Commentary on Testing the Reality Essay Example for Free

Commentary on Testing the Reality Essay This short but powerfully descriptive poem tells the story of a young man who comes to discover just how fragile the boundary between life and death really is. Written in the form of a dramatic lyric, the poem highlights the moment of revelation and reflection as the man realizes his mother hadnt died; instead she had moved on to another place. The themes of death and abandonment are clearly depicted by the poet through the use of tone, setting, rhythm, symbolism, hyperbole, alliteration and time. Through all these methods, the poet builds a sense of sorrow and feeling of utter reliance the narrator has upon his mother. It emphasizes the mans lifelong journey, from a young child learning to count to a fully grown man mourning the death of his 70-year-old mother. As he grows in body and matures in mind, he fills his head with knowledge and pushes at the boundaries of his world, testing it. The name Testing the Reality arises because the son has to face the reality of life, and the deaths that occur in life. The poem takes place in a church, in a funeral set-up, with flocking birds in the sky. We understand this because of the phrase so crammed church roof and belfry. I can comprehend that it is a funeral because the poet relates the hibernation of the birds to a 70 year old woman. The writer also illustrates a picture of a myriad of birds as he writes There must have been 10,000 there or more. Even though he feels immense loneliness and sadness after the passing on of his mother, he is not yet ready to follow her, and must remain in reality, hence he is the last soul still unhatched. The poem begins in the first person as the poet describes his experiences as a boy. We learn that his mother taught him to count to a ragged 20 but no higher. When he was still a boy, the sheer number of birds perching on the belfry exceeded his counting abilities, cramming church roof and belfry, cross and spire. At this later stage in his life, however, it is not due to his counting skills that he cannot count but due to the sheer immeasurable quantity and their uncontrollable, free nature, unable to be caged or catalogued. Their numbers were so great that their final taking off blacked Beestons sky. These birds feature throughout the poem, creating a sense of activity and movement and dramatic symbolism. Here, the black sky symbolises the unfortunate and sad mood. While the flocking birds represent what the man is looking at and his memories of them as a boy, they also have a metaphorical meaning, symbolizing the life and death of his mother. The crossroad of reality and imagery appears in line six with the following alliteration: picketed piercingly the passing of each day. The power of the repeated P sound reflects the sound of the birds cries. In the poets mind, each bird also represents a single day in the life of his mother. In fact, as the second stanza progresses, the birds only exist to measure the accumulated days in the life of the mans mother. Her attraction towards the birds is completed when they suddenly depart, taking her life with them. The shock of the mothers death is so deep that the first person used throughout the first two stanzas is obliterated and transformed into the third person in the last stanza, the man suddenly being referred to as her son. The third stanza also dramatizes the metaphorical blend of his mother and the birds. Death becomes the wings of night, her life becomes the flocking days. Her departure from the earth is an effusion, a release, of all her physical experiences which are soaring away. So significant was she to her son that her departing life blocked the light. In the final line the son becomes an unhatched egg/soul left behind in the clutch or the nest. Having come to associate the birds with his mother, his memories of her are immediately summoned whenever he sees them. She may be dead but she lives on in his memories of the birds. At first they shrilly hailed the first new light they saw, greeting the new day in what initially seems to be an irritating way because they are portrayed as having loud, high-pitched cries that are not particularly pleasant to the ears. However, after his mother dies, and they leave too, he comes to see them in a different light, after they soared away. His opinion of them has now changed and he sees them as graceful and elegant creatures. This imagery also successfully implies life after death, and the setting of the poem becomes important when looked at in this light. A church is a place of peaceful meditation, praying and holiness, a place where the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual, the barriers between life and death, merge. For these reasons it becomes the nest that hatches souls into the heavens. Even though the birds, and the mans mother with them, fly beyond all sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch they do not fly beyond love or memories, instead leaving a path for the man to follow when it is his turn to be hatched. The lesson the mother taught her son began with counting, but ended with a realization of life after death and the possibility of living, in spirit, for infinity.

Crisis of Low Morale in Nursing Staff

Crisis of Low Morale in Nursing Staff Introduction of Firm This case study describes Los Rayos a medical center that is in a nurse crisis not only for their high turn over rate but for their low morale among its nursing staff. Although the hospital works diligently to provide quality care to its patients it is failing in many areas due to understaffed and overworked nursing staff. Mandated to keep up government regulations, the hospital understands the importance of not compromising quality even though it has had to minimize quantity in staff. The hospital requires nurses to come up with strategies to be implemented to help improve not only working conditions and quality control but patient care and ideas to help increase personal job performance. Over the last eight years the hospital has enforced some of the changes suggested but it finds itself still with the issue of nurses who feel that they are overextending themselves. Nursing staff is still in the position of trying to keep up with the demand of continuous educational conditioning an d development while performing on the job tasks in addition to extra curricular activities. Overview of Firm Competitive Advantage In order to have a firm competitive advantage an organization has to possess something unique that its competition does not have. What makes one different from another? This question is what separates groups and classes and makes one stand out among the rest. At Los Rayos they have qualified staff just not enough of it. Partnering with another major medical facility was a good business move as it can serve the purpose of showing Los Rayos ways it can improve on its functions within the facility. A normal turnover rate for hospitals is at 14% while Los Rayos is at 21%. Changes in an industry can affect bases and balance among it (Porter, 1985). Job satisfaction will make the difference on the advantage another medical facility will gain when nurses are looking upon where they would like to settle for a career. Some nurses will take a salary cut or drive further in order to work within a medical facility that offers them more than an opportunity to use their credentials. As the medical environment is forever changing one thing that may give a hospital a firm competitive advantage would be their values. Having an expectation of learning within the organization lets nursing staff know that they will be encouraged and required to continue to advance in their field and stay current on all resources and advancements in medicine. Having a competitive advantage means that you make it more difficult for competition and shake up the level playing field. According to Michael Porter (1985), if an organization can achieve and maintain differentiation they will be an above average performer in their industry and exceed competition. In order to be successful in this strategy Los Rayos will have to identify attributes and qualities among their nursing staff that are different from their rivals who are the organizations who benefit from their high turnover rate. They need to identify the factors that contribute the turnovers and come up solutions to keep nursing staff from leavi ng and also keep staff happy on the job. Problem statement The problem with Los Rayos medical facility is management does not resourcefully use staff, which leads to a high number in turnovers. The facility is understaffed and overworked and they promoted housekeepers to health techs and provided no skill training leaving nurses to double work as they would need to perform the patient care tasks that the health techs: were promoted to do. The hospital also dropped moral amongst staff as they took away appreciation events such as the employee picnic and Christmas party that gives staff something to look forward to every year. It is highly noted that when employees feel they are appreciated on the job it reflects in their job performance. The hospital reduced its nursing staff to double patients per nurse and increased shifts from 8 hour to 12 hour. This tedious and exhausting work schedule not only creates a hostile work environment as staff are reluctant to go the extra mile or over achieve for patients and colleagues. The hospital requires a lot from its nursing staff and where a raise or an on the job leisure activity would have compensated for the tedious job detail, management has taken those tokens away. Alternative Solutions/Opportunities a.) Create a rewards system to retain staff -there should be a work environment where staff have materials and training to properly perform tasks and should be awarded for productive performance. Evaluations should be done quarterly on staff to review job performance and adhere to what can be done better but also praise what has been done successfully. During this process not only is staff being rewarded for their accomplishments but also they acquire new knowledge and education that helps expand their skill and personal development. i) Build moral in the workplace ii) Cause discord among staff b.) Regular Shifts- Staff has become overwhelmed by the hours they spend on the job. If they had shorter shifts they would have time to reprogram and detox and come back refreshed eliminating turnover and burnouts i.) Gives staff a chance to unwind from a days work and not have to report right back for duty ii) Staff may call out or take more time off with shorter shifts Decision and Support In order to create a work environment that constantly develops nurses skills so that they can efficiently perform job tasks management needs to create a rewards system to help retain staff. Management has to recognize the nurses core commitment is to provide quality care to their patients and they need to help reduce job related stress by ensuring that supporting staff such as health techs are properly trained and skilled in work related duties. Nurses need to feel important, valued, and appreciated by their organization, as they love their job and they just want working conditions to improve. Action Plan Moving to implement the rewards system and shorter shifts for staff should take place immediately to ensure that staff understands management understands their concerns and have worked to rectify their issues. To implement successful changes, management must play an active role in the entire change process. It is the managers responsibility to understand how to address and put the change into action along with properly overseeing resistance from the staff. It is the managers responsibility to understand how to address and put the change into action along with properly overseeing resistance from the staff. Identifying potential risks, anticipating risks, estimating impact of risks, and managing risks successfully are all accomplishments and work towards building moral and retention. Scundra (2016) explained the importance of leaders understanding how to deal with different people and personalities hence the importance of the quarterly evaluations so management can provide feedback to each nurse and staff member personally. Once nursing staff feels compensated for their diligent work they will be eager to preform on the job and happy to work at Los Rayos now and in the future. REFERENCES Drucker,P. (2009). Management Cases.New York, NY. Harper Collins Publisher Porter, M. E. (1985). Competitive Advantage . Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance , 1-30. Retrieved January 22, 2017. Sacndura, T. A. (2016). Essentials of Organizational Behavior. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

A Comparison of the Roman and Mongol Empires

A Comparison of the Roman and Mongol Empires Contents Introduction The Roman Empire Julius Caesar Governance Religion Trade and Warfare The Mongols Empire Genghis Khan Governance Religion Warfare Mughal Empire Akbar the Emperor Governance Religion and Culture Common Characteristics of the Empires and Emperors Born to Wealthy, Political, and/or Kingship Continue from the foundation Governance Strength for source of power Warfare as a means of expansion Relevant lessons Bibliography Introduction ‘One of the lessons of history is that even the deepest crises can be moments of opportunity. They bring ideas from the margins into the mainstream’ (Mulgan, 2009). Empires have come and gone away but the lessons they brought to the world remain in the minds of the people and documented in the books of world history. The word empire has a very broad definition and some often misinterpret the word. To many it means dictatorship, war among civilisations, exploiting the poor, high profile palaces and Kings and emperors living in comfort ruling over a growing conquest. Although some part of all this is true all of this is history in the world we live in today all that is left is lessons that they brought and the teachings that we still abide by even to this day; history brings more to the table than most people come to think because the governance structures used today, religions, cultures and arts are all brought by the historical world that is passed. In this paper, we are going to discuss the brief history of three empires in history that came in different eras looking at their history, their similarities and the lessons that can be drawn from them. The focus will be mainly cast on governance and city planning but also taking a look at how religion and culture influenced governance and to what extent. How artistry also played a part in planning the cities of the past and how all of these play a major role in our cities today. The empires that are going to be discussed include: The Roman Empire, The Mongols Empire and the Mughal Empire. The structure of the paper is discussing the brief history of the above-mentioned empires individually then from there we look at the common characteristics that exist in each empire that made them successful, this paper will further discuss the differences, the lessons that we can take from history that are still relevant today in terms of governance and city planning. The Roman Empire Some scholars argue that the Roman Empire existed even during the ‘Republic’ although to some extent this is true it was just never visible. It all started in Rome a city-state that is located 25 kilometres from the mouth of the Tiber River. It consisted of high advanced culture and strong army which made it a powerful civilisation (Edward, 1979). Figure 1: Roman Empire (Anon, 2008) Julius Caesar Julius is seen as the engineer of the Empire, he was born to a patrician family in 100 B.C.E to a chief in the senate house of the â€Å"Roman Republic†. He rose in popularity in Rome. Popular with the troops and the people because of his conquest of Gaul; A brilliant military commander. He was murdered on the 15th of March 44 B.C.E; stabbed 23 times by the senate this triggered a civil war which saw Augustus take over the Republic and turning it into an Empire (Bladen, 2011). Governance Rome transitioned from a Monarchy to a Republic then finally to an Empire. This gave a clear distinction between the Proletariat and the bourgeoisie, the rich and the poor, women and men. Only a group of people were allowed to be citizens during the Roman Empire. It was ruled over by one individual who was given the divine power due to power, wealth or any other valuable contributor. The Empire spread all over the Mediterranean Sea as shown above by the picture, ruled by peace there was almost no warfare. This dictatorship system continued for the rest of the Empire (Garnsey Saller, 2014) Religion The Romans and conquered personnel brought many cults to the Empire; they worshiped in churches and their homes, they made sacrifices and held festivals in their honour. Rituals were the main threshold of Roman Religion. Rome was the birth of early Christianity (Garnsey Saller, 2014). Trade and Warfare With the emergence of trade routes and sea transport at the heart of Rome; trade and warfare where the big driving factors to the growth of empire. Winning wars and conquering new territories gave Rome more resources; they acquired new skills from captives, and more slaves that increased the working force (Hopkins, 1980). The Mongols Empire Boasting at twice the land area of the Roman Empire; The Mongols have the largest land empire in world history which stretched long and wide from Central Asia to Central Europe, over to the Sea Of Japan then to Siberia and Indian subcontinents and lastly to Arabia (Khan, 1984). It existed from 1206 to 1368. The Mongols were horse men which enabled them to grow their empire wider and further quicker. The acquiring of horses and other livestock enabled then to greatly enhance their military strength (Rachewiltz, 2013). Figure 2: Mongol Empire (Anon, 2010) Genghis Khan Born to a politically strong family during the year 1161. Brilliant organizer and military mastermind he built the foundation of the Mongols Empire. He died on the 18th of August 1227 which triggered unrest to his grandsons that saw it relevant to grow what he started in memory of his life (Weatherford, 2004). Governance The law was drawn up by Genghis Khan himself with a vital point of instating the ‘Death Penalty’ which made the civilisation to be more peaceful. It was safe and well run because anyone who goes against the rules set out would endure a hard penalty (Rachewiltz, 2013). The Non-democratic parliament central assembly was held at the ‘Kurutai’ where members where the bureaucratic members of the civilisation and the chief was the only one allowed to directly communicate with the Emperor to discuss political and civil related information This dictatorship system continued for the rest of the Empire. Trade routes and postal systems were invented during this time (May, 2012). Religion Although the Emperor allowed for religious freedom the transition of religious systems went from Buddhism to Christianity then finally to Islam. Although citizens were allowed to follow which ever religion they chose (Mumford, 1946). Warfare They were generally horsemen which gave them an advantage over they foot soldiered opponents; they travelled in 10s as they attacked (Saunders, 1971). Figure 3: Mongol Army (Anon, 2012) Mughal Empire In 1494 an 11 year old boy by the name of Babur inherited a Kingdom from his father, the elders thought it would better suit the interest of the empire to take away the kingdom from the boy and assume power driving him away from the land, but little did they know that the boy possessed the power to come back and rule over his father’s empire. After being banished he built an army so strong it could withhold any opposition. The conventional beginning of the empire begins when the army of Babur assumed victory over Ibrahim Lodi in the very first battle of Panipat in 1526. He was a brilliant general and a mastermind in war this is clearly shown by his conquest of an army that had 100000 troops with his army of just merely 12000. He laid the main foundation of the Empire leaving his children to take the throne after he died (Schimmel, 2004). Figure 4: Mughal Empire (Anon, 2013) Akbar the Emperor Babur’s son was the driving force in the small decline of the empire that was growing ever small because of his lack of brilliance in the war field. Akbar on the other grew the Empire through his knowledge and understanding of humans (Sharma, 1999). After conquering his opponents Akbar took the opportunity of growing the culture of his Empire by incorporating the cultures into his Empire. Governance He ruled as the divine ruler with the help from his Bureaucratic officials which formed part of a senate with the chief of the being the one that has direct communication to the Emperor. He approached the position with some element of ease. This dictatorship system continued for the rest of the Empire (Schimmel, 2004). Religion and Culture The Empire was well rounded with different cultures and religions due to the brilliance of Akbar with his ability to blend cultures, He allowed for freedom of Religion this meant that anyone in the empire could worship their own God he’s tolerance was seen when he married women from all different types religions and allowed them to practice in the palace (Schimmel, 2004). The official Religion in the Mughal Empire was Islam but the blending created a host of different cultures new ideas on education, art, politics and language (Sharma, 1999). Common Characteristics of the Empires and Emperors Born to Wealthy, Political, and/or Kingship The most remembered people that gave a foundation to the respective empires were all born to highly recognized families. First we look at Julius Caesar who was born to a patrician family with the father part of the higher order of society which gave him the platform to be greater than his father that is why he continued on to lay a foundation for the Roman Empire (Bladen, 2011). Genghis Khan was born to a political and wealthy family which gave him the power and popularity to go on and exploit this side and take charge to bringing the Mongol Empire (May, 2012). Babur was a son of a king that is why he was presented with the opportunity to rule, although his elders took it away he’s nature to rule was fulfilled when he conquered Ibrahim Lodi and took over (Sharma, 1999). Continue from the foundation The descendants of the foundation kings took over the Empires and grew them to greater heights. The children and grand-children grew the Empires to greater Heights. Augustus took Rome to another level of empire and so did the emperors that followed him (Bunson, 1994). Ãâ€"gedei Khan was assigned by Genghis Khan to be his successor this proved crucial to the growth of the empire (Rachewiltz, 2013). Akbar the grandson of Babur grew the empire to become the largest land empire in history (Sharma, 1999). Governance They all adopted governance structure according to what they thought would work for the current time, place and given resources. Strength for source of power The empires used the resources given to achieve what they managed to achieve. Looking at the Mongols they used horses to expand their territory because they could cover more land quicker and faster and it gave them an advantage over opponents at war. Warfare as a means of expansion They fought to keep their empires and they fought to gather more land and power which was common to all the above empires as a means of expanding their territory Relevant lessons Eventually the needs of the people are much greater than the needs of those in power, by addressing the needs of the people then you will be good in terms of popularity and your position in power will be solidified. This is shown by the Akbar in the Mughal he tolerated the conquered to continue their religion even after he’s captured them (Schimmel, 2004). Freedom of religion gives power to the ruling class because it keeps the dwellers happy. Well assembled civilisations in terms of governance are safe and well run because everyone is happy because they can do whatever they want but abiding by the given rules. The death Penalty by Genghis Khan was a relevant governance structure. This reduces high level crimes like murder so this is a good lesson (May, 2012). How such a small group of Mongols Empire managed to conquered such a vast piece of land was because they were contempt in incorporating they groups that they win over into their empire and this meant that they didnâ€⠄¢t have some kind of barrier that doesn’t allow for outsiders so this meant cultures were well engineered to meet the cultural dynamic unlike most cultures that don’t allow other cultures to enter. City building was influenced by arts and culture that was in the empire and the desired taste of the Emperor because he has the final say on the building of the city. Conclusion Each Empire has its own significant characteristics but at some point they overlap to some extent which means that they have some strong similarities as to how their Empires began which was due to the power hungry political children in an attempt to by-pass their parent’s success. How they handle their conquered territories is also different while some choose to incorporate cultures some just choose to instate their own into the lives of the captives. We can draw a lot from history although we refuse to take the lessons and incorporate them because we think we know better and that history is irrelevant although it plays a vital role in our lives now and it will continue to influence our ideas even in times to come Bibliography Anon, 2008. Roman Empire. [Online] Available at: http://www.crystalinks.com/romanempire.html [Accessed 20 March 2015]. Anon, 2010. Colonialism in India and China. [Online] Available at: http://colonialism-india-china.weebly.com/mongol-empire.html [Accessed 21 March 2015]. Anon, 2012. Badass. [Online] Available at: http://badassoftheweek.com/index.cgi?id=84324331289 [Accessed 22 March 2015]. Anon, 2013. Mr. G @ AHS. [Online] Available at: https://sites.google.com/site/mrgahs/home/period-4-global-interactions-1450-ce-to-1750-ce/mughal-empire [Accessed 22 March 2015]. Bladen, V., 2011. Julius Caesar. Australia: Insight Publications. Bunson, M., 1994. Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. New York: Facts on File. Edmondson, J.C., 1989. Mining in the Later Roman Empire and beyond: Continuity or Disruption? The Journal of Roman Studies, 79(1), pp.84-102. Edward, 1979. The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire: From the First Century A.D. to the Third. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. Garnsey, P. Saller, R., 2014. The Roman Empire: Economy, Society and Culture. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Hall, P., 1998. Cities in civilization: culture, innovation, and urban order. London: Phoenix. Hopkins, K., 1980. Taxes and Trade in the Roman Empire. Journal Of Roman Studies, 70(1), pp.101-25. Khan, P., 1984. The Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chinghis Khan. Boston: Cheng and Tsui Company. May, T., 2012. The Mongol Conquests in World History. London: Reaktion Books. Mulgan, G., 2009. Ted. [Online] Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/geoff_mulgan_post_crash_investing_in_a_better_world_1/transcript?language=en [Accessed 20 March 2015]. Mumford, L., 1946. The Culture of Cities. 5th ed. London: Martin Secker and Wraburg Limited. Rachewiltz, I.d., 2013. The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century. Asia: Brill. Saunders, J.J., 1971. The History of the Mongol Conquests. Philadelphia: Routledge. Schimmel, A., 2004. The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. London: Reaktion Books. Sharma, S.R., 1999. Mughal Empire in India: A Systematic Study Including Source Material. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers. Weatherford, J., 2004. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown Publishers.

Adolph Hitler :: essays research papers

Adolf Hitler   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolf Hitler was born to Alois and Klara Hitler in 1990 in Braunau, Austria. His parents couldn’t legally be married, because his mother was his father’s first cousin’s daughter. But they got permission from the Christian church in Rome, and were only an exception because Klara was already pregnant. When he was eight, the family moved to Vienna, which would be a city to hold quite an impact on Hitler’s ambitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Adolf was 12, his father had died. His father was the only person that wouldn’t let his grades slip, so two years later he dropped out of school. Then Hitler’s luck worsened, and two short years after, his mother passed away. Once his mother was gone, Adolf was completely alone. In 1913, he moved to Munich looking for a place to be employed. But he did not leave Vienna with nothing. As he left, he kept two things in mind that were valued there: Anti-Semitism and the idea of German supremacy. Adolf had always been into the arts, when he was in Munich, he’d go to operas when he didn’t even have food. He was a very good sketch artist of buildings and architects, but he could not draw people very well. Art was one of the two classes, P.E. being the other, that he excelled in. As he entered the political world, he would continue his interests in the arts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World War One hit on August 14, 1914. A few months later, he had joined up with the German army in the 16th Battalion. He became so dedicated to his battalion, that when people asked where he lived, he simply said, â€Å"The Sixteenth Battalion.† The reason why he had joined to fight for his country is because he wanted to purify the world. In his eyes, anybody who wasn’t German wasn’t part of the â€Å"Master Race†, which fell under Hitler’s idea of German Supremacy. Aryan was what the â€Å"Master Race† was deemed, which was a German with blonde hair and blue eyes. The irony of it is that he himself had brown hair and brown eyes, which he considered â€Å"not pure.† If you were not pure, you were to be cleansed, taken care of. If you were not with Adolf and his belief, you deserved to die. In 1916, he was shot and sent back to Germany. Then he soon returned healthy as ever.

Analysis of 1997 U.S. Macroeconomic Predictions :: essays papers

Analysis of 1997 U.S. Macroeconomic Predictions The U.S. economy ended 1996 at a blistering pace of 4.7% growth rate of real GDP in the fourth quarter. Despite this strong growth, the inflation rate remained relatively low in fact the CPI showed its lowest core growth rate in the last 34 years. This low inflation along with low unemployment finished off a very healthy year for the U.S. economy. These numbers seem to indicate a positive trend for the U.S. economy in 1997. Real GDP is expected to grow at a strong to moderate rate of 2.25%, with CPI rising around 3% and the unemployment rate between 5.25-5.5%. In order to see how these projections were arrived at it is most important to look at the factors that make up real GDP. Consumption, Investment, Government Spending, and Net Exports. When these factors are analyzed separately the overall picture of real GDP becomes clearer. The growth rate of real GDP is important because it tells us the rate that the economy is growing. Once the rate of growth is determined, we will be able to look at the predictions for interest rates, unemployment, and inflation, since all of these are heavily influenced by the growth rate of real GDP. Real GDP is the market value of all goods and services produced in a given year. It is the most important measure of growth in an economy. Since a dollar of production is equal to a dollar of income, real GDP not only gives an idea of production but also of the well being of the society in general. It is not enough simply for real GDP to rise, it must rise at a healthy rate (around 2.0%) each year in order for there to be enough jobs for new entrants into the labor force. If real GDP falls or fails to rise enough, unemployment will increase and the overall standard of living will fall. However, if real GDP rises too much inflation may occur which also lowers people’s standard living by eroding their purchasing power. In 1997, real GDP in the United States is expected to grow at an annual rate of around 2.25%. Growth is not expected to be as dramatic as the 4.7% rate of growth shown in the last quarter of 1996. But, overall the economy should show moderate to strong growth throughout the year.

Women are responsible for the vast majority of childcare in contemporary Britain

Women are responsible for childcare for a variety of reasons. Often due to the costs of private childcare, a mother staying at home becomes logical. Many women struggle to find convenient well paid jobs so conclude that it is not worth working. Another reason why the woman is often responsible may be that the family see it as only natural that the woman in the family should take care of the children. â€Å"Women are perceived as having the sort of emotional qualities necessary to nurture families and run the home† (Valentine, 2001, pg 65). Also, maternal instincts are often assumed to grant women with greater ability than men when it comes to childcare. â€Å"Eco-feminists†¦ see child-raring as a key experience that teaches women to be more caring and tender† (Rose, 1996, pg. 26). Finally, single mothers are often left with little or no choice than to raise their child alone and rely on childcare benefits provided by the state. â€Å"In the UK and North America at least, domestic work (housework and childcare for example) within the heterosexual family has often been assigned to women. (Holloway and Hubbard, 2001, pg 91). For these reasons and many others women are often the sex ‘left holding the baby'. This report will look at how this can affect a woman's use of space, and how the negative side of this can be changed. When a woman has no outside work, her domestic restraints can make her see her home as a prison. Mothers at home with babies crave for interactions with other adults and for time away from their home dwelling. This is where their home is no longer a place of comfort and rest but a place of domestic labour. Therefore, the structure of the nuclear family can lead to the home becoming a prison. â€Å"A key observation here is that the separation of home from work cannot apply when the work of one member of the household occurs in the home place. † (Holloway and Hubbard, 2001, pg 91). Leading a more domestically influenced life can change the behaviour of a person. Ardener claims â€Å"Behaviour and space are mutually dependent† (Rose, 1996, pg 17). Mothers working full or part time often find it hard to find a job that will accommodate their needs. Those women, who do work, work in low paid jobs within close proximity to their homes. Daily activity patterns are structured by the constraints on mobility presented by the presence of young children and the lack of access to the car. † (Gregson et al. , 1997, pg 69) In society, we are surrounded by labels. A mother, for example, has the labels such as, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, aunt, customer, co worker, to name just a few. As we conform to what is expected of us from each of these labels our use of space can alter dramatically. A mother thinks about what is best for her child. Certain places will automatically become off limits for her as she puts the needs of her child first. For example one place the mother would not go includes smoky public houses. â€Å"The employment possibilities, the kinds of unpaid activities undertaken and the daily activities of young women†¦ [With children] are defined within the ‘social constraints' imposed by the ideology of gender roles† (Gregson et al. , 1997, pg 69) In order to confirm that a woman's use of space is altered by childcare, mind maps can be produced and analyzed. This technique can show how well a person does or does not know an area. Certain areas would be in less detail that they view as unsafe to take children, such as subways or public houses. Other areas would be in great detail such as school routes, parks and play areas. A woman involved in childcare's use of space was first altered during industrialisation, when production moved from the home into factories. The home was no longer a work place for all the family but just for one. â€Å"Whereas before, cooking childcare cleaning and so on had been done on a collective basis, the communal style of living broke down and families became emotionally and physically more enclosed or privatized. The definition of ‘home' as a place separate from employment devalued the unpaid work done within it, precisely because it was not paid. † (Valentine, 2001, pg 66). Being a full time carer for your own or someone else's children can be a lonely experience. Children are unable to hold the intelligent level of conversation that a woman will crave. McDowell, 1999, explains how housework can be in worse conditions than paid work. It is an isolating experience and that it should be recognised for the amount of character and hard work that it requires. It is even harder for a woman whose family has been out all day at school and work, while she has done the unpaid work of the house, for love, not money. â€Å"The very large majority of men work away from their homes and return there for rest and recreation†¦ For Fathers and children alike these hours away from home bring new contacts, recreation such as clubs camps and games, as well as more serious interests. But in general the mother stays at home. † (Spring Rice, cited in McDowell, 1999, Pg 74) Following the Second World War, the nuclear family took priority in house building. This was in hope of regaining, â€Å"The sanctity of family life†. Valentine, 2001, pg 66). The designers and governments wanted to encourage this style of housing following the war because, â€Å"They were concerned about falling birth rates and argued that improved housing would persuade more women to have children and remove the temptation of outside work†. (Valentine, 2001, pg 66). As history tells, it did not work out this way. Women have fought their way to better maternity rights so that child bearing does not mean they do not pursue a career or outside interests. Despite this, the nuclear house is still popular on the market with a rise of single apartments.

Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resources Practitioner Essay

Introduction This report will be divided in 2 activities, first, a brief description of the CIPD Professional Map, which will help us have a better understanding of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be an effective practitioner. The second activity will specify how an HR practitioner can ensure the services they provide are timely and effective. Activity 1 – Brief summary of CIPD Human Resources Professional Map The CPID Professional Map it’s a tool developed to help HR professionals understand what they need to know and do in each level of their careers. The Map is presented to us divided in 4 main sections: It begins with the Core professional Areas – These 2 areas are the center of the map and relevant for all no matter what level or position you work in HR, and they are: Insights, Strategy and Solutions – This professional area underpins the direction of the profession as an applied business discipline. This area also allows HR Professionals, to develop actionable insights and deliver situational HR solutions. Leading HR – This professional area focuses on HR Professionals that are active and insight-led and are actively leading others who own, shape and driving the organization. They develop the organization across 3 main areas of leadership: Personal leadership, leading others and leading issues. Then it describes the Specialist Professional Areas – the 8 specialist professional areas identify what you need to Know and to do, in each of the 4 bands. These are Organisational design, Organisational development, Resourcing and talent planning, Learning and development, Performance and reward, Employee engagement, Employee relations and finally Service delivery and Information, one of the areas I’m most interested, here we have to ensure that Hr services and information are delivered effectively, efficiently and timely and data is manage in a professional manner. To become effective there are 8 behaviours, these behaviours describe how an HR professional should carry out for their successful accomplishment and they are: 1. Curious – interested, willingness to learn and to develop, growing within an organization 2. Decisive thinker – uses information to make defendable decisions 3. Skilled influencer – ability to persuade in order to gain the necessary support 4. Personally credible – builds a reputation of professionalism at all times adding value to the organisation 5. Collaborative – team work, able to work with people of all levels 6. Driven to deliver – determination to get the job done using all resources to deliver the best result 7. Courage to challenge – confident to speak up, challenging others even in unfamiliar circumstances 8. Role model – impartial, straightforward, leads by example. There are also 4 bands that defines what professionals need to do to progress through the bands in order to develop their careers. Going from band 1 which reflect the people carrying out administrative and support activities up to the requirements needed in people in leading roles who make decisions and are responsible for the development of HR strategy. My role in HR Unfortunately for the time being I’m not working in HR but having a background of HR Administrator I would have to chose Service delivery and information as the professional area that best reflects my experience. I have placed myself at Band 1(or even before that), despite my short experience working in HR I developed interest in that particular area and would like to proceed my career in that direction. Considering Band 1 the activities and knowledge specified within this role would be: Activities Provide the relevant information and advice to managers and employees Keep accurate records of case history Delivery service excellence, customer care even through times of change Knowledge Be able to handle, escalate and resolve problems and complaints Manage employees lifecycle and other needs Know how to use HRIS and produce data reports Activity 2 – With reference to your own (or other identified) HR role, outline how an HR practitioner should ensure the services they provide are timely and effective Customer needs and their requirements of HR Understanding customers needs is essential for an HR professional if we what to deliver an effective service. Some of HR customers can be Managers requiring absence reports, company policies or support with employee relations. Employees who might request information regarding their holidays, salary or the terms of their contracts. Even Job candidates are HR customers, needing assistance with an application for an open vacancy. Not always is easy for HR practitioners to ensure that the services they provide will be timely and effective. Different customers can have different needs at the same time and if it conflicts with our workload we need to prioritize the tasks that have to be dealt with. Payroll normally is something that comes as a priority for customers. This kind of issues will be prioritized and handled in a timely manner in order to guarantee an efficient service and customer satisfaction. Who requested? When was requested? Are questions that need to be taken into account when you are planning your daily schedule. Communication methods When we talk about communication one of the most important things we always want to insure is that the message that is being sent is received and understood. Here are 3 examples of communications methods: Email – with email we can communicate with everyone in the company. It’s an easy tool to use, quickly and you can reach a lot of people at the same time, and you can always keep evidence of what was discussed. However it has some disadvantages can be sent by mistake to the wrong person (breaching dpa) and the receiver might understand something that was not supposed to be  the message sent. Telephone – It’s the most direct and quick method from where we can get immediate answers. The disadvantage is that if the conversations are not recorded there will be no evidence of the communication. Intranet – The intranet is increasingly becoming a privileged method of communication. It contains important information available to all staff. Normally is updated on a regular basis with the latest news, relevant information, organizational changes etc. The advantage is that not all employees reed what is posted. Effective service delivery To deliver effective service it’s crucial that you build and maintain relationships with all of your customers (managers, employees, finance). Keep your promises, expectations have to be met, if you compromise yourself with something your customers will be expecting that from you. This will build a trusty relationship and will build up their confidence in your service. When handling problems, complaints or difficulties make sure the issue is addressed to the right person or that it is your place to solve it. I believe the best way to approach these situations, is to first of all, identify the problem and the point of view of all parties, be sympathetic and come up with options to solve these problems. If it can’t be solved immediately give them a time frame and keep them updated of further developments. Customers need to know that something is being done with the complaint they presented. One of the factors in providing effective service that needs to be taken into account is company budget, every outlay has to be considered in your budget since stationary, Hr systems, training etc. If the company is thinking of acquire a new HR system the budget will be taken into consideration. As HR practitioners we need to provide the best on budget option. Where can money be saved? Can we economize time with this new tool? We have to try to find a new system that could allows us to incorporate multiple tools in one, for instance a new HR System that also enables us to have payroll and appraisal system. This could help the  company save resources such as time and money, making easier for HR to deliver an Effective service. To conclude we can say that throughout this report we were able to identify the 8 specialist professional areas in which we can develop our HR career and the necessary behaviours to be successful in it. Reflecting on my own experience or what I believe it’s effective we went through the different methods of communication available to you as an HR practitioner and how to handle your customer’s complaints and difficulties, always guarantying an effective service delivery. References: www.cipd.com.uk http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipd-hr-profession/profession-map/ http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipd-hr-profession/profession-map/professional-areas/service-delivery-information.aspx http://www.cipd.co.uk/community/freesummaries/whatismeantbycustomerservice.htm http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/employee-communication.aspx