How Social Networking Is Changing Hr Practices free essay sample

MG4027 Meadhbh Teegan Long 102088584 Word count: 2048 How Social Networking is changing HR practices. It is fairly safe to say that the internet has changed the way we operate our personal and business lives. The more current issue is that social media has changed the way we organise our social and professional calendars and the way in which we correspond with others, both business and non-business. The continuing growth of social networks such as MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook etc. has significant ramifications for employers. In the ever advancing information age, social networks have become the newest tool of the HR manager. But just how useful can they really be to a HR manager? It is important to note that there are a host of different categories of social networking sites. Some focused at general friendships, others at specific interests and also those which concentrate on the user’s professional persona. As we know, a professional and private persona can be two different things so this choice of networking sites reflects this. We will write a custom essay sample on How Social Networking Is Changing Hr Practices or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Obviously the internet has changed HR techniques drastically in recent years, with the advent of online job posting, online testing and recruitment; HR managers now have more access than ever to candidates. However, the use of social networks for recruiting purposes is relatively new. But this use of social networks as a means of gaining information about a candidate is clearly on the rise. The â€Å"profile page† of a user of a social networking site may be accessed by anyone who is a member of the same networking site, subject to the privacy and security settings applied by the user themselves. The use of social networks for recruitment purposes is now a widely common practice due to its close relation to the act of posting an advertisement for a position on the internet. Social networks are even beginning to develop classified sections for job seekers and job posters. Social networking sites such as LinkedIn are becoming an increasingly valuable tool for employers in locating qualified candidates, and for candidates to display their credentials to potential employers. In theory the concept is ideal and it seems to work extremely well. As with everything, there are issues with legitimacy of information provided. How reliable and job-relevant the information provided is a big challenge which these professional social networks present. The use of social networking site presents a particular problem with regard to screening and selection. Unfortunately, while sites like LinkedIn can give a candidate an opportunity to sell themselves as professionals, networking sites which focus more on the social aspect can paint a completely different picture to employers. The practice of an employer accessing information about an employee or potential candidate via Facebook, MySpace etc. is still a relatively new behaviour. The difference is that while a candidate may build their LinkedIn profile to aim at employers, they build their Facebook profile to aim at friends and it’s this lax attitude which can be detrimental to their opportunities. With more than 400 million active users on Facebook alone, employers can now find almost all young job candidates on Facebook, MySpace, Google Plus or LinkedIn and take an unfiltered look at the real person behind the resume. Between 2008 and 2009, the percentage of employers who research job candidates using social networking sites rose from 22% to 45% (careerbuilder. com). There are potential pitfalls for employers using social networking sites to screen candidates. It is widely known to HR managers that you cannot, during the interview process, legally ask a candidate about their age, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, health etc. As you cannot ask these questions and make hiring decisions based on those protected classes, you cannot then bypass the law by finding out that information by visiting the candidates profile on various social networking sites and then prevent the employment of the candidate based on that knowledge. Suddenly, with the advent of the â€Å"personal profile† an employer has more access to details of our lives, both those details which we choose to share with the employer or potential employer and also the information we intend to share with friends only. From a HR point of view, this can be both a friend and a foe. While it offers us a much better picture of the candidate, it does not always present an accurate idea of their lifestyle. Weve all heard the urban legends of people who posted inappropriate things about their employer or colleagues on Facebook, MySpace etc and got into serious trouble when their employer saw it. But does this really happen? In Genova’s No Place to Play, we are told that this is becoming a more common criterion for termination. Employers are learning that these social networking sites are a great way to â€Å"keep an eye on† employees. Genova highlights the lack of legislation in the area. While the employee’s right to privacy and other various older laws are relevant, there are few specific regulations on this monitoring behaviour. A large number of employers assume that it is acceptable to view and, where necessary, use information gained from social networking sites in recruiting and disciplining employees as long as specific laws (e. g. , civil rights laws) are not violated (Roberts Roach 2009). Without any legal understanding on the issue, surely it then becomes the responsibility of the employer to come up with a method of defining the terms of use. Companies are understandably concerned about how their employees might use these sites, given that 74% of the employees themselves believe that it is easy to harm a companys reputation on such sites (Deloitte 2009). As a result of this we see the advent of items such as this appearing in employment contracts. Many companies have begun introducing clauses preventing the employee from mentioning their place of work or naming fellow employees or managers on any virtual media into the contract of employment itself. This seems like a straightforward solution to the problem. A HR manager these days would need to be aware of the details and wording of these clauses and know how to place and use them correctly in order to protect both the company and the individual employee themselves. With these in place, companies may monitor social networking sites to make sure employees, or former employees, are not in breach of existing restrictive contracts in their employment agreements. With the right information and contract, it seems an employer can easy protect against any problems in this area so why do we still hear these urban myths? We know from Narisi that virtual networking on these social sites has given rise to a certain amount of exhibitionism which we did not see before. It seems that social networking sites are becoming the mainstay for creating, publicising and viewing all of our daily events and information. People can design and manipulate their â€Å"profiles† to suit themselves. You can fabricate events, people, and facts about yourself without having to validate any of them. This allows people to be freer with information creating what Narisi calls a false web of security. The implications of this are far more gravitas then you might imagine. Narisi says, the information age has allowed us to create not the picture of ourselves as we are but a picture of ourselves as how we would like the world to see us. Unfortunately, while this can have a positive effect and encourage people to be cautious about the information and personal details which they share on the internet, it can also have the opposite effect, causing people to, in essence, become braver and more forward. An individual who creates a profile may be attempting to impress friends, family, love interests, and/or employers, and the type of embellishment, lies or â€Å"faking† which the creator partakes in may depend on the intended viewer. It is the convenience and ease of seemingly harmless communication which causes some serious problems. For example, were an employee to post pictures of themselves drunk on nights out frequently, the employer is going to be more conscious of their drinking and this knowledge may influence any decisions made by the employer, regardless of the employees behaviour at work. These scenarios illustrate an emerging issue in HR – the use of online social networking sites to make HR decisions. According to SHRM (2008), 13% of employers use social networking sites to monitor and screen employees and candidates and 18% plan to in the future. However, Narisi (2009), suggests that the information on a website such as LinkedIn might be more accurate than a resume or cover letter because ones connections (i. e. Current and former colleagues) can view and presumably verify or contradict information provided. A further issue is how an employee might perceive the monitoring of their social networking profiles. The Deloitte (2009) study showed that over 50% of employees consider it a privacy violation on behalf of the company. But a further study by Baglione et al. (2009) found that students were somewhat neutral about employers viewing their social networking profiles. However, even more interestingly, neither study directly asked the subjects about their opinions on the use of data obtained from these websites for decision and disciplinary actions. Another area where research has been lacking is the quality of the decisions hich are actually made on the basis of information gathered via these social networking sites. Is the information as accurate and reliable as we believe? Of course, this question cannot be answered easily as the answer will obviously vary based on the individual providing the data but its important that a HR manager be aware of the potential for inaccuracy and therefor e attempt to validate the information either directly or via another means. Basing a decision on what is essentially a third-party viewpoint (the employer being the third-party) may not be entirely fair on the employee. It is also imperative that employers be aware of the inadmissible nature of some information which is gathered by certain investigation techniques and are at all times conscious of the legal restrictions and consequences of making decisions based on the information gathered from social media. It is imperative that any HR manager is, at all times, protecting the business and employees. In the case of Hewlett Packard in 2006: The company hired private investigators to assist them in finding the source of an information leak. The investigators used fake names on social networking sites along with hidden tracking software attached to the employee’s emails an attempt to track the conduct of the employees. This conduct was however illegal, according to the court, due to the act of posing as someone else to garner information about the employees. As a result, instead of stemming a data leak problem, the then chairman of Hewlett Packard and the six directors either resigned or were fired. The chairman was charged with convicted, as was the company’s senior counselling chief officer. In conclusion, many HR managers and companies seem to be using various social networking websites to make important decisions such as identifying, screening and terminating employees. However, many of these organisations do not seem to have a policy in place for using these sites (Deloitte 2009). It is imperative to make employers aware of these emerging issues and their implications for the company and to provide guidance to their employees, procedures to their HR managers and most importantly, set certain policies in place at a contract level to benefit both employees and employers alike. Perhaps we should all use social networking sites with the mind-frame that our mother is watching (as she may well be! ). Bibliography Deloitte. (2009). Social networking and reputation risk in the workplace: Deloitte LLP 2009 Ethics workplace survey results. Http://www. deloitte. com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_2009_ethics_workplace_survey_220509. pdf Genova, G. L. (2009). No place to play: Current employee privacy rights in social networking sites. Business Communication Quarterly. Narisi S. (2009). Social networking profiles more accurate than resumes? From http://hrtechnews. com/social-networking-profiles-more-accurate-than-resumes/. Roberts, S. J. , Roach, T. (2009). Social networking sites and human resource personnel: Suggestions for job searches. Business communication quarterly. SHRM Staffing Research (2008). Online technologies and their impact on recruitment strategies. Www. shrm. org. Qualman, E. (2009). Socialnomics (revised). www. Careerbuilder. com

Fast Facts About Nova Scotia

Fast Facts About Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of the  founding provinces of Canada. Almost totally surrounded by water, Nova Scotia is made up of a mainland peninsula and Cape Breton Island, which is across the Canso Strait. It is one of only three Canadian maritime provinces located on the North Atlantic Coast of North America. The province of Nova Scotia is famous for its high tides, lobster, fish, blueberries, and apples. It is also known for an unusually high rate of shipwrecks on Sable Island.  The name Nova Scotia originates from Latin, meaning New Scotland. Geographical Location The province is bordered by the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the south and east. Nova Scotia is connected to the province of New Brunswick on the west by the Chignecto Isthmus. And its the second-smallest of Canadas 10  provinces, larger only than Prince Edward Island.   During World War II, Halifax was a major North American port for trans-Atlantic convoys carrying munitions and supplies to Western Europe. Early History of Nova Scotia Numerous Triassic and Jurassic fossils have been found in Nova Scotia, making it a favorite research spot for paleontologists. When Europeans first landed on Nova Scotias shores in 1497, the region was inhabited by the indigenous Mikmaq people. It is believed the Mikmaq were there for 10,000 years before Europeans arrived, and there is some evidence that Norse sailors made it to Cape Breton well before anyone from France or England arrived. French colonists arrived in 1605 and established a permanent settlement that became known as Acadia. This was the first such settlement in what became Canada. Acadia and its capital Fort Royal saw several battles between the French and the British beginning in 1613. Nova Scotia was founded in 1621 to appeal to King James of Scotland as a territory for early Scottish settlers. The British conquered Fort Royal in 1710. In 1755, the British expelled most of the French population from Acadia. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 finally ended the fighting between the British and French with the British taking control of Cape Breton and eventually Quebec.   With the 1867 Canadian Confederation, Nova Scotia became one of Canadas four founding provinces. Population Although it is one of the more densely populated of Canadas provinces, Nova Scotias total area is only 20,400 square miles. Its population hovers just below 1 million people, and its capital city is Halifax. Most of Nova Scotia is English-speaking, with about 4 percent of its population speaking French. The French speakers are typically concentrated in the cities of Halifax, Digby, and Yarmouth.   Economy Coal mining has long been a significant part of life in Nova Scotia. The industry declined after the 1950s but began a comeback in the 1990s. Agriculture, particularly poultry and dairy farms, is another big part of the areas economy. Given its proximity to the ocean, it also makes sense that fishing is a major industry in Nova Scotia. It is one of the most productive fisheries along the Atlantic coastline, providing haddock, cod, scallops, and lobsters among its catches. Forestry and energy also  play big roles in Nova Scotias economy.

Growth of Convention Centers across the Country Essay

Growth of Convention Centers across the Country - Essay Example In the United States of America, convention center is becoming a part and parcel of every day life. The recent mushrooming of convention centers in every nook and corner of the country itself is a proof of its fast development and necessity. In simple terms convention center is a large meeting place where formal business and professional meetings, conferences etc. are arranged. According to Atlantic City Convention Center, convention center is the "Facility designed to accommodate multiple group s or extremely large groups; exhibit halls; meeting rooms, ball rooms or banquet space; no sleeping rooms." (Glossary of Terms. Convention Center, 2007). The logic behind conducting business and other formal meetings in a convention center is that it is common place where people from different parts of the country/world can reach and assemble in a common place which is convenient to all. Originally convention centers were designed for formal business meeting, conferences. In contrast to this, modern convention centers are being used for a number of occasions including social events such as marriages, family get-together and as parking place for tourists. The spurt of tourism development the world over has made a great fillip for convention centers and they have grown in such a way that both are complementary to each other. Convention centers enable the development of tourism industry in a big way by attracting both domestic and international travelers. They have become a vital element in the tourism industry as some customers specify the name of convention centers where they would like to stay and enjoy their leisure time. It is a co mmon fact that MICE industry has no existence without convention center. The letter 'c' in the acronym stands for convention. That itself reflects that convention center enhances the scope of MICE industry and that they are complementary to each other. Another group of beneficiary of convention centers is corporate. Conducting meeting and conferences at convention center has become the order of the day among corporate people not only because of convenience but for prestige issue as well. Corporate have regular meeting, conferences and events like product launching and all these are being happened at some important convention center. Convention centers have emerged as a focal point in an intense competition among cities for a share of the economically important meetings and exhibition market. In a nut shell, convention centers have grown to become a crucial element of social, professional and corporate life. Their contributions to these various segments are priceless and remarkable. Evolution of Convention Centers in United States of America: The American communities have experienced a sudden growth of convention centers and it facilities over the last two decades. The country had 193 convention centers in the year 1986 offering minimum 25,000 square feet of exhibit space. The number rose to 254 and 322 by 1996 and 2006 consecutively. Their exhibition space also rose by 150 percent increase. The amount of investment put up by the state and local government in the year 1993 alone was $23.2 billion. (Sanders, 2007, p.2). The spurt in the development in the sector has made the giants like Chicago's McCormick and Las Vegas to enhance their exhibit space. The government has been financially supportive to pen new centers and

Opium in afghanistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Opium in afghanistan - Essay Example It is because of this use that countries like America have been struggling to control the planting and trade of the plant in general with particular aim of stopping circulation of heroin across the world. Apart from its use as drug, opium also has some medicinal values that will be discussed later in this paper. Opium has rich history linking it to Britain where cultivation was supported by the various regimes of the countries until the time its effects were detected leading to eventual ban to its cultivation. Though opium is internationally recognized as a product of Afghanistan, the plant was introduced into the country by Alexander the Great (Nawa 3). Upon its introduction, opium was used as medicine and for enjoyment purposes and intercropped with other plants. Further cultivation of opium in Afghanistan escalated in 1979 during invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet Union. With its economic viability, many locals indulged into the growing of opium that would later provide funds used to purchase weapons to help in defense against the Soviet. Further escalation of opium trade in Afghanistan links to the poor governance that existed in the country that would not monitor and develop the economy to more sustainable activities. In addition, the opium trade in Afghanistan escalated due to the degradation of the agricultural lands as well as the country’s infrastructure by the long lasted war. This situation left opium as an alternative and affordable source of income that required minimum human handling and storage. The long period of civil wars in the country led to lawless society that saw the development and flourishing of the illegal cultivation of opium. According to the reports of Nawa, growing of opium has seen integration of otherwise poor and vulnerable families into middle class earners (6). Through growing of opium, many families engaging in the cultivation of the crop

Business plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Business plan - Coursework Example In the past few years, there has been a drastic increase in population with new young families and subdivisions moving towards the urban centers. It is therefore Pizsho’s strategy to take advantage of the golden opportunity of first-moving products and find itself as the best pizza provider within the region. The management team has a strong belief that the shop will be the best option in serving the fast growing population with modern, unique and fresh menu as opposed to the other shops nearby. Currently, Pizsho has well established network in the town with approximately 2000 customers visiting the premises daily. It has trained employees with vast experience in hospitality industry and modern equipment. Although it was started recently, it has expanded rapidly. If this trend continues, it is anticipated that the shop will open other branches. Taking the assumptions that there market conditions prevail, the shop will employ more workers, improve the competence skills and offe r diverse services. This business plan therefore calls for an interesting, profitable establishment with a future anticipation of growing to serve the needy society. Above all, this business plan gives a clear description of a healthy food industry with well established prospects, looking forward to gaining an international popularity. Mission Pizsho has a mission of creating a pleasant and responsive environment for the esteem customers in a productive and well designed atmosphere that facilitates a good work place for all people. The shop is very sensitive to the taste and the appearance as well as ingredients of pizza. It attempts to satisfy its customers with the best services; both tangible and intangible. It maintains the fact that, â€Å"our neighbors are our customers as we are all residents of the market area.† Vision To be the leading food industry that creates and nurture creative, healthy and respectable environment that people can sit, relax and enjoy the best fo ods in the region. In striving to achieve this, it ensures that the workers are fully compensated and motivated to respect the customers and produce quality pizzas. Pizsho seeks to maintain responsible and fair profit, just enough to maintain the business operations healthy and meet its demands. Objectives The objectives of Pizsho are: i. To maximize profits at any given time. ii. To create a stable market place able to sustain sales and marketing goals and attracting customers iii. To arrive at hospitable monthly sales by the end every financial year with a steady increment by the end of the third financial year iv. To establish a modest relationship among all the distributors and customers. Key Performance indicators The business key to success factors are: i. Marketing: promoting the company, its products as well as delivery channels to the rural community ii. To deliver the customer with value proposition iii. Product consistency and

Factors Can Affect Validity Reliability Of Systematic Review Nursing Essay

Factors Can Affect Validity Reliability Of Systematic Review Nursing Essay Systematic review with meta-analysis are considered more objective than other types of reviews such as traditional reviews because it involve the application of scientific strategies in ways that limit the bias but the interpretation of the systematic process like any other type of research is subject to bias and this articles will illustrate the sources of bias in every step of conducting a systematic review and what is its types and ways. Keywords: Systematic review, Bias, Meta-analysis Introduction A systematic review is an overview of many studies that used clear and reproducible methods while a meta-analysis is a mathematical synthesis of the results of two or more primary studies that address the same hypothesis in the same way. Systematic reviews are very popular so about 2500 new English language systematic reviews are indexed in Medline annually (Mother D, Tetzlaff J, Tricco a, et al). While the number is impressive ,the quality of their reporting is not always ideal which lead to some kind of biased results and thus shrink their usefulness. Although meta-analysis can increase the precision of a result, it is important to ensure that the methods used for the review were valid and reliable. (Greenhangh. 1997) Speaking generally,there are two sources -at least- can generate bias in systematic reviews: the risk of bias in the included studies which it can exaggerate the results of a treatments effectiveness by 18% (Pidal J, Hrobjartsson A, Jorgensen KJ, et al) and the review itself as it has a little control over the reporting of RTCs but it can apply considrable control over conducting and reporting the review, thereby minimizing the bias of review itself. In this article we will try to spot the sources of bias in every step of conducting a systematic review and what is its types and ways and after that we will talk in details about each factor might cause a bias including publication bias, time lag bias, citation bias, the influence of external funding on the validity of systematic review and outcome reporting bias. Assessing the Quality of a Systematic Review General Tips (step-by-step) Fundamentally, the quality of a systematic review and the reliability of its result are contingent on both the quality of the included studies and the quality of the methodology used to produce the systematic review. The first most important step in conducting systematic review is proposing a clear, specific,focused and concise question which will guide the review process after. Searching for articles to be included can be retrieved by electronic databases, searching by hands through appropriate journals and by contacting researchers in the area of interest. To avoid the bias in the retrieval of articles the search strategy specified in the protocol must include as much details as possible. In most cases this amounts of to a list of keywords and how they will be combined for use in electronic search engines. Some knowledge of the capability of each subject specific database is important at this point, as some databases operate a thesaurus search system and others operate on the basis of keywords only. Next step, selective inclusion studies may bias the results of systematic reviews if selected based on report characteristics which called Biased inclusion criteria and low methodological quality of studies included in a systematic review is another important source of bias (Strerne JAC, Egger M, Smith GD 2001) and inclusion of data from sources other than randomized trials reduces the reliability of the conclusions of a systematic review on issues of prevention and treatment, so they should be thoroughly considered and properly defined to avoid ambiguity and to inform the validity of the review. As protocol availability may decrease the biased post-hoc changes to methods and selective outcome reporting, this information should be included in the review protocol to minimize this bias. Even if the study has high internal validity, it may not to be generalizable(high external validity). There is often a trad-off between internal and external validity. To decide about the generalizability of the study is to explore whether the study population appears to be representative of the population to which you wish to apply the results and even in similar populations, differences in the settings and in culture or other contextual factors, should also be considered.(Petticrew M, Robert, H 2008) Reviewing the results of a number of studies of course itself provides a est of generalizability, if the results have been replicated in several settings with different population, then this gives an indication of whether the results are transferable. If the number of studies is large enough, it can suggest the range of effect sizes to be expected in different settings. Generalizability is not often assessed separately in systematic reviews, though consideration of the issue is included in some critical appraisal checklists. (Deeks J, Dinnes J, DAmico R, Sowden A, Sakarovitch C. 2003) The risk of bias of a particular study is a key component in the assessment of studies that affect the validity of the results of a systematic review. Therefore, reducing the risk of bias assessment can be completed by using scales, checklists and every individual component should be reported for each study.(Sandrson S, Tatt ID, Higgins JP 2007). As the protocol developing, all the outcomes derived from the included studies should be considered and the outcome of primary importance should be differentiated from the secondary outcomes as recent surveys have showed that the outcomes selectively reported in final reports were significantly more likely to be statistically significant than those omitted (Chan AW, Hrobjartsson A, Haahr MT, et al 2004). Therefore, if a review does not identify important variables clearly, the review risks being subject to bias. So, the reviewer might select statistically significant variables and ignore the ones were initially important by the reviewer. When it comes to analysing data, the analysing method is determined by the review question and the type of data collected and it should include a narrative synthesis for describing the results and risk of bias. The next step is usually determining if statistical synthesis is appropriate to apply or not. Indeed, such forced analysis might in the axiom garbage in garbage out, providing useless results which it will discussed Later. When the results of the analysis are ready, there are many different way to represent them but sufficient details should be presented to dtermine the potential threats to validity. As conclusion in the review, the reviewer should discuss the risk of bias, strength, limitation, weakness and applicability of the evidence for each main outcome to ensure that clinicians have all the information to interpret the results. A table outlining the users guides to the Medical Literature highlight critical appraisal questions for systematic reviews and meta-analyses may help to reduce the bias in every step when conducting a systematic review.(Table 1) Table 1. Questions should be considered in determining if the results of systematic review are valid. ( adapted from Crowther, MA. Cook, DJ 2007) Did the overview address a focused clinical question? Were the criteria used to select articles for inclusion both defined and appropriate? What is the likelihood that relevant studies were missed? Was the validity of the included studies assessed? Were the assessment reproducible? How precise were the results of the overview? In assessing the value the review, it is important to consider the following question: Can the results be applied to my patients, and will the results help me care for my patients? Are the benefits worth the harms and costs? Garbage in garbage out? The quality of component trails is important as an example if the raw material is not that quality, then the findings of reviews may also be the same. So what we put in exactly what we get out. Clearly, the studies included in systematic reviews should ideally be of high methodological quality and free of bias as possible. The biases that threaten the validity of clinical trials are relate to systematic differences in the patients characteristics at baseline (selection bias), unequal provision of care apart from the treatment under evaluation (performance bias), biased assessment of outcomes (detection bias) , and bias due to exclusion of patients after they have been allocated to treatment groups (attrition bias).(Altman 1991) Some reviews produced discordant results precisely because the authors chose to ignore the quality of component trails. The same reviewers were considerably more thorough in their attempt to identify all-relevant trails,Independent of publication statue or language of publication. Although the quality of component trails happened to be more important in this particular situation, the dissemination of findings from clinical trials is known to be biased, and a comprehensive literature search is an essential intergradient of high-quality reviews. (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001) Putting the light on dissemination of research findings, Scherer et al. showed that only about half of abstracts presented at conferences are later published in full. The fact that sustainable proportion of studies remains unpublished after the study had been completed must be a concern as a large information remains hidden from reviewers. Making things worse, the dissemination of research findings is not a random process, rather it is strongly influenced by the nature and direction of results. (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001) Type of reporting bias Definition Publication bias The publication or non-puplication of research findings, depending on the nature and direction of results Time lag bias The rapid or delayed publication of research findings, depending on the nature and direction of results Duplicate publication bias The multiple or singular publication of research findings, depending on the nature and direction of results Citation bias The citation or non-citation of research findings, depending on the nature and direction of results Language bias The publication of research findings in particular language, depending on the nature and direction of results Outcome reporting bias The selecting reporting of some outcomes but not others, depending on the nature and direction of results Figure 1.2 (Adapted from Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001) Publication Bias In a 1979 article on the file drawer problem and tolerance for null results Rosenthal said, where the journals are filled with the 5 per cent of the studies that show type I errors, while the file drawers back at the lab are filled with the 95 per cent of the studies that show non significant results. (Rosenthal R. 1979). The file drawer problem has long been recognized in the social sciences: as a review of psychology journals found that of 294 studies published in 1970s, 97% rejected the null hypothesis at the 5% level.(Sterling TD.1980) It is thus possible that studies which suggest a beneficial treatment effect are published, while an equal mass of data pointing the other way remains unpublished. In this situation, a systematic review of the published trails could identify a spurious beneficial treatment effect, or miss an important adverse effect of a treatment. In the field of cancer chemotherapy such publication has been demonstrated by comparing the result from studies identified in a literature search with those contained in an international trials registry (see figure 1.2). (Simes RJ. 1986) Time lag bias Published studies continued to appear many years after approval by the ethic committee. Among proposals submitted to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee in Sydney, 85% of studies with significant results as compared to 65% of studies with null results had been published after 10 years (Stern JM, Simes RJ. 1997). The average time to publication was 4.8 years for studies with significant results comparing to 8.0 years for studies with null results. In fact, the time lag was attributable to differences in the time from completion to publication.(Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001) 0.7 1.0 1.3 Published 16 (1908) Registered 13 (2491) Survival ratio (95% confidence interval) Figure 1.2 (adapted from Simes) These findings indicate that time lag bias may be introduced in systematic reviews even when most or all trails will eventually be published. Trails with positive results will dominate the literature and introduce bias for several years until the negative results finally appear. The influence of external funding and commercial interests Many systematic reviews are funded by organizations such as pharmaceutical companies. As in the design of randomized trials, the design of systematic reviews can be influenced (particularly through manipulation of inclusion and exclusion criteria) to select a particular set of studies. As a result, such systematic reviews may present a biased viewpoint. Careful assessment of the quality of the systematic review should reveal the flaws in their design. Another way in which bias can be introduced is through biased interpretation of the results of a systematic review funded by industry or authored by investigators who are influenced by industry.(Crowther, MA. Cook, DJ 2007) External funding was associated with publication independently of the statistical significance of the results. Funding by government agencies was significantly associated with publication in three cohorts of proposals submitted to ethics committees whereas pharmaceutical industry sponsored studies were less likely to be published in two studies. Indeed, the pharmaceutical industry tends to discourage the publication of negative studies which it has funded. (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001). Duplicate publication bias Once a list of articles is obtained, they should be reviewed by two or more individuals and compared with a list of pre-developed inclusion and exclusion criteria The production of multiple publications from single studies can lead to bias in a number of ways. Two or more systematic reviews on the same topic may arrive at different conclusion, which raise concern about validity. Studies with significant results are more likely to lead to multiple publications, which makes it more likely that they will be located and included in a meta-analysis. Moher and Johansen and Gotzsche described the difficulties caused by redundancy and the disaggregation of medical research when results from multicentre trail are presented in several publications. It may be impossible for reviewers to determine whether two papers represent duplicate publications of one trail or two separate trails, since example exist where two articals reporting the same trail do not share a single common author. (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001). Citation bias The perusal of the reference lists of articles is used to identify additional articles that may be relevant. The problem with this approach is that the act of citing previous work is far from objective and retrieving literature by scanning references lists for many possible motivations such as decoration and showing up-to-dateness and knowledge may thus produce a biased sample of studies. (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001) Language bias Language bias still evident in many reviews (Hearther, 2009). Reviewers are often exclusively based on trails published in English. For example, among 36 meta-analyses reported in leading English-language general medicine journals from 1991 to 1993, 26 had restricted their search to studies in English language. Reviewers in other countries will published their work in local journals as well as English language journal if their results are positive while negative results will just be published in local journals. This is demonstrated for the German language literature when comparing articles published by the same author, 63% of trails published in English had produced significant results as compared to 35% of trails published in German. Thus bias could be introduced in meta-analyses exclusively based on English-language reports.(Figure 1.3) (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001) Figure 1.3 (adapted from Egger et al.) Outcome reporting bias Reporting the outcome can be influenced by the results: the outcome with the most favorable findings will generally be reported. (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001). The future of unbiased, systematic reviewing Reporting biases is potentially serious problem for systematic review. While the Cochrane Collaboration has a simple aim -help people to make well informed dicisions about healthcare-, there are many challenges that must be met to achieve this aim. Ethical and social challenges include finding ways to continue to build on enthusiasm while avoiding duplication and minimizing bias, to ensure sustainability and to accommodate diversity. Logistical challenges include finding ways to identify efficiently trails and manage criticisms and updates of reviews. Methodological challenges include developing sound guidelines for deciding what types of studies to include in reviews, effective ways of communicating the results of reviews and summarizing the strength of evidence for specific effects. (Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001). Conclusion and Summary points In summary, There are numerous ways in which bias can be introduced in reviews and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. All these biases are more likely to affect small studies therefore, their results need large treatment effect to be significant. On the other side, the large studies invest more money and time that means they are more likely to be high methodological quality and published even if their results are negative. Bias in a systematic review may become evident through an association between the size of the treatment effect and study size. Reliability and validity often not established within quality assessment instrument (Heather, 2009).If the methodological quality of trials is inadequate the findings of reviews of this materials may also be compromised. Publication bias can distort findings because trials with statically significant results are more likely to be published, and without delay, than trials without significant results. Among published trails, those w ith significant results are more likely to get published in English, more likely to be cited, and more likely to be published more than once which means that they will also be more likely to identified and included in reviews. The choice of the outcome that is reported can be influenced by the results. The outcome with the most favorable findings will generally be reported, which may introduced bias. Criteria for inclusion of studies into a review may be influenced by knowledge of the results of the set of potential studies. The definition of eligibility criteria for trails to be included, a comprehensive search for such tails, and an assessment of their methodological quality are central to systematic reviews. Systematic reviews are thus more likely to avoid bias than traditional, narrative reviews.(Eddger,M. Dickersin, K. Smith,G, S 2001) Nevertheless, the systematic review is a powerful research methodology which answers question on the the basis of good evidence and provides researchers with a valuable, impartial, comprehensive and up-to-date summary of the work conducted in a specific area.

Alicia My Story, Book Summary Essay -- essays research papers

The main character in this story is a Jewish girl named Alicia. When the book starts she is ten years old, she lives in the Polish town of Buczacz with her four brothers, Moshe, Zachary, Bunio, and Herzl, and her mother and father . The holocaust experience began subtly at first when the Russians began to occupy Buczacz. When her brother Moshe was killed at a â€Å" Boys School† in Russia and her father was gathered up by German authorities, the reality of the whole situation quickly became very real. Her father was taken away shortly after the Russians had moved out and the Germans began to occupy Buczacz. Once the Germans occupied, they moved the Jewish population of Buczacz into mass ghettos. Alicia and the rest of her family had to share a house with several other families which had also been driven out of there homes. The only source of income in this situation was to sell things at the marketplace, and even there, Jews were forbidden. Alicia went anyway and sold what she could for food and money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day her brother Bunio disappeared from the ghetto. Alicia and her family found out later that he had been taken to a work camp, but that they could send food packages to him. Shortly after this, Alicia was taken into custody by German officials and put on a train to another work camp. Alicia managed to escape from this train by jumping through a small window. She found her way to a river which led her back to the ghetto. By this time several people in the ghetto had been feeling the effects of the impoverished conditions. Starvation, Typhoid, and other diseases, were beginning to take its toll on the people who lived in the ghetto. Then one day, Alicia found out that her brother Bunio had been killed in the work camp. A boy had escaped so they lined up all the boys and shot every fourth one .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As time progressed, Alicia began assuming more responsibility for the daily tasks of the family such as going out and trading for more food in places other than the marketplace. While this was going on, Zachary and a few other boys from the ghetto had been forming a sort of resistance. One day Alicia was informed that her brother had been hanged. After Zachary’s death, Alicia was befriended by a woman named Bella. She met many good friends in the ghetto including a future friend as well as savior, Milek  ... ...and the police wanted to find out who was buying things from her. Over a span of 8 months they were kept but finally they were released. They received a lot of money from people that had been saved by their withholding of evidence. Alicia and her friend took this money and bought a train ticket to Lodz. They were stopped in Lvov because they went to get some tea while stopped at a station, but the train took off without them and they left all of their belongings on the train. Next they boarded a train to Krakow, and parted ways there. In Krakow, Alicia was staying at a rather large house with another family. She built a sort of orphanage by gathering up homeless children from the neighborhood. She lived with this family for a long time, and during this time she learned about a way that she could go to Eretz Island, Israel where she could be safe. She left her orphanage and went on a long journey where she met many people that were like her, in that she didn’t like to see people suffer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alicia made it to Israel but was taken by British border patrol officers to a jail on Cypress for coming into the country illegally. She was then released from Cyprus.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Analyzed, Interpreted, and Theorized Essay

Obsession is defined by preoccupying or filling the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent (dictionary.com). A compulsion is defined as to force or drive, especially to a course of action. All of this grouped together with a psychological irregularity can describe someone going through Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Those suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have recurring thoughts, feelings, and ideas to feel driven to accomplish a certain task, usually cleaning, counting, fixing, etc. These people feel anxiety because of their reoccurring compulsions and can only be rid of it by acting on the thought which is called thought-action fusion. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder effects maybe 1 out of 100 children in the US and a total 3% of people in the general population due to recent research completed by the WHO www.ocdeducationstation.org ). I think the prevalence of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children is so low because Obsessive Compulsive D isorder is a generalized biological vulnerability, meaning the child has a heritable contribution to negative effects. This means that the child has learned from outside sources; parents, teachers, friends; that a certain stimuli will bring about a certain set of feelings and therefore actions (thought action fusion). Some research studies done by the National Institute of Health have shown that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is caused by an uncommon mutation of the human serotonin transporter gene (www.ocdeducationstation.org). Another theory explained in an article in the JAMA Network Journal by Ben J. Harrison; PHD states that those who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have an altered corticostriatal function in the brain. This corticostriatal function means the networks of nerves in the brain. It was shown in their research that those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have even higher functionality than those without Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This does not mean a higher IQ or brain function; it only means altered networks create abnormal and reoccurring thoughts and actions. I believe Obsessive  Compulsive Disorder to be a learned or conditioned response to events taught by those responsible for early development. This hypothesis comes from an article in Psychiatry research by Francesco Catapano that shows the relationship between levels of melatonin and cortisol, the stress hormone, in those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder compared to those who do not have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Their findings showed that those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder had lower melatonin levels giving them irregular sleep patterns and abnormal circadian rhythms. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder patients were also found to have higher doses of cortisol in their blood in comparison to the healthy control group. More research was done on the subject by Xinhua Zhang; MD who claims that aft6er treating a patient with a brain tumor, the patient began to have compulsive thoughts about her children and husband living longer than her. She realized these thoughts were unnecessary and went back to the hospital. Xinhua Zhang concluded that since the tumor excavation took place in the right frontal lobe that this is where obsessions originate and the surgery caused her to behave abnormally. Upon further research I’ve found that the right frontal lobe is the perfect place for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to spawn from because the frontal lobe is said to control our emotions and cause us to be different in personality (www.neuroskills.com ). There has been a lot of research on the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and it almost always leads to medication. The treatment that has gotten the most recognition and funding is a drug called Clomipramine (www.psychcentral.com/medicationsforObsessive Compulsive Disorder ). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a chronic disorder that doesn’t really go away because of the serotonin levels in the brain of those affected. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder causes serotonin to be absorbed at an abnormal speed which accounts for constant urge to seek relief from stress. Clomipramine allows serotonin to bind to the drug and be free flowing in the synapses of the brain instead of being absorbed and shoveled off as waste. Considering Barlow’s Integrated Model of mental health. I would categorize Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as both generalized biological vulnerability  and generalized psychological vulnerability. It could be a biological abnormality because, as previously stated, there could be something wrong with the right frontal lobe causing obsession and compulsive thoughts. To me, psychological vulnerability just means a learned thought process either from parents, teachers, siblings, or other outside sources. According to a study done by J. Griffiths, a Bristol Doctorate graduate in Clinical Psychology, the data taken from those who live with parents or close relatives with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has a serious indication on the prevalence of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder within the children of the family. The children reported feeling embarrassed by their parent and a feeling of loss of control considering boundaries and the happiness of said â€Å"sick† relative. Children who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder usually have fears of getting dirty, getting hurt, or have a feeling of need for exactness and/or symmetry. They’re both linked because of the integrative model of psychological disorders. Having a parent with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or any other type of mental disorder for that matter will have an effect on those in close proximity of them due to classical conditioning and learned response from an abnormal or neurotic pattern of behavior according to Etelà ¤-Savon Sairaanhoitopiiri, the writer of the article â€Å"Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in childhood† in the Duodecim journal. Many studies show that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is more common in people who don’t follow pre- and perinatal health advice. Since prenatal childcare is the most crucial due to the formation of the brain and the natural chemicals combining in the amniotic sack, those who do not exercise greater caution in certain respects may cause their children to inherit Obsessive Compulsive Disorder later on in life. Data showed that excessive weight gain and edema of the hands, feet, and face during pregnancy lead to higher rates of people born with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Another huge contributor to predisposed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is whether or not the mother took or mixed medications during the beginning stages of the pregnancy. A counter point made in â€Å"The Structure of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Dimensional Representations of DSM-5 Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders† in JAMA Psychiatry shows that there  is a strong correlation bet ween environmental factors and the onset of mental disorders. Their conclusion was that it is much more possible to get Obsessive Compulsive Disorder from traumatic experiences or living arrangements than biologically inherited. Those who suffer because of life events rather than genetics suffer to a higher degree than those of their biologically inherited symptom counterparts. This usually accounts for a higher drug dosage and a lesser ability to control and manage the symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Benedetta Monzani, PhD). This is supported by the lecture we did on experiential avoidance and the conditioned responses we acquire due to stress. If someone lives in such a way that any thought they encounter causes them stress, then they might pick up some behaviors that stop them from stressing out due to thinking; which is exactly what victims of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder encounter on a daily basis. It starts out as either biologically inherited or psychologically learned Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Once they experience a str essful thought or action, they revert to their learned stress relief which is usually compulsive behavioral rituals to suppress said thoughts. In â€Å"Adverse childhood experiences and gender influence treatment seeking behaviors in obsessive–compulsive disorder†, an article in Comprehensive Psychology, it states that adverse childhood experiences (ACE) leads to higher activity in the frontal lobe of the brain; which we have deduced is where compulsive behavior originates. Different outcomes according to sex were also examined in this study and it was shown that males do a better job at rebounding after adverse or traumatic experiences than females which accounts for the higher rate of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in females than in males. During my studies, while distinguishing adverse health outcomes due to prenatal care is easy and logical, I think that more research states that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is more psychologically conditioned than inherited. The number of patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who had traumatic or rough living environments vastly outnumber those who did not have such circumstances. I think this also shows the degree to which they are affected. Someone who is predisposed to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder would not be as strongly influenced by their thoughts in comparison to someone who has a physical real life correlation with a traumatic experience. This is supported by the fact that the pharmaceutical treatment  for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the same as treatment for PTSD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are both used to slow the absorption of serotonin in the brain so it is free floating in a higher dosage which leads to less stress and less abnormal behavior. The rate at which the serotonin is released and absorbed is equivalent to the time spent in less stress. Antidepressants work in these types of situations because of the high impact that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has on the emotional state of the mind. The frontal lobe, as previously discussed, is the anatomical site for emotion and personality, so an abnormality in chemical processing or a physical abnormality not only spawns Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in subjects, but also alters their emotional state and how their outlook on life. Studies show that patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who have a better outlook on their treatment and acceptance of it, have a better treatment outcome than those who don’t take SSRI’s. In conclusion, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a rare abnormality originating in the frontal lobe. The absorption rate of serotonin in the brain strongly correlates with onset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Although there are many medications to take, the most widely used is Clomipramine and SSRI’s so the emotional and physical stress can be tolerated. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be contracted at any time but due to recent studies, I have more confidence in the theory that traumatic life experiences and negative living arrangements have a higher rate of setting on OCD than a predisposed genetic availability to contract it because of the physical testimonies from those in that situation. Although I’m sure that prenatal care and genetics play a viable roll in mental health, I would still say that those who have a physical association with stress or trauma are more affected by it in the mind. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder affects only 3% of people in the general population, but given the fact that mental health takes a toll on family members, coworkers, and fri ends; it can be conjectured that it is affecting more than that by a â€Å"contact mental illness†. The problems people face every day should be taken into softer hearts because you never know who has been affected by this rare disorder. Works Cited Benedtti, F. (2014). Comprehensive psychiatry. Adverse childhood experiences and gender influence treatment seeking behaviors in obsessive–compulsive disorder, 55(2), 298-301. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X13002988 Flament, M. (1988). Journal of the american academy of child & adolescent psychiatry. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Adolescence: An Epidemiological Study, 27(6), 764-771. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856709658615 Monzani, B. (2014). The Structure of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Dimensional Representations of DSM-5 Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders, 71(2), Retrieved from http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1792141 Ocd education station. (2014). Retrieved from www.ocdeducationstation.org Traumatic brain injury. (2014). Retrieved from www.neuroskills.com

Foiled Again!

Foiled Again! Foiled Again! Foiled Again! By Maeve Maddox A line associated with the 19th century mustache-twirling stage villains thwarted by the hero was Curses! Foiled again! Foil as a verb meaning to frustrate the efforts of is popular with headline writers and journalists. Netanyahu makes final push to foil Swedish plan to divide Jerusalem No-shows foil Sunrise mayors payment plan for code violators Police foil plan to kill Dawoods brother The verb originated as a hunting term meaning to spoil a trace or scent by running over it, from Old French fouler, trample. It took on its modern meaning of spoiling someones plans in the 1660s. Foil as a noun meaning a thin sheet of metal, comes from a French word for leaf, modern French feuille. The sense of metallic food wrap dates from 1946. In fiction, a foil character is a secondary character used to point up certain traits in a main character. In Hamlet, for example, Laertes acts as a foil to Hamlet. Whereas Hamlet hesitates to avenge his fathers death, Laertes is quick to seek vengeance for the death of his sister. In Macbeth, the loyal, law-abiding Banquo serves as a foil to ambition-crazed Macbeth. Macbeth murders to win the crown. Banquo does nothing and becomes the father of kings. This idea of the word foil as contrast comes from the practice of backing a gem with metal foil to make it shine more brightly. Shakespeare used it in this sense in Henry IV, Part I. The future Henry V is a dissolute prince. In a soliloquy he anticipates changing his ways when he becomes king. He thinks that his subjects will appreciate his reign more because theyll have his rotten youth to compare it with: My reformation, glittering oer my fault, Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes Than that which hath no foil to set it off. This use of the noun foil to mean contrast is a favorite with political writers: Republicans make President Obama foil in state races Crist Uses His Old Party as a New Foil: He has used the Republican-led state legislature as a conservative foil to increase his appeal among centrist and Democratic voters. Ehrlich welcomes Palin as a foil: Ehrlichs camp is embracing Palins move as an opportunity to emphasize the former governors more moderate profile. Both noun and verb are used playfully here: Mans foil theft plan foiled at Home Depot: A man who tried to foil the theft detection devices at Home Depot with aluminum foil learned Saturday that his scheme would not work. Foil meaning a light fencing weapon is of uncertain origin. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" When to Form a Plural with an ApostropheHow often is "bimonthly"?

Phrenology essays

Phrenology essays Phrenology Phrenology is basically the study of personality through the study of the shape of the skull. The basis of this theory is that the brain conforms to the shape of the head and its contours. This pseudoscience says that because we have isolated where different parts of personality come from we can tell how dominant this trait would be in a persons life by the size of the piece of the brain. We have since proven that this theory is not true. Franz Joseph Gall is considered to be the founder of the direct scientific link between the morphology of the skull and personality traits. Gall was one of the first scientists to consider the brain the home of all mental activities. His main work was called The Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System in General, and of the Brain in Particular. In this article he put forth five points that phrenology was based on in general. 1. That moral and intellectual faculties and innate. 2. That their exercise or manifestation depends on organization. 3. That the brain is an organ of all the propensities, sentiments, and faculties. 4. The brain is composed of many particular organs as there are different propensities, sentiments, and faculties which differ from one another. 5. That the form of the head or cranium represents the form of the brain, and thus represents the relative development of the brain organs. Gall linked the faculties with precise brain localizations through careful observation and expensive experimental measures. Johann Spurzheims contribution to phrenology was also great. He helped Gall in a study of brain injuries with the phrenology concept Gall had created. He also studied many cases of aphasia following victims cranial injuries in battle. In 1832, he arrived in America, which was at that time desperate for insight into human personality, and started on a lecture circuit that eventually killed him only six months into it....

Subordination of People to Systems and Organisations in the 21st Essay

Subordination of People to Systems and Organisations in the 21st Century - Essay Example Morgan further illustrated his views by studying eight organisational metaphors: Machines: Organisations can be perceived to be logical enterprises, which are created to accomplish predetermined objectives in a competent manner through the linear aspects of cause and effect. Organisms: Organisations can be viewed as being living organisms that aim to transform in such a manner that they are capable of surviving or remaining relevant in a changing environment. Brains: Organisations can be viewed as being a type of brain that is flexible, inventive, and resilient. Here, the facility for intelligence is presumed to be distributed all through the enterprise, thus allowing the entire system to self-organise and develop along with the rising challenges. Cultures: Organisations can be said to be mini-societies that have their own rituals, values, beliefs and ideologies. They can also be defined as continuing procedures of reality construction that permit people to see and appreciate particu lar actions, events, comments, objects, and situations in distinct ways. For example, most restaurants have â€Å"back of the house† as well as â€Å"front of the house† operations (Morgan, 2006). Workers at the front are usually hired to portray a certain appearance as well as personality. The employees serving in the back might not have similar dress codes as those in the front because the culture there is totally different. Political Systems: Organisations can be perceived to be structures of political activity, with outlines of conflict, competing interests, and power. Psychic Prisons: Organisations can be viewed as being systems that get caught up in their own objectives in which mind traps, obsessions, strong emotions, narcissism, anxiety, illusions of control, and defence mechanisms are at the centre of attention. Flux and Transformation: Organisations are perceived as being representations of the lengthy processes of change. Instruments of Domination: Organisat ions are perceived to be systems that take advantage of the natural environment, their workers, and the worldwide economy to accomplish their own objectives (Robertson, Wang and Trivisvavet, 2007) Managers usually oversee functions in all organisations. A manager is a person who organises, plans, controls and leads the activities as well as the employees of an organisation in an efficient way that leads to the organisation realising its objectives. Management specifically concerns the managers of a business as well as their responsibilities in that organisation. Many people believe that managers are made, not born; while others feel that managerial skills form an intrinsic quality that cannot be taught. It has been suggested that the reality is a combination of both opinions (Morgan, 2006). A manager has to have an intrinsic potential before the talent can be fine tuned into being a useful skill. The basic underlying skills are not enough to make a person become a good manager. The inborn skill to be manager has to be developed in the right environment and given

Interventions for the working Stage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interventions for the working Stage - Essay Example In another proposal, work satisfaction appeared to be affected by work attributes that can be unfavorable for some workers, such as its â€Å"low decision attitude and high job demands† (Cox, 1993, p. 15). Demands on both sides, individual and organizational, generate stressful tensions when shortcomings are foreseen on both sides. Aside from personal and work expectations, a number of maladaptive cognitive and behavioral problems appeared to further hamper better functions of adults in work areas. Cognitive areas need to be constantly updated to better meet occupations demands, thus, inadequate trainings and seminars, in combination with excess workloads, can hamper cognitive development and account for stress and discontent. Behaviorally, people appear to act up when they are not recognized for excellent performance, do not receive incentives, and are plagued by unsupported colleague interactions (Davis & McKay, 2009). The work culture of negative self-talk can aggravate the stressful atmosphere, as the need for affiliated group approvals are interspersed with events of blame for the shortcomings of others, preventing the acceptance of adult newcomers in organizations (Davis, Robbins Eshelman, & McKay, 2000, pp. 107-119).