Free Essays on Sex In Class

Sexism in the Classroom In â€Å"Failing at Fairness† one of the most important topics of sexism is addressed, and that of course is sexism in the schools. From the beginning of public education there is evidence of hidden sexism in the classroom, yet not until recently have researchers began to take a closer look at the dilemma at hand. Sexism in the classroom is not a problem that has just occurred overnight in schools. I believe that it has a history, staring long before I was born. I love to listen to the stories that my Grandparents share with me, as do many children my age. They always tell me how great those â€Å"good old days† were. Yet the stories make me step back and look at my grandparents, and see that those â€Å"good old days† are very different from today. Back then, the male role was heads of the household and they were responsible for any of the â€Å"physical work† to be done around the house. On the other hand, women had much less say in what was going on in the house, community, and even the nation. For the most part, women stayed home to take care of the kids and do all the housework that needed to be done. This has been the way of life for along time right up until the Second World War. Then slowly women began to work their way into the work force, leaving those elementary ideas behind. Through the years women have gained more and more rights focus on equality, but are they really equal? To some extent yes, and by law yes, but there are still those hidden views and ideas that are continually being pushed on society. I have always witnessed sexism in the classroom, even though I have attended catholic school all my life. I believe that it is more harmful if it is not that obvious. For instance, if sexism is taking place in a kindergarten class, and no one is there to correct it from the beginning, girls will feel like they are inferior to the boys and therefore hold back in participation. I ... Free Essays on Sex In Class Free Essays on Sex In Class Sexism in the Classroom In â€Å"Failing at Fairness† one of the most important topics of sexism is addressed, and that of course is sexism in the schools. From the beginning of public education there is evidence of hidden sexism in the classroom, yet not until recently have researchers began to take a closer look at the dilemma at hand. Sexism in the classroom is not a problem that has just occurred overnight in schools. I believe that it has a history, staring long before I was born. I love to listen to the stories that my Grandparents share with me, as do many children my age. They always tell me how great those â€Å"good old days† were. Yet the stories make me step back and look at my grandparents, and see that those â€Å"good old days† are very different from today. Back then, the male role was heads of the household and they were responsible for any of the â€Å"physical work† to be done around the house. On the other hand, women had much less say in what was going on in the house, community, and even the nation. For the most part, women stayed home to take care of the kids and do all the housework that needed to be done. This has been the way of life for along time right up until the Second World War. Then slowly women began to work their way into the work force, leaving those elementary ideas behind. Through the years women have gained more and more rights focus on equality, but are they really equal? To some extent yes, and by law yes, but there are still those hidden views and ideas that are continually being pushed on society. I have always witnessed sexism in the classroom, even though I have attended catholic school all my life. I believe that it is more harmful if it is not that obvious. For instance, if sexism is taking place in a kindergarten class, and no one is there to correct it from the beginning, girls will feel like they are inferior to the boys and therefore hold back in participation. I ...

Shrm and Strategic Fit Essays

Shrm and Strategic Fit Essays Shrm and Strategic Fit Paper Shrm and Strategic Fit Paper Introduction ‘Strategic human resource management (SHRM) is concerned with the development and implementation of people strategies which are integrated with corporate strategies and ensure that the culture, values and structure of the organization and the quality, motivation and commitment of its members contribute fully to the achievement of its goals’ Armstrong (1991, p. 81). While human resource management (HRM) focuses on the potential and actual productive value of ‘human resources’ (HR) to an organization success, SHRM takes a more long-run focus by emphasizing the need of HR plans and strategies to be formulated within the framework of overall organizational strategies and objectives, and to be responsive to the changing nature of the organizations external environment. The emphasis of SHRM is on strategic integration, which is matching HRM strategies to business strategy. Refer to Appendix 1 for the characteristics of SHRM. Figure 1: Strategic alignment between HRM and its internal and external environment. Source: Nankervis, Campton and Baird (2002, p. 41) ‘SHRM is a model of practice, which like all models, require interpretation and adaptation by HR practitioners to ensure the most suitable alignment or fit between HR and business strategies and plans’ Nankervis, Compton and Baird (2002, p. 42). Figure 1 above shows the strategic alignment of HRM and internal and external environment. Refer to Appendix 2 for the reasons for HR strategies. Figure 2: Gaining competitive advantage through SHRM Source: Fottler, Phillips, Blair and Duran (1990) Figure 2 provides an outline for determining and focusing on desired outcomes and anticipating essential HRM actions required for successful implementation of a company’s business strategy. This process stretch management thinking about HR and influence decisions affecting people. ‘The strategic approach to HRM includes: ?Assessing the organization’s environment and mission ?Formulating the organization’s business strategy ?Assessing the HR requirements based on the intended strategy ? Comparing the current inventory of HR in terms of numbers, characteristics, and HRM practices with respect to the strategic requirements of the organization and its services or product lines ? Formulating the HR strategy based on the differences between the new requirements and an assessment of the current inventory ? Implementing the appropriate HR practices to reinforce the strategy and achieve competitive advantage’ Fottler, Phillips, Blair and Duran (1990). Strategic staffing Staffing is defined by Mondy and Noe (2005, p. ) as ‘the process through which an organization ensure that it always has the proper number of employees with the appropriate skills in the right job, at the right time, to achieve the organization’s objectives’. There are many different types of decisions that have to be made relating to an organization staffing requirements. Organizations need to decide upon replacing existing staff, providing training to the staff, selecting people who can adapt to the culture of the organization and continuing and inevitable change, promoting, transferring, demoting and releasing people from the workforce when making strategic staffing decisions. Strategic staffing is the process of implementing a plan of action to secure the needed talent through recruitment, selection, promotion and transfer. Strategic staffing need to be implemented for organizations to get the right people at the right time for achieving the goals and objective of the organization. Nankervis, Compton and Baird (2002, p. 79) stated ‘HR planning is to try to ensure that organizational objectives are met through the effective utilization of the human resource of the organization, taking into account changing circumstances within and outside particular organizations’. The staffing function encompasses the implementation of the HR planning process. Strategies like internal growth make it vital for organizations to make strategic staffing decisions. Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright (2006, p. 74) mentioned ‘Growth requires that a company constantly hire, transfer, and promote individuals, and expansion into different markets may change the necessary skills that prospective employees must have’. To gain a competitive advantage this makes is important for organizations to realize the staffing needs and make strategic staffing policies in alignment with the organizational strategies. When staffing process is carried out strategically it ensures managers that the organization’s human resources would consist not only of educated or skilled workforce. Skilled and educated workforce can contribute to the effective and efficient performance and productivity of organizations as this would help organizations to achieve a competitive advantage. Strategic performance management Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright (2006, p. 330) defined performance management as ‘the process through which managers ensure that employees activities and outputs are congruent with the organization’s goals’. The aim of performance management is to establish a culture in which employees take responsibility for continuous improvement of business processes and their own skills and contributions. Performance management is central to gaining competitive advantage. Performance management have three parts, defining performance, measuring performance and feeding back performance. Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright (2006, p. 330) stated ‘performance management measures performance through performance appraisals, which is the only one method of for managing employee performance’. Performance management has come to encompass much more than just appraisals. ‘A major trend in performance management is that while employee appraisals are the heart of performance management, organizations are now integrating a number of closely related functions including compensation, succession planning and goal management into the performance management process’ Loucks (2007). This holistic approach enables HR professionals to manage talent and supporting strategic goals to achieve competitive advantage. The strategic purpose of performance management links employee activities to organizational goals and objectives. Performance appraisals can be used to motivate and improve performance of employees. By identifying internal strengths and weaknesses managers can focus on areas where there is need for improvement to make an organization to be productive to achieve the goals and objectives. Anthony, Kacmar and Perrewe (2002, p. 355) mentioned ‘a well designed performance appraisal system can encourage individuals to work together as a team. If this is an organizational goal, it must face several challenges in designing and implementing such a system’. An effective performance management can help managers to implement strategies. Performance evaluations will have greater impact on strategy implementation when evaluators make meaningful distinctions among different levels of performance. ‘In a highly competitive knowledge-based economy, performance management is taking its place in boardrooms across the country. Faced with pressures including the aging workforce and skills shortage, executives are becoming more involved in the performance management process as they realize that well-executed performance management strategies can help them get better results for the company’ Loucks (2007). As Loucks mentioned the strategic importance of performance management are mounting. There is need for organizations to follow systems that elicit job performance that is consistent with the organization’s goals and strategies as it helps companies to gain competitive advantage. Strategic human resource development (SHRD) Noe (2005, p. 45) defines strategic training and development as ‘learning-related activities that a company should take to help achieve its business strategy’. SHRD is about improving and widening the skills of employees by training and development, by helping people to grow within the organization, and by allowing them to make better use of their skills and abilities to attain the strategic goals and objectives. The Figure 3 below is a model that shows the processes of strategic planning that begin by identifying business strategy. Next, strategic training and development initiatives that support the strategy are selected. Interpreting these strategic training and development initiatives into actual training and development activities is the next step of the process. The final step involves the identifying of measures used to determine if training helped contribute to goals related to business strategy. Figure 3: The strategic training and development process Source: Noe (2005, p. 43) The strategic training and development initiatives are based on the business environment, an understanding of the company’s goals and resources, an insight of potential training and development options. Noe (2005, p. 45) mentioned ‘strategic training and development initiatives provide the company with road map to guide specific training and development activities. They also show how the training function will help the company reach its goals (and in doing so, show how the training function will add value)’. Refer to Appendix 3 for the strategic training and development initiatives and their implications. SHRD’s focus is first on the strategic level, which deals with overall aims and objectives and formulation of plans and policies. Secondly this interconnects to managerial level focusing on the process by which the organization obtains and allocates resources to achieve its strategic objectives. Finally it is linked to the operational level, the hands on and day to day processes of managing and organizing of work. Leopold, Harris and Watson (2005, p. 59) explained ‘Thus SHRD may be considered as a range of culturally sensitive interventions linked vertically to business goals and strategy, and horizontally to other HR and business activities, to actively encourage and support employee learning, commitment and involvement throughout the organization’. Investigating training needs is used in combination with environmental scanning and assessment of external forces and internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization to anticipate or respond to indentified challenges and opportunities. Such reactions maybe rooted in the here-and-now of skills deficit analyses and meeting gaps. This is assuring that employee development is ‘fit for purpose’. Leopold, Harris and Watson (2005, p. 353) stated ‘ ‘fit for future’ agenda maybe responding to anticipated skills needed and gaps and is also part of a wider reflection of changes in the labour market, for example attracting potential employees into areas where there are perceived likelihood of skills shortage’. Leopold, Harris and Watson (2005, p. 353) also stated ‘ Much of the language associated with increasing access to ‘learning opportunities’ through workplace activities is linked to increasing the (for-profit) organization’s competitive advantage. Language such as enhancing sustainability increasing efficiency and effectiveness; of increasing commitment of employees; of creating learning environment where unique skills of employees can be exploited for current needs and for the long-term survival of the company’. Strategic compensation and reward In the development of a pay system and reward systems, several policies must be made. Three of the most important are pay level policies, pay structure policy and types of rewards offered. Anthony, Kacmar and Perrewe (2002, p. 398) stated ‘an organization’s pay level is simply the average wage paid for a specific group of jobs. Pay level is important because if influence both organization’s ability to attract and retain competent employees and its competitive position in the product market. Pay level policy refers to how an organization’s pay level compares with its competitor’s pay level’. An organization’s compensation system should be consistent with the overall strategy of the organization. Success depends on displaying consistent strategy supported by complementary organization structures, designs and management process. The two major strategic initiatives that occur today are growth and retrenchment. Anthony, Kacmar and Perrewe (2002, p. 04) mentioned ‘Firm’s growth mode would focus on employee performance and especially on external performance. This would force firms to pay attention to external competitiveness and equity. Total compensation packages would be oriented towards incentives and would be driven by recruitment needs’. Figure 4: Framewo rk for strategic pay design Source: Williams (1999) To develop pay practices intended to become best, an organization must first recognize the importance of building reward and recognition practices within a framework that ultimately addresses both the extrinsic and intrinsic aspects of employee recognition and reward. Williams (1999) explained the framework using the Figure 3 ‘this framework begins with the organizations strategic business objectives and then considers company culture, values, and performance measurement capabilities as critical elements in the overall design strategy. Programs are designed to motivate performance aligned with critical business objectives and reward contribution and results in ways that are meaningful to employees and consistent with company values’. When designing a pay system it is vital for organizations to take a note of the relationship between pay and employee performance when planning strategies for achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. Anthony, Kacmar and Perrewe (2002, p. 419) stated ‘equity theory proposes that employees examine the relationship between their outcomes from the job (such as pay, job satisfaction, recognition and promotion) and their inputs (such as education, skill, and effort). Dissatisfaction probably does not occur if positive inequity (the person feels over-rewarded)’. Satisfaction will lead to productivity that is the key to competitive advantage. So it is necessary for organizations to formulate strategic compensation and reward systems and implement it for achieving their goals and objectives. Refer to Appendix 4 for further understanding of strategic rewarding and how Southwest Airlines design and implement rewarding strategies to achieve its goals and objectives and to be a successful competitor in today’s competitive environments. Importance of SHRM HRM today has taken a wider role in overall organizational strategy. HRM plays a vital role in creating and sustaining competitive advantage of an organization. There is a growing need for organizations to practice SHRM because of the evolving changes that businesses need to adopt to be successful in achieving its short and long term strategic goals and objectives in the competitive environments that it exists in. Nankervis, Baird and Compton (2002. p. 22) stated the roles of SHRM to be ‘responsive to highly competitive workplace and global business structures; closely linked to business strategic goals; jointly conceived and implemented by both line and HR managers and focused on quality, customer service, productivity, employee involvement, teamwork and workforce flexibility’. This shows the benefits of SHRM and suggests that by successfully implementing SHRM, the organization goals and objectives can be met to achieve competitive advantage. ‘The bridge between HR strategy and HR functions is the formulation of human resource plan (HRP) that incorporate the desired outcomes of HR strategies, are responsive to continual changes in industry environments and can be operationalized through efficient and effective HR functions’ Nankervis, Baird and Compton (2002. p. 79). For SHRM to be successfully implemented it is necessary to follow a process of SHRP. SHRP can be said to be the foundation of SHRM. Nankervis, Baird and Compton (2002. p. 79) ‘HRP allows the HRM functions to position itself to take the best advantage of fluctuations in the economy or labour market. The likely effects of future economic, social and legislative conditions, or organizational changes, can be converted from constraints and pressures to challenges and opportunities’. SHRP therefore can help businesses to seek advantages from the limiting factors while implementing strategic plans. For example if organizations make a decision to downsize, it might lead to loss of specialist staff and valuable intellectual capital. It might even lead to poor corporate image that lead to breakdown of psychological contract between employers and their staff which result in poor performance and loss of competitiveness. Downsizing is seen as a strategic HR tool to shape the organizations future with a well prepared HR strategy. If SHRP is not followed while implanting strategic plans it can lead an organization to loose its competitive edge. Nankervis, Baird and Compton (2002. p. 0) mentioned ‘the failure to adequately plan for an organization’s human resource, can result in losses in efficiency and sustainable costs to the organization, through unstaffed vacancies, expensive replacement training, over hiring or fragmented career management’. Nankervis, Baird and Compton (2002. p. 80) also mentioned ‘by SHRP which focused in retraining, multi-skilling, or e arly retirement campaigns reduces the high financial costs (e. g. outplacement fees, termination and superannuation payments) and the adverse effects on employee morale of poor planned redundancies’. Conclusion As effective HRM practices are strategic, contributing to the goals and objectives of organizations, SHRM has shown to enhance organizations performance by contributing to employee and customer satisfaction, innovation, productivity, development of favorable reputation and profitability. Employees today are trying to learn new things and organizations are adapting characteristics of learning organizations to address the issues of globalization and changes revolving around like technological changes. HRM functions are interrelated with one another making it vital for organizations to take a holistic view in strategy formulation and implementation to reach the organizational strategic goals and objectives to achieve and sustain the competitive advantage. WORD COUNT: 2642 List of References Books Anthony, W. P. , Kacmar, K. M. and Perrewe, P. L. (2002), Human Resource Management: A Strategic Approach, 4th edition, South Western Thomson Learning, Ohio, U. S. Armstrong, M. (1991), A Handbook of Personnel Management Practice, Kogan Page, London, U. K. Leopold, J. , Harris, L. and Watson, T. 2005), The Strategic Managing of Human Resources, Prentice Hall, London, U. K. Mondy, R. W. and Noe, R. M. (2005), Human resources Management, 9th edition, Pearson, New Jersey, U. S. Nankervis, A. , Compton, R. and Baird, M. (2002), Strategic Human Resource Management, 4th edition, Thomson, Australia. Noe R. A. (2005), Employees Training and Development, 3rd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, U. S. No e, R. A. , Hollenbeck, J. R. , Gerhart, B. and Wright, P. M. (2006), Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage, 5th edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, U. S. Journals Fottler, M. D. Phillips, R. L. , Blair, J. D. and Duran, C. A. (1990) ‘Achieving Competitive Advantage through Strategic Human Resource Management’, Hospital Health Services Administration. (last viewed on 22nd august 2007). http://proquest. umi. com/pdf/b20ab77d0af6f502d6fa5273feb65c6d/1187785739/share2/pqimage/irs2/20070822075858556/4858/out. pdf Loucks, P. (2007), ‘Plugging into performance management’ Canadian HR Reporter. Toronto (last viewed on 22nd August 2007). http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=11=1227887641=1=4=3=PROD=PQD=309=PQD=1187875162=63584 Singh, P. (2002), ‘Strategic reward systems at Southwest Airlines’, Compensation and Benefits Review, Saranac Lake (last viewed on 22nd August 2007) http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=9=113196055=1=1=4=PROD=PQD=309=PQD=1187868971=63584 Williams, V. L. (1999), ‘Compensation done the right way’, Vol. 78, Costa Mesa, (last viewed on 22nd August 2007) http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=9=47187924=1=1=4=PROD=PQD=309=PQD=1187862655=63584 APPENDIX 1: Characteristics of SHRM A longer term focus – an inclusion of multiple-year strategic plans for human resource use is often considered the first step in the evolution of a strategically oriented HRM function. New linkages between HRM and strategic planning have emerged as a critical element in many implementations, while a two-way linkage describes a more proactive approach where HRM exerts influence on strategy formulation as well Proposed linkages between HRM and organizational performance – most models of SHRM include the proposition that HRM plays a key role in the achievement of strategic goals. Since the expected outcome of company strategies is an improvement in the firm’s economic value, HRM must thus directly contribute to the firm’s ‘bottom line’ in order to be judged effectively. Inclusion of line managers in the HRM policy-making process – the recognition of HRM’s strategic importance may make it more of a line management responsibility, particularly in areas involving the selection and compensation of managers. A CEO of a large trucking company echoed this sentiment to us when he told us that ‘HRM is too important to be left to the HRM department’. Source: Nankervis, Campton and Baird (2002, p. 3) APPENDIX 2: Why human resource strategy? ?Defines opportunities and barriers for achievement of business objective. ?Prompts new thinking about issues; orients and educates participants and provide a wide perspective. ?Tests management commitment for actions; creates a process for allocating resources to specific program and activities. ?Develops a sense of urgency and commitment to action. ?Establishes selected long-term courses of action considered to be of high priority over the next two to three years ? Provides a strategic focus for managing the business and developing management talents. Source: Nankervis, Campton and Baird (2002, p. 42) APPENDIX 3: Strategic training and development initiatives and their implications STRATEGIC TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT INITIVESIMPLICATIONS Diversify the learning portfolioUse new technology such as the internet for training Facilitate informal learning Provide more personalized learning opportunities Expand who is trainedTrain customers, suppliers and employees Offer more learning opportunities to non-managerial employees Accelerate the pace of employee learningQuickly identify needs and provide a high-quality learning solution Reduce the time to develop training programs Facilitate access to learning resources on an as-needed basis Improve customer serviceEnsure that employees have product and service knowledge Ensure that employees have skills needed to interact with customers Ensure that employees understand their roles and decision making authority Provide development opportunities and communicate to employeesEnsure that employees have opportunities to develop Ensure that employees understand career opportunities and personal growth opportunities Ensure that training and development addresses employees need in current job as well as growth opportunities Capture and share knowledgeCapture insight and information from knowledge, skills, abilities, or competencies Logically organize and store information Provide methods to make information available (e. g. resources guides, websites) Align training and development with the company’s strategic decisionsIdentify needed knowledge, skills, abilities, or competencies Ensure that current training and development programs support the company’s strategic needs Ensure that the work environment supports learning and transfer of trainingRemove constraints to learning, such as lack of time, resources, and equipment Dedicate physical space to encourage teamwork, collaboration, creativity, and knowledge sharing Ensure that employees understand the importance of learning Ensure that managers and peers are supportive of training, development and learning Source: Noe (2005, p. 46) APPENDIX 4: Strategic reward system at Southwest Airlines With the dawn of the 21st century, technological, political, regulatory, demographic and economic forces unleashed in the past will continue to exert pressures on organizations to change to ensure their survival and success. Initiating and sustaining successful change require considerable thought and action on related supportive structures and systems. Organizations and their subsystems, including critical human resource management systems, have to become increasingly strategic to succeed in an environment that is in constant flux. That is, functional and unit strategies must be aligned with overall firm strategy to enhance organizational effectiveness. It is a widely held view that strategic compensation systems, an integral aspect of human resource management, are vital in ensuring desired employee behaviors and enhanced firm performance. This article provides an overview of strategic rewards and a detailed discussion of rewards at Southwest Airlines (SWA), including implications for management. The Need for Strategic Reward Systems Traditional rewards systems usually have a large proportion of the total package as base pay and just a small portion tied to employee performance as reflected in a periodic performance appraisal. Such systems emphasize Tayloristic-type management structures and systems, including functional and hierarchical differentiation in organizational structures, rigid supervisory control and strict compliance with rules. The traditional structures have changed considerably over the past few decades and will continue to do so as organizations attempt to reinvent themselves. This has led to a call for the implementation of new and more strategic rewards systems, whereby an organizations rewards systems are aligned with overall organizational strategy. Although traditional rewards continue to be used by the majority of North American organizations, there is some evidence that strategic reward systems are being implemented at an increasing rate. These strategic rewards, categorized by some researchers as the new pay,3 include performance based variable pay (individual and group based), skill-based pay (or competency- or knowledge based plans), broad banding, team-based pay and recognition programs. In general, the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of these reward systems suggests that the new pay strategies are related to increased employee productivity and firm performance. 4 It should be noted, however, that for some of these programs, such as broad banding and team-based pay, the empirical evidence on their effectiveness is sparse. Challenges Given the relatively strong rationale for strategic organizational rewards, why are not most, if not all, companies implementing them? There are many reasons. First, some managers lack the political will to implement changes in compensation systems that have been in place for decades. Second, there are some inherent difficulties in implementing strategic rewards. For instance, employees who do not trust management may view variable pay with suspicion. In fact, unions have generally opposed strategic reward systems based on the perception that, by reducing the proportion of an established base pay, such systems would place too much control in the hands of management. Finally, managers sometimes incorrectly perceive strategic rewards to be more costly than traditional rewards. These challenges are, however, not insurmountable. In fact, as the case study illustrates, SWA has successfully wrestled with these challenges. With appropriate supportive systems and structures, the prospects for strategic reward systems for organizations in North America appear bright for the next few decades. In fact, organizations may not have a choice if they are to successfully compete in the new marketplace. SWAs Philosophy and Strategy SWA was launched in 1971 by Herb Kelleher, its charismatic former CEO and president and now chairman of the Board of Directors, and Rollin King, a friend of Kelleher and later a board member. The company was based on the simple idea that people would fly an airline that took passengers directly where they wanted to go, when they wanted to get there, for as little money as possible, in a fun-filled environment. The airline should provide lower cost point-to-point services delivered with more efficiency and service than any of the other major airlines. The airline began with only three planes servicing three cities in Texas. Thirty years later, SWA now flies more than 64 million passengers to 58 cities in 30 states, 2,700 times a day. Over time, SWA has become the envy of the airline industry (see Exhibit 1). In fact, other airlines have unashamedly tried to imitate SW. Ns policies and strategies-with limited success. Furthermore, as airlines reel under the pressures of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, SWA is the only major airline that continues to be profitable. These accomplishments take on additional meaning because they were achieved in an industry historically regarded as one of the most turbulent, rocked by forces such as deregulation, mergers and alliances, high fuel costs, oil embargos, labor conflicts and more recently, terrorism. SWA is one of the most heavily unionized airlines, with approximately 81% of its 33,000 employees covered by union contracts. So what is SWAs recipe for success? According to industry analysts and Herb Kelleher himself, it is the culture of the firm, especially its dedication to its employees. 5 As Kelleher states, Ask anyone at Southwest for the secret of the companys success, and you are guaranteed to get the same response: the people. It is the dedication and zeal of the companys employees that have made it a premier customer service organization. Nothing comes ahead of your people. 6 Several aspects of its people-oriented culture are worth noting. Employees have considerable freedom and responsibility a nd a high level of employee involvement in decision making. The company hires the right people-those who match/fit the organization. It places an emphasis on training and flexibility in using the skills of its employees, and it uses strategic compensation and reward systems. Strategic Reward Systems Southwests compensation and reward systems are considered strategically oriented, even though most of the employees are covered by collective bargaining contracts. As one author noted, SWPs reward systems are viewed as a process for supporting and reinforcing the airlines philosophy ence salaries, variable compensation, and recognition programs are part of the process of management and highly integrated with the things leaders and people do on a day-to-day basis. 7 For analytical purposes, strategic rewards may be classified into four groups: strategic base pay, strategic benefits, strategic incentives and strategic recognition programs. EXHIBIT I Strategic Base Pay Base pay is covered largely by union contracts; however, the collective-bargaining process and end results/final contract may be viewed as extremely strategic. One of the key aspects of SWNs strategy is to retain valued employees and secure long-term commitment. These objectives are attained, in part, though seniority and job security clauses in the collective-bargaining agreement. In general, negotiated agreements reflect pay levels consistent with or slightly below market wages and salaries. This helps to keep labor costs in line with the companys low-cost provider strategy. Nevertheless, employees can share in the company success through various contingent compensation programs, thereby increasing their overall pay. In fact, many of SWAs employees are millionaires, including all of those who started with the company in 1971. The airline industry is one of the most conflict ridden industries, with seemingly never-ending labor disputes. Thus, one of SWAs strategy is to reduce such conflicts. However, this can only be achieved in an environment of trust and compromise. It is this perspective that the history making 10-year contract, signed in 1995 with its pilot union, must be viewed. In terms of executive compensation, the CEO is paid at below the median of the market for executives in companies of similar size. Other senior managers are compensated slightly above the market, but they retain a smaller portion of the companys stock. In this manner, company executives are relatively underpaid in cash compensation, but they are committed to the companys long-term financial success and growth through stock ownership. Employees and executives have the same opportunities for stock ownership. Strategic Benefits The list of employee benefits offered by SWA is truly impressive. It includes both traditional programs and a few innovative initiatives. For instance, like many other companies, SWA offers medical insurance, dental insurance, vision coverage, life insurance, long-term disability insurance, dependent care, adoption assistance and mental health assistance, among others. Many of these are at no cost to the employee. Furthermore, employees and their family fly free with SWA and enjoy discounted travel with other carriers. Employees also receive thoughtful gifts on major life achievements and a chance to celebrate often (see Exhibit 2). One of the key concepts behind this array of benefits is the assurance that employees matter at SWA and that the company will do its utmost to take care of its most important stakeholder. Benefits help to reinforce the organizations strategic intent of valuing its employees. EXHIBIT 2 Strategic Incentives The two main contingent or variable pay systems are the corporate-wide profit-sharing program and the employee stock purchase plan. The profit-sharing program, initiated in 1973, is strategic in that it encourages employees to keep costs as low as possible (thus likely higher profits), a key aspect of company strategy. Furthermore, it allows employees to share in the success of the organization. Profits are shared equally based on employee earnings and company profits, with those who work longer hours or fly extra trips receiving a larger portion of the profit-sharing payouts. Traditionally, the program is composed of a cash component, as well as a deferral to retirement account; however, as a result of employee requests, beginning in 1990 the total payout was made on a deferral basis, thereby increasing the retirement benefits of the employees. This is important in an organization that actively promotes long-term commitment from its employees. Employees are offered several investment options, including company stock, enabling many retirees to become quite wealthy. The companys employee stock purchase plan allows all employees and managers to share in the risks and success of the company. In addition to the profit-sharing investment options, employees may purchase stock from payroll deductions at a discount through the employee stock purchase plan. In fact, through these purchases, employees now own about 12% of the company. The pilot contract allows for even greater investments in the company through stock options. Employees are acutely aware that the firms performance is pivotal to their pocketbooks. In fact, the stock price is displayed in each SWA facility so as to allow the employees to keep a constant track of SWAs and their own destiny. Strategic Recognition Programs Strategic recognition programs abound at SWA. Many of these programs are specifically designed to encourage and reinforce desired behaviors and, consequently, company strategy. In fact, these programs have limited the need for more variable pay programs. Strategic recognition programs are at both the corporate and local unit levels, and reward and celebrate exemplary service and behaviors, as well as employees birthdays, anniversaries and so forth. Even though many of these programs originated and are managed at the local level, a few key characteristics emerge. They all enjoy the support of top management, with senior executives including the CEO often gracing the reward ceremonies; they mean something to employees/winners; and they encourage behaviors linked to firm strategy. Some of the thought processes and effects of these programs may be gleaned from their descriptions. These include the Heroes of the Heart program, the Presidents awards, and the Winning Spirit awards. The Heroes of the Heart program was initiated by SWAs Culture Committee in 1992. The committee wanted to devise a way to honor unsung heroes-the behind the scenes employees who customers rarely see. A subcommittee representing a wide variety of departments was established to find a unique way to honor such employees, resulting in the Heroes of the Heart recognition program. Each year, one group is selected for its outstanding efforts in serving and supporting employees in other parts of the company. The winner of the award is kept secret until Valentines Day, when the announcement is made with much pomp and ceremony at the companys headquarters in Dallas. The name of the winning group is painted on one of SWAs aircraft that carries the Heroes of the Heart insignia. An article is also run in the companys in-flight magazine, as well as its newsletter. The Presidents Awards are also given annually to employees who demonstrate values and virtues embodied in the firms strategy: showing compassion for customers, untiring support for coworkers, leading by example, keeping promises and following through, bringing fun to the job and embracing change. Each winner is given a plaque written by his or her vice president, a monetary reward and a collage of photos taken during the award ceremony. The photos of the winners are also published in the companys newsletter. The Winning Spirit Awards are given out every month to 10 to 12 employees whose actions reflect the companys values and strateg y. These awards are given to employees, nominated by colleagues and/or by customers, across SWAs system. A broad-based committee makes the final decision. Each winner is invited to the companys headquarters where the CEO reads the letter of nomination and gives a Winning Spirit lapel pin to him or her. The winner also receives a framed photo with the CEO as a follow-up gift, and an article is published in the companys newsletter. There are several other awards/recognition programs at SWA, including programs such as Together We Make It Great, Ticket to the Future, Walk a Mile, Helping Hands, Stuck on Service, and Go See Do and such awards as Joe Cool Award, Top Wrench Award, Superstars, A Shining Star and Voice Award. These exhibit similar characteristics as the above in that they promote behaviors pivotal in achieving the firms goals and strategy. The overall effects of these recognition programs and awards on SWAs bottom line is not clear; however, as Herb Kelleher stated, the case for these programs lies in the long-term effects. If you were a statistician you wouldnt [have recognition programs], because youd say, well, we could save money if we didnt do it. Southwest Airlines has the best customer complaint record in the American airline industry and who can say what that is worth? I could sit in my office one afternoon and cut SWAs budget substantially by cutting these things. But thats like cutting out your heart. 9 It is this attitude that keeps the company ticking all the way to the bank. Implications for Management There is no universal right reward strategy, and every reward system will not be equally effective. Nevertheless, a review of the literature, including relevant case studies, reveals certain core principles that can help to make reward strategies more effective. Many of these principles are exemplified in the SWA case described in this article. First, it is important that the reward is linked to what is important for the organization. That is, as the SWA case illustrates, the reward system must be aligned with organizational philosophy and strategy. In this way, the organization will encourage and reinforce behaviors and values that are crucial for success. Second, the planning and delivery of these rewards must explicitly demonstrate commitment from organizational leaders. Leaders and employees must be involved in the development of the rewards, the process must be trusted as being fair, adequate resources must be budgeted and the final announcement and delivery must convey a message that the reward is important. In SWAs case, the CEO and other executives spend considerable time and effort to ensure that these conditions are met. Third, these rewards must have meaning and value. Winning these awards must be a significant achievement, and this must be communicated throughout the organization. Winners must feel proud about their achievements, and the organization must glorify the effort. For instance, at SWA, the name of the winning team in the Heroes of the Heart program is painted on one of the airlines carriers and the effort of the winning team is communicated throughout the organization. Fourth, there must be a supportive organizational culture for these rewards to be effective. That is, there must be trust, a pervasive sense that related systems are fair and an unequivocal perception that effort is truly appreciated. Furthermore, the culture must ensure friendly competition. Also, the criteria for winning and the judging process must be clear and effectively communicated to all employees. Finally, there must be a continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of new reward systems and strategies. This implies that changes must be made to those not working at optimal levels, and the company must constantly introduce new and exciting awards. Of course, the costs of these programs must be continuously evaluated to ensure that they contribute more than what they cost the organization Source: Singh (2002)

Risk Management Practices in Sea Ports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Risk Management Practices in Sea Ports - Essay Example The risks that a port might be exposed to can be assessed and evaluated to further determine the costs for implementing a risk management plan. "Compliance with existing rules and regulations does not necessarily make for a safe port" (Lloyd's Register). This is very true and unfortunately many ports around the world rely on regulations alone to manage their port assets, this however can be detrimental to the overall need for a safe seaport. Lloyd's register is a company that assesses ships systems in order to provide improve their overall quality as well as facilitate safety for the crews, employees and customers. There are many in dependent company such as Lloyd's register that provide this service in an endeavor to help seaports meet and implement the standards required of them to maintain a favorable environment conducive to human life. Therefore physical assets are protected as well as maintained by ensuring that standards and policies are followed and continuously evaluated to guarantee that they meet the standards and policies set forth by government agencies. Seaports must deal with potential threats daily due to their easy access and vulnerability. The advent of seaports dealing with ongoing threat efficiently is more likely with a substantial well thought of risk management plan. ... Thus seaports have to use this to determine the level of risk management required. Costs can be a factor, however the cost of implementing a risk management plan is far trivial to the benefits that can be derived from it. Risk assessments will help a seaport determine if they are areas in which they can improve, and possibly provide training to make employees aware of any changes in procedures that may have been made as a result of the analysis derived from the assessments. Risks have varying consequences, and this is potentially important to seaports. Accidents can pose severe threats not only to the vessels, crews, and cargoes but also the public, environment, property, and local and regional economies (National Research Council Staff, 169). Accidents can be caused by human error or technical malfunctions; this ultimately puts individuals in contact with seaports on a day to day basis at risk. In the past there have been incidents that have prompted agencies to re-evaluate their procedures and measures taken to ensure the safety and protection of physical assets. A prime example of this would be the Exxon Valdez spilling that occurred on March 24, 1989. It was an environmental horror that occurred at sea and affected both wildlife and plants. Its departure area was Alaska at the Valdez oil terminal and bound for California. The main cause of this incident was attributed to human error brought on by exhaustion as well as insufficient traffic system. T he movement of hazardous or dangerous cargoes is not reviewed until a major marine accident occurs (National Research Council Staff, 169). This applies to the Exxon Valdez disaster, had proper measures and procedures

Reading reflection Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading reflection - Article Example Applied statistics is defined as statistics but with more emphasis on practically applying statistics rather than studying its theoretical basis (Business Dictionary, 2013). There are numerous areas where statistics is used by statisticians to make sense of a situation including weather forecasting, stock prediction of market prices and market research to find demand of a product. In Chatfield’s paper, there are two main themes that are discussed. The first theme, understanding strategy is as important as knowing technique, and the second theme, avoiding trouble is complementary to and perquisite for, achieving optimally and therefore deserves at least equal attention (Chatfield, 1991). There are ways in which these two main themes can be implemented when working with clients. A client who owns a health clinic may want to know the relationship between types of patients that come to the clinic and the diseases they have. Before examining the first theme, we should understand wh at understanding strategy is. Understanding strategy is seen as being based on factors including processes, mechanisms and forces. In implementing the first theme, the first step will be to apply understanding strategy to find out the patients diseases and demographics of the patients (age, height, eye color, weight). The second step will be to go through the patients’ diseases data detailing the type of disease, where the disease came from, the circumstance leading to getting the disease among others. The third step will be to know the relationship between disease and the patients’ information or data. Since, the data had been understood while examining the demographics of the patients and the disease the patients are having, it becomes easy to know the relationship between disease and the patients’ data. Moving on to the second theme, avoiding trouble while conducting statistical study is crucial in order to obtain uncompromised results. There can be a scenari o where a client has a running sports shoe as a product and wants to know its demand before launching it in the market. In order to avoid the trouble of introducing this product that is not needed in the market, a proper statistical research has to be conducted. Just as Chatfield (1991) suggests, questions will need to be asked concerning the background of the product and the objectives it wants to accomplish in the market. In this case the objectives may be concerned with selling the shoes to a demographic group that loves running sports shoes. The demographic group will consist of people from ages 18 to 35 years living in the United States living in the rural or urban areas. This will ensure that good data is collected that best describes the demographic group. In case the demographic data collected is not sufficient or is not trusted, questions concerning untrusted information should be asked to clarify any issues. In the end, examinations should be carried out to address whether the objectives have been fulfilled or whether there are some changes that have to be carried out to make the collectable statistical data even better. This will ensure that the client gets the best statistical results concerning the demand of running sports shoes in the market before launching it. Chatfield (1991) approaches statistics in a more elaborate sequential manner. The first step he takes is formulating the problem by asking relevant questions about the background

Google Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Google Case Study - Research Paper Example SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis is the one of the most effective and widely used tool to conduct situational analysis. SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis takes into account both the internal and external environments of a firm. Internally, the framework analyses the strengths and weaknesses with respect to the various key dimensions such as productivity, human resources, finances, capacity, etc. Externally, the framework analyses the market trends, economic conditions, regulations, technology, etc (Ferrell & Hartline, 2008). The SWOT analysis of Google can lead to a very good understanding of the processes that are in place in Google and its positioning in terms of its competitors. Strengths Google has got various strengths in the industry that makes it stand out. The basic strengths that makes Google the market leader has been described here ïÆ'Ëœ Google is the innovator and the pioneer in the field of search engines thereby giving it a head start over the other competitors ïÆ'Ëœ The management style is open minded and Laissez Faire at its best. Thereby, the managerial decisions keep getting taken very fast that leads to avoidance of lag time and increased efficiency ïÆ'Ëœ Large amount of incumbent cash and steady cash flow ïÆ'Ëœ Although the switch value of the product is not much or almost nil, but the customers have shown immense amount of loyalty to the products of Google and Google as a brand The retention policies and the compensation policies at Google are some of the best in the world. Therefore, the attrition in Google is extremely low as compared to the general industry. This particular factor translates into the tapping of the intellectual capital for them which would allow for the better leverage of market conditions. This particular feature also results in the cost efficiency as a lesser amount of money has to spend in the rehiring process. The other factor that lowers the cost is the absence of training the new hires Most of the data is translated, thereby, it can be used by a large number of the international customers The products are compatible to most of the data platforms and hardware available in the market and therefore provide the competitive edge as there are no switching costs involved in the change from an existing platform being used by the user There is a strong amount of support that the company has been enjoying from the educational community maki ng it the medium of choice as a search engine The products are considered to be extremely chic by the urbane customers that add to its appeal It has got very high profile corporate interactions with the top notch companies like Sun and Apple that make the products extremely innovative and the user finds them easy to use. It also results in great amount of acceptance of the products aiming the corporate lines. As for example, the Sun intersperses the Google features with the Java runtime library(Boone & Kurtz,1995) It has already set up a number of channels in the telephone market that has only added to the market value of the product Google has been providing the service of free Wifi for the entire cities and the public areas which has led to its popularity among the various groups and the common public in general. It has led to very good public relations that have only resulted in the fostering of the growth.(Boon,2003) Google has entered

Quals Direct Knowledge Task Essay Example for Free

Quals Direct Knowledge Task Essay 1.1 Define the following types of abuse: • Physical abuse is defined as the use of physical force that may result in bodily injury Sexual abuse is any sort of non-consensual contact Emotional/Psychological abuse is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in psychological trauma. Playing mind games, shouting and threatening behavior. Financial abuse telling you what you can and connot buy or requiring you to share or take control of your bank account and with holding monies from you. Institutional abuse is the mistreatment, neglect or inadequate care and support of adults in groups. Self neglect is failure of one adult to take care of himself or herself. Neglect by others ignoring the persons medical or physical care needs, Deliberate and unnecessary deprivation of a resource to the service user. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. Good answer 1.2 Identify the signs/or symptoms associated with each type of abuse. physical abuse bruises withfound in different states of healing, small clusters indicating finger marks, friction burns from carpets, injuries inconsistent with explanation, reluctance to seek medical help Sexual abuse bruises and bleeding round the rectal and vaginal areas, stained or torn underclothes or night wear, love bites, overt sexual behavior or language not previously used or conversely fear of any type of physical contact.  Emotion/psychological abuse symptoms of stress, on set of bed wetting, anxiety, tearfulness, low self esteem, unexplained paranoia and lack of eye contact. Financial abuse suddenly unable to pay bills or purchase necessities, unexplained withdrawals from saving Institutional abuse lack of privacy around toileting and bathing, lack of giving a choice of food, bedtime, clothing Self neglect lack of attention to personal care needs, rashes, pressure sores, dirty clothing and or wet, weight loss. Neglect by others lack of attention given to personal care needs, failure to ensure privacy and dignity, dirty clothes, rashes, being left alone for long periods of time. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. 1.3 Describe factors that may contribute to an individual being more vulnerable to abuse factors may include if the individual has a mental disability such as dementia or not having the mental capacity. If the individual is secluded or isolated or vulnerable there could be factors for the abuser which could include the abuser having lack of training, also abusing their power. Sometimes personal issues have a part to play which could include the carer/abuser being stressed or having a history of abuse and continuing the cycle. The factors include if one has low self esteem or self worth. if they have had abuse before, nobody to protect them, and the mentally ill. Other factors could be they may not be aware of their rights, may not be able to express themselves clearly. their home may unsuitable with no aids or adaptations to help give appropriate care. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. Outcome 2 know how to respond to suspected or alleged abuse 2.1 Explain the actions to take if there are suspicions that an individual is being abused. Always report suspected or alleged abuse to the appropriate person(s), record the facts on appropriate paperwork, listen do not judge, stay calm and collected, do not tamper with any evidence. Appropriate persons to report suspected or alleged abuse would be to my manager first of all, police, social workers, family(if family is not the abuser) and possibly their doctor. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. Who would be the appropriate person to report to? well answered 2.2 Explain the actions to take if an individual alleges that they are being abused Always establish what it is that has occured and report any suspicions to the appropriate manager. Reassuring the individual at all times take every allegation seriously. Always date the paperwork and have it signed by any witness (if any). take photos of any evidence if possible. Speak clearly and precise and avoid any leading questions. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. 2.3 Identify ways to ensure that evidence of abuse is preserved Always record facts immediately dated and signed (by any witnesses also), report any evidence immediately to line manager, do not tamper with any evidence. Taking Photos if possible, and try avoiding any leading questions that may make them think alternatively to the situation. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. What other steps might you take to preserve the evidence? You have mentioned some ways in the previous question could you ple those points and a few others you can think of. Outcome 3 Understand the national and local context of safeguarding and protection from abuse 3.1 Identify national policies and local systems that relates to safeguarding and protection from abuse National policies safeguarding vulnerable groups act 2006, the vetting and barring scheme run by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), Criminal Records Bureau, Human rights act 1998. Local Systems Safeguarding Adults Boards, Safeguarding policies and procedures for vulnerable adults. Data Protection Act 1998 Care standards Act 2000 Health and social care act 2008 The Equality Act 2010 No secrets, Department of Health 2000 Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. Amanda I can clearly see you get this question however The Police and CQC are not national polices or or local systems. This facts question fully http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS78_Safeguarding_older_people_from_abuse_fcs.pdf?eps 3.2 Explain the roles of different agencies in safeguarding and protecting individuals from abuse The police their role is to safeguard vulnerable adults, investigate all reports of vulnerable adult abuse and protect and  uphold the rights of vulnerable adults. The CQC to monitor and provide guidance on what all health and social care providers must do to safeguard vulnerable adults from abuse, the safeguarding policies, procedures and systems developed are in place to prevent vulnerable adults from being abused. Social services Their role is to build managing safeguarding risks and benefits in care planning, review care plans, identify and respond to any concerns, lead and support enquiries in in the events of any abuse or neglect. Clinicians Report incidents of abuse neglect or undignified treatment, follow up referrals, consult patients taking responsibility for ongoing care, lead and support enquiries where there is need for clinical input. Health care provider Show leadership and routinely monitor activity, meet the required service quality standards, train staff in safeguarding procedures, investigate and respond effectively, take disciplinary action against staff who have abused or neglected people in their care. Social care and health commissioners Build safeguarding into commissioning strategies and service contracts, review and monitor services regulary, intervenewhere services fall below fundamental standards or abuse is taking place. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. This leaflet will help you answer this question fully http://www.pasauk.org.uk/upload/public/featurebox/Safeguarding%20Adults.%20Roles%20and%20responsibilities%20in%20hea 3.3 Identify reports into serious failures to protect individuals from abuse A report about Orchid View care home in West Sussex that failed to ensure that the vulnerable adults were adequately protected from risks, including the risks of unsafe practice by its own staff. it was revealed that residents at Orchid View care home in Copthorne, west Sussex, were given  wrong doses of medication, left soiled and unattended because of a lack of staff and suffered because of serious failures in the homes management. There was institutional abuse throughout the home which lead to the deaths of 5 residents. After an investigation the CQC found it had failed to meet eight of it essential quality and safety standards. The inquest heard that Jean Halfpenny, 77, was given an overdose of blood-thinning drug warfarin while at Orchid View, Which had failed to monitor and administer her medication properly. One of the staff at the care home said she was asked to shred forms after Halfpenny had been admitted to hospital for bleeding. The coroner heard that the Orchid View manager Meera Reed, looked at the medication administration record (MAR) brought into the office by a nurse and said We cant send her to hospital wit those. they will shut us down. Five people were arrested, including some on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence in relation to Halfpennys death, but insufficient evidence existed to support a prosecution and the case was passed to a coroner. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. Some good research has gonr into the answer for this question 3.4 Identify sources of information and advice about own role in safeguarding and protecting individuals from abuse My manager, colleagues My companies policies and procedures Local authority services department like social services The internet Care Quality Commission Books Independent Safeguarding Authority health and social care act 2015 Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. The 2015 Care Act perhaps? well answered Amanda Outcome 4 Understand ways to reduce the likelihood of abuse 4.1 Explain how the likelihood of abuse may be reduced by: • Working with person centred values • Encouraging ac choice and rights Person centred values include the individuality of the person, the rights of the individual, choice, privacy, independence, dignity, and the individual being respected. If person centred values are taken into consideration when supporting an individual there is less likely to be abuse as all the staff will be working in the same way. If a person is considered to have a say in what he or she wants and is at the centre of any decision, it will be more unlikely that there is abuse. I always put the service users i work with at the centre of any decision about them and they are an active partner in their own care. service user decide what to do, shower, wash or bath, what clothes they want to wear and are treated with dignity, respect, confidentiality and are able to make their own choices. Active participation is a way of working that recognises an individuals right to participate in the activities and relationships of everyday life as independently as possible. So if the individual participates actively in their daily activities, then the risk of abuse is low. For example I would prompt the service user to pick out what clothes they would like to wear, what meals they would like and encourage them to take part in preparing and cooking the meal the way they like it. Individuals are supported to make their choices in anything they want, like food or drink, what to wear, whether they want a bath, shower,, or wash. No individual will choose something that will hurt them self therefore abuse is reduced to the minimum. Individuals rights are promoted throughout the service, service user have the right to as they wish to do and if its what they want as long as it is not dangerous, a risk assesment will then be done to stop any abuse happening. I ensure that i promote service users rights and choices by allowing them to make their own choices and support them to have the same rights of anyone else. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. Excellent answer 4 .2 Explain the importance of an accessible complaints procedure for reducing the likelihood of abuse The complaints procedure gives the complainant the right to be heard and supported to make their views known. an accessible complaints procedure is understandable and easy to use. It sets out clearly how to make a complaint, the steps that will be taken when the complaint is looked into. An accessible complaints procedure resolves complaints more quickly as the complainant feels that they are being listened to and their complaint is is taken seriously. Making sure that abuse will not be tolerated in any form and encourages the complainant to not accept this. If a staff member is being abused, it would be reported to the line manager as an informal grievance, employees should aim to resolve most grievences informally with their line manager and are therefor encouraged to discuss all matters openly as they occur. If the grievance cannot be settled informally then it should be raised through the formal procedure of a grievance. Formal Grievance should be raised with their line manager or next level of management if grievance is related to the line manager, in writing, at the earliest time. the manager will organise a meeting within 5 working days, Employees will be allowed to explain their complaint,and suggest a way it should be settled. meeting could be ajourned if the manager feels they need further advice. the manager will give full consideration to the complaint and confirm the outcome in writing. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. You have looked at this question from the perspective of the client. How about the staff who may be getting abused please include colleagues in this answer Outcome 5 Know how to recognise and report unsafe practices 5.1 Describe unsafe practices that may affect the well being of individuals Unsanitary conditions can spread infection as cross-contamination can occur and can affect the well being of the individual and others. examples of these unsanity conditions can be dirty kitchen work surfaces and equipment, improper hand washing, not covering hair when cooking can pose a risk, as can not reporting faulty equipment when working or not, having cleaning materials can also be unsafe. Not having risk assessments in place when a service user hurts themselves, Staff not checking when service user is ill or unsteady on their feet. Staff not recording in the care plan any issues if a services is unwell or unable to support themselves as much, not monitoring their wellbeing. Other unsafe practice that can amount to abuse is leaving a service user on the toilet too long, ignoring or not listening to them.  Marks on the body not taken seriously and not listening to complaints can put them at more danger, harm and risk of abuse. staff that are untrained or have out of date training, unsanitary uniforms can spread infection to clients and other colleagues, Management giving their colleague/s a large work load, making them exhausted and having a lack of concentration. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. You have looked at this question from the perspective of the client. How about the staff who may be getting abused please include colleagues in this answer 5.2 Explain the actions to take if unsafe practices have been identified If I identify unsafe practice then I must follow the whistle blowing procedure and report to the appropriate person. I will report to my manager immediately or if it involves my manager then I would report it to another appropriate person. I will monitor all unsafe practices and make sure that I record and report in full all the evidence, then I will talk to my manager as I am aware all unsafe practices are dangerous that could cause harm. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question. 5.3 Describe the action to take if suspected abuse or unsafe practices have been reported but nothing has been done If suspected abuse or unsafe practices have been reported but nothing has been done in response or if it has to do with my manager then I would report it to the next level or manager. Then I would report to the social worker and safeguarding team and to the care quality commission and even the police depending on the response i get. Your assessor is happy with your answer to the above question.

The Structure Of Skeletal Muscle Biology Essay

The Structure Of Skeletal Muscle Biology Essay Skeletal Muscle is a form of fibrous tissue with the fibers arranged parallel to each other. A muscle fiber (cell) is surrounded by the endomysium. A group of these cells is wrapped by fascicles. Bundles of fascicles are covered by the perimysium and bundles of the perimysium are wrapped by the epimysium to form a muscle. The muscle fibers have contractile properties which enable them to move bony levers in order to produce skeletal movement1. The functional unit of the muscle fiber is the sacomere which consists of most importantly, actin and myosin. The actin and myosin are arranged such that during contraction, they can slide over each other thus shortening the muscle2. Muscles suffer from many diseases, one of which is polymyositis. This is an inflammatory myopathy that affects mainly the muscles of the thorax and those around the torso. It affects all age groups but has been noticed mainly in late childhood and early adulthood. The sypmtomps are nonspecific but results in general muscle weakness and the cause, though believed to be an invasion by the white blood cells, is not very clear10. 2.0 The Structure of Skeletal Muscle. In daily life, structures and arrangements of designs are dictated, to a large extent by the purpose and function for which the design is meant for. Knowing that skeletal muscle is made up mainly of fibrous tissues, the arrangement of these tissues and how they are bound together to maintain a particular shape in order to accomplish different purposes (mainly to generate force and produce movement) may to a large extent, define the structure of the muscle4. At a macro level, the skeletal muscle is composed of bundles of individual muscle fibers, the supporting structure called the basal lamina, and the connective tissue sheaths as shown in figure 1. These connective tissues bind the cells together giving them strength and partly providing mechanical protection2. We can examine these connective tissues and their functions as follows: 2.1 The basal lamina. This is an extracellular matrix that acts as a scaffold on which a cell sits. It has been realized that apart from providing structural support, the basal lamina can orient and constrain cell during the process of regeneartion3. 2.2 The endomysium. This is a fine sheath of connective tissue that surrounds each individual muscle cell. The endomysium consist of loosely interlacing fibers composed mainly of collagen4. 2.3 The perimysium and fascilces. The individual muscle fibers wrapped by the endomysium, are grouped together in what is called fascicles. A layer of fibrous tissue called the perimysium wraps each fascicle4. 2.4 The epimysium. This is the outside layer that finally wraps the whole muscle. It is composed of dense irregular connective tissue4. Figure 1 Source: http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/Medicine/Physiology/Muscular/muscle_structure.jpg 3.0 The muscle cell Having described how individual muscle cells are organized into a muscle, it is imperative that we look at the structural composition of the cell itself. Just like many other cells in the body are specialized according to their functions, skeletal muscle cells are specialized to produce force and movement5. The skeletal muscle fiber is thus composed of mainly three structural elements:-the myofibrils, the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria, each contributing a unique aspect of muscle function. The entire function of the muscle can be attributed to the shifts in proportions of these three structures6. 3.1 The Myofibrills. These are cylindrical specialized sub-units within the muscle fiber. They consist of two types of contractile protein filaments-the thin filaments referred to as actin and the thick filaments referred to as myosin. The two most important parameters of the myofibrils are their diameter which determines its strength and the fiber length which determines it contraction velocity and distance over which the fiber can contract. The myofibril consist of two filaments-actin and myosin6,2. 3.1.1 Actin (thin filament). Actin filaments are responsible for regulation of contraction. The actin filament is formed by a helical arranged of actin monomers which is an ambiguous protein2 (figure 2). Because of the helical nature, a long grove is formed along the filament and the protein troponin is located at intervals along the length of the actin filament. It is troponin which is responsible for turning on contraction2,7. Figure 2.The actin molecule. Source: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~sjjgsca/Muscleslidingfilament1.gif 3.1.2 The Myosin (thick filament). Myosin filament is about 150nm long. It has a tail and two heads. The tail is formed by two helical shaped fibers that coil around each other. A collection of several of these helical tails together form a myosin filament (figure 3)4b. Figure 3. The myosin molecule. Source: http://webanatomy.net/anatomy/myosin.jpg. 3.2 The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Groups of about 200 thick and thin filaments constitute a myofibril. Each myofibril is thus enclosed in a membrane called the sarcoplasmic reticulum8. The SR membrane stores and releases calcium during muscle contraction and relaxation. The SR can therefore be thought of as the functional unit of the myofibril9. 3.3 The mitochondria. Found within the cell cytoplasm, the mitochondria are responsible for generation of most of the cells energy by the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). There are several mitochondria distributed along the length of a myofibril4. 4.0 The mechanism of muscle contraction Muscle contraction can largely be attributed to the structure of actin and myosin, their arrangement within the SR and the interaction between them in order to produce force (Figure 4). This type of arrangement allows the thin actin filaments to slide in and out by the action pull of the myosin heads8b. Figure 4. Actin and myosin arrangement: Source: http://www.exrx.net/Images/ActinMyosin.gif Muscles are composed of a number of actin and myosin filaments arranged in series in a basic unit called the sacomere. The sacomere consists of a thick filament in the meddle and two thin filaments, one overlapping on each side. The heads of the thick filament attach to the thin filament at the overlap and these heads allow movement in only one direction. When activated, each thick filament head rachets repeatedly along the actin, pulling the two actins closer together. Since the actin are attached to the Z line (The distance between two Z lines form the sacomere), ends of the sacomere (Z lines) are pulled in and the sacomere shortens. The sacomeres are arranged in series so that when the muscle fiber contracts, all the sacomeres contract simultaneously transmitting the force to the end of the muscle. The whole process of contraction described above occurs when the muscle is electrically stimulated2b. 5.0 Muscle stimulation. Skeletal muscle cells are stimulated by the motor neurons of the somatic nervous system. The reception of the motor stimulus (action potential) opens the calcium channels allowing calcium which is stored in the SR to be released. The release of calcium causes the release of acetylcholine-Ach (neurotransmitter). The calcium binds to the troponin on the actin filament. Troponin then regulates the tropomyosin which obstructs binding sites for myosin. This allows the tropomyosin to move, unblocking the bonding site. Myosin then binds to the unblocked site on the actin and applies a pull. This will pull the Z bands towards each other thus shortening the sacomere, causing muscle contraction2b. However, as calcium is released, the ATP-dependent calcium pump is activated and it continuously pumps calcium back to the SR to be stored again. This leads to a drop in calcium level within the cytoplasm. When the calcium level is too low, the calcium binding action to troponin is terminated, releasing tropomyosin which again blocks the binding site. This stops the interaction between actin and myosin thus relaxing the muscle2b. 6.0 Muscle Diseases There are a number of muscular diseases and disorders ranging from acquired, familial to congenital. Limiting ourselves to one of the acquired disorders of the muscles, lets look at polymyositis. 6.1 Polymyositis (PM). PM is a type of muscle inflammatory myopathy. Just like the name suggests, this disease causes inflammation of the muscle fiber. Although the causes of the disease are not well understood, it is believed that PM begins when white blood cells, spontaneously invade muscles. This can result in severe muscle weakness. Polymyositis is a persistent disease characterized by periods of increased and reduced or no symptoms. PM affects mainly the muscles of the thorax and is more common in women than men. It is said to affect all age groups although is it commonly noted in early childhood or 20s10. Key pathologic and diagnostic features of the disease. Endomysial inflammation. This is the inflammation of the outer connective tissue that surrounds the muscle fiber. This is done by the white blood cells that leave the blood and enter the tissue, somehow confirming the earlier assertion that the PM begins when white blood cells invade muscles. Invasion of myofibers by autoaggressive lymphocytes. This is when the T lymphocytes begin to attack the intact myofibers. Unlike in muscle dystrophy where inflammation is associated with degenerating myofibers, the invasion of T lymphocytes causes inflammation of health myofibers in PM.This causes inflammation of healthy myofibers. Other diagnostic features that may not be exactly specific to PM include myofiber necrosis, myophagocytosis, myofiber atrophy and fibrosis, a feature of chronic PM10,11. 7.0 Conclusion Human movement is only possible because of the action of muscle contraction. Voluntary contraction of muscle is made possible by the somatic nervous system which sends out an action potential activating the contraction process. The process is accomplished by the sliding of myosin and actin over each other. Many diseases and disorders affect muscles, prominent among them is muscular polymyosis which causes inflammation of the muscles mainly around the torso. Its believed to be caused by the unwanted action of the white blood cells and the symptoms include muscle weakness.