Media Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Media Advertising - Essay Example This paper delves into how media advertisement can be used to promote sales for software products. When marketing for software products I would engage in the process of developing the marketing plan required to sell the software. Research on how to market the product would cover market needs, market trends and the best mode of advertising. Since the identified marketing medium is through online selling on Facebook, the best tactic to use would be to display unique features about the product using creativity that is difficult to copy (Feltenstein, 2010).   Legal implications – when using the online advertisement, any breach of law can always be traced back and used as evidence of the case. Due to ignorance of law, many businesses suffer from this risk. Security breach – there are hackers or internet criminals who target the operations of the companies that undertake online marketing. This involves track on financial information and account details or company profile to create havoc (Smith, 2011).   Advertising on the internet serves as a good strategy to increase profits for the company or the business. Social media advertisement targets a large group of people who act as customers of such products and they lead to increased sales of the product. Many customers who deal with online products get more satisfaction because they can make the transactions using online system and they are able to get the specific product without going for window shopping. Since the customer satisfaction is high through social media due to factors like integrated marketing communication, there are more customers in social media which leads to increased sales and thus profitability (Funk, 2013).   Social media advertisement also leads to profits through reduced cost of operation. Through online advertisement, the business applies integrated marketing communication (IMC) which involves combining all aspects of marketing such as sales promotion, public

Dispersal Policy Of Asylum Seekers And Refugees

Dispersal Policy Of Asylum Seekers And Refugees The essay will look at dispersal policy; a brief background and description of the dispersal policy. Critically analysing the policy in relation to asylum seekers, elaborate the role of NASS and arguments on welfare and asylum seekers in relation to Britains changing laws of seeking asylum. Outline how ideologies have used those policies and the impact they have caused. Critique the policy; explain the Implications and challenges for social work practice in relation to the policy. A policy is a concept developed by government or political party to put down decisions 0r performance and matters that will prove advantageous to society in general. Dispersal is the process of moving asylum seekers to different areas of residence, to share the call on resources and public services amongst a wider range of local authorities across the UK instead of one particular area of the country. Under the immigration and Asylum Act 1999, any asylum seeker requiring support and accommodation may be dispersed anywhere in the UK while their applications are being considered (www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk). Asylum is protection given by a country to someone who is fleeing persecution in their own country. It is given under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. To be recognised as a refugee, you must have left your country and be unable to go back because you have a well-founded fear of persecution. The person claiming for protection is an asylum seeker. If the claim go through the person becomes a refugee (ww.homeoffice.gov.uk). In Britain, legislation and social policy in relation to asylum and refugees has been a priority for long. Britain gave attention to the refugees they had drafted in the1951 UN convention to provide protection to people who are at risk of persecution in their own countries. People from common wealth countries were invited to fill in gaps in the labour market following the economic boom in 1960sand thus settled in the Greater London. Dispersal has a history in UK, though it is only in recent years that it has come to be used routinely for asylum seekers. Before the 1990s, it was used to distribute specific groups of refugees such as the polish resettlement in 1950s, the Ugandan Asians in 1972, the Chileans in 1974-1979, the Vietnamese as an attempt to de-concentrate ethnic minority families whose numbers had had been considered too high in relation to resources such as housing and schools. (Griffiths, Sigona and Zetter, 2005). The concentration of asylum seekers in London and south east generated localised social and economic costs that those areas were not willing to accept. As a result of local tensions, the practical problems of housing, and supporting large and unexpected numbers of additional residents, some LA started to disperse asylum seekers. From 1996 on wards, London boroughs such as Harrow sent asylum seeker to Teignmouth in Devon (Robinson et al 2003 p: 122). This inspired dispersal and more local authorities were encouraged to do so voluntarily. More so, the policy was also inspired by dispersal of Bosnians in 1993, which was hailed as an example of effective settlement based up cluster areas and the principle of ethnic community formation (Griffiths et al 2005). Initially the policy applied to asylum seekers who are destitute. If they asked for accommodation, they could only refuse to go if they have a medical support in London, risk of domestic violence and have relatives around. The main aims of the dispersal are to relieve pressure on councils in key areas of South East and London which have been over burdened with asylum seekers and to distribute the load more evenly around the count. Those requiring accommodation would be dispersed to areas with housing to spare (www.bbc.co.uk/news). Dispersal was also seen as a means of improving the access of minority ethnic groups to improving life chances and a way of reducing prejudice through the deconstruction of stereotypes that these groups with areas characterised by overcrowding, poverty. The dispersal would encourage informal connection between neighbours of different races who might then begin to see each other as individuals rather than as stereotypes. The objectives of the policy were to control asylum seekers to enter the UK, increasing speed of the decision making for asylum seekers, refurbishing the financial support method of welfare benefits (Griffiths et al 2005). However, to supporters of dispersal policy, the issue is one of costs and equity: if society has made the democratic decision admit migrants, then the whole of society should bear the costs (Robinson 2003, P: 163). When you look at dispersal, it is not about cutting costs, sharing the burden or addressing racism, but about soothing the fears of some voters who want to believe that immigration, and who is allowed to stay in their cities is under control. The government needs to embrace asylum seeking, shift in the tone of public debate away from illegal immigration and deterrence, using the educational system to change public perceptions, and promoting community involvement, active engagement and sponsorship (www.migrationyorkshire.org.uk). Dispersal as a form of enforced population control is primarily a means of reducing the social visibility of asylum seekers and their potential pollution of social space. If the concentration of asylum seekers in the community is constructed as a problem for race relations, then their social dispersal is both a valid and desirable outcome (Griffiths et al 2005). By 1990s the number of asylum seekers had increased sharply and public opinion had turned against them, racialising the issue and labelling them as bogus and undeserving (Robinson et al 2003 P: 122). They are perceived to be economically motivated. Today immigration is perceived by many in Britain as a problem for our society which stems from a fear of unknown. Refugees and asylum seekers create an unwanted entity of the otherness in the margins of UK. From the moment they arrive they face an unpredictable and often aggressively hostile local public with racist political sentiment openly engaging in intimidation and local press making accusations of bogus claims and a drain on national resources (Pierson, 2002,p: 203, Dobrowolsky and Lister 2005). This othering resulted in discriminatory policies, which lead to the social exclusion, and discrimination of the asylum seekers, and refugee communities to the extent that their basic human rights have been challenged and their very existence has been criminalized (Dominelli 2002). I think devising strategies to prevent refugees coming to the country are a threat to the civilisation as it violates the basic human rights. The media could be partly to blame for this concept as they often wrongly imply that all asylum seekers for example, are criminals. Glasgow suspended its participation in the scheme in the wave of press hysteria. Media portrayals are often confusing and unreliable as they represent a gloomy impression about asylum seekers. The media blow up the insecurities of the public to sale more papers, as they are the only visible group in the local communities to blame for the ill health of the welfare system in the country. They have been an easy target for all as they are po werless, dislocated, silent, and do not even having the right to be here (Robinson et al 2003). Before 1996, asylum seekers were entitled to use the same social services as the rest of the population for example, if they had had been homeless, they would go to a homeless person unit, for support. The conservative Government introduced the asylum and immigration Act 1996, which meant that asylum seekers were cut off from mainstream welfare benefits. This left asylum seekers with no access to services. However, this was against the 1948 National Assistance Act which requires local authorities to provide welfare support to those destitute asylum seekers. Some local authorities started providing support to asylum seekers and their dependants if they appeared to be destitute. But, this was done on ad hoc basis and there were no clear guidelines of the local authorities responsibilities. In 1999, a new policy had been formulated for asylum seekers and refugees, which is called immigration and asylum Act 1999. The immigration and asylum Act 1999 gave the National Asylum support service (NASS) the responsibility to provide services and meet needs of asylum seekers. This was due to the problems encountered by the social policy of UK regarding asylum and refugees, the policymakers have decided to establish the NASS in April 2000. NASS was set up to alleviate the pressure on the LA, and also to meet the government view that access to social security benefits creates a pull factor on economic migration. The major role of NASS was to provide support and accommodation for those asylum seekers who are poor while their claim is still being considered. Individual will be given accommodation in the UK, which is usually located and on a no choice basis. This meant that NASS has the sole right to decide for the asylum seekers will be moved (Griffiths et al 2005). In 1999 the dispersal policy marked a fundamental change in British asylum approach by Introducing new procedures for the reception and accommodation of asylum seekers pending their claim for status determination in the UK (www.fmreview.org). Failed asylum seekers are often destitute when support is cut off 21 days after a final claim for asylum is refused (Refugee Action 2006). The Red Cross estimate some 26,000 are living off food parcels although the figure could be far higher (www.rcn.org.uk/). Dispersal failed to relieve pressure on London. It is possible that up to 2/3 of asylum seekers decided to remain in London and stay with friends and relatives rather than take up accommodation in other parts of UK while this does not add pressure to housing, it creates problems a with health and education www.school.gov.uk/policyhub/asylum_dispersal). There were many draw backs, in the dispersal, as there was miscommunication between NASS and agencies concerned. There was no sufficient accommodation in the dispersal areas and the whole situation was in shambles as reported by the for example, councils did not know how many people were sent to them and what language they spoke so that they arrange translating services. In general, principles of the policy were not effectively adhered to. NASS should work closely with other agencies to coordinate action to ensure the presence of asylum seekers do not harm community relations. NASS has been criticised by Fekete as being oppressive and institutionalised racism in her report Crimes of NASS: What is so alarming about the approach of NASS is that they do not consider it their duty to protect asylum seekers from racial violence, or ensure racial harmony, NASS is probably the only body in the country with no coherent policies against racial harassment and no apparent overall strategy to promote good race relations (Fekete, 2001). Since the year 2000, the NASS took the responsibility of asylum seekers to disperse them, wherever there is accommodation without considering their culture, language or any individual needs. Those who are vulnerable were left without support or information (Cohen, 2002, p: 119). Ethnic minority people suffer from linguistic deprivation in areas they are dispersed to. Initially, the idea was to send asylum seekers to established communities who shared a common language and provided comfort and support. However, due to limited resources and scarcity of accommodation in some places, most asylum seekers were sent to places away from the communities. Breaking up families and then dumping asylum seekers in sub-standard accommodation in some of our poorest communities was always bound to backfire. It is a policy that was neither human nor practical (www.independent.co.uk/news). From 1996 onwards, the responsibility of asylum seekers was given to voluntary organisations, for instance, NASS who dispersed refugees away from their countrymen and families. In so doing, their networks are sabotaged and left in isolation where they do not share any ownership or sense of belonging. They are unable to convey information or attain financial assistance from their communities, and that keeps them in a state of tension. There are questions about the long-term impacts on social cohesion, because clustering can deprive these groups of people of integrating in the community. Also, clustering led to emergency of Ghettos in deprived areas of asylum seekers. This may in turn hinder refugees future integration into communities (The Guardian 2005). In addition to that, dispersal has led asylum seekers being sent to live in the very poorest areas where there were large numbers of people living on either benefits or in the lowest-paid jobs where they were not only more likely to face assaults but were also twice as likely to face racial harassment. More so, the accommodation of these dispersed people is made with no choice as to the location and anyone leaving the accommodation offered to them will lose the right to support. As a result, they are will be impoverishment, poverty, exploitation, ill health and sometimes death. Secondly; some of them whose claims are still pending are sometimes taken to detention centres where they are dealt with brutally with discrimination and abuse (Cohen, Humphries Mynott, 2002). In relation to housing some private landlords force asylum seekers to live as a family with people they do not even know. Overcrowding has become an issue for larger families, which are given smaller accommodation. Others return to their homeless charities after failing to cope with the situation (Audit Commission 2000, p: 3). NASS housed accommodation has no legal protection from eviction and the legislation of 1999 deteriorated in relation to housing conditions for asylum seekers and where by landlords growing richer on contracts in order to accommodate asylum seekers (Cohen et al, 2002). One of the worst impacts of the Asylum and Immigration Act is the extension of immigration checks to housing and to all homeless applications. If the Home Office learns that a refuge has received public funds, he might lose the right to stay in the country or fail to renew their permission to stay (Cohen et al 2002). Again, the vouchers are stigmatising, as they are used in fewer shops and less on public transport. Asylum seekers and Refugees who are skilled, experience high unemployment and low pay as there are not as many jobs in rural areas as the cities, and the policy sabotage them from their networks that would help them. As a result of this, asylum seekers are discriminated against instead of being offered opportunities and strategies for help (Ibid). The government initiative towards asylum seekers preserved within the 2004 Asylum Act did not include the children welfare or to ensure that their human rights were thought of. On the contrary, children of asylum seekers whose claims failed are threatened to be removed from their families due to the powers of this act. A government which sets out to make the children of failed asylum seekers destitute cannot seriously argue, Every child matters (Lavalette and Pratt, 2006, p. 200). It destabilizes the domestic and international human rights commitment and undermines the Third Way ambition of every child matters. The detention centres, prisons and enforcement of dispersal programmes together with the 2002 Nationality Immigration and Asylum Seekers Act are all stereotyping asylum seekers as criminals, agree to be dispersed anywhere to get support, accommodation taken off them if they try to choose, taken in to isolation with high levels of crime directed to them, lack of legal representation. According to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigration: These policies are not only discriminatory against one of the most vulnerable sections of our community but also, of the worst kinds of social engineering which is destined to fail (www.lga.gov.uk). More so, the Audit Commission has reported that asylum seekers and refugees get poor health care though they are entitled to free healthcare. Some of the GPs have taken their names off the lists as there is a tendency that it might impact on their surgeries. On the other hand, the examinations refugees take at ports of entry, have no follow ups due to poor health check ups. They are again registered temporary which does not allow keeping frequent medical records and cannot put their needs into account due to the rights and responsibilities of healthcare. For instance, most refugees experience post-traumatic stress disorder as they escape. (Audit commission 2000a). The dispersal is reported to have improved recently, but this is down to the NASS working closely with other agencies like police, landlords, and local councils. They had all been included in the deciding in the area that was to be used, monitored the impact of the arrival of the asylum seekers on schools and other services and monitored community tension (guardian 2005). The policy has some success; this is evidenced by the larger number of refugees and asylum seekers in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester areas, and Birmingham hosts a sizeable refugee population in Wet midlands. There has been a corresponding growth of refugee community organisations (RCO) in these areas compared to before the dispersal policy of 1999 (Griffiths et al 2005). In this section the will look at implications and challenges of social workers face in their work with asylum seekers and refugees in the context of dispersal policy in the UK are: Social workers tasks include giving assistance and proper attention to these individuals and ensuring that they receive the services which are included in the immigration and asylum Act. NASS is responsible for identifying who among the asylum seekers have the right to be given the services offered by such agency. The NASS should coordinate with the social workers, and the members of the enquiry lines to know if there are asylum seekers who need assistance of the government (Dominelli, 2008). Hayes and Humphries (2006, p: 44) argue that it is often the most vulnerable who suffer from lack of additional support; parents worry for the health and well-being of their children. For example, a mother who can not breastfed her child because she is HIV positive and cannot afford to buy formula milk for her child. This puts social workers in a dilemma as they are forced to decide on eligibility based on immigration status, and the tension between social work values of providing for those in need and the requirement to exclude people from services. Social workers are forced to negotiate between this role of controlling access to support and that of providing care. In addition to that, social workers working with asylum seekers experience a growing demand for the services as a result of new arrivals in a period of the budget constraint and their work tended to be dominated by assessing eligibility and providing for immediate needs rather than a broad social work role. Social workers need to understand the impact of negative stereotyping on asylum seekers. Thompson (2009, P: 158) the need to recognise the significance of discrimination and oppression in clients lives and circumstances has been emphasised. As we have seen that asylum seekers will be subject to racist media portrayals and hostile views from members of the public, these factors will not help to integrate them into the community once an application has been successful. Thompson (2009, p: 18) argues that the role of social work is to contribute to social stability, to ensure that the level of social discontent does not reach a point where the social order may be threatened. Therefore, it is the role of social workers to help asylum seekers to integrate into local communities and adjust to a new culture. They will need to help asylum seekers to become more empowered as individuals and groups so that they can better represent themselves in the wider community. Empower involves practitione rs having to reinvent their practice and their perceptions of particular problems and solutions (Trevithick, 2005, p: 219). Social workers were under pressure as Social Services are using their already over stretched budgets to provide for asylum seekers. Following the negative media portrayals; the local populations made the assumption that the social services budgets were drained, not as a result of government not providing enough money, but because of the asylum seekers. A discussion about who pays the taxes for public welfare and costs of migration devalues immigrants contributions to economic growth (Dominelli, 2008). In some cases social workers were seen as supporting asylum seekers and neglecting the rest of the population. The role of a social worker is to address issues of oppression and discrimination on a daily basis yet their involvement is too little. Emphasis on the health and welfare of children allow social workers to become focused on specific issues such as safe case transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, while not focusing on the needs of the vulnerable adult. (Hayes et al, 2006). Instead of the centralised NASS service provision, it would be better if asylum seekers could use local Social Services teams and benefits offices as these are more accessible. However, limited resources and staffing, the government should provide more support within the existing mainstream structures. Instead of training more social workers and community workers to support the asylum seekers, the government set up NASS, whose staff are not trained in anti-discriminatory principles, and had not got enough experience in housing and settlement issues. NASS work practices lead to more discrimination and social exclusion of the asylum seekers. Social workers must seek clarification within their services concerning the issues related to asylum seekers. As the most asylum seekers do not speak English or cannot command the language well, social workers should make good use of interpretation services and make sure that these services are available for the asylum seekers and able to communicate appropriately. Patel and Kelly (2006, p:5) suggest that ensuring access to interpreting services, and more equitable access to language learning opportunities, is essential for the appropriate provision of social care to Asylum seekers. It is my belief that all human beings deserve respect and dignity and should be treated will equal concern; however, looking at the media it is evident that the UK is struggling to sustain the support required for asylum seekers, which is becoming a growing problem within the UK today. The Human Rights Act 1998 applies to anyone living within the UKs borders regardless of circumstances or nationality; until an asylum seeker receives refugee status they are often in a state of limbo and regularly their equal rights are denied. Therefore, anti discriminatory practice and humanitarianism is vital within Social Work practice. Social workers should be involved in campaigning for the rights and ensure that they are observed (Dominelli 2008). The role of a social worker is to adhere to enhancing an atmosphere of acceptance, tolerance and equality for all individuals no matter what their background is. It is essential that Social Workers and those accountable for providing services and support to the most vulnerable in our society do not lose sight of the fact that asylum seekers, regardless of their immigration status, are human beings, with fundamental and basic human rights, needs and aspirations. In conclusion, although dispersal policies are always understood as ways of temporarily accommodating asylum seekers as they wait for their decision on their asylum claims, the government needs to look at things on a long-term basis so that they are dispersed where they are able to integrate. Therefore, policy makers should also think of the future employment probability and service as they are most of the requirements for the future. NASS should work together with agencies concerned to make sure that asylum seekers are not put at risk. I have critically describe the policy, explained the implications of the policy into social work practice.

Use of Foreshadowing in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

Use of Foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, foreshadowing is used a great deal throughout the whole story. From the beginning to the end, it appears everywhere hinting on what will happen in order to make the book more enjoyable. It was used to show that Lennie will be getting into trouble with Curley's wife, the death of Lennie, and exactly how he dies. The moment that Curley's wife was introduced, an ill feeling overcomes the atmosphere indicating that Lennie will be getting into a mess with her. George states in the very beginning that he is always getting into mishaps, "You do bad things and I got to get you out," (p.11). The situation in Weed involved a girl and Curley's wife just happened to be the only girl on the ranch. Connecting ends with ends, there is a sense of insecurity between these two people. Later on, there was an intimation that she was going to be killed by Lennie because he killed the mouse and the puppy, leading to bigger deaths such as Curley's wife. Foreshadowing plays a large role in indicating that Lennie isn't going to last long in this harsh world. The beginning introduces this world in such a great way, raising your emotions with a happy tone in a wonderful peaceful scene and then sends that scene plummeting over a cliff into a dark unhappy environment. The strong characters in this environment attack the weak and the weak attack the weaker. An example of the strong against the weak is when Carlson compels Candy, "I'll put the old devil out of his misery right now," (p.47) to let him shoot his dog. An example of the weak attacking the weaker is when Crooks teases Lennie, "jus' s'pose he don't come back," (p.72) Lennie is the weakest because of his mental disability and his lack of thinking for himself. He would either run away or be eliminated through death. Candy and his dog mirror the image of George and Lennie. Candy being George and his dog being Lennie. When the dog dies, it foreshadows his death because th e dog represented him.

High employee performance

Question: â€Å" Making people satisfied in and with their occupations generates high employee public presentation. † Discus This essay argues whether high employee public presentation is a consequence of doing people happy in and with their occupations. It will sketch the points in favor and against the statement whilst mentioning to the different occupation satisfaction and public presentation theories that have been examined by Human Resource Management ( HRM ) theoreticians. The different points and theories on the occupation satisfaction occupation public presentation theoretical accounts will besides be highlighted to back up the statement. Job public presentation is officially defined as the value of the set of employee behaviours that contribute, either positively or negatively to organizational end achievement ( Colquit, Lepine, Wesson pg. 37 ) . Job satisfaction on the other is defined as a enjoyable emotional province ensuing from the assessment of 1s occupation or occupation experiences ( Colquit, Lepine, Wesson pg. 104 ) . In other words, it represents how you feel about your occupation and what you think about your occupation. There are different factors that contribute to employee satisfaction in the workplace runing from inducements such as periphery benefits to wagess such as higher wage. One cardinal factor that affects employee satisfaction is motive. Motivation has been describe as the cognitive determination devising procedure through which end directed behavior is initiated, energized, directed and maintained. ( Andrzej, Huzynski, Buchanan ) . This merely means that motive is what drives an person to bring forth an result. There is a valid nexus between these two descriptions and research has shown that occupation satisfaction most times leads to high employee public presentation. Take for e.g. theoretical account 1 developed by†¦ shows a clear nexus between occupation satisfaction and public presentation as G Strauss ( 1968 ) commented that â€Å" early human relationists viewed the morale-productivity relationship rather merely: higher morale would take to improved productiveness. This provides a valid relationship between morale and productiveness e.g. a telesales agent who is extremely motivated and is happy with their occupation is more likely to execute better than one who is non. On the other manus anticipation theories of motive by and large stipulate that satisfaction follows from the wagess produced by public presentation ( Naylor, Pritchard, Illgen 1980 ) ( Vroom 1964 ) . Lawler and Porter ( 1967 ) anticipation theorists themselves argued that public presentation would take to occupati on satisfaction through the proviso of intrinsic and extrinsic wagess. In contrast to this there are different values each employee is more normally associated with. Some employees value money as a chief aim to be satisfied by their occupation while others value friendly relationship as a step of occupation satisfaction, as Locke ( 1970 ) hypothesised that value attainment would chair the performance- satisfaction relationship, such that public presentation is fulfilling to the extent that It leads to of import work values. Therefore, a strong pay-performance eventuality would do those who value wage satisfied because public presentation leads to valued wagess. Although this is the instance these theories differ depending iupon what type of profession or occupation you are looking at. E.g intrinsic wagess would use more to physicians and engeeners as they are more satisfied by value of their occupations and†¦ wheras person working on a local shop may be more satisfied by how much money thay make par twenty-four hours. So if the statement that doing people satisfied with their occupations generates high employee public presentation is entirely used in a concern environment and other factors are non included such as the 1s above this would non turn out practical as grounds shows that there are other factors that influence this. Personality besides affects occupation satisfaction and public presentation. Therefore it is really of import to separate between the different personality traits each person has in order to use the right theoretical accounts to increase their occupation satisfaction and public presentation. A meta analysis conducted by, Organ and Ryan ( 1995 ) proposed that employee personality traits such as conscientiousness indirectly influence Organisational Citizenship Behaviour ( OCB ) through employee affect. Job satisfaction would be one index of this affect. In certain occupation prspects such as marketing employees who score higher points on extroversion traits Mccrae and costa ‘s ( 1987 ) would have more attending from people in authorization as those are some of the chief qualities that leaders look for in selling industry ensuing in more contact and attending from leaders. This is supported by ( Graen, 2003 ; Graen & A ; Uhl-Bien, 1995 ; Lapierre, Hackett, & A ; Taggar, 2006 ) ‘s, statetement that those in higher quality Leader Member Exchange ( LMX ) relationships typically receive discriminatory intervention, such as more discretion and liberty at work, every bit good as more ambitious and of import duties ensuing in increased occupation satisfaction ( Schriesheim, Castro, Zhou, & A ; Yammarino, 2001 ) . Clearly one can see that when employees are making good in their occupation and are acquiring the recognition and incentives they deserve they will be satisfied with their work hence taking them to execute better in undertakings allocated to them and with their overall occupation. However It can be argued that overall occupation satisfaction may non ever be measured accurately as being satisfied with one facet of work such as friendly relationship s at work might non intend one is satisfied with their whole occupation as they may non be satisfied with wage. Employees may be probably to execute better with undertakings that relate to a portion of the occupation they are satisfied with and make strictly with undertakings related to things they are non satisfied with in their occupations. Besides lazy workers although satisfied may non better on their public presentation which supports the McCrae and Costa ‘s ( 1987 ) unfastened model on personality.

Personal and professional development Essay

Self managed training is a when an individual plans, executes and evaluates his or her own learning. The learner is in control of when learning can happen, the duration and the learning experience or outcome. It is important to always review and adapt your training plan. It is unproductive to remain rigid with the plan, and allowing adaptations will improve its applicability and suitability to individual needs. On the job training is another way to self manage training as it allows the individual to apply what they have learnt to real life experience and develop their skill set by actively taking on tasks and duties within their role. This allows the individual to understand their skill set and realize any deficiencies which can be rectified through on the job learning. Learning such as this is lifelong and it is only by exposure to new tasks that the person can develop. This can be applied whilst working. Again a plan can help to keep you on track and provides a reminder of the objectives you have set. Self managed training allows individuals to learn at their own pace while managing their time constraints and work duties. It gives control back to students in deciding how they take on the learning, how much they learn and the content they learn. This, in turn, can make happier and therefore more successful students as they will be able to apply a concentrated effort to the tasks at hand rather than spread themselves thin in meeting deadlines, learning courses that don’t interest them and balancing work at the same time. 1. 2: Proposing ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts can be encouraged. There are no formal institutions instead it’s an on-going process where one learns from day-to-day interactions with different people, by observing the world around us and imbibe them to form a definite ‘knowledge’ of what has been experienced by the individual (Herminia, 2003). Lifelong learning in a professional context can be encouraged by providing incentives such as monetary rewards and career development. These are well suited to the most ambitious employees who thrive on challenge and have a deep rooted interest in self development. This has the benefit of companies retaining their employees, as developing their skill set will result in a diverse work force that can tackle many problems. Employees that feel invaluable to their company will thrive and perform better knowing they are a vital part of the workforce. In a personal context, it is important to appeal to the individual based on their personality, their life experiences and their future ambitions. The realization of personal development and its applicability to their future goals will enable them to realize their potential and motivate them to continuously learn and develop. 1. 3: Evaluating the benefits of self-managed learning to the individual and organisation In self managed learning the individual is solely responsible for their own learning and time management. In order to see if this method is effective for the individual, a comparative analysis can be undertaken where any change in work output has occurred after successful completion of the course. An improvement in performance would suggest the training was well received. A further promotion would be a strong indicator of how effective the overall process was. Another indicator is if upon successful completion of a course, if the individual has volunteered for further courses as it shows they have been encouraged to accomplish more and the style of learning was well suited to them. For the employer, if self managed learning has proved to be successful through a visible improvement in employees work output then it is evidenced that it has been useful. It is also beneficial in that the organization does not need to invest more time, effort or money towards the process of self development for individuals thereby saving extra costs for the company but simultaneously consistently improving their work force and making them more efficient. Through the method of self managed learning operational costs can be brought down by not having to spend more money on arranging workshops and further courses internally. By improving their workforce through self managed learning they can utilize employees within the organization to carry out more specialized duties instead of outsourcing to external employees. The progression path can be monitored through arranging regular reviews and collating information on work performance, this information can be stored on a database to compare in reviews and track progress. This is also useful to highlight any changes to be made to further improve. It has also been corroborated that self-managed learning benefits the individual and well the organisation (Murphy-Latta, 2008). TASK 2 2. 1: Evaluating one’s own current skills and competencies against professional standards and organisational standards During the meeting with the training manager of United Utilities I discussed methods to evaluate competencies skills against standards both professional and organizational. The employee review each month with the manager can be compared with the organizational standards to check for areas of improvement and whether employee is reaching targets. The competencies within professional standards can then be used to identify the current skills that the individual has achieved and what more he/she need to do to reach a professional standard. A log or journal of the individuals owns learning and performance can be an ideal way to record progress. Thus, one’s own current skills and competencies do contribute to set a definite professional standards and organizational standards (Bandura, 1997). 2. 2: Identifying own developmental needs and the activities required to meet them In order to identify own development needs it is helpful if a record of learning is kept. Individuals can use a diary or log to do this and can look back at this to reflect and decide on a way forward. This is an opportunity to self reflect, analyse and highlight weaknesses. The individual when put through self-managed learning process he or she would be well aware about their own positive as well as negative sides (Jasper, 2006). A review or a meeting with your manager is a good way to seek advice on areas of concern that may need to be developed. The professional and organizational standards must always be referred to in order to compare and form an idea about the skills that need to be enhanced. The skills or competencies that are highlighted as weak can then be focused on to improve. The training manager can be informed of these issues and suggest the relevant training/course which is beneficial for those issues. 2. 3: Identifying development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs A regular review with managers and trainers is the best way forward as this gives the individual an opportunity to identify which activities are proving to be difficult. It is also a chance for the individual to voice their concerns and request additional training that they feel will be beneficial. Employees can be proactive and request to be placed onto a course that they feel will be beneficial. An employee could devise a business plan to show to the manager how the course will benefit the employee and how it will achieve development needs. The objective and goals should be outlined in the plan and a time frame given to achieve those goals including any reasonable steps that should be taken to achieving said goals. 2. 4: Devising a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs Once development needs have been identified and established, a plan should be implemented to tackle those issues. The plan must include both the personal and professional development as the success in one will inevitably lead to success in the other. The plan must specify objectives that reflect the individual’s needs and how the objectives can be achieved alongside a reasonable timescale. Each objective may have an associated set of steps or actions which will enable the objective to be met in a timely manner. The development needs or gaps in knowledge are normally a priority objective before further development can ensue. A chat with your manager, colleagues or other professionals may ascertain any gaps in knowledge or issues to improve on. The plan should allow for some flexibility upon periodic progress reviews. TASK 3 3. 1: The process and activities required to implement the development plan The process required to implement the development plan occurs after identifying the development needs and once the plan has been arranged. In this case the BT PLC Group human resources manager will need to identify the course that is relevant for employees and will need to assess the workforce and establish what percentage of the workforce can attend training. The company has to remain operational therefore it is important to work out a schedule for employees to attend training/courses without sacrificing current company strategy. The next phase is to make arrangements regarding the actual training program, where the course will be held, for how long and enlisting our services as a training provider. A timetable has to be arranged, fees established and enrolment conducted. 3. 2: Undertaking and document development activities as planned Development activities can be documented by having a record of activities that are derived from the development plan needs that were established. After each training session a form or list can be issued to evaluate what the learner has achieved. This can then be compared to the actual objectives to tick off targets that have been met. This method can also highlight anyone who is struggling to meet targets, which gives the trainer a chance to create other ways to fulfil those goals by making adjustments to their learning plans and varying methods of delivery of the course. The person in charge of the individual’s development prepares a suitable method of recording progress made through adhering to the plan. The documents then get cross-checked by the superior in the administration and approval for the changes is secured from the ultimate authority. At every point in implementing the development program, any progress, accomplishment or changes of the tasks is signed by senior authorities in charge to confirm it has been approved. 3. 3: Critically reflecting on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the developmental plan The learner can critically reflect on own learning by reviewing after each training session what they have learnt or achieved. This can be either done individually or discussed with the trainer. Where there were areas that learners struggled on, those issues can be discussed and an alteration within the action plan will focus the learner. Testing learners is another way to establish what they have been successful in and what they haven’t. An overall score can be given to realize any further areas of development. Learning progress must be compared to the original aims and objectives that were suggested in the development plan. A comparison can be made with the actual learning and the objectives, so as to view where there are any gaps remaining if any. 3. 4 How to update reflect critically on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the development plan Based on the review and evaluation of own learning it is then important to adjust the development plan specifying those areas that still need to be concentrated on. The adjusted plan of action will specify how this can be achieved and set a realistic time frame. The development plan must be reviewed again once this further change of action has been addressed to see how much improvement has been made. The process of planning and reviewing is a lifelong learning tool that will enable the learner to gain knowledge about their own capabilities and to develop a sense of self awareness. TASK 4 4. 1: Selecting work based solution on various situational problems The presentation that I will conduct with employees of Hounslow Council as requested by their Human resources manager is regarding work based solutions on various situational problems. In the presentation I will hand out a document with a quiz in order to interact with the audience. There will be ten questions each giving a scenario with an example of a work based problem. There will be four options listed for the learners to choose from. The learners will need to answer each question keeping in mind the best possible solution. A prize will be offered to the person with the most points out of ten. An example of a one of the questions is if an employee has a voluntary dinner conference at a graduate bureau but then an emergency meeting is arranged for the employee with the manager. Four possible answers are given and the learner must select one. Once the papers are marked, a discussion can occur between learners attending the workshop regarding the answers. Learners gain knowledge on handling work based problems in a relaxed and interactive way. 4. 2: The various communication methods available for being effective at workplace and various situations to use it There are many methods of communication in the workplace with the increasing influence of technology and its usefulness. The different methods are firstly, written communication which can be paper based that can be stored in files for later references and also in digital format such as e-mails and fax (Murphy-Latta, 2008). Written communication is mostly used by the companies to communicate in the workplace. If there is a crisis such as documents stored on the computer deleted in error then written documents can be used as testimonials. Secondly, it is oral communication, either face to face or over the telephone and now with latest technology Skype is an alternative. Oral communication is mostly used in the stock exchanges where everyone is within the audible reach (Susan, 2002). Meetings can provide an opportunity to communicate face to face and can be an effective method to liaise with colleagues and provide the ideal environment for collaborative endeavours. Speaking over the telephone can be a hindrance depending on the quality of the phone line, also relying on people actually answering the phone. However, telephone conferences are a good method of briefing employees, which can save companies time and money. Thirdly, latest technology such as emails, internal memos, fax and intranet sites are effective as it is an instant method to communicate information within the company as it is quick, easy and cost effective. 4. 3: The various factors of time management and strategies Time management is one of the most important elements of successful work and being recognized as an efficient employee. There are various factors on which time management depends such as individual characteristics of the employees, balance in one’s work life, and the influence of the organisation on the individual, the usage of the latest technology that saves time and adds to the accuracy (Golding and Gray, 2006). In order to efficiently manage time employees should plan tasks according to the priority. Employees must be aware of the risk of distraction and wasting time in conducting tasks which will inevitably affect productivity. This eventuality will in turn affect revenue of the company and the employee job security. The strategy to manage time is to plan ahead in all tasks, keeping a checklist of tasks to do and updating this as tasks are being completed. Prioritise the most important or relevant jobs to do, also allocating sufficient time is vital to enable the task to be performed correctly.