Human Resource Management Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management Essay Under what conditions is a group performance related pay scheme likely to fail? Should organisations employ only individual PRP schemes? Performance related pay (PRP), or merit pay, as it is often called, can be defined as the explicit link of financial reward to individual, group or company performance, or any combination of the three. In simple words, this means that the better the individual, group or company performs, the higher the financial reward will be for the worker. This reward can be in the form of a pay-rise, bonus, benefit such as a company house or car, or any such financial incentive that will in effect, motivate the employee to work even harder, and produce even better results. There are also different fixed types of PRP schemes, such as commission, profit-related pay, piece-rate (which is a more primitive method, as compared to the now modernistic methods that have been incorporated into management). PRP schemes are often categorised into three stages; The nature of the performance criteria, how performance against such criteria is assessed, and how this assessment is linked to pay. In accordance to these three approaches, it is possible to differentiate between individual schemes, and group approaches. This brings us to the focus of the discussion, which questions what could bring about the failure of group PRP schemes. This could come about due to many reasons. Some of the more basic ones being that particular members of the group might not be motivated, or hard-working enough to put in that effort in order to reap the benefits. Thus, due to certain individuals, the whole group could end up losing out on that financial gain. Normally when employing group schemes, it is specifically aimed at project completion, or some other such activity. The incentive normally given to the group in these situations, is in terms of either profit-sharing, or share ownership schemes. These normally provide the workers with a sense of producing enhanced performance, or showing strong commitment to the completion of the project. Other ways in which group PRP may fail is due to workers not getting along well together, or not communicating well with one another. This could be due to reasons such as some of them getting higher profit shares than others, or along other lines, some of them wanting to lead the group, or show their leadership abilities in order to impress their superiors. Also, it can divide the workforce into those supporting the plan, and those against it, which can then go on to create adversarial relationships. High levels of competition can be formed within the group. Offering financial incentives is a motivational tactic employed by the managers of firms, however, as Maslows hierarchy suggests, workers have other needs as well. Once their financial needs are satisfied, they move on to needs such as social, esteem, and self-actualisation. They need to feel that they belong, and they need to feel comfortable in their work environment. Offering them these financial rewards might make some of them feel as though they are robots, working just for money. This brings in Taylors theory of Scientific Management. He said that workers are robots, and as long as you pay them and satisfy their basic needs, they will work. However, this brings about dissatisfaction. In this sort of scenario, PRP could fail as well. The following table is an indication of the different PRP schemes, and how they function; Types of PRP schemes Nature of Performance Criteria How Performance is Assessed How Performance is Linked to Pay Individual PRP schemes Individual results, either in terms of inputs or outputs By individual appraisal with a superior, often against mutually agreed targets Either by a predetermined bonus or by movement within an incremental salary band Group PRP schemes Group or company performance, either in terms of profit or project targets According to a pre-determined formula based on company results for a specified period In terms of a regular bonus or various forms of share options applicable to all those involved in the scheme This brings us to individual PRP schemes. This is a system, which fulfils a number of functions that are relevant to organisational effectiveness. It has some features which are very favourable; Firstly, financial gain to the company is a prospect, since this system reduces the fixed pay-bill. This is done by the company paying out only based on what they get back in return, that is quality goods. Secondly, it is an effective method in terms of recruiting, and retaining because of the assumption that it will be attractive to quality employees, and unattractive to poor workers, whom the firm would be glad to part with. Also, it is a fairer method of payment, this being because it does not reward both, high and low performers equally, but only rewards them based on output, or productivity. Lastly, it is held to focus effort where the organisation wants it, strengthening the performance, planning process, and generally encouraging a performance-oriented culture, emphasising results rath er than effort. There are many advantages of an individual PRP scheme, as well as many failures. Firstly, the advantages are that individual differences in job performance are great enough to be worth the time and effort it takes management to measure and relate pay to them. Also, the pay ranges are wide enough to allow for significant base-pay differences among employees on the same job. Management is able to validly, and reliably measure individual differences in job performance. Another advantage is that the appraisers are skilful in employee performance planning and appraisal. The organisations culture supports performance-based pay. This can be said because it works out to be more cost-effective, as well as to be more production effective for the firm. A very important benefit of using this system is that the level of compensation technology in the organisation is reasonably high, the pay structures are equitable and competitive, and management knows how to relate pay to performance. Because of the well-carried out appraisals, the level of trust between the managers and employees is high. Individual PRP schemes also allow for the worker to put in their best, because it is a form of motivation. Offering financial incentives makes the worker work harder, and longer, and at the same time, by offering profit sharing as an incentive, it helps maintain the feeling that they are still a part of the firm, and are a contributing factor. They get a sense of belonging, and thus are comfortable in their work environment, thus making them work harder and better. Individual PRP schemes also allow mangers the will to manage, that is, the willingness to establish and communicate performance criteria and standards and the willingness to make tough human-resource decisions. Although these individual schemes have a lot of advantages and benefits, they also do have some points of failure. This could be due to the fact that the factors that encourage success, could also result in a preoccupation with the task at hand, and do not relate individual performance to the larger company objectives. This leading to the smaller things being accomplished, but the big picture of the company, and the goals that they set not getting achieved. PRP works against creating a climate of openness, trust, joint problem solving, and commitment to organisational objectives. This is again in terms of specialisation taking place. The worker will concentrate on only his specific task at hand, and the rest of the company objectives will get left behind. On the other hand, group schemes provide the chance for the company objectives on the whole to get achieved, as well as the smaller tasks simultaneously being carried out. Also, as mentioned earlier, individual PRP can also divide the workforce into those supporting the plan, and those against it, which could create adversarial relationships within the workforce. As one can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to both, individual and group PRP schemes. I dont think it possible to be able to generalise and say that one is better than the other, and that firms should use only one or the other. It mostly depends on the type of goal the firm is setting, what they want to achieve, and how they want to achieve it, which can help decide which system to use when. PRP schemes on the whole, are being used so far and wide these days by firms, and it is essential to the overall success, and progress of the firm, that they know when to use which type of scheme. Thus, I think it is not possible to say that organisations should employ only PRP schemes, I think it mostly depends on the situation, and the goal to be achieved. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Hendry, C., Human Resource Management A Strategic Approach to Employment, Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd.: 1995 2. Goss, D., Principles of Human Resource Management, Routledge: 1994 3. Storey, J., Human Resource Management, A Critical Text, Routledge: 1995 4. Towers, B., The Handbook of Human Resource Management, Blackwell Publishers Ltd.: 1996

Jane Eyre Essay: Refusal to Sacrifice Moral Principles -- Jane Eyre Es

Refusal to Sacrifice Moral Principles in Jane Eyre   Ã‚   The need to love and to be loved is a general characteristic basic to human nature. However, the moral principles and beliefs that govern this need are decided by the individual. In the novel Jane Eyre , author, Charlotte Brontà «, vividly describes the various characters' personalities and beliefs. When the reader first meets the main character, Jane Eyre, an orphan of ten, she is living at Gateshead Hall in England with her Aunt Reed and three cousins, all of whom she greatly despises. Soon after, Jane is sent away to the Lowood Institution, a girls' school, where she lives for the next eight years. Jane then moves to Thornfield Hall to work as a governess for Mr. Rochester; they fall in love and plan to be married. However, during the wedding ceremony, it is revealed that Mr. Rochester already has a wife. Humiliated, Jane leaves Thornfield and travels to Moor House. While there, Jane hears Mr. Rochester's voice calling her name one evening; she immediately returns to Tho rnfield only to find a charred and desolate house burned by Mr. Rochester's lunatic wife. During the tragedy, Mr. Rochester's wife dies and he looses a hand as well as the sight in both eyes. However, because his wife is deceased, Jane and Mr. Rochester are free to marry and do so. Even though Jane's existence is anchored in the need to love and to be loved, she is an intense character and refuses to sacrifice her moral principles and beliefs regardless of the situation. Jane's intense character is first observed when Mrs. Reed warns the director of the Lowood school, " 'to guard against her [Jane's] worst fault, a tendency to deceit' " (41). Later, Jane tells Mrs. Reed she is not a deceitful child an... ...ohn she loves, but Mr. Rochester. This perspective also demonstrates Jane's unwillingness to submit to an unethical situation against her beliefs. Throughout the novel, Jane Eyre, it is revealed that Jane is a character whose existence is anchored in the need to love and to be loved. However, she is an intensely passionate character who refuses to sacrifice her moral principles and beliefs. While the desire to love and to be loved is a general characteristic of human nature, how this need is obtained is dependent upon the individual's moral principles and beliefs. Works Cited and Consulted Brontà «, Charlotte. The World's Great Classics: Jane Eyre . New York: Grolier Incorporated. Gates, Barbara Timm, ed. Critical Essays on Charlotte Bronte. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990. Pickrel, Paul. "Jane Eyre: The Apocalypse of the Body." ELH 53 (1986): 165-82.   

Kunta Kinte and Gustavus Vassa

Among the most haunting features of the early American history was the debate on the issue of slavery. Slavery was indeed the major cause of the American Civil War that almost divided the whole United States (Polchin). The Black and White conflict persisted to exist until both sides had finally accepted a reconciliation that ended the long years of struggle to unify the whole America and consolidate its people (Anderson). As how others have always said, there is really no winner in any war but only victims. The hostilities that slavery inflicted in the American history would not be disregarded for it would always remind the government and the people about the importance of unity and acceptance notwithstanding the differences the people may have. On the other hand, no matter how people would assert that all participants of the American Civil War were victims, surely there was a party who absorbed much of the war’s consequences. Between the Blacks and Whites, it was the Blacks who suffered and endured much of the implications of slavery. This was primarily due to the fact that the Blacks were the very ones who were discriminated, marginalized, tortured, demoralized and persecuted; the Whites were hailed as the superior ones (Anderson). The Blacks had centuries of affliction and resistance against the by-products of slavery. They were not given the rights to decide for themselves. They were employed as mere properties that can be sold or traded by their masters (Polchin). They were flogged, brutally and cruelly mistreated. For the Blacks, slavery was a disease or much worse a curse – a curse that would continue to deteriorate their bloodline if they were not going to find a way to cure it. Certainly, there were many attempts to obliterate slavery, of course, led by the Blacks. They did everything that they perceive to be effective in order to eradicate discrimination against their race and abolish laws that reinforced the evils of slavery. Analysis between Lives of Kinte and Vassa Obviously, the two protagonists were Blacks. The only difference was that Kinte was a character portrayed in a story while Vassa, whose real name was Olaudah Equiano was not a character drawn from a story or novel. They have the same roots (being Blacks) and same situation (where slavery was dominant). Both of them experienced being harshly discriminated. Kinte was held captured by White men and was roughly dejected (Haley). The same thing happened to Vassa. They were physically injured. But what really wounded them was the fact that they cannot do anything but to endure their sufferings because there was no way that they can claim to alter what was happening in their lives –such as rights. Thrashing, flogging, and battering were only the initial maltreatment and abuse that Kinte and Vassa experienced. What hurt them was the truth that anything can be taken away from them, even their lives and identities. Their names were changed upon they were sold or traded. Kinte’s name was changed to Toby (Haley) while the name Gustavus Vassa replaced Olaudah Equiano (Equiano). They served and do everything that their masters told them to do so. They lived their lives the slave way. Nonetheless, Kinte and Vassa had attempted to free themselves from slavery. Though Kinte was never really became successful in overcoming or liberating himself from the objects of slavery, he made sure that his daughter Kizzy (Keisha) would not forget their origins and their authentic identities. Hence, when Kinte died, her daughter was so proud of his father and became determined to follow his father’s ideologies (which was directed against slavery).   The scene wherein Kizzy erased the slave name of his father (as Toby) and replaced it with his real name which was Kunta Kinte symbolized that even though Kinte did not really accomplished his political purpose, he was still become successful because he was able to make her daughter value his ultimate goal in life (Haley). On the other hand, Vassa was more fortunate than Kinte because he was able to express his political ideologies against slavery. His writings narrated what slavery brought upon the Blacks and how it divided the United States. He used his works to enlighten the government and the people about the inequalities that the former America had been patronizing. As an abolitionist, he strongly advocated for the abolition of the slavery, which was considered legal and was believed to be a right of the Whites (Equiano). Though his writings became effective tools in empowering America about the evils of slavery, he failed to see the dawn of the fall of slavery – just like how he failed to complete his journey back to his homeland. Conclusion To sum up, Kinte and Vassa were both Black slaves. They had the same experiences and the same sentiments concerning the issue of slavery. Their ways in overcoming such slavery were somewhat performed in different ways but had the same impact. Their political stand against slavery was fundamentally directed towards the equality between the Whites and the Blacks. Both believe that every one regardless of their color must be given equal rights and opportunities. To end, though Kinte and Vassa died without really being able to see the products of their endeavors, their legacy would remain in the hearts of their families and fellow people who were inspired by their remarkable examples. Works Cited Anderson, Claud. Black Labor, White Wealth: The Search for Power and Economic Justice.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Powernomics Corporation of America, 1994. Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vass, the African. NuVision Publications, 2007. Haley, Alex. Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Vanguard Press, 2007. Polchin, Peter. American Slavery: 1619-1877. Hill and Wang, 2003.                           

Essay about Jails, Prisons, and Rehabilitation - 981 Words

Prisons and jails are both referred to as incarcerations. A prison is where people get physically confined and lack personal freedom, and also those awaiting trails and those serving a term exceeding one year are confined here, while a jail is where inmates are housed prior to their trials on local level and those serving a term of one year or less. The society is protected from the offenders by them being confined in prisons, where their behaviors can be monitored, or they can be placed in community-based facilities which are secured and also offer an opportunity for the prisoners to acquire skills and knowledge through work related activities. The jail on the other hand serves the purpose of detaining law offenders of which they shall†¦show more content†¦Jails have no such facilities as compared to prisons. The convicts have access to food and water, bathing facilities, there are also socialization places which are restricted and the security is not as tight as that of p risoners, (WiseGeek, 2003). There are rehabilitation facilities for the prisoners to ensure that the offenders do not get back to law breaking but will have acquired certain skills to help earn a living after the sentence period is over. The main reason for the establishment of the rehabilitation centers is to counter the increasing population in the prisons as people are being sentenced every day. The act under which the rehabilitation process is planning to reduce the population through the following means: first is community sentences where the offender will be made to do community works while staying at home; custody plus, which will involve short term of less than a year in prison then after which one works for the community while under rehabilitation; Custody Minus, where the prison sentence is suspended for a shorter period in case the offender has gone against the community sentence; intermittent custody, the sentences are served only during the weekends and there are restrictions on time spent in the c ommunity; and then the differed sentences which will depend on the fulfillment of the community based rules, (Robbin, 2004). 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InRead MoreBeyond the Prison Paradigm951 Words   |  4 PagesBeyond The Prison Paradigm James Gilligan relays an enlightening message in his article, Beyond the Prison Paradigm: From Provoking Violence to Preventing It by Creating â€Å"Anti-Prisons†, about the history and sole purpose of jails. Gilligan dates his research about jails all the way back from the first civilization known to man, Sumerian, to the jails we see and know so well today. At the beginning of time jails literally meant â€Å"house of darkness† which when compared to any of today’s jails is veryRead MoreDo Queensland s Sentencing Laws Focus Too Heavily On Punishment948 Words   |  4 PagesDo Queensland’s sentencing laws focus too heavily on punishment, rather than rehabilitation, of drug offenders? Queensland’s current drug sentencing laws primarily focus on punishment more than rehabilitation. 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