Needs Theories Essay Example

Needs Theories Essay 1. INTRODUCTION Motivation is an important element in organizational learning due to its ability to enable employees to function effectively. There are several theories of motivation which can be useful to managers in motivating employees of organizations. You may ask yourself what motivation is. Well, motivation is that drive you have within you to get something done, what drives you to work as much as you do, for example, a student will want an A in a test, he will be motivated to study hard and achieve that A. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals. Motivation stems from psychological factors within the person, but can also be induced by factors in the workplace. In human resource management it is essential to know how workers inputs via their task inputs and inputs via superiors can be conductive to worker effectiveness. Motivation is a process that involves the purposiveness of behaviour. Factors that have been shown by research include external and internal activators. In this assignment we will outline important motivation theories and how they are used in the workplace. Motivation theories seek to 2. MASLOWS HIERACHY OF NEEDS Peoples’ needs are arranged according to its importance of human survival. Human needs may be placed in a hierarchy where the lowest level contains the most basic needs, which must be satisfied before the higher order needs emerge and become motivators of behaviour. The needs of the hierarchy are as follows, psychological needs, safety needs, social needs, ego/esteem needs and self-actualization needs. We will write a custom essay sample on Needs Theories specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Needs Theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Needs Theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Psychological needs: These are the basic needs for a human which are essential for a human beings biological functioning and survival. Examples would be food, water and warmth. Employees who are adequately paid can provide for these needs. Safety needs: As soon as the psychological needs are satisfied, another level of needs emerge and the importance of the previous level of needs disappear. In this level a person looks for security, stability and a safe environment. Many employees’ most important need is job security; other security factors include increases in salary and benefits. Social needs: Once a person feels secure in their surroundings and are in control of possible threats, social needs are activated. These include the need for love, acceptance, friendship and a sense of belonging. At this level, employees desire social relationships inside and outside the organization. Peer group acceptance within the workplace is often an important psychological need for employees. Ego/esteem needs: These needs may be divided into two groups namely, self- respect and self-esteem, the respect and approval of others. Once employees form friendships the need for self-esteem becomes priority. Needs, such as self-confidence, independence, recognition, appreciation and achievement all fall under this level. Organizational factors such as job title, status items within the organization, such as parking spaces or office size and level of responsibility become important to the employee. Self- actualization: If all the above mentioned needs are largely satisfied, people than spend their time searching for opportunities to apply their skills to the best of their ability. Maslow describes the needs as the desire to become more and more what one is and to become everything one is capable of becoming. Self-actualization is the uninhibited expression of your true self and your talents. Employees seek challenging and creative jobs to achieve self-actualization. This theory has many implications for individual performance, the most common strategy being motivating people in terms of service benefits and job security. The work people do and the way the work environment is designed, increases interaction between employees which helps satisfy social needs. However, disadvantages pertaining to this may result in excessive socialization and may have a negative effect on the employees work output (NEL P. S et al,2004). If a person’s work is directly associated with need satisfaction, then that person becomes self-regulating, making the roles of external incentives become less significant as motivators. As one level of need is met, a person moves onto the next level of need as a source of motivation. Hence, people progress up the hierachy as they successively gratify each level if need(Nelson Q, 2011) (http://upload. ikimedia. org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs. png) 3. HERTZBURGS TWO FACTOR THEORY Herzbergs Two Factor Theory is a content theory of motivation (the other main one is Maslows Hierarchy of Needs). Herzberg analysed the job attitudes of 200 accountants and engineers who were asked to recall when they had felt positive or negative at work and the reasons why. From this research, Herzberg suggested a two-step approach to understanding employee motivation and satisfaction, these were hygiene factors and motivator factors. Hygiene Factors: Hygiene factors are based on the need to for a business to avoid dissatisfaction at work. If these factors are considered inadequate by employees, then they can cause dissatisfaction with work. Hygiene factors include: * Company policy and administration * Wages, salaries and other financial remuneration * Quality of supervision * Quality of inter-personal relations * Working conditions * Feelings of job security Motivator Factors: Motivator factors are based on an individuals need for personal growth. When they exist, motivator factors actively create job satisfaction. If they are effective, then they can motivate an individual to achieve above-average performance and effort. Motivator factors include: * Status * Opportunity for advancement * Gaining recognition * Responsibility * Challenging / stimulating work * Sense of personal achievement personal growth in a job There is some similarity between Herzbergs and Maslows models. They both suggest that needs have to be satisfied for the employee to be motivated. However, Herzberg argues that only the higher levels of the Maslow Hierarchy (e. g. elf-actualisation, esteem needs) act as a motivator. The remaining needs can only cause dissatisfaction if not addressed. Applying Hertzbergs model to de-motivated workers These few examples indicate de-motivated employees in the workplace: * Low productivity * Poor production or service quality * Strikes / industrial disputes / breakdowns in employee communication and relationships * Complaints about pay and working conditions According to Herzberg, managem ent should focus on rearranging work so that motivator factors can take effect. He suggested three ways in which this could be done: * Job enlargement: It is a human resource practice used to motivate employees in a particular position. A job is enlarged horizontally through the addition of new responsibilities and diverse duties. * Job rotation: A system of working in which employees work in a range of jobs in a company so that they have different types of work to do and understand the organization better, it can help employers by keeping employees from getting bored and looking for another job. Job enrichment: Motivating employees through expanding job responsibilities and giving increased control over the total production process. Employees normally receiving training and additional support as well as increased input in procuderes. 4. VROOMS EXPECTANCY MOTIVATION THEORY Whereas Maslow and Herzberg look at the relationship between internal needs and the resulting effort expended to fulfil them, Vrooms expectancy theory separates effort (which arises from motiv ation), performance, and outcomes. Vrooms expectancy theory assumes that behavior results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize pleasure and to minimize pain. Vroom realized that an employees performance is based on individual factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities. He stated that effort, performance and motivation are linked in a persons motivation. He uses the variables Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence to account for this. Expectancy is the belief that increased effort will lead to increased performance i. e. f I work harder then this will be better. This is affected by such things as: 1. Having the right resources available (e. g. raw materials, time) 2. Having the right skills to do the job 3. Having the necessary support to get the job done (e. g. supervisor support, or correct information on the job) Instrumentality is the belief that if you perform well that a valued outcome will be received. The degree to which a first level outcome w ill lead to the second level outcome. i. e. if I do a good job, there is something in it for me. This is affected by such things as: 1. Clear understanding of the relationship between performance and outcomes – e. g. the rules of the reward game 2. Trust in the people who will take the decisions on who gets what outcome 3. Transparency of the process that decides who gets what outcome Valence is the importance that the individual places upon the expected outcome. For the valence to be positive, the person must prefer attaining the outcome to not attaining it. For example, if someone is mainly motivated by money, he or she might not value offers of additional time off. The theory has three key elements or concepts that it uses: 1. Performance-outcome expectancy: This means that the individual belives that every behaviour is connected to an outcome, and different levels of that behaviour can be connected to different levels of the outcome. 2. Value: With regard to that, the attractiveness of that outcome depends on the individual, for one, the outcome may be a highly values reward whereas for another, it could be perceived as a punishment. 3. Effort-Performance expectancy: Lastly, individuals evealuate the effort-performance expectancy relationship. In essence, the employee asks himself whether he will be able to perform a specific task and translates those perceptions to probabilies of success. He or she then chooses the behaviours that have the highest likelihood of success. Crucially, Vrooms expectancy theory works on perceptions, so even if an employer thinks they have provided everything appropriate for motivation, and even if this works with most people in that organisation, it doesnt mean that someone wont perceive that it doesnt work for them. It could equally apply to any situation where someone does something because they expect a certain outcome. For example, one recycles paper because they think its important to conserve resources and take a stand on environmental issues (valence); they think that the more effort they put into recycling the more paper they will recycle (expectancy); and they think that the more paper they recycle then less resources will be used (instrumentality). Thus, Vrooms expectancy theory of motivation is not about self-interest in rewards but about the associations people make towards expected outcomes and the contribution they feel they can make towards those outcomes. 5. ADAMS EQUITY THEORY John Stacey Adams, a workplace and behavioural psychologist, put forward his Equity Theory on job motivation in 1963. There are similarities with interpretation of previous simpler theories of Maslow, Herzberg and other pioneers of workplace psychology, in that the theory acknowledges that subtle and variable factors affect each individuals assessment and perception of their relationship with their work, and thereby their employer. One of the most important issues in motivation is how people view their contributions to the organization and what they get from it. Ideally, they will view their relationship with the employer as a well-balanced, mutually beneficial exchange. As peope work, they realize their consequences of their actions, develop beliefs about outcomes and asses how fairly the organization treats them(Snell A. S. Batemen T. S 1999, Management:Building Competetive Advantage). The Adams Equity Theory model therefore extends beyond the individual self, and incorporates influence and comparison of other peoples situations for example colleagues and friends in forming a comparative view and awareness of Equity, which commonly manifests as a sense of what is fair. When people feel fairly or advantageously treated they are more likely to be motivated, when they feel unfairly treated they are highly prone to feelings of disaffection and demotivation. The way that people measure this sense of fairness is at the heart of Equity Theory. Equity, and thereby the motivational situation we might seek to assess using the model, is not dependent on the extent to which a person believes reward exceeds effort, nor even necessarily on the belief that reward exceeds effort at all. Rather, Equity, and the sense of fairness which commonly underpins motivation, is dependent on the comparison a person makes between his or here reward/investment ratio with the ratio enjoyed (or suffered) by others considered to be in a similar situation. Equity Theory reminds us that people see themselves and crucially the way they are treated in terms of their surrounding environment, team, system, etc not in isolation and so they must be managed and treated accordingly. Some people reduce effort and application and become inwardly disgruntled, or outwardly difficult, recalcitrant or even disruptive. Other people seek to improve the outputs by making claims or demands for more reward, or seeking an alternative job. 6. ALDERFER’S ERG THEORY A theory of human needs more advanced than Maslow’s theory is Alderfers ERG theory, meaning that Maslows theory has general applicability whereas Adelfer aims his theory at understanding peoples needs at work. Aldelfers theory builds on some of Maslows thinking but reduces the number of universal needs from five to three and is more flexible in terms of movememy in levels. Like Maslow, Alderfer also believes that needs can be arranged in a heirachy. The ERG theory infers that there are three sets of needs: * Extintence needs are all material and psychological desires. * Relatedness needs involve relationships with other people and are satisfied through the process of mutually sharing thoughts and feelings. Growth needs motivate people to productivity or creatively change themselves or their environment. ERG theory proposes that several needs can be operating at once, whereas Maslow assumes that lower-level needs must be satisfied begore a higher-level need is a motivator. Alderfer lifts this restiction. Accordning to the ERG theory, a higher-level need can be a motivator even if a lower-level need is not fully satisfied, hence several needs can be operating at once. Maslow would say that s elf-actualization is important to people only after other sets of needs are satisfied. Aldelfer maintains that people can be motivated to satisfy both existence and growth needs at the same time. Alderfer agrees that as lower level needs are satisfied, a worker becomes motivated to satisfy higher-level needs, but he breaks down with Maslow on the consequences of need-frustration. Maslow says that once a lower-level need is satisfied, it is no longer a source of motivation, whereas Alderfer suggests that when an individual is motivated to satisfy a higher-level need but has difficulty doing so, the motivation to satisfy lower-level needs becomes higher. To see how this works, lets look at a middle manager in a manufacturing firm whose relatedness needs(lower-lvel needs) are satidfied. The manager is currently motivated to try and satisfy her growth needs but finds this difficult to do so as she has been in the same position for the past five years. She is extremely skilled and knowlegable about the job and the fact that she has too much work and responsibiliies already leave her no time to pursue anything new or exciting. Essentially, the managers motivation to satisfy her growth needs are being frustrated because of the nature of her job. Alderfer postulates that this frustration will increase the managers motivation to satsfy a lower-levelneed such as relatedness. As a result of this motivation, the manager becomes more concerned about interpersonal relations at work and continually seeks honest feedback from her colleagues. Both Maslows and Alderfers theories have practical value in that they remind managers the type of reinforcers or rewards that can be used to motivate people. (http://www. envisionsoftware. com/es_img/Alderfer_ERG_Theory. gif) 7. McCLELLANDS NEEDS THEORY The theory was developed by David McClelland and his associates. It focuses on three needs, achievement, power and affiliation. Achievement is characterized by a strong orientation towards accomplishment and an obession with success and goal attainment. It is a drive to excel and to achieve set standards. Challening work motivates them and they take personal responsibility for success or failure. They like to set goals that require stretching themselves a little and have a drive to succeed, they strive for achievement rather than rewards. They wish to do something better or more efficiently than it has been done before. The people with this need look for situations where they can attain peronal responsibility for finding solutions to problems , in which they can get quick feedback of their performance so they can determine whether they are improving or not. This helps them to set their goals. The need for power is a desire to influence or contol other people. This need can be a negetive force which is termed personalizes power, if its expressed through aggressive minipulation and exploiting others, these people want power only to achieve their own personal goals. However the need for power can also be seen in a positive manner which is called socialized power because it can be be conducted towards the constructive improvement of organizations ans societies. It is basically the need to make others behave in a way that they would not have behaved otherwise. Individuals with a high need of power prefer to be placed into competitive and status-orientated situations and tend to be more concerned with prestige than with effective performance. Affiliation reflects a strong desire to be liked by other people such as your colleagues nd anoyone you may be working with. Individuals who have a high level of this need are more orientated towards getting along with others and may be less concerned with performing at high levels. These types of individuals are usually very social and friendly. The need for affliation is not important for management and leadership success as one would find it difficult to make tough but necessary decisions which will make so me people unhappy. They prefer cooperative situations rather than competitive ones and desire relationships that involve a high degree of mutual understanding. . McGREGORS THEORY OF X AND Y Douglas McGreggors theory of X and Y is a management based style of theory that tries to expalin different management styles and leadership behaviour within the workplace. McGreggor proposed that the organizations leaders and the organization as a whole has different views on the skills and motivation of the employees of the organization. These potential views can be described as Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X With Theory X assumptions, managements role is to coerce and control employees. People have an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it whenever possible. * People must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment in order to get them to achieve the organizational objectives. * People prefer to be directed, do not want responsibility, and have little or no ambition. * People seek security above all else. Theory Y With Theory Y assumptions, managements role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals. * Work is as natural as play and rest. People will exercise self-direction if they are committed to the objectives (they are NOT lazy). * Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. * People learn to accept and seek responsibility. * Creativity, ingenuity, and imagination are widely distributed among the population. People are capable of using these abilities to solve an organizational problem. * People have potential. McGreggor did not see these theories as mutually exclusive and believed that managers could use these theories simultaneously. He compared his theory with Maslow’s where he put Maslows higher needs and Theory X together and lower needs to Theory X. This proposes that people who are seeking higher needs, such as self-actualization, are motivated by a Theory Y leader, whereas people who don’t have work-related needs are motivated by Theory X leadership style. 9. CONCLUSION In conclusion, It is therefore essential for organizations to look for and employ people who â€Å"fit† into the values of the organization and are able to function according to organizational values. Organizations must also have suitable managers who have the ability to coach and mentor their employees to deliver optimally. Enhanced leadership enables managers to motivate their employees to produce the best possible skills and practices in human resources. Research confirms the importance of motivation in leading employees and influencing them to stimulate and energize people so that they â€Å"work towards organizational goals†. Researchers have placed great importance on the responsibility of managers â€Å"to create a proper climate in which employees can develop to their fullest potential†. All these motivational theories have played a pivotal role in helping managers achieve the best results, and also helped undestand how important motivation is. Motivation thoeries give a broader explanation about how people perceive their work and lives, and how they use these insights to motivate themselves and grow, as people as well as in their jobs. 10. LIST OF REFERENCES NELSON, Q. (2011), Principles of Organizational Behaviour, 7th Edition, Place: South-Western Cengage Learning LUTHANS, F. (1998), Organizational Behaviour, 8th Edition. Place: McGraw-Hill Irwin. GEORGE, J. M and JONES, G. R. (2002), Organizational Behaviour, 3rd Edition, Place:Prentice Hall. MULLENS, L. J( 2010),Management and Organizational Behaviour, 9th Edition. Place: Prentice Hall. ANTHONY, W. P et al(1999), Human Resource Management: A strategic approach, 3rd Edition, Place: Hartcourt College Publishers. BERGH,Z and THERON,A. (2006). Psychology in the work context, 3rd Edition. Place: Prentice Hall. ROBBINS, S. P. (2003). Organizational Behaviour, 10th Edition. Place: Prentice Hall. ROSENFELD,R. H and WILSON,D. C(2004). Managing Organizations, 2nd Edition. Place: Oxford.

How You Can Take Advantage of ACT Math Question Order

How You Can Take Advantage of ACT Math Question Order SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Understanding how to do your best on the ACT math section means understanding how the math section is structured and where you can get the most points for your time and energy. We’ll walk you through how each ACT math section is organized and how you can use this information to your benefit, both in your studies and as you take your official ACTs. ACT Math Organization The ACT math section is ordered in two main ways- by difficulty and by content. Let's look at each. Math Organization Type 1: Difficulty Of the two organization categories, the biggest factor that determines the order of questions is difficulty level. "Difficulty" on the ACT math questions is characterized by: the time necessary to solve a problem, the steps required, how many math concepts you must employ, and/or how familiar or unfamiliar you are likely to be with the material. And the difficulty level increases over the course of the math test. You can generally split the difficulty of ACT math problems into three even zones. There are 60 math questions total and you can arrange them roughly like so: Questions 1-20- "easy" Questions 21-40- "medium" Questions 41-60- "hard" The reason we put these terms in quotes is due to the fact that these breakdowns are approximately true, but not everyone will have the same concept of"easy" or "hard" when it comes to math problems. The difficulty of any particular problem will depend on your experience with the topic, how well you understand the phrasing of the question, or even your level of fatigue and concentration at the time. But splitting the ACT math section this way works as a rough guideline for most students. In general, with each new tier of difficulty, the questions will take longer to solve and often require more steps. For instance, it might take you as little as 10 seconds to solve question number 3, but take as many as a two or three minutes to puzzle over question 55. (Note: we will talk more about how you can balance your time per question later in the guide.) Math Organization Type 2: Content Because â€Å"difficulty† is partially determined by how well you’re likely to know the material (based on the typical middle and high school curriculum), this follows that the test is also ordered, in part, by topic. The more years you’ve spent studying a math topic, the more likely that you are to consider a particular question â€Å"easy.† Though the topics mix and mesh with one another, there are still overarching patterns of where you are most likely to find your algebra questions or your trigonometry problems. Because you’re likely to have seen and studied single variable equationsfor more years than you've studiedtrigonometry, you’ll see more of your algebra questions early on in the test and more of your coordinate geometry and trig questions later in the test. So most of the algebra questions will be "easy" (though not all) and most of the geometry and trig questions will be "medium" or "hard" (though, again, not all). The ACT is a standardized test, so each test will look very similar. We have broken down one ACT math test (test code 67C) by math topicto demonstrate this pattern in action. 1. Algebra 31. Plane and Solid Geometry 2. Algebra 32. Numbers 3. Algebra 33. Coordinate Geometry 4. Numbers 34. Coordinate Geometry 5. Algebra 35. Numbers 6. Algebra 36. Coordinate Geometry 7. Algebra 37. Plane and Solid Geometry 8. Algebra 38. Plane and Solid Geometry 9. Algebra 39. Coordinate Geometry 10. Plane and Solid Geometry 40. Plane and Solid Geometry 11. Plane and Solid Geometry 41. Coordinate Geometry 12. Algebra 42. Trigonometry 13. Numbers 43. Numbers 14. Algebra 44. Coordinate Geometry 15. Numbers 45. Plane and Solid Geometry 16. Numbers 46. Plane and Solid Geometry 17. Plane and Solid Geometry 47. Plane and Solid Geometry 18. Numbers 48. Plane and Solid Geometry 19. Numbers 49. Algebra 20. Plane and Solid Geometry 50. Coordinate Geometry 21. Algebra 51. Coordinate Geometry 22. Trigonometry 52. Coordinate Geometry 23. Numbers 53. Algebra 24. Coordinate Geometry 54. Algebra 25. Algebra 55. Algebra 26. Numbers 56. Plane and Solid Geometry 27. Plane and Solid Geometry 57. Trigonometry 28. Coordinate Geometry 58. Numbers 29. Algebra 59. Algebra 30. Coordinate Geometry 60. Numbers As you can see, the math topics are mixed in with one another, but there are some distinct patterns. Questions 1-30 are more algebra and numbers heavy (70% of the questions), while questions 31-60 are more geometry and trig heavy (67% of the questions). This pattern will hold true for any given ACT. The difficulty of questions may increase as you go, but if you take it one step at a time, you'll soon be scaling to the top. How to Use the Test Structure to Your Advantage There is no guessing penalty on the ACT, so your goal is to answer as many questions as accurately as possible across the board. Of course you are also on a strict time crunch, so this is not always easy. Depending on your current scores (and your target scores), this may mean that you focus most of your time and energy on a particular section of the test and then blindly- or, time permitting, strategically- guess the rest of your questions. (Note: for more on how to guess to your best advantage, check out how to guess on the ACT math section). For others, your score goals may mean that you look at at and attempt every single question. There will, however, be a general step-by-step guideline to follow for students scoring at all levels. So let's break it down. Step 1: Take a Full Practice Test Taking a practice test- a full practice test!- is always step one when embarking on any kind of study plan for a standardized test. You won’t truly know where you currently stand or how to specifically improve from there without first taking a practice test. And though you may be concerned specifically with your math score right now, that score fits into the larger test-taking picture. The ACT lasts for several hours at a time, and your levels of concentration and fatigue will fluctuate. So only by taking the full test will you be able to see how your math score fits into your overall ACT score. Try to emulate the structure of the real test as much as possible, so carve out a few hours on a weekend and take the full practice test in a quiet environment. Here, you can find free full ACT practice tests and answer keys. Step 2: Set a Target Score Goal Now that you’ve taken your practice test and scored the results, check out how your scores currently stack upand set yourself a target score goal. This will be the score that you aim to reach by test day, and both your current scores and your progress towards this goal will determine how you go about your studying. Step 3: Find the Patterns in Your Right and Wrong Answers Now take a look at all your wrong answers and see if you can spot any patterns to the errors. Are you mostly getting wrong answers in a particular section, like questions 25 - 35 or 45 - 60? Are you mostly getting questions wrong by topic (do those triangle problems throw you for a loop no matter where they are on the test)? Let's look at the different types of errors by location and by content and see which apply to your current test scores. Different types of location errors include: Errors spread fairly evenly throughout the math test (so about as many wrong answers in questions in the first 20 questions as the last 20). Errors clustered in pockets. Usually, these occur around questions 25-35 and questions 40-50 because this is where the test transitions difficulty levels. Errors mostly contained in the "medium-high" and "high" difficulty ranges of questions 45-60. Now look over your math test and see if you can identify the questions according to topic. How did your right and wrong answers sync up with specificACT math topicsbeing tested? Tally how many questions on each topic were on the test and how many questions you answered correctly for each topic. (So if questions 15 and 29 were sequence questions and you answered number 15 correctly and 29 incorrectly, give yourself a score of $1/2$ in sequences.) Often, student errors will be a combination of location and topic, so don’t be alarmed if this is the case. Write down on a separate piece of paper: The location of most of your errors Your personal "score" by math topic (e.g., $3/6$ in lines and angles, $4/4$ in statistics, and so forth.) This list will help you hone in on your weak areas and target them as you go through your studies. Step 4: Brush Up on the Most Important Content The big-picture goal when studying for the ACT is the maximize your score gain for every hour spent studying. This means that the best strategy for success is to focus your time and energy on places you can make the easiest (and, therefore, quickest) improvements and areas where you can make the most improvement. So let's divide and conquer. Making Quick Improvements Each and every question on the ACT is worth one point. It doesn't matter if it was the easiest question on the test and took you all of three seconds to solve, or if it was the hardest question on the test and took three minutes- each question is worth the same amount of points as every other question. This means you should maximize your time and energy by picking up any points you're missing in the first half of the test (which, you'll remember, is the "easier" half of the test). This will net you a point increase in the shortest amount of time. So if you’re missing five or more questions in the 1-30 range, take a close look at each of your wrong answers. This is about 17% or more of the "easy" half of your test, so see if you can look at your errors and identify whether or not you’re missing these questions based on a lack of knowledge of the content. If so, it’s time to brush up on some of your algebra and numbers topics. If, however, you’ve taken a look at your errors list and seen that you're mostly missing questions in the later half of the test based on both difficulty and content, it’s time to more specifically hone your focus. Making the Most Improvement Let’s say you can organize your current mathematical knowledge into four categories: perfect understanding, good understanding, okay understanding, and no understanding. Because we're looking to now gain the most improvement from your time, the first step is to focus on improving your "okay" areas. These are areas you have some familiarity with, but aren't the strongest in, and just a quick refresher on the topic can gain you tremendous point value for your time. Our individual math topic guides will take you through the know-how on each and every ACT math topic you need to brush up on. In each, you'll gain a greater understanding of the topic in question as well as how you'll see it presented on the ACT, as well as get a chance to practice on real ACT math problems. After you've brought these "okay" topics up to speed, the next step is to look at improving your "no understanding" topics. These are areas where you have a current weak foundation and so will represent the greatest potential leap and improvement in your score. (Again, our math topic guides will help you improve your knowledge of each and every ACT math topic you'll see on the test.) Because this might be difficult to visualize right now, let's take a sample score breakdown of the test by topic. Let’s say that there were six questions each on four different topics- exponents, circles, lines and slopes, and trigonometry- and your score breakdown of correct answers looked like this: Exponent questions: 5 out of 6 Circle questions: 2 out of 6 Lines and slope questions: 4 out of 6 Trigonometry questions: 0 out of 6 If we classify each of these topics by your understanding, we would say that you had a â€Å"perfect† (or nearly perfect) understanding of exponents, â€Å"good† understanding of lines and slopes, an â€Å"okay† understanding of circles, and â€Å"no understanding† of trigonometry. Now that you've cataloged your scores, you know which topics to target your study focus on and in which order. To start with, the next step would be to focus and brush up on your â€Å"okay understanding† areas (in this case circles). Although rehashing your near-perfect knowledge might make you feel productive, it won’t actually help you all that much at this moment. Until you start getting â€Å"perfects† or nearly perfects in all topics across the board, it’s better to spend your study time on areas where you can make the greatest improvement. In this case, honing your knowledge of exponents would only gain you one more point out of 60. Your time can be better spent elsewhere. You may also be tempted to perfect those â€Å"good† understanding areas (in this case lines and slopes). But the difference between â€Å"good† understanding and â€Å"perfect† is likely to only be a question or two out of 60. In this case, you would get a maximum return of 2 points, which is not nothing, but you can spend the same amount of time studying circles and probably get a higher point return for that time. Again, only focus on getting your good scores up to perfect once you’ve brought up your scores on all your topics and you’re aiming for that perfect ACT math score. Now if you bring your â€Å"okay† areas up to almost perfect, you will likely be able to gain a significant point increase. In this case, if you spend your study time learning your circle material, you could potentially increase your score by 3 or 4 points. Once you’ve brushed up on your â€Å"okay† understanding areas, set your sights on those â€Å"no understanding† math topics. The reason these topics are in â€Å"no understanding† purgatory is likely because it is a topic that you dislike or that you haven’t studied much in school. But, despite this, even a little more understanding of the topic than you have now will likely gain you a few more points than you had before. In addition, bringing up your â€Å"okay† understanding and â€Å"no understanding† areas will allow you to use your imperfect- but still significant- knowledge of the ACT math topics in question to strategically eliminate answer choices. Even if you don’t actually know how to solve the problem, knowing a little more about the topic than you do now will give you a much better foundation to strategically eliminate answer options and guess for your right answer. Your study time is precious and limited, so distribute it wisely and use it to gain the most point return for your energy. An hour spent brushing up on unfamiliar topics will gain you a much more significant point increase than an hour spent brushing up on topics you already understand almost perfectly. Step 5: Develop Your Own Personal Timing Plan for the ACT Math Section One of the hardest aspects of the ACT math section is the fact that you must keep track of your pacing yourself. You are given 60 minutes and 60 questions to do with what you will, so taking too long on some questions will leave you with no time at all to solve others. And yet going too quickly through the test can lead you to make careless errors. Everyone's pacing and ability to solve questions on a time crunch will be different, and yours may even change from test to test as you get used to ACT questions and the pacing involved. So take the time as you study to develop your own personal timing structure and adapt it as you need to. A good plan to start with is to break the test into thirds and give yourself varying time limits for each section. So begin by giving yourself: 15 minutes for questions 1-20 20 minutes for questions 21-40 25 minutes for questions 41-60 Now this may not be the perfect timing structure for you, but it's a place to start. See how you need to adapt it to your own personal preferences by experimenting. And if you find that you're simply running short on time no matter what you try, check out our more specific advice on how to stop running out of time of the ACT math section. Step 6: Adapt Your Study Focus Based on Your Current and Target Scores As you go through your studies, we recommend that you take at least two to three practice tests, evenly distributed across your study time. So, if you have three months to prep, take a practice test about once a month. This will give you not only the chance to practice the best simulation of the real ACT possible, but will also show you how well and in which areas you’re improving. Your study plan will adapt based on your current scores, your score goals, and your rate of improvement. Current Score is 25 or Under If you’re currently scoring in the 25 or under range, your goal is to turn yourself into a â€Å"jack of all trades, master of none† type of mathematical warrior. If you already have a â€Å"perfect† understanding of any given math topic, great! If not, don’t worry about it right this second. Try your best to get yourself up to â€Å"okay† or even â€Å"good† understanding of each topic before you start mastering any particular one. As you go through your list of "okay" and "no understanding" topics to improve your knowledge of each, focus first on the topics that come earlier in the test, since most of the questions will be "easy" or "medium" difficulty.So if you have an "okay" understanding on both an algebra topic and a coordinate geometry topic, start by bringing up your knowledge of the algebra topic first. If your knowledge base in each topic is relatively similar, then always start by improving your algebra and numbers topics first, then turn to plane and coordinate geometry, and finally trigonometry. We have compiled all of our math guides by topic as well all the free ACT math practice you can find online. No matter where you're struggling, we'll help get you up to speed on where you need to be before test day. Current Score is 26 and Above Only once you start getting into the 26 and above range should you work on perfecting all of your math topic knowledge as much as possible. At this scoring level, you’ve probably already achieved at least a passing understanding of all the math topics on the test, so now is the time to master them to the best of your ability. Look to the types of questions and math topics you missed the most questions in and start by focusing your attention there. Again, areas in which you can make the greatest improvement will be the best focus of your time and energy. And just as you would in the 25 and under range, check out our math topic guides for definitions of each topic, ACT math strategies to solve the questions on each topic based on how you’ll see them on the ACT, and practice questions with answer explanations. Practice and more practice is the way to go when attempting to master an ACT math topic. Be sure to also test yourself against the most difficult math problemson the test to see where you currently stand against the toughest of the tough and where you can improve. Deep breaths, clear head. Though it may all seem overwhelming right now, you are entirely capable of mastering the ACT.(John Henderson/Flickr) The Take-Aways Understanding how the ACT math test is structured and how to use that knowledge to your best advantage while studying is a good chunk of the battle won already. The key to mastering the ACT math section is a combination of understanding and practice, and you’re well on your way already. Your study plan should always be a reflection of your current standing and your target goals, and should adapt as you make progress. Study smart and work with the structure of the test instead, and you’ll see improvements in your scores in no time. What’s Next? Stuck on your ACT math problems? Check out our guide to learn how to spot when you're going down the wrong path and how to correct the course. Stuck procrastinating? Learn how to turn your studying around and overcome your desire to procrastinate. Looking to get a perfect score on the ACT math section? Our guide (written by a perfect-scorer) will help you get those high scores you've been aiming for. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

We pursue pleasure and avoid pain. Critically evaluate this statement Essay

We pursue pleasure and avoid pain. Critically evaluate this statement and examine how it relates to at least two different theories of motivation and emotion - Essay Example While the Social Cognitive Theory considers both internal and external factors as sources of motivation, the Humanist perspective takes the internal forces of motivation to be stronger than outside motivation. The pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain can come across the central motivation of nearly everything human beings do in their lives. However, a critical examination of the statement in question shows that while the majority of cases will hold true under it, some situations will not (Higgins, 1997). This is because the definition of pain and pleasure may change from person to person depending on the nuances and influences of individual personality. Therefore, the statement is applicable in a general sense for the majority of individuals but for some the pursuit of pain may hold more pleasure than anything else. To better understand the statement and critically evaluate the same, two different theories of motivation and personality will be examined along with how they relate to the question. The theories selected for this paper are the social cognitive theory and the humanistic theory as they apply to motivation and personality. Of course a few definitions have to be laid out before the theories and their applications can be discussed. The two most important definitions for this purpose are personality and motivation. Personality itself can be defined as the collective emotional, thinking, and action patterns which are exhibited by an individual which are more or less consistent over a period of time (Miner & Dachler, 1973). Psychologists and those who study human personality have defined types of personalities and presented theories which help in placing individuals on certain scales of personality (Joy, 2004). Motivation can be defined as the internal desires, needs or wishes which are unique to all individuals in shaping their behavior to meet certain goals or objectives (Grotstein, 2001). Undoubtedly, both of these terms are related at a

Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Media - Essay Example Although seeing them in person is entirely different, pictures, posts and other information made available through social networks create a feeling of being physically present in another world. Of course, with the many benefits computers and the internet brought to modern living, there are also dangers that come along with them. Internet users usually worry about identity theft, scams and other threats that may endanger one’s self or even children. For every problem that is created though, it is comforting to know that there is always a weapon that can also be created to fight these dangers online. Antivirus is an example of which, also easily available online at a certain price. Although the most important weapon there could possibly be against internet crimes is being well informed and knowledgeable about the kinds of dangers, how to avoid them and how to escape them just in case one is already trapped in a scam. Since one cannot avoid the internet these days, with more activities perceived to be done online in the future, the best weapon indeed is to be at par with the changing world. Certainly, the demand to learn new things everyday is a challenge however, as f or this writer, it is a

Business Process Outsourcing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Process Outsourcing - Assignment Example However, this definition of service is redefined by the new world system with the proliferation of business process outsourcing, which allows the separate production and consumption of services. The emergence of business process outsourcing can be best understood by employing a PEST analysis, which looks at the important aspects of the society that includes political, economic, social, and technological. The political sector has created a favorable arena in which business process outsourcing can proliferate. Policies which help promote globalization are instituted facilitating the elimination the geographical boundaries among nations and easing the exchange of products, capital, and services. The economy is evolving into a single global village which allows the free flow of goods and services by the elimination of trade barriers. Labor intensive products and services are channeled to developing economies where labor is relatively cheaper. In terms of social aspects, it is visible that there has been a wide social acceptance of foreign culture which allows the acquisition of foreign language especially English. Technological advancement specifically created a way to easily t ransfer data across geographical boundaries. A European based insurance company which opts to utilise Indian firm for its data processing and call handling gains benefits through: productivity improvements; access to expertise; operational cost control; cost savings; improved accountability; improved human resource; and the opportunity to focus on core business. However, business process outsourcing runs the risk of loosing managerial control, threatens security and confidentiality, and lowers the flexibility of the service consumer to react to the changes and trends in the business environment. Business process outsourcing is considered as a sunshine industry in India. Business process outsourcing generates jobs in the economy, brings in large revenues, and aids in economic development. However, the Indian economy should also recognise the risk associated in allowing foreign firms utilise their labor force. Business process outsourcing is hasardous to workers as they need to cope with the significant time difference in between their location and the location of the service consumer. II. Introduction According to Kotler (2002), service is "any activity which or benefit that one party can offer to another which is essentially intangible and does not result in ownership of anything." In comparison to goods which are produced by manufacturers, service is characterised by four distinct characteristics which are not present in tangible goods: inseparability, which signifies that the provider and the consumer of the service should be in the same location; intangibility, which implies that the service cannot be fully assessed using the senses; variability, which recognises that the quality of the services is not consistent using different customers' perception; and perishability, which implies the inability to store services (Palmer 2004). However, service has been redefined by the current global economy. A closer look at how large business organisations undertake their day-to-day operations reveals that services are now separable. The growing globalisation ushered a new trend called business

The Rise Of The Papacy In Rome

The Rise Of The Papacy In Rome The ascendancy of the bishop of Rome over the whole of the Catholic Church, an institution recognized as the papacy, took centuries to grow. During the first few hundred years of the church, the title pope, which denotes father, was applied for any important and esteemed bishop. Furthermore, the bishop of Rome was one of a number of significant bishops in Christendom. Rome had always been treasured for her relationship with Paul and Peter and her stand as the Church in the Empires capital. This was particularly noticed after Christianity was made legal under Constantine which made the importance of that office grow further with each passing roman bishop. The dogma of the authority of the pope ultimately reached its height in the late 13th century, when Pope Boniface VIII asserted full religious and non-religious authority over every human being.  [1]   Rome prior to Pope Gregory In 535 it was invaded by an army sent by the emperor Justinian to bring it back under the control of the Roman Empire, the capital of which was now Constantinople.The war between the Ostrogoths and the Empire lasted for some twenty years, devastating the countryside and disrupting social organization.546 the city lay uninhabited for forty days. The final victory of the imperial forces left Italy dangerously open to the attentions of another Germanic group, the Lombards. In 568, under their king Alboin, they made their way into Italy, and by force of arms steadily established themselves over most of the peninsula. During Pope Gregory regin Gregory the Great whos life culminated in his holding the office of pope (590604). line of popes whom assumed office after Pelagius I (556-561) who was unworthy Pope but was forced on the Church by Justinian.He is generally regarded as one of the outstanding figures in the long. The empire was unstable and Byzantine power had greatly subsided.[1] This was the world into which Gregory, who was drawn to monasticism, was born. Gregory had an interesting and refreshing outlook on missions. He was spurred on to his first missions project in response to the king of Lombard refusing baptism for his subjects. He renewed the church using Benedictine principles. The Bishop of Rome had an immediate impact on believers by reformed congregational worship by introducing choirs in order to read liturgy, he raised the standard of education of the clergy, and an emphasized in preaching. He took the task of protecting Rome from the Lombard threat that lasted in treaty that lasted for a short time period. This was only one treaty of many since Gregory negotiated treaties with several barbarian kings which helped take political steps to protect the Christian community by being destroyed by war. This helped him become the first Pope to act as a temporal ruler which eventually came part of the Papal States. Gregory the Great established the pattern of church government in England that had everyone being supervised by someone higher. He also started missionary work that spread out of his region.Part of the reason was he was labeled the Great had to do with his influential writings that impacted the Middle ages.[7] Also, during his time as pope, he was an advocate of clerical celibacy.[8] Furthermore, he was instrumental in the conversion of the Visigothic King Recared to Nicene Catholicism in SpainThrough research we have discovered that the position of Pope gained great influence and power something that has yet to stop. It must be noted that Gregory was the first Pope with a monastic background; he made a mark in history. Gregory used strategies such as connections with the Byzantine elite, which caused him to become well known among the upper class Bishops in the Early Church During the early periods of Christianity, five cities arose as significant core of Christianity. These were Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople and Alexandria. Even though the Roman Church was highly regarded, the Churches in the East in general had more influence and numbers than those of the West. Following the granting of legal status to Christianity by the Decree of Milan, the church took up the same governmental structure as the Empire whereby geographical provinces were ruled by bishops. These bishops of key cities therefore rose in power.  [2]   Rome wasnt only the city that could profess to have had a unique responsibility in Christs Church. Jerusalem had the reputation of being the city of Christs death and resurrection. Furthermore, a significant church council took place there in the first century. Antioch was the location where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. Alexandria was an important early center of Christian belief. Constantinople developed into a very significant city after Constantine shifted his capital there in 330 AD.  [3]   Nevertheless, by the fifth century, the bishop of Rome started claiming his superiority over all other bishops. Moreover, several church fathers made this claim for him as well. Why Rome? Romes association with Peter was the main spiritual reason its ultimate dominance. According to customs, Peter visited Rome all through his life and, more significantly, was martyred there. This is affirmed by the belief that his remains are below the St. Peters Basilica in Vatican City. St. Paul was thought to have been martyred in Rome as well. The majority of the claims for the popes authority are supported by one major argument- the so called Petrine theory. Affirmed by the Council of Florence in 1439, outlined as a subject of faith by the First Vatican Council in 1870, and approved by the Second Vatican Council in 1964, Jesus Christ bestowed the position of Primacy in the church upon Peter only. The First Vatican Council based their claim on a classical New Testament text long linked with it. In Mathew 16, Jesus inquires from his disciples who they believe he is. Peter says, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus responds: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.   [4]   Given that the word Peter stands for rock, the above stated verse has been taken by the Roman Catholic Church to mean that Peter was charged with the task of overseeing the formation of Gods Church, had spiritual power over it which he passed on to successive Popes (Protestants disagree that the rock signifies not only to Peter but to his admission of faith.) Additional biblical support for their claim has been found in the Gospel of John, whereby the resurrected Jesus directs Peter to feed my sheep. An imagery of St. Peter watching over the gates of heaven has its origin from the Matthew 16 passage.  [5]   The Bishop of Rome was one of the most significant Bishops of Western Europe up until the Reformation due to a number of factors. Being the city which lay claim to having the first martyr, (Peter), Rome was the historical capital of the empire and a politically key city, so it was expected that the bishop of the city would in addition be important. Furthermore, the pope was the most dominant figure that remained in Rome after the capital of the empire was moved to Constantinople by Constantine. The Bishop of Rome claimed control over all other bishops and Christians based on biblical passages, but some of it was as a result of political and cultural realities. In Western Europe, there existed no other cities to rival Rome giving the Roman Bishop automatic prestige. In the east however, there were rivals such as Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem. The bishop of Constantinople never did stoop to Roman claims. Additional prestige on Rome was as a result of tradition. It w as a city of martyrs. The earliest persecutions, initiated by Nero, occurred at Rome. In addition, Peter was martyred at Rome. As earlier observed, Rome was the solitary city in the Western hemisphere of the Empire while the rest (four) were found in the Eastern region of the Empire. As the two areas became increasingly culturally and politically advanced, the eastern region was in charge of decisions concerning the church and political life whereas Rome was sought out regarding decisions of vital nature, whether it be of political or religious side.  [6]   In addition, the barbarian attacks of the fifth century were significant. Leo I, considered by many as the first pope in the modern sense, was influential in convincing Attila the Hun not to attack Rome in 452. When it finally fell to the Vandals in 455, Leo persuaded their leader not to set the city on fire. These endeavors further added to the prestige to the bishop of Rome. Besides, when Rome fell to the barbarians in 455 AD, the church grew to be the defender of order, justice, and the remainder of civilization. The bishop of Rome was active in recapturing the harmony and steadiness that had been crushed by the attacks. Compared to the West, the Eastern side of the empire endured for another 1000 years, hence the bishops there didnt match the political significance as their Roman counterparts.  [7]   The reality of Rome being the center of political and religious power within Western Europe had some positive ramifications. Firstly, the Christian cause was broadened and Rome was viewed by not only Western Europe as the key voice and head of Christianity, owing in large part to the Catholic Church, but in addition accepted by the people who lived in the Eastern region of Europe. Rome accorded the bishops the chance to petition resolutions that were made, in regarding their standing and duty as men of faith. Many bishops that were given judgment that they sensed were unfair petitioned their case to the Roman Spiritual authority at the time.  [8]   The reality of Rome being the center of political and religious power within Western Europe had also negative positive ramifications. In time, the lines started to blur and it became difficult to differentiate between the responsibility of the church and government. There existed the feudal system that echoed the spiritual chain of command that had been advocated for by earlier theologians. This practice gave rights to landowners, allowing their servants to till the land in exchange for imbursement of wages or debt. In spite of this, wealthy persons arose who had servants that were obliged to them. This reached a point where it became a never-ending cycle of assistance with little to no possibility of ever being set free of their gained obligations. The church as well started to function in a way that was not planned by the founding fathers, for instance abbots being married. The lowest point of the Papacy occurred when at some point in when Stephen VI was in office, a trial took pla ce where his predecessor, who had passed away 3 days earlier, was taken before a council, found guilty and dragged through the city. After the ordeal, he was buried in a common grave. Subsequently his papal robes were taken and his fingers cut off.  [9]   Whereas Rome was the key voice of the Catholic Church, the church faced many challenges leading up to the Reformation.

Personal Narrative: Why Trust is Important to Me Essay -- Trust Charac

Personal Narrative: Why Trust is Important to Me Trust can take on many meanings in today’s society. It can exist in all aspects of our lives, and can have a dramatic impact on one’s personality. Trust, as a noun, is an assured reliance on the character, strength, or truth of someone or something; or a property interest held by one person for the benefit of another. Trust, as a verb, is to permit to stay or go or to do something without fear or misgiving. Trust is very important to me. I, myself, have had numerous experiences with trust, many helpless and some hopeful. It has affected my life in every way. I must place my trust in my family, my friends, and most importantly, in myself. I deal with it every day of my life in the most unexpected of situations. Many a time, I can hold it accountable for my moods and emotions, and it can sometimes lead to arguments. I feel that trust is very powerful and significant because of its ability to alter a society in such a substantial way. Trust is never ending; being dealt with on a day-to-day basis of belief and confidence. Once your self-trust is gone, so is your soul. In the book Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat, trust is a main theme in the book. Sophie and Martine are never trusted by their mothers, thus leading to the testing. A mother could not trust her daughter to keep her purity, so it was a mother’s responsibility to keep her whole. The effects were traumatizing, leading to nightmares. It also led to Sophie’s phobia of the night. When she was with her husband, the testing gave her such nightmares; she had to bite her tongue to do it again. She had no desire and thought it was an evil thing to do. The testing also made Sophie hate her body an... ... trust own mental strength. She didn’t have the confidence to stand up to her boyfriend for fear of a less than rewarding outcome. My experiences, Sophie’s, as well as this 19 year old’s are all relevant to each other since we all have given in to lies at one point in our lives for the mere short-lived happiness they bring. Trust can shape one’s identity dramatically. People who are trusted tend to be more self-confident and outgoing. Those who are not trusted tend to not believe in themselves, do not speak up as much, and tend to excel at lies. Depending on your trustworthiness, you can also be judged on other aspects of your personality. It can tell a lot about your personal life as well. Trust accounts for a vast part of one’s actions and decisions. Trust has come to play an important role in today’s society and it will forever take its toll upon us.

Introduction to Organizational Politics Essay

This piece consists heavily of quotations from and adaptations of material from several sources (see references at the end). There still may be some unreferenced quotations because I have lost track of their genesis over many years of moving content through various notes. I don’t claim originality, other than the choice and organizing of material – Rex Mitchell. Pfeffer (1992, p. 30) defined politics as â€Å"the processes, the actions, the behaviors through which potential power is utilized and realized†. Another author (Dubrin, 2001 , p. 92) defined organizational politics as â€Å"informal approaches to gaining power through means other than merit or luck†. It could be argued that politics are used primarily to achieve power, either directly or indirectly, e. g. , by being promoted, receiving a larger budget or other resources, or gaining desirable assignments. Many people regard organizational politics as something negative (e. g. , pursuing selflnterests at the expense of others) and something to be minimized. Consequently, although most people know that organizational politics are common, they avoid saying so when it concerns one=s own ehavior. It is more common to talk about politics when complaining about a loss to a friend than it is in the context of one’s own political maneuvering. When we win on an issue, we call it leadership; when we lose, we call it politics. In many organizations, politics is a taboo subject, which makes it difficult for individuals to deal with this crucially important aspect of organizational reality. I believe a leader must skillfully use organizational politics to acquire and retain power and to accomplish major goals. Therefore, it would be a mistake to pretend that politics does not exist or to antasize that a leader can be effective without appropriate (and ethical, I would add) use of politics. As Pericles wrote over 2500 years ago, â€Å"Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you. † I regard organizational politics as neither good nor bad, per se, although it is important for us to distinguish between ethical and unethical political behavior.

Reflective Journal Essay

Before the main discussion of the reflective journal, the author would firstly like to identify that how the â€Å"organisational wellness† subject affected her. In the beginning, the author chose this subject due to the reqirement that she must choose six units of third-year level to complete her degreee. And she didn’t have any knowledge about this subject before she decided to choose it. When she attended the first lecture of â€Å"organisational wellness† , she only has abstract and vague concept of the unit learning objectives. After the ten weeks’ learning, she has clearer and better understanding of herself and she has known some important concepts which should be considered when addressing the wellbeing problem in the workplace. On the whole, the author will review the material that learned in this subject many times in the future. And the material that she learned in this subject may assist her to solve the relevant problems in her future working life. To achieve this goal, this reflective journal will concentrate on six topics that were covered in this unit. The author will present her understanding of these topics and how these topics can assist to address the wellbeing problems in the workplace. Moreover, the author will illustrate the reasons why these topics are memorable and helpful in the future. Farrell and Geist-Martin’s Wellness Model: The first topic which included in the reflective journal is quite positive to me. It helps me to know the fundamental framework of â€Å"Wellness Model†. And I had a clearer conception of â€Å"Organisational Wellness† after I attended week two’s lecture and read the relevant material about this topic. This is the first topic that covered in the reflective journal. And it is one of the important topic in this subject. It introduced the framework of wellness model and it montioned some concepts that would be covered in other topics. Farrell and Geist-Martin(2005) developed a model of working well. It includes two parts of identities which are organisational health ideologies and individual health ideologies. The figure below shows that Farrell and Geist-Maritin’s (2005) working well model. Figure 1: Model of Working Well The organisational health ideologies include the following four elements: 1) mission, vision, values, and goal statements that incorporate and communicate a working-well philosophy; (2) mechanisms that allow employees to provide feedback about the wellness program; (3) upper management to support the working-well philosophy; (4) a continuous system that allows employees to evaluate the financial, social, environmental, organisational and personal health of the wellness program. And the individual health identities involve four elements as well. It consists of psychological health, physical health, social health and spiritual health. The aim of the â€Å"Working Well Model† is to develop an efficient and accurate wellness program. And the organisations want to improve employees’ production and work efficiency through the â€Å"Working Well Model†. Moreover, as the figure above shows that organisational health ideologies should express their message and idea of wellness to the employees. And then, the employees would give some feedback to the organisations. For instance, employees’ view of wellness and health. The organisations can improve the wellness program according to the feedback of employees. Farrell and Geist-Martin(2005) claimed that the organisation need to know individual’s view of health and wellness and how they response to organisational health ideologies. If the organisation fail to negotiate with employees, the wellness model would not be successful. Therefore, it is important for the organisation to communicate with employees, otherwise they would not develop an efficient and accurate wellness program. However, the organisation’s view of health ideologies may different from the individual’s. For example, the health ideologies of Telstra focus on the economic and productivity goal. There were some news reported that some employees of Telstra can not afford the work stress and chose to end their lives in 2007. Cubby (2007) wrote that employees’ suicide were related to the extreme work stress in Telstra. According to the news, Greg Winn, Telstra’s chief operations officer said that â€Å"WE RUN an absolute dictatorship and that’s what’s going to drive this transformation and deliver results. † (Cubby, 2007) Furthermore, Greg Winn claim that the employees in Telstra must try any measures to persuade customers to accept the service that they offered. And Telstra were tracking employees’ productivity. If the employees don’t operate and satisfy the superior’s reqirement, they would be fired from Telstra. As such a workplace environment with extreme pressure to meet Telstra’s goal and get profit, some employees committed suicide. Hence, the organisation should not only focus on the economic goal, but also should know emloyees’ view of health identities. If they just focus on the economic goal and ignore employee’s health, the productivity of employees would lower than normal level or even worse. Also they may lead to negative effects on employees. In a word, the â€Å"Model of Working Welll† is important to the organisations and individuals. After I learned this topic, I realized that we should consider both perspectives of health ideologies. If the organisation or individual just consider their own benefit but ignore another party’s perspective, the wellness program would not efficient. Moreover, I consider I will apply these concepts to evaluate my health level in the future. If the organisation force me to fulfil an impossible target, I will speak up and do anything I can to protect my walfare and rights. In addition, when I work in a company, I need to consider the organisation’s perspective and my own perspective of health ideologies. It is important to think these two perspective of health ideologies instead of considering personal’s perspective only. Once the organisational’s perspective and personal perspective of health ideologies are quite different from each other, the two parties should communicate with each other to work out the problems. Thus, the â€Å"Model of Working Well† help me to develop an overview of â€Å"Organisational Wellness† and introduce some concepts which are useful to organisations to create a wellness program. And I knew the importance of thinking health ideologies by different angles. Physical Health Identities: This topic has been included in the reflective journal for reasons that helped me identify the symptoms of stress and gave me some idea to release my stress. Another reason for covering this topic in the reflective journal due to the great impact on my stress management and stress awareness. Also, it is the second topic which covered in the reflective journal. This topic is one of the most important and useful topic for me to cover. And the aterial of this topic is quite interesting. Furthermore, this topic can help me to aware the stress symptoms and stress level in the future. And it will allow me to manage my stress in a better method on the basis of stress symptoms and stress level. Before I knew that we should track our stressors for five weeks as an assessment of â€Å"Organisational Wellness†, I haven’t realized that this semester’s stressors have some impact on my study life. I took three compulsory units and one elective unit in this semester. And two of them are quite difficult. Though I knew in advance that this semester would be tough enough for me, I still think so positive and optimistic of these stressors. And I believe that I have got the ability to handle these challenges. Unfortunately, I overstated my ability to deal with the stressors. The stressors came too fast and I haven’t got enough time to deal with these challenges. Moreover, the stressors began to affect on my daily life and my physical health. When I started to record and track my stressors and the symptoms that raised by stress, I realized that the stressors have some impact on my physical health. During these five weeks, the major stressors included the class test, writing the assignment, overcommitted and difficulties with parents. Other stressors involves changing in sleeping habit, sense of overload in school, performing in front of a class, and lack of sleep. Moreover, there were a series of stress events which contained the relationship with friends became worse, family affairs, and the noncooperation among the group member when we planned to do the presentation. The class test and writing the assignment led to highly stressful in week 4. Because the class test was counted as part of my final result. And it was the first time that I took that kind of short answer test. The assignment was another major stressor in week 4 due to the degree of difficulty. I was so worry about that I couldn’t finish the assignment on time. In addition, other stressors led to moderately stress among these weeks. After few weeks, too many challenges were presented to me at the same time. And it beyond my capability to fulfil and operate these challenges. I began to feel the stress and the stress level became more and more higher. Thereafter, the symptoms of stress has appeared. They included powerlesness, depression, irritable, headaches, backaches, insomnia, anxiety, physical weakness and have sleeping difficulties. When I was tracking the stressors, I reviewed some materials which include lecture notes and reading on physical health identities. After I reviewed the materials of physical health identities, I found out that there was a similar pattern has appeared between the stressors and my physical health symptoms. In week 3’s reading from Halpern(2005), he mentioned that there was a relationship between physiology and job-related stress. And he also pointed out that the conflict between two aspects of one’s job would lead to job stress. For example, employees need to complete a hugh amount of work within a limited time and maintain the accuracy, or while other roles and responsibilities have conflict with job demands (Halpern, 2005). For me, the conflict between two aspects of one’s job may refer to my study life and my family affairs. Moreover, I believe that there were some conflict between my individual roles and responsibilities in these weeks. Because I have many assignments and tests to complete for my study and I also have some family affairs to resolve. There were some conflict between the roles. And I could not fulfil these tasks at one time. During the period of recording and tracking my stressors and stress symptoms, I tried some measures to release my stress. The methods included jogging, having a chat with close friends, watching funny movies, preparing the relevant materials that need to review and so on. These methods helped me to release some stress during these five weeks. Therefore, the physical health identities help us to realize the symptoms of the stress. And then we can try to manage our stress according to the symptoms of stress and stress level. If we know the extent of our stress, we can find out more suitable method to manage the stress. It will be useful in my future’s work life because there are more stressors in the workplace. Spiritual Health: The third topic has been included in this reflective journal is about â€Å"Spiritual Health†. I did not quite understand the real meaning of â€Å"Spiritual Health† before I read the weekly reading material and attended the tutorial. And I didn’t think about â€Å"Spiritual Health† so deeply before I attended the lecture. My understanding of â€Å"Spiritual Health† was only on a superficial dimension. Spiritual Health† is a quite abstract and difficult topic for me to understand. Because it can not be totally explained by words. In my own opinion, spirit is the thing that truely inside everyone’s heart. Mitroff and Denton(1999) stated that â€Å"spirit is the basic feeling of being connected with one’s complete self, others and the entire universe†. In other words, no one can force you to accept their point of view. Because everyone has his or her own value of the world, the society and other things. These values that people believe are shaped in people’s childhood. And the society that people stay would have an impact on personal value as well (Rokeach, 1973). Hence, once individual has formed his own value, it will be difficult to persuade him to change his value. When I was taking the tutorial of this topic, I began to think more deeply of my spiritual health. Especially, after I heard other classmates’ thoughts of the things that they experienced during the tutorial. Howell (2005) pointed out that spirituality is a continuous process to find its deeply meaning and purpose in our life. However, the problem that I faced on was I even didn’t realize the spirituality’s importance and I didn’t begin my process to find the meaning and purpose in my life. I grew up in a traditional family and my parents arranged all the things for me include the schools and the major I took in the university. Until now, I have entered into the second year of the course in the university, I still haven’t think about what kind of job would I take in the future. The one really inside me has not been discovered yet. I didn’t have got the things that I really want to do in the past few years. The truly me has not been concerned before I noticed the importance of spiritual health. Thus, I tried to dig out that who I really am. However, how to improve the current thought and understanding of spiritual health inside myself is an intractable problem. If you just simply object to others’ opinion, for example your parents, or escape from the current environment you live, that would not change anything. You just try to escape from the reality. The way of digging out your own spirit is to find out the things that you really want to do and the things that you worth to do. It is important to seek the meaning of our life. We don’t live for other people. We live for ourselves. If we couldn’t find out the things we want to do, the life would lose its meaning. And we might lose the purpose of living in this soceity. Everyone has his or her own value of their lives. It is difficult to evaluate whether other people’s spiritual world is happiness or not. One day, I was watching the news on TV and that news really impressed me. The content of the news was about some children in remote area need to tramp over mountains and through ravines to arrive at the school. The mountains that they need to climb are quite steep and dangerous. When the journalist asked them whether the study life like this is tough, most of them thought it was normal in their daily life. Though the road to the school was tough, they still feel happy because they can study lots of knowledge in the school. I was really impressed by these children’s words. They enjoy the things that they were doing and they think the things were worth to do, though that seems very tough to others. They satisfy with their daily life and feel very happy. But when we think about ourselves, we always complain the society and the daily life. Our lives are inundated with dissatisfaction. Maybe this is due to people who live in a better environment have gain too much and they still desire for more things. Based on this understanding, I decided that I need to work hard in the future and try my best to help the children in China who are in remote area. If I have the qualification to teach these children, I would volunteer to help them. It is a long and difficult process to dig out my own sense of spirituality but I’m trying my best to do it. Overall, the spiritual health is a very difficult topic to understand. Both organisational and personal spirituality are important to us. Though I didn’t metion the organisation’s spirituality in the discussion above because I haven’t got any experience of it. To an individual, if he know the meaning of his life and he has got the living purpose, he might live better in his life. Because he has the appetency to success in his life. For me, the spiritual health is important as well. And I’m trying to find out my own spirituality. Moreover, I have realized the importance of the spirituality in the workplace, and hope my better understanding of spirituality can help me to find a suitable job. And it may allow me to have a better performance in my future workplace.

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