Nurse Residency essays

Nurse Residency essays Study design based on outcomes of the UHC graduate nurse residency program The AACN/University Health System Consortium (UHC) Residency Program was designed to expand the capacity of the universitys baccalaureate nursing program and to develop a residency program to improve the competency of novice nurses. According to the study, the programs retention rate statistic of 89% was an improvement upon published reports indicating that the average nursing turnover rates of new graduates was 40-50% during the first year of employment. (AACN/UHC Nurse Residency Program, 2006, AACN website) To better test the outcomes of the findings of the UHC graduate nursing program study to increase retention, satisfaction, and overall professional competence, graduates of the newly development program should continue to be assessed with three evaluative instruments. However, these evaluations should be measured against the scores of graduates of a variety of less structured or more traditional nursing program. Given the variety of nursing programs in existence across the country, ideally a sampling of a wide variety of other programs should be selected, but with a similar group composition of age, gender, and previous academic preparation. Also, to assess the specific success of the developing UHC program, previous retention rates and former graduates reports of self-efficacy before the program was instated should be used for a comparison, as well as the national retention rate of nursing graduates. The retention rate from the selected control sampling should also be compared against the experimental group. The control group is actually likely to be a better contrasting measurement, given that the control sample will have a population similar in demographics to the experimental population of UHC nursing residents, and thus factors such as previous education level will have less of an influence upon the results. ...

Roman-Germanic Wars Battle of the Teutoburg Forest

Roman-Germanic Wars' Battle of the Teutoburg Forest The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest was fought in September 9 AD during the Roman-Germanic Wars (113 BC-439 AD). Armies Commanders Germanic Tribes Arminiusapprox. 10,000-12,000 men Roman Empire Publius Quinctilius Varus20,000-36,000 men Background In 6 AD, Publius Quinctilius Varus was assigned to oversee the consolidation of the new province of Germania. Though an experienced administrator, Varus quickly developed a reputation for arrogance and cruelty. By pursuing policies of heavy taxation and showing disrespect for Germanic culture, he caused many of the Germanic tribes that were allied to Rome to reconsider their position as well as drove neutral tribes to open rebellion. During the summer of 9 AD, Varus and his legions worked to put down various small rebellions along the frontier. In these campaigns, Varus led three legions (XVII, XVIII, and XIX), six independent cohorts, and three squadrons of cavalry. A formidable army, it was further supplemented by allied German troops including those of the Cherusci tribe led by Arminius. A close advisor of Varus, Arminius had spent time in Rome as a hostage during which he had been educated in the theories and practice of Roman warfare. Aware that Varus policies were causing unrest, Arminius secretly worked to unite many of the Germanic tribes against the Romans. As fall approached, Varus began moving the army from the Weser River towards its winter quarters along the Rhine. En route, he received reports of uprisings which required his attention. These were fabricated by Arminius who may have suggested that Varus move through the unfamiliar Teutoburg Forest to accelerate the march. Before moving out, a rival Cheruscan nobleman, Segestes, told Varus that Arminius was plotting against him. Varus dismissed this warning as the manifestation of a personal feud between the two Cheruscans. Prior to the army moving out, Arminius departed under the pretext of rallying more allies. Death in the Woods Advancing, the Roman army was strung out in a marching formation with camp followers interspersed. Reports also indicate that Varus neglected to send out scouting parties to prevent an ambush. As the army entered the Teutoburg Forest, a storm broke and a heavy rain began. This, along with poor roads and rough terrain, stretched the Roman column to between nine to twelve miles long. With the Romans struggling through the forest, the first Germanic attacks began. Conducting hit and run strikes, Arminius men picked away at the strung out enemy. Aware that the wooded terrain prevented the Romans from forming for battle, the Germanic warriors worked to gain local superiority against isolated groups of legionaries. Taking losses through the day, the Romans constructed a fortified camp for the night. Pushing forward in the morning, they continued to suffer badly before reaching open country. Seeking relief, Varus began moving towards the Roman base at Halstern which was 60 miles to the southwest. This required re-entering wooded country. Enduring the heavy rain and continued attacks, the Romans pushed on through the night in an effort to escape. The next day, the Romans were faced with a trap prepared by the tribes near Kalkriese Hill. Here the road was constricted by a large bog to the north and the wooded hill to the south. In preparation for meeting the Romans, the Germanic tribesmen had built ditches and walls blocking the road. With few choices remaining, the Romans began a series of assaults against the walls. These were repulsed and in the course of the fighting Numonius Vala fled with the Roman cavalry. With Varus men reeling, the Germanic tribes swarmed over the walls and attacked. Slamming into the mass of Roman soldiers, the Germanic tribesmen overwhelmed the enemy and began a mass slaughter. With his army disintegrating, Varus committed suicide rather than be captured. His example was followed by many of his higher ranking officers. Aftermath of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest While exact numbers are not known, it is estimated that between 15,000-20,000 Roman soldiers were killed in the fighting with additional Romans take prisoner or enslaved. Germanic losses are not known with any certainty. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest saw the complete destruction of three Roman legions and badly angered Emperor Augustus. Stunned by the defeat, Rome began preparing for new campaigns into Germania which began in 14 AD. These ultimately recaptured the standards of the three legions defeated in the forest. Despite these victories, the battle effectively halted Roman expansion at the Rhine.

Case study (Social work) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Case study (Social work) - Essay Example Although social workers are activists for groups that are oppressed within society, they may not recognize their own privilege as educated people. Badwall, O’Connor and Rossiter, (2004) in exploration of organizational change as a reflective process present a case study that examines how privilege and oppression impact on change induced conflict within a social agency. The conflict is considered and discussed by three personnel working within the agency. This paper will examine this case study from each of four perspectives: individual, systems, structural and community; the individual perspective will identify the strengths of each of the main characters and the central conflicts created within the agency; the systems perspective will discuss how change impacts on the interrelations between the organization and its personnel; the structural perspective will focus on how institutionally embedded injustices, such as race, class and gender influence specific individuals and the organization as a whole; the community perspective will identify and explain one specific social problem that exists within the case study community. I. Individual Perspective There are number of organizational changes such as anticipatory, reactive, incremental, strategic, as well as changes through tuning, adaptation, reorientation and recreation. These changes are unavoidable in human organizations and have consequences for the way that individuals respond. Human responses in this changing environment are diverse. In this regard, anticipatory changes are characterized by the changes in an organization that can be anticipated and can be prepared for by virtue of planning and proactive strategies. Reactive changes refer to changes made in response to an unanticipated situation within the organization. Incremental changes occur by virtue of the introduction of new subsystems to the organization’s constructs; while strategic changes take place when an alteration in the organiz ation results in the application of a new strategy as a means of taking the organization in a more appropriate direction. Individuals respond to these changes in diverse ways; some may respond with unrealistic optimism or feelings of shock on acceptance of the reality of the situation or they can view those changes as constructive institutional direction. These responses manifest in different ways, such as laughing off the changes or regarding them with suspicion or by simply accepting those changes without question. Essentially organizational change or any alteration to normative structures can be perceived differently by individuals. II. Strength of main characters Amy’s strength is her academic background and knowledge of social issues; as a white female academic, she took a year-long sabbatical in order to connect her academic experience with the practical reality of working in the field. She was determined to expose the link between the university’s social work pr ogram and the community’s social work. With this motivation, Amy joined the health agency and began work as an assistant to the receptionist, a post she felt provided an effective opportunity for her to become more acquainted with the staff members and clientele. She also thought it could help her learn about the structural premise of the organization such as its objectives, health programs and other projects and services. During her post Amy became familiar with a project designed

Apply The Prescribed Ethical Decimation Making Model (P.30 ) Useing Case Study

Apply The Prescribed Ethical Decimation Making Model (P.30 ) Useing The Article Port Hueneme Police chief resigns - Case Study Example As such, this paper is dedicated to evaluating the Ethical Decimation Making Model as discussed of this book. More so, the model will be compared to the actions taken by Port Hueneme Police chief through her resignation. As seen earlier, there are various hardships that a public administrator faces while on duty. Most of these challenges are ethical. Virtually, ethics are not simple and will often need one to evaluate the best alternative to balance them. In addition, ethics cannot be subdivided it is a continuous and process. Cooper revisits the peculiarity between principles, values, and codes of conduct among other in order to clearly show the continuity (Cooper, 2012). Moreover, the means through which organizations can be designed in order to support ethical conducts is very important. In addition, cooper revisits the reasons as to why people should be treated equally to acquire fairness and time at which should be treated unequally. In essence, there are various levels of ethical reflection these levels help the administrator to act in the best way possible. The expressive level that according to cooper is the realm of emotions that is characterized by frustrations, the level of ethical analysis, level of post ethical where the person ask s; why should I be moral. In this level the person has the fear of being caught, the conscience is demanding, and personal evaluation is at its highest levels. As presented in pg. 30 of the book it is very important when one is analyzing how ethics are applied by administrators. The model starts at the point where the administrator is faced with an ethical problem. The stage ethical problem will consequently force the administrator to reflect on the problem and equally define the ethical issues therein. This is the easiest part when solving ethical issues. However, it is not the end of the process. The administrator must therefore, identify what alternatives he/she has. Such alternatives

Team Work Essay Example for Free

Team Work Essay Teamwork is the concept of people working together as a team to achieve the underlying objectives of the organization. The team  must have a clear vision of each of these short-term milestone goals as well as their impact on the long-term business goals of the organization. In many organizations today people working by themselves in achieving the overall objectives of the organization cannot accomplish certain goals and usually require people to work together with others due to its complexity, interrelatedness and the voluminous of the tasks undertaken. In fostering    there is no one individual who owns a work area or process all by themselves, people should be open and receptive to ideas and input from others in the TEAM. The values of teamwork should be shared among the members of the team while compensation and rewards should depend on collaborative practices as much as individual contribution and achievement. It is important to identify â€Å"† and thereby set a benchmark to the rest of the teams. However before embarking on   conflicts of all kinds should be resolved within the organization. Apart from the required technical expertise, a variety of social skills are essential for success in a culture. The Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing model (Bruce Tuckman, 1965) takes the team through four stages of TEAM development. These phases are essential and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, plan the work effectively and deliver the end results. However there is a need to establish and develop collaboration and trust between team members vis a vis interactive exercises, team assessments which will enable teams to cultivate effective team building strengths amongst each other. Modern society and culture continues to become more dynamic and the factors contributing towards this include the communications revolution, the global market, specialization and division of labor. Thereby individuals are now required to work with many different groups of people in their working environment and also the personal lives. Successful   that creates effective, focused work teams requires attention to the following areas mentioned in Figure A. Figure A Empowerment is the process of giving an opportunity or authorizing an individual to take decisions, think creatively and have a control of his/her duties in an organization. It is the responsibility on the organization to create a work environment, which helps the desire of employees to act in empowered ways. Top management of organizations has a very important role to play in making employee empowerment successful. Initially the managers need to understand what empowerment really means; and thereby establish boundaries for empowerment, in the event of the managers absence, the decisions that could be made by staff members should be clearly defined; Managers should also build faith and trust on their decisions made by their employees; further managers should coach, train and provide necessary information and learning opportunities for staff to make effective decisions. They should tackle situations wisely and not blame or punish their staff for minute mistakes to avoid employees flee from empowerment, The organizations should ensure that they remove barriers that limit the ability of staff to act in empowered ways. Employees should be motivated in terms of compensation, recognition and responsibility in order to drive success of empowerment. The Flow Chart below depicts the increasing role for employees and decreasing role for supervisors in the decision making process in today’s context. The supervisor makes the decision and cascades it to the staff The supervisor makes the decision and obtains commitment from staff The supervisor invites idea’s into a decision while retaining authority to make the final decision The supervisor invites employees to join him/her in order to make the final decision The supervisor delegates to another person to make the necessary decisions. This is only where empowerment steps in. Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) Limited continued it’s Sri Lankan operations and was incorporated in 1932. Between years of 1990 – 1994, a self assessment was conducted and CTC identified the following lacunas such as lack of overall direction, lack of awareness on business issues, discontinued management team, departments functioning in isolation and in disciplined environment. After which the management identified Key initiatives and actions such as knowledge management, people involvement, culture change, gaining confidence of unions/employees and improvements in productivity via practicing concepts of Teamwork, industrial harmony etc. During the period 1995 – 1996 CTC focused on building Trust within the company employees by adapting Teamwork throughout the organization, extensive training for shop floor employees, common time entry system, common recreation facilities, common social events etc. During 1997, shared vision and mission with focus business strategy, re-engineered business processes, multidisciplinary cross functional project teams, extensive training and education, creation of a winning culture, industrial and non industrial benchmarking and focus on continuous improvement.

A Poker Addiction :: Personal Narrative Descriptive Papers

A Poker Addiction As Manny sits there, with half the chips he began with, he faces the hardest decision of the night. Does he call? Does he fold? There are so many things to consider, so much at stake. As the seconds tick by, flashes of frames from the World Series of Poker pass before his eyes; Johnny Chan slapping his cards down on the table, calling out â€Å"All in,† in front of God knows how many people. He sees Phil Hellmuth with his chin supported on his hands, shuffling chips and staring down his opponent. He smirks at the thought of Chris Moneymaker’s famous bluff against Sam Farha. He’s glad he doesn’t need to bluff this hand; he has very solid cards in front of him. At this point the adrenaline rush that is going through his body is one like no other. It is a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and competitiveness. It is a feeling players love to hate. They hate having it, but they love wanting it. As all these scenes pass before Manny’s eyes, he suddenly gets an urge to be bold and risky. He decides that calling his opponent would just weaken his position. â€Å"It would only make him think that I have a losing hand and am hoping for the best†, he reasons, â€Å"I’m all in† he then says, and slaps the cards down on the table in a Chan-like manner. Now it is up to Alex, it is his turn to decide whether to fold or call. Alex, though, is sure he has Manny beat, he gives Manny a smirk and says, in a Russian accent imitating the KGB guy from the movie Rounders, â€Å"I call.† All of sudden everyone is interested. One of these guys is about to lose all his chips. â€Å"Flip ‘em† somebody yells. As Manny flips his cards the whole table gets a look at them, A-K, an enviable hand. Alex flips his: 10-10, also a good hand. Alex definitely has an advantage, with a pocket pair. Both players look at each other and then back down at the table. Manny is hoping his bold move doesn’t backfire on him, and Alex just wants to finish the hand without having a heart attack. Here come the next three cards, also known as the flop, 7-9-K. Manny sighs as he sees his King, he is now in the lead. A Poker Addiction :: Personal Narrative Descriptive Papers A Poker Addiction As Manny sits there, with half the chips he began with, he faces the hardest decision of the night. Does he call? Does he fold? There are so many things to consider, so much at stake. As the seconds tick by, flashes of frames from the World Series of Poker pass before his eyes; Johnny Chan slapping his cards down on the table, calling out â€Å"All in,† in front of God knows how many people. He sees Phil Hellmuth with his chin supported on his hands, shuffling chips and staring down his opponent. He smirks at the thought of Chris Moneymaker’s famous bluff against Sam Farha. He’s glad he doesn’t need to bluff this hand; he has very solid cards in front of him. At this point the adrenaline rush that is going through his body is one like no other. It is a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and competitiveness. It is a feeling players love to hate. They hate having it, but they love wanting it. As all these scenes pass before Manny’s eyes, he suddenly gets an urge to be bold and risky. He decides that calling his opponent would just weaken his position. â€Å"It would only make him think that I have a losing hand and am hoping for the best†, he reasons, â€Å"I’m all in† he then says, and slaps the cards down on the table in a Chan-like manner. Now it is up to Alex, it is his turn to decide whether to fold or call. Alex, though, is sure he has Manny beat, he gives Manny a smirk and says, in a Russian accent imitating the KGB guy from the movie Rounders, â€Å"I call.† All of sudden everyone is interested. One of these guys is about to lose all his chips. â€Å"Flip ‘em† somebody yells. As Manny flips his cards the whole table gets a look at them, A-K, an enviable hand. Alex flips his: 10-10, also a good hand. Alex definitely has an advantage, with a pocket pair. Both players look at each other and then back down at the table. Manny is hoping his bold move doesn’t backfire on him, and Alex just wants to finish the hand without having a heart attack. Here come the next three cards, also known as the flop, 7-9-K. Manny sighs as he sees his King, he is now in the lead.

How the Macroeconomic Environment Affects Human Resource Essay

A microenvironment is simply a small environment within the operations of a business in which there are specialized features that make environment different from other business environments. In essence, it is the nearby and surrounding factors that affect and determine this environment. These factors affect the ability of the company in terms of service provision. As a matter of fact, it affects the supplies of the company, marketing strategies, marketing intermediaries, public relations and general company operations. Generally, a business microenvironment refers to the factors or elements within a particular organization and its immediate area of operations that in one way or another, has an effect on the performance of the company as well as the decision making processes of the company or business. CITATION Cal14 l 1033 (Monroe 2014)These elements are among the general public, since they form the bulk of the market, the channels of distribution among others. At the end of the day, this environment is of much importance to the success of a business. This paper gives an in-depth analysis of the microenvironments and macro environments of supermarkets as well as mobile companies thereby giving the empirical and theoretical relationships between the performance and of these business organizations as compared to their environments. The best strategy of analyzing the microenvironment of a business organization is through the SWOT technique in which one analyzes the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats within the company. CITATION Sub07 l 1033 (Subrata Ghatak 2007)The Strengths of a Company greatly determine the success of business organizations. The strength of a business organization can be measured in terms of; technological advancements, economies of scale as well as the availability of resources. The technology of a mobile company determines the amount of their sales. For instance, high levels of technology for a mobile company would reduce the cos t of production that a company incurs. Decrease in cost of production simply implies that the company makes super normal profits, that is, profits greater than zero. Technology therefore plays a very key role. Economies of Scale have the same effect as well. Economies of scale simply imply to the company’s or supermarket’s market base. Companies that enjoy economies of scale lower their cost of production, thereby increasing their profit margins. Resource availability is also equally important. As a matter of fact, the importance of availability of resources to any business organization can never be underestimated. Resource availability is could imply human, natural or financial resource. All these are the drivers of the business, both in a mobile company as well as for supermarkets. CITATION Arv l 1033 (Arvil Van Adams n.d.)The weaknesses within an organization also determine its level of performance to a very large extent. What matters at the end of the day is how th e supermarket or mobile company in question addresses the weakness that it faces in terms of operation. The most common weaknesses in either of these two enterprises are in terms of the prices, globalization and marketing. For mobile companies for instance, it is very difficult to come up with price floors owing to the products they produce. Generally, mobile phones are relatively expensive. As such, they are not the easiest products to market. Globalization on the other hand, is important since it determines the market base and network of a business. Most mobile companies have done tremendously well in this particular area. CITATION Sub07 l 1033 (Subrata Ghatak 2007)Opportunities and Threats play a very crucial role in the microenvironment of a business organization. They either make or break the organization. The opportunities of supermarkets and mobile companies most of the time come as a result of collaboration. For instance, supermarkets can collaborate with the companies that they sell their products. It is through such strategies that supermarkets can easily give their clients discounts and offers. Discounts and offers are simply marketing strategies in which business organizations attract their customers. Mobile companies, on the other hand, can take advantage of their opportunities through collaboration with other electronic companies. For instance, they could collaborate with network service providers and as such use this platform to market their products. It is very important therefore, for a company to take advantage of whatsoever opportunity that comes their way. CITATION Les12 l 1033 (Leslie Hamilton 2012)A threat is another factor that is prevalent in the microeconomic environment of a business. There are various forms of threats that can affect the performance of a business. Threats may result from social, political or economic sources. However, common threats that mobile companies and supermarkets face are in relation to risks and uncertaintie s. Risks and uncertainties face almost every business and they could be in terms of price fluctuations, the risk of a technology becoming obsolete, market variations and so on. Competition is another threat that mobile companies as well as supermarkets have to deal with. It is a challenge that also comes an opportunity. Competition encourages organizations to come up with more advanced forms of technology for instance of mobile companies. Supermarkets, on the other hand, experience a lot of competition due to the homogeneity of products. CITATION Les12 l 1033 (Leslie Hamilton 2012)The next part of the paper gives an insight on the macroeconomic market. This market environment deals with broader economic issues such as inflation, unemployment, national income and GDP. The Pestel model is the best analysis to use so as to examine this economic environment. The Pestel assessment basically deals with the political environment, the environmental environment, the social, technological, ec onomic and finally the legal environment that surrounds an organization. Basically, a macro environment defines the conditions that exist in the whole economy as opposed to particular sections or regions in the economy. As such, this environment follows up the trends in the GDP market, monetary policies, fiscal policies, level of spending as well as employment. CITATION Dee06 l 1033 (Deepashree 2006) The political environment generally deals with the political factors that affect the performance of a business. Political factors, more often than not, come with policies. The fiscal and monetary policies for instance, affect businesses to a great deal. This depends on whether they are expansionary or contractionary. The government of a country has control of most businesses. Another way through which political factors affect businesses is through the political environment of a country, that is, whether the political temperatures are favorable for investment. Political instabilities in a country greatly discourage investment. This affects both mobile companies and supermarkets since it raises the question of globalization. With high political temperatures, it becomes very difficult to explore global markets. CITATION Arv l 1033 (Arvil Van Adams n.d.)The environment, on its own affects the performance of a business. The environment of a business is basically determined by the climatic conditions. The climate, or weather, in this case, will mostly affect a supermarket. As a matter of fact, there are goods whose demand rises with temperature. Such goods are among electronic fans. Supermarkets are bound to experience increase in sale of such product in the hot weather. On the other hand, there are other products such as umbrellas whose demand is bound to increase with the onset of cold weather. As such, though to a small extent, environmental factors play a role as factors in the macroeconomic environment. CITATION Sub07 l 1033 (Subrata Ghatak 2007)Social and cultural factors have a major effect as elements in the macroeconomic environment. This segment affects the performance of a business through the traditions, customs and beliefs of a society. It also deals with the issue of aging. Aging has an indirect effect on the demand and supply of a commodity. For the working population, when they age, they are paid handsomely in terms of pension. As a result, most of them might tend to spend more on luxury goods. This is how mobile companies get to benefit. The general consumption for this proportion of population increases and as such, this also affects supermarkets. The beliefs and attitudes of a population also determine the consumption pattern through tastes and preferences. CITATION Cal14 l 1033 (Monroe 2014)Technological factors affect the operations and performance of a business to a very large extent. Technology has a direct effect on production costs. This is because high levels of technology imply less production costs. The relationship bet ween technology and consumption is quite simple. Technology is a major factor of production, both for mobile companies and supermarkets. There is low demand of human resource with high levels of technology. This makes production relatively cheaper. The total cost of production reduces as well. The end result of this is that the profit margin increases. Technology may also become obsolete and this has a negative impact on the performance of the business. CITATION Les12 l 1033 (Leslie Hamilton 2012)Economic factors are the other factors that are prevalent in the macro environment of a business. Under this umbrella lie major issues to do with inflation, unemployment, GDP, Per Capita Income and many others. These factors generally create an economic environment and have the same effect on mobile companies and supermarkets depending on their degree of severity. A highly inflated economy means that the general price level of goods be it in supermarkets or from mobile phone companies. As a result, such an economy does not encourage investment by either of the two enterprises. CITATION Dee06 l 1033 (Deepashree 2006)Legal factors; these are legislations that affect the performance of a business. The quota system, for instance, is a legislation that affects the amount of imports. Narrowing down to mobile companies, they are affected by government policies to a very great extent. This is because their transactions mainly involve importation and exportation of products. Most governments have extremely stringent laws and regulations. Governments are often very strict especially with the quality of goods they import. Moreover, with respect to supermarkets, governments may have very strict regulations with regard to importation so as to promote local industries. Such issues affect the performance of companies to a very great extent. Taxes, which are stipulated by the government, are other pieces of legislation that both mobile companies and supermarkets have to come to terms with. From the above analysis, we can conclude that both the macro environment and the microenvironment have on the performance of a business, both positively. CITATION Arv l 1033 (Arvil Van Adams n.d.) References l 1033 Arvil Van Adams, ‎Robert S. Goldfarb, ‎Terence Kelly. How the Macroeconomic Environment Affects Human Resource. n.d. Deepashree. Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Environment. Tata McGraw Hill Education, 2006. Leslie Hamilton, ‎Philip Webster. International Business Environment. Oxford University Press, 2012. Monroe, Calvin. An Analysis of the UK Mobile Environment. GRIN Verlag, 2014. Subrata Ghatak, ‎Nige Healey, ‎Peter Jackson. The Macroecoomic Environment. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Source document

Employment Conditions on Employee Productivity

INTRODUCTIONThe main purpose of devising and improving employee productivity is to increase efficiency, and these results partly form better industrial relations. If people are in suitable jobs, they are more likely to be contended with their work, and this will react favorably on the output directly and will promote co-operative relations. Conducive employment conditions environment stimulates creativity of workers. Non-improvement in work environment and bad working conditions contribute to low productivity of employees because employees lack the motivation to give their individual best towards production.A favourable working condition is one of the most important factors that boost employee productivity, and the level of interaction amongst the employee, employer and the superiors gingers the employees to be either effective or otherwise. According to Likert (1959), the contribution of working conditions to an individual’s job satisfaction varies widely, but generally, it i s considered relatively small. Other things employees complain about include health and safety measures against accident and fire, sanitation and suggestion system. In Nigeria private companies, the plight of workers reflect Fredrick Taylor’s thesis on factory management which states that in the past, the man had been first, in the future the system comes first.Fredrick Taylor says that managers are technically oriented. Greater emphasis is placed on output, higher production and cost savings, no matter the human cost that may be involved in the process of achieving their objectives. For this to be achieved, there must be constant improvement in working conditions which covers claims for higher wages, shorter hours of work, holiday arrangement and pay incentives and bonus e.t.c. Adequate grievance procedure and provision for arbitration over disputes are further safeguarded.Under the 1979 constitution, it is provided that the objectives of the Nigerian states are geared towar ds ensuring that: (a) Health, safety and welfare of all persons in employment are safeguarded and not endangered or abused; b) Conditions of work are just and humane while there are facilities for leisure and for social, religious and cultural life. c) Opportunities are provided for citizen to secure adequate mean of livelihood and suitable employment and d) There are adequate medical and health facilities for all persons.According to Mayedeo and Markak (1962), productivity may be defined as the ratio between the production of a given commodity measured by volume and one more of the corresponding input factor measured by volume. A look at the above definition shows that productivity is made up of labour, raw materials or combination of many factors. It should be however said that productivity of labour has been the main concern. The ratio of output of the factor is the measure of productivity in relation to the particular factor of production.Production = Output of ProductionInput o f Labour P = O/M Where `p’ = Productivity O = Output M = Man hours put inThis research aims at investigating, examining and the analyzing of employment conditions and its effect on employees in an industrial organization on their rate of productivity. Productivity is a vital and major concept to every industrial organization. As a matter of fact, no organization would be able to achieve its goals if the matter of productivity is neglected. It has also been argued that labour aspect is the most vital without which the organization would be far from reaching the desired goals. Even in the committee of nations, productivity is a major tool for development.Productivity took a new dimension with the industrial revolution where productivity transcended mere subsistence. High productivity in industries is highly important as a result of the fact that it is a necessary condition for organizational sustenance and continuity in addition to improved standard of living. It is worthy of m ention that industrialization is an advancement of work. Work itself is seen as an effort or activity carried out for personal or organizational sustenance. Much expectation is attached with the concept of work, in addition to the provision of economic security. Work makes life meaningful and gives the feeling of self-actualization and acceptance to the worker in an industrial environment. However, the importance of work elucidated above working in the Nigerian industrial environment has not been that easy in recent time .So  many thing come into play which affect workers in the process of their daily activities as far as working condition are concern. These challenges often force industrial workers to feel concerned about some important working conditions such as the pay, the physical environment, safety, participation in decision making, career development /progression, heath etc.STATEMENT OF PROBLEMIn a situation whereby the working environment is not conducive enough for the e mployees, there may be a setback in the production level. A number of problems may arise while trying to create a good working condition. This may include good salary package, incentives and bonuses, good insurance policy, allowance, cordial relationship of the superior and subordinate and good compensation.Organization must make sure that the working conditions are favourable so as to motivate the employee without any grudges towards achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Some of the problems that will make an employee less productive will include: Low job satisfaction, inadequate communication, poor employee/management relationship, neglect of job analysis, autocratic management style, weak union structure, and arbitrary change of work rule.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDYThe purpose of study will include:To find out the extent to which employment conditions and employees productivity can be improved and the impact in on Cadbury Nigeria Plc. To find out how a well carried out job analysis improves productivity in Cadbury Nigeria Plc. To examine the type of leadership style and the relationship between the management and employees To determine the extent of labour turnover in relation to working conditions in Cadbury Nigeria Plc.RESEARCH QUESTIONSThe research questions of the study will include: i. What leadership style is being adopted by the management of Cadbury Nigeria Plc.? ii. Is there any relationship between social interaction and employee productivity? iii. How can working conditions influence employee productivity in Cadbury Nigeria Plc? iv. Is there a direct relationship  between working conditions and employee productivity? v. Does wage rate determine employee’s productivity?RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS Hâ‚€: There is no direct relationship between working conditions and employee productivity. Hâ‚ : There is a direct relationship between working conditions and employee productivity.Hâ‚€: There is no positive relationship betw een social interaction and employee’s productivity. Hâ‚ : There is a positive relationship between social interaction and employee’s productivity.Hâ‚€: Employees are not satisfied with the working conditions and are likely to express the need to leave the organization. Hâ‚ : Employees are satisfied with the working conditions and are likely to express the need to leave the organization.SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYThe study shows that productivity is a very essential factor in any organization. There is a need for the parties to strive hard to ensure that well carried out job increase productivity and it should be adhered to especially at the company level and there is the pursuit of rendering excellent services to customers. This research seeks to find out why expected returns are not accruing to some organizations while others are reaping the fruit of their labour. The research is also of particular interest in finding out whether employees with best performance are expressed within the range of their working conditions.SCOPE OF STUDYThis study is limited in scope to finding impact of working conditions on employee productivity. This study additionally identifies productivity related problems confronting organization with the intention of providing relevant solutions’ to them. This study is focused on the Food, Beverage and Tobacco industry. This is one of growing industry in Nigeria economy and Cadbury Nigeria Plc. is chosen. It is chosen with the belief that it will provide us an overview into the performance assessment exercise in the Food, Beverage and Tobacco industry.LITERATURE REVIEWLiterature review is very important and crucial to any research work. This is because the review of literature provides us with guidance and exposes us to other works that have been done in any particular field. It facilitates an insight into the understanding of the subject matter of research. Here, various opinions shall be discussed so as to ma ke it easy for other researchers who wish to embark on the same subject matter. Relevant and current literatures will be reviewed.Brenner (2004) argued for modeling of work environment to improve employees’ productivity calls for management responsibilities of holding everything together, improving motivation and creating commitment in the work environment. He postulated the PRIDE model, which managers can use in order to be successful in modeling the work environment. Providing a work environment that simultaneously achieves company goals and employees’ goal involves motivating such work environment with quality of work life.This involves giving employees opportunity for their personal growth, achievement, responsibility, recognition and reward so as to get high quality productivity from employees (Cecunc, 2004). According to Yesufu (1984), the nature of the physical condition under which employees work is important to output. Offices and factories that are too hot an d ill-ventilated are debilitating to effort. There should be enough supply of good protective clothing, drinking water, rest rooms, toilets, first aids facilities etc. Both management and employees should be safety conscious at all times and minimum of requirement of the factories act must be respected.RESEARCH METHODOLOGYThis shall highlight the method that will be employed in gathering relevant information and analyzing such information. The areas that would be covered includes, the research population, sample size, research design, research instrument, re-statement of hypothesis, method of data collection and method of data analysis.The population of this research is based on the food, beverage and tobacco industry, while the sample is Cadbury Nigeria Plc. The research instrument to be adopted will involve the use of questionnaires and  interviews. A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering informa tion from respondents.SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUESThe whole population cannot be studied, thus a sample was drawn to represent the population. The finding from the study of sample shall be generalized for the entire population; all employees of the Cadbury Nigeria Plc. They will be given equal and independent chance of being selected and included in the sample,DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONData analysis and interpretation is the life-wire of any research study, an attempt will be made to classify responses according to sex, age, educational level, marital status, length of service and current salary grade. Simple Random Sampling shall be employed in analyzing the collected data whereby each individual is chosen randomly and entirely by chance, such that each individual has the same probability of being chosen at any stage during the sampling process.DEFINITION OF TERMS i. Job satisfaction Is in regard to one's feelings or state-of-mind regarding the nature of their work. Job sat isfaction can be influenced by a variety of factors, eg, the quality of one's relationship with their supervisor, the quality of the physical environment in which they work, degree of fulfillment in their work, etc.ii. Arbitration A non-court procedure for resolving disputes using one or more neutral third parties — called the arbitrator or arbitration panel. Arbitration uses rules of evidence and procedure that are less formal than those followed in trial courts, which usually leads to a faster, less-expensive resolutioniii. Leadership style Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people.iv. Productivity Productivity is the relative efficiency of economic activity—that is, the amount of products or services produced compared to the amount of goods and labour used to produce it. It can also be said to be the amount of goods and services that a worker produces in a given amount of time. v. Working conditions Working conditions is the safety and healthfulness of the workplace, including the physical work environment and the procedures followed in performing the work.

Farewell to the king essays

Farewell to the king essays When I first watched Farewell to the King, I simply thought that it was just the story of how an American GI, through a series of unusual circumstances, became the king of Borneo and then was forced to lead his tribe into a war that he no longer wanted any part of. Upon further analysis, it became evident that this was really the story of Nigel Fairborn who comes into the story with a strong sense of British superiority, loyalty to the King of England and the desire to be a successful military leader. As the story unfolds, Nigel becomes less aware of his superiority, is torn between his loyalty to England and his new found loyalty to King Learoyd, and the reality that he is no longer able to lead. It is evident that Nigels character represents an attitude of British superiority. It is not by accident that the only soldier that accompanies him to Borneo is his radio operator named Tinker, a black man from Africa. In two scenes the viewers attention is directed to the racial difference. The first time is when the two of them are brought before King Learoyd. When Nigel discovers that the tribes king is white, he makes the comment that he is as white as we are. As he says it, he turns to Tinker. Tinkers face displays an expression as if to say, what do you mean by that? Nigels expression changes from that of amazement to that which says, well you know what I mean. This shows that when Nigel made the comment, Tinker was not part of we as he perceived it. Or more specifically, Tinker was something less because he was not white. Next is a scene where Nigel and Tinker are standing in the river rinsing their clothes. They are discussing the situation and Nigel tells tinker that he should not let the seemingly utopian life lure him in, Nigel says, remember you are British. Tinker responds by saying that he is not British, but African. Finally there is one more scene that fo...

10 Practical Steps to Help You Retire as a Millionaire

10 Practical Steps to Help You Retire as a Millionaire So you want to be a millionaire. Who doesn’t? You’re probably also thinking that there’s no chance in h-e-double-hockey-sticks that you could ever reach that stage by your retirement- at least not in your current job. But there are ways. And plenty of strategies you can employ to set yourself up to retire with that kind of cash. It won’t work for everyone, but at least if you follow these steps, you’ll have saved enough for your retirement.1. Save your money.It’s the simplest advice out there- and the hardest to follow. But if you put aside 20% of your earnings every year (even if you only make $40k) and put that into a 401(k), a combination of factors including investment, compound interest, matching funds, etc. nets you in the seven digits. 401(k)s are also typically protected from creditors in financial catastrophe. $10k a year (which would really only require you to save $5,760) can grow outrageously if invested wisely and you don’ t take anything out of your account until you’re over 70.2. Quit your vices.Millionaires are far less likely to smoke, be overweight and unhealthy, etc. This is because a) smoking is expensive, and b) so is poor health. Start eating quality food and taking care of yourself and you’ll last long enough to enjoy the money you save.3. Get married (and stay married).If this kind of commitment is in the cards for you, there can be significant financial benefits to matrimony. Two incomes. One set of expenses. Tax breaks. You do the math.4. Learn about the tax code.The tax code is the best pal of the rich. Learn about the stepped up basis loophole and learn how to factor deferred liabilities into your tax model. Once you know the rules and how they’re written, you can figure out how to exploit them for your gain.5. Think outside the box.There is no one way to accumulate wealth. And if there were, it probably wouldn’t be salaried or wage employment. The top 1% of households in this country spend only about half their time selling their time for money. Think about business ownership opportunities, personal investment, real estate, mutual funds, stocks, securities, etc.6. Geek out on finance.There are tons of resources out there for how you can make wealth happen for yourself. Learn about all of them: accounts and markets, entrepreneurship, etc. Read blogs and books about money management. Make a program that works for you and stick with it. In 50 years, you’ll be thrilled you did.7. Be prepared for the worst.Crises and emergencies do happen. Prepare yourself for this, rather than getting caught by surprise. Don’t let setbacks negatively impact your saving efforts. Have a rainy day fund to prepare in advance for setbacks.8. Save more as you are able.Once you start earning more, bump the amount you save from month to month. This will help the amount you’re hoarding to spiral into fatter and fatter sums. And don’t aut omatically increase your spending when you start earning more.9. Get/stay out of debt.Debt is not your friend. Make sure you stay as liquid and free from pesky interest rates as possible.10. Be patient.You won’t become a millionaire overnight. But you can start chipping away at a brighter financial future. It just takes making a plan, setting a goal, and sticking to it.

New Media & International Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

New Media & International Communication - Essay Example The media influences with sports apparel are created through various forms of communication that are based on commercialization. The types of media are inclusive of more traditional forms of media, such as print ads, newspapers, magazines and TV advertisements. These forms of commercialization are known to carry a specific number of advertisements or highlights that are based on sports apparel. There are also newer forms of advertisements through the dispersal of information on the Internet, specifically which creates a different relationship with potential customers interested in sports apparel. These various forms of communication become the most essential components of media influences as well as the relationships which are created with sports apparel. The main association with each of these is to transform the ideas of sports apparel into one which becomes attractive to those who are interested in sports of various forms.... For example, many of the sports coverage that is available come through television and sponsoring organizations. These include live coverage of specific games that may be more important to a group of individuals. The exposure continues with endorsements and sponsorship of top athletes for commercialization, specifically based on the performance of the games played in the past. These two interlink to news related stories that highlight the sports games and the top players. The news stories, coverage and responses then continue with social media and Internet exposure that highlights and creates responses with what is happening. Each of these build a different type of exposure through the media and interlink where the commercial aspects relate directly to exposure of the games and the fan base that identifies with this (Uhler, Lanter, 2008: p. 52). Communication of Sports Apparel The use of media and communication for sports apparel is unique because of the characteristics it holds and the type of consumers interested in the apparel. The main association is based on forms of advertising that are associated with adventure and living in the extreme. Through a recent study (Puchan, 2005, 171), it was found that sports activities have vastly increased in the last 20 years. This increase in sports is one which is directly related to the media sport and the world of sports that are associated with ideas of sports. Remaining healthy, living for adventure and having extreme associations then creates a different sense of communication. Sports apparel then links to communication that targets individuals interested in specific activities. The forms of media which are used will target these individuals and will communicate this specific message while showing