Flying The Transformation of Heart, Mind, and Soul Essay

â€Å"The fathers may soar and the children may know their names.† This was the basis of Milkman’s discovery of his past, which he would learn about in time. In Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon, Milkman goes through the early, adolescent, and middle stages of his life with little faith in himself, for he cannot fly, nor does he know flight’s true meaning. Milkman journeys through his life being selfish and vain because he has yet to discover his true identity. As Milkman grows, the more he experiences and encounters alone and with others. Not every experience he obtains is weighted with the same significance as others, but each helps progress him through his self-discovery to find his own way of flight. As Milkman discovers the past about†¦show more content†¦Milkman feels a connection with Robert Smith because at the time, neither can fully fly. Milkman cannot fully comprehend it because he is only four. Another time in his young ages when h e thought about flying was on a Sunday drive with his family. He was sitting between his parents in the front seat looking out the windshield. The narrator describes what he saw as, â€Å"He could only see the winged woman careening off the nose of the car. He was not allowed to sit on his mother’s lap during the drive-not because she would not have it, but because his father objected to it. So it was only by kneeling on the dove gray seat and looking out the back window that he could see anything other than laps, feet, and hands of his parents, the dashboard, or the silver winged woman poised at the tip of the Packard. But riding backwards made him uneasy. It was like flying blind, and not knowing where he was going-just where he had been-troubled him† (32). Milkman was worried about being lost and alone, which he considered â€Å"flying blind.† The winged woman on the hood of the car represented Milkman’s dream to be able to see out the windshield so he would not have to be riding backwards and be missing what was to come in the future. This signifies that, even though Milkman gave up on himself, he still had a wish to get somewhere in his life. His biggest fear was of going through life blind, not knowing about his roots or being able to fly. This represents that Milkman could beShow MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1211 Words   |  5 Pagesstrongest man. An example, of this transformation is in the short story by Tim O’Brien called, The Things They Carried, it shows a young, First Lieutenant, in the Vietnam War named Jimmy Cross, and his journey to become a successful leader, but only after the death of one of his men. This young, First Lieutenant, will have to come to the grips that other menâ €™s lives are his responsibility. This task of keeping his troops alive will tremendously test Lt. Cross’s heart and soul, by choosing to lose a componentRead MoreCurse: A Short Story Essay1616 Words   |  7 Pagesstraight away that something was different. He knew all these places so well that any, even the smallest, change would attract his attention. In this case it was the park. The area was much darker than usually. It was always decorated by multiple flying lights that just floated around illuminating the whole place. Now those lights were much weaker than usually and there also seemed to be a lesser number of them. This confused Alan but he continued walking deciding there is nothing to worry aboutRead More Stephen in A Portrait of the Artist by James Joyce Essay2469 Words   |  10 Pagesare confirmed. The Virgin Mary is divine and therefore out of reach for mortals. Now Eileen, the human representation of the Blessed Mary, is out of reach as well because Stephen is not allowed to play with her. In chapter two an amazing transformation takes place in Stephen from a young innocent child who believes women are unattainable and who idealizes the Virgin Mary, into a young teen with awakening sexual desires. As Stephen matures into adolescence, he becomes increasingly aware of hisRead MoreDreams2623 Words   |  11 Pageswhat the mystical stories that play out in the sleeping mind are and why we have them. The Sumerians in Mesopotamia left evidence of dreams dating back to 3100 BC. According to these stories, gods and kings, like the 7th century BC scholar-king Assurbanipal, paid close attention to dreams. In his archive of clay tablets, some accounts of the story of the legendary king Gilgamesh were found (Seligman). The Mesopotamians believed that the soul, or some part of it, moves out from the body of the sleepingRead More Comparing Conrads Heart of Darkness and Coppolas Apocalypse Now3622 Words   |  15 PagesSimilarities in Conrads Heart of Darkness and Coppolas Ap ocalypse Now Sometimes, a work is so great that artists from other forms of expression are compelled to interpret that work in their own medium. Francis Ford Coppola took James Conrad’s classic novel Heart of Darkness and updated it to the time of the Vietnam War. James Conrad’s classic novella Heart of Darkness is a tale about a seaman who makes his way up the Congo river in search of a man and his ivory. In 1979, Francis Ford CoppolaRead MoreEng 102 Poetry Essay4291 Words   |  18 Pageslightning cracked the sky, the Earths atmosphere surely died. several literary devices are used here such as the onomatopoeia cracked resembling the sound that lightning makes. Another connotation is observed in atmosphere used in place of heart. Personification is repeated here in giving the Earth the sense of life through death and dying. The smoothness of the rhyme scheme up until this point in the text is consistent until the next two lines interfere with the structure. Dirt gray cloudsRead M oreEmersons Self Reliance5249 Words   |  21 Pagesasserting the importance of thinking for oneself rather than meekly accepting other peoples ideas. As in almost all of his work, he promotes individual experience over the knowledge gained from books: To believe that what is true in your private heart is true for all menÂâ€"that is genius. The person who scorns personal intuition and, instead, chooses to rely on others opinions lacks the creative power necessary for robust, bold individualism. This absence of conviction results not in different ideasRead MoreRace Film : The Great And Only Essay10250 Words   |  41 Pagesthrough the revelation of the other world. It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness-an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled s trivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. (3) Gaines contends that by looking at theRead MoreRise and Decline of the Muslim Ummah9373 Words   |  38 Pagesshould be realised by young Muslims. They should know that there was a time when the armies of the Arabs starting from Gibraltar had reached north-east into the heart of France. At another time the Turkish armies, after trampling all of Eastern Europe, were knocking at the gates of Vienna. Perhaps in this way we can recreate in the hearts of our young men a desire to revive the past majesty and glory of the Muslim civilisation. It should also become clear from this that the decline of this superbRead MoreFrom Salvation to Self-Realization18515 Words   |  75 PagesPantheon Books, 1-38. Reprinted with the permission of the author. 1On or about December 1910, Virginia Woolf once said, human character changed. This hyperbole contains a kernel of truth. Around the turn of the century a fundamental cultural transformation occurred within the educated strata of Western capitalist nations. In the United States as elsewhere, the bourgeois ethos had enjoined perpetual work, compulsive saving, civic responsibility, and a rigid morality of selfdenial. By the early twentieth

Effects Of Alcohol On The Transportation Industry

Drunk driving is a phrase that is directly connected with alcohol consumption and consequently driving a motor vehicle. Driving under alcohol influence is accounted as a major contributor to most road accident demises (Parrillo, 42). In the context of driving drinking is strictly prohibited by authorities across the globe as this exposes the driver, the involved parties and to motorists to extreme danger. The consumption of alcohol is responsible for the impairment of an individual judgment which thus makes the specific driver be unfit to drive a motor car or any other motor machine. Drunk driving is the occurrence of driving under alcohol influence which can result in undesirable consequences. The issue of drunkenness has been a societal issue for decades now but currently the consequences of alcohol are termed to me more as compared to the previous years (Parrillo, 46). With the technological advancement in the transport industry, most individuals utilize personal of public transport to access location. This, therefore, means that arriving at the given location safely fully depends on the capability of the driver to drive properly. Being under alcohol influence simply means that individual’s attention is lost attention, forgets their responsibility as a driver which results in unpredictable and dangerous conduct (Parrillo, 44). This, therefore, raises the significance of preventing drunk driving as these results to the death of most individuals based onShow MoreRelatedNo Prohibitions, No Problem? Essay1199 Words   |  5 Pages After the Re volutionary War, alcohol consumption increased as did the idea to reform America’s growing consumption. The Temperance Movement of the 1800s attempted to regulate the availability of alcohol by forming groups like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the American Temperance Society. These groups helped the eventual ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment. Section one of the Eighteenth Amendment of the U.S Constitution states, â€Å"After one year from ratification of this articleRead MoreLowering The Bourbon Supply Chain Is A Shortage Of Barrels1628 Words   |  7 PagesAnyone familiar with the alcohol industry knows that bourbon is urging at the moment. Production has steadily increased over the past 15 years and there seems to be no sign of it slowing in the near future. However, this does not mean that the bourbon industry has maximized the potential of its supply chain (Lariviere, 2015). One significant risk impacting the bourbon supply chain is a shortage of barrels. There is a federal law requiring that for a whiskey to be called bourbon it must age for twoRead MoreProhibition : Installment And Effects1255 Words   |  6 PagesDylan Cox Coach Kaye AP Psychology 12 March 2016 Prohibition: Installment and Effects â€Å"The ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution–which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors–ushered in a period in American history known as Prohibition† (History.com Staff). Overnight, alcohol went from a common drink of choice to an illegal asset that became the heartbeat of bootlegging organizations and organized crime. The otherwise â€Å"Roaring 20s† was marredRead MoreMexican Drug War : The United States And Mexico1055 Words   |  5 Pagesopened and demand caused sellers to look south of the border. When the drugs started to appear on the black market, the prices rose dramatically, gaining the attention of traffickers. The climate in Mexico was ideal for growing these drugs and transportation to the United States was not as difficult as it is today, there was no border patrol in place yet. Mexico had not made drugs illegal, it just confined them for medical use. Within five years of the American government passing laws against theRead MoreWhy Prohibition Didnt Work1612 Words   |  6 Pagesconvincing the American public that alcohol was the root and cause of all their problems. Alcohol was the reason why families were destroyed, why women and children were beaten and why cheques never arrived home. Pro-prohibition posters were used to target men who knew they had a responsibility to look after their families. The news of prohibition also gave the chance for women to defend themselves and preach their rights since many felt that they had been victimized by alcohol. Not only was prohibition tryingRead MoreThe Negative Impact of American Prohibition1632 Words   |  7 PagesOn January 16th 1920, the 18th amendment officially was put into play. â€Å"The 18th amendment made the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages restricted or i llegal, this was also called the Prohibition era.† (Scott, Robert.) Many people called this time â€Å"The Roaring Twenties† and the â€Å"Jazz Age†, new music appeared, along with new dances and a new and exciting era for women. Also, a general relaxation of standards after the stressful years of WWII. (ProhibitionRead MoreThe Consequences of Prohibition Essay1493 Words   |  6 Pagesand which consequences did it have, and did it have any effect? Prohibition parties The prohibition was really started in the 16th century by religious people that believed that alcohol was a gift from god, but its abuse came from the devil. And at that time you would get punished for the abuse. The abuse of the holy gift from god kept on, and soon the general population drank three and a half gallon alcohol a year, and that was much higher that in the past yearsRead MoreCannabis in California In this essay I will explore the positive and negative effects of700 Words   |  3 PagesCannabis in California In this essay I will explore the positive and negative effects of legalizing Cannabis in California. I support the legalization of Cannabis, these are my reasons why; If California does legalize Cannabis then it would decrease the money spent on drug enforcement and criminal persecution. Legalizing Cannabis would also reduce the value of the black market product. It would also generate revenue for the California economy because it would be a taxable item that is in high demandRead MoreThe Legal Limit Blood Alcohol Content1018 Words   |  5 Pagestoday. 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It is safe to say that the brewing industry is as old as civilization itself and over time humans have been able to be creative with the process and produce variations of beer recipes. Drinking a beer can be defined as an experience involving the presentation of its storage along with the

The National Curriculum In Primary Schools Education Essay Free Essays

The purpose of this assignment is to discourse the tendencies policy that took topographic point in primary instruction from 1988 and 1997. The assignment will get down with analyzing the principle behind the alterations introduced in those old ages. Then it will look at the alterations themselves. We will write a custom essay sample on The National Curriculum In Primary Schools Education Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now The last subdivision will speak about the advantages and disadvantages of those alterations. It should be mentioned from the beginning that I will non be adverting reforms related to secondary and higher instruction, even though they came at the same clip as the Primary schools. The term educational proviso refers to the usage of the equipment or tools with the purpose of supplying cognition and accomplishments, and includes things such as such as, schoolroom, text edition, chairs, pens/pencils and many more for pupils. Education is about the procedure of larning where cognition, accomplishments and information is transmitted. Yero ( 2002 ) believes that instruction is a process of bettering the pupils or students ‘ cognition, accomplishments and character. So instruction can assist to cut down inequality in society. In the United Kingdom, this construct of extinguishing inequality was at the base of alterations in instruction policy. Prior to 1988, instruction in the United Kingdom was wholly different. The determination of the course of study contents was in the custodies of schools, with spiritual instruction being the lone topic which was compulsory. This means that students had different attainment degrees due to following different programmes. Education was ruled by the 1944 Education Act which handed the disposal of schools and the preparation of school policies to local governments ; the lone exclusion being Section 1 where control and way of instruction were given to the Secretary of State. In fact, in the 1944 Education Act, the function of the Department of Education and Science was merely promotional and non one of giving way, which means they could non oversee local governments policies. This Act besides fixed the age of go forthing school at 15 and instituted free secondary instruct ion for all students. However it was noticed that the criterion attained in basic accomplishments by the UK population was low and hapless compared to other European states, and this could non fulfill the state national economic demands ( Department of Education, 2011 ) . To work out the job raised by the falling criterion, the Conservative Government came with the 1988 Education Act, sometimes referred to as the Kennet Baker reform which instituted a standardization of all school programmes, and brought four chief alterations with a position to conveying back the degree ( Young, 2008 ) . The first alteration was the debut of the National Curriculum, which defines four Key Stages, traveling from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. In primary schools, two Key Stages, 1 and 2 were identified: Cardinal Stage 1 for Year 1 and 2 up to age 7 ; Key Stage 2 for Old ages 3 to 6, intending age 7 to age 11. Subsequently on, a Foundation Stage which concerns kids aged 3 up to reception twelvemonth was introduced. The National Curriculum came with a new nomenclature related to two types of school topics, nucleus topics and Foundation topics. In Primary schools, that is Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the course of study consists of the undermentioned topics: English, Maths, scientific discipline, information and communicating engineering ( ICT ) , history, geographics, art and design, music, design and engineering ( D A ; T ) and Physical Education. This was supplemented by the literacy and numeracy reforms in the 1990s taught everyday to better kids standard in those accomplishments. Another alteration in the course of study was the debut foreign linguistic communications for kids aged 7. This course of study was subsequently reconsidered for betterment. One advantage of National Curriculum is that all kids in England and Wales have the same instruction programmes, and this makes comparing of degrees easier and the transportation of kids from one school to another is made easy. Actually the national Curriculum contains all the subjects to be taught, in footings of cognition, accomplishments and outlooks at the terminal of each cardinal phase ; it besides determines how appraisal has to continue. The 2nd alteration had to make with appraisal of students. Here national criterion trials such as SATs at age 11 ( Standard Assessment undertakings, and subsequently Standard Attainment Tasks ) were put in topographic point, non merely to measure whether they are up to the national criterion expected, but besides to set schemes in topographic point to guarantee betterment in those kids larning. This led to the National Curriculum Council ( NCC ) as an consultative service to the secretary of State in affairs related to the course of study, and the School Examinations and Assessment Council ( SEAC ) in charge of appraisals. The 3rd alteration affected the disposal of schools. As mentioned above, prior to 1988, Education disposal was handled by local governments. In London, for illustration it was in the custodies of the Inner London Education Authority ( ILEA ) , which was created in 1965, while outer London schools were directed by county councils and borough councils. The Education Reform Act of 1988 gave power to schools to choose out of local authorization control and be funded by cardinal authorities, so that schools could pull off their ain fundss. The Local direction of Schools meant that the function of caput instructors included budget direction every bit good ( Powell and Edwards, 2003 ) . This was the beginning of Grant maintained schools, which were subsequently replaced by foundation schools. This led to the abolishment of the Local Education Authority. The forth alteration concerned the creative activity of a conference tabular array where people could travel and compare the public presentation of different schools. It was hoped that such a tabular array would force schools to vie, and hence supply better instruction to kids. InA 1993, another instruction actA came into topographic point. It aimed at increasing the figure of Grant Maintained Schools ; it replaced the NCC and SEAC with School Curriculum and Assessment Authority so that the course of study content could be controlled by the authorities ; more power was given to headteacher in their exclusion determinations of boisterous students ; alterations were introduced for students with particular educational demands ; and the constitution of referral units. An review organic structure called Ofsted came into being to inspect schools in LEAS. Finally the SCAA and NCVQ formed the QCA. In 1997, the Labour Government introduced another reform. The Government introduced specialist schools such as Business, Sport schools so as to diversify instruction and the types of schools. So making parents could hold a assortment of picks to do for their kids. Failing schools were reopened under academies administered by churches or concerns. In disadvantaged countries, the Government created Education Action zone in order to assist better instruction criterion in those countries. Parents were given power and a voice to make up one’s mind on the pick of schools for their kids ; they were given power to be represented in the school regulating organic structure. Further, a system of exam conference tabular array was introduced where parents could easy descry schools that are making good, and those falling buttocks. Be it as it may, parents had the responsibility to guarantee that their kids attend schools. School support was linked to the figure of students a school had in i ts axial rotation. The deduction was that schools had to vie to better their public presentation so as to pull parents and their kids, and therefore good support every bit good. This is termed the market reform introduced by Conservative authoritiess in the 1980 ‘s and 1990s, where schools were seen as a service and the parents and kids as the clients. As a affair fact, instruction should supply â€Å" valued signifiers of cognition † and fit kids for life ( James and Pollard, 2012 ) In the 1997 White Paper, Excellence in Schools, the rights of parents to information were extended including directing them the kid advancement one-year study, their portion in the review procedure, one-year meeting, leting them to hold entree to the kid ‘s school record. Schools were farther obliged to print an one-year study about their direction and a prospectus. Teachers were besides given power to keep students By so, making the authorities, say the Department of Education gained new power, because they are in charge of the school course of study, non the local governments any more, the types of trials to administrate to pupils, the types of makings to be awarded, the support to give to schools, the nomination of members of the National Curriculum Council to be after the course of study. The blessing of schools that want to choose out, the alteration of school position is given by the State Secretary, even though the engagement of parents should be sought for. He has the disposal of grants. The function of caput instructors besides changed as they became budget directors every bit good. The inquiry 1 might inquire at this point is to cognize whether those reforms were successful. Two positions can be expressed here. On the one manus, the debut of the national Curriculum should be appreciated, because it helps to hold kids expected to hold the same cognition and accomplishments. The trials would assist schools to work hard to better their consequences, and research has revealed that more people are now traveling to university. The conference tabular array gives a better position to parents as to which school is making better, so do an informed pick of schools for their kids. On the other manus, it would look that proving is non good plenty to measure the public presentation of schools, and larning should non be limited to go throughing trials. With the conference tabular array, instruction has turned into fixing students to go through tests, and non a readying for life. The conference tabular array has besides been criticised as it ignores some countries such as Art and athletics. Further, the conference tabular arraies make some schools more popular than others, and this raises troubles for some parents to acquire a school of their pick for their kids. Ball ( 2006 ) examined the constructs of markets in the context of instruction merely to happen that more demands to be discussed, and that such constructs as â€Å" competition, supply and demand, manufacturer and consumer behavior, denationalization and commodification, values and moralss and distributional results † should be references as there is a dearth of research in this field. In Primary schools, instructors complained of the increased work load imposed by the National Curriculum, particularly at the terminal of Key Stage 2 with the readying of SATs, and this lead to Dearing Report which brought the burden down by 20 % ( Alexander, 2012 ) . The system of review besides came into fire by assorted instructors brotherhoods who find the Ofsted as a job, non a solution. Another job concerned the debut of foreign linguistic communication learning at age 7. This raised jobs in a state such as the United land where secondary schools teach assorted linguistic communications, French, German, Spanish. So a kid could larn one linguistic communication in primary school and have a different linguistic communication in secondary schools. This means there will be no continuity as noted by the Guardian ( 2012 ) . The construction of Key Stage 2 has besides been criticized as it takes four old ages which the Model for the National Curriculum found excessively long ( DE, 201 1 ) . To reason, it can be said that there have been one chief Education reform Act, the 1988, and many instruction Acts of the Apostless from 1988 to 1997. The alterations in educational policies in those reforms can be regrouped in three classs: alterations to make with centralization, as instruction moved from local governments to the authorities with the debut of the National Curriculum ; appraisal by results with the usage of national appraisal and the constitution of league-tables to compare the public presentation of different schools, and the quasi-market reform where schools are the makers and kids and their parents as consumers who have picks to do between different schools. In primary schools, the reforms could be noticed with the debut of Key Stages 1 and 2, the national Curriculum with Maths, English and scientific discipline as nucleus topics, while others were considered as foundations and spiritual survey as statutory, the debut of SATs and the literacy and numeracy schemes. How to cite The National Curriculum In Primary Schools Education Essay, Essay examples

How Employee Motivation Effects an Organization free essay sample

In the following paper I will identify what employee motivation is, why it is important, who it is important to, and how it affects the workforce as a whole. I will also touch on the subjects of whose job it is to motivate, the benefits of motivation and what actually motivates employees. Through out my research I have discovered many different theories and opinions as of to what â€Å"effective motivation† is, and how it is to be applied in the work setting. This is the result of my findings. The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through employees. To do this the manager should be able to motivate employees. But thats easier said than done! In spite of enormous research, basic as well as applied, the subject of motivation is not clearly understood and more often than not poorly practiced. To understand motivation one must understand human nature itself. We will write a custom essay sample on How Employee Motivation Effects an Organization or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page And there lies the problem! Human nature can be very simple, yet very complex too. An understanding and appreciation of this is a prerequisite to effective employee motivation in the workplace and therefore effective management and leadership. There is an old saying you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink; it will drink only if its thirsty – so is with people. They will do what they want to do or otherwise motivated to do. Whether it is to excel on the workshop floor or in the ivory tower they must be motivated or driven to it, either by themselves or through external stimulus. Are they born with the self-motivation or drive? Yes and no. If no, they can be motivated, for motivation is a skill which can and must be learnt. This is essential for any business to survive and succeed. Allow me to ask a very simple question: Are you really happy with your job? Or is it just a way to pay the bills? If so, you are not alone. In fact, half of all employees only put enough effort into their jobs, to keep their jobs. 70% of employees are less motivated today than they used to be, and another 80% could perform significantly better if they wanted to. What does all this mean you ask? It means people are unhappy at work, and many overlook the importance of a fulfilling work life. Not only is it important for employees to be content, their happiness is important to their employers as well. Disgruntled employees perform considerably poorly compared to content ones. Motivated employees work more efficiently, producing better products or services in less time. Whereas unmotivated employees waste time and generally take longer to accomplish the tasks assigned. When employees are motivated, they invest time, effort and brain power into producing the best products or services possible. They take pride in their work, meaning they will give a company a better name out in the market simply by producing a superior product. Unmotivated employees, on the other hand, will put in the bare minimum effort resulting in poor customer service and low quality products. Improved productivity and higher quality services and products equal monetary gains for an organization, possibly freeing funds to be used as benefits for employees or company improvements. If employees are motivated, a company will be able to retain more of them. Every time they hire a new employee, they have to invest time getting that person up to speed on the job requirements, integrating that person into the workforce and figuring out exactly how that new person can contribute. Existing employees have a wealth of knowledge about the company and how projects work. They are also already accustomed to working with the other employees at the facility. By retaining employees, an organization can save money and time. Employees that are motivated are happy; smiling is contagious, which leads to a better work environment. Companies these days are offering interesting, sometimes even outrageous benefits to keep their staff motivated. Some offer great health plans, a 401k-retirement plan, or extra vacation time. Others have company parties, picnics and other rally-boosting events. Some companies take their staff out to movie premieres; some engage in go-carting to create a fun atmosphere. Sure, it’s nice to have a company parking spot, your cellular phone bills paid, and free lunch Fridays, but these types of benefits are better at attracting and retaining employees. A free lunch will not magically create a healthy work environment. However, these morale boosters can be steps on the road to motivated employees. The question employers are trying to figure out is, if benefits keep employees happy, then what makes them productive? The problem is that employers lose focus of the difference between high morale and motivation. I am not saying to get rid of the benefits, but get rid of other behaviors that hold employees back. These behaviors vary from company to company, but we all know what they are. Office politics, unclear expectations and being criticized instead of receiving constructive feedback are all things we hate and that hinder our progress. Things like appreciation and taking pride in your work, as well as social interaction and fun in your work, are all contributors to motivation. Personally, I would rather work in an environment where there are no politics, employers are honest with their employees and have nothing to hide, and are committed to the overall productivity of the firm. Here is a list of items that are considered to be detrimental to employee motivation: * Create an atmosphere full of company politics. * Develop unclear expectations regarding your employees performance. Create a lot of unnecessary rules for employees to follow. * Plan unproductive meetings for employees to attend. * Withhold information critical for employees to perform their work. * Provide criticism instead of constructive feedback. * Tolerate poor performance so your high performing employees feel taken advantage of. * Treat employees unfairly. * Underutilize the capability of your employees. While some of those are worse than others, they will vary across companies and individuals. Any company that actually makes an effort to rid themselves of these annoyances is on the right track. It just goes to show that it does not take a lot of money to tap into an employees natural ability. Here are some active measures companies can take to motivate: * If your employees do routine work, add some fun and variety to their routine. * Provide employees with input and choice in how they do their work. * Encourage responsibility and leadership opportunities within your company. * Promote social interaction and teamwork between employees. * Tolerate learning errors by avoiding harsh criticism. * Promote job ownership. * Develop goals and challenges for all employees. Provide lots of encouragement. * Make appreciation part of your repertoire. * Develop measurement that shows performance increase. With the rapidly changing competitive environment, key employees are becoming younger and with a variety of skills and accomplishments. This means that if they are unhappy with their work environment, they are more than willing to move on. For employers, the speed of business is such that employees that join their company learn so much and become so valuable that employers need to do whatever it takes to keep them content.

Values and planning free essay sample

In this part of this assignment I will be Explaining, values and planning when organising holistic planning for service users. I will be reviewing the benefit to individuals and professional staff, of taking holistic approach to planning support, to do this I will be using to case studies. My first case study is about Sam, a 74 year old widower who is a strict vegetarian and a diabetic. He had a stroke two days ago and is leaving hospital at the end of the week. He is paralysed down the right side of his body. My second case study is about Gina, a 25 year old who was admitted to accident and emergency when she was round on the side of the road in extreme pain. Gina can’t speak English and has a broken pelvis and leg. The promotion of choice is very important principle when providing holistic support. Sam is a widower and is probably used to looking after himself and being independent. We will write a custom essay sample on Values and planning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He must be asked about different aspects of his care. When looking at his dietary needs, he may want a choice on what type of diabetic food he wants, as well as catering for his vegetarian needs. His speech has also been affected and he may need to be listened to more carefully when being asked about things, because Sam’s mobility has also been affected, he needs to supported and cooperated with when he is organising his mobility when he gets home. He should have the choice of who he wants to help build up his strength. Sam is also going to need a carer when he gets back home to help him daily things until he has become stronger, he should have a choice on who is taking care of him and what care he wants. The promotion of choice is enabling the service user’s choices and independent to be put at the centre, they can almost organise most of their care to their wishes, for example a service user will be able to choose their food from the menu than not knowing what they are going to eat, whether they have dietary needs or not; where as they might not be able to choose who is treating them, because there might be a shortage of staff. It is important that we do not discriminate (Anti- discriminative practice). Gina who is 25 years old cannot speak English. We must not stereotype her because she can’t speak English. A translator should be organised as soon as it is possible so Gina’s care can be as holistic as it can. A translator will enable the service user to work with the care to staff so she can organise her care. It  will also help when she is being asked questions about personal information. If Gina has any specific cultural or religious needs this also needs t o be taken note of. An anti discriminative practice is important when providing holistic support because it makes the certain service user feel safe and secure; they also get the choice in what care they want. The service user doesn’t have to worry about what the staff thinks of them. Their care and health is at the centre When planning holistic support it is important to make sure that the service user’s confidentiality is made a main priority. For both Sam and Gina, most services users would be unhappy if they found out that their personal information was open. Sam and Gina should be able to choose and meet carers beforehand so that they can trust them fully. This enables their information to be kept confidential without much hesitation. Personal beliefs and morals must be respected when providing holistic supports to a service user. Sam is a strict vegetarian and should be able to choose what type of food he would like. A lot of meat contains protein, so Sam would need to make sure he is being given a healthy alternative If this is not catered for he may also feel discriminated against; he may not be happy with the care he is being given. Gina is from another country and may have different moral and cultural beliefs (she may not on the other hand) she may feel discriminated against if her needs are not catered for, and this can make service users feel disrespected and not a sense of not being listened to. It is important the moral and beliefs and values are a main factor when supporting service users because, you need to make sure that they can trust and respect you. It also makes their care easier to give because the service user feels safe and understood. It is vital that service users are involved in the planning of their support. Sam probably lives on his own and would probably really appreciate being involved in the planning of his support. It is important that service users can have as many as their wishes met when regarding planning support. With Gina’s language barrier it is important that we make sure that she feels as involved as possible, so we don’t upset or discriminate against her not being able to speak English. it is also vital that service users are involved in their support, so we can meet any needs they may have that aren’t so obvious when first meeting them. The application of relevant principles and values will enable professionals to provide holistic support. Service users must always be put at the centre  when providing such care. The application of this enables professionals to offer a safe and secure care service, and makes service users feel like they can trust their carers. Many service users would prefer to be supported by holistic care because it enables them to have their care personalised to them. (M1) I will now be reviewing the benefits to individuals and professional staff, when taking a holistic approach to planning support. I will be using the same case studies, about Sam and Gina to explain and review these ideas. Providing holistic support to service users can have a major effect on the recovery of a service user. Sam is going home at the end of the week and is going to need help with mobility whilst be back at home. Providing holistic support to Sam will enable him to make decisions for himself, this may boost Sam’s self esteem and will enable him to make a swifter recovery. If he can be offered the choice of who is to care for him; by Sam being happy about who is looking after him his recovery will also become a quicker process. This also makes it easier for professional staff to plan his care, and make plans best suited to his needs. For Gina, getting a translator to help with the language barrier can make it easier for both her and professional staff to plan her care. It can make any possible surgery happen sooner if they can get any personal information they may need to plan her care. This benefits all because it means Gina gets the care she needs quicker and staff can provide the care as quickly as possible. Both Sam and Gina are going to need some sort of help with their mobility. If holistic support can be provided from the start of their care, their quality of life can be made to a higher standard. Sam may need adjustments to his home and surrounding environments while recovering to make it easier for him to get around. This will make his life easier and the quality of it too. However Sam will most likely be in a wheelchair as he has a paralysed right side. He may have to go into residential care for a short period of time while he recovers, on the other hand Sam may not be happy with this idea and it must be discussed with him about alternative options to make sure his care and support is of a high standard. This is because he lives on his own  and is more likely to need to constant care while he recovers. This will benefit professional staff to, because when giving Sam home care it will be easier for him to move around while he gets back on his feet. Gina is going to need physiotherapy, she is also going to need adjustments to her home and surrounding environment to make the recovery process easier for her too. Gina and Sam will need to be asked about any family members that should be involved in the planning of their care. While putting these service users at the centre, the family can be used to make sure that all needs are met as well. The families are a good source of personal information if the service user forgets to tell professional staff any information that should really be considered when planning their care and support in a holistic way. This benefits both the service user and the professional staff, because the service user can be given the right sort of care, and all needs can be catered for and the staff can make sure that they have all their facts and information right about the service user to make sure that their care is as centered to the service user as much as possible. (D1) In this last part of this assignment I will be analyising the reasons for working with professionals from more than one agency when planning support for individuals. I will also be using the same case studies as previous about Sam and Gina. Gina is going to need help and support from more than one type of agency. She is going to need physiotherapy and surgery. If Gina’s pelvic fracture is serious enough she could be kept on the intensive care unit for a short period of time. The surgery team will probably refer Gina to a physiotherapist, to make the recovery time quicker and to get her back on her feet as soon as possible. Gina’s broken leg may also need surgery and she is going to need crutches for both fractures as well as more physiotherapy. It is important that the both professional members of staff work together to make Gina’s recovery as swift as possible to keep her out of pain. Gina is also not going to be active for several months and is at high risk of blood clots, she is also going to need to be talked to about blood thinning medication to reduce the risk of this. It is important that all members of staff involved in Gina’s care work together or keep in contact incase anything changes in her care plan, or any other problems  become relevant. The translator for Gina also needs to be present as well to make sure information between Gina and professional members of staff is being understood properly. This will also affect how much pain she is in, because she may not be able to say how much pain she is in to members of staff. Sam is going to need speech therapy and physiotherapy when he leaves hospital. He may also need help in gaining his cognitive skills back; his mental health may also be affected. Many stroke patients get frustrated and depressed easily and personalities often change, this can be to do with them going from being able to do most things to being very dependant on caring. According to Dr Janet Spradlin, a rehabilitation psychologist at St. Anthony Rehabilitation Center in Oklahoma City. â€Å"Depression is very common after any life-changing health challenge, especially if it means a loss of independence.† Medication staff is going to have to work closely with the Sam and the stroke consultants to make sure any medication that he is put on is safe and doesn’t make him feel any worse than he actually is. This is important to make sure that his recovery is made swifter and his mental state (if affected) isn’t made any worse. With the many physical and mental effects that come with having a stroke; Sam is going to need physiotherapy and speech therapy as quickly as possible, as well as speeding up the recovery process this will make Sam probably feel more confident, which is a great thing when planning holistic support for a service user, because it makes them feel at the centre of all the planning involved. It is vital that all professional members of staff from all different agencies keep in contact with each other in case of any drastic changes in Sam’s health. The more Sam is put in the centre of the planning for his holistic support the better quality of life he is going to have through the recovery period. In conclusion it is important for all professional members of staff to keep in touch while caring for a service user holistically; putting them at the centre; service users find it easier to cooperate and trust certain members of staff, which make it easier for the staff to support and give the care. When providing holistic support to a service user, all agencies involved need to be referring to the service user when providing care, this ensures that all needs are met and the care is easier and more efficient to give. All staff involved and service users are made happy by this.

RLs Dream essays

RL's Dream essays Walter Mosley is mostly known for his series of mystery writing about Easy Rawlins. The Easy Rawlins series were the best selling crime thrillers he ever wrote. But Walter Mosley also wrote RLs Dream in which he wrote about a man named Soupspoon Wise whose life has been his music. In his life, Wise has been playing the Blues music all the time but his life also becomes like the Blues music. Blues music was always been used as a way of complaining to the society when it was played. This was a way in which the African American musician complained and expressed the black tragedy and discrimination done to them by the American (White People) Society. Also, Blues music was related to the depression faced by the African Americans. In the novel RLs Dream by Walter the main character Soupspoon Wise was a blues man who was depressed with his life. The aging Soupspoon Wise was lonely, ill and dying of cancer. This is one way of how Wises life has become a depression and it a way of complaining to society like the Blues music. He is lonely and ill and suffering of empties and depression, which can lead to his death. Moreover, another way that Soupspoons expresses his depressant life was talking to a young white woman who tries to save him from dying by looking after him when she found him near a dump. He tells Kiki his life story like how he grew up in the South haunted by the events that occurred in his early life. The racism and racists in the South gave him a sense of self worth and he also talked about the real history of Black people who were burned to death. Moreover, when he met Robert RL Johnson and played the his most remarkable music with his, this meeting still haunted him for the rest of his life because people said that Johnson traded his soul with the devil in return for an unlimited talent. So, you can see that even his most memorable ev ...

Mumbais Dabawalahs - A World Class Service Coursework

Mumbais Dabawalahs - A World Class Service - Coursework Example This is the extent of the power and pervasiveness that modern multinationals have in our world. They dictate many of our choices in everyday things as well as specialized activities. As Annie Leonard has pointed out in her ‘The Story of Stuff’ (2007), 51 percent of the world’s largest economies are those of corporations (Leonard, 3). The case study of the Mumbai Dabawalah’s tiffin delivery service is an excellent example of human endeavour in action. Achieving accurate and fast delivery to over 200,000 hungry office workers every day is no small feat- and that too in an extremely fast turnaround time of twenty seconds of stoppage by the trains-to collection and reversal of the entire process after the lunch break, to reach the dabba home before the worker arrives at the end of the day- is nothing short of phenomenal. With just a code to guide them, the delivery is as unerring as Six Sigma or one defect in a million deliveries (Mullins, 326). Theme from Sect ion A: Attracting and Retaining the Best Staff When it comes to a question of how to attract and retain the best staff, we have to look at the various theories of motivation proposed by different thinkers and writers over the ages. In ancient times, management used the carrot and stick approach or what McGregor calls Theory X and Theory Y (McGregor, 1960) to get the desired results within the organization-some firms still do. Motivation is anything that induces one to perform or do something. Most basic of these is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory, in which he has defined human needs as being in a ladder or hierarchy from the lowest to the highest points- or from the basic physiological needs of food, clothing and shelter to the higher needs for safety and security, further to esteem needs and ending at the point of self actualization needs, where man has achieved his life purpose through his actions and work (Mullins, 257). Very few of us are fortunate enough to re alize this in our lifetimes. Herzberg gives his Two Factor or Hygiene Theory (Mullins, 261) as an explanation on how and what motivates workers based on an actual field experiment that he conducted. He concluded that there were a group of satisfiers and dissatisfiers in every work environment- which could be anything from strict and unyielding work policies or the lack of management attention to the needs of the workers on the negative side, to a fair and equitable wage and hygienic conditions that took into account the health and safety of the workers on the positive side. It is the removal or mitigation of negative factors, and the enhancement of positive factors that would keep the workforce happy and looking forward to returning to work. Quite often we see labor action as a result of management’s apathy to a situation requiring redress such as better working conditions, more rest between assignments, or the need for better pay and benefits. Herzberg was therefore able to prove that money is not the only motivator. The Expectancy Theory developed by Vroom (Mullins, 266) indicates that people will do something if they think it is worth their effort and there are benefits both to themselves and the organization. McClelland mentions that among managers it is the need for Power, need for Affiliation and need for Achievement that are the most important factors (Mullins, 264). It is still debatable whether or not money is the chief motivator, or whether worker treatment and participation and improving the work life balance and quality of working life are more important. Mostly it

The Ineffectiveness of Gun Control Research Paper

The Ineffectiveness of Gun Control - Research Paper Example The longevity of guns, the prevalence of illegal caches of weapons and the lack of respect that criminals have for the law all contribute to gun control as a misguided and ineffective concept that has no effect on violent crime within the United States. Despite arguments to the contrary, gun control does not reduce the amount of violent crime in the United States. Throughout the United States, there are thousands of different gun control laws, which vary not only in the restrictions that they create, but also in how effectively they are enforced. Some laws act to restrict who can purchase guns, by creating purchasing permits, or requiring gun registration, others include safety training before purchase or background checks when a sale is occurring (Moorhouse and Wanner 104). Stories of the lack of logic in current gun control laws abound. A classic example of this is a man who keeps a gun in his house for his own protection, despite the fact that it is illegal. An intruder breaks into the man’s house, and makes a rush at the man, who then shoots the intruder. In many states in America, the man would face criminal charges, and this has happened many times (Wilson 1). This is one of the key arguments against gun control; it punishes the everyday citizens, while not effectively restricting criminals. After all, if a person is not afraid to break the law to rob a house, they are unlikely to be concerned about having an illegal gun. Thus, gun control does not result in less guns in the hands of criminals. The debate on gun control has spurred significant controversy about whether gun control laws are an effective method of reducing crime. Studies of gun control in the United States have mixed results.... Studies of gun control in the United States have mixed results. Most studies have concluded that gun control in the United States does not result in the reduction in violent crime (Moorhouse and Wanner 106). Despite the development of gun control laws, the amount of firearms owned privately has continued to steadily rise, but this has not been matched by the prevalence of violent crimes. Rates of violent crime in the United States have varied considerably (Jacobs 13). This suggests that ownership of guns has no effect on the rate of violent crime, implying that the logic behind gun control laws is fundamentally flawed. Perhaps the strongest piece of evidence against gun control is a report issued by the National Academy of Sciences. The report was 328 pages long, and contained information from close to 400 different sources as well as its own study. The study found that there was no evidence that gun control had any effect on reducing the amount of violent crime that occurs. Another study found that measures such as background checks for people purchasing guns are ineffective, as close to 80% percent of guns owned by criminals were purchased illegally (WND). There is no doubt that the United States has a serious problem with violent crime. Despite the comparatively low levels of crime in recent years, the United States still has more violent crime than other countries in the Western hemisphere, not only in terms of crimes committed with guns, but also for other types of violent crime. In fact, more than 90% of violent crimes that occur within the United States do not involve the use of any weapon (Jacobs 8-10). This suggests that gun control is an innately flawed concept because relies on the assumed relationship between the

Clear sky case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Clear sky case study - Essay Example is regarded as superior to the other tendered internet products due to quality, speed and service and it is when ClearSky is about to sign a deal with this provider that it learnt that its arch rival competitor DarkSword Air had already acquired a controlling interest in SurfShop with the aim of limiting their product for the next two years to their aircraft only. This has prompted ClearSky to re evaluate its strategic plans and present them to the board for approval. The problem is that DarkSword Air, a rival competitor has acquired a controlling interest in SurfShop which was also earmarked to be contracted by ClearSky to install its internet services offering IFE facilities on its aircraft. The acquisition of the controlling interest in SurfShop by DarkSword has prompted ClearSky to review its proposal since its competitor intends to limit the services offered to its aircraft only. In this particular case, SurfShop is a preferred provider by virtue of its service, speed and quality. It can be noted that the cause of the problem is that it ClearSky can no longer be able to access the services offered by the preferred principal vendor and service provider of airborne internet application the company wanted to roll-out globally on their new IFE platform since the controlling interest has been acquired by the other rival competitor which has led to the withdrawal of the proposal in order to develop the new strategic plans and present them to the B oard for approval. The most notable critical factor in this particular case is that there is likely to be a decline in business for ClearSky as the customers would prefer, to use aircraft offered by the competitor which has IFE services. In this case, it is prudent to use a SWOT analysis to try and establish the competitive advantage of ClearSky with reference to the adoption of the new IFE concept which has gained more prominence in the aviation industry especially during the contemporary period. â€Å"A SWOT analysis is a

Changing Workplace And Workforce Expectations Business Essay

Changing Workplace And Workforce Expectations Business Essay The key objective of this literature review is to provide a general survey of relevant theories, academic approaches, available studies and analysis on forecasted shifts in science, technology, communications, geopolitics, and economics between today and 2030 and the impact these factors will have on corporate workforce, employment models and the role of a leader in organization and leadership competencies. The horizon line for strategic planning and forecasts in most cases typically ranges from three months to five years. Trying to imagine what the world of business will be like 20 years from now is a challenging and noble goal but a researcher is exposed to several risks. One of them is to be too futuristic and end up with a science fiction which would have a little correspondence to the objective reality. The importance of the literature search is to avoid this trap and ground the dissertation on realistic, reliable and reasonable facts and evidences. It will also support the designing of research methodology and developing relevant questionnaire for conducting interviews with IBM and non IBM top management and executives. The scope of literature research The business is entering a new era in history undergoing serious changes caused by globalization, economic rise of new regions, dramatic shifts in demographics, science, technology, communications and geopolitics. The research community and leading multinational companies have already embarked on a series of forward-looking discussions to consider the macro trends driving business change in the decades to come, and the implications that will result for business and leaders who will drive the future success. The forecasts and researches done in this area cover such topics as: changing world changing workplace and workforce expectations new employment models and employee engagement instruments that would help business navigate in the future potential leadership styles needed in an organization with new and emerging employment relationships roles and accountabilities a leader of the future will have and potential challenges the leader need to be prepared for The Changing World There are many factors in the environment that affect the organizations and the decisions of the leaders of each organization. Huczynski and Buchanan (2007) argue that the world out there influences the world in there (Figure 1). Internal organization structures, processes and behaviors Lead to External environment factor, trends and developments change in Figure 1 The external environment external environment organization link There are different environmental scanning techniques to analyze the changing external environment. To build the vision of the future and understand the big picture of the macro-environmental influences PESTLE analysis concept (Figure 2) will be used. A PESTLE analysis is often used as a generic orientation tool, finding out where an organization or product is in the context of what is happening outside that will at some point affect what is happening inside an organization (CIPD, 2010). Figure 1. PESTLE Analysis Political factors Most of the researchers agree that by 2025 there will be a global multi-polar system with rise of China, India and some others. Power will be more dispersed with the newer players bringing new rules of the game while risks will increase that the traditional Western alliances will weaken (Global Trends 2025: Transformed World, 2008). USA will remain the provider of global security (FreeWorldAcademy, 2005) but will have to share the power with other new players. Researches expect China becomes a democratic country in 2030 and gain more political power. Some experts also expect greater Asian regionalism by 2025, which may lead to establishment of new quasi-blocks: North America, Europe and East Asia and new wave of political and economical competition (Global Trends 2025: Transformed World, 2008). The potential for conflict and instability is expected to increase in Middle East and North Africa. At the same time McKinsey Global Institute predicts the acceleration of Africas growth where government actions will manage to end political conflicts and improve business climate (McKinsey Global Institute, 2010). Its also expected that global negotiations between regional blocks and national governments on major issues for the planet, such as biodiversity, natural resources, energy policy and trade regulation will increase and possible result in establishment of new alliances and communities. Driven by higher world population, competition for natural resources, pollution levels Green will become fundamental geo-political and business imperative for the planet. Economic factors GLOBALISATION By 2030 the world will become flatter with an expanded base of financial power where barriers to the flow of goods, capital or knowledge will be almost removed (A View of the World in 2030, ACCA, 2010) which will more regulation on a global level. Its also expected that the global power will shift to emerging markets. This statement confirms Goldman Sachs Group Inc. that the market value of emerging-market stocks may grow more to $80 trillion in two decades, overtaking developed nations, as China becomes the worlds largest stock market (Bloomberg, 2010). Multiple centers of economic power will be distributed around the globe and organizations/countries will need to be culturally adaptable to compete in global markets Figure 2. demonstrates forecasted transition of GDP by 2030. Figure 2. Transition of GDP 2030 (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) The transfer of global wealth and economic power roughly from West to East, is the most discussable topic in most of the reports and forecasts. This shift can be explained by several reasons : increases in oil and commodity prices generated big profits for the Gulf states and Russia lower costs combined with government policies have shifted the focus of manufacturing and some service industries to Asia power will shift to the places with political and economic stability (Global Trends 2025, 2008) The world GNI will also undergo the evolution and regional repartition. As indicated on Figure 3. it is expected to reach 94,290 $Billion in 2030 comparing to 39,305 $Billion in 2004. 2004 2030 World GNI 39,305 94,290 Population 6,480 8,200 World income per capita 6,065 11,500 Figure 3. World GNI 2004 2030 (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) This economic trend implies an average growth rate of 3.4% over 26 years. Compared to the population growth rate 1%, it means that the world income per capita will increase by 2.4% per year over the period Asia becomes a strong visible player in the regional GNI repartition (Figure 4). Figure 4. Evolution of the main economic zone in % of the world GNI (Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) Asias emerging consumers are likely to assume the traditional role of the US and European middle classes as global consumers, and to play a key role in rebalancing the worlds economy. Estimated $4.3 trillion in annual expenditures in 2008 becomes $32 trillion in 2030 and comprise about 43% of worldwide consumption (2030 GDP Forecast, Future growth of Asian Countries, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, 2010) Several researches and reports expect the rising BRIC powers which might collectively generate the original G-7s share of global GDP by 2040-2050 (Global Trends 2025, 2008). Meanwhile other sources suggest that new business opportunities will significantly rise in so-called BIICS-Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, and South Africa-shaping up to be business hot spots for many years to come (Working Beyond Borders: Insights from the Global Chief Human Resources Officer Study, IBM, 2010). But the truly new business frontier is named Africa where a group of countries already demonstrated ability to improve macroeconomic conditions, privatised state-owned enterprises, increased openness of trade and lowered corporate taxes, strengthened regulatory and legal systems, provided critical physical and social infrastructure(McKinsey Global Institute, 2010). The rate of return on foreign investment is currently higher than in any other developing region. These factors make this region very attractive for further business development and investments. According to Paul Nunes, Executive Research Fellow at the Accenture Institute for High Performance: Businesses not planning and acting now [to get into Africa] will miss the boat as many did when it came to China. Researchers forecast the standards of living will have risen by 2030. Number of high income people will increase by 8%, number of low income will decrease by 14% but inequalities will remain (Global Trends 2025, 2008). In essence, the economic world will look different than the world today. There will be multiple centers of economic powers, new players will mount the economic and political scene creating new business opportunities, overall, globalized and multi-polar world which will require organizations to re-think their strategies and re-shape their businesses to take full advantage of new opportunities and prosper. Social factors The next 20 years will be characterized by serious and inevitable demographic changes and shifts and their economic, political and social impacts will be enormous. Researchers highlight key demographics marked trends of years to come. World population will increase to 8.2 billion by 2030 with the largest increase projected in Asia and Africa and less than 3% will occur in Europe, USA, Canada, Japan (Global Trends 2025, 2008) Figure.. Population shifts will continue Africa will have the worlds largest working-age population. In 2008 the continent had more than 500 million working-age people and by 2040 its forecasted to exceed 1.1 bln (Figure, 6). Its an open question whether Africa will be able to educate its workforce to make it serious engine for business world. Figure 6. Working-age population 1950-2040 (McKinsey Global Institute, 2010) Longevity will increase significantly almost everywhere and the number of people aged 80 years or over will grow (Figure). Coming decades will be defined by the largest demographic group ever seen. By 2030 at least 3 generations having different mindset, background, expectations and attitudes will meet together in one society and work together for the same employers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division people will be more individualistic and will forge lifestyles based on their own needs rather than social expectations norm will be to work much of the time from home or in small community hubs to avoid carbon costs and charge of lenghthy commutes more people will work as freelancers and neo-nomads expecting more autonomy and freedom power will shift where there is political and economic stability Technological factors Most of researchers emphasize the role of technology in fostering the innovation and bringing about change. Technology will be all-prevasive and universal serving as a key driver for economic and social shifts. L. Gratton (2011) suggests that technology will influence workforce and workplace in many ways the way people communicate with each other, their expectations and even their views on morality and human nature The internet Cloud will deliver low-cost computing services and enable the shift from working as an isolated individual to working collaboratively in a joined world regardless country and time zone of staying (McKinsey and Company, 2010). People across the world will be able to access enormous information including digitalized knowledge. Increased capacity to combine and connect know-how, share knowledge, information and best practices spending significantly less time to send and receive information will lead to people being more interconnected, united by new communities and networks (IBM, 2010). More than 5 bln people will be connected to mobile services (The Economist, 2011) and overall speed of live will rise. The other change which is expected to influence the workforce is massive crowd of computers replacing people in a number of jobs. Forcing the economic growth and social transformation technology will continue to reshape consumer needs, requirements, access to information, choice and interactivity models and demand companies to tap the power of technology to improve their competitive advantage (McKinsey and Company, 2010). Legislative factors The expected changes to happen in the world will place a pressure on labor regulation to force their activities in accommodating a networked, open and competitive world. The worldwide focus on growth will require companies to fundamentally rethink how they manage human resources and overcome barriers. Based on IBM 2010 Global CHRO Study, emerging ways of attracting talent like outsourcing, crowdsourcing, use of freelancers, bringing back retired workers which will assume ever greater importance and necessity to mange new forms of employments will require governments not only to develop new labor regulations but also modern information security norms and standards. The highest standards of corporate citizenship will be required by talent, by governments, by the media. There may not be world law in the foreseeable future, but the worlds legal systems will be networked. The Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), a database of local and national laws for more than 50 participating countries, will grow to include more than 100 counties by 2010. The database will lay the groundwork for a more universal understanding of the diversity of laws between nations and will create new opportunities for peace and international partnership. -Joseph N. Pelton, Toward a Global Rule of Law: A Practical Step Toward World Peace, Nov-Dec 2007, p. 25 Environmental There is a significant pressure to expect by 2030 driven by significant growth in world economy and population and rising aspirations for better standards living. As describe by OECD (Environmental Outlook to 2030, 2008) there are several key environmental challenges the humanity will have to deal with: climate change, biodiversity and renewable natural resources, water, air quality, waste management. To respond to these challenges governments will have to take the responsibility and proactively start developing a serious of actions to protect the environment. Business and consumers will play a key role to help prevent future environment problems. Its obvious that Green will become fundamental geo-political and business imperative for the planet. Changing workplace and workforce expectations Emery and Trist (1965) developed a typology describing four types of environment in which organizations operate and identified the appropriate organizational response. Environmental analysis with PESTLE demonstrates that the organizations 2030 will deal with high dynamism and high complexity pressures from outside. The organizational responses recommended by Emery and Trist (1965) for such environment types are developing fluid organization structures, flexible managers and staff at other levels. Duncan (1979) argues that what really matters is only the management perception. If management does not perceive the environment as turbulent the organizational response will not be as described. Anyway the reality out there has to be observed, studied, analyzed and reacted in an appropriate manner to stay successful (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2007). Being under pressure of future challenges which come from globalization, new era of technologies, social and demographic changes organizations will have to adapt their internal structures, processes, strategies and leader behaviors to enable them to deal effectively with external changes. Many factors that define the workplace 2030 have already become evident alerting the organizations that the time has come to start preparing today for the challenges of tomorrow. PriceWaterHouseCoopers (2010) forecasts three worlds and business models for the future (Figure) This picture of life in tomorrow combines the events and trends which will shape the future and PwC suggests all 3 worlds can co-exist in some form distinct by geographic principle or industry sector. Researchers expect the following key trends to shape the workplace and workforce 2030: Talent will be worldwide. Social networks and future technology will increase the capability for talent to network and for companies to access talent globally and 24/7. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networking sites will become ordinary recruiting sources. As social recruiting spreads from few trendsetters to all the rest companies worldwide it be essential for both employees and employers to develop new set of skills to be successful in this way (The 2020 workplace, J. Meister, K. Willyerd, 2010). But its also expected the War for Smart Talent (www.globalfuturist.com) to be continued and probably even become sharper. There is a serious mismatch between the types of individuals available for work and specific skills employers are looking for (Manpower Talent Shortage Survey 2009). Experienced candidates who possess the required skills will be heavily demanded by the organizations worldwide. Given the increasing collaboration and growing importance of teamwork companies will consider entire teams hiring as a competitive solution to the business problem (IBM CHRO Study 2010). Skills will be specialized. Cost reductions will be an essential part of business imperatives 2020 2030 leading to the dominance of knowledge -intensive work which will require an increasingly complex set of skills. Less generalist, more in-depth mastery of specialist skills will be required. PwC in the Future of work 2020 (2010) predicts that specialization will be highly prized in each of the 3 worlds (Figure ) and employees will do their best to develop the most sought after professional skills. An increased attention by the companies will be paid to soft skills as well like problem-solving, project management and collaboration (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010). Source: McKinsey Global Survey results Five forces reshaping the global economy (Based on online survey, in the field in March 2010) Another challenge the companies are expected to face in the future is multigenerational and increasingly diverse workforce. By 2030 3 or even 4 generations will have to collaborate together in one business environment having different mindset, background, expectations and live values. Most of the Baby Boomers cohort representatives who are now holding many CxO positions will have retired, taking with them lots of knowledge, experience and valuable expertise. It will force the companies to elaborate on ways how to retain the knowledge within the organizations developing new employment structures for soon-to-be retiring people (L. Gratton 2011). Or what we call retirement now will no longer have a traditional meaning? In terms of their characteristics, lifestyles, and attitudes, Boomers were the most populous and influential generation of all. They have defined themselves by their careers and many are workaholics. Their work is seen as a form of self-fulfillment, status, and proving th emselves, i.e., job titles matter. They have crowded into cultural careers such as teaching, religion, journalism, marketing, and the arts. Team orientation is valued. They are anticipated to work longer and harder (Eisner, 2005; Koco, 2006). They are very concerned about health and energy, looking for the sources to stay young, strong and active. Generation X will be in their mid-60s by 2030. They grew up in the time of economic uncertainty under the pressure of political and economic instability. Many wage and job opportunities for young workers were limited until the economic boom of mid-1990s. (Eisner, 2005; Lager, 2006). Success has been less certain for this generation. They do not believe in positive future time, energy, and relationships for advancement like the Boomers did. They have an economic and psychological survivor mentality and consider hard work as necessity. They had to compete in a weak global economy. Diversity and thinking globally are core values of Gen Xers ( Cranston, 2008; Francese, 2004; Ritson, 2007). The core driving business force by 2025 2030 will be generation Y aged 35 45. They witnessed the fast technological evolution with the Internet, Google, eBay, cell phones, PDAs, GPS becoming an admirable part of their lives. Integral parts of their lives is globalization, global citizens, working beyond fiscal boundaries (Hawkins, et al., 2010; Cranston, 2008; Eisner, 2005; Dietz, 2003; Gerritsen, 2008). Most of Gen Y has a strong sense of autonomy and independence, quite adaptable and comfortable in different situations. With blogging, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter anyone can become a reporter, producer, or social advisor. Social networking is a key distinction for this generation (Dickey and Sullivan, 2007; Donnelly, 2008). Gen Y demonstrates an entrepreneurial outlook and is more work/life balance oriented and less committed to an employer than previous generations but demonstrates high commitment when dedicated to a capt uring idea. It has been observed the this generations vales life styles, career development and overseas travel and may be the most adaptable yet in terms of technological skills and values intrinsic aspects of work such as mentoring and training in order to remain marketable (Cennamo Gardner, 2008) They expect flexibility in work hours, dress code, relaxed work environment, recognition for smallest effort and constant feedback and value opportunity to downshift to reach a holistic self-understanding and satisfying meaning in life (IBM, 2011). Generation Z also called the connected generation, digital natives, the net generation (Future of work, 2012) is the newest generation and its hard to say now how they will develop as a generational cohort. By 2030 Gen Z will be taking an increasing role in society and business life. But what is known that they will grow up influenced by the factors described above in PESTLE. That is supposed to be a global and diverse generation. The technol ogical progress and next generation of social networking sites makes it possible to build online communities that are more like someones closest group of friends. (Labi, 2008b; Soltan, 2004). PwC research (2011) revealed that Gen Z will be similar to Gen Y in their expectations. But some features will be even more vivid manifested like desire for work/life balance, rapid career progression, less concern about working hours, high interest in new projects and less commitment to one employer. According to D. Tapscott (2008) Net Geners: Want freedom in everything they do Love to customize and personalize their experience Want to find entertainment in their work Are focused on collaboration and relationship building Have a need for speed They will be living in the world where equality and diversity become a societal norm. Finally, theyre going to be smart smarter even than previous generations. Their ability to process massive amounts of information quickly is actually preparing them to perform more mentally demanding jobs. In effect, an entire generation is training itself to handle more complicated tasks (IBM, 2011). Influenced by expected demographical changes described above organizations in Europe, North America, Canada will face the decline of Caucasian workers and increase of non-Caucasian. It is projected to double from 18% to 17% (The 2020 Workplace, J. Meister, K. Willyerd, 2010) While people managers are trained to deal with many forms of diversity, they will have to be prepared to manage workforce with greater diversity in age, gender and ethnicity. Social networks and virtual workspace. The rapid expansion of the digital universe and advancement in communication technologies will lead to the new meaning of being at work and create new ways on how people communicate with each other. Today for a number of jobs it is no longer needed for people to be physically located in the office to successfully perform job responsibilities and by 2030 it is forecasted most of the employers where the business allows will completely relieve their employees from working 9 to 5 office hours (Hewitt Associates, 2008). People will be free to decide where and how to organize their workplace. But Hewitt also emphasize that this capability can bring some employees new level of work/life balance satisfaction and for others its fostering workaholic tendency leading to lousy employees: tired, depressed, mistake prone, resentful, and eventually burned out (C. Salter, Solving the Real Productivity Crisis, Fast Company, January 2004). Virtual coworking will shape the future workplace. Workers from around the globe of different nations, professions, jobs, social status will be united together by many discussion forums, news groups, and virtual communities making many barriers of the past obsolete. Rapidly developing Cloud technology will make services, applications and resources accessible from any device, anywhere, any time, and if charged pay only for what they use during the time they are using it Through unprecedented access to virtual space the world of knowledge will be digitalized and enriched significantly by user-generated content (L.Gratton, 2010). Approximately 500Â  000 new users are creating every day online profiles and maintaining them on a social network (IBM 2011) and researchers forecast this number to grow over the next decades. The future workplace will look like a place where people collaborate extensively, exchange ideas, and share knowledge. The value of an employee will be determined not only by results achieved but also by how much you contribute your expertise and knowledge back to the organization (J. Meister, K. Willyerd, The 2020 workplace, 2010). The expected growth in virtual-based content will impact many organizational parts from changing corporate culture and standards of how people share knowledge and communicate with each other to the ways, policies and norms of how companys management deals with security and privacy of this explosion of the d igital content. The current workforce lifecycle has outlived its meaning. In the organizations of future individual careers are not based on relative or hierarchical moves but rather on reputational progress. Rather, people will choose the pace and direction of this progression according to their reputation and their own personal goals. Alternative careers will enable individuals to work and contribute throughout their entire lives and well beyond the traditional retirement age. In fact, the notions of retirement and retiree will be removed from our vocabulary since careers are based on the choices that each individual makes and not on the concept of seniority C. Benko and A. Molly introduced the concept of corporate lattice. In the new business world with heterogeneity of backgrounds, personal circumstances, expectations and aspirations it recognizes that career and life are no longer separate spheres but are now interdependent. This concept is expected to be a robust response to multiple changes organizations will face allowing to connect both high performance and career-life fit. Figure below describes how lattice thinking differs from ladder thinking. (C. Benko and A. Molly, The corporate lattice, ). The lattice structures an employees career path as multidirectional with opportunity to move across and down and up ensuring engagement of a diverse workforce driven mainly by desire to work for to be working with the best company, on the best projects, for the best clients, and with the best talent and team members. Source: Deloitte Development LLC, The Corporate Lattice (2010). IBM analysts (2010) elaborated and continued this concept by the next level of organizational development which can be expected by 2030 (Figure). Self-directed global-citizens will be managing their careers in a cube without limiting it to the frames of one organization. To succeed in the lattice-based organizations reputation will gain new meaning. This is the sum total of personal brand, expertise, number of successfully completed projects, ratings given by employers, breadth and depth of social networks, etc (J. Meister, K. Willyerd, The 2020 workplace, 2010). Individuals with a poor or low profile or reputation would ultimately diminish their personal brand and consequently have more difficulty securing opportunities and maintaining their labor rate against others. new employment models and employee engagement instruments that would help business navigate in the future Employee engagement is defined differently by different organizations and researchers. Here are just some of them: Corporate Leadership Council define Engagement as The extent to which employees commit to something or someone in their organization, how hard they work and how long they stay as a result of that commitment. The Gallup Organization argues that employee engagement is the involvement with and enthusiasm for work. When Hewitt Associates thinks engagement is the state of emotional and intellectual commitment to an organization or group producing behavior that will help fulfill an organizations promises to customers and improve business results. But all these definitions have a common base which is employee satisfaction with their work and ability and desire to go the extra mile and demonstrate outstanding on the job performance. Many things will be changing around and inside the organizations of the future but for the sake of sustainability employers will have to create a workplace where employees can build a personal and emotional relationship to the employer brand (J. Meister, K. Will yerd, The 2020 workplace, 2010). Basic human nature has not changed Basic human nature has not changed in 1000s of years and will remain in the future (R.J. Vance, SHRM Foundation, 2006): We want to be better: There is a competitive drive to be more competent and more capable We are social people: We are hard-wired to be part of a group We are meaning-seeking people: We want to make a difference Several sociologists who deal with generations and demographics researches suggest future generations particularly generations Y and Z will place greater importance on feedback, collaboration, self-fulfillment, meaningful contributions, skills advancement, respect, mentoring. The future workplace engagement model (J. Meister, K. Willyerd, 2010) covers the key principles that the future workplace must embody. The essential component is values which would be aligned across the generations and strong brand that employees identify with. . Meister, K. Willyerd (2010) argue there are different areas that contribute to the engagement but the model demonstrates the most important once: recruiting, employee connection, learning and leadership. These practice areas would be realized by organizations based on key principles: Collaboration: in the future external collaboration will grow exponentially Authenticity: key component is transparency through social media

Russo Japanese War Essay -- Russian Defeat, Distance

Is distance an insurmountable problem, judging from the Russian Experience in this conflict and the British experience in the War of American Independence? In order to clearly understand the points presented, insurmountable must first be clearly defined and understood in relation to the case. For this essay insurmountable means that Russia and the British were unable to overcome distance. Distance was the single factor that led to their inability to successfully wage war and defeat their opponents baring all other difficult matters were achievable. In the Russo-Japanese War, distance from theater and within theater was not an insurmountable problem for the Russians. In contrast, distance from and within theater proved an insurmountable problem for the British during the War of American Independence. The Russian’s defeat was a combination of a unaffectionate value of the object (government & people), inadequate leadership (government & forces), and a poorly trained and equipped force that could not t unite their land and sea forces (government & forces). However, the British were severely handicapped by vast area of operations; this impacted their ability to receive supplies, guidance, and reinforcements, as well as project its sea power effectively. By the late 1800’s Russia had infiltrated the Far East, with two naval stations, Port Arthur and Vladivostok, forces based in Manchuria as well as the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Russia military desires in Asia were not of national security importance but that of imperialism and wealth, the former was most important to Nicholas II and the latter of Witte. The Far East expansion would allow Russia to initially capitalize on Manchuria and Korea’s resourc... ... the war (Fuller, pg. 406). The trading capacity of Russia was also in shambles. Domestic trading and trading with Siberia was halted to support the sole use of Trans-Siberian railway for military transport (Warner and Warner, p.317). Revenue was down and the hatred for Nicholas II had increased. Nicholas II was warned that an object so remote and out of touch with the national spirit would only fan the flames of revolution (Koda, p.397). The Revolution was fully blown and the political and economic reform was being demanded. Boycotts and attacks on public officials were common. Nichols II content to lead a nation without the interest of his people, led Russia into war with itself. Russia was losing face value with the world. Matters on the home front needed immediate attention and the war was a distraction that could no longer be afforded or tolerated.

Social Exclusion and Discrimination

Do we, as citizens, have the ability to be included, to function and to participate fully in the varied aspects of today’s society? This essay will look at defining the terms described in the title by exploring research and theories that measure these problems. The essay will identify a group of people who experience one of these struggles, citing evidence to confirm this. The essay will also look at what can be done to prevent people being excluded, oppressed and co.uk/our-changing-society/">discriminated against.Sociology is the study of human social behaviour, especially the study of the backgrounds, groups, establishments, and development of human society, and some theories help to decide why and how to choose between alternative distinctions (Payne 2005). Theories are statements of ideas, and Fook (2002) states that putting names to things help provide explanations and understanding of practice. Payne (2005, p6) stated that â€Å" Because social work is a practical actio n in a complex world, a theory must offer a model of explicit guidance. † There are different sociological theories on social influences, and these are interesting in their comparisons. Emile Durkheim was a structural functionalist. He was also a positivist, believing that society conforms to unwavering laws and that there is an objective reality(Giddens 2001). He operated within a framework that sees society as a complex structure or system in which the parts work together to promote cohesion and stability (Dubois & Prade 1990). Structure in this context refers to any stable pattern of social behaviour; the function aspect is the examination of the consequences of individual actions for the operation of society as a whole. This perspective basically perceives all different parts of a society come together and work as one whole part, in which power is underplayed. This could mean that if an individual or group does not work with the rest of society then they may be excluded. Howe (2002) explains that sociology would be the backbone of the structural perspective within social work and would look at the political, economic and material environment in which people find themselves. He goes on to say that this theory encompasses an anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory perspective and that poverty, inequality and lack of social justice can seriously disadvantage some people and that these disadvantages can contribute to poor social functioning. Structural theorists maintain that these people are not a problem to society but that society has become a problem for them. However, functionalism is often criticized for not adequately explaining change, and placing too much order on order and stability. (Haralambos et al 2004) The conflict theorists view the society from an objective and hierarchical point of view. In this perspective some individuals are inferior to society. The basis of social order is power or intimidation and the only way to change within the society is through a power struggle in which there is a lot of competition. Social class is extremely important in this perspective for it defines an individual’s place in the pyramid of power. Karl Marx was the originator of the conflict theory and described societies like Britain as capitalist systems whereby rich employers and business owners with capital set up businesses which exploit working classes to generate maximum profits (Macionis & Plummer 2008). Therefore, according to this theory, the working classes could be discriminated against. Social exclusion is a multidimensional, dynamic concept which emphasises the processes of change through which individuals or groups are excluded from the mainstream of society and their life chances reduced. (Philip & Shucksmith 1999. ) There is no agreed definition of social exclusion, but there are considered to be conditions that many agree are contributing factors. Shaw et al (2006) described social exclusion as affecting individuals or areas that suffer from linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low income, poor housing, bad health, high crime and family breakdowns. So it has been found that living in a deprived area can drive a person into extreme poverty and/or social exclusion. (Haan et al. 1987, p 989). Therefore, we can conclude that social exclusion is mainly associated with the above circumstances but it is also linked to a lack of social support, social position and empowerment. White (1998) describes the processes leading to social exclusion – including economic change, demographic change, changes to welfare systems and processes of segregation and separation of certain minority groups. Social exclusion is not just about individuals, it can refer to whole communities within which everyone can be affected. For example, areas with high levels of unemployment and deprivation. Sooman & Macintyre (1995) reported that studies in Glasgow showed differences in self-reported health between local areas, with more advantaged areas showing fewer health problems. In the mid 1990’s, this country was distinguished by high levels of social exclusion, with the highest rates in Europe of jobless households and teenage pregnancies (www. socialexclusionunit. gov. uk). Many of these figures worsened during the 1990’s and crime, poverty, exclusion from school and drug/alcohol dependency became significant problems. Nowadays, the concept of social exclusion is taking over from poverty. It does not just mean poor income, it suggests something more than social inequality and so it carries the risk of a multi-tier society or the relegation to the status of the welfare dependent. Robbins, cited in Alcock, 1997). We could, of course, ask the question why is social exclusion a problem? Why should we care about someone who does not participate in key activities of the society in which he or she lives? (Burchardt et al, 2002). After all, not everybody chooses to conform to social norms. So, what if an individual has used their personal autonomy to deliberately exclude themselves from society? A recluse who prefers solitude to company, a youth who chooses to join a criminal gang rather than pursue a career, or the rich people who lock themselves away at the other end of the social scale? Do all these people constitute a social problem, and if so, is it the same kind of problem as those who are socially excluded for reasons beyond their control? (British Journal of Psychiatry 2007. 191). There is, in society, an expectation that people conform to social norms, and if someone behaves or looks differently from what is expected then they could be subject to discrimination, whether their lifestyle is their own choice or has been forced upon them. To discriminate, briefly defined, means to victimize or favour a group or individual because of social, economic, race, gender or religious reasons. The law in Britain recognises two kinds of discrimination; direct and indirect. Direct discrimination occurs when, as defined above, a group or individual is targeted for specific reasons. Indirect discrimination can happen when there are rules or regulations set in place which could exclude certain people. For instance, an employer may state that no hats or headwear are to be worn in the workplace. This could indirectly discriminate against people of certain ethnicity whose religion states that they cover their heads. Discrimination and social exclusion have certain similarities and can be compared by drawing attention to the different types of social discrimination experienced by people. Discriminatory behaviours take many forms but they all involve some sort of exclusion or rejection. These behaviours can be looked at in different ways – for example, anthropologically. Anthropology as a discipline gives powerful insight to personal views and asks the fundamental question, how and why do human beings behave the way they do (Bronowski 1952) and compares the historical development of human society. This can be used in social work by enabling workers to understand different human behaviours and why they may be a product of society. As stated above, discrimination and social exclusion can have similar aspects but a key difference between them are the consequences that can come from discrimination, such as the policies put in place to ensure fair practice for those people who could be discriminated against by illness, age or gender. The core examples of these are the Disability, Age and Sex Discrimination policies now in place. These policies ensure that, legally, people can no longer be discriminated against for having a disability, being too old or too young or because of their gender. The social composition of a population affects the ways in which social discrimination is exercised. In a society with people of multiple identities, for example ethnicity and religion, individuals or groups are likely to face discriminatory problems in multiple ways. The extent and types of discrimination will depend on peoples’ status in the population. Similarly, oppression is also multifaceted and can be caused by fear of someone different, or someone who does not conform to what is thought to be the norm in social standing. It is important to recognise the common themes across the areas of exclusion, discrimination and oppression. Thompson (2006, p40) stated that: â€Å"Oppression can be defined as inhuman or degrading treatment of individuals or groups; hardship and injustice brought about by the dominance of one group over another. There are many parallels between the experiences of people with disabilities, gender issues, homosexuals and ethnic minorities but oppression and discrimination cannot be explained merely by peoples’ personal prejudices. Oppression does not derive simply from individual actions, it can be built into structural and institutional patterns and organisational policies. (Thompson 2001) The fact that we live in a highly stratified society means that inequalities are part of the social order and there are inevitably winners and losers. (Thompson 2001) Rooney (1987) gives an example of this. He describes how a local authority used a word of mouth process to recruit home-help staff. When there were vacancies for these jobs, the existing predominantly white employees would be asked to pass on information of the vacancies to friends and/or family. This meant that knowledge of the posts would only be passed on to a predominantly white group of people, some of whom would be interviewed and consequently employed. Because of this, black and ethnic minorities were systematically excluded, even though it may have been unintentional. There are many authorities and organisations that can be seen as being guilty of this kind of institutional oppression, with the ideas of powerful groups becoming dominant over the minority as quoted by Marx in 1845 â€Å"The ideas of the ruling class are, in every age, the ruling ideas. † Whilst anyone can experience social exclusion, discrimination or oppression, it has been found that certain groups are more vulnerable to them and that they are all linked to a certain degree. It is usually a combination of factors that contribute to social exclusion, thus making it a multidimensional process and not caused by a single unique factor. Madanipour et al 1998, cited in Byrne 2005). One group in particular that experience social exclusion are people that suffer from mental illness. It could be that the majority of negative attitudes towards mental illness are simply a reflection of the lack of understanding of various mental health conditions, and this could have a bearing on any initiative to combat such prejudice in the future. Link et al (1999) reported that though there has been some improvement of general understanding, the public, largely, does wish to maintain social distance from the mentally ill. Hocking (2003) found that people with schizophrenia, specifically, were subject to discrimination in housing, education and employment. Although the public perception of mental illness has been studied vastly, there are few studies to date that concentrate on how the public perceive mental illness within the workplace. Williams and Wilkins (1998) reported that when human resources officers were given vignettes of job applications where the applicants had very similar skills and qualifications, applicants who described themselves as having depression significantly reduced their chance of employment compared to that of applicants with diabetes. Baldwin and Johnson (2004) stated that workers with mental health problems were subject to a greater discrimination and suffered a lower employability ranking than workers suffering from a physical illness. Research also acknowledges that mental illness receives a greater amount of negativity than that of a physical illness. Britt (2000) reported that among military service members there was a strong belief that admitting to psychological or mental health problems at work would make them more discriminated against than admitting to physical problems. Over half of the participants of the report believed that a military service member’s career would be negatively affected by admitting a psychological problem and just under half actually admitted that they would maintain a distance from a co-worker has he or she disclosed a psychological problem. Rush et al (2005) identified 3 known misconceptions linked to people with mental illness: i)They are homicidal maniacs that should be avoided ii) They are rebellious free spirits iii) They have childlike perceptions of the world The most measurable of these is the first one – which could explain some of the exclusion, discrimination and oppression suffered by people with mental health problems. The government has encouraged action in the employment of people with mental illness through its action plan on social exclusion (Social Exclusion Task Force 2006), but levels of unemployment are still significantly high for sufferers even though most of them want to, and are able to work. They usually end up on long term benefit and suffer social exclusion in the form of deprivation, isolation and physical, as well as mental, ill health. Social support is of crucial importance to individuals and groups with mental health problems, and, maybe if there was more trust between people, along with more community cohesion and empowerment, there might be a greater understanding of the difficulties encountered by people with mental health problems and society would discriminate less. In conclusion then, it would seem that there are many similarities between social exclusion, discrimination and oppression. All of these subjects evoke a strong, emotive response from those affected by them. In the UK alone, there are still thousands of people who are in poverty, homeless or have mental health problems and who are consequently excluded from aspects of society or discriminated against. This is despite interventions from health and social care workers from all sectors, the government and educational facilities. PCTs and providers are working hard and making significant progress in improving the accessibility and quality of primary health care in order to keep people healthier for longer and reduce health inequalities (www. wdc. org. uk). Community social work, which was used at the introduction of the welfare state, is going through a regeneration period and the introduction of Sure Start and Family Centres on what the government describes as ‘Sink Estates’ enables the socially excluded to access services and skills to enable them to feel part of society. As with all government initiatives, people regard services with suspicion but social workers are in a position to build trusting and therapeutic relationships within the community. Therefore, although progress is slow, it is not unattainable. There is now evidence, however, which demonstrates that we need to go further to improve the way we meet the primary health care needs of the most socially excluded people within our society, as socially excluded clients often do not show up on needs assessments. The ‘Inclusion Health study (www. swdc. org. uk) has also produced an excellent supporting evidence pack which commissioners can use to help build the case for improvement. There is a clear need for people who work with socially excluded people to stay within a framework of guidelines. For example, social workers need to develop an understanding of the problems that can occur within people’s lives and employ anti-oppressive practice in all aspects of care. It is possible that socially excluded groups feel disempowered and unable to do anything to help themselves and it is the duty of the social worker to hand back power to the service user whilst recognising the personal, cultural and social factors affecting the individual or family in question. There needs to be adequate assessments linked to helping people to solve problems and a sound knowledge of what can cause exclusion or discrimination by using research based evidence. Howe (1993) emphasized the importance of process in evaluation and there are several ways to implement this; for example through personal perceptions, evidence from service users, colleagues and supervisors and advice from other professionals or individuals involved. In short however, the only way to eliminate exclusion of any sort is to raise awareness in the shortfalls of society and eradicate prejudice, bigotry and ignorance.