Social Justice in India Essay Example for Free

Social Justice in India Essay An Inquiry into the Conditions of Social Justice in India [Note: 1 . This study of Justice concentrates on conditions of social Justice in India and will not include general issues of criminal Justice; the proposal refers mainly to social justice and popular ideas of Justice, as linked to, but distinct from rights. 2. This proposal is built on the insights drawn from the previous research programme on autonomy, and thus while this is a new proposal it is also a follow up on the earlier exercise. Similar to the preceding one, it has research, publications, and dialogue segments. 3. The current research plan has developed through a series of onsultations; its enunciation here is thus a product of the dialogic approach of our research work. 4. This statement is divided into three sections (a) Description of the theme, and its context; (b) approach of the study; (c) activities proposed ] A. The Context and the Theme of Social Justice 1 . Though the theme of Justice has occupied a high ground in philosophical discussions since the beginning of political philosophy, yet in terms of democracy and popular politics its exact meaning and implications have been nebulous, one of the reasons being the fact that Justice in reality is a meeting ground of many ideas, ituations, concepts, expectations, mechanisms, and practices. Many things intersect to form the context of social Justice ethical ideas of the people, laws, the evolving nature of claims, and the pattern of collective claim making politics, institutional issues relating to the delivery mechanisms of Justice, ideas about rights and entitlements, ideas among the citizens about responsibility of the rulers towards them, plus many situations generating many conditions of Justice. All these make the social context of Justice, also the social form and social site of Justice. By social Justice we therefore indicate as a beginning: (i) social context of Justice, (it) social content of justice, and (iii) social sites of Justice. We also indicate that as social, there can be many contexts, contents, and sites. 2. The point of plurality made in the last sentence is significant, because notions and ideas, claims and practices, and mechanisms of Justice have depended on varying situations. Thus we can witness various forms of social Justice in reality social claim as Justice, attainment and restoration of dignity as Justice, end to discrimination as ustice, retribution as Justice, conciliation of claims as Justice, social idea of minimal justice, positive discrimination as Justice, protection of the vulnerable sections of society as Justice, and finally autonomy as Justice. Social Justice can and does have strong gender implications. 3. Situations of marginality produce ideas of Justice. Lack of access to means of representation / resources / survival means such as education, health, etc. produces marginality. Similarly displacement creates marginal situations. Likewise minority status engenders marginal existence. Hereditary discriminations have the same ffect. Gender has the same role. These marginal situations have one thing in common they speak of power matrix. And they produce specific calls for Justice. Different marginalities generate different expectations and forms of Justice thus gender Justice, Justice for the indigenous people, Justice for those denied of dignity death or for people living below poverty line all of which mean Justice for those who cannot access the mechanisms for Justice. The thing to note here is that while constitution has provisions of Justice in its various articles and clauses, unlike in the ase of rights Justice does not have a compact formulation, even though the Preamble and earlier the Objectives Resolutions of the Constituent Assembly had justice as one of the founding provisions. 4. One of the implications of this manifold context is that while the issue of Justice is studied only or mostly closely in terms of governance, its delivery mechanisms, and the various governmental forms of Justice, social Justice as distinct and as the other of governmental Justice emerges as a distinct category of social reality to be inquired and appreciated in its ow n right. Such a study will have to concentrate on the forms f social Justice indicated above, the impact of public interest litigation as an avenue of ensuring social Justice and as a process contributing to the idea of social Justice, the Justiciability of social Justice, and the significance of the particular relation between rights, capabilities, claims, and law in terms of the idea of social Justice equally significantly, in terms of making this idea a reality. Finally, the significance of this has to be sought in the realisation of the notion of responsibility responsibility of the State, its various organs, various governmental institutions, and their national nd international commitments to provide Justice. In sum, the context of the research can be summed up as one that provides the background to the interrelation between Justice and society. 5. Given the significance of the idea of Justice in the Indian national movement and in its associated ideas and thoughts, and the wide demand for Justice from each of the underprivileged sections of the Indian society today, and the recurring incidents of communities assuming the responsibility of delivering direct Justice in the background of perceived delays and determining their own norms of Justice, the proposed inquiry assumes significance. During the national movement there were several articulations of the idea of Justice; similarly in the constituent assembly proceedings competing and complementary ideas of Justice emerged. Likewise in the writings of several thinkers Justice has been discussed from various angles. Apart from intellectual, theoretical, and literary exercises, other discursive and institutional exercises have been marked by popular thoughts and ideas. Various manifestos, leaflets, pamphlets, popular writings, sketches, songs, newspaper articles, speeches, etc. have been the other sites where ideas of Justice at the popular level have been rticulated. 6. Social Justice is an arena only partly covered by law; rest is covered by social and political ideas and practices. Ethical ideas about honour, right, respect, autonomy, claim, share, revenge, and shame also play significant role in determining mores of justice. A sense of entitlements also has a role to play. Justice thus propels variety of forms from social-economic rights, to the forms of Justiciability, forms of redistribution of wealth, the form of due process, subjective experiences of Justice, and as distinct from these experiences the objective tests of Justice. In this context ne has to note the parts played by social movements and social mobilisations in determining the popular concepts of Justice. . One can already sense in the preceding description of the theme of inquiry the approach likely to underlie the proposed programme References have been made already to the historical milieu of nationalist ideas, communitarian ideas, and the constituent assembly deliberations. We need to recall in this context that in colonial India, the idea of social Justice had formed the core of a politic al movement, as in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra; and after an interregnum Justice again became the ore element of many movements and formations. Since mid 70s and early 80s of the last century one can observe in the country a significant trend in governance and the social and economic (SE) rights scenario in India. It was during this time that the government started shifting its focus from political declarations on civil and political rights to programmes, policies, legislations and Acts for delivering basic services to its citizens. In a way it began with 20-point programme of the Government in the mid-70s. At the same time due to a crisis in legitimacy of the state following the Emergency (1975-77), a host of peoples movements sprang up across the country demanding rights from the state, at the same time devising alternative models for ensuring basic services. We also began witnessing from that time the ideas and practices of committed administration, known by the phrase developmental bureaucracy, and committed Judiciary, that is to say a Judiciary, whose premise is valuing ideals of social Justice. Judicial activism too emerged in that context. This historical context provides the ground for research into the process by which Justice as a social and political programme took concrete shape in the country. This historical context has also propelled citizens bodies, and peoples movements to take stock of the condition of rights, and launch campaigns at all levels to demand the right for sustainable livelihood, which includes issues of access to food, clothing, and housing and extends to the right to a dignified life with access over utilisation and control of resources. These campaigns have become significant in making the SE rights of the people a crucial item in public agenda of social Justice, and in the emergence of public demand for transparency, accountability and efficiency from the tates and direct participation of society in matters of governance. Instances of the profound expression of such campaigns, which have resulted in legislations at state and national levels on various issues are not lacking. They have raised the level of legal arguments, Judicial awareness, and the quality of constitutionalism including constitutional interpretations. All in all, an inquiry into conditions of Justice will require an investigation of the historical milieu. 2. The social Justice scenario is to be investigated in the context of two streams of entitlements: (a) sustainable livelihood, which means access to adequate means of iving, such as shelter, clothing, food, access to developmental means, employment; education, health, and resources; (b) social and political participation (enabling or empowering means), which is built on the guarantee of fundamental rights, and promotion and empowerment of the right to participation in the government, and access to all available means of Justice, and on the basis of which Justice as a political programme becomes a viable reality. We require therefore a study based on select illustrations of various issues relating to government policies on topics such as: a) the right to food and water; (b) housing, which includes resettlement and healthcare, (e) right to work, and (f) access to information and the right to communication. In short, one of the important ways in which the inquiry will proceed will be through taking stock of various forms that have occasioned the articulation of ideas of social Justice. 3. The all-important question however will be how are we to make sense of different notions and realities of Justice, which we have already noted? Governmental Justice consists of various welfare schemes, law, legal literacy, administrative forms of rbitration such as tribunals, boards, courts, public interest litigation, new legal education, plus the constitutional idea of protection of weaker sections of the society and introduction of positive discrimination. But this dominant governmental form cannot satisfy the requirements expressed in other forms of Justice, indicated above. The inquiry conducted through historical investigations into conditions of social justice, and select case studies, has to provide us an answer as to: What constitutes a just society or Just social relations? Or, how can people having conflicting interests nd values agree on principles of Justice? What constitutes in the main the world of social Justice in India? Where and how do the social-Justice-talks feature in Indian political and social discourse? People talk of lack of or inadequate access to legal justice; dalits talk of social Justice against the backdrop of discrimination, caste society and social and govt. nterventions; activists talk about how the peoples notion of social Justice is often trumped by economic rationality and growth and other powerful interest associated with them; women activists also talk about Justice in the ontext of discrimination, patriarchy and so on. For the sake of clarity then we can say that the project will be about critically examining the ways people/groups encompassing different contexts use the language of social Justice to advance their interests, to critique and to promote their values, and advance their claims in the context of their respective notions of what constitute injustices. . Thus, the inquiry will be conducted keeping its eyes on the various uses of the social Justice language in India; its multiple contexts, its myriad invocations and its varied renditions. One might say the ways in which people/groups/ activists use the social Justice language may not be coherent; may not even pass the standard set by political philosophers. But a critical examination of these usages will do an important job. As a result of the work, these discourses can become the elements of a new theoretical explanation of the dynamics of Justice and critique the existing ones. We can term thus the approach of the proposed study as part ethnographic, if it is part historical, part analytical. 5. In its analytic dimension, the study will remember that in its present form legal heory views liberty bearing provisions of a countrys basic text as negative rights, that is they do not require state resources; the actual obligation of the state is not to do something, i. e. not to subject an individual to torture or not to carry out arbitrary arrests. On the other hand, Justice bearing provisions are viewed as positive, require state resources since they are seen as obligations to do something, e. g. to provide free primary or secondary education or health care facilities. Presented in this manner, it is easy to see why states have been more receptive to implementing iberty-bearing provisions and why today the public attention is increasingly on a set are seen as benefits given by the state. They are also viewed as aspirations that the state would one day like to fulfil through a process of progressive realisation. The growing public opinion is however quite different from this perception. Justice in popular politics is seen as the congealed form of entitlements, and as a set of provisions inextricably linked to differential notions of rights and responsibilities, Since most of the governmental responses to these urgings for Justice have been uch more through executive policies, rather than through fundamental recognition of entitlements, the problem is that most of these policies operate in an ad-hoc basis. The government assumes that it knows about how to provide welfare, but ignores the fact that a welfare approach in order to be successful has to based on a consensus on the notion of Justice rather than be based on the benevolence of a mai-baap sarkar (benefactor government). The analytic dimension in this inquiry therefore has to take stock of public interest litigations in recent years fought on the terrain of justice. The process of analysing the legal dynamics of social Justice should include a study of various approaches undertaken by the government from time to time in guaranteeing Justice the welfare approach, equity in development approach, efficiency approach, empowerment approach, and the entitlements-approach. The attempt should be to find out how much these approaches have mixed with each other in activist, Juridical, and governmental discourses over the years, and have contributed to the development of the idea of Justice, which are marked by notions of (i) non-negotiability of Justice-centric provisions, (it) non-derogability of these rovisions, (iii) accommodation and harmonisation of various popular interests and claims on the basis of fairness, compensation, guarantee, Joint custodianship, and differential needs. 6. In sum, the approach of the inquiry will be part historical, part ethnographic, and part analytic. The purpose is composite consisting of the following aims: The inquiry will enormously enrich our ideas of responsibility, rights, entitlements, and claims, It will give an idea of the index of of social Justice in the light of rights and entitlements; The role of popular politics and the extent of articipation of the peoples organisations in programme and implementation of the welfare schemes towards ensuring provisions of social Justice; Debate between rights versus welfare based approaches to development; Shift in the governance agenda towards policies and programmes rather than enacting legislations, which would bestow rights on citizens; Impact of womens awareness on the Justice discourse in India; Similarly, the impact of the awareness about various marginal situations in a democracy which call for differential notions, dynamics, and institutional operations of Justice; ? The close relation between the idea of Justice and the political issue of the delivery mechanisms of Justic e; An investigation into the twin reality Justice as a strong idea in politics and Justice as practice; And therefore an investigation into two forms of social Justice Justice as a function of government, that is to say, governmental form of Justice, and Justice as a product of dialogues in contested and differential situations, that is to say, dialogic Justice. C. Activities Proposed 1 . The programme will have two segments (a) research (b) dialogues. The research . The research will produce a series of status reports on Justice, and a comprehensive volume. The volume will be based on study papers based on the researches on the following themes: a. Historical investigation into the development of the idea of Justice as a fundamental element of popular politics in the colonial time, and different intellectual discourses on Justice b. Historical investigation into the succeeding constitutional deliberations on Justice c. Ethnographies of Justice I (dalits and Justice) d. Ethnographies of Justice II (indigenous people and Justice) e. Ethnographies of ustice Ill (survival rights, property notions, and Justice) f. Ethnographies of Justice IV (women and Justice) g. Justice as legal activity a review of the history of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) h. The literary site of Justice i. Justice and injustice: who are the victims and how do they perceive? J. Social justice in form of two binaries legalities and illegalities; and governmental Justice and dialogic Justice The volume will throw light on how the idea of Justice has played its part in refashioning democratic politics its relation to the popular discourse on rights, welfare, and law. . Since the study agenda as proposed here is strongly perched on an appreciation of differential circumstances and the marginalities producing the most immanent forms of Justice, a dialogue programme on the basis of the appreciation of differences and marginalities becomes an essential part of the study agenda. Such dialogue would include conversations with and among different actors in the arena of social Justice process who are marginally situated in the world of formal politics and governance, or are actors in propelling the idea of Justice as a political programme, or are critical n shaping a new politico-juridical discourse on Justice. As has always been the CRG practice, research will be combined with dialogue, will gather strength from the latter, and must go back in terms of its inputs to the dialogic partners. This was done in the preceding programme on autonomy; it is proposed that study and dialogue will be combined again. This dialogue will focus on social movements. Thus dalit activists, activists of social Justice, lawyers, sub-divisional and tehsil-level Judges, gender rights activists, people involved in water sharing movements and other nvironmental movements will become the dialogue partners. Similarly decentralisation and Justice will become another significant theme and site for dialogue. Dialogue with victims of injustice can become one of the most significant occasions for dialogue on Justice. Dialogues on Justice A series of three dialogues on Justice was carried out by the Calcutta Research Group (CRG), in 2006 where about seventy people took part from diverse backgrounds. These dialogues were combined with public lectures in Kolkata and Darjeeling. These dialogues are also part of the CRGs research programme on social Justice in India. They have immensely contributed to the collective knowledge on the state of social justice in the country, thrown up new ideas and questions, and have shed light on how collective struggles for Justice go on in this country with or without the help of law. At a fundamental level, they have been instrumental in clarifying various notions restitution, or rights and Justice. These dialogues have also helped us in gaining knowledge about various repositories of archival material on Justice, such as popular tracts, manifestos, legal materials, other popular writings, political declarations, and eportages that tell us lot about various perceptions on Justice. Dialogue has been an integral part of the research design of CRG. Our colleagues from various institutions participating in these discussions reinforced our belief and emphasis on this procedure. To say the least, no amount of scholarly paper presentation in seminars or philosophical treatise would have clarified the plural character of Justice, the historically predicated nature of it, or its contentious character, as these dialogues have done. Our fear is that we may not have been able to do Justice to the richness of the discussions on the three occasions. Several institutions came forward to assist us in holding these three dialogues: the Ford Foundation, the Lok Niti Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, the European Union and the International IDEA. The first dialogue was held in Kolkata on 5 June 2006 on the theme of Conditions of Social Justice in India. One of the aims in convening the dialogue in Kolkata was to take note of the two trends in the literature on social Justice. Of these two, one consists of existing writings focused on formulating or analyzing some normative principles of Justice, which states and other delivering agencies ought to follow in ourse of their administrative and welfare actions. The second trend is made up of ethnographic researches, which concentrate on how people negotiate their ways through different systems of Justice customary or modern existing in society, and make their own meanings of Justice. The highlights of this of this dialogue was Identifying themes and case studies with special reference to West Bengal and eastern India, and developing an appropriate research design; understanding in this context the complex relationship between theory and ethnography; preparing a comprehensive, annotated bibliography that will include a list of texts of relevant olicies, enactments, public interest litigations and relevant legal decisions, parliamentary and legislative assembly debates and material relating to popular demands for Justice, and popular tracts on Justice and finally, identifying the institutional locations, resources and individual researches in the country particularly in West Bengal and eastern India. The second dialogue was An inquiry into the Conditions of Social Justice in India and was held in Darjeeling, on 26-28 June 2006. Continuing from where the Kolkata deliberations left, it was once again noted that situations of marginality produce deas of Justice. Lack of access to means of representation/resources/ survival means such as education, health, etc. produces marginality. Similarly displacement creates marginal situations. Likewise minority status engenders marginal existence. Hereditary discriminations have the same effect. Gender has the same role. These marginal situations have one thing in common they speak of power matrix. Many things intersect to form the context of social Justice ethical ideas of the people, laws, the evolving nature of claims, and the pattern of collective claim making politics, nstitutional issues relating to the delivery mechanisms of Justice, ideas about rights we therefore indicate as a beginning: (i) social context of Justice, social content of justice, and (iii) social sites of Justice. The third dialogue took place in Bhubaneswar, on the specific theme of Justice and Democracy in Divided Societies. It was held on 20-22 November 2006. The main objectives of the dialogue in this context were: To explore the dynamics of social divisions in contemporary South Asian societies compounded by governmental operations, which transform divisions into marginalities; To propose a possible genda of social Justice in the context of divided societies an agenda that bases itself on marginalities and can address therefore the issues of Justice in a new way; To suggest policy alternatives in terms of their bearing on democracy. The legal fiction of a homogeneous public immune from the operations of power in the society is nowhere more sharply focused than in the writings of Jurgen Habermas, Axel Honneth and their associates. As the legal fiction subsumes governmentally produced social divisions mentioned above, issues of Justice get continuously sidetracked and pushed into the background. In other words, democracies of modern times bring into play a discourse where they produce injustice without being seen as such. Thus, it is not surprising that marginalities, livelihood crises and hunger deaths do not get constituted as public agenda in societies revisited by them. A post-colonial engagement with the issue of democracy helps demystify the fiction, and thus can seek to push democracy beyond the grids of governmentality by teasing out the implications of social divisions for issues of Justice and bring them to bear on the functioning of contemporary democracies in divided societies.

Reflective Paper On Human Resource Management Management Essay

Reflective Paper On Human Resource Management Management Essay Human resource management plays an integral role in assisting any organization attains its set objectives. HRM can be defined as the rational and strategic move towards management of a firms workforce. The workforce is the most valuable asset in any organization. Indeed, organizations are constituted by employees and not the processes and technology employed. The goals of any organization can only achieved by entrusting it to a committed workforce. According to Riccucci (2006), HRM functions in hiring people, ensures growth of employees capabilities so as to fully utilize them and compensate them commensurately for their contributions in making organizations goals realization possible. As such, HRM exists to ensure employee productivity by addressing any hindrance occurring on employees performance. This paper explores the functions of HRM, major concerns in those functions and their relevance to the sum total goal of an organization. In addition the paper reflectively focuses on the impacts of the aforementioned functions to the employees current and future career. To achieve the organizational goals, HRM develops the employees and motivates the individual employee via proper communication of the social responsible and ethical behavior thereby expounding any performance gaps in the organization and providing remedies to them to ensure efficient working. Human Resources planning and recruitment/selection issues The process of HRM is guided by a HRM plan which clearly outlines the future of the undertaking. The plan relates the efforts of the employees within an organization with the organizational goals. Achievements of employees can only be relevant to the organization if they continually address the organizational goals. Organizational goals distinguish between organizations in the market and as such provide the competitive advantage of the organization. HRM office projects, in the plan, the human resource (HR) requirements into the future in efforts to enhance the achievement of the goals. The plan considers both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the HR to be recruited and/or maintained. The economic implication of the HR hired is a factor that goes hand in hand with the achievement of objectives of the organization. HR plan has a great implication on the current and future career aspects of existing employees as well as those in the contextual labour market. Indeed, the quality of HR required may mean staff training on the existing employees, retrenchment of those under qualified or stricter selection processes in efforts to match the job and the skills in employee. The recruitment process then follows. During recruitment, HRM office advertises for the vacancy and after applications has been made, selection of the best candidate(s) is done. The right candidate(s) is inducted into the organization via an introduction of the colleagues, organization structure, work station and supervisor. Furthermore, the recruited employee is familiarized with the organizations goals and policies all of which shape the organization culture. During induction there may be need for a training that may last from several days to several months depending on the intensity of disparity between skills level of the recruited employee and the job description. The contemporary society requires certain proportions of composition of genders in the organizations. Many organizations have actually adopted the affirmative action in ensuring equal employment opportunities (EEO) within their organizations. This serves both as legality conformance as well as a social acceptance tool for organizations. EEO and Affirmative Action Affirmative action is a faction of particular and results-oriented undertakings structured towards correction of underutilization of women and minorities in the workstations. The idea is that employers and all involved in controlling employment procedures do not discriminate among candidates on the grounds of physical or mental challenge, nationality, color, sex, ancestry, religion, marital status, age or medical condition (Dowling et al, 2008). The qualified individuals in the job market should therefore access the available jobs equally. Within the working places, affirmative action and EEO ensures similarity in provision of benefits as well as services to the workforce. As such employees are consistently subjected to practices and policies equally. EEO is an all inclusive legal mandate for federal contractors. Affirmative action program is an endeavor to enhance fairness and deal with effects of previous discrimination practices in employment through attracting the target group th at includes women and underutilized minorities. The impact of affirmative action and EEO on its level of implementation seriously impacts on the career aspirations and indeed personal lives of individuals since its implementation benefits the target group while it may compromise quality of the work force in some societies (ZÃ ¼gner Ullrich, 2009). Implementation of the EEO and affirmative action programs implies that the percentage of the unemployed among the target group is increased thereby improving their personal living standards as well as career prospects. The challenge with the implementation of EEO and affirmative action may be the possibility of compromising the quality aspect of the workforce when the level of skills among the target population is wanting yet their percentage in an organizations workforce has to be achieved. However, for social acceptance and legal conformity, the HRM office must try to apply the said policy. In enhancing employee productivity and the subsequent achievement of organization goals, HRM office must ensure proper compensation and commensurate provision of benefits to the employees. Compensation may be defined as the offer of money or a financial convertible material for purposes of remunerating for work done. The remuneration is presented as a compensation package which implies the value /worth placed on an employee. Compensation and Employees Benefits Compensation package is normally presented in three major categories. First, it can be non monetary such that the value intangible. Such compensation comprise of social as well as career rewards expressed as growth opportunity , subsidized housing, enhanced job security, flexible working hours, recognition, and elder care among others. The Second compensation package is direct which expresses the employees base salary/wage. Direct compensation may be in form of piece rate pay, hourly pay or salary pay. Finally, there is indirect compensation that includes provision of facilities like paid leave, health insurance, and child care. Any compensation is either based on time or activity level (Riccucci, 2006). In terms of time, compensation may be long-term or short-term. Short-term and long-term compensation reward performance for upto one financial year and beyond a financial year period respectively. The activity level approach, expresses a compensation package as either variable or fix ed. Variable package is proportionately with employees performance level. This arrangement is usually called ‘pay at risk. The implication is that compensation is re-earned and re-established each performance period. Variable package is availed as team-based pay, bonus programs as well as commissions. On the contrary, fixed compensation does not vary directly as performance and is also nondiscretionary. Generally, corporate consensus advocate for a relation between pay and performance to enhance its effectiveness. This advocacy may however not apply in sectors where performance levels are dependent on factors without employee and organization control. Whichever presentation of compensation package is adopted, the motivation effect as well as implication on financial soundness of the organization must be considered. Compensation package affects the employees perception on the value placed on them and hence is a good motivation element/factor in the workplace. The compensation policy adopted by the organization dictates the living standards of a person as well as future career development of an employee. Some organizations cater for career developments costs for their employees while others reimburse a certain percentage of the cost. Moreover, other factors constant, high compensation packages can enable an employee to advance in career since it would cater for the training and other education expenses coincidental to career advancement. Human Resources Development Human resources require a continuous development to match with the increasing demand for skills and levels of performance. Human resource development (HRD) may be defined as the structure designed to assist workers develop their personal as well as organizational skills, abilities and knowledge. HRD is more often than not a deliberate organizational effort expressed in terms of performance management, employee career development, employee training and mentoring programs geared towards positioning employees to properly face the dynamism of their duties (Dowling et al, 2008). The focus of HRD is to develop a superior workforce that will result to accomplishment of individual and organizational goals in serving customers. HRD may be formal or informal. Formally, HRD is conducted in a classroom setup where a course is offered. Informal HRD involves employee coaching by a supervisor within the working station. In an organizational setup, performance management is defined as the process of putting up a work environment requiring the workforce to perform to the maximum level of their capabilities. Performance management system starts with the communication of duties and responsibilities of an individual employee, the actual performance of duties and an evaluation procedure. The whole process is facilitated by a feedback mechanism that serves to ensure adherence to organizational goals. Effective performance management as an element in HRD ensures the following. First, there is continued improvement in productivity both in the manner employees work and the subsequent outcomes. Secondly, effective performance management ensures a commensurate reward to employees contribution hence improvement in employee morale. Thirdly, top performers are retained when an effective performance management is employed. Retention arises from the employee loyalty and low labour turn over achieved when employees e xperience a sense of achievement (ZÃ ¼gner Ullrich, 2009). Finally, organization enjoys increased profitability derived from employee loyalty which in turn leads to customer loyalty. The HRM office conducts performance appraisals usually on quarterly basis of the performance period. According to ZÃ ¼gner Ullrich (2009), career development can be enhanced through provision of paid study leaves and partial or full reimbursement of training expenses when employees seek training outside the organization. HRD equips the employees with better skills of doing work which boosts their performance levels. High performance levels in return generates better compensation package. Furthermore, HRD raises the self esteem of employees especially if their skills level were extremely low. Employee and various labor relations issues The practice HRM is responsible in ensuring adherence to the set labour relations policy. Employee/labour relation is the concern for the relationship and interaction between lower level employees and the organizations upper management level (Burstein, 1994). Labor relation policy addresses the following issues in the organization. To start with, labour relations policy enacts proper administration procedures within the organization. Employees can correctly project the administrative issues that will be practiced in the organization. For example, workers can expect that they will have a unity of command and a clearly defined chain of command governing them. Moreover, employees are aware of the importance of their participation in decision making in whichever level. Second, labour relations policy ensures maintenance of an effective and positive discipline in the organization. The policy clearly outlines the legal issues that govern discipline and the remedial measures to be taken for correction. When employees commit errors necessitating the need for effective dispute resolution in the workplace, they are not left under the mercies of the organization management alone, but rather labor relations policy provides the required guidelines in seeking amicable solution (Dowling et al, 2008). In case the organization infringes on the rights of the employees, the labour relations policy also comes into effect to define the extent of compensation that the employees are entitled to. Third, labour relations policy establishes the lines of communication in an organization which forms a foundation for employee morale. Fourth, the policies guarantees uninterrupted production since there is a continuous employment for employees and managers and a full utilization of resources. With maximum possible production, there is a predictable continuity in flow of income that enhances smooth running of organization. Finally, labor relations reduce wastage of HR, machines and materials thus protectin g national interest of conservation. Adherence to labour relations is paramount to personal lives of employees as well as on their future career prospects. This is mainly because the policy provides an opportunity for mental revolution (ZÃ ¼gner Ullrich, 2009). In fact the objective of labour relations policy is to enhance a complete mental revolution in the workforce. A peaceful coexistence ultimately lies in a changed appearance both on the organization and the employees. Management of organization needs to formulate relationships that enhance consonance with true democracy spirit. The organization and the employees must perceive themselves as members of a partnership that recognizes the contribution of each. Development of such an understanding improves the affective domain of an employee that is important in the modern social world. Social employees have a chance to develop in their careers as well as fit in their contextual organizations through the normal challenges that exist. Safety and Health On health and safety of employees in the organization, HRM ensures conformance both as a legal requirement as well as a care for humanity. Organizations depend on smooth running of operations as directed by employees. As such, the health and safety of employees need to be guarded. Health refers to the state of being in a human/ worker in an organization Dowling et al, 2008). The state of well being includes mental, emotional and physical wholeness of an individual. Safety may be defined as to the safeguarding of physical well being of a worker. Safety minimizes/eliminates risk of accidents due to fire or diseases as well as machinery. At large, Security encompasses protection of equipments and facilities from damage and unauthorized access. The HRM office coordinates safety programs and enhances awareness of the organizations health and safety policies. In ensuring safety awareness, the HRM office should train the members of organization on handling safety equipments, maintenance of working conditions that are safe as well as developing appropriate safety reporting mechanisms (Riccucci, 2006). Health and safety of employees safeguards their lives thereby giving them opportunities to advance in their careers. Conclusion In conclusion, the HRM function in an integral part of any organization in ensuring the realization of established goals. The said office harmonizes the dream of the founders of the organization, which is expressed as objectives or strategic plans, and the efforts that are applied by the workforce. Indeed, the essence of work is realization of the set objectives without which hard work would be meaningless. The functions of the HRM office are interrelated and interdependent. Their weights/importance is intertwined by the close relationships that they hold. As such no function can be said to hold more weight than the other. Sourcing of the workforce is however important as the first step that determines success and cost of operation in the other functions. Ensuring equality and fair practices under legal employee relations procedures in the workplace boosts firms commitment in attaining the set objectives. References Burstein, P. (1994). Equal employment opportunity: labor market discrimination and public policy. Piscataway, U.S.A: Aldine Transaction Publishers. Dowling, P. J., Festing, M Engle, D. A. (2008). International human resource management: managing people in a multinational context. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning EMEA Publishers. Riccucci, M. N. (2006). Public Personnel Administration and Labor Relations. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe Publishers. ZÃ ¼gner, C. Ullrich, S. (2009). Compensation and Remuneration. Munich, Germany: GRIN Verlag Publishers.

The Government’s Spending Review 2010 :: American Government, Budgeting, Spending Plans

The Government’s Spending Review 2010 The way the government sets out its budget is through allocation of monies to different governmental departments. These departments then allocate monies for services such as, health, defence, welfare benefits etc. â€Å"The Spending Review is the way that the Government sets spending plans for each department over a period of several years† (Anon, 2010)[1]. On 20th October 2010, the Government announced substantial UK spending cuts with local authorities, police, defence and welfare budgets all reduced. As a result the Government intends to â€Å"cut  £81 bn from public spending over four years† (BBC, 2010)[2]. Up to 500,000 public sector jobs could go by 2014/15, as a result of the cuts programme, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (HM Treasury, 2010)[3]. Over the last few years the gap between what the Government took in as income and what it had to borrow to spend on services grew significantly. The yearly gap between the Government’s income and what it spends is known as the ‘deficit’. In recent years this deficit has grown in size. The key outcome from the Spending Review 2010, was to set in train a process of cutting the deficit and to make it more manageable and affordable in the future years. The government intends to do this through, reduction in government spending, such as, savings from welfare reforms and increases in taxation, e.g. the increase in VAT to 20 percent in January 2011 (Williamson, 2010)[4]. In the UK the Government obtains its income mainly from taxation, National Insurance contributions and excise duties. Due to the recession which began in 2008, the Government’s income dropped, but Government spending continued to increase. The deficit last year (2009/10) was  £155 bn (Anon, 2010)[1]. This is the amount of additional money the Government had to borrow to be able to pay for its spending on governmental activities last year. Macroeconomics The UK Government is pinning its hopes in the growth of the British economy, to help increase its income from taxation and by reducing the size of the public sector. The Office for National Statistics (ONS,2010)[5], confirmed in its press release on 24th November 2010, that the â€Å"UK economy grew at 0.8% between July and September 2010†. The 0.8% figure represents a slow down from 1.2% in the second quarter, but is still better than had been expected in the summer (Grierson, 2010)[6].

Alzheimers Disease :: Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer's Disease Introduction to Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain. It is first described by the German neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915) in 1905. This disease worsens with advancing age, although there is no evidence that it is cause by the aging process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The average life expectancy of a person with the disease is between five and ten years, but some patients today can live up to 15 years due to improvements in care and medical treatments. The cause of Alzheimer's has not been discovered yet and it cannot be possible to confirm a person has Alzheimer's until their autopsy following death. How does Alzheimer's develop What causes Alzheimer's? Well no one know exactly the development of this debilitating disease. But recent advances has produced several clues as to how it is born. Initially when we study the brain of a Alzheimer's victim, we focus on two specific areas. One is the cortex of the frontal and cerebral lobes1. The second is the hippocampus (meaning seahorses in Greek which it resembles2) which is located below the cerebral cortex and responsible for short-term memory. If we study samples of these two section, we would find three irregularities which are not found in normal brain matter. These three are called neurofibrillary tangles, neuritic plagues and granulovacuolar degeneration3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A nerve cell has numerous axons and dendrites coming out of it. A neurofibrillary tangle is when the neuron changes. A number of dendrites are missing and the nucleus is filled with protein filaments resembling steel wool. Although all elderly people has a few of these helix shaped bundles in their brain for they are normal indicators of aging, Alzheimer's patients has more than usual. Their presence usually in the frontal and temporal lobes is a indication of AD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Senile neuritic plagues are small round objects. They are masses of amyloid protein material composed of residue left over from healthy nerve endings that were broken off and decayed. Their presence near the cell further indicates something gone wrong. Neuritic plaques is the best evidence for diagnostics to make the determination of AD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A third sign of neuron deterioration is granulovacuolar degeneration. This is when fluid-filled vacuoles are seen crowding inside the nerve cell, specifically in the triangular shaped cells of the hippocampus. This condition can only be observed in carefully sliced, stain and analyzed brain tissue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cell having lost all it's dendrites and nucleus soon disintegrates entirely, vanishing into the body's waste disposal system. With the depletion of enough nerve material the brain actually shrinks, sometimes by as much as ten percent5. The more cells the AD sufferer loses, the more mental functions he

General Prologue :: essays papers

General Prologue When the seasons are filled with fresh, milk-white snow to pack happy snowmen together, and lively decorations to usher the New Year in and keep the evil spirits away; when also the frenzied salary-men are able to relax from jobs and pursue pet hobbies, it is joyous winter. In the spirit of celebration, pilgrims from the world over who are part owners in Chang Securities have come to the San Francisco company headquarters for the anniversary of incorporation. And so by chance, a company of five unique pilgrims met each other at the Chicago Airport. Each different pilgrim was headed for the celebration on the same, delayed flight. They were a pleasant lot, and soon after the first half hour had passed I got to know each one quite well. But before I continue my tale, and while it is fresh in my memory, let me tell you about the social station of each, what they wore, what their jobs were, and who they were. First there was a woman senator who had a bright, but smooth smile and a neat appearance. Her campaign shout was, â€Å"Make the world a happier one.† She was often quick to praise lavishly, but whether or not it was deserving had secondary importance to her. She could speak a dozen phrases in a dozen different languages so her value in international matters would increase. Besides her language skill, she took classes in the sciences, literature, and music at night school, but she never stayed on for more than a few weeks at a time. She dressed conservatively, as a candidate for office would: stately, and filled with dignity and confidence. Coworkers sometimes pointed out her elegance in taste and lifestyle: she was often seen with dozens of politicians at orchestra concerts, and she loved to play golf with the richest businessmen. If I remember correctly, she said she loses at golf on purpose so her business opponents will feel accomplished. At Christmas she would give the c hildren of her wealthy supporters lavish gifts and fine food; no expense would be spared to make them happy. With her was a merry, wealthy landowner. His motto was to live for pleasure, and he had adequate funds to indulge himself with. He was a fat man; he always had to choose first class because he could not get himself to fit inside the coach airplane seat.

Role of Conflict

Chelsea Williams Role of Conflict The two stories I chose were â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"The Carnival Dog, the Buyer of Diamonds† by Ethan Canin. Both conflicts have similar ideas, which can be compared and contrasted as I have below. These elements include theme, setting and characters. The first element to discus is theme. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin the theme is the self-independence of women. In the beginning of the story, the main character, Louise Mallard mourns over the death of her husband, Mallard.As the story progresses, Louise Mallard grows as she sees the new found freedom she has been given at the loss of her husband. â€Å"†¦ she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Though, at the end of the story it is brought to light that the death of Brent Mallard was false belief, and her idealism of being free is diminished. With this sho ck along with her heart problem, she died from a heart attack. It seems Louise feels her inner emotions are trapped and confined through her marriage, home and even heart. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long. † In the time this story takes place a woman’s independence is frowned upon and she probably felt forced into the marriage and having a man in her life instead of being independent and making her own decisions. In â€Å"The Carnival Dog, Buyer of Diamonds† by Ethan Canin the theme is in order to achieve contentment, you must do what you want, not what someone else wants for you. It is quite similar to that of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin.In the story Abe Lufkin always taught his son, the main character, Myron what not to do, especially to never quit. Myron lived his life the way his father wanted him to live it. He always pushed his son because he wanted Myron to be a spitting image of himself. Myron thought differently though. Throughout the story, Myron tries several times to veer from his father’s choices for him. Like the time Myron and Abe were to race to see if Myron would go to Judaism camp or not, Myron wanted so badly to beat his father and have his way, but he ends up letting Abe win. â€Å".He sprinted back down to the house, sat down on the stops, and decided it wasn’t so bad to go to the mountains in July. † When given the chance, he ends up giving up and letting his father win. He believes that something this small isn’t worth the fight in the end. Though, later on Myron is faced with a much larger decision. He is unhappy in medical school and wants to quit so that he can find contentment in doing what he wants, even though he knows his father won’t agree. This was his biggest decision to escape his father but he fails. Abe dominates Myron, once again as he always has.Myron ends up backing down and ultimately letting his father win as he always has. â€Å"Do you give? † â€Å"What? † â€Å"Do you give? † â€Å"You mean, will I go back to school? † â€Å"That’s what I mean. † â€Å"Look,† Myron said, â€Å"you’re crazy. † â€Å"Give me your answer. † †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"I give. † In the end, Myron continues to live under his father. The second element to discuss is the setting. The Setting in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin seems to have great influence towards the conflict of the story. The story seems to be set in the time that the author, Kate Chopin lived in, around the nineteenth century.This was a time when a woman’s independence was looked down on. At this time they believed a man was needed in a woman’s life to support her. It was a woman’s job to stay home – to cook, clean, and take care of everything in the household. A woman was confined to the home, and men were the ones who went out into the outside world to work and do other things. Households weren’t two people coming together like they are today. They were male dominant. This is the life that Louise felt she had to live because that’s how society said it had to be.She was trapped in her own lifestyle. The setting in â€Å"The Carnival Dog, Buyer of Diamonds† by Ethan Canin also has an important role towards the conflict of the story. When Myron goes off to The Albert Einstein medical school he is on his own. Though here he feels somewhat trapped. The smell of the school is the same smells of his father, which reminds him of how Abe is getting old. This seems to be parallel to Myron’s thoughts of missing out on what makes him happy. â€Å"No, it wasn’t death that bothered Myron; it was the downhill plunge of the living body? he muscles that stretched off the bones into folders, the powdery flesh odors of middle-aged men. † His father’s life is diminishing, but Myron’s soul is diminishing because he is pursuing what someone else wants for him instead of what he wants. â€Å"That was why Myron wanted to quit medical school. He hated the demise of the spirit. † Through this journey he realizes that he is no longer on constant watch by his father. He took up running and seemed to find freedom. It was his way of letting go where he could do what he wanted and not what anyone else did.Myron’s surroundings made his mind click into realizing his full potential because his father isn’t around to tell him otherwise. The third element is the characters. Mrs. Louise Mallard is the main character in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† By Kate Chopin. She is a woman who wants to be independent, but never had the opportunity until her husband passed. â€Å"When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She sai d it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free! ’† Freedom was like a release to her, probably because it wasn’t something that women had back then.This didn’t mean she didn’t love her husband though. â€Å"And yet she had loved him? sometimes. Often she had not. † She may have been forced into a marriage too quickly, which is why she felt this way. She seemed to be held back from her thoughts of independence, but when her husband died it was brought to light. Myron Lufkin is the main character in â€Å"The Carnival Dog, the Buyer of Diamonds. † He as well wants freedom to do what he wants, but instead he pursues what his father, Abe wants for him. He was very obedient to his father and always listened to him.Myron had always wanted to gain the courage to go against his father’s will. â€Å"†¦he knew, there was something in beating his father that was like the toppling of an ancient king. † But no matte r how he thought he could stand up to his father, he always gave up. This is what held Myron back from pursuing his own dreams instead of his fathers. Both stories envelop crushed ideas of freedom interpreted in different ways Every time Myron felt he would stand up against his father he backed down and let his fathers opinion overtake his own.Abe always wanted things done the way he saw them, and Myron always listened and followed. Myron had many opportunities to pursue his own freedom, but always ended up giving in to his father. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† Louise Mallard was trapped in her own life. She only realized her potential freedom when her husband died. She was finally free and independent. Unfortunately this idea was false as Brently was not actually killed, and the overwhelming news and shut down dreams caused her to die of a heart attack. Both characters had ideal freedoms that were never pursued.

Extended Critical Response Final Draft

The amount of women who join or even are a part of science related fields, are few and the percentages are lowering over time. The question is why? Why aren't women pursuing careers in these fields? The combination of stereotypes in society and the lack of education on this matter is the answer. They get in the way of a woman's judgment and choices. This is the argument that the article ‘The Persistence of Gender Myths in Math† by Roseland Chat Barnett & Carry Rivers published in October 2004, in the newspaper Education Week supports.I reasonably am in favor of Barnett and Rivers position. Not only because they are against the stereotype which is implanted in our society, that math is only suitable for men but also because they believe that if women where properly educated without bias they could achieve things they are capable of instead of being discouraged. To support my views on this matter will be using evidence from other sources that will be presented later on. One reason I agree with Barnett and Rivers is because on one hand although they acknowledge the fact that â€Å"men far out number women in math related fields† (par. , on the other hand they argue that this has nothing to do with innate differences but rather with stereotypes. In other words the authors do not believe that genes are the reason why women do not choose to study math but are rather deterred from biased people and circumstances which discourage women in succeeding in these fields. When girls grow up in an environment which is biased and supports that men are better than women in jobs or math related studies and avert them from doing the same they will end up believing that men are better than them and that â€Å"erodes their confidence in their own ability to succeed† (par. . In plain English when a girl has been discouraged throughout her life from doing cometh inning that is considered unsuitable to her gender she will not have confidence in achieving a go al and she will believe that she IS not good. It will always seem hard, even if she has the capability of achieving it. Moreover, I could not agree more with Barnett and Rivers that ‘culture has convinced them that girls don't belong in these fields† (par. 0), because a biased culture and the influence of stereotypes may avert girls from choosing what they are good at but rather choose what they are mostly suited for. But doesn't culture consist of education and family? On one hand the article â€Å"Reinforcing Gender Stereotypes: How Our Schools Narrow Children's Choices† by Athena Donald published in January 2014 in the newspaper The Guardian the author supports that the reason girls are not interested in â€Å"manlier† subjects is not due to innate differences but propaganda in school.As Donald puts it â€Å"children learn sexism at school†. Barnett and Rivers are Of the same mind. They believe that teachers do not encourage girls in choosing cour ses that are more popular with boys. On the other hand, Steven Pinker the author of The Science of Difference† published in February 2005, in the newspaper The New Republic talks about this topic in a more psychological prospect and is a firm supporter that biology has to do with what we like (nature), but partly agrees with Barnett and Rivers that people's preferences are caused by their social environment (nurture).This is where family comes in. When the author says â€Å"children are born unisex and are molded into male and female roles by their parents† it shows us that children have the same abilities in achieving things but society is what teaches kids that humans are different due to their ex, which applies, to my beliefs as well as Barnett and Rivers. The authors of † The Persistence of Gender Myths in Math† offer a solution, which think is reasonable.A combination of teachers helping kids in the school environment and enhancing the girls' natural ta lents rather than eliminating them because they don't apply to their sex and the elimination of bias from our society, is what the authors believe to be the solution. Firstly, they believe that teachers can contribute to their female students and help them believe that they are equally likely to succeed in the fields of math. To do so, the educators need to â€Å"examine the degree to which they themselves may have – unconsciously- accepted the math-male equation† (par. 1). Agree with the authors because, since teachers are the ones who have a part of â€Å"molding† a child's personality they need to educate themselves too on this subject. Children cannot be trusted with a teacher who does not encourage them equally. Moreover, I could not agree more with Barnett and Rivers when they say that when we stop believing in the stereotype that men are better that women at math and finally see that it has nothing to do with innate differences (par. ) but rather judge co rrectly a human and his capabilities by â€Å"their individual merits rather than the statistics of their group† (Pinker par. 6) that is when we will have a clear idea of each individuals capabilities despite of their sex. TO sum up, I am a firm supporter of Barnett and Rivers, because they are of the same mind as me which is that achievement in math has nothing to do with sexual characteristics but this is our society's false belief that men can do better in math fields.The consequence of which, ends up affecting women negatively, it does let them acknowledge their own abilities and flourish in these fields. Moreover, the authors do not stand idly towards this topic but proceed in offering a solution in eliminating this bias specifically in the school environment, which is that educators should eliminate this inhabited stereotype so they can judge the abilities of their students in math, based on their performance and not according to their sex which will result in encouragi ng them equally.Finally, a stereotype cannot stand in the way of a woman's pursuit of her dreams just because her sex according to statistics does not do well in math. All humans despite of their ex, deserve the same encouragement and support in achieving their goals, so it's time for society to work off this bias and judge equally peoples' achievements rather than having a false idea of women's capabilities.