Political perspective on employees performance

The supervisor helps the department or team he or she is leading to clarify their goals and mission as well as approaches to achieving their aims. He or she helps to shape the common goals and approaches of the team. Thus, he or she builds confidence and commitment to the team and every individual in the team.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Political perspective on employees’ performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Supervisors empower members of their team with problem-solving, technical, teamwork, functional, interpersonal as well as decision-making skills. They have the power and the ability to manipulate forces within the team or department towards common direction or objective. The political perspective assumes that an organization is a political arena which comprises selfish goals, deception as well as in-fighting. Thus, they always manipulate, push as well as bargain to advance their own inter ests as well as the interests of their teams or departments (Katzenbach Smith, 2003). They can therefore easily convince others, especially their subordinates, to achieve the desired results. This may sometimes involve deception tactics or selfish acts even though the supervisor may do that for the benefit of the organization. He or she is the advocate of the organization and institutes actions plans and programs which are in line with the organization goals. Some tactics applied by the supervisors could include keeping the goals flexible as well as manipulating the channels of influence to achieve the desired result. They may also advance their agendas patiently to achieve the determined aims. It is the supervisor who is in direct contact with the workers and responsible for managing performance within the departments or organization. Therefore, he or she can always investigate the cause of performance problems that exist within the workplace, department or organization. They also give direct attention to the cause of the performance problem. Thereafter, the supervisors can develop action plans to overcome the problem and achieve the results. The action plan includes empowering workers to find a solution to the problem or devise an alternative to the problem. Supervisors provide direct communication to workers about the goals of every task which are always in line with those of the organization. Supervisors are responsible for setting goals for every task or for the particular department. This can be achieved effectively by incorporating the subordinates within the department in setting the goals of the task or the department.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After formulating the goals, the supervisor communicates the goals to the employees and puts in place strategies which ensure that the goals will be attained. He or she provides feedback to work ers on whether the goals are being achieved or not. The supervisor conducts performance appraisals regularly and assesses employee performance to enable him or her to communicate what the employee can do to improve his or her performance. Besides, supervisors are responsible for instilling strong organizational cultures in employees by communicating their goals and ideas about the work to employees. Strong cultures encourage commitment, flexibility as well as adaptability among the workers (De Silva, 2010). The role of supervisor as coach and resource coordination Supervisor as a coach provides training and promoting of the employees. He or she ensures that new members of staff in his or her department and the organization as a whole are oriented to the tasks assigned. Supervisors develop training plans with the staff to ensure that employees acquire the necessary expertise in performing their jobs. They work with the staff/subordinates to set suitable goals, time lines as well as a ction plans. They are also responsible for delegating duties and providing support and guidance to the employees on how to go about the job. Since supervisors are the ones responsible for overseeing as well as observing their units, they have the responsibility of ensuring that resources are available to employees. They have to negotiate and help to secure resources for their departments or teams in order to maintain workflow in the department. This enables supervisors to acquire and achieve cooperation from the team as well as individual within and outside the organization (Byham, Wellins Wilson, 1991). As decision makers within the department, supervisors allocate resources and determine how the limited resources are distributed within the tasks in the department to achieve maximum effectiveness within the team.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Political perspective on employees’ performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Supervisors also need to help their subordinates identify action plans which enable them to solve their performance problems. They are in charge of the production process and responsible for the products until they leave the production area to the market. This means that they have to offer additional training or help employees to devise action plans which improve their performance, and hence, quality of the product or service. They are to help employees who experience performance problems which need corrective actions and make them do what the employees aspire to achieve. The supervisor has to empower the employee to implement the action plan successfully. Helping employees identify and implement action plans motivates the staff eliminates the possibility of poor quality products and gives employees confidence in their jobs. They also develop trust and confidence in the supervisor. Dimensions of performance Performance dimensions are measures for evaluating em ployees. They are universally applied to employees within the organization. Thus, they are those characteristics or things that an employee has to demonstrate to be effective in the organization or workplace. He or she represents knowledge as well as skills which are necessary for the success of the organization. This includes critical aspects within an employee’s roles in the organization. They are normally organizationally focused and not job focused. Performance dimensions are usually included in each employee’s performance plan. According to Sanderson and Urwin (2002), performance dimensions are designed to examine competencies of individual employees. Some of the dimensions for measuring competencies of employees include determining the employee’s verbal/nonverbal communication abilities/skills, relationship skills, organizational skills, ethics and integrity, decision making and analytical skills, objectivity, leadership and initiative skills as well as fl exibility and adaptability.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They also include examining the employee’s application of the organization’s policies, standards as well as procedures. However, the dimensions may vary from organization to organization depending on the sector in which the organization operates in as well as its vision and goals. Absolute judgment scale Advantages of absolute judgment scale Absolute judgment scale can be utilized in evaluation of responses which do not have physical measurable items or characteristics. This makes it be an appropriate tool for conducting performance appraisal of employees’ performance dimensions which can not be quantified. According to Helson (1954), the method does not require direct comparison of variables and standards. Evaluation is done by performing a weighted geometric mean of the current and past behavior or characteristic. The judgments are therefore based on comparative rating scale such as low, medium and high. The absolute categories offer fair distribution of appra isal characteristics over a range of stimuli in use. In addition, absolute judgment scale can be used to conduct performance appraisals for groups or departments since it allows experts or a team of managers to discuss and come to a consensus. Disadvantages of the absolute judgment scale In some cases, the absolute judgment scale results in a skewed frequency-distribution curve where the predominance of judgments is placed at the upper end of the scale. It means that it is subject to relative judgment by the individual doing the appraisal/evaluation. Besides, the judgments are also relative to the standard of reference adopted by the organization. Judgments are sometimes influenced by the relative time-error in that the person or panel performing the evaluation may make their judgments based on the past characteristics or behavior of the employee. Judgments could also be affected by individual bias by the person conducting the evaluation. Thus, the confidence/accuracy level of absol ute judgment scale may be low in some cases, and in addition, the judgments can not be quantified. Reference List Byham, W., Wellins, R., Wilson, J. (1991). Empowered teams: Creating self-directed work groups that improve quality, productivity, and participation. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass. De Silva, S. R. (2010). Human resource management, industrial relations and achieving management objectives. Web. Helson, H. (1954). The use of comparative scales for the evaluation of psychological data. The American Journal of Psychology, 67(2), 321. Katzenbach, J. R., Smith, D. K. (2003). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. New York: Harper Business Essentials. Sanderson, M., Urwin, C. (2002). A performance dimension approach to competence. Web. This report on Political perspective on employees’ performance was written and submitted by user Paula E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

English Essays - Cathy Ames, John Steinbeck, East Of Eden, Cathy

English Essays - Cathy Ames, John Steinbeck, East Of Eden, Cathy English East of Eden by John Steinbeck In the novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Catherine Ames is one of the main characters. She is introduced to the reader as a monster and as time goes on, she possesses both monster like and animal qualities. As Catherine she gets older and wiser, she gets more evil and displays her monster and animal like characteristics. She knows she is powerful and indestructible. She has manipulated and tricked many people her life causing them to go to the extreme... death. Catherine Cathy shows her evilness and her monster like behavior in many scenes throughout the book. Steinbeck illustrates Cathy as being a monster on pages 95 and 96. I believe there are monsters born in the world... It is my belief that Cathy Ames was born with the tendencies, or lack of them, which drove and forced her all of her life, said Steinbeck. Cathy used this to her advantage by making people uneasy, but not so uneasy that they would not run away from her. Cathy was born with an innocent look that fooled many; she had golden blond hair, hazel eyes, a thin and delicate nose, and a small chin to make her face look heart shaped. Acoording to the town Cathy lived, Cathy had a scent of sweetness, but that is just what Cathy wanted the town to see and think when Cathy planned her kill. On page 114-115, The fire broke out... the Ames house went up like a rocket... Enough remained of Mr. and Mrs. Ames to make sure there were two bodies. Cathy had set the house on fire and broke into the safe to steal the familys money. As the investigators scoped the place, they noticed that the bolts stuck out and there were no keys left in the locks. They knew it was not an accident. Cathys body was never found, but the town assumed that she died. If it had not been for Cathys murder, the fire and robbery might have been a coincidence. Steinbeck, again, portrays the reader that Cathy is a monster on page 242, When I said Cathy was a monster it seemed to me that it was so. Steinbeck is reassuring the reader that Cathy is a monster and with the evidence before and after this statement. For example, Cathy later changes her name to Kate and runs a whorehouse. While she runs the house, she takes pictures of all the important male individuals in the town to later send to their spouses and families. Cathy plans to send the pictures whether they caused trouble or not. As Cathys character evolves, Steinbeck changes his description from a monster to an animal. Her head jerked up and her sharp teeth fastened on his hand across the back and up into the palm near the little finger... her jaw was set and her head twisted and turned, mangling his hand the way a terrier worries a sack. Steinbeck said on page 253. Cathys sharp teeth fastened into a mans hand who was only trying to help. Cathy's sharp teeth sunk into the man's flesh like a dogs canines would have. She tore away at the skin and twisted and turned her head to resemble a dog. Do you think I want to be human? Look at those pictures! Id rather be an animal than a human, said Cathy. Cathy admits she would rather be an animal than a human. The physical features of Cathy are that of a human but the mental state of her resembles an animal. Although, Cathy seems to down grade and be paradoxical about herself because humans are much smarter than dogs, but she says she is smarter than any normal human. She knows how to manipulate any individual without trying. On page 427, Uncontrolled hatred shone in Kates eyes. She screamed, a long and shrill animal screech. Cathy, for unknown reasons has animal characteristics. This one just happens to be the screech of an animal. Steinbeck uses Cathy for suspense in his novel. You never know what she is going to do next or what she is thinking. She has more characteristics of a monster and an animal than a human. Cathys character has no talk about being normal except for her looks. I think the only sensible thing she did in her life time was not killing Adam, her loving spouse, and committing suicide. She has not a care in the world and her only love is hatred.

Health Promotion for Early Years Practitioners Essay

Health Promotion for Early Years Practitioners - Essay Example ..It is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities (Health Promotion glossary, WHO, 1998). In the 1948 Constitution, WHO further declares that enjoying good health is the basic fundamental right of an individual, and the state must necessarily take measures to fulfil its obligation to this end. In context to child health WHO points out that â€Å"Healthy development of the child is of basic importance†, as good health during the formative years forms the foundation for a healthy adulthood. The state must make available to all its citizens the basic resources for medical, psychological well being and all relevant information that aims to achieve good health; and here there must not be any distinctions, based on â€Å"race, religion, political belief, economic, or social condition.† However in this context it must be mentioned that health is not only an obligation solely on the state; but there must also be an active coop eration and informed opinion based feedback from the general public that would help the state to function even more effectively. â€Å"Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health† (Health Promotion glossary, WHO, 1998). Health promotion is an ongoing process that reflects the social and political conditions pertinent to health conditions within a country. Promotions are not only aimed at improving individual health but are directed towards transforming the entire social-economic and the physical environmental conditions, so that is an overall improvement in the life qualities of the society as a whole. There are various socioeconomic factors of health, based on the economic and social conditions of different countries. WHO delineates the general factors that are necessary for achieving good health and these are: sufficient economic resources, adequate food and shelter, stable eco-system, sustainable natural resource s and their appropriate use., and in the process highlights the important yet complex links that exist between an individual’s socio-economic conditions, his physical environment, his lifestyle, and his health. A UK team of researchers identified the socioeconomic factors of health as: social/class gradient, social support, social exclusion, early life, work, joblessness, stress, food, transport, and addiction (Marmot and  Wilkinson, 2005). On the other hand, we find that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  identifies socioeconomic factors of health as, social status, housing, transport, easy access to various services, bias on the basis of gender/ race/ or social standing, and various stressors (environmental or social) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Models and approaches to health promotion: There are various models and approaches to the health promotion plans seen in different countries worldwide. Such variations are owing to the var ying socioeconomic factors that are seen worldwide that makes it necessary for each country to adopt a health promotion plan that is made suitable for its social, cultural and economic conditions. In this context we will examine some of the well known approaches to health promotions, commonly seen in practice worldwide. In the Ottawa Charter WHO identifies three basic approaches

Information Systems - UPS Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Systems - UPS - Case Study Example Aside from being able to communicate better with other UPS staffs and its global business partners, the use of a highly reliable networking technology made it possible for UPS to create competitive advantage by allowing its customers track down the status of their packages. To improve the efficiency of its delivery services, UPS decided to invest in networking technologies such as wireless LANs, latest scanners, GPS, wireless Bluetooth connection worldwide, WiFi technology, PDAs, mobile phones, and Ethernet among others. Using these technologies, UPS was able to integrate information concerning its trucking system, ship-based and airplane shipments. It is said that UPS sends the information coming from the scanned labels using Bluetooth devices to allow the retransmission to wireless LAN. The problem with using the Bluetooth technology is that errors may occur in the ACL packet (Olenewa 173). In case the UPS staff has failed to retransmit the data, there is a risk wherein certain information will not be integrated together with the entire UPS package tracking information that is supposed to be available worldwide. Often times, error connection using the Bluetooth devices can either be classified as the ‘1/3 rate Forward Error Correction (FEC)’, the ‘2/3 rate Forward Error Correction (FEC)’, and the Automatic Retransmission Request (ARQ)’ (Olenewa 173). Specifically the use of Bluetooth can lead to security problems such as virus attacks (Oates) or disclosure of private information (Laurie and Laurie). On top of security concerns, it is important to take note that Bluetooth devices are dependent on the use of battery (Olenewa 173). In the absence of charger, UPS staff will not be able to send out important data on a timely basis. To avoid communication and coordination problems, UPS staff should be trained on how to handle cases related to security problems and

Rhetorical Analysis of George Saunders's story Essay

Rhetorical Analysis of George Saunders's story "christmas" and "sea oak" - Essay Example One of his sisters contends that if they had secured a diploma certificate, they could understand the television content and not be sidetracked in any way. The sisters discuss about the number of sides a triangle has from their low social class Sea Oak home. The neighborhood is rife with crime, even as Thomas and Auntie Bernie are forced to sacrifice their own life and dignity in an attempt to improve the poverty situation. This paper explores the use of satire in Sea Oak; the importance of the literary style to and effectiveness in the storyline. Saunders’s portrayal of the low-class setting is both comical and somehow pushy into resignation. There is a wind of hopelessness in the whole scene. At first, Freddy orders the children to make a squat, hence projecting the image of the dangerous crap-hole more vividly. Then the engulfed lot feels the tragic side of life in the freaking American life where capitalism dictates that the underprivileged work out extremely hard to earn a place in the less risky crap-hole. According to Saunders, the demise of Aunt Bernice plunges the family into financial doldrums, which affect her giving of a decent burial (4). The bereaved are forced to buy a low-priced, balsa-made coffin for the Aunt. Immediately the burial, a church minister tells them the body of their loved one had been procured inappropriately. Bernice’s spirits then leave her body and advance in the house in Christ-like fashion to offer the family effective guidance on how to overcome the nasty situation they are in. Bernice continues decaying in their residence. As her arms break away, she utters wise words on how to cope with life. She repeatedly tells Thomas to go show his manly strength out there. Rando says message basically implies that the only path to success in the society is to steer clear of morality and becoming a prostitute (438). Although she succumbed to death without ever being touched by a man, Aunt Bernice is lamenting that

Extracting and Analysing Plasmid DNA From E.coli

Extracting and Analysing Plasmid DNA From E.coli Introduction Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule present in all living things, and they carry genetic information which determines every characteristic a person can have. DNA contains 4 chemical units: Adenine, Guanine, Thymine and Cytosine. These 4 letters are organized to make genes which contain information to make proteins. As scientists have discovered, it is the genome (DNA sequence in a particular arrangement of the 4 letters) that makes every human unique. During the first stages of cell division, the human DNA is organized into 46 tightly coiled structures called chromosomes. As a cell divide, the chromosomes are copied over to the new cells, ensuring they receive a full copy of the genetic blueprint. Objective Isolate DNA of cheek cells Extract chromosomal DNA from strawberry Extract plasmid DNA from E.coli. General Method Collect cells Split cells open and release contents Destroy enzymes which break apart DNA Separate DNA from other cell components Precipitate DNA General Materials Solution I Solution II Solution III Tubes of various sizes according to use Proteinase K (10mg/ml) Strawberry Filter funnel DNA extraction buffer Chlorofoam LB Liquid Medium 5M NaCl 70% Ethanol 95% Ethanol Centrifuge Hot water bath Lysis Buffer DNA of Cheek Cells Collect cheek cells by rinsing mouth with saline solution Saline solution prevents cells from splitting open too soon Spin solution in a centrifuge to collect cells at the bottom of the tube Empty out the liquid, leaving the cell pellet at the bottom Add Lysis Buffer (Contains soap, salts and ions, buffers) Soap: Destroy fatty membranes that enclose cells Destroy nuclei membranes in the cells Salts and ions: Bring up osmotic pressure (pressure applied to solution needed to prevent the inflow of water) outside the cell, which helps break apart membranes Buffer: To maintain pH Breaks open cells DNA released into solution Add Proteinase K Digest contaminating proteins Degrades nucleases which attack nucleic acids Put the solution in hot water bath Enables Proteinase K to work efficiently Kill enzymes in the cytoplasm which can break apart DNA Add 5M NaCl Change polarity of solution to differentiate DNA from fats, carbohydrates and proteins DNA dissolves in ionic solutions, the rest do not Centrifuge solution Separates DNA (dissolved in clear liquid) from fats, carbohydrates and proteins (solid pellet) Transfer clear liquid (containing DNA) to new tube Add cold 95% ethanol to new tube Precipitate dissolved DNA from ionic solution since DNA is not soluble in alcohol The colder it is, the less soluble DNA (Can precipitate more) Coldness slows down enzymatic reactions which can break DNA apart Centrifuge new tube Resulting white pellet is DNA of cheek cells DNA of Strawberry Mash strawberry Add DNA extraction buffer (contains shampoo/soap NaCl) and mash Shampoo/soap: Dissolves cell membrane which is made up of lipid bilayer NaCl: Removes proteins that are stuck onto DNA Prevent proteins from precipitating along with DNA in ethanol Filter and add cold ethanol Precipitate DNA Twirl glass rod at interface between ethanol layer and slurp layer Resulting sticky mass is the plant DNA Plasmid DNA of E. coli Add solution I (contains glucose, Tris, EDTA) to prepared pellet Glucose: Increase osmotic pressure outside cells Tris: Maintain constant pH EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid): Protects DNA from enzymes which will degrade DNA Add solution II (contains alkali substances detergent) Alkali: Breaks open the cells Break down DNA into single strands Detergent: Break membrane apart Add solution III (contains acidic substances) Neutralizes pH so DNA strands can get back together as double stranded Precipitates cellular debris E. coli plasmid DNA remains in solution Add chloroform Extract DNA Centrifuge mixture Separates plasmid DNA and debris chromosomal DNA Transfer some amount of liquid into new tube Add 95% ethanol Centrifuge new mixture Purify plasmid DNA Pour away liquid and add 70% alcohol Remove remaining salts Centrifuge mixture Pour away liquid and spin the tube Resulting pellet is plasmid DNA Discussion/Extensions Why is DNA extraction important/used for: Crime and historical identification Lineage/origin identification Diagnosis of diseases Mass produce gene/protein important for treating diseases, using further DNA technology Genetic engineering Other DNA extraction methods: Anion-exchange Uses chromatography technique Nucleic acids of DNA are composed of negatively-charged phosphates Positively-charged substrate used to bind to the negatively-charged phosphates Proteins and RNA are then removed with medium-salt buffers Silica Gel Advantage: Fast, reliable, economical Uses silica-gel membrane to adsorb nucleic acids of DNA Catalysts: Chaotropic salts Buffers used in lysis helps DNA to adsorb on silica-gel membrane, and washes away metabolites and proteins Salting Remove proteins and contaminants by using high concentrations of salt Precipitates removed using centrifuge DNA recovered with alcohol Organic extraction Mix dead cells with phenol, chloroform and alcohol DNA extracted using alcohol precipitate Cesium chloride (CsCl) Mix suspended DNA with CsCl and ethidium bromide Solution centrifuged DNA extracted with isopropanol Limitations This general method of DNA isolation consists of many limitations: Inability to remove inhibitors of polymerase chain reaction Too many steps may be too time-consuming Multiple tube transfers may increase risk of contaminations by à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“outsideà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ DNA Conclusions This simple experiment provides an introduction to the procedures that are used in modern microbiological laboratories. Other cases can get much more complex, and will involve more sophisticated methods and equipment. The extraction of DNA is the first step of many other fascinating processes, which includes the manufacturing of medicines as well as genetic engineering which alters the genes of organisms.

Werner Heisenberg :: essays research papers

Werner Heisenberg One cannot fully appreciate the work of Werner Heisenberg unless one examines his contributions in the context of the time in which he lived. Werner Karl Heisenberg was born in Wuerzburg, Germany, on December 5, 1901, and grew up in academic surroundings, in a household devoted to the humanities. His father was a professor at the University of Munich and undoubtedly greatly influenced young Werner, who was a student at the Maximilian Gymnasium. Heisenberg had the opportunity to work with many of the top physicists in the world including Niels Bohr and Max Born. Like many of the top physicists of the time Heisenberg received his doctorate at an early age. In Heisenberg's case he received it at the young age of twenty three. Heisenberg was not just a researcher. He was also a professor and author. During his career he taught at many prestigious universities, including the Universities of Leipzig, Goettingen, and Berlin. He also wrote many important books including, Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory, Cosmic Radiation, Physics and Philosophy, and Introduction to the Unified Theory of Elementary Particles. In 1932 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in Quantum Mechanics. With the Nazi's in power, and World War two on the horizon it was inevitable that his German heritage would play a crucial role in his career. Before Germany's blitzkrieg on Poland Heisenberg decided to make one final visit of his friends in the West. Many tried to convince him to stay and accept a professorship at Columbia, but Heisenberg declined. He felt that it was his duty to preserve the foundation of science in Germany during the war. He also believed that by staying in Germany during the war, he could help individual German scientists. In fact, he did offer jobs to Jewish scientists when they were fired from their posts at other universities. As time passed, Heisenberg found that he was powerless to protect his friends. Heisenberg himself was personally attacked, and his appointment at the University of Munich was blocked. For over a year Heisenberg was attacked in the SS newspaper, which referred to him as a "white Jew." The attack became so threatening that Heisenberg's mother, who had a slight connection to Himmler's family, wrote to Himmler's mother asking Himmler to intercede. Himmler personally cleared Heisenberg of the charges leveled against him a year later, but he was told to study science and avoid discussing scientists. The strain of the investigation surely affected Heisenberg's creativity. During the war Heisenberg worked on the German A-bomb project along with a number of other German scientists.