Managing People & Performance Essay

This assignment seeks to holistically analyse the critical â€Å"people issues† which impact the effective performance of a Maltese sea passenger and vehicle service company, namely Gozo Channel Company Limited. The main area of concern has been highlighted to be emanating through lack of strategic approach within Gozo Channel’s HRM, more so there is no alignment between the company’s business strategy and HR strategy. Throughout, this document will seek new recommendations through various business methodologies on how to overcome the barriers and issues which are affecting people’s performance. The first part of this document explains what are the reasons which ultimately affect the performance of Gozo Channel’s employees and review of both the external and internal context are explored, thus identifying what the critical issues are. Part two of this document sets out the action plan of what is required to overcome such barriers and using different models acquired and researched from the Managing People and Performance module, a detailed plan is set up to tackle each and every area effecting the performance of employees. The elective pathway throughout this assignment is focused on High Performing Teams and one major factor being proposed with justification is motivation. The conclusive reflection concentrates on achieving a sense of â€Å"evolution† not a sense of â€Å"revolution† within Gozo Channel, in terms of a sound recruitment strategy, training and development. 1.INTRODUCTION Gozo Channel Company Limited is a government entity which for over thirty years has been providing sea ferry-transport for both vehicles and passengers between the island of Gozo and the main island of Malta. Although it operates the life-link between the two islands in a monopolistic environment, meaning without direct competition, in 2004 the government had to issue a call for a Public Service Obligation , according to the European Union transportation law, which basically â€Å"†¦is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidies, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wikipedia, 2009) 1.1.THE IMPACT OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE OBLIGATION ON GOZO CHANNEL’S HR OBJECTIVES Initially in 2004, the transport authority awarded a 6 year PSO contract to GC on the basis of its provisions, resources and standards (fleet, human resources, experience and infrastructure). At that time the company was awarded an annual subsidy of approximately â‚ ¬ 4 million. This â€Å"subsidy† as well as the revenue generated along with the various cost cutting exercises, resulted in recurrent annual profits, which in effect meant that the company seemed to be on the right track. In 2010 though, the PSO contract attracted a host of companies and consortiums, all of whom were all eyeing the Malta – Gozo sea-ferry transport service. This situation was seen as a major threat and created an aura of uncertainty among company employees, causing all sorts of speculation. It was the first time that the company had to compete for its â€Å"bread and butter† and speculative pressures forced GC in submitting an annual offer of approximately â‚ ¬ 800k to ensure continuity. This drastic decrease in subsidy requires a holistic review in GC’s business strategy but more importantly the HR strategy has to be properly aligned to meet its objectives. 1.2.MY ROLE WITHIN THE COMPANY As Human Resources and ICT Manager, analysing both the external and internal context of GC is vital to ensure the correct review of its current processes, policies and human resource capital. My role is to ensure that the HR strategy is parallel with the company’s business strategy and more importantly ensure that all employees are nurtured, motivated and trained to support such strategy, thus ensuring that GC move forward in one strategic direction. 2.CRITICAL ISSUE 2.1.INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FACTORS OF THE CRITICAL ISSUE Being a government entity the company has to deal with multiple socio-political pressures, especially in light that GC offers a life-link for the island of Gozo. In a nutshell the island of Gozo depends on GC and to a certain extent one can argue that without a permanent link, GC is practically the road which ensures intra-connectivity between the two islands. Having said that and in light of the new financial realities which the company is facing as mentioned in paragraph 1.1, I have to evaluate both the external and internal context to better understand the forces sustaining the critical issue. 2.1.1.EXTERNAL POLITICAL FACTORS GC’s board of directors are all political appointees and their strategy and vision is determined by the government in administration. Bearing in mind that each administration normally enjoys a term of 5 years, the business strategy varies every time which in essence deters continuity. 2.1.2.INTERNAL POLITICAL FACTORS Moreover the majority of GC’s employees have been politically â€Å"hand-picked†, meaning they were not employed on the basis of skill and/or merit but on merely nepotism. These two factors form an integral part of the company’s critical issue and though they are based on different levels of the company’s structural hierarchy, the source is the same i.e. Political. 2.1.3.EXTERNAL ECONOMIC FACTORS GC currently has 214 employees, of which approximately 80% reside on the island of Gozo and since its inception GC has been always regarded as a leading employer, providing the ever needed employment boost to Gozitans . According to the latest statistical data gathered from the National Statistics Office (May 2013); Gozo has a rate of 10.6% of the overall registered unemployed and with limited employment opportunities in Gozo, many Gozitans seek employment alternatives in Malta. Being a government entity also means that the trade unions have their fair share of influence on the external economic context in terms of collective bargaining and legislation, such as Family Friendly Measures , COLA etc. 2.1.4.INTERNAL CULTURAL FACTOR One of Malta’s leading trade unions, namely Union Haddiema Maghqudin enjoys the 50+1% of the GC’s employee membership; thus is currently the main recognised trade union representing the employees in three sections namely, Seaborne Officers, General Staff and Line Managers. GC together with UHM negotiates collective agreements which stipulate policies, procedural systems and regulate grades and pay structures. This stringent and rigid systematic approach intertwined with a unionised culture, with a strong â€Å"job for life† mentality spreading from top to bottom, restricts the change management concept of the company. This is further attested through the low employee turnover within GC, which is practically zero and only attributable to natural wastage . 2.1.5.TECHNOLOGY FACTOR Today’s market offers an array of Human Resources Management Systems which are systems and processes that intersect HRM and Information Technology. Although GC has invested in HRMS comprising of the following two packages; payroll, time and attendance, there is lack of a proper Human Resources package that allows ease of access for performance appraisals, benefits administration, recruiting and learning management, performance records, scheduling, absence management and analytics. 2.2.HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTION WITHIN GOZO CHANNEL Coupled with the main factors mentioned above, GC’s HR has a specialist approach leaning towards a â€Å"Personnel† role rather than that of the more dynamic and strategic role of HRM . Guest (1987) identifies the differences between Personnel and HRM as shown in Table 1 below. PersonnelHRM Time and planningShort-term, reactive ad hoc marginalLong-term, proactive, strategic, integrated Psychological contract ComplianceCommitment Control SystemsExternalSelf-control Employee RelationsPluralist, collective, low trustUnitarist, individual, high trust Structures and systemsBureaucratic/mechanistic, centralised, formalOrganic, devolved, flexible RolesSpecialist/professionalLargely integrated into line management Evaluation criteriaCost minimisationMaximum utilisation (human asset accounting) Table 1 – The differences between personnel and human resource management The traits listed by Guest (1987) under Personnel, are parallel to GC’s HR functions and the drawbacks are further highlighted in Gratton and Truss (2003) three-dimensional people strategy model whereby GC’s position is weak both in the vertical and horizontal alignment. Figure 1 – Gratton & Truss (2003): The three-dimensional people strategy The HR department has no influence on GC’s strategy and the functions are merely day-to-day administrative matters relating to staff driven by rigid procedures which have little discernible relationship with today’s realities; hence the alignment in the â€Å"mere tactics speak† position in the Gratton & Truss (2003) three-dimensional people strategy model as depicted figure 1. 2.3.MANAGEMENT AND COMPANY STRUCTURE This lack of strategic approach is further compounded by the fact that GC has no Chief Executive. Furthermore there is lack of leadership throughout the management team and people management seems to be focused on the HR department only, rather than integrated throughout the entire management structure. 2.3.1.STRUCTURE The company is currently driven by 4 department heads namely, Operations, Commercial, Human Resources and Finance, and although the structure is flat and ideal, there is lack of cohesion between them and each department is individually driven towards its own goals. 2.3.2.MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY Sumantra Goshal (2004) refers to the downfall of Enron and explains how Andrew Fatsow’s (former Chief Finance Officer of Enron) â€Å"†¦designed Enron’s management system around a firm faith that employees pursued only their own self-interest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  quoting Fatsow’s philosophy that â€Å"You must allow people to eat what they hunt†¦only then will they hunt well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although the context of Enron is not related to GC’s context, it does show that when you ignore the company’s goals and pursue individualistic targets; the results lead to disastrous consequences. 2.3.3.PEOPLE MANAGEMENT Lack of leadership and people management is down to the fact that Line Managers tend to shirk such responsibility, but more so the main factor is lack of ability, hence the staffing issue mentioned in paragraph 2.1.2. 2.4.POLICIES & PROCEDURES GC has an SMS manual containing specific management procedures ranging from safety and environmental policies to people management policies. This manual is inclined to seaborne staff and the systems and procedures are rhetoric and â€Å"institutional† rather than practical. This goes to show that there is lack of communication between GC’s management and critical feedback, which is brought up during internal audits, management reviews, accident reports, etc., is not discussed and analysed correctly. Therefore the planning and implementation process of the ISM cycle is not maintained which eventually is why we are faced with such a situation whereby procedures are not in tune with the current requirements and realities. 2.5.TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT GC has no appraisal and evaluation system in place apart from stringent procedures for seaborne personnel, in line with the required standards of the maritime legislation. Therefore there is no manpower flow and no training strategy, albeit the occasional course organised ad hoc or as required. 2.6.COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS The downward process is non-existent and as highlighted management has no focal point in which all downward processes are channelled through. This is also coupled by the fact that lateral communication between management is also obscured by inter-personal conflicts. These conflicts are down to various reasons, such as lack of motivation, internal politics, greed, and selfishness, but the main factor is that management has no cohesion and everyone works within his own â€Å"castle† rather than in teams – a scenario where no one seems to share information. 3.ACTION AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Having analysed the critical issue in the first part of this document, the tasks ahead have been clearly defined. I have set out a plan to change the mind-set of the current HRM system. This plan tackles 4 critical areas which are highlighted further on in section 3. The table below illustrates GC’s action plan showing the timescales for the implementation of each critical area. Critical IssueTime Frame PlanImplementationReview 3.1 – HRM StrategyBeginning of 1st QuarterEnd of 1st QuarterYearly 3.2 – HR Function and People ManagementBeginning of 2nd QuarterEnd of 2nd QuarterContinuous 3.3 – Enhancing the Performance of Human CapitalBeginning of 2nd QuarterEnd of 2nd QuarterContinuous 3.4 – Measuring & Validating The PerformanceBeginning of 2nd QuarterPeriodically as required Table 2 – GC’s Action Plan 3.1.HRM STRATEGY TYPE It is noticeable that GC’s HR strategy is not aligned with its Business strategy not to mention that the latter is in essence unclear due to the volatile state of the political implications as mentioned in section 2. Thus initially, the first action is to identify a clear vision to implement organisational goals. The â€Å"Line of Sight† model adapted from Higgs, in Rees & McBain (2004) ensures that GC’s business strategy is aligned with its people management policies and practices. On the basis of the issues mentioned in section 2, GC requires three types of HR strategies as defined by Higgs,M (2004); cost strategy, capability strategy and commitment strategy. Figure 2 – The line of sight model 3.1.1.COST STRATEGY As a result of the new PSO, GC has to ensure that part of the business and HR strategy has to focus on high revenue generation with the least possible level of man power cost. 3.1.2.CAPABILITY STRATEGY Parallel to this, GC has to also be strategically aligned to ensure that employees are nurtured, trained and motivated to cater for future capability demands. 3.1.3.COMMITMENT STRATEGY Together with the cost and capability strategies the company must also ensure that employees are committed towards the company’s strategy and goals. 3.2.HR FUNCTION AND PEOPLE MANAGEMENT Implementing the above three strategies requires changing the mind-set of the HR function from a specialist role to a strategic role. It is essential that all Heads of Department, Line Managers and Masters are fully responsible for people management and share this responsibility. This way a greater emphasis will be put on these roles to become the implementers of the HR policies and thus it is imperative to also improve communication between departments through shared responsibility and better knowledge of what is happening. Furthermore this gives an opportunity for all involved to be accountable for any actions taken, thus taking ownership of their problems, bring them closer to employees by helping them better understand the pressures they are facing, gives them a sense of empowerment and helps them to improve as managers by understanding better the processes and their position within GC. In order to implement this change in the management’s work ethic, it is essential that all those involved in managing people undergo training in the EIRA legislation, leadership skills and more importantly making them aware of GC’s policies, regulations and processes. 3.3.ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF HUMAN CAPITAL Gratton & Ghosal (2003) define human capital as â€Å"†¦an umbrella term comprising the intellectual, emotional and social capital of individuals and organisations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  GC’s bottom line employees lack motivation, drive and in some cases ability which in hindsight is attributable to the fact of a futile recruitment system mired further by political intrusion. Effectively GC’s HRM should aim at developing its human capital and at the same time enhance their performance to a high level of output. â€Å"The Bath people and performance† model by Purcell et al (2003) is the perfect model to adapt in order to achieve High Performance from employees. Utilising the best abilities and skills of each employee as well as motivating them through various incentives such as pay incentives, promotions & training and also by giving employees an opportunity to participate through feedback will aptly help motivate staff. Moreover it is essential that employees are managed, encouraged, respected and trusted. On the basis of this model GC’s HRM has to take a pro-active approach from the entry level of each individual and form a process based on a risk-based approach to examine historical events and future plans. The guidelines for such action should be based on cycle as shown below in figure 4. This way each individual employee will be monitored in an effective way and trained according to his/her competence needs, therefore training is vital for humans, to develop ability, to perform procedures, to operate systems. Figure 3 – The Bath people and performance model Figure 4 – GC’s HRM Guide for Action for Human Capital 3.3.1.EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION It is essential that GC has a proper recruitment and selection policy in place which works independently and â€Å"politically free† from external or internal interference. Jackson and Schuler (2000) define the terms â€Å"recruitment† and â€Å"selection† as â€Å"†¦Recruitment involves searching and obtaining qualified job candidates in such numbers that the organisation can select the most appropriate person to fill its need†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦Selection is the process of obtaining and using information about job applicants in order to determine who should be hired for long-or short-term position†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thus the selection board has to be fully knowledgeable and must have a clear path of the tasks, abilities and qualifications required for the relevant job so as to ensure that the right person/s has been selected. The model shown in figure 5 adapted from Briscoe (1995) identifies all the stages required to have an effective recruitment & selection policy in place. For starters, GC’s HR has to â€Å"asses the need for the job† through effective planning tools. A model which aptly covers such area is â€Å"The process of Human Resource Planning† by Armstrong (2006) shown in figure 6 below. This model identifies four key stages; business strategic plan, resourcing strategy, demand or supply forecasting and human resources plans, which in effect knits the action and implementation plan of this document leading to the four critical issues of HR resourcing, retention, flexibility and productivity. Figure 5 – Recruitment and selection process adapted from Briscoe (1995) Figure 6 – The process of human resource planning 3.3.2.TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Mabey and Salaman (1995) effectively links both the Business and HR Strategy to Training and Development arguing that â€Å"†¦unless attention is paid to all six dimensions shown in the figure, then the quality of training and development will be impaired and their business impact will be flawed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In essence this is another vital step to ensure that the HR strategy is aligned with the Business strategy thus developing human capital to attain high performance. The performance evaluation process of employees is not intended to castigate people but should effectively help the development process. Therefore effective appraisals and psychometric tests coupled by constant monitoring, would greatly assist the HR department in understanding individual training needs and requirements, as well as keeping in line with the company’s strategic training and development plan. A clear example of the lack of strategic human resource planning within GC is experienced in the marine engineering section. 3.3.2.1.MARINE ENGINEERS Malta currently lacks human resources in the marine engineering sector, which has been in decline over a number of years mainly through lack of interest from students to pursue such a career. This was further tarnished by the fact that the maritime authority failed to endorse the Higher National Diploma in Marine Engineering course and thus the few students who had applied for such course were forced to change career direction. Whereas currently GC’s position has been as a mere spectator over such issue, this calls for a more pro-active approach by highlighting such awareness with the authorities concerned and by ensuring that the maritime authority and MCAST provide endorsed courses, opportunities for sea time to students and more importantly courses are sustained. Moreover GC has to be directly involved in promoting the marine engineering career in schools and career expos, thus investing in the future of human capital – becoming an employer of choice. Figure 7 – Mabey and Salaman strategic training and development model 3.3.3.PERFORMANCE MANGEMENT AND REWARD SYSTEMS GC has to adopt a more business based approach to HRM and should include reward systems. Armstrong (2000) describes performance management as a â€Å"cycle† as shown in figure 8 below. It defines a clear plan of how to manage performance in four stages; plan, act, monitor and review. The monitor and review stages are intertwined with the training and development performance evaluation process. This cycle starts by planning and agreeing a set of targets with an employee, whereby it is fundamental to maintain the performance agreement realistically and it should include â€Å"team-based† bonus elements rather than a high level of â€Å"individual† performance to avoid having a â€Å"silo mentality† Higgs, in Rees & McBain (2004). Figure 8 – The phases of performance management The model below shown in figure 9 below, further explains Armstrong’s performance management system. Figure 9 – Phases of a performance management system 3.3.4.EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION A key element in achieving high morale of employees, job satisfaction, low absenteeism, enhanced productivity and high performance is down to motivation. Maslow (1954) identified a hierarchy of needs as shown in figure 10 below; which ranges from physiological needs, safety, love, esteem and self actualisation. Figure 10 – Maslow’s Pyramid Porter et al (2003) link these needs to general rewards and organisational factors as shown below in table 3. This table more importantly identifies the organisational factors for each level of Maslow’s pyramid. Although Maslow’s theory defines satisfaction as the main contributor to motivation it does not guarantee high work performance. This theory though does form an integral part to attain a motivated work force and further facilitates to understand better what factors are effecting individual employees. This theory therefore has helped me clearly define another important issue which effects performance management within GC – equity and fairness. 3.3.4.1.ENSURING EQUITY AND FAIRNESS Having the characteristics of a government entity, lack of motivation within GC is commonly effected through lack of equity between staff; in other words employees tend to become de-motivated when they feel that they are not rewarded for their work, efforts or perhaps even for the reason that they are rewarded on the same level as others who work far less than them. Adams (1965) Equity Theory tries to find the correct balance between the â€Å"inputs† and â€Å"outputs† of an employee. In other terms it defines the â€Å"fair balance† to ensure high performance as well as content and motivated employees. According to this theory Adams (1965) identifies what are the typical â€Å"inputs† and â€Å"outputs† of each individual and thus helping to identify the balance or imbalance which currently exist in GC. Such â€Å"inputs† include; effort, loyalty, hard work, commitment, skill, ability, adaptability, flexibility, tolerance, determination, enthusiasm, trusts in superiors, support of colleagues, and personal sacrifice while the â€Å"outputs† are mainly; financial rewards (such as salary, benefits, perks), recognition, reputation, responsibility, sense of achievement, praise, stimulus, sense of advancement/growth, and job security. A similar theory but has a greater impetus on motivational impact is the Herzberg et al (1959) Two-factor Theory. Frederick Herzberg identifies two factors which he calls â€Å"Hygiene† (factors of dissatisfaction) and â€Å"Motivation† (factors of satisfaction) and claims that unless you eliminate the employee’s dissatisfaction/s and moreover help him overcome such dissatisfaction/s; you can never motivate the employee. Although this theory could transmit effective motivation on an individual context, it could backfire unless â€Å"Hygiene† factors are tackled fairly, with equity and consistently. For example if an employee is dissatisfied on the basis of working as a Mooring Man , one can assume that by changing his grade; motivation will be achieved. Overall though such decision could create an aura of unrest between groups of staff who would view such judgment as unfair and thus pretend similar treatment in their regard, notwithstanding the fact that collective agreements would not allow such practise and in reality high performing teams can never be achieved through such methods. 3.4.MEASURING & VALIDATING THE PERFORMANCE Parallel to implementing the above recommendations, GC’s HR must ensure that management systems are in place to validate and measure the performance of such recommendations. 3.4.1.BALANCE SCORECARD In order to maintain constant focus to ensure that GC’s business activities are aligned to its vision and strategy, an ideal strategic system is the Balance Scorecard Kaplan R S and Norton D P (1992). This model will assist GC’s management to asses the performance of the organisation while also helps identify what should be measured. Kaplan and Norton describe the balance scorecard as â€Å"†¦The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The balance scorecard is also an idealistic strategic tool for GC since the company has an important role as mentioned earlier, therefore the vision and strategy should be intertwined with the four core areas, namely Financial, Internal Business, Innovation & Learning, and Customer.    3.4.2.KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS The Balance Scorecard Kaplan R S and Norton D P (1992) will also enable GC’s HRM to develop its KPI. For example absenteeism can be strategically measured to evaluate to what extent this problem is within GC. In hindsight anything can be measured through KPI and GC’s management has to be intrinsically focused on measuring performance on the basis of directional, financial, qualitative, and quantitative characteristics. 3.4.3.MANAGEMENT REVIEWS GC’s management must review, analyse and discuss the performance of each department to ensure that policies and procedures are effective and not defective towards the performance of the company. The review process is intended to highlight any deficiencies which had been spotted either through KPI, incident reports, customer feedback and employee feedback. Moreover processes may be amended to incorporate new legislation and perhaps to evaluate whether the company has adequate resources. A clear example within GC is the new STCW 2010 legislation amendments which will effect GC from two different angles, namely human resource competencies in terms of certification and adequate resources to provide proper hours of rest periods to employees. 4.HIGH PERFORMING TEAM (ELECTIVE PATHWAY) In today’s ever demanding world of technological advancements and competition every company has to ensure that each individual employee must be motivated and managed appropriately to achieve a high output of performance. As clearly defined in section 3 of this assignment the following characteristics are vital to reach a level of having high performing teams within GC. The key characteristics to achieve high performing teams are: participative leadership by involving and engaging employees, effective decision-making, open and clear communication thus ensuring that employees use effective communication methods and channels, valued diversity in terms of valuing the different experiences and backgrounds in teams which contribute to a diversity of viewpoints thus leading to better decision making and solutions, mutual trust, managing conflict by dealing with conflict openly and transparently and not allowing grudges to build up and destroy team morale, clear goals developed by SMART criteria, defined roles and responsibilities, team building events to promote bonds between employees, and a positive atmosphere with an open culture which is focused on future goals. 5.REFLECTION This assignment and module has effectively allowed me to understand better what the critical issue is. It allowed me to recognise the negative effects of having a non-strategically HRM system coupled by external and internal political interference, which in essence renders the company’s strategic vision as a volatile state of mishmash. The â€Å"empowerment† given to me through this assignment to write down specific grievances which I have personally experienced through my current role as Human Resources and ICT Manager has enabled me to dig deep within GC. For starters my appreciation of the â€Å"human element† within GC has helped me explain why motivation through fairness and equity is vital in order to achieve a high performing team, something which is currently lacking due to the political cloud hovering over GC. Moreover it is essential that there is a strategy of â€Å"evolution† and not a strategy of â€Å"revolution† with GC. The positive effects that a proper recruitment system yields helps achieve results but through this module I realised the importance of training and development which are vital to augment the knowledge and competencies of GC’s human capital, helping themb to work towards achieving GC’s goals and objectives while at the same time safeguarding GC’s future planning. Overall the importance of aligning GC’s HRM to its business strategy is critical to achieve the correct synergy to implement all the processes mentioned in section 3 of this assignment. Consequently the action plan mentioned in section 3 has to be strictly adhered to, in order to change GC’s direction which is slowly destroying its â€Å"livelihood† as well as the â€Å"livelihood† of its employees. This statement further motivates me to push for the changes required by becoming a catalyst of this change in management strategy and as a result achieve the goals required to overcome any risks which eventually will effect GC employees and the Island of Gozo. 6.REFERENCES Armstrong, M (2000) Performance Management: Key Strategies and Practical Guidelines. Kogan Page cited in Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes Adams (1965) Equity Theory: Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, pp96 and further cited: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_96.htm Briscoe, D.R (1995) International Human Resources Management. Prentice Hall Guest, D.E. (1987) Human resource management and industrial relations, Journal of Management Studies 24(5), pp. 503-521 Gratton, L & Truss, C (2003) The three-dimensional people strategy: putting human resources strategies into action. Academy of Management Executive, 17(3), pp. 74-86 Gratton, L & Ghoshal, S (2003) Managing personal human capital: new ethos for the ‘volunteer employee’. European Management Journal, 21(1), pp. 1-10 Ghoshal, S (2004), People Management, 12 February 2004, p.23 Higgs, M (2004) Future trends in HR. In: R McBain & D Rees (eds) People Management: Challenges and Opportunities. Palgrave Macmillan, Chapter 2 Herzberg et al (1959) Two-Factor Theory: Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, pp93 and further cited: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_74.htm Jackson, S.E & Schuler, R.S (2000) Managing Human Resources: a Partnership Perspective. Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing Kaplan, R.S and Norton, D.P (1992) â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard: measures that drive performance†, Harvard Business Review Jan – Feb pp. 71–80 Kaplan, R.S and Norton, D.P (1996) â€Å"Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System,† Harvard Business Review (January-February 1996): pp. 76 Labour Force Survey 2013 Q1 http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3627 Mabey, C., and Salaman, G (1995) Strategic Training and Development Model: cited in Henley Business School, Blackboard Learn, MPP Module & Key Resources Maslow, A (1954) Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper Row: cited in Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, p92 NSO Register Unemployed http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3631 Porter, LW, Bigley, GA & Steers, RM (2003) Motivation and Work Behaviour, 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin: cited in Henley Business School, MPP Core Module Notes, p93 PSO definition – Wikipedia 2009 cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_obligation Purcell, J, Kinnie, N, Hutchinson, S, Rayton, B & Swart, J (2003) Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the Black Box. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Interventions for Sexual Issues and Dysfunctions Essay

Interventions for Sexual Issues and Dysfunctions LaShawnda Ogle Walden University The Wilson’s are currently experiencing some sexual dysfunctions, a condition that can cause a lot of distress during intercourse (Hecker & Wetchler, 2010). In the case study Mrs. Wilson has been diagnosed with having Vaginismus. Vaginismus is known for causing some severe pain and as a result causes the female to avoid sexual activity (p. 377). It’s formally defined as the involuntary spastic contraction of the outer one-third of the vagina. There can be treatment techniques. The two sexual therapy interventions I would suggest for the Wilson’s are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and a medically treated approach using a vaginal dilator. The one intervention method suggested for Mrs. Wilson would be that of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. According to Hecker & Wetchler, (2010), women with vaginismus can show fear and have some anxiety with the thought of penetration. In order to help decrease those fears and anxieties CBT may help Mrs. Wilson’s sexual satisfaction increase as well as her over all well-being: addressing not only the physical pain or discomfort of sex but also the psychological aspects. For example: there are cognitive strategies such as: sexual exercises and relaxation techniques that can be applied with CBT in order to help relieve the pain associated with vaginismus (Hecker & Wetchler, 2010). CBT can also offer some coping skills along with restructuring a person’s way of thinking. Another intervention treatment method for sexual disorders such as that of Mrs. Wilson is more of a medically treated approach. Hecker & Wetchler, (2010) suggest a vaginal dilator as being a useful technique for modifying a conditioned response. Vaginal dilators are used to teach control of circumvaginal muscles (p. 377). In order to use these dilators they are generally supplied to people from a doctor’s office with or without the presence of the person’s partner. The private space offers the opportunity to help decrease the fear and anxiety with sex so that penetration can occur. The similarities of both CBT therapy and the medically treated approach using a vaginal dilator are that they both focus on calming the painful symptoms associated with sexual discourse in females. Another similarity with the two interventions is that they both offer suggestions in how to cope and deal with the shame and/or guilt associated with sexual dysfunctions. The only differences are the methods used to intervene. CBT focuses more on the cognition of dealing with negative thoughts that often occur with sexual disorders. The vaginal dilators focus on ways to relieve the stress without the conditioned fear response (p. 377). A challenge with using CBT therapy and vaginal dilators is that it encourages having both partners actively involved (Hecker & Wetchler, 2010). Sexual intercourse and dysfunctions can be a touchy subject that does not resolve itself without partner interaction, so getting both partners together could be somewhat of a challenge. In order to know whether or not a treatment intervention is working, both Mr. and Mrs. Wilson need to report the improvements in the symptoms of Mrs. Wilson. I would also like to know from both partners if increased enjoyment has occurred after treatment, in order to know whether or not my treatment interventions were working. Nonetheless, getting both partners together to discuss a sexual dysfunction is something I see as a challenge. References Hecker, L. , L. , & Wetchler, J. L. , eds. (2003). An Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy (1st ed. ). Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Clinical Practice Press.

“Burro Genius” by Victor Villaseñor Essay

Victor Villasenor is, certainly, one of the most famous and beloved authors who has presented his raw and unexpected memoirs to public opinion. Actually, the book explores Victor’s transformation from embarrassed and intimidated young boy into the famous writers of the present world. Thus, his memoir â€Å"Burro Genius† describes difficult life of poor Mexican American boy having been always faced with constant discrimination in his local school system. Villasenor vividly presents struggle between him and teachers and emphasizes the role of parents and God for overcoming all difficulties. Special attention is devoted to spiritual connections with god. It is necessary to say that Villasenor describes his masterpiece as real miracle. (Villasenor 2004) Villasenor says when he stood at the podium facing a group of teachers, who always harassed and discriminated him; he became really furious and enraged with such unfairness. Despite the fact that the boy had never spoken to the public, Victor’s mind was filled with doleful and sorrowful childhood recollections associated with constant misunderstanding, humiliation and power abuse. Victor’s heart was thumbing, though he started his impressive speech about all the incidents taken place during his entering local school. It is mentioned in the book that some listeners couldn’t help but shedding tears. (Villasenor 2004) This is a mournful beginning of Villasenor’s memoirs. The author appears highly talented and imaginative playing with words and sense. For example, he vividly amplifies how he has coped with untreated learning disability meaning that he has diagnosed as dyslexia. Furthermore, the book provides impressive descriptions of frustrations of his life as a Latino boy. He says that American school system has failed to comprehend cultural understanding and has failed to deal properly with Hispanic students. (Villasenor 2004) The author admits that he is born and raised on San Diego County and thus he devotes certain part of the narration to description of several surrounding cities: streets where cattle and domestic animals are seen; dusty roads adapted for horse-riding. Nevertheless, still he remains away from his childhood memoirs not to disturb the picture of quiet life. His memoirs are developing with essay progression; they are filled with lifted spirit of a child, with fears and terrors of classmates and teachers. However, special role is devoted to illustrating racism being able to chill anyone. (Villasenor 2004) Victor says he was often slapped by instructors and kicked by classmates only because of being Mexican guy. Moreover, the boy was considered the stupidest child in the class. Apparently, the author raises important themes not only for his time, but also for present world, because the problem of cultural discrimination and racism touches not only the USA, but the rest of the world. Nowadays many foreign students are suffering from hostile attitudes of native students. Therefore, the author sensitively describes all his hardships, privations and difficulties at school. (Villasenor 2004) It is impossible to remind indifferent when the author describes his rage and says he even â€Å"contemplated killing some of his teachers and classmates with a firearm†. Such statement seems to be used ironically and his infuriating energy has now changed. It is necessary to suggest that Villasenor is one of the first to raise the problem of cultural discrimination so openly and bold. Actually, teachers in both public and private schools, according to the author, practiced violent abuse and brainwashing tactics to intimidate and to discriminate foreign students. (Villasenor 2004) The boy was often treated as â€Å"dirty† Mexican being ugly and unworthy as well. Certainly, boy’s psychological development was upset and the boy has distorted perception of reality. Victor realized that all those characteristics were referred to his family members as well. For example, teachers said his mother was ugly, his father was loud and dirty. As it is mentioned above the boy was often beaten, because his English was poor. Therefore, Victor was forced to be really ashamed of his nationality and heritage. Furthermore, his cultural values and tight-knit family were questioned. Victor’s growing frustration fueled his desire to become a writer and to reveal the truth about racial discrimination in public schools. (Villasenor 2004) Nevertheless, the positive moment of the book is descriptions of constant family love and support, especially the role of father and brother in Victor’s life. The author mentions that it is his father who helped him to eliminate false notions and to move forth. The struggle with Mexican culture is seen throughout the whole book and the boy seems to be proud of his family, whereas he is ashamed of being Mexican. Apparently, Victor considered brown skin as crime. (Villasenor 2004) Communicative bonds with nature and Gods are amplified after death of Victor’s older brother. For example, the boy sees trees, stars and moon as a magical encounter existing between humans and nature. Further, he begins to believe in the supernatural and his intuition is strong. Therefore, it is the main reason why the child’s imagination overwhelms book’s narration. From the very beginning Victor considered himself as a spiritual person being devoted to religion and God. He describes Navajo as â€Å"like perspective on the natural cycle of life and being one with nature†. (Villasenor 2004) â€Å"Burro Genius† makes readers analyze and think of their own childhood, past and present. Furthermore, readers are forced to reflect how words are able to affects psychological development of a person. It is known that ruler- striking teachers don’t exist in the country, although author assumes that racism exists, though its forms had been changed: â€Å"Now teachers are more concerned with how to separate students so that they don’t taint the school’s test scoring system†. (Villasenor 2004) Apparent strength of the book is that the author strongly defends his positions regarding culture and religion. References Victor, Villasenor. (2004). Burro Genius. New York: Rayo.

Since the 1960s, a growing number of people have been moving away from Essay - 1

Since the 1960s, a growing number of people have been moving away from villages and small towns to big cities in both developed - Essay Example I will then discuss the effects migration has had on cities and rural areas in Britain and Ghana to highlight the similarities and differences between the problems faced in developed and developing countries. Lewis (1982) argues that migration is caused by a series of forces which encourage people to leave one place (push) and attract them to another (pull). Push factors include the decline of natural resources in rural areas. For example, the exhaustion of mines, timber and agricultural resources can result in fewer jobs available in rural areas, causing poverty, which forces people to move to urban areas in the hope of finding work. Parnwell (1993) also cites high rural population growth as a reason for rural-urban migration. This is because it results in a surplus of labour in rural areas, forcing people to move to urban areas to find jobs. Environmental degradation of rural areas (e.g. over-grazing and draught) can also force people to migrate due to food shortages. Religious str ife, political persecution, escaping from oppression and war also contribute to rural-urban migration Bogue (1959) also highlights that people leave rural areas due to the lack of basic infrastructure (electricity and water supplies) and services (public transport, hospitals and schools). Parnwell (1993) highlights a series of ‘pull factors’ that encourage people to move to cities, including migrant’s belief that superior opportunities for employment in manufacturing, construction, commerce and the service industry can be found in urban areas. Many people also move to cities to join kin already living and working there. However, Parnwell (1993) notes that despite migrants believing that urban areas offer an escape from poverty and better employment opportunities, the reality can be quite different, and unemployment and hardship are quite common it cities. Other people may move to urban areas because they may offer better career opportunities and higher wages. Bet ter welfare facilities such as education, increased access to doctors and health care, raised standards of living and better housing have also contributed to a growth in urban environments. Valentine (1995) also believes people move to urban areas for their ‘freedom of expression and liberation’, e.g. urban areas allow people to express themselves in ways not possible in rural areas, e.g. creation of gay and lesbian districts. However, Parnwell (1993) notes that cities can also provide a danger and intimidating environment for others, e.g. fear of crime. ‘Modern urbanization in developing countries is unlike earlier growth of towns and cities in developed countries’ (Kemp, 2004: 123). In Ghana urbanization is not driven by industrialization, but by natural growth and migration from rural areas. Ghana’s current population stands at 24.8 million (CIA, 2010), in which 51% of Ghanaians live in urban areas. Every year the urban population grows by 3.4%. A developed country such as Britain on the other hand has 80% of it’s population already living in urban environments, with a much slower urban growth rate of 0.7% per year (CIA, 2011). Jackson et al (1996) claim that the process of urbanisation in developing countries such as Ghana tends to be less controlled than in developed coun

Why I am ready to return to Monroe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Why I am ready to return to Monroe - Essay Example It has made me realize as well the value of spending time wisely on each aspect of the course and of being trained to possess moral character in terms of discipline, respect, and integrity. Moreover, I find it reasonable to attend classes in Monroe College once again for its capacity to engage students in appreciative learning. Through the school’s intelligent and encouraging faculty staff and up-to-date academic resources, I had received great help in developing interest in several areas of relevant study. It would also be wonderful to reconnect with old friends and certain lower class fellows under a different field yet whose influence led me to find delight in reading classical literature and world history. Subjects as these, I recall, are taught in Monroe College with such enthusiasm and manner that inspires students to be critical in thought and creative in imagination. I am further drawn to believe that I am ready to resume my scholastic life with Monroe knowing that it has the most conducive facilities I could possibly ask

Daoism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Daoism - Essay Example Yang argues that, although there is no amount of offering faith, one must offer two golden rings to receive this. Gold was always charged when one wanted to offer faith. Yang Xi passed messages to Xu Mi and eventually Xu left the secular world and decided to devote himself to the scriptures. Both of them had similar aspiration towards the physical transformation of human body. Yang Xi was the communicator with the gods in the service of Xu Mi. Yang is skilled in giving people the kind of the answers they wanted to their questions concerning their religious life. He acts as intermediate whereby he writes the words of his people using his own intelligent words. During the time of Yang some eight perfected beings descended. Among these, there was a young one, but was just normal. Yang constructed his own teachings and he was great in his arguments. He tried to convince Xu the importance of leaving the workforce of court and society and concentrate on pursuing on the discipline of self-perfection. He also encouraged a sense of amalgamation amongst people. On the hand, Xu purifies his heart and only advances to the level he could only when given the aptitude. His heart is pure and he uses his intelligent mind carefully. For the perfected to appear to him, he only requires keeping his lascivious thoughts locked. Xu had some flaws, which prevented him from learning the Dao. He is said to mix in world issues even though he is bright and upright true. His mind reflected what is within and outside the field and with white threads reduced thrice. Yang Xi introduced a religious literature that was in line with taste of many people. He also produced a religious system and he was highly devoted to his culture. He worked hand in handwih Xu Mi towards transforming lives whereby they wanted to encourage individual value and make them recognize their faith even though for whoever wanted to offer

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING - Essay Example However, adopting IFRS itself may not always result in increasing the quality of financial information. In addition to adopting IFRS several relevant changes in the overall economic and institutional framework need to be implemented to achieve the enhanced quality financial reporting. Further, before implementing IFRS fully to all countries, an international consensus taking into account of the country specificities needs to be obtained regarding the treatment of various financial instruments and various accounting procedures .This is needed to implement IFRS without affecting the information provided by the financial statements of enterprises Financial Statements of an enterprise are intended to give valuable information about the financial health of the company to its owner investors and lenders (Tracy, 2004).In other words, they are supposed to give information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of the enterprise. These are a major source of financial information that helps the users in making decisions about economic activities. Thus according to IASC(1989,paragraph 12), â€Å"The objective of financial statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of an enterprise that is useful to a wide range of users in making economic decisions.† On the other hand, it is argued that the preparers of the financial statements can manipulate the financial statements by the transformation of financial accounting figures from what they actually are to what preparers desire by taking advantage of the existing rules and/or ignoring some or all of them (Nasar, 1993:2). It may not be illegal in all cases but they are considered as unethical (Amt et al, 1999). This process is called creative accounting. The inappropriate use of creative accounting has resulted into financial statement frauds in many cases, which has been an issue of

Heated debate, Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Heated debate, - Article Example Rossi-Hansberg of Princeton University in their working paper are wondering whether there are ways of managing the impact of changing weather patterns by moving the location of economic activity. These writers note that about 90% of global production makes use of only 10% of the land available. When that 10% is threatened, activity may at least theoretically shift to bits of the 90% made more hospitable by climate change. Thus Messrs Desmet and Rossi-Hansberg created a model economy and battered it with various temperature rises to gauge its reaction. In this analysis, the two writers allow people to move around as they want in this response. In worst situations, freedom from movement does not make much difference since temperatures lead to a reduction of global agricultural productivity to almost zero, meaning â€Å"the end of human life on earth†. Nevertheless, in more moderate situations, rising global temperatures enhance agricultural productivity in northerly climes. Restrictions on movement on the other hand, dramatically increase the cost of welfare. This model is simplistic and suggests that limits on migration have a huge impact on the global warming costs. Mr. Mathew Kahn (University of California) claims that warming of the climate, will lead to vulnerable areas such as lower Manhattan to become less desirable in relation to rival centres such as New York’s suburbs, Manhattan and Chicago. It is therefore important that rational firms and workers to assess the dangers of floods or such and migrate, so as to raise the productivity of the destination locations as they appear. This move would come with its own costs and investors in places such as lower Manhattan property would for instance suffer big losses. Nevertheless Mr. Kahn argues that there may also be gains as activity shifts from ancient cities to more modernized areas. The conclusion of the article points to government involvement through such things as food flood insurance, for those living

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

Reading response - Essay Example The 913 people who died in the town were all members of the religious movement. However, two of those who died were killed by poison known as cyanide. The massacre event was named the revolutionary suicide event by Jones and several members of the religious group (Moore & Rebecca 314). The death of this members extended to appoint the act was seen as mass suicide even by the government of the United States. This story is fascinating because of the event that happened in Jonestown. The story talks about murder and suicide of many people who are the members of the religious group. The most interesting part in the story is the fact that the deaths of this people could not be justified and also the causes of their deaths were not valid. The death of many people at a time and from the same place could also attract attention to the story. Interestingly, the diseased die without knowing the reasons of their deaths. Another interesting part of the story is the way people died from cyanide, there are several symptoms that are observed when a person is poisoned using cyanide. Those who were said to have died from cyanide, should have displayed the signs and the symptoms appropriately. On religious tradition, the article talks about the religious movement and the visit of its members to the divine. According to the article, the members of the religious group often went to the divine for the religious activities. Jones’ speech attracted more members to the group, he delivered sermons that relieved the members and gave many people the feeling of freedom. From the religion activities explored in the article, it is clear that the traditions of religion depends on the belief of the individual. However, the sermon and the speech given by the religious leaders appear to attract and influence most of the non-believers into joining a certain religion movement (Moore & Rebecca 317). For

Sucessful supply chain management and the creation of competitive Essay

Sucessful supply chain management and the creation of competitive advantages requires effective demand and supply chain manage - Essay Example In this case, upstream interconnection focuses on source of supply, while downstream interconnection deals with distribution of commodities to customers. Therefore, SMG focuses creation and optimization of value in processes and activities for services and products that are offered in order to satisfy customer demands. SMG may also be considered a interrelationship and management of inflow and outflow of commodities and relevant information through a network that interlinks producers, manufactures and consumers (Samaranayake, 2005, 48). However, there is a need for a change in SMG, which is facilitated by a shift from individual functions of management to integration of necessary activities in the process. Some of the processes managed through SCM include management of customer relation, suppliers’ relationship service, returns, demand, flow of manufacturing processes and order fulfilment. Moreover, there are functions and facilities, which are entailed in the supply, chain ac tivities such as conversion and transportation of commodities from a stage of raw materials to finished goods. Therefore, SCM can be conceptualized as a network through which suppliers and consumers are able to integrate demand and supply. Competitive Advantage In order to create a competitive advantage with through supply chain management, there are supply chain connections in the upstream and downstream flow of materials and information (Monczka, Trent & Handfield, 2005, 9). There are both physical and informational elements entailed in the process of SCM, which is perceived as creation of value chain network that consist of individual functional units. In addition, it entails upstream supplier network and downstream channels, whereby organization forms an integral part of the SCM. In this case, this calls for equitable performance in a way that facilitates achievement of organizational objectives. In other situation, supply chain management is applied as a way of gaining competit ive through maximization of value, whereby it leads to generation of disparities between finished products. In fact, these different is vital to the customer and for supply chain as well, whereby it offers a means of satisfying customer needs (Chopra & Meindl, 2007, 22). On the other hand, SCM offers a platform for a competition based on value of products and services offered by an organization and collaboration with suppliers and customers. This leads to acquisition of a substantial market share, which is derived from consumers through satisfaction (Martin & Grbac, 2003, 25). Therefore, SCM creates an opportunity of gaining a competitive advantage through collaboration and cooperation aimed at improving the efficiency and market effectiveness that is vital to the customers. Nevertheless, gaining a competitive advantage through SCM requires planning of operations, whereby it is vital for facilitating the process of distributing commodities in the market to the consumers (Gimenez & V entura, 2002, 4). Moreover, there other issues considered in the process of designing and monitoring the supply chain; in fact, these

The Rise of Neoliberism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rise of Neoliberism - Essay Example The collapse of the Soviet Union was the proverbial straw that broke the forbearance of the economists and social scientists. There arose a dogma that is seldom referred to by its name of neoliberalism, that became increasing popular as a counter-revolution to the communist ideology and the centralised economic system. Neoliberalism, in its basic form, is a movement that encourages a reversion to the economic policies of the 18th and the 19th centuries, and foresees economic liberty and political development as its consequences (Wikipedia 2007). The proponents of this ideology claim it to be more than just an economic and political system; they put forward this counter-revolution as a social and philosophical change (Wikipedia 2007) that will affect all people from all walks of life in all their social endeavors. Neoliberalism aims at providing a freedom in the economic sector through free market and free trade concepts, and a reduced political intervention over the economic sector. It revolves around the privatisation of the public sector, and the transfer of public assets to a select few in the business world. Although neoliberalism aims at promoting liberty, it is of... This ideology encourages a huge rift in the society between the rich and the poor, creating two distinct classes of the people; the working class and the ruling class. In essence, it makes the rich richer and the poor poorer, a signature affect of capitalism, though it claims to be operating on a different note than capitalism.Its basic fundamentals of free market economy are in conjunction with global trade, and the two ideologies intermingle smoothly into each other, that of neoliberalism and globalization. Of late, countries all over the world are under intense pressure to succumb to this model of economics, often referred to as the American Model (Cambridge Journal of Economics 2007), allowing cross-border trade and funds transfer, and subduing the local and preferred economic systems of the affected countries. Neoliberalism, suffice it to say, is an oppressive form of political and economic system that uses force and twisted ideologies to benefit only a handful of ruling parties. It condemns union rights, stating that they come as impediments in the way of economic development. But this brings with itself the oppression of the working class in the form of low wages, under employment and unfair working environments and systems. Although claiming to be a beacon of liberty, it results in non-mobilisation of wealth and property, never letting the working class the right of ownership and governing

Remember the Titans Review Essay Example for Free

Remember the Titans Review Essay The movie Remember the Titans is one of the most inspiring sports movies in recent memory.. This is due to the performances of Denzel Washington as well as others in the cast but   its success can also can be attributed to the fact that the story was based on real life events. As is the case with most movies, those that are based on fact, no matter how loosely, usually seem to add to the drama that mindless action movies which are big on special effects and small on acting and story. Remember the Titans is not one of those movies because the racial tensions that were associated with busing and school integration in the last 1960s’ and 1970’s was one of the divisive sources during that time. For a young, contemporary society, it may seem difficult to be able to successfully transplant oneself into that specific time and place and to wonder aloud, what the entire situation was all about. There were tensions that came from the mixing of the two teams, regardless of their color.   Many players at T.C. Williams were counting on a starting spot for the football team, only to have many of the positions challenged due to the integration of the school. Due to the fact that the school that is being meshed into T.C. Williams is a predominately African American school, with the setting of the story taking place in 1970 Virginia, only adds to the frustrations on the part of the athletes from both schools. This reality places a stress on the already fragile relationships that the white and black players as well as students have for each other. However, in the end, the story has a happy ending and the school not only successfully integrates, but has one of their most successful years on the football field.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the major sources of debate within Titans is the way in which Herman Boone receives the head coaching job at T.C. Williams.   The school has been integrated and the football team, a bastion of relief and excitement for the masses in Alexandria, Virginia. Within the movie, it is plainly seen that the majority of white students and their families are not in favor of the integration of the school. What is the source of even more resistance is the fact that Herman Boone, not because of his merit but simply because of his race, is being made head coach over the current coach, Bill Yoast who has had his share of awards given to him for his splendid coaching record in the past. The school board feels that this is the appropriate choice to make as they believe that it will help the town to ease into the idea. This is not ethically right or proper. There is not way of knowing exactly how well the team would have fared if the coaches were picked on their merit instead of on race, but it seems that as long as starting positions on the field were earned by the physical and mental merit of the players, so too should the coaches be made to honor the idea of creating a meritocracy as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is not acceptable and is seen as the central aspect of the movie, are the relationships between the players from both of the schools. At first, many of the players on both sides did not want to befriend their competition with regard to the specific starting position that they were hoping to earn but also their competition in society as well. It is the efforts of Julies and Bertier, the leaders of their respective former schools and therefore, is divided by racial lines, which help to make the transition from two separate teams into one a bit easier. The two characters are very forceful on the football field as it is required to remain successful but they are also equally as forceful with regard to the integration of their fellow teammates. Both are resistant to the experiment by once they get on board with the idea, the rest are sure to follow. This is the true sign of a leader but also of the team recognizing the fact that they need to come together as a team in order to win. Cohesiveness of a team is what every coach strives to achieve. The second source of calm and rational thinking in the face of a situation that many on the team might respond to with hatred and bigotry, comes from Coach Boone and Coach Yoast. Yoast will eventually see the bigger picture and swallow his own feelings of mistreatment and submit to the will of the school board and usually, to the will of coach Yoast. He had such a stellar coaching record because he knew how to win. The same can be said about Coach Boone as well. He does not like the situation in which he was picked to coach T.C. Williams but he resolves that this is not only good for his career in the long run, but for the cohesion of the entire community as the football team serves as the center of life in Alexandria, Virginia. In the special features, the real coaches are shown talking as old friends and there is nothing to suggest that is not the case in real life. But the relationship of the two coaches, as was the case with the players, was a contentious one. Race obviously played a central role in the actions of the T.C. Williams football team. People are a product of their environment and Alexandria, Virginia expressed loudly, their feelings about the forced integration of their school as well as the football players did the same. But Coach Boone and Yoast as well as the majority of football players on the team realized what it took to win.   All had enjoyed winning seasons before the integration of the school. Had the teams never enjoyed victory and never yearned for success within their daily lives, there might have been little hope for this experiment to have succeeded. Only those living there at that time can accurately describe what life was really like during those times but the ethical behavior of the majority of players as well as their recognition of what it takes to win in this life, eventually became the paramount reason as to why the team went on to have a successful season and racial strife within the team unity could only be seen as a speed bump if they wished to continue to win. WORKS CITED Bruckheimer, Jerry.   Remember the Titans. Buena Vista. 2000

Fashion from the sixteenth to nineteenth century

Fashion from the sixteenth to nineteenth century Fashion, which was a norm only used to describe upper class people between 13th Century and 16th Century, was dominated by court and aristocracy. At the beginning of 17th Century, which is also known as the end of European Renaissance, clothing represented the social standing of the wearer. The dressing code could be used to distinguish classes. It is believed that during the Renaissance, fashion was experiencing a lot of transformation in terms of colour, clothes and accessories (Jones 2000). Some people argued that Renaissance is the turning point of fashion since it reflected changes in self-esteem, erotic appeal or social advancement (Rublack 2011). In the meantime, lower class started to acquire status by adopting the clothing styles of the upper class, fashion became widely interested. Therefore, it is important to understand the fashion development since 17th Century. This paper first discusses the fashion plate, which is considered to be the first fashion magazine and early f orm of fashion. Secondly, it discusses the development of printing technology and its effects on fashion dissemination. Then it illustrates modern fashion disseminations including Internet, television and other social media and their influences. Fashion plate is defined as illustrations of clothing fashion or style, originated as early as 16th Century (Nevinson 1967). The original fashion plate was in a form of either drawing or engraving of clothes, accessories and shoes on metal plates (Holland 1955). Initially, it was used in portraiture of nobility and aristocracy (Nevinson 1967). Loyal families drew portraits and clothes on the fashion plates and sent them away to other loyal families as display of marriageable members (Nevinson 1967). With the development of fashion plate and fashion, at the beginning of 17th Century, fashion plate becomes the most effective way to promote fashion workshops in Europe (Steele 2005). People distributed fashion plate to convey fashionable information around Europe. Shop owners sent fashion plates by messengers to potential clients while friends and relatives sent each other fashion plate for comparisons and communications. Fashion plate is also regarded as the earliest form of fashion mag azine since the popularity of fashion plates led some publishers to use fashion plates as their publications materials to demonstrate trends and clothes instead of using plain text (Holland, 1955). However, fashion plate did not occur at a systematic level until 18th Century when weekly publications such as the Lady’s Magazine, La Belle Assemblee, and Les Modes Parisiennes became widespread and publications became massive. At the beginning, fashion plates only depicted fashion information and predicted fashion to those who could afford. With the development of economy and technology, fashion plates soon became popular even within lower class people. Although fashion plates were pricy, people showed strong interest in them. It was the mainstream medium of fashion dissemination until the early 20th Century when printing became dominant. Fashion plate remained on fashion stage for another significant period of time until late 20th Century when other social media such as television and Internet became popular. Today it is regarded as fine art collection and most of them have the value of research study. Another development of fashion dissemination is the invention of printing. Fashion information was delivered by printed paper ever since the invention of printing press. However, formal publication started only in 17th Century when the French publication Mercure de France was published. Mercure de France was a significant development since it was considered the first gazette and literary magazine (DeJean 2005). It played an important role in the dissemination of fashion news, fashion stories, and reviews of the latest fashion. But due to relatively slow improvement in fashion itself, weekly publication seems to be too fast and unnecessary. Fashion plates, which could be preserved over a significant time and transported multiple times, were easier to accepted by the social perception (Nevinson 1967). The real improvement in print production started in the nineteenth century when steam power press became available. The magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book quickly became a large circulation in the country (Nevinson 1967). Massive fashion production by printing press flourished the second time after the transition to rolled paper, which significantly improve the paper feeding speed and printing speed. The invention of lithography, which is regarded as another important improvement, enabled artists and designers to print their drawings and illustration any smooth surface. Since lithograph can print on all surfaces, fashion plates started to die off from the market simply because it was too pricy for most of the people. For textile and clothing fashion, under the impulse of evolution in printing technology, the printing became an industrial process which significantly decreased the price of textile and clothes. In contemporary fashion, variety of prints could be identified. It b ecame the trademark of a diversity of designers such as handbags and clothes. The printing technology started with simple printing press, has experience uncountable developments, today, it is still the mainstream platform of fashion dissemination. But the biggest step forward happened when half tone printing technology was invented. The invention of half tone printing allowed people printed photographs together with text without affecting their quality. This new technology gave birth of the modern fashion magazine. In the 1820s, the first photography was developed (Hirsch 2000). Fashion photography appeared first time in a French magazine. In 1909, Vogue magazine was took over by Condà © Nast, which contributed significantly to the era of fashion photography (Angeletti 2012). In 1911, photographer Edward Steichen promote fashion as fine art by the collection of photography (Niven 1997). Paris was the centre of the fashion photography at that time. Fashion photograph has generated some of the most influential materials. Although fashion was developing slowly during World War I and World War II, there continuous to be growing numbers of women increased in fashion information. Magazines and newspapers, which contained a lot of p hotographs, began to cater to the lower classes in cheaper, specialise and accessible manners. By the 1960s, fashion magazines became more specialised while photography became the ideal medium for recording and disseminating the fashion information. Changes in the fashion dissemination in the 20th century were facilitated by new methods and approaches, mainly because of the evolution in technologies. More people were seeking more convenient ways to follow the trend. These new mediums such as Internet and TV created new access to fashion information and changed the ways people create fashions. Film, as another mainstream presentation of fashion, became popular during the Great Depression (Barthes 2010). However, due to the limitation of technology, film did not improve a lot until late 20th Century. The fashion elements in film include clothes, make-ups, accessories, bags, and even cars. While films are representing themes in virtual world, most of the elements can be used to predict fashions once a particular film becomes popular (McNeil 2009). In the late 20th century movie stars began to establish their role as the fashion elite by stapling fashion design labels in their daily life. For instance, Audrey Hepburn fashion icons include fitted pants, oversized sunglasses and little black dress affected women wear still today. Another example is the car collections in James Bond’s movie series had lead car collection fashion over decades. Victoria Beckham, who had transformed herself from singer to fashion designer and businesswoman, is leading the women fashion in di fferent fields. Another important fashion dissemination tool, television, began to compete with film as a medium of fashion from the mid-20th Century (McNeil 2009). The advent of the video clips had introduced another approach for fashion. Since film is much longer than video clip or music video clip, it is hard for people to find a particular piece of information throughout the whole film, and it is obviously impossible to repeat the film over and over again, TV has its own advantages than film. Commercials and advertisement can be broadcasted on TV repeatedly with a reasonable cost. With the invention of cable and digital networks, today traditional media have been assigned with different meanings. The improvement of Internet provided increasing amounts of information to people. Internet TV could reach all levels of society and more fashion information than conventional way. A variety of formats including news, magazines and other forms of fashion dissemination are transforming into digital way. The social networking has enabled a faster fashion diffuseness. Celebrities, fashion designers and other fashion related parties started using social media as their primary dissemination tool. With the impacts of new technology, fashion is experiencing faster evolution than ever. In conclusion, the development of fashion between 17th Century and 19th Century was slow due to the limitation of technology. Fashion plate was the mainstream dissemination tool from 17th to 19th century. With the industry revolution, fashion dissemination had extended magazines and newspaper. The development of technology had empowered fashion dissemination a cheaper and convenient approach. However, it was until the invention of film and photography could fashion become widely spread. Throughout the 20th century, the social media’s role in the fashion dissemination process has become more and more important. The concept and understanding of fashion became integrated with digital technology. Reference Angeletti, N. O. A. W. A. 2012, In Vogue : the illustrated history of the worlds most famous fashion magazine, Rizzoli : Distributed in the U.S. trade by Random House, New York. Barthes, R. 2010, The fashion system, Vintage Classic, London. DeJean, J. E. 2005, The essence of style : how the French invented high fashion, fine food, chic cafà ©s, style, sophistication, and glamour, Free Press, New York. Hirsch, R. 2000, Seizing the light : a history of photography, McGraw-Hill, Boston. Holland, V. B. 1955, Hand coloured fashion plates, 1770 to 1899, Batsford, London. Jones, A. R. S. P. 2000, Renaissance clothing and the materials of memory, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge [England]; New York. McNeil, P. K. V. C. C. 2009, Fashion in fiction : text and clothing in literature, film, and television, Berg, Oxford, UK; New York. Nevinson, J. L. 1967, Origin and early history of the fashion plate, Smithsonian Press, Washington, D.C. Niven, P. 1997, Steichen : a biography, Clarkson Potter, New York. Rublack, U. 2011, Renaissance fashion: The birth of power dressing, History Today, vol. 61, no.1. Steele, V. 2005, Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion, Charles Scribners Sons, Farmington Hills, MI.

Theories of The London Riots

Theories of The London Riots Secondly, Karl Marxs class conflict theory of Marxism will be discussed regarding its theoretical input to the preliminary causing of the riots. Capitalism engenders crime through the infusion of egotistic tendencies with the failure of means to satisfy such demands. A financial hierarchy has been created in which wealth and material possessions are crucial when escalating up this hierarchy. Lastly, the theory of consumer culture shall be considered in response to the London riots. Consumer culture is broadly defined as ones desire and ability in living beyond basic needs. Merton (1938) suggests that crime occurs when an individuals ambitions of material wealth cannot be achieved in a socially acceptable manner, leading to means of deviance such as theft. Social Exclusion in response to the London riots. Individuals, families and groups can be said to be in poverty when . . . their resources are so seriously below those commanded by the average individual or family that they are, in effect, excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities (Townsend, 1979). We need to remember that social exclusion doesnt just happen within the working classes; it can happen across all the classes. Social exclusion differs to Marxism in that it doesnt concern itself primarily with poverty, social exclusion can be multi-dimensional in which poverty is typical, but not always implicated (Saunders, 2003). Social exclusion is contrast to Marxism in that the focus isnt on poverty and class. Social exclusion happens for many global roots, whether this can be through the decline of manufacturing industries and the creation of structural unemployment. Wilson (1996) highlights issues with people wanting to work but not having the necessary skills or education to do so. This therefore leads them into financial deprivation then essentially crime i.e. looting and robbery. University fees now situate themselves at  £9,000 alone. This prices out many individuals leaving them without the necessary education to strive and achieve in the workplace. In relation to the riots, it is this exclusion from societal expectations that leads individuals to have to fight for their place in society. Bauman and Rose also argue that active rejection of the lower class by society by downsizing industry creating higher unemployment, the labelling of those without jobs and the ideology that the lower class are criminogenic, violent, with many being ethnic. Social exclusion detracts poverty and class away from the causes of crime however, which was a very apparent concern in the spread of the riots. Coupled with this there is very little theory to actuall y explain the causes and effects of social exclusion in which is very apparent within the Marx theories. MacDonald and Marsh (2002) state that it has become a confusing and slippery catch-all phrase with no real explanation. Social exclusion reiterates the implication of dichotomy between exclusion and inclusion (Levitas 1996; see also Hills et al. 2002) in which is very poorly explained. Marxism in response to the London riots. Representation of anger and resentment from the working class, predominantly the poorest, most excluded individuals were shown towards the police, capitalism and racial victimisation throughout the London riots. The catalyst for the initial focus was the killing of Mark Duggan by police officials. Reports from the police and the news teams which followed this unlawful killing were contradictory and unclear leading to an uproar of frustration and anger. Marx would suggest that the police are an organisation of armed men, who look to implement the authoritarianism of the bourgeoisie. Furthermore, he would suggest that the media and police are all products of the same billionaires who fund and own such organisations. This coupled with the consumerist society is what drove individuals to rebel. The Marxist theory suggests that societal judgment of an individual is performed on the contents of their wallet and wardrobe as appose to their characteristics and personality (Clinnard and Meier, 2008). Marx states that where a ruling class classification is achieved; the individuals not situated in this group will revolt against them who do, thus creating power relationships between different social groups (Haralambos and Holborn, 2007). Inequality is largely fuelled through social deprivation; this creates jealousy, greed and conflict within societies and in turn leads to public displays of rebellion and revolt. The London riots of 2011 suggest that a society driven by consumerism encourages anti-social behaviour, coupled with the vast amount of material looting, we can assume that this revolt was aimed at the rich capitalists who situate themselves pinnacle within this hierarchy of wealth and importance. Whilst applying Marxism to the riots and the real world it would seem that accountability for essential parts of society are lacking. A Marxist society sees individuals who work hard being rewarded with wealth and stability for their efforts. Unemployment rates were exceptionally high within society at the time of the riots giving well educated and skilled individuals no means of income or alternatively, struggling whilst working hard in low paid jobs. Furthermore, within the riots it was stated that individuals involved were all low class, young and criminogenic complimentary to Marxist views of criminals being from a third class, lumpenproletariat. Amongst those convicted for rioting however was a millionaires daughter and law student who were firmly nestled within middle class families. Colvin and Pauly (1983) suggested that people in lower paid jobs are controlled at work through manipulation and coercion. This can further be seen in the lead up to the riots of August 2011 through the policing of communities. 73 per cent of individuals interviewed in the reading the riots article had been stopped and searched within the past year. Marx would suggest that this robust policing on specific communities are the ruling class exploiting the working class, thus explaining involvement within the riots as an act of hatred for the authorities. Consumer Culture in response to the London riots. Throughout the aftermath of the London riots many aspects of society have been subjected to culpability in the reasoning for the preliminary causing of this rebellion and revolt. However, rather a large aspect of societal influence hasnt been subjected to this liability, this being designers, retail companies and electrical suppliers. The riots were not focussed on the destruction of property or violent attacks upon our government/forces instead these riots were subject to obtaining goods free of charge. Footlocker, JJB, Carphone Warehouse etc. these were just some of the shops in which were targeted but these young individuals, this coming as no surprise. Businesses like these are home to the goods in which are most desirable by individuals today, highlighting that the riots happened due to an out of control consumerist ethos (Hawkes, 2011). Consumer culture has an illustrious history behind it. Slater (1997) stated that consumer culture is discovered every few decades; or, to be uncharitable, it has been redesigned, repackaged and relaunched as a new academic and political product every generation since the sixteenth century. Importantly, consumer culture became mass during the 20th century, particularly after the Second World War (Hall et al. 2008). This shows that under no measures will consumer culture be controlled. Consumption has now replaced production as the defining characteristic of Western societies (Lasch 1979, Bauman 1998). Advertising is dominant in every aspect of an individuals life, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, these are all new and improved ways in which products can be publicised. It is this constant barrage of consumerism that leads to every aspect of an individuals life being consumeristic, education, where you reside etc. all are key in your social expression. Merton (1938) states that when a materialistic wealth is unable to be achieved through socially acceptable means, crime and deviance will occur. This links well with Youngs (2007) view of a bulimic society in that massive cultural inclusion is accompanied by systematic structural exclusion. He then continues to say that the consumer markets propagate a citizenship of joyful consumption yet the ability to spend (and sometimes even to enter) within the mall is severely limited. The riots of August 2011 where described as envy masked as a triumphant carnival (Zizek, 2011). Bankers, politicians, footballers etc. are all subject to ample amounts of publicity and it is their materialistic wealth that creates this want and envy, in turn, leading to individuals going to these extreme lengths in order to achieve such wealth. Hayward (2004) however creates a different notion. He believes that the material goods in which where taken during the riots where not for the wealth they bestowed but alternatively for the identity in which they gave the individual. Thus, where the employed and wealthy are also looting it is hard to label these select individuals into one generic category. This rebellion of consumerism and social exclusion that is seen everywhere when reasoning for the riots surely is incorrect. It was an attempt to join in (Bauman, 2011), climb that materialistic hierarchy and enhance your identity. Conclusion: The theories discussed above are merely three of many in which can account for the riots in August 2011. All three of these theories highlight issues surrounding poverty, class and the exclusion in which conjoins itself to this hierarchy of wealth. Karl Marxs capitalism suggests response to the riots in that a good capitalism is needed to rejuvenate Britain but we must then account for the question, can capitalism be reformed to account these lower class individuals or simply continue to exploit them? It is this exploitation in which needs to be controlled and accessed within many societal areas. It is extremely evident that the police forces abuse their stop and search powers and this is further targeted at the same individuals in which are secluded from society from governmental statues and manifestos; the youths, blacks and underprivileged. Education, direction and employment are very regularly inaccessible for these individuals which, in turn, lead to a lifetime in crime as means of survival. But where there is consumer culture, they will be exploitation. Our direction, our role models tend to locate themselves at the highest end of this hierarchy of wealth. We see the watches they buy, we see the clothes they wear, we see the cars they drive, this strive for success and these material goods are the main factors in which also spirals an individual into a life of crime. The London riots saw an extremely large number of individuals overlooking the laws and their morals to provide themselves with these material goods in which they probably wouldnt have owned without taking these measures. The conservative government have a history in capitalism, exploitation and the lack of societal values. We saw Margret Thatcher openly state these views throughout her time as prime minister but, in this modern society in which we live it has become obvious that these views will not stand and individuals will do anything in their power to rebel against this.

Maya Angelou :: essays research papers

when Maya Angelou was a young woman -- "in the crisp days of my youth," she says -- she carried with her a secret conviction that she wouldn't live past the age of 28. Raped by her mother's boyfriend at 8 and a mother herself since she graduated from high school, she supported herself and her son, Guy, through a series of careers and buoyed by an implacable ambition to escape what might have been a half-lived, ground-down life of poverty and despair. "For it is hateful to be young, bright, ambitious and poor," Angelou observes. "The added insult is to be aware of one's poverty." In "Even the Stars Look Lonesome," her new collection of reflective autobiographical essays, Angelou gives no further explanation for her "profound belief" that she would die young. "I was thirty-six before I realized that I had lived years beyond my deadline and needed to revise my thinking about an early death," she recalls. "With that realization life waxed sweeter. Old acquaintances became friendships, and new clever acquaintances showed themselves more interesting. Old loves burdened with memories of disappointments and betrayals packed up and left town, leaving no forwarding address, and new loves came calling." Now 69, Angelou is the nearest thing America has to a sacred institution, a high priestess of culture and love in the tradition of such distaff luminaries (all of them, hitherto, white) as Isadora Duncan and Pearl S. Buck, with a bit of Eleanor Roosevelt and Aimà ©e Semple MacPherson thrown into the mix. "She was born poor and powerless in a land where/power is money and money is adored," the poet Angelou writes in tribute to another astonishing black woman of our time, Oprah Winfrey. "Born black in a land where might is white/and white is adored./Born female in a land where decisions are masculine/and masculinity controls." Angelou's lifelong effort to escape and expose the "national, racial and historical hallucinations" that have burdened black women in America and replace them with a shining exemplar of power, achievement and generosity of spirit is as miraculous as she says it is, even if one suspects that in "real life" Angelou must be a little hard to take. "I would have my ears filled with the world's music," she writes, "the grunts of hewers of wood, the cackle of old folks sitting in the last sunlight and the whir of busy bees in the early morning .

To compare The Charge of the Light Brigade with The Destruction of Essa

To compare The Charge of the Light Brigade with The Destruction of Sennacherib In this essay we are going to be comparing two war poems. They are ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) and ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ by Lord Byron (1788-1824). ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ is set in the Crimean war. It is about the British cavalry getting the wrong orders and going straight at the enemy’s cannons. ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ is a biblical story. The story tells us about a whole army being wiped out really quickly as they slept by the ‘Angel of Death’. The first poem we are going to look at is ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892). In this poem Tennyson describes the valley that the cavalry had to gallop along as ‘The Valley of Death’. This makes you think that as they go along the valley the soldiers will die. He describes the soldiers as heroic and he admires their courage because the soldiers did not question their orders even though they were likely to be killed. To emphasise this ..

How to Motivate Fred Maiorino Essay

Fred Maiorino was employed by Schering-Plough for 35 years and on July 19, 1991 he was terminated. Fred was terminated because the lack of motivation he has once Jim Reed was hired. The factors that inhibit Jim Reed from motivated Fred Maiorino are lack of leadership, lack of goals, and lack of an effective employee performance review. Leadership Jim Reed fails to motivate Fred because of the unsuccessful role as leader. A successful leader has the ability to manage and supervise the performances of their employees. (Kacmar, Carlson, Harris 2013). These authors describe several leadership styles but the most effective in motivating employees is transformational leadership style. The transformational leadership style inspires employees by establishing a work environment that is motivating and invigorating (Kacmar, Carlson, Harris 2013). Motivating employees initiate them to believe in organizations ambitions. The transformation leadership technique encourages and motivates employees to be mindful of the significance of their role within the company. The authors explain a transformation leader that stimulates and motivates employees has the ability to achieve astonishing outcomes and improve their leadership capability. They also assist in developing and strengthening employees. They are effective in overcoming defiance among the employees by instilling passion, strength and cooperation between employees and establishing a set of standards to follow. Leaders must demonstrate ethics, honesty, beliefs and trust to establish a positive work atmosphere so employees will be motivated to do their best. (Pryor, Singleton, Taneja, & Humphreys, 2010) A leader that motivates allows an employee to feel confident and appreciated for their work. Employees want to believe that they are valued and respected by their managers. Transformational leadership significantly enhances the competence leaders have to impact an increase in collaboration among employees. According to Schuh, Zhang, & Tian (2013) the end result of transformational leadership is â€Å"uniformly positive†. Transformational leaders believe employees are a valued asset instead of, just an employee. Employees should be involved in making decisions. Transformational leaders should be able to listen and have the ability to communicate with employees. A transformational leader will allow employees to disprove of ideas and  offer new suggestions. Employee motivate and morale will increase with the continually use of the transformational leadership style. Jim Reed should have adopted a transformational leadership style to motivate Fred Mariono. Goal Setting Jim Reed’s lack of goals contributes to the failure of motivating Fred. Goal setting is a tool that can be used to motivate employees, allowing them to feel important and valued as an employee. (Latham 2004) Efficient goal setting is force of performance. According to Locke & Latham (2002), the goal setting theory emphasizes that employees given precise goals than being told â€Å"do your best† The more successful attempts an employee has a obtaining their goal, the higher their job satisfaction will be. Setting goals for employees instill purpose and meaning to their job and allows them to challenge each other. Achieving goals increase employee’s interest, enhanced sense of personal efficiency, and pride in job performance. (Latham 2004) The importance of goals to employees influences the commitment to the goal. Goals are regulated by aptitude, commitment, feedback, difficulty, and situational elements. (Barsky 2008) An employee’s success in accomplishing stimulating but obtainable goals is directly correlated with positive and valued results. The higher the significance of the expected results for the employee, the higher the goal commitment to achieve it (Latham 2004). Once the goal is set, it is the employee’s assessment that will govern the level of performance (Latham, 2004). Specific goals set for Fred would have challenged, motivated, and increased his level of performance Performance Evaluation The failure of implementing an effective performance evaluation contributed to not motivating Fred. Jim Reeds method could be described as unintended outcome.(Van De Mieroop, Vrolix 2014) that is obtained from unacceptable performance ratings. Performance evaluations should be comprised of principles that determine the level of performance and a valuation to determine the achievements of the employee. An effective performance evaluation will clearly state employee’s expectations and standards. A performance evaluation review should not be based on historical factors. The purpose of performance reviews should focus on the future. (Van DE  Mieroop, Vrolix 2014) The most effective way to increase performance is by direct feedback (Ahmed, Sultan, Paul, Azeen 2013). The key motives for lack of performance can be accredited to lack of managerial success due to the lack of manager’s direction and feedback to employees. .(Yadav, Sushil, Sagar 2014) Leaders need to make employees aware of their responsibilities, obligations to the company and their expectation and then offer continuous feedback. Employees need to be made aware of the progress of their performance levels. (Yadav, Sushil, Sagar 2014) Many studies have revealed that most performance appraisals do not meet the company’s expectations because it emphasis the weaknesses of the employees. This has a tendency to make employees very defensive about the negative focus on their weaknesses. Along with distrust, negative feedback can deter performance, making the performance review ineffective for developing an employee. Jim Reed’s lack of an effective performance evaluation played a role in the termination of Fred. Recommendations Jim Reed needs to adopt a transformational leadership style. Employee ‘s level of performance is positively impacted when transformational leadership is applied. There are four transformational leadership approaches to increase productivity, increase motivation, and decrease turnover. (Zhu, Akhtar 2014) The first approach is to for leaders to set a superior example. This gains the leader respect and trust from employees. They are able to motivate, create change and boost the interest of employees. Second approach is leaders that inspire and are motivated themselves have the ability to motivate employees to be dedicated to the company’s goals. Leaders will also have the ability to encourage their employees to work together and obtain goals and increase their level of performance. (Baca Walker 2013) The third approach is that challenging employees intellectually will stimulate and encourage creativity and originality. Doing this, will able employees to think decisively and develop problem solving skills to assist the company in becoming more effective. The last approach, transformation leadership technique promotes employee consideration. Transformation leaders care about each employee and are often viewed as advisors and teachers. Schuh, Zhang and Tian (2013)have determined that there is a positive correlation between the behavior of  managers and employee results. The success of an organization is directly correlated with an increase in level of performance, efficiency, and improvement. A transformational leadership technique applied would have assisted in motivating Fred. Jim Reed needs to set goals for employees based on the goal setting theory to motivate employees. Performance is indirectly affected by setting goals. According to Latham & Locke (2002), there are several key factors to ensure that the goals are effective. Employees must possess the skills and knowledge to achieve the goal g iven. A learning goal should be set when the employee lacks the knowledge to obtain the goal. The employee needs to be committed to the goal. To ensure that an employee is committed, the goal must be important and deemed as achievable to the employee. Its neccassary that an employee feels committed to achieving the goal for the level of performance to be affected. (Bateman, Barry, 2012) One important factor that facilitates goal commitment is the belief that the individual are able to attain the goal. (Locke, Latham, 2002). Managers need to give the employee feedback, to keep the current on their achievements. Employees that learn they are below their goal usually escalate their determination or adjust their strategy to ensure they achieve their goal. Locke and Latham (2002) suggest that when feedback allows performance to be tracked in relation to one’s goal, goal setting is more effective. When employees realize that they are not on track to accomplish their, they will work harder to increase level of performance. (Tamemag, OHora, Maglieri 2013) If employees are unaware of their progress, they have no way of knowing that change is needed in their performance. The manager is also responsible for ensuring that the employee has all necessary resources to achieve their goal. The implementation of the goal setting theory would have assisted Jim Reed in motivating Fred and could have prevented him from being terminated. Jim Reed needs to base his employee performance review off of the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale. Research has determined one of the most effective ways of evaluating employees is the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale. BARS is technique that evaluates employees based on their level of performance. This scale combines basics from critical incident and graphic rating scale methods.( Hauenstein, Brown, Sinclair, 2010) BARS will assist in managing changes for promotions and helps in addressing poor performance. It allows the ability to evaluate  other programs within the organization. References Ahmed, I., Sultana, I., Paul, S., & Azeem, A. (2013). Employee performance evaluation: a fuzzy approach. International Journal Of Productivity & Performance Management, 62(7), 718-734 Bacha, E., & Walker, S. (2013). The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Followers’ Perceptions of Fairness. Journal Of Business Ethics, 116(3), 667-680 Barsky, A. (2008). Understanding the Ethical Cost of Organizational Goal-Setting: A Review and Theory Development. Journal Of Business Ethics, 81(1), 63-81 Bateman, T. S., & Barry, B. (2012). Masters of the long haul: Pursuing long-term work goals. Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 33(7), 984-1006 Ganster, D. C., Kiersch, C. E., Marsh, R. E., & Bowen, A. (2011). Performance-Based Rewards and Work Stress. Journal Of Organizational Behavior Management, 31(4), 221-235. Hauenstein, N. A., Brown, R. D., & Sinclair, A. L. (2010). BARS and Those Mysterious, Missing Middle Anchors. Journal Of Business & Psychology, 25(4), 663-672. Kacma r, K., Carlson, D. S., & Harris, K. J. (2013). Interactive Effect of Leaders’ Influence Tactics and Ethical Leadership on Work Effort and Helping Behavior. Journal Of Social Psychology, 153(5), 577-597. Latham, G. P. (2004). The motivational benefits of goal-setting. Academy Of Management Executive, 18(4), 126-129 Locke, E.A.,&Latham, G.P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57, 705–717. Pryor, M. G., Singleton, L. P., Taneja, S., & Humphreys, J. H. (2010). Workplace fun and its correlates: A conceptual inquiry. International Journal of Management, 27(2), 294-302. Schuh, S., Zhang, X., & Tian, P. (2013). For the Good or the Bad? Interactive Effects of Transformational Leadership with Moral and Authoritarian Leadership Behaviors. Journal Of Business Ethics, 116(3), 629-640 Tammemagi, T., O’Hora, D., & Maglieri, K. A. (2013). The Effects of a Goal Setting Intervention on Produc tivity and Persistence in an Analogue Work Task. Journal Of Organizational Behavior Management, 33(1), 31-54 Van De Mieroop, D., & Vrolix, E. (2014). A Discourse Analytical Perspective on the Professionalization of the Performance Appraisal Interview. Journal Of Business -Communication, 51(2), 159-182 Whiting, H. J., Kline, T. B., & Sulsky, L. M. (2008). The performance appraisal congruency scale: An assessment of person-environment fit. International Journal Of Productivity And Performance Management, 57(3), 223-236 Yadav, N., Sushil, & Sagar, M. (2014). Revisiting performance measurement and management: deriving linkages with strategic management theories. International Journal Of Business Performance Management, 15(2), 87-105 Zhu, Y., & Akhtar, S. (2014). How transformational leadership influences follower helping behavior: The role of trust and prosocial motivation. Journal Of Organizational Behavior, 35