War from 18th Century Naval Capabilities to the War of 1812 :: essays research papers

WAR FROM 18TH CENTURY NAVAL CAPABILITIES TO THE WAR OF 1812   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The English Navy has to obviously be strong to protect an island, and had already been tested against sea powers of Spain and the Netherlands. France, which was not susceptible to an attack from the water, began to build it’s naval fleet and became a threat to the English merchant vessels. England began to realize the importance of having a strategy through an allied coalition in which their greatest contribution to the alliance would be though sea power and the four elements of the merchant marines, a struggling navy, strategic materials, and good offshore bases.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The eager French divided naval forces into two fleets: Mediterranean and Atlantic. In an effort to stop the French from maintaining trade routes, the English enacted the â€Å"Rule of 1756† which prohibited anyone from taking over the French trade routes in time of war, but would continue to subsidize the German raiders. The French tactic at sea was to try and get ahead of the superior English vessels and fire while moving forward to increase the range of each round; once the ship was disabled, the French would then flee or turn and destroy. The English preferred a straightforward approach, which sometimes meant to move within pistol range in order to increase the accuracy of their weapons. Both sides agreed that they needed to improve accuracy as well as the rate of fire. It was British tenacity as well as strong naval traditions that allowed the island country to survive and be the strongest empire that the western world had ever known.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In America the two groups of populations from England and France were not religiously yoked together. The French stood strong with Catholicism and the English were not going to be bound by the laws of the Catholic Church any longer. As far as fighting skills, the French had a leg up when it came to wilderness warfare. The French worked closely with the Indian population and learned a great deal about how to live off of the land while being employed by it as well, for example as a trapper. The English on the other hand took to the fields of the new world to become farmers, and many of them had to be taught how to shoot a weapon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the idea of revolution the streets, which had spawned from texts like Common Sense, the individual new states were forced to fight independently against England.

Battle of Gettysburg and Union

The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. This is the most famous and important Civil War Battle that occurred on July 1st-3rd 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. More importantly Gettysburg was the clash between the two major American Cultures of their time: the North and the South. The Confederacy had an agricultural economy producing tobacco, corn, and cotton, with many large plantations owned by a few very rich white males. These owners lived off the labor of sharecroppers and slaves, charging high dues for use of their land.The Southern or Confederate Army was made up of a group of white males fighting for their independence from federal northern dictates. The Union economy was based on manufacturing, and even the minorities in the North were better off than those in the South most of the time. The Northern politicians wanted tariffs, and a large army. The Southern plantation owners wanted the exact opposite. The South was fighting against a governm ent because they thought they were being treated unfair. An analysis of the Battle of Gettysburg reveals one challenge facing the Union and the Confederacy was unjustified taxes and slavery.The battle began on July 1, 1863. The Battle of Gettysburg began when the Confederate cavalry ran into the Union horsemen. Both sides then called for backup. The Confederates’ back up arrived first; they now had twice as many men as the union. Soon after Union General John Reynolds arrived, he was shot in the back of the head and killed instantly. They confederates drove the Union south of town. Everyone set up for battle and waited until day two. The excitement of the battle began on day two, July 2, 1863. By morning, 150 thousand Union and Confederate troops had joined at little Pennsylvania town.The Confederates occupied a line west of the Emmetsburg Road, along the Seminary Ridge. While the Union men waited along Cemetery Ridge. The union had an advantage because; Cemetery Ridge was a somewhat more elevated. On day two the Union won overall. The following events occured on day two: Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, Battle of the Wheatfield, Battle of the Peach Orchard, and the Battle of Cemetery Hill. The number of casualties in the Battle of Gettysburg was enormous compared to any war. The casualties of just day two are the union at 8,750 and the confederate at 6,500. One of the major events from day two was the Devil’s Den.It is unique because the Confederate won which was very uncommon. â€Å"Devil’s Den is the name given to a ridge strewn with large boulders south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and about 500 yards west of Little Round Top on the Battle of Gettysburg battlefield. The origin of the name is uncertain. On July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the area around Devil’s Den saw intense fighting as part of General Robert E. Lee’s flank attacks, when Lieutenant General James Longstreet†™s Confederate corps attacked the divisions of Major General Daniel Sickles’ III Corps of the Army of the Potomac.Some 5,500 Confederates from Major General John Bell Hood’s division ultimately captured Devil’s Den from 2,400 defenders drawn from Major General David Bell Birney’s division. It was one of the few Southern successes in that day’s fighting. Total casualty estimates are over 800 for the Union, more than 1,800 among the Confederates. † (The Devil's Den) This event/location is also significant because Major General John Bell Hood was wounded and was forced to yield his command. There were two main locations of the Battle of Gettysburg, they were Little and Big Round Top.Little Round top is the smaller of the two. It is located between Taneytown and Emmetsburg roads. At the time of the battle â€Å"it was known locally by various names including Sugar Loaf. † (Little Round Top) Major General Governor K. Warren, chief enginee r of the Army of the Potomac, rushed troops to Little Round Top; they arrived minutes before the Confederates did. The 20th Maine Regiment charged late in the battle, which foiled a flanking attempt by the 15th Alabama. Overall the battle at Little Round top the union won. The final day of battle was on July 3, 1863.Both the Confederates and the Union had their plains of winning the battle. Robert E. Lee from the Confederate side decided they should charge into the middle of the Union line and break the line into two. When Robert E. Lee decided on the Plan to charge through the middle of the Union line Major General George Pickett knew it would not succeed. He tried to talk Lee out of it, but Lee instructed Pickett to charge. Major Picket followed these orders. This is known as Pickett’s Charge. The charge took place â€Å"between Seminary and Cemetery ridges, Gettysburg battlefield, Pennsylvania. (Pickett’s Charge)While all of this was occurring â€Å"General Slocum attacked Confederate troops at Culp’s Hill to regain territory loss the previous day. This fight lasted for a good 8 hours finally forcing the Confederates to retreat off of Culp’s Hill. † (Gettysburg Day Three) In the end the Union won. â€Å"Culp’s Hill was the right-most flank of the â€Å"fishhook† line formed by Union Army troops during the Battle of Gettysburg and saw fighting all three days of the battle. Culp’s Hill has two rounded peaks with a narrow saddle between them.Although heavily wooded and unsuitable for artillery, the main peak of Culp’s Hill rises substantially above the surrounding landscape, at a little over 200 feet above the town of Gettysburg and 127 feet higher than Cemetery Hill. With Baltimore Pike, critical for Union Army supplies and preventing Confederate advance on Baltimore or Washington, DC, to the east and Confederates approaching from Rock Creek to the west, Culp’s Hill was critical to Union strategy. † (Culp’s Hill) The Union had two main places throughout the three days they were located. Cemetery Hill was the site of Army’s weaponry.The hill is north of Cemetery Ridge. The defense of the Union line begins to â€Å"to turn east to form the â€Å"fishhook† line to Culp’s Hill. † (Cemetery Hill) Cemetery Ridge is about two miles long and 40feet above surrounding land. The Confederate Army launched attacked the Union many times at Cemetery Ridge. These attacks took place on day two and three. On each attack they were forced to fall back on each occasion. On November 19, 1863 Abraham Lincoln gave a famous speech called The Gettysburg Address. The speech was a dedication to the Soldier’s National Cemetery.Soldier’s National Cemetery is a cemetery for Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. The speech is as follows: â€Å"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new natio n, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the g reat task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. † (Gettysburg Address Text) The actual main speaker of the night was Edward Everett. He spoke for two hours all from memory. Finally, the Battle of Gettysburg was won by the Union.The war didn’t end slavery, but instead furthered the advancement in ending slavery. Years after the war in 1865 the 13th amendment was adopted and slavery was then on out illegal. The war was not just about slavery, but also about taxes. The higher taxes came about to the south when Lincoln needed money. All in all the Battle of Gettysburg is the bloodiest war and had the most causalities. Works Cited â€Å"Battle of Gettysburg. † Summary ; Facts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. historynet. com/battle-of-gettysburg;. â€Å"Cemetery Hill. † Gettysburg. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Dec. 012. ;http://www. historynet. com/cemetery-hill;. â€Å"Cemetery Ridge. † History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online Cemetery Ridge Comments. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. historynet. com/cemetery-ridge;. â€Å"Culp's Hill. † History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online Culps Hill Comments. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. historynet. com/culps-hill;. â€Å"The Devil's Den. † History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online The Devils Den Comments. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. historynet. om/devils-den-gettysburg;. â€Å"The Gettysburg Address. † History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online The Gettysburg Address Co mments. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. historynet. com/the-gettysburg-address;. â€Å"Gettysburg Address Text. † History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online Gettysburg Address Text Comments. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. historynet. com/gettysburg-address-text;. â€Å"Gettysburg Day Three. † Battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg Battle Summary, Gettysburg Address. N. p. , n. d. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. ivilwaracademy. com/gettysburg-day-three. html;. â€Å"Little Round Top. † Battle Summary ; Facts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. historynet. com/little-round-top;. â€Å"Pickett's Charge. † Pickett's Charge. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. . Samit, Christian G. â€Å"Battle of Gettysburg — Day Two. † History Net Where History Comes Alive World US History Online Battle of Gettysburg Day Two Comments. America's Civil War Magazine, 29 Aug. 2006. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. hi storynet. com/battle-of-gettysburg-day-two. htm;.

Prp Theories

HUMAN RESOUCE MANAGEMENT CONTENTS 1. Introduction1 2. Literature review2 2. 1Emergence of PRP2 2. 2Concept of PRP3 2. 3Relevant theories of PRP4 2. 3. 1Maslow’s hierarchy of needs & Herzberg’s motivational theory4 2. 3. 2Equity theory in PRP5 3. Case study6 3. 1Case one: â€Å"Why Do Companies Use Performance-Related Pay for Their Executive Directors? † (Bender, 2004)6 3. 2Case two: â€Å"Evaluating performance-related pay for managers in the National Health Service† (Dowling & Richardson, 1997)9 4. Analysis and Evaluation of PRP Theory in Business Organisations11 4. 1Comparison11 4. Contrast12 4. 3Performance related pay theory in business organizations13 4. 3. 1Motivates employees and improve their performance14 4. 3. 2Facilitates change to organizational cultural14 4. 3. 3Encourages the internalization of performance norms15 4. 4Problems of PRP in practice15 4. 4. 1Setting performance objectives16 4. 4. 2Assessment and ratings17 4. 4. 3Reward17 5. Concl usion18 Reference19 Appendices21 1. Introduction Nowadays, Human Resource Management has become a strategic and coherent approach more than just managing the competencies and skills of employees in an organization. Armstrong (2002) noticed that HRM is much more focus on people not jobs, and so does business organization (Lewis, 1998). Yet, people have been placed as an important role of business. To this extent, this essay will take a critical look at PRP which is based on people, and also considered as an essential and sensitive part of the HRM in organizations today. The paper starts with a brief review of recent literature which reports studies of PRP systems. It continues with describing two case studies related to the practical discrepancy to PRP theories. It goes on to our own independent critical analysis by comparing the PRP theories and practice in real world. Finally, there are conclusions being drawn about the appropriateness of PRP in a research environment. 2. Literature review 2. 1 Emergence of PRP Performance-related pay (PRP) emerged in the early 1980’s which attempts to relate individual performance at work to reward, aiming to motivate people ad develop performance-oriented cultures. Besides business organisations, some public institutions such as governments and universities also adopt PRP as an essential level for championing values. By comparing with other payment schemes, the PRP idea was whole-heartedly accepted by employers and played a much more positive effect on improving employees’ behaviour and organisations’ culture. According to the IPD research into performance management practices in 1997, 43 per cent of respondents had PRP; additionally, IBS research in 1998 showed that 61 per cent of answers satisfied their merit pay. These figures make it easy to see that PRP have been widely applied among organizations whatever businesslike or public facility (Armstrong, 2002). There are a variety of reasons why organization may applied PRP. Armstrong and Murlis (1994) stated that ‘it is right and proper for people to be rewarded in accordance with their contribution’. According to Pilbeam & Colbridge (2002), there are a number of factors contributing to the emergence of PRP, which is identified in Figure 1. The Thatcher legacy and ‘enterprise’ values in the public sector Increasingly competitive environment and concern with employee performance Unitary and neo-unitary employment relations perspectives Reassertion of the ‘right to manage’ and increasing managerial control Influence of HRM demagogy & Strategic integration of reward Trends towards individualism and the weakening of collectivism Emergence of PRP Figure 1: Factors contributing to the emergence of PRP (Pilbeam & Corbridge, 2002) 2. 2 Concept of PRP ACAS (1990) defined individual performance-related pay (PRP) as â€Å"a method of payment where an individual employee receives increases in pay based wholly or partly on the regular and systematic assessment of job performance†. Additionally, Murlis (1996) claimed a significant distinction between the use of PRP to managing performance straight from the motivational stimulation of financial rewards (motivation) and the use of PRP to identify different levels of performance (reward). Based on these points, PRP can be commented as a combination of three key factors: motivation, performance and rewards, which work in two ways that motivating people to achieve expected performance; and rewarding these people who have achieved successful performance. Based on these three factors and their relationships, Pilbeam and Corbridge (2002) identified three stages for PRP application: Firstly, setting individual performance criteria by imposition, discussion or agreement firstly; secondly, assessing performance against individual performance criteria which established in stage1; thirdly, allocating pay to the assessment of performance by the exercise of managerial prerogative. 2. 3 Relevant theories of PRP 3. 2 2. 3. 1 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs & Herzberg’s motivational theory in PRP Maslow’s (1943, 1987) hierarchy of needs and the two factor theory of Herzberg (1959) indicated that pay can be considered as the most effective way to satisfy human’s need and further to motivate people to work more effectively, which means appropriate payment can stimulate employee to achieve successful performance that maximizing organisation’s benefits. Kessler and Purcell (1922) noted that employees will be easily motivated if there is a direct and close relationship between performance and reward. Therefore, PRP schemes could motivate the employees to increase their efforts to accomplish good performance. 2. 3. 2 Equity theory in PRP The Equity theory of Adams (1965) identified that employees have a strong need to be treated fairly which can be balanced by an equity between their input like work performance and output like rewarding. Compared to other types of pay like non-incentive pay which is based on collectively-negotiated rule, PRP associates employees’ productivity with their behaviour, rewarding employees for their successful performance, which is much more fair and reasonable. From these theories, we can see that PRP has brought a lot of potential benefits on improving HRM efficiency of organization. However, there are some shortages in PRP application in practice, which will be discussed in following two empirical case analyses. 3. Case study 3. Case one: â€Å"Why Do Companies Use Performance-Related Pay for Their Executive Directors? † (Bender, 2004) The paper focused on the issue of rewards to the listed companies’ executive director. There are variable ways to pay the rewards. Thus the performance-related pay introduced to this paper. At the beginning of this paper prior research introduces three types of theory to explain why companies use performance-related pay: agency theory , motivation theories (expectancy, equity), and institutional and legitimacy theories. Research designing utilized 12 companies’ interviews with 35 persons who stand in different positions. These interviews lasted for two years from December 2001 to May 2003. The interviews reflected different opinions about the influence of PRP. Some of the answers demonstrated PRP could motivate people to do work well: Alan Wilson, chief executive of Skandia UK regarded pay as a motivator; a HR director thought if everyone was paid the same base salary, they would always do the same. But a part of the respondents denied that PRP made an effort in motivating people in the work. A CEO argued that whether PRP works depends on which market you were in and also on when the people were on flat salaries. Also another respondent held a neutral idea on motivation of PRP to managers. A CEO categorized his employees into two types: one type chased money and the other worked for vocational interests and he realized that PRP was in a position to exert influence on those who chased money and not on employees worked for vocational interests. At the end of this part the author reaches the conclusion that lack of money is a de-motivator. Furthermore, interviews demonstrated some different ideas: a) Payment represents personal value of employees. The more contribution you have made, the more you can earn; b) Focus and fairness: according to the answers from interviewees, we can find that the company adopts PRP with the intention to make executives focus on their work efforts and fairness can improve employees’ performance; c) The need to provide alignment: here is a large number of factors influence performance in long-term and some of those cannot be observed currently; d) Other reasons to introduce performance-related pay: the requirement of government to adopt PRP and because of everybody has it so you has to have it; e) Problems with performance-related pay: a consultant pointed out that PRP system would bring unpredictable problems especially in long-term and it is difficult to select appropriate measure and tar gets. Market Practices Need for Legitimacy Need to Attract and Retain Implement a performance-related reward scheme Set performance measures and targets and use it to communicate strategy Directors’ actions and behaviours Business performance Performance-related award Monetary award Increased human capital for future negotiations Effect on individual’s self worth Figure 2: Why Companies use performance-related pay (Bender, 2004) In the final part, the author summarizes this case study according to three theories mentioned at the beginning of our description and draws figure 1 to show why companies performance-related pay. . 2 Case two: â€Å"Evaluating performance-related pay for managers in the National Health Service† (Dowling & Richardson, 1997) This paper includes 4 sections. Section 1 explains the NHS system which means the performance related pay system for general management in 1989. Section 2 concludes the evaluation criteria and explanatory framework. PRP is introduced on the initiative of management. According to Cannel a nd Wood’s survey, PRP could be introduced to overcome problems with existing systems, o encourage employees’ motivation, to improve communication with work force, to reduce problems of recruitment. Kessler suggested that the PRP might also be used to improve the fairness of a payment system, to reduce union influence and the importance of collective bargaining, can also give additional influence to line managers. The purpose of PRP is said to reward those manage who achieve a more than competent standard of work and motivate managers to perform better. Section 3 values the efficiency of the scheme and four measures are utilized to check the outcome of the scheme. Managers had to be assessed by their supervisors and receive reward based on their performance if they had finished targets set at the beginning of the year. In NHS, the HR department designed the PRP system in order to motivate managers. However, through self-reported data from the managers covered by the PRP system, a majority of respondents saw the scheme as having little or no effect on their motivation to do their jobs well. Also the authors did not found solid evidence to show that there are corresponding negative consequences of PRP. The initial examination of the raw data clearly suggests that the three elements of the scheme achieved different degrees of success. The objective-setting elements seemed to be widely supported. It could be observed that the scheme's rewards were either not appropriate or not sufficiently attractive to act as a motivator. PRP include the way in which performance standards are set and monitored. Section 4 explains the effects of PRP in the NHS. About 85% respondents showed satisfaction with the objective –setting process. Furthermore, they also agreed that the challenge offered by the objective measures increase their determination to achieve their goal set before. On the other hand, there was also much critical comment on reward system such as subjectivity and appraiser bias. In addition, the PRP reward system was always cash limited. 4. Analysis and Evaluation of PRP Theory in Business Organisations 2 3 4. 1 Comparison Both of the two cases are involved in the topic of PRP, and focus on the effectiveness of PRP scheme. In addition, both of the researches partly agree that PRP is successful in some areas or in some extend, however, PRP is still not a perfect scheme due to various reasons. As what has been pointed out to be the problems in PRP, among all of the reasons mentioned in the papers, the objective-setting process has been pointed out in both of the researches, which indicates that this might be one of the key points which should be considered to improve PRP scheme. What is more, both of the papers mention that PRP is introduced in order to â€Å"attract and retain executives with the potential of large earnings†(Bender, 2004) and â€Å"to improve the fairness of a payment system, to generate employee commitment† (Dowling and Richardson, 1997), which can be considered as the positive points of PRP. 4. 2 Contrast The methods used in the research in the two cases are different. The case about PRP in the National Health Service used both quantitative and qualitative date from a questionnaire survey (Dowling and Richardson, 1997). While, the case conducted by Bender (2004) used qualitative date from an interview survey. Moreover, the perspectives used in the two papers also vary. As to the reasons why PRP is not more successful, Dowling and Richardson (1997) consider that there are three kinds of employees as being particularly important: firstly, those who think that the objective-setting process of PRP is coped with terribly; secondly, those who think the assessments are handled badly; lastly, those who believe that the rewards are not attractive enough to encourage their motivation. They hold the opinion that PRP has a less important influence on these people, which indicates that the improvement of objective-setting process, assessments and rewards might lead to improving the effect of PRP. While, the paper conducted by Bender (2004) indicates that the reason that PRP is not so successful is also related to the market in which directors are. Besides, salary and rewards are not the only recourses that could motivate managers. For instance, leisure can also play a significant role in the performance of managers. Additionally, PRP scheme has less important impact on those people who mainly work for vocational interests. Meanwhile, this paper (Bender, 2004) pays more attention to the reasons that PRP is used by companies. The writer points out some more reasons from interviews with directors other than the strong points of PRP which have been mentioned above. To be exactly, pay can be deemed as a symbol of worth and how much one can earn is associated with the self esteem for the executives. In the end, we can see from the two papers that PRP has developed successfully from 1997 to 2004 because what are reflected in the papers shows us that PRP has been used much more and been recognized in a wider range. As a result, we can conclude that with the use of PRP, this scheme has become and also will become more and more mature and contribute a lot to business organizations. 4. 3 Performance related pay theory in business organizations This section conducts analysis of two empirical cases critically and assesses the value of PRP theory and benefits it achieves in business organizations. The whole objective of pay related systems like the PRP and other HRM theories is obviously to bring or add to the value of business organizations. When we take a look at the first paper, it is obvious that on the average PRP increases an organization’s value. The following are the perceived benefits of the PRP theory: 4 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 5. 4. 1 Motivates employees and improve their performance The human needs hierarchy theory of Maslow (1943, 1987) and the two factors theory of Herzberg (1959) indicate that in modern society satisfying human needs like payment is in a position to motivate people to work harder. Furthermore, in business organisations payment related to performance can stimulate people to accomplish the performance that organizations want. Kessler and Purcell (1992) claimed that if direct relationship exists between effort, performance and reward, employees would be motivated. PRP schemes act exactly as this direct link motivating the employees to increase their efforts. 5. 4. 2 Facilitates change to organizational cultural Kessler and Purcell (1992) argued that PRP refers to flexibility, dynamism, entrepreneurial spirit and careful allocation of resources, leading to a performance-orientated culture. Therefore, the introduction of PRP facilitates change in business organizations culture from collectively negotiated formula to individual contribution, which assists in solving problems, increasing value of organizations, and reducing problems of recruitment and retention. 5. 4. Encourages the internalization of performance norms â€Å"PRP can encourage the internalization of the organisation’s goal or norms of behaviour among the employees of the organization† (Geary, 1992). In the implementation of PRP, the organisation’s norms of behaviour can be enhanced by rewarding congruous work effects and by punishing incongruous performance. Th ereby, it strengthens management control and clarifies job roles within organizations. 5. 4 Problems of PRP in practice Theoretically, PRP can produce many benefits for organizations, which have been demonstrated above. However, there are always gaps between theories and practice of PRP. In this part data from the NHS case will be utilized to illustrate some problems of PRP. Figure 3 above shows that only 2 percent respondents consider PRP as the motivator for them to work harder while respondents with opposite idea accounts for 45 percent. Also 67 percent respondents embrace neutral idea on the question of whether PRP scheme affect motivation to do the job and 77 percent respondents did not feel more co-operation after the introduction of PRP scheme. Question| Negative Positive| Does PRP have effect on your motivation to do the job well? 2| 3| 67| 25| 4| You consciously work harder because of the PRP scheme. | 45| 26| 17| 10| 2| You focus on PRP objectives rather than other activities. | 34| 34| 20| 10| 2| PRP changes co-operation level among colleagues| 2| 12| 77| 8| 1| Figure 3: PRP in the National Health Service (Dowling and Richardson, 1997) 5. 5. 4 Setting performance objectives It is essential for organizations to set up clear and measurable objectives so that the behaviour of employees can be guided by objectives. However, imposition and narrowness of PRP in objective-setting could lead to failure of the implementation. What’s more, short term approach stemming from narrow and misleading objectives could make employees ignore intangible aspects and long-term tasks. Therefore, the weakness of PRP in objective-setting could discourage behaviour that is not financially rewarded and prevent business organizations from functioning well. 5. 5. 5 Assessment and ratings Assessment and ratings are indispensable stage of PRP system. In practice, two crucial elements during these processes, scales of ratings and fair appraisals made by managers are difficult to achieved, which make employees not satisfied with ratings given to them. As Belfield and Marsden (2002) argued that the use of PRP will do more harm than good if the right monitoring environment is not in place. 5. 5. 6 Reward PRP regards reward as the motivator for employees to work hard, which is often not the case in practice. Maslow’s theory of the Hierarchy of Needs (1943) stated that payment is not the only need of human beings. Besides payment, people also have mental requirements such as belongingness needs, esteem needs and self-actualization. 5. Conclusion After critical analysis and assessment we can finally reach the conclusion that in theory PRP is in a position to provide business organizations certain benefits such as motivating employees, improving their performance, attracting executives, facilitating change in organizational culture and encouraging the internalization of performance norms. However, due to imposition and narrowness in objective-setting, unfairness and inaccuracy in assessment and ratings, and diversification of human needs, theoretical benefits of PRP cannot be reached. Therefore, more attention should be paid on the gap between HRM theories and their application in practice so that HRM theories can assist business organizations in increasing their values. Reference ACAS, 1990. Appraisal-related Pay. London: ACAS. Adams, J. S. , 1965. Inequity in social exchange. In: Berkowitz, L. ed. , Advances in experimental social psychology. New York: Academic Press, 267-299. Armstrong, M. , 2002. Employee reward. 3rd ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Armstrong, M. ; Murlis, H. , 1994. Reward Management, London: Kogan Page. Belfield, R. ; Marsden, D. , 2002. Matchmaking: the influence of monitoring environments on the effectiveness of performance pay systems. Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. Bender, R. , 2004. Why Do Companies Use Performance-Related Pay for Their Executive Directors? Corporate Government, 12(4), pp. 521-533. Dowling, B. ; Richardson, R. , 1997. Evaluating performance-related pay for managers in the National Health Service. The Intematioruil Joumal of Human Resource Management, 8(3), pp. 348-366. Herzberg, F. , 1959. The Motivation to work, New York: John Wiley. Geary, J. F. , 1992. Pay, control and commitment: linking appraisal and reward. Human Resource Management Journal, 2(4), pp. 36-54. Kessler, I. ; Purcell, J. , 1992. Performance-related pay: objectives and application. Human resource management Journal, 2(3), pp. 16-23 Lewis, P. , 1998. Management performance-related pay based on evidence from the financial services sector. Human Resource Management Journal, 8(2), pp. 66-77 Maslow, A. H. , 1943. A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, pp. 370-396. Maslow, A. H. , 1987. Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper ; Row. Murlis, H. , 1996. Pay at the Crossroads. London: Institute of Personnel Development. Pilbeam, S. ; Corbridge, M. , 2002. People Resourcing: HRM in Practice. 2nd ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. Appendices Tow papers: Bender, R. , 2004. Why Do Companies Use Performance-Related Pay for Their Executive Directors? Corporate Government, 12(4), pp. 521-533. Dowling, B. ; Richardson, R. , 1997. Evaluating performance-related pay for managers in the National Health Service. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8(3), pp. 348-366.

Inferno and Infernal

Inferno and Infernal Inferno and Infernal Inferno and Infernal By Maeve Maddox When I see the word inferno, I think fire, but originally, the word did not carry the connotation of intense heat. The association with burning derives from beliefs taught by some religions about the afterlife. The OED offers only one definition of inferno: Hell; a place of torment or misery compared to hell; a place likened in some respect to the Inferno of Dantes Divine Comedy. Merriam-Webster offers three definitions of inferno: 1. a place or a state of torment and suffering. 2. a place that resembles or suggests hell in being dark, noisy, chaotic, lawless. 3. intense heat. English speakers, British as well as American, use inferno to mean an intense conflagration: Tracking the inferno: where wildfires are hitting California, other states hardest- The Guardian. Scientists find planets that survived red giant inferno- The London Times. Thirty people feared dead and 40 more injured after shopping centre inferno causes mall to collapse in Russia  - The Daily Mail. Multiple fire departments reported to the scene of the inferno just after 7 p.m. Sunday, and spent nearly the next 12 hours battling the blaze.- Galloway Patch (New Jersey). Small Fire Becomes Inferno, Burning Homes in California- New York Times.   Like inferno, the adjective that derives from it, infernal, refers to the realm of the dead or a place of punishment after death: Paradise Lost  opens with the fallen angels in hell. Mammon proposes that they build an infernal kingdom of their own, imitating the majesty of heaven through the material riches of the kingdom of hell. Infernal is commonly used as a synonym for hellish, damnable, damned, diabolical, and fiendish. Here are some examples: City Tells Ice Cream Trucks To Keep That Infernal Racket  Down When will these so-called â€Å"voters† stop with their infernal meddling? Will you stop with your infernal fear-mongering? Gatlin and his ilk have brought not only themselves down with their infernal lies  but the whole athletics community. I turned my eye towards him and immediately caught his eye, which he kept staring upon me for more than a minute, with the most infernal expression I have ever seen upon a human face. An â€Å"infernal machine† is â€Å"a machine or apparatus maliciously designed to explode and destroy life or property, especially one in the form of something harmless. For example: To greet the Princes return to Sofia this month, the Chief of the Russian Secret Police sent him an  infernal machine disguised as a  box of the finest cigars.- Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Bulgarian Codex, Tim Symonds, 2012. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureUse a Dash for Number RangesUsing "May" in a Question

Portugal essays

Portugal essays Mediterranean Europe consists of four countries; Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Italy. I have chosen to write on Portugal. I will thoroughly explain the following topics. Where Portugal is located, and the type of physical place it is. How the Portuguese people interact with their environment. Also, the movement of people, goods, religion, etc, in Portugal. Lastly, the types of regions that is located in Portugal. Portugal is located on the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula, in Mediterranean Europe. Its capitol is Lisbon. The absolute location of Portugal is 39N to 30N and 8W to 00W. Portugal shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain. Therefore, the only country bordering Portugal is Spain. Portugal's population is 10,066,253 people. Their population growth rate is .18%. Which means roughly 20,000 new people join the country each year. The time difference between Portugal and Chicago, Illinois is six hours. The cost of a one-way coach ticket from Chicago, Illinois to Lisbon, Portugal would be $514. I would use American Airlines, because it is the cheapest and the most dependable airline. It would take approximately nine hours to travel from Chicago, Illinois, to Lisbon, Portugal. When we travel we would pass over the following states and bodies of water in order; Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Atlantic Ocean. Those are just a few characteristics of where P ortugal is located. Next, is a description of the type of place Portugal is. Portugal's climate is divided into two different areas. In the north it is a mild rainy climate, and in the south it is much warmer and drier. Portugal is made up of mostly plateaus and plains. It is mountainous North of the tagus river, and flat with rolling plains in the south. There are three major rivers running through Portugal; Tagus, Douro, and Guadiana. The people of Portugal are mostly Roman Catholic. Over 96% of Portugal's ...

Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Dantes Inferno English Literature Essay Dante’s Inferno represents a microcosm of society; that is, laymen, clergy, lovers, wagers of war, politicians, and scholars are all collected into one place and punished for their worst ‘ and most human ‘ attributes. Hell, despite its otherworldly appearance and brutal, ugly nature, is somewhat humanized by the fact that those who are punished come from ‘every country’ (Dante 3.123) and every walk of life, regardless of age, race, sex, or creed. While Dante Alighieri did not invent the idea of Hell as a place of punishment for the wayward and sinful souls in the afterlife, he did create the most ‘powerful and enduring’ (Raffa 1) imagining of a concept which has received significant attention in biblical, classical, and medieval works. Dante’s Divine Comedy was written sometime between 1308 and 1321 and is considered â€Å"the supreme work of Italian literature† (Norwich 27). It is an epic poem divided into three separate se ctions: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso ‘ Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, respectively. The personal element of the journey through Hell in Dante’s Inferno literally explores the descent of one man into sin; through the use of poetic justice, both contemporary and historical figures, and mythological figures, Dante crafts an immediate and enthralling work dealing with the nature of sin and its place in society. The concept of poetic justice is famously explored in Inferno, where it is put to ‘dramatic effect†¦ devising appropriate torments for each particular sin’ (Raffa 3). From Limbo to Treachery, Dante catalogues and documents the punishment of sinners both infamous and beloved, famous and unknown. In every case, the punishment fits the crime in a twisted and malignant fashion ‘ after all, the poem does discuss the realm of Satan, the Christian embodiment of evil. The nine circles of Hell described in Inferno are as follows: Limbo, Lust, Glutto ny, Avarice and Prodigality, Wrath and Sullenness, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. These nine circles are based off of the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins, with some additions ‘ such as Limbo ‘ created by Dante. The poem begins with Dante lost in a dark wood, assailed by three beasts he cannot evade, and unable to move ‘straight along’ (Dante 1.18) the road to salvation, represented by a mountain. A lion, a leopard, and a she-wolf ‘ symbolizing pride, envy, and avarice, respectively ‘ block Dante’s path to the top of the mountain, forcing him to descend into the depths of Hell with Virgil. The entire journey documented in the Divine Comedy is an allegory for man’s fall into sin before achieving redemption (represented by Purgatorio) and eventually salvation (represented by Paradiso). Before Dante even enters the gates of Hell, he is introduced to his guide for the first two realms of the afterlife, Inferno and Paradiso. For th is role, Dante chose Virgil (70-19 BCE), who lived under the rule of Julius Caesar and later Augustus during Rome’s transition from a republic into an empire, and is most famous for the Aeneid. Two episodes in Virgil’s work were of particular interest to Dante. Book IV tells the tale of Aeneas and Dido, the queen of Carthage, who kills herself when Aeneas ‘abandons her to continue his journey and†¦ [found] a new civilization in Italy’ (Raffa 8). Book VI recounts Aeneas’ journey into Hades to meet the shade of his father and learn of future events in his journey. Many elements in the Aeneid are present ‘ in heavily modified form ‘ in Dante’s Inferno. Many of Dante’s mythological elements are based on Book VI of Virgil’s Aeneid, which recounts Aeneas’ visit to the underworld. Virgil imbued his version of the underworld with a ‘fluid, dreamlike atmosphere’ (5), while Dante instead strives for gr eater realism, providing sharply drawn and tangible figures.

Managing strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing strategy - Essay Example On the other hand, the multi-featured cameras were given a strategy focused on differentiation, with an emphasis on providing high-priced but unique products. This can generally be viewed as a successful strategy because rival companies did not produce such products at such prices, but the marketing could have been improved. Increased competition especially in the entry-level segment demanded more innovation. This was mainly by competitors who manufactured entry-level cameras that offered affordable alternatives. More importantly, environmental concerns from authorities and activists raised the issue of shifting towards clean energy. To survive, the company will be forced to pay more attention to the concerns of environmentalist in order to appeal to consumers in ways that are ahead of competitors. First, this report will present an overview of the photography industry. Then, it will present an analysis of the industry as well as an internal analysis of Company X with a focus on the issues and challenges the company faces from which it will generate strategic growth options. The selected option will then be described in order to clarify its suitability to the company. This section will provide for the understanding of where the industry is heading by giving an insight of the trends and challenges it faces globally. Although Company X is not directly involved with taking photographs since it is not a studio, it is directly affected by trends of the industry because it supplies the key elements of the industry. The industry is agreeably undergoing a lot of change especially in the digital age, where mobile phones, tablets and other mobile devices are creating a new trend with their high resolution cameras. Essentially, this means that selling cameras (and consequentially taking photographs) is not an easy way to earn a living and needs