Human Resource Management policies and techniques Essay

Human Resource Management policies and techniques - Essay Example The term, Human Resource Management had it origin in 1970s. However the concept of management of the organisational resources pertaining to the welfare and maintenance of manpower has received the attention of mangers of institutional entities since periods dating back to the centuries. This view is supported by the fact that even in 1800 BC itself, 'minimum wage rate' and 'incentive wage plan' were included in the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi (Ashwatappa K 2002, p.16).However after the second Word War, the approach over the management of personnel widened from mere welfare to more broader visions like development, control and professionalism. By the end the last century, Human Resource Management acquired a real professional perspective and scientific discussions were initiated in the corporate world leading to formulation of accurate management technologies. The Human Resource Management Challenges were scientifically identified and Development tools for Human Resources were lately discovered. The term, Human Resource Management is often mixed in ideology, with the term Personnel management. Though appearing similar in the outline, Human Resource Management differs from Personnel Management both in scope and orientation. Human Resource Management considers manpower as an important source or asset which can be utilised in favour of the organisation, employees and the society. It has a mutually benefiting approach benefiting the job provider, the worker and the society around the work environment. However Personnel management has a limited scope and an inverted orientation. The sole consideration of the manpower as a tool to be amended and utilized for the mere benefit of the organisation is the limitation in the approach of the concepts defined under Personnel management. Due to this circumscribed nature of the concepts under Personnel management, it was gradually replaced by the broader concept of Human Resource Management. The acceleration of this replacement across the globe was triggered as the largest professional organisation in the field of management, The American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA) changed their name to The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). The Importance of Human Resource Management The importance of Human Resource Management is quite vital to make an organisation sustain in the corporate competitiveness of modern business. Human Resource Management would help an institution to get prepared and adapt to the continuous innovations in the corporate world. The maintenance of a state of the art Human Resource Management programme and policy would help institutions to attract quality manpower. Appropriate and optimised supply of skilled personnel can only be ensured through an accurate Human Resource Management Strategy. The efficacy of the trainings and other capacity building processes to be molded for the benefit of the organisation needs proper planning. These Human Resource trainings would prepare the work force to be ready in advance for the ever changing requirements of the industry. Another key benefit of proper Human Resource Management is that it would motivate the team and continuously upgrade them with relevance

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Human Resource Management - Essay Example It is also needed that the expectations of employees be taken into consideration before adjusting psychological contracts in order to create an optimum working environment. Introduction Problems arising in workplaces are common issues and can be of varying degrees. Therefore, a single type of approach may not always be the solution. An unpleasant working environment can cause stress among employees thus leading to low overall performance which can hinder the fulfillment of the organization’s goals. The need is to understand the common issues in workplace so that the atmosphere can be improved. Proper application of strategies and basic intelligence can solve the problems or can be avoided all together. In this paper, I will share the problems that I face in my workplace and how it affects me and my team members. Problem in workplace It is a proven fact that encouragement from the seniors like managers or other executives reduces the level of stress amongst employees. My experi ence in office has so far been pleasant regarding my relation with my colleagues and team members. However, the management team fails to establish positive communication bond with the employees. This is a major reason of de-motivation among all employees. The manager to whom my team is answerable has opened forums for employees to voice their concerns, but he hardly ever takes any kind of remedial steps. He is always changing strategies and plans without informing us or taking our opinions into consideration. Although my team members are hard working and often stays overtime to complete their assigned tasks, our manager offers little or no recognition for our hard work. Violation of psychological contract The overall environment in my office is de-motivating since our manager fails to establish a healthy psychological contract with his employees. Lack of a healthy psychological contract between an employee and employer is extremely important to get positive results like integrity fr om employees, positive relationship between employer and employee, motivation and job satisfaction. All of these elements encourage an employee to give his best performance which can benefit the organization in realizing its goals and objectives. A psychological contract between an employer and employee is not established in a written contract, and is concerned with â€Å"implicit expectations, obligations and promises that both parties believe have been made with regard to what each owes and expects to receive from the other† (Preston, 2012, p.17). Expectation of monetary rewards and promotions after hard work is a common feature of psychological contract. However, my team manager overlooks the extra effort put in by any individual team member. This gives rise to the feeling that we are not being treated fairly. This reduces our feeling of commitment and deflates our motivation. There is also a fair number of absenteeism amongst my team members. This is a direct measure of h ow employees are demotivated at work. The current situation is quite grave, and it is needed that the management should take immediate steps to replace our current manager who has so far proved to be inefficient. This is because the level of absence is high among my team members and this means they need temporary leave from work or are suffering from stress-induced illness (Preston, 2012, p.18). Need of proper management policies Since, in this

History of the Piano

History of the Piano Blake Stutts The piano is a string percussion instrument which makes sound with vibrations. The cause of vibrations are the hammers inside the piano which strike the strings, and then the vibration of the strings is transmitted to a soundboard. Even though the sounding system of early and modern piano is pretty similar, there are some differences between of them. The modern piano has a cast-iron frame capable of withstanding the tremendous tension of the strings which makes a louder sound than earlier ones. Modern hammers are covered with felt, but earlier generations hammers were covered with leather. On the other hand, early piano had wood frames, and they could only lightly string. The piano is a well-made instrument that can be traced back through the centuries to create masterpieces. The piano is the most popular instrument. It is not too much to say that more people know how to play the piano than any other instrument. The piano has been many things and performed many tasks. The history of making the piano and different piano technique has had a lot of development since the 18th century. There were many forms of piano system and techniques in earlier times. A lot of attempts and efforts since then have created a well-done and popular instrument. Many musicians used the piano to create their well-known music pieces. These are only examples of differences between past and present pianos. In fact, there are many differences between the two kinds of instrument. The first piano was invented in Florence, Italy in 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, a craftsman who repaired harpsichords for Italys royal court (Hoover, Adams and Rucker). He conceived Gravecembalo col piano e forte, which is a harpsichord which can produce soft and loud sounds, in 1709. In the mid-18th century, the piano had become widely popular. (Ehrlich) Throughout the centuries piano occupied a dominant place in music and society from Mozart to modern day music. Piano is the origin to most music due to the fact that the piano allows you to use all ten fingers to produce ten different notes and pitches including the use of your feet. Many pianos have had pedals or levers that comes in three causing the music to become softer, longer, or louder known as the soft pedal (una corda), sostenuto, and sustain pedal (23-24). The word piano is a shortened form of pianoforte, the Italian term for the early 1700s versions of the instrument, which derives from gravicembalo col piano e forte[1] and fortepiano (Fine and Gilbert). The piano was influenced on earlier innovations in keyboard instruments such as the clavichord and the harpsichord. In a clavichord, the strings are struck by tangents, while in a harpsichord, they are mechanically plucked by quills when the performer depresses the key (23-24). Over the centuries as the harpsichord developed the mechanic had shown instrument builders the most effective ways to construct the case, soundboard, bridge, and mechanical action for a keyboard intended to sound strings. A popular medium for musicians to create musical masterpieces, Pianos started to rise during the baroque, classical, and the romantic period. Well known composer and musician that used the piano to create their masterpiece are Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There are four types of vertical pianos, which is based on the pianos height: Spinet, Console, Studio, and the Upright. The standard width of an upright piano is about 5 and the depth is between 2 2ÂÂ ½. The total floor space should be about 5 wide by 5 deep, including bench space. The height of the piano makes no difference in the floor space needed but it makes a major difference in the quality of sound the piano produces (Types Sizes of Pianos Bluebook of Pianos). The size is measured from the floor to the top of the lid. The spinet piano is the smallest of the vertical pianos because of the dropped action that transfers the force of striking the key to the hammer strike-ng the string. The console is the most popular of the vertical pianos due to the speed of the hammer. The additional height of the studio piano gives it a richness and tonal quality comparable to those of many grand pianos. The upright piano is the final vertical piano that is the tallest of the vertical p ianos. The grand pianos is the only type of horizontal piano, but it has many sizes due to the width and length that influence the volume and the tone quality of the piano (Types Sizes of Pianos Bluebook of Pianos). Having a piano is a pain in the butt to the fact pianos are very heavy yet delicate instruments. They require professional piano movers to use special techniques for transporting both uprights and grands pianos to prevent any damage. Pianos need regular tuning to keep them on pitch and regular maintenance to ensure the felt hammers and key mechanisms are functioning properly. The tuning of a piano involves the adjustment of the tensions of the pianos strings. Aligning the intervals among their tones so that the instrument is in tune[2]. The relationship between two pitches, called an interval, is the ratio of their absolute frequencies. Two different intervals are perceived as the same when the pairs of pitches involved share the same frequency ratio. The easiest intervals to identify, and the easiest intervals to tune, are those that are just, meaning they have a simple whole-number ratio (Fine and Gilbert). The construction and components of a piano can be difficult because they ca n have an upward of 12,000 individual parts, supporting six functional features: keyboard, hammers, dampers, bridge, soundboard, and strings. Most pianos now a day the casing is made of hardwood, typically hard maple or beech. The first electric pianos from the late 1920s used metal strings with a magnetic pickup[3], an amplifier and a loudspeaker. Pressing keys on the electric pianos has the same action as a regular piano. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations which are converted into electrical signals by magnetic pickups, which are then connected to an instrument amplifier and loudspeaker to make a sound loud enough for the performer and audience to hear (Ehrlich). Most people think the electric piano is the same thing as the electronic pianos, but they are the totally opposite. Electronic pianos are non-acoustic; they do not have strings, tines or hammers, but are a type of synthesizer that simulates or imitates piano sounds using oscillators and filters that synthesize the sound of an acoustic piano (Dacies). Luckily with the electronic pianos maintenances is not require regularly. They are really inexpensive due to their popu larity in pop and rock music in the 1960s and 1970s (Hoover, Adams and Rucker). They also allow a person to practice with a headphone on to avoid disturbing others. Digital pianos are also non-acoustic and do not have strings or hammers because they use a digital sampling technology to accurately reproduce the acoustic sound of each piano note, while connected to a keyboard amplifier and speaker to produce sound The piano is one of the most beautiful sounding instruments that can range in sound from as low as a water well, to as high as the sky. It has evolved over time and become an amazing instrument. We can thank Bartolomeo Cristofori for his hard work. The piano was accepted very well in history and it has generated many changes in the music industry. The piano was also used a lot in society and has had many applications grow from it. Without it, many classical masterpieces as well as modern songs wouldnt have been possible. Work Cited Dacies, Hugh. The New Gravoe Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Second edition). London: Macmillan, 2001. Book. Ehrlich, Cyril. The Piano: A History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990. Bool. Fine, Larry and Douglas R Gilbert. The Piano Book: Buying and Owning a New or Used Piano (4th ed.). Brookside Press, 2001. Book. Hoover, et al. Piano Notes: History. 2001. Web. 10 October 2016. . Kamien, Roger. Music An Appreciation 8th Brief. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2015. Book. Pianos, Bluebook of. Types Sizes of Pianos Bluebook of Pianos. 2015. Web. 8 October 2016. . [1] Pollens (1995, 238) [2] A particular fixed set of pitches. [3] a transducer that captures or senses mechanical vibrations from stringed instruments

Battle of the Moms Essay -- Sociology, Motherhood, Working Mothers

â€Å"Motherhood has become a flash point for envy, resentment, and guilt because everyone struggles and envies what the other has† (nymag.com). There seems to always be a battle between working mothers and stay at home mothers, and the debate has always been controversial. Although there are many factors that differentiate children raised by a stay at home mother and a working mother, there is no right way on how to raise a child. The differences between both moms have both positive and negative characteristics but neither one can be said to be the correct way on raising a child. A â€Å"right way† does not exist. WHY WORKING MOTHERS WORK? â€Å"In the United States today, more than half of mothers with young children work, compared to 30% in the 1970’s† (American Academy of Pediatrics). Working mothers tend to work because they have been working since before they became a mom. They are so accustomed to their job that they decide to remain working after having a child. Others find that their families require two incomes or in some cases their income may be the sole source. Some research seems to persuade that the working mother is having detrimental effects on the child, however new research is showing no such result. INTRODUCTION TO BENEFITS OF A WORKING MOTHER While working mothers may be exhibiting excess stress on their decision to work outside the home any ill emotional and academic effects on their children seem to be nonexistent. In some situations it seems that children who pertain to working mothers actually benefit compared to those of non working mothers. Positive results that were found through studies show that mothers who work helped the family with economic conditions, consequently being able to avoid poverty and being ab... ...oms may choose to not work because of family roles they believe in. Many come from families who believe that the women should be a homemaker. According to society, mothers who stay at home for their children do not have a role that is truly essential (Fisanick 201). CONCLUSION Although according to studies, the status of a working mother or a stay at home mother does not determine a child’s academic ability, it seems as though parenting is an obsession. Both sides feel as though they are being judged by society and that they need to please the standards society is expecting from a mother. â€Å"We need someone to say: Do the best you can. There are no rules† in order for everyone to feel better about their own parenting style. â€Å"None of these parenting patterns is encoded in our DNA. â€Å"Mothering and Fathering are different all over the world† (newspaper article).

China’s Environmental Issues Essay

China has many environmental issues, severely affecting its biophysical environment as well as human health. Rapid industrialization as well as lax environmental oversight have contributed to the problems. The Chinese government has acknowledged the problems and made various responses, resulting in some improvements, but the responses have been criticized as inadequate. As of 2012 there is increased citizen activism regarding government decisions which are perceived as being environmentally damaging. (Wikipedia) As China’s economic growth continues to blossom in 2007, with the countries GDP hitting 11.4%, alongside China gets hit by an environmental crisis. Sixteen of the world’s twenty most polluted cities are in China. Experts say the Chinese government has made serious efforts to clean up and achieved many of the bid commitments. Beijing’s pledge to host a â€Å"Green Olympics† in the summer of 2008 signaled the country’s willingness to address its environmental problems for example. However, an environmentally sustainable growth rate remains a serious challenge for the country. (http://www.cfr.org/china/chinas-environmental-crisis/p12608) China’s major environmental issues: * Water- China suffers from water shortage and water pollution. About one-third of China’s population lacks access to clean drinking water. s part of its effort to harness the nation’s water supply, China has a large dam-building program with over twenty-five thousand dams nationwide–more than any other nation. The dam projects are not only a high cost in terms of money, but also in farmland loss, ecological damage, and forced migration of millions of people, says the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Jennifer L. Turner, director of its China Environment Forum, in a report for the Jamestown Foundation. * Land- Desertification in China leads to the loss of about 5,800 square miles of grasslands every year, an area roughly the size of Connecticut. The Worldwatch Institute, an environmental watchdog and research organization, reports that excessive farm cultivation, particularly overgrazing, is one of the leading causes of desertification. As the deforestation grows, so do the number of sandstorms; a hundred were expected between 2000 and 2009. Desertification also contributes to China’s air pollution problems, with increasing dust causing a third of China’s air pollution. * Greenhouse gases- In 2008, China surpassed the United States as the largest global emitter of greenhouse gases by volume. (Not per capita however) The increase in China’s emissions is primarily due to the country’s reliance on coal, which accounts for over two-thirds of its energy consumption, contributing to sulfur dioxide emissions causing acid rain.

Wanda Why Aren’t You Dead

Tiffany Anderson Dr. Zubeck English 110 â€Å"Wanda Why Aren't You Dead† A poem is a composition of emotional language or expression artists incorporate into their form of art. Poetry can be extremely emotional coming from the artist. The poem â€Å"Wanda Why Aren't You Dead† by Wanda Coleman focuses on an African American woman who is degraded and belittled by the people she associates with. It shows just how damaging words can truly be when used to hurt a person. Wanda Why Aren't You Dead† is about Wanda's struggling with the people around her and their harsh opinions about her, however maintaining her identity and becoming stronger by the end of the poem. Wanda, being a poet, expresses her feelings into this poem and does a phenomenal job at it. It allows the readers to feel what the protagonist feels and share in her sadness. Coleman's protagonist undergoes internal conflict within herself due to the bullying she experiences from others. They batter her name a round and disrespect her constantly, shown by the repetition of the name Wanda.The voices in the poem point out her imperfections, annoy her, support her insecurities, and antagonize her in any way they can. Wanda has no good features, according to the busybodies in the poem. Wanda is scrutinized for her appearance and any other noticeable aspect she has. The meddlers ask her constantly why she does or does not look a certain way. For example, one says, â€Å"why don't you lose weight† (5) While another says, â€Å"how come your feet are so goddamn big† (7). These small insults amplify as the poem progresses.They become more malicious and cruel. She relives these hurtful judgements recurrently throughout the poem. Throughout the poem, Wanda is told numerous hurtful and malicious things about herself. Wanda has been verbally and probably physically abused on more than one occasion. The questions they ask her are not actually questions, they are verbal attacks. The torme ntors do not want an answer, they solely wish to hurt Wanda. They question who she is, her appearance, her well-being, and even her existence.Her tormentors stereotype her for being black, they include her in the fabrication that all black women behave the same and are alike. One example, â€Å"what is it like being black† (10) questions her identity as a black woman, as if she can speak on behalf of the entire race. The insults poke at her continuously throughout the poem. They disrespect her family, personality, her intellect, and her integrity. These harsh statements do not affect not what Wanda believes about herself. They are the voices of people who know her that are saying what they think about her.But, she beats herself up with the harsh memories of the comments made towards her. The meddlers could be anyone in her community: friends, family, even strangers. They pick out any visible flaw about her and throw it in her face. They feed her insecurities and add on to the m. The readers can even feel pity towards Wanda because she is being brought down. Camille Paglia, a literary critic, touches this topic of Wanda conquering over the abuse she endures in her analysis of the poem, stating: â€Å"The wonder is that she survives and thrives† (8. ) due to the fact that one of Wanda's meddlers asks her, â€Å"i wonder / why ain't you dead† (28-29). She fights off all of their bad judgments on her and she remains her own person. They ask Wanda more than once during the poem why she is so angry and defensive. One tormentor states, â€Å"wanda you're ALWAYS on the attack† (25). Wanda is defensive to protect herself from any damage their harsh words could inflict on her. All the annoyances and comments throughout the poem do not matter to her anymore; the reader of this poem can tell as the tone and language changes in the poem right at the ending.The poem turns from its attacking tone to a more apologetic. One line, â€Å"wanda I didn' t know I was hurting you / that was an accident† (18-19) shows that at some point someone began to see they were hurting wanda and felt remorse for it. Camille Paglia's analysis of the poem points out specific details about Wanda. She points out Wanda's lifestyle and other aspects of her was well. Paglia gives her view of the meddlers and their intentions of the mean comments they make towards Wanda. She says that wanda is â€Å"an individual pitted against the tyranny of the group† (4. ). Wanda is an individual who is being attacked and pointed out by others. She is continuously judged because of her outer appearance and even her preference of men. Paglia also mentions Wanda's reaction to her bullies. Instead of Wanda breaking and consuming herself in all the vulgar things said to her, she regains control and maintains her individuality. In her analysis of the poem, she states, â€Å"when the worst can be said, reality seems less harsh. † Wanda overlooks and dis regards all the comments thrown at her and stays herself regardless.Wanda revolts from her tormentors' harsh views of her and proves them wrong, however she remains the same by the end of the poem showing she refuses to change to please anyone. Once Wanda makes it clear she is fighting back at the statements said to her, it sets a different tone in the poem. The poem now shows that Wanda has won victory over her bullies and becomes a stronger woman. She is finally her own person who does not listen to what people say about her. By the end of the poem, Wanda is her own person and comes out on top. She proves her tormentors wrong and does not change.She does not believe she is any of the things said about her. She does not want to be molded into any of the things suggested to her, she would rather disregard the harsh judgements and be her own woman. The statement, â€Å"why ain't you dead† (27) clearly shows that the poet is still alive, she has survived all the criticism and h urt. But, she is stronger than she was before which leaves the tormentors wondering how she has done it. Wanda gives the poem life by disregarding and looking over the criticism thrown at her and being her own person, despite the meddlers' attempts to break her.