Psychological Foundation of Human Resource Development

Introduction The effective management of human resource is the means through which organizations can succeed in continued growth and financial stability. The discipline of human resource development has been considered to be based on the theories of not only economic and systems but also on the psychological theories of the surrounding the human resource department.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychological Foundation of Human Resource Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, there has not been enough exploration on the implications associated with the economic theories on the human resource development theories. In this context, human resource development entails the process which focuses on bringing out the best of human expertise with the sole purpose of improving and maximizing the performance of n organization. The dominating theoretical understanding of human resource development is the int egration of all theories that may seem to be significant in an organization’s operations as well as promoting result oriented functionality. This can only be achieved by human resource development through creation of a much friendlier working environment by improving the health of workers from a psychological and social perspective (Swanson, 2008, p. 1). This paper examines the need for the human resource development department to keep checks on the well-being of the employees by discussing the possible factors that may affect the well-being of the workers with much emphasis on stress audits. Assessment of the psychosocial workplace With the increasing competition in markets, human resources get under a lot of pressure to produce high quality products and services in order to maintain the organizations’ position in the market. Such pressure may be prolonged enough to cause strain on the employees. This could affect the physical, psychological and behavioral capabilitie s of the employees. Physical strains affect the employees’ to perform bodily duties due to muscle aches, headaches, and other discomforts in the body. This has been confirmed in various researches which show that some disorders such as musculoskeletal are a result of workplace stress. Psychological strain mostly affects the employees ability to perform effectively hence may cause a reduction in productivity. They are indicated by depression and anxiety both of which relatively causes job dissatisfaction. On the other hand, behavioral strains involve the unusual and most likely unethical behaviors on the part of the employees at the workplace. They include addiction to alcohol or medicines, uncontrollable consumption of food and most importantly, unprofessional interaction with other workers or even superiors.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, when employee s are strained the organizations get affected too. For instance, absenteeism may result from employee stress especially where the strain is a result of poor working environment. Losses incurred during compensation to stressed or injured employees are likely to result (Thomas, butts, Vandernberg, Dejoy and Wilson 2005, p. 4790. Similarly, compensation on workers and expenses on health schemes increase. This is where the human resource comes in to ensure that the psychosocial lives of the employees are maintained steady by creating favorable working environment which would then result to healthier production. However, many organizations do not pay much attention to workers’ stressful conditions but rather leave it to the employees to deal with it. Organizations should therefore work more on employee stress and this entails getting involved in individual level stress management and not just organizing stress management courses and that is it. This entails the participation of th e organization in identifying and implementing effective stress busters. The most effective method that is appropriate for human resource development is the use of stress audit which is a systematic tool used to measure stressors as well as stress busters in a workplace environment. Stress audits are effective in identifying performance related stressors that would not have been identified in the traditional assessments of human resource development. Despite the fact that stress audits are meant to address organization related stress, there is also the need to examine the most recognized stressors especially those that promote the health of the employees. This entails the assessment of organizational factors that affect the physical, social and psychological being of the employees (Quill, 1999, 19). However, the most effective factors to assess are the range of work load on the employees, the behavior of the workers’ supervisor, social support availed by the organization to t he employees and the control method used by the organization on the workers. These factors are significant to all organizational settings and have most impacts on the employee performance and behavior.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychological Foundation of Human Resource Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aspect of job control entails the extent to which workers are allowed to have control on their duties. According to research, worker who have low control over their jobs are less healthy than those with high control. It is obviously stressful for anyone to be controlled in all aspects of work. Therefore, addressing stress associated with low job control should not, by any means, involve the implementation of more control from the superiors. However, increasing the job control should be carefully undertaken to avoid giving the employees certain responsibilities that they view as legitimately t heir superiors’. The most effective measures to solving this problem would be re-scheduling tasks, work policies and duty procedures as well as including breaks for resting. These physical arrangements help workers feel more at ease with their work. Work overload, on the other hand, refers to a situation in which workers have too much work and a limited time to do the work. This may be referred to as quantitative work load with a qualitative work load involving a situation where workers have complex duties which may cause strain on them. Generally, work overload has serious effects on the health of workers including heart related conditions. The effect of work load on employees may increase due to the need of workers to balance between work and life and this is precisely what results to signs of strain. This could be solved by utilizing organizational resources as much as possible as well as giving employees time to recover from such work-related pressures (Hood 2001, p. 165) . Similarly, lack of support especially from the managers is one of the greatest contributors to employee stress. Social support such as being attentive to workers and offering them ideas and counseling services are some of the important ways of giving social support to employees. Instrumental support is as important as social support especially through helping workers in aspects such as advising, coaching, job training or by mentoring employees. Social support is not only important in promoting health in organizations, but at all levels of individuals’ lives.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Psychological health is better supported through social support from family, friends, work mates and job managers as well. On the other hand, social support is significant in the work place as it helps transfer the skills attained from the training session to the real working environment. Social support can be created by emphasizing on team work and cooperation between all stakeholders in an organization. This prevents employees from strain that results due to tension and emotional tiredness. Work supervisors have great influence on the employee’s well being since they determine how workers feel about them and how well or bad they perceive them. Inconsiderate supervisors may cause psychological strain on workers by being too hard on them and pressuring them especially on work load related matters (Kahnweiler, 1991, p. 347). This is because supervisors are in charge of job delegation and planning and it is precisely how they do this that affects the employee performance and he alth. Supervisor self reflection is one of the significant ways in which originations can foster in efforts of trying to avoid compromise on the psychological health of employees. Conclusion As much as all organizations want to succeed especially in maintaining their market positions in the competitive world of business, they should also understand the need to maintain good health for their employees because they are the foundation to the organizations’ performance. Since most workers get stressed due to work related issues, it is the duty of human resource development to ensure that favorable working conditions are created for the employees in order to promote healthy performance (Biggie and Hunt 1992, p. 623). Psychological fitness is the most important tool in work performance and as long as workers are not provided with environments that promote psychological health, their performance can never be as efficient as the organizations want it to be. All in all, the workers sh ould work alongside their superiors towards ensuring maximum production in organizations by devoting themselves to their work but in a healthy way. However, one question which arises from this paper is â€Å"who is to blame for organization’s poor performance both in production and in the market?† Reference List Biggie, M., and Hunt, M. (1962). Psychological foundations of education: An introduction to human development and learning. Universal digital library: Harper Brothers. Hood, P. (2001). Human resource development: motivation and movement. Management in education 15 (19). Kahnweiler, W (1991, November). HRD and empowerment. Training and development. New York: EBSCO. Quill, W. (1999, summer). The psychology of human resource development; a consequent of radical cultural change in America. Journal of business and psychology, 13 (4). Swanson, R. (2008). Economic foundation of human resource development: advancing the theory and practice of the discipline. Thomas, W ., Butts, M., Vandernberg, R., Dejoy, D., and Wilson, M,. (2005). Effects of management communication, opportunity for learning and work schedule flexibility on organizational commitment. Journal of vocational behavior, 68 (2006) 474-489. This essay on Psychological Foundation of Human Resource Development was written and submitted by user Evan Walton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Pandemics essays

Pandemics essays Throughout history, pandemics/epidemics have had dire effects on societies and sent shockwaves through the world. They have undermined economies and eroded the very foundations and values these societies were based on. Two of these pandemics, perhaps the worst, are the Bubonic Plague of 14th century Europe and the AIDs outbreak in 20th/21st The Bubonic (or 'Black) Plague originated from rodents and fleas in China, in the 1330s. Being a bustling trading city at the time, it was inevitable the disease would spread and cause a major pandemic. It was Italian merchants brought the disease to Europe. (Rice, The Black Death: Bubonic Plague) "The Black Sea, where the Italians had trading colonies...The Black Plague spread through the importing and exporting of goods from country to country (Turner, The Plague)." Europeans, not knowing any better, blamed god. Early attempts to quarantine the infected and cordon off infected/uninfected cities were a failure because the Europeans failed to realize the disease was perpetuated by rodents and fleas, not other humans. During winter time, animals seeking refuge from the cold would often hide in houses, infecting a family which would inevitably lead to a whole town being infected (Turner, The Plague). Also contributing to the rapid spread of the plague was the poor sanitation common in European society. Bathing was rare, due to a lack of running water. Garbage was often left unchecked in the streets, feeding and attracting the creatures that had the virus (West, What is the Bubonic Plague?). All these factors only helped to breed the virus and contribute to rapid spread. In five years (1347-1352), the plague wiped out 25 million people, or one third of Europe's populace. It took several centuries for Europe to regain this appaling number of people. Even centuries after the plague had devastated Europe, minor outbreaks occured. In mid-17th century London, ...

Economics for buisness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economics for buisness - Essay Example The market has various structures under which firms operate. A market structure is the method or system wherein "the suppliers and demanders in an industry interact to determine price and quantity (Deardorff, 2001)." There are four main market structures: perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. The categorization is based on the extent and characteristics of competition in the market that affects the behavior of both the buyers and sellers (Fischer). One consideration in analyzing market structures is how the price of a particular product affects the quantity demanded of the product. The relationship between the price of a product and the quantity demanded is measured by the price elasticity of demand (PED). A perfect (pure) competition is a market wherein potential and actual buyers and sellers are so many that both market players have very limited individual influence in the market. Because of the huge number of participants in this market structure, individual producers and consumers are heaviliy dependent on the market forces and mechanisms. A perfect competion has di... The second character of a perfectly competitive market is that firms are price takers. This means that no single firm can affect the price. Because of the numerous firms that produce and sell an identical product. Their number makes their influence insignificant. Buyers of this product are also many. Consumers have the information regarding the prices that all sellers in the market charge. This makes consumers sensitive to the changes in price. If one firm raised the price of its product, buyers can easily switch to another firm's product, which is, as mentioned above, a perfect substitute. All firms are assumed to have equal access to resources and improvements in production technologies achieved by one firm can spill-over to all the other suppliers in the market. No one is assumed to be privileged when it comes to acess to technology and other factor inputs. Another notable quality of perfect competition is its freedom of its firms to enter in and exit from the market in the long run. This means that the market is open to competition from new suppliers. The existence and the absence of an individual firm does not affect the overall market. Price Elasticity of Demand in Perfect Competition In a perfect competition, the demand curve is perfectly elastic. This means that a change in price of a good in this market structure will greatly affect the quantity that consumers demand. As mentioned above, any increase in price will cause the demand for the product to fall. If one internet service provider raises its price, customers will find another firms that provide the same, standard product. Features of Perfectly competitive market With the mentioned qualities above, a

Legalizing drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legalizing drugs - Essay Example ‘This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead’ (Miron, 2009). This led Miron to controversially conclude ‘the only way to reduce violence is to legalize drugs’. I aim to discuss arguments supporting the controlled legalization drugs. ‘The legalization of drugs would massively reduce organized crime’ (Micklethwart, 1994). Legalization wouldn’t mean the existing ‘evil drug pushers’ controlling the market. Instead, official legal businesses (e.g. cigarette companies) would take control of the drug industry. ‘The number of drug related murders would fall because turf battles would be settled by law instead of gun fire and corruption/blackmail/bribes by drug dealers to judges, government officials and the police, etc would diminish’ (Micklethwart, 1994). Cussen and Block (2000) also claim that the price of drugs could fall if they are made legal due to increased competition amongst drug companies, which could reduce theft, and murder rates among addicts in order to get their next ‘fix’ because they wouldn’t need as much money to afford them. The increased availability of drugs could therefore decrease drug-related crime. Drug revenues of cartels (often international organisations which support terrorism and add to violent crime) could also diminish due to drug revenues being increasingly distributed by free-market forces (Cussen and Block, 2000). On the whole, crime figures would reduce dramatically as formerly illegal activities become ‘socially approved business transactions (Cussen and Block, 2000: 528). ... However, when prohibition ended, alcohol related crime decreased. The same scenario could happen if drugs were legalized too. The legalization of drugs could also stop the ‘potency effect’, which is best summarized with the example of prohibition. During this time, the sellers would sell alcohol with higher alcoholic concentrations (higher potency) because ‘hard liquors’ had greater value (per unit of volume) (Cussen and Block, 2000). This resulted in people drinking alcohol with higher concentrations such as vodka, which, when drunk excessively is more dangerous than beer and wine. The same ‘potency effect’ can also be applied to today’s drug trade, in which dealers carry more potent drugs (which are also the most dangerous to consume, e.g. cocaine) due to their greater monetary value. I believe the ‘potent effect’ of drugs could be reduced is they were legalized. A legalized drug trade could also save taxpayers money. For e xample, in the UK, drug related crime costs the state department ?16 billion a year. Easton (2009) estimated that a regulated drug market for cocaine and heroin would see ?7 billion worth of savings due to savings in the cost of drug crime. ‘Jails are also often overcrowded and large amounts of tax payers dollars are being spent on enforcement efforts that only aggravate the problem’ (Cussen and Block, 2000: 532). Legalizing drugs could therefore cut the costs, not only of the consequences of addicts’ habits, but also for tax payers. Legalizing drugs would also mean that they could be taxed like alcohol and cigarettes, which would provide the state with a new substantial form of revenue which could outweigh related expenditure / costs, occurred onto

Final report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final report - Essay Example One of the environmental trends that affect the product’s demand is the legal environment. As an innovative product, we expect to reserve rights over the product through patent rights. This prevents other people or entities from producing and trading in a similar product. Patent right however run for a specified period then protection of rights over innovation becomes void. During the protection period, the venture anticipates an increasing demand as the product gains popularity into the market because of limited level of competition. The legal environment will ensure minimal competition but tight competition is expected after expiry of patent rights as other parties are likely to develop and sell similar products and demand will be expected to reduce. Trend in the legal environment that changes by legislations may also have adverse impacts on the venture should legislation be enforced to term illegalize the product on safety and health grounds. This is because of its scope th at allows electric charges into people’s bodies, a factor that may become controversial a legislation that bans the product will terminate its demand (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel 128, 155). Economic trend also affect the product because of the trend’s impact on people’s ability to purchase. ... Demographic factors such as level of education social class and age are other trends that affect the product’s demand. Level of education plays an important role in informing people of the safety in using the devise and together with social class empowers people towards demand. The wider scope of the product’s market that targets the global market extends these trends from local to national and global levels (Luck 56). Consumers’ taste and preference against the product may influence the market and limit our potential to sell the product. Customer research: To analyze demographics, psychographics, and purchasing behavior of the target market A primary research was necessary to understand the target market. The research implemented a qualitative research design through phenomenology. Qualitative research was selected because of its scope and type of data that corresponded to the type of research that aimed at understanding psychological and behavioral aspects of t he target market. Phenomenology, a research design that relies on participants’ experience to develop an understanding of their perspective was used because of its suitability for the scope of research and its ability to capture reality. Survey questionnaire was applied on a randomly selected sample of 12 participants (McNabb 147, 148, 301, 302, 308, ). The following is the applied survey questionnaire. The participants were offered the product to use for a week and the questionnaire administered to each of them. Survey Questionnaire How effective are the normal alarms in waking you up? Have you tried our product before? How effective is our product in waking people up compared to traditional alarms?

The Realism In War English Literature Essay

The Realism In War English Literature Essay In times of war one must simply endure to survive; as a seemingly insignificant foot soldier discovers in Charles Harrisons novel, Generals Die in Bed. Through this character Harrison strips away any possible glorifications that were previously found in most stories of war. Charles Harrison presents the reality of war without attempting to romanticize the idea of grand battles. War, as depicted in Harrisons work, is an unadorned, hollow, and meaningless endeavor that nations have had the unfortunate habit of creating and recreating throughout history. Without this sense of safety, which previous works have accomplished by sugar coating war, Generals Die in Bed weaves together a representation of war that maximizes the full-blown power of a harsh reality. Harrison achieves a graphic portrayal of war through the novels form. More specifically, the clever use of structure, plot, characterization, language, and point of view allows Harrison to portray the stark contrast of the reality of war with the common perception of chivalry in battle. True to its anti-war reputation, the novel illustrates war in a dramatic and horrifying way. This is easily identified as the concept and purpose of war are continuously questioned. As the disapproval of war becomes a common theme, of Generals Die in Bed, many justifications behind these views become clear. Needless deaths and constant terror, as well as emotional suffering and trauma, become common factors that contribute to the distaste involved with war. Deaths and misery need no annotation; they simply are. These daily horrors only increase the damning nature towards war when they have no justifiable cause. As the question of why constantly crops up in the plot, the idea of a just war is heavily questioned. More simply, war makes no sense. The plot further enforces the incomprehensible aspects of war by avoiding the traditional eight point arch and adopting a sustained tension and conflict, without the obligatory resolution that is supposedly substantial. Harrisons novel does not employ this common convention; but creates a structure consisting of two main components: rest and action. The rest is represented by the moments and periods in which the protagonist, and his fellow soldiers, takes his time away from the front lines. The action, on the one hand, represents the trench times, bombardments and raids that the soldiers had to face and endure. This structural preference adds to the sense of immediacy and involvement that the reader experiences and allows the story of war to become more believable. In this way, Generals Die in Bed is debunking the romanticized notion that war is a duel and an extravagant battle. Even in war, there are periods of inaction. The dispatch; the months and weeks of being away from the trenches; the visit to London; and the benign conversations of soldiers all construct the varied pauses that punctuate the lives of the soldiers during the war. By including these inactive periods, Harrison is not making an attempt to portray the absence of conflict. In fact, Harrison achieves quite the opposite by means of including aspects of the war in every facet of life. For example, when the protagonist was vacationing in London, the conflict was not unfelt. Despite efforts to escape the war, vague traces of it follows him wherever he goes, like the sound of distant cannons. Even while trying to escape the ter rors of warfare, the protagonist is unable to let go of his current mindset. During his visit to the theater, for example, the unnamed soldier notices that the play and audience trivialize the war, and feel[s] they have no right to laugh at jokes about the war (107). Despite this, however, conflict does more than merely contribute to the sense that war is slowly consuming the lives around it. The conflict depicted in the novel works as an important event. By jumping from important event to important event, Harrison allows the protagonist to express his sense of confusion. Much like a lost soul, the soldier seems to wander through time. This effect, although not conventional, allows the reader to understand the effect that war can have on the mind, as well as contributes to the impression of a dazed soldier. In addition to this, the jumping of event also can contribute to a sense of befuddlement, suggesting that war cannot be understood, and lack of control. This lack of control can relate back to the inability to stop the damaging effects of war, but can also help portray the situation of the soldier: A soldiers life is not his own, but belongs to the hierarchy of war. This sense of being lost, and not belonging to ones self, is supported when Ha rrison does not give the novel a satisfactory and definitive resolution. Although the protagonist was sent home because of his leg injury, the reader knows that the conflict stays with him even after his separation from the war. The war bears eternal inner conflicts that an individual who had seen and borne the war will wrestle with throughout most of his life. This final portrayal of the damaging effects of war is, in truth, the turning point in Harrisons protagonist; making the young soldier a round character. Harrison depicts most of the characters as people who do not feel a glorified and heroic attachment to war. They are all practical and intent on staying alive during the course of the war. These characters are regular people who see the war as a terrifying nuisance and a needless disruption to their normal lives. The protagonist represents the qualities and features of all the other characters in the story, but shows signs of a struggling sense of self as well. Harrison tries to capture the realistic emotions and concerns of regular soldiers in his characterization of the male young protagonist. In the novel, the lead character holds no romantic notions about the war. He did not join the war out of patriotism or the need to feel heroic. He went there because he had to and was left with no choice. The first chapter of the novel sees the protagonist and all the other soldiers leaving Montreal with a heavy heart. They were well aware that their participation offered two possibilities: l ife or death. What makes Harrisons characters realistic is that the soldiers in the story are made to see the war for what it truly is. Their reactions to the war are honest because they have been exposed to the horrors of flying shrapnel and dead boys. What they see; hear; and feel, they reflect in the novel without pretense or pride. The horrific actions required for survival have humbled the soldiers, much like the thoughts of the protagonist after witnessing Brownies death. The soldiers felt no hate towards their enemies, but wished only to survive; they looked without resentment towards the woods. [They were] animated only by a biting hunger for safety. Safetyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (47) and the protagonist was not ashamed to admit that their immediate reaction was not pity, but the pressing need to survive and live. These harsh living conditions, allow the soldiers to view the war from an entirely new perspective. The characters, particularly the protagonist, develop acute perceptions of the truth due to intense experiences. This is generally caused by self-reflection after some sort of struggle, similar to the internal conflict that the nameless soldier experienced after killing the young German soldier with his bayonette. Due to this and other conflicts, the protagonist eventually came to the realization that the true enemies in the war were not the soldiers from the opposing camp, but the struggles and hardships they continued to face. More specifically, the lead character believes that the their enemies are- the lice, some of our officers, and death (36). The protagonist also concluded, along with his fellow soldiers, that while they are busy fighting the war; others are making a profit out the necessities and demands of war. Each soldier wish[es] the war was over, but believe me, theres plenty that dont (143). These perceptions reflect the characters understanding of wars true nature. From their perspective, the war is entirely cruel and without benefits. More specifically, to the soldier this business of military glory and arms means carrying parties, wiring fatigues, wet clothes, and cowering in a trench under shellfire (140). The characters in the novel are skilled in bringing down the narrative of war from its high and mighty perch, and pulling it onto the ground to reduce it to facts. Harrison simply reflects the ideals of his characters by his use of language. The novel is saturated with a language that is terse and to the point. Harrison does this on purpose in an endeavor to support and expound on the novels theme and intent. Conversations between comrades are never lengthy or pompous. While many would surmise that talks during war would tend to veer towards the philosophical, in truth, soldiers exchange few in depth conversations. Due of the tension-filled surroundings and the dire context they find themselves in, the soldiers often find the need to seek relief. Their conversations reflect this as they often daydream of food and clean sheets. In fact philosophy is almost never discussed between soldiers, and religion was only sought after in moments where one found himself close to death. During these moments the language used becomes more abrupt and jolting, adding to a sense of terror. The abrupt contains the apprehension, worries, and pain of the soldiers. Aware of this, Harrison employs disjointed, and almost monosyllabic, articulations and exchanges to create the sense of tension. The frugal use of language can give off a sense of dread, allowing readers to immerse or take part in the experience of the characters. When being bombarded in trenches, the world around them didnt burst into extravagant, superfluous trains on thought and emotion; the world erupted into chaos and fragments of clear thought. The sky is lit by hundreds of fancy fireworks like a night carnival. The air shrieks and catcalls. Still they come. I am terrified. I hug the earth, digging my fingers into every crevice, every hole. A blinding flash and an exploding howl a few feet in front of the trench. My bowels liquefy. (25). This effect causes a more direct focus on the basic emotions and instinct in a moment of severe stress. This lack of thought process gives the protagonist animal-like qualities and emphasizes the sense of immediacy and confusion for the reader: this highlights their connection to the protagonist and creates an emotional reaction in the reader that is closer to what one may experience in war.. However, short sentences are not the only way in which Harrison creates this effect. To depict the war in realistic and personal terms, Harrison adopts the first person point of view, using the pronouns I and We throughout the novel. The first person perspective makes the realities of war more pronounced and believable. The way in which he switches from the use of I and we can give the reader a more powerful reaction to the events in the book. During stressful times, as depicted in the excerpt above, the protagonist refers to himself as I to emphasize his survival instinct, and the action in the scene. In other words, the realism that Harrison aims at is conveyed effectively because the protagonist tells his story of war from his own vantage point. The events, feelings, and ideas contained in the novel take their basis on the narrator having participated in the war himself. . However, during periods of rest or contemplation, the protagonist uses the pronoun we to refer to himself and his comrades. The use of we enables the reader to realize that the war extends beyond the protagonist. In addition to this, the pronoun we promotes the reader to feel the unifying effects of war, ultimately creating a more realistic account of the war. It is not enough that Harrison employs a first person point of view; he chooses to depict the war from the perspective of the soldier. This is an imperative narrative strategy because it creates more trust between the reader and the protagonist, encouraging a sense of reliability. In his novel, Generals Die in Bed, Charles Harrison challenges all the glorifying and romantic notions people may have about war. Although his protagonist is not a hero, he is a realistic representation of the survivor. The war in which the soldiers see themselves holds no splendor, but it kills, traumatizes, and scars. This is the war that Harrison came to witness as a former soldier, and this is the image in which he hopes to leave his readers. Armed with this vivid experience, he makes no attempt to discolor the truths about war. In not aspects of his novel does Harrison shy from his realistic perception of war. In fact, the strategic method in which Harrison constructed his novel helps to convey his message to his readers: war holds no glory, it holds not meaning, and yet it is pursued.

Stephen Crane and Walt Whitman: The Natural and the Language of Social

Stephen Crane and Walt Whitman: The Natural and the Language of Social Protest      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though in his short life Stephen Crane was never a soldier, his novel The Red Badge of Courage was commended by Civil War veterans as well as veterans from more recent wars not only for its historical accuracy but its ability to capture the psychological evolution of those on the field of battle (Heizberg xvi). Walt Whitman, on the other hand, served as a field medic during the Civil War. He was exposed perhaps to the most gruesome aspect of the war on a daily basis: the primitive medical techniques, the wounded, the diseased, the dying and the dead. Out of his experiences grew a collection of poems, "Drum Taps" , describing the horrors he had witnessed and that America suffered. As literary artists, a wide chasm of structure and style separates Crane and Whitman. The common cultural experience, the heritage of the Civil War connects them, throwing a bridge across the darkness, allowing them, unilaterally, to dispel notions of glorious battles and heroic honorable de aths. By examining Crane's Henry Fleming and the wound dresser from 'Whitman's poem of the same name, both fundamental literary differences and essential thematic consistencies emerge.    In The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming was drawn to enlist by his boyhood dreams. His highly romanticized notion of war was eclectic, borrowing from various classical and medieval sources. Nevertheless, his exalted, almost deified, conception of the life of a soldier at rest and in combat began to deflate before the even the ink had dried on his enlistment signature. Soon the army ceased to possess any personal characteristics Henry had once envisioned, becoming an unthinking, dispas... ...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962. Hartwick, Harry. The Foreground of American Fiction. New York: American Book Co, 1934, p. 17-44 Rpt in Crane,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Sculley Bradley, Richard Beatty, and E. Hudson Long Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962. Schroeder, John W. "Stephen Crane Embattled," University of Kansas City Review, XVII (Winter 1950), 119 Rpt. in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Sculley Bradley, Richard Beatty, and E. Hudson Long Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962. Walcutt, C.C. American Literary Naturalism, A Divided Stream. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1952, p.66-82 Rpt in Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Sculley Bradley, Richard Beatty, and E. Hudson Long Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962. Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. New York: Bantam Books, 1983.

Growing Up African American Essay

I am a member of the African American group and I would like to tell you a bit about the group of when I am a part of. Let me start by saying that my African American group originated from Africa and growing up in America can be tough for people of my race, the African Americans. My group’s history is wide ranging spanning for many years and varying from region to region within the United States. I remember when I was young I use to talk to my mother a lot and asked her many questions like â€Å"Why am I called an African American? † She went on to explain that our race originally comes from Africa and we were part of a slave trade. From my mother I learned that we were slaves until a law was passed to give us freedom. I use to wonder when I was young if there were other people similar to me all over America. I also remember something my father told me once that African Americans live all over the country. My father told stories of how he used to go to an all black school could vote or sit in the front of buses. Being African Americans have faced several kinds of creation and consequence situations in the years they have been a part of the United States. In some places cheaper labor, longer work hours and terrible living conditions. Many people of the United States have made it almost impossible for groups of another race or Ethnicity to strive and live full happy lives. I have seen over the year’s situations of extermination in some parts, as well segregation, and expulsion. In school from some of my teachers, in social interactions like just walking through a store, and especially in the work place when they’ll even give me the chance to work because it doesn’t matter I go to get a job out here. There are some racist, even the Uncle Tom’s. I’ve done everything they ask and still I either get denied the job or they hire me and treat me like Growing up African American 3 trash until I quit, or they try to find a reason to get rid of me. Since, I don’t give them much reason to get rid of me due to my strong work ethic and performance; they usually try to break me down. Education plays an important role for most African Americans; however we are still way behind when compared to the White American which probably has a lot to do with the way some of us was brought up or our background. Regardless of the contributions made by the forefathers of black people, there is a hesitation of acceptance of the race that has been a focus of many groups the strive for freedom and justice for all, that has not yet been rectified. The same group of people was good enough to built the country is not always seen as good enough to live in the house next door. I believe because this country is made up of many different races and ethnic groups that are steadily growing in numbers. If different races are toco exist peacefully in the U. S. , it is vital that we all become educated on the history and culture of different races and ethnicities. According to the 2000 Census data for Lexington, MS the total population for 2000 were 2,025 male 965 and female 1,060 square miles 2. 45. Race: white (635); black or African American (1,362); American Indian and Alaska Native (1); Asian (13); and two or more races (14); and Hispanic or Latino (of any race) (40) (Fact finder Census 2000). Birthplace facts from the 2000 census data in Lexington born in the same state (1,706); born in another state (269); born outside the US (0); naturalized citizen (14); and foreign born, not US citizen (10). Some more 2000 census data in educational attainment population 25 and older was 1,206 in Lexington: high school graduates (299); some college, or associate’s degree (349); bachelor’s degree (111); and master’s, professional or doctorate degree (60). Some enrollment population 3 years and over Growing up African American 4 enrolled in school was 627: preschool and kindergarten (83); grades 1-12 (446); and college (98) (2000 census data). Growing up African American 5 References Factfinder Census 2000 Census data for Lexington, MS My mother and father.

BUY PAPERS

BUY PAPERS Essay writing is essential part of any educational program. There are different types of essays that are being required to be written by the students. One of the mostly used essay types is observation essay. There are two options to go about this assignment. One is writing the paper and doing your best, the other option is to give this assignment to professional writer and buy papers online. Observation essay outline requires clear description, main facts presentation and general rules overview.    Observation essay outline concentrates on description and maid facts. Important aspect of observation essay is actually fundamental style of writing. Do a few sketches before you start composing your original observation essay. Ensure that you purely stick to the basic standard for essay writing. Try and create a special atmosphere to be present at the moment. Write at present tense. Display as many details as possible using senses of smell, light, touch, sound and taste. Employ your skill to develop parallels and include comparisons. BUY PAPERS Whether you are attending college or university, essay and term paper writing is definitely the most important part of any educational process. There are different types of papers which are being required and recommended to be written by the students. Among the mostly used and wide spread writing forms is observation essay. There can be two alternatives to go about this assignment. The first option is writing the paper on your own and doing all of your best. And the other option would be giving this assignment to professional writer, buy papers through secure essay writing online system. Observation essay outline demands clear and simply clear description. The main facts representation and general rules overview must be written as well. Observation essay outline concentrates on written description and main facts. Important aspect of observation essay is actually the fundamental style of writing. Perform a few sketches before you start composing your actual observation essay writing. Make sure that you strictly stick to the basic standard for observation essay writing format. BUY PAPERS Another important type of writing that you probably know about is junior research paper. Being a type of academic writing, junior research paper gives description of the research results. If a student is interested in gaining experience in research competition, then a junior research paper is written. We have gathered a list of important and useful tips that are able to help you create a junior research paper today. If you need assistance with writing junior research paper, you can always consult our writers and buy papers online.   The cover page or the junior research paper shows research field and research title that are concise. Include a research thesis approval by the college or university board. Introduction will discuss the thesis statement, important parts of the research. You may also include several aspects of the research problem. Body paragraphs will include methods and procedures used while doing a research itself. Then present results or findings in logical manner. Also, use graphics and tables as a fact or an argument. Conclusion must not only show but interpret the presented materials. Restate the thesis statement or the hypothesis. Remind the findings and give full interpretation of the received results. Finish up with a cited literature including list of citations.

Californias Overcrowed Prisons

Californias Overcrowed Prisons Free Online Research Papers California’s Overcrowded Prison’s Axia College of University of Phoenix This is what conditions are like at one of Californias best prisons, the California Rehabilitation Center: Built to hold 1,800 inmates, it now bulges with more than 4,700 and is under nearly constant lockdown to prevent fights. Portions of the buildings, which date to the 1920s, are so antiquated that the electricity is shut off during rainstorms so the prisoners are not electrocuted. The facilitys once-vaunted drug rehab program has a three-month-long waiting list, and the prison is short 75 guards.† (Pomfret, J) 32 years ago, California’s inmate population was only 19,600. 11 years later, the inmate population had increased by 811% to a whopping 159,000 and by the year 2000 that number increased to 161,000. The state of California is now running by far the largest prison system in the world. We house more inmates than three European countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands) and Singapore combined. Non-violent offenders are responsible for most of the increased inmate population. As it stands now, California sends to prison one out of every eight prisoners in the United States. Does this sound like a problem? I think so. â€Å"The California Department of Corrections predicts that at the current rate of expansion, barring a court order that forces a release of prisoners, it will run out of room eighteen months from now. Simply to remain at double capacity the state will need to open at least one new prison a year, every year, for the foreseeable future.† (Schlosser, E) T his is a scary thought indeed. How many more prisons must we have in this state before enough is enough? In this graph, one can see the increase of inmate population from 1988-2007. The numbers are staggering. Even though the Governor does not want to do an early release of as many as 55,000 inmates, there is a crisis going on in California’s 33 prisons because of overcrowding and because of the lack of medical and mental healthcare for its inmates, thus causing cruel and unusual punishment and violating the inmates Eighth Amendment rights. These inmates are either being housed in gymnasiums using bunk beds that are three beds high, or are being sent out of state to other facilities. In this picture, one can see how inmates are being stacked like sardines in gymnasiums across California. In February, a special panel made up of three federal judges upheld a tentative ruling that the overcrowding in California’s prison system presented and unconstitutional risk to the inmate’s health and safety. They further stated that California must reduce the population of its prisoner’s by at least 57,000. Currently, there are 174,000 inmates housed in California’s 33 state prisons. The stress from packing these inmates into facilities that were not meant to hold as many as they are, have resulted in scandalous behavior, not only from the inmates but the guards as well. Riots among inmates are a common occurrence. Back in September 1996, a fight broke out on B yard at New Folsom. Gang members that were comprised of Latino and African-Americans started fighting. Soon afterwards, â€Å"the fighting spread to other inmates on the yard and racial lines were drawn†. At least 200 inmates were involved in the riot. Warning shots were fired by officers, along with rubber bullets and live rounds. The riot took 30 minutes to cease. 12 officers were injured, â€Å"six inmates were stabbed, and five were shot.† An inmate who had been serving a sentence of 18 years for voluntary manslaughter and attempted murder was killed by the gunfire. (Schlosser, E) At Corcoran State prison , the guards had to be disciplined for staging gladiator fights. Up in Northern California at Pelican Bay State prison, there was at least one correctional officer who conspired with the inmates to arrange assaults on convicted child molesters. At the women’s prison near Chino, five employees resigned in 1999 because of sexual misconduct allegations and there were 40 other officers that were said to be involved. The medical and mental-health care that inmates are receiving in California’s state prisons is appalling. Inmates have been seen using communal showers and have open, bleeding wounds (staph infections). Mentally ill inmates live in conditions that some experts have said are even worse than those of the old mental institutions. Some guards will use medication as a tool to punish an inmate if they act out. With-out the proper medication, the inmate can sometimes become psychotic, thus leading to solitary confinement. This is in no way a form of rehabilitation. It is inhumane. A psychiatrist (who specializes in prison mental health) by the name of Pablo Stewart testified before the panel of federal judges that the overcrowding alone has contributed the rise in mental illness amongst the inmates. He further stated that these inmates have â€Å"no privacy, no sense of personal space, sleep with the light continuously on, and must cope with constant noise which is like that of an airport runway.† â€Å"It has been estimated that California’s prison system â€Å"throws away at least $100 million a year because officials refused for decades to negotiate low rates with hospitals, as every insurance company does.† (Elias, T) Correctional officers who testified before the panel of three federal judges that â€Å"as many as 50 inmates at a time typically wait two to five hours inside a 12-foot by 20-foot holding area for medical or mental health treatment.† (Thompson, D)It was also stated that â€Å"suicidal inmates were kept overnight in cages the size of telephone booths until crisis cells became available† and â€Å"some of the more severely ill mentally ill inmates wait more than a year before they can be transferred to a mental health facility.† (Thompson, D) These correctional officers are also at risk because of these conditions. Inmate assaults against staff â€Å"increased between 1990 and 1995 and the number of attacks rose by nearly one-third, from 10,731 to 14,165†. (Gillan, T) There are thousands of inmates that are infected with the HIV virus and thousands more are carriers of hepatitis C. Officers of late now have to be concerned with a new form of assault from inmates called â€Å"gassing†. This type of assault is done by throwing a bag or cup of feces or urine at the officers as they pass by the inmate’s cell. California prisons are filled with gang members from the Aryan Brotherhood, the Bloods, the Crips, the Fresno Bulldogs, the Nazi Low-rider’s, and the Southsiders, which can lead to random acts of violence against correctional officers. Today, prison sentences are more intended to incapacitate rather than rehabilitate the offenders. . Rehabilitation has basically been abandoned and has been replaced with tough on crime attitudes that truly only seek to punish and protect society. California’s prisons use to be known as the California Department of Corrections. When Gov. Schwarzenegger took office, he changed the name to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. My question is this? What happened to the rehabilitation part of it? Our prisoners are in desperate need of education and rehabilitation. Most of them only have a seventh grade reading level, a huge percentage of them have substance abuse problems, and there is little or no motivation for any of them to participate in programs that were created to address those problems that led them to criminal behavior. What is happening is without any type of rehabilitation, these individuals will keep going through a revolving door that I like to refer to as the CDCR. Those who are incarcerated should have access to programs that address: 1. Academic, Vocational, and Financial 2. Alcohol and other Drugs 3. Anger, Aggression, Hostility, and Violence 4. Criminal Thinking, Associations, and Behaviors 5. Family, Martial, and Relationships 6. Sex Offending Programs like these would help to cut down on the revolving door effect. The biggest problem that I see in California’s state prisons is the rate of recidivism amongst its parolees. When an inmate is paroled, they leave the prison with no more than the clothes on their back, and $200 in gate money. Most of these individuals will have no place to live and no job to go too. Because of this situation, most parolees will return to the people and places that they are familiar with, thus leading to more criminal behavior. California’s parole system violates more parolees and sends them back to prison than any other state. Parolees are getting violated for a dirty test, missing a scheduled appointment, or not being able to provide an address as to where they live and are being sent back to prison for up to one year. California’s parole system needs seriously to consider other alternatives besides sending violators back to prison. This in itself could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year in unnecessary spending. There are some wonderful programs that are available to paroles in the state of California that help them receive their GED, and train them in different marketable skills. They are also taught important values, and the interpersonal and social skills that will eventually allow them to live successfully in the mainstream of our society. These programs definitely help to cut done on the rate of recidivism. Ray Procunier, who was the director of corrections under then Gov. Ronald Reagan, has said that â€Å"We don’t need all these punitive laws like the three strikes law.† He then went on to say that when Reagan was in office, they were able to â€Å"cut the prison population by one-third and there was no increase in crime, not even a blip.† (Elias, T) Procunier also believes that he â€Å"could bring down today’s prison population by 95,000 and no one would be hurt in the process.† Maybe Gov. Schwarzenegger needs have this man brought back in to clean this mess up. Up until now, California’s attitude regarding over-crowding has been to just build more prisons because they cannot seem to agree on anything else. One thing is clear, there needs to be a cap on the prison population. Without it, we are going to keep filling as many prisons as we build because we are not affecting the amount of individual’s that are going in. This morning I read an article in the local section of the newspaper. The article started by saying â€Å"In Kern County, you really cant swing a dead cat without hitting a parolee.† (Henry, L) Ms. Henry went on to write that are an estimated 5,450 parolees in Kern County, with an estimated 800 who are back in custody for violating their parole. The numbers are high because â€Å"Kern County prides itself on sending more people to prison per capita than any other county in the state.† Maybe then Kern County should start picking up the costs of housing all these parolees. Something has got to give. There is a saying in California and it goes something like this: Come on vacation, leave on probation, and return on a violation. A very sad but true statement. California’s prisons are a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. Right now, there is not too much love and affection going on in the house of corrections. The CDCR needs a serious overhaul. Will the Governor be able to come up with a way to relieve the overcrowded conditions and implement some kind of satisfactory medical and mental healthcare for California’s inmates without having to ship them out of state? Hopefully, he will, and soon. References: 52,000 inmates could be set free: Trial starts on effect of prison overcrowding. (November 19, 2008). Ventura County Star (Ventura, CA), p.NA. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from General Onefile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS California’s Crowded Prisons. (Editorial Desk).The New York Times 158.54586. (February 14, 2009): A22(L).Retrieved March 13, 2009 from General Onefile. Gale. Apollo Library. Elias, T. (February 4, 2009) How to save billions on state prisons. Daily Breeze, Retrieved March 13, 2009 from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID:1638518181) Gillan, T. (October 2001) The Correctional Officer: One of Law Enforcement TOUGHEST Positions. Corrections Today. Retrieved April 15, 2009 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6399/ai_n28870774/?tag=content;col1 Henry, L. (April14,2009) Pot of Parolees at the end of Kern’s rainbow. The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved April 14, 2009 from bakersfield.com/news/columinst/henry/x44130952/Pot-of-parolees-at-the-end-of- kern’s-rainbow KCBS News. (November 18, 2008) Trial Begins Over California Prison Crowding. Associated Press, Retrieved April 14, 2009 from kcbs.com/pages/3343672.php? MacLean, P A (March 1, 2009). CA ordered to reduce prison population. Medical Malpractice Law Strategy, p.NA. Retrieved April 30, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS Meier, M. (November 17, 2008) Criminalizing Mental Health. Miller McCune. NAMI California: THE STATES VOICE ON MENTAL ILLNESS. Retrieved April 29, 2009 from namicalifornia.org Promfret, J. (June 11, 2006) Californias Crisis In Prison Systems A Threat to Public Longer and Less Emphasis On Rehabilitation Create Problems. The Washington Post, Retrieved April 11, 2009 from washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/06/10/AR2006061000719 Schlosser, E (December 1998) The Prison Industrial Complex. The Atlantic, Retrieved April 13, 2009 from theatlantic.com/doc/199812/prisons Thompson, D (November 23, 2008). Crowded Calif. Prisons neglect ill inmates. Associated Press, Retrieved March 13, 2009 from policeone.com/corrections/articles/1759045-Crowded-Calif-prisons-neglect-ill- inmates/ Tuccille, J.D. (February 10, 2009) California needs to release prisoners; heres a good place to start. Civil Liberties Examiner, Retrieved April 11, 2009 from examiner.com/x-536- Civil-Liberties-Examiner~y2009m2d10-California-needs- to-release-prisoners-here’s-a-good-place-to-start Research Papers on California's Overcrowed Prison'sThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationQuebec and Canada19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentPETSTEL analysis of IndiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeResearch Process Part One

Bond Prices and Interest Rates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bond Prices and Interest Rates - Essay Example Similarly, a bond is said to be offered at a discount on its par value, if the bond price is less than the par value which occurs in the instance when the rate of return that is offered by the bond is less than the market rate of return that is offered on other similar risk assets in the market. A bond is said to be priced at par value if the market price of the bond is equal to the par value of the value which occurs in the instance when the rate of return offered by this bond and the required rate of return for this type of asset are equal. [1] [2] Moving on, we will now look at the basic pricing mechanism for bonds. This mechanism is the standard procedure that is used for bond pricing and states that the value of a bond must be equal to the present value of all the future payments that the bond will make over the course of its maturity. This is directly in line with the no arbitrage rule as the cost of this asset and the generated revenues are being equalized in the pricing technique. [1] [2] A basic formula for calculating bond price is given below: Coming to our specific question, as we can see from the mathematical equation for the derivation of bond prices, an increase in interest rates will lead to a decrease in bond prices.

Freedom of Speech and Internet Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Freedom of Speech and Internet Privacy - Essay Example Given that each human being has a democratic right to free speech, Internet Privacy is an important consideration. This becomes especially important since cyberspace is an area that one does not have tangible control of, and one cannot ascertain whether s/he is being spied on. However, in view of the terror threats in this day and age, intelligence agencies have been given considerable authority to invade various areas of cyberspace. Therefore, though people may have the right to free speech, and rights to Internet Privacy, there is a border that needs to be defined. While Internet Privacy refers to one's personal information being transferred, stored or exchanged to carryout business or personal activities, and are not meant for disclosing to the public, Freedom of speech is one's right to speak out publicly, but responsibly. People tend to forget what freedom of speech is; they sometimes mistake it for speaking out irresponsibly. It is important for one to take his or her right to free speech seriously and responsibly in order to use it for what it is worth. In today's world, one needs to give this right more consideration. This is because there are many people who fear terrorist attacks; if they just get a hint of hate speech that another person might utter as an expression of frustration, they could inform concerned authorities. On the Internet, there are many people who express their views on open forums as well as in private ones. Community groups like Myspace.com, Msn My space, Facebook, etc. are ones where different kinds of people converge to vent their dismay at many conditions, such as the war in Iraq, and other severe issues. Most individuals are harmless and only express their views. However, intelligence agencies take these threats seriously and try to trace them out (Markoff, 2006). This is where many Internet users get offended, and feel their right to free speech is being smothered or interfered with. Debate over the extent that intelligence agencies go through to obtain information from different forums is ongoing. This is expected to continue for a longer period with the prevailing global political and military conditions. Privacy with Online Activity: It is obvious that privacy needs to be protected as much as possible, as one's civil liberties should not be disrupted. If one's privacy is not protected in the manner it should be, there can be no guarantee about anything online. It would also mean that privacy and security is only limited to the physical space that people live in and cannot be extended to cyber space. Cyberspace needs to be treated as an extension of the very space we live and trade within (Speed & Ellis, 2001, 238-240). The differences between existence in one's physical space and cyber space have been disputed for a while; many are skeptical about the extent of control that authorities have in cyber space, as they feel that their privacy is being undermined. This is legitimate to a great extent because of the fact that there is control over programs that are not visible and sometimes not even detectible (Speed & Ellis, 2001, 238-240). However, when one makes vital transfers of information, signing them digitally enables a receiver of such information at another point to have confidence in what a user has sent. The receiver automatically