George Washington Essay Example for Free

George Washington Essay George Washington faced many challenges during his presidency. Some of these challenges were difficulty of setting up a new government, domestic difficulties, and foreign affairs. He had a hard eight years of presidency but he mostly resolved all the problems. One of his challenges was setting up a new government. This was hard because people just revolted against their last form of government. They revolted against their last government because taxation was a major issue. Collecting federal taxes as a tricky issue. The whiskey rebellion was a rebellion over the tax on alcoholic beverages such as whiskey. Washington wanted to stop the rebellion by establishing power of the federal government to keep order and collect taxes. Another issue that relates to this is paying off war caused by most colonies. Another challenge was Domestic difficulties. Years of war had not whatsoever helped the US economy. Most of these people were facing very hard times. The Constitution did not receive accepted support. And the Colonies were used to dealing with their own affairs. The conflict between colonies rights and the Federal governments power was more legit and significant than ever. There was a lot of fear about a new Revolution which formed more circumscriptions on personal freedom than ever. Two political factions appeared even within Washington’s cabinet. One last issue was foreign affairs. There were potential problems with France and Great Britain on top of gaining respect from Europe for the beginning of a new government. Also, the British had not removed there soldiers from the northwest of the United States. They also supplied weapons and support to the Indians in their resistance to the settlers. Louisiana and Florida were controlled by the French and British along with all of the land west and south. Spain and Britain wanted to colonize North America and they made no effort to secretize it. George Washington had many challenges during his Presidency such as, difficulty of setting up a new government, domestic difficulties, and foreign affairs. Although this was hard George Washington managed to take care of it. George Washington clearly faced many challenges.

Self awareness in persons with brain injury

Self awareness in persons with brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a major medical issue which can affect anyone regardless of class, race, ethnicity, gender, or age. It can be defined as damage to the brain, which occurs after birth and is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease. These impairments may be temporary or permanent and cause partial functional disability or psychosocial maladjustment (Brain Injury Association, 2009). People who have sustained an acquired brain injury are not easily pinpointed in society due to the lack of external symptomology, and therefore ABI is usually referred to as the hidden disability. This title, named accordingly, is due to the extensive damage to their cognitive and social functioning and less to do with their physical appearance, which in many cases remained unchanged. So what causes ABI, and who can be affected by it? This type of injury can occur due to a series of incidents, and anyone can be affected by it. Some possible incidents include a road traffic accident, a fall, an assault, a stroke which causes damage to the brain, complications during brain surgery, tumours, viral infections, or lack of oxygen to the brain (a possible result of a heart attack, hypoxia, or anoxia). ABI can be split into two types traumatic and non-traumatic. A traumatic brain injury can occur due to a closed or open injury. The more common type, closed injury, occurs when the brain is bounced around in the skull due to a blow to the head, such as the impact from a road traffic accident. What this impact results in is damage to the brain tissue. An open injury, on the other hand, occurs when an object such as a bullet, fractures the skull and enters the brain (Headway, 2009). This type of injury is less common and usually damages a specific part of the brain, therefor e resulting in specific problems. The other type, non-traumatic injury, is simply one that does not occur as a result of a trauma, such as a stroke or a tumour. Prevalence of ABI is unknown within Ireland, however Headway (2009), an Irish organisation specialising in brain injury rehabilitation, accumulated ABI data from various countries and applied this to an Irish population in order to estimate the prevalence. With this information they suggested that between 9,000 and 11,000 people sustain a traumatic brain injury each year in Ireland. They estimated that there are approximately 30,000 people in Ireland between the ages of 16-65 with long term problems following trauma to the brain, and that the 15-29 year old group are three times more likely to sustain a brain injury than any other group. Another Irish study, OBrien Phillips (1994), recorded individual patient details for all head injury admissions to the Neurosurgical Unit at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. They estimated a prevalence of head injury among patients in Ireland to be approximately 13,441 per year, which is just slightly higher than Headways (2009) estimation. Results from t he 225 patients they studied portrayed that road traffic accidents accounted for 48% of injuries sustained (the largest proportion), and falls accounted for 36%. The researchers also found that between 1987 and 1993 there were 3,154 people killed and 64,971 injured on Irish roads. Alcohol consumption prior to the injury was also found in 31% of cases. In a larger study, Tagliaferri et al. (2006) attempted to locate the prevalence rate of brain injury, this time in Europe. They claimed that the absence of prevalence data hampers the full assessment of medical treatment and rehabilitation needs (p. 265) and that prevalence studies in Europe are essential, and should be undertaken extensively. With this in mind they suggest that brain injury patients will increase by 775,500 each year in the EU, and that 6,246,400 people are alive with some degree of TBI [traumatic brain injury] (p. 260). Thus we can conclude from these studies that Ireland has a prevalence rate of ABI from about 9,000 to 13,5000, a slight impingement upon Europes figures, but a worryingly high statistic for Ireland alone. There are three levels of brain injury, which indicate the severity of the neurological injury mild, moderate, and severe brain injury. To qualify for a mild brain injury, one must score between 13 15 on the Glascow Coma Scale, which records the conscious state of a person. This type of brain injury can occur due to a brief loss of consciousness, and the patient may present himself or herself as confused, and suffering from a concussion. Symptoms that occur within this severity of brain injury are predominantly headaches, fatigue, irritability, sensitivity to noise or light, balance and memory problems, nausea, decreased speed of thinking, depression, and mood swings. A moderate traumatic brain injury can be diagnosed when the patient scores a 9 12 on the Glascow Coma Scale. This injury occurs when there is a loss of consciousness that lasts from a few minutes to a few hours, and confusion lasts from days to weeks. Patients in this category usually make a good recovery with treatm ent. The last level of brain injury is severe brain injury, and this occurs when there is a prolonged unconscious state or coma that lasts days, weeks, or months. This category can be categorized into subgroups of coma, vegetative state, persistent vegetative state, minimally responsive state, akinetic mutism, and locked-in syndrome. (Brain Injury Association, 2009). There are many changes and consequences that affect a person after they have suffered from an acquired brain injury, whether mild, moderate, or severe. These changes may be temporary, improving in time, or permanent, dictating the way they live the rest of their lives. Not only do the changes affect the victim, but they also affect the victims support system (i.e. their surrounding family and community). Each brain injury is unique and subject to change, and depending on the severity of the injury, a patient will witness cognitive changes shifts in the ability to think and learn, affecting memory, concentration, flexibility, communication, insight, and responses. Physical changes will also be apparent in the form of fatigue, headaches, chronic pain, visual and hearing problems, and sexual function. Behavioural changes may include impulsivity, irritability, inappropriate behaviour, self-centredness, depression, lack of initiative, and sexual behaviour. Challenging Behaviour As stated earlier, most people who have a head injury are left with a change in the form of their emotional or behavioural pattern. This is inevitable as the brain is the seat and control centre of all our emotions and behaviour (Powell, 1994, p.96). With this in mind, challenging behaviour alone has become synonymous with ABI as one of the main behavioural deficits that occur following injury. The literature of ABI has accentuated that challenging behaviour presents the most significant behavioural disturbance within this diagnosis, and can pose serious problems for their recovery, their family, and also their community. Kelly et al. (2008) provided evidence that challenging behaviours have often been associated with risks such as family disintegration, loss of accommodation, reduced access to rehabilitation or community facilities and legal charges (p.457). Results of their study indicated that 94% of the patients they studied showed broad behavioural disturbance, with 60% engaging in four or more behaviour problems (p.463). However, due to convergent opinions on what constitutes a challenging behaviour, defining such behaviour has become difficult. However, Headway Ireland (2009) have made one such attempt to define challenging behaviour: any behaviour, or lack of behaviour of such intensity, frequency and/or duration that has the potential to cause distress or harm to clients/carers/staff or one which creates feelings of discomfort, powerlessness, frustration, fear or anxiety. It is also behaviour, which delays or limits access to ordinary community facilities and is outside socially acceptable norms. As mentioned earlier, types of behavioural problems that may occur following an acquired brain injury include agitation, depression, anxiety, self-centredness, withdrawal, physical aggression, increased/decreased libido, impulsivity, self harm, restlessness, paranoia, and many others. As each brain injury is unique, some patients may suffer with some symptoms, whereas others may not. Each person is entirely unique, with severities and symptoms being completely individual. So why exactly do patients suffering from an ABI present with challenging behaviours? Powell (1994) suggests that there seems to be four main reasons why these challenging behaviours exist: (a) direct neurological damage; (b) exaggeration of previous personality; (c) the stresses of adjustment; and (d) the environment the person lives in (p.97). With regards to direct neurological damage, the challenging behaviour results directly from the damage done to the certain area of the brain. Many of the challenging behaviours stem from damage done to the frontal lobes, which are important for the regulation of emotions, motivation, sexual libido, self-control and self-awareness. Following a brain injury, the patients existing personality traits, tendencies, and problems may be exaggerated, it is as if the controls or brakes which modify and regulate the personality have been loosened, and traits and mannerisms become distorted and exaggerated (p.97). It is highly important for the professio nals working along side the patient to be aware of the patients previous personality when attempting to understand their challenging behaviour. Thirdly, stress of adjustment can also be a major contributor to the challenging behaviour that persists in patients with ABI. Finding out that one can no longer do the simple things in life anymore, such as play their favourite sport or instrument, can be extremely frustrating and stressful for the patient. It is more likely that under these extreme conditions of stress that one would become more angry and irritable, and become more preoccupied with their problems than before. Finally, the social and physical environment can also contribute to the onset of behavioural problems. The social environment relates to the natural supports surrounding the patient such as family, friends, neighbours, and professional staff, whereas the physical environment depicts the patients setting, whether its an institutional setting or a family home. Taking in to consideration both the social and physical environment, if the person suffering from ABI is not understood, and communication and support is poor, then their behaviour is likely to deteriorate as a result. It is crucial for the patient to be in the correct environment to reap the best opportunities possible. How others respond to the challenging behaviour of a person with an ABI plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation process, as well as the quality of life of family and friends surrounding the patient. Of concern is the setting in which the patient is located these behaviours can endure and worsen over time, particularly in unstructured settings where there is often little control over the environmental contingencies that govern behaviour (Kelly et al., 2006). Alderman (2001) has stated how behaviour modification programmes can create profound changes within the neurorehabilitation setting. There exists an amalgamation of research conducted in this area with some very mentionable results. Watson et al. (2000) conducted a case study on patient, JH, who had sustained a brain injury as a result of a gunshot wound, and developed severe behavioural problems. A differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL) intervention was devised for 85 weeks, which allowed JH the opportunity to gain stars at the end of the day if he had absolved from aggressive behaviour to a created limit. This treatment resulted in JHs level of Clopixol being reduced from three times a day, down to two without any side effects on his challenging behaviour. DRL has demonstrated the effectiveness in reducing both the frequency and severity of aggressive behaviour 10 years after a very severe TBI had been sustained (p.1011). Other studies stress different approaches to treatment of challenging behaviours, such as remedial behaviour therapy approaches, or Rothwell et al. (1999) who suggest the main emphasis in treating challenging behaviours should be upon behavioural assessment as it engenders an empathic understanding of what is often offensive behaviour, which helps reduce the stress experienced by the people affected by the behaviour and leads to respectful, individualized and holistic interventions (p.530). Self-Awareness As mentioned earlier, challenging behaviour is synonymous with ABI, however deficits in self-awareness have also been well established in the literature to be evident in patients with brain injury. Impaired self-awareness poses great challenges for rehabilitation, and also for the safety of the patient suffering from the ABI. Self-awareness can be defined as the capacity to perceive the self in relatively objective terms while maintaining a sense of subjectivity (Prigtano Schacter, 1991, p. 13). The ability to think subjectively and objectively of ourselves, and to adjust our behaviours accordingly, are abilities that are often overlooked, but are none-the-less crucial for daily living, and integration into society. These skills are commonly impaired following a brain injury, as both are constructs associated with executive functions and related to frontal-executive systems dysfunction (Goverover et al. 2007, p. 913). Oddy et al. (1985) undertook a study in a bid to portray the implications of a decreased level of self-awareness (specifically behavioural limitations) after traumatic brain injury. The researchers asked patients and their surrounding families to describe the behavioural problems that prevailed seven years following the brain injuries occurrence. The results noted that patients tended to underestimate their problems in comparison to their families reports. For example, 53% of patients noted that memory problems were the most common long term difficulty, whereas 79% of the families noted memory problems as significant sequelae. Also, patients failed to report two problems that the families reported. 40% of the families noted that the patient behaved in a much more childlike manner, and also that the patients refused to admit to their difficulties. This study brought to light the issue of self-awareness impairment. We have so far spoken of self awareness deficits and its prevalence within people who have ABI, but what exactly are the implications of such a deficit? It is widely suggested that an increased impairment of self-awareness is associated with increased problems in most other areas of the patients life. For example, Larn et al. (1998) studied that ABI patients with poor self-awareness show less compliance and participation during treatment in rehabilitation. Malec Degiorgio (2002) found that ABI patients with decreased level of self-awareness are considerably more at risk of being referred for more intensive rehabilitation. Malec et al. (2000) found that such patients require longer lengths of stay in rehabilitation; Sherer et al. (2003) found that patients are more likely to be associated with a poorer functional status at time of discharge from rehabilitation. Ezrachi et al. (1991) found that deficits in a patients level of self-awareness is foretelling of a low rate of return to em ployment following a brain injury. And finally, Ergh et al. (2002) found that a high level of impairment of self-awareness with the ABI patient is reflective of higher distress among caregivers (as cited in High, 2005). With regards to treatment of impaired self-awareness in individuals with ABI, there is a vast range of methods which have been studied. Crosson et al. (1989) have shown that group therapy programmes can be beneficial in increasing intellectual awareness. Zhou et al. (1996) studied three adult males who were trained in knowledge of ABI residuals using a game format to present training information (p. 1). Results suggested that all participants increased their knowledge relating to areas of behaviour, emotion, cognition, communication, physical, and sensory residuals. Many studies have exemplified the role of observation and feedback to improve individuals level of self-awareness. For example, Schlund (1999) undertook a case study of a 21-year-old male who was a TBI survivor and was 5 years post-injury. Results of this study showed that report-performance measurement, feedback and review, positively altered the patients awareness deficit. However, observation and feedback are not witho ut its faults as Bieman-Copland Dywan (2000) point out. Their study suggested that direct feedback becomes confrontational and can lead to agitation among patients with severe brain injury. This study highlights the need for each treatment to be individualised to ensure the best possible outcomes of treatment. Fleming et al. (2006) evaluated the usefulness of an individualised occupation-based approach for participants dealing with ABI, specifically with regards to the level of self-awareness and emotional status. The unique focus of the program was the use of meaningful occupations to provide the individuals with experiential feedback of their current level of ability through the use of self-monitoring and supportive therapist feedback (p. 51). The results supported the use of this type of therapy in increasing self-awareness, and that occupational performance may be highly important in increasing the self-awareness of people with ABI. Finally, Goverover et al. (2007) conducted a randomised controlled study on the self-awareness treatment model, stipulated upon Toglia and Kirks model (2000). Their study provided evidence for experiencing different tasks and everyday activities for enhancing self-awareness and self-regulation. Although treatment of impaired self-awareness is crucial for the patients full recovery, it has been studied that increasing the level of self-awareness in ABI patients can also have some negative consequences. Fleming Strong (1995) suggested that the belief that increased self-awareness is essential for positive outcomes in rehabilitation and needs to undergo further investigation, as a literature review suggests that the development of self-awareness can be associated with emotional distress in the individual (p. 55). This study further exemplifies the necessity to create individual treatment plans when in rehabilitation. Interventions With technology constantly advancing in the medical sector, it is evident that sustaining a brain injury no longer suggests a death sentence. With this in consideration, the emphasis has shifted towards rehabilitation of those who have sustained such an injury in order to help them attain the best quality of life possible. Many interventions have been conducted and researched for improving self-awareness, and also for managing challenging behaviours, which directly improve the life of the patient. There are limited studies focusing on the effectiveness of interventions in reducing self-awareness deficits, and whether these interventions contribute to positive outcomes in rehabilitation. However, in a literature review, Lucas Fleming (2005) suggest that interventions in self-awareness can be broken into two categories restorative/facilitatory, or compensatory. Within the restorative/facilitatory category, education, direct feedback, and experiential feedback [are] the most frequently recommended (p.163), with others such as behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and rating of task performance also being recommended. Education relates to ensuring the patient understands his or her injury and the impairments that this injury brings. This can be delivered through a variety of ways such as group therapy, visual aids, and support groups. Direct feedback following a task performance can be used to facilitate intellectual, emergency, and anticipatory awareness (p.164), whereas experient ial feedback allows the patient to go through difficulty in a real-life situation and is useful in emergent and anticipatory awareness (p.164). Compensatory strategies then As noted earlier, challenging behaviours and problematic social interaction have been liked to individuals with brain injury, which result in an amelioration of difficulties in areas such as family life, integration into the community and employment, to name but a few. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) works with environmental stimuli that impede on the challenging behaviour, and it is behavioral [sic] research in the field of brain injury rehabilitation [that] is an effective means of identifying techniques for reducing challenging behaviours and improving adaptive skills (Selznick Gurdin, Huber Cochran, 2005, p.15). This research is extensive and incorporates many different behavioural interventions, all of which have been proven to be successful. Within schools and residential programs, intervention procedures have been undertaken to reduce challenging behaviours that disrupt academic behaviour. Feeney Ylvisaker (1995) incorporated antecedent treatment using graphic organizers, curing, plan-do-review routines, and inclusion of the participant in decision-making. This treatment reduced the intensity and frequency of aggressive behaviour evident in three males with TBI. Gardner, Bird, Maguire, Carrario, Abenaim (2003) also reduced challenging behaviours using antecedent control procedures, however their success was due to interspersal and fading techniques. Selznick Savage (2000) examined self-monitoring methods for individuals who had sustained a brain injury. These methods proved to be effective for increasing attending, academic responding, and task accuracy as well as for improving social skills with individuals with behaviour disorders, mental retardation, and learning disabilities (p.243 ). This study found that on-tas k behaviour increased to 89 100% for three boys with brain injury when these self monitoring procedures were undertaken. Consequence-based interventions have also been studied extensively in this area and prove to have significant positive results. Peck, Potoczny-Gray, and Luiselli (1999) used instructional motor activities when a 15 year old boy with ABI showed signs of stereotypy in the classroom. This intervention reduced stereotypy and maintained its reduction when treatment was faded. Within the rehabilitation area, there has been extensive research depicting behavioural procedures that reduce challenging behaviour. Hegel (1988) implemented a token economy system to an 18 year old boy with a brain injury during therapy session in order to reduce his disruptive vocalizations and his noncompliance. As a result of the token economy system, his vocalizations decreased and his achieved goals increased. On a similar note, Silver et al. (1994) used a monetary reward system on a 12 year old girl with an anoxic brain injury. This was incorporated in a bid to improve her performance of morning tasks. She was reinforced with one penny for each step that she correctly completed. Reinforcement was gradually faded, and by the end of the intervention her verbal cues and physical assistance had decreased by 70 92%. Differential reinforcement of alternative behaviour (DRA) has also been proven to be successful in reducing challenging behaviour. Slifer et al. (1993) used this tech nique with extinction, response cost, and a token economy, to reduce disruptive behaviour. In most cases, DRA reduced disruptive behaviour and also increased compliance. From examining these studies, it suggests that various reinforcement procedures may facilitate more efficient therapeutic goal attainment and subsequent home and community reintegration (Gurdin et al. 2005, p.12). Purpose of current study The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of self-awareness and challenging behaviours in persons with acquired brain injury, intervention types, and success ratings. This study will incorporate a sample of Irish patients who have ABI, which is presently absence in the research conducted to date. It will also provide information on what intervention types are most regularly used among persons with ABI, and the success ratings of such intervention types.

The Importance Of Reward Management Business Essay

The Importance Of Reward Management Business Essay Reward management in a business organisation is basically the way in which that particular business forms and implements strategies and policies to reward the employees to a fair standard and in accordance with how the organisation values them. Reward management in a business organisation usually consists of the business analysing and controlling the employees remuneration and all of the other benefits for the employees. The main aim of reward management in a business organisation is to reward the employees fairly for the work that they have completed. The main reason reward management exists in business organisations is to motivate the employees in that particular organisation to work hard and try their best to achieve the goals which are set out by the business. Reward management in business organisations not only consist of financial rewards such as pay but they also consist of non-financial rewards such as employee recognition, employee training/development and increased job responsibility. Reward management in a business organisation deals with the design, implementation and maintenance of reward practices that are geared towards the improvement of the business organisations performance. The Importance of Reward Management The elements of reward management within a business organisation are all the things that they use to attract potential employees into their business which includes salary, bonuses, incentive pay, benefits and employee growth opportunities such as professional development and training opportunities. Having a reward management system in place provides the business with many advantages, especially in small to medium size organisations where the managers must have a good relationship with the employees. Reward programmes have proved to be very successful in motivating employees and in turn increase the performance of the organisation as a whole. Below are some of the reasons why a reward system is important: Mutually beneficial- A reward system is beneficial not only to the employee but also to the organisation. The employee will feel more motivated to work harder.by having a reward system in place the employee will feel more committed to their work and their productivity will increase. An increase in productivity will then benefit the organisation. Therefore a reward system is mutually beneficial to the employee and the organisation. Motivation-A reward system will motivate employees by reaching targets and organisational goals in exchange for rewards. A reward system is great at motivating employees but they will also be motivated to prove themselves to the organisation. Absenteeism-A reward system will reduce absenteeism in the organisation. Employees like being rewarded for a job well done and if there is a reward system in place, employees will be less likely to be ringing in sick and not showing up for work. Also by having a reward system in place the employees will be clearer about the targets and goals of the organisation as they will be rewarded when reach certain targets. So by having a reward system as an incentive they will be less likely to be absent from work. Loyalty-A reward system will increase the employees loyalty to the organisation. By a reward system being in place the employee feels valued by the organisation and knows that their opinion matters. If an employee is happy with the reward system, they are more likely to appreciate work place and remain loyal to the organisation Morale-Having a reward system in place providing employees with incentives and recognition will boost their morale. By encouraging employees to meet goals and targets it gives them clear focus and purpose which will their morale. By the employees morale being boosted this will increase the morale of the entire organisation. This is all down to a reward system in the organisation. Teamwork- The reward system will increase the teamwork spirit in the organisation. The reward system will promote teamwork to the employees. The employees will work together as part of a team to achieve their targets in return for rewards. Teamwork within the organisation will help increase efficiency and create a happier workplace. This is another reason why reward systems are important in business organisations. Types of Reward Systems There are several ways to classify rewards; the three most common types are as follows: Intrinsic Rewards Vs Extrinsic Rewards- Intrinsic rewards are the personal satisfaction you get from the job itself eg having pride in your work, having a feeling of accomplishment or being part of a team. If an employee experiences feelings of achievement or personal growth from the job, this would be labelled as an intrinsic reward. Extrinsic rewards would include money, promotions and other benefits. Extrinsic rewards are external to the job and come from an outside source, usually management. If an employee receives a salary increase or a promotion, this would be labelled as an extrinsic reward. Financial Rewards Vs Non-Financial Rewards- Financial rewards are those that will enhance the employees financial well-being directly eg bonus, increase in wages and profit sharing schemes. Non-financial rewards do not enhance the employees financial position directly but make the job more attractive. Some of the Non-financial rewards that a business organisation offer might include-an attractive pension scheme, access to private medical care, help with long-term sickness, crà ¨che facilities, counselling services, staff restaurant etc. Performance-Based Rewards Vs Membership-Based Rewards- The rewards that a business organisation gives to their employees can be based on either their performance or membership criteria. Performance-based rewards are exemplified by the use of commissions, piecework pay plans, incentive schemes, group bonuses, merit pay or other forms of pay for performance plans. Membership-based rewards would include cost of living increases, benefits and salary increase, seniority or time in rank, credentials or future potential. Case Study Tom Warner owned a plumbing, heating and air-conditioning business in Montgomery County,Maryland. In the early 1990s, he faced a major problem. His main customers were commercial property management businesses and they wanted to cut costs. In order to do this; these commercial property management businesses decided to end their contract with Tom Warner and hire their own handymen. Tom Warner didnt want to lay off any of his 250-person workforce. He decided to reconstruct his workforce into territories. He assigned each worker their own territory and told them to operate their territory as if they were running their own business. He put each area director through training in sales techniques, budgeting, negotiating, cost estimating and how to handle customer complaints. Warner believed that if he had technically superb, friendly, and ambitious employees, they could successfully operate like small-town handymen, even though they would be part of a large organisation. Tom Warners programme proved to be very successful. The area directors developed a strong sense of pride and ownership in their territories. Each employee was able to schedule their own work, handle their own equipment, develop their own estimates and advertising campaigns. These were the rewards that each employee desired. Tom Warners programed increased the employees wages. A typical employee working for Warner before he introduced the programme was earning $60,000.In the first year of the programme that employee was earning $100,000.In the second year he was earning $125,000. From a reward point of view, Warners employees are extremely happy and Tom Warners business grew by more than 200 per cent in 24 months. Literary Review According to the book Human Resource Management in Ireland 3rd edition by Patrick Gunnigle, Noreen Heraty and Michael j. Morley: Schuler (1995) outlines a number of core objectives that a business organisation should have in relation to the reward package that they offer. Schuler states that in order for a business organisations reward package to be successful it must meet the following objectives: It should attract potential employees- along with the organisations human resource plan and recruitment and selection techniques the reward package should make potential employees want to work there. The reward package including its mix of pay, incentives and benefits should serve to attract suitable potential employees. It should assist in retaining good employees- the reward package must be perceived internally by the employees as fair and equitable and it should be perceived externally as competitive. Internally the employees should feel happy with the reward package and they should know that in comparison to other businesses it is a very competitive reward package so they wont want to leave and seek employment elsewhere. It should motivate employees- the reward package should help and assist motivating employees to work harder. By linking rewards to performance it should motivate employees to work harder as there is an incentive element. It should contribute to human resource and strategic business plans- the reward package should create a rewarding and supportive climate to work in and therefore it should be perceived as an attractive place to work. This will benefit the business as it will be attracting the best applicants. Reward management in business organisations is extremely important as the reward package helps to attract employees, retain employees and influence performance and behaviour at work. According to the book People Management and Development; Human Resource Management at Work by Mick Marchington and Adrian Wilkinson: Lawler (1984) feels that a reward system within the business organisation can influence a number of HR processes and practices, which then have a direct impact on the organisations performance as a whole. Influence recruitment and retention: Lawler states that any business organisations that have a reward system in place will attract and retain the most people. If better performers are rewarded more highly than poor performers. This also will have an effect on recruitment and retention, so performance-based systems are more likely to attract high-performers. For Example: If a business organisation rewards their employees with high wages, they will attract more applicants which will allow the business more of a choice over selection and hiring decisions. This hopefully will reduce labour turnover in the organisation. Influence Motivation: Employees see that by having a reward system in place, it puts an importance on various activities and tasks. Reward systems therefore have a motivational impact on the employees. However the management must integrate the reward system with the behaviour they expect from the employees. Influence Corporate Culture: The way in which the employees are rewarded will have a huge influence on the corporate culture of the organisation. For example: If a business organisation has a reward system in place that provides benefits for long-serving staff, this will likely shape the existing culture into one where loyalty is seen as central to the business organisations ideology. In contrast, if a business organisation has a reward system in place that rewards the employees for innovative behaviour and ideas, this is more likely to shape the businesses corporate culture into one where creativity and innovation is important. Cost as an influence: Cost is a huge factor and influence in the reward system. Some business organisations may not be able to afford to set up and maintain the reward system; it may be too costly for them. On the other hand, some business organisations may not want to waste the money on a reward system. This may demotivate the employees as they will think that not worth it and this will have a direct impact on their performance in the organisation which in turn will in turn have a direct impact on the organisations performance as a whole. According to the book Human resource management in Ireland 4th edition by Patrick Gunnigle, Noreen Heraty and Michael j. Morley: Lawler (1977) highlights that in order for reward management to be successful the reward system needs to have the essential characteristics: Reward level- In order for reward management to be successful, the reward package must satisfy the employees basic needs for survival, security and self-development. Individuality- Along with satisfying the employees basic needs, the reward system should be flexible enough to meet the employees varying individual needs. Internal equity- The rewards must be seen as fair when compared to others in the business. The criteria and reasons for the allocation of rewards to employees should be equitable and clear to everyone in the organisation .The reason behind the allocation of rewards to employees should be communicated and accepted by all parties. The rewards should be applied consistently throughout the organisation. External equity- The rewards must be seen as fair when compared to those offered for comparable work outside the organisation. Trust- In order for reward management to be successful in the organisation, the management and the employees must believe in the reward system 100 per cent. The employees must believe and accept that will receive rewards when they meet the relevant criteria. The management should trust that the employees will perform at a high standard and the best to their ability in return for rewards. According to Lawler (1977) in order for a business organisation to be successful in reward management, he believes that a reward system must have the characteristics listed above. According to the book Human resource management 6th edition by De Cenzo and Robbins: Armstrong and Murlis (1998) offer some broad distinctions between the main types of reward system: Gain Sharing Schemes-the pay of a group of workers is linked to improvements in internal company productivity. Employee Stock Ownership Schemes (ESOPs)-The business organisation offers company stock (at a lower rate than normal) to certain employees. Profit-Sharing Schemes-The business organisation gives a certain percentage of the end of year profits to the employees. Skill-Based Pay Schemes-The business organisation rewards the employees with pay on the basis of job-related skills or competencies. Individual Incentive Schemes-The business organisation rewards the employees for reaching or exceeding specific established performance criteria. Piece- rate schemes are the most obvious form of individual performance related rewards. Group Incentive Schemes-The business organisation rewards groups of employees with the same principles they use on individual schemes. Used most commonly when group work or team work is present in the business organisation. Conclusion To conclude I am going to give a brief run through the topics I have covered throughout this report. I defined and explained the meaning of what reward management is and how organisations manage rewards in organisations. I then went on to discuss the importance of reward management within organisations, by doing this I pointed out the advantages of having reward systems in an organisation. These benefits included mutually beneficial, increases motivation, improves morale, increases the employees loyalty to the organisation, improves teamwork and reduces absenteeism. I looked at commonly used reward schemes. I looked at a case study about Tom Warner was forced to reward his employees with a huge amount of responsibility; however it had an extremely successful outcome for him. I then looked at the main aims that every reward system should have; attract potential employees, assist in retaining good employees, motivate employees, contribute to human resource and strategic business plans. I explained the direct impact a reward system can have on the organisation as a whole ie influence o n performance, influence on motivation, influence on the corporate culture. I looked at and explained the essential characteristics a reward system must have in order to be effective. This is important for management when designing their reward system. They should look at and evaluate their current reward system and make sure it possesses the right characteristics. I then differentiated between the most common types of reward schemes according to research I found on Armstrong and Murlis point of view on reward systems.

Bilingualism Essay -- essays research papers

The Limitations of Language   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 14th Amendment in the United States Constitution dictates that any citizen of the United States shall receive the equal protection of civil rights, with due process of the law and cannot be discriminated against based upon race, origin, sex, class or political affiliation. Thus, educational policy in the United States is focused on providing the equal opportunities for all students. One heated debate in American education policy making is the use of bilingual education in public schools. Because there is a growing number of students (especially those in grade school) whose home language is not English, major literacy and learning disparities are created when non-english speaking students enroll in public schools that teach in English only. Students with limited English proficiency will have to work harder to achieve the same level of other students whose home language is English. Bilingual education is a program designed to alleviate the educational inequaliti es and disparities caused by present educational system. The focus of bilingual education is to guarantee that these students: 1. Learn the basic subjects (math, science, reading, social studies) in their home language from the time they enter school. The advantage of teaching students with limited English proficiency the basic subjects in their home language is that they will promote their academic progress while learning the English language. 2. Learn...

Vegetarianism Essay -- Healthy Lifestyle Essay

â€Å"Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.† stated Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, 460-377 BC (Silverstone 15). Every American should live by this quote, but things have drastically changed since Hippocrates voiced that divine statement . Nowadays peoples personification of health has nothing to do with what we consume on an everyday basis. Our generation, most certainly will drive straight to McDonalds’s for a Big Mac without hesitation of the harm it is doing to your body. Education of health is essential; people need to learn what they are eating and how it will affect them in the long run. Due to mega rich corporations and institutions, they are keeping all of us in this denial because of pouring millions of dollars into efforts to keep us from knowing what is truly going on (Silverstone 16). Whether it’s to help reduce your risk of diseases, or purely to attain better health, leaving farmed animals entirely out of your diet is an effortless decision with life-long benefits. Plant-based diets will strengthen your immune system, beautify your skin, increase your energy, and reduce risk of various diseases (Silverstone 1). Being vegetarian is a step in the right direction by protecting your health, animals, and the environment. As a human being, by nature are we meant to be meat-eaters? Giehl et al. argues that â€Å"It has been discovered that the diet of any animal in its natural state fits to its anatomical structure and established body functions. With attentive analysis, it is evident that humans are not naturally suited to a diet which includes flesh.† For example, when you look at meat animals such as wolfs, lions, hyenas, etc their fang teeth are built to rip flesh and devour meat. It would be vir... ... only do I feel fitter on daily basis, my body hasn't been seriously sick since being vegetarian. I actually was convinced to finally give up meat after reading the book â€Å"The Kind Diet† by Alicia Silverstone. I have never been fond of killing animals but once educating myself I knew I could never go back to consuming meat. Being healthy, protecting animals, and saving the environment are the key reasons to become a vegetarian. Adapting to a vegetarian lifestyle will benefit you in several ways and contribute to making our society more livable. Your making a difference, and taking a stand for what you believe in. There are plenty of appetizing recipes for a vegetarian, you will never lack from inefficient amount of food. If you choose to eat meat or not, taking vegetarianism into consideration can only feed your body with nutrients and elongate your delicate life.

french politics :: essays research papers

Louis was dignified and imposing with charming manners, but he was also hard working, patient and self-disciplined with an iron physical constitution. He maintained a strict routine of official business, every day. Short of height, he was of modest intelligence (not much helped by his upbringing undertaken largely by his servants) and lacking of a sense of humor. Possessed of a colossal pride, he loved grandeur, glory, military reviews and petty details (uniforms, equipment, drill). Louis was the epitome of the absolute monarch and embodied the idea of divine right monarchy. As God's representative on earth, he felt that he was due respect and that his word was law; he was responsible to God alone. As an absolute monarch, Louis XIV wielded unlimited authority with all decisions made by him; however, it was not despotism nor arbitrary power, as kings still had to justify their actions to churchmen, entrepreneurs and nobles. Having taken the reigns of government, Louis now had to contend with the nobility, church, bureaucracy and the rest of Europe to achieve his idea of France. The chief opposition to the central monarchy was the French, feudal nobility. The king continued the process of destroying the nobility as a class by increasing the use of commoners to run the state and by establishing Versailles as a seventeenth-century "Disneyland" to keep the nobility occupied with non-political amusements after the court moved there in 6 May 1682. To solidify support from the church, Louis acted in a highly favorable manner. In 1685, the L'Edit de Fountainbleau revoked the Edict of Nantes, and Huguenots, forbidden to practice, left France in droves. On one hand, this created religious unity within France and secured the friendship of the church, but, on the other hand, it aroused the implacable hatred of Protestant states and deprived France of some of its most industrious citizens. To create a more responsive and effective bureaucracy, Louis instituted new administrative methods to strengthen his control. Weekly ministerial conferences Continuity in the top four ministries (finance, army, navy, public works), only sixteen ministers in fifty-four years of his personal reign Ministers chosen by ability not birth Intendants continued to rule the 36 generalità ©s (provinces)--but they never served where they were born Financial reform of taxes Colbert, as controller general, worked to improve the French economy through a policy called mercantilism--state intervention to create a self-sustaining economy. Colbert used an aggressive tariff policy to manipulate the import of raw materials and the export of manufactured goods to improve the balance of payments. french politics :: essays research papers Louis was dignified and imposing with charming manners, but he was also hard working, patient and self-disciplined with an iron physical constitution. He maintained a strict routine of official business, every day. Short of height, he was of modest intelligence (not much helped by his upbringing undertaken largely by his servants) and lacking of a sense of humor. Possessed of a colossal pride, he loved grandeur, glory, military reviews and petty details (uniforms, equipment, drill). Louis was the epitome of the absolute monarch and embodied the idea of divine right monarchy. As God's representative on earth, he felt that he was due respect and that his word was law; he was responsible to God alone. As an absolute monarch, Louis XIV wielded unlimited authority with all decisions made by him; however, it was not despotism nor arbitrary power, as kings still had to justify their actions to churchmen, entrepreneurs and nobles. Having taken the reigns of government, Louis now had to contend with the nobility, church, bureaucracy and the rest of Europe to achieve his idea of France. The chief opposition to the central monarchy was the French, feudal nobility. The king continued the process of destroying the nobility as a class by increasing the use of commoners to run the state and by establishing Versailles as a seventeenth-century "Disneyland" to keep the nobility occupied with non-political amusements after the court moved there in 6 May 1682. To solidify support from the church, Louis acted in a highly favorable manner. In 1685, the L'Edit de Fountainbleau revoked the Edict of Nantes, and Huguenots, forbidden to practice, left France in droves. On one hand, this created religious unity within France and secured the friendship of the church, but, on the other hand, it aroused the implacable hatred of Protestant states and deprived France of some of its most industrious citizens. To create a more responsive and effective bureaucracy, Louis instituted new administrative methods to strengthen his control. Weekly ministerial conferences Continuity in the top four ministries (finance, army, navy, public works), only sixteen ministers in fifty-four years of his personal reign Ministers chosen by ability not birth Intendants continued to rule the 36 generalità ©s (provinces)--but they never served where they were born Financial reform of taxes Colbert, as controller general, worked to improve the French economy through a policy called mercantilism--state intervention to create a self-sustaining economy. Colbert used an aggressive tariff policy to manipulate the import of raw materials and the export of manufactured goods to improve the balance of payments.

Is It Possible to Prove the Existance of God Essay

Is it possible to prove the existence of God? Throughout time many philosophers have been searching for an answer to creation and whether it is actually possible to prove (or not prove) if God exists. Some of the philosophers include Thomas Aquinas, William Paley and Blaise Pascal they came up with various different theories and arguments to prove the existence of God and why they believed he did exist. Another philosopher Karl Marx thought that his theory could convince people not to believe in God. One philosopher, Thomas Aquinas believed that God did exist and that he could prove this simply by arguing that the Universe could not have been made by nothing at all, saying that it was impossible for something to come from nothing. He believed that the universe was caused to exist by something which itself is uncaused, or else there would be an infinite regress. He thought that the only way to explain the start of the universe in a rational way was to say that it was created by God. I think that Aquinas may be right, but I doubt that he is right as he is saying that God was created by nothing but I feel that something must have created God and therefore there must have been an infinite regress. There is also no solid evidence or proof that God does exist and since there isn’t I think that not even Aquinas is 100% sure that God exists. Also, Aquinas’ theory seems rather contradictory as he says that the Universe must be caused by something and cannot just simply be made by nothing but that God is an uncaused causer. Another Philosopher, William Paley, like Aquinas was convinced that God does exist and that he could prove it. Paley ‘invented’ the thought experiment to encourage people to agree with him that God exists. He called his argument that Teleological argument (coming from the Greek word ‘telas’ meaning purpose). Story Imagine you are walking across open countryside with some friends. Then you suddenly come across something lying on the grass. You are so impressed with the workmanship that you are your friend. Who do you think made this watch? † The friend says†Nobody made this watch it was always there† Paley said that the universe, like a watch is too complicated and intelligently designed to have no creator. Paley used the Analogy of the watch to argue the existence of God. Paley argues that if a simple watch has a creator then the universe, which is so much more complicated and in some ways more beautiful than a watch must have a creator and that creator must be God. I think that Paley’s theory does seem reasonable but I do not fully agree with it completely. I think that the world must have a creator but not necessarily God anything could have been the creator and that the creator might not be Omnipotent, Omnibonevelant and Omniscient the creator could have simply just created the universe and then just left it or done nothing else to it. Another philosopher who also likes Aquinas and Paley ‘believed’ in God and thought that he could use his theory to encourage others to do so was Blaise Pascal. However, Pascal’s theory was very different to Aquinas and Paley’s. Pascal believed that God’s existence can neither be approved nor disapproved and whatever you decide about this problem will be uncertain and that your answer can be nothing more than a gamble. Pascal said that you cannot avoid making a gamble on God’s existence and you have to place your bet whether you like it or not. Pascal soon came to the conclusion that it would be better to believe that God existed than not to as you will not lose anything by doing so. He thought that if you believed that God existed and then after your death he actually did you would have a big gain by going to heaven. If, however God didn’t exist and you believed that you did you would not lose anything apart from some of your time praying and going to religious places etc. Pascal also thought that if you did not believe in God and came to know after your death that he did you would be most likely to go to hell therefore have a big loss. He called his theory Pascal’s wager. I strongly disagree with Pascal’s theory mainly because he only believed in God for selfish reasons and wanted people to believe in God only because of the happiness they would get in heaven which is not the actual idea. Also I think that God does not decide to put people in heaven and hell based on whether they believe or not but by the good deeds they have done in their life, so people who believe in God just for reasons like Pascal’s probably would not go to heaven anyway. I think that Pascal seems rather greedy to believe in God just to go to heaven after his death. The last philosopher I’m going to talk about is Karl Marx. Marx thought that that â€Å"Religion is a tool of oppression† meaning that Religion is something that you do not actually need but use to distract yourself from other things and something that someone just gets pleasure and happiness from. So he thought that everyone should just reject religion and this would make people aware of their own true situation and this may give them a chance to improve the conditions in which they live. Marx used quotes from the bible to back up quotes from the bible to back up his theory. â€Å"Blessed are the poor in spirit†¦ inherit the earth† Marx would argue that this quote is trying to say that it is not the rich and powerful who are most fortunate but actually the poor, as they will go to heaven because of all the suffering they have endured. He would say that the poor are often given quotes like this to make them content with their own miserable lives and that religion makes a virtue of poverty and meekness and unacceptable lives have been glamorised. Therefore I do not agree with Marx argument mainly because his theory may have been applicable at that time but it is not now, as people do not use religion just to have a distraction or something to comfort them when everything else is a mess. To conclude I think that although there are many different theories for whether God exists or not it is not actually possible to prove that God exists and that if you believe in God you should not just believe that he exists because of some theory but because you actually believe he exists and want to believe in him. Although it is probably not possible to prove whether God exists or not (unless he came down to earth and told everyone) the most convincing way would be to experience a miracle. Miracles can prove that God exists to a certain amount because most miracles would be far too big to be just a coincidence. Even though there are many stories about miracles in the news and in religious books such as the bible you cannot actually be sure until you experience one yourself. Miracles may not prove that God as people know him exists (Omnipotent, Omnibonevelant and Omniscient etc) but they do prove that there is an all powering/ supernatural being.