Decision Making Ethic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Decision Making Ethic - Essay Example Ethical dilemmas ften invlve uncertainty and, when rights and duties are in cnflict, it is difficult t find guidance. Ethics is receiving wide-ranging discussin in tday's ppular press as well as in accunting literature. Many accuntants find themselves perplexed by these arguments because they have nt been expsed t a practical methd f dealing with ethical dilemmas. N frmal training and few pprtunities in everyday wrking life have been prvided fr accuntants n a sustained basis. Greek ecnmic, philsphical, religius, legal, business, scial, and ther prblem areas and prpsed slutins are fund in their legal cdes and in their religius and philsphic writings (Frederick 62). The Scratic philsphers and military are the chief surces f the ecnmic, business, and scial thught f that day; their writings are intertwined with philsphy, ethics, and plitics. T btain a better feel fr precisely what impact these early writers and thinkers had n present day management and ethical, mral, and scial practices, tw f these Greek writers will be examined. First, the writings f Plat (427B.C. - 347B.C.) and then Aristtle (384B.C. -- 322B.C.) will be examined. The scpe f Plat's and Aristtle's writings was wide and represented the general thinking and beliefs f the Greek philsphers f that time; they delved int the ecnmic and scial system in its parts, hw it shuld wrk, and hw it shuld be used t achieve the desired gals and bjectives (Buchhlz and Rsenthal 62). Even thugh the early Greek and ther cultures have had a prfund influence n tday's business activity and scial respnsiveness, they run a far secnd t the impact that the Hebrew and Christian religins have had n ttal wrk, ethics, mrals, and scial respnsiveness. In many areas the Hebrew and Christian appraches t the ethical, mral, business, human, and scial prblems were cnsiderably different frm that f the Greeks and ther cultures (Dnaldsn 70). With the cllapse f the Rman Empire, the early and mid-perid saw the grwth f the feudal system, the grwth and increasing pwer f the Cathlic church, and the teachings f its fremst spkesman: Saint Thmas Aquinas. The feudal system existed in the latter days f the Rman Empire in a scattered frm and grew rapidly during the Dark Ages as a means f selfpreservatin and prtectin fr many f the prer peple. In rder t secure prtectin frm murder, rbbery, and vilence, many f the peple sld themselves int a level f subservience, including the lss f their individual freedm, t the peple wh were mre pwerful than they were and wh culd ffer them sme frm f prtectin (ppenheim 45). This "in between" grup was referred t by sme as the frerunners f ecnmic liberalism. In reviewing these peple and grups it shuld be nted that as mvement is made int the latter part f the perid and int the study f the views, philsphies, and writings f sme f the ecnmists, ther than fr the physicrats, there is a marked decrease in emphasis placed n the equality f mankind and the helping f ne's fellw man. The 1930s signaled a transitin frm a primarily laissez-faire ecnmy with industrial pwer and might in cntrl t a mre mixed ecnmy with unins and gvernment taking a

Nus 170 assignment 1 zhong Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nus 170 1 zhong - Assignment Example Jack does not consume any whole grains contrary to the requirements of the dietary table at > 5 OZ while he is over consuming on refined grains at 8 OZ. On vegetables, jack doesn’t consume any contrary to the dietary requirements of 3.5 cups while he consumes  ¼ cup dairy which is below the bar set by the dietary table of 3 cups. Fruit consumption is insignificant as he does not consume any in contrary to dietary requirements of 2  ½ cups. Generally, jack’s consumption does not conform to the dietary table requirements as most food groups are under consumed as compared to is required to be consumed. Jack under consumes 73.63% of all the foods groups. He is not keen in keeping the dietary requirements and this is hazardous to the body health. He efficiently utilizes 21.05% of the food groups while he over utilizes 5.32% of the food groups. It is alarming in the case that jack does not put into consideration health issues arising from food consumption as the report shows some instances where food group consumption is close to zero and indication of not taking serious his set targets. (5pts) Jack has been experiencing symptoms of GERD lately. He would like to try some dietary solutions. In addition to the above, using your textbook as a reference, write a brief dietary recommendation for Jack that may alleviate his GERD symptoms. Use your textbook for guidance, write at least 200 words and be specific. Gastro esophageal reflux disease is as a result of a defect in the relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter that allows contents of the stomach to jump back to the lining of the esophagus that is unprotected. This is brought about by the consumption of oily and spicy foods, onions, chocolate, caffeine and carbonated beverages. Jack should opt to taking tea instead of coffee to reduce the caffeine content in the body and at the same time avoid carbonated beverages

Australia Essay Example for Free

Australia Essay The downturn in the international financial crisis has compounded Australias tourism industry. Relevant departments recently predicted that Australia will be reduced by inbound tourists this year, more than 4% the past 20 years Australian tourism industry is facing the most severe blow. Australian Bureau of Statistics data released ,2007-2008 Australian tourism contribution to gross domestic product was 3.6%, while this proportion was 4.7% previously. Therefore, the tourism industry downturn will inevitably affect Australias economy as a whole. The largest source of tourism is the lack of trouble. Australian Tourism and Transport Forum executive director Ã¥ ¥ ¥Ã¥Ë† ©Ã§ » ´Ã¥ ¨â€¦Ã¦ ²Æ' thinking recently pointed out that the traditional source countries as Australia and the tourism industry of the United States, Britain, Japan and South Korea economy continues to decline, resulting in significantly reduced visitors to Australia, the situation in the future may continue to deteriorate. According to relevant departments of Australia forecasts, in addition to visitors from New Zealand will increase in times of adversity, the next six months, tourists from other countries will be the number of tourists fell by double-digit rates. Australias tourism industry suffered a downturn has begun to transfer to the related industries. According to statistics, about 48.3 million people in the Australian tourism practitioners, but this number is shrinking. So far, Australias hotels, motels, apartments and other services have been cut more than 3,000 jobs, 63% of the Australian main tourist services may be further layoffs. Solidarity of the aviation industry and tourism will naturally be immune. Australia and Australia Airlines 14 announced, as expected full-year profit will be significantly lower than previously expected, the company will cut as many as 1,750 jobs. Qantas also said the same day, has been postponed to buy 4 Airbus A380 and 12 other aircraft. Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said Qantas no choice, only to make large adjustments to ensure that the company weather the storm. He also said that if economic conditions continue to deteriorate, the company may be further layoffs. Some economists believe that Qantas job cuts and other measures related businesses will have a negative impact on the Australian economy. However, Australian Treasurer Huaiensiwang said the Australian governments economic stimulus plan is to gradually play a buffer role. Immediate challenge for the Australian Tourism Export Council head é © ¬Ã§â€° ¹Ã¦ ¬ £Ã¦   ¼Ã¨â€™â€š that the Australian tourism industry has experienced many times before the fight, but later achieved a rapid recovery. He said he believed a rainbow after the storm. Australias tourism resources are very rich, exotic natural beauty, the unique ecological environment, cultural diversity and contrast the developed economy is the basic condition for the rapid development of tourism. (A) of the inbound tourism 1968 Australia received only 24 million foreign tourists, 81 million U.S. dollars, tourism foreign exchange earnings. Into the 90s, the Australian economy each year for the tourism industry to bring the output value of more than 200 million Australian dollars, worth of 80 billion Australian dollars. Number of Foreign Tourists in 1996 reached 416.? 50000 visits, tourism, foreign exchange 87. 0.3 billion U.S. dollars, tourism foreign exchange earnings has more than wool, coal, iron ore and wheat, and other traditional export products, became the countrys fastest growing, most foreign exchange industry. According to the World Tourism Organization, Australia in 1998 a world where international tourism receipts, international tourists all over the continents of the world, Japan has become the largest source country of Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Britain and continental Europe, its traditional source markets. In recent years, tourists from China and Koreas rapid growth. Purpose of travel to the main tourist resort, followed by visiting friends and relatives and business travel. (B) Outbound Tourism Australias rapid economic development after World War II one of the countries? Per capita GDP in 1997 to $ 20,540 of the world high-income areas. 1990 Australian tourists going abroad for the first time broke the 200 million people in 1996 to 273.2 million overseas tourist arrivals. According to the World Tourism Organization, Australia study tour in 1991, the total expenditure reached 38. 800 million U.S. dollars, foreign travel destination ranks No. 1 in Asia, especially Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and mainland China and other areas, and this is Oceania, Europe and North America also followed suit. (C) of the domestic tourism Tourism has become Australias an important part of peoples lives, the domestic tourists in 1990 reached 58.446 million people, equivalent to the total population of more than 3 times, entertaining vacation spot. According to statistics, vacation and pleasure trips accounted for 42%, 29% visiting friends, meeting business accounted for 15%; the main way to travel with their drive to account for 3 / 4, the time spent traveling an average of 4.? 6 days. In the summer in Australia in January this year, every Christmas, New Year, but also a time when the school summer holidays, the Friends have brought people to his family or vacation, the formation of the annual peak travel. 7-8 two months in winter, is the low season In the economic crisis environment, still won the Australian Hotels recognized international tourists. According to the Global Online Travel Group the data presented, there are more this year than last year, Australias most popular hotel into the Global 1000 list of hotels. The third consecutive year, Expedia Insiders Select List will be in Adelaide Majestic Roof Garden Hotel named best hotel in Australia, and the 24th highest in the world.

Role of Psychological Contract in Starbucks

Role of Psychological Contract in Starbucks The concept of the invisible contract can also be expressed as psychological contract which entails the unwritten employment relationship between the employer and the employee. It is an unspoken set of beliefs usually hidden or remains invisible, held by both parties which co-exist with the written contract of employment. The psychological contract is used to refer to the perceptions of what both employers and employees have regarding their business relationship based on what they are to give and receive from each other respectively. This concept can be traced back to Ancient Greek Philosophers as well as social contract theorists like John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. Kotter (1973) describes the psychological contract as an implicit contract with specifications of how both the individual and organisation are meant to behave in their employment relationship. The psychological contract is an abstract relationship between employers and employees driven by their perceptions of values. According to Cluterbuck (2005) value has three core meanings and they are value as respect, value as worth and value as beliefs. Value as respect refers to the perceptions of the employees towards the organisation with regards to how the employee feels about working with that particular organisation. If the employees feel that they are contributing positively to the organisation and if these efforts are being recognised by the organisation, the hidden orientation becomes successful. Value as worth on the other hand refers to how the employers and employees create added value for each other through reciprocal rewards. For example, the organisation providing Good pay and providing training and development opportunities for the employees while the employees in turn add value to share holders in order to raise capital. In this proposal various psychological aspects will be described in the context of organization and also its employees and also the appropriate methodology for this research will be discussed for the further completion of the investigation. 1.1 Research Question What is the role of the invisible contact or psychological contract between employers and employees in Starbucks coffee in City East District? 1.2 Key Aims This research seeks: To compare the Old and New Types of the Psychological contract To explore the opinions of a selection of Starbucks Coffees employees and their managers about their side of the psychological contract. To evaluate the assumptions both employers and employees have towards the concept of the psychological contract. To explore how psychological contracts can be enhanced to increase competitive advantage in supermarkets. To examine the changes in the psychological contract over the years, the reasons for the changes and the influence the new contract is having over both employees and the organisation. 1.3 Background of the Company: Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and more than 800 in Japan. Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, snacks, and items such as mugs and coffee beans. Through the Starbucks Entertainment division and Hear Music brand, the company also markets books, music, and film. Many of the companys products are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks-brand ice cream and coffee are also offered at grocery stores. In May 1998, Starbucks successfully entered the European market through its acquisition of 65 Seattle Coffee Company stores in the UK. The two companies shared a common culture, focussing on a great commitment to customised coffee, similar company values and a mutual respect for people and the environment. CHAPTER 2 2.0 Literature Review This chapter highlights the major arguments surrounding the concept of the psychological contract. The psychological contract is unwritten and therefore it is merely implied but could be explicit to some extent but not necessarily allow for agreement to the parties involvement. It can differ from individual to individual as well as from various organisations because individuals have various perceptions even with the same terms and conditions it still varies amongst individuals. The concept of the psychological contract can be traced back to Ancient Greek Philosophers and social contract theorists like John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. William Morris described Love of work as a Man at work creating something which he feels will exist because he is working at it and wills it and is therefore exercising the energies of his mind, soul and body (Morris 1870). 2.1 Definitions of the Psychological contract Agyris (1960) has been given credit for bringing to limelight the concept of psychological contract. He describes the psychological contract as a set of practical and emotional expectations of benefits that both employers and employees have of each other. Kotters (1973) defines the psychological contract as an implicit contract between an individual and his organisation which specifies what each is expected to give and receive from each other in the relationship. Morrison and Robinson (1997) on the other hand describe the psychological contract as an employment belief about the reciprocal obligations between that employee and his or her organisations where these obligations are based on perceived promises and are not necessarily recognised by agents of the organisation. According to Schein (1978) the psychological contract was described as a set of unwritten reciprocal expectations between the individual employee and the organisation. According to Goddard (1988), the way psychological contract is managed will determine how successful an organisation will become. The psychological contract entails what both parties to the contract (i.e. the employer and employee) expect from each other based on their employment beliefs and values. 2.2 Types of Psychological Contract Rousseau (1995) describes four types of psychological contract. The first type is the transactional which is short term and there is very little involvement of the parties, employees are more concerned with compensation and personal benefits rather than being good organisational citizens (Robinson et al 1994). The second type of psychological contract is the relational, which is a long term type focuses on more emotional factors like support and loyalty rather than on monetary issues like pay and compensation. The third type is the hybrid or balanced which aims at long term relationships between employers and employees as well as specifying performance requirements. The fourth type is the transitional contract which according to (Rousseau, 1995) does not offer any form of guarantee because of the ever changing nature of the organisations environment. Short Term Long term Transactional (ex. retail clerks hired during Christmas shopping season) Low ambiguity Easy exit/high turnover Low member commitment Freedom to enter new contracts Little learning Weak integration/identification Balanced (ex. high involvement team) High member commitment High integration/identification Ongoing development Mutual support Dynamic Transitional ex. employee experiences following merger or acquisitions) Ambiguity/uncertainty High turnover/Termination Instability Relational (ex. family business members) High member Commitment High affective commitment High integration/identification Stability Table 1: Types of Psychological contract (Rousseau 1995 Pg 17) The psychological contract is an abstract relationship between employers and employees driven by their perceptions of values. According to Cluterbuck (2005) value has three core meanings and they are value as respect, value as worth and value as beliefs. Value as respect refers to the perceptions of the employees towards the organisation with regards to how the employee feels about working with that particular organisation. If the employees feel that they are contributing positively to the organisation and if these efforts are being recognised by the organisation, the hidden orientation becomes successful. Value as worth on the other hand refers to how the employers and employees create added value for each other through reciprocal rewards. For example, the organisation providing Good pay and providing training and development opportunities for the employees while the employees in turn add value to share holders in order to raise capital. There must also be a sense of equilibrium her e so the parties involved feel a sense of fairness. There are two main types of psychological contract and they are the Transactional and Relational Psychological contracts. The transactional focuses on short term and specific monitory agreements with little involvement of the parties where employees are more interested in good benefits and compensations. The relational psychological contract on the other hand is a long-term contract that focuses on support and loyalty rather than on monitory issues, it is a more emotional contract. Rousseau (1990) categorisation of obligations as relational or transactional is shown below (Table 2) Employer Obligations: Transactional Employer Obligations: Relational Employee Obligations: Transactional Employee Obligations: Relational Advancement Training Notice Overtime High Pay Job security Transfers Loyalty Merit Pay Development No competitor support Extra role behaviour Support Minimum Stay Source: Rousseau (1990) Table 2: Categorisation of employer and employee obligations as Transactional or Relational 2.3 Changes to the Psychological contract The concept of the psychological contract has led Academics to carry out a vast and in-depth research on the subject matter. The concept of the psychological contract has changed over the years and this chapter will describe its changes. Holbeche (1998) noted that the old psychological contract existed before the 1980s where employment was guaranteed as long as employees continued to perform their best at work. The change occurred from the 1980s to the present as a result of emergent challenges to corporate strategies which were being influenced by economic turbulence. There was an urgent need by organisations to adopt change to deal with economic downturns and as a result of this most organisations began the process of downsizing and began to focus more on their core business and outsource other peripheral activities. These business strategies were required for organisational development and they challenged the old psychological contract that was based on Job security and moved focu s to a new contract that is based on employability. According to Hiltrop (1995), the psychological contract that gave job security and job stability to the relationship of both employees and employers has dramatically altered in the past two decades. He further stresses the change in nature of loyalty and commitment with the emphasis changing from long term careers to current performance. Rousseau (1995) acknowledges these changes by stating that contracts were previously transactional in nature but with the emergence of the bureaucratic era they developed to become relational. The old psychological contract was based on a reciprocal obligation of both employer and employee where employees provided loyalty to employers and employers gave Job security. Various factors led to the change in the psychological contract and they include amongst others the recession in the early 1990s as well as the effects of globalisation. This resulted in a change from the old psychological contract to a new contract. Individual offered: Organisation expected: Loyalty Loyalty In-depth knowledge of organisation Staff with a deep understanding of how the business functioned Acceptance of bureaucratic systems that defined the individuals rate of progress Willingness to build a career slowly through a defined system Willingness to go beyond the call of duty when required Individuals who would put the organisations needs before any outside interests Individual expected: Organisation offered: Job security Job security Regular pay increases Regular pay increases based on length of service Recognition for length of service Status and rewards based on length of service Recognition of experience Respect for experience Table 3: Adapted from Pembertons model of the psychological contract (1998) Table 3 represented above describes the characteristics of the old psychological contract where the organisation provided job security and rewards based on length of service and the employees provided loyalty and commitment on their part. Sparrows (1996) interpretation of this new contract is outlined in table 4 below: Change vs Stability Continuous Change Culture Performance based reward Development Employees for self-development and increasing their employability. Emphasis on development of competencies and technical skills Rewards Paid on contribution Promotion Criterion Performance Promotion Prospects Fewer chances of promotion due to essentially flat organisational structures focus on sideways moves to develop a broader range of skills Relationship Type Transactional rather than relational; no job security guarantees Responsibility Accountability and innovation encouraged Status Fewer outward symbols Trust No longer seen as essential. Emphasis on engendering commitment to current project or team. Table 4: Adapted Sparrows new psychological contract (1996) These changes occurred against a background of economic hardship; redundancies were widespread, unemployment increasing and government focused on reducing trade union powers. The outcome was a more vulnerable and wary workforce. The economic climate forced companies to examine cost reduction as a means of sustaining or increasing profits. Human resource policies were cost effective rather than paternalistic. Staff were increasingly seen as resources who were useful for a specific role and either adaptable or replaceable when that role ended. The new contract is based on the offer of the employer to provide fair pay for the employee as well as providing opportunities for training and development. As a result of this, the employer can no longer offer Job security and as such has weakened the amount of commitment employees have to offer. Atkinson (2002) suggests that the new contract focuses on the need for highly skilled flexible employees who have little or no job security but are highly marketable outside the organisation. Bagshaw (1997) states that, in this new Psychological contract, individuals need to commit to five key areas which have both short term and long term views. They are Continuous learning, Team working, Goal setting, Proactive change management and Personal advocacy and networking (Bagshaw 1997 pg 188). He further argues that if these key areas are focused on, the employees will be raising their values of future employability. Furthermore, the common dialogue between the two parties with similar interests in mind will establish commitment and loyalty. The reasons for such changes were described by Herriot and Pemberton (1997) as the Restructuring and continuous change of organisations led to increased feelings of inequity and insecurity and as a result, motivation was affected negatively. Hall and Moss (1998) demonstrate the shifting of the psychological contract using three stages of adaptation. The first stage, they described as the trauma of change state and they argued that a lot of organisations go through this stage. The second stage they described as adapting to the new contract where they estimated a 7-year period may be needed in order to fully adapt to the new contract stressing its not a linear process and as such it is possible to fall back to previous states. The third stage is described by Atkinson (2002) as the point of gradual change and continuous learning, valuing the employee and offering loyalty to employees based on performance and development. This stage seeks to avoid the trauma of the changing contract by offering fundamental respect for the individuals involved. Hall and Moss (1998) argue that changes to the psychological contract are possible without going through the first and second stages if handled appropriately. Atkinson (2002) further develops two concepts that emerge from long term management of the contract. The first is that organisations that are successful will provide opportunities and resources to enable individuals to develop their own careers through a relational approach. The second is that organisations will need to be more effective in renegotiating contracts and minimising risks of violating contracts (Rajan, 1997). This is because violating contracts will have negative impacts on employee attitudes and motivation. 2.4 Employer and Employee Perceptions Shore and Barksdale (1998) describe a productive employment relationship as one in which a degree of balance in perceived employee-employer obligations exist. This degree of balance suggests a mutual supporting relationship in which employees offer their skills and organisational commitment in return for rewards from the organisation. Winter and Jackson(2006) argue the need to consider both employer and employee perspectives, they suggested that it will enable investigation into the perceptions of mutuality of both parties and through this process, evaluate how well the employer has fulfilled his obligations to the employees and vice versa. Rousseau (1995) states that psychological contracts are formulated in the minds of the individuals and as a result reflect individual beliefs shaped by the organisation in regards to exchange terms between the employee and the organisation (Winter and Jackson 2006). Rousseau (1995) stresses the need for a link between the employees promises and obligations towards the organisation and that of the employer towards the employee. This is because of the differences in perceptions of both employers and employees of what constitutes the conditions of a reciprocal exchange agreement (Winter and Jackson 2006). Above describes the employment relationship of both employer and employee with transitions employees are likely willing to make and what they are able to offer in return. Herriot (1998) describe the process of contracting and negotiating between the employer and employee with a need for organisations to discover individual or group wants and match them with their own wants and offers through negotiation. Holbeche (1998) describes what employers perceptions of employees obligations are, as: Employees will take responsibility for managing their own careers Be loyal and committed Be dispensable when they are surplus to requirements Be adaptable and willing to learn new skills and work processes Holbeche (1998) further suggests the main components of employee expectations as: To be more employable in exchange for job security For organisation to support career development in return for loyalty For high skills and expertise to be recognised and duel rewarded According to Armstrong and Stephens (2005), a positive psychological contract is strongly linked to higher employee satisfaction, better employment relations and higher commitment to the organisation. They further suggest how performance management processes can help clarify the psychological contract and make it more positive through: Defining the level of support to be exercised by managers. Providing non-monetary rewards that reinforce the messages about expectation. Providing a basis for the joint agreement and definition of roles. Providing financial rewards through schemes that deliver messages about what the organisation believes to be important. Shields (2007), states, trust has been discovered to be a critical factor in employee behaviour and outlook. He further argues that when the level of trust between employers and employees fall, employee commitments and satisfaction deteriorate as well as motivation and effort. Guest and Conway (1997) outlined the following set of practices as having the most positive influence on employee work attitudes and behaviour and they are: Job security Training Opportunities High Pay Open communications Employee involvement programs According to Turnley et al (2003), psychological contract breach results in a number of negative results which include, lower levels of employee commitment, increased cynicism, reduced trust, reduced job satisfaction and high turnover. 2.5 Employee Motivation and the Psychological Contract Employee Psychological contracts are defined by Flannery (2002) as the important additional component to an employees job description which makes the job worth doing and reflects the main source of employees motivation. These contracts are part of what motivates employees to be productive at work and enables them to give their all at work. Shore and Barksdale (1998) discovered that employees reported higher levels of commitment, lower levels of turnover and higher organizational support when their employment relationships with their organisations were fulfilled. Rousseau (2004) suggests three ways in which employees design their own psychological contract. First, through their career aspirations, employees make different commitments to the organisation based on whether they view it as a long term employment possibility or a short term one which they need to move on to attain better opportunities. Employees with a stepping stone perspective tend to adopt transactional contracts while employees with long term employment possibilities tend to be more relational in contract nature. The second determinant is the personality of the individual, employees that are highly neurotic will tend to adapt more transactional contracts because they tend to reject actions by organisations to build relationships while conscientious workers on the other hand who possess great value for duty are more likely to have relational contracts. Thirdly, Rousseau states that employees who have negotiated special arrangements that are not usually available to others usually believe they relational contracts. This is because they have negotiated for opportunities for training and development which are special arrangements and a feature of relational contracts. A survey conducted by Guest and Conway (1997) on The Motivation and effort of employees discovered that the more motivated employees had a more positive psychological contract which presupposes that employees who are satisfied with their jobs and committed to their organisations report higher levels of general motivation so also do those with a positive psychological contract (Guest and Conway 1997). It was also discovered that attitudes have the highest influence on reported levels of motivation. Osteraker (1999) suggests there is a link between values and needs stating that individual needs, influence motivation and those needs determine how individuals will behave. Osteraker (1999) further stresses that values and attitudes can change over time due to a change in the organisation such as downsizing and restructuring. 2.6 Culture Hofstede (1984) suggests that different cultures imply different mental programming that controls activities, values and motivations. Therefore, organisational commitment is a psychological state that characterises the employees relationship with the organisation (Kong 2007). Culture is described as consisting of a system of values, attitudes, belief and behavioural meanings shared by members of a society (Thomas et al 2003). According to King and Bu (2005) employees of different cultural traditions and socio-economic environments are more likely to have very different perceptions on employer-employee relations. The type of psychological contract that individual employees will form with their employers is influenced by the personality traits, societal values and cultural norms of that particular individual (Raja et al 2004). This further implies that individual personality traits and cultural norms could provide a system that will explain why employees facing similar work environment and work conditions may form very different employment relationships with their employers (Zhao and Chen 2008). These norms, values and beliefs provide a framework that will determine the way individuals behave and act accordingly. Individualism is defined by Gould and Kolb (1964) as an emphasis on ones self as separate from the others and an end in itself. The individual is independent and self reliant believes in self development and competition. In collectivism, the self often overlaps with a group. The main focus is on cooperation with a group, interdependence, social norms with the group comprising of the m ain unit of social perception with individuals viewed as embedded in a universe of relationships (Lebra 1984). According to Thomas et al (2003) individualism refers to the tendency to be more concerned about consequences of behaviours of ones personal goals through viewing oneself as independent of others while collectivism on the other hand refers to view oneself as interdependent with selected others with consequences of behaviour for the group as a whole and group interest. Research carried out by Zhao and Chen (2008) discovered, that individuals with an individualistic cultural value tended to form more transactional psychological contracts while people with a collectivism cultural value formed more relational contracts. It was discovered that collectivism motives tend to avoid differentiation and focus on relational contracts while self motives were more transactional in nature. This goes in line with research conducted by Lee (2000) where it was discovered that relational contracts are more likely related to behaviour in work groups in Hong Kong than in the United States. 2.6.1 Culture, Personalities and the Psychological Contract Rousseau (1995) outlines the two most important influences of employees psychological contract and they are both the organisational influences and employees personal dispositions. According to Tallman and Bruning (2008), the way employees interpret information from their employers, their observations of actions and activities in the workplace, together with their personal dispositions are theorised to create idiosyncratic contract attitudes in the minds of employees. Additionally, if management understand the factors that influence the development of employee psychological contracts, they may be able to manage these contracts more effectively (Tallman and Bruning 2008). Research carried out by Raja (2004) established a link that connected several facets of employee personality to their psychological contracts. Their research examined personality traits, including extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism and the extent to which these personality constructs related to employees choice of a transactional and relational psychological contracts. People high in neuroticism have poor job attitudes and they are unlikely to give of themselves other than what is necessary to maintain their jobs (Tallman and Bruning 2008). Kichuk and Wiesner (1997) further argue that people high in neuroticism are fearful, angry and functions as poor team performers with poor attitudes towards change. Neuroticism has been found to be negatively related to self-esteem and locus of control (Judge et al, 1998). These findings suggest that employees high in neuroticism will develop obligation attitudes that reflect low job commitment and an unwillingness to take initiative in their work. The outcome of Raja et al (2004)s research was that neuroticism was positively related to transactional contracts and negatively related to the relational psychological contracts. Relational contracts are dynamic, involving, emotional and prolonging contracts in nature while transactional contracts are short term contracts with little close involvement of the parties (Rousseau 1995). These findings suggest that neurotic employees reject actions by organisations to build relationships with them and as such are focused on instrumental needs such as good pay and benefits. Raja et al (2004) found extraversion positively related to relational contracts and negatively related to transactional contract indicating extroverted employees are willing to engage in long term relationships with their organisations. This is line with the research conducted by Judge et al (1998) that discovered that extroversion has been related to high job performance, job satisfaction, team performance and low absenteeism. 2.7 Psychological Contract Violation Psychological contract violation has been defined as a failure of the organisation to fulfil one or more obligations of an individuals psychological contract (Robinson and Morrison 1995). They further make a distinction between breach and violation, stating that the breach is the identification that the organisation has failed to fulfil one or more obligations within ones psychological contract. Robinson and Morrison (1995) further emphasise that the breach could be relatively short term and as a result individuals could return to their normal stable psychological state or it could alternatively evolve into the full contract violation. Violation on the other hand is the more personalized emotional state that follows from the belief that the organisation has failed to uphold its part of the psychological contract. Rousseau (1989) describes the contract violation as a broken promise that calls into question respect and codes of conduct which increases intensity of responses. Robinson and Morrison (1995) suggest that the beliefs by employees that obligations and promises have been unfulfilled by the organisation will lead the employees to most likely report a reduction in perceived obligations to their employers, lower job satisfaction and lower citizenship behaviour. Additionally, psychological contract violation reduces organisational commitment and increases cynicism (Robinson and Prior research conducted by Robinson and Rousseau (1994) reveal that contract violations frequently relates to promotion, compensation and training and development where the employees feel that the organisations has not fulfilled their side of the promise. CHAPTER 3 3.0 Research Methodology There are two types of research method Quantitative Method Qualitative Method Quantitative Method All research will involve some numerical data or contain data that could usefully be quantified to help researchers question and to meet objectives. Quantitative method re

easy rider: a pursuit of American identity Essay -- essays research pa

Easy Rider: An Epic journey into the unknown For the American dream Easy Rider is the late 1960s "road film" tale of a search for freedom (or the illusion of freedom) and an identity in America, in the midst of paranoia, bigotry and violence. The story, of filmmakers' Fonda/Hopper creation, centers around the self-styled, counter-cultured, neo-frontiersmen of the painfully fashionable late 60s. As for the meaning of Easy rider, Peter Fonda (Wyatt) said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine,  ¡Ã‚ §it is a southern term for a whore ¡Ã‚ ¦s old man, not a pimp, but a dude who lives with a chick. Because he ¡Ã‚ ¦s got the easy ride. Well, that ¡Ã‚ ¦s what ¡Ã‚ ¦s happened to America, man. Liberty ¡Ã‚ ¦s become a whore, and we ¡Ã‚ ¦re all taking an easy ride ¡Ã‚ ¨ . However, their journey is far from an easy ride; it is a unsettling, frightening and revealing experience rounded up in self-destruction. Introduction to Easy Rider (1969) Easy Rider is a counter-cultural, experimental, independent film for the alternative youth/cult market, with sex, drugs, casual violence, reflecting the collapse of the idealistic 60s. The film does not have a clear plot, and its artistic merit is also doubtful, as a film critic Peter Biskind said,  ¡Ã‚ §It had little background or historical development of characters, a lack of typical heroes, uneven pacing, jump cuts and flash-forward transitions between scenes, an improvisational style and mood of acting and dialogue, background rock 'n' roll music to complement the narrative, and the equation of motorbikes with freedom on the road rather than with delinquent behaviors. ¡Ã‚ ¨ However, it presents an image of the popular and historical culture of the time and a story of a contemporary but destructive journey by two self-righteous, drug-fueled, anti-hero bikers eastward through the American Southwest. Their trip to Mardi Gras in New Orleans takes them through limitless, untouched landscapes including Monument Valley, various towns, a hippie commune, and a graveyard. However, they inevitably encountered local residents who are narrow-minded and hateful of their long-haired freedom and use of drugs. Extremely successful and low-budget, this film has won the 1969 Cannes Film Festival ¡Ã‚ ¦s award for the Best Film by a new director. The film also received two Academy Award nominations: Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson in ... ...ay ¡Ã‚ ¨, but instead of peace and enlightenment, they experienced confusion and disillusion. At the end of the movie, the two protagonists experience hallucinatory emotions, where we can see intense colors, kaleidoscopic swirls, and distorted shapes and forms. They search for enlightenment, while inveighing agsint civilization ¡Ã‚ ¦s hypocrisy and brutality. Their rootless, drifting pursuit of the American dream and the promise of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll has been questionably successful, dissatisfying, transitory and elusive. Wyatt believes there may have been another less destructive, less diversionary, more spiritually fulfilling way to search for their freedom rather than selling hard drugs, taking to the road and being sidetracked, and wasting their lives. ƒÞ For all its counter cultural reflections, the movie does not portray the youthful movement uncritically, rather it provides an ambiguous ending, implying that excesses, even counter cultural ones, can be harmful and destructive. David Hopper also defines this film as anti-counter cultural. The romance and dream of the American highway is turned menacing and deadly ¡XThey looked for America but couldn ¡Ã‚ ¦t find it anywhere.

Physical Medicine :: Health Treatment Psychiatry Rehab Essays

Physical Medicine PHYSICAL MEDICINE PHYSICAL MEDICINE also called PHYSIATRY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, OR REHABILITATION MEDICINE, medical specialty concerned with the treatment of chronic disabilities and with the restoration of normal functioning to the disabled through physical modes of treatment, such as exercise. This specialized medical service is generally aimed at rehabilitating persons disabled by pain or ailments affecting the motor functions of the body. Physical medicine is one means employed to assist these patients to return to a comfortable and productive life, often despite the persistence of a medical problem. For centuries man used such natural physical agents as hot springs and sunlight to treat his ailments, but the development of physical medicine as a specialized medical service took place largely after World War I. Two factors influenced its growth in the 20th century--epidemic poliomyelitis and the two world wars--both of which created large numbers of young, seriously handicapped persons. Physical medi cine was definitively established through the American physician Howard A. Rusk's efforts to rehabilitate wounded soldiers during and after World War II. Physical medicine then became available for the treatment of patients with such diverse problems as fractures, burns, tuberculosis, painful backs, strokes, nerve and spinal cord injuries, diabetes, birth defects, arthritis, and vision and speech impairments. Physical medicine is closely associated with orthopaedic surgery, but it is also prescribed by physicians and surgeons in all branches of medicine. Physicians who specialize in physical medicine are called physiatrists. The objectives of physical medicine are relief of pain, improvement or maintenance of functions such as strength and mobility, training in the most effective method of performing essential activities, and testing of function in various areas. Tests cover such fields as muscle strength, degree of joint mobility, breathing capacity, and muscular coordination. The therapeutic means most commonly employed include heat, massage, exercise, electrical currents, and functional training. Since the 1970s these basic means have been supplemented and enhanced by psychological counselling, occupational therapy, and a variety of other treatments which may be used in concert to help the disabled person achieve the fullest possible life despite the persistence of his medical problem. Heat is used generally to stimulate circulation and to relieve pain in the area treated. It may be applied by infrared lamps, shortwave radiation, or high-frequency electrical currents (diathermy); by hot, moist compresses or immersion in hot water (hydrotherapy); or by ultrasound. Massage primarily aids circulation and relieves local pain or muscle spasm.

Corporate governance

Corporate governance is concerned with holding the balance between economic and social goals and between individual and communal goals. The importance of corporate governance lies in its contribution both to business prosperity and to accountability. What is corruption? Corruption is wrong doing on the part of an authority and powerful party through eans that are illegitimate, immoral or incompatible with ethical standards.Corruption often from protonage and is associate with bribery Types of corruption The types of corruption are as follows: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) in Bribery Theft and fraud Extortion Abuse of discretion Favouritism, nepotism and clientism Conduct creating or exploiting conflicting interest Improper political contribution. What is corporate governance? the I-JK Cadbury was the result of several high profile company collapses is Corporate Governance Week 2 Essay Questions (100 Points) 1. Do you feel the extent of shareholders’ participation in the election of directors is limited to the rubber-stamp process of affirmation? Explain the given statement. Actually, shareholders have limited power during the election process even though they are empowered by the statues to elect directors to oversee management. Even if the majority of shareholders oppose a corporate sponsored nominee, the person will still be elected as director.CEOs and the board had controlled the power to the nomination and election process until very recently. The independent directors in the nominating committee has provided some structure to the nomination and election process even though those directors still serve at the will of the CEOs and other executive directors. 2. Elaborate on the following statement: â€Å"In modern corporations, particularly in the era of technological advances, labor resources are becoming an important part of corporate gove rnance as capital resources. Employee participation is essential to corporate governance; it influences employee cooperation in the implementation of company decisions as well as the effectiveness of managerial control and authority. Employees of a firm have made firm-specific investments such as retirement funds and pension funds. Those investment are tied to the company’s stock, thus their incentives to participate in corporate governance are greater. Given more outside opportunities, employees with valuable human capital can easily leave the firm.One possible way is allowing employees to participate in corporate decision-making and to share in the corporate surplus through flexible wages, shared ownership and other mechanisms. As such, corporate government system should give adequate attention to employees if the firms are to survive in an increasingly competitive environment 3. Discuss shareholders’ participation in monitoring their companies’ affairs, decis ions, and corporate governance.Shareholders should be held accountable for monitoring the operations and management of the business with which they hold an investment. While keeping track of day-to-day processes can prove difficult, shareholders ranging from large institutional investors to small retail investors have an obligation to monitor the governance and performance as a result from management decisions. Shareholders should also try to understand the culture in order to have a better understanding of management’s governance and the risk controls that exist within.If shareholders grow displeased with the governance and management of the company, they can voice their displeasure by selling their shares. 4. Describe how shareholder proposals can influence corporate governance. Shareholder proposals can impact corporate governance if a structure is established where board members are required to consider each proposal. Usually, board members want to maintain maximum flexib ility and typically avoid these kind of constraints.However, the use of proxy voting has changed this a little bit. 5. Explain the advantages of employee participation in corporate governance. Employee participation in corporate governance is important as it provides an extra layer of checks and balances within the governance of a company which can lead to exposing misconduct or illegal actions. Also, allocating ownership of stock to employees, the interests of the employee and shareholder become aligned for the greater good and growth of the company. Corporate Governance Week 2 Essay Questions (100 Points) 1. Do you feel the extent of shareholders’ participation in the election of directors is limited to the rubber-stamp process of affirmation? Explain the given statement. Actually, shareholders have limited power during the election process even though they are empowered by the statues to elect directors to oversee management. Even if the majority of shareholders oppose a corporate sponsored nominee, the person will still be elected as director.CEOs and the board had controlled the power to the nomination and election process until very recently. The independent directors in the nominating committee has provided some structure to the nomination and election process even though those directors still serve at the will of the CEOs and other executive directors. 2. Elaborate on the following statement: â€Å"In modern corporations, particularly in the era of technological advances, labor resources are becoming an important part of corporate gove rnance as capital resources. Employee participation is essential to corporate governance; it influences employee cooperation in the implementation of company decisions as well as the effectiveness of managerial control and authority. Employees of a firm have made firm-specific investments such as retirement funds and pension funds. Those investment are tied to the company’s stock, thus their incentives to participate in corporate governance are greater. Given more outside opportunities, employees with valuable human capital can easily leave the firm.One possible way is allowing employees to participate in corporate decision-making and to share in the corporate surplus through flexible wages, shared ownership and other mechanisms. As such, corporate government system should give adequate attention to employees if the firms are to survive in an increasingly competitive environment 3. Discuss shareholders’ participation in monitoring their companies’ affairs, decis ions, and corporate governance.Shareholders should be held accountable for monitoring the operations and management of the business with which they hold an investment. While keeping track of day-to-day processes can prove difficult, shareholders ranging from large institutional investors to small retail investors have an obligation to monitor the governance and performance as a result from management decisions. Shareholders should also try to understand the culture in order to have a better understanding of management’s governance and the risk controls that exist within.If shareholders grow displeased with the governance and management of the company, they can voice their displeasure by selling their shares. 4. Describe how shareholder proposals can influence corporate governance. Shareholder proposals can impact corporate governance if a structure is established where board members are required to consider each proposal. Usually, board members want to maintain maximum flexib ility and typically avoid these kind of constraints.However, the use of proxy voting has changed this a little bit. 5. Explain the advantages of employee participation in corporate governance. Employee participation in corporate governance is important as it provides an extra layer of checks and balances within the governance of a company which can lead to exposing misconduct or illegal actions. Also, allocating ownership of stock to employees, the interests of the employee and shareholder become aligned for the greater good and growth of the company. Corporate Governance Week 2 Essay Questions (100 Points) 1. Do you feel the extent of shareholders’ participation in the election of directors is limited to the rubber-stamp process of affirmation? Explain the given statement. Actually, shareholders have limited power during the election process even though they are empowered by the statues to elect directors to oversee management. Even if the majority of shareholders oppose a corporate sponsored nominee, the person will still be elected as director.CEOs and the board had controlled the power to the nomination and election process until very recently. The independent directors in the nominating committee has provided some structure to the nomination and election process even though those directors still serve at the will of the CEOs and other executive directors. 2. Elaborate on the following statement: â€Å"In modern corporations, particularly in the era of technological advances, labor resources are becoming an important part of corporate gove rnance as capital resources. Employee participation is essential to corporate governance; it influences employee cooperation in the implementation of company decisions as well as the effectiveness of managerial control and authority. Employees of a firm have made firm-specific investments such as retirement funds and pension funds. Those investment are tied to the company’s stock, thus their incentives to participate in corporate governance are greater. Given more outside opportunities, employees with valuable human capital can easily leave the firm.One possible way is allowing employees to participate in corporate decision-making and to share in the corporate surplus through flexible wages, shared ownership and other mechanisms. As such, corporate government system should give adequate attention to employees if the firms are to survive in an increasingly competitive environment 3. Discuss shareholders’ participation in monitoring their companies’ affairs, decis ions, and corporate governance.Shareholders should be held accountable for monitoring the operations and management of the business with which they hold an investment. While keeping track of day-to-day processes can prove difficult, shareholders ranging from large institutional investors to small retail investors have an obligation to monitor the governance and performance as a result from management decisions. Shareholders should also try to understand the culture in order to have a better understanding of management’s governance and the risk controls that exist within.If shareholders grow displeased with the governance and management of the company, they can voice their displeasure by selling their shares. 4. Describe how shareholder proposals can influence corporate governance. Shareholder proposals can impact corporate governance if a structure is established where board members are required to consider each proposal. Usually, board members want to maintain maximum flexib ility and typically avoid these kind of constraints.However, the use of proxy voting has changed this a little bit. 5. Explain the advantages of employee participation in corporate governance. Employee participation in corporate governance is important as it provides an extra layer of checks and balances within the governance of a company which can lead to exposing misconduct or illegal actions. Also, allocating ownership of stock to employees, the interests of the employee and shareholder become aligned for the greater good and growth of the company.