Monday, January 27, 2020

Human Social Welfare

Human Social Welfare Human Societies in general comprises different social classes with inhabitants ranging from privileged to under-privileged. There exist a number of philosophies to cater social needs of different establishments and in accordance with them people select their methodologies, policies and overall strategies History of Social Welfare and Social Work A program initiated with a vision to provide assistance, support, limited income and services that can benefit the needy in a society can be defined as undertaken for the social welfare. Societies face numerous problems especially the low-income families and those which have no income at all, social work involves analysis of practices suggested by social scientists, conducting research to understand the areas causing problems, evaluating solutions and devising strategies to improve the life of those suffering with poverty or injustice. Social work is aimed at proving social welfare as its focused at positively affecting human living conditions, life style, health, education, food ammunitions. Any government or non-governmental organization can start serving humanity with their social work aimed at the welfare of the people in their community. Providing each individual with quality education, every patient with proper medical facilities, goods and services at affordable prices, shelte r to tragedy striven, employment opportunities and assistance to old citizens are the services social welfare organizations usually provide to the humanity. According to the residual concept of social welfare an individual who has left with no other means of help from his family, work or any where else and has a cause to defend his need would be considered for the sustenance provided by the state. Welfare provision is often seen as being for the poor. This was the dominant model in English-speaking countries; the English Poor Law (1598-1948) was exported to many other countries. This has been taken as the model of a residual system of welfare, in which welfare is a safety net, confined to those who are unable to manage otherwise. (Spiker, 1995) In the light of institutional concept of social welfare state tries its best to protect people from the cost they would have to incur for their survival in an industrialized capitalist market, here the cause of need is not the driver but the need itself is. In this system every social class can be benefited. This concept serves the entire public by establishing development authorities, educational institutions, hospitals, military and law enforcement. UK and Sweden practice Institutional concept of welfare for its state. There is a concept of liberalism in United States that emphasizes on individual liberty strictly denying restrictions imposed by state, religion or social structures. This liberalism has three classes, classic, social and neo liberalism. Classic liberalism emphasizes strongly over individual liberty and minimum hold of state. The philosophy here supports individual rights of property, free trade, and the decision one makes out of his rational mind-set. Social liberalism has an added economic and social aspect of politics. It highlights the need for the whole society to preserve individuals right of liberty. Its usually been applied in mixed economies and with government providing services to private enterprises conducting their business and consumer services. Its philosophers consider lack of basic human needs like education, health and employment triggers the threat to individual as well as social liberty. Neoliberalism suggests economic liberty as the foundation of economic develop ment for any nation. Income taxes, individuals right of property, deregulation, trade liberalization etc are the pre-requisites of neoliberalism. Conservative philosophers believe in the rule of law over liberty and individual rights. They consider implication of law mandatory on the economic, political and social ideology of people. Classical conservatism prioritize legacy of laws over individuals speculated rational decisions. It has tradition and religion codes focused at the perseverance of both. In fiscal conservatism there is a limit to all the taxes, government intervention and budgetary laws. Social conservatism is centered at preserving social norms and cultural values. Judeo Christian system has a concept of sharing value system common to both the religion. The Jew considers Christians as adopters of some of the values from their faith. The concept of merging belief system could also serve humanitarian values as it increases the tolerance for people belonging to different religion, creating acceptability among communities and bring peace. American system is Judeo Christian with the history that founders of the nati on were more of the believers of being heirs to the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible and the belief in liberty. This sense of mission is why more Americans have died for the liberty of others than any other nations soldiers. It is why those who today most identify with the Judeo-Christian essence of America are more likely to believe in the moral worthiness of dying to liberate countries not only Europe, but Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. That is why America stands alone in protecting two little countries threatened with extinction, Israel and Taiwan. (Prager, 2004, p.5764) The concept is extending to introduce Judeo Christian- Muslim. Even Islamic teachings concentrates on spreading peace on earth rather then promoting terrorism which is the exploitation of the essence of the religion by those who are the enemies of world peace and stability. The Poor Laws in England identified poor as belonging to three groups, those who cant work at all, those who cant find work and those who were not willing to work. A poor relief fund was created and workhouses for able-poor while the idle ones were punished. Elizabeth Poor law of 1601 formularized the relief process by creating a collectivist national system made by imposing taxes and provided services to poor. The deserving poor were provided with food, money and even clothing. Those who needed work were placed at workhouses and were even given places to live while those that were not willing to work were sent to houses of correction. A parish was responsible for identifying and providing sustenance to its poor. The alms provided outside the workhouse were called outdoor relief. Some economists consider American Poor Law comparable to English poor Law reform of 1834. According to a critic Stephen Pimpare Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Hunter College CUNY: During these periods of profound economic transformation, they used similar arguments to make ending or restricting relief an act of compassion, not cruelty, thus giving political viability and moral legitimacy to their self-serving cause. Such propaganda was disseminated through similar kinds of well-funded and well-connected organizations of â€Å"experts,† which functioned as mediating institutions, linking their funders, the media, and the political system; those funders remained behind the scenes during these battles, achieving their goals by dressing their economic campaigns in moral rhetoric. (Pimpare, 2003) Protestant ethics is being considered as an evolutionary force behind capitalism. Unlike other religion it encouraged the followers to pursue economic growth. Under this view Economic gain was focused, activities for the pursuit of worldly benefits was encouraged and given positive meaning. Some critics condemn such behavior of protestant preachers as being aimed at saving their position by establishing opportunities like material growth appreciable in religion. Laissez-Faire introduces an economic concept which rejects the intervention by the government in the form of taxes and other charges that are above then the one required to carry the specified services like individual rights, peace and security government is supposed to provide. It stresses the need of individual rights, personal freedom and free market. States unnecessary regulation and protection skims the profits and leave business world dissatisfied. Reference: Pimpare, S. (2003, Aug) The Poor Law Strikes Home?  Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, PA Online Retrieved 2008-02-24 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p62621_index.html Prager, D. (2004) â€Å"What does Judeo-Christian mean?†. Jewish World View 8 Nissan, 5764, Retrieved 2008-03-04 from http://focusonjerusalem.com/whatdoesjudeo-christianmean.html Spiker, P. (1995) â€Å"Social Policy and Administration†. Social policy: themes and Approaches, Retrieved 2008-03-04 from http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/socpolf.htm

Sunday, January 19, 2020

A Culture of Respect

A Culture of Respect: How Can Leaders Create a Culture of Respect in an Industrial Organization? ORGL 506 Gonzaga University John Gergich ORGL 506 A1 Professor Barbara McLaughlin February 19th, 2012 Abstract This paper provides an overview of research surrounding the importance of creating a culture of respect within an industrial organization. The research identifies key definitions of respect as well as other principles interrelated to respect such as honesty, integrity and transparency. Drawing on the research, culture is defined by policies, procedures and behaviors of the individuals who make up the organization.The research also describes not only the keys necessary to developing an environment where respect and trust flourish, but how to sustain the gains in order to create a competitive advantage. When respect and trust are increased, productivity increases and cost is reduced. Conversely, when respect and trust are low, the speed at which things are accomplished is significa ntly slowed and costs begin to spiral out of control. Creating a Culture of Respect Respect is one of the values that we hear talked about a lot in organizations.Respect is a word that usually evokes a positive conversation in that most human beings feel that respect is important and valued. The problem has been that almost no one really thinks about or understands what it means to respect someone, create a culture of respect among people or for that matter what it means to be to be respected. We don’t generally normally think of respect as an action but as a feeling or judgment about other people. The purpose of this literature review is to give leaders, line managers, project managers and change agents practical assistance in creating a work environment where everyone feels valued and espected and where harassment and bullying are unacceptable. The guidance draws on information from a number of resources and research documents produced in recent years. Leaders who fail to t ackle discrimination, harassment and bullying pay a price. The cost to an organization can be measured in: †¢ lost time because staff are affected by stress and ill health †¢ lower engagement due to low morale †¢ reduced work output and quality of service †¢ lost resources due to trained and experienced people leaving the organization Organizations are complex systems with their own rules and cultures.The way that organizations manage people plays an important role in the creation of a culture that is either respectful or bullying towards its employees. An organization has to ensure that its systems and culture do not reward bullying behavior, but rather that such behavior will be discovered and challenged. Literature Review Defining Respect The word respect originates from the Latin â€Å"respectus† which means â€Å"to look† or â€Å"to look back†. The term can be distinguished as having something to do with observation.If the prefix  "re† implies â€Å"again†, then we have the concept of respect as meaning something like â€Å"looking again† (Selman, 2001). Respecting another means we are â€Å"looking† at the other person in a particular way. Although we may or may not agree with another’s worldview or perspective, we are open to listening and honoring their opinion. Conversely, disrespect conveys a behavior in which we are generally closed to certain possibilities and conversations with them. Although respect is just a word, what it means and what it distinguishes for us can make all the difference in how we observe ourselves and others.In the article Leadership and respect, the author suggests that while respect is a context for any relationship, we as individuals make the choice whether it is an expression of our commitment to effective relationships with others or whether it becomes part of a culture and worldview that separates and limits us. Stephen M. R. Covey suggests t hat the foundation of effective relationships is trust. While us as individuals may have positive intent, people judge others based on consistent behavior. The single biggest violation of trust is integrity.Covey asserts that integrity is of greater importance than honesty. Although honesty is crucial, integrity is made up of three other components: congruency, humility and courage (2006). It stands to reason that respect begins with leaders displaying an honorable character which is consistent in nature with the values and goals of the organization. If leaders simply pay â€Å"lip service† when people are watching, yet act in an inconsistent way in private, the foundation of trust has been damaged and it will be difficult at best to create an atmosphere of respect. How Respect is DevelopedCreating a culture of respect begins with a commitment to seeing everyone as worthy of respect. As previously suggested, while we don’t always have a choice about our automatic judgm ents and predispositions, we do have a choice about what our valuations mean and the weight we give to them in our day to day relationships (Selman, 2001). Covey describes building trust and respect within an organization as a cause and effect relationship. The author suggests that there are taxes and dividends companies can avoid and leverage in an attempt to develop a culture of respect (2006) (fig. 1. 1). Taxes |Dividends | |Redundancy |Increased Value | |Bureaucracy |Accelerated Growth | |Politics |Enhanced Innovation | |Disengagement |Improved Collaboration | |Turnover |Stronger Partnering | |Churn |Better Execution | |Fraud |Heightened Loyalty | Figure 1. 1 As organizations develop a culture of respect, standards and values have an impact on an employee’s perception as to what is acceptable behavior (Tehrani, 2001). Organizations going through this type of cultural transformation need to engage all pertinent stakeholders in the development process. This universal participation and buy-in dramatically increases the likelihood of success. How Respect is SustainedArmstrong International is a privately-owned mid-sized manufacturing corporation in Michigan which has been steadily growing even during the recession. In their 109 year existence they have never had a single layoff. According to the company’s fourth-generation Chief Executive, David Armstrong, the secret to their success is establishing a work culture based on respect (Earing, 2012). Specifically in an industrial organization, Armstrong believes the key to a successful manufacturing operation is one that focuses on building a culture based on core values, such as honesty and respect. â€Å"It all goes back to the golden rule—‘Do unto others as you would do to you. ’ Treat your employees with respect and courtesy, and communicate with them about what’s going on,† (para 12).Tehrani suggests that organizations need to practical and emotional suppo rt to people in conflict when issues arise (2001). Although an organization with a sustained level of respect is characterized as having an atmosphere of trust and dignity, it is equally important for leaders to be actively involved in being aware and diagnosing the signs and symptoms of bullying and harassment. Nancy R. Lockwood theorizes that workplace diversity is no longer just about anti-discrimination compliance, but also that it focuses on inclusion and the impact on the bottom line. Leveraging workplace diversity, and thus diversity of thought, is increasingly seen as a vital strategic resource for competitive advantage.More companies are linking workplace diversity to their strategic goals and objectives–and holding management accountable for results (2005). Thus, HR plays a key role in diversity management and leadership to create and empower an organizational culture that fosters a respectful, inclusive, knowledge-based environment where each employee has the oppor tunity to learn, grow and meaningfully contribute to the organization's success. Conclusion Organizations will never completely eradicate human beings from having judgments about themselves and others. However, as leaders we can establish an environment of respect and live by the principle of trust.Like all values, respect cannot be legislated or regulated into existence. It must be learned, coached and demonstrated by leaders throughout the organization. Respect, as has been distinguished, is the context for all relationships and can be created through commitment within every day interactions. Achieving a environment where all people are fully engaged and respected is a large undertaking that requires tremendous focus and leadership. It cannot be something you do on the corner of your desk or when you have time. You need to observe evidence that the behavior is evident and institutionalized within the organization. References Covey, S. M. R. (2006).The Speed of Trust. New York: Sim on & Schuster. Earing, A. (2012). Successful Manufacturing Starts With Respect. Retrieved January 28th, 2012 from http://www. impomag. com/scripts/ShowPR. asp? RID=11870=0 Lockwood, N. (2005). Workplace diversity: leveraging the power of difference for competitive advantage. Retrieved January 28th, 2012 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_6_50/ai_n14702678/ Selman, J. (2001). Leadership and respect. Retrieved January 28th, 2012 from http://www. paracomm. com/articles/respect. html Tehrani, N. (2001). Building a culture of respect: managing bullying at work. London: Taylor & Francis. [pic]

Saturday, January 11, 2020

How to Calculate Beta Essay

How to Calculate Beta Beta refers to the volatility of a particular stock compared against the volatility of the entire stock market or, in practice, a representative index of that market, such as the Standard and Poor’s (S;amp;P) 500. Beta is an indicator of how risky a particular stock is and is used to evaluate its expected rate of return. Beta is one of the fundamentals stock analysts consider when choosing stocks for their portfolios, along with price-to-earnings ratio, shareholder’s equity, debt-to-equity ratio and other factors. Here’s how to calculate beta and use beta to figure an expected rate of return. This is the rate of return an investor could expect on an investment in which his or her money is not at risk, such as U. S. Treasury Bills for investments in U. S. dollars and German Government Bills for investments that trade in euros. This figure is normally expressed as a percentage.Determine the respective rates of return for the stock and for the market or representative index. These figures are also expressed as percentages. Usually, the rates of return are figured over several months. * Either or both of these values may be negative, meaning that investing in the stock or the market (index) as a whole would mean a loss against the investment during the period. Subtract the risk-free rate from the market (or index) rate of return. If the market or index rate of return is 8 percent and the risk-free rate is again 2 percent, the difference would be 6 percent. Divide the difference in the stock’s return rate minus the risk-free rate by the market (or index) rate of return minus the risk-free rate. This is the beta, which is typically expressed as a decimal value. In the example above, the beta would be 5 divided by 6, or 0. 833. * The beta of the market itself, or its representative index, is by definition 1. 0, as the market is being compared against itself and any nonzero number divided by itself equals. A beta less than 1 means that the stock is less volatile than the market as a whole, while a beta greater than 1 means the stock is more volatile than the market as a whole. The beta value can be less than zero, meaning either that the stock is losing money while the market as a whole is gaining (more likely) or that the stock is gaining while the market as a whole is losing money (less likely). * When figuring beta, it is common, though not required, to use an index representative of the market in which the stock trades. For U. S. stocks, the S&P 500 is the index sually used, although an industrial stock may be better served by comparing it against the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Friday, January 3, 2020

The Causes Of World War I - 1171 Words

A Historical Analysis of the Causes of World War I (187)The initial causes of World War I can be defined through the problematic issues of late British Imperialism during the Boxer rebellion in 1900. Many Chinese citizens had become rebellious to German imperialism, which allowed Kaiser Wilhelm II to send the German East Asia Squadron to quell the uprising. This action forced the Great Powers, such as Great Britain and Russia, to also send troops to stop the rebellion. Due to the rising power of the German navy and military, it became evident that a European arms race had laid the foundation for conflict between Germany and England: â€Å"An official visit to the German shipyards at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven convinced the Admiralty that Kaiser’s naval preparations were aimed at England, and England alone† (Herman 481). More so, the Kaiser promoted a strict form of German nationalism that galvanized the military industrial complex to build an army that would dominate Europe. This blend of German imperialism, nationalism, a nd militarism were the major underlying causes of World War I. Certainly, Britain and the rest of Europe competed with Germany to dominate Europe and colonial outposts throughout the world. The rise of German nationalism was a major contributor to World War I by creating a sense of pride and unique regional identity for the government and the military. One aspect of German nationalism was based on the racial superiority of Germans in comparison to otherShow MoreRelatedThe Cause Of World War I966 Words   |  4 Pages World War I is known today as one of America’s worst wars in history, due to the facts because it was the First World War and well over eight million people died. World War I was between the countries of Germany, United States, Russia, France, and among many others. There are many causes of World War I, both immediate and underlying causes. 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