Thursday, October 31, 2019

How can motivation affected by appraisal system Thesis Proposal

How can motivation affected by appraisal system - Thesis Proposal Example Some of the main benefits that are usually associated with increasing employee motivation include improved organizational development, employee commitment, resource integration, and improvement in business processes. When employees feel valued by their companies and their motivation level is on a high end, they show more commitment and dedication to their job activities, which consequently improves their individual and organizational performances. As far as performance appraisal is concerned, companies have been using it has a way to know employees’ performances in order to bring required improvements in their performances. Appraisal is a continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing the performance of employees in order to align those performances with the strategic goals of the organization. Without an effective appraisal system in practice, it becomes difficult to know whether there is a need to enhance personal development or to build a sense of value employees. This is the reason why managers make use of the most suitable appraisal methods to assess and evaluate performances. This study will be about the way performance appraisals can be used to improve employees’ motivation level. The primary objective of the research will be to know whether motivation is affected by performance appraisals or not. The research will be new in a sense that it will focus the effects of performance appraisals in multinational organizations of the United Kingdom. Not much research has been done on this in the past which provides a base for the researcher to explore the effects of appraisals on the working and motivation of employees. The researcher aims to know how and in which ways appraisals can be used to improve employees’ performances. This research will be very helpful in that it will provide a good amount of knowledge in this field of research. This research will also be focused on knowing the methods of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Happiness Paradox Essay Example for Free

Happiness Paradox Essay This chapter, titled Feeling Free, is all about freedom and humans need to feel it. Ziyad Marar begins the chapter comparing happiness to freedom, saying how â€Å"[freedoms] current expression has a relatively recent and local† (Marar 39), which is similar to his view on happiness. Marar goes on saying how people have been striving for freedom, but claims more freedom brings bad consequences. People are blinded by mass media, the consumer society, management gurus, therapists and Hollywood who all relentlessly preach about freedom and self-expression. He ends the first section by stating that people need to â€Å"celebrate freedom without denying its corrosive qualities; even to admire those very qualities† (Marar 43). Since freedom is a something humans naturally strive for, and the main driving force in modern civilization, it has a strong impact on most things that humans do (Marar). The next two sections talk about how humans find freedom in the wild and in self-creation. Society is a form of conformity, which â€Å"loses you time and blurs the impression of your character† (Marar 46) and it is human nature to not be held down by conformity. This creates a need to be in the wild, away from everything society has to offer, an escape. Marar connects this to the idea of becoming lost in one’s imagination, or the lack of it. As children we are consumed by our world of imagination, using our creativity and self-expression in its purest form, something lost in adults. Children are free to do and say as they please, they are not tied down by the conformity that adults are. This lack of freedom and expression in adults can be compared to a restriction of our humanly instincts, since it is human nature that we find the need to be free (Marar). Marar goes on to relate freedom to sex, death, and the ‘search for strange’. â€Å"Perversion, obsessions, the apparent mutability of the most mundane objects into the stuff of erotic fantasy, all remind us that the realm of eroticism is dominated by the need to walk on the wild side. † (Marar 53). Sex is something that, like freedom, is something humans instantly strive for, and like freedom is restricted through civilization trying to make us conform to the social norm. Humans seek freedom in sex, it is a time when our inner most instincts come out. This freedom comes in two forms, the freedom to and the freedom from. We all have the freedom to discover, create, and fantasize, but only some are free from structures, schemes, codes, and above all other people. Freedom of people opposes the claim that humans need to feel justified, since justification is all about other people. The section ends by stating how death is the ultimate form of death, and agrees with Freud and his though of the death instincts and how all human life is striving towards death, for it is the final escape to freedom (Marar). The last section of the chapter is about the freedom from language, or the perspective of others. He uses the holidays as an example, the way we remember them though pictures and stories. Through retelling we move away from the personal aspect the memory has, it seems â€Å"to create a concept to flee from language† (Marar 57). To pursue this freedom, to the point when you are uninterpretable to others, is when people start to see you as crazy or insane. This is where the paradox lies, for we seek freedom and justification but to be free is to stop caring for the justification of others. On the other hand with justification of others you are giving up your freedoms (Marar).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Overview of Health Behaviour Theories

Overview of Health Behaviour Theories APPENDIX HEALTH BEHAVIOUR THEORIES The biomedical perspective The biomedical perspective incorporates the biomedical theory in which patients are assumed to be passive recipients of doctors instructions. Behavioural (learning) perspective This perspective incorporates behavioural learning theory (BLT) which is focused on the environment and the teaching of skills to manage adherence. Communication perspective Communication is said to be the cornerstone of every patient-practitioner relationship [p. 56]. This perspective suggests that improved provider-client communication will enhance adherence and implies that this can be achieved through patient education and good health care worker communication skills an approach based on the notion that communication needs to be clear and comprehensible to be effective. It also places emphasis on the timing of treatment, instruction and comprehension. Cognitive perspective The cognitive perspective includes theories such as the health belief model (HBM), social-cognitive theory (SCT), the theories of reasoned action (TRA) and planned behaviour (TPB) and the protection motivation theory (PMT). These theories focus on cognitive variables as part of behaviour change, and share the assumption that attitudes and beliefs, as well as expectations of future events and outcomes, are major determinants of health related behaviour. In the face of various alternatives, these theories propose, individuals will choose the action that will lead most likely to positive outcomes. Health Belief Model The HBM views health behaviour change as based on a rational appraisal of the balance between the barriers to and benefits of action. According to this model, the perceived seriousness of, and susceptibility to, a disease influence individuals perceived threat of disease. Similarly, perceived benefits and perceived barriers influence perceptions of the effectiveness of health behaviour. In turn, demographic and socio-psychological variables influence both perceived susceptibility and perceived seriousness, and the perceived benefits and perceived barriers to action. Perceived threat is influenced by cues to action, which can be internal (e.g. symptom perception) or external (e.g. health communication). The protection-motivation theory According to this theory, behaviour change may be achieved by appealing to an individuals fears. Three components of fear arousal are postulated: the magnitude of harm of a depicted event; the probability of that events occurrence; and the efficacy of the protective response. These, it is contended, combine multiplicatively to determine the intensity of protection motivation, resulting in activity occurring as a result of a desire to protect oneself from danger. This is the only theory within the broader cognitive perspective that explicitly uses the costs and benefits of existing and recommended behaviour to predict the likelihood of change. Social-cognitive theory This theory evolved from social learning theory and may be the most comprehensive theory of behaviour change developed thus far. It posits a multifaceted causal structure in the regulation of human motivation, action and well-being and offers both predictors of adherence and guidelines for its promotion. The basic organising principle of behaviour change proposed by this theory is reciprocal determinism in which there is a continuous, dynamic interaction between the individual, the environment and behaviour. Theory of planned behaviour and the theory of reasoned action (TRA) The first work in this area was on the TRA. The TRA assumes that most socially relevant behaviours are under volitional control, and that a persons intention to perform a particular behaviour is both the immediate determinant and the single best predictor of that behaviour]. An intention to perform a behaviour is influenced by attitudes towards the action, including the individuals positive or negative beliefs and evaluations of the outcome of the behaviour. It is also influenced by subjective norms, including the perceived expectations of important others (e.g. family or work colleagues) with regard to a persons behaviour; and the motivation for a person to comply with others wishes. Behavioural intention, it is contended, then results in action. Information-motivation-behavioural skills (IMB) theory This theory was developed to promote contraceptive use and prevent HIV transmission. IMB was constructed to be conceptually based, generalisable and simple. It has since been tailored specifically to designing interventions to promote adherence to ART. Self-regulation perspectives Self-regulatory theory is the main theory in this domain. Developed to conceptualise the adherence process in a way that re-focuses on the patient, the theory proposes that it is necessary to examine individuals subjective experience of health threats to understand the way in which they adapt to these threats. According to this theory, individuals form cognitive representations of health threats (and related emotional responses) that combine new information with past experiences. Stage perspectives The transtheoretical model (TTM) This theory is most prominent among the stage perspectives. It hypothesizes a number of qualitatively different, discrete stages and processes of change, and reasons that people move through these stages, typically relapsing and revisiting earlier stages before success. This theory is said to offer an integrative perspective on the structure of intentional change [p. 1102] the perceived advantages and disadvantages of behaviour are crucial to behaviour change. Lakhan, 2006

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Use of Computers in Entertainment :: Technology

The Use of Computers in Entertainment In today’s electronic era computers have a hand in almost everything. Entertainment is no exception, in fact with the coming of digital information has made one of its greatest leaps. Movies, games, music, even books that that are simple and easy as it is have been impacted greatly by computers. But how far is too far? Music is now stolen, movies the same, games can be hacked and broken into with simple programs. As technology continues, more and more information will be taken, changed, stolen, and laws will then be made to try to stop all of this. But all they really need is a good middle ground to work towards or land on. With the coming of DVD’s computers moved into a big portion of the video industry. But with it came the ability to take a movie off of the disk and distribute it over user sharing programs. Many companies have tried to solve this problem by adding programs and such to the disks so that the information cannot be stolen. This does not stop DVD pirating, but it does cut down on the burning of DVDs. CD’s have also incorporated this type of programming for the same reasons. The music industry was turned upside down with the coming of Napster. Why this was is not really understood, because many programs that were out previously that did the same thing. Scour was a one of a kind program, and before that simple FTP sites were in abundance, as they still are, to download music. Perhaps the ease of which Napster allowed users to share information is what bothered them. But a lawsuit was taken against Napster, and it had to restrict many of its features (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1000463.stm). But if they had simply come to a common middle ground, perhaps having users pay to use the service or pay for the music itself, would have been better. Just because Napster was forced to add program lines that all but shut the program down didn’t mean the other user to user programs were forced to stop being made. In fact when one is shut down it seems like 5 replace it. Because of this many programs that have a service fee or a membership of so me sort is ignored.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Are Earthquakes Becoming More Frequent: GCSE Case study

During this case study, I will be investigating a question: are earthquakes are becoming more frequent? Throughout this investigation, I will be explaining how earthquakes are detected, how they are caused, presenting an argument for and against this debate etc. At the end of my case study, I will formulate an opinion based on the evidence that I have gathered. I will also be questioning the reliability of my sources of information. If you want to analyse the sources yourself, the links to the websites will be available on the bibliography page. I will also acquire statistics to further support the argument being made by both sides. Diagrams will give visual aid to help understand this controversial issue. (Picture of earthquake damaged buildings) What are earthquakes? Firstly, Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake. When two blocks of rock or two plates are rubbing against each other, they stick a little. They don't just slide smoothly; the rocks catch on each other. The rocks are still pushing against each other, but not moving. After a while, the rocks break because of all the pressure that's built up. When the rocks break, the earthquake occurs. During the earthquake and afterward, the plates or blocks of rock start moving, and they continue to move until they get stuck again. The spot underground where the rock breaks is called the focus of the earthquake. The place right above the focus (on top of the ground) is called the epicenter of the earthquake. (picture showing epicentre of earthquake) Earthquakes can cause a lot of damage. Earthquakes have the power to uproot trees and send them crashing into buildings. They can trigger landslides and avalanches, and cause flooding and tsunamis. Human structures are also at risk. It is interesting to note that tall buildings will sustain the least damage if they are located directly at the epicenter. This is because they can withstand the up-and-down motion of P-waves. S-waves, on the other hand, occur far away from the epicenter, and cause the greatest stress by shaking buildings from side to side. These buildings are often knocked off their foundations. (Diagram of P and s-waves)

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Vertigo essays

Vertigo essays Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo is a thrilling film filled with mystery and suspense. However, Hitchcock left many unsolved issues at the end of this film. In contrast, when comparing Vertigo to more recent films of similar genre, mysteries are usually always solved and thoroughly explained by the end of the film. Ironically, Hitchcocks failure to explain everything to the audience in Vertigo is one of the films best attributes. This lack of knowledge allows the viewer to use their own imagination and speculate as to what might or might not have become of certain characters. Vertigo boasted several different themes. However, the Ideal Woman Lost theme was the most prevalent (Handout #1). This theme was brought on by an obsessed everyman type. Jimmy Stewart, otherwise known as Scottie in the film, played this everyman type whose personality was maliciously twisted into an overly obsessive man. His cause for obsession was a beautiful, young woman played by Kim Novak, known as both Madeleine and Judy in the film. Madeleine drew Scottie in so deep, that he literally became a different person. This film mirrored Hitchcocks personal feelings and was considered to be his favorite film. While there are many scenes that prove the above theme, the following are three specific scenes that clearly spell out Scotties obsession. The scene where Scottie was sitting in his car alone after dropping Midge off at her home is a good first example. Midge and Scottie had just spent an afternoon together researching Carlotta Valdes history. Before Midge got out of the car she told Scottie, much to his dismay, that she was going view Carlottas portrait at the museum. As soon as Midge got out of the car, Scottie pulled out his brochure from the museum and turned to the page that hosted Carlottas portrait. As he stared at her pic ...