MEDICAID Essays - Healthcare Reform In The United States

MEDICAID I. ANALYTICAL EXPOSITION History Medicaid is a Federal - State entitlement program that pays for medical services on behalf of certain groups of low income persons. (O'Sullivan, 1990) Title XIX of the Social Security Act provides for the medical assistance commonly known as Medicaid. (O'Sullivan, 1990) This means-tested entitlement program became part of federal law in 1965. Medicaid makes direct payments to medical providers for their services to eligible persons. It is the largest health program providing medical assistance to the poor. Eligibility In order for one to be eligible for Medicaid, one must meet very strict requirements. These requirements vary from state to state, but in this paper the Federal requirements will be discussed as well as the general state requirements The correlation between those receiving public assistance and those receiving Medicaid seems to be directly related. "Medicaid has generally been linked to actual or potential receipt of cash assistance under a welfare program. Thus, eligible individuals have to meet the welfare definitions of age, blindness, disability, or membership in a family with dependent children where one parent is absent or incapacitated." (O'Sullivan, 1990) These stringent requirements leave out part of the population such as singles, childless couples who are not elderly or disabled. Besides falling into one of the above mentioned categories, they must also meet specified income and resource criteria which vary by State. "While the link to cash assistance has been the primary way to establish eligibility, states have been able to extend coverage to children who meet the income and resources requirements, but do not meet the definition of dependency." (O'Sullivan 1990). The other group that is affected by this institutional policy are the providers. Providers can be defined as those who perform services for the Medicaid patients. They include, but are not limited to physicians, hospital, dentists, pharmacies etc. "Low medical fee schedules, relative to physicians' usual charges to other payers, are a major deterrent to participation." (O'Sullivan 1990) Recent data suggests that the gap continues to widen between Medicaid and private rates. Virtually all hospitals participate in Medicaid. However, a Medicaid patient will more than likely be transferred to a public hospital for in-patient treatment. II. CRITICAL CONTEXT Social Impact It is merely impossible to try to obtain an actual number of people affected by Medicaid. If the picture was painted with a broad brush you could say that virtually every person in the United States is affected by Medicaid. For example any person who pays taxes is affected, any doctor who accepts Medicaid is directly affected by the low fee schedule that is put into place. Any person receiving public assistance is affected as well. The amount of people who are currently receiving Medicaid will be broken down: 6.2 million or 24.9 percent adults in families with dependent children, 10.4 million or 41.8 percent dependent children, 3.5 million or 14.1 percent aged, .4 million or 13.7 percent disabled or blind, 1.4 million or 5. 6 percent fall into the category of others. (O'Sullivan 1990) The total amount of people on Medicaid is 24.9 million. It's obvious that practically everyone is affected by this program. Problems With the System The Medicaid program was one of many programs designed to help the poor and disadvantaged enjoy the benefits of receiving the type of medical care provided to those who could afford it. According to Karen Davis, author of Achievements and Problems of Medicaid, from its initiation the Medicaid program has had two major objectives: insuring that covered persons receive adequate medical care and reducing the financial burden of medical expenditures for those with severely limited financial resources. Before the introduction of Medicaid most poor persons had little or no private insurance and many went without needed care. Medicaid attempted to alleviate this situation - if not for all poor persons, at least for those on welfare and the medically needy. (Davis, 1996) A Lack Of Equality Perhaps the greatest flaw in the Medicaid program is that it does not treat people in equal circumstances equally. Davis goes on to say that the inequitable distribution of Medicaid benefits is caused in part by the joint Federal - State nature of the program and its tie to the Welfare system. As stated previously the Medicaid eligibility is linked to the

Knowledge Essays - Epistemology, Creativity, Social Psychology

Knowledge Essays - Epistemology, Creativity, Social Psychology Knowledge Suppose we grant the assumption that intuitions or ?seemings? count as evidence. Suppose we grant the further, perhaps dubious, assumption that they can tip the balance in their favor in these cases. This implies that there can be disagreements in isolation, each party to a disagreement can be reasonable. However, things are different when we turn to cases of full disclosure. To see why, compare a more straightforward case of regular sight, rather than insight or intuition. Suppose that you and I are standing by the window looking out on the quad. We think we have comparable vision and we know each other to be honest. I seem to see what looks to me like a person in a blue coat in the middle of the quad. (Assume that this is not something odd.) I believe that a person with a blue coat is standing on the quad. Meanwhile, you seem to see nothing of the kind there. You think that no one is standing in the middle of the quad. We disagree. In isolation before we talk to each other each o f us believes reasonably. But suppose we talk about what we see and we reach full disclosure. At that point, we each know that something weird is going on, but we have no idea which of us has the problem. Either I am ?seeing things? or you are missing something. I would not be reasonable in thinking that the problem is in your head, nor would you be reasonable in thinking that the problem is in mine. Consider Pro and Con once again. Each may have his or her own special insight or sense of obviousness. But once there has been full disclosure, each knows about the other?s insight. These insights may have evidential force. But then there is no basis for either Pro or Con retaining his or her own belief simply because the one insight happens to occur inside of him or her. A point about evidence that plays a role here is this: evidence of evidence is evidence. More carefully, evidence that there is evidence for P is evidence for P. Knowing that the other has an insight provides each of them with evidence. 425 In each case, one has one?s own evidence supporting a proposition, knows that another person has comparable evidence supporting a competing proposition, and has no reason to think that one?s own reason is the non-defective one. To think otherwise requires thinking something like this: ?You have an insight according to which ~P is true. I have one according to which P is true. It?s reasonable for me to believe P in light of all this because my insight supports P.? This is tenacious and stubborn, but not reasonable. Thus, the private evidence the insights or intuitions does not support the view that there can be mutually recognized reasonable disagreements, or even that there can be reasonable disagreements after full disclosure. If the insights count as evidence, once one reaches a position of full disclosure, one knows that there are insights on both sides. It is difficult to see why this evidence better supports one?s own view rather than the competing view, and just as difficult to see how it supports an attribution of reasonableness to the other person. The competing insights cancel each other out. Those who would appeal to private evidence do have a straw to grasp at. They can insist that one?s evidence that another person has a competing insight is always weaker than one?s evidence that one has an insight oneself. And this, it can be argued, justifies retaining one?s belief. If correct, this would show that there can be reasonable disagreements after full disclosure. It makes it less clear that there can be mutually recognized reasonable disagreements. The reason for this is that if one person, say Pro, is not justified in believing that Con really does have an insight, then Pro is also not justified in believing that Con?s belief is justified. One might resort to the view that Pro is justified in believing that Con does have an insight, but not as well justified in this belief as in his belief that he himself has his

Properties of the Basic Metals Element Group

Properties of the Basic Metals Element Group Several groups of elements can be termed metals. Here is look at the location of the metals on the periodic table and their common properties: Examples of Metals Most of the elements on the periodic table are metals, including gold, silver, platinum, mercury, uranium, aluminum, sodium, and calcium. Alloys, such as brass and bronze, also are metals. Location of Metals on the Periodic Table Metals are located on the left side and the middle of the periodic table. Group IA and Group IIA (the alkali metals) are the most active metals. The transition elements, groups IB to VIIIB, are also considered metals. The basic metals make up the element to the right of the transition metals. The bottom two rows of elements beneath the body of the periodic table are the lanthanides and actinides, which are also metals. Properties of Metals Metals, shiny solids, are room temperature (except mercury, which is a shiny liquid element), with characteristic high melting points and densities. Many of the properties of metals, including a large atomic radius, low ionization energy, and low electronegativity, are because the electrons in the valence shell of metal atoms can be removed easily. One characteristic of metals is their ability to be deformed without breaking. Malleability is the ability of a metal to be hammered into shapes. Ductility is the ability of a metal to be drawn into wire. Because the valence electrons can move freely, metals are good heat conductors and electrical conductors. Summary of Common Properties Shiny metallic appearanceSolids at room temperature (except mercury)High melting pointsHigh densitiesLarge atomic radiiLow ionization energiesLow electronegativitiesUsually, high deformationMalleableDuctileThermal conductorsElectrical conductors

The essence of history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The essence of history - Essay Example Although others have criticized historians for basing their work on hearsay, in a society that expects the purposes of education to serve the general public, the aims and objectives of history can seem a bit cumbersome to define compared to other disciplines such as medicine and psychology. The subject is therefore very useful, although the historical study products are not tangible and in effect not very immediate as opposed to others such as medicine. Significance of History History is known to offer rich source of information in regard to how individuals and the society in general behave. It is very challenging to understand how people and societies operate, though numerous disciplines attempts to do so. Any efforts in knowing what transpires in the society can be hampered by relying only on current data. For instance, it is not easy to evaluate war if a nation is enjoying relative calm and peace. In order to do so, the only way possible is through digging deep into historical dat a. It is not possible to understand our geniuses such as Aristotle, the development and impact of technology as well as the role played by beliefs in determining the course of societal life (Evans, 23), Man therefore must make use of the past experiences to fully understand his environment. As evident, both social and physical scientists have tried to come up with theories to explain the behavior of human persons, but as matters stand, even the recourses needed for such studies largely depend on historical information, except for a few cases where artificial cases involving experiments can be instituted to determine the action of individuals. The main aspects of the operations in the society, namely military incursions, activities of missionaries and others cannot be instituted as laboratory experiments. However history, though riddled with imperfection must serve as the critical laboratory, thus information from the past forms the basis of the significant evidence in the quest to e xplain the many concepts. This is one of the fundamental reasons why man cannot assume the role of history as it provides the most extensive evidential parameter for the analysis and contemplation of functioning of the society. The position of history in the society cannot be underemphasized follows on the already stated significance. It is in order to note that the past determines the present and as well the future. For example, in pursuit of knowledge to get equipped with what happened a century ago, what matters first is to carefully look for what prevailed during the period. At times recent historical developments may come to the fore to offer explanations in relation to some remarkable developments, but above all, it is important to look further in the historical aspects to comprehensively identify what really transpired. It is only through historical studies that man can have substantial knowledge of the changing world, thus the full understanding of societal elements. The sig nificance of history in understanding and explaining the occurrence of change in relation to human behavior cannot be underestimated. For example, alcoholism as a human phenomenon has been a subject of discussion and research. Biological experiments have attempted to identify specific genes that are believed to cause an inclination toward addiction to alcohol in some people. Although it is a laudable scientific advance, as a social reality,

Affordable Care Act in United States Research Paper

Affordable Care Act in United States - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that the main idea of health care is to improve and reform health care which is of great concern to individuals. Despite how much one is earning in America, there is the need for one to set aside a particular budget that can be used when one is in poor health and thus the aim of Affordable Care Act. Insurance coverage in the companies are of benefit to individuals who work in the factories and other companies since in case of an accident or any other issue related to one health, then the insurance partners can intervene and medical expenses are covered by the insurance company or the use of Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act was signed into a law by President Obama in 2010 in United States federal statute where the government had to work along with health care and education reconciliation act to represent the United States interest in health care issues. The aim of Affordable Care Act is to increases the quality and affordability of healthcare making sure that those who do not have insurance coverage can get access to health insurance and thus expand public and private insurance coverage for the United States residents. The policy aims at lowering the cost of healthcare for individuals and the government as a whole where the government will have the mandate to make sure that all the residents in the United States will have the insurance coverage, subsidies will be available and insurance exchanges that are meant to increase the insurance coverage at affordable rates. The policy requires all the insurance companies to make sure that all residents are covered with minimum standards regardless of preexisting conditions or sex. The policy requires an individual to be covered by insurance from the employer-sponsored health plan and this means that one will have two insurance coverage. Failure to pay an approved insurance policy will mean that an individual will pay a penalty of 1% on income tax and thus the residents must comply with the Affordable Care Act. The policy aim is to get more than 30 million people who are going to be enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. The policy also requires low-income earners and those families with incomes between 100% to 400% federal poverty level will be considered and thus they are going to receive federal subsidies and only if the mode of purchase is through an exchange.

Social commentary Essay Example for Free

Social commentary Essay Dickens is Famous for his dramatic presentation of character and using them as a device for social commentary. Dickens is famous for his ability to craft complex plots and striking characters that capture the paranoia of English Society. In the novels such as A Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, Dickens uses characters such as Scrooge and Bill Sykes, as a device for social commentary; Scrooge shows the audience that no amount of money can buy happiness or true friends. Whilst Bill Sykes character enforces the moral message that crime does not pay and no one can escape their punishment, no matter who they are. Great Expectations, one of Dickenss most renowned novels, features the unforgettable character Miss Havisham and uses her as a window into the Victorian era, and stiff class system. In this essay I am going to be analysing how Dickenss uses Miss Havisham for the above purpose, and why he is so successful in doing so. Dickens grew up in Victorian England, taking his inspiration from the people and places he lived side by side with. The Victorian era was characterised by rapid change and developments in nearly every sphere, but it was also known as a time of suffering, and of conflict amongst the social classes. Dickens grew up in a world dictated by which class you belonged. Victorian Society boiled down to three major classes, the working class, the middle class and the all powerful upper class to which Great Expectations Miss Havisham belonged. If like Miss Havisham, a Victorian woman belonged to the upper class, her life was control: marry early to a gentleman, of whom her family approved; have as many children as they could afford and devote themselves to the up keeping of their home whilst still keeping themselves perfectly presentable and well mannered. These were the things an upper class Victorian woman lived to accomplish, but as Great Expectation tells us Miss Havisham never got the chance to fulfil hers or societys Great Expectations. As a direct result of not meeting those expectations, were told how Miss Havisham choose to stop her life, and live if you can call it living in the past, constantly replaying the terrible pain she suffered the day her heart was broken and dreams destroyed. The first time Miss Havisham is mentioned in the novel, Dickens displays great skill, as he shadows everything were told about her in mystery and doubt; making the reader very curious and more closely examine, the details revealed about her character. Pip narrates from his own memory everything he has heard about Miss Havisham, were told that she is an immensely rich and grim lady who lived in a large and dismal house barricaded against robbers, and who led a life of seclucusion. The house can be seen as a metaphor for Miss Havisham herself, supporting the rumours about her character. The short phrase barricaded against robbers, metaphorically describes Miss Havisham decision to lock herself, her love and memories in Satis house. Along with Dickens later description of the house being barred, he creates the image that Miss Havishams home is like a prison built to keep her in, and intervention out, an image Dickens enforces throughout the novel. Its walls, protecting her against thieves who dont necessarily want to steal her belongings, but her heart, and only light, Estella. Whilst Pip is journeying up to Satis house with Estella the atmosphere is created by Dickens use of Pip senses and the effect of the weather upon them. Cold wind seemed to grow colder there, than outside the gate, and it made a shrill noise in howling in and out at the open sides of the brewery, like the noise of wind in the rigging of a ship at sea. The fact Dickens describes this as Pip passes through a gate, gives the impression that he has stepped through an invisible barrier/doorway into another world, Miss Havishams world; a place where things are all the more terrible, bitter and dangerous. This sentence uses a young boys hearing, sensitivity and imagination to begin to describe how things are in a land controlled by Miss Havisham. Dickens idea of decreasing the temperature when Pip steps through the barrier gives the impression of Miss Havishams world being frozen, as her heart is, stuck in winters grasp. Dickens later uses the word winter and the connotations with death it carries to symbolically show how Miss Havisham is near to death; an example of this is The old wintry branches, a quota in which Dickens uses a metaphor to show how Miss Havisham is aging, becoming more cold, bare and therefore closer to death. The brewerys history is also questioned by Pip, and what we learn can be linked to Miss Havisham and the man who broke her heart, Compeyson. Estella tells us Better not try to brew beer there now, or it would turn out sour, Not that anybody means to try , for thats all done with, and it will stand as idle as it is, till it falls. The beer describes Miss Havishams and Compeyson relationship, the fact it is now sour- can be related to the bitterness Miss Havisham feels towards not only Compeyson, but all men. It was Compeyson after all who persuaded Miss Havisham to buy it from her brother, and wished to hold and manage it all. So the fact Miss Havisham leaves it alone to fall, could show how she wants nothing to do with him or any of his plans; but it could also be taken as a sign that she is still waiting for him to return, keeping herself and the brewery untouched by anyone, but all the time growing more and more sour. Miss Havisham is a living ghost, and her grotesque appearance and habits make her both fascinating and repulsive. In the first few lines of Pips first face to face encounter with Miss Havisham, Dickens uses a variety of linguistic devices to really capture the readers imagination. He repeatedly uses the word white to describe Miss Havisham, her bridal gown and trinkets around her; Dickens uses white as a symbolic reference to her age. She was dressed in rich materials satins, and lace, and silks all of white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Our narrator also notices how Miss Havisham is in an unready state, She had not quite finished dressing, for she had, but one shoe on the other was on the table near her hand her veil was but half arranged. This is an insight into Miss Havishams state of mind; she has kept herself in a condition of un-readiness, entombing her being in her own personal limbo. Half living and existing and her other side scattered around her.

The Vision of The Anointed :: essays research papers

The Vision of The Anointed When we think what the definition of Vision is we might think that vision is the ability to see the features of objects we look at, such as color, shape, size, details, depth, and contrast, and that vision is achieved when the eyes and brain work together to form pictures of the world around us. But when reading Thomas Sowell’s book, The Vision of The Anointed, one might have a different perspective. Thomas Sowell wrote this book to contest the vision of those who are the artistic activist of modern society. In chapter two that is titled, The Pattern, Sowell what is interesting about visions, what are their assumptions and their reasoning. He then discusses the various characteristics of patterns that have evolved among the anointed. The pattern of failure is then listed into four stages: The â€Å"Crisis†, the â€Å"Solution†, the â€Å"Results†, and finally the â€Å"Response†. During the chapter he talks about certain topics, such as the war on poverty and sex education, and broke each one down with the four stages. I had a particular interest on the topic of sex education. I agreed with Sowell about the â€Å"Crisis† with the sex education within schools. He mentioned hoe pregnancy and disease was done in the 60’s than it had been in the fifties. Usually when society makes a fuss, it could do the opposite affect than help the situation. It seems when sex education was permitted into schools, which more sex started to happen. Although that may have not been the intent, but unfortunately it did not help the problem, that was never a real problem. In chapter three which is titled by the numbers, Sowell discusses scientific evidence through data. He enlightens us on how to take facts and create them into valid theories. One fascinating subtopic was the â€Å"AHA† Statistics, where he describes how people find some numbers that fit their insights. In this chapter he focuses on how people get paid differently according to race, and gender. I do find this to be true. I agree that somewhere statistics by the anointed has proven that those tiny details (race and gender) have an affect on the way someone is paid doing the same work. I agree that facts and numbers are not entirely correct, but they are shaped and formed to me the anointed needs, and desires. In chapter four he discusses the irrelevance of evidence.

Normal and Abnormal Psychology Essay

Psychology is a science that studies the human mind and behavior, to understand and explain thoughts, emotions, and behavior of individuals. Psychology can be applied in different ways, such as mental health treatment, performance improvement or enhancement, self-help and other areas impacting the health and daily life of individuals. Psychology is generally a broad field of science, and there are multiple subfields or areas within it. Two subfields in particular that are going to be discussed in this paper are normal and abnormal psychology. An individual is categorized within these two subfields according to whether their social behavior and way of thinking is common or totally out of the norm. Normal Psychology studies the common or average human behavior of individuals. This particular area focuses mainly on understanding the way the individual thinks and reasons throughout their everyday life. This area does not involve any disorders or psychological illnesses, but instead it researches the human mind in trying to better understand the individual’s thought process and behavior. An individual who would be categorized under normal psychology would not display any mental illnesses, disorders, psychological problems or un-normal behavior. Abnormal Psychology studies abnormal human behavior as well as psychopathology of the individual. Abnormal refers to something that is not normal or out of the norm. This particular area of psychology focuses more on research and treatment for the abnormal behavior displayed by the individual. This area of psychology covers a wide variety of disorders such as depression, sexual deviation, obsession-compulsion, anxiety, mood, developmental, etc. A good way to tell if there is a case of abnormal psychology is anytime the behavior of an individual is causing problems in their life or is disruptive to them or other people. There are a number of perspectives used to treat abnormal psychology. Three main perspectives are: behavioral, medical, and cognitive. The behavioral perspective focuses on the observable behaviors. The medical perspective focuses on biological causes on the mental illness. The cognitive perspective focuses on how their internal thoughts and reasoning contribute to the psychological disorders.

A View of Strategic Hrm in a New Zealand Corporate

| Strategic HRM It’s More Than Just a Policy| A view of Strategic HRM in a New Zealand Corporate| | Glenn Duncan – 0705186| 11/8/2011| | *NB: Something, Something Else, Something Else 2, Outside, Thingy, Doublecheck and Hirethem are all pseudonyms. Executive Summary: In this paper I aim to highlight the importance of ensuring that all aspects of the Strategic HRM policy of an organisation are functioning. This will enable the organisation to gain the maximum benefit from its investment in HRM and the resulting motivated and engaged employees. Job satisfaction is related to goal efficacy, management support, performance appraisal review, rewards, organisatioanl facilitation and clarity of goals; (Lee C, 1991). To be effective in any Strategic HRM policy an organisation not only has to â€Å"Talk the Talk’ they have to ensure they â€Å"Walk the Walk† right down to the perceived lowest levels of the corporate ladder. The corporate I was employed at generally had a very good Strategic HRM system; unfortunately there were issues with its execution in some parts of the business. I will highlight three areas in my experience as a line manager where the division I was in was less than adequate at â€Å"Walking the Walk†, and the effect I felt this had on my team’s performance in the key areas of goal setting, performance management and personal development. Poor planning, ineffective goal setting, a dysfunctional reporting system and lack of cohesion in line management and HR and impersonal development are major roadblocks to the success in achieving the HRM goals of an organisation. My findings were that to ensure a HRM plan is effective an organisation has to ensure that it has sufficient suitably skilled and resourced HR experts and line managers, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and timely (SMART) goals, supported by a reporting system that is both robust and accurate. Just having a Strategic HRM policy in place doesn’t give you the strategic advantage an organisation needs to compete in today’s markets, ensuring that it is effective from the boardroom down to the lowest rung on the corporate ladder does. Introduction: Something * is a fully owned subsidiary of the Something Else* under Something Else 2*, the consumer brands arm of the corporate, based in Melbourne Australia. Something* is a strong market leader and operates in the competitive Thingy* market in New Zealand. The department within Something* this paper will focus on is the Field Sales Team in the Outside *department. The Other* department markets nothing products to any retail or foodservice outlet that is not a supermarket. Other* channel contributes 20% of the volume, but over 50% of the gross margin. Something Else* as a corporate organisation operates what would be considered a world leading Strategic Human Resource Management policies and practices. This is evidenced by the inclusion of a board sub- committee whom assist the Board in fulfilling its corporate governance responsibilities in relation to the recruitment, retention, remuneration policies and to promote a safe and healthy working environment. Something Else* overall corporate strategy is developed by the Executive Committee, an eight member team from various disciplines lead by the CEO. The executive committee includes the Group Director Human Resources whose role includes responsibility for Something else*16,800 (Full Time Equivalent) staff worldwide with a focus on recruitment, reward strategy, capability management, organisational development, health and safety, training and employee relations. Fonterra seeks feedback from its employees through regular engagement surveys and forming various committees to ensure employee considerations are taken into account on numerous different levels. Something Else* factory workers in generally under collective agreements. Something Else’s* salaried staff are on individual employment contracts, and are performance managed using an HR framework known as Doublecheck*. This framework drives performance, development, succession, talent management and recruitment processes. It incorporates Something Else’s* performance objectives and values and links through to remuneration. The outcomes of Doublecheck*are designed to create opportunities for Something Else’s* people to develop both as individuals and in their careers. Something Else* outsources some of its HR functions including recruitment of salaried staff to organisations such as Hirethem*. The performance management quarterly reviews are focused on Key Performance Indicators (goals) and a range of competencies based on the organisations values: * Co-operative Spirit * Do What’s Right * Challenge Boundaries * Make it happen Something *employs the same HR format as its parent company. The GM of Human Resources is a valued member of the Senior Leadership Team which takes input from Something Else* corporate and various departments to decide the both the financial and strategic goals of the company. The HR team consists of a General Manger, HR Manager, and two HR Advisors. Payroll and Recruitment search are outsourced. Something*uses Something Elses’s* Doublecheck framework to performance manage and develop its salaried employees. Figure 1 – Reporting Structure – something* Ltd – Outside – Field Sales TeamFigure 2 – Something* Ltd – Strategic HRM System Whilst the intentions of the Something* HRM system are robust, the execution of some key elements of the HRM process are dysfunctional and fail to add value to the process. I will focus on three important factors of the HRM process: * Goal setting (KPI’s – Key Performance Indicators) * Performance Management (KPI progress at quarterly reviews) * Employee Personal Development I will present my argument using the HRM Performance casual chain, Source: Adapted from Purcell, J & Hutchinson S (2007). ‘Frontline managers as agents in the HRM Performance casual chain: theory, analysis and evidence† Human Resource Management Journal 17(1), p. 7. Which I feel shows the consequences of failing to execute HRM strategy logically. Figure 3 – HRM Performance Casual Chain: Source: Adapted from Purcell, J & Hutchinson S (2007). ‘Frontline managers as agents in the HRM Performance casual chain: theory, analysis and evidence† Human Resource Management Journal 17(1), p. 7. Goal Setting: Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) At Something* Key Performance Indicators are set by senior managers using financial data and strategic initiatives from the annual business plan, passed down through the line managers for their respective department. These Key performance indicators will usually include core goals such sales volume / value, speed to market of new product launches, customer count. HR Practice Theory; Something* through the Doublecheck* framework was to set five to six SMART KPI’s and measure an employee’s participation in company activities against a set of competencies based on the Something Else* values. Progress against these were to be reviewed and feedback given / received at quarterly intervals. HR Practice Reality; Frequently the planning of the company was not complete in time for the start of the financial year, company goals were often to be achieved in a 10 month period rather than a 12 month period. This delay also had impact on other areas of planning which leads to a further delay in arrival of the tools the team required to achieve their goals. Goals were also derived from corporate strategy and had little relation to do with the Outside* market. Often in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies the majority of the strategic focus goes on sales through the high volume supermarket (Key Account) or the Foodservice channel, there often was a lack of in depth understanding of any other channel. Whilst a good deal of this was outside of the overall HRM control, it greatly affected the results the team could achieve against their KPI’s and hence morale and the reputation of senior management. Employee Perception; Employees feel a disconnect from the setting of goals and become increasingly frustrated when poor management decisions and failing to meet timeframes impacts on their ability to meet KPI’s. At reviews employees often questioned the leadership team’s knowledge of the â€Å"out of Home† market the team operated in. â€Å"Knowing you are being judged on your performance but having to either chase unrealistic goals or mark time and wait can be sole destroying† Something*employee. Employee Motivation / Organisation Performance; Employees do their best to strive for goals however a sense of confusion over priorities and clarity results in a lack of motivation, end result is very rarely do KPI’s get achieved, performance reviews are filled with reasons why targets were not met (covering the backside). Performance Management: The Doublecheck* framework for a quarterly review consisted of an employee self-assessment of performance against KPI’s and competencies; this was sent to the line manager prior to the planned appointment. The line manager would compare the employees perceived performance figures against company top line figures. During the meeting the performance against KPI’s and competencies of the employee would be discussed and encouragement given or plans put in place to improve performance. HR Practice Theory; It is the intention of the company to provide accurate data around the employee’s performance relative to the actual market performance. This would lead to a positive conversation about achieving KPI’s and how to ensure this continues or alternatively a conversation about how to lift the employee’s performance to make up any short falls and obtain the goals set for the year. HR Practice Reality; Due to internal database issues quite often only top line data could be used, drilling down into data resulted in more questions than answers. The combination of inaccurate data and lack of clarity in the KPI’s resulted in a great deal of time spent at performance reviews comparing and or justifying data between what the company believed to be accurate and what the employee believed to be accurate. This caused unnecessary angst between both parties. . Employee Perception; Employees felt there was a double standard in the outputs of the company; employees were expected to strive for excellence in their output, as measured in the competencies, whereas the company was permitted to produce less than satisfactory reporting. Employees considered this to go against Fonterra’s value of â€Å"Make it Happen† which focuses on a climate for success, exceptional results, stepping up, take accountability, plan thoroughly, perseverance and celebrate success. The team expressed that they felt let down by the company in the pursuit of their personal and company’s goals. Employee Motivation / Organisation Performance; For the majority performance reviews become conversations over missed opportunities, time delays and excuses. Quite often segments are cut and paste from previous reviews. The process fails to motivate even the high performers. Employee Personal Development: Central to Something Else* HRM strategy is a desire is to attract, retain and develop people of the highest caliber, by believing that learning is an integral part of each employee’s role, learning and development especially when done on the job, dealing with real issues and challenges. It is stated that identification and accelerated development of key talent is critical to Something Elses*success. HR Policy Theory; The Doublecheck*system has a segment where an employee discusses their career aspirations with the line manager with input from HR and agree a realistic career goal. Line managers then work with the employee and the HR team to map out a pathway of development allowing the employee to reach these goals over time. This pathway was to include training, coaching and mentoring. HR practice Reality; Something*under direction from Something Esle2* purchased a generic set of sales courses intended over time to develop a high performance sales team. Unfortunately this generic course was very â€Å"key Account â€Å"focused and again had little relation to the Outside* market. This action took out of play the HR department’s allocated budget intended for personal development towards career goals for each team member. Employee Perception; Members of the team generally felt that they were being disadvantaged by being sent of generic courses they felt did not improve their skill base, knowledge or chance of advancement in Fonterra as a whole. They felt they were being treated as a herd instead of individuals. Training was catering for the lowest common denominator and did not challenge the high performers. Employee Motivation / Organisation Performance; If employees, especially the high performers (who can be high maintenance due to their driven nature), perceive they are not being rewarded by development / progression they ask why should my performance be better than another employee if there is nothing in it for me. Overall result is a decline in motivation across the board. The Role of the Line Managers: Line Managers are tasked with the role of executing a great deal of the HRM policies for Something*, yet generally speaking, the amount of training given to line managers on the intricacies of HRM is minimal. Employees are greatly influenced by the HRM practices they experience of line managers, these can be both positive and negative, a good manager can make poor HR policies work whereas good HR practices can be negated by poor line manager people management or leadership skills. (Hutchinson, 2007) The relationship between employees and Line Management is important in in? encing the employees’ views of the support received or available from the organisation as a whole, both at the functional transactional level and in the corporate climate, this often determines the attitude towards organisational commitment and outlook towards the job. (Hutchinson, 2007) Conclusion: It is considered that SomethingElses* overall HR strategy is very robust and the corporate intention is to run a world class Strategic HRM system. At Something* I believe that the overall strategy is not achieving its goals. This was generally caused by a lack of cohesion between various departments which in turn lead to delays in the planning processes. The delays in the planning process ultimately affected the ability of all employees to meet their KPI’s causing stress and friction between competing employees. At times, it appeared that some senior managers were primarily focused on obtaining their own KPI’s, often to the detriment of the overall company goals. At Something* the HR personnel ratio to employees of approximately 100/1 (excluding the GM HR who was generally focused on strategy) caused issues. HR team members were not able to spend sufficient time with the line managers in discussions / planning around employees. When time was spent with the HR team it was generally pressured and not of great quality. There was also a lack of a cohesive approach by HR and line managers to the review and performance management process, each Line Manager generally went about the process the best way they knew how, hoping they were following the correct procedure and delivering the same message. It is argued that perhaps line managers should not be heavily involved in the HRM process as studies have shown in the undertaking of performance appraisals, management implementation was usually irregular within organisations and that the actual practice was also subject to significant variations of quality (McGovern P) and to further evidence to this argument were the findings: also to be taken into account is the short-term nature of managerial activity which leads to a tendency to put a greater priority on the achievement of the budget numbers, rather than the achievement of objectives through the team. McGovern P). My argument is who better than to review an employee’s performance than the Line Manager who on a daily basis has to work closely with the employee, a HR person jumping in from time to time unaware of the daily challenges would not gain the same insight as a Line Manager does. When discussing the issues around requiring accurate data for reporting on KPIâ€℠¢s and the angst this would cause with HR, a Line Manager would get the distinct impression that the HR advisor did not completely understand the numbers or jargon being used. (Brown, 2001) writes: Ann Boswall, vice-president of human resources and one of six members of top management team at Imperial Tobacco in Montreal, adds, â€Å"It is absolutely essential for HR to do a better job of learning about the business outside of their own department†. With regards to personal development, sending experienced sales teams on generic courses is a tick box exercise; according to the verbal feedback I received, if a post course survey was carried out the over whelming response would have been that no real learning experience has taken place. (T Short, 2010) writes: The failure to evaluate learning events and show positive business results was clearly linked to an undervaluing of training and development investment among senior managers. Recommendations: Ensure the corporate planning process has sufficient time allowed to achieve its goal of presenting a business plan that is able to be executed for the full twelve months of the financial year. This would take a great deal of pressure off the business as a whole. Setting SMART goals that give clarity of direction to the wider team and are specific to each departments channel not generic companywide goals. Even in a company with a goal-setting procedure that had been in use for over ten years, content-related problems with goals (such as lacking goal clarity or conflicting goals) were key predictors of goal commitment and job satisfaction. (Bipp, 2011) The HR department has to be resourced such to permit the Strategic HRM plan to be implemented from the top down. Not having the resources to penetrate and spend time where it counts most left the HR team performing mainly transactional duties such as recruitment and disciplinary activities. Green, 2002) writes: For over a decade, HR leaders have been striving to become business partners. They want to have a strategic impact on their organizations; however, many are struggling to make this transition. The primary reason for lack of progress in this endeavor is that HR analysts, the staff who carry out this mission, are still trained and reinforced in the traditional, transactional mindset. In order for the entire HR department to be consi dered strategic in nature, the HR analyst must learn critical consultative skills. p. 111) To counter this a 2004 Cranet survey indicated that people responsible for HRM activities have a growing proportion of members educated in business related studies, 43% in New Zealand from a business studies background. (E Rasmussen, 2010). Training of both the HR team to understand requirements of each department they deal with and equally training Line Managers in people management skills would help with alignment of HR Personnel and line managers in their duties within the HRM framework. This activity would go a long way to improving the overall performance of the HRM framework and the job satisfaction of employees within Something*. (Hutchinson, 2007) writes: It is often observed that there is a gap between what is formally required in HR policy and what is actually delivered by FLMs. The way FLMs undertake their HR duties of selecting, appraising, developing, communicating, involving, etc. , is inextricably linked to a wider set of what are increasingly called leadership behaviours, which aim to in? ence employee attitudes and behaviour and give direction. These two aspects of FLMs’ roles can be brought together in the term ‘people management. Implementing the above as a bare minimum would greatly improve the overall performance and moral of the Outside* sales team at Something*. Literature Sources: 1) http://www. SomethingElse*. com 2) http://www. something*. co. nz 3) http://scholar. google. co. nz. ezproxy. aut. ac. nz/ 4) http://search. proquest. c om. ezproxy. aut. ac. nz 5) http://web. ebscohost. om. ezproxy. aut. ac. nz References: Bipp, T. (2011). Goal-Setting in practice. Personell review, 40(3), 318. Brown, D. (2001). HR's role in business strategy: still a lot of work to be done. Canadian HR Reporter, 14 (9), 20. E Rasmussen, T. A. , N Hawort. (2010). Has the Strategic Role and Professional Status of Human Resource Management peaked in New Zealand. Journal of industrial relations, 52, 103 -118. Green, M. E. (2002). Internal human resources consulting: Why doesn't your staff get it? Public Personnel Management, 31(1), 111-119. Hutchinson, P. a. ( 2007). Front-line managers as agents in the HRM performance causal chain: . Human Resource Management Journa, 17(1), 3-20. Lee C, B. P. , Earley C, Lock E A. (1991). An Empirical Analysis of a Goal Setting Questionnaire. Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 12( No. 6), pp. 467-482. McGovern P, H. -H. V. , Stiles P. Human resources management on the line? Human Resource Management Journal, 7(4). T Short, R. H. (2010). Challenges in aligning workplace learning with business goal. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 50(2), 381.

Madelungs Rule Definition and Example

Madelungs Rule Definition and Example Madelungs Rule Definition Madelungs rule describes electron configuration and the filling of atomic orbitals. The rule states: (1) Energy increases with increasing n l (2) For identical values of n l, energy increases with increasing n The following order for filling orbitals results: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p, (8s, 5g, 6f, 7d, 8p, and 9s) The orbitals listed in parentheses are not occupied in the ground state of the heaviest atom known, Z 118. The reason orbitals fill this way is because the inner electrons shield the nuclear charge. Orbital penetration is as follows:s p d f Madelungs rule or Klechkowskis rule originally was described by Charles Janet in 1929 and rediscovered by Erwin Madelung in 1936. V.M. Klechkowski described the theoretical explanation of Madelungs rule. The modern Aufbau principle is based on Madelungs rule. Also Known As: Klechkowskis rule, Klechowsy rule, diagonal rule, Janet rule Exceptions to Madelungs Rule Keep in mind, Madelungs rule may only be applied to neutral atoms in the ground state. Even then, there are exceptions from the ordering predicted by the rule and experimental data. For examples, the observed electron configurations of copper, chromium, and palladium are different from predictions. The rule predicts the configuration of  9Cu to be 1s22s22p63s2  3p64s23d9  or [Ar]4s23d9  while the experimental configuration of a copper atom is [Ar]4s13d10. Filling the 3d orbital completely gives the copper atom a more stable configuration or lower energy state.

Call Of The Wild Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays

Call of the Wild Dear Jake, I will be glad to tell you about a really great book I read lately. It is called Call of the Wild, by Jack London. It has 104 pages and is a fiction book. The Call of the Wild has a very interesting plot. It is centered around a St. Bernard and Scotch Shepard mix, named Buck. At home, which was a large house called Judge Millers Place, in the sun kissed Sanata Clara Valley, he ruled over all dogs. Buck was Judge Miller's inseperable companion, until a man named Manuel, who was the one of the gardener's helpers, commited a treacherous act. Manuel, to cover his Chinese lottery gambling debts, stole Buck from his sound sleep and brought him to a flag station called College Park. There, the exchanging of money took place. It was simple. Manuel needed money to pay off his gambling debts, and Buck was a prime candidate. Buck was loaded onto an express car to Seattle. When he got there, he was bought by two men named Perrault and Francois. He was loaded onto a ship called the Narwhal and tooken to the Yukon, where he was to be trained as a sled dog. There were other sled dogs that Buck came to know well, each with their own unique personality. After only a short time of training, Buck was a sled dog, traveling with the team of huskys and mix breeds from Dyea Beach, to the town of Dawson. After several trips with Perrault and Francois, Buck was traded to a know nothing, gold seeking family. they knew nothing, or hardly nothing, about managing a sled team. There trip began with a very bad start. The family had loaded up their wagon with too much unneded baggage, and it was top heavy. as the dogs began to pull away and pull around a curve, the baggage tipped over along with the sled and thus the unnecessary baggage was discarded, and the trip was barely completed because of harsh weather, inadequate supplies, and poor management skills of the dog handlers. All except a man that went by the name of John Thornton, perhaps the only sane one in the group. After on e of the men repeatedly beat on a dog, Thornton became enraged. He threatened to kill the man, and shortly after, he unhooked the beaten Buck from the sled, the rest of the family left John Thornton. A few minutes later, the rest of the family that left thornton behind fell through some cracked ice and drowned. Th at left Buck and Thornton to fend for themselves. the time of this book is in the great gold rush era in the Yukon and Alaska. The rest of the book concludes what happens to Buck and John Thornton and some of the extrordinary times they have together. I think you will enjoy this book because it is full of adventure. Not once did i want to put the book down. Call of the Wild is a book that more truly represents but does not actually depict what the gold rush era was really like for the people and the dogs who toiled through the harsh Yukon Territory. That, in itself, makes the book more interesting to read. I also think you will enjoy reading this book because it is a classic, and written by Jack London, whose prior achievements speak for themselves. This respect towards the author allows you to focus more on the text and not the credibility of the author. The final reason i think you will enjoy this book is that it tells about the goods and bads of wilderness life. it doesn't just lean to one side.

Qualitative and Quantitative Article Review Essay

Qualitative and Quantitative Article Review - Essay Example en forge ahead to outline the various steps that people can take in order to balance between work and home, amidst all the difficulties (Kreiner & Hollensbe, 2009). In order to obtain appropriate data, the authors made up their mind to use several relevant methods of data collection. They began by conducting a case study about the topic. In this way, they used social construction approach which enabled them to realize that individuals have control over their experiences. This approach is in total disagreement with other theories that have it that human beings are passive reactors to their environment. The second approach that was used was direct observation. They studied parish priests because despite them having families to take care of, they still had a tacit mandate of serving their people. The third approach put in place was participant observation in which they attended various meetings for the clergy. The above methods of data collection work hand in hand with the costructivist theory (Scandura, 2000). In this case, the authors created the data they analyzed through their interaction with those who were being interviewed and observed. There were several results found from the different approaches. For instance, they realized that work-home boundary incongruence resulted into boundary violations which later led to work-home conflict. In addition, they noticed that boundary violations increased work-home conflict in the society. The Impact of Techno stress on Role Stress and Productivity is a great article. The authors attempts to determine stress created by computer and technology in general. They derive their concepts from both sociotechnical, and role theories to look deeper into the overall stress created by information (Tarafdar & Ragu-Nathan, 2007). The authors developed a research model based on both role and sociotechnical theory (Trochim, 1999). Three hypotheses were then developed. The first hypothesis inquired whether techno stress could be