Performance Management And Learning And Development Essay

Introduction In the 19th   century university was meant to be a theoretical theatre, while the factory was the place for formal training and learning. Education is broader in scope than training and it has a less specific application than training, as it is delivered in educational institutions. As a result, there has always been a tension between the needs of industry and the educational requirements of the individual, as society needs people who can contribute in a comprehensive way (Wilson, 2005). A century later, West moved beyond the factory and manufacturing as the basis for economic wealth have been achieved. Compared to earlier centuries now this century is able to demolish the   trading, political and economic   barriers, which hampered the progress in the old days. The arrival of mass media and technology is re-shaping our lives at a breathtaking speed; the concept of learning is now not a stagnant process, but in a flux and evolving every day (Beckett, 2000). The nature of work is changing with the knowledge economy in boom, giving rise to unparalleled demands for learning in work settings through consistent training. Enterprises need integrated approach to possess knowledge workers, which is the right prescription for businesses today. It is hard to create effective employment and training based policies which give high priority to education and training-both at a time. Countries like Korea and Singapore are seriously investing in their human resources, while the poor countries do not have sufficient funds to meet their growing needs. The overall goal of the global economy is provide opportunities to people and obtain productive work with dignity, which requires a framework to address worker and producer needs. To meet such requirements, the new millennium needs a shift from traditional approach and demands new human resources development and training policies. Learning and Training Learning can take place either in formal settings, such as school/university or in less formal organizational settings. Possessing knowledge is different from learning, as learning has limited value and is not a guarantee of being skillful, until   put to practice in real world. Wilson (2005) has defined learning as â€Å"a permanent change of knowledge, attitude or behaviour occurring as a result of formal education or training, or as a result of informal experiences. Learning, education and development are often muddled together, however   they carry specific meanings as explained below: Training = learning related to present job; Education = learning to prepare the individual but not related to a specific present or future job; Development = learning for growth of the individual but not related to a specific present or future job. It has been recognised by the enterprises that passive learning cannot not ensure an accurate developmental process necessary in the business world. The managers find it hard to believe, that, seminars and workshops can teach management. It is argued, that case methodology, lectures, discussions and theories are useful, but they never find its way into the corridors of business world. As a result, managers and educational theorists suggest experiential learning, which trains workers in work place more effectively. According to the Glossary of Training Terms (2005), training is â€Å"a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge or skill behaviour through learning experience to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Its purpose, in the work situation, is to develop the abilities of the individual and to satisfy the current and future needs of the organisation†. Rothwell (2003) mentioned that, training equips individuals and groups in an organisation to improve their work performance. However, training alone cannot alleviate a poor work, which may be due to the lack of rewards and incentives. Training is put into practice for a variety of reasons, such as orientation training for new workers or sending employees for special assignments and preparing employees to support critical activities (Wilkinson, 2005). The HRD equips people with necessary skills in three ways (McGoldrickand, 2001). .Individual Development   addresses broad areas and addresses, such as skill development, interpersonal skills, career development, etc.   Occupational /Group Development occurs among the groups through a team building programs. It also applies to specific occupational groups, such as implementation of new legislation. Organizational Development covers the whole organization. It can be defined as a â€Å"collection of planned change interventions, built on humanistic-democratic values, that seek to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being†(Wilson and John, 2005). The well-known examples are; the introduction of a customer care programs across the organization; and the introduction of total quality management, which requires all individuals and groups to become involved. Mumfords (1995) mentions that, an organization where people continually expand their capacity to create the results- truly invent patterns of thinking for collective learning. This process can be defined as following:   Personal mastery, ensuring individual motivation to learn; mental models, creating an openness to misconceptions;   shared vision, building long-term commitment in people; team learning, developing group skills like cooperation, communication and so forth;   systems thinking, which constitutes   integration with other disciplines the other four. All these disciplines are to be practiced together to create an impact and must be practiced by all the members of organization to work together. Each problem and dilemma is crisis and workers learn from crisis and difficulties together and try to development process, where all workers profit from each other’s experiences. Shift of Training in Knowledge Economy Drucker (1993) has mentioned that, â€Å"Every few hundred years in western history there occurs a sharp transformation. Within a few short decades, society rearranges itself – its world view; its basic values; its social and political structure; its arts; its key institutions.† The shift   from industrial-based economies to enterprises   started 20 years ago, moving to market share and hierarchical management focusing on a knowledge   based economy. If the industrial economy was driven by cheap energy; today’s knowledge economy is driven by inexpensive microchips and knowledge management enabling businesses to take benefit of the new knowledge (Trask, 1996). The modern corporation is over and the postmodern corporation is different. Today companies may look the same from outside—but behind the faà §ade, everything is different. They are no longer connected to the boiler or routine machines, but now in the business of knowledge creation. The activity of knowledge-based organization is not producing machine or power toys, but producing and managing knowledge. The knowledge economy differs from the old one, as the new economy is ever-increasing in information intensity and packed with more knowledge, data, and ideas. Now knowledge resides in the magnetic strip, not the plastic. The knowledge-based economy has new rules and standards, which require new ways of living and working, business, which do not acquire knowledge workers, are destined to die.   Wolfensohn (1999) has mentioned that, the knowledge-based economy relies on ideas and applications of technology rather than physical strength, which was done on the exploitation of cheap labor. In this new economy knowledge is created, acquired, transmitted, and sold by individuals, enterprises, organizations, and communities for the promotion of economic development. In the industrial world, knowledge-based industries are growing fast, while labour market demands are also changing. The new technologies insist on highly skilled workers, diminishing demand for the low skilled workers.   One of the key factors that distinguish intelligent business enterprise of the 21st century is emphasis on knowledge and information. Knowledge management is an important means by which organizations can better manage information and knowledge. Knowledge management encompasses a range of concepts, ranging from management tasks to technological practices, all come under the umbrella of the management of knowledge (Gupta, 2003). The successful organizations are aggressive, fast paced and have the ability to create  Ã‚   knowledge to maximize organizational strategic success. In today’s world, knowledge is a resource, which is critical to an organization’s survival and success in the global economy.   As the nature of work is changing, knowledge is regarded as a primary resource-giving rise to the unprecedented demand for learning in the working environment. Enterprises need to offer this new learning at work and create knowledge workers, which have become inevitable part of the corporate world. The workplace has become a site of learning associated with development of the enterprise through contributing to production and innovation. Thus the development of the individuals by providing training to create new knowledge is the most wanted asset of the enterprises today. The knowledge economy has four basic features as described below (Trask, 1996). Knowledge developed and applied in new ways, especially through information revolution, which has provided not only new opportunities to access information, but it is also creating new opportunities for swift transfer of the knowledge speeding up the process of worldwide change. Today product cycles have become shorter due to growing demand for innovation. In 1990s, it would take six years from concept to production in the automobile industry; now it takes only two years. Worldwide trade is increasing with increased competitive demands on producers. The countries, which are able to assimilate into the world economy, will achieve higher economic growth. Small and medium-size enterprises in the service sector have become significant players, in terms of both economic growth and employment. In the industrialized countries the employment has risen, but the patterns of employment are changing. The employers have re-organized workers into fixed and variable categories, while the fixed workers are career-oriented, the variable have little career progression and low access to education and training. These trends show that labour markets are becoming ruthless in their treatment of un-skilled workers and these low skilled workers stand at an edge. As a result working poor have grown in number and those working are underpaid and forced to work in miserable working conditions. The speed of change in the knowledge economy depreciates much more quickly compared to the past. In order to compete effectively in this changing environment, organisation need to   upgrade their workers skills continuously. This rapid change in the knowledge economy is so swift that firms can no longer rely longer rely on fresh graduates. In order to meet such need, lifelong learning and training is crucial to enable workers to compete in the global economy. Formal education and training includes programs which are recognized by the    Universities and institutes and lead to approved certificates and degrees.   Non-formal education and training includes programs, which are not formally recognized by the national system, such as apprenticeship training programs and structured on-the-job training.   Informal education and training includes unstructured learning, which can take place almost anywhere, home, community   or workplace.   It includes unstructured on-the-job training, the most common form of workplace learning. This improvement in people’s ability will allow them to be not only useful for their organisation, but it will also enable them to function as a useful members of their communities.   In a modern economy, the production of goods and services still relies on workers despite machine revolution. The need is to develop learning and training strategies, which allow these workers to learn new skills for new working conditions. It is crucial for the organisation to prepare workers for this new environment, which requires a new mode of education and training ­. This lifelong learning framework encompasses learning throughout the life cycle, from early childhood to retirement. It includes formal, non-formal, and informal education and training. In traditional industries most jobs require employees to learn how to perform routine functions, which, for the most part, remain constant over time and most learning used to take place when a worker started a new job. In the knowledge economy, change is so rapid that workers constantly need to acquire new skills. Firms need workers who are willing and able to update their skills throughout their lifetimes. Enterprises and organisation need to respond to these needs by creating education and training systems that equip people with the appropriate skills. The new millennium main challenge is to be employable and contribute to the economic growth in the global economy. This novel approach has set new rules for education, training and strategies in the organisations. The reason is that training not only advances interests of the individuals and enterprises, but it also augments the economic development of the nations. These new skills formation leads to equity in employment and society at large and allow the enterprise to reap the fruit of this human resources development. Performance Management According to Bacal (2004) â€Å"performance management is about creating relationships and ensuring effective communication and focusing on what organizations, managers, and employees need to succeed.† It is a   strategic approach to manage the business and improve organisational effectiveness with existing capabilities. Performance management provides development specialists with an opportunity to be   innovative in influencing corporate strategy and contribute to the results. The goal of performance management is to ensure that the organization departments, teams, and employees are working in an optimum fashion to achieve the organization objective. At the end of twentieth century new performance management systems were born and cannibalizing the old systems, due to the presence of the technological expansions. Management in the twenty-first century faces the challenge of creating and re-creating effective performance systems and requires a unique understanding of this process. Performance management process is about professionalism and continuous learning and development. The overall goal of performance management is to ensure that the organization and all its subsystems departments, teams, employees are working together in an optimum fashion to achieve the results desired by the organization. According to Bacal (2004), performance management is based on the following beliefs. Optimism: Performance management is based on the belief that improvement is possible, and that the human and organizational conditions can be improved. Performance management is the view of the possibility that performance improvement is always there and change is possible as long as people are willing. A Pragmatic View: Performance management is keeping the optimistic view, but it does have realistic view of improvement, understanding the possibilities for improvement and recognizing the  Ã‚   barriers to success. Performance management addresses various threats in the system and try to solve it, rather than kill it A Balanced Approach: It is natural to resist change in any organisation as change means changing habits. Performance management design strategies, which are part of organizational decision-making processes to build greater support for the change. It capitalizes on the opportunity for further improvement and success. Leadership. Performance management is built on the ethical knowledge. The true leaders determine promote best practices in their organisation to further the success. Such practices require courage to bring change, yet adhering to professional ethics ensuring that the change is consistent with legal requirements. Performance management is meant to establish a shared understanding about what is to be achieved and how it is to be achieved for an organization. To improve performance, individuals need to have a common understanding about what performance (and success) in their jobs looks like. It can be a list of tasks, objectives, or results or it can also be a set of behaviors or both. These goals need to be defined clearly with the jobholder so that people know what they are working toward? And what is expected from them to increase the probability of success (Lance, 1999).   A continuous management process delivers clarity, support, feedback, and recognition to all staff. Performance Management Process Performance management process is a communication process between an employee and his or her immediate supervisor with established expectation and understanding. This process is not meant to threaten or intimidate employees into neither being more productive nor does it mean to attack the personality of the employees, but it is a broad set of tools used to optimize the success of each employee for the larger interest of the organisation. The smooth functioning of performance management depends on the developmental activity and management control. A developmental push is essential to motivate workers and let them concentrate on work and commitment towards their respective organisation. Performance Management process is meant to measure the employee performance. It involves the following steps (Handbook for the Core Performance Management, 2005). Performance planning The workers performance is recognized through employee performance plans. They are clearly told, what are the expectations? And what are the set standards. Thus it is essential to develop such standards, which are realistic and attainable. Individual at the level of induction stage clearly need understand their role in the organisation. Employee/Team Performance In many organizations, employees work together to achieve the organizational objectives. The difference between group performance and an individual’s contribution is that, the group performance is measured aggregately, while an employee’s performance is measured individually. Monitoring performance After the assignment of job the progress of the workers are monitored by the manager/supervisor, to check how much they are really working. Employee development Mentoring is essential process of employee development, the example can be set either by showing a high performer or by leader/manager, which helps the employee to overcome the difficulties. A frank discussion is essential to focus on employee areas of excellence, identifying the barriers to performance. Multiple Source of Feed back It is a process, which provides employees with performance information to enhance managerial feedback. It includes comments from various sources, such as collogues, supervisor report and direct reports as well. Figure: 1.1 Performance Management Process Source: Handbook for the core performance management, 2005 Evaluating Evaluation is a two-way discussion in the form of written documentation to concentrate on employee areas of excellence, and identify the areas for improvement and further development needs. Stupak and Leitner (2001) warns that performance management measurement should not be punitive, but should be positive and should help the organisation, what the work do and what they should not and continue for organisation improvement. It should not be as a tool to punish the guilty, but emphasis should be on finding the right direction for the organisation. Linkage of Learning and Development and Performance Management The learning and development and performance management have been discussed separately earlier. Recent studies have shown, these processes are interrelated and are linked (Harrison, 2005). For example, in small firms, resources are stretched and workers have to switch roles, it becomes crucial to train and develop these workers, as they often have switch tasks. Following are the essential points in case of training in the small firm scenario: A well-focused induction program. Basic training in firm unique systems. A probation period to evaluate the performance. Post confirmation development for further development. Badger (2001) has mentioned that in a situation where products and processes can be easily imitated, the only source of competitive advantage is to stimulate employee to learn.   Organizations always seek to reduce cost increase efficiency and productivity. Today’s enterprises have started to evaluate learning and training programs to achieve higher performance from their workers, as they understand that learning and performance management are interrelated and inevitable to achieve competitive advantage. This competitive advantage can be achieved through the development of human resources by deploying a strategy to support its workers and enhance the organizational performance. The performance management process can positively develop the workforce self-esteem and keep them motivated, thereby giving them job satisfaction, to let them focus on the job. However its not mere training which can bring result, employee participation in decision making is essential as noticed by Peon and Ordas (2005), that organizations need to provide individuals with enough incentives and allow them to participate in the decision-making process to achieve higher performance. The ability of nations and organizations to enhance the standard of living of the growing population depends on sustained increase in the productivity of the systems. In the inter-dependent global economy, productivity is essential to maintain economic advantage for individuals and societies. People and institutions are inter-connected, and today countries have mutual interests in the game of higher productivity of other nations. A nation may gain short-term advantage from a lesser productive contributor, but in the long term lower productivity is a bad omen for all the nations. Conclusion According to Business Intelligence Board (2005), enterprises need to formally link learning and performance management process to measure the employee performance, as this can explain, weather learning has really resulted in higher performance. This link between learning and performance management is clear and the ultimate objective of learning management is to have an educated workforce, which can sustain the competitive advantage in the cutthroat corporate world. Learning and development are essentially related to performance management process, same as performance management process is not complete unless it embrace learning and development  Ã‚   to fill the skill gaps identified in the workers. Various amounts of efforts have been done to linkage learning with performance, Thomson and Mabey  (2001) mentions, many organisations failed to have higher performance from their workers, despite enormous amount of training. It has not yet yielded enough clear evidence of a direct link between learning and performance management. However, learning and development activity does consistently emerge as a crucial intervening factor. L&D alone is not enough-it has to be an integral part of a cluster of appropriate HR strategies. Reference Thomson.A and Mabey.C, Changing Patterns of Management Development, Blackwell Publishing. Marchington, M. and A. Wilkinson (2005), Human Resource Management at Work, London, CIPD   Stupak.J and   Leitner.P (2001), Handbook of Public Quality Management, Marcel Dekker Publications Harrison R (2005), Learning and Development, 4th edition, London. Workplace Learning, Culture and Performance, London, IFTDO. Badger,B (2001),Organizational Learning: An Empirical Assessment of Process in Small U.K. Manufacturing Firms, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 39. Drucker.P (1993), The Practice of Management Quorum Books Business Intelligence Board, www.businessintelligence.com (2005) . Wilson, John.P (2005), Human Resource Development: Learning and Training for Individuals and Organizations, Kogan Page Limited. Rothwell.J (2003), What CEOs Expect from Corporate Training: Building Workplace Learning and Performance Initiatives That Advance Organizational Goals, Saranac Lake, NY, USA. Mumford.M (1995), Intercultural Sourcebook: Cross-cultural Training Methods, Intercultural Press Inc. Beckett.D (2001) Life, Work, and Learning: Practice and Postmodernity. Florence, KY, USA.   Trask.L (1996), Building New Skills for the Knowledge Economy,   Business Communications Review, Vol. 26.   Lance.Berger (1999), Compensation Handbook, McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group, USA. Glossary of Training Terms (2005) http://forum.bodybuilding.com/ Bacal.R (2004), How to Manage Performance. McGraw-Hill Companies, USA. McGoldrickand.J (2001),Understanding Human Resource Development: Philosophy Processes & Practice, Routledge Publisher. Peon.J and Ordas (2005), The Learning Organization,   International Journal World Bank Staff (2003), Lifelong Learning in the Global Knowledge Economy: Challenges for Developing Countries, World Bank Publications.    James D. Wolfensohn (1999), World Bank Publications Gupta, Jatinder (2003), Creating Knowledge Based Organizations. Idea Group Publishing,USA. Handbook for the core performance management (2005) Ohio State University, USA.   

Point of View in ‘Little Things’ by Raymond Carver

Raymond’s ‘Little Things’ is a very short but interesting story that draws our attention to the problems couples may face in their marital life. It narrates an incidence of a quarrel between a husband and a wife that escalates to the point that it reaches the child and the couple is portrayed fighting for the possession of the baby. Now each parent is pulling on an arm causing him symbolic physical injury;†he felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard†.From a narrative point of view, Raymond Carver uses in this story a third person narrator; an objective narrator, who relates information that is easily visible. The narrator in fact remains outside the actions of the story, seemingly neutral . I mean characters stand out more in the story rather than the narrator describes their situations. The narrator cannot tell us about the characters’ thoughts or feelings(through the whole story there is no explicit description of f eelings or thoughts, but only actions are reported to us).This is in fact like a camera eye, just like watching a movie where the only information you get is what you can see or hear. It is quite important as well to notice here that there is no moving backward or forward of actions or thoughts as the narrator consciously chooses not to raise his voice. The only voices we hear in this part of the story are the voices of the characters.Not bearing in mind of course the first paragraph of the original story where the narrator’s voice is raised to make symbolic comments on his character’s moral dilemma, like saying for instance: â€Å"But it was getting dark on the inside too†, it is not surprising, that Carver enshrouds their violence in darkness, as their struggle threatens , most important, to tear the infant apart. It is through the unraised voice, indeed, that we are told a lot about situations that many people can find themselves in( and Carver himself was on e of them).We are invited in ‘Little Things’ to create and develop our own rationale for the actions of the characters and the consequent results, for a big part of the narrative may take place beneath the surface. It is from beneath the surface, indeed ,that Carver creates a powerful sense in us of man’s lack of communication ,and exhibition of selfishness, of the harm couples can cause to their children in such an unfortunate situation , and of Carver’s suggestion that a warm and emotional argument between a couple will quickly reach a logical and peaceful end..Surely not our characters’ end where ‘the issue was decided’ . We do not know in fact which issue was decided, is it the separation itself? , the baby’s injury? , or even his death? .We surely know, however, it is akin to the pure ‘snow’ , ‘melting into dirty water’, as mentioned in the beginning of the story.

Canadian Women and the Second World War Essay

The changing roles of women throughout history has been drastic, and none more so than the period during and after World War II. The irrevocable changes that occurred once the war started and women went to work were unprecedented. In the end, the changing role of Canada’s women during the War was the beginning of a chain reaction of events that have forever changed the Canadian workplace and also that of men’s archaic views on the capabilities of women in general. Many look back to the period during the war in which women were encouraged to get out of the kitchen and go to work, and wonder how a five year period could be so instrumental in forever changing the norms of society? Two authors, who attempt to sift through a mountain of information and provide a clear picture in response to this question, are Jeff Keshen and Ruth Roach Pierson. Both authors paint a slightly different picture from the piles of papers, minutes, war diaries and publications that covered that pivotal period during World War II where so many Canadians women found their voice and their freedom from domesticity. Canadian Women and the Second World War Ruth Roach Pierson’s essay is written with purely the perspective of women in mind, and the article itself is geared towards a female audience. The writer briefly describes the conditions of Canada at the onset of the war and the societal views of the role of women. Although there are no quoted references sited for this essay, there was a vast amount of alternative reading where I am sure one could draw numerous conclusions. Even with the lack of references, I did find this essay the most compelling especially, given the current climate of women in the work force. Ruth Roach Pierson describes in great detail the plight women faced during the war, when they were encouraged by the government and the needs of their families to get out and help support their families financially while all of the men were away at war. She goes on to describe the working conditions and child care situations for working women which were less than adequate. As a member of the Canadian Forces and a woman, the most interesting part of the article for me was the descriptions of how women became a uniformed part of the military and how all three branches of service came to assimilate women into active duty and the roles they were allowed to serve in. Throughout the essay, we were told about the deplorable conditions, the lack of equality the women faced in the workplace, and the stereotypes that were attached to women that proved very difficult and almost impossible to overcome. At most concern was the inequality found between men and women’s pay, benefits and allowances throughout the World War II era and beyond. The lack of equal pay for equal work caused great contention for women and still does to this day (although it is not quite as blatant in the civilian workforce today). The argument of the writer is that the roles taken on by women during the war forever changed the roles of women in society. I agree with her argument. Had it not been for the war, and the call to work and the military, things would be very different in our society for women, even today. The war was the instrument to get Canadian women to work, and once there, women found their voices to fight the inequality with respect to working conditions and pay, and paved the way for the next generation of women to continue to work and fight for an equal playing field with their male counterparts . Revisiting Canada’s Civilian Women during World War II Jeff Keshen’s essay is without a doubt written from a man’s perspective without much sympathy to the plight civilian women experienced during the World War II era. This article is very well written and cites over 100 references, making for a very factual account of the times. This article was geared more towards what contributions were made by civilian women versus the article by Ruth Roach Pierson which put most of the focus on women’s roles within the military. Jeff Keshen’s article explains how the media plays a of the time played a pivotal role in doing two things specifically, one was to get the women out to work, support their families and contribute to the war cause. The second countered the last by telling women were over and over told how important their role in the home was. Throughout this article the writer makes numerous references towards how the government of Canada attempted to do the right thing towards female workers during the war, but it also shows how the government’s heart wasn’t into it, thus just making offers to female workers just to appease their complaints for the time being until the war was over. The government was terrible on providing financial support to women whose husbands were away at war, offering only meager amounts of their pay each month, thus forcing more women into the workforce. The article goes on to further explain how during the war, women felt empowered by their circumstances and how once the war was over that women continued to fight towards equality and many refused to ‘go back to the kitchen’ after the war and further challenged the norms by continuing to work. In conclusion, the most compelling argument found during both articles was the willingness of women to move forward and support their families, no matter the cost or the inequalities found between their male counterparts. I have always heard said that ‘women are the backbone of society’. Now, this may not be entirely true in the year 2011 with the shared roles of women and men in families, but it certainly can be said for the years during World War II. Women were faced with the challenge of having their spouses and breadwinners away from home, and they were also faced with the uncertainty of their safe return home to their families. When you couple this with the call from their government and society to join the work force to help the war effort and take over the roles of the men in society while they were away. Eagerly the women answered that call, and stepped up to take over the roles the men used to hold before the war. Not only were they working full-time jobs, but they were still in charge of their households and raising their children and taking over and completing the roles of husband and fathers for an extremely long period of time.

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Personal Statement - Essay Example This happened because of a mistaken identity whereby I had been implicated of an offence on the basis of my brother in law resembling my husband. I desired to be in a capacity to defend my rights and those of others. I associated this experience with the difficulties that I had experienced in my childhood and all the people that might have experienced a lot of suffering because they lacked skills in criminal justice and could access effective representation to defend their rights. I have maintained my ambitions to accomplish my professional goals in criminal justice, with a strong desire to become an attorney. I have a strong conviction that needy people will get help from me and that I will be capable of helping the innocent to proof their innocence. I learned English with a bit of difficulty, but with my ambitious nature I succeeded and by my twelfth grade I could read and write in English. To augment my success, I gave in to my mentor’s advice to join a community college where I studied administration and psychology courses. I graduated in 1995 but I was determined to study further in spite of the family responsibilities that had emerged after my marriage. I enrolled for a bachelor of course name degree in Mexico and completed successfully. However, my desire to become an attorney compelled me to keep focused on emerging opportunities and to revitalize my professional ambitions that had withered due to circumstances. I have strong leadership skills as well as a high level of emotional intelligence that helps me to understand the feelings and beliefs of other people which, I believe will be significant for my legal studies. I am patient and always give people ample time to express their views. I have the capability to lead others to find practical solutions to issues affecting them, especially the natural challenges that are beyond human control. However, as Reichert (2006) observes, strengths go together with weaknesses. I believe that my performance

Debate Against (( Human resources manager are the guardians of ethics Essay

Debate Against (( Human resources manager are the guardians of ethics in business)) - Essay Example In short deontology theory of ethics never asks HRM managers to work for the protection of ethics in business. â€Å"For deontologists, the Right has priority over the Good. If an act is not in accord with the Right, it may not be undertaken, no matter the Good that it might produce† (Alexander, 2007). The above principle cannot by applied in an organizational set up always. In business, maximization of profit through efficient functioning of the organization is the major objective. It is impossible to analyze all the actions through the microscopes of morality in business. For example, there are certain instances in which the HRM managers forced to promote a junior employee over a senior employee because of the superior abilities of the junior employee compared to that of the senior employee. According to the deontological principles, only the senior employee could be promoted even if he might be useless. In that manner an organization cannot work.†Deontologists do not look at how much good might be caused by an action. They look at the action itself, deciding whether it is pro hibited or made obligatory by one of their rules† (Ethical Theory – Deontology, n. d). In other words, the arguments of deontologists are not applicable to the HRM managers. â€Å"Ethical egoism relies on the assumption that following one’s own self-interest will generally provide a maximum of benefit† (Koster, 2007, p.8). â€Å"It is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons ought to act from their own self-interest† (Philosophy 302: Ethics Ethical Egoism, 2009). In an organizational set up, the above principle cannot be applied. In an organization, the HRM manager should work for the interests of the organization rather than their self-interests. The interests of the employees and the interests of the organization may not go in the same direction. The organization always

Popular press Article (cloud computing for E-learning) Essay

Popular press Article (cloud computing for E-learning) - Essay Example There are several categories of cloud computing. The first one is where the public get to sell their services freely on the internet, which is, referred public cloud. Amazon and Google are the largest public cloud computing service providers where users from the public domain can access. Private cloud is a characteristic where the organization offering cloud computing services host their resources with limited access from the public. A virtual cloud is where the public cloud is created to be private. Scalable and easy IT services and computing resource are the main aim of cloud computing regardless of the characteristics of the cloud services. Amazon provides virtual server instance API, which is an example of Infrastructure-as-a-Service as a Web Service. Amazon provides virtual servers and storage space for their clients. Amazon calls its Cloud model service as Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). This service is across several Operating system vendor versions such as Linux, Solaris and Window Operating system. Web development application is another form of cloud computing. Google is offering hardware services where developers upload their Python codes then they run the application. Cloud computing is compared to utility services such as electricity and water hence referred to utility computing. PaaS is a service offered in terms of software and product tools that are provided by the host company. Software are installed in a client machine via the web portal or a gateway. GoogleApps and Salesforce.com (Force.com) are an example of Platform-as-a-service. The standards for data exchange and standards for data portability currently some developers are still protecting their software and platform. The software-as-a-service in cloud computing is a model where the software product and the client interact via the front-end portal such as a

Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Business Management - Essay Example These new people in the organization always bring in something that they give to the organization as well as learning from the organization at the same time. In today’s modern world technical skills have gained more importance and so has the need for the understanding of the behavior of these people (Kreitner, 2009). A study of organizations which encompasses different viewpoints and is based on multiple levels of analysis is termed as Organizational Behavior. The study involves the behavior of the people in the working environment (Schein, 2004). The importance of organizational behavior is seen in an organizations development. Organizational behavior is used to increase the performance of an organization wholly and individually. The role of organizational behavior is very important these days, many different types of people with varied ethnic backgrounds and cultures work together and hence its importance and popularity is increasing in the business community (Harris, 2001). It covers other fields like sociology, psychology, management and effective communication. Moreover organizational Behavior helps in the improvement of how the company can elevate its performance as well as the individuals that are working in it. Organizational Behavior covers topics like diversity of cultures, team intera ctions, and design of organization, influence, leadership and power. Organizational Behavior is all about the ability to manage as well as lead thereby increasing the output of the organization (Kreitner, 2009). The purpose of Organizational Behavior is to find out the factors that affect the company’s performance and the individuals that work in an organization are studied so as to find out the shortfalls in them that lead to the company’s downfall. The study is used to find out the factors that will increase organizations effectiveness

Make a Wish Foundation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Make a Wish Foundation - Research Paper Example The organization tries to fulfill the wishes of sick children aged between 2 and 18. It is a recognized global name. The organization always tries to make a child’s family and friend happy through several initiatives. Vision, Mission and Purpose of the Organization The mission of the organization is to grant the wishes of children who are suffering from several life threatening diseases to enrich the human experience with joy, hope and strength. The organization follows some steps in their operations. According o the vision statement, Make a Wish Foundation is dedicated to making the wish come true of every eligible child (McLaughlin 22). The organizational values of Make a Wish Foundation strictly adhere to excellence, child focus, community, integrity and inspiration. Purpose of the organization is to fulfill the wishes of every affected child and make their family happy. Key Concepts Make a Wish Foundation highly depends upon its volunteers and governing board of directors. First of all the organization motivates each and every volunteers of the organizations. The organization demands hard working and skilled volunteers in order to accomplish their each and every task. Make a Wish Foundation always gives value to its volunteers. ... The organization gives various key responsibilities to its volunteers in order to successfully accomplish a common task or a program (Kay 78). Make a Wish Foundation has developed several guidelines for the volunteers to justify their organizational mission and value. According to the organizational policy and guideline, the volunteers have to maintain strict confidentiality policy. Before becoming the part of a team, each and every volunteer needs to sign the agreement contract. According to this agreement, a particular wish of children should not be disclosed in any kind of circumstances. It is the responsibility of the entire organization to protect the privacy of the children. In addition to these, every volunteer should effectively learn au the mission statement of the organization Make a Wish Foundation is a non-religious organization. Therefore, the organization developed a guideline that the personal beliefs and motives should not be discussed during the time of wish business . The organization strictly opposes the concept of franchising projects. It can be accepted through the prior approval from a staff member of Make a Wish Foundation. The organization follows particular branding guidelines. Therefore, the organization strictly refuses the reproduction of Make a Wish Foundation logo. In addition to this, the firm does not allow any other individual without the prior permission of entire foundation. Governing board of directors are another key members of this foundation. Their honest and valuable efforts towards good cause helped the organization to make several families happy. The governing body of directors always motivates the volunteers of the organization to work hard in order to accomplish the tasks within

Performance Related Production Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Performance Related Production - Essay Example In order to accentuate production through employee performance, a company's management needs to develop a strong belief and determination among the leadership and worker-class, to accelerate progressive changes and create a difference. Only those with exceptional influence can change the way an organisation runs. Management must consider the criticality of a visible and active role taken by them to integrate policies of diversity and inclusion into every aspect of an organisation's operation and culture. Culture affects every employee of the organisation, whether it is a man or woman. It's imperative that any policy decision reach all concerned in the organisation; every individual of the organisation must feel a part of the scheme of things, for the welfare of the organisation. A healthy work environment goes a long way in instigating quality work. At the workplace, it is imperative for the management to introduce an increased and effective mode of cooperation between the men and women workers. One way of looking at it is by creating a better awareness of gender differences, building different leadership styles and flexible work/career patterns. Both men and women can use a variety of flexible work options to support family and personal needs, allowing them to achieve the goal of work/life balance, contributing to greater productivity. There are many number of business tactics, that can be employed to bring about operational changes to manage talent most effectively. Some tactics, most noticeable among them are: Identifying role models and establishing mentoring programmes Eliminating all bias-based company policies and procedures Providing equal opportunities, training and development for all Conducting workshops for employees to impress upon them the importance of diversity and inclusiveness to increase performance and production Though the above initiatives may sound simple, there is more to it, than meets the eye. The exercise needs the wholehearted support and sustained effort by all employees to make it a success (David Pappie, p.103, 2006). Performance is the cornerstone to success and productivity. Performance comes about through the wholehearted and sincere effort of employees of an organisation. This is possible only if the employees are kept happy and cared for. Strategies that favour employee retention, elicit competitive bonus schemes, and creates healthy work environment are pre-requisites for employee performance, culminating in higher production. A company's best asset is its people, so there is a good reason why the company needs to do what is right for them. A point of contention to performance and productivity is the way one works; the ability to work remotely, where enterprise convergence gains momentum. Organisations and structures have become more fluid. Mobility not just of the people involved, but their virtual working environment has become synonymous for productivity. For business bosses and their employees, a converged environment makes work location and distance irrelevant. The impetus to work for the benefit of the organisation must come

Health Care Hall of Fame Museum Proposal Essay Example for Free

Health Care Hall of Fame Museum Proposal Essay Healthcare has existed for centuries. As a society we have gone from primitive treatments like casting spells to revolutionary disease breakthroughs. The United States has held steadfast in the evolution of healthcare delivery causing the delivery of healthcare to increase by magnitude proportions. The 1900’s was a time that changes in healthcare and the delivery of it began to emerge in the United States. Scientists started taking an increase interest in diseases. Cardiology developments have helped with the treatment of heart disease, monitoring and prevention. â€Å"Heart Disease is the number one leading cause of death in America.† (American Heart Association, www.heart.org). Heart disease goes as far back as Egyptian Pharaohs, British monarchs and American Presidents. Unhealthy behaviors causing an increase in the risk factors amongst Americans have greatly affected the health of our society as a whole. Americans lead with sedentary lifestyles and the â€Å"supersize mentality†. Early interventions to reduce the risk factors that cause heart disease are essential. Mental illness has been frowned upon since ancient history. The United States was no different. Some people feel that mental illness is not a physical problem and is just a behavioral or spiritual problem that can be controlled. The mentally ill have been maltreated and put through deplorable, inhumane conditions. Introduction of antipsychotic medication in the 1950’s helped in the recovery and helped those who were mentally ill live in the community. Mental health became a priority and care in institutions and hospitals started to improve. â€Å"The Mental Health Act 1986 (the Act) provides a legislative framework for the care, treatment and protection of people with mental illness for psychiatrists to implement.† (Treatment plans under the Mental Health Act). The National Institute of Mental health has a mission to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses. Better healthcare choices can be made with the use of biotechnology. Biotechnology is not a new science. It goes as far back as 500 B.C. It is beneficial with the development of medication, research on drugs, stem cell research, gene testing and therapy. â€Å"Modern biotechnology provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.† (What is Biotechnology? http://www.bio.org/articles/what-biotechnology). Biotechnology has made major strides in healthcare like the eradication of small pox or gene therapy to help people battle auto immune diseases. Public Health is concerned with disease prevention and wellness promotion for the community as a whole. Epidemics, pand emic and outbreaks make public health an essential part of healthcare. Public health dates back to Biblical times. An example of this is the isolation of a contagious disease like leprosy. Lillian Wald the mother of Public Health Nursing led the crusade of helping provide medical care to the poor in the United States. The increase awareness of health and the healthcare coverage that would be needed led the United States to develop HMOs. HMOs provide medical treatment for patients on a prepaid basis. HMO members pay a fixed monthly fee, more often than not through an employer regardless of how much medical care is needed in a given month. A wide variety of medical services are provided after the fee is paid, from office visits to hospitalization and surgery. There are benefits to having an HMO. â€Å"Preventive and well-care services, such as routine physicals and pediatric care, are provided at no additional cost. Co-payments apply to doctors office visits, prescriptions, hospital admissions, emergency room visits and some other services. You generally do not need to submit claim forms, except in cases when emergency care takes place outside of your coverage area.† Research on diseases, health maintenance, and wellness continues to progress. Public Health continues to be an advocate for hea lth and safety in the community. The United States continues to evolve in healthcare delivery. References American Heart Association, Disease Information. (2000). Retrieved from http://my.americanheart.org/professional/Research/Disease-Information_UCM_459537_Article.jsp Future of Biotechnology in Healthcare, Chapter Nine. (2011, August). Retrieved from http://www.amgenscholars.com/images/uploads/contentImages/biotechnology-future.pdf Institute of Mental Health. About NIMH. (October 6, 2014). Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/index.shtml Public health history time line. (2014, September 6). Retrieved from http://www.sphtc.org/resources.html

Source of Competitive Advantage

Source of Competitive Advantage One of the reasons of the success of 7-Eleven Japan or SEJ comes from the consumer-focused orientation based on Information Systems use. Its complete understanding and control of its market and operations based on IT support contribute to its sustainable competitive advantage. Even though SEJ regards IS as simply a tool, it is known for proactive investment in IT and outsourcing of its critical system. SEJs strategy is outsourcing most of IS management in response to the speed of the market, this strategy allows SEJ to concentrate on developing a vision that works with the business strategy. Regularly, SEJ explores chances to obtain first mover advantage by introducing state-of-the-art technologies, for instance, point-of-sales system and Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) in which allowed 30 times faster speeds and enabled SEJ HQ to shorten analysis process of daily POS data item by item. This operational planning and control system expedites inbound and outbound logistics an d the sales forecast relies on POS data to reveal changes in consumer preference. These innovations improve replenishment process and maintain availability of products which in turn sustain the degree of customer loyalty leading to the competitive advantage. In the US, 7-Eleven was the first major convenience store chain in the US to develop a proprietary Retail Information System (RIS) feature POS, item level sales analysis, automated back office functions such as sales and cash reporting, payroll, gasoline pricing and inventory control, which are connected directly to the company accounting system and integrated gasoline pay-at-the-pump functionality. The system builds efficiencies towards ordering, distribution and merchandising processes. Similar to its strategy in Japan, 7-Eleven outsource majority of RIS to third party providers. RIS implementation provides timely, accurate sales information on an item-by-item basis in which facilitates inventory management that is known to be the key success factor in C-store business where inventory turnover is fast and replenishment process has to be able to catch up with the pace. Consequently, they are attributable to the source of sustainable competitive advantage of its operation in the US. Not to mention the introduction of integrated credit-card authorization and gasoline sales into POS register that yields more American customer base as they are mono-chronic culture who prefer one-stop shopping. References Briggs, W. Shore, B. 2007, Competitive Analysis of Enterprise Integration Strategies, Industrial Management Data Systems, vol.107, no.7, pp.925-935. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:aZIbIH9D0hsJ:suffolk.us/wbriggs/Competitive%2520Analysis%2520of%2520Enterprise%2520Integration%2520Strategies%2520EDITED%25204-23-07.doc+Competitive+Analysis+of+Enterprise+Integration+Strategiescd=3hl=enct=clnkgl=au Gottfredson, M. Puryear, R. Phillips, S. 2005, Capability Sourcing at 7-Eleven, viewed 29 April 2010, . Nagayama, K. Weill, P. 2004, 7-Eleven Japan Co.Ltd.: Reinventing the Retail Business Model, CISR WP no. 338, pp.1-20. http://202.205.89.79/download/materials/2009s/discipline/system_approach_to_accounting/Case%20Seven%20Eleven%20Japan%20cisrwp338.pdf

An Argument for the Existence of God Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

An Argument for the Existence of God God can be defined as a being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions (1). There are many people that do not believe in any religion. People who do not believe in a religion have no reason for believing in a God. People who do not believe in a God and argue against the existence of God are proving something that is completely false. There is a God for numerous reasons. This paper's purpose is to prove the existence of God. There are ten main reasons that are presented in this paper that show the actuality of God. It also shows counter-arguments to the competing positions (the presence of evil). It also gives anticipatory responses to possible objections to the thesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first reason focuses on the belief of faith. The following passage is taken from the Bible. It has excellent meaning because it shows that everyone has faith. Having faith is the first sign that shows everyone believes in a religion. There are two good definitions of religion. The first is belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. The second is a personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship. The passage shows that everyone has an institutionalized system that has belief. The passage is as follows, ?Everyone believes in something. No one can endure the stress and cares of life without faith in God. Atheists cannot prove there is no God. Pantheists cannot prove that everything is God. Pragmatists cannot prove that what will count for them in the future is what works for them now. Nor can agnostics prove that it is impossible to know one way or the other. Faith is unavo idable, even if we chose to believe only in ourselves. What is to be decided is what evidence we think is pertinent, how we are going to interpret that evidence, and who or what we are willing to believe in.? (Luke 16:16)(4) The passage is great proof that there is a God. It shows that everyone has faith. Faith is a big aspect in religion. With every religion, there is likely to be a single holy being, a god.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many atheists have used science as a way to disapprove the existence of God. Science is not an accurate way of disapproving the existence of God(2). Scient... ...This is completely false because God made the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed himself so he could redeem humanity and that all their sins would be forgiven. Making such a self sacrifice is good proof that God cares for humanity. The last reason that proves the existence of God is how we look at God. Most of humanity believes that God must look up to humanity, where as the truth is we must look up to God. The best argument that atheists have to disapprove the existence of God is the presence of evil. But their argument is shut down by the Augustinian theodicy. These reasons are great proof that shows the existence of God. Any atheist who reads all ten reasons and the Augustinian theodicy can never disapprove the existence of God. Bibliography   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1) Oxford Readings in Philosophy. The Concept of God. New York: Oxford University press 1987   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2) Gollwitzer, Helmut. The Existence of God: As Confessed By Faith. Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1965   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3) The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas. Whether God Exists? 1920. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/summa/100203.htm. K. Knight. 2003. 4) Holy Bible. New International Version. (New York). 1978.

Personal Narrative - Contemplating Death Essay -- Personal Narrative W

Personal Narrative - Contemplating Death "Then, just like that, she was gone. I couldn’t hold back the tears, and I don’t think my sunglasses hid them well. I’ve gotten used to my emotions and I only let it all out when they can’t be stifled, so you know this wasn’t a sigh-I’m-gonna-miss-her moment. The sunshine and warm breeze of Friday afternoon was frustrating; dreary, cold, typical-March days are fitting, appropriate for feeling this way, and how nice it was outside was a slap in the face. I later recalled how just a year prior I reversed the phrase A sunny day is no match for a cloudy disposition on a day like this one. I thought I was okay with everything, so what was it that hurt me? She left so easily; she never thinks about how lucky she is to still see me, not because she doesn’t deserve to, but the fact that I am still here for her to see. If she knew what I’m going to tell you†¦well, speculation is useless. I died this morning on my way to school: the guy behind me tried to stop but he locked his brakes out of panic and only slowed to forty five miles per hour. Of course, this isn’t what killed me; the trauma sustained by my face hitting my steering wheel as the opposite reaction of my head whipping backwards upon impact was my demise. The road to my college is only two lanes, and often there are stoppages as a result of cars waiting to turn left, since the shoulder does not provide sufficient room to pass on the right. The only way to avoid speeding too excessively to stop in time is to pay careful attention to the car in front of you, something the gentleman following me failed to do. He was preoccupied with the midterm he was trying not to be late for, the source of the stress he had calmed with the potent co... ... you forgot your feelings? If you didn't know they were there or that you ever had them, wouldn't your existence end?" "I don't think it's possible to forget your feelings - you can try to ignore them, but you can't control when your emotions begin and end. And you can't 'forget' them either. Love, hate, happiness, sadness, satisfaction, disappointment...these are not ideas created by the mind, they are sensations you must deal with." "So what, she just doesn't deal with them? She pretends they aren't there?" "I guess so...you see that cardinal up on the top branch?" "Yeah...?" "If you only wanted to see the blue sky, that is all you would see. You could know that bright red bird is there right in front of you, but if you didn't want to see it, you wouldn't." "Just like we choose to see light because that's what we want to see..." "It's just easier that way."

The Importance of Judicial Review Essay -- American Government Constit

By creating a Constitution, it is assumed that the people are going to agree to it as the law of the land. The Supreme Court is responsible for upholding the Constitution by interpreting the laws for the benefit of the people. The justices would be violating their oath if they were to oblige this obligation. If the Constitution were not the law of the land, why would it exist? This is the justification for judicial review, or the right of the court to declare legislative or executive unconstitutional. The Constitution states in article III, section 2 that, â€Å"The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority.† (Shafritz and Weinberg 16). Therefore, Judicial review is an implied power that determines whether or not legislation is constitutional and is necessary for the protection of the Constitutional rights of the people. The judiciary is not a representation of a particular party as it is in the legislative and executive branches. Although justices belong to different parties and they may have views determined by their political beliefs, the role of a justice is to carefully determine and interpret laws based on the Constitution. To do this, they must provide legitimate reason to defend their decisions and therefore, judicial review is beneficial for a successful nation. As a result of Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court found that it did not have jurisdiction over the case and therefore could not issue a writ of mandamus. This is the first instance of judicial review by the Supreme Court. Regarding judicial review, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in his opinion that, â€Å"It is empha... ...es his point by saying that it does not specify the extent of those powers. Personally, I believe that judicial review is a necessity in order to preserve the constitution. Thus, I disagree with Gibson’s opinion. Although I understand the content of his words and why he believes them, but I think a very specific power such as judicial review is necessary to check the other branches. The judiciary cannot abuse the power but the legislative and executive branches can create laws that are abusive to the powers given to them by the constitution. This is why judicial review is a necessity. Works Cited Epstein, Lee, and Walker, Thomas. Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Institutional Powers and Constraints. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2007 Shafritz, Jay M., and Lee S. Weinberg. Classics in American Government. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006. The Importance of Judicial Review Essay -- American Government Constit By creating a Constitution, it is assumed that the people are going to agree to it as the law of the land. The Supreme Court is responsible for upholding the Constitution by interpreting the laws for the benefit of the people. The justices would be violating their oath if they were to oblige this obligation. If the Constitution were not the law of the land, why would it exist? This is the justification for judicial review, or the right of the court to declare legislative or executive unconstitutional. The Constitution states in article III, section 2 that, â€Å"The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority.† (Shafritz and Weinberg 16). Therefore, Judicial review is an implied power that determines whether or not legislation is constitutional and is necessary for the protection of the Constitutional rights of the people. The judiciary is not a representation of a particular party as it is in the legislative and executive branches. Although justices belong to different parties and they may have views determined by their political beliefs, the role of a justice is to carefully determine and interpret laws based on the Constitution. To do this, they must provide legitimate reason to defend their decisions and therefore, judicial review is beneficial for a successful nation. As a result of Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court found that it did not have jurisdiction over the case and therefore could not issue a writ of mandamus. This is the first instance of judicial review by the Supreme Court. Regarding judicial review, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in his opinion that, â€Å"It is empha... ...es his point by saying that it does not specify the extent of those powers. Personally, I believe that judicial review is a necessity in order to preserve the constitution. Thus, I disagree with Gibson’s opinion. Although I understand the content of his words and why he believes them, but I think a very specific power such as judicial review is necessary to check the other branches. The judiciary cannot abuse the power but the legislative and executive branches can create laws that are abusive to the powers given to them by the constitution. This is why judicial review is a necessity. Works Cited Epstein, Lee, and Walker, Thomas. Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Institutional Powers and Constraints. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2007 Shafritz, Jay M., and Lee S. Weinberg. Classics in American Government. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006.

Student: Human Resources

Hitek 1 Title: JOB DESCRIPTIONS AT HITEK & DOWNSIZING: ANATHEMA TO CORPORATE LOYALTY Institution: Grantham University Instructor: Barbara Davis Student: Franessa Wilson Date: March 26, 2013 Hitek 2 Case Study: Job Descriptions at Hitek Based on what you know about high-tech companies, what are some likely strategic objectives for HITEK? Given these what should be the objectives of HITEK’s HR department? Do you think these are the objectives that guide the behaviors of Rains? Explain. A strategic objective is one that an organization must achieve to make its strategy succeed.Strategic objectives for Hitek are continued industry issues and supply chain challenges of prices, short product lifestyles, mass customization, globalization and strategic market planning. Strategic objectives provide direction for an organization, and strategic objectives provide a way to measure the organization’s progress toward realizing the ideas listed in the mission statement. For instance, if an organization has the idea that it will provide perfect customer service, then a strategic objective for the organization would be to score at the top level on customer service satisfaction.Strategic human resource objectives are goals aligned with the organizations goals. It’s the managerial process requiring human resource policies and practices to be linked with the strategic objectives of the organization. The human resources objectives at Hitek, supports organizational goals; such as profitabilities, business regulations, ethics and principles. Yes, I believe these are the objectives that guide the behaviors of Rains. Isabel Rains is the vice president of human resources and she rules the department with iron fist.Iron fist according to Wikipedia means with strict authority. Hitek 3 Jobs change frequently at HITEK. What approach to job analysis makes the most sense in such a fast changing environment? Customized? Standardized? Task-focused? Competency modeling? Eval uate the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative approaches and make recommendations to Hill about how to proceed. A job analysis sits at the heart of all human resource practices making it a critical component of management activity in every organization.Emphasis should be placed on a strategic approach to job analysis, present a strategic job analysis framework and discuss implications for the organization. A job analysis is necessary for the successful functioning of an organization. Job analysis is focused on the collection of work related information for the job as it currently exists or existed in the past. The need for change often is unpredictable, thus tends to be reactive. The successful management of change is crucial to an organization in order to survive, and succeed in the present highly competitive, and continuously evolving business environment.The environment of an organization consists of the conditions circumstances and influences that affect the organizationà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ability to achieve its objectives. The external and internal environment of an organization are both composed of five elements; which are physical, technological, social, political, and economical. The external environment influences how human resource functions will be performed. The internal environment influences both of human resource policies and procedures, as well as the individuals who make up the workforce of the organization or business.External environment has a significant impact on HR policies and practices. It helps to determine the values, attitudes, and behavior that employees bring to the job. Internal environment is also Hitek 4 known as organizational climate. The elements of the internal environment technological, physical, social, political, and economical effect and are affected by the policies, procedures, and employment conditions that managers oversee. The human resource department plays a more active role in influencing change in an organization or business.Organizational effectiveness is critical to success in any economy. Change management is defined as the process of continually renewing an organizations direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever changing needs of the internal and external customers or consumers. According to Burnes 2005, change is an ever present feature of organizational life, both at an operational and a strategic level. In order to achieve increased and sustainable business results, organizations need to execute strategy and engage employees.To create organizational effectiveness, business leaders need to focus on aligning and engaging their people, the people management systems, and the structure and capabilities (including organizational culture) to the strategy it results in higher financial performance, higher customer satisfaction, and higher employee retention. An organization that can sustain such alignment will achieve increased business results. Effective implementation of strate gy is a key driver of financial performance. Organizations that fail to fully engage their workforce in the business strategy will fail to produce reliable, sustainable business results.The link between employee engagement factors and successful strategy execution is vital (Burnes, 2005). Hill could use a SWOT analysis for the strengths and weaknesses of an alternative approach. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A SWOT analysis can offer helpful perspectives at any stage of an effort. Explore possibilities for new efforts or solutions to problems. Make decisions about the best path for the firm’s initiative. Identifying the opportunities for success in context of threats to success can clarify directions and Hitek 5 choices.Determine where change is possible. If the organization is at a juncture or turning point, an inventory of their strengths and weaknesses can reveal priorities as well as possibilities. Adjust and refine plans mid-course. A new opportunity might open wider avenues, while a new threat could close a path that once existed. The purpose of performing a SWOT is to reveal positive forces that work together and potential problems that need to be addressed or at least recognized. Before conducting a SWOT analysis, Hill should decide what format or layout he will use to communicate the issues.Strengths are resources that an organization possesses and the capabilities that an organization has developed. Weaknesses are resources and capabilities that are lacking or deficient in an organization; thus preventing an organization or business from developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Is the new job description (case exhibit 4) better than the old one (case exhibit 3)? Why or why not? Consider the perspective of employees as well as the perspective of the person supervising this job, Does your answer change depending on the way the job description is being used?The new job description is better than the old job description because it is more detailed. The skills needed are listed, how much education the applicant should have, and how much relevant experience is required. The supervision received is listed, therefore the applicant knows that he or she will be working under close supervision of a technical superior or manager, but no supervisory duties or experience is required. No, my answer does not change. Hitek 6 Case Study: Downsizing- Anathema to Corporate Loyalty Why is Daniels sensitive to DSI’s recruitment efforts?At Defense Systems Incorporated, Daniels feels that DSI’s layoffs or terminations are poor alternatives to dealing with a turbulent environment. The major problem as Daniels sees it is to preserve as many jobs as possible until business picks up. To terminate the new hires would irreparably harm DSI’s future recruitment efforts. Although terminations would improve the balance sheet in the short run, Daniels worried about the impact of such a move on corporate loyalty, a fragile and rare commodity at other major firms that have had to cut their white collar workforce ( Jackson et al; 2009, p. 226).A great possibility for downsizing to be an unsuccessful firm's strategy and therefore to decrease the corporate reputation, it is important before making the decision about downsizing to reconsider the necessity of such a decision. Downsizing has become a critical issue around the world. Downsizing and mass lay-offs are happening not only on US companies but also organizations in the entire industrial world. The number of organizations and jobs affected by downsizing has been staggering. In theory, downsizing is presumed to have positive outcome for an organization. In many situations, downsizing did accomplish what management had intended.However, there are many critiques on the manager views where unintended and negative consequences of downsizing resulted. It is important to point out that downsizing can be approached from at le ast three different perspectives: a global or industry level, a micro or individual level, and an organization or strategy level (Burnes, 2005). From a global or industrial point of view, discussions of downsizing, including mergers and acquisitions, ventures, and market strategies. From a micro or individual point of view, discussions of downsizing focus on individual stress levels associated.Hitek 7 What are some potential problems for the current class of engineers recruited at DSI? DSI does not rely on subcontractors to produce parts needed in its assembly operation, and the new employees will only receive ten hours per year of training, and most of the training will be obtained during orientation. Underutilizing these talented recruits for a long time would certainly lead to major dissatisfaction (Jackson et al; 2009, p. 226). How could the use of temporaries, student interns, or subcontractors potentially help DSI? They could bring a fresh perspective to the company.Interns of ten come in to jobs unafraid to question how things work or why jobs are performed a certain way which can help bosses discover smarter ways to do those tasks. Their perspective as newbies is valuable, especially when it comes to identifying and even solving problems that go unnoticed by full-time employees. They are at ease with the social media. Interns tend to understand social media in a way many business owners and bosses cannot, simply because young people live and breathe networks like Facebook. To them, networking on online channels is not another time-consuming task, but rather part of the day.They are productive in nature. While many full-time workers toil in jobs that lack benchmarks, most interns have a start and end date. Because of that, interns tend to be more productive. Unless you count the rare promotion or job change, some employees work in what feels like an endless cycle, which can lead to career burnout. They are courteous. New employees can be shy, but since i nterns are trying to make a good impression in a short period of time, they’re often more friendly than their paid counterparts. Interns recognize that every hallway passing could be a future opportunity.They are trying to impress. An internship Hitek 8 serves as a trial period for both sides. The intern may also be looking to set the groundwork for a recommendation or a full-time position down the road. That means they’re likely to put in a significant amount of effort to make sure you’re happy with their work. They provide free advertising via word of mouth. These young workers are excited, and if you impress them, they’ll want to tell the world about their experience with your company. They’ll spread the good word to their peers about the job, which can help recruitment efforts. They are fast learners.Young minds are like sponges, absorbing information quickly. Young workers also tend to be good at multi-tasking. The time it takes to train an in tern to perform a task is often a fraction of what it takes to train a full-time employee. Evaluate Daniels’s alternatives for reducing DSI’s labor surplus. What do you recommend? Why? Several older employees have accumulated several weeks of unused vacation time. Daniels wondered if employees could be encouraged to take unpaid leaves of absence. He also thought that early retirement incentives could be offered to make room for some of the bright young engineers (Jackson et al; 2009, p. 27). Unpaid leave is time off from work which is provided without pay. When an employee takes or is given unpaid leave, he or she retains a position in a company, and many retain benefits as well, but the employee receives no salary or wages. There are a number of reasons to take or institute this type of leave, and it is an option which is available from many companies. A company may require employees to take unpaid leave, or a furlough. This is done as a cost cutting measure, with the company preferring to force employees to take time off instead of eliminating positions at the company.This tactic is designed to retain Hitek 9 employees during periods of economic hardship, and while it may be onerous to employees, many people prefer unpaid leave to uncertain layoffs. Hitek 10 Works Cited 1. Burnes, R. (2005). Organizational Change Management: A Critical Review. Journal of Change Management Vol. 5(4): 369-380. Retrieved on March 24, 2013 from http://www. ncbi. nlm. org 2. Jackson, S. , Schuler, R. ; Werner, S. (2009). Managing Human Resources, 10th edition, pgs. 184-187, and 226-227.

Nat Result Essay

Philippine Constitution affirms that education is the birth right of all Filipinos. This means that education should be available to all Filipinos whatever their age, creed, abilities, social and economic status. Educating all Filipino is very great challenge to our educational system. Addressing this Constitutional pronouncement need the dedication and commitment of all teachers that considerably carries the responsibility and accountable to process learning and see to it that pupils attained satisfaction of their rights regardless of their age, creed, abilities, social and economic status. To determine the child’s performance and competence of teacher standardized test as NAT is the high-flying instrument to measure both performance. The bases whether pupils perform well and mastered the required competencies of said school which also the manifestation of the quality of the teachers present in a particular school, and assumption to be competent in local , national, and global viewpoint. Statement of the Problem This study sought to describe and analyse the performance of Del Hilado Elementary School (DES) grade III pupils in Science on the National Achievement Test (NAT) for the SY 2010 – 2011. Furthermore, this study aims to trace up the history of performance of Del Hilado Elementary School (DHES) grade III pupils in National Achievement Test (NAT) three years backward and to determine the competency that mostly grade III pupils find hard to master. Finally, design an intervention program that focuses the grade III pupils to get grips the competency. Specifically, the study answered the following questions: 1. What is the relationship of teaching strategies to the performance of Del Hilado Elementary School Grade III pupils on the NAT? 2. What is the relationship between the School’s Post-test in Grade III in Science as measured by the Nat? 3. How is Science taught in school? Scope and Delimitation This study is primarily concern with the performance of Del Hilado Elementary School (DHES) grade III pupils in Science of the National Achievement Test. In particular with the competency of Science which pupils find difficulties to be au faith with. In addition this study aims to ascertain the causative factor of the low performance of Del Hilado Elementary School of grade III pupils in Science on National Achievement Test (NAT). Teachers’ competence * Materials * Assessment tools and facilities Significance of the Study This study provide insights to the school administrator to be focus and develop a leadership style that would encourage everyone, brought awareness the problem that causes the deterioration of the performance of Del Hilado Elementary School (DHES) grade III pupils on the National Achievement Test (NAT) predominantly in Science. Through this document teachers will able to reflect, evaluate her/his failures and made necessary variation to be effective. The result of this study will also serve to gain more insights for the principal and teachers to work with the following: 1. Bringing classroom level to national level 2. Improve performance of Grade III pupils in Science 3. Enhance teachers’ strategies in teaching Science. Consequently, generates concerted effort and mutual furtherance among the school personnel and apparently parents. Definition of terms Standard deviation – a measurement of variability and clustering around the mean. Mean – also known as the arithmetic mean, a value that helps summarize an entire set of numbers. A set’s mean is calculated by adding the numbers in the set together and dividing their sum by the number of members of the set. Mean Percentage Score (MPS) – mean divided by the number of cases times 100. NAT – National Achievement test standardized test that administered by the national to measure the pupils’ mastery in the competency and also may reflect the teachers performance . An examination that measures the extent to which a person has acquired certain information or mastered certain skills, usually as a result of specific instruction. Performance – accomplishment of something prescribe by the department (teaching, exams)| The accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed to be the fulfilment of an obligation, in a manner that releases the performer from all liabilities under the contract. | Science – systematic study of anything that can be examined, tested, and verified. The word science is derived from the Latin word scire, meaning â€Å"to know. From its early beginnings, science has developed into one of the greatest and most influential fields of human endeavour. Today different branches of science investigate almost everything that can be observed or detected, and science as a whole shapes the way we understand the universe, our planet, ourselves, and other living things School – an institution of teaching children. Post-test – a school based test that administered towards th e end of the year a summative test that covers all from the very first lesson to the last. Child – a young human being between birth and puberty. Teacher – is a person who provides education for pupils or students. who facilitates education for an individual may also be described as a personal tutor, or, largely historically, a governess. The role of teachers, school heads and school counsellors in continuous assessment is quite different according to each one. The teacher’s role is to give his students the opportunity to assess their own skills and to be able to improve their levels and it’s at the same time a ool for the teacher to know exactly what are his students’ needs and weaknesses and to remediate to them in an efficient way. For the school heads and school counsellors their role is to supervise teachers and help them carry out their assessment in good working conditions so that it achieve its aim which is improving students’ performance and learning. Principal – head teacher or the manger in a school whose duty def ine as a leader, communicator, moderator and other functions that constitutes as a senior in the school. Review of Related Literature Ogden Lindsley, make classroom instruction in science called Precision teaching. An approach is teaching that emphasizes behaviour or performance. An instrument scientifically designed to elicit correct and rapid performance for feedback and positive reinforcement following appropriate behaviour. According to the following, Benet and Simon (1996), Wechsler (1975), R. L. Thorndike (1913), Guilford (1985), and Grander (1983) suggested that intelligence is a global aspects of one’s personality. Accordingly, intelligence can conclude not only abilities to learn academic subjects, deal with abstraction, and solve problems but also the ability to withstand stress and distractions, be motivated, remain emotionally stable, be interested in learning, be socially competent and display physical grace. What teachers need to know about learning? Intrinsic motivation – is what influences learners to choose a task get energized about it, and persist until they accomplish it successfully regardless of whether it brings on immediate rewards. A motivation to engage in activity for its own sake. Attribution theory – a perspective of motivation that assumes that people seek to understand why they succeed or fails. Self-efficacy theory – an appraisal or evaluation that a person makes about his or her personal competence to succeed at a particular task; an individual’s personal expectations, internal standards and self-concept. Self-determination – an appearance that holds that an attitude of determination is the foundation for motivated behaviour. For the past 20 years, public opinion has identified field of lack of discipline as the number one problem facing beginning teachers. The overwhelming majority of beginning teachers routinely express concerns about classroom control and frequently experience discipline problems during their initial months and year in the classroom (Rogan, Borich, ;amp; Taylor, 1992). Much more those teachers that only gained units of education to qualify as a teacher. According to Slavin: Leaving aside for a moment the special case of acceleration, nearly all researchers would agree that the achievement effects of between-class ability grouping (tracking) for all students are small to nil. What does this say to the practitioner? Since arguments for ability for grouping depend entirely on the belief that grouping increases achievement, the absence of such evidence undermines any rationale for the practice. The harm done by ability groups, I believe, lies not primarily in effects on achievement but in other impacts on low and average achievers. For example, low tracks students are more likely to be delinquent or to drop out of the school than similar low achievers not in low track (Wiatrowski, Hansell, Massey, ;amp; Wilson, 1982). Perhaps, most important, tracking works agints our national ideology that all created equal and our desire to be one nation. The fact that African-American, Hispanic, and low socioeconomic students in general wind up so often in the low tracks is repugnant on its face. Why would we want organized our schools this way if we have no evidence that it helps students to learn? (Slavin, 1991,p. 70) The question of Quality education is not new to us as Philippine Education is concern; Philippine Educational System is a product of over research kind of educational system to compete internationally, particularly at the basic or primary level is now very much on the world agenda.

The Blunt Truth Essay Uploaded

Even though the resistance to legalize marijuana is present due to the fallacy Of the natural herb, it should be legalized because it will positively elf the economy and also has countless health benefits. Many people who oppose medical marijuana are persuaded by the propaganda due to their misunderstanding and misconception of medical marijuana. One debatable topic is that medical marijuana is considered a gateway drug. A gateway drug is best defined as a habit-forming drug that is not addictive, but its use may lead to the use of other addictive drugs.The Eagle Forum stated, â€Å"Since TECH is continually in the body, the ‘high' from pot gradually diminishes, and so pot smokers usually take other drugs to get a kick† (â€Å"Is Marijuana†). Although is it possible to build a tolerance to marijuana, it is highly unlikely for the user to move to other more addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroine. Lynn Simmer, PhD argues the correlation between medical marijuan a and other drugs by stating, â€Å"In the end, the gateway theory is not a theory at all. It is a description of the typical sequence in which multiple-drug users initiate the use of high-prevalence and low-prevalence drugs† (â€Å"Is Marijuana†).Another controversial topic with medical marijuana is the potential addictiveness it possesses to its users. According to Proton, symptoms of withdrawal from marijuana have been identified including symptoms of depression, anxiety and appetite loss that were based on 60 percent of the study participants. On the contrary, a recent study suggests that medical marijuana has no exact symptoms of withdrawal in this quote, â€Å"Unlike for nicotine, alcohol and hard drugs, there is no clearly defined withdrawal syndrome, the hallmark of true addiction, when use is stopped† (Iverson 1).This supporting evidence displays that a user can start and stop consuming medical marijuana without any side effects or possible addiction. F or the most part, medical marijuana usage is frowned upon because of many misconceptions towards negative effects. These misconceptions are propaganda based and inaccurate. With that said, medical marijuana actually has positive benefits, and even possibly an economic benefit. For people who cannot actually smoke marijuana for various reasons, â€Å"the plant may be altered into different forms to allow various forms of ingestion† (Brick).Modifying marijuana into foods or drinks allows numerous states to be able to tax marijuana. Although the economy has experienced a downfall, he taxation of medical marijuana would contribute millions of dollars to each state's budget. California is a prime example with a $24 billion budget deficit; the vision of adding any kind of business to the tax rolls can start to sound like a good plan. The chairwoman of the State Board of Equalization, Betty T. Ye, supports the plan and states, â€Å"it could produce annual tax revenues of $1. 4 bil lion [for California]† (Kate).The government publicizes their terrible revenue like a baby crying every hour but when the baby is given a solution it ignores it and continues to cry. In addition to adding an enormous income, medical marijuana's legalization has a potential impact on crime rates. II Paso City Council member Recourse states, â€Å"our drug policy is directly responsible for the murder and violence that people are experiencing in our sister community/' (Kate). He also states that decentralization would â€Å"relieve a lot of the costs related to interdiction and imprisonment and enforcement and tap new revenues we're missing out on† (Kate).In essence, legalizing medical marijuana would reduce crime rates and lower imprisonment rates, therefore enabling the government even larger revenue. Without a doubt, medical marijuana's legalization has the potential of adding billions of dollars while reducing crime rates; nonetheless, medical marijuana's greatest po wer is its health benefits. Accordingly with medical marijuana's economic benefit, the health benefits can help millions of people suffering from a variety of diseases. Cancer as it is known is very deadly but in some cases treatable with chemotherapy.Many cancer patients that have gone through chemotherapy usually have unpleasing side effects, the greatest one being nausea and vomiting. Many of these patients have reverted to medical marijuana to help with the side effects and it's shown to help. This is confirmed with this quote, â€Å"It is established that marijuana does ease the pain of cancer and the nausea of cancer chemotherapy† (McGinnis 1). Likewise, medical marijuana also helps with severe/chronic pain to ease these pains temporarily similarly to other medicine that's usually prescribed.The Institute of Medicine confirmed by stating ‘the available evidence from animal and human studies indicates that innovations can have a substantial analgesic effect† (Institute of Medicine). Additionally there are more diseases that marijuana can have a positive effect on such as AIDS (HIVE), Arthritis, Asthma, Gastrointestinal disorders, Epilepsy, Glaucoma, Hepatitis C, and the aid with the terminally ill however these are still ongoing debates with many doctors and scientists that are for and against medical marijuana prescription. On the other hand, medical marijuana's main benefit is that it offers any of its users happiness and hunger.These two effects combined can temporarily relieve stress. Along with these various benefits marijuana is a natural herb grown from earth's soil and is God's gift to many to seek it. All facts considered, medical marijuana's pros outweigh its cons on many different bases. Medical marijuana has the potential to greatly help the economic crisis and can also impact many people who suffer from various diseases. Those who frown upon medical marijuana do not realize the helpful benefits it contains but rather agree with the many misconceptions that have destroyed marijuana's reputation and transformed it into an immoral substance.

Chapter #9 Summary: New Directions in Planning Theory Essay

Chapter #9 Summary: New Directions in Planning Theory Susan S. Fainstein Susan S. is professor of urban planning and acting program director in Columbia University. In this article she discusses and critiques contemporary planning theory in terms of its usefulness in addressing what I believe to be its defining question: what is the possibility of consciously achieving widespread improvement in the quality of human life within the context of a global capitalist political economy. She examines the three approaches referred to above under the rubrics of: -(1) the communicative model; sometimes called the collaborative model, emphasizes the planner’s role in mediating among â€Å"stakeholders† within the planning situation -(2) the new urbanism; frequently labeled neo-traditionalism, paints a physical picture of a desirable city to be obtained through planning; -(3) and the just city, which derives from the political economy tradition, while also outcome oriented, is more abstract than the new urbanism, presenting a model of spatial relations based on equity. The Communicative Model The communicative model draws on two philosophical approaches— American pragmatism as developed in the thought of John Dewey and Richard Rorty and the theory of communicative rationality as worked out by Jurgen Habermas.5 The two strands differ somewhat in their methodologies. Neo-pragmatism tends toward empiricism. Theoretical and Practical Deficiencies In its effort to save planning from elitist tendencies, communicative planning theory runs into difficulties. The communicative model should not be faulted for its ideals of openness and diversity. Its vulnerability rather lies in a tendency to substitute moral exhortation for analysis. Although their roots, via Habermas, are in critical theory, once the communicative theorists move away from critique and present a manual for action, their thought loses its edge. THE NEW URBANISM â€Å"The new urbanism† refers to a design-oriented approach to planned urban development. Developed primarily by architects and journalists, it is  perhaps more ideology than theory, and its message is carried not just by academics but by planning practitioners and a popular movement. New urbanists have received considerable attention in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in Great Britain.Their orientation resembles that of the early planning theorists–Ebenezer Howard, Frederic Law Olmsted, Patrick Geddes–in their aim of using spatial relations to create a close-knit social community that allows diverse elements to interact. The new urbanists call for an urban design that includes a variety of building types, mixed uses, intermingling of housing for different income groups, and a strong privileging of the â€Å"public realm† Critique The new urbanism is vulnerable to the accusation that its proponents oversell their product, promoting an unrealistic environmental determinism that has threaded its way throughout the history of physical planning THE JUST CITY In Socialism: Utopian and Scientific Friedrich Engels (1935, p. 54) presents the Marxian critique of utopianism: The final causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought, not in men’s brains, not in man’s better insight into eternal truth and justice, but in changes in the modes of production and exchange. . . . For Marx and Engels, social transformation could occur only when the times were ripe, when circumstances enabled the forces for social amelioration to attain their objectives. In their view utopian thinkers like Robert Owen and Fourier could not succeed because they developed a social ideal that did not coincide with a material reality still dominated by capitalist interests. Only smashing the structure of class domination could create the conditions for achieving a just society. CONCLUSION In Her conclusion she defends the continued use of the just city mode and a modified form of the political-economy mode of analysis that underlies it, described below The three types of planning theory described in this essay all embrace a social reformist outlook. They represent a move from the purely critical perspective that characterized much theory in the seventies and eighties to one that once again offers a promise of a better life. Whereas reaction to technocracy and positivism shaped planning theory of that period, more recent planning thought has responded to the challenge of post-modernism.