Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Bipolar Disorder Essay -- Psychology Depression Essays

Bipolar Disorder Bipolar confusion is a sort of hyper sorrow arranged by those influenced having outrageous perfect inverse feelings. Those who experience the ill effects of bipolar issue, go from outrageous highs (insanity) to very lows, (gloom). Since this disease manages such uncommon changes in conduct, it is fundamental that the individuals who endure make clinical move in treatment of their issue, dissimilar to different despondencies that might be treated with treatment as it were. Clinical treatment with the utilization of medications is so significant when rewarding the individuals who experience the ill effects of bipolar issue, since its causes can be anticipated to start at the neuron level. One of these medicines, as talked about all through this paper, is Lithium in its regular for, Lithium Carbonate. Lithium is thought to influence the way the way the synaptic transmitters convey data over the neurons in the body. In spite of the fact that it is obscure how precisely this procedure functions, explores accept that the neurotransmitter is the area of the neuron that is influenced by lithium use. The neurotransmitter of a cell can be characterized as a state of correspondence at the hole between two neurons or between a neuron and a muscle, (Kalant, 2004). Since the neurotransmitter manages correspondence, the neurotransmitter is an very occupied and confused piece of the neuron. Because of the conviction that Lithium is impacts a cell basically at the neurotransmitter, it additionally influences the cell at the axon of the pre- synaptic cell, and the dendrites of the post-synaptic cell. An axon is the piece of the cell that conducts data from the cell body, and in the end over the neural connection, where the branch like strands of the post-synaptic dendrites gets the data. Accurate Process Unknown: Lith... ... Khoury, Aram El, et al. (2001) Effects of Long Term Lithium Treatment on Monoaminergic works in significant sadness. Psychiatry Research, 105, 33-44. Lithium-Drug Class, Medical Uses, Medication Side Effects, and Medication Interactions. (1998). Recovered March 6, 2005 from http://www.medicinenet.com Long, Phillip W. (2005) Pharmacology in Lithium Carbonate. Retrived March 6, 2005 from http://mentalhealth .com/tranquilize/p30- 102.html Schimelpfening, Nancy. The Chemistry of wretchedness. Recovered February 28, 2005 from http://depression.about.com/cs/brainch101/a/brainchemistry_p.htm Serretti, A. Et al. (2000). Serotonin Receptor 2A, 2C, 1A qualities furthermore, reaction to lithium prophylaxis in temperament issue. Diary of Psychiatric Research, 35, 89-98. Shastry, Barkur s. (2005) Bipolar Disorder: an update. Neurochemistry International, 46, 273-279.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Listen to Admissions the creative process for Pi day videos

Listen to Admissions the creative process for Pi day videos The blogs have been quiet lately. Summer is ending, freshman are arriving on campus, upperclassmen are returning to campus, admissions officers are preparing for the admissions cycle (sort of like preparing for hibernation, but for being buried in applications instead of snow). So here is some #Content for you: last November, Loren S. 17  and I were interviewed by the Video4Colleges podcast about the drone delivery video from Pi Day 2015. Loren and I collaborated, with Elizabeth, on that video (and this past springs  droid delivery video, and also the Tim Beaver epic splits video), and the V4C folks wanted to know more about the creative production process for these weird videos we make that arent at all standard fare for the industry. I already posted some of the cinematographic behind the scenes  for the drone delivery video, but this interview delves a little bit more deeply into how we came up with that concept, the philosophy and strategy behind how we communicate to prospective students (i.e., you), the ideation/iteration process for these videos and other creative projects, how Loren and I started working together (and how we work with the rest of the communications team here), and so on. Hopefully it will be an interesting little window into the somewhat-peculiar-but-hopefully-entertaining stuff we make for you.

Listen to Admissions the creative process for Pi day videos

Listen to Admissions the creative process for Pi day videos The blogs have been quiet lately. Summer is ending, freshman are arriving on campus, upperclassmen are returning to campus, admissions officers are preparing for the admissions cycle (sort of like preparing for hibernation, but for being buried in applications instead of snow). So here is some #Content for you: last November, Loren S. 17  and I were interviewed by the Video4Colleges podcast about the drone delivery video from Pi Day 2015. Loren and I collaborated, with Elizabeth, on that video (and this past springs  droid delivery video, and also the Tim Beaver epic splits video), and the V4C folks wanted to know more about the creative production process for these weird videos we make that arent at all standard fare for the industry. I already posted some of the cinematographic behind the scenes  for the drone delivery video, but this interview delves a little bit more deeply into how we came up with that concept, the philosophy and strategy behind how we communicate to prospective students (i.e., you), the ideation/iteration process for these videos and other creative projects, how Loren and I started working together (and how we work with the rest of the communications team here), and so on. Hopefully it will be an interesting little window into the somewhat-peculiar-but-hopefully-entertaining stuff we make for you.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Schizophrenia And Its Effects On Mental Illness - 1538 Words

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that is in a very small amount of the population, 1 in 100 people (1% of the population). Symptoms of schizophrenia include, delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, not much emotion if any is present, as well as speech and socializations issues. Ways to treat schizophrenia are very limited to antipsychotic drugs and therapy. Although there is not one cause to this illness found, there are many factors that explain the cause or result in having schizophrenia. Substance abuse and stress are also contributing factors in schizophrenia when it comes to patients with this illness having violent personalities as well as suicidal thoughts. Most research that has been conducted has shown that this is an illness that is usually inherited. Someone that has a relative that has schizophrenia that they are closely related to has a greater chance to inherit it than someone who does not have any relatives with the illness. Idententical twins hav e also been studied and found that â€Å"an identical twin of a person with schizophrenia has the highest risk 40 to 50 percent of developing illness. A child whose parent has schizophrenia has about a 10 percent chance† (Mentalhealth.com, Leonard Holmes). This all connects to the biological aspect of having this disorder but other issues that have been connected to people with schizophrenia are prenatal complications. A study by Thomas F. McNeil and Elizabeth Cantor-Graae, was done to analyze theShow MoreRelatedSchizophrenia And Its Effects On Mental Illness Essay1270 Words   |  6 PagesSchizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental illness that interferes with a person’s ability to think clearly, manage emotions, decision making, and relate to others. It’s a long-term medical illness affecting 1% of Americans. The causes of schizophrenia include genetics, environment, brain chemistry, and substance abuse. Schizophrenia occurs roughly in 10%of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder such as a parent or sibling. (NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness | What is SchizophreniaRead MoreSchizophrenia And Its Effects On Mental Illness1388 Words   |  6 PagesSchizophrenia is a â€Å"serious mental disorder characterised by severe disruptions in psychological functioning and a loss of contact with reality† (Meldrum Wilson, 2009). The main question that arises from the many studies looking at schizophrenia and violence is does schizophrenia itself make an individual violent or are there other factors from the mental illness that contribute to this? A ccording to Fazel, Guati, Linsell, Geddes and Grahn (2009), before the 1980’s many people made no connectionRead MoreMental Illness And Mental Health Essay936 Words   |  4 PagesMental health is being successful in doing mental functions resulting in being able to form relationships with other people, getting things done and having the ability to work around problems and stress. Your mental health can affect how you think, act and feel. Over the years of your life, your mental health is shaped by the events that you have experienced such as abuse or trauma. Having a healthy mind is just as important as having a healthy body. Conversely, just like how you can get a diseaseRead MoreSarah and Angela The Many Misconceptions and Misunderstandings of Schizophrenia Misunderstood with1200 Words   |  5 PagesAngela The Many Misconceptions and Misunderstandings of Schizophrenia Misunderstood with the assistance of popular stigmas and stereotypes, schizophrenia and its severity is often degraded and overlooked by the public. Wrongly feared and shunned, individuals with schizophrenia have too commonly been judged throughout human history and even today. Many aspects of the disease are failed to be truly understood and represented, from the effects of the disease to the availability of treatment. FavoredRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1077 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Schizophrenias is a serious mental illness characterized by incoherent or illogical thoughts, bizarre behavior and speech, and delusions or hallucinations, such as hearing voices (APA,2015). I choose to touch on the topic of schizophrenia because I always been interested the topic itself. The one thing I wondered is if there are different stages of schizophrenia and why it may be hard to diagnose. Schizophrenia is a mental disease that’s very hard to pinpoint in a person, whichRead MoreMental Illness: The Main Symptoms of Schizophrenia 1546 Words   |  7 Pages Mental illness is seen throughout society as a negative subject, many suffer through not only with the disorders but, also the shame that comes along. In this article we will look at one of the most severe mental disorders in hopes of achieving a better knowledge of the disorder and to debunk some of the misconceptions of having a mental disorder. Approximately fifty million Americans suffer from mental illness. Of those fifty million only about twenty-five percent seek help due to the stigmaRead MoreIs Schizophrenia A Mental Disorder? Essay1502 Words   |  7 PagesSchizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects many elements of the body and mind. This mental illness causes people to lose touch with reality Schizophrenia (2016). People with this illness suffer from hallucinations, paranoia, hearing voices, fear and persecutory delusion, which affects a person’s ability to think, feels, and behaves clearly. Most people with thinks illness are usually between the ages 16 and 30. Researchers have not found an exact cause of this disease but rather it is geneticallyRead MoreLiving with Schizophrenia1814 Words   |  7 PagesLiving with Schizophrenia What effects does a person undergo living with Schizophrenia? At some point, an individual might have a relative, or heard of someone, or even experienced itself of suffering from Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects many people throughout the world. People living with this mental disorder may depend on a family member or someone close to take care of him/her. Certain individuals have a good chance of inheriting Schizophrenia, if a familyRead MoreSchizophreni The Most Devastating Mental Illness1706 Words   |  7 PagesNov 2014 Research paper Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is often times referred to as one of the most devastating mental illness. This is because of it early onset in a patients live, and also that the symptoms can be destructive not only to the patient but also their family and friends. Schizophrenia is often discussed as a single illness, but schizophrenia can include a wide array of disorders which can present many similar behavioral symptoms. More than likely schizophrenia comprises a whole groupRead MoreEssay about The Portrayal of Schizophrenia in Me, Myself, and Irene1178 Words   |  5 Pages Most people gather what they know about mental illnesses from television and film. Unfortunately these media portrayals are inaccurate and create stigma. They depict people suffering from mental illnesses as different, dangerous and laughable. Characters are often addicted to drugs or alcohol, are violent, dangerous, or out of control. Horror film characters like Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in the Shining, or Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs associate the typical psycho- killer

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Hip Hop Dance And The Entertainment Industry - 1369 Words

Hip-Hop Dance and the Entertainment Industry Over the course of this semester we have studied Ballet, Modern, and World dance genres. First of I have nothing against those genres of dance, but the type of dance that interests me is Hip-Hop dance. In this paper, I am going to discuss the relationship of hip-hop dance and the entertainment industry today. I will talk about shows, movies, and celebrities of their relationship with the hip-hop dance culture. I will also discuss how the subject of the entertainment affects the dance, and even how it affects the actual dancer. In the next paragraph, I will discuss the relationship with hip-hop shows, and the entertainment industry. Throughout the 2000’s there has been many shows that have been involved with the music and entertainment industry. But there has not been many related to hip-hop dance, and its culture. One show that became popular in the United States is Americas Best Dance Crew. This show brought hip-hop dance to a whol e new level regarding the entertainment industry. The show started in 2008, and has had eight seasons on MTV. MTV is normally for the music and the reality TV so this show had some questions about premiering on this network. The first season was by far the biggest. The winner was a group called the Jabbawockeez, they are one of the most well-known hip-hop dance groups in the world. After winning the competition the entertainment industry came calling. In fact, â€Å"They have performed on the EllenShow MoreRelatedThe History of Disk Jockeys1691 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelopments in the Lindbergh kidnapping, Block played records and created the illusion that he was broadcasting from a ballroom, with the nations top dance bands performing live. The show, which he called Make Believe Ballroom, was an instant hit. The term disc jockey appeared in print in Variety in 1941.[5] In 1943, Jimmy Savile launched the worlds first DJ dance party by playing jazz records in the upstairs function room of the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds in Otley, England. In 1947, he became theRead MoreHip Hop : A Negative Phenomenon1617 Words   |  7 Pagesthat the commercialization of hip is a negative phenomenon. Many hip hop fans seem to hold this opinion because they believe that the quality of music from today’s rappers has drastically decreased. However, the difficulty arises in determining whether the ‘commercialization’ of hip hop should be considered a positive or negative phenomenon. There are strong advocates for both of these judgements with convincing points to support their beliefs. The history of hip hop is important to understand inRead MoreHip Hop Culture Then Vs. Now1548 Words   |  7 PagesHip-hop Culture Then Vs. Now Hip-hop is an underground urban movement which emerged in the South Bronx, NY during the early 1970s. Hip-hop is composed of four basic elements; DJ-ing, emceeing (rapping), graffiti and style, and break dancing. These elements are how most people recognize hip-hop culture. Many other people think of hip-hop as just a music genre, but it is more than just a music genre. It is cultivating way of living, and several people fail to understand its true meaningRead MoreHip Hop, A And Creative Aspect Of Music928 Words   |  4 PagesBreaking through in the heart of the Bronx, Hip Hop was designed to empower and teach the youth, while providing them an outlet for creative expression. Developed on five essential pillars, all working towards: giving African Americans knowledge that they didn’t have access to, inspiring them to read and acquire true knowledge of self, and to understand the role that self has in America in relation to the actual worth of self. Since the ince ption of Hip Hop, the genre has evolved through the times whileRead More Music - The Hip-hop Movement Essay1650 Words   |  7 PagesThe Hip-hop Movement Hip-hop has become a new cultural phenomenon in North America and has become quite popular all over the world. Hip-hop began in the 1970s in New York City where it has its origins in the African-American community. However, because of music videos, Hip-hop culture has become accessible to everyone in society and has merged into mainstream pop culture. Hip-hop culture may not have been as popular if it was not for the accessibility of this new media. The Hip-hop movementRead MoreThe Importance Of Kpop1317 Words   |  6 PagesKpop is slowly entering to many western areas and is spreading around the world thanks to their â€Å"promotional strategies.† South-Korean pop is an abbreviation of kpop, an infusion of combined music, powerful dance routines, and fashionable clothing. Kpop music is a mixture of RB, electro, hip-hop, disco, and rock. These types of genres are more focused on groups rather than solo acts. Though an average size of a group is from 4-7 members either in a boy or girl group. Most of the songs are in KoreanRead MoreWhy is the study of dance history important1848 Words   |  8 PagesWhy is the study of dance history important? To fully understand the history of dance we must look at what dance means to us today in our every day lives. How does dance influence what you do on a day to day basis, how has it shaped who you’ve come to be. I see dance today as both an art form, and something used socially to draw people together usually for celebratory purposes. Living in New York gives you the opportunity to come across various forms of dance. You could be taking the train and encounterRead MoreHip-Hop’s Beneficial Influences on Teens1081 Words   |  5 PagesHip-Hop’s Beneficial Influences Hip Hop is a genre of music that was born around 70’s. This type of music doesn’t really involve singing but words that are spoken. Hip Hop is in a poetic form with simple phrases and it usually has end rhyme. The music genre known as Hip-Hop produces positive effects on teenagers of this generation. Hip Hop is this great form of music that is very much poetic and almost hypnotizing. It uses old classics of music that people already love and throws funky loopedRead MoreThe Effects Of Hip Hop Music On Adolescents862 Words   |  4 PagesEffects of Hip-Hop Music on Adolescents Music is a significant part of the lives of most people all over the world. In the United States, people listen to more than 25 hours each week [1]. Hip-hop makes up a large percentage of adolescent music genre preference. It goes without saying that this overwhelming presence of music in the lives of so many people will have a psychological effect on American culture and our way of life. But how exactly is Hip Hop affecting us psychologically and culturallyRead MoreHip Hop Culture And Rap Music996 Words   |  4 PagesOver the past few years, hip-hop culture and rap music has stirred up controversy throughout America and it’s media. Whether it is Dr. Dre’s 1992 hit single â€Å"A Nigga Witta Gun† or Bobby Shmurda’s 2014 hit single â€Å"Hot Nigga† that boasts about shooting other African-Americans, it seems that the media has denounced the hip-hop culture and criticized them for the continuous increase on inner-city youth violence. If people would just listen closer to hip-hop’s message instead of assuming it has negative

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Bone Of Conflict For Criticism On Feminism - 2546 Words

Estenes 1 Joseph Estenes Professor Hayward English 151-DL1 5/13/17 The Trifles of Feminism Criticism Introduction The bone of conflict for criticism on feminism s activist hypothesis is focused on the treatment of ladies living in a patriarchal society. Feminism s activists brought up issues regarding why women were being constrained into a place of subordination, and their problems took a gander at with minimal significance. Susan Glaspell s story Trifles portrays the predicament of ladies and their subordination while subversively remarking on the negative impacts this had on the female mind. Trifles starts with an examination concerning the murder of John Wright, which happens at his homestead house. His better half, Mrs.†¦show more content†¦Diminishes: Oh, her natural product; it froze. She stressed over that when it turned so cool. She said the terminated go out and her jugs would break. Sound: Well, ladies are accustomed to stressing over Trifles (Glaspell, 1043). The women voice is hushed by the man s inability to perceive her worries as real. At the point when given a fear fro m a lady, rather than focusing, the people reject the women and their perceptions and quiet them from talking further. This distances the women, putting them in a lower status. Of this Luce Irigaray say, An immediate female test to this condition implies requesting to talk as a (masculine) subject, that is, it intends to propose a connection to the comprehensible that would keep up sexual distinction (570). By Glaspell taking an interest in the ordinance of writing and conveying regard for the female issue of subordination, she is testing and requesting to talk in masculine terms, as guys ruled paper. As indicated by Judith Fetterley American Literature is male. Our writing neither allows ladies to sit unbothered nor enables them to take part (561). Glaspell smashes this. She is taking an interest in a sort of artistry that was seen as overwhelmingly male. Additionally, she not just gave her female characters a participatory part, they had the most critical role, while the men were auxiliary and practically unnecessary. Addressing the quieting of voices, Glaspell expresses, Mrs. Peters:Show MoreRelatedMargaret Atwood s Happy Endings1447 Words   |  6 Pagesaround the roles of women, while some interpret it that a functional story needs character development and a purpose. In essence, Atwood’s role as a civil right activist influenced her short story â€Å"Happy Endings†, which is a social and literary criticism, exposing humanity’s inherent desire for results rather than the process of the journey itself. Atwood’s inspiration for her early works depicts her feminist views, attributing her role as a civil activist. Always interested in civil activism, AtwoodRead MoreThe Violence Of Black Lives2507 Words   |  11 PagesNonetheless, BLM does receive a great number of criticisms. Some people point out that it wouldn t last. The movement is blamed for its having no coherent structure and no powerful leadership that it will eventually fail. Opponents said that Black Lives Matter actually worsened race relations in America, pointing to the polls that show Americans opinions about race relations being worse in recent years, but BLM supporters asserted just because they have pointed out racism in America doesn t meanRead MoreTheme Comparison3403 Words   |  14 Pagesâ€Å"The Necklace† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† use different forms of literary works like a short story and a poem to express gender roles in marriage. Short stories consist of myths, legends, fables, parables, and tales. They usually feature a plot with conflict, setting, a clear time frame, characters, a point of view, theme, and stylistic features. Short stories are usually considered a fictional narrative with a formal design, however; they are tending to resemble more on real-life situations (ClugstonRead MoreCosi Madness5345 Words   |  22 Pagesfreaked out she did. See, I figured Id wait a couple of hours till the cats were dead and mum was feeling a bit sorry for herself, and Id go up to the front door and Id knock on it and Id say, Hi, Mum! Im here to talk about our unresolved conflicts. Doug: But oh no, One of those FUCKING cats ran into the house; a couple of minutes the whole bloody house was on fire. Within half an hour there was no front door to knock on. Doug: Yeah, if it wasnt for that damn cat, I wouldnt be in hereRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pageslate 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn fed by imperialist expansionism, one cannot begin to comprehend the causes and consequences of the Great War that began in 1914. That conflict determined the contours of the twentieth century in myriad ways. On the one hand, the war set in motion transformative processes that were clearly major departures from those that defined the nineteenth-century world order. On the other, it perverselyRead MoreSAT Top 30 Essay Evidence18536 Words   |  75 Pagesmonarchs of the time wanted to secure such a profitable route, and the ever-ambitious Columbus devised plans to sail to the Indies to earn rewards of power, money, and fame. The ambitions of the rulers and of the explorer would eventually lead to conflict between them. His estimations of the distances involved were extremely inaccurate (he believed them to be much closer than they actually were). Royal experts in various countries (Portugal, Genoa, and Venice) continually advised their monarchs

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Nursing Assignment Based on a Case Study

Question: Discuss the Nursing Assignment Based on a Case Study. Answer: Introduction The advancement of the medical science with simultaneous rise in the impacts of globalization in every sphere of life has hugely affected the healthcare service as well. The changes and modifications existing in the healthcare sectors are evident through references available from evidence based practices. The healthcare working community recognizes the importance of a co-operative and well equipped infrastructural setting to impart improved healthcare access to persons in need. Clinicians, medical practitioners, surgeons, specialized physicians, registered and enrolled nurses along with other medical support staff comprise the basic structural organization within a healthcare facility. The role of the nurses are vital in ensuring speedy recovery of the patients through provision of person centered care, suitable therapeutic intervention suited to specific case situations. The duties and responsibilities expected out of practicing nurses are guided by relevant code of ethics, policies and legislations as put forward by the competent authorities. Case study evaluation following definite analytical and reasoning skills might provide an overview into the actual scenario that resulted in repercussions. In view of this fact, a case study as reported in case of a 64 year old male patient named Jon Lee who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery in a hospital and the consecutive events and complications that followed post surgery will be discussed in order to assess and review the situational demands and loopholes in the healthcare service that prompted such consequences. The roles performed by the nurses in this specific case are also scrutinized to understand the limitations and fallacies that underpin the healthcare service. Guidelines for nurses employed in the gastroenterological wards may be considered for examining their practice modalities (Nuutinen and Rannos 2013). The discussion carried hereafter will be based upon the legal, ethical and professional practice issues. The vital issues as detected through insightful analysis revealed three key aspects that culminated in negative health outcome in the concerned patient. Negligence of care, faulty hospital operational policy and lack of culturally safe nursing practice were found to be the prime causative factors. Therefore, the assessment referring to the case study will discuss on the ethical, legal and practice methods for the nursing professional so as to get an overview of the working modalities in a healthcare setting. Negligence of care According to the case study observed for Mr. Lee, certain breach of practice was observed on the part of the registered nurse (RN), Ms. Colleen Price who was assigned to look after him in the night shift at the extended day unit (EDU) of the hospital. Mr. Lee was subjected to a laparoscopic cholecystectomy operation on the same day, when the RN took over his case and therefore demanded undivided attention from the nursing professionals ends to cater to his medical demands. Post operation, Mr. Lee reported of experiencing abdominal pain and distension. In response to the patients concern and routine examination by the attending medical officer (MO) at the hospital via consultation with the authoritarian surgeon prescribed analgesia (10 mg Morphine SC) to be administered on a pro re nata basis 6 hourly to ameliorate the reported symptoms. However, the RN having professional experience of five years was found to not document the administration of any such analgesia during her shift hour s. During her shift timing tenure, RN documented the vital signs of the post operative care patient, Mr. Lee comprising of the note of parameters such as body temperature, pulse count and blood pressure at only one instance. No other follow up of the vital sign variables were documented during the entire night by the RN. Moreover, the RN was found faulty of not seeking any sort of assistance from the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) when required, located adjacent to the EDU, although the hospital decorum and guidelines provided enough scope to do so. Unfortunately, these breach of conduct and failure to apply experienced nursing knowledge into proper practice as evident in case of Ms. Price to address the conditions of Mr. Lee harbored negative implications and the limitations of the nurse may be identified through the following discussions and analysis. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has developed Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia that provides uniform guidel ines for the nurses to uphold the fundamental human rights standards and ethical values in their professional practice by virtue of ethical decision making ability. The codes outlines the ethical virtues that are expected out of a nurse and primarily emphasis is laid on valuing quality nursing care for everyone alike, respect and kindness for self as well as others, diversity among people, accessibility to proper nursing and healthcare service, concept of informed decision making, culture of safety within healthcare and nursing facility, ethical maintenance of information ensuring privacy and confidentiality of the data procured and finally valuing a socio-economically and ecologically sustainable surrounding to foster well being and healthy life (NMBA 2007). A nurse attaining a level of expert clinical competency through proper training and acquired knowledge base supported by enough experience and critical decision making skills is bound to work in compliance with the context or t he country where she has been appointed (Grace 2013). The four pillars of bioethics consisting of the vital components of justice, autonomy, non-maleficence and beneficence also enlighten the nursing ethical practice (Butts and rich 2012). Another crucial part of the nursing job that is often overlooked or undermined during practice is that of integrated record keeping and documentation of the patient data conforming to confidentiality, authenticity, durability, accessibility, relevance, completeness and comprehensiveness (Staunton and Chiarella 2012). Need for highly sophisticated and round the clock monitoring specifically for post operative patients have been highlighted in studies to aid in risk assessment and plan future intervention accordingly (Rothrock 2014). Reports suggest following of three basic theories of descriptive, predictive and explanatory types in nursing practice to facilitate good understanding of the patients situations (Parahoo 2014). Breach of conduct in sta ndard practice in terms of not abiding by the Standards 1, 4, 6, 7 and 9 as put forward by the NMBA was observed in the particular case with respect to the RNs attitude towards the patient care (NMBA, 2016). Negligence is normally associated with civil law and criminal prosecution follows in cases where indifference, inattention or failure from the nurses ends towards an obvious risk to injury of the patient are established (Griffith and Tengnah, 2014). Further, knowledge in nursing practice has been interrelated to four key sects such as empirical, aesthetic, personal and ethical that paves the way for reflective service outcomes in clinical setting (Heaton 2014). However, in the referred case study all these ethical and legal issues pertinent to nursing was not stringently complied that might have lead to exacerbation of the patient condition. Faulty Hospital Policy Referring to the cases study of Mr. Lee, it was inferred that the EDU on the day of the happening was not sufficiently equipped in terms of engagements of the healthcare staff in the concerned ward of 12 bed capacity. One RN and another enrolled nurse (EN) only were in charge of the ill patients of variable distress levels and complexities. Thus the patient to healthcare provider ratio was insufficient to meet the workload. The condition of two of the patients out of the total number of 12 patients were found to be quite critical as well when one was continuously vomiting post appendectomy and the other was experiencing urinary retention following Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP). Moreover, a sole female patient admitted in the same ward, possessing certain religious notions and prejudices as well as inadequate English language proficiency added to the complexity of the situation in the EDU on that night when Ms. Price and the other EN was on duty. Yet another drawback in the functioning of the hospital policy was noticed as the PACU RN made futile attempt to check and make contact with the ED nurses for any assistance when the EDU nurses themselves were overburdened with severe work pressure thereby unable to communicate effectively with the PACU nurses over telephonic conversations. Thus telephonic mode of communication was found to be inappropriate in demanding situations. Additionally the patient handover technique during the change of shift for the nurses was detected to be erroneous and unsatisfactory as no evidence supported the smooth transfer of duty from Ms. Price to the morning hour nurse due to lack of awareness regarding the deteriorating health status of Mr. Lee during the immediate phase that preceded the later events. Hence these inherent flaws that affected the reputation of the relevant hospital due to defective operational strategy applicable to the hospital failed to fulfill the immediate requirements and assess the futuristic outcomes of patient named Mr. Lee in his post operative sessions. The limitations, thus identified may be re-examined under legal and organizational operational framework contexts. Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) program conducted in the Australian domicile aimed to provide insight into the various reliable and valid data collection procedures to cater the ever-changing needs of the diverse patients pertinent to their health states through general physician (GP) and patient interactive encounters, evaluate the patient risk factors and health conditions as well as propagate an ongoing database information for GP-patient encounter. An overall well coordinated and equipped infrastructure is imperative to serve quality service to the sick patients (Britt et al. 2013). Education, clinical experience and competence resulting in endorsement and straightforwardness determine the nurses scope of practice within the Australian region. However the situation of clinical prac tice constrained by jurisdictional and regulatory restrictions are found to hinder the scope of nursing practice to its full capacity (Scanlon et al. 2016). Lack of effective communication among the nursing and associated staff within a hospital facility have been found to impair the teamwork output thereby obstructing the holistic mode of care (Masters 2015). The standards of practice for the nurses in Australia have fore grounded the relationship between the ethical and nature of nursing and the importance of translating evidence into actual practice as per the situational necessity (Cashin et al. 2016). Share of duty and excessive workload are found to impact the patient outcomes declining the quality of service offered to them (Chang and Daly 2015). Extensive literature reviews defined the professional nursing accountability in a comprehensive and reliable manner where the nurses are entitled to perform their assigned jobs in a legally and ethically suitable manner (Krautscheid 2014). Inter-professional collaboration and clinical decision making has been found to potentially enhance through adequate teamwork and exchange of views among colleagues in a healthcare facility (Lapkin, Levett-Jones and Gilligan 2013). The national principles for development of decision making tools as put forwarded by NMBA may be helpful in this regard (NMBA 2010). Thus in view of the facts and information acquired through literatures, books and published articles and referring to the mentioned case study a congenial atmosphere with sufficient provision for all facilities are vital to improved healthcare service in a hospital setting. Lack of culturally safe mode of nursing practice In context to Mr. Lees case, the RN Ms. Price failed to consider the clinical consequences of the deteriorating health condition of the patient evident from the observations obtained via the vital signs that belonged to the yellow zone of clinical implications. Case appropriate decisions were not followed subsequently that lead to further decline in the health condition. Lack of analytical reasoning and inability to predict the futuristic mode of treatment to assess Mr. Lees condition harbored negative implications. Further the night on which the RN and EN were engaged in their respective duties in the EDU indicated acute and stressful situations. Ms. Price was reported to be exhausted to address Mr. Lees situation in addition to other patients demanding circumstances. Thus person centered care was compromised due to severe workload and inadequate supporting staff. Moreover, evidences from the following day after the transfer of duty from the night shift nurses to morning shift nursi ng professional revealed that after documentation of the vital parameters of Mr. Lee that belonged to the red zone, the morning shift nurse failed to immediately assess the gravity of the situation. Approximately after a lapse of 45 minutes a PACE phone call was made to report the debilitating health condition of the patient. Thus this delay in making contact with the appropriate authority to seek medical help and guidance breached the safety standard of professional nursing practice that lead to negative outcomes in the patient. Dearth of competency, lack of professionalism and unstable case related evaluation failed to assess the risk pertaining to ensuing bowel obstruction through increased pain levels. Therefore, paucity of culturally congruent safe practices was found to hinder the patients recovery process in the case of Mr. Lee and the effects may be discussed thoroughly with reference to the various codes of conduct and legal frameworks applicable to healthcare setting. Stud ies emphasize on the investment in evidence based and contemporary education by virtue of a competent, capable and resilient workforce deployment. The roles of coaches and educators are found to be pivotal in imparting knowledge to the nursing practitioners in course of their continuous development process in this regard. Absence of competency may lead to serious errors thwarting the patients health status (Duff 2013). Utilization of just culture principles through case based nursing peer review emphasized on medication reconciliation process, identification of deep tissue injury and bowel management regimes as the recognized educational necessities to address the patients health condition. Screening of surgical patients for opioid tolerance that may be corroborated in the given case study has also been emphasized in relevant studies as well (Jochem, Scott and Stuckman 2015). Handoff functions following verbal as well as sophisticated experimental techniques have been recommended in relevant studies to foster quality healthcare service to patients suitable for medical and surgical settings (Staggers and Blaz 2013). NMBA has proposed national competency standards for registered nurses including certain specific domains to ensure safe and culturally congruent integrated nursing care practice. The domains mentioned considers professional practice, critical thinking and analysis, provision to coordination of care and collaborative, therapeutic practice as the key aspects to maintain professional competency and retain the accountability of the nursing professional in the job (NMBA 2015). Literature review regarding patient-centered care revealed three core themes ensuring patient safety which include patient participation and involvement, the association between patient and healthcare provider, and the situation in which the care is delivered (Kitson et al., 2013). Forecasting the patient outcomes beforehand and taking precautionary measures in accordance with the existing guidelines and policies relevant to the specific patient situation within an ethically and legally sound healthcare infrastructure was thus found to generate positive results in the patients and ensure quicker recovery. Conclusion Drawing evidences from the given case study it was revealed that Ms. Price, the RN on duty in charge of Mr. Lee undergoing post operative care in the hospital EDU was guilty of breaching her sense of responsibilities and professional competency standards due to inappropriate and inadequate code of conduct at various instances. Other issues pertinent to hospital operational policies were found to affect the patients declining health status. Hospital staffing ratio again interrupted the normal functioning of the hospital setting. Lack of culturally safe and acceptable working modality was another crucial factor harming the patient and causing severe distress. All these crucial aspects and nagging problems added to worsening of Mr. Lees condition in the given scenario. In the Australian context, specific codes and guidelines associated to legal and ethical grounds have been improvised and implemented by the NMBA to aid in the nursing practice and foster quality healthcare service to the persons in need. Summarizing the information procured from the published articles and books it is opined that the healthcare professionals particularly the nursing staff who remain in active contact with the patients during their care delivery process must maintain optimum level of competence conforming to the prevalent legislations and ethical codes through enough prudence and pragmatism. Awareness regarding the current and existing laws and practices relevant to nursing practice has also been assigned as pivotal prerequisites to continue professional practice. However, competent authorities should also make effort to arrange for programs and training sessions to impart substantiate knowledge and evidences regarding specific case situations for enhancing the nursing skills among the practicing nursing personnel. In fine, it is suggested that a holistic approach through effective collaboration from all ends of working healthcare personnel be upheld to facilitate quality healthcare service for patients in dire crisis and ensure improved state of living. References: Britt, H., Miller, G.C., Henderson, J., Bayram, C., Valenti, L., Harrison, C., Charles, J., Pan, Y., Zhang, C., Pollack, A.J. and O'Halloran, J., 2013.General Practice Activity in Australia 2012-13: BEACH: Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health(No. 33). Sydney University Press. Butts, J.B. and Rich, K.L., 2012.Nursing ethics. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Cashin, A., Heartfield, M., Bryce, J., Devey, L., Buckley, T., Cox, D., Kerdo, E., Kelly, J., Thoms, D. and Fisher, M., 2016. Standards for practice for registered nurses in Australia.Collegian. Chang, E. and Daly, J., 2015.Transitions in nursing: preparing for professional practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. Duff, B., 2013. Creating a culture of safety by coaching clinicians to competence.Nurse education today,33(10), pp.1108-1111. Grace, P.J., 2013.Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Griffith, R. and Tengnah, C., 2014.Law and professional issues in nursing. Learning Matters. Heaton, L., 2014. Legal aspects of nursing.Kozier Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing Australian Edition,3, p.57. Jochem, K., Scott, C.A. and Stuckman, C.L., 2015. Case-Based Nursing Peer Review Using Just Culture Principles. Kitson, A., Marshall, A., Bassett, K. and Zeitz, K., 2013. What are the core elements of patient?centred care? A narrative review and synthesis of the literature from health policy, medicine and nursing.Journal of advanced nursing,69(1), pp.4-15. Krautscheid, L.C., 2014. Defining professional nursing accountability: A literature review.Journal of Professional Nursing,30(1), pp.43-47. Lapkin, S., Levett-Jones, T. and Gilligan, C., 2013. A systematic review of the effectiveness of interprofessional education in health professional programs.Nurse education today,33(2), pp.90-102. LeMone, P., Burke, K., Dwyer, T., Levett-Jones, T., Moxham, L. and Reid-Searl, K., 2015.Medical-surgical nursing. Pearson Higher Education AU. Masters, K., 2015.Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2007. National framework for the development of decision-making tools for nursing and midwifery practice. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Frameworks.aspx Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2010. A nurses guide to professional boundaries. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards.aspx Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2015. Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/reentry-to-practice.aspx Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016. Standards for Practice: Enrolled Nurses. Retrieved on 15 October 2016 from www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Nursing-and-Midwifery-Board---Standards-for-Practice---Enrolled-Nurses.PDF Nuutinen, T. and Rannos, S., 2013. Welcome to practise in gastroenterogical wards: An Orientation Guide for Exchange Nursing Students. Parahoo, K., 2014.Nursing research: principles, process and issues. Palgrave Macmillan. Rothrock, J.C., 2014.Alexander's Care of the Patient in Surgery. Elsevier Health Sciences. Scanlon, A., Cashin, A., Bryce, J., Kelly, J.G. and Buckely, T., 2016. The complexities of defining nurse practitioner scope of practice in the Australian context.Collegian,23(1), pp.129-142. Staggers, N. and Blaz, J.W., 2013. Research on nursing handoffs for medical and surgical settings: an integrative review.Journal of Advanced Nursing,69(2), pp.247-262. Staunton, P.J. and Chiarella, M., 2012.Law for nurses and midwives. Elsevier Australia.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

How to Write a Guest Post Pitch (Based on Real Experience)

Guest posting is a common practice among bloggers and a smart move for driving traffic to your site and building your backlink profile. However, its tough to get started, especially if you dont know how to write a guest post pitch.Fortunately, once you get the hang of it, nailing your guest post pitches will feel like second nature. Its all about thinking strategically and knowing your audience. However, youll need to consider your audience as both the blog youre submitting to and the target reader.A quick note before we begin. We asked our friends at WordCandy to write this guide based on their in-depth experience with guest blogging. We figured that if were going to publish a detailed guide on pitching guest posts, we might as well get it done by someone whos expert on the topic. Enter John:At WordCandy, we spend a lot of time writing guest posts for other blogs. In our experience, when it comes to pitching ideas, appealing to everyone along the chain is vital for landing the gig.I n this article, well discuss five key steps we at WordCandy have found helpful in pitching guest posts to other blogs. Lets dive right in! individual bloggers as you can find. However, this strategy is not much different than throwing fistfuls of spaghetti against the wall and hoping it sticks.The first step to a successful guest post pitch is to choose your target blogs carefully. This can help you avoid wasting time on publications that arent a solid fit for your style, content, and ideal audience.A wise place to start is by looking atThe blogs you read.Businesses where you currently shop.Chances are, your target audience may be into the content these entities produce, too. Plus, because youll ideally like the publication youre writing for, youre more likely to feel motivated to give them your best work.Whats more, blogs and businesses whose audiences overlap with yours can be a source of long-term future relationships. This means your guest post pitch isnt necessarily a proposal for a one-time deal. It carries an implicit offer of further work and could lead to additional guest posts or brand deals.Apart from these types of publications, looking for other blogs that are similar to yours and also have a small following can be mutually beneficial. Chances are other new or small-time bloggers are also eager for a chance to guest post. Offering a post on your blog could help you land one on theirs, although its not something we do currently at WordCandy.2. Research your target blog (and reach out if necessary)Once youve crafted a shortlist of blogs where youd like to guest post, its time to do some research. Even if you think youre familiar with your target blog, this step is still key. You may know a blog as a reader, but thats different from knowing it as a writer.First, look around the site and see if theres any information about guest posting. The blog youre targeting may have guidelines youll want to follow if you want them to accept your pitch.The ThemeIs le guest post guidelinesNext, check out their archives and be on the lookout for any gaps in their content you could fill. The best pitches will offer something to the target blog which that blog currently cant offer – such as your expertise on a subject the blogs audience is interested in. This is where being an authority within your niche could land you work.Note information such as:Post lengthImage usageToneStyleAs a guest poster, youll probably be able to bring some of your own unique voice to your post. However, your target blog will still want your work to blend in well with their overall content strategy.If youre lucky, you may sometimes have sites reach out to you and offer you a chance to guest post. However, more often than not youll be the one who has to make contact. At this point, you should be ready to reach out and ask the target blog if theyre interested in working with you.3. Come up with one or more topic ideasWith any luck, your research will pay off and yo ur target blog will respond to say theyre willing to hear your pitch. This means its time for more research – as such, youll need to pitch some topic ideas.Some of the information youve gathered in the first two steps will be useful, such as gaps you found in the archives or other subjects related to your niche. However, there are additional features that make up a well-crafted topic idea, too.For starters, dont forget about search engine optimization (SEO). Choosing topics with high-volume keywords will show the target blog you know what youre doing and may incentivize them to accept your pitch, as a well-optimized post will drive traffic their way as well.Trending topics can also be solid material, provided you have a unique take on them. Stay away from repeating the same information readers can find anywhere on the web and instead put a fresh spin on it.Unless the target blog has specifically asked you not to, its wise to come up with more than one topic idea to pitch. Thi s way if they reject one, theres still a chance theyll take another. Three to five ideas is ideal, and any rejected ideas can form part of a pull-list for future guest post submissions.4. Write a concise summary of each ideaOnce youve chosen the topics you want to pitch, youll need to write up a short description for each of them. This should include:The posts headline or titleAn SEO keyword (optional, but potentially helpful)Suitable anchor text and URL. This is also optional, but will be the lead generator for the post itself, so it pays to heavily consider including it.A summary of what the post will includeFor the summary, youll want to keep things brief but also provide a comprehensive look at what your proposed post will include. Start with a brief explanation of what it will cover, such as A guide to writing guest post pitches for bloggers.Youll also want to mention any key brands, products, or services you intend to feature. This will ensure you dont blindside the target blo g with links they dont approve of. Doing so can seem suspicious or potentially spammy, which is the last thing you want.You might also consider including any key references you plan to cite. This is especially crucial for interview-style posts, for instance. While you dont need a whole bibliography by any means, a citation or two can make you appear knowledgeable and reputable, and hint at the depth youll provide.5. Submit your topic idea(s) to the target blogYoure now ready to send your pitches off to the target blog for approval. Make sure theyre formatted in a clear, readable way to avoid confusion. We typically use a format like the following:First Headline.  [Keyword]. [Anchor text]. A short description of the post, followed by any points of interest we plan to include.Second Headline. [Keyword]. [Anchor text]. The posts short description, then a summary of any important aspects we plan to include.Its also considerate to include a little personalized thank-you to the person w ho will be reading your pitch. Showing that youre agreeable and easy to work with can make you more desirable as a guest poster.Finally, keep in mind that – especially on large sites – it can take a while to hear back from your target blog. Online content is fast-paced, so hopefully, theyll respond to you quickly. However, they also likely have other responsibilities, which could delay their feedback. In short, dont expect a quick win unless youve made direct and personal contact with the person in charge of publishing.ConclusionGuest posting can help get your blogs name out into your niche and drive traffic to your site. Learning how to write a guest post pitch is an important skill for bloggers looking to expand their reach.In this post, weve discussed five steps we use at WordCandy to write top-notch guest post pitches:Choose your target blog.Research your target blog (and reach out if necessary).Come up with one or more topic ideas.Write a concise summary of each i dea.Submit your topic ideas to the target blog. Learn how to #write a guest post pitch that major #blogs will actually accept âÅ" Ã¯ ¸  #blogging Click To Tweet Do you have any questions about how to write a guest post pitch that gets accepted? Let us know in the comments section below!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Platos Socrates essays

Plato's Socrates essays Socrates is interesting not only for his teachings, but also for his life since it was a representation of his teachings. He made a huge influence on the world philosophy. Socrates did not aim for active public work. He led the life of the philosopher: he lived unpretentiously, but had leisure. All his time Socrates devoted to philosophical conversations and disputes. He had many students, but didnt take any money for his teachings. While testing others on wisdom, Socrates doesnt consider himself wise at all; in his opinion, wisdom applies only to the god. If the person believes that he has answers to all questions, such person is worthless for philosophy because there is no need for him to puzzle over searches of the truest concepts. All his truths are actually a collection of the most poor, flat representations of narrow-minded knowledge. After the overthrow of tyranny and restoration of democracy in Athens, Socrates was accused of not believing in gods, entering new deities, and of corrupting the youth of Athens. In reply to these accusations, Socrates has presented the defending speech in which he denied the accusations put forward against him. This great speech contains in Platos Apology. In this dialogue, Plato summarizes some of Socrates' most famous philosophical ideas: the necessity of doing what one thinks is right even in the face of common disagreement, and the need to pursue knowledge even when opposed. Socrates was supposed to be executed at once, but on the eve of the trial the ship with annual religious mission left Athens. Before the returning of the ship, all executions were forbidden by customs. Thus, Socrates had to spent thirty days in prison before execution. In the early morning of the execution day, Socrates old friend Crito came to Socrates and informed him that all guards are bribed and Socrates can run. In a dialogue with Crito, Socrates considers the proposal, try...

Friday, February 21, 2020

Two Psychometric Tests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Two Psychometric Tests - Essay Example CPP, the institute from where the test can be officially obtained, claims that it administers over 2 million assessments annually, which is the largest number for any psychometric assessment. The entire framework of MBTI rests on four major dichotomies (Berens, 2001, pp. 85-86). Attitude, the first dichotomy, divides people into Extroverts (E) or Introverts (I). The former prefer more interaction, action and spending time with people, whereas, the latter feel more comfortable while spending time alone, believe in being thought oriented, little but substantial interaction and depth in their limited social interactions (Bayne, 1997, pp. 89-90). The function of â€Å"perceiving† is the second dichotomy that divides into Sensing (S) or Intuition (N). Sensing refers to the approach where people look for concrete evidence, facts and empirical evidence. They prefer data coming from, or verifiable through, the five senses and favour measureable information. On the other hand, intuitive people make more effort to look for hidden meanings, patterns and contexts in the data presented to them. They would show more flexibility and trust of abstract and theoretical concepts, insights, subconscious feelings and others (Myers and Myers, 1980, pp. 55-56). The â€Å"judging† function is the third dichotomy, where a person would be classified as a Thinker (T) or Feeler (F). The judging function is concerned with how an individual is making decisions. Thinkers are more likely to make rational, logical and calculated decisions. They avoid developing an attachment with the variables and entities in order to achieve objectivity and make no comprise on the rules and regulations. Feelers, on the other hand, have the tendency to understand the situation from the inside, evaluate other perspectives, create relationships with the variables and then make a decision in order to create a harmony and balance (John, et al., 2008, p. 160). Lastly, the dichotomy of â€Å"lifestyle† classifies people into having a preference for Judging (J) function for Perceiving (P) function. The former people are more likely to live an organised and settled life. On the other hand, perceivers prefer keeping their decisions and options open (Myers and M yers, 1980, pp. 55-56). Development and Design The father of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, deserves the bulk of the credit for the creation of MBTI. Many of the concepts put forward by MBTI were a part of the Jung’s book Psychological Types published in the year 1921. However, the arrangement and approach was a bit different because Jung believed that everyone is either a â€Å"perceiver† or a â€Å"judger†. The rest of the other dimensions would flow from this division (John, et al., 2008, p. 160). MBTI, in its original form, was developed by a team of Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, the mother daughter team, divides people into sixteen different personality types. According to MBTI, there are four dichotomies, each one having two extremes and any people could be at or near any extreme thus allowing sixteen different personality types, based on different combinations (Bayne, 2004, pp. 99-100). MBTI first appeared in the year 1942 and since then it has been revised several times with different authors and most of these revisions have played an important

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Climate change and hydraulic impacts on water networks supply Literature review

Climate change and hydraulic impacts on water networks supply - Literature review Example 13 3. Conclusion 14 References 15 1. Introduction One of the most important characteristics of last decade is the increase of extreme climate phenomena worldwide. These phenomena have been related to significant climate change, compared to the past. The research that has been developed in this field has led to the assumption that climate change has been resulted mostly due to the following three reasons: ‘a) the changes in solar’s radiation, b) the changes in the structure of atmosphere and c) the changes in the earth’s surface’ (Ahrens 2007, p.438). Certain events, such as ‘the tectonic activity’ (Rafferty 2011, p.179) have been also related to the current expansion of climate change. In addition, it has been proved that the lack of control in regard to climate change can lead to non-reversible problems, such as global warming (Maslin 2007, p.17). One of the most important aspects of climate change seems to be its potential impact on water net works supply. The specific issue is explored below using appropriate literature. The findings of empirical research and data published by governmental and non-governmental organizations have been also employed for offering an in-depth analysis in regard to this study’s subject. 2. ... There are several factors that are related to climate change. In a study developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) it is made clear that the relationship between climate and specific events has not fully explored. For this reason, when trying to evaluate climate change it is necessary to refer to appropriate parameters (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007, p.718). In any case, evaluating climate changes can be a challenging task since climate conditions are not standardized (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change 2007, p.718). In terms of their context, the parameters of climate change can be highly differentiated. In fact, it seems that each time that climate changes need to be assessed the parameters used need to vary according to the characteristics of the region, as of its geography, and the information available (Van Dam 2003, p.111). Of course, there are certain parameters that are necessarily used when evaluating climate changes worldwide. The level of CO2 emissions or the annual average volume of waste can be considered as indicative parameters of such type (Van Dam 2003, p.111). It should be noted that climate change is usually evaluated using appropriate models. The parameters on which these models are based can be different according to the structure of each model as related to its aims. For example, there are models that require the use of ‘current climate conditions for predicting future climate conditions’ (Mirza and Ahmad 2005, p.32). Other models can employ different parameters, including the characteristics of a region’s soil, such as ‘soil structure or soil moisture’ (Mirza and Ahmad 2005, p.32). Solar radiation, in regard to a particular

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Politics Essays Media Political Protest

Politics Essays Media Political Protest Media Political Protest Politics And The Media Critically consider mainstream New’s treatment of political protest and new social movements. The late 1950’s and early 1960’s brought about political protests and social movements like no other, with martin Luther kings American civil rights movement being remembered as on of the most famous and successful social movements in history. The American civil rights movement gained a considerable amount of coverage from mainstream media resulting in people being largely familiar with the movement and its success. It was then clear that there had always been a dynamic relation between mainstream media, political protests, and new social movements. From the 1960’s onwards sociologists had began to study the theory around social movements and had developed many ideas and research on the relationship between mass media, protests, and movements. When faced with a question such as one discussing mainstream news media, protests and new social movements one would have to define those concepts in order to take into consideration their significance of each other. Mainstream media has always been designed to reach to an extremely large audience across a limitless geographic, it is popularly circulated information distributed by newspapers, television, radio, and magazines. Political protest or protests in general are a form of activism that involves individuals marching, demonstrating, for or against a political policy, action, or legislation. In protesting it is seen as a way of voicing opinion to further change a concept whether to influence public opinion or government policy. And finally new social movements are usually made up of groups of individuals or organisations that focus on certain social or political issues in order to influence social change, weather to cause, prevent or reform social change. The notion (new) social movement was given as they have only been largely recognised since the 1960’s. Diana,(1992) cited in ‘culture and politics in the information age’ byFrank Webster states that a way in which we could see social movements is: ‘A network of informal relationships between a multiplicity of individuals and organisations, who share a distinctive collective identity, mobilise resources on capital issues’. Most critics would agree that the relationship between mainstream media, social movements, and political protests is vital; however their relationship has never been easy and is still considered as difficult by many critics. Social movements need mainstream media for exposure in order to expand and become recognised on behalf of their cause. In some respects the media also needs social movements as a vital news source and it is not surprising that both would exceed to reach their goals as it is apart of their nature and they must exceed to survive. However despite the fact that social movements seem to be useful for the media and are considered to be vital or important to the political landscape, with their ability to intercede with political elites and citizens, it seems that they have a disadvantage compared to mainstream media. As mainstream media have an advantage and the upper hand over social movements. This is elaborated upon by Gamson Wolsfeild, (1993) cited in ‘Media society’’. They state that social movements need the mass media more than the mass media needs them, in publicizing their activities, mainstream media needs to cover social movements so that; they could gain support, validation as a major/important political players, and maximise the attention of spotlight of conflict to attract mediators or potential allies. On the contrary the media have alternatives to having social movements or protestors as a news source. This does not seem to be the only disadvantage movements have with the media. It is argued that political protests and new social movements are covered in a negative light the majority of time. Gamson’s The strategy of social protests cited in ‘socail movements’ states his study that found that groups were more likely to be successful if they were: ‘based on one issue, used violence, disruptive tactics, selective incentrees, and came from a centralized, in factionalized and bureaucratized organisation.’ However this would lead one to think that the coverage of a violent or disruptive protest would be extremely negative as even a non-violent protest gains a negative and violent label under mainstream Media’s coverage the majority of the time critics would argue. This is proven with actual studies such as Halloran’s study. Halloran et al, (1970) studied protestor’s portrayal in the media with focus on the protest against the Vietnam War, he discovered that although it was a predominantly peaceful protest media portrayal of the protest was not positive and conveyed it as violent. This was only one of many studies that revealed similar finding. Another study by Chan Lee, (1984) on the protests had found that the protestor’s weather being violent or non violent, un-peaceful, or peaceful were represented as being ‘the other’ or in a ‘them vs. us’ notion. However in some cases when protestors are not seen as extremely deviant and questioning of the ‘status quo’ they are sometimes covered in a fair light one example of this could be the stop the war coalition in 2003 against the Iraq war, The media can use this frame however more then often chooses not to. There are two main attributes that influence a social movement or a protest being covered. these are the extent to which the movement is ‘extreme’ i.e. challenging in terms of questioning the status quo and how ‘militant’ they are in their tactics McLeod Hertog, (1999) cited in ‘Manufacturing policies: the media’s role in the policy making process’ state that the more militant a social movement is the more negative and ‘critical’ the media coverage. In talking of the word militant one means how much a socail movement is how radical and milantly tactical a movement is. In general the idea is that protestors are more likely to be portrayed as deviant members of society rather than individuals who have a right to voice their opinions The treatment of social movements has not been all that better either some have been covered in a positive light i.e. the civil rights movement, however most would argue that for that past few decades social movements have not been particularly prioritised or covered in a totally positive light either some sociologists such as Marxists would argue that social movements are not covered as it is another way for the ruling elites to keep in control of their social and economical status above the masses and that social movements should be able to vocalise their causes and be recognised. ‘The modern media have become central to the life and death of social movements’.There have been many sociological theories upon the treatment of new social movements by the media. Many critics reemphasise the fact that the media is important for social movements, in particular Kelbowiz and Scherer (1988:72) cited in ‘Frames of protest: social movements and framing perpective’ state that: In some instances, social movements have to compete to legitimize their status and be recognised in the media. Givevitch Lay, (1985) cited in ‘frames of protest’ states that in contemporary societies societal groups such as social movements and ideologies compete for the definition and construction of social reality within the media. It is evident that it is more of a struggle for social movements to gain coverage let alone positive coverage; it is also evident that governmental organisations are far more likely to gain coverage easier and faster. One reason for this is that they are seen as a vital and official news source and that they are very much legislatively based. This is something that the media look to cover as the general population are concerned with and have interest in this aspect this is summarised by the following quote from sociologists who studied movement struggles compared to political organisations ‘In terms of access struggle, institutional sources and political authorities have an ‘increased upper hand or advantage as they are considered as strong news sources’ (White 1950; Galtung and Ruge 1965: Shoemaker 1991). Social movements are coming against a hard opposition which includes collective actors such as counter movements, the state, and the media placing them in a ‘struggle for cultural supremacy’ Tarrow, (1998). social movements struggle includes not one but two battles, the first one being determining mainstream media coverage and the second being the way in which the social movement and the story is formed. This is called framing, Framing is the way in which a story is covered or the way in which it is portrayed in the media. It also means the extent the frame and the interpretation of the movement has been taken over by the media and how favourable the journalistic description bias is. (McCarthy et al 1998, smith et al (2001) cited in ‘frames of protest’ sate that it is regarded as difficult for movements to both gain coverage and do so under an ideal. One concept that is seen as important for mainstream media is news value, social movements and political protest must offer high news value to be covered or framed righteously. They must be able to attain public interest and attention in order for the story to sell. This is because some aspects of journalism mainstream media in particular has become increasingly commercialised today and is more dependant on sales. Herman Chomsky, (1988) carried out research and came up with the propaganda model which consists of five filters that social movements or protest must survive in order to be covered. These include 1) the size, ownership, and profit the media could make from the story 2) advertising 3) sourcing 4) criticism and 5) anti-communist ideology, i.e. keeping the power in the hands of elites and serving their interests. This is seen as a way of emphasising news value and reinforcing authority by some marxist critics. Consecutive to the propaganda model, a lot of research was done into news selection, and it is evident that there is a lot of research indicating that the main priority for media institutions is profit and audience interest. Meyer, (2002) states that there is another filter which is called the rules of stage-managing which (as mentioned before) he says is based on how much the news can attract audience attention. The fact that it is difficult for social movements or protests to obtain coverage means that they have to think of other ways of obtaining coverage one example is through emotion management which includes using concepts that would encourage sympathetic feelings for example sadness. An example of this would be using pictures of victims of hurricane Katrina in 2006 or pictures of children affected by the Iraq war. This is just one of the concepts social movements have to use to gain media interest. Movements and political protestors have to develop all kinds of media strategies such as adopt public relations techniques and strategies to bypass the medias selection bias (Olivier Maney 2000: McCarthy et al. 1998; smith et al.2001; Miphial Schiveingraber 1998) ‘An effective media strategy requires – at least to some extent –a willingness to cater to the often warped priorities and short attention span of the news media’Despite what critics say about social movements having to change their techniques and this being bad, Salzman, (1998:3) in the media handbook for activists cited in ‘Media Society’ says: It is not only Salzman who comments on this, others feel that if social movements adopt proactive planning despite the fact it may alter movement messages, it could lead to favourable media coverage. Therefore sacrifices to social movement messages suggest that all in all the media wins and gains more based on what it needs. It also suggests that general consensus is important when trying to obtain coverage. However one concept that has helped social movement organisations or political protestor activists is of course (the World Wide Web). With independent media sites such as ‘Indymedia’ and ‘Schnews’, it has given social movements and activists the chance to function through the web enabling them to write their own journalistic stories and publicize their movements, beliefs, and causes with the possibility of more visitors every day. These internet sites also most productively enable social movements to be Trans global news sites, as people around the world can have access to their information mediums at the click of a button. Earl Schussman, (2003) cited in ‘Social movements and internetdiscourse’ state that the internet is incredibly useful to movements or activists organisations who want to log on to the web and publicize things such as protest information, they say that in general the internet can be seen as an ‘organisational tool’ for individuals optimistic for social change. Some critics feel that the internet has the ability to excel past mainstream media outlets and centered hierarchical forms of organisations Castello, (2000) says: ‘the net gives networks the capacity to decentralise and adapt the execution of tasks while coordinating purpose and decision.’ The more movements and political protestors go online the more sociologists studying them follow them up and theorise their activities. Almeida and Lichbach, (2003) cited in ‘social movements and internet discourse’ did a study comparing four mainstream media sources with activist based internet data in both their coverage of the anti WTO protests in late 1999. They found that activist based websites had reported a higher number of international protests then mainstream media; they also found that they were less influenced by intense concepts such as large numbers of participants or violence etc then the main media outlets. However they also found some limitations into the activist based websites which includes the variability of content and the necessity to confirm and legitimize occurrences. Therefore there are issues that suggest that while the internet is extremely useful for new social movements and political protests it also has its negatives. Another issue would be that people tend to get enough information from mainstream media outlets and tend not to look to other places for more information. Conclusion In general despite some social and political protest success stories with the media it is evident that mainstream news of political protests and social movements have not been completely positive within the few decades. Parati, (1986) cited in ‘media society’ once said in summary: ‘ discrediting techniques used by the media include down playing content in favour of emphasising the spectacle of an event, painting demonstrators as deviant and portraying under representative balance to a tiny number of counter parts, and undercounting the attendance at demonstrations’ have all determined negative coverage. Because of this it would be impracticable to say that all new social movements and protests could be covered more, or that they could be portrayed in a positive light from today onwards, it is evident the more movements and activists in general questions the status quo the less likely it will gain coverage or positive portrayal (framing). Mainstream media and political protests/social movements have always had a less then easy relationship despite the notion of freedom of speech being denoted in the western world. Marxists socialists critics would argue that one way that movements and activists would be able to voice their opinion more within mainstream media would be that they could fight against it and insist on a media reform i.e. a reconsideration of the way the media is conducted and the stories it publishes resulting in it being mandatory that new social movements and protestors capitalist or communists, right wing or left wing (aimed at positive social change) be recognised. Although un-likely this would enable movements to avoid adopting other messages or techniques to fit media needs. Hackett Carroll, (2004) state that it is about: ‘time for social movements to take collective action. To start with democratic media reform needs to be recast as an end in itself a public good not simply a means by which each movement can get its message out. This suggests that while it seems that mainstream media treatment of social movements and protest is not very positive or accepting, many critics feel that social movements and protests should be made known in the interest of ‘public good’ in order for people to be able to voice more opinions freely and create better chance of realizing Habermas’ concept of the public sphere. In terms of the internet, for activists websites to be more successful as a major information source and to be looked upon as much as mainstream media outlets, more money would have to be invested in them to ensure information is official and promotion ca be maximised. Perhaps the result would be a more balances media of information or people could be aware of hidden causes such as discrimination like unfair trade that some social movements try to publicise as much as possible as these issues are still on going. Bibliography 1, Croteau, D Hoynes, W (2000) ‘Media society  : industries, images, and audiences’.  Second ed, London, sage publication 2, Webster, F (2001). ‘culture and politics in the information age a new politics  ?’. London, Routledge. 3, Anderson, R Gray, J (2008). ‘battleground the media’ United States Of America, Greenwood Press. 4, Branston, G Stafford, R (2006). ‘the media student’s book’.London, Routledge. 5, Brahim, E ‘socail movements’ http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/social_movements/?nid=6789 accessed  : 27/03/06 6, Petit, C Social Movement Networks in Internet Discourse http://www.irows.ucr.edu/papers/irows25/irows25.htm accessed:27/03/08 7, Aton, C News Cultures and New Social Movements: radical journalism and the mainstream media Napier University, UK http://joblog.ru.ac.za/News%20cultures%20and%20new%20social%20movements%20-%20radical%20journalism.pdf accessed  :26/03/08 8, Smith J, Johnston, H Globalization and resistance: Transnational Dimensions of Social http://books.google.com/books?id=9UGLVh4JifkC accessed  :26/03.08 9, R.A. Hackett, W.K. Carroll, (2004) ‘Critical Social Movements and Media Reform’ Media Development, 10, Meyer, T. (2002). Media democracy: how the media colonize politics. Cambridge, England: Polity Press. 11, Barker, M (2005) ‘Manufacturing policies: the media’s role in the policy making process’ Australian School of Environmental Studies. Griffith University http://live-wirez.gu.edu.au/jea.papers/Barker.doc accessed: 26/03/08 12, ‘socail movements’ www.wikipedia.com accessed 25/03/08 13, Chan, J. M., and Lee, C. C. (1984) The journalistic paradigm on civil protests: a case study of Hong Kong in A. Arno and W. Dissanayake (eds) The news media in national and international conflict, Boulder: Westview Press. 14, ‘mass media’ www.wikipedia.com accessed:25/03/08 15, (Kleahn. J), ‘A Critical Review and Assessment of Herman andChomsky’s ‘Propaganda Model’ Sage publications, London. 16, Halloran, J. D., Elliott, P. and Murdock, G. (1970) Demonstrations and communication: a case study, Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Biography John F. Kennedy :: essays research papers

May, 29, 1917, in the wooden three-story house in Brookline, Massachusetts, John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the second child in the Kennedy family. Joe Jr. is his two-year older brother. In all, Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph Patrick Kennedy would have nine children, four boys and five girls. Before long, family and friends called the blue-eyed baby, Jack. When Jack was three, the family moved to a twelve-room house just outside of Boston. Joseph Kennedy was running his own stock trading business and was working hard to ensure his family a wealthy life. The Kennedys had everything they needed and more; Jack could enjoy a very comfortable life. He was sent to Choate, boarding school in Connecticut, where he was very popular and had many friends. He played tennis basketball, football and golf. Jack graduated from Choate, and in 1936 he started his first year at Harvard, where Joe was already a student. In 1937, Mr. Kennedy was appointed U.S. Ambassador to England. The family, with exception Joe and Jack, who were still in Harvard, moved to England. Jack became even more interested in politics, world affairs and also visited Europe a couple times. World War 2 began and John Kennedy wrote a thesis why England was not ready for the war against Germany, which was so good that it was later published as a book. After graduating Joe and Jack joined the Navy. Jack became the Lieutenant of a torpedo boat in the South Pacific. On a dark night in 1943 the boat collided with a Japanese destroyer and sank. In the cold water Lt. Kennedy managed to gather his men around a piece of boat. At sunrise he led them toward a small island several miles away. He was awarded with the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage. His brother though, was not that lucky; he died a year later when his plane blew up on a mission in Europe. After the war Jack was uncertain what kind of work he wanted to do. He had considered becoming a teacher or a writer, but the death of his brother changed everything. His father finally convinced him that he should run for a seat in the House of Representatives, which he won in 1946. This was the beginning of his political career. After serving three years, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1952.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Human Resource Information Systems

INTRODUCTION Office automation has become a reality. Stand-alone personal computers are universally used for word processing, and spread sheets have become the workhorses of office life. As a result, electronic records are being created virtually everywhere in the world. Wherever computers are used to carry out a function records are being generated. Records provide the primary evidence of how the functions of public administration are carried out. They are the building blocks of accountability.In a growing number of organizations human resources are now viewed as a source of competitive advantage. There is greater recognition that distinctive competencies are obtained through highly developed employee skills, distinctive organizational cultures, management processes, and systems. Increasingly, it is being recognized that competitive advantage can be obtained with a high quality work force that enables organizations to compete on the basis of market responsiveness, product and servic e quality, differentiated products, and technological innovation.The effective management of human resources in a firm to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace requires timely and accurate information on current employees and potential employees in the labour market. With the evolution of computer technology, meeting this information requirement has been greatly enhanced through the creation of HRIS. A basic assumption is that the effective management of employee information for decision makers will be the critical process that helps.A HRIS is concerned with activities related to employees and potential employees of the organization. Because the human resources function relates to all other functional areas in the business, the HRIS plays a valuable role in ensuring organizational success. Some of the activities performed by the HRIS are workforce analysis and planning, hiring, training, job and task assignment and many other personnel related issues (Stair R,2006,241). TH E EVOLUTION OF HRISIn the 1980s, office automation began to appear on the landscape, and HRIS were developed as a special category of office automation systems (OAS). At first it seemed the emphasis was on developing systems as cheaply as possible. The replacement of people with software was seen as the main advantage. Rather than have HR managers maintain extensive employee records, data-entry technicians would enter data once into a system and update records as necessary. Today, however, HRIS would be more accurately viewed as a hybrid of several classical types of information systems.Along with OAS capabilities, current HRIS include features of transaction processing systems (TPS), decision support systems (DSS) and communication systems. HRIS may comprise stand-alone software for any of the primary areas of use for information systems in HR management. These areas include employee record management, compensation and benefits, recruitment and retention, training and development, performance appraisal, and promotion and succession planning.It became evident as HRIS took hold in the corporate culture that a quality HRIS could provide valuable information to the organization in managing one of its most valuable assets: the organization’s human resources. As top management began to put pressure on HR managers to use HRIS, it was becoming clear that by collecting and processing more and more information in a timely manner, the value added was in the use of the data in decision making and not in the actual system used for collection and storage.This evolution has resulted in firms being able to leverage HRIS for administrative and strategic competitive advantage. WHY THE NEED FOR HRIS IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Using HRIS gives firms several benefits. They include the following: †¢Providing a comprehensive information picture as a single, integrated database; this enables organizations to provide structural connectivity across units and activities a nd to increase the speed of information transactions. Increasing competitiveness by improving HR operations and management processes †¢Collecting appropriate data and converting them to information and knowledge for improved timeliness and quality of decision making †¢Producing a greater number and variety of accurate and real-time HR-related reports †¢Streamlining and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of HR administrative functions †¢Shifting the focus of HR from the processing of transactions to strategic HRM †¢Reengineering HR processes and functions Improving employee satisfaction by delivering HR services more quickly and accurately TYPES OF HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEMS Although there are multiple classifications of computer-based systems, these the most basic types of systems that are most readily applied to the HR context and for use within an HRIS Transaction Processing Systems: Managers need systems that keep track of the elementary activities and transactions of the organization such as payroll, sales, receipts, cash deposits and the flow of material in an organization. Transaction processing system provides this kind of information.This is a computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business such as employee record keeping and payroll. This type of system is used as operational level and at this level tasks, resources and goals are predefined and highly structured (Laudon K, 2012,76). When using a transaction processing system for payroll processing, a payroll system keeps track of money paid to employees. An employees’ time sheet with their number of hours worked per week is an example of a single transaction.The system also supplies data to the business on employee payment history for insurance, pension and other benefit calculations to the firms human resources function. The overall aim of this system is to improve transaction speed and accurac y, improve efficiency in the processing of daily business transactions, automate routine transactions and reduce transaction costs Management Information System: This type of system serves the level of middle management and provides managers with reports on the organizations current performance.This information can be used to monitor and control the business and predict future performance. This system summarizes and reports on the company’s basic operations using data from the transaction processing systems. The basic transaction data is compressed and usually presented in the form of reports that are produced on a regular schedule and many of these reports can today be found online. Management information systems serve managers primarily interested in weekly, monthly and yearly results.These systems are also used to answer routine questions that have been specified in advance and have a predefined procedure for answering them as opposed to sophisticated mathematical models o r statistical techniques (Laudon K, 2012,77-78). The main focus of this system is to provides key data to managers, supports regular and on-going decisions as well as provides defined and ad-hoc reporting. Decision support systems: In contrast to management information systems this system supports more non- routine decision making. They focus on problems that are unique and rapidly changing.For which the procedure for arriving at a solution may not be fully predefined in advance. Although this system uses internal information from both the above systems they often bring in data from external sources such as prices of competitors (Laudon K, 2012, 78) These systems use a variety of models to analyse the data and are designed so that users can work with them directly. The systems main concern is to provide interactive managerial decision making, support forecasting and â€Å"what-if† analysis and support business simulations.It can be used to assess staffing needs, analyse the l abour market and assess employee skills Executive support systems: Helps senior managers address questions like what will the employment level be in five years? They deal with non-routine decisions requiring judgement, evaluation and insight because there is no agreed procedure for arriving at a solution. This system presents graphs and data from many sources through an interface that is easy for senior managers to use.These systems are designed to incorporate data about external events such as new tax laws or competitors but they also use summarized information from internal management information systems and decision support systems (Laudon K, 2012, 80). The primary focus of this system is to provide aggregate high-level data, to helps managers with long term planning and support strategic direction and decisions. It can be used to assist HR managers with succession planning which means having a systematic process where managers identify, assess and develop their staff to make sur e they are ready to assume key roles within the company.Enterprise resource planning systems: are used to integrate business processes in human resources as well as manufacturing and production, finance and accounting and sales and marketing into a single system. Information that was previously separated into many different systems is stored into a single comprehensive system where it can be used in many different parts of the business. Managers are able to use firm-wide information to make more precise and timely decisions about daily operations and long term planning as well as share data across functional boundaries (Laudon K, 2012, 81).ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HRIS SYSTEMS Widespread Access Traditionally, records and archives have been created and maintained in paper form as physical objects. Their physical state limits access to a specific time and place: only one person can use a record at one time and only in one physical location. Producing multiple copies is expensiv e and time consuming, requiring access to photocopiers or printers. Duplication also leads to confusion about which of many versions of a document is the official record.Electronic records, on the other hand, can be shared widely and they can be accessed and used by several people at the same time, even if they are in different places. In environments where resources are scarce or distances are great, the ability to provide access to information without the boundaries of time or space can dramatically improve service, increase information sharing and enhance operations. In some countries, for example, the ability to share an electronic record among government offices in different parts of the country saves money and time.Copying and mailing or faxing documents across thousands of miles can become prohibitively expensive and can slow down operations and delay decisions and actions. But even in some less developed countries, governments today are installing computers in community outp osts in rural, underdeveloped areas so that people in the area can keep abreast of government activities and world events. Flexibility HRIS enhance flexibility in the creation, storage, use and management of information and records. In a paper environment, records are created, received and filed in one office, and they accumulate in one place.Electronic records can be stored remotely or on CD’s or flash discs, allowing people to share records and use their information resources more dynamically. Because so many people in an organisation can have access to electronically stored records at the same time, they can carry out their duties without being hindered by a lack of information. They also have better access to more up-to-date information, since they can access data such as electronic records on employees or databases directly. Efficiency and EffectivenessThe use of information technologies improves information handling and allows for the speedy retrieval of records and inf ormation through electronic search facilities. As a result, policy makers can make informed decisions quickly and efficiently, contributing to the effectiveness of the organisation. Further, when the retrieval of records and information happens swiftly and decisions are made on time, the image of the organisation improves as it is seen to be reliable, capable and responsive to the needs of its clients or the public.Certainly, if someone knows where records are stored, whether in paper or electronic form, he or she can retrieve them in good time, but too often knowledge about where manual records can be found maybe held by only one person in the organisation, and if he or she is not available then access to records is delayed. And once the volume of records reaches a certain point, no one person can ‘remember’ where everything is. Well-designed HRIS will facilitate easy retrieval of electronic information, improving the speed and quality of service.Economic Benefits In t he paper environment where records are physical objects, their accumulation requires ever-increasing amounts of space, including office space, shelves, filing cabinets and storage boxes. Several staff members may be needed to carry out routine procedural work such as filing documents and retrieving boxes. Through the use of new technologies, organisations are able to economise in terms of storage space, as HRIS can store large volumes of data and records in a small physical space.Database management systems, electronic mail systems, web and multimedia software programs are all good examples of information technologies that can store far more information than traditional paper records storage systems. In a well-managed organisation, it is also possible to manage staff resources more effectively. Much of the day-to-day work of filing and retrieval will be done by officers throughout the organisation as part of their daily routine, leaving time for other staff to participate more activ ely in activities such as appraisal.General Business Opportunities The professional image of an organisation can be enhanced by improved information flow, and the organisation may be able to take on more complex work because it is more efficient and cost-effective. HRIS can improve communications, reduce the loss of essential information, speed up the completion of projects and increase public awareness of the organisation. The use of technologies also exposes organisations to communities outside of their normal client base, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.Auditing Capabilities Well-designed records and document management systems also allow an organisation to regulate and oversee actions and decisions. Many HRIS include mechanisms to maintain audit trails, encouraging more accountable record keeping and promote compliance across the organisation. HRIS Disadvantages An HRIS also can be a problematic for small businesses in which some employees must wear many hats . If your company isn’t big enough to have a dedicated human resources technology specialist, consider outsourcing.Some of the disadvantages of an HRIS involve human error during information input, costly technology to update your system and malfunctions or insufficient applications to support your human resources needs. There is a demand for computer and technology specialists with general information technology knowledge, and finding a qualified specialist with human resources functional area knowledge can be difficult. With such a demand, your cost to hire an HRIS specialist may be far above the average salary for a computer technology specialist.The cost per-hire for another employee in a specialized field may be a stretch for some small businesses. CONCLUSION It is obvious as we move into the 21st century that data will drive an increasing number of business decisions and strategies. HRIS is an excellent example of an area where businesses can capitalize not only on admi nistrative cost savings, but also on leveraging a strategic advantage through information gathering, processing, and sharing.Despite certain potential pitfalls, it appears that HRIS are now today’s cutting-edge software for effective human resources management. We are only now beginning to realize the potential not only within the HR function, but organization-wide. What was once a future vision is reality and HR managers should jump aboard immediately. If they do not, the train is about to pick up speed rapidly, and they will be left behind. |