City National Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

City National - Research Proposal Example By means of its banking offices in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, the Company is able to offer credit, deposit, investment advisory as well as insurance products and services to its customers. City Holding Company is the parent company of City National Bank of West Virginia. The company in line with this also works with City Insurance Professionals, an insurance agency that provides a full array of insurance products and services. Assessing the position of company necessitates the discussion as well as examination of the firm’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats. In this light we take into consideration that the strengths and weaknesses of the firm would be based on the conditions of the firm internally while the firm’s opportunities and threats would be based on the placement of the firm in its external environment as well as the dealings it is engaged with. One of the key opportunities that are evident for the firm is that when it comes to answering to local demand, the retail division of the firm was the first in their markets to establish and launch an innovative checking selection for individuals who happened to have their past challenges when it comes to running their accounts. Bounce Back Checking is for individuals who have been rejected and taken the opportunity to open a checking account. This particular option is intended for those individuals who are seeking to a fresh start. The company assists these individuals by providing them the necessary guidelines when it comes to learning responsible banking practices together with the aim of moving them to a traditional checking account. Apart from this, the company was also able to generate its own opportunity when it instigated the Community Hero Checking. This particular program honors current and retired military personnel, firefighters, police officers, medical professionals and teachers by offering them special account

LO 1. Understand the difference between personnel management and human Essay

LO 1. Understand the difference between personnel management and human resource management LO 2. Understand how to recruit emp - Essay Example LO. 1 Understand the Difference between Personnel Management and Human-Resource Management Personnel management Personnel management is defined as: 1. obtaining, 2. maintaining, and 3. Utilizing the satisfied workforce The objective of personnel management is to achieve the mission and vision statements of the organization. Personnel management is a paramount pat of the management, which is mainly concerned with the employees as well as their relationships with the organization. It is paramount to note that personnel management is mainly administrative in nature whereby it deals employees, the employment laws and their payroll among other administrative functions. Personnel management is considered reactive since it offers demands and concerns as they are presented whereas from a motivational concept, it mainly tends to only motivate the employees through bonuses, compensations and rewards. Notable human resources management have defined personnel management as the process of: organi zing, planning, integration, maintenance, and Compensation of the employees. The fundamental purpose of this process is o effectively contribute to: societal, individual and Organizational goals. Goals of the Personnel Management 1. ... To create effective inter-personal relations at the same time developing a sense of responsiveness and responsibility amongst the employees and the workers. Personnel management adopts the best conceivable methods or techniques in order to bring the best possible developments of the employees on work by cooperation between capital and labor (Randhawa, 2007). Human Resource Management Human-resource management is the fundamental function within an organization that mainly focuses on management, recruitment as well as offering directions to the employees in order for them to achieve the organizations' objectives. The line managers can perform these functions since nowadays; human-resource management courses are an integral part of the line managers’ training. Human-resource management is an organizational role that deals widely with: hiring, safety, wellness, performance management, compensation, employees’ motivation, administration, communication, and Training. Human-re source management is a strategic approach that manages employees as well as the workplace environment and culture. Effective human-resource management plays a fundamental function in ensuring that an employee can contribute productively and effectively to the organizations’ overall directions and be able to achieve the organization’s objectives and goals. Human-resource management involves shifting away from the old traditional transactional, administration and personal roles. Currently, a human-resource manager is fully expected to add value, especially to the strategic utilization of the employees and to ensure that the various employee programs have a direct impact on the business in measurable ways. Some of the latest

The Role Of A Sheriffs Department Social Work Essay

The Role Of A Sheriffs Department Social Work Essay The sheriff is an elected county official; therefore deputies and those who work for the department tend to have a closer relationship with the citizens in that particular city. According to LaFrance and Placide (2009), article on the different leadership styles of police and sheriff, most of the time, Sheriffs have risen through the ranks of the sheriffs office over time before running for election therefore they are place-bound. Because they are elected, they might feel more of an obligation to remain at their posts even when there is an adversarial relationship with the county and its board. Rowan D. Williams states that Bad human communication leaves us less room to grow, well I grew from this internship with the sheriffs office. They were willing to let me witness and be a part of any call that would not put my life in any danger. They answered all questions and allowed me to participate and experience the procedure of filling out paper work. The internship with the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office was everything I expected an internship to be. I went into this internship with an open mind willing to learn and observe as much as possible, regardless of the warnings that it was more cows and horses then people. Expecting to do a variety of things which would not only give me a paper to write but also an idea of what I wanted to do with my criminal justice degree. All of my personal learning objectives were answered. If the individual I was with at the time could not answer a question, then I was directed to the persons who could. Interning with the Cherokee County Sherif f Department was a very enlightening experience making me more aware of what my lifes goals were and were not. I gained a lot of firsthand experience and was able to network with a lot amazing individuals. From the observations I made while interning with such informative individuals gave me new respect for the manner in which the legal process is reviewed. I started my internship as the ride along and the shift was 6:00am-6:00pm, however the deputies shift started at 5:45am. The overlap help the deputies who were about to punch out get off sooner. Roll call is held every morning. This is where the deputies receive any information from the night crew or any policies and procedures which changed while they were off. They inspect their weapons, cars, and any other device which may hinder them from doing their job. After the roll call, the supervisor at each precinct briefed the deputies on what was going on within their zone and who I would be riding with. Then the deputies would disperse and began zoning or patrolling. Stan Crowder The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office runs their agency with high standards. Deputy Hackard describes the sheriffs department as aiming to be Triple Crown holder with its accreditations. The training which every deputy participates in prepares the deputy for his job and also their partners job. This agency goes beyond all requirements for accreditation. Cherokee County, which was the first agency in Georgia to have accreditation through The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), is also Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified and Georgia certified. Each certification holds its own purpose within the agencys policy and procedures. The agency builds its policy and procedures around the standards and requirements of CALEA and POST. The agency has not yet received accreditation from American Correctional Association (ACA); however they have standards similar to those that are already required. This agency strives to maintain and go beyond all standa rds to set itself apart from the rest as it relates to its citizens. Constantly being in training helps the department establish a mind, within the deputies, able to critically examine situations in different scenarios. Wesley Phillips and Darrell Norman write in their article that by engaging in critical thinking, law enforcement professionals should create multiple solutions to problems by constantly questioning and challenging their strengths, and examining decision-making preferences and practices (2009). The training which is required by the agency also helps the deputies help each other in their job. Even though the agency is certified through other programs the two which really have a large impact on how the department will conduct business are POST and CALEA. POST is an essential asset to the Cherokee Sheriffs office. It is a program which basically trains the department on gun usage and ethics that are mandatory and every agency in Georgia must be certified in. Even though CALEA is not mandatory, it does so much more for an agency. According to the departments website having this form of accreditation strengthen an agencys accountability, both within the agency and within the community. However, with CALEA it is more of a standard and rules. This accreditation is not mandatory and more than a few agencies in Georgia do not have this accreditation within the department. There are two reasons why many agencies do not have; money or man power. Cherokees Sheriff Office possesses an extremely hardworking and serious group of individuals whose job is to be quite knowledgeable about CALEA and assist in them maintaining their accreditation. Another difference between the major two accreditations, POST and CALEA, is the process. With CALEA the deputies sit in classes and learn. They become aware of the policies and procedures to handle different scenarios. They also learn different ethical choices to make. Again CALEA is not mandatory but it does say a lot about an agency. Cherokee was the first agency in the state of Georgia to be accredited through CALEA. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies set the procedures and standards on things such as how to hand cuff or searches and seizures an individual correctly to how to write out reports. POST is a different entity in itself. To maintain your certification through POST you must go through training once a year, however Cherokee requires their deputies to go through training twice a year. According to the sheriffs department website, they require each officer to secure 45 hours of P.O.S.T. approved training during the calendar year. Everything the age ncy does to improve the department, exceeds the minimum. P.O.S.T. only requires 25 hours to retain. Every deputy in the state of Georgia must be POST certified to even carry a firearm. Peace Officer Standards and Training classes usually last about twelve to thirteen weeks. Officers who finish then become fully sworn officers after they complete. Deputies also receive ethical training here as well. They go through a variety of academies and courses. Cherokee County maintains their accreditation by doing the following: The office coordinates scheduling of personnel attendance at state and local training facilities, provides in-service training and monitors number of hours personnel receive annually to assure minimum requirements of the P.O.S.T. Council and the Sheriffs Office are met. Being in law enforcement requires a lot of paper work, but the training the deputies receive prepare and train them in filling out all paper work. When it comes to maintaining their accreditation, Cherokee County Sheriffs department exceeds the requirements. The deputies must re-qualify with their firearms every year and the minimum score is eighty percent. They must have forty hours of training which is more then what CALEA requires. The department also leaves the option to sign up for more class if the deputies would like. The department goes beyond its requirements for the protection of the agency. If something was to happen on behalf of one their employees not following protocol then the agency would be able to show that they provided training to that individual to make the right choices. I feel that the training and certifications are used by the department to be able to distance itself from law suits and unnecessary court involvement. Cold cases in the Cherokee County Sheriffs department are reviewed annually. Cold cases come about when there is not enough information to bring the case to a closing. These are crimes or an accident that has not yet been solved fully and is not the subject of a recent criminal investigation. Only the serious crimes fall under cold cases if they are not solved. However some serious crimes have statues of limitations, such as rape. Rape is only a cold case for seven years. Homicide and murder do not have any statues of limitations they can be reopen at any time. However, if there is not a perpetrator then there is not case and no case means another cold case. The only way the case can be reopen is with new information or with new witness testimony. In order for the deputy to get a warrant they only need probable cause however the district attorney needs beyond a reasonable doubt to win the case. So if the sheriff never gets the warrant because there is not enough evidence then the district attorney never gets the file and the case becomes cold. The investigators re-examined archives and retained material evidence, as well as fresh activities of the suspect to reopen the case. Conduct of crime investigation and detection work has undergone significant and deep reform in recent year. In large part this is attributable to significant advances that have been made across the forensic sciences, especially in respect to the rapidly accelerating capacity to locate, collect, and analyze genetic materials this is why the sheriffs department is now able to reopen and solve more cases than in previous years (Innes and Clarke, 2009). In order to reope n a case there must be new information. Cherokee county has a variety of cultures with the county line. The deputies come in contact with language barriers and culture differences. You have the huge Hispanic community and then you have the white and black communities. The training which the deputies receive is more of an ethical training. Standards for ethical training are set by The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Then the department adds onto the standards set by CALEA. They do not receive any training on how to speak to the Hispanic community, however there are Spanish speaking individuals who work for the department. The department also now makes sure that every shift has an individual who is fluent in Spanish working with them. Some of the deputies I spoke with even said that they experienced a culture shock. That they were not prepared for the culture and community they now had to provide service to. The department does not offer any form of skill training to prepare their deputies for the d iversity within the county. Heather Wyatt-Nichol and George Franks (2009) found in their article that Many professionals and organizations in the law enforcement community hold that ethics training bridges the gap between written policies and actual behavior by introducing or reinforcing rules and expectations of behavior. Ethics instruction exposes officers to ethical dilemmas and scenarios through training prior to hitting the streets or moving up in rank. The ethical training is what keeps Cherokee County deputies grounded and professional. How the culture differences in the county also play a major role in the composition of the adult detention center inmates as well. Jennifer McMahon-Howard The adult detention center system in Cherokee is very small compared to other adult detention center systems. With over 544 inmates, there are eight housing pods in the adult detention center and fourteen inmates on each floor. There are both females and males in the adult detention center. The gender composition of the adult detention center is about 86.21% male and 13.79% female. Out of the males percentage the racial compositions is 66.10% white, 19.19% black, 14.50% Hispanic, and 0.21% other. The female composition is racially divided with 81.33% being white, 16.00% black, 2.67% Hispanic, and 0.00% other. The racial composition of the adult detention center is a reflection of the county. In the 2009 Census, Cherokee County population was composed of 81.1% white, 6.2% black, 9.4% Hispanic, and 3.3% other. If majority of the county is of the white race than the majority of the composition of the adult detention center will be of the white race. With composition of the adult detenti on center being so drastic officers have to be fully aware of their environment. Victims in Cherokee County are treated like victims regardless if they are legal or illegal. The department offers different services with help line numbers to the victims of crimes. One of the services they provide to victims of family violence is The Cherokee Family Violence Center (CFVC). The information for their services comes on a small business card, which deputies are able to hand out if there is a victim. The business card list contact information as well information on how to handle a case of family violence. CFVC is an emergency shelter which provides a 24 hour crisis hotline. They also have other valuable services such as therapy for children and they even serve as a legal advocacy. CFVC has even taking their service to the next step by making their services available to Hispanics. Cherokee County also has a program where they keep the victim inform of the whereabouts of the offenders, The Cherokee County Victim-Witness Assistance Program. The program is called Victim Information Notification Everyday (VINE). These program uses computer technology and the telephone system to provide offender custody information 24 hours a day. The system provides the custody status to the victim, including arrest, release, and transfer information. The victim is known only by a pin number. The deputies participate in different activities prepare them for these kind of events; the deputies never know what they are about walk into when called out to domestic dispute. The training which the department provides to its deputies is very necessary it prepares them for different situations, including victims which may be undocumented or illegal. There is not a police written on how to handle a victim, so many of the deputies rely on their discretion, training, and ethical values. When dealing with any victim along with the policies set forth by the department, the training received plays a role as well. On the departments website it states th at CALEA Accreditation facilitates an agencys pursuit of professional excellence, so the deputies are always presenting and representing the department in a manner which is very professional. Cherokee Sheriffs Department receives training in classes on ethics to get them prepared for the victims who may be here illegally or those of a different culture. In Kenneth Dowlera and Raymond Sparks (2008) article, on the relationship between law enforcement and victims, states that victims might have direct contact with police by reporting their victimization, although some victims choose not to report the crime. Thus the attitudes of some crime victims toward police might be influenced by the quality of their contact with police. The way that deputies and the department present themselves to victims of crime must be professional. This is the only way to build a relationship with the undocumented victims or those of a different culture. One of the deputies stated that sometimes it is difficult to get across to a victim that you are there to help them because they are scared. He went on to say that in many Mexican areas the police are corrupt so there is not a victim-police relationship. Jennifer Chacà ³n states that unauthorized peoples are more vulnerable to threats because they [perpetrators] know that efforts to seek legal recourse can results in protracted immigration detention, criminal prosecution, and, of course removal., the deputies of Cherokee County believe that any person, regardless of their citizenship, is a victim if a crime has being committed against them, before they are an illegal. So they use their discretion and to maintain a healthy relationship with the victims of crimes. Ella Ballard Discretion is defined by Terenceas Daintith as a legally constituted power of decision. It is a staple element in both administrative and contractual arrangements, but whereas its judicial control provides the core of administrative law, it is hardly even acknowledged as an issue in the standard authorities on contract (2005). Discretion can be found in an officers decision to use a legal sanction. That is, an officer exercises discretion in whether to stop a traffic offender, to give a ticket, or to make an arrest. Some police officers operate in an environment where they are frequently alone in their contacts with citizens causing them to move expeditiously to diffuse situations. Each officer is different and may have pet peeves about certain violations whether in the community or while in confinement, community perceptions are important because the department wants the majority of the community to be supportive. However, officers that work more from emotions rather than factual re presentation tend to abuse the use of discretion. In communities where the officers knew the people in community the violations may be dealt with differently because they are familiar those individuals. The perception of the offense to the officer is what influences the treatment of the party involved. The use of discretion can be closely related to how the officers worked with one another, being that they spend a significant amount of time on cases together causes them to seek peer advice. An officer influence on discretions can derive from many elements. When the nature of the crime has a child involve the deputy may tend to be more aggressive toward the alleged criminal, especially if they have a child of their own. Another major element is the department policy. If the department makes it a policy that everyone who is stopped in a traffic stop gets a ticket then that is what the officer must follow. In Cherokee County, the sheriff has made it where no one gets a ticket driving over 10 mile per hour. Scott Phillips (2008) makes a point in his article about the use of discretions when he states, Officers use discretion in traffic-stop decisions, but many state legislatures now require departments to gather traffic-stop data to study and potentially deter racial profiling. Many agencies make it very difficult for deputies to use their own discretion, especially since profiling can become an issue. The organizational structure of the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office is decentralized. Before the decentralized structure the department was centralized. The structure of the agency is very important because it dictates who report to whom and it also determines the response time. In the decentralized structure everything goes through a chain of individual before it comes to the desk of Sheriff Garrison. The captain runs just the shift in the decentralized structure. This includes all precincts. Each shift has one captain, so it is more work for the captain in the decentralized structure. In the centralized structure the captain ran just the precinct. Every deputy in that precinct would report to that captain. With the centralized structure everyone was on one page and was able to know what was going on in the precinct at the beginning of each shift because they were being ran by one person. With the decentralized structure each shift is ran differently and the adjustment from one shif t to another is difficult. Each organizational structure works, however majority of the individual I spoke with thought that the centralized structure worked better for the agency. At the top of the organizational chart is Sheriff Garrison and at the bottom of the chart is the detention centers Chaplin. Before you get to the sheriff, there is Chief Vic West and the special operations unit. Beside the special operations units are also the individual over the accreditation and certification. Special operations, which is ran by Captain Satterfield, and Headquarters Operation, ran by Captain Martin, works together and very closely with each other. Underneath training and accreditation are adult detention center operations, uniform patrol operations, investigative operations, and emergency management. The agencys organizational structure has many departments to maintain. I was assigned to the training department, but I got to speed majority of my time with the patrol unit. From the patrol unit, I spent some time within the detention center and then the courts. The time spent in the detention center was the worse for me, however there I got to visit the other departments of the agency. Within the agency you have the S.W.A.T unit, V.I.P.E.R, CID, K-9, the GCIC, patrol, and intelligence; only to name a few. V.I.P.E.R, which is acronym for Violent Incident Pro-active Enforcement Response, targets high crime areas in Cherokee. They are in conjunction with SWAT, CMANS (narcotics unit), and the gang unit. Their main purpose is to reduce criminal activities and certain areas. They also assist other units in the agency. CID is the agency investigation division. They investigate all crimes after the report has being made by the deputies. S.W.A.T is the departments most prestige unit. The un it trains on a daily bases and also participate in different mock rescue drills. The agencys website states that, all team members are required to pass a rigorous physical fitness test and demonstrate elevated shooting skills with a variety of specialized weapons. There are currently ten members, however there is only one lady apart S.W.A.T. Cherokee County Sheriffs Office has so many different units, but it training unit is what prepare the deputies for those situations where their life depend on it. Before the start of my internship with this agency, I spoke with a gentleman by the name of Captain Joe Satterfield. He explained to me all the interns duties and responsibilities and gave me the forms in which I needed to fill out. Captain Satterfield appeared to b very straight forward, and from the tone in his voice it appeared he really enjoyed what he does. I later learned that the emotions I experienced during my time with Captain Satterfield were feelings I would feel with everyone in the department I came in contact with. Captain Satterfield began his career in law enforcement 19 years ago when he was the age of 22 years old. He chose this career because he felt like it was an exciting way of living and that seemed like something fun to do. Before he started his career he attended Abraham Baldwin College. There he received his associates degree in criminal justice and a technical degree in law enforcement. Once Captain Satterfield got a job with Cherokee he received a scholarship to further his education. The scholarship came through the department from Reinhardt College. Satterfield received his bachelors degree in history and he also graduated magna cum laude. After graduating he enrolled into Columbus States graduate program, where he received his masters degree in public administration. Satterfield has had a great impact on the Cherokee Sheriffs Department. His career path started with him being in the adult detention center for about a year, every deputy starts in the adult detention center. From the adult detention center he moved very quickly to the uniform patrol unit, where he stayed for about eight and half years. Mr. Satterfield was promoted to sergeant then to lieutenant with that division. He was then to the training division where he remained for eight years. Currently Captain Satterfield is the commander over all of the following units; S.W.A.T., K-9, negotiation and biking. However, out all the position Satterfield has being over, he felt like training was the position which made the greatest impact to the department. He stated that the decision he made about training not only made an impact on the deputies but also the mannerism they would approach different situations. Training goes a long way especially when it is done the right way. Captain Satterfield is happy where within his career. He states that he would not change anything or do anything differently. He went on to explain the key to keeping family life separate from work life. Satterfield explained to always be focus on what you are doing and be able to commit to that situation. He explains that everyone will come to that point in their career where it is a challenge to maintain the family and work, but you must stay focused. The person has to approach the situation in the right manner. When you are talking to your child you are a parent; you are not the drill instructor from training anymore. Satterfield does not have any plans on running for the Sheriff of Cherokee County. As I conversed with Captain Satterfield I acquired that he feels like he has a greater interest in law enforcement and being Sheriff will not give him that hands on experience he likes. During our conversation I asked him if he could briefly describe himself in five powerful words in w hich he chose the following words; leader, disciplinary, manager, professional, and inspirational. If I had to describe my internship to another student while trying to sell them the experience which I have had, I would begin with get plenty of rest. There is land and more land, with plenty of cows and farms. I would go on to explain that the individual are very in tune with their career and down to earth. The individual of Cherokee are kind and love talking. There are a few deputies who must break the ice with before you began to ask questions. I would then inform them of the many houses which they would see form the ride-along. Be prepare to eat too because the deputies love to eat. Ask plenty of questions as well. There is so much to be learned at this internship, but you have to ask first. The internship is very similar to a job with the sheriffs department. The internship starts in the am and ends in the pm. It is a 12 hour shift but if there is nothing really to do then you can always work on school work. An internship with a sheriffs department will allow you to experience everything within the county. The internship is not like one with the Drug Enforcement Agency or Marietta Police Department; however, it is one that you will always remember. Interning with the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The officers I worked with gave me the opportunity to participate in all of the excitement that the sheriffs office has to offer; they were more than willing to teach, explain, and support me throughout the entirety of my internship. This experience has helped strengthened my career preparation for this field of work within law enforcement. Doing an internship really helps you gain a unique perspective into the world of law enforcement. I now look at some of the problems many young individual have with law enforcement and I am able to evaluate the problem to come to an answer. I have learned a lot of skills that will help me gain a career with a local law enforcement agency; minor the physical agility test. Some of the skills that I have learned this year include the dispatch codes, filling out paper work, and different policies and procedures. Along with these skills I also was able to gain an appreciation for the work that the law enforcement does. I feel as though I have learned more about the criminal justice system and the way it functions. From interning the schedule which the deputies work, 12 hour shifts, I was able to see and sometimes feel the strain of the job. I also helped fill out citations and enter the report in on file. Everything must have a paper trail when it comes to law enforcement. If it is not written down then it does not exist. I notice from looking at how evidence is handled that, even though it is a lot of paperwork, the paper helps protect the deputy and the department. Every hand that touches the evidence must sign it, therefore to where the evidence has been and how it got there. I also learned valuable lessons just from talking to different people through this internship; wisdom goes a long way. They held nothing back and I felt as though they were straight forward when answering any of my questions. Deputy McElroy gave me the chance to experience everything from riding with the officers to sitting with them in the court rooms. I now also have a better understanding of what the sheriff department means to a county and it citizens. While I have learned a lot in my four years of Criminal Justice classes between Augusta State and Kennesaw State, I do not believe anything can really compare to what I learned during my time as an intern with the sheriffs office. College course can provide us with the different facts and figures on the crime rate and the victimization rate. A teacher can give the class a hypothetical situation to be analyzed and create a solution. All of these different in class situations are usually observed and felt by others. To actually participate in these real life situations has a learning value above and beyond any typical classroom made of strictly course work. I would strongly recommend the Cherokee County Sheriff Office internship to the next student. Participating in an internship gave me an idea of what to expect to a certain degree in the area of law enforcement, along with a vast number of general skills. I have gained an appreciation for the knowledge obtained through communication with the deputies. I was able to network and establish professional relationships, which will assist me in whichever path of law enforcement I choose to pursue. I  feel privileged for being able to fulfill the opportunity I received to work with the men and women at the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office. My internship experiences have been worthwhile and very instrumental to my future plans as an individual in law enforcement. I will continuously build onto the amount of knowledge that I have obtained from this internship. The field of law enforcement can be difficult as one of the deputies stated, but I was afforded a good start with the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as the Fools of Hamlet Essay -- GCSE Cour

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as the Fools of Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince Hamlet replaces the letter that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are carrying to England with a forgery of his own making, thus sending these two men to their deaths. He does this without giving it a second thought and never suffers from any guilt or remorse for his actions. Considering that these two men were friends from his youth, this would at first glance seem to reflect poorly on his character. However, one must consider carefully the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern before passing judgment on Hamlet.    Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent for by the King and Queen to spy on Hamlet and learn why he "puts on this confusion" (III, i.2). While some are fooled by Hamlet's act of insanity, the king is not. He is convinced that it is an act and, being a sly man himself, he suspects that Hamlet is up to something. Having obtained the throne through deceit and murder, he believes Hamlet capable of the same. While King Claudius is evil, he is not a fool and he would never have sent for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern if they were such close friends of Hamlet. They are even told outright that they will be rewarded for their efforts (II, ii. 21-6).    The very fact that they undertake this task for the king is proof enough of their lack of love and loyalty toward Hamlet. Despite their actions, Prince Hamlet gives them ample opportunity to show their loyalty by admitting that they were sent for and why. By showing so much reluctance, they show themselves to be allied with the king. Hamlet asks them to "be even and direct with me, whether you were sent for or no." But after this direct question, Rosencrantz s... ...let's warning. Either way, they are indeed fools and they die a fool's death in the end. They carry in the form of a letter, the king's command to have Hamlet beheaded upon his arrival in England. Hamlet switches the letter with a forgery and seals it with a likeness of the king's seal. The new letter orders the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, thus they handcarry their own death sentences to their executioners. A poetic justice is served to these unfaithful "friends."    Works Cited Frye, Northrop. 1991. Northrop Frye on Shakespeare   London: MacMillan. Girard, A Theater of Envy: William Shakespeare New York: Oxford University Press, 1991 Shakespeare, William. The Tradegy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark.   New York: Washington Square Press, 1992 Watts, Cedric. Hamlet Twayne New Critical Introduction to Shakespeare; Boston: Twayne, 1988.   

Debate the proposition that employers are more concerned with controlling employee behaviour than they are with eliciting employee commitment. Essay

It can be said that employers have become increasingly concentrated towards controlling employee’s behaviour than endeavouring to attain employee commitment in organisations. Control can be defined as â€Å"To exercise authoritative or dominating influence over† . However this can become controversial when applied to working with people therefore as a countermeasure commitment has been introduced to even the balance. This can be defined as â€Å"a combination of commitment to the organisation and its values and a willingness to help out colleagues (organisational citizenship). It goes beyond job satisfaction and is not simply motivation. Engagement is something the employee has to offer: it cannot be ‘required’ as part of the employment contract. Commitment is therefore intrinsic to the individual employee and difficult to measure what exactly makes each one motivated therefore control should be utilised to a greater extent. This shift to controlling employees rather than endeavouring to ensure that they are committed has led to a majority of staff feeling undervalued and therefore unable to achieve their potential in the workplace. A study has shown that controlling employees has led to a drop in productivity due to the fact that a 26% or three quarters of staff members, feel that they are being manipulated rather than being utilised to their potential . Therefore, this illustrates that companies are now shifting towards compliance from their employees to follow Manager’s directives in lieu of commitment that is attained through the use of de-centralised management e.g. Matrix structures. However if companies therefore wish to therefore use centralised management the possibility for employee commitment is therefore limited. Matrix structures do have the effect of improving commitment as they include no hierarchy and equal standing by those in them however they must be monitored to ensure that they are still effective and not misused  for their less stringent management style and that some structures favoured over others . McGregor’s (1960) XY theory is a method to illustrate the management style of an organisation to determine whether it favours control or commitment from its workforce. Employee behaviour which is heavily controlled follows the pattern of Theory X, as opposed to the Theory Y which is intended to generate employee commitment. Theory X favours that managers exercise control and directed to achieve the organisational objectives with little flexibility for employees to use their initiative, whereas Theory Y believes that commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievements . Theory X managers have somewhat receded however employees are still being controlled under the assumption that businesses are using commitment methods for example flexible working practises and appraisals which will be discussed later. Commitment is intrinsic which requires more resources, however control is external and can be done more effectively than commitment. See appendix one for a model of McGregor’s theory. To control employee behaviour a number of measures have been utilised in the office environment that have enabled them to be observed by managers and recorded in order to monitor them while they are on the premises. By installing these devices it motivates the employee to work as they are constantly being monitored and therefore provides a sense of motivation for them to work as signs of slacking/unauthorised absence are recorded and used as evidence to support that fact . CCTV has evolved in recent years for businesses. Before, it was used as a common security device for the building, now, it has become a performance tool for mangers in which as a further measure to control their staff. This is done by highlighting those employees who are slacking to ensuring that proper procedure is being adhered to while on the premises. . This constant monitoring can have the effect of de-moralising employees as their every move in the workplace is being scrutinised. Job commitment however relegates CCTV to its previous function of security as management entrust employees to do their jobs, but now that CCTV has been turned in towards employees it is evident that control measures are being used instead of trying to create commitment. Yet CCTV is but one way of retaining control of staff in the workplace. For  instance, in McDonalds through the use of CCTV cameras, productivity has increased through unobtrusive CCTV coverage of workers and customers . An additional method which a business can use technology to monitor employees is the practice of electronic â€Å"clocking in† systems. These devices have been implemented in large businesses that employ a multitude of staff in which individual movement of employees can be difficult to trace. A business which has done this exactly this is Poundworld in which employees are electronically scanned into at the start of a shift and have the consequence of deduced salary if this process has been neglected . As a method of control, these devices can monitor exactly when an employee has begun their shift or when they have returned from their breaks etc. to ensure that they begin work at the proper time. This also ensures proper records can be maintained should any discrepancy arise regarding timekeeping. However this monitoring of movement may hamper employee commitment as they are constantly being recorded while on the premises for timekeeping plus they can feel dis-trusted by management as they are being constantly monitored for when they started their shift. Employers have minutely contributed to employee commitment with the use of Job Design which has been utilised to effect in certain companies such as Microsoft who use elements like job share to encourage employees in their roles Job Design is when the duties and the role of an employees’ position have been analysed and decided by management before they are employed or amending parts of an employees’ position while they are employed. Job Design permits an input from employees into their role of the organisation as they collaborate with management in which their position is defined. A further example of stimulating commitment with job design is when employees and employers discuss characteristics of the position that would suit the employee’s capabilities which in turn increases their motivation as the employers are permitting staff an input into designing their responsibilities in the job. However, employers have the opportunity to use job design to influence control of over their staff with the use techniques such as job expansion and job rotation with allow them to amend or add additional workload to their job which may not be to the employees benefit.  Furthermore, an employer has the ability to change the job design of staff to suit their requirements over employees depending on the situation without any input from employees. By way of strategically/tactically controlling their staff, management are employing the use of Management by Objectives for all members of staff to analyse if targets or goals are being met. This can be defined as â€Å"A methods of management whereby managers and employees define goals for each department, project, and person and use them to monitor subsequent performance† . Controlling behaviour is being used here as management are attaining the utmost effectiveness from a particular member of staff or individual department as their desired goals are measured against their actual goals and analyse if they have been accomplished. However commitment is being given to the staff/department as the decisions to how they achieve their stated goals has been de-centralised for them to decide. As technology has increased to such an extent, a business can take advantage of employing staff that do not have to work in the office environment through the use of flexible working contracts and providing them with equipment to work off-site. These contracts enable a business to offer their employees who are unable to travel or who have other commitment so actively continue working but in the confines of their own home or on the go by the use of a laptop or mobile phones. As employees are away from the office, a main disadvantage is that their working pattern cannot be monitored to ensure that they are actually fulfilling their tasks. As controlling behaviour has become more prevalent to management, software has be embedded to the technology issued to these homeworkers e.g. tracker and keystroke logs to monitor the use of laptops and phones during the day. For example, Freedom Direct, a holiday company offers such flexible contracts and issues those involved with hardware embedded with this surveillance software to safeguard against slacking while away from the eyes of management . However some companies now prefer to control their employees from one central organisation. For example Yahoo managing director has decided to ban employees from using home working to â€Å"build on corporate culture† however this has damaged commitment as many employees have been demoralised by this  decision that may affect their future in the company. . Furthermore, to bolster the claim of controlling employees, this ban on flexible practises was instigated after an investigation of employee logs showed it fell below the standard expected for their employees and therefore cut this form of employment from the organisation. . This therefore illustrates that electronic devices provided by organisation are monitored to ensure that duties are conducted. Employee commitment is therefore given an opportunity by senior management by permitting a group of employees to work away from the office on these contracts who might not have the opportunity to do so. This increases motivation and job satisfaction to the company as they would not lose any valuable staff plus have the ability to monitor these employees away from the office with the tracker software to monitor their actions during the working day. Control is again utilised as these employees are monitored no less than their counterparts in the office and are monitored with the identical software. Control has been favoured in organisations as those with the authority to make decisions in their department must to be held to account for those decisions should they prove to be incorrect. Accountability can be defined as â€Å"the fact that those people with authority and responsibility are subject to reporting and justifying task outcomes to those above them in the chain of command† . By having a clear and define line of authority from the managing director to the clerk, it is possible to identify who should be held to account and therefore justify their decisions should they prove them to be incorrect or disastrous. This can be de-moralising as these targets are not negotiable and therefore must be achieve which adds an element of stress. Managers often therefore are hesitant to issue instructions in which they know are difficult to achieve, yet this can bolster commitment within the company as employees, if informed, that these tasks are of some difficulty may strive to attain them to receive the department recognition for doing so. This therefore increases motivation as well as assists in team-building for the department as they are united in a common goal . Employee behaviour can be controlled by the use of annual appraisals of departments. This is the discussion in which an employee and manager decide  on the objectives and the action necessary to achieve them for the coming year. Appraisals are a two way discussion in which the employee states what they wish to achieve for the year and the manager offers guidance to do so, however this is again a method for which control even though employees perceive it as being a method for commitment. The employee may see appraisals as a method in which they are in control of what they want to achieve and not what the business wants them to do. This is an opportunity for managers to input targets or goals which the employee agrees on without knowing the magnitude of the task, however they must achieve as it has been stated on the appraisal document and could lead to a poor appraisal the subsequent year. Managers can use these to implement control over employees in which to dispel rewards to the employee thus motivates them to achieve their objectives. The threat of disciplinary action for repeated failure to attain objectives set out at appraisals is a sure way to coerce commitment in the workplace as employees will strive to achieve those objectives set at appraisals. Employers have the ability to produce commitment while still using control methods by the use of a health work/life balance. This can be defined as â€Å"concept that supports the efforts of employees to split their time and energy between work and the other important aspects of their lives† . While managers are allowing an employee to split their time between a professional and a private life they can still use methods such as monitoring social media to ensure that no derogatory remarks have been made against the organisation known as reputation management. It has been reported that 80% of a company’s workforce use social media sites in one way or another therefore the scope for badmouthing a company has increased. To combat this possibility 60% of selected businesses have proposed to implement software that would detect this . It is imperative that a business conform to the laws which dictate when an employee’s professional life ends and when a personal one begins as not to intrude. Having a healthy balance between personal and professional life enhances commitment to the organisation due to employees recognising that their business does not own them permanently and are permitted a life outside the office however are unobtrusively monitored to an extent. In order for senior management to exercise control over employees while they are in the workplace, management have re-employed the use of a well-defined and structured hierarchy in organisations in which they can delegate the operational control of the business to managers or first level employees who have a greater understand of how operations of the department are conducted. Middle management positions such as Assistant Managers for departments have returned to businesses due to the fact that the employees on this level support change to departments which may not be popular as well as focusing on the different strategies which have been set by the company . By re-introducing levels of management that may have been de-layered previously, companies are therefore increasing their Vertical differentiation to establish a clear line of authority in departments. This may be advantageous for commitment in departments that have a copious amount of staff as problems can be easily rectified, yet they can be seen as another level of management in which the business has established to ensure their corporate strategies are met irrespective to employee requirements. In order to control employees’ behaviour, businesses have invested in training and development programs to educate their workforce with various methods such as induction training through to university courses. Induction training is a period in which a new employee to the business is given training preceding their start in the business. This provides an opportunity for the member of staff to become aware of the procedures, policies and workplace culture that a business has. In order to train potential or existing staff some businesses have adopted a system of internal in-house training schemes that have been adapted especially to fit different purposes. Businesses such as McDonalds which have established educational institutes for potential staff to undertake for promotion or re-training or other reasons which would see those who graduate attain a recognised qualification . However due to their size and expense they are restricted to large highly profitable businesses. A purpose of these schools is to instruct that person on what is expected of them while in employment and how to undertake different duties, however these methods can be categorised as a method of control as these courses are pre-designed so that employees  should conform only to those that are taught as they expect them to be correct. Commitment can be fostered from this as employees may be more motivated and satisfied in their position as they have been trained to a degree so that they are competent in their role in the business and provide a sense of a good working environment to potential employees, plus as this is a recognised qualification this can be presented as part of an application as a symbol that they have enrolled and passed a course specifically designed to train members of staff. The drawback of control becomes the advantages of using commitment and should influence a business to implement commitment measures For example; Pfeffers’ model of high performance factors is heavily influenced as commitment measures that managers should consider to bolster the motivation of their workforce. However these are disguised as a further method of control as to attain these factors the workforce must demonstrate they are a viable working entity. The factors that constitute this model are Team working and de-centralised management, High pay and incentive, Employee Security, Extensive training and development, Narrow status differentials and Careful recruitment and selection. Cultural control is a method that managers can use to â€Å"define specific patterns of behaviour within a professional environment†. This behaviour has already been stipulated by the management of how they wish the workforce to conform and therefore expect these patterns to re-enforce organisational culture. A method in which an employee can become accustomed to the social norms of a workplace culture is through induction training. Therefore the accompanying member of staff would acquaint the new employee of the social norms that have been adopted by staff which they will conform to. This method of control is an example of how management quickly adapt staff to the methods of the workforce that have already been repeated for other staff. A company that would be perceived as having a poor corporate culture would be BP. In the wake of the oil spill in 2007 in which an inquiry was found to ascertain that intense cost cutting and efficiency measures demoralised the workforce therefore affected practises which precipitated the disaster through negligence of corporate culture. A final method in which businesses can control their workforce is through the monitoring of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The organisation will monitor their employees’ posts on these sites to ascertain they are behaving in an according manner or post any derogatory statements regarding the business or its staff. This is a method of control as staff are being monitored while they are on the premises as well as off therefore this encroaches into their personal life affecting the work/life balance. It has been reported that 60% of businesses by 2015 will have some monitor in place in order to track their workforce on social media sites in order to protect the business’s reputation or the brand they are selling . An example of a business that has used this is Proskauer Rose in which staff have it written into their contract of employment that they will be monitored on social media sites. Therefore to conclude, it would appear that mangers controlling employee behaviour has become more prevalent that endeavouring to attain employee commitment in organisations. This could be the case as controlling employees has become cheaper that resorting to measures to attain employee commitment as well as ensuring their effectiveness in the workplace as well as out of it . However there should be an even balance between control and commitment from managers to create a suitable working environment for employees as they would not prefer to working in a hostile business which treats them as a tool rather than one which treats them as a valuable resource. Using control methods such as technology and monitoring ensures that staff are adhering to policy set out in their contract. References Always Watching . (2010). Benefits of CCTV for your Business. 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McDonaldisation and the Labour Process:Impacts and Resistance. Asian Social Science , 106. Bibliography Broome, I. (2009, July 20). How CCTV can help improve your productivity. Retrieved Feburary 10, 2013, from IanBroome.com: http://iainbroome.com/how-cctv-can-help-improve-your-productivity Business Dictionary. (2013). What is Job Design. Retrieved March 1, 2013, from Business Dictionary: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/job-design.html Improve. (2012, July 27). How far can Employers go in Controlling Employee Behaviour Off the Job . Retrieved March 8, 2013, from Improve: http://www.improve.com/How-far-can-Employers-go-in-Controlling-Employee-Behav  ior-Off-the-Job/4404# Reed, S. (2010, July 6). How to Manage Employee Behaviour. Retrieved Feburary 28, 2013, from Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Manage-Employee-Behaviour&id=4613259 Reference for Business. (2013). Management Levels. Retrieved Feburary 19 , 2013, from Reference for Business, Encyclopedia of Business 2nd Edition: http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Log-Mar/Management-Levels.html Twentyman, J. (2007). Keeping tabs (Staff monitoring). Verheul, I. (2003). Commitment or control? Appendix list 1. 1. Working on feedback: Read the feedback on your assignment carefully, then re-read the piece of work to see the areas that the feedback refers to. You might use a highlighter pen to cross-reference the feedback to your work, or to draw attention to corrections and suggestions. What has your tutor written (key points) What do you understand this to mean? 1. Good introduction, underpinned by theory 2. Critical and analytical throughout 3. Good reference base 4. Contextualised into subject 5. Good analysis 6. Must use references properly 7. Used references and examples to illustrate that points made are utilised in business. 8. Good research base 1. A well designed introduction that has been bolstered with the use of business theory to support the argument. 2. By being argumentative on both sides (control and commitment) it shows that there has been research done and concluded that one was more viable than the other. 3. A diverse range of sources has been used to collate examples e.g. journals books internet

Eugene Ionesco’s Existentialist Views Essay

– Eugene has written 28 plays. His most famous works include The Lesson (1951), The Chairs (1952), and Rhinoceros (1959). -Eugene has been recognized as a leading writer in the Theatre of the Absurd. His plays break theatrical archetypes of plot and sequence; explore mortality, and introduce existential conundrums while utilising over imaginative, unrealistic and out of the blue humor. The line between fiction and reality is consistently blurred as Ionesco depicts meaningless worlds ruled by chance. Was made a member of the French Academy in 1970, and won a number of prizes including the Tours Festival Prize for film, Prix Italia, Society of Authors Theatre Prize, Grand Prix National for theatre, Monaco Grand Prix, Austrian State Prize for European Literature, Jerusalem Prize, and honorary doctorates from New York University and the universities of Leuven, Warwick, and Tel Aviv. Contribution to Existentialist Thought and Relation to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are Dead – Eugene’s greatest contribution to existential thought comes from developing the building blocks for theater of the absurd. Eugene popularized nonrepresentational writing techniques to a point which audiences found it acceptable, and used basic existential concepts in his plays, inspiring future writers such as Tom Stoppard. – Eugene constantly refers to two main themes throughout his writings; loneliness and isolation; and having no control over one’s fate. The setting of The Chairs provides a great example, in which an old couple 90s only have each other in their small house on an island, which represents the isolation. Guil and Ros are always alone in their absurd existentialist thought which does not seem to bother anyone else, which leads them unable to relate to the people around them and feel alienated. They are physically isolated in their un-determinable location; however they are also mentally isolated. The two characters have no memory of their past, and as such they cannot retain any future purpose or goals they may want in the future; they are isolated to the present, and as such they can only react to things happening around them, rather than seeking tasks for the betterment of themselves. Guil expects that the letter they are bringing to the king will tell him their next task in life. He says â€Å"[t]here may be something to keep us going a bit. † Ros then asks, â€Å"And if not? † to which Guil replies, â€Å"Then that’s it, we’re finished† (Stoppard, 96). Stoppard shows here how little control Ros and Guil have over their own life. – Eugene’s work focuses on human existence and trivia of everyday life. Rhinoceros is bold enough to say â€Å"sometimes I wonder if I exist myself†. Eugene constantly challenges the meaning of life and what it means to exist in his writing. Stoppard compliments this topic as well, as demonstrated when Guil and Ros first gain consciousness on the boat. Guil converses with Ros by saying â€Å"‘we’re not finished, then? ’ ‘Well, we’re here, aren’t we? ’ ‘Are we? I can’t see a thing. ’ ‘You can still think can’t you? ’ ‘I think so. ’ You can still talk. ’ Ah! There’s life in me yet. ’ â€Å"(88). Stoppard explores the idea of living within a conscious mind, and no body, and only had thought and a voice in the dark. – Restraint due to social norms is another major theme throughout Eugene’s writing, specifically in Rhinoceros. One of the main reasons Eugene wrote Rhinoceros, was to explore the mentality of those who so easily succumbed to Nazism. Ionesco wanted to mock the German fascist movement by having characters in his book all turn into rhinoceros’s because everyone was talking about it and doing it themselves, which leads to one of Eugene’s main existential opinions: that â€Å"one must break away from conformity and commit oneself to a significant cause to give life meaning†. Eugene has people in his plays repeat ideas others have said earlier, or simultaneously say the same things. Not only do Guil and Ros constantly repeat each other when they lack the originality or purpose to say something new, Stoppard takes lines directly from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and has Guil and Ros unknowingly change to Shakespearean English and speak Shakespeare’s words whenever they converse with other characters from Hamlet, for example when first meeting Claudius, they say â€Å"We both obey/ And here give up ourselves in the full bent/ To lay our service freely at your feet/ To be commanded† (27-28). Their inability to control their language and their conformity with the original play demonstrates the lack of control they have over their destiny, as if it was planned.