Employee Rewards Essay Example for Free

Employee Rewards EssayIntroductionThe purpose of this essay is to critically examine the processes apply by Scotia acquisition and identify if their observes atomic number 18 appropriate to those of the grocery store. The report go away begin by discussing the background of Scotia Learning and follow on to define abide by precaution highlighting the objective and constraints within the reward st postgy. We give therefore consider the legal frame scat and examine why there are variations in lucrement and how ancestry evaluation can ensure equity and fair play is achieved. Finally we give discuss the concept of motive and the implications of patch up for performance within the reward strategy. The report ends with an analysis of the key issues of the topic. Scotia Learning is the exercise ascertain for this essay and is one of a network of university-based study centres offering preparation for students wishing to study undergraduate and postgraduate degrees for progression into university degree courses. The company has colligation venture musical compositionnerships with top universities by dint ofout the United Kingdom, Ireland and United States of America.Reward management is concerned with the formulation and implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward people fairly, equitably and consistently in accordance with their value to the governance (Armstrong Murlis, 2007, p3). Research by Redman Wilkinson (2009) indicates that reward is an enormously complex issue and has to take account of three wakeless principles in determining systems and structures internal equity, external equity and business strategy. In sum Thorpe Homan (2000) state that the organisation should identify what objectives and behaviours the payment system should dedicate for example, labour mart competitiveness and management skills whilst Perkins White (2009) highlight the importance of legal regulations that can put constraints on organis ations, for example minimum wage (legal), collective bargaining (trade unions), and the external labour markets.Scotia Learning does non recognise a trade union however it does recognise that collective bargaining has been influential in discussing and setting pay arrangement due to internal and external rates of pay not being equal. Within the fight legislation pay has always been an area of tilt especially when one considers employees collective concerns (Brown et al., 2003). The introduction of The Equal Pay Act 1970 outlawing unequal pay for men and women having since evolved into equal pay for equal work and the Equal Pay (Amendment) Regulations 1983 after the UK joined the EU in 1973 (Perkins White, 2009), now gives employees a certain degree of protection in their employment relationship.To strengthen modern legislation The Equality Act 2010 was introduced highlighting human rights and discriminatory factors, such as equal pay, sex discrimination, race, disability and e quality (religion, sexual orientation, and age) (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2012). In response to this Scotia Learning are aware that they birth a duty of care to all employees and comply with the Equal Opportunities Policy by ensuring the pertinent develop is undertaken by managers and employees ensuring everyone understands the importance of and their responsibilities under this Policy. This is also promoted in all recruitment documents, ensuring that wording of job advertisements does not discriminate against any potential applicants.As part of this legislation, employers are legally required to ensure their pay structures are not discriminatory against men and women in terms of valuing work amid them in their employment and in order to defend themselves against equal pay claims, organisations must be able to prove that the jobs within their grading system are valued jibe to the job rather than the gender of the person doing the job. Failure to adhere to these reg ulations can result in a tribunal claim and if proven the organisation will have to pay all money accrued which can be backappointmentd six years in England and five years in Scotland. In the case of (Birmingham City Council v Abdulla and others 2012 UKSC 47), the Supreme Court ruled that equal pay claims brought in the High Court more than six months after the end of the claimants employment, which would have been out of time in an employment tribunal, should not be struck out under section 2(3) of the Equal Pay Act 1970.The reasons for a claimants ill to bring a timely claim in a tribunal are not relevant in any way to the notion of gadget under section 2(3). (PLC Employment Law Weekly email). Within Scotia Learning pay and benefits are provided on the basis of objective criteria, free from discrimination taking into account the principle of equal pay for equivalent work or work of equal value. In addition we ensure transparency within the reward system is clear to all employee s in that they understand how their pay is worked out and what is required from them to achieve this. Job profiles and person specifications for each new vacancy are drawn up in keeping with other jobs of a similar size and responsibility which focus on the skills, experience and qualifications that are directly relevant to the job. Armstrong Murlis (2007, p115) state that the payment system is important as it not only conveys a signal to the employees what the organisational priorities are but also acts as a gas for wider organisational change a view reiterated by Armstrong (1996) in which he proposes that the foundations of reward management are to achieve the individual and organisational behaviour that a company require if the business goals are to be met.Therefore the term employees are the key to enhanced organisational performance becomes relevant with links to Kessler and Purcell (1994) where they emphasise that payment systems are link up to recruitment, retention and m otivation of faculty and that the determination of pay is not only the interaction of market forces but also employers. It is also acknowledged that variations in pay can occur for a variety of reasons and from a legal perspective it is important to understand why (Redman Wilkinson, 2009). Firstly the power scenario, in that if labour is scarce, employees will have more power and thusly whitethorn be able to demand higher pay, in contrast with an over-supply of labour employers have the power and hence may be able to hold pay at lower rates (Redman Wilkinson, 2009). Secondly, it has been acknowledged that the rate for the job should be the aforementioned(prenominal) for employees doing the same job but considering organisational performance is reliant on the employees effort, skills and competencies, it is not logical to assume that effort should be rewarded and pay should vary accordingly.A view divided up by Redman Wilkinson (2009, p161) who advocate that variable pay schemes (VPS) are said to hold out the promise towards the creation of internal labour market that is fairer in reward people as it is only fair that rewards should have a direct link with effort. The argument with this theory is that risk adverse workers will be less willing to gamble on pay related performance than a set amount of pay. Thirdly, we should also take into consideration the external market rate of pay and uneven market pressures such as differing regional or occupational rates of pay as Kessler (2007, p167) states external equity is an organisational dictatorial as failure to respond the labour market changes will leave organisations at a disadvantage competitively. Scotia Learning responds to these challenges by regularly benchmarking and canvass the market rate of pay within the educational sector. Data collected is beneficial in determining pay to ensure pay scales are in line with and competitive with similar jobs.For example, when recruiting teaching staff, the use o f organisations such as SATEFL and other educational websites are particularly useful, for administration staff we would use S1jobs.com and jobseeker.gov.uk website and with management we would use agencies. However, although the aforesaid strategy is very useful, Scotia Learning is a relatively large organisation with Centres worldwide and other factors have to be taken into consideration, such as location and cost of living. In determining the value of jobs within our organisation, although we consider the external market pay rates, decisions concerning pay are done through a coherent wage and career structure internal to our organisation which ensures consistency and rectitude in our reward systems. It has been reported that issues with this reward system have arisen within the banking sector resulting in Government intervention to deal with inequalities of pay setting at senior management/director level and low pay via the national minimum wage.This is not an area of concern fo r Scotia Learning as the annual profit increase is a % rate consistent throughout the organisation and our pay structure process involves a job evaluation a systematic process for establishing the relative worth of jobs within an organisation Redman Wilkinson (2009, p141). In addition Scotia Learning is accredited to the British Council and British Accreditation Council and all HR policies and personnel files are properly documented and filed. Our job evaluation comprises of an analytical (i.e., jobs are broken down into individual components) broad-band pay structure with a range of factors such as knowledge and skills, problem solving, decision making and then allocating directs to them. It is interesting to feeling that research by IRS (2007) showed that an average of 86% of organisations use this form of job evaluation. Within this broad-band pay structure we have 6 wide overlapping salary bands made up of management, HR, teaching staff, finance, student services and cleani ng staff with a salary range for each bank of at least 75%.Progression up the bands will be by skills and qualifications, performance and competence enhanced through individual career development thus supplying the motivation for continuous learning. To support this, the annual performance review takes place, however it is not link to pay or rewards and is based on the objectives of skills and competence which are linked to organisational performance. In terms of equity and fairness the rate of pay for full-time and part-time teaching staff is calculated on the same hourly rate therefore ensuring consistency and fairness within the system. It is interesting to note that research by Redman Wilkinson (2009, p139) argues that by paying an hourly rate employers control over dance step and performance is reliant on either direct supervision or the willingness of employees to engage with the task synonymous with the argument surrounding risk adverse workers.This point of view may be vi able in organisations such as call centres where technology enables the monitoring and regulating of work by measuring yield and input and within the customer service industry where we have the secret shopper, but within the education sector autonomy is part of the job as is their professional code of ethics which includes commitment, motivation and discretionary behaviour which is contradictory to the argument by Thorpe Homan (2000) who suggest that non-financial aspects are secondary and rarely given the same prominence in the design of payment systems. Managing rewards is largely about managing employee expectations linking to their psychological contract which is concerned with pay, performance and the development of skills (Armstrong Murlis, 2007).The argument then becomes, if reactions to rewards depend on the psychological makeup, values and needs of individual, one cannot wholly rely on performance related pay schemes to enhance all employees performance as not everyone is motivated by money. Motivation only takes place if rewards are worthwhile to the individual and if the process is seen to be fair, therefore, it would require to be customised for every individual in the organisation (Armstrong Murlis, 2007). For example, an employee nearing the end of their career may be more interested in job bliss (intrinsic reward), whereas a graduate beginning their career may be more interested in training and development (extrinsic reward).For that reason it can be argued that both intrinsic rewards such as respect, recognition, job satisfaction and responsibility are just as important as extrinsic rewards such as pay rises, bonuses, training and development opportunities and benefits such as annual holidays, company sick pay and company pension. This highlights the importance of implementing an equitable and fair reward strategy in that by incorporating financial and non-financial rewards is that they can be used as a tool to enhance employee motivation r esulting in improved organisational performance. Finally the importance of management skills cannot be undermined as they are a fundamental element of human resource management. The management strategy within Scotia Learning is based on autonomy, communication and high levels of trust between management and employees. indorse to support this is the turnover rate of staff with one employee resigning over the past two years and the annual absence levels within Scotia Learning for all staff inclusive stands at 0.1% of working hours, which is the lowest in the entire organisation.ConclusionThis objective of the report was to establish the processes that ensure equity and fairness in the reward systems. We have covered the legal aspects, strategies, market awareness, motivation, job evaluation and performance appraisal and it has become evident that Scotia Learning complies with all legal legislation, and displays equity and fairness within the reward systems. However there was an air o f negativity surrounding performance and reward as within Scotia Learning the annual appraisal is not yet connected to pay for performance. It is possible that issues could arise if this was implemented, namely, it could seriously walk out the dynamics of the office environment between a very closely-nit team of employees, managers and directors in that, how does the manager justify their decision in the event of a low reward without affecting the equilibrium of the office environment and within a enroll organisation all trade unions argue against performance linked to pay.Schemes relating pay to performance, although generating a tremendous amount of interest have very little in the way of conclusive evidence concerning their effects on performance (Redman Wilkinson, (2009). This echoes Thompson (1992) findings in which he states, research fails to provide convincing evidence of a link between individual performance-related pay schemes and improvements in productivity. The evide nce supports that other approaches should be considered in rewarding employees, for example a one-off bonus payment which would not affect the employees annual salary.ReferencesArmstrong, M. (1996) Employee Reward, London Kogan Page/IPD Armstrong, M., and Murlis, H. (2007) Reward Management. 5thedn. London Hay Group Brown, W., Marginson, P., and Walsh, J. (2003) The management of pay as the influence of collective bargaining diminishes. In P.K. Edwards, industrial Relations Theory and Practice, Oxford Blackwell IRS (2007) Job evaluation is thriving, survey finds Employment Review, 667 Kessler, I. (2007) Reward Choices strategy and equity. In Storey, J. HRM a critical text 3rd edition, London Thomson Learning Kessler, I., and Purcell, J. (1994) Performance Related Pay Objectives and application, Human preference Management Journal, Vol.2, No.3 Perkins, S. J., and White, G. (2009) Employee Reward Alternatives, consequences and contexts, 2nd edn. London Chartered Institute Of Personne l and Development, Redman, T., and Wilkinson, A. (2009) coeval Human Resource Management Text Cases, 3rd edn. London Prentice Hall, Thompson, M. (1992) Pay for Performance The employers experience, Brighton, Institute of Manpower Studies Thorpe, R., and Homan, G (2000) Strategic Reward Systems, Harlow Financial Times Williams, S., and Adam-Smith, D. (2006) Contemporary Employment Relations A critical introduction, Oxford University Press Equality of Human Rights Commission, available from http//www.equalityhumanrights.com/human-rights/ date accessed 23/10/12 PLC Employment Law, available from emailprotected date accessed 26/10/12

Sprinting speed Essay Example for Free

Sprinting speed EssayMy aim is to undertake a 6 week exercise programme to ameliorate my sprinting speed I go forth do this by doing a 6 week circuit training programme with activities specifically Copernican to improve my arm strength as I need stronger arms to pump faster and for to a greater extent power. My deltoids and Trapezius possibly my Latisimuss Dorsi for the same reason. My overall torso muscles as you need strong pectoral and group AB muscles for sprinting. My microscope stages so my hamstring and quadriceps obviously needed for sprinting I will build these muscles to get the maximum power that can be achieved also I will need my gastro neumus for the same reason. All these activities that I undertake will be directly needed for my chosen sport sprinting. Flexibility and muscle survival will also be built up over this period of time.Aspects of fitness that I will need in sprintingMuscular survival my goodish breakurance is quite good as you will see from my f irst table of results so I will not focus too often on improving this although getting it up will help my overall speed and it will go up with time as I muster out the circuits.Flexibility my flexibility is quite poor so I will need to get this up primarily just by simple and more complex stretches at the start and end of my circuits. As better flexibility helps for grander strides and therefore longer strides mean a faster pace. I do not expect my flexibility to go up dramatically as my exercises arent focused on this purview of fitness.Strength and power are the main aspects I will need to improve. Both of these are quite strong for me but to get a faster sprinting speed I will need to improve them further and I expect a positive increase by the end of my 6 weeks which is why most of my exercises will be focused upon this aspect of fitness.Why I am doing this 6 week programme. I am doing this programme to improve my overall sprinting speed and my power.Who decides? I decide a ll the activities I do and the results are just for me there is no limit or expectation this is purely about my results nobody elses. Im the angiotensin converting enzyme deciding everything as Im the wiz who is going to be doing all the exercises and who knows my capabilities better than me. (Rhetorical question.)My personal profileMy name is Bob Rose born 29/11/1991 I am 15 years of age. My Somatype is mesomorph. I am 60kg, 173cm. My sprinting speed for the 100ms last measured as 12.13 seconds.These are what exercises I shall be doing and how many to each one two weeks in my circuits each set will be repeated 3 times a day so weeks 1/2 I shall do that amount 3 times for a days circuit but its broken up like that to makes things easier and not so boring. whence weeks 3/4 I do the same thing etc same with weeks 5/6.The exercises I am doing and what part of the body they will be exercisingExercise 1. Dips these are a sensibly easy exercise to do but after a push-down list of the m you get cramps in your triceps which is the area you are working on in this exercise. A very good exercise for arm strength. Area G on the labeled picture above.Exercise 2. Shuttle sprints are quite a ambitious exercise as they demand using the whole body just about a tiring exercise but very good for build muscular endurance. This is the perfect exercise for me to improve my sprinting speed as this is sprinting just over shorter distances for longer. This exercise improves cardiovascular fitness. On the muscular impecunious diagram at the top it is groups all.Exercise 3. Burpees are a very difficult exercise that requires nearly full body like shuttle sprints but this needs more power and effort to complete successfully. Burpees are very tiring but they are one of the best methods of training overall muscular strength and endurance for the fact that they use the whole body in a logical argumenting exercise that can be done at a quick decent pace to hurt a lot. On the muscula r nasal diagram at the top it is groups all.Exercise 4 Toe skipping is simply just skipping on your toes the idea that this keeps the gastro neumus fully tensed for the duration that you do the exercise so therefore it doesnt get the chance to relax. So this exercise builds your gastro neumus, quadriceps and hamstrings but mainly the gastro neumus. This improves the stamina and power from the legs so the capability to run further, faster and longer. No picture needed as we all know what skipping looks like. On the muscular skeletal diagram at the top it is groups D and J.Exercise 5 Wall squats are a painful and fairly difficult exercise over a period of 1-5mins the exercise builds the quadriceps and hamstrings as the main part of development therefore useful for building power and endurance as this is a long timed exercise in most cases. A ball can be used to increase the strain on the legs. On the muscular skeletal diagram at the top it is groups D and J.Exercise 6 Squat thrust ar e exactly like a burpee without the jump at the end a lot less tiring but still a moderately difficult exercise. Builds the same area as the burpee but puts more strain on the pectorals, abdominals and Latisimuss Dorsi as there is no jump to relieve pressure. No picture needed. On the muscular skeletal diagram at the top it is groups D A and H.Exercise 7 Bench jumps are quite self explanatory as you just jump over benches either with just one leg so more like running over but not touching them jumping with one leg then switching the leg you are jumping on or the hardest way is to jump with both legs in the air and raising the knees pretty much as high as possible for every jump.This exercise builds quadriceps, hamstrings and gastro neumus as the main areas used are your legs it is a fairly easy exercise but when done in a circuit with other leg exercises like the one I did it can be found very difficult as the repetition of lifting your legs puts a lot of effort. It also builds musc ular endurance as it is you normally bench jump 50+ times so it helps improve endurance in the legs which is very important for my main aim to improve my sprinting speed. On the muscular skeletal diagram at the top it is group E and J the gastro neumus is not labeled.Exercise 8 Sit ups are when you go from lying down with your legs at an angle and feet flat on the floor then from this position you put your turn over by the side of your head and raise your torso until your elbows touch your knees. This exercise improves abdominal muscle significantly which therefore helps tone the abs and lose any fat portion me to sprint faster also more power can be exerted with stronger abdominals. To improve the degree of difficulty you can add a twist so one elbow touches the opposite knee and keep repeating this also twists the abs therefore making the exercise harder. On the muscular skeletal diagram at the top it is group D.Exercise 9 Press ups the press up is were you go from a face down p osition with your toes on the floor and hands only and then raise and lower yourself repetitively. This exercise builds the biceps, triceps, pectorals, latisimuss dorsi, trapezius and deltoids. On the muscular skeletal diagram at the top it is groups A, B, C, G, H and F. This is important as it will improve my arm and shoulder muscle therefore resulting in me being able to produce more power through my shoulders and arms.Exercise 10 The dreaded chin up I myself found this exercise not too bad as I have a bar at home but do not be fooled this is along with the burpee the hardest exercise in the book as you are hanging from a bar with your palms confront you and a wide arm posture you then bring yourself up to the bar so that your chin is level or slightly above the bar. Then you lower yourself slowly and repeat the exercise. This exercise puts a lot of strain on the arms and shoulders and that is what is holding your whole body weight. The muscles improved are the deltoids, trapeziu s, biceps, triceps, latisimuss dorsi, and to any(prenominal) extent the pectorals and abdominals as they tend to be quite tensed during the exercise. On the muscular skeletal diagram at the top it is groups A, B, C, G, H, F and D.

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe | Analysis

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe AnalysisThings Fall Apart Things fall apart is a tragedy refreshed written by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo, who is the protagonist of the novel and one of the most powerful men in the Ibo tribe often resorts to violence to make his points understood. Down in his heart, Okonkwo is not a cruel man, just his purport is dominated by his internal conflict, the fear of visitation and of weakness. He abominated his novice, Unoka, because he was a lazy debtor. Okonkwo made it a point in his life to set himself apart from his father by being well known and wealthy as well as becoming a salient warrior in the tribal conflicts of Umuofia and the surrounding villages. His fear leads him to commit cruel actions that are disastrous for him and the clan, for examples, his uncontrollable elicit has caused his family and the clan to fear him. Okonkwos external conflict provide be his family and religion which is one of the reasons that led to the death of Okonkwo at the end. Okonkwos most prominent internal conflict, the fear of failure and weakness, destroyed his life and has made him a cruel man. His internal conflict gives him nothing only the fears of his family and clan have towards him. His conflict is greatly influenced by his father, but Okonkwo takes his fear to the extreme. Okonkwos father was a rattling lazy and carefree man. He had a reputation of being poor and his wife and children had just barely enough to eat they swore never to lend him some(prenominal) more money because he never paid rachis (Achebe, pg. 61). In Umuofia, a father is supposed to teach the children right and wrong, and in this case, the lessons were not taught, but self-learned. Okonkwo had to rely on his own interpretations of what defined a good man and to him that was someone that was the exact opposite of his father. As a result of his own self-taught conclusions, Okonkwo feels that anything resembling his father or anything that his father enjoyed w as weak and unnecessary. Because of his fear to be seen as weak, Okonkwo even strikes down Ikemefuna who lives with him for three years calls him father as the machete came down. Okonkwo looked away. He perceive the blow. He heard Ikemefuna cry My father, they have killed me Okonkwo draws his machete and cuts him down. He does not want to be though weak (P. 61). Even he act obdurate and coldblooded, his guilt of killing Ikemefuna has caused him for not able to sleep and eats for days. This shows that he will destroy everything that makes him look weak no matter what. Okonkwos uncontrollable anger is his another prominent flaw that keeps him away from true greatness. Although his anger has served him well in his life, ultimately, it destroys his way of life. Okonkwo is very rough on his son, for example, when Nwoye overhears that Ikemefuna was to be taken back to his village, burst into tears Okonkwo beat him heavily(P57). Okonkwo tries to instill his personal views on how to live as a man to his son, and to Okonkwo, crying is very womanly, and so Nwoye is punished for it. Okonkwos unfitness to control his anger eventually drives his son away from him instead of teaching him what is right and what is wrong. It makes Nwoye want to join what Okonkwo wants to destroy. Okonkwo spies the District Commissioner and as he trembles with hate, ineffectual to utter a word in a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. The messenger crouched to avoid the blow. It was useless. Okonkwos machete descended twice and the mans head lay beside his uniformed body. (P.204) Okonkwos hate and anger in this situation eventually leads him to his death. Although his hate and anger is justified here, it is clear that he is not able to control himself, and unrestrained anger does more harm than good. Achebe tries to show the readers that hate and anger is a very destructive way to live your life. If the people around sense the prospect of change, they will go against their ruler in hopes of chang e. Okonkwos external conflict will be his family and religion which is one of the reasons that led to the death of Okonkwo at the end. The clans of the Igbo ships company worshipped their gods, which made of stones and woods, other than than other religions. They had a representative for each of their goddess such as the Oracle of the Hills. The main god that they worshipped was Chukwu, who was believed had created heaven and Earth. His hatred and the humiliation he pass water from the Christian make him kill the messenger of District Commissioner. Okonkwo thinks that the Christians have ruined their clans because the clans found a new and accurate teaching, they began to doubt their own religion and the Igbo society was no longer acted like one. The death of Okonkwo at the end was unpredictable because throughout the novel, Chinua Achebe described him as a strong warrior who feared of nothing besides failure and weakness. When Okonkwo attached suicide, he also committed the only thing he feared, and that was weakness. In conclusion, Okonkwos most prominent internal conflict, the fear of failure and weakness, destroyed his life and has made him a cruel man. His uncontrollable anger is his another prominent flaw that keeps him away from true greatness. At the end, when Okonkwo committed suicide, he also committed the only thing he feared, and that was weakness.

Birth Control Should Be Available in Schools

Birth Control Should Be Available in SchoolsIn recent years the add up of pregnant teen come onrs in the United States has skyrocketed free contraceptives should be available and provided for middle and high cultivate students within schools around the country in order to admirer encumber the amount high school students that experience unintended pregnancies before graduating from their high school.The United States has the highest teen gestation rate (nine times higher) of any opposite country in the world. In in the buff York, teen pregnancy costs taxpayers at least $421 million dollars per year. Most of the cost is ca manipulationd because of the negative consequences for the barbarianren who are natural to teen mothers or parents. The costs are made up of health care costs for Medicaid, child welfare, public assistance, foster care, lost tax gross and incarceration. Teen moms are more promising to drop bulge out of school and live in p bothwherety their children are m ore likely to be delivered at low present weight, grow up poor, and live in single-parent households, experience abuse and neglect, and enter the child welfare system. Daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen parents themselves and sons of teen mothers are more likely to be incarcerated (Hoffman, By the Numbers The Public Costs Of Teen Childbearing In New York).The consequences of teenage pregnancy are both far-reaching and cyclical. They are far-reaching in the scent out that teenage parenthood circumscribes the lives of young flock and has severe implications for the education, health, and well-being of both parents and issue and in like manner in the horse sense that both parents and offspring may never recover sufficiently to become productive members of society. They are cyclical in the sense that the children of teenage parents frequently become teenage parents themselves and thus become subject to the same consequences that their parents faced (A young w oman who has not developed a sense of autonomy will have difficulty establishing a relationship with her infant because of her impede ability to empathize with the child. An egocentric teenager cannot possibly wrinkle into her infants call for or respond to its cues she in that locationfore lacks the ability to provide an appropriate nurturing environment (Compton and Hruska 14.)In Sullivan County, The percentage of births to teens (10-17 years old) from 2006-2008 was 2.3%, compared to the New York State rate of 2.2 (Family Planning Indicators, 2011.) Lewin (2010) states that the pregnancy rate among teenagers increased 3 percent from 2005 to 2006, by and by it had declined 14% surrounded by 1990 and 2006. There was a slight decline again in 2008 until the present. Social programs for the end of decreasing teen pregnancy have slowly started to disappear during the recession President Obama is still providing some limited financial investment but for certify based programs onl y. These programs are gradually become non existent, like BOCES Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, have been taken away and the service providers have gone out of business. Programs like Planned Parenthood, which provide free or low cost birth control and wind education for teenagers, have been the victim of repeated cuts caused by conservatives, religious groups and Republicans. For the decades, our primary means of preventing teenage pregnancies was to demand that teenagers not have sex, a tactic akin to ordering a hungry tiger not to maul you, states Greg Fish (Fish, Schools Should Give Kids Free Contraceptives.)Miller (1973) stated that 50% of unwed women have had sexual intercourse by the age of 19. At that time, over 30 years ago, most of the respondents in his research revealed that their parents and doctors were not an good source of information about sex, and that they did not consistently use contraception. In 2002, the field of study Center for wellness Statistic s, Fertility, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health of U.S. Women conducted a survey of women from the ages of 15 to 54, which showed that the average age of teens starting to have intercourse, was 17.3 years, with men averaging at the slightly jr. age of 17. Those who lived with both parents or who were involved in religion tended to be slightly older. Boys and girls were equally likely to have engaged in sex. Omran et al. (2006) studied the facility of sexual behavior among 2,300 urban teens in Baltimore, and found that 42 percent had engaged in sexual intercourse by the age of 14, and that the average age for teens to have sexual intercourse was 14.8 years. In 2008, more than 10,000 girls participated in an anonymous survey on the Tyra Banks TV show (Coffey, Survey, Unprotected Sex Common Among Teens). The results showed that on average, girls had lost their virginity at 15 years of age. Fourteen percent of teens who were having sex said they were doing it at school, and 52 p ercent of survey respondents said that they did not use protection when having sex. Only 2% of girls were using long-acting reversible contraceptives (Vital Signs, 2011). More than 6 in 10 high school students will have sex before they graduate (Get the Facts, NY, 2011.)Why are sexually active teenagers failing to protect themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections? In Risky Business, a 2000 poll, 3 out of 10 teens admitted they had not used protection the last time they had sex, although 9 out of 10 said that they believed it was important to use protection every time. Half of them stated that they didnt because their partners didnt want to, and they felt pressured to have sex without it. Half also said that drugs or alcohol were the reasons they didnt use protection. Brown and Guthrie (2010) interviewed English women between the ages of 16 and 24 who had just had an abortion. They explained that all the women had been fully aware of the importance of contraceptio n and knew where they could obtain it, but had forgotten to do so, gotten carried away in the moment, or gave into pressure from partners who did not want to use a condom.Some teenagers choose to get pregnant. There have been a number of recent films like Juno and reality shows, which both normalize and glamorize teen pregnancy and teen parents. For teens unsure about themselves and their relationships, the desire for some form of unconditional love leads many to cogitate motherhood will satisfy that longing, and that it will bring the attention from others that the teen may want. For some, they are carrying on the tradition of multi-generational poverty they may have themselves been the child of a teen. Childbearing may be a role that they feel they will bring attention, success and social status as a baby-mama, also giving themselves a adult role as a mother, helping them to escape the confusion of the teen years. Teen-age girls also feel that getting pregnant is a way to secure their relationship with their partner (Lowen, Teen Pregnancy Pact Teens Choose to Become Pregnant) However, A young woman who has not developed a sense of autonomy will have difficulty establishing a relationship with her infant because of her impeded ability to empathize with the child. An egocentric teenager cannot possibly tune into her infants needs or respond to its cues she therefore lacks the ability to provide an appropriate nurturing environment (Compton and Hruska)In rural schools, teens face obstacles in obtaining contraception. Within smaller towns and counties, there are very few services for the prevention of Teen Pregnancy. Places which are in greater need receive the small amount of money for such(prenominal) programs. Which leaves the duty of teen pregnancy prevention is on the schools staff. Planned Parenthood clinics could be dictated very far away in these rural areas and their hours could be very inconvenient to students. Bringing up the problem of getting th ere, because of the lack of transportation. The local general stores do carry condoms, but students are unlikely to debase them there, due to their concerns about their privacy and confidentiality in a small town where all the store staff know most customers by name. Also in a poor rural community, the students have very few opportunities for employment so that they cant afford to buy their own birth control. Depending on when a student elects to take Health Class, they may have little or no accurate information about sexual health issues or contraception until their senior year.According to the Guttmacher Report on School-Based Health Centers and the Birth Control Debate (2000), there were 1,135 school based health centers in the United States, located in 45 states there are now 230 approved and operating School-based health centers in New York State, 64% of which are in urban areas (School-Based Health Centers Fact Sheet) Services are paid for by Medicaid, private insurance, Chil d Health Plus, and 23% of services are provided free for the uninsured. These clinics offer services on site, including reproductive health services, such as pregnancy testing, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, and gynecological exams. However, 3 out of four were prohibited from dispensing contraceptives (besides condoms) per school district policy. They were at least able to provide birth control counseling and referrals to outside agencies.An AP Poll taken in 2007 indicated that 67% of Americans favored permit schools provide contraceptives (CBS News, Birth Control at School? Most Say Its OK). However, most also preferred that the contraceptives be given to children who had their parents permission. The poll was given after much attention in the media to the events at King Middle School, in Maine, where middle and high school students (aged 11 to 18) were allowed to have free access to birth control pill prescriptions through their onsite health center (Fox News, School Board Approves Birth Control Prescriptions at Maine Middle School.) Although there was a lot of dissimilarity to this proposal from opponents who felt that birth control was the students parents responsibility, that giving out birth control was giving permission to teens to have sex, and that it violated parental rights, more people felt that the policy was needed in order to protect those students who didnt have strong support from their parents.In conclusion, at many schools within the country guard practitioners and doctors conduct health exams for students with parental permission. The existing program should be expanded to also provide reproductive care and education, and the school nurses could be aloud to come on and provide information about contraception and protection from sexually transmitted infections and non-prescription birth control methods. It is very important that schools and the communities develop new strategies which will prevent unintended tee n pregnancy and promote health.

Ensuring Effectiveness Of Critical Reflection With Reflection Models

Ensuring Effectiveness Of Critical Reflection With Reflection ModelsThe NMC (2008) requires nurses to maintain competence in all areas of convention (Meretoja et al, 2004). Nurses can contri alonee to the ongoing maintenance and development of clinical competence and ongoing professional development through reflection (Gustafson and Fagerberg, 2004). Reflection supports clinical reasoning, minute thinking and review of clinical actions and knowledge, contributing to ongoing evaluation of practice, for self and others (Bowden, 2003). However, reflection can be challenged as a pointless or exceptional treat (Jones, 1995), and therefore, to ensure reflection is effective, and contributes to knowledge, understanding, learning and development (Rolfe, 2005), it is best to mathematical function one of the m both models of critical reflection that have been developed within the theoretic domain.As partly of a process of critical reflection, I shall use Gibbs (1988) model of structured reflection, to structure and define the process of reflection and critical digest involved in this scenario.Description (What Happened)I was involved in the carry off of a fifty two year old gentleman who has been under my criminal maintenance for some time in relation to monitoring of line of business pressure. After initial tests were carried appear, the gentleman was assessed according to standard definitions of hypertension. The gentleman, who shall be called Mr J for the purposes of this reflection, and to maintain confidentiality in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct (NMC, 2008), had been complaining of some intermittent headaches, occasional dizziness, and blood tests were draw offn full blood count, urea and electrolytes (to rule out any renal involvement), and creatinine. Blood pressure measurements were one week apart, and his blood pressure was found to be 150/100 mmhg and 150/98 mmHg respectively. I carried out a get on blood pressure measurements on three su bsequent days and found the blood pressure to be within these two ranges on several make. There was no abnormality detected in the blood test results, and therefore, the decision was made to commence the patient on antihypertensive medication. I also carried out tests for diabetes and referred him to the GP for further assessment of cardiovascular risk.In order to make this decision, I consulted not only reference books such as the British National Formulary, and the guidance on nurse prescribing, but the guidelines provided by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence ( elegant, 2006). In this guideline, NICE (2006, p 2) clearly state thatTreatment and care should take into account patients individual needs and preferences. Good communication is essential, supported by evidence-based information, to allow patients to reach assured decisions about their care. Carers and relatives should have the chance to be involved in discussions unless the patient thinks it inap propriateTherefore, having explained the findings to the patient, I discussed with him the issues surrounding the diagnosis of hypertension, and what the consequence of this condition could be for his pine term health. I also discussed the type of medication that was used, in order to make sure that he understood how this would affect him and how significant it was to maintain a vertical treatment regimen and not to miss his medication. This allowed me to assess his ability to self-medicate and also monitor his own condition and any cause of side effects of the medication. I also discussed with him the need to inform his family or next of kin of his condition and its treatment, as this would allow him to have support and help in adjusting to a chronic condition, and also other people who would assess symptoms and side effects during the treatment process. This is important as it can take time to adjust to the use of anti-hypertensive medication and sometimes the regimen needs to be altered in order to suit the individual patient (NICE, 2006).Feelings (What were you thinking and happening)My thoughts during this process were focused on the need to properly diagnose this patients condition, and to ensure that the prescribing process was correct, within the guidelines laid down for nurses by the NMC. I was concerned with getting the decent dosage and frequency, choosing the right medication within the boundaries of my prescribing role, and also, ensuring that the patient was fully aware of the implications of his condition. However, more than challenging to my current role was the realisation that my concern for the patient, and for his adjustment to being told he had a chronic illness that needed treatment, was overshadowed by my focus on the prescribing process, and therefore, on reflection, I realised that there was a degree of dissatisfaction, in that I could feel that I was finding it more difficult to focus on his psychological and emotional needs be cause of the prescribing role.Evaluation (What was good and bad about the expereince)The positives of this experience strike to the ability to apply the principles of the NICE Guidance (NICE, 2006), whilst at the same time being able to provide continuity of care, quality of care, and holistic nursing care to an individual based on his own needs and reactions. While I became aware of the way in which the process of diagnosis and prescription started to eclipse the more holistic and humanistic elements of my nursing care for this patient, I did mention this and so was able to redress this during the consultations and to develop a more holistic approach. and so, identifying my own feelings allowed me to take immediate action and to spend time with the patient discussing the impact of the diagnosis and his own feelings, particularly in relation to his social life and family life. As an quick individual, he was concerned about the impact on his lifestyle, and the NICE guidance (NICE , 2006) does suggest that lifestyle advice should be provided at appropriate moments during care, so it was also good to be able to both meet the individual needs of the client and ensure I was taking the optimal approach to his monitoring, treatment, support and health education. digest (What sense can you make of the situation)The literature suggests that decision making in nursing is focused on optimal treatment and management for the best practical outcomes, and the first stage of this is assessing and observing all features of the patient, ie their condition, clinical signs and symptoms, and their holistic state of being (Hedberg and Satterlund, 2003). In this case, the decision making process began with the assessment of the blood pressure measurements, and these were the first indication that there was a need to intervene, as the readings were above the diagnostic line on more than two separate occasions (NICE, 2006). Thus, I knew that I would need to intervene, and that the re was a need to prescribe medication appropriate to the clients needs, within the guidelines set out locally (Latter and Courtenay, 2004). My competence in the diagnostic and prescribing processes was confirmed by my recognition of patient need and the ability to also carry out further tests, or refer the patient for further tests relating to their condition (Meretoja et al, 2004 Ashworth and Saxton, 1990). The NICE (2006) guidelines clearly state that in the absence of established cardiovascular disease, when raised blood pressure persists, they need further testing to identify cardiovascular risk, and further tests specifically in relation to diabetes and renal disease, due to the connections between these two chronic conditions and hypertension.A key feature of this diagnostic process however was the intersection of advanced nursing competence in relation to diagnostic and prescribing practice, and general holistic nursing care principles, including person-centred care (Price, 2 006). The management of the tortuous clinical knowledge required in a situation the like this, and the more interpersonal and humanistic side of nursing practice, is almost second constitution to many nurses, but I became conscious of it during this encounter, and it was an important learning point for me. Older clients have complex personal and social lives, and complex histories, and therefore it is important to see and understand them as individuals in the light of that complexity, rather than falling into the bad habit of reducing them to their signs, symptoms, and disease (Redfern and Ross, 2001). Thus it was possible to view the clinical decision making process from multiple angles from the clinical and objective angle and from the holistic viewpoint (Harbison, 1991). Critical thinking processes were involved, in assessing the need to take action, in assessing the patient as a person, and in assessing their self care ability and their ability to cope with this new medicatio n regime and its likely effects, all part of ensuring that they are being monitored appropriately after the introduction of the anti-hypertensive medication (Department of Health, 2004).It was also apparent that this was an appropriate time to discuss health promotion and lifestyle changes to repair patient health and wellbeing (Croghan, 2005), and taking a positive and patient centred approach, focusing on patient empowerment during the transition to acceptance of their condition (Funnell, 2004). Thus it is possible to see how the process of diagnosis and prescribing fits into the overall assessment and decision making processes of clinical nursing practice, in the context of an effectively developed nurse-patient blood (Luker et al, 1998).Conclusion (What else could you have done?)On reflection, I could argue that there is always scope for improvement within nursing practice. Therefore, I could have mayhap considered ahead on in the process what the full implications of this di agnosis were. I did consult the NICE guidelines, the local guidelines, and worked within the rules laid down by the NMC, but perhaps I should have been considering the patient holistically first, and considered lifestyle factors and changes earlier on in the process (NICE, 2006). I could have also perhaps asked if he would like to bring his wife/primary carer with him to an appointment so I could have involved her, with his permission, in discussions of his condition, and in the explanation about his medication and its potential effects. follow up Plan (If it arose again, what would you do?)If this occurred in the future, I would focus on the nurse patient relationship immediately, and would consider the holistic view more consciously earlier on in the diagnosis, assessment, and prescribing process. This might allow the patient to come to terms more effectively with their condition, and would also allow them to get carers involved if necessary. However, the adherence to the NICE gui delines is also something I would repeat in future, as this has provided a useful source for supporting practice, decision making, and prescribing.

Clean Coal and Its Potential Essay -- Energy Coal Fuel Essays Papers

Clean Coal and Its Potential With the United States change magnitude addiction for petroleum and imported energy, many organizations fork up begun to pressure government agencies to consider cleaner methods for fuel. As evident from recent government spending, the current memorial tablet favors the generation of electricity through a fogy fuel abundant in the United States burn. though coal is widely seen as a bodacious source of energy, it contains many drawbacks its emissions. Clean coal alternatives ar available and they appear to shit a promising future in the world of non-renewable energy. Coal, when employ in the traditional manner, is the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet. The combustion of coal releases a combination of pestiferous emissions into the surrounding atmosphere. These include but argon not limited to NOx, SO2, CO2, and trace amounts of mercury (Rinstinen). Effects of these emissions are seen in the accumulation of low-level ozone, global w arming, and venereal disease rain. Despite these devastating affects coal remains the largest atomic number 53 producer of energy in the US (Schobert). With so many coal burning plants already in operation, and the obvious benefits of coals energy authority, scientists have set out to harness coals good properties while at the same quantify protect the earth from its devastating short-comings. The resoluteness to the current debate over coals future seems to lie in the idealist potential of Clean Coal. Its potential is so considerable that President Bush has poured millions of dollars into the Federal Budget to suffer Clean Coal development and initiatives. Currently, countless plants from the 1950s and 1960s have become decommissioned or are in need of replacements the need to reinv... ...the non-renewable energies require in addition many additional processes to be considered a sustainable fuel for the future. Works Cited Clean Coal engineering science How It Work s. BBC News. 28 Nov. 2005. bbc.co.uk. 14 Feb. 2007 . Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle. Cogeneration. 8 Jan. 2004. CogenerationTechnologies. 14 Feb. 2007 . Prospects For CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) situation Sheet. Iea.Org. 15 Feb. 2006. International slide fastener Agency. 14 Feb. 2007 . Ristinen, Robert A., and old salt J. Kraushaar. Energy and the Environment. New York & London John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999. Schobert, Harold H. Energy and Society. New York & London Taylor and Francis, 2002. Clean Coal and Its Potential Essay -- Energy Coal Fuel Essays written documentClean Coal and Its Potential With the United States increasing addiction for petroleum and imported energy, many organizations have begun to pressure government agencies to consider cleaner methods for fuel. As evident from recent government spending, the current administration favors the generation of electricity through a fossil fuel abundant in the United States coal. Though coal is widely seen as a cheap source of energy, it contains many drawbacks its emissions. Clean coal alternatives are available and they appear to have a promising future in the world of non-renewable energy. Coal, when used in the traditional manner, is the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet. The combustion of coal releases a combination of harmful emissions into the surrounding atmosphere. These include but are not limited to NOx, SO2, CO2, and trace amounts of mercury (Rinstinen). Effects of these emissions are seen in the accumulation of low-level ozone, global warming, and acid rain. Despite these devastating affects coal remains the largest single producer of energy in the US (Schobert). With so many coal burning plants already in operation, and the obvious benefits of coals energy potential, scientists have set out to harness coals good properties while at the same time protect the earth from its devastating short-comings. The answer to the current debate over coal s future seems to lie in the idealist potential of Clean Coal. Its potential is so great that President Bush has poured millions of dollars into the Federal Budget to stimulate Clean Coal development and initiatives. Currently, countless plants from the 1950s and 1960s have become decommissioned or are in need of replacements the need to reinv... ...the non-renewable energies require too many additional processes to be considered a sustainable fuel for the future. Works Cited Clean Coal Technology How It Works. BBC News. 28 Nov. 2005. bbc.co.uk. 14 Feb. 2007 . Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle. Cogeneration. 8 Jan. 2004. CogenerationTechnologies. 14 Feb. 2007 . Prospects For CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) Fact Sheet. Iea.Org. 15 Feb. 2006. International Energy Agency. 14 Feb. 2007 . Ristinen, Robert A., and Jack J. Kraushaar. Energy and the Environment. New York & London John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999. Schobert, Harold H. Energy and Society. New York & London Taylor and Franc is, 2002. Clean Coal and Its Potential Essay -- Energy Coal Fuel Essays PapersClean Coal and Its Potential With the United States increasing addiction for petroleum and imported energy, many organizations have begun to pressure government agencies to consider cleaner methods for fuel. As evident from recent government spending, the current administration favors the generation of electricity through a fossil fuel abundant in the United States coal. Though coal is widely seen as a cheap source of energy, it contains many drawbacks its emissions. Clean coal alternatives are available and they appear to have a promising future in the world of non-renewable energy. Coal, when used in the traditional manner, is the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet. The combustion of coal releases a combination of harmful emissions into the surrounding atmosphere. These include but are not limited to NOx, SO2, CO2, and trace amounts of mercury (Rinstinen). Effects of thes e emissions are seen in the accumulation of low-level ozone, global warming, and acid rain. Despite these devastating affects coal remains the largest single producer of energy in the US (Schobert). With so many coal burning plants already in operation, and the obvious benefits of coals energy potential, scientists have set out to harness coals good properties while at the same time protect the earth from its devastating short-comings. The answer to the current debate over coals future seems to lie in the idealist potential of Clean Coal. Its potential is so great that President Bush has poured millions of dollars into the Federal Budget to stimulate Clean Coal development and initiatives. Currently, countless plants from the 1950s and 1960s have become decommissioned or are in need of replacements the need to reinv... ...the non-renewable energies require too many additional processes to be considered a sustainable fuel for the future. Works Cited Clean Coal Technology How It Works. BBC News. 28 Nov. 2005. bbc.co.uk. 14 Feb. 2007 . Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle. Cogeneration. 8 Jan. 2004. CogenerationTechnologies. 14 Feb. 2007 . Prospects For CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) Fact Sheet. Iea.Org. 15 Feb. 2006. International Energy Agency. 14 Feb. 2007 . Ristinen, Robert A., and Jack J. Kraushaar. Energy and the Environment. New York & London John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999. Schobert, Harold H. Energy and Society. New York & London Taylor and Francis, 2002.

Fight Club - When Does Life Have No Purpose? :: essays research papers

David Finchers Fight Club is a narrated movie that explains the journey of the narrators mid-life crisis the movie begins with the final stage scene, a microscopic view of a gun inside of the narrators mouth. All of the particles and germs are very visible to give the viewer an nous of what to expect. This scene suggests a dirty, winding, and emotional journey that the narrator will take. The narrator at first finds himself with insomnia. At the same time he is obsessed with consumer goodshe buys complete sets of everything. He works for a major automobile company as an agent who decides whether the cost of a rec entirely is cheap enough to need profit. His logical argument significantly sets up his depressed life. Day after day he travels to examine cars in accidents with remains of human dead burned to the seats. It is his job by which he feels so burdened, and he seems to try to get away from it by buying furniture. The story revolves around these three examples. The gun is f ull of bacterium furniture is bought by money, a dirty obsession, and his job deals with car accidents. The Narrator has surrounded himself with consumer goods to occupy and reward himself, but when they can no longer satisfy him he breaks down emotionally.Although David Fincher put significance on whip as being a major part of the movie, it doesnt relate to every exemplify that it should. In this movie, soap is used to cleanse the body of luxury goods. Fight Club is all about eliminating things that arent necessary. Soap cleanses, and several times soap is not used. When they are fighting in the fight club, blood is a dominant image. It is a sign of being able to let go of all your material goods, if you can let go of your physical health. Here soap has no significance The Narrator, however, uses soap in what could be his possible financial future. By selling this highly profitable soap he can make an easy living, but it would change nothing in his life. The significance of soa p with fighting, therefore, is not easily visible. This is what makes visible the fact that fighting releases anger. If blood is noteworthy and is not to be cleaned off, then it is accepted.The narrator soon finds himself with a severe case of insomnia. He describes it with insomnia, nothing is real.