Wednesday, January 29, 2020

HR management Essay Example for Free

HR management Essay HR management forms a valuable and effective administration concerned mainly with working category. It evaluates the steps to be implemented to make the working category into further industrious, satisfied and happy. As an integral fraction of society of human resource management policies, the team have supported that the strategies need to encourage the companies to provide pioneering and flexible plans that are highly benefit. The work-life policies laid forward by the SHRM proved to be highly beneficial to employees. However, there are several human resource factors, which influence an organization to adopt the work-life plans as a vital division of SHRM practices and plans. Majority of the factors that stressed upon work life policies incorporates the demographic variation occurring with the prospective workforce, variation in social characteristics, role and responsibility changes in organizations and other governmental factors. Women make an essential part of almost all types of organization in the most modern era. Most of the working class woman wishes to conjointly take the responsibilities of their family as well as the employment terms. This was considered as an apparent factor that resulted in the emergence of family friendly plans. This plan was further termed as work life policies and rapidly gained importance in the area of SHRM. The next vital factor associated with demographic variation forms the ageing employees that raised the value of the work life policies. As per the plan, the aged workgroup may remain in the organization. However, they only need to work for very few hours or may change their shift timings as per their comfort. Most of the working people hold the responsibilities for bringing up their kids and take equal responsibilities for their aged parents. The plan allows even the aged people to support their children with their responsibilities. With the advance of modern technology, the labor market gets tightens and requires more and more skilled laborers. The organization needs to implement the work life policies to influence and regain employers who might have left the organization previously due to some or other cause. As per a study conducted by IRS, the most important motive behind the management to initiate the work life plan is strongly associated with recruitment of staffs as well as retention. As majority of leading organizations work on a 24 hour per day basis, increasing the working hours. However, there is strong requirement of flexible plans to cover these elaborated hours with efficiency. Surveys shows that adaptation of faster work pace has lead to organizational stress and most of the workers experience severe problems such as anxiety, stress, workload and inadequate personal time. These variations make the organizations to breach the government induced rules. Evaluating with respect to a legal outlook, all the working categories have a role on self care and protection and work life policies influence this particular concept. With the policies of work life, every employee may endorse a healthy and happy job environment and understand more about their social errands as a working personality. Thus, the policies offer high benefits to the employees as well as appropriate guidance with proper management to the employers.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

John Steinbecks Effect on Early Literature Essay -- Biography

John Steinbecks Effect on Early Literature Even though John Steinbeck grew up in a small town in California, with his great ambition and perseverance, he was soon able to become one of Americas greatest literary writers that is still remembered today. John Steinbeck may have had a difficult start in his early works, which did not gain him much popularity, he was still able to believe that he could be better and was able to write some of his greatest works such as the Gapes of Wrath which make him great to this day. his believe in his self and help from others, he was still able to become successful as a writer. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in the small town of Salinas in California (Austro 2415). His parents John Ernst Steinbeck and Olive Hamilton both wanted John to be a lawyer as his life job, but Steinbeck thought otherwise (French 1). As John Steinbeck grew up his love for literature only grew with the help of his mother being a school teacher. She would always read him books as a child, which never helped him become a lawyer in life(Steinbeck.com John) . In his early years of school his teachers always look down on him thinking he was never a smart student, because he never was very great at school, but he always showed talent as a writer(Swisher 16). Even though his teachers never thought great of him, his English teacher always knew he would be a great writer, and because she knew this she would always use his writings as examples for the other students(French 1). Soon after grade school he knew that he would be a great writer. After High School John Steinbeck attend Stanford college to learn more in becoming a better writer(Austro 2414). He did not finish to get a degree but he learned things in this ti... ...lped him become a better writer. While working he realized hardships of the average worker which he used to write his story like the Grapes of Wrath. His stories on the average worker also helped him sell because the book were also a influence to the worker to buy, because they were able to relate to the character hardships (Bloom 13). Still to this day he is stilled compared to writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe of Alfred Hitchcock. Even till his death he is stilled remember as a great writer (Austro 2418). Even though John Steinbeck grew up in a small town in California, with his great ambition and perseverance, he was soon able to become one of Americas greatest literary writers that is still remembered today. He shows that even a bad start and believing you can achieve greatest. He still is and will remember for his life and even after his death.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Diversity in the Classroom Essay

INTRODUCTION Teachers are faced with the challenge of students bringing with them, vastly different experiences, cultures, interests and abilities. These characteristics can have a great impact on how students learn. Teaching to such a diverse group requires teachers to be more flexible and place a greater emphasis on the individual. Through the aid of variety and choice, teachers can differentiate presentation to motivate interest in the individual, and hence aid the student to become an independent learner. (Tomlinson, C. A., Brighton, C., Hertberg, H., Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., Brimijoin, K., Conover, L. A. and Reynolds, T. 2003) LEARNING STYLES While it is unfair to expect teachers to fully grasp the psychological & cognitive complexities that comprise learning, they should have a solid understanding that individual students have different preferences in the way they prefer to receive, perceive, interact and respond to information; known as their preferred â€Å"Learning style†. A widely used model of learning styles is based on Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory, which suggests learners fall into seven distinct categories of learning intelligence. â€Å"Visual/Spatial† learners prefer pictures and images; â€Å"Aural† learners prefer sound and music; â€Å"Verbal/Linguistic† learners prefer words in writing and speech; â€Å"Physical/Kinesthetic† learners prefer the use of touch, movement & action, and â€Å"Logical† learners prefer reasoning and sequence. Aligned with these learning styles is also a preference by students toward â€Å"Social/Interpersonal† learning, in groups or â€Å"Solitary/Intrapersonal† learning where the student prefers to learn alone. (Howard Gardner, multiple intelligences and education. 2007) Most students have a preferred learning style, but are not solely dependent on one style. They can adapt to other styles and use them in combination with their preferred style. APPROACHES IN THE CLASSROOM Diversity in the classroom inevitably creates complexities for teachers in formulating learning and teaching models that suit their specific context, situation, and the students varying needs. (Rayner, S. 2007) Some researchers, agreeing that learning styles are important, suggest that teachers should match instruction to the content being taught rather than the preferred learning style of the student (Glenn, D. 2009). This seems plausible in light of research into brain plasticity, which suggests that the brain has the ability to transform, adapt and â€Å"increase its capacity to learn† (Walker, S. 2010). Other’s place greatest emphasis on â€Å"matching† instruction with the learning styles of the individual student, which the overwhelming literature suggests is the ideal approach for the benefit of the student. However, in practice, theory and expectation can often fall short of reality. CHALLENGES With class sizes often ranging from 20 to 25 students, trying to cater to every student’s individual learning preference can be very resource intensive. Very few teachers will have the knowledge and understanding of every form of diversity within their classroom. Teaching students with special needs is a prime example, often requiring assistance from specialist aids. This is all good and well in principle, however, additional assistance usually comes at a financial cost, where often schools are restricted by budgetary constraints. High stakes testing such as NAPLAN can also create conflicts between what is best for the students and what is best for the school. This may exacerbate the unwillingness of school hierarchy to deviate from traditional core curriculum/structures, as overall results can often be linked with a school’s reputation as well as government funding. (Tomlinson et al. 2003) LESSONS FROM JESUS Jesus was the epitome of what a teacher with a diverse student body needs to do. He taught in parables imbued with illustrations familiar to the daily lives of all the people in his audience, who had a diversity of experiences. By teaching through stories, of shepherds, fishermen, seasons of growth and harvest, rich men, servants, kings and slaves, he was able to impart the same message, to a diverse audience, so that all could relate to, and understand according to their own experiences. Teaching methods of old sought to adapt the student to the material being presented. Jesus’ methods aptly illustrate that today’s teachers need to be able to adapt to the learning capacity of the students. Jesus also differed in many ways to those around him but transformed the lives of others by the way he lived. By his example, he helped mold many into his own image (The Role of the Christian Teacher 2013). As teachers who are Christian, our aim should not be to directly preach about Christianity. This can be left to the local church priest or pastor, and the willingness of the individual to accept such a direct approach. In a diverse classroom there will be students with vastly different beliefs and experiences that contrast our own, and that impact on their learning capabilities. The goal would then be, like Jesus, to subtly portray our Christian understanding by our own actions, therefore becoming a role model to students. Jesus taught: â€Å"†¦everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher† Luke 6:41 As role models, we should be aware that students may imitate and model their behaviour according to the way we as teachers act, speak and behave. Therefore, unless our behaviour is aligned with fundamental Christian principles, it can do more harm than good. It would be wise to follow the encouragement given by the apostle Paul: â€Å"Imitate me as I imitate Christ† 1 Corinthians 11:1 †¦by living out our faith, we show our students the essence of God through our own words and deeds. CONCLUSION In light of existing research and Christian philosophy, a meshing of theories is necessary which tends toward a balanced approach. Making sure all learning style preferences are addressed in some way; as students will need to garner at least some of the attributes of all learning styles, for future success. Also using experience and expertise in our own learning preferences, to bridge the divide between teacher and student and become that positive role model that developing student’s need. Employing a balanced approach is no easy task, but can be aided in a number of ways: Firstly, inclusive teaching, were students are not segregated or made to feel inferior due to differences in preferred learning styles or abilities. Aligned to this is the idea of flexible grouping where research shows that when students are put in small groups comprising varying learning preferences and abilities, weaker students attain better learning outcomes, without detriment to stronger students. (Tomlinson et al. 2003) Secondly, Scaffolding where teachers, peers or teaching aids; support, assist and guide the student, particularly those who have difficulty. This is a more personalized approach to the flexible grouping. Thirdly, Engagement with parents/carers and students enables the teacher to attain valuable information about the student, and engagement with colleagues can assist in gaining additional knowledge or formulating shared strategies. Finally, Methods of presentation is at the heart of catering to diverse array of learners. Using technology enables a teacher to present material in multiple styles at the same time. (Guidelines for responding to learner diversity in the classroom through curriculum and assessment policy statements 2011) Ultimately, we as teachers need to nurture students, and expose them to a variety of learning styles, despite our own preferences, enabling them to become independent learners. Children are less flexible and cannot easily adapt to unfamiliar learning styles, so it is incumbent upon the teacher, to adapt and modify teaching methods, activities and environments in order to create interest, thereby stimulate and motivate a student’s desire to learn. REFERENCES Cook, P. F. (1998). Teacher Reflection in learner-centred education. Journal for Education Reform in Namibia, v.8, 8p. Discover your Learning Styles – Graphically! (2013.) (n.p.) Available Internet http://learning-styles-online.com/ Glenn, D. (2009) (n.p.), Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students, The Chronical of Higher education, Available Internet http://chronicle.com/article/Matching-Teaching-Style-to-/49497/ Guidelines for responding to learner diversity in the classroom through curriculum and assessment policy statements (2011), Directorate Inclusive Education, Department of Basic Education, preoria South Africa. 52p. Howard Gardner, multiple intelligences and education (2007) Regis University Available Internet http:// academic.regis.edu/ed205/gardner.pdf Humphrey, N., Bartolo, P., Ale, P., Calleja, C., Hofsaess, T., Janikova, Vera., Mol Lous, A., Vilkiene, V., and Westo, G. M. (2006). Enderstanding and responding to diversity in the primary classroom: an international sudy. European Journal of Teachr Education, 29(3), 305-318. Rayner, S (2007). A Teaching elixir, learning chimera or just fool’s gold? Do learning styles matter? Support for Learning, 22(1), 24-30. Teachers and their influence (2010) (n.p.) Covenant Christian School Sydney Available Internet http://www.whychristianschools.com.au/wcs/teachers-influence.html The Role of the Christian Teacher (2013) (n.p.) Transforming Lives. Available Internet http://m.transforminglives.org.uk/thinking-of-teaching/role-of-the-christian-teacher Tomlinson, C. A., Brighton, C., Hertberg, H., Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., Brimijoin, K., Conover, L. A. and Reynolds, T. (2003). Differentiating Instruction in Response to Student Readiness, Interest and Learning Profile in Academically Diverse Classroom: A review of Liteature. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 27(2/3), 119-145. Walker, S. (2010) (n.p.), Lifelong Learning and the Plastic Brain, Scientific Learning Internet http://www.scilearn.com/blog/lifelong-learning-brain-plasticity.php

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Midlothian Housing Accommodation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2505 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Housing Essay Type Essay any type Did you like this example? Chapter 4.0 – Midlothian A Case Study Having looked at the development of partnering philosophies, potential benefits, challenges, and overall aims of partnering in Chapter 2.0, this chapter will focus on the actual implementation of partnering arrangements in the UK public sector. It does this by describing the approach and the process undertaken by Midlothian Council in setting up the current New Housing Construction Partnership (MNHCP). It goes on to explain how Midlothian have addressed Rethinking Construction challenge and implemented partnering through the signing up to the framework agreement. 4.1 Introduction As is common with most local Authorities within the United Kingdom, Midlothian Council had not constructed its own housing for over 40 years. Housing stock has been running low within Midlothian due to the amount of properties purchased by the tenants under the controversial Right to Buy scheme, brought in by the then Conservative Government in 1979. Many other authorities within Scotland have suspended their right to buy option. The homelessness act 2003 put even greater pressure on Midlothian to supply accommodation for those falling under this category. In 2004 Midlothian spent ÂÂ £1.2 million on bed and breakfast accommodation and it was recognised that this would be unsustainable over the coming years and that some other form of action would have to be taken. That action came in the form of a proposal to construct 1000 new houses across 30 sites within the Midlothian area. The framework was agreed in November 2006 with a total planned capital spend of ÂÂ £1 05 million over 5 years from 2006-2011. The project was let under a GC/Works 5 form of contract, based on a negotiated Target cost with a risk/reward element defects and accidents on site. Benefits for Midlothian Council include maximising construction spend, modernising the authoritys procurement process and delivering best value from improved predictability. The longer-term aims of the relationship included eliminating duplication, improving communications and integration between the Council and its partners and promoting continuous improvement. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Midlothian Housing Accommodation" essay for you Create order 4.2 The Project Specific Aims The Project aims are to: Provide 1,000 new social housing units in 5 years; Use best practice/principals; Provide a property of good quality built to last; Avoid conflict and additional costs; Have flexible housing to cater for Housing for Varying Needs; Have sustainable housing to meet Agenda 21 targets; Ensure that buildings constructed require only low-level maintenance throughout their lifetime; Ensure these aims and goals are to be secured by Design. 4.3 The Partnering Decision This section focuses on how the decision was made by Midlothian to go down the partnering route and the stages covered to put the partnering team in place. As stated previously Midlothian had not undertaken such a large project for over 40 years and valuable experience in how to handle this size of contract had been lost due to local authority job cuts. Most of the construction section had been decimated and contained very little experience of contracts of such size and complexity. Consultants were brought in to give advice and it was established in these early meetings that a partnering arrangement would fill all the requirements that Midlothian were looking for. At the time of this decision the Facilities and Construction Manager (FC M) was aware that the traditional approach to construction did not meet the requirements, along with his knowledge of rethinking construction (Construction Task Force, 1998). Feeling that there was strong backing from central government de cided that partnering was the way forward. This knowledge that central government was committed to reform in the construction industry was vital as it gave Midlothian Council the confidence to move ahead with partnering. Furthermore partnering offered the chance for the council to show best value in carrying it out. A strategy report was then sent to council cabinet for approval. The report outlined the benefits to the cabinet in the use of a partnering agreement through its auditability and also confirmed that it could meet the requirement of best practice. This report acted as the mechanism for Midlothian to allow partnering to proceed. According to prescriptive texts on partnering, for the client to ensure that all relevant parties in the organisation are informed about partnering (Loraine and Williams, 2000). These requirements were largely fulfilled in the case of the Council. 4.4 The Partnering Process The partnering agreement would be based on the concept of the Seven Pillars of Partnering see Chapter 2.0 page Membership Choosing the Partners Following the decision to partner on a particular project or a contract and having completed the process of inculcating its values within the client organisation, the next step is to select the partners (European Construction Institute, Partnering in the Public Sector, 1997). The process was a multi-stage one and very intensive, consisting of preliminary and more detailed questionnaires, presentations, interviews and site visits and the sample pricing of two exemplar sites. In assessing the bids, the council used geared weighting of multiple criteria, which included not only conventional factors (such as commercial stability and technical skills), but also others, such as deep understanding of partnering. At the end of this process it led to the selection of two contractors and five consultants. The consultants that were involved in the initial consultation on partnering were not among the five chosen. The partners were informed of their success in August 2006. Integration- Team Formation The remainder of the seven pillars of partnering were put into action once the strategy and financing of the project had been passed by the council cabinet. Partnering depends on co-operation which in turn depends on trust. The integration pillar deals with the need to develop co-operative behaviour at all levels. This was done through a serious of workshops. The purpose of the workshops was for the project team to: Get to know each other Create a Partnering Charter for the project Develop an Issue Resolution Process Develop a Joint Evaluation Process The first workshop took place over 14/15 November 2006 and was attended by 22 participants of the partnering organisations. This workshop was designed to develop the partnering agreement. This was achieved by a discussion to identify the issues that would affect the way the partners work together. During each workshop the proceedings were fully documented and these provide a basis for further development of an action plan agreed by the parties. In addition to the conduct of the workshop appropriate pre and post workshop advice is provided on the development and maintenance of the partnering agreement. 4.4.3 Benchmarks : Setting Standards Once the partners had been selected it was, of course, necessary to operationalise partnering by agreeing objectives, structures, performance monitoring, conflict resolution and how information would be communicated (Lorraine and Williams, 2000). Essentially the partners had to agree mechanisms to facilitate partnering; changing it from an idea to a reality. From its inception, the MNHCP has been committed to rigorous performance measurement. It was crucial that MNHCP could see how it was performing and compare results against national construction industry standards, particularly with regard to cost, time, health safety, defects and sustainability. A second workshop was held on the 5/6th of December 2006. This workshop was designed to engender a sense of ownership of the agreement by getting those present to decide what factors to focus on and measure in the Partnership and establish agreed expectations and to generate performance indicators. The Project Performance Indicators (summarised below) designed for the project to provide feedback on how the partnership is performing as well as an assessment of how each contractor and consultant are meeting the required standards across a range of criteria. The KPIs Programme (Management of Time) Tenant Satisfaction Public Relations (No of complaints) Health Safety (Accidents Safety Notices) Finance (Cost Saving Cash Flow) Payments (from client-constructors-sub-contractors/sub-consultants) Adherence to Procedures Errors (Design Construction Errors) Defects (Internal External) Staff (Continuity Training) Environmental (Material Waste) Project Processes : The Issue Resolution Protocol (IRP) The partnering workshop is the vehicle used to create the partnering charter for the project which comprises the mission statement and performance objectives; issue resolution and evaluation process as well as problem management techniques are subsequently developed (European Construction Institute, 1997). In line with the overall procurement philosophy, the Council have developed a protocol based on best practice. The protocol does not seek to give advantage to the Council or any other party. Under the IRP issues would be resolved at the lowest level possible. Conflict resolution was an area where the workshops were apparently weaker in comparison to suggested best practice. Such practice guides contain information about the timescale which each level has to solve a dispute before it moves to a higher level for consideration. (Loraine and Williams, 2000). The dispute resolution procedure of the MNHCP shown in Figure 6 below is less explicit than those described in best practice guides. For example there exist no timescales to determine how long each organisational level has to resolve a dispute before it must move up the next level. This contrasts sharply with suggested practice. Of course so far there have been no disputes that have not been settled and so the procedures shown above seems to be perfectly adequate. However, a more detailed procedure would allow parties to know where they stand and timescales involved so that expectations are not unrealistic. This flow chart is an indicative representation of the process. The shaded elements represent the desired process. Figure 4.2 : Midlothian Partneship Issue Resolution Protocol (IRP) (Source : Midlothian Construction Services, March 2006) Feedback and Communication Communication and feedback are the great drivers of the MNHCP. A monthly project progress team meeting is one of the partnering tools used for feedback. The progress meeting provides the team an opportunity to bring up issues, concerns, and ideas on a regular basis. Project meetings can help everyone working on the job understand the schedule, co-ordinate work, and to identify and resolve issues by bringing everyone together involved in one place, at the same time, to discuss the status of the project and to plan ahead. Good communications and planning are critical to a successful project. Good communication also means that there are no surprises on the project. It means that one day you wont open a letter to find that someone is upset about something that you have never heard of before. The project team committed to not writing letters without talking to each other first. Talking first gives everyone an opportunity to make sure they understand the issues(s) and to try t o work things out before positions are put in writing. The council also committed to review achievements regularly, to ensure efficient and effective working. One innovation has been the appointment of a Project Co-ordinator. His role includes a number of functions designed to ensure the effective functioning of the Partnership. This post reflects suggested partnering practice. (Other key individuals within a partnering arrangement are The Partnering Champions. These are senior individuals in the organisations concerned and they play a central role in ensuring the viability of partnering, (Bennett and Jayes, 1995). For this role indicates a commitment to partnering and, as noted, commitment of individuals is vital for successful partnering. The functions of this role are vital in allowing the agreement to function. The Council Champion roles include: Agreeing the Charter Agreeing the targets Agreeing the allocation of works under the agreement Establish and maintain monitoring systems to evaluate partnership performance Monitor targets regularly Liaise with all parties involved to ensure adherence to the Partnership Promote innovation within the partnership Discussion : Midlothian Approach Vs Best Practice The selection process and the development of the Midlothian Housing Construction Partnership in the workshops discussed above, was essentially very successful. The selection process, involving two questionnaires and an interview/presentation. It was a rigorous selection process that achieved its aim of selecting effective partners. This validates the approaches followed as effective tools to help implement partnering. Thus this validates the texts on the best practice which promotes such approaches. The selection process also required commitment from constructors. For example all the successful (CT) set up a special panel to deal with the questionnaire and interview. Such commitment here indicates a commitment to partnering generally. Having noted this however it should be mentioned that past experience was a factor in these Construction team (CT) knowledge of what would be required of them. This knowledge gave them an understanding of what the client would require of th em. This experience was important, not because it directly resulted in these companies being selected as partners, but because they could draw on the past experiences to convince Midlothian of their competence in the selection process, which fits well with ideology of partnering. The Central function of the interview/presentations allowed the council to establish the (CT) who felt they could work with effectively on a personal level. The fact that these contractors/consultants had been short listed proved that, generally, they were capable (CT). Indeed all of those who made presentations were very competent and the race was a close one. It can also be argued that the diversity of the selection panel was actually positive. Had the panel comprised compromised technically qualified individuals they would have been more likely to have focused on technical issues that, at this point, were no longer relevant. The primary qualification questionnaire had already ensured those short list were competent. At this stage attitudes were important and the selection panel were more than competent to judge on these. The workshops ought to be deemed successful as they achieved all the aims they are supposed to according to writers on the subject. In particular it felt the workshops were well organised, spread the team working message very well. Furthermore the initial workshops were successful in that they promoted the aims of Midlothian Council. To allow the partnering agreement to operate, a series of project workshops followed. They generated a sense of ownership, a range of issues to focus on and performance indicators to measure and illustrate Best value. These project workshops should be regarded as a positive aspect of the partnering process to the extent that they allowed those involved to have a direct input into performance measurement. The dispute resolution procedure of the MNHCP is less explicit than those described in best practice guid es. For example there exist no timescales to determine how long each organisational level has to resolve a dispute before it must move up to the next level. A more detailed guide, perhaps including timescales and who to contact would make the situation clearer. To date he MNHCP approach has worked well. During the course of carrying out this research, for this project, no major unresolved disputes came to light. Time will tell whether the MNHCP approach to conflict resolution will prove as, if not more, effective than suggested best practice. Summary This study describes the establishment of the MNHCP which, generally, was through and followed current perceptions of how to set up partnering, with only a limited number of specific deviations. These appear to have had a significant negative impact on the overall process. The problems and issues noted, whilst important, should not deflect from the overall view that the establishment of the MNHCP was professionally and successfully carried out.