To what extent does prejudice affect Essay Example for Free

To what extent does prejudice affect Essay Prejudice and Racism are very closely related to each other in our society. To stereotype someone is when we apply a series of traits to them based on one trait that resembles their identity in a particular group. Some examples to stereotyping would be Asians are hardworking and studious, black people steal a lot, and many others. This very closely relates with the definition of prejudice. Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Most of the people who judge people on their particular culture using stereotypes do not actually have an experience of seeing or experiencing that particular stereotype. They are basing it off of knowledge they have received or came across from other people. Very few actually have experiences of encountering the stereotypical character of a certain group and use their experience to conceive and judge the people of that certain group. We tend to categorize ourselves in different groups whether it is through cultural differences, race differences, or difference in interest. Why do people who have prejudices tend to stereotype? These people tend to divide people into different categories of â€Å"them†. They classify these people as different. Although grouping ourselves is a nature of human kind, groups of different goals, interest, race or culture tend to prejudice using stereotypes of other groups. Is it impossible for us to reduce social prejudice? Prejudice and stereotyping will always exist in parallel with these things. Instead of trying to totally get rid of prejudice and stereotyping, it is more progressive and effective to try reducing it. Given that our world is diverse and multi ethnic, it is important to understand ways to reduce social prejudice. An approach about prejudice was made by Sherif in 1966 who believed that prejudice arises out of conflict between two groups however they do not automatically lead to prejudice, but depends on the situation and relationship involved among the groups. Sheriff also claimed that prejudice can be often seen when two groups want to achieve the same goal but only one can have it, causing them to be hostile and abusive against each other. This is the Realistic Conflict Theory. Sherif conducted a study to prove this theory and this was know as the ‘Robber’s Cave’ Study. This accurately displayed how competition and conflict between two groups can cause negative stereotyping and aggressive manners towards the out-group. Another example of Sheriff’s claim would be the study done by Dollard (1938) who found out that prejudice against German immigrant increased slowly in the US towns, as jobs were harder to get. This research study proves Sherif’s claim of prejudice being built on depending on the situation and relationship between the two groups. In this case the Germans and U. S citizens had a sense of competition over jobs, leading them to have a rivalry relationship and ultimately causing prejudice against each other. ( AS Psychology). Agreeing, but also opposing to this Tajfel (1971) argued that competition is not a likely condition for group-to-group conflict. He does not completely disagree about competition being one of the reasons for prejudice among groups, but more strongly argues that the existence of an opposing group itself produces prejudice among the groups. He also argued that in-group favoritism was present in groups and called all of these behaviors the Social Identity Theory. An example of favoritism explained in the Social Identity Theory is that two opposing groups, Man U and Liverpool would more likely help people wearing the same color uniforms if they are injured – Levine et al (2005). ( AS Psychology) In the 1950’s, American psychologist Gordon Willard Allport introduced the Intergroup-contact hypothesis. The intergroup –Contact Hypothesis considered of one having the opportunity to communicate with others. Through this communication they are able to understand and appreciate different points of views involving their way of life. Alport thought that issues of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination commonly occur between rival groups. Alport’s proposal was that properly managed contact between the groups should reduce these problems and lead to better interactions. (Psychology Today) In Robert S. Feldman’s Social Psychology, the book states that prejudice will reduce only under certain conditions. Decades of research by psychologists lead to the discovery of three conditions. The contact needs to occur between people of relatively equal status, the contact must be close and personal; goals that they are seeking must be common goals. Through frequent contact of each other in a relationship where the status is equal, prejudice can be reduced in certain ways. Personal relationships are another key of reducing prejudice in society. By forming personal relationships, people can find out that some of the prejudices and stereotypes they had of a certain group may not be true. But this condition may vary for the opponent may have the stereotypical characteristics of that certain group. Lastly prejudice can be reduced through seeking common goals. As a community, once a goal is set and achieved, the achievements are shared among those inside the community. This develops a form of bonding and grouping within the group as well, making it questionable if this is a true way of getting rid of prejudice and stereotyping since it is creating a new social identity. (Jiskha) In January 3, 2011, a more recent research on how to overcome prejudices was announced by Rodolfo Mendoza- Denton from the University of California, Berkley. Although many of Rodolfo’s ideas were similar to that of the solutions mentioned in Robert S. Feldman’s Social Psycygology, there were some significant concepts that Rodolfo had found out. One of his concepts consists of the common in-group identity model, which shows that humans are able to recategorize themselves according to interests, features, or characteristics that they share. Once they have recategorized themselves, they are more tightly bonded and understand each other within the people inside the group even though they might have been people from two different groups that once were prejudice and hostile to each other. Another major difference from Rodolfo’s solution and Feldman’s solution is that Rodolfo claims that the behavior of humans in a neutral state is critical in the effect of prejudice towards each other. To reduce prejudice among groups, Rodolfo suggested that approaching other groups in a different manner will greatly affect the presence of prejudice in two opposing groups. If approached in a manner of trying to get along, it is hard for prejudice to happen in the contact of the two groups. But by raising awareness of the stereotypes and having a negative view of the opposing group from the beginning, prejudice and stereotyping is likely to be present in this situation. (Greater Good) Work Cited (Psychology Today) Chen Ph. D, Lisa. The Psychology of Prejudice and Racism. Psychology Today . Sussex Publishers, LLC, 24 Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. http://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/handy-psychology-answers/201101/the-psychology-prejudice-and-racism. (Jiskha) David A. Gershaw, Ph. D. Homework Help: Social Studies: Psychology: Reducing Prejudice. Jiskha Homework Help. David A. Gershaw, Ph. D. , n. d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. ( AS Psychology) GROSS, R. (1999) Key Studies in Psychology, 3rd Edition. London: Hodder and Stoughton BANYARD, P. AND GRAYSON, A. (2000) Introducing Psychological Research; Seventy Studies that Shape Psychology, 2nd Edition. London: Macmillan (Greater Good) Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton. Greater Good. The Top 10 Strategies for Reducing Prejudice. University of California Berkeley, 3 Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

Performance Appraisal: Functions and Implementation

Performance Appraisal: Functions and Implementation Chapter 1: 1.1 Introduction This dissertation project has been undertaken for the fulfilment of the business degree MBA, General Management from the University of East London. The findings of this dissertation will contribute to concerned company and the author to complete the MBA degree. At the beginning, a leading mobile tele-communication organisation in Bangladesh named Banglalink was chosen as the research organisation. In the middle of the study, the management refused to cooperate with providing information. As a result the author had to find and choose a suitable company to collect research information and data to finish the study. Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM) was the new company chosen to finish the research. The introduction chapter gives an overall idea about the study. In this part, the background, objectives and research questions and the structure of this dissertation will be discussed. 1.2 Background of the Study The study discusses about the functions and the implementation of performance appraisal in the new era. The concept of ‘Welfare Personnel was developed in the end of the British golden colonial history by the humane concerns of some business families like Cadbury and Rowntree. Then within the next century, the concept had changed and became Personnel Management and later on Human Recourse Management. Now the world has just entered into a new millennium and the concept of human resource management has become a strategic partner for the business organisations. (McKenna Beech, 2008:2 3) Organisations require many things in order to be effective, a method for producing a product or service, financial resources, a way of marketing and human resources. While all of these are important to organisational effectiveness, the only factor that represents a potential competitive advantage is human resources. This is why the concept of human resource management is s important to every organisation.. The basics of managing people are getting people, preparing them, stimulating them motivate them. To manage human resources in any organisation the following questions are to be considered: (Dessler, 2005:4-5) Are the persons hired for the job wrong? Is the organisation able to milk out the best from the employees? What is the most frustrated area of human resource management? Is the rewarding system working properly? The above refers to how people worked in the past, what changes are required in future to make the production system effective, what are the weaknesses of the system and how to improve. These actually refer to the evaluation of employees of job which is called Performance Appraisal. Performance appraisal system is an important function of personnel department in any organisation. The system has a close relationship between organisation goals and individual performance. The performance appraisal system represents a year round exercise of managing individual performance in an integrated manner with a view to enabling employees to perform at their performance standards. (Dessler, 2005:310) With the view of increasing organisational effectiveness through the effective management of human resources, the organisations use different methods of appraising performance of their employees. For this research a small security service company named ‘Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM) a private single owner security service company has been chosen. SFM became a successful organisation in the last few years. Their high standard efficient employees are one of the key factors for their success. For that, SFM has been chosen to practice the theoretical knowledge and to get familiar with the existing system of Performance Appraisal of a small private company. 1.2 Research Question In general, most of the organisations have a kind of formal or informal performance appraisal system. Through the performance appraisal system, the employees get to know their performance standards, which area of their performance needs to be developed etc. The supervisor also provides them with feedback, development and incentives to help them eliminating their performance deficiencies. If performance appraisal system is effectively used, it can improve attraction motivation of the employees on the job. If inappropriately used the appraisal process can have disastrous effects (Dessler, 2005:310). Hence the discussion leads to the research questions: What is the level of understanding and compliance of the employees on performance appraisal? What are the reactions of the employees regarding the performance appraisal? What are the constraints of the performance appraisal in practical life? 1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study The research has been undertaken for the fulfilment of the requirement for completion of MBA, General Management for the year 2008/2009. This is mainly aimed to develop the job expertise in the performance appraisal activities under the guidance of expert faculty member of University of East London. It is really a difficult task to assess consistency, relevance and reliability of the tools and techniques of the system, however and effort is made to have some ideas about the matter. 1.3.1 Aims The study mainly aims at knowing about the awareness, the level of understanding and compliance of the employees of SFM regarding performance appraisal system. The study attempts to analyse the present performance appraisal system and the role of both appraisers and appraises in connection with the implantation of the system in real life situation. 1.3.2 Objectives To be acquainted with and acquire practical knowledge regarding performance appraisal system of an organisation. To relate the theoretical knowledge of performance appraisal with practical implication. To determine the acceptability and reliability of the performance appraisal system in a certain organisation. To assess the constraints/factors which influence the performance appraisal system. 1.4 Scope of the Study Target group includes officers of all level. The working forces those who are working in the head office and also in the other sites. Value Perception of both appraisers and appraises of the organisation under study. 1.5 Limitations of the Study While preparing this report, the following limitations had been faced: At the beginning a renowned mobile Tele-communication company in Bangladesh, Banglalink, was chosen for the study but they refused to deliver any information and cooperation just one and half month before the submission date. As a result, the author had to choose a small security company, Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM) to carry on and finish the study within such a short time. SFM has a master plan on performance appraisal, but at present implementing a part of it. As a part of the business strategy, SFM did not provide all information on their performance appraisal procedure. The major limitation of the study was the lack of time for such an intensive work which compelled the author to narrow the scope of the study. All officials were very busy with their own assignments. As a result, they had a little opportunity for giving much time in this regard. Limitation was faced on the volume of the report due to which many relevant and important things will remain unexplored in detail. 1.6 Organisation Profile Introduction to Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM): Since its formation SFM has built its reputation by providing security personnel of the highest calibre. This has been achieved by combining sound management with sensible terms and conditions for all staff. SFM strives to ensure that their clients and staff benefit from a focused and well-defined professional approach, the ratio of management to client is kept to no more than one manager per 10 clients. SFM strives to provide the highest standards of efficiency to all its clients, both large and small. SFM understands the importance of first impressions and that their personnel are often the first point of contact for their clients visitors and residents. 1.7 Structure of the Research This structure of this study has the following five chapters: Chapter 1 is the introduction chapter where the background, research question and rationale, objective, company profile and structure of the research are stated. Chapter 2 contains a brief literature review on performance management, history and meaning of the performance appraisal, purposes, functions, types of performance appraisal, MBO, 360 degree appraisal, problems and solutions of performance appraisal and essentials of a good performance appraisal. This chapter will provide a basic understanding about performance appraisal which is related to the research questions. Chapter 3 contains Research Methodology which includes research framework, the design of the research, population and sampling, and questionnaire. Chapter 4 provides Data analysis, statistical analysis and findings of the research. Chapter 5 describes the critical review of the findings. Chapter 6 discusses on recommendation and conclusion of the study and reflection summery. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction Organisations require consistent levels of high performance from their employees in order to survive in a highly competitive environment. In a view of this, performance appraisal can be a systematic system through which evaluation of an employee is done analyze effectively to determine required performance. It plays a key role in rewarding systems. It is the process of evaluating the performance of employees, sharing information with them and searching for ways to improve their performance. Appraisal is necessary in order to: Allocate resources in a dynamic environment; Motivate and reward employees; Give employees feedback about their work; Maintain fair relationships within groups; Coach and develop employees; and Comply with regulations. It is also a formal opportunity to do what should be done much more frequently in organisations to express appreciation for employee contributions. Companies must administer their employee performance reviews, at all levels, fairly and without discrimination. Since all appraisals can be used against a company in an appraisal employee lawsuit, it is critical that these reviews should be completely accurate. This practice of performance appraisal has been given a variety of titles. The academicians call it performance appraisal, performance review etc. In Government services in Bangladesh, it is known as ACR (Annual Confidential Report). In private organisations, it is often described as merit rating, personnel rating, progress rating, annual performance, etc. Performance appraisal plays a major role in Human Resource Management. The subject is a part of Performance Management. It is necessary to discuss the performance management briefly before proceeding to performance appraisal. Performance Management The primary concern of performance management is the improvement of individual and collective performance. It is a continuous cycle of self-renewing. The aim of performance management is make direct link together individual goals, departmental purpose and organisational objectives. It integrates the major elements of HRM like appraisal and employee development, performance-related pay and reward management, individualism and employee relations. In other way it can be called as day-to-day management activity as it deals with organising works to get the best result. â€Å" a strategic integrated approach to delivering sustained success to organisations by improving the performance of the people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of tams and individual contributors†. Armstrong (2001:467) According to Armstrong (2001:475) the main activities of performance management are Role Definition, The Performance Agreement or Contract, The Performance Development Plan, Managing Performance Throughout the Year and Performance Review. These activities are a continuous cycle. According to Marchington Wilkinson (2004:187), the process of performance management system involves Induction and Socialisation, Reviewing and Appraising Performance, Reinforcing Performance Standards and Counselling and Support. Beardwell and Holden (2001:538) stated â€Å"Performance Management is not simply the appraisal of individual performance: it is an integrated and continuous process that develops, communicates and enables the future direction, core competencies and values of organisation, and helps to create an ‘horizon of understanding†. Performance Management is an effective tool by which the employees work behaviours are aligned with the organisations goals. There is no one way to manage performance. Whatever system is adopted needs to be similar with the culture and the principles of that organisation. However, most system of performance management has several parts: Defining Performance: Carefully defines employee performance so that it supports the organisations strategic goals. Setting of clear goals for the individual employee is a critical component of performance management. Measuring Performance: Measuring performance does not need to be narrowly conceived, but can bring together multiple types of performance measured in various ways. The key is to measure often and use the information for mid-course corrections. Feedback and Coaching: In order to improve performance, the employee needs information (feedback) about their performance, along with the guidance in reaching the next level of results. Without frequent feedback, employees are unlikely to know that behaviour is out of synchronization with relevant goals, or what to do about it. The major aim of performance management is to find ways of continual improvement of levels of both organisational and individual performance and performance appraisal is the perfect weapon for that improvement. The Rise of Performance Appraisal The performance appraisal has a long history which started China in the third century, the reign of Wei Dynasty. It was mainly used for the civil servants, army officers and managers until recently. Now it is very much wide spread all over the world and has become a popular management tool. In the UK most of the private sector organisations has introduced and are practicing performance appraisal during the last decade or two. Some people suggested that the reason behind for its growth is to use the individualised performance-pay system. Some other factors like market competition, managing change, organisation goal, milk out the best from the employees etc. are also important. Now the terminology ‘performance appraisal is changing to ‘personal development review and ‘performance review and development. (Taylor, 2004:247-248) Meaning of Performance Appraisal Performance Appraisal (PA) is a methodical, on the job-review of an employees abilities and accomplishments. Performance appraisal functions as a valuable management assessment tool and a superior employee motivation weapon. It enables us to strike a workable balance between organisations need for qualified and trained personnel and employees need for feedback and motivation. Performance is the contribution and appraisal is the procedure of measuring the contribution. Performance appraisal is an integral part of a system of managing individuals working in an organisation. Performance appraisal is an inevitable inspire of modern technology and all the systems and controls coming into widespread us, people remain the most important factor in all kinds of business, government agencies, charitable organisations and all other organisation. Performance appraisal is a process of bringing together the approaches of performance management like counselling, training, improving performance etc. that helps the managers to exercise them to achieve the goal of the organisation. It is a procedure of rewarding and disciplining the employees to improve the over performance of the organisation. It is the process of evaluating performance or contribution of an employee to the organisation during a specific period of time by his or her supervisor with relation to his or her job requirements. An effective, reliable and valid performance appraisal system recognizes the legitimate desire of employees for progress in their professions. Integration of organisational demands and individual needs through career management is the part of performance appraisal. Therefore, the performance appraisal program is inevitable for measuring the contribution of both â€Å"employees and managerial personnel†. Performance appraisal program is the basis of determining who is profitable to higher position and who is to be rewarded for better contribution to the organisation he or she belongs to. Performance feedback lets employees know how well they have performed in comparison with the standards of the organisation. Performance appraisal program is the administrative and employee development tool, which is the domain of the management not shared by the employees. Opponents of the performance appraisal attack it on a variety of grounds but without appraising performance of the employees career development, organisational development, recently a number of organisations have revamped their appraisal system in a bid to reduce possible negative outcomes. Appraisal, no doubt is a complex issue and it is clear that to be effective, a system must be designed and implemented with great care. â€Å"Performance appraisal means evaluating an employees current and/or past performance relative to his or her performance standards†. (Dessler, 2005:310) Michael Armstrong (2001:486) says â€Å"Performance review discussions enable a perspective to be obtained on past performance as a basis for making plans for the future.† He explains that the five elements of performance management (measurement, feedback, positive reinforcement, exchange of views and agreement on action plans) can be achieved through performance review. In the conclusion it can be said that, performance appraisal is the process by which an employees contribution to the organisation during a specific period of time is assessed. Performance Feedback then lets the employee know how well they have performed in comparison with the standards of the organisation. Who Should Do The Appraisal? By traditionally a managers authority typically has included appraising subordinates performance. The logic behind this tradition seems to be that since managers are held responsible for their employees† performance, it only makes sense that these managers do the evaluating of their performance. The employees immediate boss conducts about 95 percent of all performance appraisals at the lower and middle levels of the organisation. Purposes Purposes of Performance Appraisal: HRD Employees View Performance appraisal or evaluation serves a number of purposes for Human Resources Department and for the development of the employees. Management uses performance appraisal for general human resource decisions. Evaluations provide input into such important decisions, transfers, and terminations. Performance appraisals identify training and development needs. They pinpoint employee skills and competencies that are currently inadequate but for which programs can be developed to remedy. Performance appraisal can be used as a criterion against which selection and development programs are validated. Newly Hired employees who perform poorly can be identified through performance appraisal. Similarly, the effectiveness of training development programs can be determined by assessing how well those employees who have participated do on their performance appraisal. Performance appraisals also fulfil the purpose of providing feedback to employees on how the organisation views their performance. Furthermore performance appraisals are used as the basis for reward allocations. Decisions as to who gets merit pay increases and other rewards are frequently determined by performance appraisal. Purposes of Performance Appraisal: Organisations View Identify the successful less successful aspects of the employee needs organisational goals. Assist decision makers in allocating resources in planning for future. Assist managers in just frying expenditure accounting for those expenditures. Monitor employee activities to detect any change in activities or the quality of services. Serve as a benchmark, i.e. identifying best practice performance, using that performance as a goal, investigating the factors that led up to that performance, then trying to replicate that level of performance. Functions / Uses of Performance Appraisal Multiple uses of Performance Appraisal are: Development uses. Administrative uses/decision makings. Organizational maintenance/objectives. Documentation. Types of Performance Appraisal There are various types of performance appraisal which includes Alternation Ranking Method, Graphic Rating Scale, Management By Objectives (MBO) etc. (Dessler, 2005:315) These are explained below. Alternation Ranking Method It is the oldest simplest of formal systematic rating is to compare one person with all others for the purpose of placing them in a simple rank order of worth. In doing this, the appraiser considers person and performance as an entity; no attempt is made to systematically fractionize what being appraised into component elements. Graphic Rating Scale This method is widely used in merit rating is similar to the techniques in point-evaluation plan. This involves the supervisor to rate employee performance in terms of prescribed traits i.e. quality of work, quantity of work, initiative, dependability, knowledge of work etc. Each trait is defined various degrees of each are prescribed in some way. From traits degrees over-all rating can be obtained. Forced Distribution Choice Another attempt to counteract the tendency of raters to give average ratings or even sometimes to â€Å"twist† a report to bring about a desired result is the forced-choice technique. Here the rater is faced with groups of three of four statements, he must tick the one, which applies most nearly to the employee under assessment. These statements are so devised that it is impossible for the rater to know which will give the most favourable rating. Grading It is a further development to the guideline approach which attempts to provide a frame work of reference by defining a number of levels at which the characteristics is displayed asking Managers to select the definition which most closely describes the individual they are assessing. For example, in rating effective output the Manager in a typical grading scheme is asked to choose between: Outstanding Outstanding output of high quality work Satisfactory Satisfactory level of output effort Fair Completes less than the average amount of effective work Poor Low output poor worker. Critical Incident Method The critical incident method requires every Supervisor to adopt a practice of recording in a note-book of those significant incidents in each employees behaviour that indicate effective or poor behaviour. These are recorded in a specifically-designed notebook that contains characteristics under which the various behaviours can be recorded. Management by Objectives (MBO) Management by Objectives (MBO) is a critical process that often consists of four steps as a way to attain desired performance: Objective setting-joint determination by manager employee of appropriate levels of future performance for the employee, within the context of over-all unit goals resources. These objectives are often set for the next calendar year. Action planning-participative or even independent planning by the employee as to how to reach those objectives. Providing some autonomy to employees is invaluable; they are more likely to use their ingenuity, as well as feel more committed to the plans success. Periodic reviews-joint assessment of progress toward objectives by manager employee performed informally sometimes spontaneously. Annual evaluation-more formal assessment of success in achieving the employees annual objectives coupled with a renewal of the planning cycle. Some MBO systems also use performance appraisal to tie rewards for employees to the level of results attained. MBO had been taken likened to a modem form of scientific management. It is also subject to the same possible criticisms of too great an emphasis on individual job definition together with a management authority structure, the assumption of no conflict between individual organisation goals. MBO should not be applied simply as a pressure device by which management apply increasingly demanding targets which Staffs are expected to achieve. MBO draws attention to the objectives for individual members of the organisation as a whole. MBO is a potentially attractive system. It provides an opportunity for staff of accept greater responsibility to make a higher level or personal contribution. There is much to recommend it to both the organisation individual managers. 360 Degree Appraisal or Evaluation The latest approach to performance appraisal is the use of 360 Degree evaluations. It provides for performance feedback from the full circle of daily contacts that an employee might have, ranging from mailroom personnel to customers to bosses to peers. The number of appraisals can be as few as three or four evaluations or as many as 25; with most organisations collecting five to ten per employees. The appeal of 360-degree appraisals is to fit well into organisations that have introduced teams, employee involvement, and TQM programs. By relaying on feedback from co-workers, customers and subordinates, these organisations are hoping to give every one more accurate reading on employee performance. Appraising Performance: Problems and Solutions Few of the things a manager does which are more risky than appraising subordinates performance. Employees in general tend to be overly optimistic about what their ratings will be, and also know that their raises, career progress, and peace of mind may well hinge of how they are rated. This alone should make it somewhat difficult to rate performance; even more problematic. There are more numerous structural problems that can cause serious doubt on just how fare the whole process is. Some of the main appraisal problems and their solution are explained below. Dealing with the Five Main Rating Scale Appraisal Problems Five main problems can undermine appraisal tools such as graphic rating scales: unclear standards, halo effect, central tendency, leniency or strictness, and bias. Unclear Standards: The problem of unclear standards is illustrated. Although the graphic rating scale seems objective, it would probably result in unfair appraisals because the traits and degrees of merit are open to interpretation. For example, different supervisors would probably define ‘good performance, ‘fair performance, and so on differently. The same is true of traits such as ‘quality of work or ‘creativity. Halo Effect: The halo effect means that the rating of subordinate on one trait (such as ‘gets along with others) biases the way that person is rated on other traits (such as ‘quality of work). This problem often occurs with employees who are especially friendly (or unfriendly) towards the supervisor. For example, an unfriendly employee will often be rated unsatisfactory for all traits rather than just for the trait ‘gets along well with others. Being aware of this problem is a major step toward avoiding it. Supervisory training can also solve the problem. Central Tendency: Many supervisors have a central tendency when filling in rating scales. For example, if the rating scale ranges from 1 to 7, they tend to avoid the highs (6 to 7) and lows (1to 2) and rate most of their people between 3 and 5. In a graphic rating scale, this central tendency could mean that all employees are simply rated ‘average. Such a restriction can distort the evaluations, making them less useful for promotion, salary, or counselling purposes. Ranking the employees instead of using a graphic rating scale can avoid this central tendency problem because all employees must be ranked and thus cannot all be rated average. Leniency or Strictness: Some supervisors tend to rate all their subordinates consistently high (or low), just all some instructors are notoriously high graders and others are not. This strictness/leniency problem is especially serious with graphic rating scales since supervisors arent necessarily required to avoid giving all their employees high (or low) ratings. On the other hand, when the raters rank subordinates, they are forced to distinguish between high and low performances. Thus, strictness/leniency is not a problem with the ranking or forced distribution approach. In fact, if a graphic rating scale must be used, it may be a good idea to assume a distribution of performances-that, say, only about 10% of the people should be rated ‘excellent, 20% ‘good, and so forth. In other words, try to get a spread (unless, of course, the raters are sure all their people really do fall into just one or two categories). Bias: Individual differences among raters in terms of characteristics like age, race, and sex can affect their ratings, often quite apart from each rates actual performance. In one study, for instance, researchers found a systematic tendency to evaluate older rates (over 60 years of age) lower on ‘performance capacity and ‘potential for development then younger employees. The rates race and sex can also affect the persons rating. However, bias is not necessarily consistently against minorities or women, as it seems to be in the case of older workers. In one study, high performing females were often rated significantly higher than were high performing males. An interesting picture of how age can distort evaluations emerges from a study of registered nurses. When the nurses were 30-39 years old, they and their supervisors each rated the nurses performance virtually the same. In the 21-29 category, supervisors actually rated nurses higher than they rated themselves. However, for the 40-61 nurse age categories, the supervisors rated nurses performance lower than the nurses rated their own performance. The conclusion here may be that supervisors are tougher in appraising older subordinates. Specifically, they dont give them as much credit for their success, while attributing any low performance to their lack of ability. A related problem is described in the Diversity Counts feature. An employees previous performance can also affect the evaluation of h

Observations Of An Early Years Child Young People Essay

Observations Of An Early Years Child Young People Essay In my essay I have aimed for the reader to achieve an understanding of what might appear to be some challenges facing early year practitioners working with birth three years in and out of home care. I undertook three visits to an eight-week-old baby See Appendix 1 regarding background information. I completed three observation sheets that demonstrate my interaction with a child of that age. Before I started my observations I was aware of what experiences could be valuable to . Due to his young age I knew his communication skills would consist of smiling, eye contact and crying. I was also aware he would be completely dependent on adults to support his physical and emotional needs. I also considered Piaget schemes of thought as he believed childrens outline of thoughts are apparent from babyhood in their early physical and sensory actions. During my time observing I was always in his home environment. I began to consider what challenges working with this age group could be in an early years setting. Current ratios in childcare settings are one adult to three babies aged six weeks two years. Children aged two three years have the ratio of one adult to five children. These ratios are set by the conditions made by Care Commission when inspecting premises for the first time before it opens. This shows the level of interaction will be limited compared to a 1:1 ratio that a child can receive at home. The quality of the interaction may be limited in a setting depending on the individual personality. This is where it is important for the practitioners to be aware of Getting it right for every child, (2007). This gives the practitioner the opportunity to look at a childs best outcomes for their well being regardless of their background or individual needs. In appendix B:3, column 3 I imitated s sounds and expressions. I picked up on his cue and copied it. This is in-line with Trevarthen, (1977:255) Play leading to a structured game and laughter, develops hand in hand with primary intersubjectivity. Interaction starts very early. Pre-verbal communication is the beginning of child language skills. Schaffer (1996) engaged together using a variety of dialogue between making sounds, movement touch and a variety of facial expressions. Children will also mirror what they are shown. Murray and Andrew, (2000:52) The parents mirroring is a way of conveying their acceptance of the baby and it can both affirm and enrich the babys experiences. In appendix B:2, column 3 mirrored his mums face signals. A babys stress level needs to be considered as Lyon et al (2000) suggested a high level of control could affect later emotional life for that child. This will affect their well-being. In my observation I was aware of the importance not to stress baby and to follow his routine. This is evident in B:1, column 2 and B:2, column 2. According to Balbernie, (2001) Relationships are essential to the babys health and well-being, and determine their future potential and life chances. This was important for me to understand as I engaged with baby . As a practitioner relationships with children under three years play an important role in the childs future outcomes. Challenges for a child being at home may be that they live far away from other children and not have any siblings. Also parents are spending more time away from home due to work commitments. Dryden, (2005) feels practitioners will need to be vigilant of a child who may not be used to sharing or new/loud noises. The child may also not be used to sharing the significant adult. The setting has to be a high learning environment for children up to three years. Adults have a responsibility to have a knowledge and understanding of child development. Adults do have an influence in a childs development. As families may also ask for advice, a practitioner needs to be able to support them or have an understanding when they need to seek further advice from another source. These are all aspects that Dryden (2005) considers to be important. Working in partnership with parents sharing information and involving them in their childs continuous learning and development. This is stated in The Early Years Foundation Stage, point 1.27. According to Frobel, Montessori and Steiner each stage of a childs development is important and requires sensitive and appropriate handling. They believed in looking at a childs achievement rather than what a child struggles to do. However as I was working with a child of a young age I was aware of his brain cells forming rapidly. According to Dowling, (2010) A young brain grows rapidly through sensory experiences, touch, taste, touch hearing, seeing and smell. I felt with the experiences B1-B3 I contributed to s learning whilst keeping his routine in place. Different models can be used to consider a childs development. The checklist model is where a practitioner can see what a child can or cannot achieve. The medical model is whereby seen if a child is healthy. Another model is the deficit model. This is where an adult will lead activities in order to test whether a child has acquired knowledge or developed a skill. The Early Years Foundation Stage has a profile scale booklet, which practitioners may use to assist them with their observations and assessment of a childs development. Bowlbys (1969) theory points out babies and young children can become close to a small number of adults. Babies are also born to seek secure attachments; they need comfort and have physical and emotional needs. A child who has a secure attachment may struggle to settle into a nursery setting if not offered opportunities to mix with other adults and children. Bowlbys (1998) work demonstrates a child in out-of-home setting will look for another adult to be their significant key person. A practitioner will need to be aware a child may feel vulnerable at arrival time, changes within the playroom and other adults in the room. Dryden, (2005) expresses the importance of a practitioner working with the child and family to develop a close professional relationship. The child will see the family involvement with their key worker and this will enable the child to form a secure attachment to the key worker/practitioner. Whalley and the Pen Green Centre Team, (1997) also believe practitioners and parents should share information about the childs play behaviour at home and within the setting. This will help to provide a good understanding of the benefits to the child and to enable a close relationship to support their play. A challenge to this would be if parents were unwilling to work alongside the setting and with staff. In Early Years Foundation Stage Principle 1.4 one of the themes emphasises that every child is unique and has the ability to learn and develop in a confident manner. This will allow practitioners to understand the importance of being in tune with children and this can be done through knowledge of child development and observations. Recording of information is also important for sharing information. This is outlined in the Pre-Birth to Three guidance. The Pre-Birth to Three, Positive Outcomes for Scottish Children and Families document is the national guidance for practitioners working with children under the age of three and for other adults who are involved with children. It is also to make a smoother transition before children begin to engage with the Curriculum For Excellence. People may challenge if children need a curriculum for such an early age. Dryden, (2005) believes an early years curriculum must be examined to consider the experiences that are of most relevance to very young children. Dryden stresses that a curriculum at the age of under three is not appropriate. Researchers Gopnik, Meltzoff and Kuhl (1999) believed babies learn through experience. A practitioner can offer experiences and opportunities in the early years to expand their learning whilst using a curriculum for guidance. Pre-Birth to Three guidance states Supporting and providing appropriate challenges for babies and young children is key to achieving pos itive outcomes in the future. A curriculum for the children under three according to Manning-Morton and Thorp, (2001) should be about focusing on what children can do either with or without support and not what they should be doing at a certain age. Childrens experiences under three years is the foundation of their future. Children need positive relationships, interaction and opportunities to learn to grow to their full potential. Partnerships with parents and agencies offer a community of support to the individual. The role of the adult is vital to the child learning whether it be in the home or a play setting. When planning to meet with baby I communicated well with his mother via the phone and by showing her the information regarding my work at university. This too is important in a setting. This is in-line with the Pre-Birth to Three guidance developing effective communication systems. To meet all the children needs, practitioners will face difficulties in large settings. Practitioners should consider Bruce (1987) Principle 7 What babies and young children can rather than cannot do is the starting point of the childs play, learning and education. Time will also play an important factor in a practitioners ability to meet the needs of children, especially under three years, as they are all individuals and have particular routines.

The Effects of Affirmative Action on Law Students and Lawyers :: Lawyers African American Essays

The Effects of Affirmative Action on Law Students and Lawyers Given the opportunity, do African Americans with lower undergraduate test scores and grades succeed in law school? Does admitting African Americans with lower test scores and grades than other racial groups into law schools have a good or bad effect on American society? On one hand it can be argued these students grab the opportunity and use it. Making more African American lawyers is healthy for American society. The presence of more African American lawyers itself means the concerns of their community will be heard and represented in society. Seeing successful African American lawyers will prove to frustrated African American high school students that this really is the land of opportunity in which success is available to those who work hard. On the other hand it can be argued poorly qualified undergraduates drop out of law school or just learn just enough to pass the bar examinations after several tries. This process has a very bad effect on society. By giving prefere nce to less qualified African American students the result is lawyers of poor quality. Poor quality workers produce poor quality work, which in the long run is not good for society. People point to the 1980’s as an example where poor quality American automobiles were rejected by buyers who turned to higher quality Japanese cars. The article â€Å"The Scandal of the Law Schools† by Stephan Thernstrom in the December 1997 issue of Commentary presents both sides of this debate. This article takes information from a study by Linda Wightman favoring preferences and uses it to make the author’s points against preferences. Although this article clearly opposes racial preferences, it does include enough of Linda Wightman’s arguments that a reader is left at the end to make up his/her mind of what the truth is or what needs further study. Commentary is a magazine published by the American Jewish Association and has an objective of trying to unify by publishing a variety of articles of different views. The American Jewish intellectual community has the reputation of being liberal, but this magazine has a history of being conservative. As a historically oppressed minority itself, the American Civil Rights Movement and Dr.

The Evil of Richard the Third :: essays research papers

The Evil of Richard III Shakespeare Richard III was a traitor, a murderer, a tyrant, and a hypocrite. The leading characteristics of his mind are scorn, sarcasm, and an overwhelming contempt. It appears that the contempt for his victims rather than active hatred or cruelty was the motive for murdering them. Upon meeting him he sounds the keynote to his whole character. " I, that am curtailed of this proportion, cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deform'd, unfinish'd sent before my time Into this word scarce half made up"( 1.1.20-23) The first scene of the play begins with a soliloquy, which emphasizes Richard's physical isolation as he appears alone as he speaks to is audience. The idea of physical isolation is heightened by his references to his deformity such as "rudely stamped ....Cheated of feature by dissembling Nature, deformed unfinished". "( 1.1.21-22). This deformity would be an outward indication to his audience of the disharmony from Nature and viciousness of his spirit. As he hated "the idle pleasure of these days" and speaks of his plots to sent one brother against another, Richard seems socially apart from the figures around him, and perhaps regarded as an outsider or ostracized because of his deformity. His separation his family is emphasized when he says "Dive, thoughts down to my soul"(1.1.41) when he sees his brother approaching. He is unable to share his thought with his own family as he is plotting against them. Thus, we are given hints of his physical, social and spiritual isolation which is developed throughout the play. But despite these hints, he still refers to himself as part of the House of York, shown in the repeated use of "Our" The task which Shakespeare undertook was to mold the hateful constitution of Richard's Moral; character. Richard had to contend with the prejudices arising from his bodily deformity which was considered an indication of the depravity and wickedness of his nature. Richard's ambitious nature, his elastic intellect, and his want of faith in goodness conspire to produce his tendency to despise and degrade every surrounding being and object, even as his own person. He is never sincere except when he is about to commit a murder. "therefore, since I can not prove a lover, To entertain these fair well spoken days, I am determined to be a villain".As a villain Richard must be heartless, he can not let his emotions interfere with his actions.

Is There Too Much Technology? Essay

Technology is a great thing, it is used anywhere and everywhere around the world. Whether it’s a radio or an iPad, we all have some sort of technological device lying around somewhere in the house. You can ask it to do something and it will do it for you, it is a way of improving our living conditions. Let’s start with the mobile phones as an example. If you are like me then you can’t be off your phone for more than two minutes. If you are not calling someone then you are texting someone. If you are not texting someone, then you are browsing the web, most likely you would be on facebook or twitter. If you are not doing any of those things then you would be staring blindly at your phone with nothing to do, or just waiting for something to happen. We seem very reluctant to just turn our phones off. Being a user myself I have nothing against mobile phones, but technology has become more than a tool and more of a lifestyle.  We all have to adapt to a new generation of technology. It’s all something we have to get used to. As time passes by technology seems to get better, better and better. When I was a little children all I remember was playing with my dolls. Internet usage can lead to loneliness and misery. Imagine the people, who spend all their time on the Internet, this would not leave them any time to spend with their families or friends. They would never have time to get out of their homes to meet new friends or neighbours, not allow them time to exercise , or allow them the ability to experience life. Although some people argue that technology can be good for introverted people by allowing them opportunities to have more social activities, a more accurate assessment of modern day technology would be that it is harmful to society, causing people to spend less time with family and friends, at parties, at sporting events, and less time pursuing an active lifestyle. We need to understand that while technology is useful and necessary, there are also many negative drawbacks. The modern day Internet provides users with instant information from around the globe. We are able to learn and process information at much greater rates than society did before the invention of modern technology. While all this is exciting and wonderful, technology users need to understand the dangers associated with too much of a good thing. Teens should be limited to the amount of time they spend on-line, and by themselves.

Scholarly Articles on Leadership

Scholarly Articles 1 by EDD 9100 CRN 35455 Leadership Seminar Nova Southeastern University February 4, 2012 Scholarly Articles 1 According to the authors of this article (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009), principals need to concentrate on the development of skills and behaviors in order to be successful in motivating, leading, and changing the direction of a school. The successful principal understands that there exists a fine balance of caring for others and the need to accomplish specific tasks (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).The following areas are targeted in this article: the need to become an effective consultant, the need to become a mediator and consensus builder, the need to become an individual that values relationships and to step back and reconnect on a regular basis to their core beliefs and values (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). Interwoven through all areas is the need to realize that it takes time to develop the skills needed, experience being the best teacher of what works (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).The underlying theme throughout the article is one of a need for open communication combined with a balanced and caring attitude towards staff. On the topic of becoming an effective consultant within their school it is pointed out that principals need to be less directive and more collaborative in their push towards improvement and the use of best practice in the classroom (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). It is of rimary importance that they possess the ability to listen to the stakeholders and assist in the translation of concerns into practice (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). In order to be able to effectively fill the role of consultant within their school principals need to possess a reasonable level of understanding of educational pedagogy and curriculum; and possess a skill set combining the ability to problem solve, actively listen, and su pport (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).In terms of becoming a mediator and consensus builder the authors detailed the need for principals to possess relational leadership skills in order to be able to both facilitate groups and coach others on staff in the ability to facilitate their own groups, and stressed that the key to this is the ability to effectively participate in conflict resolution (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).The authors suggested that conflict is part and parcel of school reform and that in addition to being able to deal effectively with conflict the successful principal needs to develop the ability for bringing about consensus within the group, noting that interpersonal and intrapersonal skills were as much or more important than knowledge (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).In the area of relationships it was noted that principals that are most effective are those that place high value on people and relationships and th at when this exists as a core part of the belief system of the principal it is noticeable and is communicated to staff in both subtle and explicit ways (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). According to the authors this sense of value comes through in all of the dealings that the principal has with stakeholders (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).It shows in body language, expression, communication, tone and innumerable other subtle signals that help to set the tone of the school’s culture (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). Key to this being successfully implemented is for the principal to consciously think through a personal rationale that balances responsibilities and relationships (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). Principals need to occasionally stepping back to reconnect to their core values in order to maintain the balance needed to effectively lead (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).It was noted that in all areas of the development process is the need to understand that these skills and beliefs come about over time. The truly effective principal is able uses past experiences to help hone and define these skills and beliefs to bring about change, growth and effective overall leadership (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). The effective principal never stops learning from these day to day and year to year experiences and continues to hone and refine based upon them (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).In the writer’s opinion it would greatly assist in the growth, development, morale and overall job satisfaction for the organization if the current leadership of which the writer is a member, were to possess the skills and beliefs noted in the article. This would most likely require training, coaching or the reassignment or hiring of new personnel for leadership positions in order to develop the capacity to exhibit a balance between the valuing of indi viduals and relationships, the need to and responsibilities of the position, and the skill set of effective collaboration, mediation, and consensus building.A leadership team that operates following these principals fosters a sense of openness, consistency and fairness among stakeholders (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). When this exists, staff feels secure. When staff feels secure it becomes more willing to step out and suggest or embrace change for the growth, development, and betterment of the organization. References Donaldson,G. , Marnik, G. , Mackenzie, S. , & Ackerman, R. (2009). What makes or breaks a principal. Educational Leadership, 67 (2), 8-14.