Eating Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Eating Disorder - Essay Example The second, as Bernard Shaw said, â€Å"Your food is your grave†. I am 23 years old and I have realized that sickness sells at premium and health is at discount. I have seen some of my friends suffer from eating disorders and bouts of depression. They neglect their studies, physically and mentally abuse themselves. I am convinced by observing the real-life examples of my friends that modern education system is one of the important agents to cause eating disorders amongst the combustible younger generation. Eat junk food and other types of fast foods at the wrong time. Eat without time consideration, whether you are hungry or not. On the other extreme, do not eat at all and starve with the sole idea to turn slim. Treat this as an invitation to the eating disorder. The youngsters and adolescent girls have lost the sense of discipline in food intake and have no diet-discipline. The influence of materialistic civilization on the youth is tremendous. The eating disorder impacts the ir personality and once into it, they will have a tough time to recoup the original health and become normal selves again. Newspaper, television and glamorous advertisements convey the wrong message to the adolescent girls that their bodies are imperfect and perfection can be attained with the help of fasting, diet and cosmetics. They render immense disservice to the culture of America with interference in the normal life of girls. Surgery and diet control measures are offered at fabulous prices with promise of reducing weight in short periods. Girls are lured into it, accept it without being aware of the side effects and suffer in the long run. These are some of the important causes for eating disorder, according to me. Eating disorder can be challenged and overcome. If you are a student, listen to the real life experience of the seniors, read literature that gives positive direction to conquer eating disorder and give your body the food it needs, neither less or more. Make a timet able, calorie-wise schedule of the food items that you are going to take and stick to it. My female cousin who stays in the same community at a distance of about a mile from my house has gone through this ordeal of eating disorder. Both families have close interaction, and we all meet quite often in social/family functions. The problem with the combustible younger generation, especially the adolescent girls, is that they are not willing to listen to the first-hand experiences of others. When she began to lose weight, I enquired of her what the issue was. Slimming was her only goal then and she was not inclined to adopt some golden rules of healthy lifestyle. I counseled for hours against her voluntary efforts to destroy her health, but she said that she enjoyed suffering but wished to get slimmer. This is the story of my stubborn cousin. She is an ardent devotee of the cult of thinness that has influenced the turbulent mindset of the young girls. I say turbulent, because even a marg inal increase in the body weight increases their tension. She is younger of the two daughters and they are a happy family. Somebody in the party told her, â€Å"You have put on weight,† and that is the beginning of her journey of worry†¦ I went on a posting to another city, and though I remained in contact with her over the phone, for a personal interaction with her I had to wait for about two years. When I returned back to the city, she expressed her eagerness to meet me urgently and she had a wealth of information to share with me about her sufferings for the last two years. â€Å"I am feeling much better now,† she said with a sigh. Here is her part of the story: â€Å"On listening to that one pound increase remark in the party two years ago, I really panicked. I came home and checked my weight, and the increase

Schindlers List And Saving Private Ryan

Schindlers List And Saving Private Ryan Both films demonstratively take on a time in history and rework it in the name of memory. The power of both movies lies in their label of authenticity. Schindlers List is based on the true story of Oskar Schindler and Saving Private Ryan is in part based on the true story of Friz Niland. The factual historical figures are not the only interplay between fact and fiction. Scenes in classical Hollywood film standards stand in contrast with the integration of various devices originally belonging to a documentary. An example for a scene in Schindlers List that can be easily identified as fiction or as a classical Hollywood scene is when the women and children are taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau due to a mix-up of lists. They are told to take a shower. Spielberg spends a good deal over this scene showing the womens frightened faces with the violins playing in the background and the womens cumulative screams. At the end, water flows from the shower heads and the frantic screams get replaced by laughter. Supporting the idea stated in the review, this scene was there to make the event more dramatic. It created an element of fiction. In Saving Private Ryan one noticeable classical Hollywood mode is the movement of the camera. It breezily moves alongside the characters, which helps the viewer through the narrative dialogues. The real story of Friz Niland becomes a narration and with this a mixture between fiction and fact. Both movies are considered classical Hollywood films, however, Spielberg also integrates various devices originally belonging to documentaries. In Schindlers List almost the entire movie is shot in black-and-white. Leon Wieseltier addresses Schindlers Lists use of black-and-white in Close Encounters of the Nazi Kind: Its renunciation of color is adduced as a sign of its stringency; but the black and white of this film is riper than most color.(p. 42) The rejection of color is riper than most color because of the way it increases the historical feeling. Since all of the pictures we have from that time are not in color, we have only seen the Holocaust in black and white. This puts the film closer to reality. Shooting in black and white is a device normally used in documentaries. With using something originally used by documentaries, Spielberg creates the image of portraying fact and a slice of reality. In order to achieve a more historical texture in Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg mani pulates the film stock. The images of the past are presented in reduced brightness and a flatter contrast. Besides the reduced brightness he also uses a camera movement typical for documentaries. As an example, I want to look at the scene of the invasion of Normandy. The camera, unable to keep up with the speed of death, dashes from man to man. At times the images even lose their corresponding sound to simulate the effect of being shell-shocked. Additionally, the battle scenes are captured with a hand-held camera. This camera style resembles a documentary film and claims to portray the truth or to have direct access to the reality of what happened during the invasion of Normandy. Furthermore, Steven Spielberg breaks away from the Hollywood convention of a neatly divided diegesis between good and evil. Oskar Schindler is a war profiter. He wished to profit from evil, but as the plot develops he uses his financial profits to save the people who helped him win them. It is just when his jews are to be sent to Ausschwitz that he becomes the good character and uses his money to buy them back. In Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg breaks away from the typical Hollywood convention of introducing us to a protagonist (whom we can follow through the diegesis) in the first few minutes. Instead, he leaves the audience confused. In the first thirty minutes of the movie, we cannot identify with any character. Instead, Spielberg gives us the impression of being alongside the characters. The use of various different devices lets the line between fact and fiction become less and less recognizable. It creates an illusion of portraying the past as it really was. This illusion makes us believe that the picture of World War II is captured authentically in both movies. My last argument is on the ground that both films employ their themes in similar ways. First of all Im going to look at the use of color. Schindlers List uses color or the absences of color to create a moral reawakening in the main character. With the film almost entirely in black and white one image strikes out- the girl in the red coat. She is one of the few color images in the entire film. Our attention is drawn to her even if she is but one of a hundred people in a long shot. She is the pure innocence, walking unnoticed through the Nazi Regime. Schindler follows the small figure as she walks aimless and alone amid the madness and horror in the street. At the end he sees her lying on a small wagon besides other murdered prisoners. She touches his soul in a way the shear amounts of numbers couldnt. Her image stands for all of the mass murder of millions of people. She is a symbol for all the 6.000.000 victims, who died, who had families, who had lives and who had dreams. It is at t hat moment that Oskar Schindler begins to change. He changes his dedication from his capitalistic fantasies to the saving of as many Jews as possible. He becomes the good german, an individual that is able to save lives. In Saving Private Ryan no character is presented as the only colorful image in a black and white sequence. However, color is used in an artistic way since most of the movies color is saturated. The opening and final scene, when present-day Private Ryan and his family visit the American Cemetery and Memorial, is shot in unreduced color. This scene shot against the bright light of Colleville-sur-mer in France stands out sharply. It seems to convey the image of a slice of todays reality. The foregoing footage in bleach bypass stands in contrast to it. The color makes a clear difference between what happened in 1944 and what is happening today. While the greater part of the movie captures the brutality of war, the final scene focusses on the survival. The bright color, which conveys a slice of reality, emphasizes the survival of soldiers, while the saturated color supports the senseless and gory picture of war. A second way in which Spielberg employs themes is through the use of long shots and close-ups. We learned that technique is never just technique. It retains a responsibility towards the presented picture. Spielberg uses the difference between long shots and close-ups in both movies- a technique that lets us understand and identify the different themes. I want to take a look at one scene in particular. Spielberg uses parallel editing to interwove Izaak Sterns waking up and Amon Goeths speech with each other. The sequence is presented as a point-of-view sequence, in which Stern is taken as the witness of the preparations for the transportations going on in the Ghetto. Emphasized by a close-up, Stern puts on his glasses and turns towards the window. The following shot is an extreme high angle shot from his vantage point. It takes the window and curtain as the frame. After a shot of rows of chairs and tables being stet up, the camera comes back to a medium shot of Stern, who turns away f rom the window. Throughout the sequence Goeths speech was used as the tone. The scene ends with reconnecting Goeths voice to his body. Quoted in the book Critical Perspectives on Schindlers List Goeffrey H. Hartmann says that: To see things that sharply, and from a privileged position, is to see them with the eyes of those who had the power of life and death.(p 98) Later in the movie, Amon Goeths position and view is represented in a similar way of long shots and close-ups. It presents us with the power he has over life and death. This technique makes the viewer feel uncomfortable, who is able to see how Goeth randomly shoots at people. In Saving Private Ryan I want to look at the use of long shots and close-ups in the shell chock scene at the invasion of Normandy. The camera lies in a mid shot on Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks. It then changes to a mid shot of two soldiers, whose face cannot be seen. It is a subjective point of view shot as it is through Tom Hanks eyes. Going over to a long shot, we can now see the characters whole body as they try to run away from an explosion. After we see Tom Hanks in a mid shot again, the shot transfers to a long shot showing a soldier who has lost his arm and other soldiers hiding behind dead bodies. At the end the scene ends in a close up of Tom Hanks face. His facial expression is serious and has a look that says lets do it. The camera carries us through the mind of an soldier. We can see the things he sees, switching from one event to another. With the close up of the face, the decision to stop looking but fight for the survival is made. Through the difference in long shots and close-ups, Spielberg is able to emphasize the decision of life and death. It helps to employ themes and an unforgettable experience. Last but not least, I want to look at the opening and closing scenes of both movies. The opening scene in Schindlers list is a close-up of a hand lighting a pair of Jewish Sabath candles. Then a man recites the prayer over the wine in the presence of his family. The family vanishes from view and in another close-up shot we see the candles burn lower and lower until they burn out, sending a hint of smoke into the air. The obliteration of the candles is a symbol for the obliteration of the Jewish people. (, which employs the theme of death). The final scene is set in present- day Jerusalem. One of the last shots is one of Schindlers grave, which stands in a christian cemetery. The camera encompasses the large cross attached to the cemetery, which looms against the blue sky. Just prior to the credits, a hand places a rose on Schindlers grave. In a long shot we see the Christian cemetery filled with crosses and we are able to read on the screen: In memory of the more than six million Jew s murdered. The targeting of the crosses seems to say that if Christians would have followed their christians beliefs, not so many Jews would have died. However, the last scene also honors one Christian, who risked his life and helped Jews to survive. Through the opening and closing scene, Spielberg employs the theme of death and survival. The candle turns out at the beginning of the flim, which stand for the death of Jewish people. The bright sky of Jerusalem picks up the light from the first scene and stands for the survival of Jews. Saving Private Ryan both ends and begins with the American Flag. The opening and closing scenes are both set in the American Cemetery in Normandy. An elderly veteran and his family are walking through the cemetery. The tombstones represent the amount of loss experienced during World War II, while the veteran, Private Ryan, stands for the people who survived. The movie is framed by the glorification of the American flag. Within this frame, however, the film acknowledges that the attempt to save private Ryan comes at the expense of soldiers. So while the American flag is there at the beginning and the end it is not clear what it means. One can portray the controversy in the film to America. On the one hand, it has a Declaration of Independence, that people have a free will, and on the other hand it has Federalist 10, which orders people to go to war. Spielberg ultimately ends and opens his film on a note that people survived.

Black Panthers :: essays research papers

Black Panther Party for Self Defense The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in October 1966, in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. Armed with sincerity, the words of revolutionaries such as Mao Tse-Tung and Malcolm X, law books, and rifles, the Black Panther Party fed the hungry, protected the weak from racist police, and presented a Ten Point Platform and Program of Black political and social activism. Its "survival programs"-such as food giveaways, free health clinics and free breakfast programs for children-were popular fixtures in Black neighborhoods in the early 1970s, but for the white power structure and the vast majority of the white public, the Panthers represented only anti-government militancy; a view which engendered the wrath of the police and FBI and led to the murder of several Party members by law enforcement. In time, the Black Panthers dropped the "Self-Defense" label from their name. The organization became more of a Marxist-Communist group that favored violent revolution, if necessary, to bring about changes in society. During the mid-1960's, the Black Panthers called for neighborhood control of such services as education and the police. The Panthers supported the use of guns--both for self-defense and to retaliate against people believed to be oppressing the poor. Hostility between the Panthers and the police led to several shoot-outs. During the late 1960's, the Black Panthers began to work with white radical and revolutionary groups that shared their goals. This policy brought the Panthers into disagreement with some African American groups that regarded the struggle of blacks as chiefly racial. According to the Panthers, the basic problem was economic exploitation of both blacks and whites by profit-seeking capitalists. The Panthers called for a fairer distribution of job s and other economic resources. In October of 1967, Huey Newton was shot, arrested and charged with the murder of a white Oakland cop, after a gun battle on the streets of West Oakland that resulted in the death of police officer John Frey. Newton was charges with First Degree murder. Young whites, angry and disillusioned with America over the Vietnam War, raised their voices with young, urban blacks, to cry in unison: "Free Huey!" Newton was convicted of manslaughter but the verdict was later overturned. Fred Hampton was a high school student and a promising leader when he joined the Black Panther Party at the age of 19. His status as a leader grew very quickly.

Life Span Development

The study of lifespan development grew out of Darwin’s desire to understand evolution. The first study of children was published by G. Stanley Hall. Hall’s book introduced norms and adolescence to scientists (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Lifespan is the period of time from conception extending to death. This paper will define the development of humans throughout the lifespan and describe the characteristics of the lifespan perspective. Human development domains and periods will be identified and contemporary concerns as related to lifespan development will be identified. Lifespan Development Defined Lifespan development is a process beginning at conception that continues until death. The progression initiates with the emergence of a fetus from a one-celled organism. As the unborn child enters the world the environment in which the child exists begins to influence the child’s development (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2001). Lifespan development can be defined as a methodical, intra-individual change associated with progressions corresponding to age. The development progresses in a manner implicating the level of functioning. According to Levinson the life cycle consists of four 25 year eras. The main developmental periods are child and adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Each era’s transition involves a necessary change in the character of the individual’s life and sometimes takes up to six years to complete the change (Smith, 2009). The study of human development began with Darwin and other evolutionists. Darwin thought if he studied human development he could further prove his theory of evolution (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Characteristics of the Lifespan Perspective The lifespan perspective argues that significant modifications take place throughout development. The lifelong perspective consists of a development of humans that is multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual. The development involves growth, maintenance and regulation. Changes that occur should be interpreted in a manner that considers the culture and context of the occurrences. Through the perspective comprehensions of the modifications of adulthood have gained as much importance as those occurring in childhood; an understanding from other disciplines in turn have increased importance in human development. According to Paul Baltes, humans have the capacity of plasticity or positive change to environmental difficulties throughout life. Baltes additionally contributed to the understanding of the positive characteristics of growing old such as learning ways to compensate and overcome (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Domains The domains of development are categories used by scientists. The categories include, physical, cognitive and social domains characterize human development. The physical domain is characterized by how humans grow and change physically, specifically during childhood and adolescence. This domain includes how humans view the world as development progresses as a result of developing vision. Adjustments in the way the world is viewed as the body develops are also included in this domain. The cognitive domain is concerned with how learning occurs and why memory deteriorates during old age. The social domain contains adjustment in variables within social situations such as personality research, social skills and developing relationships. All the domains operate together and are affected by each other (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Periods Human development periods span the lifetime from conception to the end of life. These periods are as follows, prenatal, early, middle and late childhood. As the child grows and approaches adulthood the periods are adolescence, early, middle and late adulthood. Numerous theories about the periods of development and the movement from one period to the next exist. Various theories attempt to define how movement from one level to the next level of development occurs. The three major families include psychoanalytic, learning and cognitive theories (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Contemporary Concerns in Lifespan Development Nature versus nurture is one of the many contemporary concerns in lifespan development. Additional concerns in the area of development include continuity and discontinuity. Nature and nurture concerns surround the basis of development. The issue lies in determining the weather genetics or environment influence development. The concern of continuity and discontinuity’s impact on development lies in relationship development. â€Å" The question is whether age-related change is primarily a matter of amount or degree (the continuity side of the debate) or more commonly involves changes in type or kind (the discontinuity side)† (Boyd & Bee, 2006, p. ). Conclusion Development of the lifespan began with Darwin and continues to intrigue psychologists and scientists today. An understanding of how humans develop consists of the domains of physical, cognitive and social advances. The domains occur throughout prenatal, childhood and adult development. As the field expands the controversy of nature versus nurture and continuity and discontinuity continue to perplex those within the field. Freud advanced a theory of personality development that centered on the effects of the sexual pleasure drive on the individual psyche. At particular points in the developmental process, he claimed, a single body part is particularly sensitive to sexual, erotic stimulation. These erogenous zones are the mouth, the anus, and the genital region. The child's libido centers on behavior affecting the primary erogenous zone of his age; he cannot focus on the primary erogenous zone of the next stage without resolving the developmental conflict of the immediate one. A child at a given stage of development has certain needs and demands, such as the need of the infant to nurse. Frustration occurs when these needs are not met; Overindulgence stems from such an ample meeting of these needs that the child is reluctant to progress beyond the stage. Both frustration and overindulgence lock some amount of the child's libido permanently into the stage in which they occur; both result in a fixation. If a child progresses normally through the stages, resolving each conflict and moving on, then little libido remains invested in each stage of development. But if he fixates at a particular stage, the method of obtaining satisfaction which characterized the stage will dominate and affect his adult personality. The Oral Stage The oral stage begins at birth, when the oral cavity is the primary focus of libidal energy. The child, of course, preoccupies himself with nursing, with the pleasure of sucking and accepting things into the mouth. The oral character who is frustrated at this stage, whose mother refused to nurse him on demand or who truncated nursing sessions early, is characterized by pessimism, envy, suspicion and sarcasm. The overindulged oral character, whose nursing urges were always and often excessively satisfied, is optimistic, gullible, and is full of admiration for others around him. The stage culminates in the primary conflict of weaning, which both deprives the child of the sensory pleasures of nursing and of the psychological pleasure of being cared for, mothered, and held. The stage lasts approximately one and one-half years. The Anal Stage At one and one-half years, the child enters the anal stage. With the advent of toilet training comes the child's obsession with the erogenous zone of the anus and with the retention or expulsion of the feces. This represents a classic conflict between the id, which derives pleasure from expulsion of bodily wastes, and the ego and superego, which represent the practical and societal pressures to control the bodily functions. The child meets the conflict between the parent's demands and the child's desires and physical capabilities in one of two ways: Either he puts up a fight or he simply refuses to go. The child who wants to fight takes pleasure in excreting maliciously, perhaps just before or just after being placed on the toilet. If the parents are too lenient and the child manages to derive pleasure and success from this expulsion, it will result in the formation of an anal expulsive character. This character is generally messy, disorganized, reckless, careless, and defiant. Conversely, a child may opt to retain feces, thereby spiting his parents while enjoying the pleasurable pressure of the built-up feces on his intestine. If this tactic succeeds and the child is overindulged, he will develop into an anal retentive character. This character is neat, precise, orderly, careful, stingy, withholding, obstinate, meticulous, and passive-aggressive. The resolution of the anal stage, proper toilet training, permanently affects the individual propensities to possession and attitudes towards authority. This stage lasts from one and one-half to two years. The Phallic Stage The phallic stage is the setting for the greatest, most crucial sexual conflict in Freud's model of development. In this stage, the child's erogenous zone is the genital region. As the child becomes more interested in his genitals, and in the genitals of others, conflict arises. The conflict, labeled the Oedipus complex (The Electra complex in women), involves the child's unconscious desire to possess the opposite-sexed parent and to eliminate the same-sexed one. In the young male, the Oedipus conflict stems from his natural love for his mother, a love which becomes sexual as his libidal energy transfers from the anal region to his genitals. Unfortunately for the boy, his father stands in the way of this love. The boy therefore feels aggression and envy towards this rival, his father, and also feels fear that the father will strike back at him. As the boy has noticed that women, his mother in particular, have no penises, he is struck by a great fear that his father will remove his penis, too. The anxiety is aggravated by the threats and discipline he incurs when caught masturbating by his parents. This castration anxiety outstrips his desire for his mother, so he represses the desire. Moreover, although the boy sees that though he cannot posses his mother, because his father does, he can posses her vicariously by identifying with his father and becoming as much like him as possible: this identification indoctrinates the boy into his appropriate sexual role in life. A lasting trace of the Oedipal conflict is the superego, the voice of the father within the boy. By thus resolving his incestuous conundrum, the boy passes into the latency period, a period of libidal dormancy. On the Electra complex, Freud was more vague. The complex has its roots in the little girl's discovery that she, along with her mother and all other women, lack the penis which her father and other men posses. Her love for her father then becomes both erotic and envious, as she yearns for a penis of her own. She comes to blame her mother for her perceived castration, and is struck by penis envy, the apparent counterpart to the boy's castration anxiety. The resolution of the Electra complex is far less clear-cut than the resolution of the Oedipus complex is in males; Freud stated that the resolution comes much later and is never truly complete. Just as the boy learned his sexual role by identifying with his father, so the girl learns her role by identifying with her mother in an attempt to posses her father vicariously. At the eventual resolution of the conflict, the girl passes into the latency period, though Freud implies that she always remains slightly fixated at the phallic stage. Fixation at the phallic stage develops a phallic character, who is reckless, resolute, self-assured, and narcissistic–excessively vain and proud. The failure to resolve the conflict can also cause a person to be afraid or incapable of close love; Freud also postulated that fixation could be a root cause of homosexuality. Latency Period The resolution of the phallic stage leads to the latency period, which is not a psychosexual stage of development, but a period in which the sexual drive lies dormant. Freud saw latency as a period of unparalleled repression of sexual desires and erogenous impulses. During the latency period, children pour this repressed libidal energy into asexual pursuits such as school, athletics, and same-sex friendships. But soon puberty strikes, and the genitals once again become a central focus of libidal energy. The Genital Stage In the genital stage, as the child's energy once again focuses on his genitals, interest turns to heterosexual relationships. The less energy the child has left invested in unresolved psychosexual developments, the greater his capacity will be to develop normal relationships with the opposite sex. If, however, he remains fixated, particularly on the phallic stage, his development will be troubled as he struggles with further repression and defenses. Life Span Development The study of lifespan development grew out of Darwin’s desire to understand evolution. The first study of children was published by G. Stanley Hall. Hall’s book introduced norms and adolescence to scientists (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Lifespan is the period of time from conception extending to death. This paper will define the development of humans throughout the lifespan and describe the characteristics of the lifespan perspective. Human development domains and periods will be identified and contemporary concerns as related to lifespan development will be identified. Lifespan Development Defined Lifespan development is a process beginning at conception that continues until death. The progression initiates with the emergence of a fetus from a one-celled organism. As the unborn child enters the world the environment in which the child exists begins to influence the child’s development (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2001). Lifespan development can be defined as a methodical, intra-individual change associated with progressions corresponding to age. The development progresses in a manner implicating the level of functioning. According to Levinson the life cycle consists of four 25 year eras. The main developmental periods are child and adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Each era’s transition involves a necessary change in the character of the individual’s life and sometimes takes up to six years to complete the change (Smith, 2009). The study of human development began with Darwin and other evolutionists. Darwin thought if he studied human development he could further prove his theory of evolution (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Characteristics of the Lifespan Perspective The lifespan perspective argues that significant modifications take place throughout development. The lifelong perspective consists of a development of humans that is multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual. The development involves growth, maintenance and regulation. Changes that occur should be interpreted in a manner that considers the culture and context of the occurrences. Through the perspective comprehensions of the modifications of adulthood have gained as much importance as those occurring in childhood; an understanding from other disciplines in turn have increased importance in human development. According to Paul Baltes, humans have the capacity of plasticity or positive change to environmental difficulties throughout life. Baltes additionally contributed to the understanding of the positive characteristics of growing old such as learning ways to compensate and overcome (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Domains The domains of development are categories used by scientists. The categories include, physical, cognitive and social domains characterize human development. The physical domain is characterized by how humans grow and change physically, specifically during childhood and adolescence. This domain includes how humans view the world as development progresses as a result of developing vision. Adjustments in the way the world is viewed as the body develops are also included in this domain. The cognitive domain is concerned with how learning occurs and why memory deteriorates during old age. The social domain contains adjustment in variables within social situations such as personality research, social skills and developing relationships. All the domains operate together and are affected by each other (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Human Development Periods Human development periods span the lifetime from conception to the end of life. These periods are as follows, prenatal, early, middle and late childhood. As the child grows and approaches adulthood the periods are adolescence, early, middle and late adulthood. Numerous theories about the periods of development and the movement from one period to the next exist. Various theories attempt to define how movement from one level to the next level of development occurs. The three major families include psychoanalytic, learning and cognitive theories (Boyd & Bee, 2006). Contemporary Concerns in Lifespan Development Nature versus nurture is one of the many contemporary concerns in lifespan development. Additional concerns in the area of development include continuity and discontinuity. Nature and nurture concerns surround the basis of development. The issue lies in determining the weather genetics or environment influence development. The concern of continuity and discontinuity’s impact on development lies in relationship development. â€Å" The question is whether age-related change is primarily a matter of amount or degree (the continuity side of the debate) or more commonly involves changes in type or kind (the discontinuity side)† (Boyd & Bee, 2006, p. ). Conclusion Development of the lifespan began with Darwin and continues to intrigue psychologists and scientists today. An understanding of how humans develop consists of the domains of physical, cognitive and social advances. The domains occur throughout prenatal, childhood and adult development. As the field expands the controversy of nature versus nurture and continuity and discontinuity continue to perplex those within the field. Freud advanced a theory of personality development that centered on the effects of the sexual pleasure drive on the individual psyche. At particular points in the developmental process, he claimed, a single body part is particularly sensitive to sexual, erotic stimulation. These erogenous zones are the mouth, the anus, and the genital region. The child's libido centers on behavior affecting the primary erogenous zone of his age; he cannot focus on the primary erogenous zone of the next stage without resolving the developmental conflict of the immediate one. A child at a given stage of development has certain needs and demands, such as the need of the infant to nurse. Frustration occurs when these needs are not met; Overindulgence stems from such an ample meeting of these needs that the child is reluctant to progress beyond the stage. Both frustration and overindulgence lock some amount of the child's libido permanently into the stage in which they occur; both result in a fixation. If a child progresses normally through the stages, resolving each conflict and moving on, then little libido remains invested in each stage of development. But if he fixates at a particular stage, the method of obtaining satisfaction which characterized the stage will dominate and affect his adult personality. The Oral Stage The oral stage begins at birth, when the oral cavity is the primary focus of libidal energy. The child, of course, preoccupies himself with nursing, with the pleasure of sucking and accepting things into the mouth. The oral character who is frustrated at this stage, whose mother refused to nurse him on demand or who truncated nursing sessions early, is characterized by pessimism, envy, suspicion and sarcasm. The overindulged oral character, whose nursing urges were always and often excessively satisfied, is optimistic, gullible, and is full of admiration for others around him. The stage culminates in the primary conflict of weaning, which both deprives the child of the sensory pleasures of nursing and of the psychological pleasure of being cared for, mothered, and held. The stage lasts approximately one and one-half years. The Anal Stage At one and one-half years, the child enters the anal stage. With the advent of toilet training comes the child's obsession with the erogenous zone of the anus and with the retention or expulsion of the feces. This represents a classic conflict between the id, which derives pleasure from expulsion of bodily wastes, and the ego and superego, which represent the practical and societal pressures to control the bodily functions. The child meets the conflict between the parent's demands and the child's desires and physical capabilities in one of two ways: Either he puts up a fight or he simply refuses to go. The child who wants to fight takes pleasure in excreting maliciously, perhaps just before or just after being placed on the toilet. If the parents are too lenient and the child manages to derive pleasure and success from this expulsion, it will result in the formation of an anal expulsive character. This character is generally messy, disorganized, reckless, careless, and defiant. Conversely, a child may opt to retain feces, thereby spiting his parents while enjoying the pleasurable pressure of the built-up feces on his intestine. If this tactic succeeds and the child is overindulged, he will develop into an anal retentive character. This character is neat, precise, orderly, careful, stingy, withholding, obstinate, meticulous, and passive-aggressive. The resolution of the anal stage, proper toilet training, permanently affects the individual propensities to possession and attitudes towards authority. This stage lasts from one and one-half to two years. The Phallic Stage The phallic stage is the setting for the greatest, most crucial sexual conflict in Freud's model of development. In this stage, the child's erogenous zone is the genital region. As the child becomes more interested in his genitals, and in the genitals of others, conflict arises. The conflict, labeled the Oedipus complex (The Electra complex in women), involves the child's unconscious desire to possess the opposite-sexed parent and to eliminate the same-sexed one. In the young male, the Oedipus conflict stems from his natural love for his mother, a love which becomes sexual as his libidal energy transfers from the anal region to his genitals. Unfortunately for the boy, his father stands in the way of this love. The boy therefore feels aggression and envy towards this rival, his father, and also feels fear that the father will strike back at him. As the boy has noticed that women, his mother in particular, have no penises, he is struck by a great fear that his father will remove his penis, too. The anxiety is aggravated by the threats and discipline he incurs when caught masturbating by his parents. This castration anxiety outstrips his desire for his mother, so he represses the desire. Moreover, although the boy sees that though he cannot posses his mother, because his father does, he can posses her vicariously by identifying with his father and becoming as much like him as possible: this identification indoctrinates the boy into his appropriate sexual role in life. A lasting trace of the Oedipal conflict is the superego, the voice of the father within the boy. By thus resolving his incestuous conundrum, the boy passes into the latency period, a period of libidal dormancy. On the Electra complex, Freud was more vague. The complex has its roots in the little girl's discovery that she, along with her mother and all other women, lack the penis which her father and other men posses. Her love for her father then becomes both erotic and envious, as she yearns for a penis of her own. She comes to blame her mother for her perceived castration, and is struck by penis envy, the apparent counterpart to the boy's castration anxiety. The resolution of the Electra complex is far less clear-cut than the resolution of the Oedipus complex is in males; Freud stated that the resolution comes much later and is never truly complete. Just as the boy learned his sexual role by identifying with his father, so the girl learns her role by identifying with her mother in an attempt to posses her father vicariously. At the eventual resolution of the conflict, the girl passes into the latency period, though Freud implies that she always remains slightly fixated at the phallic stage. Fixation at the phallic stage develops a phallic character, who is reckless, resolute, self-assured, and narcissistic–excessively vain and proud. The failure to resolve the conflict can also cause a person to be afraid or incapable of close love; Freud also postulated that fixation could be a root cause of homosexuality. Latency Period The resolution of the phallic stage leads to the latency period, which is not a psychosexual stage of development, but a period in which the sexual drive lies dormant. Freud saw latency as a period of unparalleled repression of sexual desires and erogenous impulses. During the latency period, children pour this repressed libidal energy into asexual pursuits such as school, athletics, and same-sex friendships. But soon puberty strikes, and the genitals once again become a central focus of libidal energy. The Genital Stage In the genital stage, as the child's energy once again focuses on his genitals, interest turns to heterosexual relationships. The less energy the child has left invested in unresolved psychosexual developments, the greater his capacity will be to develop normal relationships with the opposite sex. If, however, he remains fixated, particularly on the phallic stage, his development will be troubled as he struggles with further repression and defenses.

Explain and Assess Descartes Trademark Argument

Explain and Assess Descartes Trademark Argument Descartes Trademark Argument came about when Descartes was in the process of trying to build up the knowledge he himself can know a priori (without experience) through pure reason. When doing this be began to think about where his idea of God came from and eventually Descartes concluded that the idea of God comes from God himself and he explained this through the Trademark Argument. The argument is an a priori argument meaning before experience.This sort of argument is the type that philosophers usually prefer because, unlike a posteriori or after experience, the evidence is not so open to interpretation because anyone could dispute the true meaning of an experience but its far more difficult to do that with pure reasoning. The origins and foundations of the Trademark Argument lie in the Causal Adequacy Principle. This states that any cause of something must have at least equal or greater properties than its effect, so in short it means that every cause must be sufficient enough to create the effect.For example, to break a window, the cause must have enough power in the speed and weight of the object in order for the window to shatter. So in this case a fly wouldn’t cause the window to shatter just by flying into because it does not possess greater or equal properties however a flying brick will possess these properties so the window can shatter. Descartes then applied this theory with out ideas. Ideas must be caused by something, but this something must have at least as much reality as the idea themselves.A complex way of saying this would be â€Å"Something (A) cannot exist unless it is produced by something that contains either formally or eminently everything to be found in (A). † To possess something formally is to possess equal properties while eminently is to possess properties greater. Let’s look at this with an example. Ideas of Angels can be made up ourselves just by using our ideas of material things and God. The idea of Angels, which is far greater than any sort of human, but not as great as God, can be thought of as a lesser version of God himself.Descartes was sure that these ideas existed in his own mind however he could not work out if they represented anything else in the real world even if he is led to think that by his instincts. Descartes believed that his ideas had degrees of â€Å"objective reality† so what they represent can be measured in terms of perfection. These ideas can’t be more perfect or contain more reality than the things that caused them so we cant be the cause of our ideas of God because we aren’t perfect enough to be able to do it even if we are the cause of other ideas such as substance which we cant be sure exists outside our own minds.So, if we can’t be the cause of our idea of God, who can? This can only be answered in one way for there is only one being, according to Descartes, that has at least as muc h perfection as God and that is God himself. So for us to have this idea of God there must have been a God to put it in us in the first place. As Descartes described it, it is â€Å"the mark of a craftsmen stamped on his work. † This can be simplified by using a series of points to structure the argument.The cause of anything must be at least as perfect as its effectMy ideas must be caused by somethingI am imperfectMy idea of God is of a perfect being so†¦I cannot be the cause of my idea of God and†¦Only a perfect being could cause such an idea so†¦God (a perfect being) placed the idea within us and exists.That is the argument in its simplest form. Over the many years since Descartes revealed his findings in his work â€Å"meditations† there have been many supporters and backers of the argument, most of whom are rationalists who as explained before, like the a priori style of the argument.Other supporters we can assume could be major religions for exampl e, such as Islam which would share the same view as Descartes that our idea of God is innate the implanted within us by God himself which can also be seen as a major strength of the argument. So, Descartes believes he has proved that in order for us to have the idea of God as a supremely perfect being it must be innate within us and must have been placed in us by God himself. However there are many critics to this argument which must be considered in order to assess the argument.Firstly, many philosophers have encountered problems with the Causal Adequacy Principle. Descartes considered this principle true for many reasons, one of the main ones we think that he believed in was you cant get more out of the effect than what was already in the cause, otherwise it would be something for nothing. This however may not be true because there are examples in the world which we can see as having more in its effect than what was in the cause. One of which is can we not light a large bonfire ju st with the aid of one match? Also can we start an avalanche with just the sound waves from one whisper?There are many other more scientific examples such as Chaos Theory, Quantum Physics and also Evolution. In the case of evolution, single celled organisms evolve into more complex beings just through the passage of time, once all life on earth was just single cell organisms but now there are millions of different species all more complex than what came before. Hume also criticised the causal adequacy principle by saying we cannot determine the cause of anything by looking just at the effect. Can we know what caused a window to shatter before inspecting the evidence to find the cause within?All we know it must have been big enough with enough power behind to smash through the window but we cant even know this a priori. Hume said that we learn a posteriori that for a window to shatter it must have been caused by a large object with lots of power behind it. From this Hume seems to sug gest that to know what actually caused our idea of God we much observe its cause. Hume also said that even if the principle is correct then how could Descartes assume that the principle can just be transferred from physical things to ideas without it changing?However there are philosophers who have defended the principle stating that lots of rules have exemptions and why, if a rule does need exemptions which were not originally set out, is it immediately untrue. Things such as evolution, chaos theory and my examples of lighting a large bonfire with a single match and causing an avalanche with a whisper may just be exemptions to the rule however it still applies to many other things. Some philosophers have also criticised Descartes for defining his idea of God and an incoherent God. For example, Descartes describes God as being Omnipotent, meaning that he is all powerful.This would seem to satisfy many peoples ideas of God however on close examination it is indeed incoherent. To illu strate this I shall use a paradox which undermines God’s power. Can God create a rock that he himself could not lift? Either way one thing he can not do for if he can create the rock then he can’t lift it but if he cant create the rock there is still something he cant do. This paradox suggests Descartes idea of God is flawed and imperfect so a perfect being can not be the only possible cause of the idea according to the causal adequacy principle.From this we can deduce that its far more likely that Descartes himself created this imperfect idea rather than a perfect being. The final criticism I shall look as it one formed collectively by the arch-rationalists: empiricists. This group of philosophers would consider themselves to rival rationalism as they believe that the mind at birth is blank and we gain all our ideas from experience, not reason or innate ideas. Hume, one of the leading empiricists, amongst others argued that we observe qualities in other people and so recognise there are degrees of certain qualities such as knowledge, power and benevolence.With these ideas in our head from the experiences we have had of other people, we can then extend these qualities until we arrive at infinite knowledge, power and benevolence. This way we have arrived at the idea of these things joining and making a perfect being with infinite qualities however we have arrived through it in a much less perfect way than through God. If this is correct then the origin of our idea is not innate and certainly not caused by God but just us manipulating what we have experienced to suit our needs as imaginative human beings. In conclusion there are many strengths and weaknesses to Descartes Trademark Argument.It is a compelling argument to follow because of the way it is structured and how it sets out to explain out idea of God in an untainted way, free of what can be misleading experiences and just work it out through the power of reason however once examining the po tential problems that have arisen since Descartes time it would be difficult to believe the argument is the truth, and for myself it is incredibly difficult to believe in it knowing that there is an equal and possibly more valid reason why we have an idea of God, as explained by the empiricists.

Emotions and Behavior at Work

Emotions and Behavior at Work The role of emotions has been of great interest to business administrators who try to make employees more motivated and committed to organizational goals.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Emotions and Behavior at Work specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper will be aimed at discussing the differences between felt and displayed emotions. Moreover, it is necessary to examine their impact on workers’ well-being. Overall, it is possible to say the ability to express felt emotions is important for every worker. A person, who has to suppress or conceal them, is more likely to feel dissatisfied with the quality of ones life or work. Moreover, the task of managers is to maker sure that employees can see the positive aspects of their experiences in the workplace. This is how they can improve emotional wellbeing of their subordinates. Overall, this term emotion can be defined as a short-term mental state that can be caused by any external or internal event (Fink 2009, p. 3). This mental state is based on cognitive assessment of any particular situation. Moreover, emotions are normally accompanied by certain verbal and behavioral responses, for instance, excitement, sadness, interest, or anger. By understanding the emotions of workers, managers can better understand their needs, goals, or problems. First, it should be noted that employees have to be skilled in managing their emotions in the workplace. They are not supposed to display those feelings or emotions that can be associated with negative experiences. (Pugh, Groth Hennig-Thurau 2011, p. 377).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such situation is very widespread in service organizations employees have attach much importance to their behavior or physical appearance (Pugh, Groth Hennig-Thurau 2011, p. 377). The felt emotions can be shaped by everyday experiences of the employees, their relations with others, their job satisfaction, the degree of empowerment, compensation, and so forth (Bono et al 2007 p. 1357). Cognitive appraisal of the situation can give rise to a specific response, for instance, pride, enthusiasm, pleasure, boredom, and so forth. Positive emotions enhance the sense of wellbeing and increase an employee’s satisfaction with his/her work (Staw, Sutton, Pelled 1994, p. 52). Apart, from that they lead to such outcomes as greater motivation, willingness to take part in the teamwork, and better productivity (Staw, Sutton, Pelled 1994, p. 52). In contrast, negative emotions often result in absenteeism, low productivity, rudeness, or lack of commitment to organizational goals. They are associated with depression, lack of motivation, or even aggression. The thing is that emotions can be accompanied by self-reflection when a person tries to determine the cause of a particular sensatio n. In particular, he/she can pay attention to those things as family relations, compensation, the nature of work, the position in the workplace hierarchy, and so forth. Overall, it is possible to say that the felt emotions reflect the well-being of an individual. In contrast, displayed emotions can be understood only as a set of bodily and behavioral responses that a person has to display during work. From a psychological point of view one cannot even say that these responses can always be called emotions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Emotions and Behavior at Work specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The thing is that emotions have to be based on the assessment of events or situation. Very often displayed emotions run contrary to the actual experiences of an employee (Lapointe et al 2012, p. 3). They do not always correspond to a person’s views, sensations, attitudes, or values. Employees often have to fake th e emotions that they display. This issue should be taken into account by managers who try to motivate their employees. For instance, they should remember that in many cases such emotions as excitement or enthusiasm can be faked. The expression of felt emotions helps a person because in this way he/she can better understand ones experiences. More importantly, other people can detect that this individual can have some psychological problems and assist him/her if it is necessary. Therefore, displayed emotions can be viewed as a positive phenomenon when they really reflect the well-being of a person. Nevertheless, behavioral norms established in many organizations prohibit the display of felt emotions, especially if they are negative ones. Psychologists argue that employees have to be skilled in emotional labor or surface acting (Scott Barnes 2011, p. 116). In many cases, people have to display positive emotions such as optimism, interest, admiration, enthusiasm, and so forth. Unfortun ately, they are often faked. The researchers often try to examine the effects of this surface acting on an individual. The study carried out by Pugh, Groth and Hennig-Thurau (2007) suggests that a person who is engaged in such surface acting, often experiences the so-called emotional dissonance (p. 377).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In other words, this individual sees that his/her experiences and feelings do not correspond to those behavioral or verbal responses that he/she has to give (Pugh, Groth Hennig-Thurau 2007, p. 377). It is assumed that such behavior can lead to mood disorders, job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, and lack of motivation (Pugh, Groth Hennig-Thurau 2007, p. 386). Overall, employees, who have to be engaged in surface acting, feel this lack of authenticity, and their wellbeing usually deteriorates. Admittedly, such effects do not manifest themselves in every case. Some people are quite capable to work under such circumstances, and emotional dissonance does not usually impact their well-being. Nevertheless, one should take into account that the effects of emotional dissonance can be rather dangerous. The thing is that a person, who has to display unfelt emotions, can actually behave aggressively at home. It should be noted that the most concealed emotion is anger (Mann 2009, p. 32). Sooner or later a person can give vent to this emotion, and very often the relatives of this individual have to suffer because they may not even know what caused this anger. These are possible effects of displaying or suppressing emotions. In most cases, they adversely affect the wellbeing of an individual. Researchers believe that the task of business administrators is to address emotional dissonance of employees. Their goal is to make sure that work experiences of employees are positive ones (Schmisseur 2003, p. 2). There are several things that managers should do. First, they should recognize and reward the successful performance of their workers. Secondly, they have to empower workers and allow them to take initiatives. These people have to feel that their experience and skills are valued by the management. This is how one can improve the wellbeing of workers and avoid emotional dissonance. They should remember that positive emotions displayed by an employee can correspond to his inner experiences. Yet, it is positive when a worker feels that he/she is an important part of a company. These people should associate their work with some positive experiences such as professional fulfillment, success, or empowerment. Therefore, their felt and displayed emotions will be positive. Secondly, managers should take into account that some external environment can affect the emotions of a worker. For instance, family problems can be a very powerful stressor and it may be difficult for an employee to display happiness or willingness to assist a customer at any cost. It will be difficult for him/her to control displayed emotions. Thus, managers should provide their employees with an opportunity for displaying the emotions that they really experience. Some companies prefer to hire a counselor who is able to discuss various issues with employees, in particular, they can speak about workplace conflicts, family quarrels, job dissatisfaction, and so forth. The very discussion of suc h problems can contribute to emotional wellbeing of an employee. Psychologists believe that social support received from peers or supervisors is important for emotional well-being of an employee (Schmisseur 2003, p. 7). The thing is that it can mitigate the negative effects of emotional dissonance. On the whole, these examples show that successful performance in the modern workplace requires the ability to control ones emotions. These mental states affect people’s attitude toward their work, their relations with others, and their overall wellbeing. Managers should know that felt and displayed emotions do not always coincide and their task is to reconcile them. In many cases, workers suffer from the so-called emotional dissonance which is the difference between felt and displayed emotions. In many cases, it leads to work dissatisfaction, aggression, or lack of motivation. Positive work experiences and social support of managers can prevent such problems because workers will no t have to fake or suppress emotions. References Bono, J, Foldes, H, Vinson, G, Muros, J 2007, Workplace Emotions: The Role of Supervision and Leadership, Journal Of Applied Psychology, vol. 92 no. 5, pp. 1357-1367. Fink, G 2009, Stress Consequences: Mental, Neuropsychological and Socioeconomic, Academic Press, New York. Lapointe, É, Morin, A, Courcy, F, Boilard, A, Payette, D 2012, Workplace Affective Commitment, Emotional Labor and Burnout: A Multiple Mediator Model, International Journal Of Business Management, vol. 7 no. 1, pp. 3-21. Mann, S 2009, Toll of emotional labour behind the frontline, Professional Manager, vol. 18 no. 6, pp. 32-34. Pugh, S, Groth, M, Hennig-Thurau, T 2011, Willing and able to fake emotions: A closer examination of the link between emotional dissonance and employee well-being, Journal Of Applied Psychology, vol. 96 no. 2, pp. 377-390. Schmisseur, A 2003, The Art of Well-Being: Managing Emotional Dissonance in the Workplace*, Conference Papers Int ernational Communication Association, pp. 1-40. Scott, B, Barnes, C 2011, A Multilevel Field Investigation of Emotional Labor, Affect, Work Withdrawal, and Gender, Academy Of Management Journal, vol. 54 no. 1, pp. 116-136. Staw, B, Sutton, R, Pelled, L 1994, Employee Positive Emotion and Favorable Outcomes at the Workplace, Organization Science, vol. 5 no. 1, pp. 51-71.

How Do You Become a Pharmacy Technician

How Do You Become a Pharmacy Technician a pharmacy technician is responsible for assisting the pharmacist on duty to help patients or customers and fill prescriptions. you’ll need a keen eye for detail, a great deal of patience, and training that covers basic pharmacology, medication dispensing, and an understanding of pharmacy law and ethics. education and trainingyou will need a high school diploma or a ged equivalent to qualify for on-the-job training- many aspiring pharm techs find getting such  training is easier after post-secondary training at an online certification program or vocational school, community college, or technical institute. it may take anywhere from 3 months to a year.vocational school and community college coursework will emphasize commonly used mathematics, chemistry, and medication orientations to familiarize aspiring pharm techs with names, side effects, interactions, and dispensing protocols. some training programs even offer internships for hands-on experience, a great way to get to kno w a pharmacy before committing to the 6 year process of becoming a pharmacist.certificationsthe pharmacy technician certification board (ptcb) requires you to have a diploma and pass a certification exam. the national healthcareer association (nha) requires you to be 18 years old and have a high school diploma, a formal training program, and a year of work under your belt.you’ll be required to re-certify every 2 years because of the rate of change in healthcare policies and advances in the field. pursuing 20 hours of continuing education will keep you up-to-date. many pharm techs report that this process of staying current (along with the patience of keeping up with a busy pharmacy) are the most challenging parts of the job.employersmost pharm techs are found in hospitals, retail pharmacies, assisted living and education institutions, and veterinary offices. the bureau of labor statistics predicts employment growth of about 20 percent for the field through  2022- faster tha n the average growth rate for all occupations. those stats amounts to  70,700 new positions to be filled during that period.here are some of the biggest current employers in the field:salarythe average salary is $38,600 nationally, with rates increasing with seniority, specialty certifications, and competitive institutional pay scale policies. the metropolitan areas that offer the highest compensation are all located in california, including the metropolitan areas of oakland, napa, san francisco, san jose, and madera.sample job postingpharmacy technician,   orlando, flunder the direct supervision of the pharmacy services call center supervisor, the pharmacy call center technician is responsible for providing knowledgeable and courteous customer assistance and response to members, providers, and pharmacy call center technician inquiries.position qualifications/requirementseducation and training:  high school diploma or the equivalentexperience:  2 years pharmacy technician ex perience in a healthcare, long term care or retail environment; minimum 35 wpm typingrequired experience:  pharmacy tech, high school, national pharmacy technician certification: 3 yearslicenses, registrations or certifications:  national pharmacy technician certificationprincipal accountabilitieshandles calls and correspondence regarding pharmacy issues from providers/physicians and members. documents calls in inquiry tracking system. facilitates problem resolution and acts as customer advocate.performs initial research of pharmacy issues. reconciles plan information utilizing department-generated procedures and reference materials. utilizes internal pharmacy systems to update, modify and extract member information.assists network pharmacist in processing prescription claims. reviews claims for accuracy and adherence to contract guidelines maintained.assists with entering prior authorizations when required; provides follow up assistance for prior authorization requests, follows up with requests from physicians for denial letters, provides assistance in gathering historical claim information as required.discriminates between routine and significant matters; apprises management of issues which can negatively affect service and business. identifies provider/physician/member issues and refers to appropriate departments.maintains a balance of productivity, quality, and timeliness of job accountabilities.demonstrates flexibility and cooperation when faced with changing priorities to meet shifting needs.creates and supports an environment which fosters teamwork, cooperation, respect, and diversity.assists with training of new hires. attends required training as requested. develops and maintains desktop procedures.apply here: pharmacy technician

See Some Triboluminescence Examples

See Some Triboluminescence Examples You may be familiar with the Wint-O-Green Lifesaverâ„ ¢ spark in the dark, but if you dont have Lifesavers handy, there are other ways you can see triboluminescence. Triboluminescence results from the fracture of (usually) asymmetrical materials. The break separates electrical charges, which recombine and ionize the air. The ionization of nitrogen in the air produces ultraviolet light, but you cant see that. You can observe triboluminescence when another material is present that absorbs that ultraviolet light and re-releases it in the visible range (fluoresces). Here are some examples: Cracking Wint-O-Green LifesaversCrush a wintergreen-flavored Lifesaver candy with your teeth or a hammer. You get triboluminescence whenever you smash sugar, but there usually isnt enough light for you to see it. The methyl salicylate in the wintergreen oil is fluorescent and converts the ultraviolet light into blue light. If you cant find this flavor of Lifesavers, you can use sugar with wintergreen oil or clove oil.Unwapping a Band-Aidâ„ ¢Some Band-Aid wrappers will emit a blue-green glow when they are unwrapped quickly. While you can unwrap the bandage in the dark, youll probably want to turn the lights back on before applying to a wound!Cutting a DiamondThis is not something most of us are likely to do, but some diamonds will fluoresce blue or red when being rubbed or, more usually, cut.Unrolling Friction TapeFriction tape is that cloth tape that has a rubber adhesive such that it is sticky on both sides. It can be used as an electrical insulator, but youll usually see it in t he context of sports, to wrap hockey sticks, tennis rackets, baseball bats, etc. If you unroll friction tape in the dark youll observe a glowing line as the tape is pulled away from the roll. Opening Sealed EnvelopesThe adhesive used to seal some envelopes will fluoresce blue as the contact is broken.Remove Ice from the FreezerThis is an example of fractoluminescence, which is sometimes considers synonymous with triboluminescence. Fractoluminescence is light produced by fracturing a crystal. The fracture separates charge. If enough charge is separated, an electrical discharge may occur across the gap. If you remove ice from a freezer in a dark room, you may see flashes of white light accompanying the crackling sounds of ice undergoing rapid thermal expansion.

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employment law - Essay Example The employer is required to prove just because as a reason for dismissal, which requires him to show proof that the employee has been habitually found to engage in misconduct that eventually resulted in the current dismissal and this may require the tabling of warning letters or specific directives in a court of law. When an employee is dismissed based on ‘Just Cause’ principle, the employer is not obliged to provide notice to the dismissed employee nor is the employee entitled to any pay in lieu of notice. However, certain occasions, the employer may be required to furnish the dismissed employee with reasons for the dismissal. An employee whose service has been terminated through wrongful dismissal may seek remedies through the help of courts of law. Under the common law, such employees can be reinstated to their previous jobs or places of work. As most employment relationships are contractual in nature, the courts of law would most instances determine cases of unfair d ismissal based on the principles grounded in contract law. This requires the employers to compensate the wrongly dismissed employee for the earnings and benefits lost during the reasonable period of time they would have been in employment if the notice was given in good time. Under the ‘Wallace Cause’ established in the case of Wallace v United Grain Growers Ltd, the courts established that the employer is under an obligation to give ample notice period of the intention to dismiss an employee and any contravention of this, the courts can extend the dismissal period. This effectively makes employers who act in bad faith by being untruthful and end up dismissing their employees liable for such dismissals. The damage awarded is commensurate with the bad faith demonstrated by the employer and are determined as the determination of other damages in cases involving morals. The damages are calculated from the date the employee was dismissed according to the terms expressed in the contract itself. The computation of damages will include expected earnings, benefits and any other compensation the dismissed employee would have earned if a reasonable period was given. The common law allows for a negotiation of a reasonable period while statutory provisions provide fixed notice periods for notice to dismiss. In summary, a wrongfully dismissed employee is entitled to salary that could have been earned had a reasonable notice period be issued inclusive of any awards in salary increment that may be effected in the period after dismissal and other benefits such as commissions and overtimes. Other benefits that accrue to employees in the course of employment such as houses of residences, insurance and mortgages must be duly paid or given to him. Case Study 2 There are many tests for distinguishing an employee from an independent contractor. It is important to note that all these tests look at the substance or what occurred in such employment relationship rather tha n what is written in a particular contract. The first and most important test is the level of control that the hiring person has over the performance of the work in terms of place, time and the manner in which it is done. An individual who does not have the control over such aspects is an employee while the vice versa in terms of control refer to an independent contractor. The risk test provides that the independent contractor bears risks that come with the performance o

Macro Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Macro Economics - Essay Example 2011, p.204. The central bank of England has a duty to regulate the amount of money in the economy through various instruments at its disposal hence stabilizing economic inflation. These strategies are used by the central bank of England to control the rate of inflation, either by encouraging the public to spend more, or lowering their spending rate depending on the prevailing economic conditions (Joyce, et.al. 2010, p. 176). Central bank applies both conventional and unconventional strategies to regulate the rate of inflation in United Kingdom. In order for the central bank to plan the means they will use to manipulate the rate of inflation in the economy effectively, they should be able to predict the trend of economic advancement at least two years in advance. When the central bank of England increases the amount of money in circulation, they encourage public to spend more, thus pushing the rate of inflation high (Benford.et.al, 2009, p.48). If the central bank decreases the amoun t of money in circulation, they will discourage people to spend more hence reduce the rate of inflation. Asset Purchases financed by Central Bank Money: Quantitative Easing High inflation results to overspending by both individuals and business. This results to decline in saving power of the consumers (Benford.et.al, 2009, p.47). It also affects the lending power of the financial institutions. The central bank of England has mandate to regulate the rate of inflation of the country by playing around with the interests which they charge the financial institutions. During the time of high inflation, the central bank of England will increase the interest rates of the lenders. This high interest rate has an effect of reducing the lending rate so as to lower the rate of spending. The central aims to achieve this by discouraging borrowers from acquiring expensive loans. As the individuals and businesses borrow fewer funds from the financial institutions, the money in circulation

Daniel Gilbert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Daniel Gilbert - Essay Example Most of us agree when we say that college is one of the most beautiful parts of life. The endless giggles, the class bunking, the cultural concerts, every aspect of youth that we share with our friends turns out to be an experience that is to be cherished for a lifetime. Let us quickly take recourse to our youthful practices and check for the theory of super replicators that Daniel Gilbert so stoutly professes in his book. At the very start, he has suggested that the super replicator system works best in transferring beliefs from one person to another. Yes, this holds true for our school and college lives. In fact, our society is one in which we grow up believing what our parents and elders teach us ever since school. When it is time to start developing our own notions, friends and their preferences take over. Most of us like to look good amongst our friends, and the definition of â€Å"good† is also based on what they think is proper or successful. Gilbert suggests that just like genes replicate fast enough to govern our health requirements and tastes (Gilbert, 2007, p. 171), the super replicators inside us, also develop upon the existing psychology that is rampant in society. And we pick up new ones as favorable or unfavorable depending on what we observe (Gilbert, 2007, p. 172). The fact shows when we communicate with people adopting strategies of communication which will have the best favorable results with them. And if you take a quick look at college life around you, or go back to the days when you spent hours with your best buddies, you will find ample reason to agree with the theory. A friend wishes to go to an amusement park while another wants to check out the latest movie. You are stuck in between but the decision happens once you give a nod to one of the choices. As soon as there is a majority to one of the decisions, the third person falls in line freely. That is where super-replication takes place. College life is full of simple and

Porters generic strategies for Glaxo Smith Kline Essay - 1

Porters generic strategies for Glaxo Smith Kline - Essay Example lities refer to its ability to retain talent, ability to innovate new product, ability of learning from past experiences, ability to improve efficiency, ability to identify target customers etc. Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) started its operation in 1715. Today it is one of largest and oldest companies in the world. GSK’s headquarter is located in UK and its operation is based in US. As far as company’s human resources is concerned there are 99,000 people in more than 100 countries working in GSK (GlaxoSmithKline, n.d.). GSK is a financially sound organization. Last year company’s total turnover was 24 billion euro. Company’s strong financial condition can be further justified by the fact that every hour GSK spend around US$562,000 in finding new medicines. As far as infrastructure is concerned GSK has more than 100 sites in 68 countries. Being the second largest pharmaceutical company GSK has been successfully aligned all its resources to its business strategies. Currently company is focusing on three major strategies that it has adopted. These three strategies are, growing a diversified global business, delivering more products of value and simplifying the operational model. Company is utilizing its vast pool of human resources in order to build a diversified global business. Apart from human resources GSK is one of the largest users of IT which helps the company in order to achieve its objectives. According to the company IT plays important strategic roles as it facilitates access to global information. IT also facilitates global communication which is crucial in case of mergers and acquisitions. According to GSK, IT enables the extension and transformation of major business activities. IT supports major operational processes at all level of operation starting from local to global (GlaxoSmithKline, n.d.). As a res ult it is quite clear that IT helps GSK in the process of simplifying its business model. GSK give huge importance to its

Utopia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Utopia - Term Paper Example As the definition says, most of these schemes are impractical. John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher and economist created the word â€Å"Dystopia† to represent the opposite of Utopia. Dystopian is defined as â€Å"an imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.† In September 1836 Frederick Henry Hedge, Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Ripley and George Putnam formed a club for like-minded thinkers to meet and discuss their ideas. They called the club the â€Å"Hedges Club† because most meetings took place at Hedge’s home. It was the citizens of Concord who were not members who named the club the â€Å"Transcendental Club. They saw the members as being unworldly, detached from society and inactive. Other members included Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The club was not like the usual club, holding only occasional, informal meetings. It closed after 1840, although the membe rs kept in touch. The Transcendentalists lived in a time of transition in the United States. It was the time between the Revolutionary war, and building toward the Civil War. As the country was moving towards the early 1850’s, America was in the period of the greatest prosperity prior to the Civil War. Several members of the club had very definite ideas of what an ideal society and individual should be, and several of the members tried building their own Utopian ideals, hoping they would be models for the developing new country. 2. Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, educated at Harvard College and taught at his brother’s school for young ladies in Boston after graduating in 1821. He returned to Harvard Divinity School in 1825. In 1829 he was ordained as a minister and married his first wife, Ellen Tucker. For three years he was a Unitarian minister at Boston’s Second Church. He left shortly after the death of his wife, and traveled to Europe, where he met English Transcendentalists Wordsworth, Coleridge, J.S. Mill and Thomas Carlyle. Ralph’s philosophy of life was influenced by his time spent with these men. When he returned to Boston, he began a new career as a lecturer and was very successful. He married Lidian Jackson in 1835, and together they had four children. Emerson relocated his family to Concord Massachusetts. Emerson is considered to be the leader of the Transcendentalist in Concord. His social ideal was a utopia based on private property, where each person could live a simple, solitary life of a farmer or craftsman. Self-reliance should be the goal of all mankind. Ralph believed in the importance of being in touch with nature. He felt that only in solitude was a man free to think freely. A deeply religious man, he left the church because he felt it was no longer relevant to the modern world of his day. He felt that the church had not progressed with man, and that it had become oppressive, deadening the spirit. In his speech to the Divinity School graduates, he asked the graduates to breathe new life into the old forms of their religion. He told them to be friends with, and set good examples for their parishioners. Emerson advised them to listen to their parishioners because each person had their own thoughts, liked to be recognized and their opinions heard. His views were not popular with the church, and he was

Mars and Google Earth Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mars and Google Earth Project - Research Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that  the   main   differences   between the two pictures are   that   the formation of   the different   features are   caused   by s different   climatic conditions. In the Mars, there are no man made properties hanker some of the features within the Mars are naturally caused. However, there are some features within the natural earth structure that are likely to influencing the formation of different structures. Laval flow is one major cause of such features within both the earth and Mars respectively. The earth is habitable and therefore life is possible on earth because of the favorable climatic factors contrary to mars.This study stresses that in both planets the mountain features under study formed as a result of volcanic activity. That is when hot molten rocks finds its way out through earths crust and cool off to form a hard rock. Subsequent activities result in more and more pile up of lava forming a mountain. In planet m ars as the mountain rise due to deposits of layers of lava, it exerts a lot of weight on the subterranean basement system at the base of the mountain. This results in some further landforms e.g. valleys etc. similarly the same phenomenon may result in fault lines leading to sinking of the earth to form a valleys of which the great rift valley of east Africa is a typical example.  Formation of volcanic mountains therefore exhibit similar formation in both planet earth and mars. In contrast Martian planet has no vegetation cover and no visible rivers, sea or oceans exist.a

Utopia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Utopia - Term Paper Example As the definition says, most of these schemes are impractical. John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher and economist created the word â€Å"Dystopia† to represent the opposite of Utopia. Dystopian is defined as â€Å"an imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.† In September 1836 Frederick Henry Hedge, Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Ripley and George Putnam formed a club for like-minded thinkers to meet and discuss their ideas. They called the club the â€Å"Hedges Club† because most meetings took place at Hedge’s home. It was the citizens of Concord who were not members who named the club the â€Å"Transcendental Club. They saw the members as being unworldly, detached from society and inactive. Other members included Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The club was not like the usual club, holding only occasional, informal meetings. It closed after 1840, although the membe rs kept in touch. The Transcendentalists lived in a time of transition in the United States. It was the time between the Revolutionary war, and building toward the Civil War. As the country was moving towards the early 1850’s, America was in the period of the greatest prosperity prior to the Civil War. Several members of the club had very definite ideas of what an ideal society and individual should be, and several of the members tried building their own Utopian ideals, hoping they would be models for the developing new country. 2. Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, educated at Harvard College and taught at his brother’s school for young ladies in Boston after graduating in 1821. He returned to Harvard Divinity School in 1825. In 1829 he was ordained as a minister and married his first wife, Ellen Tucker. For three years he was a Unitarian minister at Boston’s Second Church. He left shortly after the death of his wife, and traveled to Europe, where he met English Transcendentalists Wordsworth, Coleridge, J.S. Mill and Thomas Carlyle. Ralph’s philosophy of life was influenced by his time spent with these men. When he returned to Boston, he began a new career as a lecturer and was very successful. He married Lidian Jackson in 1835, and together they had four children. Emerson relocated his family to Concord Massachusetts. Emerson is considered to be the leader of the Transcendentalist in Concord. His social ideal was a utopia based on private property, where each person could live a simple, solitary life of a farmer or craftsman. Self-reliance should be the goal of all mankind. Ralph believed in the importance of being in touch with nature. He felt that only in solitude was a man free to think freely. A deeply religious man, he left the church because he felt it was no longer relevant to the modern world of his day. He felt that the church had not progressed with man, and that it had become oppressive, deadening the spirit. In his speech to the Divinity School graduates, he asked the graduates to breathe new life into the old forms of their religion. He told them to be friends with, and set good examples for their parishioners. Emerson advised them to listen to their parishioners because each person had their own thoughts, liked to be recognized and their opinions heard. His views were not popular with the church, and he was

Proposals for Ring-Fencing and Loss Absorbency Essay - 44

Proposals for Ring-Fencing and Loss Absorbency - Essay Example The Commission was given up to the end of September 2015, to report their findings to the Cabinet Committee on Banking Reform. The white paper discussed many elements such as ring-fencing, high net worth individuals, prohibited services, SMEs for the purposes of ring-fencing, financial product restrictions, geographical restrictions, exposure to financial institutions, intra-group relationships, ancillary activities, legal and operational links, governance, economic links, scope, PLAC, PLAC composition, leverage ratio, loss absorbency, ring-fence buffer, bail-in, the bail-in process and depositor preference (ICB 2011, p. 19). Keeping in line with two of the stated topics above, this paper will describe the proposals for (i) ring-fencing and (ii) loss absorbency put forward by the 2011 Report of the Independent Commission on Banking (â€Å"Vickers Report†). The paper will discuss whether these measures likely to succeed in ensuring financial stability and how are these proposal s being enacted into UK law. Ring-fencing or ringfencing is a situation in which a fraction of a firm’s assets or profits are financially split without essentially being considered as a separate entity (Freixas & Mayer 2011, p. 397). This might be for: Ring-fencing in asset protection is used by separating particular liabilities and assets into different organizations of a corporate group. At times, it is utilized to mitigate liquidation risk or to enhance corporate credit rating (Haldane & Alessandri 2009, p. 12). In the UK, ring fence profits stem from gains and income from oil rights oil or extraction activities in the UK plus its continental shelf and experience a higher rate from corporation tax (ICB 2011, p. 35). In the case of bonds or loans, ringfencing ensures that an investor has a link to a particular asset they possess.

Research Methodology on Employee Satisfaction

Research Methodology on Employee Satisfaction Employee satisfaction is a concept gauging how content the workforce is with their work and the workplaces environment. Hence Employee Dissatisfaction occurs when the workforce becomes unhappy with these aspects of their job, which can lead to negative impacts in the business, such as decreased motivation and declines in productivity, as well as increased labor turnover common problems that occur in most businesses, regardless if theyre small entrepreneurships or large corporations. We have selected to study specific events in HPs corporate history; specifically: the reduction of wage rates, multiple employee redundancies, sexual harassment and MAs (Mergers and Acquisitions). Dividing these issues up into four separate reports, we have attempted to analyze the correlations between HPs different corporate issues and their relation to employee dissatisfaction, by using external sources of information (such as news articles based on the relevant issue and applicable Human Resource theories) and knowledge to support our findings. After analyzing these issues, we will conclude our findings into a summarized statement evaluating employee dissatisfaction present in HP. We will then present collective solutions that can be implemented to help alleviate HP of similar problems if they should ever show up in the future once again. Analysis/Discussion In order to evaluate each problem, the implications of each issue on HP must be discussed in detail. Across-the-board pay cuts and salary adjustments that incensed employees in 2009 We dont know what were going to do. We dont know, the man told NBCDFW, as tears streamed from his eyes. (Mackilwain, 2009) HP chairman and CEO Mark Hurd announced that they would reduce base pay and some benefits across the company in the wake of disappointing earnings. As for the fiscal first quarter 2009 results, HPs earnings were $1.9 billion, or $0.75 earnings per share, down from $2.1 billion, or $0.80 earnings per share compared to the same period last year. Starting with a reduction in his own salary by 20%, followed by senior executives who would take a drop between ten and fifteen percent, regular employees 5 percent and exempt employees 2.5 percent. All this in reaction to a 13.5 percent fall in the companys first quarter profit. (Dubie, 2009) Why did HP executives make this salary adjustment while they all know this would incense employees? Before answering this question, there are some basic facts one should consider. The recent recession of our decade has resulted in a sharp drop in international trade, and unemployment reached 9.2% by the end of 2009. The average salary of HP is about $62,000 (before salary adjustment), which is higher than that of others such as Dell, Apple and Cisco. These factors enforced employees continuance commitment, which encouraged them to stay with HP based on the perceived costs of leaving the organization. Another factor that could relieve employees dissatisfaction is the broadness and equity of the salary adjustment. Since the salary-cutting was due to the unexpected decrease in net profit, hence, as long as the procedure of salary adjustment was made fairly and objectively, and in accord with employees perception as much as possible, employees might not be dissatisfied when they compare themselves with co-workers inside HP (Self-Inside Comparison). HPs such across-broad cut is basically a result of Profit-Sharing Plans in which the employer shares profits with employees based on a predetermined formula. Similarly, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is another adoptable option to associate companys profit with salary, and give employees a sense of ownership through ESOP. The next solution is to develop a flexible benefit package to allow each employee to put together a benefits package individually tailored to his or her own needs and situation. Moreover, another way to adjust pay structure is to use bonus. Unlike Profit-Sharing Plan, bonus reward employees for recent performance rather than historical performance. Which one is the best for salary adjustment? As mentioned before, the world was still digging itself out of economic collapse in 2009, price-earning to ratio had yet to drop as low as previous recession, therefore the ESOP is less attractive since people were recognizing the reality of the weak performance during slumping economic. Hence, I would recommend a combined salary adjustment includes bonus and benefit package. Based on the diversity of cultures, values, ages, personalities and personal situations, HP should design various benefit packages to fit into employees needs. There are three types of benefits plans: modular plans, core-plus plans, and flexible spending accounts. In order to make benefits plans fit into employees need, managers should particularly communicate with employees from different regions, age-ranges, and departments to acquire what employees need most according to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory. As for bonus, managers need to set a base pay; this new base pay should be lower than prior one. Bonuses are designed to award recent performance rather historical performance, and only applied to individuals. Moreover, the process of awarding must entails balancing internal equity and external equity. Allegations of sexual harassment and improper business conduct that exhibited a profound lack of judgment by top executives Be it an entry level employee or for that matter the CEO, violation of business conduct policies can lead to serious consequences. The recent HP sexual harassment scandal serves a perfect demonstration. Mark Hurd who had served as HPs CEO for the last five years resigned at the Boards request after an investigation concluding inappropriate behaviour that had violated HPs behavioural standards. While HP did not find any facts that supported the sexual harassment complaint in general, they revealed that the Board would not tolerate any business misconduct. For HP, what began as an investigation in response sexual harassment complaint by a contractor ended with the companys CEO resigning from his post. Sexual harassment is a crippling reality in the work place the effects of which ravage not only the victim and the alleged harasser, but the fellow employees and the organisation as a whole. The direct impacts of this scandal were seen through the drastic drop in share value of 8% immediately after Hurd resigned. Yet what surfaces as an important issue is the response of the HP employees to this situation. In response to Hurds resignation many employees revealed happiness over him leaving the company making statements like the tyrant is gone or Mark Turd. (Golijan, 2010) What do such allegations draw out? These allegations prove that the HP employees have been dissatisfied in long and an event like this only triggers their emotions to be revealed. In the first place, any event of such a controversy threatens employee in the workplace. As the Maslows hierarchy of needs suggest an individuals elementary needs includes safety and security at work. Witnessing such an improper business conduct by the top executive himself certainly affects employees within all levels of the workforce. The employees would then begin viewing their peers and superiors with disbelief. Such misunderstanding and lack of trust has a great impact on the formation of long term relationships at work. Furthermore, such controversies lead to people feeling uncomfortable from associating themselves with the organisation. As Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies Inc. noted: The scandals do impact peoples impression on the company,. A reduced company morale not only means the possibility of a high labour turnover but also the difficulty that HP would face in attracting good quality employees. A second impact that this scandal had was the emergence of a new leader for HP. Hurd is now replaced with Leo Apethekar. For HP employees who had already faced a rough time, change in leadership brings forth another new challenge, for a change in leadership also means a change in the overall organisational culture. In response to the tarnished companys image, employees get disconnected from the top management leading to the creation of a them and us culture in the workplace. An essential role for the new leader is therefore to regain the trust which could be facilitated by adopting a more Charismatic leadership style and the same time enforcing ethical conduct. What lead to Mark Hurd Scandal being so detrimental, was that he did not himself comply to the business standards that he created Further, hypocrisy is one of the most destructive elements in an organisation. It is important for executives to set the tone of behaviour before they expect the same from their employees. The Hp sexual harassment scandal is therefore an important lesson that reflects upon the significance of the conduct of leaders. The profound impact that this scandal has had on the employee level of dissatisfaction leading to a possible feeling of insecurity in the workplace is an important issue to consider. What happened in the case if Mark Hurd, has been principally attributed to not defining the behavioural standards appropriately. We believe that apart from only setting quantitative clauses, it is important to define moral clauses in the conduct as well. Lastly the most important lesson to learn from this scandal is that if an organisation aspires to achieve maximum productivity from its employees they must make them feel comfortable in the workplace. At all times employees must be assured that they will be heard to. Setting up an effective system to address employee grievances is probably the best solution to handling immediate problems and help them from blowing up to create a major controversy/scandal for the organisation. Enormous layoffs, e.g., 15,000 in 2002, 14,000 in 2005, 24,000 in 2008, and most recently (in June, 2010) 9,000. HP is facing a major problem involving layoffs. Due to several reasons, HP has laid off over fifty thousand employees in the last 8 years. For example, most recently, HP laid off nine thousand employees in order to consolidate data centres at an expected cost of $1 billion. (Sherman, 2010) These reoccurring layoffs trouble employees in many ways but the main aspect that should be taken into account is the effect this will have on employee dissatisfaction. Employee dissatisfaction can instigate severe ramifications for the company because how the employees work affects how well the company does in terms of success. Job security is something that the average employee cherishes. When an employees job is secure, there is a feeling of safety and this usually leads to more confidence and higher productivity. But in this case, job security is not something that the employees hold. Due to the multiple layoffs that occur in such short time periods, employees would feel that their jobs are not safe at all. How does this effect motivation? Maslows Hierarchy of Needs can be applied to this situation. Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs with the levels: physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization. His theory was when one stage of the hierarchy was complete and fulfilled by the employee; the next need on the hierarchy becomes dominant. So when this motivational theory is applied to the situation at hand, it is clear that the employees cannot pass the safety needs stage in the hierarchy. They are striving to achieve job security but cannot due to the consistent layoffs. So therefore, accor ding to the theory, employees cannot go on to satisfy social, esteem and self-actualization needs and this slows down progress in the company. This situation also fits into the motivation-hygiene theory. This theory relates intrinsic factors to job satisfaction and extrinsic factors with dissatisfaction. Job security is the issue here and it is an extrinsic factor, and therefore, dissatisfies employees. The hygiene factors are not being taken care of by HP. This obviously hinders performance of the employees. How can HP resolve some of the employee dissatisfaction problems that they have? One solution is that they can try and find another way to cut costs, other than making employees redundant time and time again. They could reduce wages of employees, or cut salaries from higher managers, but it can be argued that this will also lead to an increased level of employee dissatisfaction, depending on how the employees are motivated. However, if HP find it essential and most efficient to lay off employees to cut or cover costs, then the company can keep current employees motivated by making the work environment more relaxed. This could help calm down the employees and reduce dissatisfaction (another motivation-hygiene theory concept). This will not necessarily motivate employees, but it will reduce dissatisfaction. Also, in order to prevent further dissatisfaction, HP could cut down on other possible extrinsic factors that cause dissatisfaction. For example, supervisors could start acting friendlier towards employees or any form of strict supervision and punishment can be abandoned. The continuous layoffs create a resistance to change in employees as many aspects of the company changes when massive layoffs occur. To overcome the resistance to change, HP could help employees find logic in why these massive layoffs have occurred. Employees will still have security issues, but once they have all the reasons for change and there is no ambiguity, the environment would be more relaxed and any unnerving rumours floating around in the grapevine would be abolished. This could reduce dissatisfaction of the employees slightly. A risky merger (with Compaq) that would create a bloated, vulnerable company anchored on the manufacture of commodity products at little or no profit. Business mergers occur when two firms combine together to form a new firm. Many reasons are associated with mergers the most common ones including potential Economies of Scale, increased market share, and so on. But what is less regarded by higher management levels in organizations is the impact on mergers on the overall workforce, and the deteriorating affects a merger can have on remaining labour. This report will address the human resource issues emerging from the merger of Compaq with Hewlett Packard (HP). There are multiple causes for negativity in the workforce after an MA, some including increased centralization in the organizations structure and loss of organizational culture. Centralization occurs when decision-making power is centered at one point in the company normally towards the higher levels of hierarchy (senior managers). This cuts off communication to lower levels of the organization, which can decrease the amount of communication flowing through the chain of command in the business and hence contribute to increased uncertainty in the workforce (Kusstatscher,2005 ). After this, once a merger takes place there tends to be a loss of previously accepted culture from the prior-merged firm. Employees who identified more so with the businesss previous culture will likely become more isolated and secluded upon the merger where there can be a new culture imposed on them due to the presence of another business. This can trigger a loss of identity for employees, which may alter their perception of the business that they work in, and will likely also increase the amount of uncertainty that they experience within the merged business. Another major effect of an uncoordinated merger includes employee stress, contributed by concerns of job security due to potential layoffs after the merger. These redundancies occur because merging companies do not wish to duplicate job roles; hence by making specific job roles redundant they can rationalize costs and utilize the minimal amount of workers required in each department. This was the case between the merger of HP and Compaq which reported a job cut of approximately 15000 (Foo and Menon,2001) people, triggering increased stress levels amongst staff as to whether they would retain their job in the merger process or not. Employee stress thus tends to lower overall moral and decrease productivity in the long run due to frustration over job security, as one employee expressed from HPs Singapore branch: either way, were done for iii( Foo Menon,2001) In conclusion, employees will find it increasingly difficult to cope from the many challenges involved with a merger: due to emotional stress from feelings of fear and anxiety for job security, to loss of corporate identity due to a change of organizational culture. This could contribute to increased employee dissatisfaction with the business to those who remain in the workforce, due to negative emotions and lack of support from the business. Thus in the future, HP must address such concerns by implementing policies to help employees cope with such emotions. This could include increased communication from managers if employees were kept in constant communication with managers about changes in the overall business and were aware of re-structuring issues and redundancy potentiality, then this would reduce the impact when redundancies are issued as employees whove known about the possibility of a lay off prior would have better mental preparation. Another suggestion could include adapting the merger and acquisition process so that cultures are able to integrate more effectively increased dialogue in the form of conferences or workshops between the two merging companies would help to improve communication and overall exposure between the different business cultures to make the integration of the two companies smoother. This could help motivate employees to corporate with each other more willingly and stimulate an increased sense of new culture that benefits both previously separate companies. Conclusion and Recommendations Conclusion In conclusion, it is very much clear through these examples that employees are very dissatisfied with the way HP is operating. HP operations are disgruntling the employees and this is possibly hindering their performance, and therefore, halting progress for the entire company. Whether it is through salary adjustments, unnecessary ill treatment of employees, colossal number of employee layoffs, or massive overall change through mergers and acquisitions, HPs way of running things is displeasing the employees. Recommendations HP must find solutions to satisfy their employees more sufficiently. Dissatisfaction levels must be reduced in order to see some progress in the company. The first solution is a simple, but effective one: HP should make the work environment friendlier and more relaxed in order to gain some employee confidence. Currently, it does not appear that HP is very friendly with their employees due to the several issues discussed above, however if HP were to treat their employees better, and make the work environment more relaxed, then the employees dissatisfaction level would decrease. Another recommendation to HP would be that they should manage change amongst employees more effectively. If you look at the merger, the pay cuts, and the enormous layoffs, these are rather big changes to the company. If HP could manage this change in a more effective manner, then employees would not be as dissatisfied. HP should first and foremost warn employees of upcoming change to abolish any nervousness and ambiguity. The facts should be laid out and employees need to be made to understand them. Also, to avoid further dissatisfaction, the changes must be applied fairly, and not with any prejudice or any other sort of unfair actions. A form of manipulation could also be adapted by the company. Manipulation is not the most ethical of methods to lower dissatisfaction, but in the end, it does lower dissatisfaction. Manipulation involves twisting facts to make the situation at hand seem more attractive. False rumors are usually spread and eventually, employees accept the change and th is lower dissatisfaction.