Comparison and Contrast of Dispatches and Slaughterhouse Five Essay

Comparison and Contrast of Dispatches and Slaughterhouse Five - Essay Example The main similarity of both works is that they are personal stories of soldiers coming through war and battlefields. "Slaughterhouse-Five" is a personal story which reflects Vonnegut's experience in WWII. The story is unique because the author depicts events, experience, time, memories through different frames which do not connected with each other. "Dispatches" by Herr portrays a life of a war correspondent in Viet Nam. Herr mentions "What a story he told me, it took me a year to understand it" (Herr, 1991). His personal narration plays a crucial role in plot development appealing to readers through its simplicity and veracity. Both authors use colorful language means to share the atmosphere of war. For instance, Vonnegut writes: "We had been foolish virgins in the war, right at the end of childhood" (Vonnegut, 1969). Both authors depict that war changed worldviews and emotions of soldiers faced with enormous emotional burden and fears. War is depicted as the time when people feel lack of money as Billy does. Vonnegut shows that after the war-time, Billy bears in mind the importance of wealth and richness seeing the marriage with Valencia as the great opportunity to improve his financial position.

Anaylsis of gambling industry Essay Example for Free

Anaylsis of gambling industry Essay Introduction A service is the result of applying human or mechanical efforts to people or objects. Services are intangible products involving a deed, a performance or an effort which cannot be physically possessed (s dibb, 1994). Within this report their will be a number of topics discussed including the marketing mix, the effects of gambling and the ongoing conflict between services and product. These topics will be referred to the specific service which is the gala casino in Edinburgh. Methodology. In the UK there are many different gambling bodies, such as Gala, William Hill and Betfred. The gambling industry is one of the most successful services in the Britain.. Gala casinos are owned by the Gala Group who in 2005 merged with another European gambling business Coral Eurobet to create Europes largest integrated betting group. At present, Gala employs over 17000 people and generates over ? 400 million per annum, serving over 2 million customers (Gala Group, 2005). The casino that this report will focus on will be the Maybury Casino in Edinburgh, which is owned by Gala. Despite it being a large city, there are only two casinos in Edinburgh, the Maybury being the bigger and more successful, rather than the William Hill casino closer to the centre of town. The casino has a high quality restaurant which is used all year round. Unlike some casinos, the Maybury has all the major casino tables, such as craps, roulette, blackjack and various types of poker. It has also has two function rooms mainly used for poker tournaments or mah-jong tables. Main body Marketing mix The marketing mix is key when developing any business whether it is a product based company or a service provider. The marketing mix is a very simple tool yet effect is basically a step to step guide on how to market the product(foxall, 1999). The following are the main marketing mix elements which refer to all business however in some cases a further 3 of physical evidence, people and process, all of these ingredients mask a major role of the retailer which is to select and acquire goods in order to sell their product (d Gilbert, 1999) Place For many different services the location of a business is a powerful marketing tool by itself( d Carson, 1991) . For example: the Waverley Hotel on Princes Street is on one of the busiest streets in the country and is therefore almost guaranteed to make a profit. Although this is not really the case for the Maybury Casino, it is still in a good position. It is situated in Corstorphine which is just out of the centre of Edinburgh. Despite this distance from the busy city centre, its location does allow for increased space. Most customers would want a casino closer to the centre of Edinburgh, but this would almost certainly mean that the venue would be smaller, with higher costs for the customer and the business. Having the business out of town allows for more space which in turn means the company can offer a better service to the customers. The other advantage of this location is that it is situated next to the main road into Edinburgh from Fife, going through Haymarket. This allows passers by to see the establishment. The benefit to having this out of town location is access: it is very simple to travel to the casino as Edinburgh has an award winning bus service with more than two buses running 24 hours a day that go past the casino. Price is one of the most difficult aspects of the marketing mix to tackle. Companies can do many things with promotion and can offer great products, but when it comes down to it, the cost of this is all that the vast majority of customers are interested in(j lee, 2002) Price is tricky when it comes to gambling, as it is an entertainment industry solely based on money. All casinos are always going to cost money when it comes to betting on tables, so there is nothing any one particular company can do differently, as it is generally up to the customer how much they spend. However, there are other aspects that are important in this industry, the main one being the membership price. The Maybury Casino does not charge a membership fee ? this is quite rare for most casinos. This is an enormous marketing tool in itself, as the amount of gamblers and money spent on gambling is increasing. Therefore, if it is free to play then this will entice gamblers even more, and at the end of the day free is free. Another aspect of price is the poker room. This room is used for weekly poker tournaments, which is something that a lot of casinos do. However the Gala Casino differs from others: poker is one of the fastest growing pastimes, which has encouraged Gala to offer poker tournaments every day of the week with different price levels. Having all these different price levels can encourage a larger range of customers, allowing those with less money to not miss out. One of the best reasons for the lower priced tournaments is the large amount of students this attracts. Students generally have less money than most members of the public, and as poker is becoming increasingly popular with younger people today, the casino is therefore an affordable place they can go with friends. The general misconception about casinos is that they are for older businessmen who enjoy an expensive lifestyle and are happy to have expensive food and drink prices, but this is not the case. The prices of the drinks in the casino are the same as most Edinburgh bars with similar ranges and well trained staff. The restaurant is of a high quality and not overpriced. Therefore, it cannot be said that the price of the establishment could be responsible for putting people off going to the Casino. Promotion in general is harder for a service rather than a product. This is especially the case when referring to casinos. The only way in which casinos tend to promote themselves is in the actual casino itself. Casinos cannot advertise in the same way that normal products can, due to legislations so they rely heavily on word of mouth. In some ways, promotion is actually very important to a service, (especially this type of service) as they are relying on their own performance to act as their promotion. Product This is the most important part of the marketing mix for a service, as this is all they have. In regards to a service this element is basically the result of the previous three elements of the marketing mix without this one they all fail. In all aspects of retail, whether it is in a service or providing a product, it is this that matters to the customer. It does not matter how they promote it or at what price they sell it at they will fail either way if the product is not up to standard. The three extra elements only really refer to services due to the intangible element of human behaviour, where quality and its control is off paramount importance(d Gilbert,1999 ) People are also vital in services as they are your promotion they do all the work. Again the service as a whole can be great but if it is not applied properly by the staff then this becomes irrelevant. They employees are the face of the service so they must look and act in the way that is suitable for the service such as in the bank clean and in a shirt and tie. Process is very similar to some of the other elements as this is the procedures that are undertaken in providing the service. Other elements of process are the information that is available about the service, if customers are not aware of the details of the service they are unlikely to take part. Physical evidence is reasonably self explanatory, it is the physical elements the tangible elements of the service for example in a hotel the cleanliness of the curtains would be an example of physical evidence. Effects of gambling on society Gambling is one service (unlike most) where it can be taboo in mainstream society to advertise or promote itself. There are many laws and regulations on gambling such as (Hanson, 2005). For casinos to make a profit and to attract customers they have to rely on peoples need for gambling. Many people feel that gambling is immoral and praying on the weakness of others and their lack of discipline; because of this many people feel that gambling should be abolished completely. However despite those people who do not agree with gambling, there are plenty of individuals who support it. Many people feel that it is their own choice to spend their own money, and the few who lack the discipline to control their gambling should not stop others who can. With the relatively recent boom of internet gambling, especially poker, gambling is becoming more and more of a hot topic with governments and groups throughout the world. Casinos should take advantage of this surge of interest in gambling in order to make a profit and keep it available to customers; however, they should also remember to do so without angering people. Difficulty of services compared to products Citizens of the Western world are living in increasingly service-based economies. Services are no longer a minor or superficial part of economies, but go to the heart of value creation within the economy. (Palmer 2004) What Palmer is suggesting here is that services are no longer viewed in the traditional way as an unproductive aspect of the economy, but are now the base of many economies. In spite of this it is still incredibly difficult to succeed in a service. In general it is much easier to sell a tangible product people can see, touch or taste before purchasing (c gronroos, 1978). Service providers must rely on the quality of their own performance with many variables that can scupper a good experience. This however can all depend on the economy of the country, i. e. providing a service in a country such as Portugal where many other nations go to vacation and for many parts of the country being a service provider is simpler such as bars in a busy tourist area. This is not so much the case in the more powerful countries such as the UK, U. S. A and France. These countries are very much consumer driven and succeeding as a service provider can be difficult in many ways due to the attitude of society in the 21st century. There are, like previously mentioned, so many variables which can effect a service provider and with most customers being viewed as fickle if the service in anyway is not more than their level of tolerance they will try bring this service down. There will always be a conflict between services and products and each has their day in certain societies. Conclusion The service provider chosen has pros and cons from many different topics. The difficulties that a casino like this faces will never change and it is not an attack on the way in which they are providing this service it is always going to be on the service itself and societys view of it. The service encounter was however more full of positive notes rather than negative. In order to get past people views on gambling, they have decided to divert all their efforts on how they provide this service and in this, there are few flaws. integral to the selling activity in all markets( dibb, 2001) They have utilised ever point of the marketing mix well and definitely to their advantage, providing the best service possible to customers. Their use of location is especially impressive, normally out of town locations can prove to be a stumbling block for many services but the casino has utilised it to their advantage and turned being an in-town location into the less popular of the two. The conflict between services and products is always going to be around. However services are growing and growing with 73% of the employees working in the UK are working in the service sector (ILO, 1999). To conclude, if services are to be performed in such a manner as the Gala casino then the service industry will continue to rise.

Erosion of Gender Equality in America :: Feminism Feminist

Erosion of Gender Equality in America American people come in a variety of shapes and sizes; their thoughts, fears, and convictions differ widely. It is usually necessary for Americans to choose a status in politics and community; but it is obvious that among specific groups and organizations, a person’s beliefs and opinions differ dramatically from the next. Feminist groups, specifically in the last twenty years, have announced their view of membership as an elite group of woman who must have the same specific convictions. Moreover, they denounce anyone who does not, as irrational and supporting the continuance of subordination of women. Feminist propaganda is off track when it comes to the real experiences of American women and men. It is true, that in the past, a woman’s voice was often disregarded; she was denied certain rights, for some women fought. Elizabeth Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Blackwell were famous for their courage and persistence in bringing change. It is safe to say that most Americans now agree men and women have vast talents and capabilities. A century ago women were concerned with issues, such as the right to own property and vote. Somewhere between then and now, feminist groups turned their agenda to issues that offended many Americans. They crossed the line of personal and moral decisions and made ridiculous accusations toward men. The first feminists were necessary. Modern feminists have lost touch with American women and â€Å"unconsciously undermined genuine equality†. It is no wonder why men and women try to distance themselves from feminism. Long before Europeans came to the â€Å"new land† with their Judeo-Christian ideology, patriarchy was the exception not the norm. Women, their bodies, and ability to give birth and nurse children were adorned. Women did eighty percent of the hunting until the reintroduction of the horse. â€Å"Women were shoved out of the hunting scenario. The horse allowed men to become radius,† and t he man’s â€Å"expendable sex† was no obstacle when traveling long distances. The â€Å"economic survival† was now the man’s domain. The value of the women fell when â€Å"mother earth† lost her place. In addition, the European settlers forced their Christian ideals on the Native Americans and other subordinate groups later. During the next several years, the colonial family stayed the same; historically, there was no women’s movement until 1848, the year of the Seneca Falls Convention. Organized by Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott, the â€Å"Declaration of Principles† was produced.

Motivational Factor at Tesco Essay

These theories concentrate of the benefits and importance of motivation, however researcher found it necessary for this research to consider that as it is mentioned by Vercueil, 2001 incorrectly implemented motivation management causes a harmful affect on the employees. Watt, 1998 refers to Anon saying that in the past motivation could be identifies as a way to make people want what we want and differs it from manipulation that makes individuals do what we want. However today as it mentioned by Bruce and Pepitone, 1999 modern employees are much more sophisticated and are in search for a greater satisfaction from the job they are doing. Artificial reward or money alone are nor enough. Therefore modern organisations need to learn and understand human nature as it indicates why people in these case employees behave in a particular manner. Managers need to motivate the employee leading to a grater working performances and mainly managers have to understand their employees needs and their life organization in order to meet the employees expectations and motivate ones performance more efficiently. Staff retention is a significant element of every successful business. It is characterized by the employees desire to sustain in the organization and continuing contribution to the business. In times of economic crisis more and more individuals have to stay at their jobs even if conditions are not favorable due to a risk of being unable to provide for a family. However more and more individuals are raising the importance of staff motivation management. Organizations today have realized that a modern employee needs to be rightly motivated and encouraged, not only money wise, to ensure staff retention. Motivation is a force that stimulates people to perform an action. Therefore motivation is a force which compel people go to their work every day and that is why people bring improvement in themselves to satisfy the desire of becoming or accomplishing what they have set out to become or accomplish in their life. More over with motivation any complicated situation can be converted into a simple and learning experience. In his research Watt, 2003 also states that managers must understand that individuals want to be treated fairly and have equal opportunities to advance. He highlights the problem of motivation today. Often organizations do not recognize that the motivation management requires different approaches depending on the industry sectors. The problem of motivation and staff performance as it is stated by Green et al, 1999 might stay undetected, hidden and unresolved by the managers. Therefore managers often don’t realize that it is important not only to appeal to the individual’s intellect but to their hearts as well. Green et all, 1999 also identifies three main problems for motivation: – Lack of confidence – Lack of trust Lack of satisfaction Well designed and implemented motivation strategy leads to employee’s retention therefore employee’s loyalty. Loyalty is a significant and vital part of any organization. As it is mentioned by Daft and Marcic, 2011 management should learn to allow all it s employees make a contribution and use its talents and potential in order to progress and improve their sk ills. This sort of motivation creates employees retention and ensures ones constant grow and contribution to the company. TK MAXX has a well developed reward and development management. Organization believes that its people should be growing as well as the business. From the first time the employee joins the company organization provides a comprehensive induction programs and ensures that whether it is about moving up the career ladder, learning and development of new skills or gaining experience working in different countries there are plenty of available opportunities for the employees. Company has a strong rewards and benefits system, pension scheme, holidays, private healthcare and voluntary benefits as a part of its employee motivation and ensures of employees happiness and satisfaction. All this provides companies growth and efficient performances with a high rate of employee’s retention. Researcher believes that T. K. Max is a real example of a right motivation management. Organization aims at ensuring satisfaction of its employees and at the same time ensures a solid growth and development for the business. Therefore the researcher wanted to examine the motivation strategies used by T. K. Max and analyze its effect on the employees. 1. 3. The Company Background The organization that we have chosen for our research is one of the most successful retailers in the market today. T. K. Max management in the Uxbridge branch were excited and happy to participate in our research and granted us with a permission to use the organization’s name in this investigation. T-K Maxx is a chain of clothing and accessories stores. The company was launched in 1994. It is a subsidiary of TJX Companies Inc. (TJXtra, JUNE 2010) TK MAXX always aimed to deliver frequently changing and best quality products at a price which is 20-60% less than other department and specialty stores regular prices. TK MAXX has label of â€Å"Always up to 60% less† and has target customers who is middle to upper-middle income shopper. But simultaneously who are fashion and value conscious. T. K. MAXX is now 7th largest fashion retailer in the U. K. It introduced the off price concept in the UK and it is now the only major off-price retailer in Europe. It was operating in UK and Ireland. Later on T. K. Maxx opened first stores in Germany in 2007 and also entered in Poland in 2009 (TJXtra, JUNE 2010) The reason why we the researcher choose TK-Maxx as an organization is its market share and the enormous global scale that it’s operate. Having its unique position in UK market T. K.

Citizenship During the Great War

At the onset of the First World War in 1914, England was experiencing a social transformation fueled by years of massive immigration from central Europe and changes prompted by industrial and technological developments. The availability of inexpensive immigrant labor and these developments produced a social environment that permitted a realignment of gender roles and the potential for a revolutionary shift in the role of women in British society.Nicoletta Gullace’s central premise is that there was an appetite for social change in prewar Britain and that cultural instability produced by the war allowed those social forces to coalesce, which Gullace details. Among these were the lingering humiliation resulting from scandals experienced during the Boer War of 1900, which left the British public with little desire to engage in further foreign conflict. The outbreak of the World War neutralized that bias, and horrific reports of German Army behavior reversed the sentiment.These re ports detailed the suffering endured in the populated areas of Belgium that were behind the German lines, creating an overwhelming sympathy for the victims of German abuse that transformed the British perception of the war role they needed to play. The War also produced new unprecedented internal social realities, including a million women going to work in British factories. British society was transformed by the ensuing changes and one of the least understood changes, according to Gullace, was the restructuring of the political and economic roles thereafter played by women.There were radical external forces affecting British society as well. Early in World War I, atrocity stories appeared accusing the Germans of inhumane brutality. These reports saturated the British media, fueled by alleged first hand accounts by private citizens, newspaper reports, novels, songs, and even official government investigations. The official Bryce Report concluded that the lurid tales of mutilations a nd sexual atrocities were in fact occurring. Bryce had relied upon media reports and their original sources as his primary source to reach his conclusions, which were discounted by later historians.Gullace refers to this â€Å"wartime imagery† as at once being â€Å"†¦sentimental and sexual, patriotic and pornographic, effective and subversive (p. 18). This imagery painted the German foes as, â€Å"One vast gang of Jack-the-Rippers,† guilty of sadism such as raping and mutilating naked women and bayoneting babies. Gullace illustrates the social influence of these stories as demonstrated by the 1915 play, â€Å"Rada,† which had a dramatic scene were the women of a household were being raped by German soldiers. A young daughter cries out, â€Å"Oh British! British come! Come quickly British! †Gullace also attributes the exaggerated atrocity stories to the media’s hunger to exploit public passions to sell newspapers, and the government’s compulsion to justify British involvement in another foreign war. Gullace describes the latter circumstance in terms of the pre-war British self-image. It had faltered during the 1900 Boer War when it was discovered that British soldiers had sexually abused imprisoned Boer women and the shame was still carried in the national conscience. Now, in 1914, Gullace posits, the atrocity stories permitted the British public to escape that stigma onto higher moral ground.Gullace also examines the cultural forces that produced the social phenomenon of British women asserting their patriotism at the expense of the men. It became fashionable and socially acceptable for British women to ostracize those men who they believed were avoiding their patriotic duty – which was to join the Army and fight. The sentiment received popular approval and was officially sanctioned. The â€Å"ideal† British man was characterized everywhere as â€Å"Tommy Adkins,† the popular term for a Brit ish soldier – who was brave, cheerful, and fair.Gullace cites this image as an outgrowth of the literary works of Rudyard Kipling during the Boer War, idealizing the British soldier. One poet characterized Tommy Adkins as the â€Å"†¦guardian of England’s honor, avenger of her dead, and protector of her children. † (p. 36) The image of Tommy Adkins seized the public’s fancy and deviation from soldierly and patriotic sacrifice was not tolerated. Gullace quotes one newspaper editor’s advice to a female reader who wanted to hold on to her man, as: â€Å"†¦there is much we can do at home.One of the things is to cheer our dear ones, – husbands, sweethearts, fathers, and brothers – and send them off to their calling with brave, noble hearts. † (p. 53) Perhaps the epitome of these passions can be best realized by The British Women’s Union appeal to its members to â€Å"GIVE YOUR SONS. † British women were in th e patriotic vanguard, something unique in British. history. The â€Å"White Feather Brigade† and â€Å"The Order of the White Feather† organized women to confront male shirkers and present them with the symbol of cowardice – the white feather.The white feather leagues didn’t last long, but they did presage the organization of feminists into what would emerge as the Suffragette Movement. One of Gullace’s central theses is that the role at home that women played in the war prepared and persuaded the British nation that women were due complete citizenship, and that meant Suffrage. Gullace describes this political acquisition as a â€Å"negotiated right,† and cites previous work by Susan Kingsley Kent, illustrating that until the revolutionary gender changes produced by the war, men and women had inhabited separate social spheres.Taking advantage of the war time opportunity, women had asserted themselves into a full share of patriotic responsibi lity, they would then subsequently leverage into an equal share of social power. Women’s rights to full citizenship aren’t conventionally linked to the events and consequences of World War I, but Nicoletta F. Gullace makes a persuasive and detailed case that the British ladies of that era successfully fought their own war that led directly to women's suffrage.

International Business Essay Essays

International Business Essay Essays International Business Essay Essay International Business Essay Essay Review Questions 2. Why is it of import for you to analyze international concern? * Almost any big organisation you work for will hold international operations or be affected by the planetary economic system. * You start your ain concern. you may happen yourself utilizing foreign-made stuffs or equipment. viing with foreign. and possibly even selling in foreign markets. * Keep gait with your future rivals. 5. What is portfolio investing?* Foreign portfolio investings ( FPI ) are purchases of foreign fiscal assets ( stocks. bonds. and certifications of sedimentation ) for a intent other than control. An illustration of portfolio investing is the purchase of 1. 000 portions of Sony’s common stock by a Danish pension fund. 6. What are the basic grounds for the recent growing of international concern activity? * There are two wide grounds: strategic jussive moods. which motivate globalisation. and environmental alterations. which facilitate it. Questions for Discussion 5. What are some of the differences in accomplishments that may be between directors in a domestic house and those in an international house?Domestic house ;* Local workers.* Legal system.* Local supply.International house ;* Languages.* Currency* Cultures and new markets. Chapter # 02Review Questions 2. How do differences in income degrees and income distribution among states affect international concern?The most of import piece of information needed by international concern people about a state is its income degree because it provides hints to the buying power of occupants. One of import beginning of income statistics is the World Bank. which divides the world’s states into high-income. middle-income. low-income classs. 4. What is keiretsu?* Nipponese industry is controlled by big households of interconnected companies. that is typically centered on a major Nipponese bank. The bank takes primary duty for run intoing the keiretsu’s funding demands. Members are besides protected from hostile coup detats by an luxuriant system of cross-ownership of portions in which keiretsu members ain portions in one another’s companies. 8. How did import permutation policies affect the economic systems of Brazil and Argentina? * The companies must pay higher monetary values for domestically produced inputs than do their foreign rivals. The authorities must subsidise these houses and frequently nationalise them to continue urban occupations. The high costs of making this are passed on to taxpayers and to consumers through higher monetary values. but over clip the authorities runs a budget shortage. The consequence is rising prices and devastation of middle-class nest eggs. The continent is still plagued. nevertheless. by an inability to make policies that bridge the chasm between the rich and the hapless. The deficiency of economic and societal mobility has trapped coevals of South Americans in poorness and desperations and created political instability in many of their states. Questions for Discussion3. Cultural ties. old colonial confederations. and shared linguistic communications appear to impact international trade. Why might this be so? If true. how does this affect international business’ schemes sing which markets to come in? * It’s easier to make concern with people who have same civilization. faith. linguistic communication. and is better for companies to acquire into these markets foremost. Chapter # 03 Review Questions1. Describe the four different types of legal systems with which international concern must cover. * Common jurisprudence: is based on the cumulative wisdom of judges’ determinations on single instances through history. These instances create legal case in points. which other Judgess use to make up ones mind similar instances. * Civil Law: is based on a codification. or elaborate listing. of what is and is non allowable. * Religious Law: is based on the officially established regulations regulating the religion and pattern of a peculiar faith. * Bureaucratic Law: the legal system is communist and in absolutisms is frequently described as bureaucratic jurisprudence. 9. What is the impact of differing accounting criterions on the international capital market? * Comparing the fiscal studies of houses from different states is extremely complex. doing it more hard for international investors to measure the public presentation of the world’s concern. 10. -What is political hazard? What forms can it take?* Political hazards are many alterations in the political environment that many adversely affect the value of a firm’s concern activities. * Forms: * Ownership hazard. in which the belongings of a house is threatened through arrogation or expropriation. * Operating hazard. in which the ongoing operations of a house and/or the safety of its employees are threatened through alterations in Torahs. environmental criterions. revenue enhancement codifications. terrorist act. armed rebellion. and so forth. * Transportation hazard. in which the authorities interferes with a firm’s ability to switch financess into and out of the state. Questions for Discussion2. What is the impact of vigorous enforcement of rational belongings rights on the universe economic system? Who additions and who loses form rigorous enforcement of these Torahs? * The impact vigorous enforcement of rational belongings rights on the universe economic system will be really benefits for development states but for hapless states it will be a large economic job because they have a wont to populate with buccaneering merchandises. and the familiar economic system can’t wage for medium cost merchandises like videodisk. books. music. etc. * The existent writers printing companies will derive and Mafias of buccaneering will lose because they live of that sort of work.

Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame

Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame IntroductionIt all started on February 21, 1989. Pete Rose just met with the commissioner Peter Ueberroth and Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti. The two officials accosted Pete Rose to discuss his gambling habits. Rose defiantly declared, "You can read anything you want into it. But I don't see anything bad."Unfortunately for him, on March 20, 1989, just one month after the first meeting, Ueberroth announces that Reds manager Pete Rose is investigated for "serious allegations." After weeks of legal investigations, commissioner Giamatti irreversibly bans Rose from baseball for his alleged gambling on baseball games on August 23, 1990. Both Pete Rose and the Giamatti signed an agreement that Rose will be permanently ineligible in accordance to Major League Rule 21, despite the fact that the 5-page document was signed with no formal evidence. Giamatti considers that Rose accepts the ban to be a no-contest plea. Earlier in 1989, Rose confessed to illegally betting on NFL, NCAA and NBA gam es, but he denied betting on baseball.English: I turned a corner in the shop forum of Ca...ArgumentShould gambling on games deny Pete Rose admission to the Hall of Fame? If the answer is yes, then why was Adolf Hitler selected Man of the Year by Times magazine? Hitler murdered millions of innocent people and started a world war. If Pete Rose only gambled on professional games, then he should be admitted to the Hall of Fame. Steve Howe is another example. He was banished 11 times for drug abuse, but he was let back into the game.The Hall of Fame includes many sport legends. These great players set records and milestones during their notable careers. Pete Rose played his butt off to achieve his mind-boggling statistics. In 3562 career games and 14053 official at bats, Rose had a .303 AVG and a .409 SLG. He had 4,256 hits,

Princess Olga of Kiev Also Known as Saint Olga

Princess Olga of Kiev Also Known as Saint Olga Princess Olga of Kiev, also known as St. Olga, is sometimes credited as founding, with her grandson Vladimir, what has come to be known as Russian Christianity (the Moscow Patriarchate within Eastern Orthodoxy). She was the ruler of Kiev as regent for her son, and she was the grandmother of St. Vladimir, great-grandmother of Saint Boris and Saint Gleb. She lived  about 890 - July 11, 969.  Dates for Olgas birth and marriage are far from certain.  The Primary Chronicle gives her birth date is 879. If her son was born in 942, that date is certainly suspect. She was also known as  St. Olga, Saint Olga, Saint Helen, Helga (Norse), Olga Piekrasa, Olga the Beauty, Elena Temicheva. Her baptismal name was Helen (Helene, Yelena, Elena). Origins Olgas origins are not known with certainty, but she may have come from Pskov. She was probably of Varangian (Scandinavian or Viking) heritage. Olga was married to Prince Igor I of Kiev in about 903. Igor was the son of Rurik, often seen as the founder of Russia as Rus. Igor became the ruler of Kiev, a state which included parts of what is now Russia, the Ukraine, Byelorussia, and Poland. A 944 treaty with the Greeks mentions both baptized and unbaptized Rus. Ruler When Igor was murdered in 945, Princess Olga assumed the regency for her son, Svyatoslav. Olga served as regent until her son was of age in 964.  She was known as a ruthless and effective ruler.  She resisted marrying Prince Mal of the Drevlians, who had been the killers of Igor, killing their emissaries and then burning their city in revenge for her husbands death. She resisted other offers of marriage and defended Kiev from attacks. Religion Olga turned to religion, and specifically, to Christianity.  She traveled to Constantinople in 957, where some sources say that she was baptized by the Patriarch Polyeuctus with Emperor Constantine VII as her godfather. She may have converted to Christianity, including being baptized, before her trip to Constantinople, perhaps in 945. There are no historical records of her baptism, so the controversy wont likely be settled. After Olga returned to Kiev, she was unsuccessful in converting her son or very many others. Bishops appointed by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto were expelled by Svyatoslavs allies, according to several early sources.  Her example, however, may have helped to influence her grandson, Vladimir I, who was the third son of Svyatoslav, and who brought Kiev (Rus) into the official Christian fold. Olga died, probably on July 11, 969. She is considered the first saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. Her relics were lost in the 18th century.

Project Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Project Plan - Assignment Example Similarly, other team work based units can implement this system to control the team work process. Likewise, Teamworker will help students to do their projects well; because they do not need to utilize a number of different web based platforms (i.e. Facebook, Google Drive, DropBox etc) as a means of accomplishing a given task. Likewise, it promotes the overall efficiency and productivity of each member; as students no longer need to schedule a block of time in which they will all meet at a given geographic location and discuss the progress of their project. Teamworker is a web-based project that teams of up to six students to gain access to a platform that can facilitate the learning process and provide a level of oversight to those educators that seek to monitor it; prior to delivering a final grade. The benefits of such a platform are innumerable; however, perhaps the most important benefit has to do with the fact that the educators finally have a reliable means of measurement with regard to which team members did what and which team members did not pull their own weight for the project at hand. In terms of actual details that the portal requires, these are inclusive of team name/number, attribution of supervisors and/or tutors’ name as well required population of the project title, and finally a short description of the problem that the project seeks to address; in 100 words or less. After signing up, the team will receive an account number and password. Then, they will have access to their team page and update the team information or upload their assignments together with their meeting minutes. Moreover, as students can share their project files online, they can access the files easily and communicate with other members from only one website. A team can only have privileges and permissions to their only team pages; restricting their operations on the site to only their own team’s content. Yet, the tutors and supervisors can

Compare three recent fictional movies (from the 1990s or 2000s) about Essay

Compare three recent fictional movies (from the 1990s or 2000s) about prison - Essay Example Moreover, the aspect that led to the selection of the films is that they were setting is almost entirely within a prison facility. This means that the films can be described as prison films. The mentioned films will be analysed critiquing the topic of the death penalty, intertwining this with the architectural and visual outlook of prisons. These films exist in the following frames: (1) Guilty victim that is reformed to build empathy as demonstrated in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) (2) The fight to save an innocent victim as evident in The Green Mile (1999) and (3) Critique of capital punishment in the subtext Against the Wall (1994). In all films, the theme of retribution is seen when all main characters are sent to prison for their ill doings. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne was convicted for murdering his wife and lover in cold blood. In The Green Mile, retribution is evident at the start of the film when John Coffey is accused of murdering two girls (Magistrale & Palgrave Connect (Online service), 2008). In the movie Against the Wall, the theme of retribution is evident when Michael Smith is seen at the beginning of the movie. This implies that he performed a criminal act to get in prison initially. The justice restored version of The Shawshank Redemption shows that it will not be every day that prisoners will lose, sometimes they win. This is evident when Andy and Red achieved redemption in the film. The technique The Green Mile uses is admission of guilt, establishing individual responsibility as well as redemption. This is evident when Paul Edgecomb comes to realise that John Coffery is innocent, and he also possess divine healing powers. This highlights the theme of the possibility of ending the life of an innocent being (Wilson & OSullivan, 2004). The Shawshank Redemption portrays a prison as a place which harbours individuals. This addresses the themes of rehabilitation and reintegration. The theme of reintegration is seen

Video cameras in police Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Video cameras in police - Term Paper Example As the technology improves, the safety of the officer and of the public is greatly enhanced by the use of video within a police vehicle. The use of video in police vehicles was first attempted during the early 1980’s. As the availability of home video cameras came into use by the consumer, police departments began experimenting with using the technology in a official capacity within their police vehicles. This posed a few problems. A handful of companies set out to utilize this equipment in the police environment. Many lessons were learned regarding the harsh and RF-rich environment of a police car and the suitability of standard consumer-grade VCR’s. Wireless microphones were ‘borrowed’ from uses in other industries with similar results regarding suitability and longevity in the police environment. Service became a key issue since most of these products suffered high failure rates when used every day in the hot, cold, wet, dry, dirty, and generally physically demanding mobile environment. (Sharp) These difficulties made the use of video within the vehicle a limited choice for the various departments throughout the United States. The industry worked on solving the dilemmas caused by the problems with the technology, but the use was not being widely utilized. The use of camera’s in the police vehicle would take an event to resurge the appearance of the necessity of a visual record of an interaction between an officer and a suspect. The importance of recording the interaction between the police and the public surged to the front of the technological investigative world when â€Å"in 1991, viewers across the country tuning in their evening news watched in horror and fascination as Los Angeles Police Officers brought down motorist Rodney King.† (Olsen) As the ordeal of Mr. King was watched in

DEFINITIONAL ARGUMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DEFINITIONAL ARGUMENT - Essay Example The criteria that constitute murder are complex. Within this context of understanding, murder has been understood as, â€Å"to kill or slaughter inhumanly or barbarously† (â€Å"Dictionary.com†). Within this context of understanding, murder constitutes the killing of one human by another in an inhuman or barbarous way. The challenge then becomes determining what constitutes ‘barbarous’. One such understanding in these regards is that barbarous behavior constitutes that with is uncivil or out of the realms of regular human actions. In this area of understanding, the subject of assisted suicide can be classified as constituting murder. The nature of assisted suicide is such that one human acts to kill another human. Furthermore, the nature of such an act is both uncivil and out of the realm of regular human action. It follows that assisted suicide, which contains both a human killing another human, and is out of the realm of regular human action, constitutes murder. Ultimately actions, such as those taken by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, constitute murder and should be punished as such. While the criterion of murder has been argued to contain within it the act of assisted suicide, there are many counter-arguments that exist to this contention. Earlier the nature of murder has been understood as occurring when a human kills another human in a barbarous or inhuman way. The notion that assisted suicide constitutes murder hinges on the notion that assisting another human to kill himself or herself is a barbarous of inhuman act. While assisting another human in suicide falls under the criteria of one human killing another, it does not necessarily constitute a barbarous or inhuman act. Oftentimes individual find themselves in situations where they are experiencing tremendous pain that restricts them for continuing their life in an enjoyable way. Similarly, it’s possible for an

COSC9426 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

COSC9426 - Assignment Example In this case, it has been installed with interactive software that users can identify with. The phone can be described as a virtue friend to the user as the commands available for the user are form a conversation that is quite fascinating. Apple cell phone has been designed to incorporate various feedbacks so as to manage the interaction with the user. They include audio, verbal, tactile and demonstrations. These features are important as they enhance a perfect feedback system that enhances communication and how the machine relate with the user. The mobile phone design consists of several constraining that determines the level in which the user is restricted at a given moment. In this case, the Apple phones constraint prevent the user from tampering with operating system that may end up crashing the gadget. The apple company has done a great work in standardizing all its products. In this case, all apple phones have shown great consistency in terms of physical features and software. Externally, the gadgets are made up of similar materials while the operating system has been standardized. Therefore, the gadget has exhibited a high level of internal and external

DEFINITIONAL ARGUMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DEFINITIONAL ARGUMENT - Essay Example The criteria that constitute murder are complex. Within this context of understanding, murder has been understood as, â€Å"to kill or slaughter inhumanly or barbarously† (â€Å"Dictionary.com†). Within this context of understanding, murder constitutes the killing of one human by another in an inhuman or barbarous way. The challenge then becomes determining what constitutes ‘barbarous’. One such understanding in these regards is that barbarous behavior constitutes that with is uncivil or out of the realms of regular human actions. In this area of understanding, the subject of assisted suicide can be classified as constituting murder. The nature of assisted suicide is such that one human acts to kill another human. Furthermore, the nature of such an act is both uncivil and out of the realm of regular human action. It follows that assisted suicide, which contains both a human killing another human, and is out of the realm of regular human action, constitutes murder. Ultimately actions, such as those taken by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, constitute murder and should be punished as such. While the criterion of murder has been argued to contain within it the act of assisted suicide, there are many counter-arguments that exist to this contention. Earlier the nature of murder has been understood as occurring when a human kills another human in a barbarous or inhuman way. The notion that assisted suicide constitutes murder hinges on the notion that assisting another human to kill himself or herself is a barbarous of inhuman act. While assisting another human in suicide falls under the criteria of one human killing another, it does not necessarily constitute a barbarous or inhuman act. Oftentimes individual find themselves in situations where they are experiencing tremendous pain that restricts them for continuing their life in an enjoyable way. Similarly, it’s possible for an

LAN Reliability and Availability Research Paper

LAN Reliability and Availability - Research Paper Example Organizations that have employed the use of Local Area Network, or LAN, can access information and resources of all persons and departments linked to the network. 1 It is important for the networked organizations to understand the various networking terms, conditions and systems operation in order to ensure that the system would not be compromised. In this manner, information would be available and reliable and serve the operational requirements of the organization. Since not all members of the organization would be able to understand the framework of the network, it is necessary to employ network administrators that would ensure the smooth operations and availability of the network. 2 With the network functioning properly, the organization can deliver their products and services to the consumer or end-user without restraint that can result from unpredictable network malfunctions. The network administrator should be the one with the appropriate training so that he/she could understan d the network architecture and impacts of specific system failures on the general network. 3 LAN refers to a â€Å"communication network, limited in geographic scope†. 4 The network’s hardware components are: a) transmission medium (e.g. twisted pair, fiber optics, coaxial cable), b) mechanism for control of transmission, and c) network interface (for host computers, devices or nodes of network). 5 To meet the requirements of availability and reliability, redundancy approach is usually applied in the system. 6 This approach uses a back up path for every connection so that recovery is possible when failure occurs. 7 Network Availability The ability of the organization to benefit from any network relies on the availability of the specified network. However, for a network to be available most of the time, it must be reliable in order to maximize its use within the infrastructure. Both reliability and availability of a network are interdependent. A network cannot be reliab le if the framework is not available to all the units or departments required to connect with it. Thus, both concepts must be handled together since one would affect the other and the organization in general. 8 Network availability refers to the fragment of time wherein the network is in service. 9 Availability of the network may fail if a disaster strikes, and in case of large-scale disaster, many link failures may occur. 10 Computer networks should establish the required infrastructure that would meet the needs of the applications that will be used. 11 Studies have indicated that one measure of the computer network performance is its availability. 12 The availability feature would be particularly important for applications used in banking transactions, e-commerce, and other online transactions. 13 The components of the network that may be prone to failure and affect availability are the a) hosts (e.g. clients, servers in different departments, middle level corporate servers, data tier corporate servers), b) interconnection equipment (including hubs, routers, switches), and c) individual links. 14 The availability concept has become more critical due to complex issues and interconnections distributed across numerous computers. 15 It is also dependent on the accessory devises included to make it functional. 16 Availability has always been an important characteristic of systems but becomes a more critical and complex issue

Rational Choice Theory Essay Example for Free

Rational Choice Theory Essay â€Å"Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason. † As seen from Oscar Wilde’s famous quote, rationality is one of the most crucial and controversial subjects in studying human behavior. To study and examine this rationality, numerous scholars have tried to establish their own theories and generalize their explanation with empirical evidences from real world, which ultimately produces so called, the theory of rational choice. Rational Choice Theory is an approach to understand human behavior. The approach has long been the dominant paradigm in economics, but in recent several decades it has become more widely used in other fileds such as Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of rational choice theory and briefly discuss its basic assumptions, critiques, political implication, and alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism. First of all, historical backgrounds of rational choice theory and its transition from the field of Economics to that of Political Science will be elaborated. Next, various definitions and meanings of the rational choice will be discussed. The basic assumptions of the rational choice approach with political implication will be followed. Several issues raised by rational choice theory will be followed after this discussion. This paper will suggest some of the main criticisms that have been levied against the rational choice approach. Limited empirical validity of rational choice theory and methodological individualism, which reveals innate problematic nature of the theory, will be discussed. Finally, alternative explanations of individual choice mechanism will sum up this discussion. Before elaborating its theoretical discussion, it is necessary to discuss historical backgrounds of rational choice theory. In the article, â€Å"A Genealogy of Rational Choice: Rationalism, Elitism, and Democracy†, Maloy introduces Skinner’s analysis of behaviorism as fundamental background for the discussion of rational choice theory. He argues that, â€Å"Skinner’s analysis deserves the attention of the recent debates around rational choice ecause it calls attention to the ineluctable ideological features of methodological debate† (Maloy 751). According to Maloy, Skinner could â€Å"clarify the sorts of normative force which attach to empirical theories in social sciences by a close textual analysis of some leading contributions to the behaviorist debate†, which ultimately enables the discussion of rational choice to be furthered applied into different fields of study (Maloy 751). Milton Freidman is another crucial figure that provides profound theoretical base for discussing rational choice theory. In â€Å"The Methodology of Positive Economics†, Friedman argues that people and firms make decisions that can maximize their profit under perfect information. He defended rational choice model by arguing that, â€Å"a theory should be judged by its predictive accuracy, not the realism of its assumptions† (Friedman 10). His argument provides theoretical foundations of rational choice theory in Economics, even though it is often criticized by later scholars because of its weak empirical validity and ceteris paribus nature. While rational choice theory has been dominant paradigm in Economics, it has become â€Å"adapted and adjusted in a number of ways to fit† different fields of study such as Political Science; Maloy explains that â€Å"the distinctiveness of the rational choice approach among political scientists consists, in general terms, in the use of economic models to explain and predict political behavior (Maloy 753). Maloy points out three prominent figures, Arrow, Downs, and Olson as rational choice founders especially in the field of political science. According to Maloy, Arrow’s work focuses on so called, â€Å"collective rationality whose underlying purpose is to measure collective choices using standards normally applied to individual choices (Maloy 753). Down uses Arrow’s collective rationality as the starting point of his study and â€Å"aims to articulate a behavior rule for democratic governments so that they could be included in economic theories of general equilibrium, alongside non-state agents like private firms and consumers (Maloy 754). Finally, Olson’s analysis has taken â€Å"the key elements of Arrow’s and Down’s constructs and applied them to a narrower field†; He argues that â€Å"as long as the service provided by a voluntary association is a public good on which an individual can ride-free, there is no incentive actually to take on the costs associated with joining, membership and participation, unless the marginal contribution of that individual appreciably advances the organizational cause† (Maloy 754). All three choice founders’ works have enabled rational choice theory to be in the central place of political discussion in â€Å"the creative and cross-disciplinary ways† (Maloy 755). By arguing that voting results have no specific social meaning, voting has no individual efficacy, and participation in interest group activity has no special individual efficacy, these rational choice founders could criticize unrealistic and irrational assumptions and norms of traditional democratic system and bring rational choice model to the place of political discussion from the field of Economics (Maloy 755). Rational Choice Theory generally starts with consideration of the choice behavior of individual decision-making units, which in economics are often consumers and firms. The theory suggests that the individual decision-making unit is certain larger group such as buyers or sellers in a particular market. Once individual behavior is set up, the analysis generally moves on to examine how individual choices interact to produce outcomes. Then, what does it mean by arguing that a choice is rational? In rational choice theory it means that an agent’s choices reflect the most preferred possible alternative among given opportunities. In other words, choices must reflect utility maximization. Elinor Ostrom defines rational choice theory as a guide to â€Å"understand humans as self-interested, short-term maximizers† in his work, â€Å"A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action† (Ostrom 2). In the article, â€Å"The Political Psychology of Rational Choice Theory†, William H.  Riker also suggests that â€Å"the rational choice model begins with the assumption that actors know what they want and can order their wants transitively† (Riker 25). â€Å"Transitively† here means that an agent of rational choice model can do so called, â€Å"a transitive ordering†; â€Å"To know what one wants requires one to choose the best from among several goals and, failing to attain it, to choose the second best, etc† (Riker 24). This formulation of ordering enables an agent to pursue the best option with given constraints that limit choices he or she can have. In their work, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory†, Coleman and Fararo define rational choice sociologically as they use the term, â€Å"models of purposive action†, rather than rational choice; â€Å"These models rest on the assumption that actors are purposive which means they act in ways that tend to produce beneficial results† (Coleman and Fararo 21). These several definitions point out that choices pursuing utility maximization and outcomes made by these choices are key elements in rational choice theory. Then how is different when rational choice theory is applied into the field of Political Science instead of other fields of study such as Economics and Sociology? According to Riker, Economists’ main concern for rational choice is â€Å"the process and outcomes produced by voluntary exchange, where of course, all participants benefit. On the other hand, â€Å"Politics mainly concerns processes and outcomes produced by group decisions which are practically binding on those who cannot resign from the group. Thus, there can be losers and winners in politics according to Riker’s argument (Riker 24). Although Rational choice theory has long been the dominant paradigm in Economics and other fields of study, it has been subject to vigorous criticism. In â€Å"Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory†, Don Green and Ian Shapiro raises several empirical problems that rational choice theory possess; they â€Å"conclude that a number of methodological deficiencies plague empirical applications of rational choice models. They argue that, â€Å"fundamental and recurrent methodological failings rooted in the universalist aspirations that motivate so much rational choice theorizing† (Freidman 59). According to Green and Shapiro, â€Å"these mistakes stem from a method-driven rather than a problem-driven approach to research, in which practitioners are more eager to vindicate one or another universalist model than to understand and explain actual political outcomes† (Friedman 59). Green and Shapiro’s argument can be summarized into three propositions; â€Å"there is a list of methodological characteristics that are undesirable in an empirical science and are thus to be avoided. † â€Å"Empirical applications of rational choice theory are more likely to commit these mistakes than other types of empirical analysis in political science. â€Å"These pathologies are not due to and historical coincidence, but are rooted in fundamental characteristics of rational choice theory, especially its universalist aspirations and the lack of specificity in the rational actor assumption† (Freidman 60). These propositions suggest that rational choice theory has its empirical limit for testing and predicting actual political outcomes. In detail, Green and Shapiro point out several problems of rational choice theory that possibly undermines the empirical validity of the theory itself. Post hoc theory development† known to statisticians as â€Å"curve fitting† is one of these problems that rational choice theory contains. Green and Shapiro â€Å"contend that rather than formulating bold predictions that are falsifiable by empirical evidence, rational choice theorist tend first to look at the empirical evidence, then design a rational choice model that fits it† (Friedman 5). Another problem raised by Green and Shapiro is rational choice theorists’ engagement in â€Å"arbitrary domain restriction† (Friedman 5). As discussed earlier, certain restrictions or constraints enable â€Å"a transitive ordering† in rational choice theory. Green and Shapiro argue that these constraints and restrictions are defined in ambiguous ways in rational choice model, which ultimately makes the empirical validity of the theory weakened. Green and Shapiro’s examination of the phenomenon of voting behavior is another major example that shows these problems rational choice theory innately possesses. â€Å"In a real-world election with a large electorate, it is instrumentally irrational for anyone to case a ballot, since no single vote has more than an infinitesimal chance of deciding the outcome. Whether one favors selfish or selfless ends, virtually any activity in pursuit of those ends would be more effective than the time spent on voting and on educating oneself about candidates and issues. Yet hundreds of millions of people do vote. For rational choice theory, this would appear to be a gigantic anomaly† (Friedman 6); As noted earlier, rational choice theory presumes that an agent of the model seeks best possible outcomes to maximize his or her utility in given constraints. However, according to Green and Shapiro, in a real-world voting behavior does not confirm this assumption of rational choice theory where voters cast a ballot without having enough time to assess or predict its possible outcome and realizing whether his or her action of voting maximize benefit or not. Another issue raised by Green and Shapiro is free riding problem; While voters can easily pursue a free riding action on the efforts of others to help the cause succeed, there is no need for people to devote resources of time and money to cause desired results. In other words, â€Å"rational choice theory would seem to be refuted not only by people who vote, but by those who contribute small amounts of money to political campaigns, attend rallies, and engage in other forms of collective action designed to secure goals whose achievement is independent of the efforts of any single participant† (Friedman 7). As seen from Green and Shapiro’s founding, most criticisms of rational choice theory seem to be that the assumptions of the theory are not literally and completely true. No model can pass such a test, as all theories abstract from reality in certain way. Determining the empirical validity of a model would therefore seem to involve an examination of both feasibility of assumptions and conformity with real-world data. The most basic assumption of rational choice theory is that the primary unit of analysis is the individual decision-maker. Those who believe that groups are fundamental have criticized this assumption. This issue of so called, â€Å"methodological individualism† are dealt in many contexts in the social sciences. In the book, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and Critique†, Coleman and Fararo argues that models of purposive action or rational choice model can be useful in explaining and predicting human behavior. They further their argument by saying that â€Å"because the values and beliefs of individuals are shaped primarily by the socializing influences of society, especially as mediated through social relationships with significant other, an understanding of the culture and structure of societies and of the positions of individuals within them is necessary† (Coleman and Fararo 22). According to Coleman and Fararo, major problem for applying rational choice model particularly into Economics and Political Science, in which the primary interest has been in aggregate level outcomes, â€Å"is that the postulate of purposive action has been linked to arbitrary and narrow assumptions about what individuals value and believe† (Coleman Fararo 33). Also the assumption that human behavior is narrowly self-interested and the use of the term rationality to refer to the efficient pursuit of economic benefits has often produced incorrect assumption that rational choice model are innately egoistic; â€Å"that they regard individuals as calculating the expected benefit to themselves of alternative lines of action and acting accordingly (Coleman and Fararo 34). Recent empirical evidences suggest that human beings are capable of acting in ways for the interests of others or the social group above their self-interest, which implies that the assumption of individual’s pursuit of self-interest does not match with reality. Coleman and Fararo further their discussion of this â€Å"methodological individualism† by arguing that a social norm can be one primary example, which refutes the basic assumption of rational choice model. According to Coleman and Fararo, â€Å"When a social norm is know to have been violated, some type of formal or informal sanction will result† (Coleman Fararo 35). Formal sanction like a legal code or a set of rules and informal sanction like a disapproval or social ostracism would affect individual’s choice making process. Therefore, unlike the basic assumption of rational choice model suggests that human behavior is oriented from self-interest, by the effect of social norms and values, individuals can consequently act in altruistic or selfless way for pursuing the interests of groups they are involved in. Because of its limit and problematic nature of rational choice theory, the need for alternative explanation has become necessary for many scholars who criticize the theory. Dennis Chong provides some insights for the possible alternative of rational choice theory in his article, â€Å"Rational Choice Theory’s Mysterious Rivals†. According to Chong, even though Green and Shapiro’s critique against rational choice theory has failed to provide complete form of alternative explanation, there are some theoretical debates and discussions that suggest possible theoretical replacement or revision. Chong argues that, â€Å"Green and Shapiro occasionally allude to the influence of social-psychological and moral factors† such as group loyalties, emotions, political identities, ideology, obligation, and altruism (Friedman 47). As found in Coleman and Fararo’s arguments that institutional or social factors can affect individual’s choice making process, many scholars further their discussion of this social motivation as the alternative of rational choice theory. In his article, â€Å"When Rationality Fails†, Michael Taylor argues that social identification and intrinsic motivation can explain some of significant social phenomenon and collective action that has been ignored by rational choice theory; â€Å"If a person defines herself as a member of a group, or if her membership in a group is made cognitively salient, then she is more likely to observe the group’s norms and cooperate with group members in social dilemmas† (Friedman 230). For intrinsic motivation, Taylor explains that there are some activities that are intrinsically motivating people to be participated such as interesting work, volunteering, and political activities. In this case the activity itself or enjoyment of that activity is the reward for people. When extrinsic rewards like money are introduced, intrinsic motivation would diminish (Friedman 231). By suggesting the concept of social identification and intrinsic motivation, problems of rational choice model for explaining some collective action can be resolved. In this paper, a sense of how rational choice theory works and of its methodological foundations has been introduced. It has also been noticed that rational choice theory is not an ultimate answer. The theory is subject to a number of criticisms, but there is no doubt that its influence in various fields of study have brought tremendous amounts of theoretical debates, and increased the depth of economic, sociological, and political discussions. It is impossible to attain complete knowledge about anything, especially social phenomena. However, it is certain that rational choice approach is one of most crucial theoretical resources for human beings to explore and examine to gain this ultimate answer. It can be useful or misleading, depending on how it is treated. It is responsibility of remaining and future scholars and people to correctly apply and use this theory with open-minded attitude.

Distress and Quality of Life of Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Distress and Quality of Life of Type 2 Diabetic Patients The present study measured the Distress and Quality of life of type II diabetic patients-of the two groups, group 1 and Group 2. It also assessed the correlation between Distress and Quality of life and their subdivisions such as, the correlation between Distress, emotional distress, physician distress, regimen distress, interpersonal distress; Quality of life, energy and mobility, diabetes control, anxiety and worry, sexual functioning and social burdens using Pearson’s correlation. This study also measured the difference in Distress and Quality of Life between group 1 and group 2. The first objective of the present study was to measure the Distress and Quality of life in type II Diabetic patients. This was done by using two scales, Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS17) and Diabetes 39 (D39). The frequencies and normal distribution of Distress among group 1 and group 2 shown in Figure 1 portray that there is high Distress among the participants in group 1 than in group 2; where high score indicate high Distress. Similar findings were found in a study done by Fisher, Skaff, Mullan, Arean, Glasgow Masharani (2008), an increase in distress upto 60% was present over a period of time. In Figure 2, the frequencies and normal distribution of Quality of life of group 1 and group 2 were shown which portrays that group 2 has higher Quality of Life than group 1, where low score represents high Quality of life. The second objective was to find if there exists a correlation between Distress and Quality of Life. Research review shows that there was a significant relationship between Distress Quality of life (Wu, Huang, Liang, Wang, Lee Tung, 2011). Owing to the scoring pattern, the present study showed similar results with a positive correlation between the scores of Distress and Quality of life i.e., higher score of Distress and high score of Quality of Life. However, it is to be interpreted as a negative relationship between distress and quality of life as is implied by their scoring pattern, where higher scores in distress represents higher distress whereas higher scores in quality of life represents lower Quality of life. Thus, it may be interpreted that higher the Distress, lower the Quality of Life and there was a relation established between higher Distress and Lower Quality of life. The third objective of the study was to find the difference between group 1 and group 2 of Distress and Quality of life, to find the difference between participants practicing faith based yoga as a complimentary intervention aside from the allopathy medications and participants just using the medication. There were many previous studies showing, certain management techniques have a great impact on controlling the blood sugar levels (Singh, Tandon Sharma, 2005). It was found that the Distress among group 1 was high compared to group 2. Same trend was demonstrated in all the dimensions of Distress such as emotional distress, physician distress, regimen distress and interpersonal distress. similar finding were reported by Sharma, Sen, Singh, Bharadwaj, Kochupillai Singh (2003), where type II Diabetic patients practicing sudarshana kriya were found to be experiencing low level of stress. Though both the groups differed significantly in all the dimensions of distress, the difference bet ween the groups was higher in the emotional distress dimension. As indicated by the earlier studies such as those by Snoek Polonsky (2000); Rock (2003); Pouwer (2009) that individuals diagnosed with Diabetes have emotional disturbances due to various reasons such as medication, frequent visits to hospital, comorbid conditions of Diabetes etc. Going by the dimensions of Distress, high Distress was found to be in the dimensions of Emotional Distress, followed by regimen distress, physician distress and interpersonal distress in group 1. As there was a correlation seen between Distress and Quality of life, the same was reflected in the results where group 2 had better Quality of life than group 1, where high score represents low Quality of life. Going by the dimensions, group 2 had higher Quality of life in the dimensions of energy and mobility, social burdens, diabetes control, sexual functioning and anxiety and worry. This is in accordance to the previous finding which state that there was an improvement in the Quality of life in people diagnosed with type II Diabetes who were practicing yogic breathing techniques, sudarshana kriya and pranayama (Jyothsna, Joshi, Ambedkar, Kumar, Dhawan Sreenivas, 2012). The complimentary management technique use not only gives the patients physical relaxation but it also gives them the psychological relaxation. Hence, they might act upon the lowering of Distress and higher Quality of Life of the patient. This complimentary technique gives physical, psychological as well as social outcomes. Physical outcomes are described by medical literature in multiple ways. Psychological outcomes are seen in terms of relaxation and as seen in the outcomes of lowered distress and enhanced quality of life. Togetherness with people with similar diagnosis doing an effort to manage the disease condition might contribute to the social angle. Thus, the complimentary management technique used by the group in the present study seems to have contributed effectively as indicated by low Distress and better Quality of life and their dimensions. The importance of Art of living in decreasing the Distress and enhancing the Quality of Life has been understood. Many studies have also kept forward their view on the benefits a person could achieve following Faith based yoga. As mentioned earlier by many of the physicians across the globe, Faith based yoga can be an effective intervention complimenting the allopathy medicine. Therefore, this study can contribute to the existing studies supporting this view where people can decrease their Distress and enhance their Quality of life and their dimensions to effectively control Diabetes. Shortcomings and future directions The major shortcoming of this study is the sample size, larger sample would have provided better representation of the characteristics of the population. Another major shortcoming of this study was administering the scales in group (in the Art of living centres), this could have prompted the participants to give socially desirable responses. Future recommendations of this study would be to compare the participants practicing Art of living above 10 years and below 10 years, this would give more insight on the long term effects of practicing Art of Living. Future research may also be conducted comparing the impact of various forms of Faith based yoga such as Brahma kumaries, Christian Yoga, Vipasana etc. on type II Diabetic patients. Study would have yielded clearer results if there was a pre and post interventional design. That is measurement of Distress and Quality of Life on participants before they practiced Faith based yoga and after practicing the same for a considerable period o f time such as one year or more. This would have yielded a clear effect of faith based yoga. Further research may be conducted in this direction.

Essay --

Jefferson Finis Davis was born on June 3,1808, in ____ Kentucky. He was the tenth of ten children. Davis was named after the third president of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson. During his childhood Davis moved twice; he moved at the age of 3 to St.Mary Parish, Louisiana. Less than a year later he moved to Wilkinson County, Mississippi. Three of his brothers served in the war of 1812. He began his education in 1813 at Wilkinson Academy, near the family cotton plantation. Davis Later attended a catholic school called Saint Thomas. When he was there he was the only protestant student in attendance. Davis went on to attend Jefferson College in Washington, Mississippi, in 1818, and then attended Transylvania University at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1821. His father Samuel died on July 4, 1824, when Jefferson was 16 years old. He attended the United States Military Academy starting in 1824. He was placed under house arrest after his involvement in the eggnog riots. In June 182 8 he graduated 23rd in a class of 33. Following graduation, Second Lieutenant Davis was assigned to the 1st Infantry Regiment he was stationed at Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Territory. Zachary Taylor had recently been placed in command of the fort when Davis arrived in early 1829. Davis returned to Mississippi on furlough in March 1832 this was his first leave since arriving at the fort. The Black Hawk war broke out while Davis was still in Mississippi. He quickly returned to the fort in August 1832. At the end of the war, Colonel Taylor assigned him to the transportation of Black Hawk to prison. Davis soon fell in love with Sarah Knox Taylor, his commanding officers daughter. They pursued Sarah’s father for permission to marry but he... ...inted and then elected to the U.S. Senate. He resigned his position to run for Governor of Mississippi. Although he was not successful, he was ultimately named Secretary of War under President Pierce. He went back to the Senate in the 1840s and remained there until Mississippi seceded January 9, 1861. Davis waited for official notification and addressed the Senate on January 21, 1861 calling it the â€Å"saddest day of his life.† He returned to Mississippi. Davis was first named as Major General for the Army of Mississippi on January 23, 1861 and then elected as Provisional President of the Confederate States of America and inaugurated in February. He was selected because of his military and political background. When Virginia joined the Confederacy, Davis moved the Capital to Richmond in May 1861. By November he had been elected to a full-six year term as President.

Anger by Gender

Popular stereotypes typically do not associate females with the direct expression of anger. Brody and Hall ( 1993) reviewed research on gender and emotion and found that people very clearly see females as more expressive than males when it comes to many emotions, but not in regard to anger, which was associated with males.They cite studies that indicate the consistency of such beliefs; people from various socioeconomic and age backgrounds share the belief that anger is expressed more often and more intensely by males. Cultural norms encourage or at least allow males to respond angrily when provoked; cultural defmitions of femininity make it difficult for females to be openly hostile or angry. If women fail to restrain their anger, they tend to be viewed as emotional or hysterical (Buss, 2001).These assumptions are reflected in the research literature, which focuses primarily on male-to-male or male-to-female hostility and aggression, rather than hostility and aggression on the part o f females directed at either at men or other women.This double standard is beginning to erode. Some observers believe that women can be more aggressive and assertive today, although they are still subject to more limits than men (Averill, 1992).Francesca Cancian and Steven Gordon (1988) document a normative shift in the twentieth century, which actually encourages women today to express emotions such as anger. Their research linked marital emotion norms to political and cultural events and found that in periods of social upheaval, women are encouraged to be more open with their anger.Research presents mixed findings in regard to gender and various measures of anger and hostility.For self-reported hostility, paper-and-pencil measures such as the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory have not revealed sex differences. Barefoot. et al. ( 1991), using a large national sample, found that men outscored women on cynical hostility regardless of age. James Check and Neil Malamuth ( 1985) assessed hostility in Canadian women and men and found that the men's average score was slightly higher than the women's (8.79 versus 7.57).When men and women were asked to keep track of specific anger experiences, Campbell ( 1993) found no significant differences in the frequency of such experiences: over a oneweek period, men reported that they became angry between six and seven times, and women between five and six times. (Buss, 2001)Tavris ( 1989) examined sex differences in anger and found no differences in how anger is experienced, how it is expressed, how well it is identified, or what categories of things arouse anger. She believes, however, that although women do not feel anger any less strongly than men, they are less likely to express it because of the costs associated with their lower social status.Tavris points out that men and women become angry about the same categories of offenses, such as condescending treatment, injustice, and attacks on self-esteem, but they often disagree about what they consider to be condescending treatment, injustice, or attack.Frodi and Macaulay ( 1977) found that both women and men were angered by condescending treatment: women regardless of the provoker's sex and men by a superior attitude on the part of a female. Men were more angered than women by physical and verbal aggression on the part of another male.Brody and Hall ( 1993) reviewed studies showing that there are fairly clearcut differences in regard to positive emotions (with women experiencing and expressing them more), but in regard to negative emotions, especially anger, the findings are less consistent. Females were more likely to feel and express â€Å"intropunitive† emotions (such as shame, sadness, and guilt), and men were more likely to feel and express â€Å"outward directed† emotions (such as contempt).However, for anger, differences between the sexes are often very small or males are more angry than females. Kopper and Epperson (1991) looked at the relationship between sex and sex role identity on anger expression and found sex not to be an important factor in the expression or suppression of anger (however, sex role identity was).Some research finds more anger on the part of females. The review article by Brody and Hall ( 1993) cites research by Brody that found more anger on the part of women toward imaginary male protagonists.Mirowsky and Ross ( 1995) investigated whether women's greater distress accounts are a function of women's greater expressiveness (they are not) or whether they truly experience more distress (they do). In the process of their work they found that females experience various feelings, including anger, more often than males.Reiser ( 1994) explored respondents' feelings of anger toward the other sex using a random sample of North Carolina residents and found a significant sex difference, with female respondents reporting greater anger than male respondents. Conger et al. (1993, cited by Miroswky and R oss 1995) surveyed 451 married couples who lived in the rural Midwest and found that the women reported significantly greater levels of marital hostility than the men.

Essay on Prison Architecture

Shawn Connell Professor Blomquist Writing 101-15 4/16/12 Prison Architecture Wallace Stegner once said, â€Å"Nothing in our history has bound us to a plot of ground [since] feudalism once bound Europeans† (Stegner 301). The only exception is being imprisoned. For those who brake society’s set laws, â€Å"Prisons and their many variants are built environments whose intended purpose is punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation and incapacitation† (Awofeso). Prisons began to be more widely used because the early Catholic Church disapproved of physical punishments.In 1298, Pope Boniface VIII authorized that incarceration and lack of liberty will take the place of the â€Å"eye for an eye† way of settling disputes previously employed (Awofeso). Today, architects are still debating what the best way to design a prison and punish guilty people is. Architects’ and theorists’ many differing morals such as how cruel one can treat an inmate, can influence their opinions of prisoner treatment and rehabilitation driving their designs to be unique, often having varying negative psychological effects on their inmates.Jeremy Benthem, a theorist, had sketched quite a harsh prison concept in 1781 called the Panopticon. He believed prisons should be a form of strict discipline. His structure allowed one guard to watch all the prisoners without them knowing when they were being watched. â€Å"The mental uncertainty implicit in prisoners’ not knowing when they are being watched was promoted as a crucial instrument of discipline† (Awofeso). The prisoners were to have no contact with any other inmates. The prisoner â€Å"is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject in communication† (Foucault 226).Without being able to talk to one another, the inmates could not discuss their crimes and get encouragement to repeat them. There also exists no chance of a planned rebellion or escape, making it only necessary to have one guard. Benthem believes to truly punish the perpetrators; their authority and dignity must be undermined. They must be stripped of any power or worth they have. They are to constantly live without knowing when they are being watched, which would translate after they are released. The prisoners would be so used to acting as though they were being examined and possibly become better people outside the prison.Benthem’s Panopticon was never directly erected so the effects on prisoners are unknown. However, through Craig Haney’s studies of other prisons, one can be sure Panopticism would have had adverse effects on those incarcerated there. Being watched constantly, Haney believes prisoners may, â€Å"labor at both an emotional and behavioral level to develop a â€Å"prison mask† that is unrevealing and impenetrable; many for whom the mask becomes especially thick and†¦[they find themselves] disincentive against engaging in open commu nication with others [and leads] them to withdrawal from authentic social interactions altogether† (Haney).Panopticicsm would dull inmates to a point of no emotions. They would become accustomed to the paranoia of being seen so they hide their feelings and actions. And since they would have no contact with any other person, they could lose all communication skills. In today’s society, the Panopticon’s form of punishment may be dubbed by the Contituation as cruel and unusual punishment. In contrast, John Haviland designed The Eastern State Penitentiary in 1821.The design was based off of the values of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons of â€Å"correctional reform and social justice† (Eastern State Penitentiary) with a purpose to bring inmates to god and a righteous way of life. â€Å"Many leaders believe that crime is the result of environment, and that solitude will make the criminal regretful and penitent† (Eas tern State Penitentiary). The designer utilized unique architectural details to enhance the religious atmosphere to encourage this regret.He incorporated components of famous religious architecture such as the immense churches built in the era of grand Gothic and Romanesque cathedrals to enforce the idea that god is almighty and constantly watching. Their hope was to have the prisoners repent their crimes and embrace a new life of innocence. Haviland factored in a religious element into almost every detail of the structure. The facade is fitted with lancet windows and stained glass. The entrances to the cells are small and short, forcing the new inmate to bow his or her head to enter.Inside the cells themselves, the sole form of light is a skylight representing the light of God or the all seeing eye of God. This system attempts to spiritually cleanse the new comer or in other words, the approach to the prison is a realization of one’s sins, the entrance into the cell is an ac t of submission, and the time spent in the cell is the beginning of a new life of holiness. The prisoners of Eastern State Penitentiary were not permitted to have contact with anyone, not even the guards.The inmates were meant to not even know where they were and were often masked when entering the building and their dwelling. Wendell Berry once stated â€Å"If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are† (Stegner 299). This was meant to allow the prisoners to have a fresh start and a new beginning; to become a new and improved human being. Haviland wished to truly improve the lives of the individual prisoners and society at large in a way he thought was philanthropic. Although Haviland’s intentions seemed benign, studies show that isolation can be one of the cruelest forms of punishment.In fact, â€Å"there are few if any forms of imprisonment that produce so many indices of psychological trauma and symptoms of psychopathology in those pers ons subjected to [isolation]† (Haney). With a lack of communication with others, â€Å"many may develop emotional flatness that becomes chronic and debilitating in social interaction and relationships, and find that they have created a permanent and unbridgeable distance between themselves and other people† (Haney). There is quite a list of possible negative psychological effects including clinical depression, paranoia, rage, helplessness, violence, and cognitive dysfunction to name a few (Haney).If Haviland knew of these side effects, maybe he would have designed the Eastern State Penitentiary differently. Today, the average United States prison is quite different than the ideas of Haviland and Benthem. The prisons are known to have many negative trends. They usually tend to be very over crowded with two or more prisoners sharing a cell with men or women they have never met before living in close quarters with often one toilet in a cell with no privacy. Most are subjec ted to extreme violence and intimidation from both other inmates and often overworked staff.Many prisoners live in constant fear that they will be harmed physically or mentally by their peers. This type of prison system is not very effective. â€Å"Few people are completely unchanged or unscathed by the experience †¦[and] suffer long-term consequences from having been subjected to pain, deprivation, and extremely atypical patterns and norms of living and interacting with others† (Haney). Many cannot re-adjust to normal life outside prison where every activity and meal is organized for them. Some ontinue to be violent or paranoid that violence will be done unto them. Therefore, some designers have unique ideas to counter these negative effects like Josef Hohensinn. Josef Hohensinn believes the prison system should be changed. He believes â€Å"The more normal a life you give them [in prison], the less necessary it is to resocialize them when they leave† (Lewis). So , he created a resort-like prison in Leoben, Austria. His structure features floor to ceiling windows, full kitchens, and balconies.It is still secure; it is in a completely isolated area, the glass is all shatterproof, and the balconies all have bars. In Hohensinn’s opinion, prisons are merely a place to hold captives for a period of time. The inner workings of more common prisons are not natural and cause criminals to become possibly more dangerous by stripping them of their dignity, often abusing them, and making them slowly forget how to live a normal life. â€Å"About 67 percent of the prisoners who are released are arrested again within three years† (Lewis) in a normal prison.Hohensinn believes it’s just â€Å"an expensive way of making bad people worse† (Lewis). Above the door of his building, there is a quote that reads â€Å"All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the huma n person† (Lewis). His type of prison is very controversial. It was erected only eight years ago so the effect on inmates and the return rate are still unknown, however in comparison to the Panopticon and Eastern State, Leoben should have no negative effects on prisoner’s mental health.Craig Haney says â€Å"There is little or no evidence that prison systems across the country have responded in a meaningful way to these psychological issues, either in the course of confinement or at the time of release,† so Hohensinn is one of the first (Haney). The inmates at Leoben are permitted to have normal contact with others eliminating any social problems that may occur from solitary confinement. They are also allowed to cook and eat when and what they choose. Prisoners typically are denied their basic privacy rights, and lose control over mundane aspects of their existence that most citizens have long taken for granted† which can be the most damaging (Haney). The s cheduled life style employed by common American prisons causes inmates to be unaware how to run their lives when they return home. But with Hohensinn’s design, they maintain a normal life, just in another place away from society for a while. While many may not find his prison a true form of punishment, it stands to be the best way to date of how to treat inmates so they have less of a need to readjust to normal life in society.Architecture can reveal so much about how a society or person wishes to discipline and rehabilitate law breakers (Awofeso). There are few laws and regulations dealing with architecture of prisons in particular, therefore the architect has significant freedom to design a facility he or she sees as fit and productive. All plan to benefit society even if it is through very different ways. While some wish to punish cruelly like Jeremy Benthem, others wish to reform and improve the lives of these criminals. Both ways can be effective.If prisoners are punishe d cruelly, they may be too intimidated to commit another crime for fear of being imprisoned again. But if they are reformed, they may have the understanding of why the crime should not be committed in the first place. The theories are still unproven so there exists no â€Å"right† way to construct a facility. It remains up to the governing officials to approve and fund the architect’s designs and set them into action. Possibly in the future there will be a set way the world treats those who disobey the law, but today’s designs and the designs of the past remain up to the unique individuals who create them.

Reward Systems Essay

Once of a manager’s most important tools is the ability to select rewards and time the rewards properly. Even if managers are not solely responsible for financial rewards, they can use a number of tools to increase the effectiveness of their organization. Reward systems can address several important managerial objectives as they relate to employee motivation. A solid reward system requires concerted attention in its development. The following sections provide a basis for a well-contructed reward system. Purposes of Reward Systems Reward systems serve several purposes in organizations. Effective reward systems help an organization be more competitive, retain key employees, and reduce turnover. Reward systems also can enhance employee motivation and reinforce the image of an organization among key stakeholders or future employees. People are the most important resource for organizational competitiveness, and keeping them on the job is a key task for any manager. Competition to attract and keep the best employees is intense. For people looking for a career opportunity, that’s great news, but as a manager of an organization needing to keep the best and brightest, it is a challenge. It may be even harder in the nonprofit and public sectors where flexibility in providing financial rewards may be more limited than in a commercial context. Retaining employees saves money on retraining costs, improves the consistency of services, and allows for relationships to develop between clients and the organization. In a ddition, proper rewards systems can reduce absences. Absences cause innumerable headaches for managers. Instructors who don’t show up, too few staff members at busy times, and the lack of a cleanup crew can all increase workplace stress. Absences not only affect the manager but also fellow employees who need to pick up the slack and clients who feel the brunt of too few employees on site. As suggested earlier, understanding who, what, and when to reward can improve employees’ performance. However, the improper use of rewards can have a debilitating effect on employee performance. Managers need to understand their employees’ perceptions of the importance and fairness of the reward and then clearly communicate what needs to be done to receive the reward. Effective use of rewards can encourage employees to gain the skills that are necessary to  help them and the organization grow. This can also increase their desire to continue being part of the organization. For example, an organization can pay and provide time off for employees who want to take advanced courses in an area that is valuable for the organization. Some organizations may even provide time off or support to help employees advance their own personal goals or skill sets. Ideally, an organization wants employees who not only show up to work but are excited about being there as well. This passion for work has been referred to as affective commitment. Although research is somewhat preliminary, there is s ome indication that affective commitment can be strengthened by rewards that enhance employee perceptions of being supported and having control of the work situation. Finally, reward systems can also help with recruiting efforts. Just as happy customers may be the best advertisement for a particular product, happy employees are often a great tool for recruiting new employees and making the organization a workplace of choice. Think about the kind of job you want. Often you will easily be able to identify an organization that stands above the others as a great place to work. As a consequence of this, the organization can attract the best and brightest, creating a virtuous circle whereby it becomes an even more attractive workplace. Hopefully you can see that establishing the right reward structure for an organization is critical to its success. The following sections delve into the details of various reward structures. Types of Rewards Understanding how each employee perceives and values different rewards is an essential part of management. Managers need to grasp an understanding of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards are external rewards tied to certain employee behaviors, skills, time, or roles in an organization. How employees perceive these rewards relevant to their performance and the rewards given to others will ultimately determine the effectiveness of the rewards. Managers also need to understand how much value each employee places on specific extrinsic rewards. For example, a well-paid but overworked employee may value additional vacation time or a reduced workload more than a few extra dollars. Money, praise, awards, and incentive prizes such as tickets to a concert or a game are all examples of extrinsic motivators. Whatever motivator the manager chooses, the employee must see  the reward as a motivator for it to be effective. For example, if the extrinsic reward is tickets to the opera, an employee who hates the opera likely would not be motivated by the tickets. On the other hand, if the employee is a football fan and the extrinsic reward is tickets to a major game, the motivator might be more effective. It is simpler to explain what intrinsic rewards are by discussing what they are not. Intrinsic rewards do not have an obvious external incentive; that is, people are not acting to get a tangible reward, be it time off or money. Instead, they act because it feels good or provides some form of internal satisfaction. Intrinsic rewards are often more highly valued and more effective over time, yet using them is a difficult managerial task. Intrinsic rewards derive from employees feeling good about the job they have done, the effort they have put forward, or the role they played in a team project. Intrinsic rewards in the workplace come from the job itself, so to provide intrinsic reinforcement, a manager should enrich the job. Job enrichment involves improving work p rocesses and environments so they are more satisfying for employees, such as eliminating dysfunctional elements or enlarging jobs (increasing the duties and responsibilities of a job). Developing an effective reward system can be a difficult task. The following sections provide some guidance on the basics of an effective reward system. These sections focus almost exclusively on extrinsic rewards, but intrinsic rewards should also be considered when developing each employee’s job. Monetary Versus Nonmonetary Rewards Monetary rewards are most commonly given in the form of pay increases, bonuses, or increases in benefits, such as pension or health care premiums. Such rewards can be divided into two categories: direct and indirect compensation (table 11.1). Both contribute to the financial betterment of an employee. Direct compensation is relatively straightforward and consists of increases in hourly pay, increases in hours (for nonsalaried employees), increases in salary, merit pay based on performance, seniority pay based on time with an organization, and bonuses based on the achievement of individual, group, or organizational objectives. Indirect monetary compensation includes increases to benefits or the addition  of benefits such as a dental plan. It can also include paid leave in the form of vacation days, days off for training, or longer time off such as a sabbatical, as well as paid leave for illness, caring for a child, or caring for an elderly parent. Additionally, some organizations may offer services as part of an indirect compensation package, such as on-site child care, an elder care program, an on-site cafeteria, a games room or gym, and confidential counseling services for employees and their families. Again, indirect compensation should be valuable to employees and ideally should offer choices from a range of services. Nonmonetary rewards cost the organization but do not directly improve the employee’s financial position (table 11.1). Supplying employees with the best tools possible to do their job is an example, such as providing a new high-end laptop or having an excellent training facility f or coaches at a university. A good office location, choice of furnishings, or special parking place can all be nonmonetary rewards. Employees may not know the full details of pay and other monetary benefits of coworkers, but nonmonetary rewards are often visible and can create perceptions of inequity in an organization. In some cases, this may be the intent of managers who want employees to strive to achieve the stereotypical corner office, but often it may also unintentionally encourage feelings of inequity. That inequity may have positive implications for an organization if employees strive to increase performance, or it can result in turnover and reduced performance. As with any reward, nonmonetary rewards need to be carefully thought out before being implemented. Performance-Based Versus Membership-Based Rewards One of the most difficult challenges for managers is to decide what to base rewards on. A common distinction is performance-based versus membership-based rewards. As the name implies, performance-based rewards are tied to the ability of an individual, team, group, or organization to meet some previously agreed-upon standard of performance. Performance rewards are based on an evaluation of contribution and awards are allocated based on that evaluation. Membership-based rewards are allocated solely for being part of a group within an organization. These rewards commonly include annual cost-of-living increases to a base salary or support for an equity policy. For example, if a park and recreation department was looking to  encourage staff to have master’s degrees or obtain certification, they might offer pay incentives for having either or both. Membership-based rewards are also often tied to length of time with an organization. For instance, after a certain length of service w ith an organization, employees may receive a certain percentage increase to their pay or be eligible for additional benefits. In a unionized environment, many of these rewards are spelled out in a labor agreement. To illustrate the difference between the two structures, let’s look at annual raises. A performance-based structure means that each employee’s performance is evaluated and raises are based on performance, with the highest performers getting the most money. A membership-based structure means that all employees receive the same raise regardless of performance. Membership structures can be demotivating to high performers because they get the same rewards despite working harder. Nontraditional Rewards As more and more managers understand the importance of individualizing reward systems, the use of nontraditional rewards will continue to grow. Time is often a key constraint, and for many people work is a major time commitment. Ways in which employees can individualize their work schedule are becoming increasingly important rewards. Four methods of individualization are reduced workweeks, staggered daily schedules, flextime, and working from home. Reduced Workweek A reduced workweek often sees employees working a 4-day week instead of 5 days. In return for that extra day, employees work longer on their 4 days in the office. For example, in a 40-hour workweek from Monday through Friday, employees would work 8-hour days, but the reduced workweek would see hours increase to 10 hours a day for 4 days. The benefits to the employees are longer blocks of time to take care of their personal lives, less frequent and often less busy commutes, and ultimately more useful time for themselves. The organization has no additional expenses and evidence suggests that absenteeism and time lost for personal reasons decreases. However, there are also downsides for both employees and the organization. Parents, for example, may find it difficult to find child care that is open late or early enough to accommodate the longer work schedule. The longer  work day may also be a constraint to people who are involved in weekly evening activities, be it coaching a team or attending an art class. Some jobs may also not lend themselves to longer days. A lifeguard or sport instructor may be considerably less effective in those last 2 hours, which can lead to decreased performance and in some cases safety risks. Also, the hours and timing of work may affect service to clients. Even if an organization maintains its regular schedule, clients expecting to reach a particular person during traditional business hours may find the new schedule frustrating. Finally, reduced workweeks seem to be most effective when employees themselves are involved in creating the schedule. Understand that employees participating in reduced workweeks need to be scheduled so that the entire organization is not gone on Friday! Staggered Daily Schedule An alternative to a reduced workweek may be a staggered daily schedule. Employees still work their designated weekly hours but can allocate those hours in different ways. For example, one employee may want to come in late and leave later to accommodate dropping off children. Someone else may prefer being in the office an hour earlier and leaving an hour earlier. These schedules may even be adapted weekly or monthly to accommodate changing employee needs. This idea meets employees’ individual needs but can often be difficult to manage. Again, a staggered daily schedule may not be appropriate in all settings and must consider not only employee needs but also organizational requirements and client desires. Flextime Flextime allows some employee freedom while still meeting client and organizational needs. Employees are expected to be in the office during a certain time frame, usually ranging from 4 to 6 hours, such as 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Flextime emphasizes productivity and allows the employee some leeway in that flexibility zone (before 9:30 a.m. and after 3:30 p.m.). For example, take Pat, an aquatics programmer. Pat has two school-aged children and requires some flexibility to drop them off and pick them up at school. Pat has worked with the employer and agreed that he will be at the pool between the hours of 9:30 and 3:30 but will complete the rest of his work elsewhere. This ensures that Pat’s coworkers and clients can reach him at predictable times while still allowing him the personal flexibility he  requires at this point in his life. This type of arrangement has been effective for many organizations and employees, although obviously it won’t work in all situations. Fl extime also allows a staff person more control over their hours. For example, a special events coordinator works 5 hours over the weekend. The following week, the coordinator comes in an hour later than usual each day. Working From Home As technology has advanced, the option of working at home for some or all of the workday is becoming increasingly possible. A high-speed Internet connection and a laptop computer connected to the workplace network provide many people with everything they need to do their job. Obviously this arrangement is more suited to some positions than others. A job developing programs for a municipal recreation department would be more suited to a work-at-home plan as opposed to the job of instructing the programs. Working for some or all of the workweek at home can offer fewer workplace distractions, allow employees time to concentrate on projects that are important to the organization, and make more effective use of the day by eliminating the need to commute as well as the usual time killers present in most offices. However, working from home is not for everyone. The distractions of the home require discipline, and for those who consistently work at home the blurred distinction between home an d office can be unsettling. Additionally, monitoring employees at home is nearly impossible. Evaluation needs to be performance based and work-at-home schemes do not work for organizations that want to monitor how employees spend their time. Allowing employees to work at home part of the time, however, may be an excellent compromise for both employees and the organization.