are still people who carry more interest to broadsheets than tabloids. However, since the transformation of many broadsheet newspapers occurred, it gave the readers the choice which content they desired to read. (Sanes, 1997) It is presumably hoped that many readers will find the smaller formats of a tabloid, more convenient, in fact it remains to be seen how this shake-up will affect the usage of the term broadsheet' (Sanes, 1997). Newspapers, however, have always used free subscription trials and other promotions, with advertising platforms such as new or expanded feature sections, and with better home and newsstand distribution in order to sell a successful paper. However, struggling publishers often seek the quickest method to cut costs and increase circulation without harming ad revenues (McLahlan and Golding, 2000) Many in Britain see their salvation in changing formats; they believe that switching to a more compact one, such as the tabloid format, may lift circulation by attracting disaffected newspaper readers. Several important broadsheets across Britain have recently converted themselves into tabloids (du Pont, 1998) and the format have proved popular in the year following the transformation. Advertisements are necessary in the production of newspapers. The popular press, it is conventionally reckoned that only 20 percent of revenues come from advertisingthe quality press, on the other hand, receives 60 percent of its revenues from advertising. (Sparks, 2001) Advertising agencies give broadsheets their money as they believe the popular press target the working class, (Sparks, 2001). This is the only strategy they could possibly use with tabloids as it enables them to advertise in certain papers to target their specific customers. On the other hand, the quality papers aim at the middle and upper class. As a result, their pages include highly paid advertising products. In other words, if selling luxury goods, advertisers will pay much more to get to people who can afford high profile adverts. Alternatively, if selling ringtones, advertisers will not pay as much as they aim at vast readership. Notably, they follow this process as the middle/upper class people are able to afford those high-priced advertising products. Conversely, Spark argues that poorer readers are excluded from having niche newspapers aimed at them, unlike richer people. He follows to explain that democratic inequality based on income (Sparks, 2001) is the reason for the major barrier between the quality papers; as the tabloids do not carry the power of press freedom. It can be said that corporate ownership have played a role in the process of tabloidization and thus involved bifurcation in newspapers. When it comes down to it, the underlying goal of any corporation is to make profits. That is the nature of the business world. Marketing has become a large part of the news. Also what underlies this argument was the deregulation of television in the 1980s. Robin Anderson (1995) states: Before deregulation, corporate speculators did not purchase stations solely for the purpose of commodity trading. After deregulation, however, speculators who had no interest or experience in the media bought and sold stations simply to make a profit. Corporate investors would often cut corners to make a profit by cutting news departments, and giving into advertiser demands (Anderson, 1995). Deregulation here is what allowed the corporations to purchase the T.V. networks. This makes it a major contributor to tabloidization, even if it was an indirect one. In fact, not just in T.V networks does this happen but newspaper proprietors were also accused of treating their titles as business properties with a social purpose'. (Greenslade cited in Bromley). Bromley believes the problem with broadloid is from magazines. Magazines began to pursue an editorial mix of sex, celebrity and sleaze in a far more aggressive way.(Bromley, 1998) Market competition, advertisements and ownership are affecting the state of the media. There is a clear sign that broadloid is taking place. The format may be reducing to one of a tabloid but the contents majority contains hard news. However, it is seen that money is making owners revalue the public interest. In conclusion to my analysis above, it can be notified that broadsheets have not seen to dramatically change as Franklin argues, conversely, it merely depends on the readers to the type of news they choose to read. Arguably, there is, yet a division between the tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, but this division lies under the use of language and format; the papers chose to present. Whether tabloidization started all the above arguments, or vice versa, it is a question that we may never know the answer to. Perhaps, finding the answer to it may be the key to finding the true answer to what caused tabloidization. Whether we know where it came from or not, the fact that tabloidization is here; still remains and it appears to compete and challenge the success on British newspapers.

Long Term Effects of Colonization :: essays research papers

Even in today’s complex society, the effects of past colonization can still be felt. The most obvious of these effects on society is a change in the culture of any colonized area or group of people. This is a direct result from the forceful tactics used during historical colonization. Colonization has occurred throughout history. In Europe, three of the most influential colonizers were the Spanish, the French, and the British. These three countries were driven by three very basic motives: a desire for material gain, a desire to spread religion, and a desire to expand territory. Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886). Burma wasn’t administered as a province of India until 1937, when it became a separate, self-governing colony. This is the arrangement of details surrounding George Orwell’s story of â€Å"Shooting An Elephant†. The reader finds oneself in the midst of a colonization struggle between the British and the Burmese. On one hand there is a â€Å"Burmese† elephant that needs to be contained, while on the other hand there is a growing number of people joining a crowd that seems to be an obstacle for an imperialist guard’s ability to take control of the situation. The very tension of the crowd following the imperialist guard is the â€Å"colonization effect† is felt. This crowd of Burmese civilians expect the guard to shoot and kill this elephant, hence the reason they followed him. The guard finds himself being pressured by the crowd to take care of shooting the elephant. It is this pres sure that almost forces the guard to make a hasty, not necessarily the right decision about handling these circumstances. If the guard were to make an error in judgment in direct result from this pressure from the crowd, he would find himself caught in a very bad position. A guard, who is part of a coalition colonizing an area, in the middle (literally) of an angry mob of local civilians unwilling to accept the colonization brought on by this guard’s imperialistic philosophies. The effects of eighteenth and nineteenth century colonization can still be felt today. When Britain colonized Burma, the English language quickly spread, and the indigenous languages of the natives began to be wiped out.

Best Practices in Managing the Human Factors of HR Management Literature Review Essay

Human Resource Management is one of the most significant functions in an enterprise. However, there are different factors that are impacting on HRM. Human Factors has its origins in the Industrial Revolution and emerged as a full-fledged discipline during World War II. It was recognized that aircraft cockpit design needed to consider the human interface for controls and displays. Design Engineers were focused on the technology while Industrial Psychologists worked to optimize the interface. In some cases, Human Factors design can affect bottom-line profitability or can be a life and death matter, e. g. , you don’t want to push the wrong button or mistake meters for kilometers in a spacecraft. Companies came to realize that a products success is dependent upon good Human Factors design. Human Factors are very important for the successful operation of the company. The term â€Å"human factors† is to a large extent synonymous with the term â€Å"ergonomics† Human Factors Integration Research with Defense Technology Center is Human Factors Integration is the process adopted by a number of key industries (notably defense like United Defense and hazardous industries like oil & gas like Shell) in Europe to integrate human factors elements into the systems engineering process. Although each industry has a slightly different domain the underlying approach is the same. HFI undertakes this by conducting a formal process that identifies and reconciles human related issues. These issues are split for convenience into domains. Manpower – The number of military and civilian personnel required and potentially available to operate, maintain, sustain and provide training for systems Page 2 Personnel – The cognitive and physical capabilities required to be able to train for, operate, maintain and sustain systems. Training – The instruction or education, and on-the-job or unit training required to provide personnel their essential job skills, knowledge, values and attributes. Human Factors Engineering – The integration of human characteristics into system definition, design, development, and evaluation to optimize human-machine performance under operational conditions. Health Hazard Assessment – Short or long term hazards to health occurring as a result of normal operation of the system. System Safety – Safety risks occurring when the system is functioning in an abnormal manner. Strengths: Indentifying the Problem, Evaluation and solving issues Weakness: Psychological Human Factors are not treated. Motorola’s Human Factors Engineering One of the best Practice in Managing Human Resource is HFE, Firstly implemented by Motorola, USA in 1984 is considered as the best for employees. In Research with HFE, Motorola is commonly thought of as how companies design tasks and work areas to maximize the efficiency and quality of their employees work. However, Motorola HFE comes into everything which involves people. Work systems, sports and leisure, health and safety should all embody Human Factors principles if well designed. Strengths: Employee Determination at work, Safety & Health and Low Stress methods. Weakness: More importance to Leisure time and found some Low Production. Page 3 Encourage Employee Development Growth of a company is closely linked to employee development within the organization where each employee plays a vital role in the success of the company. Employee growth has direct and indirect benefits. More knowledgeable, skilled and capable employees directly impact your company’s ability to satisfy customers, resolve problems and crises, and adapt to changing market conditions. Paying for an employee’s continuing professional education, for example, can help your company gain expertise in new technologies and markets, which can save you money in the long run. This type of practice is found in Coco Cola, where are often send to Trainings on different process. Strengths: Motivational to Employee and Long Retention periods. Weakness: Cost effective and Time Taking Process. Work Life Balance The term â€Å"work life balance† was coined in 1986 in response to the rising trend Human Factors in Development of the Company. The employee Psychological benefits are taken into consideration with many instructions like Stay positive, stay in control, Stay healthy, Divide and de-clutter, Keep stress under control and other safety measures. This helps the companies to maintain good relations with the employees and make them as the best factor of production. In Research with General Electric which follows Work Life Balance as a practice to develop Human Factors. Strengths: High Production Facility, Long Retention and Safe Employee and Company Relations. Weakness: Only limited to Companies with Large Scale of Production Facilities. Page 4 Corporate Mentoring Programs Corporate Mentoring Programs are like teaching classes where employees are motivated to the work and work environment, making employee coordinated towards work. Therefore, companies have started to place greater emphasis on personal attributes while selecting and developing staff. This brings a number of benefits to the business, not the least of which is a cohesive team. On going development of employee potential is critical for business success. Corporate mentoring programs are effective in quickly ramping up employee performance because they facilitate the transfer of business knowledge in a way that is not quite possible in regular training. Strengths: Every Effective Approach in Developing Human Factors, Human Psychological Advantage and Growth Oriented. Weakness: Very Systematic Approach. Metrics to Evaluate the Practices Human Factors Integration (HFI) implemented by Defense sectors is only related to Large Scale industries although it has all the factors of Human Factors. Key Performance Indicator of Human Factor Integration(HFI) is the Objective oriented and Specific Tasking. Motorola’s Human Factors Engineering is also related to tasking and other relations, not dealing with the Psychological factors of the Employees. Encourage Employee Development is training method to make them work in stress and problems, No personal and physical importance is not given to the employees. During this Research we found that the best Practice that develops the Human Factors in the company is Corporate Mentoring Programs, where the employees are motivated on the work and provide various benefits including safety and stress free work Page 5 environment. Research with Minnesota University, I found that more than 80% of the companies in United States uses this Corporate Mentoring Programs. References †¢ Creating a Mentoring Culture: The Organization’s Guide, 2007 †¢ A Strategic Approach To Corporate Mentoring Programs, CEO World Magazine, 2006 †¢ Human Factors & Methods – Robert Stanley – Edition 2, 2006 †¢ Ergonomics Society, UK †¢ Human Resource Management Programs at Human Factors and Ergonomics Society †¢ Research Center for Work Safety and Human Engineering, Technion, Israel. †¢ Motorola HR Practices, www. motorola. com

A Cultural Lens On Interpersonal Conflict And Creativity Essays

A Cultural Lens On Interpersonal Conflict And Creativity Essays A Cultural Lens On Interpersonal Conflict And Creativity Essay A Cultural Lens On Interpersonal Conflict And Creativity Essay Over the past 20 years, research on workplace demography, including demographic and cultural value diversity, has multiplied, revealing mixed and complex findings for the effects of diversity on team performance, creativity, and conflict (e. G. , Chatham, People, Barded, Neal, 1998; Early Moisakos, 2000; Conceal Star, 2006; Josh ROR, 2009; Josh, Lila, ROR, 2011; Palette, Penn Reek, Mascara, 2004 stall, Mezzanines Voice, Jensen, 2010). Multicultural experiences and interactions may increase individuals creativity (e. G. , A. K. -Y. Lung Chic, 2010; A. K. -Y. Lung Maddox, Gallingly, Chic, 2008; Maddox, Adam, callings, 2010; Maddox Gallingly, 2009), but multicultural settings are more likely to increase interpersonal conflict (Baby Jean, 201 0; Stall et al. , 2010). Despite its importance to growing workplace diversity, research on conflict and creativity in multicultural environments is scarce, with many researchers pointing out gaps in our knowledge in the broader domains of culture and creativity (e. G. , Palette Penn, 2008; Shelley, Chou, Lolled, 2004; Chou Us, 2010). Indeed, existing research on the effect of conflict on individual reiterative has yielded inconsistent findings. On the one hand, conflict in- To compete in the global market, address a growing need for innovation and creativity, and solve worldwide problems, many organizations are increasingly becoming international, integrating diverse knowledge and a multicultural workforce (e. G. , Sidewalk Longboats, 1998). This growing trend has given rise to multicultural environments, which occur when individuals from multiple cultures interact. In the United States, 17% of science and engineering workers report collaborating with individuals located in other entries during a specific week (National Science Board, This article was published Online First April 7, 2014. Susann B. F. Palette, Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland; Ella Moron-Speaker, William Davidson Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Techno Israel Institute of Technology, Hafiz, Israel; Chunk-Chi Line, Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. This research was supported in part by the Lignite States National Science Foundation Grant #SUB-1064083 through the Science of Science and Innovation Policy program to the first author when she was at he Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh. We are grateful to Joel Chain and Matt Crooning for comments on previous versions of this model. An earlier version of this article was presented at the 201 2 conference of the Interdisciplinary Network of Group Research (Ingrown) in Chicago, Illinois; the authors are also grateful to the audience for their comments. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Susann B. F. Palette, Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland, 7005 52nd Avenue, college park, MD 20742. E-mail: [emailprotected] Com 237 PALETTE, MORON-SPEAKER, AND LINE This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. 238 nature, involve interaction, and so the existing literature is informative to our model. The literature on team diversity has focused, perhaps too exclusively, on two theoretical traditions: information processing and social categorization (van Innkeeper Chippers, 2007; Williams Reilly, 1998). The inappropriatenesss approaches focus on the cognitive benefits of perversity. These approaches assume that backgrounds of almost any type (e. G. , ethnic, age, disciplines) bring with them a variety of experiential information (van Innkeeper Chippers, 2006). Cultural diversity can go beyond simple surface diversity to deeper, attitudinal, value, and schema differences (e. G Harrison, price, Bell, 1998). This deeper diversity (e. G. , Harrison et al. , 1998) of background information may, under certain circumstances, lead to greater task conflict as well (e. G. , Jean, Northeast, Neal, 1 999; Neal, 2005; peeled, Eisenhower, Kin, 1999). However, his diversity also carries the potential for greater creativity, as a broader knowledge base can result in more creative combinations (Insisted Strobe, 2006; Palette Chunk, 2010). In contrast, social categorization approaches assume that the differences between individuals ethnicities and other characteristics will spark interrupt processes, such as suborning, generally to the detriment of team outcomes such as social cohesion (Manning Neal, 2005; Williams Reilly, 1998). This theory focuses on the negative affective outcomes associated with diversity based on differences in social identity, such as more conflicts. Although these theoretical traditions have spawned useful research (e. G. , Chatham et al. 1998), the past decade has seen creases the tendency to scrutinize and explore different alternatives, which contributes to creative thinking (e. G. , Moment, 1 986; Moment, Personnel, Personnel, Conceal, 2004). A sense of conflict and disorientation, resulting from exposure to different cultures and values, can foster creativity (e. G. , A. K. -Y. Lung Chic, 2010; Moron-Speaker, Going, Argots, 201 1). On the other hand, conflict can be threatening and lic it a motivation to avoid similar unpleasant social interactions. Threat and a prevention regulatory focus hinder individuals ability to deal with complexity and to solve creative problems, even when a conflict is only observed (R. S. Friedman Forester, 2000, 2001, 2005; Impersonator, Frat-Termites, Rafael, Schwartz-Cohen, 2011). To bridge gaps in the literature and reconcile these findings, specifically in culturally diverse settings, we present a dynamic constructivist theoretical model on the effects of interpersonal conflict on individuals creativity in multicultural environments (see Figure 1). Our model contributes to the literature on intricate conflict and creativity by detailing an important mediator of the conflict- creativity connection, threat, and several possible moderators related to culture, here defined as mental models shared across groups (not just national groups). Most of the existing intricate literature has focused on heterogeneous versus homogeneous cultural team composition (e. G. , Manning Neal, 2005; Williams Reilly, 1998), leaving unknown the broader case of multicultural environments, individual perceptions of interpersonal conflict, and individual creativity. Although our model examines this broader case, teams, by their Multicultural Environments D Cultural Meanings (e. G. , values, implicit theories of face, etc. ) more likely Perception of and Actual Conflict Bal Tolerance Conflict Perception of Threat? 82 Creativity yes Prevention Orientation, Avoidance Motivation Figure 1 . Dynamic constructivist model of culture, interpersonal conflict, and threat on individual creativity in multicultural settings (negative relationships are dotted lines). This document is copyrighted by the American psychological Association or CULTURE, INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT, AND CREATIVITY horses and variables that do not fit neatly into those two traditions (e. G. , Palette et al. , 2004; Swan, Swan, People, Milton, 2003) or examine the interaction between them (e. G. , Woman, van Innkeeper, Van Sleek, De Dreg, 2007). Multicultural environments may also lead to conflict for cultural psychological reasons that have little to do with either social categorization processes or differing background knowledge, and the effects of conflict on creativity are dependent on the interpretation of that conflict. This article thus also makes a contribution to psychological theory by reposing a broader, third model drawing on dynamic constructivist cultural theory. It helps to reconcile prior mixed findings on the impact of conflict on creativity. This model goes beyond the social categorization and information processing models, synthesizes elements from disparate topics within psychology, and explicitly blends cognitive and affective factors. This article attempts to tackle three problems with past literature. First, research on the effect of experienced conflict on individual creativity is scarce, especially in multicultural environments (e. G. , Shelley et al. 2004; Chou Us, 2010). Most research on conflict focuses on team conflict and team conflict management (De Dreg Weinberg, 2003; Lovelace, Shapiro, Weinberg, 2001 Much less is known about the effects Of cultural context and related factors on different, individual-level perceptions of conflict (De Wit, Greer, Jean, 2012). Second, the few studies that examined the effect of conflict on creativity revealed mixed findings (Zealand, Reek, Cyan, 2007; Stall et al. , 2010), suggesting that the effect of conflict on creativity can vary under different situations and conditions. We contribute to hurry by going beyond team outputs to examine individual creative cognition. As has been requested (van Innkeeper Chippers, 2007), we identify moderating and mediating conditions and factors that shape the effect of diverse environments on experienced conflict and then on individual creativity. Specifically, our dynamic constructivist model assumes that individuals in multicultural settings are more likely than those in unicellular settings to experience conflict, either as something they encounter directly or observe, compared with those who work in culturally homogeneous settings. Whether they will benefit from conflict or be stymied by it depends on the relevant cultural meanings, or the lens through which individuals make sense of the world. Cultural meanings influence both the extent to which individuals perceive specific social interactions as conflict and the degree to which individuals can tolerate conflicts. Greater tolerance of conflicts, regardless of heterogeneous versus homogeneous cultural setting, can mitigate against perceived conflicts becoming perceived threats. When a perceived conflict becomes a perceived threat, a prevention orientation (the motivation to avoid main and seek security) is Often a consequence. A prevention orientation then leads individuals to draw on their well-known reactions and avoid risks, resulting in less creativity. If, however, there is a high tolerance for conflict, perceived conflict may increase cognitive complexity and stimulate creative thinking. Like many social psychological models, ours crosses individual and interpersonal levels: It is a model of how a social context (multicultural environments) encourages interpersonal conflict (an interpersonal, social process), and how that interpersonal conflict affects individual cognition as treated and mediated by individual perceptions, culture, and assumptions. 239 In the next section, we discuss culture as meanings. We then describe our model, after which we end with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of our model. Culture as Meanings We draw upon cross-cultural psychology to define culture. The implicit theories of culture tradition, which examines culture as unspoken assumptions, has emphasized that culture exists psychologically within individuals minds (Penn, Ames, Knowles, 2001). Culture is defined as an imperfectly shared system of learned, transmitted meanings (Ironer, 1984). Although it can include explicit knowledge, we emphasize the aspects that are implicit. By this definition, cultural differences are not limited to nations or global regions but can include differences between any subgroup (e. G. , profession, ethnicity, family, organization). The dynamic constructivist theory, an extension of this approach, goes beyond descriptions of national or ethnic differences to give a cognitive account of culture as it affects social perception generally (Betterment Lopez, 1993; Hong, Morris, Chic, Bent-Martinez, 2000; Morris Zealand, 2004). Hong and colleagues (2000) asserted in their dynamic constructivist theory that culture acts, specifically, as shared mental models within the mind, serving as a lens through which the world is interpreted. A mental model is an internal representation of actions, situations, people, or objects (Johnson-Laird, 1980). Mental models include both the structure and relationship between knowledge constructs and the content of knowledge itself, such as unspoken assumptions and heuristics. Shared mental models occur when the mental representations of individuals overlap, with more overlap indicating greater similarity, and hence a more animal understanding of a situation (Kowalski Mohammed, 1994; Mohammed, Fernando, Hamilton, 2010). Rather than being a singular fixed structure within the mind, one or more cultural meanings can be internalized as loose networks of categories and assumptions. Bacterial individuals can therefore switch frames when primed by relevant elements reminding them of the applicable culture, such as national flags and other icons (Hong, Bent- Martinez, Chic, Morris, 2003; Hong et al. , 2000). These culture primes can activate goals, procedural knowledge (mind-sets), and/or declarative knowledge, so long as the cultural structure already exists in the mind (Sherman Lee, 2008). As with other mental models, cultural meanings can influence how individuals perceive the world, including social situations, and are created from learning (Ironer, 1984). Cultural meanings are thus corrected by individuals and live within the mind, being activated by relevant information and aiding in the interpretation of experiences (Hong et al. , 2000 2003; Sherman, 2011). The overlapping mental models that represent culture can be shared not only between individuals of the same ethnicity or action but also by other mutual social characteristics, such as socioeconomic class, geographic region, discipline, occupation, religion, and work organization. Past research on cultural implicit theories has demonstrated the effect of cultural meanings on social perception. For example, Anisette and colleagues (Anisette, Penn, Choc, Normandy, 2001; Penn Anisette, 1999) examined cognitive differences in what they termed analytic versus holistic thinking. Analytic cognitive styles involve a greater focus On objects rather than the context (field independence), and the tendency to attribute others behavior 40 to internal traits rather than the situation (Morris Penn, 1994). The holistic cognitive style, held more on average by East Asians, involves a greater focus on the context (field dependence) and a greater inclination, when compared with Caucasian Americans, to attribute the causes of behavior to the situation rather than the actor (l. Choc, Dalai, Kim-Priest, Park, 2003). For example, Morris and Penn (1994) found that participants differently anthropomorphic the behavior of an individual animated fish swimming separately from a school of fish in line with their different cultural lenses. Chinese participants were more likely to attribute the fishs behavior to external forces, whereas Americans were more likely to make internal attributions. Culture can also influence individuals ability to solve problems. Conceal and Star (2006) demonstrated how the activation of collectivist or individualistic orientations can affect whether generated solutions to a given problem are creative or practical. Individualism and collectivism are cultural dimensions that reflect differences in the tendency to focus on in-groups and the power of social context. People from individualistic cultures, on average, are more likely to emphasize self- termination and autonomy, conceptualize people as independent individuals, and prioritize ones own importance over the groups interests when the two are in conflict. On the other hand, members of collectivist cultures are more likely to conceptualize individuals as inherently part of collectives and prioritize groups interests over their own (e. G. , Hefted, 1980, 1 983; Markus Stamina, 1991; Transit, 1989, 1990; Transit Zealand, 1998). When asked to be creative, teams of participants primed with an individualistic mental model generated a greater number of ideas, more unique ideas, and more creative ideas than artisans primed with a collectivist mental model (Conceal Star, 2006). Thus, cross-cultural psychological theories offer many ways in which individuals will hold different types of cultural meanings within their minds, which may then impact their cognition. When people who hold different, unshared sets of cultural meanings come together, the relevant social context is diverse teams or, more broadly, multicultural work and leisure environments. Our model examines culture from these two different perspectives: multicultural environments as a social context and as the differing cultural meanings encapsulated therein. Dynamic Constructivist Model In this section, we describe the theoretical model and suggested propositions (also see Table 1). The relationships, as illustrated in Figure 1, are drawn in part as a decision tree and not simply as a model of proposed relationships. Multicultural Environments and Perceived Conflict (Path A) Conflict is inherent to interaction, collaboration, and teamwork (De Dreg Zealand, 2008). The construct of conflict has been used at different levels of analysis to mean many things, from disagreement to bullying to riots and war (e. G. , De Dreg Zealand, 2008; Jean Benders, 2003). For the purposes of his model, we focus on conflict as interpersonal disagreement, which exists when parties think that a divergence of values, needs, interests, opinions, goals, or objectives exists (Bark Warwick, Table 1 Summary of Model Propositions Proposition 1: Interpersonal conflict will be more common in multicultural environments, particularly if the mental model gaps are large and about relevant issues. Proposition 2: Interpersonal conflict may be interpreted as a threat, depending on exacerbated features of the situation and the conflict itself (e. G. Negative affect, relationship conflict, relationship conflict confounded with ask conflict, rude communication), and minimizing features of the conflict and situation (e. G. , psychological safety, trust, team emotional regulation processes). Proposition 3: If a conflict is perceived as a threat, a prevention focus and avoidance motivation will result. Proposition 4: A prevention focus will hinder creativity. Proposition 5: Entertaining interpersonal conflict will enhance creativity, mediated by a promotion focus. Proposition 6: Culture will moderate whether a social interaction or exchange in a multicultural setting is perceived as a conflict, such that cultural norms grading implicit theories of conflict and the appropriate expression and manner of conflict will enable individuals to perceive an encounter as a conflict or not.

What kept the American Colonists together essays

What kept the American Colonists together essays America declared independence on July 4th 1776, although America was not united when it begun, it soon became united through common hard-times and great leaders. America was discovered and settled by many different cultures and all of the cultures clashed from the start. After studying the colonies I have come to the conclusion that the "glue" that held them together was made up of: religious bonding, leadership abilities, their economic situations, the lack of communication with England, and philosophy. The colonies spread from New York to Georgia and had several ethnic groups that had nothing in common except the belief of freedom to, practice religious beliefs and political views. No one realized this until it was brought to the table by major events and leaders. Although there are hundreds of events that took place there are four major ones in particular: the Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, Revenue Acts, and the Albany Plan. There were also many great leaders such as John Locke, Thomas Paine and Ben In 1773 the emotional, spiritual, and evangelical movement labeled the Great Awakening was lead by George Witefield, Jonathan Edwards and Elija Weelock. These three leaders helped many colonist by preaching in traveling revivals spreading the word of God to the colonist. The word of god they preached was calvinism and predestination. People feared predestination and grew closer in fear of God and become more spiritual. The 18th century was an Age of Reason were the ideas of the Great Awakening were reversed. This Enlightenment was the result for the people's thirst for knowledge, the focus was the search for human knowledge, ideas, and inventions. Practical experimentation became the method of understanding. Ben Franklin was a father of the Enlightenment and a great leader because he promoted the spread of reason through out the colonies. He was...

Cold War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cold War - Research Paper Example Communist world except China polarised with Soviet Union whereas the most of the democratic countries tied up with United States during this period. Most of the Eastern European countries were under communist administration during cold war and Soviet Union succeeded in bringing all of them under their umbrella, forming an Eastern Bloc whereas the Western European countries were mostly democratic in nature and hence they joined hand in hand with America during the cold war era. Even though, the militaries of these superpowers never clashed directly each other, there were too many proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, conventional and nuclear arms races, appeals to neutral nations, rivalry at sports events, and technological competitions such as the Space Race etc between these superpowers during the cold war era. This paper briefly analyses different dimensions of cold war. The term â€Å"Cold War† was first used in 1947 by Bernard Baruch, senior advisor to Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, in reference to the frequently occurring and exacerbating crises between the United States and the former Soviet Union, despite having fought side-by-side against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. ... Nuclear arms race and the struggle for domination in the space missions were too much during the cold war era. â€Å"In 1992, a Soviet defector revealed to Western intelligence that he had overseen an extensive, illegal programme to develop smallpox into a highly effective biological weapon† (Flight). Moreover, the secret agencies in these countries also played their role effectively to strengthen the cold war. During the cold war era â€Å"the KGB, the 'sword and the shield' of the USSR, pitted its wits against its principal adversaries - the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States (CIA) and the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)† (Knightley) Even though, Germany, Britain and France were major forces prior to Second World War, after the Second World War, only America and Soviet Union did emerge as the world’s superpowers. The friendship between America and Soviet Union during the Second World War was only to destroy their common enemy Nazi German y. â€Å"In fact, one of America’s leading generals, Patton, stated that he felt that the Allied army should unite with what was left of the Wehrmacht in 1945, utilize the military genius and fight the oncoming Soviet Red Army† (What was the Cold War?). In short, even though America and Soviet Union cooperated in the fight against Nazi Germany, they never wasted any opportunities to blame each other. It was difficult for other countries to stay alone without seeking help from any of these superpowers at that time. Some countries like India, Yugoslavia, Egypt etc were tried to form another political bloc in the name of Non Aligned Movement (NAM), in order to keep equal distance with the two major superpowers. NAM started its

The illegal Diamond Trade of Sierra Leone Case Study

The illegal Diamond Trade of Sierra Leone - Case Study Example Charles Taylor, the leader of insurgents in Liberia, runs a non-state entity known as "greater Liberia".3 He does not have any official identity, but he maintained trapping of gold, diamond and hardwood. He has support from port city of Buchanan and a strong tie with several other trading partners. This insurgence has given rise to criminal activities which are being referred as "crime disguised as war". 4 The insurgency got integrated and has resulted to complex criminal networking.5 Along with exploitation of natural resource, other criminal activities such as drugs, money laundering and many other illegal activities are growing at a faster rate. The war state in Sierra Leone made the life of civilian people disastrous. This leads to humiliation for people who get caught in between the warring parties and as a result human residential areas get deserted. On the other hand the town and cities are getting flooded with Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who are living in overcrowded o utskirts. The resource based conflict in Sierra Leone is non-ending because some of the people involved in such conflicts are getting benefitted. Such situations create easy access for resource smuggling. If someone undergoes an in-depth research for the factors which were actually responsible for the present conflict in Sierra Leone, the following three main reasons will emerge out: These are: The main cause behind the war was closely associated with the competition for resource (mainly diamond). This strengthened with the passage of time. The conflict was directly linked with collapse of the state and emergence of non-state criminals with small arms. The war was never restricted to a single state, rather it was a regional problem and no state boundaries could actually restricted illegal trading of these resources.6 Different non government organizations are coming up to provide help to those people who are suffering the most from such resource conflict. They are also campaigning against trade conflict that is getting worst day by day in Sierra Leone. The innocent civilians are the one who suffered most from such a war state. For example on 19th and on 20th December, 2001 in Kono District situated to the eastern part of Sierra Leone, a clash emerged out between Civil Defense Force (CDF) and RUF that resulted into killing of 13 people while 40