Human Resources Essay

Human Resource Policies Assessing personnel needs HR must be approachable if an employee seeks advice regarding employment Recruiting personnel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruitment must be objective and has to meet the standards of the company Screening personnel Applicants must be screened in an objective manner and test their aptitude for the job Selecting and hiring personnel   Upon selection, the hired applicants will be more than qualified for the job applied for Orienting new employees to the organization   Newly-hired employees are oriented by the company guided by its mission and vision Deciding compensation issues Compensation and other benefits should be discussed upon signing the contract. Benefits and Compensation Basic Salary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The monthly wages that an employee must received due to work rendered. Night Differential   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An employee who works from 10pm until 6am will get a 30% of his basic salary Fringe Benefit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employees should be   complemented with the following: housing, group insurance (health, dental, life etc.), income protection, retirement benefits,daycare, tuition reimbursement, sick leave, vacation (paid and non-paid), social security, profit sharing, funding of education, and other specialized benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employee awards Prolific   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An employee is award because he works more than is required. Efficiency   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An employee is awarded because of his work ethic and objectivity Resourcefulness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     An employee is rawwarded due to his ability to find alternatives for the betterment of the job Customer Satisfaction It is always a company standard to treat a client in a proper manner, so as to make an increase in sales. Such award given to the employee makes him a role model for other employees. Innovative An employee is given this award because he strives for progress Salesmanship An employee makes a transaction beyond his quota, sales of the company would increase and will give the company and the manufacturer a boost on their public relations. Citation: The Art of Motivation: An Incentive Industry Primer

Hippie Culture Essay

Few social movements marked the twentieth century in the United States as the protest movement of the 1960s. However, despite the scope and scale of such a wide movement that encapsulated so many different peoples and causes, including voting rights, women’s rights, civil rights, and ending the war in Vietnam, the movement is better known by a stereotype of the type of people that seemed so instrumental in perpetuating the movement: hippies. Though the great majority of those in the protest movement were not hippies, the movies, music, and cultural events that marked the times were dominated by hippie culture, and few events represented this fact as the stereotype-reinforcing Woodstock Music Festival. By the time Woodstock happened in 1969, the hippie movement was already something that had been growing the entire decade and most people who were not hippies had a good idea what a hippie was. If one would have to describe a hippie then, it could be said to be a young man or woman that was dirty, hairy, unemployed, and on drugs. While these are only a few attributes ascribed to a few hippies, the stereotypes became so strong that they were hard to remove from the other significant contributions they made, including in music, art, culture, and social awareness. So, while hippies were far more complex than most people chose to see them, they were pigeonholed to the stereotype of spoiled middle-class kids with too much time and freedom, and who refused to do their patriotic duties as their mothers and fathers had done before them, most specifically by starting families and fighting in the country’s wars. However, the decade leading up to Woodstock only helped reinforce many of these stereotypes. Hippie culture could have been said to begin the words and ideas of the Beat writers such as Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and others. These writers laid the foundation for the rebellious, anti-establishment ideals that would come to be so strongly embraced by the hippie culture during the 1960s. However, it would be Bob Dylan, who was strongly influenced by the Beats, who would use their ideas in his folk music. Dylan’s popularity not only made folk music popular, but his songwriting also tackled many of the issues of the time, including war, civil rights, and the basic questions of whether America was heading in the right direction, and if not, why. Dylan’s music influenced the songwriting of almost every major recording artist that came after him, or at least any that achieved any amount of success. Through Dylan and those he influenced, music became the first defining characteristic of hippie culture, showing a long history of music defining cultural movements and times through its almost religious effect on those that listen to it. Religious forces, like art, music, and everything that inspires classification as sacred, Emile Durkheim (1965) writes: â€Å"do not translate the manner in which physical things affect our senses, but the way in which the collective consciousness acts upon individual consciousnesses† (1965, p. 254). Music has the ability to act as a symbol of this collective consciousness, bringing the masses together to celebrate a shared philosophy or perspective. While many contend that art and music is nothing more than an escape from the everyday anxieties that life offers up, it is far more than that. Similar to the sacred in religion, which Durkheim asserts is not rooted in fear as humanist and existentialist theorists claim, but in the idealism of the collective mentality, music becomes sacred when presented in a way that appeals to the individual and the collective. Music and those who perform it act in ways similar to religious totems, representing the ideals of the collective and how they inhabit the individual, and take their roots in exhalation and celebration. According to Durkheim, â€Å"In fine, the sentiments at the root of totemism are those of happy confidence rather than terror and compression† (1965, p. 56). Music became the inspiration for hippie culture and gave them the confidence to fight back against ideals they saw as wrong, including the Vietnam War. There was no better representation of this than Woodstock. The Woodstock Music & Art Festival that took place on a farm near Woodstock, New York, August 15 through August 18, 1969 not only assembled some of the greatest rock, pop, and folk musicians of the day, but also had a half million enthusiastic young and old fans celebrating life and music in a concert that changed the way the younger generation was viewed. After Woodstock, the burgeoning counter culture exploded into the mainstream, as the entire United States realized that the hippie culture was a force that could not be ignored, and its icons such as The Who, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and Jimi Hendrix reinforced many of the stereotypes of long hair, reckless behavior, and sexuality. Woodstock would become a legendary orgy of drug use, sexual intercourse, nudity, and mud, but also of peace, love, and a general togetherness that also characterized hippie culture. Another popular stereotype was the hippie general disregard for all authority, and Woodstock was no different. Over one-hundred thousand tickets had been sold to the event, but soon fans were crashing over fences and simply began streaming in to see the show (Woodstock. com, 2009). However, there were very few incidents of violence and the festival went on to become one of the iconic points in the culture of the 1960s. It also marked the beginning of the end of hippie culture. Woodstock was the last hurrah for a generation of young men and women that did their best to rebel against the previous generations and create their own persona. Unfortunately, stereotypes were rich and long concerning hippie culture, and Woodstock did well to encourage both the good and bad stereotypes. They displayed their amazing music and free-loving culture, but also their drug abuse and contentment with filth. By the time the 1970s began, hippie culture was all but dead, even though many of the hippies continued to live on. Today, hippies are seen as largely a joke and very superficial, which may speak of their ultimate failure to live up to their own ideals. The country is still largely conservative in many regards, still refuses many of the ideals of peace and love that the hippies inspired, and is still at war with foreign countries. Hippies are now seen in modern form as environmentalists, annoying activists for un-American or unethical causes, potheads or vegetarians. Hippies are no longer seen as a viable threat to the conservative ideals of the United States, and have in essence become all style and no substance. While stereotypes helped perpetuate the romantic notion of the idealistic hippie, they just as equally helped destroy a notion that never really existed in the first place.

Neo-Confucianism in the Ming dynasty Research Paper

Neo-Confucianism in the Ming dynasty - Research Paper Example The presentation of the interest on Neo-Confucianism is the main objective of the study undertaken. Specifically, it is aimed to exhibit the main issues and concepts revolving around the said school of though during the Ming Dynasty. This is undertaken by imparting the historical aspect of the said philosophy as accounted in the light of the period of reign and influence of the Ming Dynasty and its leaders specifically Wang Yang-ming. Due to the fact that Confucianism originated in the Chinese culture, the Neo-Confucianism can be considered to have rooted from the continuous development of the Confucianism through the influence of different factors and socio-historical components. Although this is the case, it can be considered that the Neo-Confucianism is considerably distinct from the main influences in China prior to its development. The Chinese culture is practically focused on the practical needs in relation to the human affairs. For that matter, the most pragmatic beliefs and concepts can be found and have originated in China. On the other hand, the Confucianism can be based on the concrete facts in life which encompass both the philosophical and the physical concepts in terns of application (Chang 15). The main root of the distinct character of the Neo-Confucianism in comparison to the orthodox Confucianism can be considered based on the infusion of the Buddhist culture influence due to the weakening of the original Confucianism. The said influence caused the development of the beliefs and concepts that are related to religion, faith and liberation from earthly sufferings. These occurrences in the Chinese history can be dated back to the Chin (Tsin) Dynasty in the A.D. 265-419, which prior to the development of the Neo-Confucianism school of thought (Chang 113). Aside from the development of the Neo-Confucianism on the

Creation and Science (Christianity) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Creation and Science (Christianity) - Essay Example This evolution theory by Charles Darwin has gained popularity among scholars over the years. Other theories proposed by science over the origin and existence of the universe include the big bang theory and the passing star theory. Creationism faces a lot of opposition socially and politically. Majority of the schools hardly include it in their learning. Evolutionism has a lot of favor, and it is being taught in schools. This is what made the proposed theory of intelligent design face a lot of criticism. The intelligent design theory argues that the universe and its inhabitants are too complex in structure and design to exist as a mere product of evolution (Davis et al 36-61). It proposes that the universe and creatures in it is an intelligent product of an intelligent designer. Both science and religion hold strong views on the existence of life and the universe. It is, however, possible for the conflict between the two to end as concepts and theories of science and religion can be compatible. Scholars do not necessarily need to choose one over the other, but rather appreciate both views as each one complements and enriches the other in a number of

Describe the two mendelians laws of inheritance and discuss to what Essay

Describe the two mendelians laws of inheritance and discuss to what extent an X linked genes do not follow mendelian laws - Essay Example The two alternative forms of a factor are known as alleles and the genotype of an individual is made up from these alleles(Mueller et al, 2001) . Thus, every trait is governed by 2 alleles, one maternal and the other paternal. The genetic make up of any cell with reference to a particular trait is known as genotype and any observable trait like color, etc is known as phenotype. The Mendel Laws are based on the above facts and they are described below. The first law is the Law of Segregation, according to which, when an individual produces gametes, each gamete received only one copy of the genes. Thus, a single gamete will receive either one or the other allele. During random fertilization of gametes, the alleles unite again and the product has 2 sets of genes. When a particular gene has both recessive and dominant allelles, incomplete dominance occurs (Nussbaum et al, 2004). The expression of the phenotype is morphed by the expression of berth dominant and recessive alleles (Biology online). The second law is the Law of Independent Assortment. This is also know as the Inheritance Law. According to this law, alleles of different genes undergo independent assortment of one another during the formation of gametes (Jorde et al, 1995). Different traits are inherited independently of each other, with no relationship to each other with regard to inheritance.

Reflection on Eco-Catastrophe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection on Eco-Catastrophe - Essay Example Reality is of course that forty years later the world is still here, ecological, population and hunger problems still exist but there is more awareness and more measures are being taken to combat the issues in all areas of environmental and global health care. The article is one that requires multiple readings in order to fully determine and appreciate the cynicism and at times wit of the writer, for although fatalistic in his beliefs he shows a degree of humor, albeit satirical in his denotation of the large powers of the western world. It is his depictions of catastrophic global events however, that cause readers to stop, take stock and reflect on what he purports because, although far in exaggeration, there are some elements of his prophecies that are apparent, real, and need of intervention if global health is to be improved. Although there is not the mass starvation predicted by Ehrlich there are many people in the world who are starving and in need of basic health care, particularly in developing countries, but most of this is caused by war and poverty rather than lack of food. Although there has been a drive, whether for corporate or government gain, to increase crop yields and other food by use of biotechnology the debate on the risks and benefits of such food is stifling its purpose of feeding the hungry and giving help where it is most needed. Although the oceans are not depleted, the air is not killing millions of people, and population control is by choice, and being undertaken, in most situations, in a humanitarian manner, not as envisioned by Ehrlich, the problems do exist. Ecological factors that are negative are a threat to human health and therefore need to be controlled; conditions that promote invasive bacteria, viruses or diseases, for example, need to be monitored; air pollution can lead to diseases of the respiratory system or cancer; water quality in terms of contaminants, carriage, and treatment and  industrial outflows, all require environmental management that can assist in maintaining and reinstating health.  

Biochemistry - Cystic Fibrosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biochemistry - Cystic Fibrosis - Essay Example In some cases, the CFTR protein is prevented entirely to take place at all and in some cases, CFTR protein does produce and get its way into the cell membrane but cannot operate properly. One way of treatment method is to supply a different class of chloride channel to compensate for the loss of the CFTR chloride channel. Gene therapy could be a better solution in future in which a normal copy of the CFTR gene to the cells is delivered. In this way, direct synthesis of the normal CFTR protein will be possible to treat the biochemical abnormality leading to cystic fibrosis. Introducing healthy gene will take over all functions of the CFTR protein that are necessary including those which are yet not known. And the best way of gene therapy is to exploit the ability of viruses bringing their DNA to enter into cells. Adenoviruses are suitable for this purpose due to their natural tendency to infect human

Analysis of Performance Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of Performance Management - Term Paper Example According to US office of personnel management, â€Å"Performance management is the systematic process by which an agency involves its employees, as individuals and members of a group, in improving organizational effectiveness in the accomplishment of agency mission and goals†(US office of personnel management). â€Å"Simply put, performance management includes activities to ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance management can focus on the performance of the organization, a department, processes to build a product or service, employees, etc† (Performance Management -- Basic Concepts). Planning, monitoring, developing, rating, and rewarding are the five major elements of any performance management system. This paper analyses how a company can use the performance management system to good effect, by taking the American company Macy’s as an example. (US office of personnel management) As in the case of many ot her organizational functions, planning is the first step of implementing an effective performance management system in an organization. At the beginning of each year, the Macy’s managers often meet each employee personally and discuss the strategies to improve their performances. During this meeting, the managers often take notes of the employee feedback and the formulate strategies to improve the individual performances. Macy’s know the difference in attitude and performance abilities of employees and give more attention to formulate strategies suitable for the individuals rather than groups. The Macy’s managers often inform the employees about the expectation of the management about their performance in the coming 12 months. Thus, the employees get a clear idea about what is to be done and what are the expectations of the management about their performances in the coming year well before they start works for the coming year. Macy’s employees can submit their suggestions to improve their performances during their meetings with the managers. Reviews are a critical component of the system. Reviews give timely feedback to the individual. It is important to schedule formal reviews during the course of the year. These can be half-yearly or quarterly depending on the need. Structured mid-term reviews enable the organization to take stock of the performance during the given period. It gives the individual an opportunity to discuss his/her achievements during the given period and to look at areas of improvement. In a dynamic environment, it is important to keep abreast of market situations. Reviews can be utilized to make the midcourse correction (Does performance appraisal benefit anyone?) Monitoring is the second step of any performance management system.

How people survive the work place political jungle Essay Example for Free

How people survive the work place political jungle Essay Distinguish between positive and negative corporate politics and explain how these can influence employment engagement. The essay will seek to distinguish between positive and negative corporate politics. The writer will start by defining corporate politics in trying to have an understanding of corporate politics and how it influence employee engagement Kakabadse (1983) cited by Armstrong defines politics as ‘a process, that of influencing individuals and groups of people to your point of view, where you cannot rely on authority’. Organizations consist of individuals who, while they are ostensibly there to achieve a common purpose, are, at the same time, driven by their own needs to achieve their own goals (Armstrong, 2009). There is significant difference between corporate politics and negative corporate politics. This can seen from the effect the two have on employee engagement and the purpose of the individual that is to say positive corporate politics is done as tool mainly by management and supervisors to try and influence other staff so as to meet organisational goals. Positive corporate politics is normal done to the benefit of the organisation as a whole. On the other hand negative corporate politics is self fulfilling it is aimed achieving self interests and in most cases it is against organisational goals Positive corporate politics include the process of influencing individual endeavour and ambition to the common good. Some individuals genuinely believe that using political means to achieve their goals will benefit the organization as well as themselves. Positive corporate politics can thus illustrated in the following case; Mrs Takuta is the Personnel at ZTRD Development Bank and is deputised by Taurai who she went to the same University and the two were in the same class. Taurai was more intelligent than his supervisor and because of the relation between the two, Mrs Takuta always find it difficult to give Taurai orders and in extreme situations taurai will challenge his boss. In the quest to have work done through her junior, Mrs Takuta wi ll use the following statement â€Å"the HR Manager wants the report done by the end of the day†. Mrs Takuta would use the HR Manager’s authority to influence Taurai to perform his duties. To the same effect, Positive corporate politics can increase efficiency, form interpersonal relationships, expedite change, and profit the organization and its members simultaneously. This can be achieved if those in power are able to use their power to influence members of staff to this effect. Thus  positive corporate politics would also include the different powers vested in them to influence positive employee engagement and increase in productivity. Management can give their employees the power to make decisions about their jobs – flexible autonomy, reward for good performance among others. Positive corporate politics involves action by individuals or groups to acquire develop and use power and other resources in order to obtain preferred outcomes (Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman, 1995) Armstrong (2009) defines power as the capacity to secure the dominance of one’s goa ls or value over others. Individuals and managers can thus influence directly and indirectly using the various types of powers. French and Raven (1959) cited by Armstrong identified the four different types of powers that can be used to influence other employees and the power are; reward power, coercive power, expert power and legitimate power. Reward power is when individuals and managers use the reward power to influence or obtain compliance from subordinates by promising or granting rewards that includes salary increase, bonuses or even promotions. It is the management who normal use this power positively to achieve company goals. Coercive power is used to obtain compliance through threats of punishment and actual punishment. For example promising to fire an employee if they use company vehicles for personal use. The ability to influence others with the power anchored in one’s formal position of authority thus the legitimate power. Individuals can use their legitimate positions of authority to get things done through others. Legitimate power focuses constructively on job performance. Expert power is when individuals have influence because of the valueable information or knowledge they posses. The supervisor’s power is enhanced because they know about work schedules and assignments before their subordinates. Corporate politics involves struggles between social entities for resources, personal conflict and a variety of influence tactics executed by individuals and groups to obtain benefits and goals in different ways (Molm 1997) cited by Vigoda, (2000). Molm’s view of corporate politics would to a greater extent reflect negative corporate politics. Ferris, Russ, and Fundt, (1989) cited by Vigoda (2000) defines negative corporate politics as behaviour strategically designed to maximise self interests. Corporate politics can contradict the collective organisational goals or the interests of other people. Medison etal 1980) cited by Vigoda, (2000) observed that when  individuals were asked to describe work place politics they would list self serving and manipulative activities. It can then be understood that negative corporate benefits individuals at the expense of the entire organisation or a work unit. The behaviour is thus associated with manipulation, defamation, subversiveness and illegitimate use of power to attain one’s objectives. Corporate politics can then lead to job anxiety, decrease job satisfaction, and withdrawal from the organisation. Dorory (1993) cited by Vigoda, (2000) found that corporate politics has a potential demaging effect especially on lower status employees. He speculated that employees who lacked a stable power base and effective means of influencing perceived organisational politics as a source of frastiration and react by showing negative attitude towards the organisation. Employees can feel isolated and unhappy if they are not part of a cohesive team or if they are bedevilled by disruptive power politics. In conclusion, one can therefore generalise that positive corporate politics reinforces employee engagement. Employees tend to put more effort either because they expect a reward or have been promised reward for such performance. That is to say employees can be influenced by the reward power. Employees work hard or do not do unwanted behaviours to avoid punishment. in most cases, employees will also give respect to those in authority thus the legitimate power. However, on the other hand, employee will not perform as expected thats negative engagement which can be caused by negative corporate politics. Using case studies, discuss how people within an organisation can use political tactics to survive the corporate political jungle? Individuals within an organisation which can be likened to a political jungle act out roles in efforts to establish identities they wish to convey, and which can result in personal gain. It should also be noted that people alter the image they choose to present, and the strategy used to present this image, based on the situation they are in and the outcomes they hope to achieve that is how they intend to survive (Chad etal 2003). To this effect, it is important to note that individuals do not necessarily use the same tactic in every situation. Likewise, different individuals may choose different tactics when faced with similar situations. For example, whereas one individual may use self-promotion to obtain a job offer, that same individual may use  ingratiation or rationality in an attempt to obtain a promotion or pay raise. On the other hand, another individual, when faced with the same situation, may use ingratiation to obtain a job offer and assertiveness or self-promotion to win a pay raise. Different individuals may use a number of contextual factors which influence tactics an individual chooses to use, under what circumstances he or she chooses to use them, and how effective the tactic of choice will be. Such factors include the relative power of the parties, the direction of the influence attempt, the objective of the influence attempt, and the political skill of the influencer (Falbe Yukl, 1992; Ferris, Perrewe, Anthony, Gilmore, 2000) cited by Chad etal (2003). Buelens etal (2011) also subscribe to the same tactics as identified by Appelbaum and Brent (1998). He pointed out that individuals would use different tactics to get influence within an organisation or rather to get favours and promotions from their bosses. It is however believed that political behaviour is far less common and less intense among employees in lower-level positions than among employees in higher-level positions. There are a variety of political tactics used by employees at almost every organizational level that include forming coalitions and networks, impression management, information management, pursue line responsibility , ingratiation , rational persuasion, consultation and exchange Appelbaum and Brent (1998) . Forming coalitions and networks best known as networking, is a political tactic which consists of befriending important people. These people may not be in positions of any obvious political value but their jobs may provide them with information that could be useful to have. Some people ï ¬ nd that forming friendships with people in upper-level management can help them gain access to important information (Appelbaum and Brent (1998). The above can be illustrated in the following case: Zikanda was a messenger a t RIT Energy. Despite the fact that Zikanda was just a messenger, other senior employees would always give him respect and at most times conform to his needs and favours. For many years in the same organisation, I never realised why even middle level managers would actually conform to unreasonable demands of a mere messenger. Zikanda would take the pool car home as and when he feel like and no one would question that and worse of other senior employee would commute or even ask for transport from him. I later realised that his power or influence was because of his relationship with the General  Manager. Zikanda was no relative with the boss but has managed to form a network with the General Manager they were friends. Zikanda every lunch time would go to the General Manager’s office ask him what he want for lunch. It was Zikanda’s job to be sent to buy him lunch however it was the way the whole thing was done, he would at times buy him lunch with his own monies. The General Manager and Zikanda were just friends they were just too close. Other employees were not comfortable with this relation there were not sure what information the two buddies share. Zikanda has managed to make a network with the General Manager. Impression management is a simple tactic that most people uses from time to time is the management of their outward appearance and style in the quest of trying to impress those in authority. Generally, most organizations prefer a particular image that consists of being loyal, attentive, honest, neatly groomed and sociable. By deliberately trying to exhibit this preferred image, an individual can make a positive impression on inï ¬â€šuential members of the organization. As illustrated in the case of Transport officer who has turned himself to driver. Nhetuka is a transport officer at ZBM Company. Mr Nhetuka has turned himself into a driver in trying to impress management. Nhetuka is always driving managers when he is supposed to delegate drivers to drive managers around. Not only that he takes the Area Manager’s son to and from school a job which is supposed to be done by company driver. Information management is a tactic consisting of managing the information that is shared with others. The nature, as well as the timing, of information given out can have strong effects on others’ conduct (Appelbaum and Brent (1998). People who play the information management game are not likely to lie or spread misinformation, but they rely on the carefully planned release of valid information to obtain their ends (Vecchio and Appelbaum, 1995, p. 323) cited by Appelbaum and Brent (1998). An example can be given of a personnel Clerk who by virtue of his job has access to very important information to include how people can get access to loans among others. The person having such a position can sort respect and influence to the extent that he is able to make people lower themselves to get that information. In a political jungle despite the fact that this information should be given to all employees, one can choose to with hold the information for his own benefit. Pursuing core business within an organization, some positions are more closely tied to the primary  mission of the organization thus the line positions. They are at the very heart of the organization. While staff people may come to wield great power within their own territories, it is the people who do core business who usually â€Å"call the shots† on major issues. Core staff not only makes the more important decisions within the organization, they are also more likely to be promoted to top-level exe cutive positions. In many organizations, there is a preferred department of origin and career path for top- level managers. Therefore, one way to gain inï ¬â€šuence within an organization is to be assigned to a core position. It will often provide more visibility, inï ¬â€šuence, and upward mobility. A case to support the effect of core position for influence in the in an organisation; Takunda was an administration clerk ZETDC an organisation whose core business is to transmit and distribute electricity. He worked very hard for ten years furthering his qualification hoping that one day he will be promoted and be given a higher grade but nothing cane his way. ZETDC would on get people with 5 ‘O’ Level train them as electricians and give them good grades despite that they only posses a Certificate in Electrical power engineering. Takunda then decided to change the career and started a programme at the Polytechnic were he attained a Certificate in Electrical Power Engineering. And it was only then Takunda was recognised and promoted. ‘Ingratiation tactic involves giving compliments or doing favours for superiors or co-workers. Most people have a difficult time rejecting the positive advances of others. Ingratiation usually works as a tactic insofar as the target often feels positive toward the source even if the ingratiation attempt is fairly blatant and transparent. In the behavioural sciences, the notion of â€Å"social reciprocity† has been offered to help explain the process of ingratiation. In social reciprocity, there is a feeling of a social obligation to repay the positive actions of others with similar actions’ Appelbaum and Brent (1998). Appelbaum and Brent, (1998) defines ingratiation as an attempt by individuals to increase their attractiveness in the eyes of others. Ingratiation tends to be used more as an upward inï ¬â€šuence process than as a downward inï ¬â€šuence process. This tactic can best be observed when especial when one has a female boss how often do we pass complements to our female bosses, â€Å"nice hair style†, â€Å"nice dress† even if we don’t mean it. It is a political game most of us play to survive hash judgement from our bosses. In case of a Human resources clerk who  was left acting as Human Resources Officer. During the absence of his boss, Sipiwe was supposed to employ a Customer Care Clerk on a contract basis. Sipiwe knew that his boss’s daughter was unemployed and Sipiwe took this opportunity to employee the boss’s daughter without even consulting the boss. It was later discovered that Sipiwe did this because she had a boyfriend who was out of employment. Sipiwe calculated and realised that it would be easy for her to convince the boss to employ her boyfriend since she has employed the boss’s daughter. In a game of politics one has to be clever and calculative and be able to use politic al tactics to your best advantage. The case above illustrates a tactic called exchange. REFERENCE LIST Appelbaum, S..H. and Hughes, B. (1998) Ingratiation as a political tactic: Effects within the organisation; Journal of Management Decision Vol 36/2 Armstrong, M. (2009) Armstrong’s handbook of human resources management Practice; London, Kogan Pages. Buelens, M. etal (2011) Organisational Behaviour; Berkshire,McGrall- Hill Chad, A. etal (2003) Influence tactics and work outcomes; Journal of Organisational Behaviour Vol 24 No 1. Hellriegal, D. , Slocum, W. J. Jr. and Woodman, R. W. (1995), Organisational Behaviour;New York, West Publishing Company. Vigoda, E. (2000), Organisational Politics, Job attitudes and work outcomes: Exploration and implications for the Public Sector, Journal of Vocational Behaviour Vol 57. MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY FACULT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES BSC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT HONOURS DEGRE ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR [HRM 202] Assignment Cover Page Surname : NcubeName: Innocent Taurai Reg. Number: R135973GMode of Entry: VISITING Level 2.1 Lecturer: Mrs. Masitara Topic/Question: Distinguish between positive and negative corporate politics and explain how these can influence employment engagement. Using case studies, discuss how people within an organisation can use political tactics to survive the corporate political jungle?

The Black Cat Essay Example for Free

The Black Cat Essay Short Story Analysis: The Black Cat The Black Cat by Edgar Alan Poe is a short story told in a first person narrative, from the point of view of an incarcerated murderer. There are several ways to interpret this story; the reader can also gain insight on the narrator’s state of mind. What I am going to talk about today is how the narrator uses a lot of symbolism and descriptive elements in his story, and in turn, how the reader will interpret the narrator as a person. A few characteristics that will be highlighted are death, psychosis/state of mind of the narrator, and alcoholism. The narrator admits an alcohol dependency right from the start. â€Å"One night, returning home , much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (2). This gives the reader the impression that it is in the narrator’s normal character to be under the influence. The narrator used alcohol as his reasoning for cutting the black cat’s eye out. He then drinks away his guilt and sins with alcohol, â€Å"I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed† (3). From these statements, the reader can assume that the narrator is an alcoholic and uses that to blur the reality of his decisions. Madness is defined as the state of being mentally ill or extremely foolish behavior. In this story it is apparent that the narrator could very well be mentally unstable. He immediately expressed his fondness for animals, he thought of animals as a â€Å"principal sources of pleasure† (2). He later gets pleasure from abusing one of his animals, the black cat, by cutting the cat’s eye out with a knife. All because he felt the cat was avoiding him. He later hangs the cat, and then constantly feels haunted by his acts. In a way, the narrator seems enticed by his evil actions. â€Å"Evil thoughts became my sole intimates-the darkest and most evil of thoughts† (5). The narrator’s last act of evil is the murder of his wife, when he hits her in the head with an axe. He then immediately thinks of ways to cover up the murder. He talks about cutting his wife up into pieces, but later decides that he will hide her body in the brick wall in the cellar of their home. From this the reader has gone from believing the narrator is just some troubled alcoholic, to believing the narrator is suffering some serious psychosis. There are many faces of death in this story. The first starts with the abuse of the black cat. The narrator comes home drunk and believes the cat is being disobedient so he cuts the cat’s eye out. Later, when his guilt builds up and he can no longer take it, the narrator hangs the cat. He becomes paranoid and believes the cat is haunting him from the grave. Although I thus readily accounted to my reason, if not altogether to my conscience, for the startling fact just detailed, it did not the less fail to make a deep impression upon my fancy†¦among the vile haunts which I now habitually frequented† (4). The next face of death is the cruel and unexpected murder of the narrator’s wife. It becomes apparent that the narrator has a disturbing fascination when carrying out the acts of murder. These actions tie into the narrator’s mental stability. It is one thing to have thoughts of harming one’s self or others, but it is another thing when those thoughts are acted upon. â€Å"My happiness was supreme! The guilt of my dark deed disturbed me but little† (6). From this the reader can assume that the narrator is a mentally unstable alcoholic murderer. The three main descriptive characteristics that I wanted to highlight about the narrator and the story of The Black Cat are alcoholism, psychosis, and death. With these three elements the reader can pass judgment on the narrator and create an overall opinion of him as a person. The reader can become first enticed by the story with the narrator talking about his love for animals and then later his cruelty towards them. Next the reader begins to wonder if the narrator is imagining these things, â€Å"Upon its head†¦sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman† (7). Finally the reader can confidently asses their overall impression of the narrator. â€Å"Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. But to-morrow I die and to-day I would unburden my soul† (1).