Management high performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management high performance - Essay Example In autocratic leadership, the leaders possess total authority over their team (Rao, 2010). Other members of the team are incapacitated to air their views, even when such opinions may benefit the organizations. Most employees discredit this leadership form. As such, it leads to low work force turnover. However, it may be suitable in situations requiring quick decision-making processes. Autocratic leaders tend to be more formal than informal and more centralized. Democratic/participative leadership model incorporates other team members in their decision-making process; thought the final decision-making process is mandated to the leader (Rao, 2010). This capacitates the employees to make time-to-time suggestions to their leaders for various improvements. Such leaders tend to be more informal than formal and more decentralized. In the article, ‘Is Autocratic Leadership Relevant today?’ Rao critically examines Autocratic leadership over other leadership forms and its suitability in today’s environment (Rao, 2010). Rao argues that though this form of leadership is practical in fields such as the military, it may be impractical to incorporate it in today’s business environment, where employees call for incorporation in various decision-making processes and act as core partners, since they play a key role in the goal achievement of an organization. Additionally, Rao argues that in case a firm experiences challenges, the leader takes the sole responsibility. Rao also perceives Autocratic leadership to be marred with dissatisfied customers, and the recurrence of absenteeism within an organization (Walker, 2011). Autocratic leadership also creates a weak workforce, owing to the continued fear of the leader’s directives. Wrong decisions may lead to unprecedented losses, since employees only follow such directives without questioning (Daft, 2014). Choi’s article attempts to put forward the key differences of

To what extent was naval rivalry the main cause of the first World War Essay Example for Free

To what extent was naval rivalry the main cause of the first World War Essay One of the main causes of World War I was the Anglo-German naval race. Britain, as an island empire, always had the navy as one of her top priorities. A key event in Britain’s naval expansion was the 1889 â€Å"Naval Defense Act† that established the two power standard: Britain considered necessary to have a navy that was not only the largest in the world, but also equal to or greater than the sum of the worlds second and third largest navies. On the other side of the channel, also Germany saw naval expansion vital and as the only way to succeed in the acquisition of overseas colony; therefore, the â€Å"official† aim of Germany’s naval expansion was to reinforce their colonial empire, but this expansion was also seen as an obvious response to the British naval plans. This situation exacerbated the relations between the two European power and set basic elements for a naval race. In 1906, the Naval Race took an important turn. Britain launched the ‘HMS Dreadnought’, this new battleship was faster (21 knots), with a bigger range ( 9-12 Km), and powered with ten twelve-inch guns instead of the usual four, it was such an advancement of naval technology that it rendered all existing battleships obsolete. A couple of years later Germany responded to Britain, planning to build four dreadnoughts in a three years time. Britain inevitably had to counterattack Germany’s expansion by announcing the building of eight dreadnoughts instead of three. Consequently the relations between them were obsessed from the building of the navies, and a direct and evident rivalry was created. The results of this frenetic naval rivalry was that by 1914 Germany ,even if Britain’s fleet remained considerably larger , had become the second naval world power; they were both ready for a more than ever imminent war. Although the naval rivalry was one of the main causes of World War I and profoundly contributed to create an aggressive situation between the European nations, there was other long terms causes beside it. One of them was the alliances system that divided Europe in two main faction: on one side the triple alliance, including Germany Austria and Italy, on the other the triple entente, including France Russia and England. These alliances were defined as defensive, but choosing allies obviously also implicate choosing the most likely enemies, therefore this two blocs were ready to fight in case of a war. Another long term cause was the colonial rivalry. In the decades preceding WWI almost all the European nations were involved in the â€Å"Scramble for Africa†. All the nations wanted to demonstrate their strength occupying vast areas of Africa. France was one of the most successful, controlling almost all the West and Centre Africa. Also Germany started an intense colonial expansion and gained a million square miles territory between 1884 and 1899. Britain gained the control of some areas in the south of Africa, in Egypt and on the East and Gold Coast. The colonies were often seen as a source of free raw materials and as the only areas of possible expansion without deeply compromising European balance. Effects of the colonial rivalry can be analyzed in two different ways, on the one hand colonies were a sort of safety valve allowing the European power to keep the contrasts away from their continent; on the other hand this rivalry implemented the tension between the colonists nations, causing aggressive foreign policy. Besides this long term causes there was also the event that formerly caused the outbreak of war: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The heir to the throne was assassinated on 28 June 1914 during a visit to the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The attack was planned from a group of six young Bosnians, even if their first plan to kill Franz Ferdinand failed, Gavrilo Princip, one of them, was able to approach the car and shot the Archduke and his wife. The assassination was the perfect pretext for Austria to start military actions against Serbia, and after gaining Germany’s support Austria-Hungary finally mobilized her troops against Serbia on 25 July. As a reaction Russia mobilized against both Germany and Austria, Germany declared war on France and Britain declared war on Germany for violating Belgium neutrality. In conclusion none of these causes can be defined as the only cause of war. All of them contributed to create hostility between European powers and to create the basis for a World War. The Naval Rivalry was probably a result of the pre existing tensions but certainly increased the hostility between Britain and Germany. Anyway the presence of such a great navy and army do not implicate a war but should be a deterrent since large scale destructions would be inevitable. It’s also true that the possession of a great and expensive navy and army pushes to use and test them. The overwhelming impression is that the long term causes made a conflict inevitable and that the short term causes such as the Balkan and Moroccan crisis just helped to increase the tension; while the Franz Ferdinand’s assassination was just the excuse the nations were looking forward to start the conflict.

Causes and Effects of Absenteeism in Local Government (UK)

Causes and Effects of Absenteeism in Local Government (UK) 1.0- ABSTRACT Absenteeism can happen through authorised and unauthorised absence and these can be grouped into: situational, personal and attendance factors. Causes: headaches, hang-over cold flu, unchallenging jobs and poor management are common causes of absenteeism and managers generally suspicious of employees reasons for absenteeism. Effects: Unplanned absence is disorganising, frustrating and expensive for organisations. UK absenteeism rate in European is similar to Denmark, (see p11-12). Absenteeism is positively correlated with employee motivation and satisfaction. Combating absenteeism: absence can be minimised by providing challenging jobs, rewarding attendance and maintaining a zero tolerance to absence. Return-to-work interviews are empirically proven method of reducing absenteeism in local government. Adding, studying industries with lower absence rate may prove a useful tool for minimising absenteeism in local government. This report acknowledges that limitations such as privacy and Human Rights laws protects workers privacy from being invaded by organisations, HR managers ought to know there limitations. 2.0- INTRODUCTION Absenteeism is the avoidance of or failure to attend ones place of work hence unable to perform a contractual working obligation owing to absence. In other words, absenteeism is unplanned or planned absence created by an employee intentionally such as deliberately avoiding work through non-attendance for personal reasons or unintentionally like maternity leave, bereavement and ill-health. This research essay shall be confining the report to intentional or self created absenteeism which can be disruptive, expensive and difficult to manage, (Armstrong, 2006). Undoubtedly, this form of absenteeism is the worst nightmare of all managers because of having to deal with the same workload with limited workforces. According to Benington, (2000) site in (McHugh, 2001) the UK local government has become a ‘‘last chance saloon meaning failure to ‘put-up will require government takeover or privatisation. Furthermore, CBI, (2004) cited in Taylor (2005), acknowledged that absenteeism costs the UK government  £12 billion pounds yearly. Presenteeism is the opposite of absenteeism and it means ‘110% attendance with the view to impressing ones boss. The most regular mentioned ‘causes of absenteeism reported by employees especially in local government are: headaches, cold, flu, stress, back pain, food poisoning and family issues. It must be stated that other causes such as repetitive jobs, poor management, leadership, and organisational climate are factors. 3.0- LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1- CAUSES OF ABSENTEEISM Public sector absenteeism has attracted much research especially in the local government probably because of better monitoring systems such as extensive documentation than the private sector. Noteworthy is the fact that there are no universally agreed causes of absenteeism however; there are some regular cited ones are claimed to contribute to absenteeism. According to Taylor, (2005), a research company called My Voice asserted that 56% of employees admitted to taking a ‘sickie. That is calming absence from work under false pretence. Interestingly, the real reasons stipulated by the survey for the absence includes: hung-over, stress and hatred for the job itself. Consequently, managers are generally suspicious of employees claiming absence on sick grounds based on the above survey. It is an undeniable fact that such findings breeds mistrust between managers and their employees. Obviously, one can understand why managers might be frustrated by employees absence because it brings disorder to management plans and the execution of scheduled activities. Gennard, Judge, (2005) are of the view that death, paternity leave, inability to return from planned holidays and ‘ alleged sickness are the main causes of absenteeism. It is abundantly clear that bereavement does cause absenteeism but on limited scale however, this report is less concern with that form of absenteeism because it is natural rather than intentional. Paternity leave being a cause of absence might sound baffling however, this report maintains that paternity leave even though a planned absenteeism, might potential cause some form authorised absence for reasons like a sudden developments- such as mother falling sick, babys health, family and family visits and gatherings. This report maintains that the possibility of this form of absenteeism being abused is not unlikely. Adding, planned holidays might degenerate into unplanned absence due to certain unforeseen circumstances. This is likely to affect those who take holidays abroad. This form of unplanned absence might be caused by flight delays and cancellations due to political issues like wars and protest as happened in Thailand, natural disasters such as disease outbreak, for example the pandemic ‘‘H1N1 Swine Flu which first broke out in Mexico and for that matter the quarantine of infected victims had to be done, earthquakes as happened in Indonesia. According to Armstrong, (2006), the causes of absenteeism could be broadly attributed to three (3) factors namely: ‘Situational factors, Personal factors and Attendance factors: ‘Situational factors include the nature of the job itself; is it repetitive and boring or interesting and challenging enough? Obviously, a repetitive job may generate stress and job resentment. The sort of leadership and organisational climate employees operate under may generate absenteeism. While agreeing to some extend that these situational factors might generate absenteeism, it is worth acknowledging that some people hate change and will always struggle to maintain the status quo. These people may rather prefer doing a repetitive job than a challenging one. ‘Personal factors are: the worth of an employee, his or her personality, age and sex may contribute to an employee absence. This research report concedes to the fact that these stated factors are influencer of absenteeism in local government based on a valid research: Barmby et al, ‘survey (1999) cited in Taylor (2005), p316 recorded that men were unlikely to be absent from work than their female counterparts and even more profound was the fact that England has lower absenteeism than any were else in the UK. Quite obviously, the wage disparity across the UK has a lot to with it hence the lowest rate (absenteeism) in England than anywhere else in the UK. Lastly, attendance factors include; the sort of incentives allocated to rewarding good employee behaviour like regular attendance as well as sickness policies. It is an undeniable fact that most people respond positively to incentives and rewards both in kind and in cash. According to Jacqueline A.-M et al, (2003), the ‘psychological contract plays a significant role in contributing negatively or positively to employee performance and attitudes in the local government. Absenteeism is gradually gaining the publicity it deserves in the local government according to CBI, (1999); Local Government Auditor, 1999) cited in (McHugh, 2001). This report is of the view that organisations either private or the local government can no longer afford to remain in a vacuum but rather to face up to the challenges like the unpredictability of the marketing environment. This means all local governments and organisations are compelled to make the necessary savings they can get from all areas in order to survive in this aggressive but compelling marketing environment called ‘the survival of the fittest. In fact, there has never been a century that has imposed and forced change on all manner of organisations like the 21st century. The present business environment is one that constantly says keep changing or you will be made obsolete. Furthermore, Johansson, Palme, (2002) proposed that a positive attitude to ‘a short- term sickness and taxes encourages absenteeism. In other words, encouraging ‘nanny culture such as paying for sick leave encourages local government workers to take off sick for private reasons other than genuine sickness. In short, such policies however well intentioned may rather be taken for granted and instead abused. IDS, (2001b, pp2-3) cited in (Taylor 2005), p329 proposed that the public sector workers records higher absenteeism than the private sector because, there are less punitive measures taken against public servants than their private sector counterparts. This research lends support to some extend to the argument however, contrary to the point; local government organisations do take longer time to act due to bureaucracies but does not necessarily mean that punitive measures are not exercised in the public sector as claimed. Adding, this report supports the view that absenteeism is more prevalent in the private than the public sector. This is due to the fact that public employees receive better treatment and are valued fairly than their private sector counterparts (the psychological contract), (Jacqueline A.-M et al, 2003). This report observes that certain councils are renowned for recording high rate of absenteeism for instance, Northern Ireland councils than those in England, (McHugh, 2002). In summary, there are disparities between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as regards to absenteeism. And in Europe as a whole, the UK is not doing badly according UK government statistics. Also, it is an undeniable fact that poor record keeping encourages absenteeism. If organisations and for that matter local government organisations like the NHS, keeps up-to-date records of all employee absence, it would discourage absenteeism because most people hate being monitored. Proper documentation and monitoring of employee absence is likely to generate the needed attention absenteeism deserves leading to a collective action against the perpetrators of absenteeism. Conversely, it is not an exaggeration that the costs of keeping up-to-date information on employee attendance are expensive and complicated because of the technology involved such as biometric data collecting systems like the ‘Swipe in Swipe out, ‘phone book-ins and finger and hand scanning are expensive systems which are not without disadvantages. For instance, an employee may give his or her card to a colleague to wipe them in discretely and on the other hand, an employee may genuinely forget to swipe in and out. 3.2- EFFECTS OF ABSENTEEISM The effects of absenteeism are difficult to quantify though various researches have attempted valuing it. Absenteeism costs the UK government  £12 billion pounds yearly, (Taylor 2005). That figure can be a full year budget for most developing countries especially in Africa and Asia. Adding to the above, Davis, Geddes, (2000); Blair, (1998) cited in (McHugh, 2001), p43 was reported to have issued a warning to local councils to stop wasting local government funds by providing ‘value for money services by combating preventable issues like absenteeism. Quite earnestly, absenteeism is an avoidable cost which if managed properly has benefits for all organisations both public and private firms. The US economic is on record for losing $40 billion dollars a year on absenteeism, (Dalton, Mesch, 1991; Unckless et al 1998) mentioned in (Gaudine, Saks, 2001).That money is enough to provide employment for hundreds of people especially under this current economic turbulence. Another disadvantage of employee absence, despite it being costly for the local government is that it also disrupts management plans and decisions according to Armstrong, (2006). Managers are usually provided with a specification tasks with limited time-frame within which to report back to their superiors for assessment. Consequently, an unplanned absence may significantly affect managers flexibility, time and the speed at which the work and for that reason, may cause irritation for management as a whole. Lastly, an employees sudden absence may stir up negative feelings among his fellow work- colleagues. It is a convincing fact that more often, managers are unable to fill in or organise a quick replacement for an absent employee but rather, overburden their subordinates with the same magnitude of workload. Nevertheless, they (managers) still expect their workforce to deliver the same level of performance without considering the manpower shortage. Consequently, this leads to the development of hatred and resentment among work colleagues which is not healthy for the organisation and for that matter the local government because, synergy may be lost in the process (working against one another rather than as a team or 2+2=5). Is absenteeism a function of employee motivation or dissatisfaction breeds absenteeism? This research report argues that a good psychological employment contracts is a recipe for a better employee attitude as in the case of local government employment than the private sector (Jacqueline A.-M et al, 2003). Obviously most government jobs are fairly stable and permanent hence the issue of job security is guaranteed as opposed to the private sector. Moreover, Martocchio, (1994); Johns, Nicholson, (1992) cited in McHugh (2001, p44), claimed that an employees commitment and dedication are a function of his or her motivation in the organisation. This report shall concede to this fact because people generally response positively or otherwise to incentives and rewards depending on their situation (perception). Ehrenberg et al, (1991) claims that students absenteeism impact on their academic performance especially during examinations. Now, if this assertion is true then, one can justifiably maintain that employee absence affects their work in terms of quality, speed and concentration. CIPD, (2006), cited in (Torrington et al, 2008), p339 found that absenteeism was high in food and drink sector, and in local government; however, NGOs, Media and the leisure sector had lower absence rate. Arguably, it is not surprising that voluntary and leisure organisations had better attendance because they are satisfying jobs with high commitment and goal congruence. According to the CBI, (AXA, 2005) and (CIPD, 2005) mentioned in (Torrington et al, 2008), UK absence is similar to Denmarks but lower than Norway, Sweden and Finland. This statistics were rather surprising to because, these three countries above beaten by the UK are usually among the top 10 countries for quality living hence they should have beaten the UK. 3.3- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABSENTEEISM AND MOTIVATION? Kass, et al, (2001) empirically concluded that unchallenging and uninteresting jobs profoundly determine the performance (poor) of an employee, their longevity in the organisation and even more importantly the frequency of absenteeism he or she exhibits. This reported utterly concedes to the above fact that boredom breeds laziness and the attitude of it because people who are boredom prone such as activists and kinaesthetic learners (hyperactive) performance may be hampered by unchallenging tasks and subsequently but inevitably lead to worker absenteeism. Interestingly, Wyatt, (1929) cited in (Kass, et al 2001, p318), concurred that performance, motivation and employee attitude to work are correlated (positively). This means that an employees performance is a function of the level of motivation he or she enjoys from the job. In other words, an unmotivated employee will obviously demonstrated a lackadaisical attitude to his or her job and for that matter the company. Furthermore, in Maslows theory, ‘man is an insatiably need driven animal who is always seeking for the fulfilment his or her present need but in a successive order of prominence, (Croft, Norton, 2005). Ultimately, Maslows needs theory shares light on employees behaviour in the sense that, it categorically emphasises studying and listening to the workforces in order to avoid being ‘out of touch and concluding that what motivates Mr. A will motivate Mr. B, as it were and even more importantly the theory advises a full analogy of an employee before concluding on sort of incentives that will induce a desired behaviour. The Hawthorne study supports that recognition of a workgroup motivates performance and arguably the Hawthorn enquiries are in line with Abraham Maslows needs theory. Another useful theory for analysing the relationship between motivation and performance is Herzberg et al (1957) two factor theory: Motivators- responsibility, recognition and achievement and Hygiene factors-wages or salaries, job security and supervision, cite in (Armstrong, 2006). The absence of hygiene factors results in worker dissatisfaction claims Herzberg. In other words, hygiene factors do not creates satisfaction by themselves but rather, their absences leaves employees dissatisfied according to Herzbergs theory. Now if Herzbergs theory is anything good to go by, an employees absence (regular) should trigger an investigation and a subsequent identification of the causes. For instance, employee absenteeism can be due to lack of job satisfaction because of repetitive and boring jobs, due to lack of recognition for the employees achievement also, poor leadership in the form of supervision may equally cause dissatisfaction. Herzbergs two factor theory failed to anticipated the change in the psychological employment contract which has shifted power away from the employer to employees consequently, Herzbergs assertion that money is not a motivator is debatable (untrue) today and for that matter, it leaves the famous two factor theory for criticism. Adding, it is an undeniable fact that money is a real motivator taking into account the actual causes of this current financial turmoil or the current recession across the world. It is emphatically clear that this recession was engineered by greedy people whose sole motivation was nothing rather than big bonuses, pay packages or simply put, money to be precise. If these outrageous financial institutions heads, bankers and money lenders were not motivated by money then what else brought this financial ‘meltdown to this world? Furthermore, Vroom et al (1960s) cited in (Croft, Norton, (2005), p16, states that persons motivations defines the measure of input he or she will expands. This means that the package (employment contract), the job itself and the organisational climate all have a definite role in contributing to the performance of an employee in a company. This report utterly agrees with this view because workers generally expect interesting and challenging jobs, good leadership, a fair pay for their work done and of course recognitions for their efforts. Consequently, the infulfilment of these expectations inevitably results in all sorts of attitudes and behaviours such as absenteeism. Porter and lawler, model (1968) mention in (Armstrong, 2006) is arguably complementary to Vrooms thought because it advocates that two instruments were central to the contribution of workers in an organisation: value of reward and the relationship between their efforts and the outcome taking into account the individual capability and expectations, (Armstrong 2006). In other words, when rewards are carefully crafted strategically taking into consideration the abilities and expertise of the individual then good performance is an inevitable outcome because there will be goal congruence between organisation and the individual which leads to superior organisational performance known as competitive advantage. Sometimes this sort of strategic fit between organisations and employees does make a company an ‘employer of a choice- a company which most people would love to work for due to several factors like good employee treatment, fairness and the organisational climate (good) for instance, British Airways, Microsoft Corporation, NASA (space centre) and the BBC. 4.0- COMBATING ABSENTEEISM. According to Taylor (2005), punitive solutions, using rewards and tackling the root causes of absenteeism is the answer to minimising absenteeism. Obviously, the use of the ‘carrot and stick method is being advocated and finding out the real triggers of absenteeism as well. However, this requires proper documentation and monitoring of employees attendance which can be expensive. Most research supports the view that using punitive styles like basing promotion and rewards decisions on employee attitudes (attendance) reduces absenteeism. This strategy creates and communicates a clear message to employees that their future especially in that organisation is a function of their contribution and commitment which convincing. Gennard, Judge (2005) also agreed that ‘return-to-work interviews are the most effective means of reducing absenteeism because it assertively notifies the worker that such attitudes would be punished if necessary. This strategy integrates investigation of the case with documentation as well as communicating to the perpetrators that they are being monitored which I think, must be applauded. According to Armstrong, (2006), absenteeism can be eradicated through management commitment, trust, and return to work interviews. Management commitment is about harnessing management support and commitment to abrogating absenteeism while nurturing and development trust through transparent policies, regular dialogue and communication between management and their subordinates. In resounding, local government absenteeism can be reduced by tackling stress by way providing training and development to management and leadership with the aim of inculcating and developing good leadership and people skills into leaders. Furthermore, boredom can be prevented from inducing absenteeism by making jobs interesting and challenging like providing job enrichment, job enlargement and the empowerment of workers. Rewarding attendance (100%) has been empirically proven to reduce absenteeism from 10-8 days, (Silcox, 2005d) cited in (Torrington et al, 2008). Finally, even though this report labours to avoid the ‘stick method of reducing absenteeism, it is conceding to note that return-to-word interviews are empirical proven beyond reasonable doubt that they are profoundly effective in reducing employee absence in both the public and private section organisations. 5.0- CONCLUSIONS Absenteeism is problem faced by all organisations and the causes include: hang-over, headaches, boring jobs and poor management however, management believes that most ‘alleged causes are non-genuine which costs organisations money. Some writers claimed that absenteeism is more prevalent in the public sector than the private sector. This report disagrees with that argument because, undeniably, absenteeism is positively related to motivation consequently, since the public sector gets be employment contract than their private sector counterparts, absence must be less prevalent than private organisations. Punitive measures such as return-to-work interviews are particularly effective in reducing worker absenteeism. Conclusively, this report maintains that absenteeism cannot be eradicated but rather minimised because providing a challenging jobs, rewarding attendance and good leadership cannot change personal habits cultivated over decades. Adding though return-to-work-interviews is an effective means of reducing absenteeism; the process cannot intrusively used due to privacy concerns. For instance, (IRS, 2002a) cited in (Torrington et al, 2008), p 349 emphasised that the Human Right Act, 1998 awareness is important. The report recommends a specific study into low absenteeism sectors: non-profit organisations, voluntary sectors, Media and recreational sector to ascertain the real causes of employee absenteeism. REFERENCES 1. Michael Armstrong, A Hand Book of Human Resource Management Practice, 2006, 10th Edition Kogan Page, London, UK. 2. Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Randy A. Ehrenberg, Daniel I. Rees and Eric L. Ehrenberg; School Leave Policies, Teacher Absenteeism and Students Achievement, 1991, journal of Human Resources, vol. 26. no. 1 pp 72-105 University of Wisconsin ,Press, URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/145717 3. Alice P.Gaudine1 and Alan M. Saks2, Effects of Absenteeism Feedback Intervention on Employee Absence Behaviour 2001; 1.School of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland, Canada, 2. School of Administrative Studies, York University, Ontario, Canada, journal of organisation Behaviour, vol.22. No.1 Pp15-29. Feb., URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3649604 4. John Gennard and Graham Judge, Employee Relations, 2005, 4th edition CIPD, London. UK. 5. Jacqueline A.-M, Coyle-Shapiro and Ian Kessler, the Employment Relations in the UK Public Sector: A Psychological Contract Perspective, a journal of Public Administration Research and Theory; j-part, Vol. 13, no. 2. April 2003, pp213-230, Oxford University Press on behalf of the Public Management Research Association. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3525711. 6. Per Johansson, Martin Palme, Assessing the Effect of Public Policy on Worker Absenteeism, 2002, The Journal of Human Resource, vol. 37, no. 2, pp 381-409, University of Wisconsin Press, URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 3069652. 7. Marie McHugh: Employee absence: an impediment to organisation health in local government,2002 School of Management, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, International journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 14, no. 1, pp 43-58, MCB University Press, 0951-3558, URL:www.emerald-library.com/ft 8. Marie McHugh: Employee absence: an impediment to organisation health in local government,2001, School of Management, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, International journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 14, no. 1, pp 43-58, MCB University Press, 0951-3558, URL:www.emerald-library.com/ft 9. Stephen Taylor, People Resourcing, 2005, 3rd edition, CIPD, London, UK. 10. Derek Torrington, Laura Hall and Stephen Taylor: Human Resource Management, 7th Edition, 2008, Prentice Hall, Pearson Education, FT, England and Spain.

Reading Between the Lines of Life :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Reading Between the Lines of Life    Two years ago I was selected from a group of over fifty applicants to become an exchange student. It was not until later that I learned that Germany was where I was to be sent. Although at first I was apprehensive to go to Germany because I didn't yet know the language or much about the country itself, I soon discovered by living there that it was one of the best things that could possibly have happened to me. There were large changes that occurred in my life, but probably the most important and dramatic of these changes was the one that occurred most slowly.    Over the course of my time in Germany I learned to see that people think differently and have ideas that differ from my own. I learned not to be selfish and think that the only right is what I think -- but rather that others may also have ideas that are just as good and deserve to be more carefully looked at.    When I arrived in Germany I was overcome with a sense of awe mixed with anticipation for what was to happen. I saw all about me different scenes and one acts of the daily life which was constantly playing around me. Everything, which the Germans did, was so different, especially when it came to driving. I feared that I would not even survive the trip from the airport.    I did survive the trip to my host family's house. That is where I began to learn that people solve problems in a way that best suits their predicament. Due to the limited space at my first house they had a shared communal garden. They ate different foods than we Americans, they spoke in a different manner, and they even dressed slightly differently. All these differences, I later learned, stem from a difference in the way they thought. While at first these differences seemed uncomfortable I later learned to accept them for what they were.    I feel that my acceptance of the fact that we all have differences, was a major turning point in the way that I think. I saw that although opinions may differ that one person isn't necessarily right and the other wrong. Sometimes it is important to realize that people differ as do their ideas, but the most important fact is that we be able to work out our differences and realize that we are truly all working together.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Book Review

Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, is a self help book that is a shortened route to spiritual enlightenment. One needs to become aware of the present moment in order to experience joy in life. It's important to live in the present in life because the current moment is all we have. This can be done by controlling the mind in order to become untangled from it. The unconscious mind, the egoic mind, and the â€Å"pain bodies† all need to be addressed and dealt with for enjoyment of life to it's fullest potential. Our mind is our worst enemy, according to Tolle. This is because it loves to get itself into problems. The unconscious mind is always thinking. It is constantly looking back on the past, or ahead into the future, and ignore's the focus on enjoying the current moment. â€Å"When thought isn't connected with consciousness, it becomes insane and destructive† (24). Your unconscious mind will always be reflected in the body as an emotion, which has a strong physical component that is felt in the body. This emotion should be felt in the body, without it controlling you. Emotional pain is the main cause of physical pain. â€Å"The more you are identified with your mind, the more you suffer†(33). By accepting the â€Å"now†, you are more free from pain and suffering. This enables you to experience joy in life by being satisfied with the current state in which you are in. This means you are free from the emotions that arise from the unconscious mind thinking compulsively. The egoic mind that focuses on the past and future does not exist because nothing ever happened in the past or the future. Everything happened in the â€Å"now†. Past and future obviously have no reality of their own† (50). There has never been a time in your life that there was not the now, nor will there ever be. Many of us are ruled by our thoughts, emotions, reactions and desires. Often we feel a lack of completeness, a wanting, needing, or craving for something more. This could be money, success, power, recognition, or even a special relationship. Our n ormal state becomes focused through thought on these things, which need to be out of our focus in order to get full pleasure out of life. â€Å"Don't let your egoic mind take over your whole life† (49). Awareness of the present moment and allowing ourselves to enjoy living in it will contribute to our enjoyment of life. There are negative emotions, or â€Å"pain bodies† that our mind brings up which can interfere with our enjoyment of living in the present moment. Some forms of this pain include resentment, hatred, self-pity, guilt, anger, depression, and jealousy. Negativity can be stopped from arising by being fully present. This negativity is resistance that triggers the emotional pain-body. This is when minor situations result in intense negativity. The ego thinks that it can manipulate reality to get what it wants through negativity. Once we have got our hands on something negative, we don't want to let go. â€Å"Negativity is totally unnatural. It is a psychic pollutant, and there is a deep link between the poisoning and destruction of nature and the vast negativity that has accumulated in the collective human psyche† (189). When we notice negativity has risen within us, we need to use it as a signal to â€Å"be present† and get out of our minds. By doing so, we can increase our enjoyment of life because we are living in the â€Å"now† and dealing with whatever it may bring before us. In the current world, some of us are chasing after temporary pleasures, such as success, fortune, and things we desire. All this stress and worry over these things are not worth it at all. What's more important is to live in the current moment. It's important to realize that Tolle's teachings can apply to anyone who seeks to increase their enjoyment of life. Focusing on the present moment allows us to enjoy the life we are living, instead of being trapped in a non-existent world of reoccurring thoughts of the past and future.

Post WWII german culture essays

Post WWII german culture essays In this ambitious study, Uta G. Poiger attempts to trace the developments of Post-WWII popular culture in East and West Germany, paying close attention to reaction and politicization that framed each sides discussions. The picture that emerges seems to be extremely accurate, but it is at the same time, very confusing. Reactions of all sorts of sociologists, pundits and commentators leaves the reader with an obfuscated view of what life in both East and West Germany was like after WWII. Poigers cultural scholarship focuses on interpretations of Hollywood movies, jazz, and rock n roll, and the class, gender, and racial anxieties that American cultural imports evoked. Poiger shows that every time new American music and fashion were made available, they inevitably crashed up against a counter-wave of adult panic about their effects on the morality, sexuality, and national identity of Germans. Commentators feared that the blatant sensuality of American films and the openly erotic gyrations of jitterbug and other dances would corrupt innocent German girls. They also worried that Westerns, gangster movies, and films such as The Wild One undermined efforts to reconstruct masculinity as less aggressive, more self-controlled than under the Nazis. This anxiety is not cut and dry, however, as Poigers narrative often illustrates contradictions in the perception of youth culture. West German reaction to Jazz, for example, ranges from ambivalence to apprehension to outrage to hatred to acceptance, depending on which magazine is cited and which year it is. Although Poiger uses an abundance of archival evidence to tease out the realities of German Youth culture, she concentrates mostly on the reactions of officials and media figures to do so. This creates a divorced view of German youth culture as it relies on the stereotypes used to describe them based on the reactions and fears of the older generation...