Outcomes and Evalustion of Community Health Project

Outcomes and Evaluation of Community Health Project It is important to evaluate any public health program to determine its contribution and health impact on the population it was designed to help, in addition to its sustainability. Processes should be established during the inception of the program to establish a baseline, and methods of gathering data, which would be used for this evaluation. The RE-AIM evaluation model was chosen to guide the process of evaluating the American Indian Diabetes Program (AIDP). This paper examines how the AIDP program’s methods and results will be measured and evaluated to ensure the best possible outcomes. Elements of the Evaluation Model The RE-AIM model is specifically well suited for evaluating the population based-impact of large public health programs. It contends that some more effective, expensive, programs that conduct trials using a highly motivated population, are usually not generalizable to the real world. It is preferable for a program to have a more realistic efficacy goal, reach more people, and achieve a larger adoption by communities and policy makers, a program that is implemented as intended, and results in behavioral change that is maintained over the long term (Glasgow, Vogt, & Boles, 1999). The name RE-AIM is an acronym that stands for reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. The five RE-AIM dimensions are each given a 0 to 1 (or 0% to 100%) score during program evaluation (Glasgow et al. , 1999). It is suggested that the program’s implementation be evaluated over a period of at least 6 months to a year, and 2 years or longer for the maintenance portion of the program (Glasgow et al, 1999). This model is appropriate to use as a framework for evaluating the AIDP because it works well with programs that seek to reach large numbers of people. In the AIDP we will be attempting to screen the entire adult Indian reservation population for diabetes or pre-diabetes. The model also works well with programs that require more than one intervention. This program offers both preventative and disease management interventions. We will be evaluating the marketing, screening, and the education process of the diabetes prevention side of the program by taking an initial census of the reservation adult population (age 18 and older), and comparing that number with those who participate in the screening and attend educational classes. This will demonstrate the programs reach. â€Å"Screening for type 2 diabetes in high risk populations is widely recommended† because epidemiological studies have shown evidence to suggest that 30% to 50% of all diabetics are undiagnosed (Goyder, Wild, Fischbacher, Carlisle, & Peters, 2008, p. 370). This could be especially true for the American Indian. We will also be doing further tests on those who have been shown to be pre-diabetics and diabetics. Both groups plus family members will go through diabetes education courses. Those with pre-diabetes would be rechecked every six months the first year and every six months in following years, with telephone follow-up on diet changes and exercise progress in between. All data would be recorded for future evaluation. The diabetics would be seen quarterly and all test results, patient compliance to diabetes management practices, along with physical improvement or complications would be utilized for evaluation via record review. It would be necessary to obtain patient consent prior to their participation in the program. Measurable Objectives There are four main objectives this program would be seeking to achieve: behavioral changes, early diabetes detection, improved communication, and better monitoring in disease management. The expected early detection of pre-diabetes and new cases of diabetes would be high, perhaps 14. 2% or higher during the initial adult population screening, since diabetes among American Indians is more than twice that of white Americans which by comparison is 7. 1% (CDC, 2011). Behavioral changes would be measured at all levels of the program. After a baseline behavior survey was taken, at six months and a year, population behavior changes would be measured by telephone surveys. Those with pre-diabetes would come in for weight checks every three months, after receiving the healthy diet and exercise education and weight loss counseling if necessary. Any weight improvements based on each individual’s ideal weight for height and gender, as well as their 6 month fasting blood glucose results, along with patient’s description of iet and exercise routine which would be scored from 1 to 5 with 5 being best, this should indicate behavioral change. These changes would be tracked and averaged to determine the overall result. Because the American Indian population is so far behind in healthy behaviors than the rest of the population, there needs to be a 20% improvement in lifestyle changes. Behavior changes are especially necessary in people who have bee n diagnosed with diabetes. After attending the diabetes disease management training, patients would be monitored for following the guidelines. They would be expected to take their medication as directed, check their blood sugar twice a day a couple hours after meals and sometimes more is uncontrolled, follow the diabetic diet and exercise plan, and keep their quarterly appointments. Many diabetic patients do not follow doctor recommendations. We would do follow-up calls, home visits, and one on one teaching for patients and family members if behavior compliance is weak. Based on showing up for follow-up appointments, fasting blood glucose levels, HgA1c level, and weight change, all of which can be tracked and averaged, behavior change can be measured. We also intend to institute better monitoring in the disease management portion of the program. Weight would be measured at every appointment. Family members would be encouraged to attend appointments with their diabetic relative to lend support. Fasting blood glucose would be drawn as well as HgA1c which more accurately depicts the level the diabetes is controlled. The HgA1c should be less than 7 and is even better if it is less than 6. An annual dilated eye exam would be done, and blood pressure along with foot examinations would be performed at every appointment. We would actually be monitoring the consistency in which these tests would be performed by staff. The information would be found by reviewing the data in patient records. We expect 90% compliance, understanding that wheelchair status might make weights unobtainable. Finally, the last objective to be monitored is communication. Communication is vital to achieving success in every other aspect of the program. Communication incorporates educating the patient, family, community, tribal leaders, and politicians in Washington. Except for the nurse/ patient relationship and new patient teaching which are ongoing, most of the community, family, and political communication should be completed during the first year. Communication with community, family and patient would be through marketing, local television, community education, school curriculum, flyers and diabetes fair, as well as one on one patient teaching. The communication could be measured by evaluating the level of understanding of the listeners, through phone surveys and an outcomes evaluation. The majority (55% or greater) of the phone surveys should demonstrate an understanding of the information communicated in the media campaign and patient teaching sessions. Communication with tribal leaders would be measured by the leader’s cooperation with the program’s objectives and methods. It is important when communicating to listen as well as speak. The best results are derived when a discussion method is used instead of using a ‘telling’ approach. A patient satisfaction survey would be used to gauge the communication techniques in the nurse/patient relationship. Reasons for Chosen Outcomes The first objective of early detection was chosen because Healthy People 2020 recommends this objective, since many people with diabetes go undiagnosed. There is very little we can do to help people until they are diagnosed. It is reasonable to expect an outcome of 14. 2% newly diagnosed diabetics during the first screening, as that is the current rate of diabetes in the American Indian population. The first year’s screening will detect many undiagnosed diabetics and will usher them into to treatment. Behavioral change was listed because for any â€Å"therapeutic or preventive regimen to be effective, the patient must implement the self-care behaviors and adhere to the treatment regimen† (Evangelista & Shinnick, 2008, p. 250). It is vital that diabetics and pre-diabetics adhere to a healthy diet and exercise regimen in order to optimize glycemic control, reduce risk of complications, and loose weight (Eilat-Adar et al. , 2008). Unfortunately, according to Eilat-Adar (2008), most American Indians show a low adherence to dietary recommendations. Much of the AIDP efforts would be put into teaching and motivating the American Indian to follow the recommended guidelines. We will be aiming for a 20% improvement in lifestyle change over the first year. The bar was set high, 90% when it came to adhering to the guidelines set out for monitoring patients in the clinic. These guidelines would be implemented at the onset of the program. Professional staff should understand the importance of performing these tests, so more is expected of them. Communication is an objective that is key to success in every other aspect of the program. In order to achieve adherence to behavior changes, the patient must understand why it is important, and how to make those changes. Because communication is initiated by the health care group and people involved with the marketing of the health care information, the expectations are high. A realistic expectation that 55% of the general population would understand and remember the information presented. The number of diagnosed diabetics who receive a formal diabetic education would be set at 62. % because that is the target for the (Healthy People 2020, 2008) diabetic education. Overcoming Negative Outcomes A possible negative outcome could result if the American Indian fails to adhere to the behavior changes necessary to gain control over their blood sugar and thus prevent the serious complications associated with the disease. Nurses can help patients and families cope with diabetes and give them hope of a high quality of life if they follow the doctor’s recommendations with th eir diet and exercise. They can talk to the patient and family about possible difficulties in changing their style of eating and increasing exercise and work with them to find solutions. They can help them discover attainable ways to live healthy. If people understand how important it is to change behaviors, they will at least try to do so. Sustainability There are three main elements necessary for this program to be able to be sustainable over time: funding, meeting the programs objectives and the ability to adapt as circumstances change. We would initially apply for grants that would fund this study for three years. During those three years, it is important that we be able to show that the four objectives (early detection of diabetes, behavior changes, better monitoring, and communication) were met and could continue to help the American Indian manage their disease thus decreasing the complications associated with diabetes, and help lower the population’s risk of acquiring this disease. Our strategy is unique in that we are harnessing the valuable effect of family and community support to help diabetics and pre-diabetics effect behavioral change in eating and exercise. No other program has attempted this method of behavior modification with the American Indian. It is believed that with success in meeting the objectives of this project continued funding would follow. It is understood that over time it may be necessary to change and adapt our methods to ensure continued effectiveness. Summary This paper describes the evaluation model that would be used and why it was chosen. The RE-AIM model addresses the reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation and maintenance of the program. The programs objectives were restated along with their measurable desired or expected outcomes. The American Indian Diabetes Program (AIDP), has four stated objectives: early diabetes detection, behavior changes, better monitoring in disease management, and improved communication. The measurable outcomes were explained and supportive evidence given. A possible negative outcome was given, listing lack of adhering to necessary behavior changes. Though this is a possibility and some patients will be noncompliant, it is believed with further education and follow-up we can help them achieve better self-management. Sustainability will be achieved by meeting the objectives previously laid out in this paper. This will show the value of the program and encourage future funding. If necessary to ensure continued effectiveness of the program, AIDP is capable of adapting its methods to new circumstances.

Absurdity of a “Sivilized” Society-an Analysis of Huckleberry Finn

An Analysis of Huckleberry Finn: The Absurdity of a â€Å"Sivilized† Society Authors often express their views on any given subject through their works, and Mark Twain is no exception. One may read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and believe it is simply a novel about a young boys childhood; however, a deeper analysis of the text reveals many of Mark Twain’s expressions about important moral and social issues. Perhaps one of the most prominent being the frailty of human justice and the hypocrisy we as a people foster in our societies.Throughout the novel, Huck meets people who appear to be good, civilized people, but always end up having a hypocritical fault about them. Though not every instance is a grave matter, Twain’s writing shows that societies in Huck’s world are based upon corrupted laws and principles that defy basic logic. Twain’s writing leaves the reader with an understanding that cowardice, illogical choices, and selfish as well as h ypocritical people mark these societies. Twain begins weaving hypocrisies and cants early into the story; one of the most appalling being the issue of Huck’s custody.This flawed system of thought is first shown when the new judge in St. Petersburg rules that Pap has rightful custody of Huck. Although this would be bad for Huck if his father became his legal guardian, the judge asserts Pap’s rights to Huck as his biological son, despite the fact that this is placing Huck’s welfare below the so-called rights of his father. Ironically, this system would put Huck under his dad’s custody, leaving him worse off, whereas Jim is separated from his family despite being a far better father and person.However, the welfare of the individual isn’t highly valued in society, and thus they are placed in uncomfortable, often dangerous situations. The judge tries to put Huck back in contact with his horrid father and therefore abuse, but Jim, a loving parent, never receives help to be with his children and help rescue them from slavery and separation. This decision defies all logic one would find in a normal society, and yet this kind of thinking was commonplace.The values and welfare of a black person were nowhere near as important as those of a white man, and even though Jim is a grown man with the most in tune moral compass of any character in the book, Huck still has power over him simply because he is white. By comparing the situation of Pap and Huck with slaves and their masters, Twain hints that it is impossible for a society to be civilized so long as it practices slavery. Though not quite as harmful, another example of a hypocritical character can be found in the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson.In an attempt to â€Å"sivilize† Huckleberry, Miss Watson reprimands him for smoking a cigarette and yet she snuffs tobacco. â€Å"Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn’t. She said it was a me an practice and wasn’t clean, and I must try to not do it any more†¦ And she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself† (Twain 2). She prevents Huck from doing what she believes is uncivilized and detrimental to his health, yet doesn’t think twice about proceeding to do something very similar simply because she herself enjoys it.This example of hypocrisy is not particularly malicious, but yet another example of how all the characters Huck is involved with has some form of a hypocritical flaw. Furthermore, Miss Watson is quite religious and, in efforts to teach Huck, tells him that all he must do is pray for something and he will have it. However, when Huck needs fishhooks and asks her to help pray for them, she calls him a fool. â€Å"Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it.But it warn't so. I tried it. Once I got a fish- line, but no hooks. It warn't any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn't make it make it work. By-and-by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. † (Twain 8). Miss Watson tells Huck that if he does something, he can expect a certain result but when things don’t work, he asks for her help and she chides him for it! The widow Douglas and Miss Watson are religious, educated, and yet, they are slave owners.They educate Huck, and teach him religion but find it perfectly acceptable to do things contrary to their teachings, such as snuff and practice slavery. The latter, being a more insidious humbug of St. Petersburg, is shown over and over again throughout Huck’s journey. As Huck begins to stray from his backwards, insincere town, he reaches different places with different people, all different in their own way and yet, very similar to those in St. Petersburg. The Duke and Dauphi n are two despicable con men who join Huck and Jim as they continue to drift on the river.The Duke and Dauphin cause trouble for Huck and Jim, as well as the towns they visit. The fault here is that, the Duke and Dauphin are able to scam entire communities by lying, pretending to be someone they’re not, and cheating their guests. Though they spend most of the novel doing awful things or planning awful things, they both are hardly punished. After the first showing of The Royal Nonesuch, the first group of attendees realizes they have been cheated. However, instead of chastising the Duke and Dauphin, the audience that night chooses to lie about the performance in order to cheat a second group of attendees. Hold on! Just a word, gentlemen. † They stopped to listen. â€Å"We are sold—mighty badly sold. But we don’t want to be the laughing stock of this whole town, I reckon, and never hear the last of this thing as long as we live. NO. What we want is to go ou t of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the REST of the town! Then we’ll all be in the same boat. Ain’t that sensible? † (â€Å"You bet it is! —the jedge is right! † everybody sings out. ) â€Å"All right, then—not a word about any sell. Go along home, and advise everybody to come and see the tragedy. † (Twain 114).Most hypocritical, however, is the fact that the Judge of the town conceived this plan. He who stands as a pillar of justice and truth in the town decides to cheat the others in order to save face. By the third night, everyone in town has seen the play and the Duke and Dauphin make a large profit from their misconduct. Immoral acts committed by the Duke and Dauphin never yielded punishments, but brazen, drunk insults led to execution. Boggs, described as the â€Å"most easy going old fool in Arkansas†, began shouting insults and anathemas at Sherburn, the man who had cheated him. He [Sherburn] was standing pe rfectly still in the street, and had a pistol raised in his right hand—not aiming it, but holding it out with the barrel tilted up towards the sky†¦ Boggs throws up both of his hands and says, â€Å"O Lord, don’t shoot! † Bang! goes the first shot, and he staggers back, clawing at the air—bang! goes the second one, and he tumbles backwards on to the ground, heavy and solid, with his arms spread out. † (Twain 108). The Duke and Dauphin cheat entire communities and remain unpunished by their terrible acts; however, peccadilloes like shouting drunken insults result in execution.Twain’s writing exposes the issue of faulty justice and duplicitous nature of men. Furthermore, Sherburn’s speech to the angry mob around his house in relation to a lack of logic and cowardice capitulates Twain’s societal views. Twain’s use of hypocrisy helps express his views on societal issues. Though not every instance is harmful, such as Miss Watson’s snuff usage, other notable examples such as the execution of Boggs and the custody of Huck highlight his belief that cowardice, lack of logic, and selfishness are at the core of society, not the communal welfare that it should be.The repeated instances of insecure, logic defying justice are the root of the problem, as thoughtless crimes are punished severely whereas serious crimes go scot-free. Throughout the novel, Huck meets characters that appear good, yet Twain makes a conscious effort to prove they are prejudiced slave owners. The illogical choices and hypocritical people presented throughout the novel show the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the â€Å"sivilized† society.

Internet a Tool of Modern Age

Mass Media Society Abstract This paper shows the problems of mass media. Mass media is absolutely important for our life. However, as much as mass media plays an important role in our society, it causes some serious problems. Mass media makes citizens recognize misjudgments by distorting the truth. Most serious problem mass media can affect extreme power to our society. Mass media has been developed more and more as society has grown, becoming centralized authority in our society. Exaggerated contents of mass media affect bad sides to people-especially teenagers.Some people tend to believe mass media absolutely, so it is also becomes a problem. Television, internet, and advertising, nowadays, the most important medium of mass media brings some problems to each other, so these are issue in society which people have to solve. Mass Media Power The more society has grown, the bigger the market of mass media has been developed. Hibbert (2006) defined in the book  the power of media  t hat mass media is all part of television, radio, Web sites, newspapers, magazines and books. They deliver information to the public (p. 6).People can meet and understand their society through mass media. Before 1960s, mass media was not public. Some citizens could know how their society and economy were moved according to newspaper. Since 1970s when television was invented, the market of mass media has been developed. Now, most fields of mass media were created, so we can meet mass media really easily not only on the streets but also at home. We are living under the effects of mass media. However, this development of mass media brings some problems in our society as two sides of the same coins.Mass media crisis has rear up secretly because most media organizations do not want to be revealed to their problems frankly. Problems Mass media affects all fields such as politic, economy, government, culture and society. Almost all countries have their own problems of media. The most seriou s problem of that media is mass media can bring confusion of people value. For example, mass media is to make people agree their ideas or thoughts in terms of propaganda. The meaning of propaganda is â€Å"a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of large umbers of people† (Propaganda, 2008). Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work†¦ Actually, this word was meaning of the things to be spread. However, now most people may know the word of propaganda is some information which is false or emphasizes one part of a situation, normally used by a government or political group according to Nazi propaganda (Bytwerk, 2005). Taylor (2001) revealed how Hitler implanted his ideology in their citizens: In 1933, Adolf Hitler appointed Minister for Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels.Goebbels had spread a lot of propagandas, contained the ideology of Hitler and Nazi. All journalists, writers, and ar tists were needed to register with one of the Ministry's subsidiary chambers for the press, fine arts, music, theater, film, literature, or radio. The Nazis believed in propaganda as a vital tool in achieving their goals. Adolf Hitler was impressed by the power of Allied propaganda during World War I and believed that it had been a primary cause of the collapse of morale and revolts in the German home front and Navy in 1918. Broadcasters and journalists required prior approval before their works were disseminated.Along with posters, the Nazis produced a number of films and books to spread their beliefs. (pp. 162-163) In the U. S. and South Korean government also by emphasizing red complex to their citizens through mass media like radio or newspapers, the governments make their citizens recognize the hostile attitude about all policies of socialism while they justifies their policies (Kang, 1997). These things are absolute examples of mass media’s problem. In addition, as mark et of mass media has been developed much, the authority of mass media has grown also.The power of mass media has been centralized too much, so it exercises extreme influence over any government. The contents of mass media have been contained exaggeration and violence more and more. This mass media makes people tend to believe absolutely. Mass media has strong authority in our society. Mass media became one most important way for people to deliver information since mass media has been developed. We can get a lot of information and knowledge easily through mass media like newspaper, magazines and books. Actually, there is no way for us to take new information except through mass media.Therefore, mass media could have great authority among our society. You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more†¦ Television Television is one of the most important media of mass communication. Common people may watch television at least one hour every day. Some people usually meet news through television and others may want to watch dramas or variety shows. We can watch a lot of programs according to our tastes through television. Nielsen media research (1998) reported: â€Å"Television was introduced to the U. S. A. t the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. After two years, the Federal communications Commission licensed and approved the first commercially available television stations. In 1950, about 9% of American homes had TV sets. Since 1985, television ownership has been about 98%† (cited in Bushman, 2001, p. 477). Since television was invented, media became very popular in our life. Now almost all families have television at least one at home. Television has developed since 1930th  as amazing invention can give people a lot of information and enjoyment visually and audially both.Most Americans watch television for 3 to 5 hours per day (Horvath, 2004, p. 378). As much as television has become famous to people, it causes many problems too. The violence of television’s programs has very serious effects. In television programs, we can easily see a recurrence of a case. It causes imitative crimes. Brandon Centerwall (1993), a professor at the University of Washington reported that from 1945 to 1974, 93% of the murder rate has been increased. It shows that television teaches violence, and it also makes people be unconcerned about violence.It can also cause antisocial actions. Television can bring addiction, which is one problem appeared since mass media was developed. TV addiction is similar with other addictions like drugs addiction or gambling. Especially TV addiction is bad for children. â€Å"A child who watched two hours of television a day before age three would be 20 percent more likely to have attention problems at age seven compared with a child who did not watch television† (Christakis, 2004). Television programs are contained to the violent acts and sensational contents more and more by pursuing commercial value.Moreover, they also maintain that television is forcing simple thoughts. Television gives us a lot of information but they can just give that. Viewers just can accept television’s information we cannot communicate with television. It is sure that the invention of television brought great development in our society. However, as the market of broadcast has been bigger, programs in television has been contained more violence and exaggerated. These things give children and teenagers bad effects, so all broadcast need to adjust their program contents. Internet Thatcher and Goolam (2005) said in their journal:The number of people using the internet has grown exponentially since the emergence of World Wide Web about ten years ago. No one is exactly sure how many people have online access. According to NUA Internet Survey (2002), it was estimated the number of internet users is approximately 600 million people in 2002 (Nua Internet survey, cited in Thatcher ; Goolam, 2002, p. 767). The popularity of the WWW, combined with the pervasiveness of computer technology in general, means that people are becoming increasingly reliant on technology and the Internet to conduct their day-to-day and work activities. p. 767) Although internet appeared as a new medium of media and it formed new society, internet is not mixed with society where we live, so it caused many problems. We can accept tremendous information via internet because people in all over the world could share their information on network. However, as much as there is a lot of knowledge, in internet there is also information not true and useless. Also, since internet was popularized, many illegal crimes have been happened through internet. These crimes committed through the use of computer are called cybercrime.Cybercrime is â€Å"a real and growing problem that costs governments, businesses, and individual computer users millions of dollars annually and that facilitates many of the same cri mes committed in real space, such as identity theft and the trafficking of child pornography, only on a larger scale† (Jones, 2007). The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) revealed the U. S. A. lost about 240 million dollars from online crime during 2007: Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work†¦ Financial losses from online crime reported to U. S. uthorities reached a record high last year, topping nearly 240 million dollar. Taking into account unreported crimes the real figure is likely to be much higher. Auction fraud and other forms of cybercrime reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center were up 40 million or 20 per cent from those reported in 2006. The IC3 received 206,884 complaints about internet crimes last year, more than 90,000 of which were referred to law enforcement agencies across the U. S. IC3, which serves as a clearing house for cybercrime, is a joint operation between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.A lthough internet auction fraud was the most widely reported complaint to the IC3, other problem areas included non-delivery of purchases and credit card fraud. Computer hacking attacks spam and child abuse on the net formed the subject of other complaints. Commonly reported scams involved the purchase or sale of pets, cheque fraud, email spam, and online dating fraud. The report provides evidence that the U. K. is fast catching up with the U. S. in being a hotbed of cybercrime. Despite the fact that the IC3 study is supposedly a national US annual report, the UK is the source of 15. per cent of the crime reports, significantly ahead of other cybercrime hotspots such as Nigeria (Leyden, 2008). It is also commonly happened to be invaded person’s privacy and personal information on network. According to a survey of 1,000 U. S. adults conducted by TNS Sofres on behalf of digital-security company Gemalto (2008), about 60% of Americans are concerned about stealing their account pas swords when they bank online, and 38% do not believe online payments (cited in Swartz, 2008). Advertising Advertising is a part of mass media.Market of advertisement has been developed as much as we can see an advertisement per one minute. Nowadays most products make up of advertisement because each product has to be sold in infinity competition society. Now customers live in the flood of advertising. From the moment of opening eyes to going to bed, people are connected with advertising through television, radio, newspapers, magazines and catalogs. Human Communication research (1998) shows one adult can contact to 3,000 advertising during one day and he or she can memorize just 10 out of 3,000 (cited in Kim, 2000, p. 4). The market of advertisements has been developed. However, the problem of advertisements are inherent in function of information, entertain and persuasion, so they may not only make people’s life style changed but also promote decadent culture like alcohol, ci garette and sex. You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more†¦ Ellickson et al (2005) studied about how much advertising will affect to adolescents: Ellickson and other authors examine the relationship exposure to different forms of alcohol advertisingand subsequent drinking among U.S. adolescents and assess whether exposure to an alcohol and drug prevention program mitigates any such relationship. The sample includes 3111 seventh-graders drawn from 41 South Dakota middle schools, and they are exposed to television beer advertising, variables were constructed for four types of alcohol advertising – television, in – store displays, magazines and concession stands. The result of this experience is several forms of alcohol advertising predict adolescent drinking; which sources dominate depends on the child's prior experience with alcohol.Forty-eight percent of the non-drinkers in grade 7 qualified as past-year drinkers by the spring of ninth gra de, indicating a substantial amount of initiation over the period examined. (pp. 235-246). Like this, advertising affects to people, especially adolescents a lot. Actually advertising has a great of influence on customers and society. For example, there is a study that skinny models in advertising cause eating disorder of women and girl, so some countries took measures to ban ultra-skinny models from their catwalks (Diderich, 2007).People can meet the extreme number of advertising everyday, so advertising has to be made without exaggeration and fiction. Janese Heavin (2007) who is the Tribune’s staff, wrote the article about a study: University of Missouri-Columbia research said that looking at pictures of flawless models in fashion magazines can make even the prettiest women feel downright crummy. Laurie Mintz, associate professor of education, school and counseling psychology in the MU College of Education said most women know intuitively or subconsciously that when they lo ok at magazines they will feel badly about themselves.The study validates what women know in their own experiences but assume it is just theirs to deal with. Spearheaded by graduate student Emily Hamilton, who used the project to earn her master’s degree, the study asked 81 college women to rate how they feel about their appearance, from facial features to chest size. Some of the women were then asked to view magazine advertisements that used fashion models to sell products. Others looked at ads that showed products with no models.Those who saw the images of fashion models later reported having a more negative body image, regardless of their own attractiveness. This study shows women were equally affected by the images. It is been commonly believed that larger women or women struggling with eating disorders feel worse after seeing pictures of models, but the latest study indicates the images are bad for everyone. In conclusion, people have to be careful when accepting mass me dia’s information.There are not simple solutions to solve the problem of media. These problems of mass media like television, internet and advertising have bad effects on people especially the perfection of self during childhood. People should try to accept right information through mass media. Therefore, they need to improve critical thoughts for filtering correct acknowledge. Critical thinking might be helpful to accept which information is needed to us. Critical thinking is â€Å"mental processes of distinguish, analysis and evaluation.Critical thinking is a form of judgment, specifically meaningful and reflective judgment. Using critical thinking one makes a decision or solves the problem of judging what to believe or what to do, but does so in a reflective way† (Critical thinking, 2008). People have the right to criticize and punish media which is to destroy our emotion and ethics. People have to improve power of judgment. If people have ability to control informa tion in this information-oriented society, they may have precedence over other people who do not have.Need an essay? You can  buy essay help  from us today! Custom essay QUOTE ORDER a custom essay Please rate the quality of this essay: Good Neutral Poor Struggling with your essay? You can get your essay custom written by an expert in your subject area. Fully researched and referenced, the perfect model answer†¦ Get a quote here Share & download: Print Download Email Request the removal of this essay. Find out how UK Read more:  http://www. ukessays. com/essays/media/mass-media-society. php#ixzz2QiFaMPxA

Analyzing a play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyzing a play - Essay Example In addition, the play introduces the elocution of Chicanos, composing of code switching linking Spanish and English. The main conflict displayed in the play is racism. It is shown by distinguishing the Mexican and American stereotype. Miss. Jimenez arrives from the office of the governor to buy a brown skinned robot for the operation because it will look good to own a Mexican type on the staff. Later, Honest Sancho promotes all his models by explaining the characteristics of each model. Secretary comments, â€Å"You still do not understand what is required. It is true we need Mexican models, such as these, but it is more crucial that he be American.† However, the secretary rejects all the models since they did not fit her needs. To solve the case of racism, while facing pressure from the Americans, Mexican-Americans should determine whether they are going to have Mexican American origins. They talk both Spanish and English and this shows that they still have the Chicano origin, but they do not have to disrespect their heritage or ignore the ethnicity. Americans require the Mexican-Americans to be well educated, well-mannered and very hard working, (Huerta 274). Sancho and Miss Jimenez are deviant figures that may be contemplated as role models for Chicanos in the eyes of Anglo-American community. The conflict of social culture that is overcome by Mexicans who exist in the United States is keeping the loyalty toward their own group the external impulsions to turn opposing their own. Miss Jimenez is the one who cannot keep her own discernment so that she loses her ethical identity as Mexican since she contemplates being American. It is exhibited in the play that Miss Jimenez tries to create a new social origin as an American. Secretary, â€Å"No, thank you. The governor possesses a luncheon this afternoon, and we require a brown face in the throng. How do I drive him?† Sancho is the main protagonist; in the play, he is portrayed as a

Project Management - Communication for Improvement Essay

Project Management - Communication for Improvement - Essay Example 22 2.2.3. HR and Finance Section of DoT: In Focus 22 2.3. The Survey Results 24 2.4. Synthesis 29 2.5. The Option 31 3. Research Analysis 32 3.1. Analysis of the Findings 32 3.2. Recommendations 37 3.3. Evaluation of Recommendations 38 4. The Presentation 40 4.1. Presentation 40 4.2. Results of the Findings 41 4.3. Impact of the Project 42 References 43 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1 p. 7 Figure 2 p.9 Figure 3 p. 16 Figure 4 p.34 Table 1 p. 24 Table 2 p. 36 Table 3 p.37 Name Professor Subject Date Project Management: Department of Transportation and Communication 1. Introduction Crucial in the timely delivery of government services to the people is the appropriate allocation and use of funds and resources by government agencies. It is a recognized fact that public resources are also limited, and as such, a sagacious use of public resources is critical to help citizens obtain the means in attaining the good life. From this perspective, it becomes clear why project management is i ncorporated as the government department and agencies. Since, project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirement (PMBOK Guide). It requires planning, organizing, controlling, and monitoring activities to comply with project requisites. As such, it is pivotal that in managing projects (1) identifying project requirements and establishing objectives to attain it (2) managing competing priorities and (3) satisfying identified stakeholders while working with the constraints of time, cost, and scope (PMBOK Guide). In effect, through project management, government projects are delivered more effectively and efficiently as selection, control, and evaluation are processes integrated in government projects, thus, creating measures protecting public funds and resources and securing the interests of the citizenry. Guided by the ethos of service to the people, economic growth, pursuit of quality of life, and environ mental sustainability, the Department of Transportation – Abu Dhabi (DoT) has embarked in establishing world class transportation system that is not only efficient and well integrated but, it also â€Å"serves the public interest by enhancing mobility and delivering safe, secure and environmentally responsible Aviation, Maritime, Public Transport and Highways sectors† (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). These vision and mission are founded on the principles of excellence, commitment, integrity, cooperation, transparency, and efficiency (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). In turning this vision-mission into reality, DoT has identified five objectives. These are (1) Reducing congestion and enhancing mobility within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. (2) Enhancing transport safety and security in coordination with key stakeholders. (3) Providing high quality and reliable transport services to all areas within the Emirate. (4) Establishing an effective and efficient transport sector that responds to t he rapid growth of Abu Dhabi’s economy. (5) Building a collaborative and result-oriented organization to achieve the set goals (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). These objectives are aligned with the ideals of â€Å"world-class standards, emiratisation, privatization, cost-efficiency, accountability, transparency, and sustainability† (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). Considering the various scopes of DoT objectives, this study will center on the fifth objective, â€Å"

Statement of Interest - Residential Child Care Licensing Investigator Personal

Of Interest - Residential Child Care Licensing Investigator - Personal Statement Example The job opportunity is also in my personal characteristics of providing an opportunity that is relevant to my professional requirements My degree in criminology has prepared me adequately for the understanding of applicable laws related to the career needs. My studies have also prepared me analytically to handle complex situations and analyze people critically in establishing their physical and psychological conditions. While developing my investigative skills, I learned appropriate measures to assume where the need arises for the protection of the welfare of others and, in this case, the children. I have extensive communication skills in Spanish and English with a great interpersonal skill to build healthy working relationships. My personal life is defined and separate from my professional path and engaging in complex and time-consuming activities in varied geographic regions would not be a problem. I like challenging and exceeding my limits and those of my employers in the quality of service delivered. I will use my skills to the best of my ability by working diligently to provide efficient services as required by my roles and obligations. Personally, I hope to increase my presence and activities as an RCCL Investigator while advancing my career in the same. Professionally, I hope to learn from the services of fellow investigators so as to improve my skills in handling cases more efficiently while contributing significantly to the other members of the agency. As an agency, the scope of our responsibilities will be crucial to DFPS where we get to serve a larger segment of the people in need of our

Analyzing the hiring process of the firm Case Study

Analyzing the hiring process of the firm - Case Study Example SG Cowen is investment banking company that is currently looking for new recruits. The company must select good candidates. Currently labor cost represents 50% of the revenues of the firm. Currently the business environment in the investment banking industry is down. Chip Rae the top recruiter for SG Cowen had to select two candidates from hundreds of potential clients at a job fair the firm sponsored. SG Cowen made hiring decision during the early winter and spring of each year in order to fill all available position prior to the start of the summer. The company would hire associates that lacked a college education. These types of employees would be hired as associates, but they would not be promoted to first year associates until the end of their third year as employees. The company believed that working experience at the bank substituted the knowledge a person that went to school for four years would have. Other candidates were hired as interns during the first or second year of b usiness school and were subsequently given full time employment at the end of their internship the following summer. The hiring process for outside associates begins in the fall when SG Cowen would make company presentations at top business schools such as NYU, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Emory, USC, Washington University, and Notre Dame. SG Cowen would not discard any candidate, thus they were willing to accept application from students from non-core universities around the nation. SG Cowen would often perform informal interviews with candidates in their office prior to the official interview in which the candidate would be evaluated. One of the recruiting strategies utilized by Rae was to assigned team captains to every school in which the company perform a recruiting effort in order to create a familiar point of contact for the students. The team captains were not human resource professional they were usually investment bankers. The highest quality recruiting yield for the compan y occurred at the Johnson School of Business at Cornell. What is your evaluation of the criteria used by this organization in making hiring decision? SG Cogen utilizes various strategies and criteria in their selection process of candidates. A thing that was disturbing about the criteria process of the bank was that the bank was willing to accept people that had cero college experience as associates. Despite the fact that these employees would not be given first year associate status until the third year I believe that this strategy is completely flawed. It is impossible for a person to learn the business knowledge a college graduate accumulates by simply working for the bank for a few years. These types of hires are people that do not have a long-term future with the company due to the fact that promoting a high school graduate to a higher position would be an irresponsible move that would not be viewed as a good decision by the board of directors or by the shareholders of the comp any. With the current job market in which they are thousands of qualified college graduates looking for work there is no room for a bank to give a job to a non-college graduate. One of the strategies or approaches utilized by the firm to attract recruits is to sell the company as a boutique firm. In such a firm the employees have a greater chance for advancement due to the fact that the firm has a system that is not bureaucratic. The company in its job fairs at universities utilized the captains to make small presentations to allow substantial time to informally talk and answer candidate’s questions. Some team captains would tell students they could call them and come by their offices for informational interviews. This strategy helps create relationships with candidates. One of the problems with

Hypoxia-inducible factor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hypoxia-inducible factor - Essay Example Hypoxia is a condition where physiologic oxygen levels fall lower than the normal, which can result in stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, other neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Because of the importance of oxygen for life, organisms have developed mechanisms to cope and survive low oxygen levels (hypoxia). During hypoxia, cells adapt by altering the expression of many genes: those involved in maintaining oxygen homeostasis, coping with reactive oxygen species and other effects of low oxygen stress. Many of these genes are directly regulated by the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF; with common isoforms: HIF-1 and HIF-2). When oxygen levels are normal (normoxia), HIF is barely discernible; under hypoxia the HIF concentration increases dramatically. The active form of HIF is composed of two sub-units, HIF ÃŽ ±, and HIF ÃŽ ². The latter is constitutively expressed regardless of physiologic oxygen concentration, while HIF ÃŽ ± concentration is very low under normo xic conditions but increases with hypoxia. In normoxia, HIF ÃŽ ± is hydroxylated by through the action of prolyl hydroxylases domain proteins or PHD. Hydroxylation allows HIF ÃŽ ± to associate with a protein complex that makes it a target for proteolytic degradation. The proof of the inhibitory effect of PHD on HIF was established when silencing of PHD2 gene increased normoxic HIF levels (Berraet al., 2003). Silencing of other identified PHD, 1 and 3, did not affect normoxic levels of HIF, leading to the conclusion that the PHDs have different roles in vivo (Berra et al., 2003).

Airline Mergers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Airline Mergers - Essay Example Over the years, the number of airlines have been intentionally narrowed down to just a few major airlines. Narrowing down of the airlines have been actualized by mergers that have taken place over the years. The number of mergers have been exceptionally high. This has resulted in creation of some of the world huge airlines. Mergers happen in order for the two partners to gain a certain leverage that was not there before. Universally the reasons behind most of this unions are known. The main reasons include-: 2. Cutting cost- this might be the biggest motivator if not among the best factors. The situation can be looked as previous competitors marrying. This means that we will not have price wars into the future and costs of advertising automatically drops. 3. Surviving- it is a last resort on most companies, it is usually a case of staying in the business or being driven out of business. Therefore when a company is bankrupt or does not have the capability of surviving the tough market forces, merger come through as the only remedy. 5. Competitive advantage- it is a huge factor. Companies are able to reach out to market traditionally not accessed. Therefore this creates a headache for other players since the new merger brings with it financial might. 7. The reasons behind the mergers in the USA airline industry are factored in the above explained reasons. Mergers are nice for business but they are not immune to the law. It is normally a case of trending carefully in order not to break the laws of consumerism in the name of mergers. Therefore, it was not by mistake that in 2013 the government of the USA with support from numerous consumer federations filed a law suit stopping the merger between the mighty American and the mighty US air. The previous mergers that ever occurred did not raise as much issue and outcry as the

Written Assignments - nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Written Assignments - nursing - Essay Example ice of both the RN and the advanced practice RN and they will continue to seek federal funding for education and training and assure every nurses right to bargain for compensation and working conditions. b. ANCC certification is important because it opens doors. It validates skills and increases salaries. According to the AMA website, the certification can mean $9,000 increase over other nurse salaries. Governing boards, insurers, and military, as well as healthcare providers throughout the country see this as a testament to the competency of the nurse with the certification. www.nursingworld.org b. There are many factors affecting the nursing shortage. Many nurses that are presently working are getting ready to retire. The average age has continued to increase over the last few years. For many years the numbers of nursing schools declined as the numbers of people declined as well as hospitals. Now it is a game of catch up to get enough nursing schools, train enough instructors and improve salaries and benefits in such a way that it is attractive to enough people. c. The State of California has been increasing the numbers of RN graduates at a steady pace. They have managed that by increasing state funding to nursing programs, for equipment, and for instructional technologies. They are also studying the career paths that nurses are taking when graduating so they can begin to change patterns of education where needed. a. The RN is a dynamic member of the healthcare team, contributing to diversity an culture. The RN is able to collaborate with all of the stakeholders in the healthcare system as the advocate for her patients care and for delivery of quality healthcare. b. The goal of the education of an Associate Degree nurse is to create a well defined pathway into the field of nursing. It is a continually evolving need created by the healthcare community around them. The basic tenants that are taught are quality patient care, advocacy for

Managing in a global economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing in a global economy - Essay Example The candies include a variety of candy and chocolate clusters, caramels, creams, truffles and molded chocolate bars. Individual franchise stores make a variety of caramel and apple candies, fudge, chocolate items and other assorted candies. The company needs to open a franchise store in Singapore. This paper seeks to develop an organizational structure, financial analysis and human resource practices that will ensure success of the franchise in the new location. Functional authority organizational structure will be used for the Singapore franchise. The structure is preferred because it is simple and clearly defines roles and functions of each department. The hierarchy of authority and channels of communication are well defined to facilitate smooth operations and eliminate any confusion. A simple organizational structure is appropriate for the new business because it cuts down administration costs and increase efficiency, which is greatly needed for the franchise to break even and become profitable. The job positions for this structure include line positions and staff positions (Milgrom & Roberts, 2013). Line positions are responsible for the attainment of the company’s goals and objectives. The staff positions provide expertise, advice, and support for the line positions. The line officers/managers have line/direct authority that they exercise to attain organizational goals. The staff officers/managers have functional authority to ad vice line officers and supervise their work. Related jobs are combined to form a functional unit. For example, the chocolate and candy products are placed in different departments. Within these departments, there are sub-divisions that specialize in different activities such as mixing the recipes and adding different flavors e.g. caramel department is different from sub-division that makes fudge or truffles. Functional departmentalization simplifies the operations and makes it possible to

Existentialism 7a.4 Themes Essay Example for Free

Existentialism 7a.4 Themes Essay After reading this unit you will be able to : Understand the concept of existentialism. Explain features of existentialism. Identify the exponents of existentialism their views. Deliberate on some themes in existentialism. Describe the educational philosophy of existentialism. 7A. 1INTRODUCTION Existentialism is a way of philosophizing that may lead those who adopt it to a different conviction about the world and man’s life in it. Existentialism is mainly a European philosophy that originated before the turn of the twentieth century, but became popular after World War II (1939 – 45). The seeds of existentialism may be traced back to an earlier period of the history of philosophy. During the 18th century reason and nature were given more importance, objectivity was very much emphasized, leading to industrial and technological developments and science was given utmost importance. From the scientific viewpoint, man was also regarded as an object. Man became a slave to machines in developing industrial society. Against this situation existentialism emerged as a protest against the society and asserted the supremacy of individuality of man. The existentialist philosophy is not a creation of any single philosopher. The existentialist writings scattered in the works of many philosophers, the important ones of which are : Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Sartre, Karl Jaspers, Abbagnamo, Bardyaev and Albert Camus etc. In American education, such people as Maxine Greene, George Kneeler, and Van Cleve Morris, are well-known existentialists who stress individualism and personal self-fulfillment. 7A. 2FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH 1. Existence precedes Essence: This philosophy begins from man, but from man as existent (CURRENT, Present, existing) rather than man as a thinking subject, having a definite nature or essence. A man first exists, encounters himself, and defines himself afterwards. Existence comes before man is set with value or essence. It is because to begin with man is nothing, has no essence, he will be what he makes of himself. Man defines himself in his own subjectivity (Bias, Partiality), and wanders (Walks) between choice, freedom, and existential angst (Sorrow, Trouble). Existentialism often is associated with anxiety, dread, awareness of death, and freedom. 2. Importance of Subjectivity: The Danish philosopher S Kierkegaard has said that truth is subjective (Personal, Individual), truth is subjectivity: objectivity and abstraction (Concept, generalization, idea) are hallucinations. (Vision). Existentialism is the philosophy of subject rather than of the object. Each individual by probing into the depths of one’s subjectivity can discover the truth of one’s being and discover his authentic role in life. This is a creative process which gives rise to fresh insights. 3. Man’s Freedom: The basic feature of human person is his freedom – unfettered and unrestrained. Society and social institutions are for the sake of man and not vice versa, as believed by idealists and others. There is no â€Å"general will† to which the â€Å"individual will† is subject. 4. Criticism of Idealism : Existentialism has emerged and developed as a reaction against idealism. Existentialist philosophers are highly critical of idealism and conceptualism. They criticize idealist’s contention about universal element and man’s good being subject to general good. They regard the search for essence a mistaken pursuit and according to them it is not the essence but existence which is real. 5. Criticism of Naturalism : The existentialist philosophers are also critical of the philosophy of Naturalism. According to naturalists, life is subject to physico – bio – chemical laws, which in turn, are subject to the universal law of causation. Human acts are mechanical as the actions of an animal. This, however, is anathema to the existentialists and they stoutly defend the freedom of man. As a matter of fact, man is so free, according to J.P. Sartre, that he is fearful of his freedom. 6. Criticism of Scientific Culture : With tremendous progress in science and technology, rapid industrialization and urbanization have taken place. This has given rise to crowded towns in which individual is lost. Everything is done or happens on a large – scale and all personal values, individual likes and dislikes are altogether lost sight of. Today, it is not the individual who chooses his end; rather all decisions are made by computer or statistical laws and data. Thus, science has made the value of man negligible. This is why the existentialists are opposed to scientific philosophy and culture. 7. Attention on Human Weakness and Security : In this scientific life of today, the individual is leading a life of tension, worries, frustrations, fear and sense of guilt. His individuality is getting continually blundered, therefore for security of individuality the individual should be given an environment free of worries, anxieties and tension. Thus, existentialism is a philosophical movement that is generally considered a study that pursues meaning in existence and seeks value for the existing individual. It, unlike other fields of philosophy, does not treat the individual as a concept, and values individual subjectivity over objectivity. As a result, questions regarding the meaning of life and subjective experience are seen as being of paramount importance, above all other scientific and philosophical pursuits. Check your progress – 1 : 1. What is meant by existentialism? 2. What were the consequences of industrial developments? 3. Bring out existentialist’s criticism against idealism and naturalism. 4. Discuss importance of subjectivity and human freedom in terms of existentialism. 5. Existence precedes essence. Do you agree? Justify your answer. 7A. 3CHIEF EXPONENTS OF EXISTENTIALISM Soren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855) is regarded as the father of modern existentialism and is the first European Philosopher who bears the existentialist label. In his view, subjectivity and intensity should be priced as the criteria of truth and genuineness. We touch reality in intense moments of existence especially moments of painful decision. These moments are characterized by deep anxiety, and life is known in such moments and cannot be reduced to just system of ideas. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900) is regarded as a key figure in the rise of existentialism. According to him Christianity is to be overcome by putting in its place the doctrine of Superman, that is, man surpassing himself. Martin Heidegger (1889 – 1976) in his book Being and Time, gave a very impressive analysis of human existence, the prominence of the important themes of existentialism like care, anxiety, guilt and above all death is brought out here. Jean – Paul Sarte stressed that man’s existence precedes his essence. â€Å"Man is nothing else but what he purposes, he exists only in so far as he realizes himself, he is therefore nothing else but the sum of his actions, nothing else but what his life is. † 7A. 4SOME RECURRING THEMES IN EXISTENTIALISM : Themes such as freedom, decision, and responsibility are prominent in all existentialist philosophers. These matters constitute the core of personal being. It is the exercise of freedom and the ability to shape the future that distinguishes man from all other beings that we know on earth. It is through free and responsible decisions that man becomes authentically himself. Another group of recurring existentialist themes includes such topics as finitude, guilt, alienation, despair, moods, changing feelings, emotional life of man and death. Discussions of these have not been prominent in traditional philosophy, yet they are discussed at length in existentialism. For the existentialist man is never just part of the cosmos but always stands to it in a relationship of tension with possibilities for tragic conflict. Check your progress – 2 : 1. Name some of the existentialists. 2. Bring out the views of Sartre and Nietzsche. 3. Which are the most frequently repeated themes in existentialism. 4. Write 10 sentences about the philosophy of existentialism in your words. 7A. 5EDUCATIIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENTIALISM : The object of education is to give man the unity of truth†¦ In the field of education the contribution of existentialism is as follows : The aim of Education : Existentialists believe that the most important kind of knowledge is about the human condition and the choices that each person has to make, and that education is a process of developing consciousness about the freedom to choose and the meaning of responsibility for one’s choices. Hence, the notion of group norms, authority, and established order – social, political, philosophical, religious, and so on – are rejected. The existentialists recognize few standards, customs to traditions, or eternal truths; in this respect, existentialism is at odds with the ideas of idealism and realism. Total Development : The existentialists have aimed at total development of personality through education. Education should aim at the whole man. It should aim at character formation and self – realization. In the existentialist classroom, subject matter takes second place to helping the students understand and appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Since feeling is not divorced from reason in decision making, the existentialist demands the education of the whole person, not just the mind. Subjective Knowledge : The present age of science has made too much of objective knowledge, so much so, that the term has come to mean unreal, non-sense, ignorant and irrelevant. The existentialists rightly, point out that subjective knowledge is even more important than objective knowledge. They rightly hold that truth is subjectivity. It is a human value and values are not facts. Reduction of values to facts has led to widespread loss of faith in values. Therefore, along with the teaching of science and mathematics, the humanities, art, literature should be also be given suitable place in curriculum at every stage of education. Most of the ills of the modern man are due to over – objective attitude. This requires a subjectivist correction in the light of existentialist ideas. Importance of Environment : The present industrial, economic, political and social environment is valueless. Therefore, it helps confusion and corruption, tensions and conflicts. The existentialists seek to provide an environment proper to self – development and self – consciousness. This environment in the school requires contribution from humanities, arts and literature. These will help in the development of individuality in the educand so that he may cease to become a cog in the social wheel. Rather he should develop to a self – conscious and sensitive individual. Child – Centred Education : Existentialist education is child – centred. It gives full freedom to the child. The teacher should help the child to know himself and recognize his being. Freedom is required for natural development. Education should convert imperfection into perfection. Education should be according to the individual’s needs and abilities of the child. The relation of the child to himself should be strengthened by education. Curriculum : Existentialists prefer to free learners to choose what to study and also determine what is true and by what criteria to determine these truths. The curriculum would avoid systematic knowledge or structured disciplines, and the students would be free to select from many available learning situations. The learners would choose the knowledge they wish to possess. The humanities are commonly given tremendous emphasis. They are explored as a means of providing students with vicarious experiences that will help unleash their own creativity and self – expression. For example, rather than emphasizing historical events, existentialists focus upon the actions of historical individuals, each of whom provides possible models for the students’ own behaviour. Existentialist’s approach to education is almost an inversion of the realist approach. In the field of curriculum while the realists exclusively emphasize science, the existentialists find out that science and objective education severs our relation with ourselves. Science cannot help in inner realization and achievement of peace. This, however, does not mean that science education should be ignored. It only means besides science the curriculum must include humanities, ethics and religion. In keeping with this viewpoint contemporary engineering colleges have included some philosophy, ethics and social studies, in their curriculum. Without this synthetic approach to curriculum the aim of character formation and personality development will be defeated. Learning Experiences : An existentialist curriculum would consist of experiences and subjects that lend themselves to philosophical dialogue and acts of choice making. Because the choice is personal and subjective, subjects that are emotional, aesthetic and philosophical are appropriate. Literature, drama, film – making, art, and so on, are important, because, they portray the human condition and choice – making conditions. The curriculum would stress self – expressive activities, experimentation, and media that illustrate emotions, feelings and insights. The classroom would be rich in materials that lend themselves to self – expression, and the school would be a place in which the teacher and students could pursue dialogue and discussion about their lives and choices. The Teacher : According to the existentialists the teacher creates an educational situation in which the student may establish contact with himself, become conscious of it and achieve self – realization. This requires existential approach in the teacher himself. He should also have an experience of self – realization so that he may be capable of guiding the students in this process. The teacher’s role is to help students define their own essence by exposing them to various paths they may take in life and creating an environment in which they may freely choose their own preferred way. Existentialist methods focus on the individual. Learning is self-paced, self directed, and includes a great deal of individual contact with the teacher, who relates to each student openly and honestly. The student : The student should feel completely free for realizing his ‘self’. Under the guidance of the teacher, the student should try to realize his ‘self’ through introversion. The student accepts the discipline prescribed by the teacher and does not become irresponsible. The purpose of freedom given to him should be to enable him to effect the full development of his individuality. Religious and Moral Education : The existentialists particularly lay emphasis upon religion and moral education. Religion allows a person to develop himself. Religious education gives him an understanding of his existence in the cosmos. It shows the religious path of self – realization. It also makes him capable of utilizing faith in self – development. Moral education is closely related to religious education. Both develop the inner self and help in the realization of the infinite within the finite. 7A. 6CRITICAL EVLAUATION Some critics (mainly traditionalists or Conservatives) claim that existentialism as philosophy for the schools has limited application because education in our society, and in most other modern societies, involves institutionalized learning and socialization, which require group instruction, restriction on individual behaviour and bureaucratic organization. Schooling is a process that limits students’ freedom and that is based on adult authority and on the norms and beliefs of the mass or common culture. The individual existentialist, exerting his or her will and choice will encounter difficulty in school – and in other large, formal organizations. Check your progress – 3 : 1. What is the role of teacher and the student according to the existentialist? 2. Bring out the importance of learning experiences in teaching – learning process. 3. What is the aim of education according to the existentialist? 4. What kind of curriculum do the existentialist recommend? 5. Bring out the importance of existentialism in today’s education system. Illustrate your answer. 6. Critically evaluate existentialist general and educational philosophy. 7A. 7SUMMARY : Philosophy and education are two sides of the same coin, and thus different philosophies bring out a different facet of education and as education can change the philosophy of man and his life. Existentialism as a philosophical idea was revolutionary, dynamic and passionate, it changed the way of thinking and brought to forefront the cause of individualism. Moreover its views on education may seem dramatic but taken in right sense and moderation is necessary in today’s materialistic society. In this unit, we have seen the philosophy of existentialism, the criticism of them prevailing traditional rigid systems. The philosophy of existentialism brought man, his existence, his emotions and his subjectivity into forefront, they were forerunners of individualism and uniqueness of each man. The views of various exponents of existentialism and the themes they brought out makes their philosophy better understood. The philosophy of education of existentialism speaks about aims, curriculum, the role of teacher, method of teaching, learning experiences and religious and moral education. References : Macquarrie, J. (1968) : Existenatialism, Pelican Book. Chaube S. P. Chaube A. (1996) : Foundations of Education, Publishing House, New Delhi. Chandra S. S. Sharma R. K. (2004) : Philosophy of Education, Atlantic Publishers.

Spelling Errors With Grade Nine Students English Language Essay

Spelling Errors With Grade Nine Students English Language Essay The main goal of this study was to go beyond the general awareness that spelling is a problem for Grade 9 at Abdel Rahman Aldhakhel School students. Its purpose is to identify more specifically the kinds of spelling difficulties they have. In addition, the purpose of the study was to determine the most common types of spelling errors made by those students who were in the ninth grades. In addition, the purpose of the study is to determine the main difficulties that face students in spelling. Also, It attempted to determine the causes of the spelling errors with those students and how could we solve them. This study was limited to data obtained from a spelling test given to students in Abdel- Rahman Aldakhel School C2. There were 45 ninth grade students. They were all male students. Their ages were between 15 to 17 years old. The data were collected from questionnaires given to different teachers. They were six males and four females. The result was that most students committed at least one error in this test. The types of errors committed by the largest number of learners were omission, insertions, and substitution. Also, the most type of difficulty for students was silent letters. It was a problem for 38 students of 45 (84.4%). Also, way of writing sound /z/ and ways of writing sound /s/ were a problem for them. Most of teachers agreed that the spelling errors might affect the students learning process. The researcher tried to find the best strategies that teachers and parents can follow to improve their childrens spelling. Also, He mentioned the best activities that teachers can use in classes to reduce spelling errors with those learners. Also, the researcher focused on spelling errors in order to find out the common spelling errors and the best strategies to overcome them. Introduction English as a second language is an easy language to start learning, because it is related to our language Arabic. That means English and Arabic share some elements. Sometimes the same word (how to say it) like Alcohol. However, you will face some difficulties when you learn it. English is different from Arabic in the way of writing the letters and the way of pronouncing. Many students make more mistakes in spelling. That maybe because the spelling of word may not show the exact pronunciation (way of saying) of it. This is because English words come from many different sources. In addition, sometimes the word is too long to keep it or it is similar to another word. Therefore, that, some students mix them. Spelling errors are the most common type of mistake in the written work of English learners. Spelling is a particular problem because of the differences in the writing systems of Arabic and English. In addition, it is because in English the relationship between sounds and writing are not regular. The researcher focused on spelling errors in order to find out the common spelling errors and the best strategies to overcome them. Statement of the problem The students in grade nine at Abdel Rahman Aldakhel School face difficulty in spelling. They make many mistakes in their writings. They committed many mistakes in their exams and in their homework therefore that will affect their learning process. When they write a paragraph or an essay, they feel worry of those spelling mistakes. So, the researcher did this research to find the best ways to overcome those spelling errors and to know the best strategies that teachers and parents can follow to reduce spelling errors with those learners. Significant This research is very important for many reasons. First, it will determine the different types of spelling errors. Also, it will determine the different kinds of errors. Third, it will help both students and teachers to overcome those spelling errors in the future. In addition, it will help the teacher to choose the best ways to teach spelling for students. Term of Definitions 1- Transfer refers to the effect of native language on the learning of second language. 2- Overgeneralization is common process in native language and second language in which the students extend the use of a grammatical rule of linguistic item beyond its accepted uses. 3- A communication strategy means to express meanings using the words and grammar. Addition is the addition of unnecessary letters to a word. 2- Omission is the omission of a letter or letters from a word. 3- Substitution is the substitution of a letter or letters for the correct letters. 4- Inversion is the arranging of the correct letters in the wrong order in a word. 5- Miscellaneous is spelling which in no way resemble the word. Review of literature Spelling defined as the learners ability to write words correctly from memory. Effective writing depends on effective spelling. Understanding learners spelling difficulties can help teachers support the development of learners writing. Good spelling is a goal to the students in his writing. The student who cannot spell has a very difficult time in converting his ideas to others. His thoughts are broken by inability to spell words. The misspelled words will take the mind of the reader away from the meaning of the message. So, spelling is necessary for communication. Errors made by second language learners are classified into two groups, interlingual and interlingual errors. First, Interlingual errors are those that result from language transfer and caused by the learners native language. Some researchers hypothesized that errors in the second language are caused by the interference of the students native language. Such errors reflect the students inability to separate native language and second language. Other researchers pointed out that students errors in second language are caused by several things. These include transfer, overgeneralization and communication strategies. Transfer refers to the effect of native language on the learning of second language. In transfer, some patterns are borrowed from native language. In Overgeneralization, patterns may be extended from second language by analogy. Overgeneralization is common process in native language and second language in which the students extend the use of a grammatical rule of linguistic i tem beyond its accepted uses, generally by making words or structures follow a more regular pattern. A communication strategy means to express meanings using the words and grammar, which are already known. Intralingual errors are those, which result from faulty learning of second language, rather than from language transfer. Phenix (2001) believes that spelling difficulties with learners can be divided into two groups. First, linguistic, which are related to the nature of the language. Second, personal, which are related to the different stages of development learners go through. Phenix (2001) describes these stages as follows: First, pre-phonetic, learners use a mixture of pictures, signs, shapes and letters. Second, semi-phonetic, learners use letter names to represent the sounds. Third, phonetic stage, learners use known sounds to write words and they become aware of word boundaries and leave spaces between words. Fourth, visual learners use most letters correctly, if not in the right order; they use vowels in every syllable. Fifth, mature which means that learners use a full range of strategies to spell words and they are able to make analogies from known spelling patterns; they are able to recognize incorrect spellings. There are many studies done on spelling errors and the different kinds of errors and different types of difficulties. Snowball did a study on spelling errors and the main kinds of spelling errors. She listed six different kinds of spelling errors. She said that it is not enough to know that the students have misspelled words but she finds it useful to analyze the different types of error students are making and then provide relevance teaching based on that knowledge. She listed some common types of spelling errors based on his study and the best strategies to help them overcome them. The First kind is spelling by sound only like photo, foto. The second kind is not hearing sounds in words like, library, library. Third, confusing about homophones like tow, too, to. Fourth, shaky grasp of suffix and prefix rules like stopt, stopped. Fifth, lack of attention to the order of letters in words like, brid, bird. Finally, knowing to spell, but not to caring like, for some students, the proble m is not a lack of spelling skill but confusion about the importance of spelling correctly. Teachers should be careful when dealing with those kinds of errors. She listed some strategies that teachers can follow for overall correction. First, teachers should ask them what ideas they are using when they spell. Then, he should use their answers as a starting point to clear up confusion. Second, when analyzing or correcting spelling mistakes, they should keep in mind the appropriate expectations for the age and experience of the writer. Third, they should be sure to point out the many good strategies that they observe in students spelling. Then, they should encourage their students by using phrases like these, I like the way you try unknown words, I see that you know how to spell many high-frequency words, I see that you are learning how to use common spelling patterns and I notice that you care about your audience and so you have proofread your writing. (Snowball, 1997) There are four types of spelling errors that learners of English commonly make. These are omissions and it means leaving letters out, substitutions, which means replacing letters with incorrect ones, transpositions, which means reversing the position of letters, and additions /insertion, which means including extra letters.( clements, 1971) It is very important to teach students the best strategies to learn words and to check spelling of words they have written. Teachers and parents are alike need to incorporate teaching strategies for learning words and strategies for teaching spelling into all curricula. Sarah Malburg (2009) mentioned some strategies that can parents do to improve their children spelling as the following: Parents can help in teaching spelling to their children. They should sit with their children at home for a fixed amount of time in order to teach or learn spellings of words. In addition, they can put the common words on different items at home. Children will look at the word daily and they will try to establish the relationship of words and their use in daily life. In addition, they can use hide and seek technique for teaching word spellings to their children. They can make the child look at the word, say the word, hide the word with one hand behind the back, then have them write and say the word and then check it. Parents can close the eyes of their children with their hands; tell them to visualize a picture of the word in their heads. They can tell the child to trace the letters in the air with eyes closed. Then, they tell the child to open their eyes and write t he word on the paper. In addition, they can tell the child to check the spelling with the word in the book. They also can teach children about group words. Parents should encourage children to make associations of words with similar patterns e.g. other, brother, mother etc. There are some strategies that can teachers do to improve their students spelling as the following. The teacher should teach spelling strategies in the classroom. While teaching, the teacher should say the word slowly and students should listen carefully. Then he should write the word clearly, syllable-by-syllable on the blackboard. Then, he should write the similar sounding words on the blackboard e.g. bead, dead, read, bread etc. The teacher should teach students about listening to the order of sounds in a word. In addition, he should teach students about the derivations of different words from the base word e.g. sign, signal, resign etc. this will help children in the formation of new words by adding prefixes and suffixes. Teacher should teach dictionary skills to his students. He should explain alphabetical order and use different word endings under the base word e.g. bank, banking etc. Ù†¦Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬   ØلكØ ªÃƒËœÃƒËœÃ‚ ¨ There are six common ways that can teacher follow in teaching spelling for learners and they are called Six Research- Based Techniques. First, careful word selection, you cannot pain a picture without the pain, and you cannot teach spelling without words. So, teachers should be careful when choosing words and they should agree that the words are suitable for their students. Second, using a pretest-study-posttest format, administrating a pretest is an efficient way to individualize spelling. In the pretest, each writer in classroom quickly and easily demonstrates whether or not he or she knows the words or patterns in the weeks unit of study. Third, use a self-correction technique, follow self-correction technique like, Find a partner and take the test, ask your partner to read your words and tell you if there are any words he does not know (how to say). Then, say the words for him, write the word on a piece of paper. when you complete your list, witch roles Fourth, teach children How to study unknown words. A system technique for learning the correct spelling of words is by using a combination of auditory, visual, kinesthetic and tactile procedures. You have to follow look, say, write technique. Fifth, use spelling Games: using games in teaching students is a useful way because to attract the students attention. Many students like games and it will be an affective way to teach them by using games. Sixth is word sorting like, using pocket chart. Methodology In order to know the common spelling errors and their causes, the researcher chooses spelling errors as a topic of my research. Then, he started to collect the information from different sources. First, he observed his classes (Grade 9/4 and 9/1) at Abdel-Rahman Al-Dakhel School. The participants were 45 boys. The learners were aged 15-17. The boys were in two classes of 23 and 22. He observed the students while they were writing in class, their writing in the exams and he found some spelling mistakes. In addition, he took four workbooks. Then, he searched about the spelling errors in their writing in their workbooks. Next, he analyzed the results. I searched in the internet about some information that helped me in analyzing the results. In addition, I interviewed some teachers at Abdel-Rahman Al-Dakhel School. I asked them about the common spelling errors and the reasons that make students spell wrong. Finally, I wrote the report. Data were collected through spelling tests administered to these learners. Also, data were collected through interviewing some English teachers. I choose 10 words. The learners in each class were given a copy of their ten words to study the day before the test. This figure shows that most of the teachers agree with that spelling errors may affect students learning process. In addition, some of them said that they agree with that spelling errors affect students learning. Some teachers dont agree with this point. They said that it does not affect students learning. This figure shows that some teachers were agree with that reading stories or books help students to limit spelling errors. However, some of them were not agree at all with this point. They said that students cannot limit spelling errors by reading stories and books only. They have to follow a plan to solve this problem and there are some steps they can follow to reduce spelling errors. This figure shows that all the teacher were agree with that teaching way plays a major role to improve students spelling. So, the teachers should focus more in their teaching ways to reduce spelling errors with students or to improve spelling with those students. This figure shows that most teachers were agree with this point. They said that improving students spelling helps them to improve their language. Most teachers arguer with this point and they said that it is not enough to teach them the phonetics to reduce spelling errors or to improve their spelling. There are some ways that they have to follow to improve their spelling. Most students committed at least one error in this test. The types of errors committed by the largest number of learners were omission, insertions, and substitution, while errors of transposition were present in the work of smaller proportions of learners. Some students did well in the test and they were seven students. Substitution was the most types of errors that students fell in with 84.4%. In addition, Omission was one of the most types of errors with 84.4%. Some students committed two mistakes in one word, (omission and substitution), like bul instead of pull. So, as the researches approved that substitution and omission are the most common type of errors that Arab learners make. This figure shows that the most type of difficulty for students was silent letters. It was a problem for 38 students of 45 (84.4%). Most of them wrote nock instead of knock because they spell words by sounds only. In addition, way of writing sound /z/ and ways of writing sound /s/ were a big problem for them. Some students wrote z instead of s like noz. There are other mistakes done by those students like writing b instead of p and that problem because they are not hearing sounds in words. The number of the students who did not make any errors and they did not have difficulties were 15.5% only. Discussion: Through these tables, the researcher noticed that the students faces difficulty in spelling and that of course will affect the learning process. He tried to know the reasons and how can a teacher help students to solve their problems. He think that the reasons are first, the way of teaching because most teachers dont care about spelling and they care only about speaking, so the students can read the word but they cant spell it. The second reason that some students when they learn any new word, they do not try to spell it and they dont practice to write or use it. The third reason is that most students dont read English magazines, books or newspapers which are important to know the words and the spelling of them. The Fourth reason is that most students cant differentiate between the C and S, C and K. The fifth reason is that most students writes what they hear like writing Z instead of s. The last reason that most words in English have silent syllables like light, know, bought, listenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦act. Recommendations for students: Students should follow a plan to solve this problem. Students should use the unit list of words to study the words carefully. Students should read books and magazines. Students should practice writing the difficult words at home many times in order to remember the words correctly. Students should listen to the words carefully and try to differentiate between different sounds of letters. Students students Recommendations for teachers: Teachers should Recommendations for curriculum designers: CONCLUSION The research showed that some students faced problems in learning second language. They are facing problem in spelling more than verbal skills. The researcher showed the common spelling errors and how the teacher can solve them to improve students. In my opinion, there should be a special class that focuses on reading and writing for improving spelling skills. That will make the teachers care more about spelling. We recommend that Education College should provide teachers with training courses in developing strategies to improve spelling skills. In conclusion, learning language requires many inputs.

Benefits and Compensation in Human Resources

Benefits and Compensation in Human Resources What are your benefits is the first thing many applicants ask. Benefits indirect financial and nonfinancial payments employees receive for continuing their employment with the company are an important part of just about everyones compensation. They include things like health and life insurance, pensions, time off with pay, and child-care assistance. Most full-time employees in the United States receive benefits. Virtually all employers offer some health insurance coverage. Employee benefits account for between 33% 40% of wages and salaries (or about 28% of total payrolls). Pay for time not worked is the most costly benefits, because of the large amount of time off employees. Compensation is a primary motivator for employees. People look for jobs that not only suit their creativity and talents, but compensate them-both in terms of salary and other benefits-accordingly. Compensation is also one of the fastest changing fields in Human Resources, as companies continue to investigate various ways of rewarding employees for performance. It is important for small business owners to understand the difference between wages and salaries. A wage is based on hours worked. Employees who receive a wage are often called non-exempt. A salary is an amount paid for a particular job, regardless of hours worked, and these employees are called exempt. The difference between the two is carefully defined by the type of position and the kinds of tasks that employees perform. In general, exempt employees include executives, administrative and professional employees, and others as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. These groups are not covered by minimum wage provisions. Non-exempt employees are covered by minimum wage as well as other provisions. It is important to pay careful attention to these definitions when determining whether an individual is to receive a wage or a salary. Improper classification of a position can not only pose legal problems, but often results in employee dissatisfaction, especially if the employee believes that execution of the responsibilities and duties of the position warrant greater compensation than is currently awarded. When setting the level of an employees monetary compensation, several factors must be considered. First and foremost, wages must be set high enough to motivate and attract good employees. They must also be equitable-that is, the wage must accurately reflect the value of the labor performed. In order to determine salaries or wages that are both equitable for employees and sustainable for companies, businesses must first make certain that they understand the responsibilities and requirements of the position under review. The next step is to review prevailing rates and classifications for similar jobs. This process requires research of the competitive rate for a particular job within a given geographical area. Wage surveys can be helpful in defining wage and salary structures, but these should be undertaken by a professional (when possible) to achieve the most accurate results. In addition, professional wage surveys can sometimes be found through local employment bureaus or in the pages of trade publications. Job analysis not only helps to set wages and salaries, but ties into several other Human Resource functions such as hiring, training, and performance appraisal. As the job is defined, a wage can be determined and the needs for hiring and training can be evaluated. The evaluation criteria for performance appraisal can also be constructed as the specific responsibilities of a position are defined. Other factors to consider when settling on a salary for a position include Availability of people capable of fulfilling the obligations and responsibilities of the job, Level of demand elsewhere in the community and/or industry for prospective employees, Cost of living in the area, Attractiveness of the community in which the company operates, Compensation levels already in existence elsewhere in the company. There are many federal, state, and local employment and tax laws that impact compensation. These laws define certain aspects of pay, influence how much pay a person may receive, and shape general benefits plans. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is probably the most important piece of compensation legislation. Small business owners should be thoroughly familiar with it. This act contains five major compensation laws governing minimum wage, overtime pay, equal pay, recordkeeping requirement, and child labor, and it has been amended on several occasions over the years. Most of the regulations set out in the FLSA impact non-exempt employees, but this is not true across the board. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is an amendment to FLSA, which prohibits differences in compensation based on sex for men and women in the same workplace whose jobs are similar. It does not prohibit seniority systems, merit systems, or systems that pay for performance, and it does not consider exempt or non-exempt status. In addition, the United States government has passed several other laws that have had an impact, in one way or another, on compensation issues. These include the Consumer Credit Protection Act of 1968, which deals with wage garnishments; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which regulates pension programs; the Old Age, Survivors, Disability and Health Insurance Program (OASDHI), which forms the basis for most benefits programs; and implementation of unemployment insurance, equal employment, workers comp, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs and laws. For the most part, traditional methods of compensation involve set pay levels (wage or salary) with regular increases. Increases can be given for a variety of reasons, but are typically given for promotions, merit increases, or cost of living increases. The Hay Group points out that there is less distinction today between merit increases and cost of living increases: Because of the low levels (3 to 4 percent) of salary budget funding, most merit raises are perceived as little more than cost of living increases. Employees have come to expect them. This base pay system is one that most people are familiar with. Often, it includes a set salary or wage, a set schedule for merit increases, and a set benefits package. Benefits are an important part of an employees total compensation package. Benefits packages became popular after World War II, when wage controls made it more difficult to give competitive salaries. Benefits were added to monetary compensation to attract, retain, and motivate employees, and they still perform that function today. They are not cash rewards, but they do have monetary value (for example, spiraling health care costs make health benefits particularly essential to todays families). Many of these benefits are nontaxable to the employee and deductible by the employer. Many benefits are not required by law, but are nonetheless common in total compensation packages. These include health insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, some form of retirement plan (including profit-sharing, stock option programs, 401(k) and employee stock ownership plans), vacation and holiday pay, and sick leave. Companies may also offer various services, such as day care, to employees, either free or at a reduced cost. It is also common to provide employees with discounted services or products offered by the company itself. In addition, there are also certain benefits that are required by either state or federal law. Federal law, for example, requires the employer to pay into Social Security, and unemployment insurance is mandated under OASDHI. State laws govern workers compensation. As businesses change their focus, their approach to compensation must change as well. Traditional compensation methods may hold a company back from adequately rewarding its best workers. When compensation is tied to a base salary and a position, there is little flexibility in the reward system. Some new compensation systems, on the other hand, focus on reward for skills and performance, with the work force sharing in company profit or loss. One core belief of new compensation policies is that as employees become employee owners, they are likely to work harder to ensure the success of the company. Indeed, programs that promote employee ownership-and thus employee responsibility and emotional investment-are becoming increasingly popular. Examples of these types of programs include gain sharing, in which employees earn bonuses by finding ways to save the company money; pay for knowledge, in which compensation is based on job knowledge and skill rather than on position (and in which empl oyees can increase base pay by learning a variety of jobs); and incentive plans such as employee stock options plans (ESOPs). Compensation programs and policies must be communicated clearly and thoroughly to employees. Employees naturally want to have a clear understanding of what they can reasonably expect in terms of compensation (both in terms of monetary compensation and benefits) and performance appraisal. To ensure that this takes place, consultants urge business owners to detail all aspects of their compensation programs in writing. Taking this step not only helps reassure employees, but also provides the owner with additional legal protection from unfair labor practices accusations. Todays competitive business environment is forcing companies to rethink how to attract and retain top talent without sacrificing business goals. Employee compensation and benefits are an employers primary tools to attract and retain talented employees, but they are facing more scrutiny now than ever. Plan fiduciaries are under increased pressure to adhere to rigid standards in light of recent corporate scandals. Waves of employee benefits legislation and regulation threaten to swamp employee benefit plan administration. Many companies are faced with unmotivated employees whose poor attitude can greatly affect the growth of the company. By introducing incentives, companies can boost employee morale tremendously. A few examples of employee incentives are paid vacations, company sponsored social activities, stock options, and bonuses or pay increases based on performance. These are just a few activities that can lead to a more productive work environment. HR is usually faced with suggestions but is unable to put them into company policy. The most challenge Human Resources department facing is employees turnover. Meeting the demands of todays changing business environment requires building and retaining a loyal and motivated staff. Therefore, finding and keeping quality employees so as to reducing turnover is one of the key challenges of HR department. Employees who feel theyre underpaid will also feel theyre undervalued and are more open to potential offers from outside firms. To a firm, the effects of turnover can be costly. The time and money it takes to recruit, rehire and retain can quickly cut into a firms bottom line. Besides the costs, especially for the high-technology companies, employees turnover means high risks of losing its important technologies and clients. To develop a loyal, motivated workforce and keeping turnover at a minimum, the first step is finding and hiring good people. Therefore, Its crucial to have a recruiting strategy in place. Secondly, it certainly takes more than money alone to attract and retain skilled professionals, its helpful to offer competitive compensation packages, for example: to be flexible and tailor compensation to individual employees; pay a little more than prevailing salaries at other firms; acknowledge your employees contributions as frequently as possible; offer staff members opportunity and reward them when they succeed. Thirdly, creating an employee-friendly work environment also play a role. The implication is clear: The more enriching your work environment, the more likely you are to retain a staff of satisfied, productive employees. The single most challenging issue facing HR executives today is the benefits package a company offers to its employees. Such benefits as retirement plans, healthcare, family leave plans and vacation time are becoming increasingly important to employees. However, such benefits are costing companies a tremendous amount of money each year and its on the rise. Human Resource executives must find a middle ground that will not only please its employees, but also be affordable to the company. The most challenging HR issue facing companies today is the ability to offer a competitive incentive package. Employees today want to work for a company that offers reasonable salaries, excellent health benefits, a pension plan and comprehensive 401k plans. Not to mention tuition reimbursement, child care centers, fitness centers, life insurance, and the all-important paid time off. Each of these perks is very costly to the company, but without them the quality of their workforce would be sacrificed. Companies seem to be adding more benefits to attract and retain employees, but with the increases in the cost of these benefits who know how long they will last. HR executives need to understand their company and be able to offer as many benefits as possible without hurting the profitability of the company. If you own your own business, your employee compensation and benefits package can be the deciding factor for many potential employees. And its not just the money. To make your company competitive and attractive to job candidates, you have to offer an exceptional total benefits package. That makes it a very important part of your business planning and management process if you hope to hire (and keep) top employees. Of all the disciplines in the human resources field, compensation is one of the most complex. Handling compensation issues requires knowledge of employment trends, the value of experience and credentials for various positions and industries, negotiation skills, company budget and the organizations bottom line. Economic conditions also play an important role in compensation and benefits issues. Addressing compensation issues can range from developing competitive wage scales to weighing the advantage of bonus and incentive payments. The term compensation means financial payments such as wages and salary paid to employees. Compensation also includes bonus and incentive payments, raises and company stock awarded to employees. Compensation specialists often have knowledge of both compensation and employee benefits. This is one reason why human resources departments sometimes combine compensation and benefits into one departmental function. HRs efforts to integrate compensation strategies and practices are a key component of successful mergers and acquisitions. In todays whirlwind of mergers and acquisitions (MAs), everyday HR issues such as employee compensation may get blown aside as countless financial and legal priorities take center stage. However, recent research suggests that HR could play a greater role in successful MAs, and, the earlier HR gets involved, the better. Depending on the circumstances of the deal-and the compensation policies of the merging companies-HR may be called on to splice disparate payment plans into a program that fits the new organization, or HR may have to discard the original plans and then create a program from scratch that complements the merged entities. Either way, old and new employees will be concerned about what is happening with their pay, so HR also must develop an effective communications plan to inform and reassure them. Compensation represents the largest of all expenses in most organizations, and it is in turmoil. The Federal governments statements are inconsistent and have resulted in much uncertainty. Executive Compensation is a global issue, including who is an executive, CERP implications, and long and short-term incentives. While some employers are reducing hiring and merit budgets, freezing salaries, decreasing bonuses and pay, passing on of benefit costs, and gasp cutting out 401k contributions they should also remain concerned about holding on to their most talented employees when the economy recovers. With decreasing revenues, sales compensation structures are being revised, such as the trend away from a revenue basis to a profit basis. Then there are the changes in 401(k) and other plans Companies are cutting their match, and the IRS is providing guidance. It is the biggest pain of Compensation and Benefits how to introduce the fair and transparent compensation policy to the organization. In the public sector, this issue is quite easy to solve as their compensation scheme are pretty rigid and people get used to them. But in the large corporations the transparency and fairness of the compensation policy can be a real issue to the employees. The organizations usually know what it means to have a fair and transparent compensation policy. But the pressure of the business and the constant need to change makes almost impossible to make the compensation policy transparent and fair to all the employees. It needs a lot of time and effort. Fair Compensation Policy needs a clear definition of job descriptions and job profiles in the organization. The value of each job must be evaluated and the organization must develop a clear system of jobs within the organization. In this stage the HRM is under a big pressure as the managers know about the impact of the job evaluation to the real salaries and bonuses. The whole system must be clearly supported by the Top Management of the company. When the organization has a clear system of job evaluation and all the job positions are put in the correct order, the organization can develop the Fair Compensation Policy. The fair compensation policy takes the following inputs, job, evaluation, job market situation, business strategy, preferences of the organization. Based on the inputs the HRM can prepare the fair compensation policy, which enables the company to reach better performance. The HRM is responsible for the correct setting and keeping the rules during the procedure of creation of the fair compensation policy. The fair compensation policy means the fair value of each job in the organization and clear process of reaching this fair value. Transparent Compensation Policy is about opening the rules for the compensation policy to employees. When the employees have a chance to understand the principles of the compensation policy and they can take them as fair to them, you are successful in the implementation of the Transparent Compensation Policy. The Transparent Compensation Policy is about the courage to open the rules and the compensation policy must be ready to be open. In case, the compensation policy is not fully implemented and the employees are not fully in the compensation range, it is very dangerous to make compensation policy transparent. Honestly, these basic rules about the Fair and Transparent Compensation Policy are easy to write, but very hard to follow in the real business life. But every HRM should implement Fair and Transparent Compensation Policy to support the performance of the business and to increase satisfaction of employees.