History - Renassiance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History - Renassiance - Essay Example Despite Senate sanction, the triumvirate was in realty a military junta and the Senate was completely cut off from power. In the proscription that followed, political rivals, including 300 Senators, were executed and their property seized. Julius Caesar was officially deified, further strengthening Octavian’s position as the divi filius, or son of God. The forces of Brutus and Cassius, Caesar’s assassins, were defeated by Octavian and Antony at Philippi in 42 B.C. This can be viewed as the end of any hope of resurrecting the Roman Republic. The final blow against the forces of the old Republic was struck when Octavian’s general, Agrippa, defeated Sextus Pompeius in 36 B.C. at the Battle of Naulochus. Octavian used Antony’s Egyptian connection with Cleopatra to manipulate Roman public opinion against him, culminating in Antony’s defeat at Actium in 31 B.C. Octavian shrewdly adopted the role of defender of the Republic. He brilliantly portrayed Actium as a triumph for the Senate and the Republic, rather than his defeat of a hated rival. He was now in absolute control of Rome. Octavian maintained the elaborate fiction of restoring the Roman Republic by retaining the traditional practices such as consuls, senate and tribunes. By remaining Consul from 31 – 23 B.C., holding the tribunician authority and controlling all the important provinces, Octavian firmly kept the reins of power in his own hands. At the same time, he avoided all external trappings of dictatorship or monarchy. He announced the end of the civil wars with the Pax Romana, executed an ambitious building program and strengthened the economy. In 27 B.C. Octavian brilliantly orchestrated the First Settlement, under which he apparently surrendered his powers to the Senate and was ‘persuaded’ to take them back! He was bestowed the title of ‘Augustus,’ or revered, but claimed to be content to

Michael Foucault Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Michael Foucault - Essay Example His research is often described as postmodernist and post-structuralism (Wikipedia Encyclopedia). Foucault focused on the dangers posed by psychoanalysis in the development of a disciplinary society (Milchman, Rosenberg 2003). One of the main reasons that Foucault emphasized on the subject of psychoanalysis is because it is a topic on which modern thought processes are based. The way we see our selves, our surroundings and the reality around us are all based on psychoanalysis. During the 1950's and 1960's many renowned scientists of the time designated homosexuality as pathological and ill. On the other hand, the adoption of heterosexual behavior (even for the homosexuals) was deemed as correct and righteous. Foucault was highly concerned about the cruelty imposed by various institutions on patients who were not deemed as proper in the face of the society in general. Hence, this justifies his reasons for providing sufficient warnings about the dangers of psychoanalysis. The Foucault methodology does not imply how a person should be but rather focuses on the reasons behind certain behavioral patterns of the patient. Until recently gays did not have any rights in the western society; and neither did children, the old, the mentally ill and the criminals. Foucault has laid the groundwork in his studies to provide these subjugated and oppressed members of the society with proper and due rights. It has been mentioned in a paper by Pryce (1999) that psychoanalysis may be used to obtain information of a "confessional nature" from a patient. This information may be about a topic that the patient is unable to discuss (such as sexual abuse). Three basic steps are used for the process of receiving such information. The direct citation from the paper is given as follows; "First, the medical consultation and examination includes asking the client questions concerning the particulars of sexual activities, orientation and risk behaviors and then physically examining the client. These are often illustrated using preprinted, small diagram of disembodied genitalia or rectum where the physician indicates the site of a lesion by inscribing an X'. Second, during specimen collections and treatments conducted by nurses there is a professional incitement to confess feelings and disclosure of psychosocial dimensions of sexuality. Third, the role of the health advisor and/or psychologist may include that of counselor utilizing some techniques and methods derived from formal counseling and psychology, whereby the client speaks the sin by naming it." Sexuality and Foucault's Work In accordance to Foucault's work sexuality can be viewed in two different ways. The eastern society (e.g. India) sees sexuality as an art form (e.g. Kamasutra), whereas the other type society thinks of sexuality as something to be shameful of and to hide from the public eye. However, in the case of Western society has resulted in the ideology of "confession." This includes the confessions about one's sexuality and sexual origins. Confession is an everyday part of the

Critical care orientation and the importance of developing clinical Research Proposal

Critical care orientation and the importance of developing clinical reasoning - Research Proposal Example It is important not to distill the critical thought process as it pertains to clinical endeavors with simple, smart sounding labels, like wisdom or 'know-how'. II. DEFINITION OF CLINICAL REASONING Clinical reasoning must be more than a simple application of theory, because patients are individuals – and the therapist/nurse must adapt a treatment plan towards the individual, personal needs of each patient. Clinical reasoning under the perspective of certain researchers becomes a largely tacit phenomenon (Matingly, 1991). Our understanding of critical thinking as it pertains to the clinical setting has matured over the course of the decades. There are several key items for critical thinking for the professional to consider. The American Philosophical Association (APA) has defined critical thinking as: '...purposeful, self-regulatory judgment that uses cognitive tools such as interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, and explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodolo gical, criteriological, or contextual considerations on which judgment is based' (APA, 1990). But there are other professional bodies that have also required a critical thinking mandate be added to curriculum, in many fields – not just nursing. ... 1995). In the dimension of nursing and clinical responsibility, critical thinking is the foundation of quality care, as well as professional standards of accountability. The professional must consciously cultivate the characteristics of efficient clinical mindset. This includes the ability to place events within the proper overall context, self-confidence in the nurse's ability to perform the necessary job functions, as well as a certain flexibility. The nurse must also cultivate creativity when time, resources, or both are limited, as well as a certain intellectual curiosity, leading to a state of mind that is always willing to learn more and adapt novel technologies and clinical modalities when and where they will prove effective in the practice of the individual medical professional. This dovetails with the ability for critical reflection on one's self, and on one's job performance. The nurse must be analytical in regards to new information, and the requirements with a willingness to seek out and verify potentially useful discoveries; vetting innovations for their clinical utility, as well as, ultimately, a long-suffering perseverance against adversity. More recently a comprehensive definition was also provided by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission: The deliberate nonlinear process of collecting, interpreting, analyzing, drawing conclusions about, presenting, and evaluating information that is both factually and belief based. This is demonstrated in nursing by clinical judgment, which includes ethical, diagnostic, and therapeutic dimensions and research (NLNAC, 2007, p. 8). How then are we able to determine what thinking processes meet the critical thinking standard

Yeats’ poetry Essay Example for Free

Yeats’ poetry Essay Yeats’ poetry has survived over a century due to his depiction of various human states both in himself and those in the world around him. A personal and depressive depiction of humans is seen used in â€Å"The wild swans at Coole,† where Yeats reflects on the final rejection from Maud Gonne whom he was in love with. A juxtaposed human state is seen in â€Å"The Second Coming,† where Yeats depicts the chaotic and destructive nature of humans as a result of an external spiritual/religious force being removed. Both poems depict different representations of what is to be human, however both depictions are still very relevant in today’s society. In â€Å"The Wild Swans at Coole,† Yeats uses oxymoronic metaphors of the season â€Å"autumn beauty,† to represent the depressive state he was feeling. While â€Å"autumn,† has connotations of decay, Yeats views the season as â€Å"beautiful,† to emphasise the self-pity he is experiencing. Sexual tension and frustration is also conveyed through metaphors; â€Å"woodland paths are dry,† refers to the bleak and dry season of autumn but also to Yeats’ lack of sexual action as a result of chasing after Maud for such a long time. This sexual desire is emphasised through symbolism of the â€Å"swans,† as when these creatures’ wings open, they bare a remarkable resemblance to the male genitalia. Visual imagery of the â€Å"October twilight,† furthers the emphasis on Yeats’ depression and sadness as October in Ireland sees the arrival of grey skies which depicts Yeats’ conscience to his aging self. The grey skies that come in October metaphorically represent grey hair that Yeats’ is/will shortly grow as a result of his aging. As â€Å"twilight,† is the point between day and night, Yeats’ sees his youth disappearing with the day. Yeats is reminded later in the poem of his inevitable aging by the swan’s wings as they create a â€Å"bell-beat of their wings,† above his head. The use of alliteration with â€Å"bell beat,† places emphasis to the idea of a bell going off in his head and reminding him of his old age. Yeats uses â€Å"The Wild Swans at Coole,† to represent multiple phases in which every human will encounter. He makes it clear that rejection of love can cause a person to reflect on their depressive state as well as the sexual frustrations, which re a natural occurrence in human beings. By using metaphors Yeats is also able to convey the inevitable aging process that all humans take part in. In â€Å"The second Coming,† Yeats utilises striking metaphors to convey a different idea of what it is to be human. The word â€Å"turn,† is emphasised in the line â€Å"turning and turning the widening gyre,† due to the trochaic pentameter used. This beat is broke n however by the word â€Å"gyre,† which draws the readers attention to the chaos and lack of structure in the current gyre. This represents what Yeats believed about time being divided into two-thousand year periods (called gyres) in which the opposite of one gyre would occur in the other. The chaos and lack of structure in the line represents the violent and chaotic escapades that many people were a part of during that time. (The Nazi rule in Germany and violent struggle between England and Ireland. ) Personification of a falcon; â€Å"the falcon cannot hear the falconer,† depicts humans turning away from god or some external moral structure and this causing the violence and destruction that was occurring. Yeats depicts humans, as needing some form of spiritual structure in their lives or â€Å"mere anarchy,† will be loosed upon the world. Personification can be seen used on the word â€Å"anarchy,† to depict it as being some form of beast, which is released from its cage as people turn away from religion/spiritualism. Violent personification is used as the â€Å"ceremony of innocence is drowned. † This again furthers the idea that when religious/spiritual values are questioned, the good things that come from these values are lost. Through the use of the extended metaphor of â€Å"gyres,† Yeats is able to show that humans need an external moral guide (in religion or other spiritualistic ways) otherwise chaos and violence will occur as there is no moral structure to be followed. In â€Å"The Wild Swans at Coole,† Yeats portrays the natural human instinct to be with another human through the use of syntactical variation as seen in the line â€Å"nine-and-fifty swans. † By having the odd number â€Å"nine,† at the beginning of the sentence, the reader knows that one swan is without a partner. Yeats feels attached to this swan as he too is without a partner and this brings back his depressive and lonely state and how a person cannot feel completed unless they have someone to share their life with. Jealousy of the swans’ youthfulness and vitality becomes apparent through verbs â€Å"mount†¦wheeling†¦scatter,† which are juxtaposed when Yeats realises that â€Å"my heart is sore. † This juxtaposition shows Yeats wishing he too could wheel or mount or scatter, however his old age and anxiety makes it difficult for him to find the energy to do so. Yeats also makes it apparent that â€Å"all’s changed,† now that the â€Å"nineteenth autumn,† has come upon him since the first time he visited Coole park. Juxtaposed to Yeats’ changed state are the swans that are â€Å"unwearied still,† as the â€Å"paddle in the cold. † The swans appear unaffected by the cold water as they paddle side-by-side or â€Å"lover by lover. † This bring the idea that Yeats feels he would be able to conquer the hard times in his life better if he had a partner to help him along the way. This statement also brings back his idea that humans need a lifelong partner to live happily. In the second stanza of â€Å"The Second Coming,† Yeats proclaims, â€Å"surely some revelation is at hand. † Anaphora is used on the word â€Å"surely,† as it is repeated in the lone below and this combined with the rhetorical question Yeats poses, emphasises the idea that some god/divine spirit must/will reveal itself Yeats’ exasperation to the situation shows that he believes that the only way for the chaos to be over is if a spiritual guide reveals itself which Yeats believed was â€Å"somewhere in the sands of the desert. † The use of sibilance emphasises the greatness of the creature that has a â€Å"lion body and head of a man. The â€Å"sands of the desert,† is a metaphor for the sands in an hourglass, which shows the lack of time before the second coming takes place. Alliteration â€Å"darkness drops again,† stresses the metaphor of the gyre ending as the second gyre begins. The word â€Å"again,† suggests that this has happened before when the previous gyre ended and also proclaims that this pattern of chaos and destruction will occur in the future as the current gyre ends. In the chaos, Yeats makes it apparent that those who choose not to be a part of the violence will suffer as â€Å"the best lack al conviction. He makes it clear that in times of chaos you must either eat or be eaten. In Yeats’ poetry we can see different representations of what it is to be human. Although portraying very different phases of being human, â€Å"The Wild Swans at Coole,† and â€Å"The Second Coming,† both show representations of what being human entails. The stages of humanity that Yeats makes reference to in each poem are ones that are still relevant today (depression, loneliness, chaos, violence. ) It is because of these representations that Yeats’ poems are and will always be relevant to our lives.

Stages Of A Typical Performance Management System Management Essay

Stages Of A Typical Performance Management System Management Essay Performance can be defined as the end result of an activity. A performance management system therefore is defined as a process of establishing performance standards and evaluating performance in order to arrive at objective human resource decisions as well as to provide documentation to support those decisions. (Stephen P. Robbins, 2005, p. 296) A good performance management system is essential for Interact to be able to manage the dwindling individual performance. To develop a good system Interact will need to consider the three main aspects of managing individual performance, these include: planning performance, delivering and monitoring and formal assessment and reward. These are well illustrated in the performance cycle as illustrated by figure 1 below Figure 1 Stages of a typical performance management system Source: (Derek Torrington, p. 263) The first key aspect of managing individual performance is the planning performance stage. This is where a manager at interact sits down with his subject and they collaboratively set individual objectives originally obtained from team objectives and the agreed job description. These objectives are designed in a way that they also offer potential development as well as fulfilling the general organisations general objectives. They should also include measures of how they can be assessed. One common approach managers use in setting these objectives is with the SMART acronym. This suggests that the objectives set should be Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Relevant and Timed. A good example of a good objective for an employee working in the component development department could be: To develop a new mobile phone component by March 2010 (started in January 2010) It is important that managers do not forget to plan for the support, development and resources necessary for the employee to be able to accomplish the objectives. The second key aspect is the delivering and monitoring performance stage. As the interact employee sets about to achieve the performance agreed, the manger should ensure that he is available at all times so that the employee can consult him/her at any moment when needed. There may be some unpredicted hindrances towards the achievement of performance and in some instances targets may have to be revised. Ongoing coaching is important whereby the manager can guide the employees through discussion and providing constructive feedback. Continuous informal reviews held between the employee and his manager should be carried out so as to ensure that work is going as agreed and whether the agreed performance will be attainable by the agreed dates. Objectives signed off as complete and recognition of work done so far help to act as motivation for the employee in the future for other objectives yet to be completed. The last key aspect of the performance cycle is the formal assessment and reward stage. This stage involves regular reviews of the development of the objectives and to motivate the employee. Annual reviews are also necessary in this stage whereby what has been achieved is compared with what had been set to be achieved which may affect pay and salary increments. Interact managers should take note that employees see reviews as fair only if the targets set are achievable and judgements were seen to be consistent throughout the organisation. Different styles of appraising employees could be adopted in order to make the best assessment but a popular and widely used approach is the problem solving style which is one of the styles developed by the American psychologist, Norman Maier. This approach suggests that The appraiser starts the interview by encouraging the employee to identify and discuss problem areas and then consider solutions. The employee therefore plays an active part in analysing problems and suggesting solutions, and then evaluation of performance emergence from the discussion at the appraisal interview, instead of being imposed by the appraiser upon the employee. (Anderson, 1993, p. 102). However, it should be taken note that this style works best if the employees are ready for it and the mangers are willing to behave in this way which is not always the case. After the reviews have been conducted and achievement of tasks has been high, reward is necessary. Most management systems include pay in the reward package but ongoing research has shown that element of pay had very little effect in the motivation of employees. Other forms of reward other than monetary such as promotion and offering of individual development opportunities are found to be more motivating to employees. In order for the successful implementation of a performance management system, line managers who are closer to the employees need to be included in the Human Resource team when designing the system. Training of the line managers is essential before and during the introduction of the system. Task 2 Learning can be defined as the process of acquiring knowledge. Learning and development is an essential part in keeping the performance of Interacts employees up to standard. Currently, there have been issues and complains from the employees about the quality of training being offered, and the lack of enough training to keep the component developers up to date with emerging technologies. This is a serious problem for interact being the fact that it is operating in an industry that requires a high degree of innovation and creativity. It indicates the need for an effective people development strategy. A good approach that could be used to establish an effective people development strategy would be the systematic training cycle. This cycle includes for steps that are; identifying training needs, designing development activity, carrying out development and evaluating development. This can be illustrated by the diagram below. Environment Business strategy People development strategy Figure 2 A systematic model of learning and training Source: (Derek Torrington, p. 391) Considering figure 2, the first step in the model is identifying training and learning needs. Before any activity can commence, interact managers should take note that identifying these needs should not be the sole role of the human resource team but should be a process that involves the employees too. Employees about to receive training should not be considered as subjects but as participants of the scheme. Interact managers should also take note that modern day effective training requires not only a focus on development of technical skills alone but also personal skills, attitudes and self-management therefore broadening the needs scope. One approach that interact managers could use to identify the training and learning needs is the problem centred approach. This approach analyses whether there are any performance problems and analyses whether they are caused by lack of skill and if so, which. The gap between expected performance and actual performance is the one that helps to bring about the training need. For example, an identified problem with interact is that the component developers are not up to date with new technological development therefore the training need would be to continuously keep the developers up to date. After training needs have been identified, the next step will be designing the development activity. There various methods of learning and development that Interact managers could use such as; education and training courses (off job), manager coaching and teaching, self development groups and open and distance learning. (On job). The next step is carrying out the development activity. For education and training courses, Interact managers could use the consultancy courses. They could range from one day to several weeks in some cases. These have the advantage that they enable employees from various organisations to meet and share their experiences. In order to be very effective, they should concentrate on specific skills of knowledge, such as being introduced to new technological developments. Management should take note that these courses are usually expensive despite the fact that they are of short duration. There is a big challenge that Interact managers should be prepared to face and that is the ensuring of the transfer of what the employees have learnt back to the organisation. To counteract this problem, managers could set goals for implementing new skills once the employees return from training. In case the Interact management decide to use on job training methods take manager coaching and teaching as an example, the line manager will act as a mentor or coach for the trainees involved. He will provide feedback, counselling, encouragement discussion and sincere feedback. Management should however take note that not all line managers can provide effective coaching, as it requires good interpersonal skills and commitment from the manager to accept the coaching role. Interact management could also support the use of self development groups whereby informal groups formed by employees come together and discuss organisational issues, personal development and individual work problems. The group should however be headed by an experienced leader who plays the role of a facilitator and to some extent, a source of information. This group leader could drop off as the group matures. Such a method of learning and development requires a high level of commitment from the group members and a close follow up on the side of management. The final step in the learning cycle is the evaluating development stage. While evaluating development, changes in skills, knowledge, behaviour and attitudes need to be considered. However, research has proved that it is actually very difficult to asses some aspects of learning or training that have been carried out such as changes in attitudes and behaviour. A post course questionnaire could be issued out to the trainees but this usually tends to evaluate the course and not the training. Evaluation could also be carried out by setting up goals basing on what the individuals have learnt during training and the extent to which the employees meet these goals would indicate how effective the training had been. It is recommended that managers should keep on evaluating the trainees continuously from the beginning as they attend the training courses and not to pin the evaluation process at the end of the course. Task 3 Leadership can be defined as the Process in which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of group or organisational goals. (Shackleton, 1995, p. 2) There is a close link between leadership and motivation and performance implying that the leadership style being used may have either positive or negative impacts on these. Due to the recession, Interact adopted a rather autocratic approach and have become more task focused. An autocratic leader is a leader who tends to centralise authority, dictate work methods, make unilateral decisions and limit employee participation. (Stephen p. Robbins, 2005, p. 593) The advantage of such a style is that it leads to quick decision making and work getting done on time. However, there are various negative impacts Interact could face as result of applying such a leadership style. To start with, according to Vrooms expectancy theory which says that An individual tends to act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. (Stephen p. Robbins, 2005, p. 405), we can see that expectancy has an impact on motivation. Therefore not expecting employees to perform unless they are directed to will only cause them to behave in that way leading to demotivation and poor performance. Also using Maslows hierarchy of needs, the need for affiliation could be a motivational factor. Therefore not involving employees in the decision making process and centralising authority only makes the employees feel alienated and thus end up feeling demotivated. The autocratic style of leadership also fails to recognise that social needs are a motivational factor for employees. Maslow recognised the need for affiliation as an important attribute in human motivation therefore making decisions or planning activities while excluding those who are going to be affected may demotivate them. Autocratic leadership also makes the employees feel that the organisation does not trust them enough to make wise decisions for the good of the organisation. This demotivates them and makes them feel like they are not a part of the organisation or not responsible enough. As a result of being very task oriented, such as style does not have much concern for the needs of their subordinates. This is clearly indicated by the lack of a sound human resource function and the fact that the Interact management has so far refused to meet with the group of employee representatives who are trying to voice employee concerns. This has led to feelings of resentment, alienation and a drop in performance levels. In conclusion, the autocratic style of leadership has a rather more negative impact than positive effects, but this is not to say that Interact should not apply it, rather they could blend it in with other styles of leadership. Using the managerial grid designed by Blake and Mouton, THE MANAGERIAL GRID High concern for people Low concern for production Country Club management High concern for people High concern for production Team management Low concern for people Low concern for production Impoverished management Low concern for people High concern for production Authority-compliance management High People Low Production High The managerial grid Source: (Derek Torrington, p. 304) Most managers agree that the best leadership style would be the team management which has both high concerns for people and production but there is a new approach that suggests that the best style is to use all these four styles together basing on different times and different situations. Task 4 The complaints voiced by employees over the need to work harder and longer to keep their jobs and increased levels of stress are a sign that the quality of the working life at Interact is deteriorating. Work-life balance is very important as it keeps the employees happy and contented with their jobs therefore reducing absenteeism and turnover. There are a number of practices that management at Interact could implement so as to improve the situation. To begin with, offering the employees flexible working hours would greatly help employees who need more time outside the job. Allowing female workers to have their maternity leaves also enables to keep the employees happy with their current jobs. The Interact management can also train their line managers to deal with employee stress. The line managers should encourage the employees to talk and voice out what is truly getting them stressed up. An increased level of stress at work is a total wake up call that Interact needs to change its style of leadership and control. Not allowing employees to freely raise their voices over the different issues in the organisation and refusing to recognise their representative group only makes them feel unappreciated and demoralised. Interact could also reorganise their working practices such that the workers could get work done without having to spend extra long hours to work while maintaining the same quality of performance. The amount of days employees can get in their leaves should be adequate giving employees enough time to rest and relax so that they can return to work revitalised. For those workers who may not be able to get to work but and yet their jobs do not demand their physical presence at the premises, interact could offer them alternatives of working at home. This will help to boost performance while at the same time saving valuable time lost when the work is not done at all. In case workers are having to work overtime, Interact should devise a payment scheme that covers these extra hours in a manner that is of mutual benefit with the employees. Interact could even go to the extent of ensuring that maternity pay is reasonable and comfortable for the employees. This will make them return to work much more happily and boost their attachment to the company. For those in areas where the work demands them to do the same routine job everyday, Interact management could introduce rotation where other employees doing other routine work could be set up to be exchanging activities so as to prevent them from getting bored. However there are some limitations that Interact should take note about work-life balance policies. For example, some policies such as maternity pay only target the female employees therefore bringing about a feeling of neglect with the other employees. Another problem is the fact that some policies may actually be put in place and yet employees may not take them up and use them. Task 5 Absenteeism can be defined as the To tackle this problem, Managers at Interact need to set up a procedure to solve the absenteeism problem. The process could involve the following steps; Identify the absence problem Locate the absence problem Identify and prioritize the cause of absence Evaluate the current control method Design the absence control program Implement the absence control program Monitor the effectiveness of the program The first step of solving the absenteeism problem is assessing it. Interact could do this by collecting statistical data about thee current absence levels. This can be done by gathering information on how many people did not come in to work for a certain period of time. After the pattern has been identified, the next step is to locate the absence problem. This is done by using collected data to find out which specific departments had the highest levels of absentees for the period. The next step is to identify the cause of absence in the departments selected. An autocratic leadership style of the line managers in Interact, longer working hours, low levels of responsibility and decision making could result into dissatisfaction with the job situation therefore leading to a rise in absence levels. Evaluating the current absence control method is what follows after the causes of absence have been identified. During evaluation, Interact should be able to see the weaknesses of the current control program and why it is failing to work effectively. After evaluation, Interact should design a new control program that tackles the problem. There are a few recommendations of measures that could be put in place to help reduce the problem, First of all, I would recommend to Interact that they should try and maintain continuous contact with the employees who are absent from work. This is known to greatly reduce the length of absence and shows the employee that the organisation in concerned about the well being of its people. One visit a month by the line manager of the employee could be effective. Another useful activity that interact could do to manage absence is to include attendance levels in the performance review at the end of the year. Having high levels of absence during the year would be considered as underperformance in the review. I would also recommend that the line managers undergo training so as to ensure that the absence procedures are effectively carried out. Proper training on how to handle employees who are frequently absent could greatly reduce the absence levels. A deep understanding of the causes of absence would enable Interact to be able to tackle the absenteeism problem. Known causes of absenteeism at Interact include, employees working longer hours and increased levels of stress. When trying to identify the problems, management should not only consider what the absentees have filed as the reason for their absence as research has shown that they tend to write excuses that appear valid to the organisation. Interact should build a culture of trust with its employees such that they can get them to explain the real causes of absence and thus they can respond to them effectively. The last step after the absence control program has been designed is to implement it while continuously monitoring it by collecting statistical data to observe whether the absence levels are falling or not. If it is not effective then Interact have to find out why, make the necessary corrections and continue with it Task 6 Employee turnover is the rate at which employees voluntarily leave their jobs. At interact, the level of employee turnover has been relatively high. Collecting information on staff turnover is quite difficult to collect though one best approach could be by using exit interviews. However, there are some major reasons why staff could be leaving interact. Push factors One reason why Interact employees could be leaving their jobs is because of Push factors. This concept suggests poor working conditions, people development strategy, dissatisfaction with company policies, negative effects of autocratic leadership style, job insecurity among others to be the cause of forcing people to leave the organisation. In other words, Interact is pushing away its employees by failing to provide a good organisational and working environment to keep the employees satisfied. Interact could control this cause by making the organisation more employee friendly. Another reason why employees could be leaving Interact is because of pull factors. This concept implies that rival employers in the telephone component manufacturing industry are pulling Interact employees towards them. This could be because they are paying higher salaries, offering better benefit packages, training opportunities or they have more attractive working environments. The best way Interact could reduce turnover caused by this way is by first of all analysing what other organisations in the industry are offering that is making them more attractive and therefore making sure they can level up. Another approach is by identifying unique selling points offered by Interact that other organisations dont have and communicating them to staff. Employees could also be leaving Interact as a result of functional turnover. This is a situation where employee resignations are accepted by both Interact and the employee involved. This could be because of failure of the employee to conform with the organisational culture or as a result of continuous poor performance. The best way to handle turnover caused in this way is by improving the recruitment process so as to avoid such people in the first place. Outside factors could also be making employees leave Interact. These are reasons that have nothing to do with the job. They could be leaving because their partners are leaving the city, personal desire for self employment. In this situation, there is nothing much that Interact could do to stop these kinds of employees from leaving the organisation as it is beyond their control. The rate of employee turnover at Interact could be greatly reduced by putting in place certain strategies so as to manage the turnover rates. Firstly one tool that Interact could use is pay. Research has shown that organisations offering higher salaries appear more attractive than those with less. However, pay alone may not be enough to keep the employees from leaving. It should be combined with other benefits such as holidays, healthcare offers and staff discounts. The best approach in offering such benefits is by letting the employees pick benefits that they prefer as different employees may be interested in different packages. Another tool that Interact could use to help reduce turnover rates is putting in place family friendly Human Resource practices. Considering the fact that many people leave work due to family and personal reasons giving employees more time to spend with their families through holiday packages, flexible working hours and a well paid maternity leave may greatly help to reduce the rates. Improving the quality of line management may also help to reduce the turnover rates as these managers play a critical role in employee relations. To ensure that the selected line managers are effective, they should be selected basing on their supervisory capabilities, undergo training and appraised on their supervisory skills. Finally induction is also known to help in reducing early staff turnover rates as it helps to fit the employee into the organisation and defines his/her role in it. Organisational induction could be done by the Human resource department and may include a presentation on health and safety regulations and fire evacuation procedures. This type of induction could last a few days. The other type of induction is the job-based induction. This usually takes longer and is mostly carried out by the immediate line manager and in the background, fellow employees and includes activities like getting to know the organisation culture, how work is done and what is expected of him/her. Managing employee expectations from the beginning could also play a crucial role in reducing the turnover rates. This is done by letting the employee know exactly what to expect from his job right at the start of his/her career so that they are more prepared when they face the challenges. Challenges could include time pressures etc

The World Of Hair :: essays research papers

In The World of Hair Throughout time, the world of hair, and now the well-known field of cosmetology have raisin and fell. I can remember the time when black women were wearing Afros and Caucasian women short cuts and now things have evolving into all these long flowing hairstyles and not to mention the current health these days on our hair. Seems like the days on juices and berries were hairs happiest time. Now going thur how we manage our hair is tricky but here are some great ways of staying on top of every strand. Knowing that mornings or the worst time for all of us here is the rule to keeping a well-groomed and healthy crop on hair. If you have short hair of any type than this is the beast stagy for it, a good shower wash before you start that steamy shower. And wash twice to insure that there will be no oil build up because old can slow a hairstyle down or even stop a style right in its tracks. Next you would want to apply and good protein based conditioner such as, cholesterol and allow it to remain on the hair form root to tip of the duration of your shower and when you rinse than your hair rinses this method saves time and work. Now that your hair is all-clean and you need and quick method of drying it; and before we get the drying part lets stop and think bout how we want to where our hair, now seeing as we have a short bobbed length with about 8 inches of hair to work with we need to apply a styling aid and that would be in the form of a lotion or cream. I prefer the lotion myself, so apply the setting lotion to the hair this will act as a fixative that will lock the style in place. Next we are ready to blow with a handheld blow dryer; this process will take twenty to twenty-five min. After blowing the hair dry we are ready to style the hair. Now that we have decided that we want some bounce and curl in our hair for the day here is how we will get the results needed for a day at the office and an evening on the town. You will need a medium to large curling iron (a heat motivated instrument) and a light styling spray.

Catholics and Evolution :: essays research papers

Catholics and Evolution One of the most important questions for every educated Catholic of today is: What is to be thought of the theory of evolution? Is it to be rejected as unfounded and inimical to Christianity, or is it to be accepted as an established theory altogether compatible with the principles of a Christian conception of the universe? We must carefully distinguish between the different meanings of the words theory of evolution in order to give a clear and correct answer to this question. We must distinguish (1) between the theory of evolution as a scientific hypothesis and as a philosophical speculation; (2) between the theory of evolution as based on theistic principles and as based on a materialistic and atheistic foundation; (3) between the theory of evolution and Darwinism; (4) between the theory of evolution as applied to the vegetable and animal kingdoms and as applied to man. (1) Scientific Hypothesis vs. Philosophical Speculation As a scientific hypothesis, the theory of evolution seeks to determine the historical succession of the various species of plants and of animals on our earth, and, with the aid of palà ¦ontology and other sciences, such as comparative morphology, embryology, and bionomy, to show how in the course of the different geological epochs they gradually evolve from their beginnings by purely natural causes of specific development. The theory of evolution, then, as a scientific hypothesis, does not consider the present species of plants and of animals as forms directly created by God, but as the final result of an evolution from other species existing in former geological periods. Hence it is called "the theory of evolution", or "the theory of descent", since it implies the descent of the present from extinct species. This theory is opposed to the theory of constancy, which assumes the immutability of organic species. The scientific theory of evolution, therefore, do es not concern itself with the origin of life. It merely inquires into the genetic relations of systematic species, genera, and families, and endeavours to arrange them according to natural series of descent (genetic trees). How far is the theory of evolution based on observed facts? It is understood to be still only an hypothesis. The formation of new species is directly observed in but a few cases, and only with reference to such forms as are closely related to each other; for instance, the systematic species of the plant-genus Å’nothera, and of the beetle-genus Dimarda.