HRM functions shape employee behaviour Research Paper

HRM functions shape employee behaviour - Research Paper Example EEO and Affirmative Action The federal government has been making efforts for freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, age, color, religion, nationality and disability through its Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) mission. Affirmative action plans are deemed moral and social obligations to amend wrongs done in the past while also eliminating the present effect of past discrimination. Computer technology is increasingly being used to eliminate or reduce discriminatory practices. The same technology increases discrimination against the disabled. In certain organizations only computer-based employment selection tools are used but the visually impaired are at a disadvantage if applications are accepted only through computer systems. It is hence absolutely essential that applicants with such disabilities are provided with alternate solution and methods to submit applications. Companies claim to have policies in place which encourages them to contact the HR department in case they have been wronged but when the application procedure itself has flaws, the question of contacting the HR department does not arise. The visually impaired may have talent that goes untapped. Coates Field Service, Inc has a provision that the contractor is obliged to read out the notice to the visually disabled. To some extent this sounds as an affirmative action because the hiring agent would be having applications from the disabled. However, in such cases, the responsibility is passed on to the hiring agent and the organization absolves itself of accountability against discrimination. It really is difficult to ascertain the efficacy of such a method as it depends upon the selfish interests of the agent now instead of the organization. If the organization is not supportive, retention of disabled staff becomes a critical issue. Planning, recruitment and selection It has become esse ntial to keep abreast of changes in the labor market so that recruitment efforts are not wasted or misaligned. Planning entails assessing the future needs, aligning training with requirements, avoiding redundancies, developing a flexible workforce, and controlling staff costs. However, organizations engage in both internal and external recruitment. As far as internal recruitment is concerned, it saves costs but it also stifles creativity (Gros & Sonntag, n.d.). The same resources are shifted from one department to another. Moreover, conflicts among the employees can be expected as promotions are denied based on seniority if they are found to be lacking in skills. Now in this case the employee may be lacking in skills possibly because adequate training has not been provided, perhaps due to discrimination. Work-life balance and flexibility are essential to get the best out of the employees. Organizations that offer such benefits are preferred;

Han china and imperial rome Essay Example for Free

Han china and imperial rome Essay Rome was very successful because of its superior military authority. That is the main influential factor that cemented Roman power for nearly a thousand years. They had several advantages rapid development of the latest technology and vast numbers of infantry along with a stable senate system and much wealth to fuel their ambitions. It had sewers to control waste, aqueducts for plumbing and paved roads for transport which many other nations simply did not have. Rome had a large assortment of choices when it came to battle. Their army usually consisted of Hastati, Principes or Legionary Cohort in the later years marvelous soldiers and very useful ones to say the least. Having said this, they had access to exceptional horses as well and it was this mixture of troops that was a deciding factor in conflicts. Rome used its sheer force of numbers to overwhelm most enemies and surround them or cave in on their flanks causing a route very quickly. Mind you, tactics were used, but not effectively. The Romans took advantage of technological progressions and were only to happy to inflict deadly harm upon their foes with ballistae, catapults, onagers and numerous other siege equipment. The land they conquered poured much profit into the treasury which was distributed to the armed forces. This was able to give them the latest weapons, brand new armour, plenty of supplies and good morale. You can also look at the sheer amount of land they claimed through war the empire covered Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, parts of the Middle-East, Egypt, and the Africa coastline. Finally, the Romans brought the ideology of Christianity to the people in Europe influencing the events that were to proceed in the future greatly, something that has changed the world today. They will be looked upon in 1000 years (during the Middle Ages) with their beliefs, attitudes, values, lifestyle and ingenuity being emulated.

The Coco Mademoiselle Perfume Commercial Essay -- Marketing, Post Femi

The ideal post-modern woman is a collage of charm, grace, beauty, strength and independence. This ideal is what Keira Knightley epitomizes in the Coco Mademoiselle perfume commercial. A far cry from the original feminist movement which was entrenched in politics this post-feminism created a realm where woman sought all the riches of the feminist movement but shunned the feminist title (Goldman 1992, 130). Keira is presented as a beautiful independent woman, who is free from the hold of men and sexually liberated. However, through close examination, it is clear that her independence is in relation to her power over the men in the commercial. Further, this power is simply power over the man whom she wishes to seduce. The commercial begins with Keira slipping into her loft in the early morning, wearing only a men’s white dress shirt and black hat. She looks past the camera, never making eye-contact. Keira is presented as the super-woman which Goldman (1992) describes as â€Å"sublimely self-confident and secure, poised, effortlessly beautiful, [moving] with a style and grace called ‘presence’... independent and successful; liberated, yet feminine and romantic; modern, yet traditional at the same time† (107-108). By looking past the camera Keira becomes the subject of envy. This envy can only be achieved by distance, we look to her but she does not look back at us, her demeanour signifies confidence, which we watch but do not have a connection to (Goldman 1992, 118). Throughout the ad, Keira exudes a confidence in a playful yet mature way. This confidence, however, rises from her relation to men. At the beginning of the commercial she is dressed in a way that implies she has just left her lover’s room. So the ‘presence’ which she hold... ...desire for control leads to a fetishization of the female body. This fetishization in turn lends itself to the consumption of commodities (Goldman 1992, 113), as the perfect femme fatal is impossible to achieve outside of a James Bond movie. This all for control over men, which ironically shows that if so much emphasis is placed on control of men, are woman really in control? The feminist movement was aimed at gaining equality between sexes, yet we have raped this movement of all its political meanings. Women have objectified themselves in order to gain power over men, while pursuing freedom from the objectification of men. This Chanel commercial clearly demonstrates how woman objectify themselves in order to show a form of control over men. This need for control actually shows women’s failure to justify their position in society separate of its relation to men.

Invisible Man Essay: Invisible Man and the Pre-Made Identity

Invisible Man and the Pre-Made Identity    Society forms definitions, or stereotypes, of people according to the color of their skin, their economic status, or where they live. Stereotypes define how society believes these people should act and how they should be treated. These stereotypes are, in effect, a pre-made identity. There are three options an individual must face when presented with this pre-made identity. The individual can accept this identity as his/her own. This would maximize the individuals acceptance into society, but at a considerable price. The individual would lose power, become exploitable, suppress and consequently lose his/her own "true identity," and then would become one of many faces in the crowd. The "true identity" would be stifled and strangled under the one imposed by society. Anger, frustration , and confusion would occupy the mind of the individual. The individual could reject this identity outright and could circumvent the accumulation of this anger and confusion, but not without consequences. This person may be branded a heretic and be rejected by society. They would lose their agency and legitimacy in the society and would lose any hopes of bringing about any change. The third option entails living a lie. On the surface the individual would embrace society's identity, bu t keep their true self hidden within. This option would allow the person to retain their agency in the society and their individuality. However, like the other two options, there exists a downside. The person would constantly have to put on the mask a particular community wants him/her to wear in order to conform to that community's ideals. It then becomes almost impossible for anyone to get to know the real person, hid... ...come invisible.      Works Cited and Consulted Bellow, Saul. "Man Underground" Review of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Commentary. June 1952. 1st December 2001 Available: http://www.english.upeen.edu/~afilreis /50s/bellow-on-ellison.html Ellison, Ralph. Going to the Territory. New York: Random House, 1986. Fabre, Michel. "In Ralph Ellison's Precious Words." Unpublished Manuscript. 1996. 30 November. <http://www.igc.org/dissent/archive/ Ellison/early.html Howe, Irving. "Review of: Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man" Pub. The Nation. 10 May 1952. 30 November 1999. <http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/howe-on-ellison.html. O'Meally, Robert. The Craft of Ralph Ellison. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1980. O'Meally, Robert, ed. New Essays on Invisible Man. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988.

Multicultural counselling issues

Gender plays role in racial discrimination because males and females of a different ethnicity are treated in different ways.   In particular instance, females of a specific ethnic group experience at least two forms of discrimination based of her race, gender, religious belief, age and social status.   The term racism is strongly associated with hatred and prejudice of an individual’s identity including any aspects of his identity and sexual orientation hence females experience a different manner of discrimination. International groups such as the United Nations have regarded racial and gender discrimination as two independent issues resulting in females continuing to suffer from numerous types of injustices.   It is thus essential that the gender component of racial discrimination be well understood in order to draw actions towards racial discrimination that are helpful to both males and females. There are several instances when the issues of gender and racial discrimination interconnect (Crenshaw KW, 2000).   The interplay of these two concepts may take different modes and arise in different circumstances.   One situation involves gender-based violence.   In this situation, females are more likely to experience more cases of violence because discrimination that is influenced by gender depicts females as the most defenseless elements of society. Inclusion of the concept of racial discrimination thus generates violence on females, making them twice at risk of violence.   These kinds of circumstances tend to be more difficult because certain women from remote areas may be hesitant in reporting any violent incidents that they have experienced because they are concerned that no action will be performed with regards to their report or that their statement will be received with indifference or hostility. Another situation wherein gender is interconnected with racial discrimination can be observed among impoverished women.   It has been estimated that approximately 1.3 billion individuals who are living in extreme need are women (UNDP, 2000).   Such condition is strongly related to their inability to receive any form of education as well as training courses hence rendering them under-qualified for most of the available employment. Simultaneously, the trends of globalization and alteration in governmental laws have resulted in more problems for women because gender inequalities were exposed.   One example can be observed among governments that do not provide unemployment insurance of single mothers or female heads of households. The merged effect of gender and racial discrimination may also hinder the retrieval of women to economic resources, including loans, credit and real estate property and can also affect the treatment they receive when they request for social services from the government.   Such hardship thus endangers women to poverty and financial hardship. Gender is also intertwined with the issue of racial discrimination in terms of education.   It has been discovered that the global literacy rate for women is significantly lower than that among men.   The discrepancy in literacy rate between men and women is even greater in developing countries.   More than half of out-of-school children are girls and that among illiterate adults, two-thirds are comprised by women.   These gender-based illiteracy reports show that females have less access to educational resources which in turn results in a lower rate of participation in training programs. Such decrease in education restrains females in their full understanding and awareness of their legal rights, including the right to be employed and to own real estate properties.   The access of females to education through attendance in school is also affected by circumstances of early pregnancy, childrearing and domestic family responsibilities.   The lack or insufficiency of knowledge on reproductive health among women due to poor access to educational resources further hampers the living conditions of women.   It is well-known that education is strongly correlated with employment options and financial stability, hence women are at a disadvantage with regards to availing such opportunities. 2.   Due to the increasing diverse population in our society, it is imperative for mental health practitioners to increase their cultural awareness and cultural competence in the process of psychotherapy.   A culturally competent therapist is one who has moved from ignorance to being educated with his/her own cultural heritage and to respecting differences.   In addition, he/she is cognizant of how his/her values and biases affect minority clients. A culturally competent therapist must acquire specific knowledge related to the history of cultural standards and lifestyles about the minority group with which he/she is working.   It is also important to have a thorough knowledge of socio-political factors and how they affect these marginalized groups in relation to the majority culture.   In addition, a culturally competent therapist should understand value assumptions (abnormality and normality) that are fundamental in the major schools of therapy and how they may influence the values of the culturally different. Some major models may limit the abilities of the culturally different client due to the generic characteristics of therapy including language issues; culture bound values and class-bound values. At the skills level, a culturally competent therapist should be able to tap into a wide variety of verbal and nonverbal responses. The focus should be to practice with a multitude of response modalities rather than relying on narrow set of skills in therapy. The application of psychology is largely a product of individualistic cultures and may be questionable when applied to collectivist cultures.   Individualistic and collectivist cultures are exact opposites on a continuum of how people interact with others and the collectivist values may often clash with the individualistic values inherent in the counseling and psychotherapy process. The psychoanalytic approach emphasizes achieving insight through the discovery of unconscious thoughts, feelings and motivations, which is similar to other ethnic cultural concepts such as striving for self-development through the process of introspection.   Although insight-oriented approach is appealing to most clients of different ethncities, they practice the process of self-examination privately and not revealed to others.   Hence, clinicians should attend to the possible uneasiness of the client while exploring the most intimate thoughts and feelings in their inner world. For example, most Asian clients anticipate quick symptom relief when they actually do seek mental health services.   Rather than mere reliance of free association, the clinician could instill structure in the therapy session by asking questions and giving directions to the client.  Ã‚   This would not only maximize the effectiveness of therapy outcome but also meet the client’s expectations in treatment.   One way of addressing of this problem is for the clinician to educate the client at the onset therapy the nature and rationale of psychoanalytic approach to ease the client into the process. Some of the more commonly complaints made by Asian clients is their impatience in the process of psychoanalytic therapy with the clinician’s pace in addressing the client’s symptoms; focus of the past rather than the present and lack of structure in the session.  Ã‚   Exploration of the client’s life events that are relevant to them such as migration experiences would inadvertently elicit important information such as past memories of childhood and or parental influences.   Clinicians should be aware of other culture’s worldviews and values and the similarities and differences that exist with the host culture. These values and beliefs are inherent in tales, fables and myths in a culture.   For example, hierarchical transference is common in Asian cultures where the client brings the Asian values of filial piety (children’s obligation to care for elderly parents) and respect to authority.   In addition, authority figures are idealized as benevolent in Asian cultures hence the client experiences a positive relationship with the therapist similar to that of a parent and child, in which the client will obey and respect the therapist.   Clinicians can work through this transference by offering a positive interpretation of this type of hierarchical transference as well as respecting the client’s cultural values. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The refusal to work with a homosexual client is an ethical violation because counseling should be provided to any individual regardless of culture, gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity.  Ã‚   The Rehabilitation Act Amendment of 1992 discretely describes that actions of inequitable treatment of minorities or members of an ethnic group or gender have been observed in majority of rehabilitation operations.   Research has indicated that cultural diversity is a common factor that a counselor has to deal with during his routine operations and that positive results have increased when personal information with regards to the patient are disclosed to the counselor prior to treatment or consultation. Disclosure provides ample time for the counselor to prepare himself for the encounter with the patient, together with the patient’s background, including sexual orientation, religious belief, cultural background and ethnicity.   The refusal of a counselor to work with a homosexual client thus is an ethical violation because the counselor restricts himself from providing his services to any individual who requests his service.   Every individual should have an equal opportunity to request and receive services from a counselor and any other healthcare practitioner, regards of the details of his background. For my future counseling practice, I will also employ the self-disclosure strategy in order to accommodate the multicultural setting of my practice.   I think the if I start to self-disclose my information to the client before counseling, the client will feel more relaxed and comfortable to interact with me during counseling sessions because my client will feel that he is not alone in terms of self-disclosure choices. References Crenshaw KW (2000):   Gender-related aspects of race discrimination, background paper for Expert Meeting on Gender and Racial Discrimination, 21-24 Novem-ber 2000, Zagreb, Croatia (EM/GRD/ 2000/WP.1). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2000): Poverty Report 2000: Overcoming Human Poverty.         

The Treatment of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice essays

The Treatment of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice essays The treatment of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice has long been a controversial issue. In the context of the play, Shylock hates Antonio and seeks his revenge in an unusual and even garish way by demanding a pound of flesh. Any villain would be seen as extremely villainous for that sort of behavior, but the villainy of Shylock has been tied to the idea that the play is saying his villainy derives from his being Jewish. In fact, such a view ignores the comic nature of the play itself and also the way Shakespeare gives Shylock real motivations for his actions and treats him more as a human being than would be likely if this were an anti-Semitic stance. First, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice has a number of reasons for hating Antonio and for seeking revenge on him and those Shylock sees as like him. Shylock is a Jew, and he believes he is shunned and hated by Christians. This alone differentiates his treatment in the play from an anti-Semitic rant, for Shakespeare recognizes that society does often demonize the Jew and that such a judgment is unfair, so much so as to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. He further discovers that his daughter, Jessica, has eloped with Lorenzo and intends to convert to Christianity herself. These events come on the heels of all the other reasons he detests Antoniobecause Antonio lends money and does not charge interest, because Antonio has denigrated him in the past, and because Antonio is a Christian. Tubal is his friend and brings him news that Antonio's ship has disappeared. He also has been asked to find out about Jessica but at this point has learned nothing new. Shylock speaks of everything in terms of money, and this includes his daughter: "A diamond gone, cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort!" (III.i.77). The news that his daughter has not been found is coupled here with news that Antonio's ship has been lost, linking his anger over his daughter with the man he will try to ...

How to Identify Northern White Cedar

How to Identify Northern White Cedar Northern white-cedar  is a slow growing native North American boreal tree with the scientific name Thuja occidentalis.  Arborvitae  is another name for the tree in its cultivated and commercially grown from which is  planted in yards and landscapes throughout the United States. This nursery-derived version of the white-cedar is prized for the unique flat and filigree sprays made up of tiny, scaly leaves.   Northern white-cedar  has also been called eastern white cedar and swamp-cedar. The name arborvitae meaning tree of life was given the tree and was the first North American tree to be transplanted and cultivated in Europe.   Ethnobotanical history suggests that 16th-century French explorer Jacques Cartier learned from  Native Americans how to use the trees foliage to treat scurvy. Scurvy was an insidious  disease that ravaged humans that had no ready source of  ascorbic acid or vitamin  C. A decoction of the exported trees sap was sold in Europe as a curative medicine. A record tree in Michigans Leelanau County measures 18 feet in circumference and  113 feet  (34 meters)   in height.   Where the Northern White Cedar Lives You will find that the main range of northern white-cedar extends through the southern part of the eastern half of Canada and down to an adjacent northern part of the United States. Looking at its U.S. Forest Service range map, you will see specifically that it extends west from the Gulf of St. Lawrence through central Ontario to southeastern Manitoba. Eastern white cedars southern U.S range extends through central Minnesota and Wisconsin to a narrow fringe around the southern tip of Lake Michigan and east through southern Michigan, southern New York, central Vermont and New Hampshire, and Maine.   Northern white-cedar prefers a humid climate and where the annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 46 inches.  Although it does not develop well on extremely wet or extremely dry sites, the cedar will do well on cool, moist, nutrient-rich sites and particularly on organic soils near streams or boreal swamps. The principal commercial uses of northern white-cedar are for rustic fencing and posts because of the woods resistance to rot. Other important wood products made from the species includes cabin logs, lumber, poles, and shingles. The wood fiber is also used as paper pulp and particleboard. Identification of the Northern White Cedar The leaf (if you can call it a leaf) is actually evergreen and scale-like off main shoot sprays. They are  1/4 inch long with long points. Lateral shoots are flattened, 1/8 inch long with short points. The  species is monoecious meaning that the tree has both male and female reproductive parts. Female parts are green with 4 to 6 scales and male parts are green tipped with brown scales. The fruit is a  cone, only 1/2 inch long, oblong and protrude upright on the branches. Cone scales are leathery, red-brown and rounded, with a small spine on the tip. New growth on each twig is green and scale-like and occurring in very flattened foliar sprays.The bark is fibrous, red-brown, weathering to gray. You will often see diamond-shaped bark patterns and the trees form is a  small to medium-sized tree shaped like an arrowhead or a pyramid. The Commercial Arborvitae Varieties Probably the most commonly planted Arborvitae planted in the North American landscape is the Emerald Green variety. It has great winter color and is one of the most popular hedge plants within its range and is also extensively used outside its range in the Pacific Northwest. Many arborvitae varieties can be planted as a very reliable, small to medium ornamental in American yards outside the natural range of  Thuja  occidentalis.  You  can  see more than 100 cultivated varieties used extensively in dooryards, in hedgerows, in borders and as a single large striking specimen in a large landscape. You will also see this tree along driveways, building foundations, subdivision entrances, cemeteries, and parks. White-Cedar has many cultivars, many of which are shrubs. Popular cultivars include: ‘Booth Globe’  Ã¢â‚¬ËœCompacta’‘Douglasi Pyramidalis’‘Emerald Green’ - good winter color‘Ericoides’‘Fastigiata’‘Hetz Junior’‘Hetz Midget’ - slow growing dwarf‘Hovey’‘Little Champion’ - globe shaped‘Lutea’ - yellow foliage‘Nigra’ - dark green foliage in winter, pyramidal‘Pyramidalis’ - narrow pyramidal form  Ã¢â‚¬ËœRosenthalli’‘Techny’‘Umbraculifera’ - flat-topped‘Wareana’‘Woodwardii’