Sunday, November 24, 2019

Literature Essays

Literature Essays Successful literature essay focuses on an imaginative work and discuss how certain passages are related to your interpretation. Literature is related to the humanities disciplines that are considered to be text-centered disciplines. In literature courses, your texts will be imaginative works: poems, plays, novels, and films. As a student of literature, you may compare and contrast works of the same author, responding to assignments, at least in part, informative. During your education you will complete different types of essay assignments that will vary not only by topic but also by the essay structure. There are several types of structures that you will use in your essays depending on the purpose. Making Arguments The purpose of making arguments in literature is to interpret texts and to defend interpretations as reasonable. No one will expect your arguments to end all discussion of a question but your arguments definitely should be convincing and well supported. The goal of an argument in the literature is reached when you understand the point of view of the author in full. You should therefore not expect to read- or  write - a single, correct interpretation of a play. Instead, you should interpret the text and argue your point of view. One interpretation, argued well, can be clearly superior to and more compelling than another. It is an everlasting cycle because students of literature pose different questions and examine texts using different methods producing different interpretations, opinions, and arguments. You would in every case be arguing for an interpretation, and in every case your argument would be more or less convincing, in light of the conventions for arguing in the literature essay. You can help yourself focus on the purpose of argumentation in your literature classes by posing these questions: What sorts of questions will I investigate in this course? What sorts of texts will I be reading? To what extent will I be making interpretations? Claims, inferences, evidence In your literature essay you may be asked to write a claim on the assigned text. When you decided on your claim you should justify it to readers by referring them to specific passages in the text. Each such reference would count as evidence in support of your claim. Especially in literature, evidence usually involves a reference to some primary source - a poem, a novel, a letter, or journal entry. There is a common pattern of claim and support in the literature essay: 1. You make a claim that commits you to an interpretation of the text. 2. You support the claim by referring to a source. 3. Optionally, you comment on the source, linking it to the claim. In literature, sources that you use and what you write about them are connected in concrete ways to a story, imagined or actually lived by the author. An analysis of literature text is built by linking many cycles of claim, reference, and comment according to an overall plan, or thesis. When you write a literature essay for your class, don’t forget to apply these cycles, they are very helpful not only in producing the paper but even in starting it. Analysis In your literature classes you might be asked to write an analysis of some literature text in your essay. In analyzing a short story or novel, for instance, you might focus on characters, themes, plot, or structure. You might analyze a poem for its rhymes, meter, or symbols. These features give literary texts their meaning, though the meaning of a work will never be a simple sum of its analyzed parts. When you are conducting a literary analysis in your essay consider the following features: Characterization Who are the main characters? What are their qualities? Is each character equally important? Equally well developed? Language What devices such as rhyme, meter, and pauses does the author use to create special emphasis? How does the author use metaphors and choose words to create visual images? In what ways are these images tied to the meaning of the text? Narrator, Point of View Who is speaking? What is the narrator’s personality and how does this affect the telling? Is the narrator omniscient in the sense that he or she can read into the thoughts of every character? If not, how is the narrator’s vision limited? Plot How does the writer sequence events so as to maintain the reader’s attention? Which actions are central? How are other, subsidiary actions linked to the central ones? What patterning to the plot do you see? Are there ways in which the plot’s structure and theme are related? Structure In what ways can you (or does the author) divide the whole poem or story into component  parts - according to theme? Plot? Setting? Stanza? How are these parts related? Setting Where does the story take place? How significant is the setting to the meaning of the text? Symbolism Are any symbols operating, any objects that create for readers emotional, political, religious, or other associations? If so, how do these symbols function in the poem, story, or play? Theme What large issues does this text raise? Through which characters, events, or specific lines are the questions raised? To what extent does text answer those questions? You will be able to observe at least several of the following features in the poetry, fiction, and plays that you read. Conduct your analysis of a literary text by reading closely and identifying passages that illustrate one or more of these features. Discussions of specific features should reinforce one another so that your analysis is unified and presents a single, coherent interpretation. If you are interested in custom literature essay writing, our highly qualified writers can write an essay for you.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Follow the attachment and answer each question in it Essay

Follow the attachment and answer each question in it - Essay Example The literal image was a high resolution photograph taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. The factorial design type allowed the independent variables to be manipulated between four different groups of college aged adults at a public University within the United States. The purposes of this research were to advance knowledge on design elements which further enhance the effectiveness and influence of printed education materials. The research hypothesis was that the motivational force of printed education materials would be increased through consistently assigning agency to the virus; meaning that human passivity would make readers consider the virus a predator seeking out potential targets. It was hypothesized that this would heighten the health threat of the virus and perceived susceptibility to the threat. In order to achieve a high level of experimental control in this research study participants were assigned to one of four conditions and in each condition participants received a single page of printed education material that was related. The single page fact sheet was distributed along with a questionnaire. The readability levels of the human and flu agency versions were calculated using five different formulas from an online score tool and the average grade levels for readability were 8.2 and 8.6 ensuring that readability was similar across the groups. Thirteen semantic differential items were used to determine the participants perception of the credibility of the fact sheets. A memory based manipulation check was incorporated with five questions concerning what the participants had read specifically as an index of the participants sensitivity to the linguistic language manipulation. Seven Likert type items assessed participants perceptions of their susceptibility to the virus, H1N1 and their perceptions of the vaccine; their affective

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Ethical Decisions in Leadership Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Decisions in Leadership Class - Essay Example The essential problem is developing a decision that ethically considers the candidate's qualifications and soundly determines which candidate to promote based on these ethical considerations. Liz: Liz is African American. She is 34. She is divorced and has one child. She graduated in the lower half of her college class at Northwest State. She has been in the industry eight years and the company four years. Her performance ratings are mediocre. Employee reviews indicate she has had difficulty in staff management. Her energy level has been indicated to be high. Roy: Roy is white. He is 57. He is married with three children. He graduated in the top half of his class from a private university. He has been in the industry thirty years and with the company for twenty years. He has mediocre performance ratings. He has produced many of the top sales performers in the past. His energy level has been indicated to be average-low. Quang Yeh: Quang is 27. She is Asian. She is single with no children. She graduated in the top 3 percent of her class at State University. She has been with the company for three years. The last area she managed showed record increases, however, she lost a few older accounts. Her references indicate that she is intense and nothing will stop her from reaching her goals. They also indicated that she often puts in 60 hour work weeks and that her management style is meticulous. In ‘How to Make Unethical Decisions’ (Article 7) Sikula and Sikula discuss facts that should be considered relevant when determining employee promotion and hiring. They argue that appropriate subjects include education performance, learned knowledge, past experience, and pooled judgment. Following these standards, it’s clear that Quang’s excellent college performance and her proximity to attending college indicate she excels above the other candidates in this category. When considering learned knowledge and past experience one  must note that Roy has over thirty years experience in the industry and twenty of those with the company; however, Quang has demonstrated outstanding results in her past output.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Art and the Afterlife Across Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art and the Afterlife Across Cultures - Essay Example In each culture, arts and better understandings of what is told to do to the believers, evolved side by side. It is found that people portrayed their religious beliefs, especially life after death, through pictorial art in all cultures. Artists tried to build a relation between humans and the divine. At times it became more liberal and somewhat offensive when artists tried to express the details on its own way. However, religious clergy understands the need of the liberal art in order to make the follower conceptualize the promised destination. Egyptians perhaps left the most artistic concept of life after death. They used both sculpture and painting forms of art to represent the exact details of that time. They believed that these paintings will accompany the deceased in the life after that is the eternal life. They took a great deal of care in its preservation. Egyptians also drew on a form of paper, came from a ‘Papyrus’ plant. Different types of pottery were used to hold the deceased body parts, removed earlier, so it could be carried to the life after this. Some pots were engraved with personal details of the person. Huge sculptures were built to give eternal life to the most famous pharaohs, kings and queens. Ancient Egyptians painted to introduce the deceased with gods and make the journey to the after life more pleasant. Buddhism is one of the oldest mythologies. Buddhists believe in the afterlife too. They view death as a continuation of another life. The departed spirit may reappear in another form; that may be a human being again or an animal, but it never ends. The new form of life inherits the good or bad deeds of the previous life. This cycle of life goes on until one achieves the ultimate goal of life, the only way to break this cycle, and get rid of the ‘sufferings’ in each life. Most of the artifacts related to Buddhism are the sculptures of ‘Buddha’ himself. It depicts serenity after attaining complete li berty from sufferings of life and highlights the impermanence of it. The sculptures show calmness on the face through long and arduous self-meditation. Recently, a number of Buddha artifacts were displayed at Rubin Museum of Arts. ‘Bardo’ from the â€Å"Tibetan Book of the Dead† was one of them that show different paths that one may take after death. Judaism believes on life after death but there is no distinct picture of what happens after death. Most of the Jews believe that the dead will be raised again on The Day of the Judgment. It is also believed that the soul maintains relationship with the body for a year, at least for the sinners. Then, pious people are granted to enter to ‘Heaven’. On the other hand the wicked people are thrown in to ‘Hell’ or ‘Gahanna’. There are conflicts about the resurrection when Messiah comes. Many argue that it will be physical resurrection while the others believe in ‘soul sleep†™. Jewish are involved in all different forms of arts. It is ironic that there is no bookshop that has a separate Jewish painting and sculpture section. Most of the Judaic items are falsely associated with Jewish art. Bible prohibits portraying of any living creature, like Islam, but people do not have a problem showing Moses with his snake. Islam is the second largest religion in the world. Muslims believe that it is the continuation, in fact the final version of Judaism and Christianity. They believe that the time in this world is a test. Those

Friday, November 15, 2019

Relationship Between Training and Employee Commitment

Relationship Between Training and Employee Commitment Is there a connection between a high level of commitment to training and development of employees? 1.0 Introduction This paper will discuss training issues within the UK, and what organisations and the government are doing to address a skill shortage. The labour force in competitor countries is educated to higher levels than those in the UK, and that higher education qualifications will ever more be in demand to address future skills needs, particularly at the technical, associate professional and customer service level (M. Doyle 2003). This skills shortage is being addressed by the government by encouraging individuals and organisations to take more interest in training. There are many organisations within the UK that have very good policies on training, the question is does training employees equate on the bottom line. The government has introduced several policies aimed at tackling the skills shortage. D Blunkitt (2000) discussed. â€Å"that our education reforms are all about the development of an educated citizenry democracy in which people are educated in and are able to participate in active self-government. Individuals that are knowledgeable are equipped to make moral judgements, and will be able to construct solutions to the challenges they face, both locally and globally†(Blunkett, 2000, p. 13). This has shifted the emphasis from organisations training employees to individuals taking more responsibility for their own training. The skills are then transferable between organisations, aiding to the mobility of the individual. But organisations still require employees ‘to be trained in their culture and core values. Organisations seek the competitive edge of rivals; they use training to increase the level of service they offer customers. This in turn will create loyalty with their customers, therefore increasing turnover. The human resource is discussed as the most valuable, and perhaps the last edge organisations can have. If all organisations trained to the same level, would this then eliminate the competitive edge? Organisations are implementing strategic HR as a change agent, not to replace an out dated personnel department. Although there is still evidence within the UK that once these interventions are implemented, they just replace the role of the personnel department. To be effective belongs on the board of an organisation. The organisation that will be reviewed is Tesco’s; during the past decade they have introduced strategic HR with increased training of employees. The role of HR within the organisation has increased in importance. Their practice of training and the importance of HR will be reviewed with the current theory. Tesco’s’ operates in a very competitive market; the consumer has choice where to shop for their groceries. They have expanded their portfolio to include CD’s, DVD’s, electrical goods and clothing. Recently they have expanded into the financial services offering customers products from Credit cards to insurance. All their products are available on the internet 24 hours a day. Their slogan â€Å"every little helps† is used to show their commitment to customers, this has been used to reduce prices and to increase the level of customer service. This slogan is now used in their staff training, that any intervention will increase the knowledge of the workforce. The organisation is widely reported in newspapers, this is due to the success of the business. They are rapidly expanding in the UK with the opening of their Metro stores and into new and foreign markets. This has taken a great deal of their resources in the planning and implementing stage of expansion. The core units need to remain focused, to retain the reputation they have built. Reinforcing the culture and values through training will focus employees on their roles. Whilst writing this paper it was identified that further paper could be written on cost analyses of the organisation, to identify if the extra resources they have placed on training has been value for money. This was outside the scope of this paper. 3.0 Methodology This chapter discusses the research methods used for the project and the justification for the choice of methods. It discusses methods that were not used, with justification of why they were not included. Included is a critique of methods selected, and with hindsight this identifies any changes that would have enhanced the research. This paper critically evaluates training within the UK and focuses on the training issues within Tesco. It will compare the HR and training practices at Tesco to the theory. The organisation was chosen as they had put themselves to forefront of training a decade ago, by becoming investors in people. Selection of the topic was stimulated and formed out of heightened political awareness on the subject area. The government has recognised skills gap between the UK and competitor countries. To address this issue they have introduced policies that included lifelong learning. The government’s green and white papers were used to review these policies. The nature of the research was discussed with colleagues and fellow students, this not only added practical ideas and suggestions; it also opened new avenues of thought. This was the discussed with lecturers sounding out ideas, gauging opinions and clarifying the question. Focusing in on the question was obtained by employing relevance trees, narrowing the research area. This gave direction to the research, although with reviewing the literature this direction changed several times (Buzan, J. 1995). Next, a research proposal was compiled, with the benefit of organising ideas and setting a time-scale for research. Theoretically, the proposal would highlight any difficulties with the research question and access to data. Creating a time-scale would focus on targets and meet deadlines in the completion of the paper. The literature review, discussing theories and ideas that exist on the topic formed the foundation of the paper. The findings from the research are then tested on theories for validity (Saunders, M. et al1997). The literature review was challenging, there is a vast amount of articles on the subject. Books journals and newspaper articles formed the back bone for the review. Tertiary data sources, such as library catalogues and indexes were used to scan for secondary data. This produced journals and newspaper articles, and Internet addresses. With the amount of literature, it took time to sort out relevant material to the research. Narrowing down the search Bell’s (1993) six point’s parameters was applied. Applying key words that were identified in the first search produced relevant and up-to-date material (Bell, J.1993). A limitation on the literature search was the amount of time to read all articles and books on the subject. Whilst reviewing the literature references to other relevant publications was followed and reviewed. Bells checklist on identifying the relevance of literature found was a practical method to reduce the amount of reading (Bell, J. 1993). The Case study material was compiled from the organisations web site and from articles that discussed their training policy. Tesco’s appear to be rarely out of the papers, with daily reports on their success. The organisation disseminates a lot of information on their web page, only relevant material was chosen. To produce primary data on organisations training proved to be a vast task, taking a lot of time to produce results. Instead it was decide to review previously published interviews and surveys. This was then compared to the literature review. Interviewing people within organisations was an option for primary research. The target of the interview would be the person that held enough power to influence decisions that the organisation makes. This was rejected due to the time limitations of the paper. The major limitation of the study lies in its relatively small sample size and the limited coverage. This was mainly attributable tithe limited time and resources available for the study. Although thesis a small sample it will conclude on the findings with recommendations for further research papers into the subject. 4.0 Literature Review 4.1 Introduction This chapter will review current and recent articles and books of the topics of Training, HR and government policy. 4.2 What is training? Training can be defined as a planned process to change attitudes, knowledge or skills and behaviour through a range of activities to achieve effective performance. When this training is in the work situation, it develops the employee to satisfy current or future needs of the organisation (Beardwell, I et al 2004). It is generally accepted that methods of training can usually be separated into two categories: on-the-job, and, off-the-job. On-the-job training is implemented at the trainees workplace, while off-the-job training is conducted away from the trainees workplace and takes them outside of their work environment (Mullins, L. 2005). Training can be used as a change agent, to change the culture of an organisation. It is also a tool to improve organisational effectiveness, especially in fiercely competitive markets. All too often organisations that are facing financial problems will cut back the training program, where as they could be used to increase overall performance. The training budget is viewed too often as an expendable, and the first to cut or even go in crises (Rogers 2004). 4.2 Why Train Nobody in business would disagree with the clichà © that a company is only as good as the people in it. But opinions differ on how that translates into practice, and what it means in terms of the way a firm goes about gathering and developing a world-class staff line-up. With near full employment in the UK, the fight for talent is as ruthless as ever, and getting, hanging on to and developing those people remains the HR issue of the moment. The principal function of any organisation is to increase the value of the business and therefore enhance the wealth of its Owner(s). This is obtained by efficient use of the limited â€Å"resources† available to them(T Blackwood, 1995). Garrick (1998) discussed that training inextricably linked to market economics, that knowledge is prized ins far as it can generate a market advantageâ€Å"(Garrick 1998:5). This leads to the assumption that though training and developing employees, it can give the organisation advantage, increasing profit. Best (2001) discussed the â€Å"new economy, as a knowledge-based economy without borders, where the race is between companies and locales over how to learn faster and organise more flexibly to take advantage of technology-enabled market opportunities† (Best (2001) cited in DeFillippi, R. 2002). Organisations have changed in the way they operate, shifting from immobile-wired infrastructures to mobile, miniature, and wireless modes of communication, computing, and transacting. Customers now demand 24 hour service, with â€Å"anytime, anyplace solutions of their problems (DeFillippi, R. 2002). Radical shifts are taking place in management theory; these shifts need to be reflected in the theory of training and development. The move towards a knowledge economy makes these shifts vital to the survival of the organisation. Ideas of training tend to focus on results; typically they are short-term and assume transferable skills. Ideas of personal development may be insufficiently focused on the workplace. Therefore for an organisation to enter the knowledge economy, it is vital for them to review their training and development to a broader aspect (Bryans, P. Smith, R. 2000). Increasingly, as the nature of business and organisations change, its ‘leaders are recognising that their most valuable assets are their skilled employees and, more significantly, the knowledge, both tacit and explicit, that is possessed by these employees. The knowledge is power clichà © has never been more accurate than in todays corporate world. This added value that this can be seen in products and services is now dependant on knowledge based intangibles (Rogers 2004). Since the late 1990s the business environment has drastically changed(Mullins, L. 2005). Chaos theorists have argued that the world of the organisations is â€Å"turbulent and chaotic, making it impossible for them to predict the future† Therefore conventional approaches to strategic decision making are no longer appropriate (Harrison, R. 1997:78).Competition and the pace of change in business require continuous improvement, therefore it means continuous learning. From this demand the market for business education has grown with a proliferation of courses, full- and part-time, open and bespoke (Mullins, L. 2005). 4.3 The Role of HR Recognition of the importance of HR has increased in recent years; thesis a result of competition from overseas economies. In countries for example Japan, Germany and Sweden investment in employee development is higher than the UK. This has led to some organisations reviewing their policies on training introducing continuous investment in their employees (Beardwell, I. et al 2004). This increase in training priority has been supported by a rise inhuman Resource Management. This practice emphasises that increased growth can only be maintained in the long run; by equipping the workforce with the skills they need to complete their tasks (Mullins, L.2005). Although it is argued that HR departments are within UK organisations mostly administration based. Rogers (2004) stated that â€Å"the threat revolves around a fundamental mismatch between the functions of Departments today and the real strategic human resource needs of modern business, which those departments it should be servingâ€Å". The image of training and development has changed and can be used a key driver for delivering shareholder value (Rogers 2004:25). The role of HR should not be administrative based; it should be a part of the long term strategy of the organisation. Appointed an HR manager to the board is the only way this can happen (Beardwell et al2004).Rogers (2004) discussed the â€Å"role of developing human capital strategies that HR has a real opportunity to shine†. There are numerous departments are failing to deliver the goods. This is caused by â€Å"too many departments are dominated and viewed by the board as fulfilling mainly administrative role, dominated by endless form filling† (Rogers2004 :25). For HR to succeed it must take on a proactive role within the organisation. Strategic HR creates value by providing opportunities for organic learning, development of intellectual capital and enhances core competencies. This value is crucial to the organisations future success (Treen, D. 2000). Employers are increasing extorting the best possible performance from employees. Best practice will increase the skills of the current workforce, and with recruiting it will reinforce the culture of a highly skilled work force (Mullins, L. 2005).Strategic HRM has gained both credibility and popularity over the past decade, specifically with respect to its impact on organisational performance (Paauwe, J Boselie P. 2003). To fully exploit the wealth of knowledge contained within an organisation, it must be realised that it is in human resource management that the most significant advances will be made. As result, the human resource department must be made a central figure in an organisations strategy to establish a knowledge basis for its operations (Mullins, L. 2005). There are fundamental differences in the approach to HR. Storey(1987) discussed these as hard and `soft’ versions of HRM.. The ‘hard version places little emphasis on workers’ concerns and, therefore, within its concept, any judgments of the effectiveness form would be based on business performance criteria only. In contrast, ‘soft HRM, while also having business performance as its primary concern, would be more likely to advocate a parallel concern for workers’ outcomes (Storey cited in Guest, D. 1999). These models of HR theory, will justify why there has been an increase in this management practice. Walton (1985) defined HR as â€Å"mutual goals, mutual influence, mutual respect, mutual rewards, and mutual responsibility† Walton further added that the psychological contract ‘under this guitarist, high commitment model is one of mutuality, but it is a mutuality strictly bounded by the need to operate within an essentially unitary framework (Walton cited in Beardwell, l. et al2004) There is a need for a higher value to be placed on employees. And therefore get the best performance from the employees. According toDelany (2001) â€Å"successful organisations keep people issues at the forefront of their thinking and at the core of their decision making and planning†. Delany adds â€Å"organisations that get the people things right are the organisations likely to be around in the future† (Delany (2001)cited in Mullins, L. 2005:748). The role of human resource explicitly views employees as another resource for managers to exploit. In the past, managements had failed to align their human resource systems with business strategy and therefore failed to exploit or utilise their human resources to the full. The force to take on HRM is therefore, based on the business case of a need to respond to an external threat from increasing competition(Guest, D 1999). This view reflects a longstanding capitalist tradition in which the worker is viewed as a commodity. The consequential exploitation may be paternalist and benevolent; but, equally, it may operate against the interests of workers. Essentially, workers are simply resources to be squeezed and disposed of as business requirements dictate. More importantly, the interests of workers and their well-being are of no significance in themselves. As John Monks (1998) stated â€Å"In the wrong hands HRM becomes both a sharp weapon to prise workers apart from their union and a blunt instrument to bully workers† (Guest, D 1999). 4.5 HRD HR and training literatures highlights the organisational benefits tube gained from adopting a systematic approach to HRD, therefore thronging development of employees skills underpins the wider business objectives (Keep, 1989). This systematic approach to training often includes models that identifying needs, planning, delivery and evaluation. Harrison developed an eight stage model to identify monitor and evaluate training. The evaluation stage is possibly the most problematic part of the training process (Reid and Barrington, 1997). Therefore using that theory HRD should be viewed as a vital function offal organisations, and not just there to satisfy training issues, a proactive role. Caravan et al (2000) discusses the emergence of strategic HRD practices, which are directly linked to the organisation’s strategies, with profit maximising paramount, HRD is atoll that should be employed to obtain and support this (Caravan et al,2000). Strategic HRD is not embraced by all organisations; some view other resources as more valuable. There are many individual interconnected components, that impact on the performance of the organisation. The human resource is in theory the most valuable resource, but does not always receive the respect, and the financial recognition to develop(Walton 1999). Mumford (1997) agreed with this stating that â€Å"other resources within the organisation have a higher value placed on them and they are protected by rules and regulations† (A Mumford 1997:78). The theory of HRD appeals more to academics that the practioners. Garrick (1999) noted that academics rather than practitioners are more eager to pursue the learning perspective. This opinion defines HRD as being solely concerned with employees rather than organisational Strategy (Garrick 1999). Although this view is not shared by all authors. Caravan et al. (2000) defines the learning perspective that defines HRD as â€Å"responsible for fostering the long-term, work related learning capacity at an individual, group and organisational level†(Caravan et al. 2000:66). A research undertaken by Robertson and OMalley Hamersley reinforces this view of HRD. A two-year qualitative study composed from eighteen semi-structured interviews concluded that continuous professional learning was important to professional workers. To conclude from the study, learning does not have to directly correlate with organisational strategy. Therefore HRD can also be defined as a continuous learning programmes and encouragement of self-directed learning (Robertson and O’Malley Hamersley cited in Caravan et al. 2000:71). Continuously during the late 1990s and into the current century there has been a shift in organisational HRD rhetoric. Walton (2004) has discussed this shift in practice as â€Å"from how to support learning to how to manage knowledge, from the learning organisation to knowledge management†. These are new implications for the HRD practitioner in what has loosely been named the new economy (Walton 2004). 4.6 Managers and facilitators Education, training and development for managers, especially in the UK, has traditionally fallen into the â€Å"nice to have† category rather than the â€Å"must have† This view of business is persistent, with the assumption that managers are born and not made (Stern, S 2002). The majority of managers have learnt their skills through on-the-job experience. The conventional assumption, that managers learn best through â€Å"doing† whenever possible (Reader, A. 1998). Focussing on the concept that the human resource is the highly valued, systems should be in place to protect their importance. Development for managers who manage employees is a basic component of management development (Marching ton Wilkinson 1996). Mumford(1997) discussed the reason for failure of some of the processes has been â€Å"clearly been due in some instances to the absence of the required skills† (Mumford 1997:78). The majority of Managers would profit from training, but they are not capable of managing even with the intervention of training. These managers would still find in difficult to transfer the new skills and practices into their work place. The people who should train are not trained themselves (Walton 1999). In the UK the majority of managers have been trained in a skilled occupation, and consequently promoted through the system (Beardwell Holden 1994). Although highly trained in their primary occupation, the challenges of the managerial role are foreign to their skills. Rees commented that â€Å"few people start their careers off in managerial role; they have to acquire skills in organising employees effectively in an ever increasing competitive environment† (Rees cited in Beardwell Holden 1994:373). Good employee developers make a difference to the individual employee and/or their organisational performance. A new employee with a skills gap can be made to feel part of the organisation when he is developed into his role. Employees can be identified who have the potential for more demanding work or promotion but who require support to make this change. This can then set up a cycle of good behaviour that is passed on when the receivers become managers and developers themselves. Anises study found examples of increased skills and knowledge, work experience, self-confidence, improved motivation, job performance and job satisfaction, all thanks to the developers (Sparrow 2004). 4.7 Learning Theories Organisations have an economic need for all employees to be flexible within the workplace. The culture should encourage them to use their own initiative and apply the knowledge to undertake a variety of tasks. Cognitive learning lets the workforce learn strategies, and then transfer the learning to be able to solve problems. Lewis (1958) broke the learning down into three key stages. The first stage is the disposal of the old level (unfreezing), second stage is to implement the new structures and processes (moving) and the final stage involves stabilising the company with its new structure (refreezing). This technique was used so the organisation and the employees would be able to understand and implement improvements to their methods of working. Problems that arise from organisational change, which it is not flexible and cannot adapt swiftly to situations such as economic recession (Lewis (1958) cited in Buchanan, D and Hucczynski, A 1991). Wilson (1999) summarised on three main adult learning theories. Behaviourist theories of learning recognise learning as a response to external stimuli. Maintenance of the new behaviour is enforced by positive and negative reinforcement, a system of punishment and reward. Cognitivist theories of learning emphasise the proactive nature of development. This school of thought perceives human beings as seekers of knowledge in an attempt to understand our own identities and positionality. Humanist theories believe that learning occurs as result of our natural inclination towards it. People learn because in an environment of â€Å"warmth, care and understanding† (Wilson, 1999:197)we cannot help it. In this sense education is learner-centred; the student initiates the development environment and needs assessment. People continue to learn throughout their life, whether this is formally taught or just experienced. The process of lifelong learning requires continuous adaptation. This is gained from increased knowledge and improved skills, which aid the individual to adapt to or change the environment. This allows for new possibilities and outcomes from situations that they face. These changes can raise the individuals self-esteem and confidence. Therefore the learning can generate far reaching changes in both the individual and the environment (Beardwell I et al2004) Reinforcing learning within in an organisations, requires what Hawkins (1994) called a change at the heart† this change is in â€Å"the understanding of learning, a shift from viewing learning as being abrupt facts to learning as a more multi-faceted and dynamic process†. As Hawkins suggests, it is not that we are learning any differently than before but our understanding of how we learn has begun to catch up with what happens in practice (Hawkins, 1994:9). The learning process has been challenged to create a culture that allows continual learning throughout the organisation. As knowledge is what matters, organisations and individuals alike must become continuous learners(Hawkins, 1994). 4.8 Identification of training The UK government has introduced the National Occupational Standards(NOS). These are used as benchmarks of good practice in learning, and to identify the benefits to organisations and individuals that use them. These agreed statements of competence, describe the work outcomes required for an individual to achieve the standard expected of them(Wagner, L. 2004). These benefits can be used as a tool for the Human Resource Management function, to review and identify competencies in the work place. This process can start with recruitment and selection, measuring people’s experiences that will be transferred to the role, identifying any skills gaps in the existing work force (Harrison, R.2002). Employees appraisals is a tool used as to identify development issues within the organisation. Harrison (1993) suggests that they are â€Å"system and process for the provision of both feedback to employees on all aspects of their performance, and the opportunity for discussion to agree actions to assist their future development† (Harrison1993:256). Mullins defined the advantages of regular staff appraisals as â€Å"a formalised and systematic appraisal scheme will enable a regular assessment of individuals’ performance, highlight potential and identify training and development needs† (Mullins 1996:639). The information collected from the appraisals can be used for strategic development of employees. Outcomes can be used as measurement of success from the initial objectives. Harrison (1997) defined three outcomes that should come from appraisals, feedback on performance, work planning and diagnosis of training and development needs. If these outcomes are satisfied in the appraisal, then it will have a motivating effect on employees. IPhone of these outcomes is not satisfied, then the others cannot be satisfied (Harrison 1997). 4.9 Psychological contract Organisations no longer offer â€Å"a job for life† there is no longer guaranteed employment, with a pension as a reward for loyalty and compliance. The psychological contract between employer and employee has shifted. Employees are increasingly mobile, changing employment for promotion, reward and job satisfaction; top employees have more choices to where to work. To retain these key employees the organisations culture needs to allow an environment of personal growth (Harrison2002). With less job security, the best reward an organisation can give an employee is transferable skills (M Marching ton Wilkinson, 1997). Workers have been forced to take more responsibility for their own careers, going where the work is rewarding and where they can develop skills that will guarantee their employability in whatever organisation. This mobility and free agency has created greater competition for skilled workers between organisations. Good workers have more choices than before, and are more liable to use them. Withal the costs involved in recruiting and training new employees, organisations need to retain them. And key to this is the intrinsic rewards (Harrison 2002). Career development is important to the individual employee; Harrison(2002) noted this as an organised planned effort comprised of structured activities or processes that result in a mutual career-plotting effort between employees and the organisation. This Isa central component of the psychological contract that binds the individual to the organisation (Harrison 2002). This further complicates the role of the HRD PR actioner, balancing organisational needs with the individual’s expectations. Some employees will develop their career with one employer, while others require transferable skills. The organisation requires employees with the right skills to ensure and sustain competitive advantage (Gilley and England, 1989:48). 4.10 The Facts in the UK When organisations do not employ the resources to evaluate the benefit gained from training, the needs analysis is not completed. Therefore any benefit gained is not known to the organisation. A studying 1989 revealed that only 3 per cent of UK organisations reviewed any cost-benefit analysis of their training intervention (Deloitte et al(1989) cited in Santos and Stuart 2003). This approach within the UK has barely changed in fifty years. Evaluation of training intervention does not receive the consideration that accepted opinion demands; it is not an important factor in determining the allocation of resources to training. The important factor within an organisation is the focus of HR on the training and development needs, so they are focused on the learning needs of theorganisation.UK organisations fail when assessing the effect of training, to both the individual and the organisation (Sloman 2004). A survey from the CIPD of 1,180 HR professionals agreed that the role of the HR department requires change to move forward. Mike Emmett, head of employee relations at the CIPD agreed with the survey stating â€Å"Theory community has internalised the message that it needs to spend less time on administration and operational issues and more time on business strategy and adding valueâ€Å" The role that HR has adopted in the Appears to follow on from the role of the personnel department. For Hardtop be successful the HR department should hold a strategic position within the organisation (Mike Emmett cited in Zneimer and Merriden 2004:38). The trend in the UK o Relationship Between Training and Employee Commitment Relationship Between Training and Employee Commitment Is there a connection between a high level of commitment to training and development of employees? 1.0 Introduction This paper will discuss training issues within the UK, and what organisations and the government are doing to address a skill shortage. The labour force in competitor countries is educated to higher levels than those in the UK, and that higher education qualifications will ever more be in demand to address future skills needs, particularly at the technical, associate professional and customer service level (M. Doyle 2003). This skills shortage is being addressed by the government by encouraging individuals and organisations to take more interest in training. There are many organisations within the UK that have very good policies on training, the question is does training employees equate on the bottom line. The government has introduced several policies aimed at tackling the skills shortage. D Blunkitt (2000) discussed. â€Å"that our education reforms are all about the development of an educated citizenry democracy in which people are educated in and are able to participate in active self-government. Individuals that are knowledgeable are equipped to make moral judgements, and will be able to construct solutions to the challenges they face, both locally and globally†(Blunkett, 2000, p. 13). This has shifted the emphasis from organisations training employees to individuals taking more responsibility for their own training. The skills are then transferable between organisations, aiding to the mobility of the individual. But organisations still require employees ‘to be trained in their culture and core values. Organisations seek the competitive edge of rivals; they use training to increase the level of service they offer customers. This in turn will create loyalty with their customers, therefore increasing turnover. The human resource is discussed as the most valuable, and perhaps the last edge organisations can have. If all organisations trained to the same level, would this then eliminate the competitive edge? Organisations are implementing strategic HR as a change agent, not to replace an out dated personnel department. Although there is still evidence within the UK that once these interventions are implemented, they just replace the role of the personnel department. To be effective belongs on the board of an organisation. The organisation that will be reviewed is Tesco’s; during the past decade they have introduced strategic HR with increased training of employees. The role of HR within the organisation has increased in importance. Their practice of training and the importance of HR will be reviewed with the current theory. Tesco’s’ operates in a very competitive market; the consumer has choice where to shop for their groceries. They have expanded their portfolio to include CD’s, DVD’s, electrical goods and clothing. Recently they have expanded into the financial services offering customers products from Credit cards to insurance. All their products are available on the internet 24 hours a day. Their slogan â€Å"every little helps† is used to show their commitment to customers, this has been used to reduce prices and to increase the level of customer service. This slogan is now used in their staff training, that any intervention will increase the knowledge of the workforce. The organisation is widely reported in newspapers, this is due to the success of the business. They are rapidly expanding in the UK with the opening of their Metro stores and into new and foreign markets. This has taken a great deal of their resources in the planning and implementing stage of expansion. The core units need to remain focused, to retain the reputation they have built. Reinforcing the culture and values through training will focus employees on their roles. Whilst writing this paper it was identified that further paper could be written on cost analyses of the organisation, to identify if the extra resources they have placed on training has been value for money. This was outside the scope of this paper. 3.0 Methodology This chapter discusses the research methods used for the project and the justification for the choice of methods. It discusses methods that were not used, with justification of why they were not included. Included is a critique of methods selected, and with hindsight this identifies any changes that would have enhanced the research. This paper critically evaluates training within the UK and focuses on the training issues within Tesco. It will compare the HR and training practices at Tesco to the theory. The organisation was chosen as they had put themselves to forefront of training a decade ago, by becoming investors in people. Selection of the topic was stimulated and formed out of heightened political awareness on the subject area. The government has recognised skills gap between the UK and competitor countries. To address this issue they have introduced policies that included lifelong learning. The government’s green and white papers were used to review these policies. The nature of the research was discussed with colleagues and fellow students, this not only added practical ideas and suggestions; it also opened new avenues of thought. This was the discussed with lecturers sounding out ideas, gauging opinions and clarifying the question. Focusing in on the question was obtained by employing relevance trees, narrowing the research area. This gave direction to the research, although with reviewing the literature this direction changed several times (Buzan, J. 1995). Next, a research proposal was compiled, with the benefit of organising ideas and setting a time-scale for research. Theoretically, the proposal would highlight any difficulties with the research question and access to data. Creating a time-scale would focus on targets and meet deadlines in the completion of the paper. The literature review, discussing theories and ideas that exist on the topic formed the foundation of the paper. The findings from the research are then tested on theories for validity (Saunders, M. et al1997). The literature review was challenging, there is a vast amount of articles on the subject. Books journals and newspaper articles formed the back bone for the review. Tertiary data sources, such as library catalogues and indexes were used to scan for secondary data. This produced journals and newspaper articles, and Internet addresses. With the amount of literature, it took time to sort out relevant material to the research. Narrowing down the search Bell’s (1993) six point’s parameters was applied. Applying key words that were identified in the first search produced relevant and up-to-date material (Bell, J.1993). A limitation on the literature search was the amount of time to read all articles and books on the subject. Whilst reviewing the literature references to other relevant publications was followed and reviewed. Bells checklist on identifying the relevance of literature found was a practical method to reduce the amount of reading (Bell, J. 1993). The Case study material was compiled from the organisations web site and from articles that discussed their training policy. Tesco’s appear to be rarely out of the papers, with daily reports on their success. The organisation disseminates a lot of information on their web page, only relevant material was chosen. To produce primary data on organisations training proved to be a vast task, taking a lot of time to produce results. Instead it was decide to review previously published interviews and surveys. This was then compared to the literature review. Interviewing people within organisations was an option for primary research. The target of the interview would be the person that held enough power to influence decisions that the organisation makes. This was rejected due to the time limitations of the paper. The major limitation of the study lies in its relatively small sample size and the limited coverage. This was mainly attributable tithe limited time and resources available for the study. Although thesis a small sample it will conclude on the findings with recommendations for further research papers into the subject. 4.0 Literature Review 4.1 Introduction This chapter will review current and recent articles and books of the topics of Training, HR and government policy. 4.2 What is training? Training can be defined as a planned process to change attitudes, knowledge or skills and behaviour through a range of activities to achieve effective performance. When this training is in the work situation, it develops the employee to satisfy current or future needs of the organisation (Beardwell, I et al 2004). It is generally accepted that methods of training can usually be separated into two categories: on-the-job, and, off-the-job. On-the-job training is implemented at the trainees workplace, while off-the-job training is conducted away from the trainees workplace and takes them outside of their work environment (Mullins, L. 2005). Training can be used as a change agent, to change the culture of an organisation. It is also a tool to improve organisational effectiveness, especially in fiercely competitive markets. All too often organisations that are facing financial problems will cut back the training program, where as they could be used to increase overall performance. The training budget is viewed too often as an expendable, and the first to cut or even go in crises (Rogers 2004). 4.2 Why Train Nobody in business would disagree with the clichà © that a company is only as good as the people in it. But opinions differ on how that translates into practice, and what it means in terms of the way a firm goes about gathering and developing a world-class staff line-up. With near full employment in the UK, the fight for talent is as ruthless as ever, and getting, hanging on to and developing those people remains the HR issue of the moment. The principal function of any organisation is to increase the value of the business and therefore enhance the wealth of its Owner(s). This is obtained by efficient use of the limited â€Å"resources† available to them(T Blackwood, 1995). Garrick (1998) discussed that training inextricably linked to market economics, that knowledge is prized ins far as it can generate a market advantageâ€Å"(Garrick 1998:5). This leads to the assumption that though training and developing employees, it can give the organisation advantage, increasing profit. Best (2001) discussed the â€Å"new economy, as a knowledge-based economy without borders, where the race is between companies and locales over how to learn faster and organise more flexibly to take advantage of technology-enabled market opportunities† (Best (2001) cited in DeFillippi, R. 2002). Organisations have changed in the way they operate, shifting from immobile-wired infrastructures to mobile, miniature, and wireless modes of communication, computing, and transacting. Customers now demand 24 hour service, with â€Å"anytime, anyplace solutions of their problems (DeFillippi, R. 2002). Radical shifts are taking place in management theory; these shifts need to be reflected in the theory of training and development. The move towards a knowledge economy makes these shifts vital to the survival of the organisation. Ideas of training tend to focus on results; typically they are short-term and assume transferable skills. Ideas of personal development may be insufficiently focused on the workplace. Therefore for an organisation to enter the knowledge economy, it is vital for them to review their training and development to a broader aspect (Bryans, P. Smith, R. 2000). Increasingly, as the nature of business and organisations change, its ‘leaders are recognising that their most valuable assets are their skilled employees and, more significantly, the knowledge, both tacit and explicit, that is possessed by these employees. The knowledge is power clichà © has never been more accurate than in todays corporate world. This added value that this can be seen in products and services is now dependant on knowledge based intangibles (Rogers 2004). Since the late 1990s the business environment has drastically changed(Mullins, L. 2005). Chaos theorists have argued that the world of the organisations is â€Å"turbulent and chaotic, making it impossible for them to predict the future† Therefore conventional approaches to strategic decision making are no longer appropriate (Harrison, R. 1997:78).Competition and the pace of change in business require continuous improvement, therefore it means continuous learning. From this demand the market for business education has grown with a proliferation of courses, full- and part-time, open and bespoke (Mullins, L. 2005). 4.3 The Role of HR Recognition of the importance of HR has increased in recent years; thesis a result of competition from overseas economies. In countries for example Japan, Germany and Sweden investment in employee development is higher than the UK. This has led to some organisations reviewing their policies on training introducing continuous investment in their employees (Beardwell, I. et al 2004). This increase in training priority has been supported by a rise inhuman Resource Management. This practice emphasises that increased growth can only be maintained in the long run; by equipping the workforce with the skills they need to complete their tasks (Mullins, L.2005). Although it is argued that HR departments are within UK organisations mostly administration based. Rogers (2004) stated that â€Å"the threat revolves around a fundamental mismatch between the functions of Departments today and the real strategic human resource needs of modern business, which those departments it should be servingâ€Å". The image of training and development has changed and can be used a key driver for delivering shareholder value (Rogers 2004:25). The role of HR should not be administrative based; it should be a part of the long term strategy of the organisation. Appointed an HR manager to the board is the only way this can happen (Beardwell et al2004).Rogers (2004) discussed the â€Å"role of developing human capital strategies that HR has a real opportunity to shine†. There are numerous departments are failing to deliver the goods. This is caused by â€Å"too many departments are dominated and viewed by the board as fulfilling mainly administrative role, dominated by endless form filling† (Rogers2004 :25). For HR to succeed it must take on a proactive role within the organisation. Strategic HR creates value by providing opportunities for organic learning, development of intellectual capital and enhances core competencies. This value is crucial to the organisations future success (Treen, D. 2000). Employers are increasing extorting the best possible performance from employees. Best practice will increase the skills of the current workforce, and with recruiting it will reinforce the culture of a highly skilled work force (Mullins, L. 2005).Strategic HRM has gained both credibility and popularity over the past decade, specifically with respect to its impact on organisational performance (Paauwe, J Boselie P. 2003). To fully exploit the wealth of knowledge contained within an organisation, it must be realised that it is in human resource management that the most significant advances will be made. As result, the human resource department must be made a central figure in an organisations strategy to establish a knowledge basis for its operations (Mullins, L. 2005). There are fundamental differences in the approach to HR. Storey(1987) discussed these as hard and `soft’ versions of HRM.. The ‘hard version places little emphasis on workers’ concerns and, therefore, within its concept, any judgments of the effectiveness form would be based on business performance criteria only. In contrast, ‘soft HRM, while also having business performance as its primary concern, would be more likely to advocate a parallel concern for workers’ outcomes (Storey cited in Guest, D. 1999). These models of HR theory, will justify why there has been an increase in this management practice. Walton (1985) defined HR as â€Å"mutual goals, mutual influence, mutual respect, mutual rewards, and mutual responsibility† Walton further added that the psychological contract ‘under this guitarist, high commitment model is one of mutuality, but it is a mutuality strictly bounded by the need to operate within an essentially unitary framework (Walton cited in Beardwell, l. et al2004) There is a need for a higher value to be placed on employees. And therefore get the best performance from the employees. According toDelany (2001) â€Å"successful organisations keep people issues at the forefront of their thinking and at the core of their decision making and planning†. Delany adds â€Å"organisations that get the people things right are the organisations likely to be around in the future† (Delany (2001)cited in Mullins, L. 2005:748). The role of human resource explicitly views employees as another resource for managers to exploit. In the past, managements had failed to align their human resource systems with business strategy and therefore failed to exploit or utilise their human resources to the full. The force to take on HRM is therefore, based on the business case of a need to respond to an external threat from increasing competition(Guest, D 1999). This view reflects a longstanding capitalist tradition in which the worker is viewed as a commodity. The consequential exploitation may be paternalist and benevolent; but, equally, it may operate against the interests of workers. Essentially, workers are simply resources to be squeezed and disposed of as business requirements dictate. More importantly, the interests of workers and their well-being are of no significance in themselves. As John Monks (1998) stated â€Å"In the wrong hands HRM becomes both a sharp weapon to prise workers apart from their union and a blunt instrument to bully workers† (Guest, D 1999). 4.5 HRD HR and training literatures highlights the organisational benefits tube gained from adopting a systematic approach to HRD, therefore thronging development of employees skills underpins the wider business objectives (Keep, 1989). This systematic approach to training often includes models that identifying needs, planning, delivery and evaluation. Harrison developed an eight stage model to identify monitor and evaluate training. The evaluation stage is possibly the most problematic part of the training process (Reid and Barrington, 1997). Therefore using that theory HRD should be viewed as a vital function offal organisations, and not just there to satisfy training issues, a proactive role. Caravan et al (2000) discusses the emergence of strategic HRD practices, which are directly linked to the organisation’s strategies, with profit maximising paramount, HRD is atoll that should be employed to obtain and support this (Caravan et al,2000). Strategic HRD is not embraced by all organisations; some view other resources as more valuable. There are many individual interconnected components, that impact on the performance of the organisation. The human resource is in theory the most valuable resource, but does not always receive the respect, and the financial recognition to develop(Walton 1999). Mumford (1997) agreed with this stating that â€Å"other resources within the organisation have a higher value placed on them and they are protected by rules and regulations† (A Mumford 1997:78). The theory of HRD appeals more to academics that the practioners. Garrick (1999) noted that academics rather than practitioners are more eager to pursue the learning perspective. This opinion defines HRD as being solely concerned with employees rather than organisational Strategy (Garrick 1999). Although this view is not shared by all authors. Caravan et al. (2000) defines the learning perspective that defines HRD as â€Å"responsible for fostering the long-term, work related learning capacity at an individual, group and organisational level†(Caravan et al. 2000:66). A research undertaken by Robertson and OMalley Hamersley reinforces this view of HRD. A two-year qualitative study composed from eighteen semi-structured interviews concluded that continuous professional learning was important to professional workers. To conclude from the study, learning does not have to directly correlate with organisational strategy. Therefore HRD can also be defined as a continuous learning programmes and encouragement of self-directed learning (Robertson and O’Malley Hamersley cited in Caravan et al. 2000:71). Continuously during the late 1990s and into the current century there has been a shift in organisational HRD rhetoric. Walton (2004) has discussed this shift in practice as â€Å"from how to support learning to how to manage knowledge, from the learning organisation to knowledge management†. These are new implications for the HRD practitioner in what has loosely been named the new economy (Walton 2004). 4.6 Managers and facilitators Education, training and development for managers, especially in the UK, has traditionally fallen into the â€Å"nice to have† category rather than the â€Å"must have† This view of business is persistent, with the assumption that managers are born and not made (Stern, S 2002). The majority of managers have learnt their skills through on-the-job experience. The conventional assumption, that managers learn best through â€Å"doing† whenever possible (Reader, A. 1998). Focussing on the concept that the human resource is the highly valued, systems should be in place to protect their importance. Development for managers who manage employees is a basic component of management development (Marching ton Wilkinson 1996). Mumford(1997) discussed the reason for failure of some of the processes has been â€Å"clearly been due in some instances to the absence of the required skills† (Mumford 1997:78). The majority of Managers would profit from training, but they are not capable of managing even with the intervention of training. These managers would still find in difficult to transfer the new skills and practices into their work place. The people who should train are not trained themselves (Walton 1999). In the UK the majority of managers have been trained in a skilled occupation, and consequently promoted through the system (Beardwell Holden 1994). Although highly trained in their primary occupation, the challenges of the managerial role are foreign to their skills. Rees commented that â€Å"few people start their careers off in managerial role; they have to acquire skills in organising employees effectively in an ever increasing competitive environment† (Rees cited in Beardwell Holden 1994:373). Good employee developers make a difference to the individual employee and/or their organisational performance. A new employee with a skills gap can be made to feel part of the organisation when he is developed into his role. Employees can be identified who have the potential for more demanding work or promotion but who require support to make this change. This can then set up a cycle of good behaviour that is passed on when the receivers become managers and developers themselves. Anises study found examples of increased skills and knowledge, work experience, self-confidence, improved motivation, job performance and job satisfaction, all thanks to the developers (Sparrow 2004). 4.7 Learning Theories Organisations have an economic need for all employees to be flexible within the workplace. The culture should encourage them to use their own initiative and apply the knowledge to undertake a variety of tasks. Cognitive learning lets the workforce learn strategies, and then transfer the learning to be able to solve problems. Lewis (1958) broke the learning down into three key stages. The first stage is the disposal of the old level (unfreezing), second stage is to implement the new structures and processes (moving) and the final stage involves stabilising the company with its new structure (refreezing). This technique was used so the organisation and the employees would be able to understand and implement improvements to their methods of working. Problems that arise from organisational change, which it is not flexible and cannot adapt swiftly to situations such as economic recession (Lewis (1958) cited in Buchanan, D and Hucczynski, A 1991). Wilson (1999) summarised on three main adult learning theories. Behaviourist theories of learning recognise learning as a response to external stimuli. Maintenance of the new behaviour is enforced by positive and negative reinforcement, a system of punishment and reward. Cognitivist theories of learning emphasise the proactive nature of development. This school of thought perceives human beings as seekers of knowledge in an attempt to understand our own identities and positionality. Humanist theories believe that learning occurs as result of our natural inclination towards it. People learn because in an environment of â€Å"warmth, care and understanding† (Wilson, 1999:197)we cannot help it. In this sense education is learner-centred; the student initiates the development environment and needs assessment. People continue to learn throughout their life, whether this is formally taught or just experienced. The process of lifelong learning requires continuous adaptation. This is gained from increased knowledge and improved skills, which aid the individual to adapt to or change the environment. This allows for new possibilities and outcomes from situations that they face. These changes can raise the individuals self-esteem and confidence. Therefore the learning can generate far reaching changes in both the individual and the environment (Beardwell I et al2004) Reinforcing learning within in an organisations, requires what Hawkins (1994) called a change at the heart† this change is in â€Å"the understanding of learning, a shift from viewing learning as being abrupt facts to learning as a more multi-faceted and dynamic process†. As Hawkins suggests, it is not that we are learning any differently than before but our understanding of how we learn has begun to catch up with what happens in practice (Hawkins, 1994:9). The learning process has been challenged to create a culture that allows continual learning throughout the organisation. As knowledge is what matters, organisations and individuals alike must become continuous learners(Hawkins, 1994). 4.8 Identification of training The UK government has introduced the National Occupational Standards(NOS). These are used as benchmarks of good practice in learning, and to identify the benefits to organisations and individuals that use them. These agreed statements of competence, describe the work outcomes required for an individual to achieve the standard expected of them(Wagner, L. 2004). These benefits can be used as a tool for the Human Resource Management function, to review and identify competencies in the work place. This process can start with recruitment and selection, measuring people’s experiences that will be transferred to the role, identifying any skills gaps in the existing work force (Harrison, R.2002). Employees appraisals is a tool used as to identify development issues within the organisation. Harrison (1993) suggests that they are â€Å"system and process for the provision of both feedback to employees on all aspects of their performance, and the opportunity for discussion to agree actions to assist their future development† (Harrison1993:256). Mullins defined the advantages of regular staff appraisals as â€Å"a formalised and systematic appraisal scheme will enable a regular assessment of individuals’ performance, highlight potential and identify training and development needs† (Mullins 1996:639). The information collected from the appraisals can be used for strategic development of employees. Outcomes can be used as measurement of success from the initial objectives. Harrison (1997) defined three outcomes that should come from appraisals, feedback on performance, work planning and diagnosis of training and development needs. If these outcomes are satisfied in the appraisal, then it will have a motivating effect on employees. IPhone of these outcomes is not satisfied, then the others cannot be satisfied (Harrison 1997). 4.9 Psychological contract Organisations no longer offer â€Å"a job for life† there is no longer guaranteed employment, with a pension as a reward for loyalty and compliance. The psychological contract between employer and employee has shifted. Employees are increasingly mobile, changing employment for promotion, reward and job satisfaction; top employees have more choices to where to work. To retain these key employees the organisations culture needs to allow an environment of personal growth (Harrison2002). With less job security, the best reward an organisation can give an employee is transferable skills (M Marching ton Wilkinson, 1997). Workers have been forced to take more responsibility for their own careers, going where the work is rewarding and where they can develop skills that will guarantee their employability in whatever organisation. This mobility and free agency has created greater competition for skilled workers between organisations. Good workers have more choices than before, and are more liable to use them. Withal the costs involved in recruiting and training new employees, organisations need to retain them. And key to this is the intrinsic rewards (Harrison 2002). Career development is important to the individual employee; Harrison(2002) noted this as an organised planned effort comprised of structured activities or processes that result in a mutual career-plotting effort between employees and the organisation. This Isa central component of the psychological contract that binds the individual to the organisation (Harrison 2002). This further complicates the role of the HRD PR actioner, balancing organisational needs with the individual’s expectations. Some employees will develop their career with one employer, while others require transferable skills. The organisation requires employees with the right skills to ensure and sustain competitive advantage (Gilley and England, 1989:48). 4.10 The Facts in the UK When organisations do not employ the resources to evaluate the benefit gained from training, the needs analysis is not completed. Therefore any benefit gained is not known to the organisation. A studying 1989 revealed that only 3 per cent of UK organisations reviewed any cost-benefit analysis of their training intervention (Deloitte et al(1989) cited in Santos and Stuart 2003). This approach within the UK has barely changed in fifty years. Evaluation of training intervention does not receive the consideration that accepted opinion demands; it is not an important factor in determining the allocation of resources to training. The important factor within an organisation is the focus of HR on the training and development needs, so they are focused on the learning needs of theorganisation.UK organisations fail when assessing the effect of training, to both the individual and the organisation (Sloman 2004). A survey from the CIPD of 1,180 HR professionals agreed that the role of the HR department requires change to move forward. Mike Emmett, head of employee relations at the CIPD agreed with the survey stating â€Å"Theory community has internalised the message that it needs to spend less time on administration and operational issues and more time on business strategy and adding valueâ€Å" The role that HR has adopted in the Appears to follow on from the role of the personnel department. For Hardtop be successful the HR department should hold a strategic position within the organisation (Mike Emmett cited in Zneimer and Merriden 2004:38). The trend in the UK o

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Gene Therapy Saves Lives Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Argument Es

Gene Therapy Saves Lives   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tim was diagnosed with a rare and deadly disease this morning. He is only five years old with the rest of his life ahead of him. It isn't his fault that he received this disease or even his parents'. This disease comes out in anyone's body that has a defected gene. The disease has made Tim live in a sanitized bubble the last year because of the fear that he might catch any common bug and die. He has severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID. The disease lacks a gene in charge of the body's immune system called adenosine deaminase. Tim could be helped through a process called gene therapy, but he won't because there is too much debate on the ethnicity of gene therapy; too much even to save his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of gene therapy to prevent illness and disease by changing a person's genetic makeup is a good use of science. Gene therapy is an approach in science to treat, or ultimately prevent disease by changing the expression of a person's genes. The way a gene is expressed is something like a person's hair color. Gene therapy is still in its very early stages of development. Any gene therapy that is being worked on today is still in its experimental stages. It will not be used in humans for extensive use for a while. The only humans are ones who are in clinical trials ("Gene Therapy").   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gene therapy can be done by using either somatic, which are from the body, or germ, which are from egg or sperm, cells. In somatic gene therapy the recipient's genome, genetic makeup, is changed, but the changes are not passed down to the next generation. In germ line gene therapy, the parents' egg and sperm cells are changed with the goal of passing on the changes to their offspring. Germ line gene ... ...http://www.srtp.org.uk/genthpy1.htm#Issues]. "Gene Therapy." Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 21 Nov. 2002. 3 Dec. 2002 [http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/medicine/genetherapy.html]. "Genetics in the Courtroom." Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 21 Nov. 2002. 10 Dec. 2002 [http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/courts/courts.html]. Godoy, Maria. "Gene Therapy Offers Hope for the Blind." TechTV News. 1 May 2001. 4 Dec. 2002 [http://www.techtv.com/news/specialreport/story/0,24195,3325114,00.html]. "Human Genome Diversity Project." Morrison Institute. 6 Oct. 1994. 3 Dec. 2002 [http://www.stanford.edu/group/morrinst/hgdp/faq.html]. Kitcher, Phillip. "Manipulating Genes: How Much is Too Much?" PBS Online. Apr. 2002. 8 Dec. 2002 [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/manipulate.html]. "Scenario A- Part 1." Strategis.gc.ca. 6 Dec. 2002 [http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/bb00010e.html#AP1].

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Stan’s Future Self and Evil Cartman: Pop Culture Assignment

Stan’s Future Self and Evil Cartman: Pop Culture Assignment By: Sachman Aul In the article Stan’s Future Self and Evil Cartman, Shai Biderman’s purpose of writing this article is to explain the idea of personal identity in South Park. This part of the book is targeted towards anyone who is studying or learning philosophy due to the fact that Shai explores the views of many philosophers that you have to know to understand his point that he is trying to make in this chapter. Biderman uses South Park as a clever way to get the attention of new readers, or teenagers.Therefore, the article allows people to read on philosopher’s theories on personal identity, in such a way to target and adult audience. Shai’s argument in this chapter is that South Park contains the questions and answers of many of the most asked philosophic question: what makes us, us? In order for Shai to support his argument, he uses several philosophers’ views such as John Locke , David Hume and lastly Thomas Reid. At the start of the article, readers begin exploring Shai Bidermans argument on personal identity, and how many episodes of South Park are discussed where personal identity comes into question.For instance, the retelling of stories on the bus, Stan meets his alleged future self and when the boys find an alternate Cartman which deals with being in the same place at the same time, Stan’s clone, Jenifer Lopez being Cartman’s hand, and Cartman drinking Kenny’s ashes. Biderman states that the most important thing in personal identity happens to the be brain, therefore people will soon enough change over time due to the changes of the brain. But in the episode â€Å"The Biggest Douche in the Universe,† Biderman explains how the actor Rob Schneider’s new film, changes his characters however is still portrayed as Rob Schneider himself.David Hume states that each of us appear to be â€Å"a bundle or collection of differ ent perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement†. The concept behind Hume’s theory is that we all consist of feelings, consistently changing thoughts, and attitudes. In the article, it is quite clear that memory also plays its role in personal identity, and the change over time; therefore it is one’s memory that allows he or she to be the same â€Å"type† of person over time.John Locke happened to support the idea of memory, and stated â€Å"thinking intelligent being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places† (pg. 207). However, Thomas Reid seemed to point out a downfall in the idea of memory, it may be important, but it doesn’t explain the true purpose for personal identity (pg. 208). Shai Biderman states that overall the question of personal identity is still in place. But what truly is it? Is it a sense of psychological experiences over time or better yet, physical experiences?It is without a doubt that this article tackled the arguments that were made by many supporting theories and the use of philosophers and other views. Therefore, it made it quite easy for any reader to get a general idea on the subject and the facts that were made related to pop culture, thus creating an interest for many. I truly believe that Shai Biderman’s arguments were definitely well supported with the evidence that was given, as well as the use of south park episodes to back up the argument.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Major General Gideon J. Pillow in the Civil War

Major General Gideon J. Pillow in the Civil War Gideon Pillow - Early Life Career: Born June 8, 1806 in Williamson Country, TN, Gideon Johnson Pillow was the son of Gideon and Ann Pillow.   A member of a well off and politically-connected family, Pillow received a classical education in local schools before enrolling at the University of Nashville.   Graduating in 1827, he read law and entered the bar three years later.   Befriending future president James K. Polk, Pillow married Mary E. Martin on May 24, 1831.   Later that year, Tennessee Governor William Carroll appointed him a district attorney general.   Possessing an interest in military affairs, Pillow commenced service in the state militia with the rank of brigadier general in 1833.   Increasingly wealthy, he expanded his land holdings to include plantations in Arkansas and Mississippi.   In 1844, Pillow used his influence to aid Polk in obtaining the 1844 Democratic nomination for president. Gideon Pillow - Mexican-American War: With the beginning of the Mexican-American War in May 1846, Pillow sought a volunteer commission from his friend Polk.   This was granted on July 1, 1846 when he received an appointment as a brigadier general.   Initially leading a brigade in Major General Robert Pattersons division, Pillow saw service under Major General Zachary Taylor in northern Mexico.   Transferred to Major General Winfield Scotts army in early 1847, he took part in the siege of Veracruz that March.   As the army moved inland, Pillow demonstrated personal bravery at the Battle of Cerro Gordo but his leadership proved weak.   Despite this, he received a promotion to major general in April and ascended to division command.   As Scotts army neared Mexico City, Pillows performance improved and he contributed to the victories at Contreras and Churubusco.   That September, his division played a key role in the Battle of Chapultepec and he suffered a severe wound in his left ankle. Following Contreras and Churubusco, Pillow clashed with Scott when the latter directed him to correct official reports that overemphasized the role he played in the victories.   Refusing, he worsened the situation by submitting a letter to New Orleans Delta under the name Leonidas which claimed that the American triumphs were solely the result of Pillows actions.   When Pillows machinations were exposed following the campaign, Scott had him arrested on charges of insubordination and violating regulations.   Pillow then accused Scott of being part of bribery scheme to bring an early end to the war.   As Pillows case moved towards court-martial, Polk became involved and ensured that he was exonerated.   Leaving the service on July 20, 1848, Pillow returned to Tennessee.   Writing of Pillow in his memoirs, Scott stated that he was only person I have ever known who was wholly indifferent in the choice between truth and falsehood, honesty and dishonesty and willing to commit a total sacrifice of moral character to attain his desired end. Gideon Pillow - The Civil War Approaches:            Through the 1850s Pillow worked to enhance his political power.   This saw him unsuccessfully attempt to secure the Democratic nomination for vice president in both 1852 and 1856.   In 1857, Pillow was outmaneuvered by his rivals when he sought to gain a seat in the US Senate.   During this period, he befriended Isham G. Harris who was elected Governor of Tennessee in 1857.   As sectional tensions worsened, Pillow actively supported Senator Stephen A. Douglas in the election of 1860 with the goal of preserving the Union.   Following Abraham Lincolns victory, he initially resisted secession but came to support it as it was the will of the people of Tennessee. Through his connection to Harris, Pillow was appointed the senior major general in the Tennessee militia and made commander of the states provisional army on May 9, 1861.   Taking time to mobilize and train this force, he was transferred to the Confederate Army in July with the lower rank of brigadier general.   Though angered by this slight, Pillow accepted a posting to serve under Major General Leonidas Polk in western Tennessee.   That September, on Polks orders, he advanced north into neutral Kentucky and occupied Columbus on the Mississippi River.   This incursion effectively swung Kentucky into the Union camp for the duration of the conflict. Gideon Pillow - In the Field: In early November, Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant began moving against the Confederate garrison at Belmont, MO across the river from Columbus.   Learning of this, Polk dispatched Pillow to Belmont with reinforcements.   In the resulting Battle of Belmont, Grant succeeded in driving back the Confederates and burning their camp, but narrowly escaped when the enemy attempted to cut his line of retreat.   Though largely inconclusive, the Confederates claimed the engagement as a victory and Pillow received the thanks of the Confederate Congress.   As in Mexico, he proved difficult to work with and soon was engaged in a dispute with Polk.   Abruptly leaving the army in late December, Pillow recognized he had made a mistake and was able to have his resignation cancelled by President Jefferson Davis. Gideon Pillow - Fort Donelson: Assigned to a new post at Clarksville, TN with General Albert S. Johnston as his superior, Pillow began forwarding men and supplies to Fort Donelson.   A key post on the Cumberland River, the fort had been targeted by Grant for capture.   Briefly commanding at Fort Donelson, Pillow was superseded by Brigadier General John B. Floyd who had served as Secretary of War under President James Buchanan.   Effectively surrounded by Grants army by February 14, Pillow proposed a plan for the garrison to break out and escape.   Approved by Floyd, Pillow assumed command of the left wing of the army.   Attacking the next day, the Confederates succeeded in opening a line of escape.   Having accomplished this, Pillow shockingly ordered his men back to their trenches to resupply before departing.   This pause allowed Grants men to reclaim the ground lost earlier.       Irate at Pillow for his actions, Floyd saw no alternative but to surrender.   Wanted for graft in the North and seeking to avoid capture and possible trial for treason, he turned command over to Pillow.   Having similar fears, Pillow devolved command to Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner.   That night, he departed Fort Donelson by boat leaving Buckner to surrender the garrison the next day.   Informed of Pillows escape by Buckner, Grant commented if I had got him, Id let him go again. He will do us more good commanding you fellows.        Ã‚   Gideon Pillow - Later Posts: Though directed to assume command of a division in the Army of Central Kentucky, Pillow was suspended by Davis on April 16 for his actions at Fort Donelson.   Placed on the sidelines, he resigned on October 21 but had this rescinded when Davis returned him to duty on December 10.   Given command of brigade in Major General John C. Breckinridges division of General Braxton Braggs Army of Tennessee, Pillow took part in the Battle of Stones River at the end of the month.   On January 2, during an assault on the Union line, an enraged Breckinridge found Pillow hiding behind a tree rather than leading his men forward.   Though Pillow attempted to curry favor with Bragg following the battle, he was reassigned on January 16, 1863 to oversee the armys volunteer and conscription bureau.   Ã‚   A capable administrator, Pillow performed well in this new role and aided in keeping the Army of Tennessees ranks filled.   In June 1864, he briefly resumed field command to mount an attack against Major General William T. Shermans lines of communication at Lafayette, GA.   A stunning failure, Pillow was returned to recruiting duties after this effort.   Made Commissary General of Prisoners for the Confederacy in February 1865, he remained in administrative roles until his capture by Union forces on April 20.    Gideon Pillow - Final Years: Effectively bankrupted by the war, Pillow returned to practicing law.   Opening a firm in Memphis with Harris, he later sought civil service posts from Grant but to no avail.   Continuing to work as a lawyer, Pillow died of yellow fever on October 8, 1878 while in Helena, AR.   Initially buried there, his remains were later returned to Memphis and interred at Elmwood Cemetery.      Selected Sources Civil War Trust: Gideon PillowLatin Library: Gideon PillowTEHC: Gideon Pillow

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Alcohol Essays (653 words) - Drinking Culture, Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol Essays (653 words) - Drinking Culture, Alcohol Abuse Alcohol Alcohol Alcohol is a drug, but unlike most of the other drugs, it is socially accepted and is legal. Alcohol is bad for you and does have long term affects associated with it. Such as the long addiction to it, effects on the body, and the social interaction effects. Alcohol, and alcoholism is common in America, but drinking is more common around kids. Social drinking, a term kids and drinkers have come accustom to, is defined by one standard drink per hour, and no more than 3 per day, but some people just socialize around people that drink as heavily as they do and confuse that for social drinking. Addiction to alcohol can be acquired easily if not careful, binge drinking and family history are all keys in the identification of addiction. Family history could be linked to alcoholism by finding out if your family had problems in the past with alcohol, and it is determined by studies that genes have effects on alcohol. Alcohol is a drug, but legal unlike the other drugs on the street. In my opinion, all drugs are all harmful to the body, and can cause serious problems to you, and people around you, in the long run. Alcohol can effect the body in multiple ways. The tranquilizing effects of being drunk acts like a stimulate, but is a depressant, and causes the brain to lower self control, impairs vision and other senses, and effects bodily coordination. This tranquilizing effect is caused by the consumption of alcohol which in turn may cause serious effects on the liver, heart, and the brain. The alcohol consumption effects these organs, and has an overall personality change when signs of alcoholism begin. Alcohol overall has a detrimental effect over the body and the mind. I do believe alcohol is a drug and like other drugs which are not legalized in the U.S. it is still really bad for you. Also from alcohol a big risk is in evolved with drunk driving and getting alcohol poisoning. Both of these possible consequences are a big factor when someone drinks irresponsibly. Drunk driving accidents, and death, happen too much to not notice, but to know that drinking is a big cause of deaths in the year. Alcohol poisoning has a great chance of killing you because the effects are the usual drunken depressant effects but it slowly gets worse as you slip into coma, and if not taken care of, death will emerge. Social drinking and the effects one can have on someones personality is usually a drastic change. From this I mean I can speak from experience, one of my friends is an alcoholic from my perspective. Every chance he gets he drinks. When he drinks, his personality, and sometimes he, does somersaults, and changes into a mean self centered alcoholic. But anytime hes not drunk, he seems normal. Close interaction would prove that he has a personality problem, and a severe attitude. What I am trying to say is that my friend is my friend, no matter what problems he has, and hes going through counseling, and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) classes, yet still he struggles to stay sober,even though hes giving it all he has. Alcohol is in no means a good drug. From what I know, and have experienced, alcohol is just an open window for a long list of problems and difficulties, and seems to make growing up harder. It leaves the body susceptible to doing bodily harm, to self, or to others, by not being sure what it is that you are currently doing, and why someone would want to risk there chances of death, and life long hardship is beyond me. Alcohol is a drug which is now is legal in the U.S., and if that changes, it will, in my opinion, advance our society mentally, and make us stronger, in the body and in the mind

Monday, November 4, 2019

Family and sports, recreation, leisure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family and sports, recreation, leisure - Essay Example I have come to realize that these SRL activities also changes with time or the generation (Human Kinetics 2005). You notice that the sports recreation and leisure activities that were practiced by our parents or quite different from what we are practicing today. These few factors made me to talk to my mother and my grandmother in an interest to know more about my family generation history in sports, recreation, and leisure activities. Family interviews I had some questions to ask my grandfather; Me: â€Å"Grandfather, did you consider your family as being poor or rich?† Grandfather: â€Å"I can’t say that we were that rich, but my father had enough properties and resources to support the family’s wellbeing. My father had a large farm and livestock, he was a great farmer. That’s how he managed to raise the family.† Me: â€Å"Did you enjoy your life?† Grandfather: â€Å"yes I really enjoyed my time very well. As a young boy, I always played to gether with other young boys. I also enjoyed assisting my parents in the farm.† Me: â€Å"What recreation or sports activities did you participate during your leisure time?† Grandfather: â€Å"We had a lot of activities to do. ... When I was young, your grandpa took care of me very well. I used to hang out with the rest of young boys when out of school.† Me: â€Å"What were your favorite sporting and leisure activities?† Father: â€Å"There were many sporting activities we used to play. We played board games, high jumps, bullfights and participated in local wrestling competition. We also did some hunting activities but not often. During the night, we could assemble together in a fire and listen for stories from our grandparents.† The Ties of My Grandfather’s Generation with the Readings The time of my grandfather’s youthful age was the time when the communities were still indigenous. The kind of sports, games, and social activities they participated in like dancing and some physical activities were reflecting their culture and a particular way of life. The culture that was adapted was from my grandfather’s tribe. The tribe’s culture and traditions determined thei r leisure and sporting activities. These physical activities, games, and sports were considered very important means of recreation. The different classes of people played their games and sports differently. My grandfather’s ethnic community could not interact or play with other ethnic communities (Mackenzie, Para 7). My Generation Sports, Recreation, and Leisure (SRL) Activities All these activities are quite different from the sporting, recreation, and leisure activities that I practice or the current young people are practicing in their free time. Our sporting activities vary from field sports like soccer, rugby, and athletics and so on to indoor games and computer games. I spend my time playing and watching soccer, which