Management 201 Essays - Human Resource Management,

Management 201 Task: Choose a company and identify all motivational (employee-centered) programs that the company has in place. Then ascertain the significance and objectives of these programs. Next provide a critique of these programs. Finally, recommend changes that will improve on the programs and/or new programs that will better meet the objectives articulated above. Overview: The company that I have chosen as the subject of my research is the AAA Travel Agency. More specifically, I have interviewed several travel agents from the Reno, Pennsylvania location, which serves patrons from Western Pennsylvania as well as West Virginia. The bulk of the information for my analysis has come directly from the in-office interviews with Ms. Tiffany Pacior, the senior travel agent for the Reno office. She has provided me with information directly out of the AAA employee handbook as well as personal information covering the positive and negative effects she has experienced from the programs I will be discussing. There can be little doubt that the backbone of every successful business or company is its staff of employees. Employees are the vital parts of the business machine that can aid in its success or contribute to its failure. It is for this reason that it is imperative to possess the ability to acquire and maintain effective employees. The chief method by which a business or company can accomplish this task is through employee-centered motivational programs. The goal of these programs is to encourage employees to maximize their performance by targeting three specific motivational stimuli. These include morale, satisfaction, and rewards. After researching their policies and interviewing employees, I have came to the conclusion that AAA of Reno, Pennsylvania has adopted Fredrick Taylor's approach to motivating their employees. In this paper I will demonstrate how AAA applies Taylor's scientific management approach to target the three motivational stimuli stated above. I will also provide some insight from the employee's perspective as to how effective the programs are at what they are designed to achieve. The scientific management approach to motivation evolved from the work of Frederick Taylor. He believed that when highly productive people discover they are being compensated basically the same as less productive people, then the output of highly productive people will decrease. Consequently, the scientific management approach to motivation is based on the assumption that money is the primary motivator. This seems to be the ideology that AAA has adopted to produce high morale, achieve satisfaction, and reward their employees. Morale, as it applies here, may be defined as the overall feeling of the members of an organization. Generally speaking, a company with a high morale among its employees enjoys above average performance and a lower than average employee termination rate. AAA has several programs in practice, which support the scientific management approach to motivation to produce high morale. First, it is not uncommon for a travel agent to work beyond the scheduled forty-hour workday to complete the tasks of a heavy business day. It was for this reason that the company offers overtime compensation for the dedication of their employees. The company pays one and a half times their regular hourly rate of pay when an agent works more than their scheduled hours per week. Also, for those individual days when an agent works more than ten hours per day, they are entitled to overtime dinner pay. The employees stressed that this is a worthwhile program because it allows overtime workers to order dinner from l ocal delivery shops. The objective here is simple, no one likes to work on an empty stomach and so why not use a little give and take to make the employees feel like they are not being taken advantage of. It has proven to be effective from the opinions of the employees I interviewed. The final program I was made aware of designed to bolster company morale is the ?paid time off? program. This allows employees to take time off from their work for various reasons and to be regularly paid as if they were working for that period of time. Acceptable reasons for this privilege cover a wide spectrum including personal vacation, minor illness, funeral leave, jury duty, holidays, military leave, and marriage. Ms. Pacior explained that although these programs

Stigma, Stigmas, and Stigmata

Stigma, Stigmas, and Stigmata Stigma, Stigmas, and Stigmata Stigma, Stigmas, and Stigmata By Maeve Maddox Another term associated with religious practice, but often used in other contexts, is stigma. The word has two plural forms: stigmas and stigmata. Stigma derives from Greek and Latin words for the type of mark made by burning, like the brand placed on a slave, or by cutting. The word’s figurative meaning is â€Å"mark of censure or infamy.† The plural stigmata appears in a line at the end of Saint Pauls Letter to the Galatians. Paul says he â€Å"bears Christ’s stigmata in his body† (stigmata Domini Iesu in corpore meo porto). Paul is playing on different meanings of the word stigma. On the one hand, he is contrasting the marks and scars he has received by preaching Christianity as the valid equivalent of the mark/stigma of circumcision, which some Jewish Christians of his time insisted should be required of converted Gentiles. He is also using the word in the sense of the identifying mark of a slave, implying that he belongs to Christ, as a slave belongs to his master. In modern religious usage, the Latin plural stigmata refers specifically to marks on the body that mimic the five wounds of Christ: nail holes in the hands/wrists and feet, and a wound in the side. Some reported stigmata include pain and marks around the head (from the crown of thorns) and on the back (from scourging). The first documented stigmatic (person who exhibits Christ’s stigmata) was Francis of Assisi: The  saints  right side is described as bearing on open wound which looked as if made by a lance, while through his hands and feet were black nails of flesh, the points of which were bent backward.- New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.   A stigmatic who lived in the twentieth century and was studied by contemporary physicians was Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968). The figurative use of stigma is popular in the media to refer to the disapprobation displayed toward certain members of society or to characteristics felt to be socially disreputable. Used in this sense, the usual plural is stigmas. Here are some examples of this use of stigma: Now, in the 21st century, we still have a situation where the words â€Å"mental illness† have negative connotations, leading to stigma surrounding anyone diagnosed with mental illness. In 1936, a bill was passed that made Texas the first state in the southwest to legally remove the  stigma of illegitimacy  from birth records. It is important to understand stigma in India, given its varied culture and mixture of rural and urban populations. The verb is to stigmatize: Afflicted individuals and racial or national groups  have been stigmatized  because of perceptions about highly contagious, difficult-to-cure diseases. [This book] is a great overview of how romance novels (and their readers)  have been stigmatized  for centuries. How Singles Are Stereotyped,  Stigmatized, and Ignored An error in the use of stigma is the redundancy of following it with the word mark: There is a stigma mark attached to being Aboriginal. I would think that if anyone needs a stigma mark, it is them. Note: The noun stigma has other meanings in scientific contexts. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†The 7 Types of Possessive Case

Women's roles in society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women's roles in society - Research Paper Example The development of feminist’s movements and the increased awareness about the capabilities of women forced male communities to accept the identity of women in a more liberal manner. In liberal societies, today’s women enjoy the same freedom as that of men; they can work in any professions they like and engage in any activities they like. For example, Canada is the fourth country in the world to legalize gay and lesbian marriage (Dube). In other words, Canada has not shown any discrimination while legalizing same sex marriage; along gay marriage, lesbian marriage was also legalized in Canada. At the same time, it should be noted that in countries like Saudi Arabia, women are not even allowed to drive their vehicles. BBC (17 June 2011) has reported that a women was arrested in Saudi Arabia in May 2011, for uploading a video of herself driving a vehicle. â€Å"Manal al-Sherif was accused of "besmirching the kingdom's reputation abroad and stirring up public opinion", but was released after 10 days having promised not to drive again† (Saudi Arabia women drive cars in protest at ban). From the above two incidents it is evident that the roles of women in liberal societies are changing rapidly whereas in traditional societies, it remains the same. Thompson (2010) has mentioned that â€Å"jobs for women were largely limited to work as household servants during ancient times† (Thompson). Dr. Benson et al, (2010) have pointed out that â€Å"women in some cultures have been denied access to education or there may be no education system due to circumstances in their country† (Dr. Benson et al, p.359). Lack of education or denial of educational opportunities forced women in totalitarian countries like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan etc to limit their activities within the boundaries of their house. The over influence of religion over social life is the major reason for the underdevelopment of women life in these countries. It should be noted th at even in communist China, the role of women has been changed drastically over the last few decades. Africa is a region which is famous for totalitarian or autocratic administrations. Even the African women enjoy much more freedom than the women in fundamental Muslim societies. The leadership roles women have played in the development of various African societies cannot be underestimated. The contributions of women towards the social, economic, political and educational developments of African societies cannot also be gainsaid. In fact, traditional African society attached no importance to gender issues because every individual had a role to play both in the family as well as in the larger society (Afisi, p.230) It is evident from the above discussions that the major obstacle which prevents women from development is not politics, but religion or religious beliefs. Western countries are more aware of the changing roles of women in society and they are ready to make necessary changes in their social life. As stated earlier, women in western countries can engage in all activities in which their male counterparts engaged in. For example, it should be noted that many biggest organizations like Pepsi are currently run by women CEO’s. Such things were unimaginable around thirty or forty years before. The capabilities of women in handling pressure and undertaking risky jobs are well accepted by the western societies. However, the conditions of the women in third world are not like that in the western world. In third world, women are still considered as second class citizens. â€Å"They are denied even some of the fundamental rights and privileges which are so essential for the preservation of human dignity†

Where Gay Rights will be in 20 years Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Where Gay Rights will be in 20 years - Essay Example However, steady improvements have been observed over the years indicating that the civil and human rights of gay men and lesbian women are improving. However, with the federal government’s slow response and interventions whenever progress is made, indicates that we might be a long way off from granting gay men and lesbian women equal protection of the law. It is expected however, that those rights will gradually change and in twenty years from now, the rights, freedoms and protection of gay men and lesbian women will be virtually, but not entirely complete. History of Gay Rights When the Americans With Disabilities Act was enacted in 1990, then President Bush described the Act as an â€Å"Historic new civil rights Act† (Burgdoft, Jr. 1991, p. 413). The Act promised to ensure that all Americans with disabilities would be accorded equal opportunities for employment and doors previously shut to them would be opened (Burgdoft, Jr., 1991). However, the civil rights ambit of the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 is questionable. The Act does not extend its protection to a number of individuals. Among the notable exclusions are homosexuals, transvestites and bisexuals (Americans with Disabilities Act 1990). ... the federal government and thus expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, national origin, religion, race or color (Title VII Civil Rights Act 1964). Implicitly there is no right to expect equal treatment on the basis of sexual orientation and therefore gay persons may not rely on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 to seek remedies against discrimination based on their sexual orientation. In fact, the US Supreme Court has said as much (Williamson v A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc, 1990). The right to equal protection and equal treatment in employment by homosexuals and lesbians has been denied on the basis that bills intending to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to include homosexuals and lesbians have not been passed (Blum v Gulf Oil Corp. 1979). A similar position is taken with respect to Title 42 USC 1981 and 1985 which protects against discrimination in employment by non-Federal employers (Title 42 USC 1981 & 1985). Courts have consistently rejected claims fo unded on claims of employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (De Santis v Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. 1979). Gays in the US have also been denied the advantages and benefits that emanate from marriage. The Defense of Marriage Act 1996 states that its purpose is to â€Å"define and protect the institution of marriage† (Defense of Marriage Act 1996). Pursuant to the Defense of Marriage Act 1996, marriage is defined as a â€Å"legal union between one man and one woman† (Defense of Marriage Act 1996, Section3). Moreover, no state is obliged to accept a same sex marriage legalized by any other state (Defense of Marriage Act 1996, Section). Section 2 of the Defense of Marriage Act 1996 is apparently unconstitutional. The Full Faith and Credit Clause of the US Constitution requires

Blacks worthy of Free

Blacks worthy of Freedom Essay Born the youngest of eleven children, Marcus Garvey started his inspiring life in the rather uninspiring town of St. Ann, Jamaica in 1887. Before his death in 1940, Garvey would revolutionize the way many Blacks throughout the world portrayed their lives and approached the White world they were thrown into. Garvey was revolutionary from many of his contemporary thinkers, Black or White. His most extreme belief was that it’s impossible for white people to responsibly hold the best interests for black people. Garvey proclaimed an activist paradigm at a time a place when black Americans most needed hopeful guidance and social rejuvenation. Garvey believed that Black people had to unite as a common faction, not one that was divided by scales of darkness, or history of family DNA, all Black could unite under the Pan-African principle. United, the rallies spread a revival amongst down trodden Black Americans, many of who were disenfranchised by White America, who only recently saw Blacks worthy of Freedom. After World War I, Europe and Africa proved themselves easy to carve. Territory boundaries were easily re-drawn on maps and countries grew, while others collapsed. The theory of new country, one founded under the principles of Garvey-ism, did not seem that distant to his followers. Eventually, under carful structure that saw room for all members of the community, Garvey’s organization, the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) grew as a symbol of rebellion against the White rulers, as well as social gathering welcoming all Blacks with the same Pan-Africanist that united everyone. Garvey sought to revive the Black community through communal strength, societal willpower, and business gumption. As his organization grew in radicalism, it spread warning of rebellion, which naturally appealed to disenfranchised blacks in all parts of the world, many of who saw Garvey as the agent of an Earthly salvation.

Vietnam War :: essays research papers

The very mention of the name Vietnam in the 1960s and '70s came to signify either a brutal jungle war or a spectacular failure of American power - or both. Thankfully, the combined legacies of French occupation, the Vietnam War and withdrawal of Soviet aid in 1990 have given way to the Vietnamese citizens' thriving entrepreneurial spirit, fueled by overseas investment and a relaxing of government control. And yet, the exotic chime of names and places still remains: Hue, Dien Bien Phu, the Perfumed River, the Plain of Reeds. The people are erudite and friendly, the food a delicious mixture of French and local cuisine's, and the scenery is sublime. Although Vietnam lies in the intertropical zone, local conditions vary from frosty winter in the far northern hills to the year-round subequatorial warmth of the Mekong Delta. At sea level, the mean annual temperature is about 27 degrees C in the south, falling to about 21 degrees C in the far north. Because of its wide range of latitudes and altitudes, there are no good or bad seasons for visiting Vietnam. When one region is wet, cold or steaming hot, there is always somewhere else that is pleasantly warm and sunny. Visitors should take into account the Vietnamese New Year celebration (Tet) which falls in late January or early February - flights and accommodation are often fully booked. Four great philosophies and religions have shaped the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity. Over the centuries, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have melded with popular Chinese beliefs and ancient Vietnamese animism to form what is known as Tam Giao (or `Triple Religion'). The Vietnamese language (kinh) is a hybrid of Mon-Khmer, Tai and Chinese elements with many of its basic words derived from the monotonic Mon-Khmer languages. The most widely spoken foreign languages in Vietnam are Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), English, French and Russian, more or less in that order. Popular artistic forms include: traditional painting produced on frame- mounted silk; an eclectic array of theaters, puppetry, music and dance; religious sculpture; and lacquerware. Vietnamese cuisine is especially varied - there are said to be nearly 500 different traditional dishes, ranging from exotic meats such as bat, cobra and pangolin to fantastic vegetarian creations (often prepared to replicate meat and fish dishes). However, the staple of Vietnamese cuisine is plain white rice dressed up with a plethora of vegetables, meat, fish, spices and sauces. Spring rolls and steamed rice pancakes are popular snacks, and the ubiquitous soups include eel and vermicelli, shredded chicken and bitter soups. Some of the more unusual fruits available include green dragon fruit, jujube, khaki, longan, mangosteen, pomelo, three-seed cherry and water apple.

Effects of the Fur Trade on Native Societies Essay

Between the fifteenth and the nineteenth century the fur trade and slave trade connected the global commerce, and played a significant role in world history. Each of them transformed the destiny of North American and African society. Politically, economically and culturally, North Americans were dying slowly in seemingly more peaceful fur trade, and Africans were immediately hit by the wreaked havoc of slave trade. North America’s ostensible peace with the outside world could not avoid civil wars, as African people’s self-protection could not avoid European gory violent human plunder. In Africa, people were still live in a village community system with introverted self-governments. When colonists came, big kingdoms fragmented because the increasing of trade and arms. In this way, there was not a large-scale revolt or uprising in native Africa. As a result, small societies suffered from frequent slave raiding. As long as their own village was safe, they passively watched as people in other villages were raided and sold. Benin was a developed state in West Africa. In the 16th century the oba banned slave trade and relatively avoided slave traders. They bought arms from Europeans to protect themselves, but never helped others. In consequence, the power of oba declined in the 18th century and they could not stop the slave trade any more (456-457). When armed aggressors burst in small villages, they could not even protect themselves like Benin, but just be pillaged in desperation. Native Americans maintained cooperative relationships with Europeans under the fur trade. It protected them from extinction and slavery like those in Africa. However native people noticed the benefit of the fur trade, and then the profit of trade intensified the competition among tribes. They began to demand guns to deal with other tribes – and Europeans had gun. Therefore a circulation of furs and guns was fo rmed, and the increasing of arms imports aggravated the political conflicts of native people. In other words, more trade, more warfare. Fur trade brought North America both modern civilization and prolonged damage, yet the African economy was directly attacked by slave trade. North Americans traded furs with Europeans and received foreign goods and benefits such as pots, guns and metals. Europeans finished products gave them modern technology and tools, and caused the self-sufficiency system to transform to agricultural villages. Hurons lived in North America â€Å"in the early seventeenth century†. They traded many beavers and â€Å"received copper pots, metal axes, knives, cloth, firearms, and alcohol† (447). It was a big step for North America, to become a modern and developed society. Nevertheless, it was also the start of a long-term decline. â€Å"By the 1760s, hunters in southern British colonies took about 500,000 deer every year† (446). Hunters largely killed industrious animals, the amount of them sharply decreased. The fur trade absorbed labor supply, and restricted other developments. In reality, North America had been lagged behind chronically under the simple and dependent economic system caused by fur trade. Unlike North America, Africa had been steadily developing for a while in sixteenth century. The slave trade, was unprecedented havoc for native people and society. Just demographically, Africa lost millions of population in the fifteenth through nineteenth century. The productivity was greatly broken. The economy stagnated, or even retrogressed without technology. Both native North American and African people lost part of their ethos and native culture. North America was changed more by profit motive; however Africa was forced by demographical transformation and authorities’ avarice. Before European’s arrival, North Americans led a primitive lifestyle as a part of nature. They had laggard tools and technology but mastered natural environment. Their moral quality could be confirmed by the origin of Thanksgiving holiday: Native Indian helped European settlers tide over the hard time. Although they were economically backward, their spiritual civilization was wealthy. But after they began to trade with Europeans, they killed animals in quantity, overly reclaimed land, and broke their belief of nature. The benefits of furs led people to trade for guns and fight other tribes. Many of them became alcoholics, spent a lot of money to buy rum and brandy. They used foreign products all the time, and forgot their traditional crafts. In Africa, Europeans raided and drove away people in different cultures, and exterminated many ancient civilizations. The Europeans trading living human without caring whether they lived or died, was a bloody humiliation in the history. The hard truth is that many native authorities joined slave trading for their own interest. Dahomey was a highly authoritarian state in eighteenth century. They fully participated in slave trade and helped Europeans capture a lot of native people (456-457). It was a miserable shame of African culture and entire human history, that the chiefs of states helped invaders do human trafficking. Both trades certainly destroyed a part of native civilization, and changed a part of people. The politics, culture and economy of the native North Americans were gradually negatively affected while trading with Europeans and Africans were rapidly devastated by large human raid. Once, struggling in the wheel of history, they grew and died.